Do-able Diet: I Lost Half My Body Weight Without Giving Up the Food I Love. Now You Can Too!

By Barbara Wimhurst

A couple of years ago I weighed 97 kilos and was a size 22. I have now lost 45kg and eight dress sizes while still eating at least six times a day, having dessert every night and only doing moderate exercise a few times a week. I am not a doctor or a dietician, just a young Mum who didn't have the time, money or patience to try yet another fad diet that didn't work. Instead, I found a way to lose weight without giving up sweets, attending embarrassing public weigh-ins or joining an expensive gym. I continued to do all my food shopping at the supermarket and I didn't waste precious money on unidentifiable meal replacements or dangerous drugs. This book does not contain a new miracle cure, just loads of practical, easy to follow advice. This is really the most Do-able Diet you'll ever find.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allen Unwin
• Release date: May 1, 2006
• ISBN: 9781741158618

Book preview

THE DO-ABLE DIET

THE DO-ABLE DIET

BARBARA WIMHURST

Neither the author nor the publisher may be held responsible for claims resulting from information in this book. If you are under medical care for any condition, seek the advice of your health practitioner before acting on any suggestions in this book and do not make any adjustments to prescribed medication without their approval.

First published in 2006

Copyright © Barbara Wimhurst 2006

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10% of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.

Allen & Unwin

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Crows Nest NSW 2065

Australia

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Web: www.allenandunwin.com

National Library of Australia

Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:

Wimhurst, Barbara.

The do-able diet.

ISBN 1 74114 775 1.

1.Wimhurst, Barbara. 2. Dieters – Biography. 3. Reducing diets. I.Title.

613.25

Edited by Karen Ward

Text design by Nada Backovic

Typesetting by Midland Typesetters, Australia

‘After’ photos by Julien Star Photography

‘Before’ photos from author’s collection

Printed in Australia by McPherson’s Printing Group

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For my boys.

It is always about you.

CONTENTS

WELCOME

PART 1: EARLY DAYS

CHAPTER 1 Free at last

CHAPTER 2 Trial and error

CHAPTER 3 Desperate measures

CHAPTER 4 Fed up!

PART 2: NUTS & BOLTS

CHAPTER 5 The secret revealed

CHAPTER 6 Dieting danger zones

CHAPTER 7 The social dieter

CHAPTER 8 Sweating it out

PART 3: CLAIMING VICTORY

CHAPTER 9 Keeping up appearances

CHAPTER 10 Thinking thin

CHAPTER 11 It’s a wrap

PART 4: THE ESSENTIALS

Sample weekly menu

Do-able recipes

Kilojoule comparison

Do-able tips and tricks

WITH THANKS

WELCOME . . .

My name is Barbara and over the past two years I have undergone an ‘Extreme Makeover’. I have lost 45kg and gained a new body and a new life that I never dreamed was possible. At 167cm tall and weighing in at 97kg I was a desperate size 22; I now weigh 52kg and wear a size 8—chalk one up for the fat kid! After exhausting all of the usual programs and fad diets, I was fed up and decided to develop my own weight loss solution. I needed a plan that was flexible, easy to follow and could fit in with my extremely busy life. Armed with a little bit of knowledge and a lot of determination, I single-handedly transformed myself from a ‘fat chick’ into a ‘hot chick’.

This book is a frank and honest account of how I won my lifelong battle with obesity and ultimately took control of my eating and my life. The success of my diet surpassed all my expectations and the results I achieved were spectacular! Even better, I did it all without spending a fortune, giving up my sweet tooth or attending embarrassing public weigh-ins. I didn’t join an expensive gym or waste money on organic ingredients that turn your bowel movements into compost.

This book does not offer a new miracle cure, just a simple no-fuss way to make healthy living a part of your daily routine. I was able to lose weight, have fun and keep enjoying food all at the same time. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. Mine is the most do-able diet you will ever find: try it and see!

PART 1

EARLY DAYS

CHAPTER 1

Free at last

Free at last, thank God Almighty I’m free at last!

Ask yourself these questions:

Have you ever said, ‘I’m starting a new diet on Monday’?

Have you ever ‘busted’ on a diet and thought, might as well blow the day?

Have you blown a day and thought, might as well write off the whole week and start again next Monday?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you need this book!

A highly qualified ‘serial dieter’, I have road-tested numerous weight loss schemes in a desperate bid to win my lifelong battle against obesity. All of these ‘solutions’ had one thing in common: I stayed fat. Some of them showed more promise than others but the final results were never spectacular and always short-lived. I would make limited progress under strict supervision but as soon as I got bored, my old friend the local bakery was waiting to comfort me.

All of that changed two years ago when I decided to take matters into my own hands and the Do-able Diet was born. Following my simple plan I have managed to lose eight dress sizes, eat at least six times a day, have dessert every night and only exercise a few times a week.

In high school I was given the nickname F.A.B. (Fat-Arse Barbara). It was catchy and spread through the school like wildfire. These three letters have been significant in my life since then; they have been my torture and eventually my motivation. F.A.B. now means Fabulous And Beautiful and those awful schoolyard days are a distant memory. My attitude to weight loss is no longer one of restriction, frustration, failure and disappointment. I still enjoy my food—the difference is that now I respect its power and treat it much more wisely.

I gained 20kg after my first son was born and was terrified that history would be repeated after I had my second baby. I smashed through all my weight barriers and endured the nightmare of watching the scales enter into triple figures. I felt lost and helpless. It was easier at that stage to pretend it wasn’t happening. I blamed it on being pregnant and sank further into the quagmire of denial. The truth was I felt disgusting and could feel the rolls of fat on my body jiggle every time I moved. I was so torn—on one hand I was delighted to be having another child but on the other, felt myself disappearing under the weight of my obsession with food.

I finally decided at 26 years of age that enough was enough. For years I had ignored fashion trends and worn clothes that could be easily converted to a family-size tent. I longed to be sexy and to trade my ‘big girl’s blouse’ for short skirts and fitted tops. I had heard of the ‘Yummy Mummies’ and, damn it, I wanted to be one!

I was ready to put an end to my love/hate relationship with food: love food/hate myself. I had to get my priorities in order and assess what was most important in my life. If I could create two beautiful human beings then surely I could control what went into my mouth—I at least owed it to myself and my family to try.

I began to think seriously about my legacy and the way my boys would remember their childhood. I wanted to win the three-legged race, chase them around the back yard and teach them to swim in the surf. The reality was, in my condition I couldn’t even keep up with them and before too many years passed they would have left me behind.

Any parent will agree that having children brings a whole new purpose and meaning to your life. You constantly see yourself reflected in their perfect little faces. You know they adore you regardless of your dress size or ability to run an hour on the treadmill. Your kids just love you because you’re ‘Mum’. They actually enjoy cuddling your ‘squishy belly’ and snuggling into an over-ample bosom. It was from within the security of this unconditional love that I found the courage and determination to set myself free.

Do-able tip: We all want to give our kids the world. What they really need is happy, healthy, confident parents. Be a good role model—don’t eat anything you wouldn’t give to your children. The best way to take care of them is to take care of yourself.

I began with a visit to the doctor: something I recommend to anyone starting a weight loss program. The results were a bleak assessment of how poorly I was caring for my body. My blood pressure was up, cholesterol and blood sugars were too high, my back was shot and my iron levels were too low. I had the body of an 80-year-old at the ripe old age of 26. The doctor prescribed a stern warning that some lifestyle changes were overdue. I thought deeply about where my future was headed and decided diabetes and heart failure weren’t on my ‘to do’ list. It was time.

The truth is, there is only one way to lose weight and keep it off, and we have all known it for many years. You cannot live on high-kilojoule convenience foods and expect your waistline to hold its shape. Neither does changing the channel on the remote qualify as exercise. You do have to put in some effort but despite what you may have heard or experienced, it doesn’t have to be torture.

No one could believe that I lost half my body weight by enjoying normal food and without professional assistance. Over the past few years I have been asked the question ‘What did you do?’ more times than I can remember. I’ve had countless emails and phone calls from strangers who heard my story through friends and acquaintances. Everyone wants to know ‘the secret’. I always answer this question honestly:‘I changed my eating habits and did a little bit of exercise.’

This is not the answer many people want to hear and when I can’t give them the name of a magic pill, I watch their eyes glaze over as they start to think about lunch. I understand this reaction as I used to feel the same way. I’d often cried, ‘I’d do anything to lose weight’—commit murder, take drugs, have surgery—anything except eat less food! After many years of searching it turned out that the answer was right in front of my nose, I just couldn’t smell it over the chicken salt!

It isn’t rocket science, so why do we find it so hard? I think clever marketing by weight loss ‘experts’ has destroyed the confidence we have to fight this problem on our own. My body is living proof that excellent results can be achieved without a great deal of inconvenience or expense.

Typical diets severely restrict eating and limit food choices to all or nothing. This allows little room for flexibility or compromise—two key elements of a do-able diet. If you falter in a moment of sugar-crazed weakness it can be very hard to get back on track. On my plan, I was never on a diet, I just had days where I ate more kilojoules than others. As long as my weekly intake was within an acceptable range I had nothing to worry about. This was important as it helped to take the daily pressure off.

Words you won’t find in my book are ‘can’t have’ because on my plan there is no such thing; nothing is ‘off the menu’. That said, I would be lying if I told you that you can eat anything, in any amount, at any time and lose weight—you already know that’s not true or you wouldn’t be needing this book.

This plan is not a fad diet. I have little faith in the ability of ‘quick fix’ solutions to be the answer to your weight loss prayers. I know from bitter experience that rapid weight loss usually leads to rapid weight gain. Consequently your metabolism can take years to recover from the shock. I was sick of the diet merry-go-round and was ready for a new ride. I wanted to feel better as well as look better