DIETING is usually heavy going, no matter which way you look at it.
But what do you do when the heavy won't go? Or, to put it more accurately, when you are motivated more by chocolate than the need to lose weight?
In my case, you talk to an expert like Sarah Hawes - and then put your money on Cambridge to win the Bloat Race.
I’m referring to the Cambridge Weight Plan and the Cambridge 800 Plan - the Spanish subsidiary set up by Ms Hawes.
I’m hoping Sarah’s products will point me the weigh I want to go after making a hash of my attempt to remove the massive excesses of late 2013.
They say the road to hell is paved with best intentions - and two weeks into my 2014 War on Wobble, I found myself stumbling down Devil's Drive.
After losing two and a half stone in the first six months of last year, I thought it would be easy to shed the 10-kilo bloat that cancelled out all but a few pounds of that loss by Christmas.
What I overlooked was that I was motivated a year ago by the accompanying challenge of raising money for my sick granddaughter Daisy’s charity,
Tis time I decided to use the same basic plan of cutting out the carbs and duly the house of potatoes, rice, pasta and bread. I put a ban on anything fried, vetoed all sweets, cakes and biscuits - and began Donna’s Diet, Part Two.
My only concession was to allow myself two squares of chocolate a day.
Last year, I stuck rigidly to the regime. This time, I peered into the fridge half way through Week Two, l stared longingly at the large milk chocolate bar I had bought that day, and promptly scoffed the lot. I'd lured myself into the gloom of the Choccy Horror Show - and I needed an expert to help me escape.
I considered joining Weight Watchers; Slimming World, the Atkins Diet, just about every weight-loss programme around. All had their pros; all had their cons. I couldn't try them all (at least not at the same time), so I asked my daughter Hayley, who always seems to be dieting.
“I've found the Cambridge Plan very good for what I need,'’’ she said, “but it would not suit everyone. I'm on the 800 calories a day programme, which is very hard to stick to.’’
Ultra-enthusiast Sarah Hawes introduced Cambridge 800 to Spain in 2011. A former medical representative, she has rapidly built a Spanish empire that already encompasses the coastal regions, Balearics, Canary Islands and Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao.
And she says proudly: “Our Consultant numbers are growing daily and our customer numbers are flying. The product is a quality science-based product and is a complete programme, developed by doctors for the general public. We still have a medical department that helps with challenging medical conditions and have an ongoing clinical research programme.’’
This article is not an advert for the Cambridge Plan - the idea is to chronicle the success or failure of my 2014 Battle of the Bulge.
However, my colleague Ivie Davies, the Courier’s golf correspondent, can’t praise Sarah and Co. enough..
He lost more than three stone in seven months (see before and after pictures)
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and says: “I was able to have ‘normal’ food in an evening and as long as I drank 2.5 litres of water, everything was fine coupled with the supplements.’’
Last Monday, buoyed by the Cambridge emphasis on catering for the needs of clients with health problems, I went to see my local consultant Debi Winston, completed a detailed application form and weighed in at 88.4 kilos - or a fraction under 13st 13lb.
The Cambridge medical team in England quickly cleared me to start the1,200 calorie Plan and I should get my first fill of products from Debi today (Friday).
Come on Cambridge! This Bloat Race is going to be OARSOME!
But what do you do when the heavy won't go? Or, to put it more accurately, when you are motivated more by chocolate than the need to lose weight?
In my case, you talk to an expert like Sarah Hawes - and then put your money on Cambridge to win the Bloat Race.
I’m referring to the Cambridge Weight Plan and the Cambridge 800 Plan - the Spanish subsidiary set up by Ms Hawes.
I’m hoping Sarah’s products will point me the weigh I want to go after making a hash of my attempt to remove the massive excesses of late 2013.
They say the road to hell is paved with best intentions - and two weeks into my 2014 War on Wobble, I found myself stumbling down Devil's Drive.
After losing two and a half stone in the first six months of last year, I thought it would be easy to shed the 10-kilo bloat that cancelled out all but a few pounds of that loss by Christmas.
What I overlooked was that I was motivated a year ago by the accompanying challenge of raising money for my sick granddaughter Daisy’s charity,
Tis time I decided to use the same basic plan of cutting out the carbs and duly the house of potatoes, rice, pasta and bread. I put a ban on anything fried, vetoed all sweets, cakes and biscuits - and began Donna’s Diet, Part Two.
My only concession was to allow myself two squares of chocolate a day.
Last year, I stuck rigidly to the regime. This time, I peered into the fridge half way through Week Two, l stared longingly at the large milk chocolate bar I had bought that day, and promptly scoffed the lot. I'd lured myself into the gloom of the Choccy Horror Show - and I needed an expert to help me escape.
I considered joining Weight Watchers; Slimming World, the Atkins Diet, just about every weight-loss programme around. All had their pros; all had their cons. I couldn't try them all (at least not at the same time), so I asked my daughter Hayley, who always seems to be dieting.
“I've found the Cambridge Plan very good for what I need,'’’ she said, “but it would not suit everyone. I'm on the 800 calories a day programme, which is very hard to stick to.’’
Ultra-enthusiast Sarah Hawes introduced Cambridge 800 to Spain in 2011. A former medical representative, she has rapidly built a Spanish empire that already encompasses the coastal regions, Balearics, Canary Islands and Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao.
And she says proudly: “Our Consultant numbers are growing daily and our customer numbers are flying. The product is a quality science-based product and is a complete programme, developed by doctors for the general public. We still have a medical department that helps with challenging medical conditions and have an ongoing clinical research programme.’’
This article is not an advert for the Cambridge Plan - the idea is to chronicle the success or failure of my 2014 Battle of the Bulge.
However, my colleague Ivie Davies, the Courier’s golf correspondent, can’t praise Sarah and Co. enough..
He lost more than three stone in seven months (see before and after pictures)
Last Monday, buoyed by the Cambridge emphasis on catering for the needs of clients with health problems, I went to see my local consultant Debi Winston, completed a detailed application form and weighed in at 88.4 kilos - or a fraction under 13st 13lb.
The Cambridge medical team in England quickly cleared me to start the1,200 calorie Plan and I should get my first fill of products from Debi today (Friday).
Come on Cambridge! This Bloat Race is going to be OARSOME!
