Changing my diet has been nowhere near as hard as I thought it would be. I’ve stayed to the rules of low fat, low sugar, healthy breakfast and no carbohydrates at night, dinner before 7pm and no alcohol 99% of the time but there have certainly been some challenges. This journey so far has been less about changing what I eat and more about changing the routines of how I eat. It actually has had more to do with time management than what goes on in the kitchen.
Giving up my coffee routine has been a big change. Before, I would stop by the drive through coffee vendor near my house on my way to the office each morning. My drink of choice was a caramel flavoured coffee made with full cream milk. I’d order the extra super-big size. I’d grab a ham and cheese bagel to go with it. Once in the office someone would head down to the local café and grab some more coffees mid-morning and throughout the day I’d have three or four more coffees at meetings and when interviewing people.
Now I bypass the drive through coffee and when I get to the office I make one with instant coffee, skim milk and hot water. My breakfast of choice has become muesli and multigrain toast. Since starting this journey I’ve had three barista made coffees. Goodbye coffee.
I’ve also stopped buying dinner from fast food restaurants. Often I finish work at 6pm and have an event to go to in the early evening. Finding a few good restaurants that do stir-fry vegetables has replaced the quick burger or fried chicken takeaway. When I’m organised I plan ahead and bring something from home. I’ve also given up breakfast and lunch from fast food outlets. Since this journey began I’ve eaten fast food three times. Goodbye fast food.
Giving up alcohol has been interesting. At the start of this journey my Doctor asked how many drinks I’d have a week. I said two or three, and clearly this was a lie, as I’m ordering more than two or three bottles of water. Surprisingly, when people offer to buy you a drink in a club or pub this often only covers alcoholic drinks, ‘Thanks mate, I’ll have a water†often results in the retraction of the offer. I’m not sure if giving up alcohol has directly contributed to weight loss. Indirectly though it helps, it has tempered my desire to get fast food on the way home. Since this journey began I’ve had one cider and one glass of wine. Strangley I crave for a glass of wine. I wasn’t drinking wine before this, logically I should be craving vodka. Goodbye alcohol – we’ll meet again soon.
I’ve also given up energy drinks, like my tendency to order cofee in vat sized containers, energy drinks also used to be ordered in the largest size possible. Getting off the roller-coaster of manic hand trembling productivity enabled highs and the crash and burn lows of the energy drink cycle has been great. I’ve had one enegy drink in three months and that allowed for some manic Christmas shopping. Goodbye energy drinks.
OUTinPerth’s Editor Graeme Watson and Publisher Alexandra Maltby have taken up the challenge of getting fit and healthy over the next few months. Follow their journey here on our website as well as on our Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Keep up to date on Alex and Graeme’s progress at www.www.outinperth.com and Twitter.
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