Q I am five stone overweight. I am so overwhelmed and I don’t know where or how to start. I am 37 and have three children. I am already on blood-pressure meds. Oh Lord, how did it come to this? So . . . I surrender myself to the Grit Doctor. I guess tomorrow I start by actually eating a breakfast, putting on runners and walking a few laps of the running track? LS
A
Dear LS, your analysis of where to begin is spot on. Transforming what is arguably a really bad habit and taking up another extremely good one – putting on those runners – is a fantastic place from which to begin your weight-loss and healthy weight-management journey.
It matters not how old, unfit, out of condition or overweight we have become; regular exercise by way of walking or otherwise has proven benefits to both our mental and physical health, including: up to a 35 per cent lower risk of coronary heart disease; up to 50 per cent lower risk of type 2 diabetes; up to 30 per cent lower risk of both depression and dementia; and a 30 per cent lower risk of an early death. Not to mention that it boosts self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, all of which can contribute to managing and tackling those poor eating habits, according to the NHS Live Well website (see
[ iti.ms/1dQ5kkGOpens in new window ]
).
Regular exercise is the most effective health remedy we all have at our disposal. And it is free, with no negative side effects. So, without fuss or further delay, put on those runners and get marching around that track.
Skipping breakfast
There is some debate about whether skipping breakfast leads to weight gain. A study carried out by Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, in 2014 claims that the intermittent fasting that skipping breakfast brings about – if you can keep skipping it until lunch, that is – can lead to weight loss.
Other research claims the opposite, that those who skip breakfast will crave sugary and fatty foods more later in the day, leading to weight gain. How on earth do we decide which to believe?
Faced with contradictory, confusing and ever-changing advice, we must apply our own common sense to the issue at hand, as you have here in deciding a proper breakfast is the way forward.
Indeed, my husband, Olly – Cut the Crap poster boy and former guinea pig – was a routine breakfast-skipper, and making this one change to his lifestyle seemed to have a very positive impact on his weight loss and, now, weight management.
The primary reason was because it put an end to his habit of stopping off on the way to court for a latte and a croissant of some kind (often of the unforgiveable chocolate kind). So lining his belly with wholemeal toast and a poached egg, or just a bowl of cereal if he was in a hurry, meant he was not tempted by that croissant/muffin aberration a few hours later.
I also observed that his late-night snacking and skipping of breakfast went hand in hand. None of this matters if you are at a healthy weight, but when you are overweight, snacking late at night is not going to help because those calories have nowhere to go but your belly. But if you eat them first thing in the morning, the brisk walk that follows kisses them goodbye.
Positive energetic mindset
The Grit Doctor is of the view that how you start your day determines how it continues.
If I start my day with breakfast and a run, my day tends to go a whole lot better than if for some reason I’ve missed either or, worse, both. When I eat breakfast and exercise, I’m set up with good-quality fuel, and a positive energetic mindset that impacts on everything else – including better food choices – for the rest of the day.
Recent figures published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) led many media outlets to report that Ireland is on target to win gold in the European obesity championships, heading for an unprecedented explosion in rates of obesity and excess weight by 2030. The coverage was sensational, and the figures were later clarified by the WHO, but the fact remains that obesity remains a problem in Ireland.
(See irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/second-opinion-stop-stigmatising-obesity-and-start-attacking-the-causes-1.221108.) So your letter is most timely. You need to deal with this now. And you will make a huge impact over time on your weight by sticking to those two brilliant commitments you came up with by just applying your gritty common sense to the issue. Stay in touch with that voice – the one telling you where you are going wrong – and how to approach it with sensible, sustainable strategies. That same voice will let you know what crappy habit to tackle next.
The Grit Doctor says:
Keep lacing up those runners each day and in so doing give yourself a dose of nature’s most underused and potent medicine.
Ruth Field is the author of Run, Fat B!tch, Run, Get Your Sh!t Together and Cut the Crap
