Be the Best Version of You18/2/2017
This is quite a well-known phrase, but I believe an important one. We all have our talents – things we are good at and things we struggle to do both in our personal relationships and professionally in our careers. We cannot all be good at everything we do or aspire to become. But we can do our best….
In terms of our personal relationships and how we treat people I try to always to be my ‘best’. I always try to remember that when you spend time with someone, it is important to ensure they feel better about themselves after they leave than when they arrived.
In other areas such as our careers, sports etc we all have different talents. We will be better at some things than others. Don’t beat yourself up about those things you find hard. Accept them, just do your best. The areas you are talented at, and we all have them, really go for it! Work hard and do your best.
And remember there will always be people better than you at certain things, but there will always be people worse. This applies pretty much to all aspects of life.
Just be the best version of
Why it's Important to use Natural Plant Oils Rather than Synthetic...17/2/2017
Plant Oils
They are rich in natural active ingredients and today there is a great amount of buzz and rightly so, as we rediscover why plant oils are the key to healthy, attractive skin.
Here are 10 surprising facts you may not know about plant oils
1. Oils have no added chemicals. Unlike using a facial cream that needs the support of a strong preservative. Oils are water-less. They don’t need preservatives because harmful microbes will not grow in them. Spores might land and rest on the product surface, but they will not germinate.
2. Oils are packed with antioxidants. An “antioxidant” is actually not a substance; it’s a behaviour. They are the first lines of defence the body deploys to keep free radicals in check. Free radicals are what ages humans attacking the cells and is said to be a starting point for ailments like Alzheimer’s, Cancers, Arthritis and most of humans DNA Chromosome damage
3. Oils lock in moisture. Plant oils are rich in essential fatty acids (EFA’s) which play a critical role in your skins appearance. Our bodies do not synthesis EFA’s and therefore its important to obtain EFA’s from our diet or by topical application. 4 EFA’s serve multiple functions but importantly they lock in moisture and they improve the skin barrier function. Natural Oils are exceptionally nourishing oil for the skin because its high in the EFA known as gamma-linolenic or omega 6.
4. Plant oils will regenerate damaged skin cells with Omega 3 & Omega 6 as reported. Their studies show natural oils are rich in the most important linoleic acid (omega 3) and linolenic acid (omega 6) incorporate deep into the epidermis to regenerate damaged cells.
5. Omega 9 is found to be the ultimate wound healer when applied topically. It triggers responses at the wound sight to cause faster wound closure and also inhibits the production of nitric oxide, a known free radical. Rich sources of Omega 9 are found in plant seed oils.
6. Omega 7 combats wrinkles and other symptoms of malnourished and ageing skin. Until recently Omega 7 shadowed behind the more researched Omega-3 and Omega-6. Now we understand how Omega 7 is important for the skins deep nourishment, and metabolism. There are a host of benefits to the skin from omega 7 like boosting collagen production; restoring youthful resilience and plumpness to ageing skin cells; and protecting against skin sun damage, toxins and environmental stress; are just a few to mention.
7. Plant oils successfully fight skin infections their antimicrobial properties against bacteria and fungi. Their results support they can be used topically to cure skin diseases.
8. Oils are necessary for the treatment of acne as patients with acne have been found to have inadequate levels of essential fatty acids in their skin. Topical application from botanical sources of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids can dramatically improve their skin.
9. Plant oils are rich in Phytonutrients. These are plant chemicals. There are thousands of natural chemicals found in plant oils like vitamin E, sterols, carotenoids and many others. Interestingly, vitamin E is found to provide a plausible role as a photoprotectant for the skin.
10 While phytosterols not only stopped the slow-down of collagen production that can be caused by the sun, it actually encouraged new collagen production.
11. Plant oils are extremely complex in their active chemical composition. These natural plant oils, carefully and knowledgeable formulated together become a complete, active, powerhouse for your skin. They are your smartest choice on the market today — for you to use as your daily regenerating and anti ageing/ ageing well skincare
(John Hamilton 2/2/2017)
0 CommentsNew Beginning Sept 2016 - Feb 201717/2/2017
Welcome to my blog! So my starting point was as a very overweight (like huge amount of wobble..), chocolate and ice cream addicted, and sedentary gal who had never used any beauty products in her life! Not only that but the only thing to touch my face in 56 years has been water - never used soap, creams or anything. Oh and my GP announced I was diabetic 11 weeks ago... (what no more chocolate?? Screeeaaaaaam!!!). So.. big changes have been a foot...
So a brief overview of the last 11 weeks. If you have read my health and wellbeing journal you will see I have actually managed to lose 24 pounds in weight - pretty chuffed with that, but an awful long way to go - another 78 pounds at least to go.... And its Christmas time now and all those chocs everywhere... very hard and I must admit I have relaxed my rules a little, but I am determined not to lose the plot completely. The chocs had well and truly gone until a few days ago when I firstly ravished a tin a Quality Street, with a sequel the following day involving Ferrero Rochers. Totally ashamed but kind of back on the straight and narrow now... Interestingly though it seems my diabeties seems to have reversed to some extent... normal blood sugars even after consuming the vast (and I mean vast) amount of chocs.
11 weeks ago I also randomly signed up to be a Neal's Yard Remedies Consultant. For someone who had no interest in skin care or beauty products this was most definately a pretty random if not strange thing to do.... My reason at the timie was so that I could use the products for my Reflexology treatments. However since then an obsession has developed and the product is applied daily to every inch of my body! (Thats a lot of inches...)
You may have noticed the #bewhoyouwannabe hashtag on the site. That is my kind of 'so what, do what you want'. Dont let others tell you how you should be, what you should do - be who you want to be! One of my contributions to this is having a lip and tongue piercing - to say my mother hates this is an understatement! And perhaps I am too 'old' to have piercings - but I like them!
Have a super day!
Karen
24 pounds gone in 11 weeks
11/12/2016
I have been a bit slack in updating my weight loss blog - but I am pleased to say that since I started my weight loss 11 weeks ago I have now lost 24 pounds - and my life has changed so much. Not in happiness - as I don't think our happiness depends on what we weigh - but I have gone from being immobile to mobile - so that has made such a difference!
Due to my weight and bad back, 11 weeks ago I could not walk or move without pain - and really could only 'shuffle' 20 - 50 yards. Now I can walk - and with a spring in my step. Yes my back is still bad - but it is not impacting me like it was. It feels so awesome to have the freedom to walk and move. Ok I still need to get fitter and extend my distance but am pretty pleased with change so far - really life changing
Additionally my blood sugars seem to have normalised. Being diagnosed as diabetic was the kick start I needed. And with all my simple sugars eliminated it left me with quite a low daily calorie intake - hence the weight loss. Luckily I was only 'slightly' diabetic - if there is such a thing - and now it seems my blood sugar is normal again phew. But what I mustn't do is go back to the 'ole simple sugars. For me that is chocolate, anything chocolate flavoured and ice cream...
So that is me so far. Still a long way to go - another 78 pounds to go - and even then won't be slim... but hey that is ok.
Have a super day!
'Only' 4 pounds loss - irrational thought process...
11/12/2016
Three week weigh in - 4 pound loss - so now total of 24 pounds in 11 weeks. I am pleased but those niggling past feelings of it should be more are coming up. I feel I have lost more than 4 pounds as during the last 3 weeks there has been a tremendous difference in my ability to walk and move - and so much fitter.
However my sensible and logical brain tell me that scales are not an accurate measurement of fat loss and they weigh the whole body weight (ie water etc). Interestingly my weigh in 3 weeks ago showed a 7 pound loss in 3 weeks - but I never felt like I had lost that much.
So my logical brain is trying to kick out my irrational brain - I probably had low body fluid last time and higher this time. I probably have built some muscle from being more active.
I am probably over analyzing. Lawrence says hey that is brilliant, its all in the right direction. And he is right - but I am sure you all know what its like - those feelings of 'it should have been more'
3 Week Weigh In
30/10/2016
Yaaaaaaay - official 3 week weigh in today and lost 6 pounds in last 3 weeks - so that is a total of 13 pounds in last 5 weeks - 4.36% of total body weight. Have to say I have really worked hard in the last 3 weeks - calories of around 1200 to 1500 a day. But then I haven't been active due to my bad back and general unfitness.
Had a good (for me) walk on Wednesday but since then my back seems really bad so its been so hard to walk.
I think i need to be consuming around 1500 calories a day long term - so plan is to compensate the extra calories with more activity.
I don't take painkillers with my back so maybe I should occasionally take them just to get me walking - and perhaps the more exercise I do the better it will get....
Good news also is that now I have the new blood sugar monitor from the diabetic nurse my blood sugar readings are in the normal range (one i bought from amazon was reading over 2mmol too high)
Feeling motivated, loving my Fitbit, yaaaaay
Ooooooh That is not Nice!
20/10/2016
So was in bed last night about to enjoy listening to the 'Moral Maze' on Radio 4. I usually enjoy this programme, but alas this was not to be on this occasion. The subject was the validity of using the term 'undeserving' in relation to certain sectors of society. And yes you can guess which sector was discussed the most.... the 'undeserving obese'!
Yes of course we 'choose' to be overweight - we do it on purpose as we love to get out of breath when walking, not being able to find fashionable clothes, worrying whenever we hear the news readers saying we are going to get every illness and disease going. We get ridiculed by the media on news and health programmes and those dreadful documentaries - such fun! I will stick my neck out and say that virtually every overweight person would rather be 'slim'. Whether they should is another topic altogether, but in terms of fitting in with society I am sure they would.
To state the obvious and what we all know, it is not so much a choice but a permanent battle. Reasons for this are diverse but generally originate in the mental realm and are just as valid as those of the anorexic. Bovey in fact goes as far to say, 'Binge eaters are failed bulimics, bulimics are failed anorexics'. However there is no society prejudice aimed at those who suffer from anorexia - and rightly so. But dare be overweight and that is a totally different story.
Anyhow back to Radio 4 - grrrrrrrr... The most lenient commentator took the view that it was not our fault - it was because we needed educating... Yeh right.. Do we or do we not know the calorific value of every food substance on earth?? We should do, we have had enough practice with our countless episodes of weight loss and regain. Another commentator took the view that the 'obese' should be denied medical treatment - it is their fault so they should be told to lose weight and then they would be reconsidered. Thanks.
What this does show is the very little understanding that the medical profession have about why people gain weight and why they cannot keep the weight off. Surely if we have an 'obesity epidemic' this should be a priority? Blaming and marginalising a sector of society for something they do their best to conquer but fail to achieve on a repeated basis is cruel, mean and quite frankly not very democratic.
As I have said before, obesity is the last legal prejudice allowed and commentaries such as those on Radio 4 last night just perpetrate this.
Weight Loss Thoughts
18/10/2016
Presently I have 105 pounds to lose (again....) - I have yo-yo dieted all my adult life. It is still my quest to understand why this happens and how it can be kept off. It seems nearly everyone who loses weight ultimately regains it again, and this does not seem to be addressed.
Recent research has shown that that those who do manage to maintain their lower weight for a period of time only do so by carrying on with dieting - albeit with a slighty higher daily calorie allowance. They were seen to exercise heavily, keep a record of all calorie consumed and basically had to think about everything they ate. Does not bode well....
I do wonder whether the process of 'going on a diet' destroys ever having a normal relationship with food and thus we are either 'dieting' and losing, or 'not dieting' and gaining. There is no middle ground. Could it be that the diet industry encourages weight recycling - perhaps not intentionally - but certainly by their methods. And of course there is the media.... and that dreadful little word.... 'obesity'.....could they not have thought of a nicer sounding word? Even 'fat' sounds better...... And considering the high rate of weight regain (recycling), why is it that this area is not addressed. We hear of the dieting - weight loss aspect - but not afterwards. We read about the best way to lose weight, we get diet sheets from the doctor, but no-one talks about what happens when we get there. Success should not be measured by number of pounds lost, but number of pounds kept off.
I am not against losing weight - I am of course myself setting out yet again. My aims are modest though - I will not be slim - rathercurvy'. A 105 pound loss will bring me into the lower 30's of the BMI and I will take it from there. I do sometimes wonder if its not 'weight' that is unhealthy, but lifestyle - the food we eat and the activity we do. We see research showing how unhealthy it is to be overweight (I shall use this word, not that other awful word). But is it actually the excess weight that is bad, or could it be that those who are overweight maybe do not eat healthily or exercise? Could the statistical correlation that those who are overweight suffer more ill health not be causal. Could it be more to do with unhealthy diets and lack of activity?
However undoubtedly there must be a limit - what I am suggesting is that perhaps up to the lower thirties BMI may be ok providing one assumes a healthy diet and is reasonably active. I would love for research to be undertaken on this to see if this is indeed so.
I hope you will join me in this venture and maybe between us we can come up with some answers and at the same time achieve a weight we are happy with.
Weight Loss Progress
13/10/2016
Morning! Ok so I am 17 days into my new weight loss plan. Weighed on day 12 and yaaay lost 7 pounds. Very chuffed at that.
Having been diagnosed as diabetic just over 2 weeks ago and controlling it with diet, this has meant the biggest change I have ever had to my eating. Even when I have lost weight before (always regained I hasten to add) I have never had to so traumatically restrict what I eat. I am still learning and experimenting with different foods to see what does and does not increase my sugar levels. I purchased a machine which reads my blood sugar levels and I don't see how its possibly to do this without one. Why they are not routinely given out by the NHS I do not know.
I will admit to finding this really difficult but I am very very determined. What is strange is that I am not really focusing on calories anymore - its all about sugar. But what I am finding is that when I add them up at the end of the day I am only having between 1200 and 1500 (my aim is 1700 a day). I think what is making it hard is that my normal diet is high carb/low fat - and with 'extras' like chocolate, ice cream etc - and its the 'extras' which causes my weight problem on the whole. I am having butter (well flora proactive) on my boiled potatoes to reduce the sugar effect, and eating cheese - something I have never done before.
One thing I am finding is that I can taste any hint of sugar in anything. My pot porridge (with pumpkin seeds) for breakfast tastes so sweet whereas it never did before.
Sorry this post is a bit boring but it is helping me to get my head round this. What I have found I can eat which does not affect my sugar is pot porridge with pumpkin seeds (just), pumpkin seed and oat ryvitas with ham or cheese, tiger nuts, pumpkin seeds on their own, hard unripe pears, Alpen light cereal bars (only just), and for evening meals, chicken, veg and new potatoes, asda microwave jalfreizi curry (but not madras...). As you can see I need to expand my eating choice as it is very limited at the moment! Liking the sound of maybe omelettes and boiled eggs...
So overall aim for weight loss is 105 pounds - although I will still be quite overweight. I have not started exercising in any shape or form yet - and I really need to get walking - so I think that will be next week.
Thanks for reading.
#bewhoyouwannabe
New Beginnings
27/9/2016
Welcome to my blog! This website is about living life naturally in terms of what we put in and on our bodies, and natural therapies and exercise that can improve our health.
This is very much a personal challenge for myself as well. I hope to make big changes to my lifestyle. So this is me:
• Very overweight
• Inactive (mainly due to a bad lower back)
• Stressed and suffer with anxiety
• Dry flaky skin and scalp
• ..and have just been told I most likely have Diabetes
So what I have wanted to do is now something I have to do…
I am going to see if I can get my sugars to a non-diabetic level by losing weight, becoming active and eating the right foods. I can barely walk 50 yards at the moment but after watching the programme ‘The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs’ I am going to challenge myself to increasing my walking every day. I don’t take pain killers thankfully but in the programme a lady who did this got so much better.
Looking into the future my challenge is to make enough changes so that I can ski and snowboard again, and play walking football. I can’t believe that only 18 months ago I was doing this – and now I can barely walk. This seems so far away but hey I’m gonna go for it!
#bewhoyouwannabe
This is quite a well-known phrase, but I believe an important one. We all have our talents – things we are good at and things we struggle to do both in our personal relationships and professionally in our careers. We cannot all be good at everything we do or aspire to become. But we can do our best….
In terms of our personal relationships and how we treat people I try to always to be my ‘best’. I always try to remember that when you spend time with someone, it is important to ensure they feel better about themselves after they leave than when they arrived.
In other areas such as our careers, sports etc we all have different talents. We will be better at some things than others. Don’t beat yourself up about those things you find hard. Accept them, just do your best. The areas you are talented at, and we all have them, really go for it! Work hard and do your best.
And remember there will always be people better than you at certain things, but there will always be people worse. This applies pretty much to all aspects of life.
Just be the best version of
Why it's Important to use Natural Plant Oils Rather than Synthetic...17/2/2017
Plant Oils
They are rich in natural active ingredients and today there is a great amount of buzz and rightly so, as we rediscover why plant oils are the key to healthy, attractive skin.
Here are 10 surprising facts you may not know about plant oils
1. Oils have no added chemicals. Unlike using a facial cream that needs the support of a strong preservative. Oils are water-less. They don’t need preservatives because harmful microbes will not grow in them. Spores might land and rest on the product surface, but they will not germinate.
2. Oils are packed with antioxidants. An “antioxidant” is actually not a substance; it’s a behaviour. They are the first lines of defence the body deploys to keep free radicals in check. Free radicals are what ages humans attacking the cells and is said to be a starting point for ailments like Alzheimer’s, Cancers, Arthritis and most of humans DNA Chromosome damage
3. Oils lock in moisture. Plant oils are rich in essential fatty acids (EFA’s) which play a critical role in your skins appearance. Our bodies do not synthesis EFA’s and therefore its important to obtain EFA’s from our diet or by topical application. 4 EFA’s serve multiple functions but importantly they lock in moisture and they improve the skin barrier function. Natural Oils are exceptionally nourishing oil for the skin because its high in the EFA known as gamma-linolenic or omega 6.
4. Plant oils will regenerate damaged skin cells with Omega 3 & Omega 6 as reported. Their studies show natural oils are rich in the most important linoleic acid (omega 3) and linolenic acid (omega 6) incorporate deep into the epidermis to regenerate damaged cells.
5. Omega 9 is found to be the ultimate wound healer when applied topically. It triggers responses at the wound sight to cause faster wound closure and also inhibits the production of nitric oxide, a known free radical. Rich sources of Omega 9 are found in plant seed oils.
6. Omega 7 combats wrinkles and other symptoms of malnourished and ageing skin. Until recently Omega 7 shadowed behind the more researched Omega-3 and Omega-6. Now we understand how Omega 7 is important for the skins deep nourishment, and metabolism. There are a host of benefits to the skin from omega 7 like boosting collagen production; restoring youthful resilience and plumpness to ageing skin cells; and protecting against skin sun damage, toxins and environmental stress; are just a few to mention.
7. Plant oils successfully fight skin infections their antimicrobial properties against bacteria and fungi. Their results support they can be used topically to cure skin diseases.
8. Oils are necessary for the treatment of acne as patients with acne have been found to have inadequate levels of essential fatty acids in their skin. Topical application from botanical sources of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids can dramatically improve their skin.
9. Plant oils are rich in Phytonutrients. These are plant chemicals. There are thousands of natural chemicals found in plant oils like vitamin E, sterols, carotenoids and many others. Interestingly, vitamin E is found to provide a plausible role as a photoprotectant for the skin.
10 While phytosterols not only stopped the slow-down of collagen production that can be caused by the sun, it actually encouraged new collagen production.
11. Plant oils are extremely complex in their active chemical composition. These natural plant oils, carefully and knowledgeable formulated together become a complete, active, powerhouse for your skin. They are your smartest choice on the market today — for you to use as your daily regenerating and anti ageing/ ageing well skincare
(John Hamilton 2/2/2017)
0 CommentsNew Beginning Sept 2016 - Feb 201717/2/2017
Welcome to my blog! So my starting point was as a very overweight (like huge amount of wobble..), chocolate and ice cream addicted, and sedentary gal who had never used any beauty products in her life! Not only that but the only thing to touch my face in 56 years has been water - never used soap, creams or anything. Oh and my GP announced I was diabetic 11 weeks ago... (what no more chocolate?? Screeeaaaaaam!!!). So.. big changes have been a foot...
So a brief overview of the last 11 weeks. If you have read my health and wellbeing journal you will see I have actually managed to lose 24 pounds in weight - pretty chuffed with that, but an awful long way to go - another 78 pounds at least to go.... And its Christmas time now and all those chocs everywhere... very hard and I must admit I have relaxed my rules a little, but I am determined not to lose the plot completely. The chocs had well and truly gone until a few days ago when I firstly ravished a tin a Quality Street, with a sequel the following day involving Ferrero Rochers. Totally ashamed but kind of back on the straight and narrow now... Interestingly though it seems my diabeties seems to have reversed to some extent... normal blood sugars even after consuming the vast (and I mean vast) amount of chocs.
11 weeks ago I also randomly signed up to be a Neal's Yard Remedies Consultant. For someone who had no interest in skin care or beauty products this was most definately a pretty random if not strange thing to do.... My reason at the timie was so that I could use the products for my Reflexology treatments. However since then an obsession has developed and the product is applied daily to every inch of my body! (Thats a lot of inches...)
You may have noticed the #bewhoyouwannabe hashtag on the site. That is my kind of 'so what, do what you want'. Dont let others tell you how you should be, what you should do - be who you want to be! One of my contributions to this is having a lip and tongue piercing - to say my mother hates this is an understatement! And perhaps I am too 'old' to have piercings - but I like them!
Have a super day!
Karen
24 pounds gone in 11 weeks
11/12/2016
I have been a bit slack in updating my weight loss blog - but I am pleased to say that since I started my weight loss 11 weeks ago I have now lost 24 pounds - and my life has changed so much. Not in happiness - as I don't think our happiness depends on what we weigh - but I have gone from being immobile to mobile - so that has made such a difference!
Due to my weight and bad back, 11 weeks ago I could not walk or move without pain - and really could only 'shuffle' 20 - 50 yards. Now I can walk - and with a spring in my step. Yes my back is still bad - but it is not impacting me like it was. It feels so awesome to have the freedom to walk and move. Ok I still need to get fitter and extend my distance but am pretty pleased with change so far - really life changing
Additionally my blood sugars seem to have normalised. Being diagnosed as diabetic was the kick start I needed. And with all my simple sugars eliminated it left me with quite a low daily calorie intake - hence the weight loss. Luckily I was only 'slightly' diabetic - if there is such a thing - and now it seems my blood sugar is normal again phew. But what I mustn't do is go back to the 'ole simple sugars. For me that is chocolate, anything chocolate flavoured and ice cream...
So that is me so far. Still a long way to go - another 78 pounds to go - and even then won't be slim... but hey that is ok.
Have a super day!
'Only' 4 pounds loss - irrational thought process...
11/12/2016
Three week weigh in - 4 pound loss - so now total of 24 pounds in 11 weeks. I am pleased but those niggling past feelings of it should be more are coming up. I feel I have lost more than 4 pounds as during the last 3 weeks there has been a tremendous difference in my ability to walk and move - and so much fitter.
However my sensible and logical brain tell me that scales are not an accurate measurement of fat loss and they weigh the whole body weight (ie water etc). Interestingly my weigh in 3 weeks ago showed a 7 pound loss in 3 weeks - but I never felt like I had lost that much.
So my logical brain is trying to kick out my irrational brain - I probably had low body fluid last time and higher this time. I probably have built some muscle from being more active.
I am probably over analyzing. Lawrence says hey that is brilliant, its all in the right direction. And he is right - but I am sure you all know what its like - those feelings of 'it should have been more'
3 Week Weigh In
30/10/2016
Yaaaaaaay - official 3 week weigh in today and lost 6 pounds in last 3 weeks - so that is a total of 13 pounds in last 5 weeks - 4.36% of total body weight. Have to say I have really worked hard in the last 3 weeks - calories of around 1200 to 1500 a day. But then I haven't been active due to my bad back and general unfitness.
Had a good (for me) walk on Wednesday but since then my back seems really bad so its been so hard to walk.
I think i need to be consuming around 1500 calories a day long term - so plan is to compensate the extra calories with more activity.
I don't take painkillers with my back so maybe I should occasionally take them just to get me walking - and perhaps the more exercise I do the better it will get....
Good news also is that now I have the new blood sugar monitor from the diabetic nurse my blood sugar readings are in the normal range (one i bought from amazon was reading over 2mmol too high)
Feeling motivated, loving my Fitbit, yaaaaay
Ooooooh That is not Nice!
20/10/2016
So was in bed last night about to enjoy listening to the 'Moral Maze' on Radio 4. I usually enjoy this programme, but alas this was not to be on this occasion. The subject was the validity of using the term 'undeserving' in relation to certain sectors of society. And yes you can guess which sector was discussed the most.... the 'undeserving obese'!
Yes of course we 'choose' to be overweight - we do it on purpose as we love to get out of breath when walking, not being able to find fashionable clothes, worrying whenever we hear the news readers saying we are going to get every illness and disease going. We get ridiculed by the media on news and health programmes and those dreadful documentaries - such fun! I will stick my neck out and say that virtually every overweight person would rather be 'slim'. Whether they should is another topic altogether, but in terms of fitting in with society I am sure they would.
To state the obvious and what we all know, it is not so much a choice but a permanent battle. Reasons for this are diverse but generally originate in the mental realm and are just as valid as those of the anorexic. Bovey in fact goes as far to say, 'Binge eaters are failed bulimics, bulimics are failed anorexics'. However there is no society prejudice aimed at those who suffer from anorexia - and rightly so. But dare be overweight and that is a totally different story.
Anyhow back to Radio 4 - grrrrrrrr... The most lenient commentator took the view that it was not our fault - it was because we needed educating... Yeh right.. Do we or do we not know the calorific value of every food substance on earth?? We should do, we have had enough practice with our countless episodes of weight loss and regain. Another commentator took the view that the 'obese' should be denied medical treatment - it is their fault so they should be told to lose weight and then they would be reconsidered. Thanks.
What this does show is the very little understanding that the medical profession have about why people gain weight and why they cannot keep the weight off. Surely if we have an 'obesity epidemic' this should be a priority? Blaming and marginalising a sector of society for something they do their best to conquer but fail to achieve on a repeated basis is cruel, mean and quite frankly not very democratic.
As I have said before, obesity is the last legal prejudice allowed and commentaries such as those on Radio 4 last night just perpetrate this.
Weight Loss Thoughts
18/10/2016
Presently I have 105 pounds to lose (again....) - I have yo-yo dieted all my adult life. It is still my quest to understand why this happens and how it can be kept off. It seems nearly everyone who loses weight ultimately regains it again, and this does not seem to be addressed.
Recent research has shown that that those who do manage to maintain their lower weight for a period of time only do so by carrying on with dieting - albeit with a slighty higher daily calorie allowance. They were seen to exercise heavily, keep a record of all calorie consumed and basically had to think about everything they ate. Does not bode well....
I do wonder whether the process of 'going on a diet' destroys ever having a normal relationship with food and thus we are either 'dieting' and losing, or 'not dieting' and gaining. There is no middle ground. Could it be that the diet industry encourages weight recycling - perhaps not intentionally - but certainly by their methods. And of course there is the media.... and that dreadful little word.... 'obesity'.....could they not have thought of a nicer sounding word? Even 'fat' sounds better...... And considering the high rate of weight regain (recycling), why is it that this area is not addressed. We hear of the dieting - weight loss aspect - but not afterwards. We read about the best way to lose weight, we get diet sheets from the doctor, but no-one talks about what happens when we get there. Success should not be measured by number of pounds lost, but number of pounds kept off.
I am not against losing weight - I am of course myself setting out yet again. My aims are modest though - I will not be slim - rathercurvy'. A 105 pound loss will bring me into the lower 30's of the BMI and I will take it from there. I do sometimes wonder if its not 'weight' that is unhealthy, but lifestyle - the food we eat and the activity we do. We see research showing how unhealthy it is to be overweight (I shall use this word, not that other awful word). But is it actually the excess weight that is bad, or could it be that those who are overweight maybe do not eat healthily or exercise? Could the statistical correlation that those who are overweight suffer more ill health not be causal. Could it be more to do with unhealthy diets and lack of activity?
However undoubtedly there must be a limit - what I am suggesting is that perhaps up to the lower thirties BMI may be ok providing one assumes a healthy diet and is reasonably active. I would love for research to be undertaken on this to see if this is indeed so.
I hope you will join me in this venture and maybe between us we can come up with some answers and at the same time achieve a weight we are happy with.
Weight Loss Progress
13/10/2016
Morning! Ok so I am 17 days into my new weight loss plan. Weighed on day 12 and yaaay lost 7 pounds. Very chuffed at that.
Having been diagnosed as diabetic just over 2 weeks ago and controlling it with diet, this has meant the biggest change I have ever had to my eating. Even when I have lost weight before (always regained I hasten to add) I have never had to so traumatically restrict what I eat. I am still learning and experimenting with different foods to see what does and does not increase my sugar levels. I purchased a machine which reads my blood sugar levels and I don't see how its possibly to do this without one. Why they are not routinely given out by the NHS I do not know.
I will admit to finding this really difficult but I am very very determined. What is strange is that I am not really focusing on calories anymore - its all about sugar. But what I am finding is that when I add them up at the end of the day I am only having between 1200 and 1500 (my aim is 1700 a day). I think what is making it hard is that my normal diet is high carb/low fat - and with 'extras' like chocolate, ice cream etc - and its the 'extras' which causes my weight problem on the whole. I am having butter (well flora proactive) on my boiled potatoes to reduce the sugar effect, and eating cheese - something I have never done before.
One thing I am finding is that I can taste any hint of sugar in anything. My pot porridge (with pumpkin seeds) for breakfast tastes so sweet whereas it never did before.
Sorry this post is a bit boring but it is helping me to get my head round this. What I have found I can eat which does not affect my sugar is pot porridge with pumpkin seeds (just), pumpkin seed and oat ryvitas with ham or cheese, tiger nuts, pumpkin seeds on their own, hard unripe pears, Alpen light cereal bars (only just), and for evening meals, chicken, veg and new potatoes, asda microwave jalfreizi curry (but not madras...). As you can see I need to expand my eating choice as it is very limited at the moment! Liking the sound of maybe omelettes and boiled eggs...
So overall aim for weight loss is 105 pounds - although I will still be quite overweight. I have not started exercising in any shape or form yet - and I really need to get walking - so I think that will be next week.
Thanks for reading.
#bewhoyouwannabe
New Beginnings
27/9/2016
Welcome to my blog! This website is about living life naturally in terms of what we put in and on our bodies, and natural therapies and exercise that can improve our health.
This is very much a personal challenge for myself as well. I hope to make big changes to my lifestyle. So this is me:
• Very overweight
• Inactive (mainly due to a bad lower back)
• Stressed and suffer with anxiety
• Dry flaky skin and scalp
• ..and have just been told I most likely have Diabetes
So what I have wanted to do is now something I have to do…
I am going to see if I can get my sugars to a non-diabetic level by losing weight, becoming active and eating the right foods. I can barely walk 50 yards at the moment but after watching the programme ‘The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs’ I am going to challenge myself to increasing my walking every day. I don’t take pain killers thankfully but in the programme a lady who did this got so much better.
Looking into the future my challenge is to make enough changes so that I can ski and snowboard again, and play walking football. I can’t believe that only 18 months ago I was doing this – and now I can barely walk. This seems so far away but hey I’m gonna go for it!
#bewhoyouwannabe