Weight change & associated health problems

So, it’s having something to motivate, to kick start that and as I said, I read the book, ‘In pursuit of Joy,’ when my mood was low in January and that got into my head, you’re eating out of gluttony not nutrition.

Okay.

Where’s your nutritional value? How much nutrition do you need for the level of activity that you undertake, the age that you are, the health condition that you have? And so, I thought, ‘Right, I’m on a mission now.’ Got something to work for.

So I think it’s it is, you know, you have to be very, you have to be aware of nutrition, but you also have to be willing to actually follow the path and that takes I live alone, I can do that. I’m not tempted. I don’t have to cook for other people. I find it much easier living alone being able to control my health than I ever did when I was married and had kids, you know, and all this sort of stuff. I don’t, I purposefully don’t go out to eat a lot. I never arrange to meet friends at a, at a restaurant, you know, going out to eat is not one of my pleasures in life because I know it’s going to break my control.

So, it does happen, and I do it and I do break my control, but I know that that is a danger spot, so I don’t do it. And I think it’s also knowing your, knowing what your weaknesses are, knowing that you are going and not saying, “Oh I’m going to try not to have…” No, you will have it. I will. If I go out to eat, I will have a pudding, I know that. So, don’t, there’s no good trying to tell me, talk myself into the fact that I’m not going to have it. The best thing is not to go to the restaurant in the first place, you know.

Okay.

You, you must accept, I think. I have accepted that where my weakness, I know where my weaknesses are. I know when I go to my writing group and they have a, a big tray of biscuits, I’m going to eat three of those biscuits, no problem. They’re going to go whoosh down like this. But I know that. But I know that that’s the only place I go in the month where that’s going to happen. I don’t, I know I don’t do that, if I, if I was going to a place like that every night then I would have to revise your thinking, you know. I couldn’t, I’d have to say, “No thanks.”

Or I always make sure before I go, if I’m going somewhere, if I’m going out to eat, I actually make sure I’ve had a meal before I go, so that I won’t be that hungry.

I won’t tell anyone. I’ll just say, “Oh, I think I’ll just have a little starter tonight, you know, or something like that.” But I make my own arrangements because I know what, what I’m like.

Okay, so no that’s very good because those are your rules in order to, to control your weight, maintain healthy weight.

Yes. I think you need to find out what your weaknesses are and be prepared to cope and find coping mechanisms. But I’ve only been able to do that since I’ve been retired because I’ve had the space to think and realise what’s happening. I never had that space when I was working and busy.

So and also, I’m probably less inclined when you’re working and constantly with people and everything. When I’m retired, I’m spending a lot more time on my own, so I’ve got this space to make rules and to, and to experiment as well, you know.
 

I have been spending a great deal of time [laughs] and effort on this and I am still not convinced that I am fully aware of all the issues which come into play. It seems almost inexplicable to me, but we’ve been doing a lot of work on the weight management programme with cognitive behavioural therapy which I think is very important and it’s an absolutely excellent tool that would seem to me to deal rather less with history as something what is the experience of the individual.

It deals more I feel with practical solutions and as such, I think it works, it works pretty well, and the hope is that I, I what do I think? I think long term support is very necessary.

Can you give me some examples of what you have learned or information acquired?

Information that we’re given. The planks of it, of the programme what we’re being advised to do, is to record out own behaviour, record what we eat and I’ve resisted that for years and years and years and years and years and finally found out at this incredibly late stage of my life that actually it is very effective. That’s making yourself look at what you’re doing is interesting, [laughs] interesting to say the least, and actually if you’re in the habit of thinking about what you’re doing, you probably make slightly different choices more often.

Okay, so it’s changing the behaviour.

It’s the examination of what you’re doing…

Okay.

… will be apt to have that affect if you do it.

You have to do it. There is a large resistance to doing that, but I would say that it’s, yes it is and I’ve been, being told that it was for a long time now. It’s taken me a long time to move round to doing it, but it is very, very effective and I’ve actually been recording what I’ve been eating, I beg your pardon, for over a year now, I think just and that’s the first time I’ve ever had a record, black and white, long term record. It’s not without the odd blank because one goes on holidays and does different things and stuff like that. It’s not always possible, but really it is, it’s a pretty good record of the year of my life, as far as what I’ve been eating and what I’ve been in the habit of doing.

Okay, so it’s, it’s eating and also activities?

Yes, to an extent but we’re not, it’s mainly you’re asked to record perhaps if you can thoughts and feelings. We get given a record book and I don’t do it in a record book, I do it in my own diary and I would, I find that more difficult? I don’t, it probably actually now I’m sitting thinking about it would, it’s probably about time I started to have a go at doing that because I can see the way in which that might begin to make you more aware of how, of thought patterns. And it is, it’s all about patterns and patterns and behaviour and what you do regularly and what you do almost automatically and yes it’s very much, very much to do with that.