Carl Tyler's Blog :: This is a difficult blog entry to write...

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I am not someone that accepts failure easily, but it's pretty obvious I have failed. Way back on August 1st 2003 I started a very public diet and actually did pretty well losing a good few pounds. Sadly since then I managed to stop reporting on my weight loss and managed to put it all back on and then some. This continues my tradition of YoYo weight loss, which by all scientific studies is a bad thing to do, but oh so common.

Seeing my brother's wedding pictures brought home to me how different my self image is to my real image, and how incredibly large I have become. In fact, even though I was on;y in England 3 weeks, during that time, England was officially announced as the most obese country in Europe, I can't help but think I tipped the scales a little bit in England's favour Right now there is probably a difference of about 100-150 lbs between the my self image and my real image, so there is a serious disconnect going on somewhere. Then I had my annual medical with my Doctor on Monday, to hear him describe my obesity problem as something as severe as cancer is a bit of an eye opener, but probably needed as I don't really pay much attention to authoritative figures.

Now I have never been one to make excuses for being fat, and I don't intend to start now, I'm fat because I don't exercise enough and I eat crap. As someone with a slightly logical bent I understand that calories in has to be less than calories out to lose weight, and I know that with the crap I eat, my calories in often out weigh my calories out. Now a few years ago I did Atkins, and I liked it for many reasons, a primary one being I didn't crave food when I was on it, but I have decided that Atkins isn't really how I should live the rest of my life, and I should take a more balanced approach to losing weight.

I looked at a few things that I thought might help, I considered Overeaters Anonymous, until I read their twelve step plan and I decided that these people were a little too religious for me, so there is no way I could handle a meeting with them without rolling my eyes and risk leaving and calling them all whackos in the process. What I do know worked well last time was the peer pressure on my blog. People harassed me when I didn't post my diet results each week and knowing that I had to report my weight loss also had a bit of an impact on my actions during the week.

So here is my 11 step plan which starts tomorrow, this is my twelve step plan, I'm going cold turkey, no easing into it, no final supper, it has to start now:

NO more soda/pop - I will miss Mountain Dew ( I swear it's addictive), but our relationship has to end, it is abusive and too one sided. This includes diet soda, I don't like the taste of diet sodas anyway so I won't miss them, but Aspartame and other sweeteners are bad. Oh boy, I will miss Mountain Dew
I MUST eat like an adult - Yes I admit it, I have the taste buds of a five year old, I dislike most vegetables unless they are peas, carrots or potatoes or they are sneakily hidden inside a rich creamy cheese sauce. If people can eat dead raw fish, then surely I can eat some vegetables. I know I can lose weight if I eat properly.
NO afternoon sweet snacks - No Entermans, no banana bread, no lemon drops, no marathons, you get the idea, if I need an afternoon snack it has to be fruit, and real fruit, fruit gums do NOT count.
I MUST walk 10,000 steps a day - This actually wont be very hard, according to my little pedometer I currently walk about 8,000 steps a day with the walk to work and walking the dog etc. So I just need to add a coupe of thousand more. I must post each day to the blog, my previous days step count.
I MUST NOT have binges at the weekend, thinking I can make up for them during the week - I need to view food like an alcoholic views alcohol, if I cheat then I risk falling off the wagon. Now cheating does not mean that foods are banned, it means that large portions and going crazy is banned, all foods are allowed in proportion and as part of a balanced meal.
I MUST drink more water - Nothing fancy here, I must drink 8 glasses a day and I do NOT need to add anything to it.
I MUST NOT eat after 9PM at night - unless at a customer dinner or something similar, eating late at night is a great way to retain food as fat
I MUST have breakfast - Somehow breakfast is a meal I miss (by choice) every day. Every nutrition book will tell you this is a no no, so I MUST eat breakfast. Breakfast is not Eggs, Bacon and Sausage.
I CAN eat the same foods as other people - Just because I am on a diet does not mean I cannot eat foods. I can eat other foods but must keep portions and calories in control
I MUST set realistic goals - It is much easier for me to put the weight on than lose it, so my targets must be realistic. Expecting to lose 20 lbs in a week is not realistic nor healthy, I can expect this process to take a long time. I must view ANY loss is a good loss, no matter how small.
I MUST be honest - Logging progress here is a key component of me succeeding, I must be honest with my results and stick to my commitments.

I wish I could add things like, give up smoking, don't have sugar in tea and coffee and stop drinking, but to be honest I don't really do any of those things anyway, so there is nothing to stop. Tomorrow I will post my starting weight, so the honesty starts there, a percentage is not being honest, so in the sense of full disclosure my actual weight will be posted. The following day I will start posting my steps walked. I will probably start posting other stuff too, but I'll start with the simple stuff first.

Comments

1 - go carl go carl!! u cn do it!!! go carl go carl!! wooooo

Posted by bethannie At 05:12:24 PM On 10/17/2006 | - Website - |

2 - Carl, the very best of luck. With the attitude you're exhibiting in making this post, I am sure you will do very well: go for it!

Posted by Ben Poole At 05:14:01 PM On 10/17/2006 | - Website - |

3 - Good luck... I'll be cheering you on!

Posted by Brett van Gelder At 05:14:19 PM On 10/17/2006 | - Website - |

4 - Good stuff Carl. I wish you the best. You have hit some very important points: eating breakfast which starts your metabolism, drinking water, and not eating late at night as your metabolism slows. The only thing I might add is looking at having smaller meals more often vs. the standard breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's a boring way to think about it, but "food is fuel". You should try to never be hungry, and never be full. Instead you should try and be balanced all day long. And remember... celery is a negative caloric food! It takes more energy to chew it and digest it, that it puts into you!

Posted by Alan Lepofsky At 05:17:24 PM On 10/17/2006 | - Website - |

5 - Hey, most excellent. Good luck. I'm right behind you...hopefully on the way down actually.

Posted by Scott Gentzen At 05:30:44 PM On 10/17/2006 | - Website - |

6 - Carl - yeah, it's a shocker when things like this happen. I've struggled with weight most of my life. One very realistic diet I've found recently that seems worth sticking to is The Sonoma Diet - http://www.sonomadiet.com/. The book is available at most bookstores. Plan to spend some time in the kitchen, but it's worth it.

The nice thing about the diet is that it doesn't have you radically cut back on any one food group. It's not radically low-carb, not radically low-fat, and you end up learning to cook some great food.

Posted by Greg Walrath At 06:07:46 PM On 10/17/2006 | - Website - |

7 - As I still struggle with that also, I can fully understand how you feel. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know.

Posted by Duffbert At 07:40:25 PM On 10/17/2006 | - Website - |

8 - Find a friend. I do weightwatchers and its good for three reasons.
1) You have a weight in once a week and it does not lie.
2) Its based on sound advice. i.e. Chance for life not a diet. 1lb a week is good.
3)Most important of all is the meetings. You share with other people ideas and problems. You get inspiration and support.

Above all I would suggest doing it with someone. Help each other through the ups and downs.
Good luck.

Posted by Sean At 02:44:30 AM On 10/18/2006 | - Website - |

9 - Good move, Carl. I wish you good luck!

Walking is a good idea! I took up mountainbiking when I had to loose some weight last year, and combined with some dietary adjustments, it worked ok.

Posted by Gerco Wolfswinkel At 04:47:19 AM On 10/18/2006 | - Website - |

10 - Good Luck Carl!
 
 Some thoughts:
 
 1) I hate veg as well and my taste buds are like a childs - so I eat them first so I can enjoy my food!
 
 2) Breakfast is key - its almost a free meal as it starts off your metabolism for the day.
 
 3) Those sweet snacks are hard to beat - it gets routine and your body expects it. I replaced mine with ice polls - so just flavoured ice - so the fidget/chewing thing was taken care of and eventually the body gets used to not having the snack.
 
 4) Drink tea! Recent studies show that tea drinking is as good as water drinking - and tastes a lot better!
 
 5) Eating after 9 can just leave you with a heavy stomach when you sleep - I think the turn into fat thing is an old wives story.
 
 6) Excercise - key - that ups the burning of calories (obviously) not just whilst you are excercising but when you are at rest as well. Us IT lot tend to spend a lot of time sitting in one position!

Posted by Steve Castledine At 04:53:16 AM On 10/18/2006 | - Website - |

11 - I'm still struggling, the last three week s I have mostly been eating soup. I've stopped drinking beer during the week as well.
It's hard going. Good Luck - You know it'll be worth it

Posted by Coatsie At 05:53:33 AM On 10/18/2006 | - Website - |

12 - I am impressed Carl and I know you WILL do it as you have before. I too have some weight to lose so you have kickstarted me into thinking about what I should also be doing to get fit and lose some weight.
Hope you are well and keep us posted how you get on.
Also, Tammy and I want to wish you a very happy birthday - have a nice day now!!

Lots of love and hugs
Lina

Posted by Lina At 06:13:43 AM On 10/18/2006 | - Website - |

13 - This is a great first step Carl, good luck.. it won't be easy and it'll take time to retrain your tastebuds and eating habits but I have complete faith in you to do it.

And Happy Birthday!

Posted by Cali At 08:26:05 AM On 10/18/2006 | - Website - |

14 - Good luck Carl! I know you can do it, and stick to it... Looking forward to seeing your progress!

Posted by Phil Randolph At 09:26:10 AM On 10/18/2006 | - Website - |

15 - Good luck, Carl. You have the logic all planned out and articulated, but that doesn't mean life-long habits die easy. But it can be done and "you da man" to do it!

Posted by Tim Latta At 11:30:51 AM On 10/18/2006 | - Website - |

16 - Good luck, dude. The wife and I have both started diets since I got back from the US. Look forward to losing the pounds with you.

Posted by John Barrow At 11:56:02 AM On 10/18/2006 | - Website - |

17 - You don't need luck as I know you can do this!

Posted by Rob Novak At 01:20:22 PM On 10/18/2006 | - Website - |

18 - I sent this to another friend recently...

Your goal over the next 2 weeks should be:
- No soda, lemonade, or other sugar drinks. Find something else to gulp. Other than water, you can try drinking Diet Snapple ice tea, or any of the diet drinks.
- No french fries, or yummy Chick-fil-a waffle fries. This includes tatter tots, and baked potatoes too. Spaghetti dinner is okay, but get 1/2 the noodles of normal.
- If you drink coffee at work, don't add any sugar. Cream is okay, but don't add those specialty creams that also add sugar.
- If you're making a sandwich, don't use white-bread. Or don't use any bread at all. Make a small salad and add your turkey/ham.

That's all you need to do the first 2 weeks. Otherwise, eat like normal for lunch and dinner!

After 2 weeks, ease yourself in to this pattern:

You must eat breakfast every morning. No exceptions. What's breakfast? A stack of blueberry pancakes at IHOP? Well, maybe. I come back to that.
Breakfast is a piece of fruit. Whatever you like. For me that's an orange, banana, or pear. Apples have a lot of sugar, so go with a pear if you want something crunchy. Mixed fruit like cantaloupe and pineapple is okay too. Drink a bottle of water with breakfast.
I also eat a Flintstones chewable vitamin. They're cheap vitamins; crunchy and sweat.

For lunch or dinner, you can eat a regular meal. Whenever you like. This could be:
- Single hamburger at Wendy's. No cheese. (No fries, remember?)
- Chargrilled Deluxe sandwich at Chick-fil-a.
- Lean cuisine.
- Spaghetti dinner.
- If you go to a restaurant, just remember the portions are always, always too large. Don't feel like you need to eat everything on your plate. "Put down your fork" every few bites. Stop when you are full.
- And if you cook a pizza, try eating the toppings without the crust. All the calories are in the crust.
- Stick with chicken or fish if you can. They are easy to digest compared to red meat.

Just remember. You can eat one (1) regular meal during the day. Generally anything you'd like, just make smart choices!

What about the rest of the day? And what about those blueberry pancakes at IHOP? Well, if you decide to eat at IHOP for breakfast, guess what? That counts are your big meal for the day. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner... you only get one big meal for the day.

For everything else, you need to eat small "snacks" all day. That's every 2-3-4 hours, depending on your physical activity. Just remember, you don't need a super-sized combo to satisfy your hunger! Retrain your brain! You just need something to munch. Some examples:
- yogurt (low sugar kind)
- small box of raisins
- orange
- banana
- V8 drink
- slice of banana nut bread
- small homemade muffin
- avoid any of the prepackaged "snacks" from the cookie isle. My one rule at the grocery store is that I don't walk down the cookie isle.

If you need some extra energy to get through the day, drink a small orange juice, or one of those Ocean Spray drinks. That's my "brain fuel" sometimes.

And finally, you need to exercise 3-4 days a week. I generally walk on my treadmill at home (while watching TIVO), or hike up Stone Mountain. Yard work, or walking the dog also counts.

When you eat small meals all day, your body doesn't store it as fat. You burn it. And if you exercise, you will burn stored fat as well. That's all there is to it!

Posted by Brian At 02:40:58 PM On 10/18/2006 | - Website - |

19 - Wow Carl I'm well impressed with your list, looking forward to seeing less of you in Florida.

Hope you're having a fab 37th birthday. Lots of love Gaynor

Posted by Gaynor At 04:24:50 PM On 10/18/2006 | - Website - |

20 - Perhaps it's not the Overeater Anonymous people who are wacko. Faith in God provide a solid spirtual foundation in many people that helps us overcome difficult challenges we all face throughout our lifetime.

Posted by Kal At 08:52:33 AM On 10/19/2006 | - Website - |

21 - Good Luck Carl.

Paul McKenna produced a very good book and CD that I found to be very useful. It's called "I can make you thin" and is the basis for an NLP diet adjusting programme. (Note diet adjusting rather than dieting).

It advocates key principles (from memory as I don't have the book to hand)
1. Eat when you are hungry. (corollary, don't eat if you aren't)
2. Eat what you want, not what you feel you should have.
3. Eat consciously, enjoy every mouthfull. Fork down between each mouthfull. Give "full" alert time to kick in rather than shovelling food down throat.
4. Stop when you are full.

Also, I saw somebody recommended weight watchers. Personally, I found it to be too restrictive so I follow Slimmingworld, whic is based on the notion of food combining (the more extreme version of which is Atkins)

Gareth

Posted by Gareth Howell At 08:53:08 AM On 10/19/2006 | - Website - |

22 - @ 19 Is this really Ed Brill hiding behind the "Kal" moniker??

I am with you Carl and pissed off I did not say more over the last year. I am sorry! Now. let's peel the pounds (together)! A Carl-compliant Dinner by the Sea, anytime you want it. <>tim

Posted by <>tim At 02:52:09 PM On 10/19/2006 | - Website - |