According to Lao Tzu, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. My journey began on Tuesday morning with a cookies and cream protein shake.You have to start somewhere!
I have shared this blog with friends, colleagues and family because sharing your goals with others brings with it a commitment to see things through. Set a goal and share it; you are more likely to achieve it. Those with whom you share your goal, if they care for you, will help keep you committed to the task at hand and help hold you accountable for your progress and outcomes.
If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.
George Harrison
Without a clear goal or target, it is more difficult to remain focused and far easier to become distracted. In the GROW model of coaching, Goal setting comes first. Goal, Reality, Options. ‘W’ can stand for any of the following What, Whom, When, Will. Very simply, my GROW plan looks a bit like this:
Goal? To lose 15kgs within eight weeks.
Reality? Overweight and at risk of severe Covid-19 outcomes and other health problems.
Options? Prof Taylor’s three step approach.
What is to be done? Stick to no more than 800 calories per day
By Whom? ME!
When? NOW!
Write your Goal down. Make a weight loss graph and pin it to the wall. Make it visible. Tick the days off on a calendar and chart your progress each day. It helps to visualize your goal and to see your progress.
Write down why you’re doing it, keep the note handy. When you’re facing temptation, read your note. It will help you make the right decisions.
Plan ahead, make sure you have the right food in the house to prepare your healthy meals. Get rid of all the temptations like crisps, cakes, biscuits, bread and so on.
Do the research. The books by Roy Taylor and Michael Mosely are good places to start.
And the Will to do it? Does the will to succeed exist? Well, this conversation between Roy Taylor and Michael Mosely certainly focuses the mind. COVID-19 and diabetes: A letter from Professor Roy Taylor
How did the first week go?
Tuesday 1st September.
The Exante shakes have not arrived yet, they’re not expected to arrive until tomorrow to be fair. So, instead I have mixed up a 50g portion of PHD Nutrition’s Cookies and Cream protein shake for breakfast and another to take with me for lunch. It tastes fine and does the job, and is within the calorie limit at 182. The Exante shakes did arrive during the day whilst I was at work. Dinner was homemade soup, Broccoli and Leek, very tasty! Calorie intake for the day, in total, was 704. I haven’t been too hungry between meals today and have kept up with my fluid intake. So far so good!
Wednesday 2nd September. First experience of the Exante products. Banoffee Pie Shake! Really very tasty and only 203 calories. Did it see me through until lunchtime? Yes it did, and I had a huge, very filling portion of leftover soup for lunch, 213 calories. Dinner was homemade Indian Sambar (Rick Stein’s recipe here). Delicious! It took some time to prepare, but it made six portions, each portion under 400calories, two for dinner, four for the freezer.
Thursday 3rd September. Caramel Biscuit shake for breakfast. Again, really tasty and contains all the necessary nutrients and protein without the excess calories. So far, I’m really quite impressed. For lunch I had an Exante meal, Indian Daal. It was tasty, lightly spiced with chilli and flavoured with subtle coconut. It was satisfying and, just as importantly, convenient. Tonight there’s homemade Mushroom Frittata.
Friday 4th September. Exante Mocha Frappe shake for breakfast, leftover frittatta for lunch and left over sambar for dinner tonight.
Saturday - Breakfast - Banoffee shake! Nice! Lunch, Exante chicken and leek soup, dinner, fillet of bass with tomato sauce vierge and broccoli.
Sunday - Exante caramel biscuit shake, Exante pot daal, salmon fillet with tomatoes and vegetables
Monday - Exante frappe shake, Exante shepherd’s pie, dinner; leftover sambar with added tomatoes and broccoli. (broccoli leftovers from last night.)
Looking back on week 1, I can definitely say, without any hesitation, that the homemade meals were by far the best, by a million miles. The Exante meal replacement products are undoubtedly convenient. The shakes are tasty and my favourite so far is the banoffee pie flavour. The shepherd’s pie was filling in the same way as polyfilla is filling. It was also tasty in the same way that polyfilla is tasty. Not one I’ll be buying again. The first time I tried the chicken and leek soup I found it tasty enough. But since then I’ve found it really too sweet. The Daal Pot is tasty enough and is something I will be having again. However, I reckon it’s possible to prepare tasty food at home and stick within 800 calories a day, but the Exante stuff is very convenient. It’s a trade off.
The result? Having stuck to 800 calories a day, having had a couple of glasses of wine at the weekend and having eaten fairly well during the week on the whole I lost eight pounds! Twenty five to go.
In other news.
Last week, the naturist holiday resort in Cap D’Agde on France’s Mediterranean coast was identified as a Covid-19 hotspot. So many questions! Also last week, Silvio Berlusconi tested positive for Covid-19. Coincidence, surely.
Comments