how to get started

We’ll be looking at habit change in detail in week 2. But for now I just wanted to give you some concrete steps to get you started.

1. Set your baseline.

It’s super important to not only measure your weight but track how your body changes. Muscle weighs more than fat. Initially you may be losing fat and gaining muscle so you won’t see the results on the scale.

You will see positive changes in your waist and hip measurements though and this may make the difference between persevering and giving up.

So make sure you have a tape measure in the house. I’ve been using an ‘Orbitape’ which is designed to make it easy and accurate to do your own body measurements. For a demonstration on how to measure your waist and hips check out this video. A normal tape measure will work though, so please don’t feel you need to spend any money to get started.

Tim Ferriss recommends measuring waist, hips, both arms and both thighs. I prefer to keep it simple and just track waist and hips.

2. Choose your motivation.

Different people are motivated by different things. You’re the best person to know what will motivate you the most.

Choose one or more of the following and complete that action before you start changing your diet:

• Find a (friendly) competitor. Find a person to compete with and agree on the terms and the rewards.
• Set a goal. This works best for me. While some people will have a clear weight goal, I’d recommend considering setting your Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) as a goal. For men the ideal is 0.8 and for women it is 0.7. My goal is to get my WHR to 0.7 (from 0.81 when I started measuring) by June.
• Take some ‘before’ photographs. A real life shot of what you actually look like at the moment in your underwear or swim suit can be very powerful. Take photos of front, back and sides and choose the least flattering one. If you don’t have someone you feel comfortable for this role, use a camera with a timer.
• Choose a reward – If you’re more motivated by the carrot than the stick, this is the option for you. Most people need more than rewards to stay motivated when the going gets tough, so I’d recommend including this with one of the other steps.

3. change your breakfast.

One of the most important parts of successfully changing your habits and yourself is to start small. If you set the bar too high it can be very demotivating. We’ll discuss more on habit change next week, but for now be easy on yourself.

I’d recommend with just aiming to change your breakfast habits this week. Because most people rely on cereal and toast, this can have the most benefit.

Having a high protein breakfast decreases water retention and more importantly increases your metabolism (the amount of energy your body needs just to keep alive). Bring on the eggs!

If you’re keen though and sure you’re ready, feel free to apply The Rules to your whole diet. I’ve included links to Slow Carb Lunch & Dinner recipe ideas from Stonesoup and previous Virtual Cookery School classes.

4. don’t change your exercise

If you’ve been walking or running or gymming or just watching a lot of DVDs on the couch, don’t make any changes.

One of the biggest causes of failure when it comes to change is that we get too excited and try too much at once. For now lets focus on your diet which is where we can have the most impact.

Another reason to leave exercise is that according to Gary Taubes, over the long term our bodies adjust our appetites according to the amount of exercise we do. So if you suspect you have been over-exercising and reward (or guilt) eating feel free to cut back on the exercise.

I’ve decreased my running from around 60km/week to around 40km/week and my waistline has been heading in the right direction. It’s actually wonderfully liberating to only exercise because you want to, not because you’re afraid of gaining weight.

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