The Idiot-Proof Diet - Neris and India

I have just stumbled across this book and bought it. I have been reading it for a bit, I actually kind of like it. Its very though-love though. I'm going to give it a change in the new year and follow the plan for a bit. However I am not too keen on the start of the diet which is very heavily based on the Atkins diet and other similar diets.
Ill read more on the book and see how it goes, I may try it as they say the tough start only last two weeks before adding other foods back into the diet so we'll see...

Update on weight.

So here it is! My start weight is 136.5. :(

That is awful!

I am heavier than the last diet I went on! I cannot ever ever ever be this weight again. I plan to lost this and keep it off, first goal is to reach the 120's. So I have to lost at least 7 lbs. Id like to be at that weight by mid January but I'm not going to push my luck, I'm going to take my time and do this slowly. I'm going to give it as long as it needs.

My weigh-in's will be Tuesdays as Mondays are a little ridiculous in terms of stress. I am hoping to still be 136.5 by then as I will be going to Amsterdam for the weekend with all the girls and even though I will try and be as sensible as possible I am not sure if this will be possible. I don't know how much exercise Ill get and I don't know how many uber healthy options will be available.

I was going to try starting the 'Food Doctor Ultimate Diet' but it requires a strict liquid based diet for one week which I am unable to commit to this close to Christmas. I intend to start this as a new years resolution on the first of January, starting the year on a good footing. In the meantime I am controlling calories and exercising.

So bring on Week 1 weigh in on Tuesday!

It Starts NOW!

It begins to day... Strike that. It starts right now, as I already screwed up the morning with a pain au chocolat and a crossaint. But from NOW. RIGHT NOW I will never ever be heavier than I am right now.

That! Feels! Awesome!

From right now its a slow gradual descent to 100lbs I plan to take 6 months to lost the weight in a consistent way. I plan to use the FItBit, the BodPods results and my Food Doctor Ultimate Diet and my tools and get to my results watch me shrink peoples :)

I have to say it again...

I will never, EVER, be heavier than I am now! :D

The Food Doctor Ultimate Diet- Ian Marber

The Food Doctor Ultimate Diet- Ian Marber

I. Love. This. Book.

I have read loads of diet books, I have a whole shelf dedicated to diet books, but I bought this book a few days ago and I'm loving it. The reason I stands out from all the other diet books I have read is because it is honest and simple.

The book doesn't give lots of testimonials, is not bossy, judgemental or tell you what to do or not to do. The book tells you how weight loss works and how the body reacts to different foods you eat and when you eat them, the same goes for exercise. I love the books because if simple and easy to understand and even though the author. Ian Marber goes into some quite technical and sciencey areas he still manages to explain everything in a way that it easy to understand.

To be honest I am still at the very beginning of the book, but as of now I would highly recommend it to anyone before they start a diet. Just to educate yourself on how the body reacts to food and exercise. Knowlege is a very powerful tool when fighting the fat.

I GOT MY FIT BIT :)

I first hear about the FitBit on Jo's website, a wonderfull blogger whom I have been following for over a year now. She is great and I discovered the item on her site, however since I live in Ireland it was a little tricky getting my hands on the item. FitBit as of yet does not ship to Europe so I had a friend in the States order the item for me and bring it back to me when coming on a holiday to Ireland, so I finally have it how. I would like to mention now that I am in no way sponsired by FitBit and anything in this post if entirely my own optinion, but I just had to write about it since Im in love with it. 

The FitBit is a great little gadget which is basically like a really good pedometer. Not only that but it also tells you the distance you have travelled in the day, estimated calorie burn, flights of staris climbed and your activity levels. Aparently for women it gives most accurete results when worn on a bra, so I use the belt clip and attach it to my bra everyday, it is very comfortable, I dont even feel it. It also at sometime gives you little messages like 'You Rock', 'Let's Go' or 'Hug Me'. Ontop of all of this the item also tracks your sleep. When you get the fit bit you also get a wristband in which the FitBit fits, so at night you attach it to your non dominant wrist (which in my case is the right) and turn on the sleep mode. The item will then track the kind of sleep you get, how long it takes you to get to sleep, how frequently you wake up and from that you can work out the REM. All this combined and it will tell you the quality of your sleep, mine seems to average 96%.

Im am over the moon, I actually got it about a week ago and I have used it everyday. I seem to do 10,000 to 15,000 a day without any additional exercise. Id like to do 20,000 most days without an addtional workout and then add steps for additional workouts.

But that is onlyone half of the FitBit...

Not only does it give you and all this data but it wirelessly transmits it to the FitBit website. As long as your computer is on, is connected to the internet and the docking station is attached it will automatically transmit all the current information to your FitBit account. On this website you can review all the data in one place, you can set goals, view timelines and see your data in charts. Setting goals here can help keep you motivated.

Here you also have a chance to track your food intake by chosing from their online database of foods or creating your own foods. The online system will compare your food intake to your energy ependiture on graphs and charts giving you an accurate view of your day to day relationship with food andexercise, giving you an opertunity to see issues and make changes where possible.

You can also join groups, and if you are lucky you can find one in your city orcountry. You can also make friends with other people with a FitBit account and compete and encourage eachother, this is helpfull as the system will automatically compare your daily steps. There are forums for further help and encouragement and technical advice if required.

You have the option of getting premium membership with the FitBit site for a subscription fee. This will allow you to get more detailed information from your FitBit and further advise on how to proceed further. For now I have devided not to avail of this.

So, so far I am very happy with my new gadget. Its give accurate information and thus provides encouragement. I would recommend it to anyone as the item only costs $99 and the website account is completely free, which I dont think it is for some of the FibBits competitiors. However I could be wrong, I have not tested any of the other similar products and can only speak from my own research and use of the FitBit. I would again like to mention that I am in no way being sponsored by FitBit or anyhing like that.

BodPod

I first heard of the BodPod on some TV documentary I watched in regards to weight loss and metabolism. Apparently it is some machine you sit into and it is about to measure your RMR and body fat as well as lean mass. I googled BodPod in Ireland and found that a University in Dublin has one. Yay, that's in Dublin so not too far away. I had to take the morning off work and went to UCD.

So first the Doctor, if that is what you call him, took some of my details, such as weight, height, age and fitness level. Then I got changed into loose clothing, shorts and a tshirt, and also I put on what looks like a shower cap. Apparently hair can interfere with the test so you have to make sure its fully covered. Once this is done he takes your weight again and measures it against the contraption you will be sitting inside and completes some other tests on the machine for calibration.

Once he has completed this I sat in the Egg like machine, I was asked to breathe normally, remain completely still and focus on one point in front of me. This only lasted for a minute or so and was completed twice to make sure the test was accurate. Here are the results:

Weight: 60kg

Height: 150cm

RMR: 1070

Est Calorie Expenditure (Sedentary): 1327

Est Calorie Expenditure (Low Active): 1626

Est Calorie Expenditure (Active): 1862

Est Calorie Expenditure (Very Active): 2215

Fat %: 36.7%

Fat Free Mass %: 63.3%

Fat Mass: 22 kg

Fat Free Mass: 38kg

So my fat percentage is about 37% which puts me into the excess fat category and 40% is the risky category. My ultimate goal is to get to the lower end of 22-30% fat which means that I will be in the moderately lean category.

So I think this information is invaluable as the information gained from websites and calculators was so inaccurate and confusing it was nice to be tested in an individual way that is unique to me. I think that this information cost me €65.