Weight lines, again

A few years ago, I ended up losting weight, mostly by dieting. That worked out rather well up to a point: I lost about 20kgs rapidly. But I ended up putting them back on almost as rapidly.

What I learnt from this was that dieting made me more short-tempered. It also reduced my metabolic rate. My body would adjust to the hunger and enter a “starvation-mode”, using the limited food ridiculously efficiently. So I’d have to eat even less to continue losing weight.

This time, I’m going to try it the slow way.

Firstly, my targets are moderate. I plan to lose about 1kg every month. (It’ll take me a few years to achieve my target. That’s good – it postpones the time when I’ll say “Ah, I’m thin. I can eat now” and become fat again.)

Secondly, I’m not going to keep myself hungry. I’m just going try to stop eating when I’m not hungry.

This happens for two reasons. One’s because I usually watch a movie when I eat, and keep eating until the movie’s done. The other’s because when I’m between activities, I raid the kitchen. It’s not realistic to pretend that I can curb these tendencies. But it’s possible to be a bit more aware of them.

Stocking the house with healthier foods helps. I also find that some fruits in particular keep my stomach full for longer. They’re low value for money energy-wise, but great for dieting and health.

Thirdly, I’m going to start exercising, but in my own, slow, way. I’m not good at running or going to the gym, but weirdly, I rather like climbing stairs So the next step is to abandon lifts and only use the stairs.

None of these is a big step. But I’m not in a hurry, and these are more like habits I’d like to get into for the rest of my life rather than short-term measures.

Here’s to a lighter 2014!