The LSD of my weight loss plateau

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Bo

As every runner knows, if you want to improve your time, your pace and endurance, you need to work on three things: hills, speed work and LSD’s (long slow distances). In my opinion, the easiest of the three is definitely LSD’s. There’s nothing better than heading out on a fresh Sunday morning and running at a gentle pace as far as your body will take you.

It was on one such Sunday morning recently when I happened to be thinking about all the things that were on my mind and bugging me. The one issue consuming me is my weight, or rather my weight loss.

If you had told me at the beginning of the year what I would be weighing now, I would never have believed you. I would’ve thought it impossible, especially since the last time I weighed what I do was before I got married 12 years ago. But, as with my running, I stuck to a #LCHF (low carb high fat) program, experienced the pain of the hills and giving up carbs, then was delighted by the speed at which the weight fell off but I’ve somehow landed up plateauing. My LSD as I’ve started to call it.

I’ve been stable at this weight for two months now. No matter what I do, nothing budges. A slow and steady pace. Going far but not in any rush. I know it’s good for my body to be able to maintain this weight and not put any weight back on. But it’s frustrating. Damn frustrating. I’ve started to experiment – cutting out dairy (that didn’t last long), eating less nuts, trying bullet proof coffee (Google it) – and I’m hoping something kicks in.

I guess what I’m realizing is that I need to just hang in there. I need to be patient and go the distance. I reckon my body will eventually sort itself out. But I need to approach it as I do with my LSD’s. Enjoy it. Take the time to appreciate the scenery and thank my body for coming this far. Because who knows, maybe the next downhill is right around the corner.

Diagnosis: Plant a flower

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Bo

I’m feeling pretty exhausted at this time of year as I’m sure everyone is. So when my friend Melanie asked if I’d be interested in trying out a session with reiki master, Brent Feinberg, I thought, yeah… why not. I have no previous experience of reiki. In fact, my biggest concern was that my parents would not approve of it (it’s kinda esoteric) and my even bigger concern was what to wear.

For those not familiar with reiki, according to Reiki FAQ, it is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by “laying on hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s “life force energy” is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.

So I lay back and Brent first started with BodyTalk and then the reiki. The tapping of my head and chest was followed by various hand gestures and hand hovering all over my body. I stopped peeping and slowly started to drift off to sleep. If I was not supposed to fall asleep, no one told me but I found it quite difficult to stay awake. An hour flew by so quickly and I was quite dizzy when it was all over.

My diagnosis: The good thing is that my energy levels are very high. Brent says he can pick up that I am happy and healthy. *really?*

He did suggest however, that I try to be a bit more grounded and recommended I do some gardening. Not large-scale, but his thinking is that I go away and plant a flower or two. I like this idea. A lot.

He added that I am a very kind person to others, but not kind enough to myself. He also picked up that I was pretty hard on myself. *True*

The session reminded me of a conversation that I had with my dietician recently. She said, “Eating well is not enough Bron. You need to feed your body in other ways too.”

Especially in today’s times where we are living such stressful lives. Everyone needs to find that something that recharges their minds and their bodies.

Coming home after a stressful day and heading out for a quick run or even going to gym allows me to de-stress and unwind. But what I realised after my reiki session is that I also need that something extra that relaxes / calms / balances both my body and my mind and allows me to just let go.

What’s your secret?

Is what I see, what you get?

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Bo

I happened to attend a breakfast recently where 2010 Australian Masterchef runner-up, Callum Hann, was the guest.

Over cups of coffee and way too much chocolate, Callum did a cooking presentation to the crowd, wowing us with his knowledge of desserts and quirky local jokes.

His presentation focussed on a brief overview of what life has been like since the competition and his travels around the world. But it was his introduction that really made an impact on me.

Callum described how it was only after the competition when he watched re-runs of the show that he noticed that he had a lisp. I was gobsmacked! For those who may or may not remember Callum, the guy has a serious lisp! He went on to add that he also realised that he made weird and funny facial expressions when he got nervous. Seriously? How could he not know this? His face jumps all over the place!

But it left me wondering. Is there something about myself or something that I did that I was not aware of? Did I have a funny twitch? Did I make weird facial expressions? Or worse, a lisp! What if I have a lisp and cannot hear myself? Are there things I just don’t want to see?

I’ve sometimes watched my shadow when I run. I don’t have a graceful, relaxed look about my pace. I have caught myself slouching way too much during the day at my desk. My posture is terrible. And since primary school, I’ve also hated my knees. *knock knees will never be cool, unless I appear in an episode of Glee*.

Schucks, these are just things at the top of my head. What about the things I don’t see?

Wait… Maybe it’s a good thing I don’t have an idea what else is quirky/weird/silly about myself. I already tend to give all the negative aspects of my life way too much attention. It’s better if I didn’t have anything more to stress about.

But for now, if I do lisp, please let me know!

(Google Images: Morgan deBoer)

It’ll happen. Just calm down…

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Bo

I do not have any patience. Fact!

After starting my eating plan (diet is a dirty word!) at the end of July, I expected to see the weight dropping off, especially since I had stuck to the rules, denied myself chips and chuckles and ensured I kept my daily salads exciting and fresh.

At my last appointment with Melanie, my dietitian, I complained bitterly. It’s really disheartening to see others around me losing 1kg a week and making it look so easy. I’m not even able to lose 1kg a month!

I am busting myself at gym with my personal trainer, I’ve added in a spinning class. I have also tried to keep up the running training. But it’s starting to get to me.

She listened and then methodically went through my daily eating schedule and made one or two adjustments. Then she sat back and smiled and said, “Bron, a watched scale doesn’t drop. Stop stressing…”.

I think if anything, sticking to a strict eating plan is teaching me more about patience than anything else. I’m okay with the discipline. I’m good with my portion sizes. In fact, I even enjoy the gym and watching how hard I can push myself.

But once again, it’s never about the physical, it’s always what’s going on in my head and keeping that in check. It’s about calming down and keeping at it. It’s constantly reminding myself that I will lose weight and that I am doing everything right.

I know this! If anything, my running training has always taught me this. It doesn’t just happen overnight. It’s the hard work that pays off. Eventually.

Patience Bron.