My apologies to those of you who have landed on this site expecting to find it updated.

Unfortunately, I am no longer able to control the contents,  but appreciate your loyalty.

You can find more posts from me at www.jeanshawsblog.com

Best wishes,

Jean

My autistic son loves trains, so yesterday I decided to take him and his brother to a nearby city to watch a circus performance.  I was assured when I booked the tickets over the telephone it was in easy walking distance from the station.  According to the booking clerk, it was about three-quarters of a mile.

Clearly he didn’t know the area because it was, infact, one and a half miles! 

Anyway, despite it being summer, it was one of those showery days where one minute you need to wear a coat and the next tee shirt and sunglasses, so on occasions, we ended up carrying our excess clothing.

The outward walk from the train station was okay because we were all fresh, and there was no urgency to get to the circus.  The tickets had been booked; we had seats and plenty of time.  However, the return trip was not so pleasant.

As it was a Sunday, there was a reduced timetable, so there was a long delay between trains. As much as I appreciate the speed and ease of trains, I don’t share my son’s enthusiasm for watching them.  The prospect of spending hours on a station platform was not particularly appealing.  Consequently, when the circus performance ended, a quick scan of the train timetable revealed if we hurried, we could make the next train.

It was due to leave in half an hour and my eldest son assured me I could make it. What he failed to realise is I am considerably older than him, very unfit and my legs are only half as long as his.  For every stride he takes, I take two.  Also, I was carrying a heavy bag containing money, camera, phone, programme, keys, umbrella, etc., etc.

Anyway, we route marched to the station, not even stopping to allow me to catch my breath because the short cut we’d planned was no longer available.  Thankfully, we already had our train tickets and put them into the barrier gates, just as our train pulled in. 

My autistic son was disappointed, of course, because he wasn’t able to watch the trains for long, but I have never been more relieved to sit down in my life.  It made me realise just how unfit I’ve become and I really need to do something about it in view of my age.

I am currently fifty-three, not old by any stretch of the imagination, but once women get beyond fifty and start going through the menopause they are more susceptible to heart disease.  It’s all to do with the hormonal changes, and apparently, new research has revealed in 2001, coronary heart disease  (CHD) killed four times as many women in UK as breast cancer. I found that really surprising and worrying.

One thing you need to keep an eye on is your blood pressure.  High blood pressure increases the risk of coronary heart disease, and yet often there are no symptoms.  The only way to find out if you have it is to get it checked. Other things to keep a watchful eye on are your cholesterol level and BMI (body mass index).It seems there are things you can do to safeguard against CHD, and these are to

This afternoon I gave a talk on the benefits of having a Circle of Friends and the audience were lucky I turned up. I don’t mention that for egotistical reasons, but simply because I am geographically challenged.

Driving anywhere outside my comfort zone is usually off my agenda.  However, having invested in one of those GPS things where a voice speaks as an arrow on a map points you in the right direction, I made an exception and amazingly found my way there and back safely.

I was asked to arrive about 12.30 p.m. so I could have lunch before I spoke. As it was half term, I took my autistic son with me, and he was delighted to try the various sandwiches, cakes and nibbles.

As we sat there enjoying the buffet lunch, I realised my friend, who’d invited me to give the presentation, was drinking what I thought to be a pink milk shake.  However, when questioned, it transpired it was a meal replacement drink, and my friend was on yet another “diet”.

He was required to drink two of the replacement meal shakes every day, and these he said, contained all the daily minerals, vitamins and nutrients he needed within only 500 calories.  He also confessed they tasted awful, and he really missed the texture of actually eating something.  However, he was looking forward to next week when he could have biscuits instead of one of the drinks.

This particular dietis not cheap, so naturally I wondered why he would pay a lot of money to do something, which clearly made him miserable.  The answer it seems is it works, or at least it works in the short term.

Apparently my friend has been on this particular diet before, and lost three stone in the same amount of months, which I have to admit, is pretty impressive.  However, the fact he’s going on it again means just one thing – he didn’t keep the weight off, and there lies the problem with all diets.  As soon as you stop dieting and start to eat normally the weight piles back on again and often even more.

Why is that?

Well, the main reason is your metabolism has this amazing ability to adjust itself according to how many calories you consume.  As it doesn’t know how many calories you will devour in the future, it burns calories based on what you’ve had during the previous few days as it assumes you’ll continue to do the same.

Based on my friend’s diet, his metabolism will assume he only needs 500 calories each day, so as soon as he increases that amount he will gain weight.  It’s a vicious circle and one, which anyone who has ever been on a low calorie diet has faced.

That’s why there are so many yo-yo dieters around, and why the diet manufacturers and promoters rub their hands with glee.  Dieting is a big and profitable business, and if you think about it realistically, they don’t really want you to succeed. 

As long as people are overweight they have a captive market, which translates to money. It’s the old  find a starving crowd and give them what they want touch, except in this case the crowd isn’t starving.

As you can tell I’m personally not a fan of diets as self-denial sets you up for failure.  Everyone I have ever met who has been on one has been miserable. They’ve thought about food all the time, what they can or can’t eat, and although they may have lost weight initially, it invariably came off in the wrong places.  Many a woman has been devastated by the loss of her bust, which is often where a few of those extra pounds are carried.

Of course, that’s not where my male friend has his excess weight but he admitted he didn’t like his shape.  However, everyone has his or her own unique framework and losing weight won’t necessarily turn him into his ideal body image. What he needs to do is learn to be happy with his body, eat healthily and take regular exercise.

Undoubtedly my friend will continue with his meal replacements, and he will of course lose weight for as long as he is allowed to remain on it.  His challenge then will be keeping it off and somehow I can’t see him succeeding.

Just as I was geographically challenged, he will be food challenged, so if there’s anyone out there who can design one of those GPS things where a voice speaks as an arrow points in the right direction for sensible healthy eating and exercise, please get in touch!

Things to remember for successful weight loss

• Instead of eating to lose weight, think of it as eating to gain health.
• Visualise yourself as slim and start to think as a thin person
• Forget the clock, - wait until your body tells you it’s hungry before you eat and make sure you are not comfort eating.  Ask yourself if you are really hungry or are you bored, annoyed, upset, lonely?  If so, find another way to solve your problem.  Comfort eating will only result in guilt as you pile on the pounds.
• Eat anything you want but really enjoy every mouthful.  Eat slowly and appreciate the smell, texture and taste. 
• Stop when you feel full and don’t feel you have to clear the plate.  Try to leave something even if it’s only one mouthful.
• Try to cut out any added sugar.  It’s addictive and disrupts the blood sugar/insulin balance.
• Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, a moderate amount of fat and a good balance of protein and carbohydrates.
• Drink plenty of clean water
• Take regular gentle exercise doing something you enjoy.

 If you must try a diet look at this one.

 Good Luck!

 Jean Shaw

www.whataslimmingworld.com

Now before you say, “Ah, but I lost three stone on the cut out everything you enjoy diet”, just consider whether you put it all back on again, and more, once you stopped. Or maybe, you haven’t stopped and are still consciously thinking about, and cutting out, certain things from your daily diet.

How boring!

Of course there are certain foods, which really are junk foods and do you no good at all, but some of these fad diets are quite ridiculous. If you really think about it, the manufacturers of the diet products don’t actually want you to lose weight anyway otherwise they’d lose their market. Weight loss or gain is big business.

Whilst we may not like to hear it, we are all the result of our own actions. Unless we have some medical problem, anyone who is overweight or underweight is that way because of what, how and when they eat, and that includes me and YOU!

We were all born with a perfect weight control. It is known as “appetite”. If you’ve ever tried to feed a baby you’ll know how difficult it is to overfeed him or her. Too much and they’ll either close their little mouths up tight, turn their heads to the side, or bring the milk straight back up again.

It’s only as we get older and learn to associate food with love, and socialising that problems arise. Somewhere along the way, instead of stopping when we are full, as all wild animals do, we force the food into our stomach and that stretches to accommodate it.

Why do we do that? Well, it probably starts when we are very small and we hear things like, “If you don’t clean your plate up you can’t have dessert”, or, “Don’t waste food, it’s too expensive”, or “I’ve spent hours cooking that”, or “There are thousands of people starving in the world so you ought to be grateful”. I’m sure you get the picture. Emotional eating is far different to hunger.

Anyway, whatever the reason, most of us end up eating far more than we need especially if we don’t eat consciously. How many of you have eaten whilst reading a book, sitting at a computer, watching a film, or nibbled whilst preparing a meal? Do you actually remember what the food tasted like, or even eating it? I know sometimes I’ve looked at an empty plate and wondered where the food had gone. How about you?

Then there’s comfort eating when we are bored or upset. Eating doesn’t solve the problem though and often makes us feel much worse afterwards.

How about Christmas, Birthdays and Anniversaries? Come on now, how many of you have over eaten then? I know I have and regretted it afterwards. It’s as if we all think we have to gorge ourselves on these occasions because we don’t see that type of food very often and want to make the most of it.

Wild animals don’t do that and they have to catch their food.They just eat what they need and either leave the rest for some other animal, or store it for later. Often they really don’t know where their next meal is coming from but it doesn’t seem to matter too much.

We, on the other hand have shops, fridges and freezers, usually know exactly where our next meal is coming from and still eat everything in sight. We never seem to be satisfied and that is particularly true if we “diet”.

Restriction and deprivation create desire and cravings, which is why most diets don’t work in the long run. Your body knows what it wants and needs. Wouldn’t it make more sense therefore, to just give it a bit of everything it enjoys, whenever it really needs it.

If you eat what you actually want instead of what you are told you must eat, slowly, sensibly and consciously, there should be no need for “diets”. The body is pretty intelligent and I’m sure it could determine what foods would be a good match if only we’d listen to it.

Also you have to be realistic. Everyone has their own body shape and bone structure so it’s no good losing weight in the hope you’ll look like someone else. You won’t. No matter how many pounds I shed, my legs will never be four inches longer and I will forever be known as “shorta..e”, (which incidentally I take as a term of endearment).

If you get to the weight your body feels comfortable with then you’ll look as good as YOU possibly can. However, you do need to exercise to keep your bones strong and your blood-pumping round to bring much needed oxygen to all your organs. Regular exercise makes you feel so much better. It’s no good just being your ideal weight if you’re not fit and healthy too.

No, I’m not a fan of diets, but considering the amount of different ones available clearly I’m in the minority.

What do you think?

Jean Shaw

www.whataslimmingworld.com

Still Want To Learn The Latest Diet Secrets?

This incredible man was born in 1906 and says he is too cantankerous to die. Currently he is training to run the London Marathon.

This annual race started on 29 March 1981, is held over a length of 26 miles 385 yards, which is about 42 kilometers.  This is the length at which the first ever marathon runner died in Greece.  I hope Buster doesn’t intend to make it a double because he is 101 years old!

 In 1981, 7.500 athletes participated in the London Marathon, but its popularity has steadily grown, and in 2007, there was a starting gate of 36,396 people. Whilst it is a serious athletic event, with large prize money attracting elite athletes,  the bulk of the runners are club or fun runners, many of whom dress up in fancy dress. It is an event which attracts huge crowds and raises vast sums of money for charity. I’m sure Buster will make a hefty contribution. An ex PE and weapons instructor in the army, Buster regularly used to run 40 miles and says he had to wait for the troops he was training to catch up.  That was many years ago, but he is still working. He retired, briefly, when he was ninety-seven, but got bored after three months and now raises money for charity by whatever means he can. He is keenly interested in the  Great Ormond Street Hospital where one of his grand children used to work as a nurse.

In preparation for the big event Buster has just done the half marathon.  Apparently it took him 4 hours 13 minutes but that didn’t account for the rest break he took in the middle.  Did he stop for a glass of water?  Not Buster.  He went for a pint of beer and a fag. He says you’ll never see him drinking water so let’s hope someone has a few bottles of bitter lined up along the route to go with the thousands of bottles of water the other runners will consume.  This is to replace the litre of water each one is expected to lose through sweating. There have been nine deaths related to running the London Marathon since the event began, with the most recent being only 22 years old. In the 2008 race, Buster will be the worlds oldest competitive runner.  Let’s all hope it won’t be his last. When asked how he did it he simply said “I don’t think about it – I just do it”. Good luck to him I say.

The sloth spends most of its life upside down and eats leaves. Its digestive system is so slow it can take up to a month to digest a traditional meal.So why am I telling you this? Well, it’s because I think I am turning into one too.No, I haven’t started swinging from the trees (yet), but have just been on holiday to Florida and returned with a weight gain of ten pounds.  I only actually went for ten days,  but in light of how uncomfortableI felt in the seat on the plane coming back it’s probably just as well.Last year my friend flew for the first time.  She was very anxious about it.

The problem was not the actual flying but her concern she wouldn’t fit into the seat, or worse still, having got seated, because of her size and the excess weight she was carrying, she wouldn’t be able to get out again.

I am happy to report her trip went well, but it has inspired her to lose some weight so the next time she ventures “abroad”, she won’t suffer so much anxiety.

On the same subject, you may have noticed that many airlines are reducing the amount of luggage you can take, and also weigh your hand luggage.  This is particularly noticeable on some of the smaller airlines. Gone are the days when people can put everything but the kitchen sink in their handbags.

So, are the airlines being greedy and selfish, or just sensible?  I’ll opt for the latter and here’s why.

A helicopter pilot told me that apart from the fuel and weight of the cargo they  carry, the crew and passengers also have to be weighed.  Weight is critical to determine lift , and how long they can remain in the air. Since most of his passengers are male, if they can’t  be physically weighed, each person is estimated to be 200 lbs, or 91 kilos.  That’s just over 14 stones.

Have you looked around lately?  How many men, and sadly women, do you know who weigh at least that and more?

Now weight in a helicopter is probably more critical than in an aeroplane,  but it is certainly significant.  When I flew out to Florida my luggage was weighed but I wasn’t.  It was the same coming back. 

Admittedly there were different people on the aircraft on both flights, but lets just imagine everyone on the flight out, including the crew, also returned on the same flight back.  If each person enjoyed their holiday as much as I did, and gained proportionally the same amount of weight, then it would be surprising if the plane took off at all on its return journey.

It seems the most dangerous part about flying is the take off and landing. Being overweight and obesity have been blamed for many medial problems, but now it seems, it’s also the cause of some plane crashes – especially the smaller ones.

Just a thought!

Jean Shaw

www.whataslimmingworld.com

Did You Realise Being Overweight Might Not Be Your Fault ?

Hmmmmmmmmm

I believe that just leaves……….

Chocolate

Remember - - -

“Stressed” backwards is “desserts “

I was told if I passed this message on to four people I would lose 2 pounds, and 10 pounds if I told everyone I knew.

They also said if I didn’t, I’d gain 10 pounds immediately so that’s why I had to pass this on - I couldn’t risk it!

How I love this “diet

Be Healthy - Be Happy

Since then, it’s definitely gone down hill and I’ve lost plenty of brain cells and lean muscle.  I haven’t lost weight though as muscle has been replaced by fat – plenty of it.

Over the years it’s crept on.  I’ve gained a pound here, a pound there, but regrettably haven’t taken action to get rid of it straight away.  Now over the past twenty years those pounds have turned into stones, so no prizes for guessing what my New Year’s resolution was.

I watched a programme on tv over the festive period which was probably cleverly scheduled to prevent people from eating too much over the Christmas break.  It was about a poor man who had to lose 30 stone or risk dying.  He had reached the point where he couldn’t even get out of bed and his whole life was spent in the confines of his four walls.

He’d lost all self-esteem, and was physically incapable of doing any activity without getting out of breath.  He’d been the butt of jokes and ridicule so had stopped venturing outside.  He ate for comfort.

It seems he’s not alone.  Obesity is common and the numbers of morbidly obese are growing.  People often turn to food as a substitute for something missing from their lives.

We all do things for a reason and apparently this poor chap had a cruel father and an unhappy childhood.  He’d been forced to eat everything on his plate or suffer a beating.  Even after the death of his father he continued to eat everything put in front of him. It became a vicious circle.  He got depressed because of the name calling, being unfit, unhealthy and not finding clothes to wear, so to comfort himself he ate.  Consequently, he got bigger, and even unhappier.

It doesn’t matter what size you are as long as you are healthy and have self-confidence. This poor chap didn’t.  Self-confidence is a wonderful thing. When you feel good about yourself, life is wonderful and you can achieve so much.

In my thirties I felt elated, engaged, excited and focused.  I want that feeling back again so I am not going to “diet” but focus on four areas in my life – Nutrition, Fitness, Relaxation and Sleep. 

I’ve neglected them all lately. My excuse is I’ve been very busy and this is true. However, if I want to get the most out of every day and live a lot longer I need to address them all. Excess weight carries lots of health issues and if you are morbidly obese, can reduce your life span by several years.  Thankfully, I’m not in that category, but the thirty stone that man had to lose wasn’t put on over night.  It creeps up gradually as I’ve discovered and it’s about time I reversed the situation.  Hence the New Year’s resolution – no diet,  just a healthier lifestyle.

Nutrition is what, when and how much I eat; Fitness is sensible exercise and improving my recovery rate; and Relaxation and Sleep are the times during the day and night when I switch of and just rest, not only my body but my brain.

Friends and family say I’m doing “too much”, but if I want to be more productive and expend more energy I have to become more efficient at renewing it. 

Wish me luck!

Lose Weight – Gain Lean Muscle

Take red meat for instance. Does it cause cancer or is it good for us?  Is alcohol bad or good in moderation and should you stop drinking if you’re pregnant. How about tea and coffee – is the caffeine bad for us or not?

Then of course, there’s chocolate.  Do the feel good factor and antioxidant properties in some brands make it worth risking all those calories.

We all know processed food contains lots of saturated fat, salt and sugars, as well as colourings and flavourings so we shouldn’t eat too much of it, but we’re now told we shouldn’t eat the good old English breakfast either.

Bacon, sausage, egg, beans and toast should be relegated to the dustbin apparently. Instead we should eat fresh fruit and cereal, but even that is often full of hidden salt and sugar.

It is confusing knowing what you should or shouldn’t eat and most people don’t have the time to read the packaging.  Even if you did you’d probably be confused as each manufacturer seems to have a different method of describing the contents.

We should, for the sake of our health eat plenty of fruit and vegetables because they contain chemicals to prevent cancer. They also fill you up without providing too many calories which is great. If you can afford organic food it’s even better because not only do they taste better, and have more natural vitamins and minerals, they are grown without harmful chemical pesticides and fertilisers. This means they don’t add to the daily toxic build-up in your body.  Unfortunately they are in the wrong price range for most people on a limited budget.

If you are one of those people brought up to believe you must eat everything put in front of you because of the plight of the starving people in other countries, then use smaller plates and eat slower.  It may sound simple but it works. I’ve tried it. 

You end up eating less, but feel full because you’ve taken the time to actually chew and taste the food, and also chewing releases a chemical in your brain which tells your stomach you are full.  Clever, eh?