Weight. A word that provokes much discussion. In this modern era, where there is an intense focus upon the ‘self’ and how we compare to the unrealistic depictions of ‘perfection’ presented by the media, it has become a taboo subject. People are continuously looking to get into ‘perfect shape’ be it by bulking up or trimming down and I’ve known myself for a while now that I need to do something about the university podge I’ve managed to acquire. BUT, it’s not necessarily about drastic remedies and it’s certainly not about worrying excessively.
I count myself extremely lucky that body confidence has never really been an issue for me – ask anyone who has witnessed my infamous ‘Mysterious Girl’ routine. However, it was getting to the point where I realised things were getting a tad silly and, for me, it was more an issue surrounding health and being able to do the things I used to, as well as I used to, again.
So with that in I mind I set about getting to it. Did I seek out a mad – and quite frankly unhealthy – starvation diet? No. Did I decide drinking juice as a substitute for my meals for the rest of my life was the best option? No. Did I start intensely working out the whole of my body – instead of just my thumbs and fingers – every day of the week? No. Essentially, I made a simple lifestyle change that has helped me to come back to uni for my final year, a whole one and a half stone lighter.
Where did I start I hear you cry? Well, I went and grabbed my dad’s old bike and just rode laps around my local area in order to get me out and about, as well as to feel alive again. I’ve loved cycling since I completed the London to Paris challenge in 2013 and so I realised this would give me the most motivation to actually get up and exercise properly. I’m the sort of person who once I’ve got myself into a routine, it takes a hell of a lot to break that, so all I needed was that initial boost and cycling was certainly the way to go for me. Within a few weeks I was consistently cycling 10 miles twice a week (even on the days I felt terrible) and I complimented this with something I personally found to be more of a joy than a chore – a bit of 7-a-side football with the golden oldies (that’s my dad and his friends to be precise).
Me during London to Paris- look at those biceps!
So what about food and drink consumption? Because that is the most important part of being healthy, really. One of my biggest flaws since coming to university has been a serious adoration for fizzy drinks. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve always loved the odd splash of Dr Pepper or Rubicon, however, during my years of true independence the Trojan wall I had built up against excessive indulgence of these products was sadly broken down by a formidable barrage consisting of: a short walk to a number of supermarkets along with bright, colourful advertisements/packaging. So, the first task was to cut these completely out of my daily consumption (well I suppose that’s not entirely true – read on for further details), but essentially I haven’t been drinking fizzy drinks at all really. Whilst this may seem a drastic and unsustainable change, I have to confess that I haven’t really been missing them and the plan is to reintroduce them eventually, with more controlled consumption.
Other than this I’ve simply been eating my three meals a day (nothing overly healthy here – just standard meals), and have been happily dipping into the fruit basket if I get peckish in between. Sometimes I even treat myself to a cheeky yog yog (toffee or vanilla being the flavours of choice). Weekends are saved for extra special treats such as – hold your breath – TAKEAWAYS! Yes, you can eat takeaways and still lose weight. Everyone deserves a treat now and again, right?
Ultimately, I would like to cut alcohol out altogether, largely because over summer when I wasn’t drinking so much, I felt so much healthier. However, this just isn’t really a realistic goal for your average Joe like myself. Instead – whilst I’m trying to cut the weight – I’m trying to stick to a lower calorie intoxication method, aka. diet lemonade and vodka (ok I know I said no fizzy drinks but here it’s allowed). The dream is Absolut Raspberry Vodka with diet lemonade, but that stuff doesn’t usually come cheap.
My process is an on-going one and, of course, there have been slips along the way. It’s important to realise that it is a permanent lifestyle choice. The sooner you realise this, the sooner you can enter a more positive mind-set when it comes to being healthy. Gone are the days where I used to let a slip in my eating or exercising habits affect me so much that I’d go on a binge of eating 70 wings from Hooters, 3 share bags of Doritos (Cool Original and Chilli Heatwave of course), 13 Kinder Eggs and 10 litres of Mountain Dew (I do miss that stuff).
So there it is – not a diet plan, not a ‘medical professional’ imposing their ideas onto your life. Just a look into how I am managing to gradually create a healthier life for myself again. That’s the key right there – make it gradual and consistent; a change to your lifestyle that is maintainable; rather than approaching one specific ‘end goal’. Otherwise when you reach that ‘end,’ you’ll quickly slip into old habits (permanently and not just temporarily either). This is nothing new, or profound and it certainly isn’t incredibly insightful. It’s just a spot of advice from someone who has already been up and down the mountain.
You can still treat yourself of course!
Edited by Lucy Jackman