DoingTheCaveman

The Seven Sisters

I was on my way home from work yesterday and suddenly felt claustrophobic at the thought so instead took a detour. 

Proof that we walked down.  The grass down here is so bouncy I've always walked this bit barefoot.

 

Taking a few moments out to enjoy a good book and the sea air and view... bliss

 

I used to come down here on a weekly basis.  Can't remember why or when I stopped - the detour was so worth it.

 

What's exercise to you?

Reading around other blogs lately it's great to see other's doing to be doing so well. I on the other hand am stuck.  Since January I've been yo- yoing back and forth between 13stone 9 lb and 13 stone 3 lb (83 - 87 kilos).  I was a feeling a little blue after my holiday and that was reflected in the scales when the vending machine sprouted a halo.  I binged.  Briefly! That's why I haven't posted my weight recently, since after getting down to 13 stone 3 lb before my holiday, it was depresing that two weeks following it I was back up to 13 stone 9 lb (88 kilos).  I was worried I was losing my motivation, and until now blogging has been a surprising way of keeping up the momentum.

But we all have our bad weeks.  It's just that over the last 5 months, no the last 10 years I haven't been able to get my weight below 12 stone 12 lbs.  I'm convinced that once I go through the 13/14 stone barrier it'll be plain sailing all the way. 

In relation to the diet, I have been back on track since the 'Raw' workshop, my weight, however, is completely stuck.  The problem is I see the hospital consultant in a couple of weeks and, although I have lost since I last saw him, I'd been aiming for another 24 lbs.  I'm worried that the binge will show up in my Hb A1c and have 2 weeks to push it down before the appointment.

On the whole, while I am quite satisfied with my way of eating (now I'm back on track).  Sometimes it's so easy I forget I'm on a diet. It is simply my way of life now and, at the moment, I don't plan on any further dietary changes. So, what else can I do to bring about further weight loss?

E.e.e.e.exercise.  It's not that I haven't been exercising, I have.  It's just that I haven't got any particular routine and it's no secret I HATE the gym. My routine is a stop/start routine. I have absolutely no motivation to get myself there and I recognise the fact the gym is *never* going to feature in my life.  But I do need to light a fire under my butt.

'Activity' on the other hand is a word I do like...

To clarify, when I say I hate the gym that doesn't mean that I hate activity.  It's just that I'm having trouble maintaining or integrating exercise with any regularity into my life.  A routine may be started but something always seems to get in the way, whether it be the weather or the dark.

Walking on a treadmill, stepper etc is something that, for me, has little point.  Apart from personal goals it doesn't really lead to any particular achievement.  It's not that I don't recognise its benefit, but I prefer to view exercise in terms of activity that has a purpose.  Expending physical energy should have a point; have an outcome, make a contribution, be a game, or be a learning experience whereby you constantly improving your abilities.  For example, to get from A to B, clear a garden, play tennis or a martial art.

Looking back that's just the way I grew up to view exercise - there should be a challenging element in it; place of beauty to see; plain fun; a challenge or adrenaline raiser; the next grade to aim for or game to win.  *sigh* though I'm simply too old to return to ballet. LOL.  Maybe yoga - hmmm now there's a thought.

Anway, I have made a decision about the exercise problem though - to go from A to B.  Now the weather's getting brighter I've made a decision.  So on a recent visit to my folks I roped my poor old dad in on my exercise plan ...

'Daddy, please can you find my bike?'  ... well I'm not venturing into *his* shed territory, and ... 'Daddy, can you mend my bike?'  .... no excuse for that one!

Apart from grumbling that the tyres would be rotten my wonderful Dad duly obliged and extracted said bike from its dungeon.  Oiled and tyres pumped up, I'm all set.  Once, of course, they've had a couple of days to ensure they don't deflate after years of neglect.

Ironic that the last time I cycled it was actually a two week cycling holiday in Holland.

So, the eventual grand plan, and first step, to consistently raise my level of 'activity' is to cycle to and from work!  It's not something I'm going to be able to do straight way though!  It's a long, long way to work!  But it's giving me another goal to aim for and I'll be able to make some savings and get my exercise all in one go.  Over the next few weeks, while we're having some beautiful weather it's my intention to get out in the evenings and re-aquaint myself with the country lanes ... sure going to beat my stationary bike. 

When do I start exercise?

Start any weight loss regime, or join a gym, and you'll immediately be encouraged to combine exercise along with the diet, which of course most people immediately do - I won't do this!

I do of course agree that exercise should be an integral part of the new lifestyle being developed, however if you start to exercise as soon as you start a diet - how do you know whether the diet really works?   For example, hardly any diets I've been on have worked without exercise, additionally three years ago I joined a gym and attended it religiously for 3 months taking over 3 hours exercise every single night, the exercise bored me to tears - result - not a single pound lost (nb. exercise per se doesn't bore me but the gym does).

Abstinence from exercise during the first month, but still losing weight, is my personal test of whether a diet is going to work for me.  What's the point of paying out if the diet alone is going to be ineffective?

On the Caveman diet the weight loss was immediate, without exercise.  I'm now quite happy to start moving, and indeed I have been doing so for the last 4 - 6 weeks, although I'll detail what I've been up to another time, suffice to say I really enjoying the addition of exercise to my lifestyle.

I feel through the experience of many a dieting failure, that an expensive diet club shouldn't take credit for your sweat and toil until you're sure it's the diet that's driving the weight loss.

My carrot

I'm trying not to feal disheartened but this month my weight seems to have stayed static, although I am constantly having to hitch up my jeans.  To keep my spirits up and remind myself why I'm doing this I've made a little montage.  This is where I'd like to be this time next year (excuse the picture it's very badly put together but you get the gist).  The last time I skied I promised myself that if I did nothing else I'd ski at least once a year.  Unfortunately, that was the last time I fit into my ski clothes and the last time I went.  I reckon by now  I owe myself at least a 20 weeks so I guess I should start saving.  This my ultimate reward, if and when I manage to lose the weight - what's yours?

Better than fig leaves

You may laugh but an article about why so many women avoid exercise caught my attention yesterday.

As much as I'm finding the caveman diet beneficial there are some advantages to living in the 21st Century, one of these being bra technology! An 'excuse' given to explain why many women don't don’t do more sport is due to breast pain or embarrassment during exercise. Apparently this has been found to be because most bras currently support side to side or up and down movements but the motion of exercise (from a light jog to sprint) produces a figure of eight motion that is uncomfortable and unsupported.

I can certainly relate to both the stated reasons and have certainly stopped certain activities due to discomfort, additionally my sister, who enjoys cross country running, often complains bitterly about this problem. Apparently it doesn't matter what size you are as the discomfort affects all women.

Most sports bras currently available are compression bras but the article states the research concludes the best bra is an encapsulation bra, with separate moulded cups.

For full article see:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2425828.ece