My motivational breakthrough

[NigC]

I've really struggled with my weight over the years. Too much of the "good" food and not enough exercise have really been my downfall.

I can sometimes lose a little: joined a gym and was really getting fit, but it was too expensive; done some jogging for a while, but my knees couldn't cope; tried dieting but couldn't stick to it; been commuting by bike for a long time, but not restricted my food intake.

So this time, I've been trying to think of a way to motivate me to lose the weight. I think I have come up with a solution that works for me: Do it for a charity that I believe is a good cause.

So I've made a start and created a fundraising page here: http://www.justgiving.com/nigelchipping. I'm now starting to get people to sponsor me. The idea is that I have target weights to hit - each one 5kg less than the last and I get sponsors for each target. It's quite astonishing how the mindset changes when doing something for charity rather than just for myself.

I'm taking a daily weigh in - I know it's not always advisable, but it does ensure I keep my focus.

Feel free to make a small donation or email me a pledge for when I hit a target. Unfortunately, you'll just have to take my word for it that I've hit the target, but I will be honest about it

 

[Nkaj]

Sounds like a really good idea,doing something for charity is a really good idea.

 

[NigC]

Sounds like a really good idea,doing something for charity is a really good idea.

Thanks I can't believe I've never thought of this before. I've done lots of things for charity - even half marathons when I was younger and fitter - so I know how much motivation this gives me.

It's going well so far - the daily weigh-in is definitely keeping me focused and even though the sponsorships haven't started yet (only just got the forms), the idea of letting down the charity is far far worse than the idea of letting myself down.

 

[ASC1951]

the daily weigh-in...

I've been a tad overweight all my adult life, sometimes more than a tad, but the general recommendation is that you should only weigh yourself once a week. The argument is that daily weighing gives you no meaningful information and promotes an obsessive attitude to food, which simply reinforces the problem.

I just record my weight, blood pressure and pulse at the same time every Saturday morning.

 

[NigC]

I've been a tad overweight all my adult life, sometimes more than a tad, but the general recommendation is that you should only weigh yourself once a week. The argument is that daily weighing gives you no meaningful information and promotes an obsessive attitude to food, which simply reinforces the problem.

I just record my weight, blood pressure and pulse at the same time every Saturday morning.

I know it's usually not a good idea to weigh yourself every day. But I think for me, it keeps me focused - keeps my mind on the job of avoiding the snacks which have a tendency to find themselves in my hand without any conscious effort on my part

If I can get my mindset right, then I will probably switch to a weigh-in once a week, but for the moment I'm weighing myself as soon as I get up

 

[NigC]

Haha that's rhyming slang, Nigel Chipping - Just giving. Your name now will forever be immortalized among the those who do events for charity.

''I'm doing this event for charity and am having trouble raising money.''

''Easy that, just go and set up your own Nigel and watch the donations come in.''

Thanks Lee - never thought my name would be such an inspiration

 

[battered]

A better approach than a weekly weigh in is a daily weigh in fed into a PC which calculates a running average based on the last week's figures. This gets rid of the daily "noise", after all 2 cups of tea can add a pound in weight but that's meaningless.

 

[ASC1951]

I weigh myself immediately I get up, after emptying but before my cup of tea. The only 'noise' is from the scales.

 

[NigC]

I weigh myself immediately I get up, after emptying but before my cup of tea. The only 'noise' is from the scales.

Pretty much what I do - straight out of bed and onto the scales before getting dressed and having breakfast.

My one concern is for the accuracy of the scales. They seem to be consistant when I re-check 3 or 4 times, but I've noticed they can "change their mind" and consistantly show a different weight (as much as a quarter kilo difference) if left for a couple of minutes.

 

[Garz]

Yep bathroom scales can vary by 2lbs I have found between each attempt. Not all the time but doesn't fill you with confidence..