This week has been like mid-summer in Paris, yet we’re only just moving into spring! So I’ve been swapping over my wardrobe from winter to summer. Strange, I didn’t realise that extra kilo or two had sneaked in there. My winter clothes weren’t getting tight but I have a couple of pairs of summer trousers that are more closely fitting. I guess I haven’t been exercising as much lately (I haven’t been swimming for a while) and maybe the trip to Madrid didn’t help either!
So what to do? One of the most important things when you lose weight is to make sure that you nip any subsequent weight gain in the bud immediately. Thinking “well, I’ll just wear some looser clothes for a bit and it’ll come off all by itself” is courting danger! You need to apply the “200 grammes of protein at each meal and no carbs” rule for a day or two. If you’ve only gained a kilo, it should come off pretty quickly. You should then continue the 200 g protein day once week until your weight is stabilised again. It’s even a good idea to do it regularly.
If that extra kilo or so turns out to be a bit more stubborn though, you could start writing down what you eat again as I explained in Part 2. Either you’ll automatically adjust your eating pattern or you’ll be able to see where the extras are coming from. You can also cut out wheat-based products for a couple of weeks. That should be the trick! If it doesn’t, you’ll need to analyse what’s really going on.
Maybe that snack-reflex has come back again recently for some reason – a new source of stress or extra fatigue in your life. Each time you see yourself wandering towards the kitchen, stop, turn around and go into the living room. Sit down, close your eyes and imagine yourself on a beach or in a forest. Breathe deeply and relax. Then go back to what you were doing before you felt like snacking. At mealtime, remember to serve food in the kitchen and take it to the table so you won’t be tempted to seconds.
It usually takes a month to get rid of a habit so you may have to persist a little. You might need to start listening to your hypnosis tapes again too. And if you’ve kept any of your “bigger” clothes “just in case”, it’s probably the moment to get rid of them altogether!
The Natural Skinnies and Us How I lost 20 kilos after 50 – for good: Part 1 How I lost 20 kilos after 50 – for good: Part 2 How I lost 20 kilos after 50 – for good: Part 3 How I lost 20 kilos after 50 – for good: Part 4 How I lost 20 kilos after 50 – for good: Part 5
Fraussie , you are AMAZING to lose all that weight! I am truly struggling to lose ONE lousy kilo! Wanted some off for the french trip ugh…..I know if I were to stop the 2/3 reds at night.. it could help.:) ..and more exercise than 2 zumba classes a week…but food wise I’m quite careful.. I can see a crash protein diet coming on!!! Jill
I have to honestly say that once I got going, it turned out to be easier than I thought because I reduced my food and drink intake slowly. It’s better not to do more than two “200 g protein” days a week or your body will react and you’ll put it all back on. I didn’t begin the protein days until I’d lost have the weight I wanted. You could, however, try the “no wheat” for 3 weeks and stick to two and not three glasses of red at night. You’d be surprised how well that works without doing anything else. Let me know how you go!
Some really good / immediate advice there Fraussie!
How do I save all these AUSSIE IN FRANCE blogs on my USB
Is there a trick to keeping the photos in the excerpts please.
I’m about to do hols and want to make a file of all these wonderful issues!
TA Muchly
I just love to read them more than once!
Hmm, I’ll look into this. Maybe check it out with Leonardo. You’d need to extract them. I could offer subscribers a pdf. Would you like the posts to be divided into themes or doesn’t it matter? Any one else interested?
Hello! I have just read all of your posts and you are an inspiration. I will now resist my morning snack and start writing down what I eat.
Lately I have had trouble trying to lose anything without success, but 9 years ago I was able to lose 15 kgs in 15 weeks (when I turned 51), and that was by calorie counting: 1000 or less every day. (and it stayed off for many years!)
But circumstances have to be right. Both kids had left home, and hubby was happy to start a diet. Now.. hubby has had a stroke, and wants comfort food! So I find it hard to dish up a chop and salad every night for him.
So therefore I have to look at a less dramatic diet method which allows some yummy stuff, but frankly, I don’t think one exists. I can’t do Atkins, because protein does not stop me from getting hungry… so I just have to count those calories… on paper, not in my head!
I will re-read your posts, and follow your dieticians advice about what to put on the plate.
Cheers
Hello Shirley. I hope that you’ll be able to successfully follow the diet because it certainly includes some yummy stuff. I don’t know what yours is, but I would have hated to have to give up foie gras, côte de boeuf, wine and fresh bread and butter with oysters on Sunday! You lost an amazing number of kilos in a very short time 9 years ago and did extremely well to keep it off for many years.
This time round, given the circumstances, you could maybe consider losing one kilo a month rather than one kilo a week. That way, you can keep some of the yummy stuff.
You may also have to resign yourself to giving your husband a slightly different plate of food. Men need more carbs and less protein than women, sad as that may be!
I’ll look forward to hearing your progress!