[stupot]

Has anyone made any new years resolutions?

I have made one, well new years resolution / bet to loose some weight. I have put on some serious weight since i gave up the ciggies about a year and a half ago and have been indulging in one too many chinese's and fry ups. I also have been getting some stick at work about it, one too many man boob jokes. So decided to have a bet with a few lads at work that by April 1st I have to loose 15 kilos (about 2.4 stone) i'm 16 stone now!!

A tall order i know but it stands to gain me £110 if i do, so i will be cycling to work tomorrow and for the foreseeable!!! about a 20 mile round trip..........God what have i let myself in for?

Anyway wish me luck

[sejanus]

You'll really have to go some to hit that target. It took me two years to get from 15 stone to 11 stone and it was quite a hard effort.

If you're serious about it, the first thing to do is learn to count how many calories you eat and note them in a notebook as you go through the day. Then you can use one of the calorie counting websites (like the one here: Calorie Calculation ) to work out what your basic energy level is. Let's say your basic level is 2200 calories per day - in other words, that's what you'll use if you do nothing except eat, drink and sleep. To loose a pound in weight, you need to make the gap between your intake and your expenditure 500 calories per day. In other words, you either have to lower your intake of food to 1700 calories or increase your energy expenditure to 2700 calories, while eating the same. In reality, it's best to do a little of both: eat slightly less and excercise more (the bike ride's good for that! )

One thing that people often don't realise is that it's important to drink a lot if you're dieting, both to ensure that your body doesn't rebel and to keep your spirits up. I've found that Sainsbury's diet drinks are tasty and have too few calories to matter - just look for the 2 litre bottles marked 'no added sugar' and they cost around 50p a time.

In general, most people can sustain a wait loss of 1lb per week over time, so you should be able to loose a stone by April. If you have serious will-power, your target might be attainable but you'll need to eat very little and excercise an awful lot. I wish you every success but don't make yourself ill by overdoing it and, yes, it will be worth it in the end!

[Dabhand16]

My resolution is a bit easier than yours, Stu. Take more pictures!

I also think your target is not reallistic. When I found I was diabetic, I went to a clinic in the local hospital for a talk (with others) where food/diet was the theme. The guidelines we were given for sugar and saturated fat in food was as a maximum, 5%, and not more than 15g per meal. I took this on board big time, well, no choice, really, and I lost a stone in six weeks! Mind you, I think the real trick was to eat MORE. More of the right things, that is, and make a rule - NO CHEATING. If you eat right four times a day, you won't need to cheat with snacks.

I went from never eating breakfast and one big meal in the late evening, or maybe something lunchtime + an evening meal, to eating four times a day - breakfast - lunch - dinner around 6pm, and a snack/supper later on. I felt I was eating more than I ever did before, never felt hungry so did not need to snack, and the weight fell off!

I also started to wegh myself twice a week (at the same times) so I could monitor my weight. Initially, you can lose a fair bit, and then it settles down to a steadier rate. I went from around 11.5 - 12 stone to 9 stone at the lowest, and then levelled out at about 9.5 stone. I found this easy to maintain, but recent lifstyle changes has made the four meals a day more difficult, so I've started to creep up again. OK, second resolution, get back on track!

My admittedly more stringent requirements leads me to say that anything labelled 'no added sugar' usually means that it has plenty to start with! For instance, the 'healthy' Alpen is 17% sugar, the ordinary is nearer 25%. The only way is to check out the labels. 'Diet' drinks have no sugar, and normally taste awful too! You will probably find one that suits you as they do differ in taste brand to brand. Small quantities of sugar can be easily burnt off, as Sejanus says, so not critical.

Good luck with your diet.

[P-E]

Good luck with your resolution Stu

As form me I have non

[fionaB]

I have THE best resolution........ change nothing cos if u make a resloution to change something you probably wont keep it ,then you will spend an age feeling guilty over failing to keep it........ hey i know what i am talking about

[Dmodegirl]

lose weight and try to have my camera with me at all times

[jaimej]

I have none, I agree with Fiona, best not to let yourself down.

[Charlotte]

I just plain forgot to make any

[jinxy]

every year my resolution is to lose weight and 2006 i finally shed 25 kilos (dont know what that is in pounds sorry) and still want to lose more. so my resolution this year is to lose some more weight and try to finish all the odd jobs that i have started.

[Whipspeed]

Lose weight, take more pictures and I will learn to be tidy!!

[Soupdragon]

OK, I'll bite.

My new years resolution(s) are.
Buy a 10mp slr.
Be nice to people.

[Rob Barron]

I have kept my new year's resolution made in 1990:

'I resolve never to make another new year's resolution ever again!'

I have no intention of ever breaking that resolution :o)