Hi Jill,
Facing my own challenge of losing 30kgs I can understand your husband's frustration at not losing at a consistent rate. I came to the realisation some time ago (one of my aha moments) that we tend to look to external sources to solve our problems. This is a good thing up to a point, because it gets us moving in the right direction. When we find someone who has been successful at what we are trying to achieve we are inspired, and adopt that behaviour with the belief (and hope) that it will work exactly the same way for us as well. We also tend to focus on the end result (ie David has lost 40 kg) without a detailed knowledge of the bumps along the way. As David mentioned, his weight loss too came in fits and starts. David's book which I read last year but didn't actually put into practice at that time, makes a huge amount of sense. I recently started a low carb, high protein diet (based on "The Power of Protein" by Chris Smith) where you can eat unlimited proteins and fats but only up to 25 grams of carbs (from a very limited list of vegetables) per day - so no sugar!
I love this approach because I can understand the science behind it all (the big picture, not the detail) and I can test with KetoStix (refer Ketogenic diets if you are interested) whether I am burning fat or not. I love to see the proof even before it shows on the scales. I then came across another book "The Dinosaur Gene" written by Pam and David Mitchell where they stipulate that for every gram of carbohydrate you need to eat the equivalent portion of protein. So if you eat a 2cm thick slice of bread with cheese, the cheese should be 2cm thick as well! There are literally thousands of diet books on the market. The author has lost weight or assisted others lose weight by a certain method and then published a book about it which is fabulous, because it gives us information and lets us know what worked for them and may work for us. I choose to inform myself - big picture stuff, preferably through other people's research (thanks David) because I find it difficult to digest all the terminology and metabolic processes in their minutiae.
At the end of the day we are all individuals. My body has had a unique experience getting to the state it is in today, (I should probably offer it an apology). I need to research, experiment and find out how human metabolism works in general, and equally importantly, discover what works for me. And once I know - I know. Then I can make informed decisions about my health and well being.
I always question the motivation behind any message, particularly when it comes to advertising.....I ask myself " What is the primary motivator here -my health or profits?" Not by the message on the front of the pack but what it says on the label.
I love the Napoleon Hill saying which goes something like this "Opinions are the cheapest commodities on earth. Everyone has them and is determined to give them away for free." The only person who knows what is right for me is.....you guessed it me. So it is up to me to do my homework, decide what resonates with me, try it, and if it doesn't work try something else.
Four months ago I weighed in at a hefty (for me) 86.4 kgs. Right up until my 30's I had been around 50-52 kgs which suited my frame. Thinking back my palate was also radically different. I favoured savoury over sweet; bread - I could take it or leave it. And eating definitely wasn't my favourite pastime. How times have changed. In recent years I began packing on the weight and in the last 12 months was gaining about 1 kg a month. I felt I was not eating more that usual, although food especially sweet stuff and the pleasure of eating was constantly on my mind. I would go to bed at night thinking about what I was going to eat for breakfast. What an exciting life! Creeping towards the 90 kg mark I decided to put the brakes on. I was very aware that I was getting closer to a line that was not to be crossed under any circumstances. The iceberg was in view and I knew (there's that lovely word again - when you know, you know) it was time to turn the titanic before it hit. As with all things big and beautiful this vessel has a very large turning circle.
I weigh myself each morning which I probably shouldn't do. Some days I might lose 100 - 200 grams. Other times I can go three days without losing anything. On one occasion I put on 500 grams. I wasn't thrilled, but so what. Like anything that is worth doing the most important thing is not to quit.
Hang in there. To steal a quote from a (sugarless) commercial - "It won't happen overnight - but it will happen"
