Catch up with all of April Ieremia’s diary entries and accompanying exercise regimes
When I started this weight-loss column I set an ambitious goal for myself of losing 30kg in 30 weeks. My short-term goal was to strip 5kg off the grand total each month, and for the first two months I was on fire, losing 13kg by the end of June.
However, July has been a write off due to my sojourn overseas.
I rationalised my lack of exercise, poor food choices and weight gain as being due to circumstance – injury, no Scotty, and a lack of discipline and willpower.
As a result, my short-term goal is suffering because I am 4kg off my July target, making the goals for August and September unfathomable.
To make matters worse, I broke three cardinal rules while I was away: “No butter”, “no sugar” and “no alcohol”.
In Alaska, America’s love affair with all things fattening had me dipping into the butter bar at every turn, from a slab on toast each morning to a sliver on every bread roll in the basket each night.
Next, the “no sugar” rule lost its legs after just two nights. The mammoth array of desserts offered on the cruise was too much to resist. Combine that with fresh waffles every morning and coffee-companion muffins daily, and I was toast.
Finally, I broke the “no alcohol” rule. I abstained for three-and-a-half months before my willpower died at the stampede in Calgary.
Alcohol is a pain in the butt (and head) when I am trying to lose weight for three main reasons. Firstly, the munchies attack: After a few drinks, I become ravenous and want to eat everything in sight. Not content with the normal offering of a simple burger meal, a hideous compulsion forces me to do it again 10 minutes later with the double-decker option.
Secondly, alcohol distracts the liver from doing what it should be doing: Processing calories. Everything goes on hold until the liver deals with the alcohol content, so its focus is last night’s binge instead of all the food in your system. And this unattended food just goes straight to the usual cargo holds: Butt, thighs, stomach, arms and cheeks.
Finally, an alcohol-fuelled night means exercise gets binned the next day. Gone are the days when I can clock up a run with a wicked head, queasy stomach and leaden limbs. Alcohol is not my friend when I am on a mission like this and that’s why I choose to remove it.
It’s taken two weeks to shake holiday mode. oooks has been a lovely replacement at training but I really miss Scotty and can’t wait to make up for my sins in July with a monster weight-loss effort in August.
Spring is right around the corner and with a loss of only 600g this week, I have reset my clock and I am rearing to run.
A note from Scott Cottier
Having just returned from theUS, I could possibly sympathise with April’s poor eating options and allowing everything to be flagged for enjoyment, but I won’t. How you choose to eat and exercise are always up to you. Try to stick to your normal exercise routine when on holiday, but if that’s difficult, then your eating has to be disciplined.
one of the main advantages of eating out in the US is that their awareness of obesity levels means restaurants in some states must now display the total calories for each meal. However, statistics show that only 12% of diners actually use this info.
A good rule when eating out is to look at the meals arriving at other tables prior to ordering. This helps you determine the average portion size, amount of accompanying vegetables, and whether you really need an entrée.
This week’s new training programme comes just in time for spring. Your task is to achieve six hours of running over seven days. How you accomplish this is your choice – exercises will be added each week.
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