Motivation.

I have a couple of work colleagues who've made pretty drastic changes to their diet over the last couple of years, with differing levels of success. Both of them were medically motivated and had to change to prolong their lives. One has taken it to an almost obsessive level; I’ve hardly ever seen him stray from his incredibly restrictive diet (think lettuce and a few chickpeas for lunch and no sugar), he has lost a significant amount of weight, to the point where he actually looks unhealthy again!

The other person took a somewhat easier option to their weight issues and had lap band surgery that worked in the short term, but I’ve noticed recently that the weight is slowly creeping back again.

I’ve often wondered what drives everyday people to stick with such a regimented nutrition routine. 

For elite athletes it’s different, they are motivated by the drive to be better than their competition. For the majority, it’s a full-time job, and what they eat is just part and parcel of earning a living.

That’s all well and good, but if like most of us you have a regular 9 to 5, a family, etc. eating correctly can be a challenge. A medical situation like what my workmates went through is one trigger, however in the long term that can be pretty tough to maintain unless you have some form of OCD.

This has been the biggest thing for me over the last month or so. Following my plan has been easy whilst I’m at work, but I’ve been struggling a bit with discipline and finding the right balance in the evenings and on weekends where I tend to snack more (sometimes mindlessly). 

Life just gets in the way sometimes too and some bad habits have crept back in on regular occasions. But like the first few weeks, I’m not gaining weight; it’s just not coming off like my first week or so.

Overall I’m happy with how I’m tracking considering, I know if I really want to see results I’ll have to up my game in terms of discipline, especially around evenings and weekends.

Overnight Oats

I thought I’d share one recipe that has really worked for me the last few weeks. Overnight oats are really easy to prepare, taste pretty good and keep you feeling full.

My usual recipe is:

¾ cup of oats
1 tablespoon of L.S.A
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
½ cup of blueberries
1 cup of milk.

This doesn’t quite give me enough protein, so I usually add protein powder, an egg or similar to get the right levels for me. If I get sick of blueberries, I swap them out with another fruit.

Cheers

Shaun