100 Day Challenge

After last week's weigh in, I decided to set myself a challenge to keep myself motivated. I had already lost 49 pounds in six weeks and it occurred to me that it might be possible to try to hit the 100 pound loss in 100 days. At that point I had fifty eight days in which to lose another 51 pounds.

I know this is a very tall order, but if you have read previous posts, you might have noticed I like targets and awards to work towards.

So far it has had the desired effect. When the late night munchies hit, I just ask myself if the snack I want is worth the empty calories, compared to the feeling of completing my challenge. I know on the Slimming World plan, the idea is never to go hungry and that with all the free food and syns, there is always food available and sweets and other tasty snacks are doable, in moderation. The plan is a simple way to limit calorie intake, making the weight loss program easier to follow. It is also supposed to teach you how to make better food choices. I feel that eating because the food is available is not a good habit for me to continue with.

Our bodies are much better at knowing what food we need to survive than we think we do. One in four people in the UK are now obese, that's pretty damming evidence that we are doing something wrong. Our bodies have evolved to store fat when food is plentiful and to use that fat in times of famine. We don't normally experience famine in the western world, just food - available 24 hours a day.

I bet you have heard that if you skip a meal or two your body will go into 'starvation mode' and you will stop losing fat and your body will start to consume lean muscle. Think about that statement logically for a moment... When no food is around, your body will ignore body fat, an easily available energy store, in favour of destroying the muscles that it needs for you to be able to hunt down food. It doesn't make sense does it? The 'starvation mode' story is actually based on misinterpreted science. During 1944 the University of Minnesota conducted a study on the effects of near starvation on healthy volunteers. The story arose from this study. What the story fails to account for is that when body fat falls below 5%, then lean tissue is consumed. Many studies have shown that when body fat is above 20% in men and 25% in women, the body consumes fat when calorific intake falls below the bodies metabolic requirements.

So going to bed hungry will not cause you to stop losing weight. One pound of fat contains 3600 calories, more than a days worth of energy for a healthy person. I've made friends with my hunger and learnt to tell the difference between habitual hunger, emotional hunger, thirst that gets reported as hunger and actually feeling hungry.

I'm not issuing a challenge to anyone else, this is a hard task I have set myself. I am working with my GP and I have a lot of weight to lose. I'm eating a healthy, balanced diet, rich in the essential micro nutrients needed. If you do attempt this, I urge you to find medical supervision (although some doctors need to be educated in the science of weight loss, rather than what they learnt from the University of What Everyone Knows). I have nine weeks left to lose 51lbs, I'm 100% on plan, I've gotten more active and am ready to step up the exercise next week by hitting the elliptical trainer at the gym.