What are your Top 5 foods or items that make your life easier?

1. Buying a bicycle – This is the greatest thing I’ve done. I’ve always struggled to “exercise”. I hate the gym and have joined and quit more times that I can count. I loved boxing but boxing gyms are quite expensive and it’s not something you can just do effectively alone. Cycling on the other hand has been AMAZING! Between the road, the local cycling track or even on an indoor trainer with Zwift in a pinch, I can ride whenever I want.

2. MFP – Can’t understate how important MFP has been. Information, as they say, is power and MFP has given me the information I need to take control of my eating. Just the fact that I now consciously think about what I’m putting in my body is enough to have an effect.

3. Pivoting – This, or more precisely the LACK of this, was something that used to trip me up in the past. I’d find menu of foods or a way of eating that I enjoyed and that were effective in helping me lose weight. Then for one reason or another I would get sick of that particular food set or method and would go back to my old ways. Now I’ve learned value of pivoting. There are a host of foods and methods that will get me to my goal so now if the one I’m using is no longer enjoyable then *PIVOT* find one that is.

4. My New Boss – Soon after I decided to do something about my weight I started a new job at the same time. This could have been a nightmare. I was concerned that with the added pressures of my new job that my focus would be taken away from my efforts to get healthier. Luckily my new boss was a champion. He threw his support behind me 100% and became one of my biggest advocates in getting healthier even goings as far as to ensure that whenever possible our meetings took place outside, walking instead of stuck in a meeting room. Top Bloke!

5. Swapping Lunch for Walking – It was a few months ago now that I had a bit of an epiphany while heading out to lunch. I realised that I really wasn’t hungry and I was only eating because it was “Lunch Time” so I decided to just keep walking for the hour instead of eating. I was pleasantly surprised when that afternoon I hadn’t turned into a ravenous beast and a small mid-afternoon snack (protein snack, fruit, etc) saw me well and truly through until dinner. The bonus was that when dinner time rolled round I had plenty of calories left over to eat a big dinner. This worked out great because night time seemed to be when I naturally felt most hungry so having loads of calories left over meant I didn’t have to ‘restrict’ my dinner.