Why 10kg?
One of the books I've been reading is Professor Roy Taylor's Life Without Diabetes. Taylor's work has explored the relationship between significant weight loss, excess fat stored around the body's organs and Type 2 diabetes. His research has shown that, for some people with Type 2 diabetes, substantial weight loss can lead to remission.
I'm not following the clinical programme described in the research, and this isn't intended to be a prescription for anyone else. In fact, very-low-calorie diets should only be undertaken with appropriate medical supervision.
Instead, I'm using some of the principles I've taken from the book as a reference point while making some fairly significant changes to the way I eat.
My eight-week experiment
For the next eight weeks, I'm keeping things deliberately simple.
- I'm reducing carbohydrates, particularly the refined carbohydrates that are easy to overeat(rice, potatoes, bread, pasta).
- I'm stopping snacking. No wandering into the kitchen for a handful of crisps or a piece of chocolate because I'm bored or because it's there.
- I'm removing crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks. This one might be harder than it sounds because I have a definite sweet tooth!
- I'm not drinking alcohol. I've already been doing this, but I'm keeping it firmly in place for the eight weeks.
- I'm experimenting with intermittent fasting, which for me means not eating breakfast and having my first meal around lunchtime.
- Coffee is black.
- I'm drinking plenty of water.
- And perhaps most importantly,
I'm tracking what I eat.
I've created a simple daily tracker where I record what I've eaten and the calories involved. The point isn't to become obsessed with numbers. It's to become much more aware of what I'm actually putting into my body.
Sometimes we think we eat pretty well until we start writing everything down!
But this 100% NOT about weight
That's the slightly strange thing about this challenge.
The number on the scales is the measurement I'm using, but it isn't really the reason I'm doing it.
The reason is
health.
If I can lose some excess weight, improve my eating habits and reduce my risk of progressing to Type 2 diabetes, that's a much more meaningful outcome than simply fitting into a smaller pair of jeans.
And there are other potential benefits too – more energy, better fitness, improved sleep and perhaps simply feeling a little better in myself.
I'm only a few days in…
So this is very much a work in progress.
I'm only a few days into the eight weeks, and I'm sure there will be changes and modifications along the way. What works on paper doesn't always work in real life.
There will be days when I'm hungry. There will be social occasions. There will probably be moments when I really, really want some chocolate!
But that's part of the experiment.
At My Life Tonic, we talk a lot about finding the things that work
for you rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach.
This is my experiment (but due to necessity rather than for the sake of it).
I'm going to see what happens over the next eight weeks, track my progress and, importantly, share the good bits, the difficult bits and the things that I learn along the way.
Maybe I'll get to 70kg.
Maybe I won't.
But if I finish the eight weeks with better habits, a better understanding of my health and a lower risk of progressing towards Type 2 diabetes, then I'll consider that a pretty good Life Tonic.
In future posts, I'll also provide insights that Type 2 diabetes affects people of all sizes...I've previously (and unhelpfully) been told that I'm a larger person in a skinny person's body.
