Let’s talk about food or not.
If we were having coffee, I’d tell you my weight loss has stagnated over the last few weeks, and I feel rather ticked off!
My goal on the 10th of July was to lose 15kg by my landmark birthday (30th December). No problem, I thought. Wrong! I’ve only lost 7kg. This is probably because I adopted the 80/20 rule, but at least I’ve (more or less) kept with it. This is the longest time I’ve stuck to a diet and exercise regime…EVER… so that’s a positive.
When I stood on the scales on Thursday morning, and they teetered on an increase of 0.500 kg, I felt depressed. I confess that in desperation, I did consider begging my doctor for one of the super diet pills such as Liraglutide and Semaglutide they are dishing out on the NHS in the UK to fat people…erm… I mean, obese … or should that be bodily challenged like me. The thought lasted 20 seconds. No, I’ve always been opposed to using shakes, pills and potions to lose weight. However, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. And I’ve included a poll below.
Rethinking Goals
Reality check: Given my lack of progress, I need to accept that if I’ve only lost 7 kg in four months, the odds of me losing 8kg in two are unrealistic, so I have reset the goal to 10kg. That’s still 3kg in two months and with the festive season almost upon us…
30-Day Exercise Challenge
I don’t want to live on lettuce and kale, so I must rethink my weight loss strategy. How can I kickstart my metabolism? In my humble opinion, the answer is to commit to an exercise plan and stick with it.
30 minutes of aerobic-style exercise for 30 days, broken down into 2 x 15-minute sessions.
I’ve already tried the BOXING 2000, which is more physically demanding and works well. I need to find another. Theoretically, I should burn more calories and kickstart my metabolism. We will see.
and to mix it up
What challenges are you facing, and how do you plan to overcome them?
ETA adding this which works on your abs
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Piglet in Portugal 
It can be so hard especially the older we get…I try to set simple goals, but not really how much I want to lose by a certain time. Keep finding what works and don’t beat yourself up too much.
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Thanks Kirstin. IT’s tough at times but it is important to keep going.
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As Suzanne said, it’s all about the protein. Intermittent fasting is also key. I do my weights (M/WF) and my HIIT (T/TH) before I eat, so I break my fast much later than I used to. It’s a struggle once you hit menopause but I would never use the drugs you mention. There are several effects that aren’t common knowledge.
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Thanks, Bernie. IT seems from some of the comments I reassly do need to revisit intermitent fasting.
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It’s working for me. I am going strong on losing my Europe weight quicker than usual.
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I voted 🙂 Keep up the good work. With your exercises, you’re improving your mobility, balance and flexibility which are important as we age. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.
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Thank you, Natalie. I am trying. Keeping a record and blogging about my progress helps. 🙂
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I’ve been reading of your struggles for years. Is there some medical reason why you can’t lose weight..thyroid or something else? I was just wondering but don’t answer if it’s too personal.
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hi Miriam.
My thyroid is fine. The problem I think is that I used to be superfit. Zumba, African dancing, Pilates, hiking etc etc. And I was losing weight. Then I tore my meniscus and could hardly walk. I had a meniscus op in Coimbra. Fixed it but took about 3 months to recover. Then I got severe tendonitus so much pain I used to cry myself to sleep…. I couldn’t walk. I kept eating the same. Comfort eating and drinking. With no exercise is a disaster. then I had a knee op which went wrong. I was in a wheelchair and I’ve had to fight back every inch of the way to where I am now. I would lose weight … then comfort eat. Lose weight and comfort eat. A vicious circle of self-descruction. I came to the conculsion this time I had to change my eating habits and attend to everything I eat. No doubt it still needs tweaking and I’m trying new recipes. HEalkthy recipes. I am trying to change my relationship with food and it is a steep learning curve.
I am not always good because I like to eat out on occasions… and I do succumb to a dessert.
I’ve come to accept it is a balance… like life. My metabolism has slowed right down (according to my doctor) and that is what I am trying to kickstart.
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Thank you. What a difficult time you have had. I hope you find a routine that works for you.
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Have you tried lifting weights?
From what I’ve learned, strength training combined with a slight calorie deficit (using regular food you will want to eat) is the most efficient and sustainable way to lose weight, since muscle mass boosts metabolism, and the problem for most people is too little muscle mass.
Then if you don’t already, base your meals around protein (just processing protein burns calories!). I’m biased of course (avid weight lifter), but this is what I hear repeatedly when talking about weight loss (or rather, fat loss).
And hi there, I’m new to your blog (I think?)! Nice to meet you, and good luck with your weight loss!
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hi Susanne, thank you for stopping by. Nice to meet you, too.
No, I’ve not tried lifting weights probably because there is not a gym near by with a qualified instructor 😦 I live on the edge of nowhere 🙂
I have tried the little hand and ankle weights, which reminds me. I must dig them out and try using them.
Food, I do eat a lot of protein but maybe not enough.. Thanks for the reminder.
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You get a long way with buying a set of dumbbells to use at home if you’d want that. But I do agree that having an instructor helps a lot, I go to a personal trainer myself and will continue doing so as long as I can afford it.
Great about the protein! And I must say it sounds nice to live on the edge of nowhere. 🙂
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Maybe of interest?
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Thanks, Ark.
Inmteresting.
I don’t think I eat this. BUT, I will check some of the sauces. I mainly eat natural food. Unproce4ssed unless we eat out.
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Sim, fino é o mesmo imperial.
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I have found that eating little and often has a positive effect on my weight. Every time I visit Portugal I am always eating throughout the day, uma fino e azeitonas ou porco, tu sabes?
Still having main meals but regular eating is what speeds up your metabolism
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Hi Roch, it is interesting there are two different trains of thought here. One intermittant fasting and the other little and often. At the moment I tend to eat little and often. . o que é uma fino? Is fino a beer?
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I think basically there’s a multitude of different ways to do this and that but fundamentally it’s just about what works best for you
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Como tu aprende seu português? Há algum livro ou audiolivro em português que ajuda-ti? Eu assisto novelas e filmes brasileiros sem narração. Por um semana (ou dez dias) eu vai ir Madeira e posso falar Portuguese com meu amigos ali. Meu ecrito e leer é melhor porque eu tenho mais tempo entendi que eu falais, quando no pessoa eu espera un momemto acho que é mim responder. Espero tu entendi meu escreve no Portuguese, desculpe eu estou no fluente ou pefeito
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A variated intermittent fasting 🙂 Never lost kg this easy, not even have that focus, but still I am loosing weight. Don´t even own a scale, its not important for me, but I can feel it and see it on my clothes. But most importantly I have no cravings and have a totally different relationship with food and eating now.
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Hi Anna, I have failed at intermittent fasting before. Maybe you can give me a few pointers when we come and see you 🙂
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