13 stone, 6 pounds

Right… Here goes…

I am 13 stone, 6 pounds in weight.

That is 85.3 Kilograms.

That is ridiculous!

My ideal weight, according to the BMI chart I downloaded is 11 stone.

Essentially I am two stones and 6 pounds overweight, although I always add a few pounds for my womanly assets.

I don’t blame anybody but myself for these shocking figures (nor for MY shocking figure). I enjoy food and I don’t exercise. I take in more calories than I use day to day. This has to stop.

My birthday is 189 days away… That is plenty of time to lose the weight safely (a rate of 1-2 pounds per week). In fact if I do this, if I lose 2 pounds per week, it will only take 17 weeks, or 119 days to reach my goal weight.

I will do this through sheer force of will, diet, exercise and SHAME! Tonight I am going to photograph myself in my underwear side on, print several copies, and stick them on the wardrobe in my bedroom. I’m also going to put one in my drawer at work so every time I open it, I can see the person I used to be. In addition to that I am going to truthfully reveal my weight and how much I’ve lost or gained on my blog, Facebook and Twitter on the 27^th of each month, along with photos of my progress (not in my underwear I hasten to add – enough people have seen that!) I’m also going to announce my progress on my radio show (www.gaydio.co.uk  - Tuesdays 21:00-23:00GMT). There will be nowhere to hide!

I have joined Fitness First gym in Manchester and I intend to go 3 times a week. I have three personal training sessions with my membership and I will use them wisely. I have to go to the gym at least 20 times in the next 8 weeks in order to receive my refund of the £36.00 joining fee and to justify the £29.99/month membership costs (12 sessions a month works out at £2.50/session). I actually got a great deal as the membership includes all my classes and I like to mix it up a bit rather than sticking to the machines.

My lovely membership co-ordinator Janelle very helpfully advised me the best machines and classes to maximise weight loss; rowing machines (which just happens to be my favourite machine) and boxing (something I’ve been meaning to try). I’m also going to balance my mind with some yoga classes.

She suggested spin and although I know that it is the most efficient 30 minutes you can spend on a bike, I’d prefer not to be shouted at for an entire class (I’ll admit I was a little put off spin the first time I tried it as I almost collapsed at the end – not for the faint hearted!)

So how am I going to fuel these mammoth gym sessions?

I have tried Low Cal diets in the past, and I find that I am just too hungry to sustain them. A whiff of chocolate, cake or a fry up and I am sunk… So my diet of choice is possibly the most controversial I could choose. It’s my own modified Atkins diet.

The first time I tried Atkins, I followed the book to the letter and ended up fairly ill as my body went into full on withdrawal from sugar, caffeine and carbohydrates. By day three I was not well. It was not fun and there was much vomiting and lying on the sofa feeling sorry for myself.

Since then, I have done the two week programme several times, generally to lose a few pounds for a special occasion and I’ve got to say… It works for me! Each time I modify it slightly, learning the lessons from the previous attempt. For example, I now stagger what I cut out – days 1-3 – sugar, days 4-6 – carbohydrates and finally on day 7 I drop the caffeine out. I find that this is the only way to stop my body going into complete shock.

As I am a cook, I actually find the challenges of what to eat on Atkins quite exciting. I think that misapprehension that everybody has is that an Atkins diet consists of nothing but fat and meat. NOT TRUE. I cut out the heavy carbs like potatoes, carrots, turnips (not that I eat those much anyway), bread in any form and of course sugar, but the lighter greens and leaves I keep – lettuce, broccoli, spinach, asparagus.

Yes there is some fat in the diet. I can use cream in my coffee and eat mascarpone flavoured with sweetener as a dessert (sounds gross but not bad, kind of like a baseless cheesecake), but it’s up to the individual dieter how much fat they ingest. Fat is not an Atkins’ “must have”, and if you’re seriously worried about your heart or cholesterol, consult your doctor or do some proper research as I have done.

My typical diet goes like this…

Breakfast – Two Rashers of Bacon and Two Good Quality Sausages (high meat content) fried – you can grill if you’d prefer, or a three egg omelette with cheese, ham and mushrooms.

The high protein content of these breakfasts ensure that I stay full until lunchtime and also repairs any damage that might have been done at the gym.

Snack – Pork Rinds – These salty snacks crunch like crisps but contain no carbohydrates. I find that after a few days I snack less anyway as my protein high meals curb the hunger.

Lunch – Chicken, Bacon and Cheese Salad (made with spinach, cucumber and onions and full fat mayonnaise).

Snack – Celery Sticks (I peel them as I hate the stringy bits) dipped in Seriously Strong Spreadable Cheddar Cheese

Dinner – Steak, grilled on the George Foreman with a cream and blue cheese sauce and broccoli, cauliflower and asparagus.

Dessert – sugar-free jelly (Jello for my American Readers) with single cream.

Drinks – Decaffeinated Coffee with “Lacto-Free” milk and sweeteners. Diet Pop (preferably caffeine free).

Now yes there is a high meat content there, and some fat, but also veggies and salad. The most I have lost on this diet is around a stone and a half over a sensible 3 month period. During that time I did exercise a little, but not as much as I plan to.

Oh, and for those people who have hear that Atkins died of a heart attack caused by obesity, please read this article http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-04-17-atkins-dies_x.htm.

So wish me luck, and I hope you’ll follow me on my journey – my weight loss musings will occur once a month! Please send encouragement!