Hello again. I hope you’re keeping well. Long time no see (so to speak). This is my first blog post in over 16 months, so don’t expect any miracles. I’ll do my best to get back into the swing of things. Not much has changed for me really during my hiatus. Well, except for starting a new job. And catching Covid (mild symptoms, thankfully). And becoming a father for a second time. You know, standard stuff. But here I am again, back for more. I won’t be posting with the same regularity as before; once a week will be too much for me unfortunately, but I’ll drop a post from time to time to try to keep people somewhat entertained. For my first post back, I thought I’d start with something that is very close to my heart: my stomach!
A quick disclaimer before we begin: I am not an expert in diet and nutrition. Do not use this as a tool for getting in shape. I’ve deliberately made this a list of what NOT to do, based on mistakes I’ve made in the past. If it helps you, great. But I wouldn’t hold my breath… let’s begin.
1. Don’t enjoy food too much
Man, I love food. I love eating. It genuinely makes me happy. This is how much I love eating: I’ll be eating a sandwich and whilst I’m munching on the first half, I’ll be looking at the second half and think to myself, “I’m so glad I’ve got the other half sandwich still to eat”. I’ll get sad when coming to the end of the sandwich, “Nearly done now…”. When I know what I’m having for dinner earlier in the day, if it’s a dinner I really enjoy, I’ll think about it all day, “Can’t wait for dinner later!”.
You can see how this might prove problematic when dieting. I know what you’re thinking: “Just eat healthier food”. That is valid. And there are some healthy(-ish) foods that I enjoy. Apples and bananas are great, but they’re not better than chocolate and biscuits. Or the ultimate: chocolate biscuits. Rice cakes and nuts are fine, but they’re not better than crisps or actual cake. Grilled chicken salad is nice, but it’s not better than fajitas. Enjoying my food is important to me and it just so happens that the food I enjoy most is junk.
Do you know, there are people out there that don’t enjoy food at all? They simply see it as a means to an end. As fuel. They take on enough calories to make sure they can get through their day/workout and don’t give a monkeys about how the food tastes! That could never be me.
2. Don’t give up after a setback
This seems pretty obvious, right? But I’ve been banjaxed by this many a time. Have you heard of the expression “Throwing good money after bad.”? It’s a term used in gambling. Essentially, it refers to a gambler who has already lost money by gambling, attempting to get themselves out of trouble by gambling even more. Instead of cutting their losses and walking away, they get themselves deeper and deeper into trouble whilst trying to win it all back.
It’s not a perfect analogy, but I feel there is something similar with dieting. At least for me, anyway. Maybe we’ll call it “Throwing good calories after bad”. What this refers to is the response to a dietary setback. For example, let’s say you’ve been dieting well for a couple of weeks and you’ve been really strict with yourself. Then in a moment of weakness, you decide to eat a chocolate bar. Not the end of the world. But instead of putting it behind you as a one off, you tell yourself, “Well, I’ve cheated on my diet now, I might as well not bother with the diet for the rest of the day.”. What a ridiculous stance to take! “I’ve made my calorie intake slightly worse, so my solution is to make it even worse.”.
God forbid this happens early on a Saturday. You can parlay the cheating over the whole weekend and convince yourself that you’ll start again fresh on Monday. I’m the master at this. Don’t do it.
3. Don’t force yourself into exercise
I feel like this is the first point at which healthy people will be shouting at their screens. About how you have to persevere and overcome and all that. And they’re probably right. But to clarify what I mean, I don’t think it’s helpful to force yourself to do exercise that you hate.
I hate running. I hate everything about it. I hate the start, because I can never be bothered to actually start. Assuming I force myself, I hate the middle, I hate the end, I even hate afterwards, as I just ache for days. It’s just not for me.
I know running is good for you. One of the best workouts you can do. But I will just never be someone who enjoys it. It goes without saying, but if you can find exercise that you enjoy, it’s so much easier to motivate yourself. I’m happy to run if it’s during the course of a game of football. I enjoy racquet sports. Hell, I’ll even swim if I have to. Just don’t make me run!
4. Don’t rely on fad diets
There have been many fad diets over the years. Diets with very strict or very specific rules. And for the most part, they work. For a while. The big problem with these is that they’re usually unsustainable. And as soon as you go back to your regular food habits, the weight just comes flooding back.
These diets can still be useful in certain circumstances. For example, if you have an event coming up in a couple of months that you want to lose weight for, doing an extreme diet will likely see you lose weight in time.
But generally speaking, you’re much better off making small changes to your diet that you think you’ll be able to stick to for a long time. Yes, dieting this way means the weight will come off more slowly. But if it means it stays off, that’s got to be worth it right? Erm, I’ll get back to you on that…
Thank you very much for reading my first blog in a while. It was a bumpy ride, but we made it. One new thing I’ll be adding to my posts is a “Rob Recommends” section at the bottom. Here, I’ll list some of the films and TV shows that I’ve watched recently, along with a Rob rating and a small write up. If that’s something that interests you, then keep reading below. If not, then I’ll catch you next time. Take care.
Rob Recommends
Brassic – TV – Sky – 9/10
I remember seeing this show advertised and being a bit dismissive of it. I don’t know whether it was because it’s a British show (which would be ridiculous, as there’s loads of British shows that I love), because it was a show about an unusual bunch of people, or because I couldn’t quite work out what the show was. Was it a comedy or a drama? Is there an actual plot, or is it just some mates hanging out?
Then I watched it. And all my questions drifted away and I experienced the joy that is Brassic. Brilliantly written with some fantastic performances (particularly from Joseph Gilgun and Michelle Keegan). One of those shows that can make you laugh and cry, it’s top telly!
The Last Dance – Documentary – Netflix – 10/10
I know I’m a couple of years late to the party with this one. Such is the life of being a parent to young children; a lot of what you want to watch gets put on the back-burner.
I eventually got to it and it’s possibly the best documentary series I’ve ever watched. Cleverly telling the story of Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls teammates, it offers a fascinating insight into what it takes to be an elite sportsperson. I’m not even a basketball fan and I loved it. I’d go so far as to say that you don’t even have to be a sports fan to enjoy it, such is the quality of the filmmaking and storytelling. A must see as far as I’m concerned.
The Matrix Resurrections – Film – 6/10
Ah man, I really wanted to love this film. The original is one of my all-time favourites and even though the sequels were disappointing (although I maintain that Reloaded was pretty good and it was Revolutions that was quite terrible), I had to watch the latest installment.
There were things I liked a lot. The visual effects were great. Though given the original was released over 20 years ago, you’d expect the effects to be much improved. Overall, it is a visually stunning movie, every shot carefully crafted. I also loved the plot, I thought the explanation of how everything was possible was very clever.
Despite all the things I liked, there were a few aspects I didn’t enjoy. I hated the ending. I really wanted more from it. I’m not going to list everything that’s wrong with the film. What I’ll say is it’s not a film I’m sure I’ll ever rewatch. And that says it all really. I’m still recommending it, as it’s worth seeing once. But this Matrix isn’t the one.
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