It is roughly three weeks since I changed what I eat on a daily basis.

Here are the results so far:

I now tighten my belt by a further 3 - 4 holes (varies depending on the time of day)

I am now sleeping deeper and for longer periods - I actually slept through from 11:30ish last night till around 6:15 this morning without pills. Believe me, this is huge for me!

I can now wear jeans that I abandoned long ago on my journey to obesity.

I do not need to pee every hour, and peeing is more comfortable than it has been for a looong while.

My skin is less itchy than it was, and it feels smother. Doesn't look any better, just feels better to my touch.

I seem to be able to more evenly pace myself over the day - no burst of energy (coffee, starchy snacks) followed by the need to sleep put off by more coffee and starchy snacks, ad infinitum.

So, what steps did I take to get these improvements?

1. I cut my coffee intake down from 6 to 10 mugs of coffee (with milk and 2 sugar) to 1 mug (with milk and 1 sugar) per day. My coffee intake has remained steadily over the top for the last twenty years. My wife told me I drink too much, my colleagues told me, but my doctor never did (probably because I never told him how much I drank!) so I thought I was OK with it. Don't kid yourself like I did. I had really bad headaches for the first 4 to 5 days, but I persevered and now I don't have the headaches, and I enjoy my coffee - which is now made from beans in a cafetiere (aka French press) and is not instant. I think the reduction in sugar is a major contributing factor in the weight loss. It may also be a factor in the more even energy levels I seem to have. This was a big deal for me. I love coffee. I still love it, but now I appreciate it more.

2. I started walking again - 3 to 4 miles every second day ( first two days were really hard) When I was on the weight watchers diet I used to walk every day. It sure helped me then, and it will sure help me now. I hate regimented exercise - I think it's great for athletes and those with sporting goals, but for fat old men it is just totally undignified. Walking a reasonable amount each day or each second day is a non stressful way to improve your health with much less chance of injury than all that huffing and puffing.

3. I removed grains and grain products from my diet. This is not easy. Grains are in everything - every processed snack bar, every bakery item (bye bye muffins, I will miss you!), every cereal (so long Corn Flakes, I have known you since my childhood), and almost all packetised and processed foods.

4. I upped my intake of red meat. Easy for me, I love red meat. I am now working my way through our freezer stores of red meat, and loving it. I rediscovered liver, something I have not eaten for thirty years.

5. I eat so much more fresh fruit and vegetables. Each meal contains at least one of, sometimes more, lettuce, broccoli, celery, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, sweet potato etc. I eat more onions, garlic, tomatoes. I eat apples, bananas, grapes, pineapple, oranges.

6. I drink more water. I drink a Blackcurrant and Apple infusion instead of my first cup of coffee of the day. No added sugar, no milk. I drink hot water with lemon or lime juice to taste during the day. I drink a peppermint infusion after my evening meal. No sugar, no milk. And I drink my 1 mug of coffee around noon. With milk and sugar. And I love it!

OK, here is my breakfast this morning:

King Prawn omelette with onion, celery and tomatoes

Ingredients
About 15 king prawns (cooked), 2 eggs, 1/2 an onion (I use red, use what you like), 1 celery stick, 2-5 button tomatoes. Black pepper to taste. Olive Oil

Method
Put prawns on to heat in a pan with some olive oil. Keep it in the mid-range - we want to heat these through rather than cook them. Heat some olive oil in another pan, and put in the thinly sliced onions and thinly sliced celery. The aim is to soften these two, so not too high a heat for them. Add black pepper to eggs and whisk until a uniform colour.When the prawns are heated, add the eggs to the prawns, spreading evenly.When the base of the omelette is set, use a wooden spoon or spatula to move the base aside and tilt the pan so that the uncooked egg runs off the top of the omelette. Keep doing this until the top of the omelette is moist, but not swimming in egg mix. Add the onions, celery and tomatoes (which I leave cold) to the omelette. Fold in half and then flip over - often easier said than done, but with practise I am getting better!Finish to whatever consistency you like.I find it filling and delicious.

Hope you do to!

Tags: recipes

I am a survivor of various diets over the years. The pattern generally goes like this:

I get fat.
I diet.
I lose weight.
I get fat (again!)

I have used the Pritikin diet, derived from the American Apache (or possibly Hopi?) Indians and I did lose weight, but for various reasons it was not a sustainable lifestyle choice.
I have used the Weight Watchers point counting program and I lost weight, but eventually, I started to gain weight again.
I have used a variety of "home-grown" diets that didn't work either.

Right now, I am just over 18 stone, on a daily stomach pill, and have rising cholesterol and blood pressure.

After somer research I have now settled on the Paleo diet as one I can live with in perpetuity. Here's why:
- No silly measuring of food - simply eat until you are full.
- Eat as much lean meat as you want.
- Eat as much Chicken, Turkey and game meat as you want.
- Eat as much fruit and vegetables as you want.
- Eat nuts and seeds in moderation.

The only proviso is that you get as close to nature as possible - for instance, any beef you eat should be grass fed only, no grain supplements, no growth hormones, no additives of any kind. Any vegetables you eat should be picked fresh from gardens that do not use pesticides, soil conditioners or process the vegetable by adding anything to them.

How realistic is this in the UK?

In a word, NOT. However, you can do your best with what's available and what's affordable and you will still get benefits from the diet.

I have been moving towards this type of eating for a while, but I was still eating dairy products and grains as well.

I will update this blog in about a fortnight or so and we will see if I have made any progress....