Things in the life of Loz...

[lozenger8]

1. I have started my new T-shirt collection. It is aces. And 17 t-shirts strong already. I'm very proud of myself. I actually rebought three of the tees I had before, because I love them so much

Comments

[wolfy_writing]

I have to say, I really appreciate how much you focus on fitness and physical activity in your posts. I'm fat myself, and my past attempts to lose weight have been...unsuccessful to say the least. But exercise is something where I know I can achieve noticeable results (I just spent the last week scuba diving, and 3-4 dives a day plus a bit of extra trekking and snorkeling didn't wear me out), and it's nice to see someone who, after going on a diet, still doesn't treat weight loss like the most important thing.

I hope people get used to your new size and stop making it such a huge thing.

[lozenger8]

It's all about physical fitness, for me. The main reason I was overweight wasn't really unhealthy eating, it was how sedentary I was outside of school - both as a student and a teacher - so getting up, moving and dedicating time almost every day to some form of concentrated exercise has been the key to me feeling better. Is it because you haven't found an exercise that suits you/because of physical or time limitations that you haven't been able to lose weight the way you've wanted to?

I sincerely hope your last thing too, but I have a horrible feeling they won't, considering they still haven't. It's been a year since I got more active and switched to a higher protein & lower carb diet. It'll be at least another year I think until I am at a fitness level that is sustainable and more toned.

[wolfy_writing]

I think it's less exercise than food? I've had periods where I was exercising fairly regularly, but that works well with the right kind of external motivation (such as an impending dive trip or being on a rowing team), and leads to little or no weight loss. (When I exercise a lot, I get hungry, and if I'm not trying to lose weight at the time, I'll happily eat large portions.) I'm a picky eater (trying to improve, but slowly, as I tend to balk when I feel as if I'm forced to eat things I don't like), and I haven't found a way of restricting food that doesn't either accomplish nothing or dissolve into frustration. It doesn't help that I travel a lot, so portion sizes, recipes, and brands vary hugely.

[lozenger8]

Yes, I can see how that would be incredibly difficult. For me, foodwise, it was about cutting down on breads, pasta, potatoes and rice and substituting with vegetable dishes. So I'll have 'cauliflower rice', or caramelised cauliflower, or caramelised fennel or onion, or kale & spinach, or roast pumpkin, or various different salads, whereas once I might have had two extra servings of the aforementioned delicious starchy carbs. I still eat bread, pasta, potatoes and rice. I just have less of them. I also tend to have to decide between which I'll have on any given day.

I also try to have low gi foods throughout my day, and natural fats. So I eat apples, nuts, whole grain foods and bigger portions of red meat than I ever used to before. Low gi foods haven't actually been proven to help with weight-loss, but I have found I don't seem to get as hungry as quickly. It could be the placebo effect.

[wolfy_writing]

I've tried swapping out stuff and having more vegetables and fewer starches (and making the starches I have leaner and more low calorie - I've gotten very into rye crisps), but I think I must naturally compensate or something if I'm not tracking calories or eating what's obviously a ridiculously tiny portion, so it tends to even out. I tend to put on muscle much more easily than shed fat. I've been doing a bit of weight lifting, which is supposed to boost your metabolism and give you more toned arms. So far, it hasn't done either of those things, but I think it was a big help in swimming through the currents in Komodo. (For disability-related reasons, I swim with my arms and hand fins when doing scuba, not the normal technique which is all about leg power.)

[lozenger8]

Ahh yeah, I've been doing resistance band exercises for ages. My arms do not look more toned. Not even a little. There's still a surface layer of fat covering the muscle. But I know for a fact I can lift heavier things and use a resistance band with more resistance, so the body tells lies. The same can apply to my thighs, which are massive --- you'd think they'd be muscular and toned from the walking/hiking I do. But no, they are jiggly. (And yet I know I can walk farther, make it up hills better, really *feel* my muscles when I am stretching