Madridboy

Or increse your cardio, personaly I'm cardiophobic so I'm with you on analizing foods.

Dick Dasterdly

Sounds like a rabbits diet.
Dont know how they do it, but I doubt if I could manage "mucho conejo" on what they eat.

HBG

Perfectly reasonable and sensible advice, but leading to a misery factor for someone who loves food, and there’s two of us in this little casa.

She’s had prunes tonight and I’ve had a couple of whiskies which has led to more shouting. I’ve taken out frozen bacon, sausages, black pudding for tomorrow, the day of liberty, the day of peace, the day of happiness. A large chicken is defrosting as I write.

Our weighing day is Wednesday, she gets weighed in front of an audience, I don’t have the courage for that and weigh myself in private. I lost 100 grammes last week and worked out that at that rate I will be a hundred years old before my weight returns to normal.

bil

A gentleman does not exercise. I once worked out on an exercise bike that it would take me half an hour's hard work to burn one digestive biscuit.

It's easier not to eat the biscuit by far. Plus if you have to work out for hours each week, well, there are better things to do with my time.

bil

As I say. Edit stuff down a little more each week. Drink plenty of water when eating and stick to diet drinks (diet beer is simply vile). Make the portions slightly smaller and so on.

Carrying a couple of stone of extra weight is like being on a permanent workout.

megmet

I'm a convert to that myself, olive oil apart from being good for you tastes so much better that the other stuff and it's pure and natural.
We are now coming to the time of year when I shall exclusively be cooking on the gas BBQ, just a quick wipe over on the hotplate with a little olive oil is all it needs.....and I can even fry eggs that way!

Rosemary

I feel quite guilty typing this but I am desperately trying to put on weight, so far I have managed six kilos since just before Christmas but my doctors will not be happy until I have added at least another fifteen.
Graham.

Lynn R

You may not like 'working out' but if you continue to consume more calories than you need to maintain your ideal weight, without exercising, then you are going to continue to pile on the pounds - simples! And no 'diet' is going to make any difference in the long term if you go back to the same way of eating after a few weeks or months.

I love food as much as anybody and am blessed with a fairly fast metabolism (all my family are tall and thin and I can't recall any of them ever watching what they eat), but I had to accept years ago that I couldn't continue to stuff my face and not put weight on. I switched to a low fat diet (with occasional treats as life wouldn't be worth living without the odd cream cake, woudl it?).

There are a few changes you can make which, after a short while, you won't even notice, eg swapping full fat milk for skimmed (or semi skimmed with cereal, skimmed is just too watery for that), if you take sugar in coffee or tea either learn to drink it without or switch to sweeteners, change to diet mixers as has already been said, do not put butter or margarine on the bread for sandwiches or toast (you can have a small amount of low fat mayonnaise on sandwiches or just put tomatoes on them for moisture, and have marmalade or jam on toast), regard things like burgers, sausages, anything with pastry and cakes as something for an occasional treat rather than a regular part of your diet, and give up snacking. If you don't keep crisps, biscuits, peanuts etc. in the house you can't eat them!
,
I think not driving helps me with exercise as it seems many people are conditioned to get into their cars to travel even ridiculously short distances and have lost the habit of walking anywhere. We live uphill from the town centre and in fact you can't get into our area by car, and people always say "But how do you manage with your shopping?". Well, we walk down and back and carry it, that's how!

I always hated exercise as a child and a teenager and would do anything to get out of playing sports at school (except for swimming). But in my late 20s I got into exercise (aerobics mainly) and now, in my mid '50s I swim 1km twice a week and do 4 fitness classes a week, as well as a lot of walking. I am fitter than I was in my early '20s and certainly fitter than many women half my age who come to my gym. Try to find some kind of exercise you do enjoy, could be swimming, dancing, hiking cycliing, anything - but get moving!
It helps to keep all kinds illnesses like heart disease, strokes, diabetes and even depression at bay, as well as helping to control your weight.

Sorry for the sermon, but having seen my Dad die from the complicationi of Type 2 diabetes (and he wasn't overweight but didn't have a very good diet) it's something I feel passionate about.

steviedeluxe

I think this has been a bigger factor than people realise. We have regular articles in the UK media stating that British children are now the fattest in Europe - not that children in other countries like Spain are getting slimmer! At the same time it's stated that only one in ten children now get to school under their own steam (walk or cycle) whereas in the 60s the ratio was reversed - only one in ten got a lift (car or bus) to school. Walking is one of the best exercises there are - but it has to be done on a regular basis to have an effect. It's a shame that so few children now walk to school, but perhaps inevitable given that people's perceptions of the dangers (paedos, busy roads etc) are so high.

mikelincs

OK, it was the 50's, but my mother took me to school, walking, on my first morning, and that was the only time I was taken, I even walked home at dinner time for my dinner, distance was just over half a mile each way, I never, in all the time I went to school till I was 18, got there any other way.

bil

HBG, here's an interesting exercise you can do.

Make an accurate report on everything that you consume in an average, pre diet day. The exact amounts, weight, volume and so on. Be accurate, and don't cheat, as that renders the exercise pointless. Remember to add the butter on the bread, the oil you cook with and so on.

That will give you a figure that will show you how much you are overconsuming each day.

Then you have to see if you can eliminate anything from that FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

jackytoo

Olive oil is healthier and doesn't clog up the arteries like butter etc. but it can still make you fat if you use a lot. Salads can be more fattening than meat and two veg etc if using lots of mayonnaise. I used to go to cookery classes in Mijas, sometimes a local councillor did recipes from his Mother. One was an oil free mayonnaise and it tasted great. I lost the recipe though

A Bil said drink lots before and during a meal and eat a little less, never leave the table feeling stuffed. My heaviest and lightest varies by about 3Kilo and has done all my life, depending on holidays, Christmas etc. I couldn't do a rigid diet, tried it and just increases the craving for fattening foods. I eat everything I like but not keen on sweet things except fresh cream cakes. I don't like beer either, probably only drink about 6 small beers or cider in a year.

Said on spanish news recently that around 30% of spanish children are overweight. I think it is because they are fed very sugary breakfasts and are also given sweet treats after school as dinner is much later. Then there is the usual with kids all over the world...too much TV, computer games etc.

bil

Don't get me started on cereals. It makes my blood boil when they advertise whole grain cereals as 'the healthy option'.

Cereals are a filthy food, sugar coated cereals even viler, and wholegrain cereal is designed to deceive you into thinking it is healthy.

It isn't.

steviedeluxe

Porridge's good though.

Lynn R

Yes, I have porridge with skimmed milk and cinnamon (it's supposed to be a 'superfood' for lowering blood sugar) for breakfast most days in winter, with a croissant or bacon butty for a treat on Sundays! Oats are a low GI food which means you feel full for longer.