How I lost weight without much effort
Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 11:00AM A couple of years ago I got up to my maximum ever weight of about 17.5 stone (245 pounds to my American readers) and decided enough was enough. I had been drinking way too much for far too long and eating too much fancy food in fancy places around the world.
I now weigh 14 stone 4 pounds and feel oh so much better for it. So for those of you expressing interest on Twitter this morning - how did I do it?
First thing to go was drinking. As a Scotsman I had taken it as my cultural imperative to drink longer and harder than anyone else and had built up such a tolerance that I could pack away a couple of bottles of red most nights of the week and not appear to suffer - at least outwardly. I decided that I couldn't go on like this, at least not without paying a high price, and as I am approaching 50 it wasn't going to get any easier from now on.
So in October 2007 I decided I was going to stop drinking. Much like the actor Ewan McGregor "I decided I had drunk enough". I don't do moderation very well and knew that I had to either stop altogether or keep struggling on - so stop it was.
I started reading up on the subject and came across some good books and some not so good books. The best one, for me, by a long stretch, was Alan Carr's Easy Way to Control Alcohol. In it Alan walks you through a very effective process that strips away the conditioning that makes drinking seem clever and indeed pleasurable. The thing that did it for me was remembering my body's initial, natural aversion to the taste of alcohol and how cultural pressures and advertising had encouraged me to put that aside and "learn" how to drink.
Stopping drinking lost me a stone or so but I was still overweight and possibly even eating more to compensate for the lack of drinking. I began exercising every day, walking up and down steep hills in my local town of Chesham for about 6 miles each evening. This got me fitter but didn't lose much weight.
So I went back to Alan Carr again for advice this time in Allen Carr's Easy Way to Lose Weight. Again Alan's approach is to strip away our preconceptions about our eating habits to reveal just how much of our behaviours around food are due to conditioning. Seeing food as a treat, as a reward is something we learn. Our taste for sugar, although perhaps natural in our inclination to eat fruit, has been exaggerated and capitalised on by the food industry for decades.
The way to cut down on food consumption, especially the wrong kind, is to change the way we see it. This means that you are not constantly battling with yourself, feeling that you are denying yourself something. It actually begins to feel pleasurable not to overeat and to eat more of the "right" things. If anything my pleasure in food has increased and instead of wolfing down large quantities of stodgy, salty, sweet food I can't get enough fresh fruit and salads and start to feel really grumpy if I am somewhere where they are not available for any length of time.
So I'm afraid the short answer to how I managed to lose so much weight is that I read a couple of books that, while a bit cheesy for some, hit the right spot at the right time for me and helped me decide to "stick it to the man" and start eating less and doing more.
diet, health, slimming, weight loss 
Reader Comments (22)
Hi Euan, just came across this via Twitter. One question: what height are you?
Thanks for that - I too reached about just over 18 stone where I thought enough was enough. Luckily this coincided with my move to Cameroon where food isn't so much of a temptation. So far I've dropped a couple of stone here but would really like to carry on this weightloss.
I've got used to the local tradition of two meals a day but am aware there are so many further temptations back home. I'm hoping I can start to rationalise food, as you have obviously done and enjoy small quantities of the "treats" and substitute the filling carbs of Africa for more salad and fruits.
Here's hoping.
I'm starting to get too old to let it get worse.
Congratulations on your weight loss. Sounds like you have it all figured out. I agree that it is our attitudes that affect us most. You seem to have a handle on making one small change at a time.
I was recently told by my doctor that I have a Vitamin D deficiency and needed to lose 20 pounds. I've lost 25 and feel much better. I just keep saying - what about five more. For me it was the fast food stops before and/or after graduate class. (I teach full time and am attending grad school full time). It's amazing what one little change will do. I lost most of the weight because I refuse to go through those drive throughs anymore. On the rare occasion that I do, I don't get french fries - I get a side salad or fruit. Is working for me.
Thanks for being so inspiring. I am going to check out Allen Carr.
It's funny what you say about exercise making you fitter, but not doing much to decrease your weight. I do more exercise now than ever before, mainly due to my lovely husband dragging me to the gym on a regular basis. But whilst I am undeniably fitter, I haven't lost any weight at all.
I read recently a study on how we have limited amounts of willpower - if you have to use all your willpower up on one thing, e.g. work, then there's less available for other things, e.g. dieting. And I've certainly found it to be true, especially recently. Work has been hectic and challenging, and my ability to resist a Coke and a Wispa each day... well, the more accurate word really is "inability". The bizarre thing is, mostly, I don't even enjoy the Coke.
Anything that helps me rethink the way that I relate to sugary foods is going to be good, so I've just ordered those two books and we'll see. They sound a bit like the McKenzie method for treating back pain (which has totally sorted my RSI) - it's not so much about a one-off dramatic change but an ongoing and permanent change in your relationship with your body and the world around you.
Rock & Roll Euan!
I lost 2.5st (35lbs) and it's stayed off, weight hovers around 10st7 and 10st9... I don't actually like alcohol and stopped drinking the stuff years ago. The way I lost weight was to moderate my diet - eat less - and eat more appropriately, I live mostly off salads, fruit, fish, meat, more protein than carbs. Mostly stopped eating wheat-based products (bread and pasta) & no so called "convenience" foods. I also got back into exercise - plenty of it. It's not the exercise per se that burns fat, but the afterburn once you've finished...
Cheers
N
Thanks for these tips. This was a great blog post. I too have lost about 35 pounds this year through an understanding about food habits and conditioning etc. Have ordered the book happily. Sometimes, as you say, the book hits the right spot at the right moment! And I need "support" to keep going in the healthful direction.
Thanks for the comments guys.
Hugh - I am just under 6'3
Suw - Yes I am feeling much the same way about The Alexander Technique which has sorted my back by sorting my head!
Neil - I hardly touch bread and pasta these days and don't half notice when I do. I am also starting to get back into the exercise but feel better about doing it now my metabolism has changed.
Thanks for this Euan. At Christmas 2008 I packed up smoking and drinking, reduced carbs for vegetables and protein and sugar for sweeteners and loads of fruit. I've probably lost 14lbs in 6 months and gone down 2 dress sizes. I walk 12 hours a week (60-70kms) and love being outside. When I visit people I discover new routes and am happily snapping and blogging my adventures. I'm seeing more of UK than I have in years and have guaranteed time away from gadgets and gizmos...I feel healthy and just want to keep on going...inspirational...is it something that happens to lots of people as the approach of middle life draws near?
I'd been picking up some of your energy from Twitter "ridlydidly" - congrats!
Nicely done!
I'm still battling gamely with middle aged spread. Walking, tennis, football and eating when I'm hungry all help.
I haven't read Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, but it sounds like essential reading.
The answer to the problem of western obesity is refined into seven words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Defense_of_Food
Good work - let's face facts you had become a fat bastard ;-) but now are my top social meejah pin-up.
Euan - top job. I too suffer from the same social conditioning. At 5'11", too many glasses of vino on weekdays became a habit rather than a pleasure taking me most recently to almost 16 stones. Cut out alcohol, maybe a bottle of wine per month - cut down on meat, now 80% veggie and I'm now 14,10 and falling.
We western Scots should qualify for some NHS vouchers for alcohol wrong-headed-ness, or something.
Yep - that was exactly what suckered me Gary. Even the old thing of having to finish every plate-full. Congrats on getting to grips with it.
Euan,
Good post, found this from a random Tweet!
I've been trying to loose weight for a while now, but running into similar issues that you found. I suspected that a change of mind set was needed and that seems to be what you've achieved (impressive results too!) and what Carr proposes in his book. I bought the book today, so thanks for the inspiration and hope I can enjoy results similar to your own.
Thanks.
"17.5 stone (245 pounds to my American readers)"
Hmph. And the rest of us? Us kilo types? Don't we count at all, then?
;o)
Ah ... yes .... that was just pointed out to me several times at Reboot! I reckon I used to weigh 112 kilos and now weigh 91.
Thanks for elaborating, Euan. Having met up with you again recently and hardly recognised you (from the man I met about 5 years ago), you've certainly brought about an extraordinary transformation. You look younger, healthier and happier.
I used Alan Carr's book to stop smoking years ago (it worked, despite my negative opinions about the book). I hadn't realised that he's also written about alcohol and weight too.
For me it is not just about the amount of weight lost (although that can be an important measure, the fat to muscle ratio is important too), it's really about being healthier, having more energy and a clear head from the start of the day to the end. And realising that not only can we adopt new habits at work (using wikis, blogging etc.), but also personally, at any point during our lives.
Thanks for being an inspiration in many more ways than "social media"...
[blush]
Now I know what was different about you when we met!!!! Good on you Euan - you're looking great! I constantly struggle with my weight and making me think about replacing the old conditioning of denial of pleasure in foods into a more positive attitude toward 'right' foods.
Eating and drinking have to be two of life's great pleasures, certainly for me at least! So it's great to hear that you've found a way to indulge them but by consuming healthy food at the same time. Now...where did I put that tub of chocolate brownies...
Hi Euan - now I realise why I didn't immediately recogise you at Reboot Britain last week! And I forgot to mention when we chatted that I did see this post when you wrote it, and as a result I bought Allen Carr's book. It's crazy but inspired, isn't it? After reading it I decided to design my own diet, which I'll blog about if it's successful, and keep very quiet about if I don't manage to lose any weight :)
But thanks for sharing this - I'm inspired by your experience.
You're not the only one not to recognise me! Like I said Carr isn't for everyone but there's a simple magic in there. Best of luck with the new diet.