My Veganuary Round Up

My approach: A conscientious focus on eating in moderation including a meat-free day

Re-cap on changes made for January:

- 1 x Meat Free Day per week (For anyone that knows me this is definitely a change from the norm)
- Reduction in frothy coffees and carb-centric breakfasts (Carbs in this instance - pastries / cereals / bread)
- Scrutinise portion size - Not giving up the foods I love (pasta) but ensuring I'm not smashing the seconds and thirds
- Exercise 4 times per week - This is up 1 session per week from my normal aim and in truth is up 2/3 sessions per week than my December efforts

So in my mind very reasonable changes and ones I envisage being sustainable long term

Results

Actual Weight : + 0.4kg
Muscle Mass: + 1.1kg
Body Fat : - 1.6%

All in all, really pleasing results from a numbers point of view. Not world record breaking but given my goal of putting on a little muscle mass, leaning up and eventually dropping 4% Body fat it is the perfect start. Assuming I maintain the changes made I will achieve my goals in a 3-4 month period, they will have been achieved at a steady pace making small sustainable changes meaning there is a much greater chance of me maintaining the results achieved.

Observations

Whilst addressing nutrition and making some changes on that front is where I would estimate 80-90% of people will see the greatest results, for me it was just as key to address the exercise element. I have always eaten well, by that I mean on the whole I eat home cooked food with a good balance of protein, carbs and fats but yes absolutely have my flaws... over consumption at meal times, good dose of alcohol on occasion & a liking of 'foodie treats' (pastries/ frothy coffees/ savoury snacks/ sweet treats etc). However, on an exercise front it has been haphazard. Sometimes focussing on gym training, other times relying on playing sport and not for a long time having a structure in place. Addressing this I feel has had the biggest impact over the past 4/5 weeks.

The biggest successes on a nutrition front have been a definite reduction in the 'bloated feeling' I do think having a little less meat (I used to eat a lot) in my diet and a reduction in portion sizes has definitely had a positive impact on my digestion. I am less bloated and feel like my stomach is in a healthier place. The other main success, which links in, is a realisation that I really don't need the amount of food I was consuming in one sitting. By having some will power over reaching for seconds and thirds It has shown me that if I just wait a little bit my body (stomach) feels totally satisfied on the first, normal sized helping. If nothing else I would thoroughly encourage people to look at their portion sizes and address if consuming too much in one sitting, I wouldn't necessarily say you need to eat less over a 24 hour period but just don't over consume in a very short period of time.

Exercise wise, the difference between having a routine and not is massive. The difference between training 4 times per week rather than 2/3 times per week is massive. As I said in my previous blog, by upping your training from 3 sessions to 4 is an increase of 33%! Sounds obvious but that's a big increase and if you're doing 2 per week and up it to 3 then that's even bigger, 50% more exercise. Do that week in week out and over a 3-6month period it's going to have a big impact.

Summary

I feel all i've written is really obvious, basic stuff... that's because it is. No great moments of epiphany here or secret advice I'm afraid. The good news though is that you DO NOT need to over complicate getting in better shape or start rolling out faddy diets or miserably eliminating food you love. The key is giving yourself enough time to allow the small changes you're happy to make to have an effect, and ensuring the changes you make you stick to and are sustainable.

If you know you can't hold yourself accountable then get someone else too. Friend, family, trainer, coach etc. Whoever it is tell them your changes and get them to check in with you regularly to see that you're sticking to them.

- Ditch the faddy diets
- Stop seeing foods as good and bad - get a balance
- Make small changes - you know what needs to be addressed
- Train regularly and consider increasing what you do, one extra session makes a big difference
- Be held ACCOUNTABLE either by yourself or if you know you're not good at that get someone else to

Ali