Why ?

If you are reading this you have already decided to take steps towards a new you, congratulations!
My question to you is WHY ?

To be fit !  Really ? you can be fit and fat, who is fitter an overweight sportsman or an underweight couch potato?

To be skinny ? Why? underweight is almost as bad as overweight .

To be Healthy ? this has very little to do with weight or fitness.

I stand by my reasoning that the journey you are about to undertake is 80% mental and 20 % physical !

 You need to find a reason to start and set a destination, the reason should be something that's important to you, mine was my children, I wanted to play games with my kids, I wanted to be able to keep up when the went on a cycle ride , I wanted to teach them and grow with them and most of all I wanted to be around for them, if my life style had carried on the way it was that wasn't looking very likely.
 Next you need to set a destination, not a simple target like I want to lose a few pounds, but a target for you to aim at properly, for me it is get down to 15% body fat and to hear my kids say those magic words, Dad slow down we can't keep up !!

That's half the mental battle sorted the other half is sticking to my target.

The physical side now, how do I achieve my target?

I personally hate the word diet - we are all on a diet! whether it a healthy, unhealthy good or bad it is still your diet.
It is a life style change. Change what you eat, change what you do, change who you are.

Firstly, look at what you eat.

Make a list of everything that you eat, whether that is a full meal or a chocolate button, watch the condiments some are very high in sugars,  write it down!
you will almost certainly be surprised at what you eat.

I was not only shocked I was horrified at what I ate, it was no surprise I was overweight.
not only they type of food but the quantity as well.

Now you know what you eat, change it.
Small changes are a good way to start, my first change was cut down on bread, I actually cut down from 8 slices a day to cutting it out during the week and treated myself to 2 slices at Sunday breakfast.
Don't eat sweets, if you want a snack grab an apple or some grapes, or maybe a banana.
If you eat pasta or rice, change the colour from white to brown.

Simple changes but I guarantee they will make a difference.
As you become more comfortable with changing your foods your body will adapt and you will no longer crave the pork belly slices, looking for lean loin steaks instead.


Change what you do.

I looked at my daily routine, get up, drive to work, sit at my desk all day, drive home, drive my wife to work, come home and go to bed, repeat routine the following day.

No activity and excess food not a good combination.

Again start small, find a way to travel your long journey, Run, Walk, Cycle, Swim the transport doesn't matter its the journey that's important. If you love it that's a bonus.
I weighed up the options and decided that cycling was my way, Due to an old injury (I snapped my knee cap in two) running was ruled out cycling has a much lower impact on the joints.

the first step was when? leave the car at home and cycle to work a journey of 1 1/2 miles each way.

a simple change but a very important one.

I don't think a miracle quick cure exists, the only way in which you will lose weight and get fit is eat less and move more, You should be working towards a calorie deficit of 400 - 500 calories a day this will give you a weight loss of 1lb a week, add this to the addition of exercise say an hour cycling in the valleys 1500 calories  approx. and you could easily see 2lb a week, this is a healthy weight loss.

Its not going to happen over night so stay focused and stay on the road.

The change of who you are will happen without you knowing as you travel along the hard road towards your destination, you will become a little self centred and make different choices sub consciously, I used to look out the window and think there is a cloud shall I take the car or cycle, now I look out of the window and think there is a cloud do I need a coat or a change of clothes.

The change will happen, you will not see it at first, then you will notice that in your head that you are not getting any thinner, you will think that everyone around you is getting fatter. you will remember how you were and doubt that you have changed, my advice keep a pair of your old trousers and put them on when you have doubts and see how big they are . Run up a flight of stairs and still be able to talk when you get to the top.

The most important thing is start the journey, head in the right direction, lose your way and find the road again but most of all ENJOY your Journey.