30: The New 21

The Chimp Paradox by Professor Steve Peters is available on  Amazon.co.uk  for £9.99 One of the things I struggle with is making rash, impulsive decisions.  That's in general, but it becomes particularly obvious when it comes to questions of diet, doing exercise, or anything else related to losing weight. Reading "The Chimp Paradox" has started to show me why.  Inside all our brains is an evolutionary part of the mind which is entirely emotional and often irrational - which Professor Peters calls "the Chimp" - which is programmed to ensure our survival and is constant conflict with our rational side, "the Human".  This includes a) making sure we always eat (as in evolutionary terms, we're never sure where the next meal is coming from); and b) keeps us safe (like not putting us in social situations where we might make fools out of ourselves - which if you're me happens often at the gym - or worse where we could die...) One of the ...

Do I Give A F@!k? I've never thought of losing weight as an option. Being as lean, muscular and devoid of anything that could even be thought of as fat always seems to have been one of those imperatives - things that we have to do - that it has always seemed to me to be the same as asking "do I actually have to breathe"? And I guess, in strictly non-medical terms, there is no "need" to lose weight.  And if you're happy in who you are, then why would you? This wonderful message that two young people who are so obviously in love with each other for who they are, and to the extent that they are so committed to this that they have become distanced from Sean's father as a result, strikes me as positive proof that there's no need to be thin; you just need to be happy in your own skin. "There's no need to be thin; you just need to be happy in your own skin" And it's not just about finding happiness in each other either.  B...

There's not much that beats a medical professional telling you that you're obese. Being told twice in the same year does come close, though. Don't get me wrong, I can Google "how to calculate BMI" and do basic maths.  Even without these gifts, I can still look in a mirror and see that things aren't right.  From the stretch marks on my sides, to the jelly-like wobble every time I move without tight clothing on. Not that I own much tight clothing. So why do I want to lose weight?  I recently found this question, written neatly in my finest handwriting, with my nicest ink pen, on my nicest letter paper, along with an attempt to try and answer it.  That was dated 29th March '18.  Almost eighteen months later, and not only have I not come any closer to answering that question, but I also haven't lost any weight. Back then, I was hell-bent on joining the Navy.  At least, that's what I told myself (and anybody else who would listen).  a...