Weight loss loyalty

I enjoy food. Potato is one of my favourite with either mashed or fries being my preferred ways of preparing the humble spud. Which makes the potato gem (Tater Tots for American readers) my favourite of all time as it combines the two into balls of fried mashed potato.

When it comes to sweets it is chocolate. Sure I may entertain a slice of cheesecake or an apple pie every now and then but I will always return to my dark master… the cocoa bean.

Like Manu from My Kitchen Rules I am also partial to a good sauce.

These things are not conducive of maintaining or even losing weight.

I exercise regularly and yes I know it is good for my physical and mental health and I yes feel better having done it but the real motivation for exercise is so that I can enjoy my food.

So losing weight requires a bit of discipline with both diet and exercise.

It is the diet that is hardest. As I have explained I enjoy my food and instead of going extreme full on dairy, free, sugar free, gluten free vegan only to discover all of my meals have the flavour and consistency of dirt I am working on the principle of “everything in moderation”. This way I also think it has a greater chance of becoming a sustainable lifestyle choice.

Yes I have chocolate most days. But instead of a couple of rows from a family block (or more) per day, I now only eat a couple of squares. I am also more selective of the types and quantities of food I consume at meal times.

That said, losing weight it hard work. I think it should be more like airline loyalty points. People can earn points in many ways, not just by flying. And like points, members get status credits when they do take to the air.

In the same way you lose weight  in a number of ways. Substituting, milk, juice or soft drinks for water. Not having seconds. Riding instead of driving to work. One scoop of ice cream instead of two (and yes no scoops of ice cream might be better still). Grilling the chicken instead of frying it. This list of ideas is endless.

But what about the status credits. There is a fresh packet of biscuits in the lunch room at work. You know they are there, you have seen them, they are free and yet you choose not to take one. 5 status points!

The chocolate that you are very disciplined in rationing your consumption are just sitting there in the fridge tempting and teasing you every time you go to get a glass of chilled water. Every time you take the water without a companion piece of chocolate 7 -12 points depending on the brand.

You could stay snuggled up in bed all Sunday watching shows on Netflix with your cat or dog curled up next to your instead you get up and go for a walk, 15 points 920 if it’s raining.

You come home tired and just feel like pizza. It would be easy just to order one on line but you instead you use the 30 minutes it would have taken for the delivery to arrive to actually make your own pizza from fresh ingredients – with no oil and only the smallest amount of cheese – 25 points!

Then when you get to 300 points you instantly lose 1 kilo.

The loyalty should be rewarded.

Substituting meat for soy product in the shape of the meat it is replacing like tofurkey (turkey), facon (bacon) and notdogs (hotdogs)  steak is not acceptable and should be punished.

The inclusion of these products into a meal, or similar, should nullify any other weight loss activity for that day. You could have run a half marathon done 1000 sit ups, consumed  nothing but water and kale up until the evening meal of poserhouse steak and salad and the net result for the day is nothing.