
More Good News this week. Last week was all about what we do with our bodies in 2025 and the small, incremental ways that we can make a real difference to our fitness. Today I want to share my thoughts about what we do to our bodies in the sense of what we put in them. The good news is that we really can feel better by making different choices.
Again my guru-of-choice on all matters physical is Dr. Michael Mosley because his ideas and methods are pragmatic, sensible and, above all, eminently doable.
However, I am also aware that there is a truly terrible irony in being guided by someone who followed his own ‘live better, live longer’ advice to the letter, only to succumb in a mystifying tragedy to the heat of the Greek sun at the relatively young age of 67.
So, do you think ‘to hell with it! Eat, drink and be merry because tomorrow we might all be dead’ or, as you relieve your post Christmas discomfort by unbuttoning your waistband, do you once again ponder the idea of losing some weight? If you fall into the second category, then from personal experience throughout most of 2024, I have some good news to share with you. Because, with the right motivation, going from weighing 80kg to just under 70kg and staying there is a piece of cake - just not one you will be eating.
Motivating yourself to lose weight
I wasn’t remotely bothered about my weight this time last year. In fact I deluded myself that I was relatively slim. I figured that in my mid-seventies my body would inevitably be changing shape and thickening across my back, my backside and my stomach. I consoled myself that this was nothing to do with weight gain, just the inevitable march of time.
Also, I thought my diet was already ultra healthy. I was eating lots of fruit and vegetables with fish as the main source of protein and had drastically cut down on sugar. As I never weighed myself, I guessed that I weighed about 70kgs - around 11 stone in old money and not far off the 10st 7-10lbs I managed at my slimmest (I am 5’7” tall).
Cue stomach pains, bloatedness, gross indigestion and terrible, continual discomfort. Which I ignored for two or three months, initially putting it down to Christmas excesses followed by a holiday eating delicious food in Thailand in February. Eventually, nagged by my daughter, I sought medical advice and was referred for tests for ovarian cancer or maybe something colon or liver related. When those tests showed no major red flags apart from NAFLD or non-alcohol related fatty liver disease, I breathed a very big sigh of relief, but, unfortunately, I was still bloated and my stomach continued to be very uncomfortable.
Then, one day at the end of April, I weighed myself on my daughter’s scales. I literally could not believe my eyes. Hoping to be maybe 73kgs and having around half a stone to drop to get to 70kgs, I discovered that I weighed 80kgs!! Half a stone was nearer to a stone and a half. No wonder my wardrobe had lots of clothes that no longer fitted me. No wonder my stomach sideways on was the size of early pregnancy and no wonder that I had a waist measurement of 38”. Without these factors I would never have taken the drastic action that I did.
These shocks were the motivation I needed. If I could get down to 70kgs hopefully I would feel well again, my clothes would be more comfortable and I would lose that heavy, bulky silhouette that I had morphed into. All three of which were very compelling to me.
I decided to target the fatty liver disease for which I had received a positive diagnosis. I knew that visceral fat is very damaging to an older body as it increases the risk of various disorders including cardio-vascular disease and type-2 diabetes. I also knew that it’s much harder to get rid of than subcutaneous fat, so I turned, as ever, to Dr. Mosley who offered the specific promise that If I shed 10% of my body weight (ie 8kgs) really quickly, then this would have several benefits, including the removal of that hidden, damaging fat on my liver.
I bought Mosley’s book The Fast 800 in which he stated: “Rapid weight loss is currently the only effective treatment for NAFLD” and promised many other benefits, including lower blood pressure, reduced inflammation with improvements for arthritis, various skin problems and a reduction in cholesterol. All of which put steel into my spine as I embarked on what would be a four month period starting on Monday 29th April and finally ending on the 30th August.
To lose the 10kgs I committed to 800 calories a day; to eat a diet rich in protein and fat and low in carbohydrate; to take all my meals exclusively from the recipes recommended by Mosley; to restrict my eating to the hours of 10.00 a.m to 8 p.m; to measure my success using a tape measure and a pair of trousers I could no longer wear, and with the occasional weigh-in on my daughter’s scales as I was terrified of triggering a 40 year old eating disorder during which I binge-starved and weighed myself daily.
Here are some exerts from the diary I kept of my progress:
April 30th Day 2. Amazed at how I am not at all hungry. Feel very motivated as my stomach area feels huge and has been painful and uncomfortable again today.
May 5th Day 7. I think it may be becoming easier rather than more difficult. I really enjoyed all my food today and tried to slow down and eat mindfully. It’s hardest in the middle of the night as I am really hungry, but I just drink a glass of water and get on with it.
May 8th Day 10. Weighed at Anna’s and very happy to see that I have lost just under 2kg. Still full of determination.
May 17th Day 19. Just realised this evening that today may be the first time I haven’t noticed my sore tummy once. Long may it last - the constant discomfort has been horrible. Weight now 77kgs.
May 26th Day 28. Today my waist was down from 38” to 33” - almost like a balloon that has deflated by 5”. Feels almost unbelievable that the bloating has gone. Weighed on Anna’s scales and was down to 74.8kg. Have decided to risk buying some scales of my own.
June 4th Day 35. Weighed 73.7kg on my new scales, so about 4kgs (9lbs) to go. I think that with my week away in Italy from 15th June I should get there by the end of July. That feels reasonable and doable.
June 30th Day 61. Ate very carefully in Italy (no pasta, rich sauces or desserts) and was pleased that I mostly felt well. Found it relatively easy to stick to my usual foods. Probably more than 800 calories, but was delighted that I weighed 72.1 kgs today - so - despite that week’s break - my weight loss continues.
July 21st Day 82. Very nearly there: Just 70.9 kgs today. Have totally adjusted to this way of eating now and it’s not at all challenging any more. The rewards are massive in the form of feeling almost normal again, no stomach bloat, and this week I did a fashion shoot with Amelia at home. See here all the outfits that fit me once more
30th August Final Day: 69.9 kgs despite a 10 day trip to France mid-August. Beyond delighted as I know that I can eat like this for the rest of my life. Three months of supreme effort, 10kgs lost and, most importantly I feel as if I have reclaimed my health. In fact a liver function blood test has just come back as within the normal/healthy range, which is a huge relief.
January 9th. Four months later. I haven’t weighed myself at all since the 30th August and we have just had Christmas and New Year. However I wanted to update you to complete the story. I was quite scared this morning, but the scales showed that I am 70.4kg. So the good news is that, thanks to Michael Mosley, I have a way of eating that is satisfying on every level, fits into my lifestyle, allows for special occasions and holidays and means that I can fit once more into size 12 clothes (size 8 in the US).
Was it challenging and difficult? Like anything worthwhile in life, yes, it was. But not all the time and the rewards of less discomfort and bloating were almost immediate. Other rewards took longer, but easily zipping up a pair of trousers that were unwearable three months ago was a huge motivator, as was going into a changing cubicle and calling the assistant to get me a smaller size to the one that I’d taken to try on.
I have written this to encourage those of you who would really like to lose some weight for whatever reason. I would never have embarked on this weight loss journey without the desire to feel a lot better, especially after I had dodged the bullet of serious illness.
As we get older we can be fatalistic and say “you’re going to die anyway, so why bother?” You can be realistic and say “I have an ageing body. I’ll do what I can.” Or you can be optimistic and say “if I engage with the idea that my health and wellbeing are in my hands, how can I optimise my chances of a long, and above all, healthy old age?”
I am choosing optimism as I start 2025, knowing that the actions I took in 2024 have given me a whole new and lighter lease of life.
Leonie Wright
For those of you who may prefer to get some expert, personal and tailored advice I am including the contact details of Super Trooper and nutritionist Leonie Wright who has helped many friends of this blog to achieve their desired weight and health goals:
“I help women who struggle with their health, weight and vitality to make simple, long lasting and sustainable changes in their eating habits, without going on a diet. My clients eat accessible and nutritionally balanced foods. I work with easy-to-follow programmes, offer a consultation or FREE Food Review and have written 4 sugar and gluten-free recipe books”.
More information on my website www.eatwright.co.uk
My email is leonie@eatwright.co.uk
Tricia x
Watch Our Latest Video...
How to experiment with makeup for women 60+
Sally shows you how to experiment with different makeup looks and colours, the inspiration to change your look for the new year...