Believe it or Not...

This was me last June...

And this is me now...

I have managed to lose just under 3 stone since January 2015.

How did I do it? Mostly by sticking to a calorie allowance. One of the main tools I have used is Nutracheck. This is a phone app and also a website. What it does is simplify calorie counting, and it also has a terrific collection of exercise and nutritition advice, plus masses of online help and encouragement from a flourishing user Forum.

If you are thinking about seriously losing weight, I suggest you take a free trial subscription. Nutracheck is 100 British, and has a vast database of British foodstuffs. There are no gimmicks, no food-substitutes or branded meal-replacement bars pushed at you for profit. The fees are really low, I'm paying less than a fiver a month. The pounds I'm losing are showing on my scales, not my bank balance.

I also use a Fitbit, a device which measures steps taken and activity, a bit like a souped-up pedometer.

Trying to keep up to 10,000 steps a day helps with the motivation levels. Angela (my wife) also has one, and we can encourage  ourselves with gentle competition between ourselves and other friends who have Fitbits. They aren't cheap, but if you can't afford one a pedometer would work just as well. (Try looking at those made by Omron, Amazon usually have them at a good price).

Finally, I have started going to the local gym. If you had told me six months ago that I would be getting up early to hit the gym  before work I would have fallen over laughing. In a couple of days I will be logging my 50th visit since January!. According to Gym Hero Pro, another app I find invaluable, I have shifted over 90 metric tonnes of metal in that time, plus over 100 kilometers on the Rowing Machine, Recumbent Bike and the Treadmill of Doom!

Why am I doing this? Well, I think the letter I had from my G.P. a few months ago offering me a Care Package may have had something to do with it! As I approach my mid-fifties I guess it's finally time to start looking after myself. Angela has lost weight too, even though she was barely overweight, and we are both thoroughly enjoying the compliments we are receiving.

DISCLAIMER: I am not receiving any payment, incentive or material benefit from recomending the products above. I just want to share what works for me.