We’re back in the swing of things after the Christmas blowout – we’ve faced the scales, eaten better and even done some exercise this week. Yeah, it’s not as fun as Quality Street for breakfast, but the return to normality is definitely welcome. And with that, let’s see what’s been happening in the world of weight loss this week…
FROM THE MAN V FAT FOOTBALL LEAGUES
Well done to Slimdown Town (great name) from the Durham league for their win at this week’s presentation evening. We’re loving player Andy’s response to picking up his silverware: “What happy chubsters we are”!
A new season kicks off in Durham next week, so if you’re in the area and want to join, now’s a good time to do so – especially as you can use the promo code POUNDREG to register for just £1 until the 31st Jan. Click here for more details.
Another league that’s kicking off next week is the Sunderland league, with team names such as Inter Me’Naan Bread and Piemouth Argyle (nice). If you’re near Sunderland, sign up here.
IN OTHER NEWS…
We polled our Facebook and Twitter followers this week to find out whether you find savoury or sweet food more irresistable – and we were quite surprised to find that you’re savoury lovers, with 52% reaching for the crisps over something sweet. We wanted to know this because we reckon everyone’s got a foodie vice that they just cannot resist (me? Daim bars – I’m firmly in team sweet) and this week we heard from the clever people at the Fast800 diet plan all about how you can retrain your brain to resist addictive foods.
When was the last time you took a proper breather? A new study has found that nearly half of adults in the UK are so preoccupied that they can’t ‘live in the moment’ – with stress, money worries and smartphones being common distractions. And ironically, more than a quarter of those quizzed by ticket website StubHub even admitted to putting so much pressure on having a good time that they usually don’t. Face. Palm.
So whether you’re at an event or just chilling at home, take a moment to put down your phone, pause and really savour the moment. And if your attention span needs a serious boost, check out these 8 quick ways to improve it.
WHAT WE’RE READING
MAN v FAT founder Andrew Shanahan left us in 2019 to pursue his dreams of becoming a novelist, and reader, he’s only gone and done it (we’re so proud!). His debut fiction novel Before and After is out TODAY, and having had the privilege of being one of the first to read it I can say that it is absolutely fantastic.
Before and After is the story of 610lbs Ben Stone, who is so fat he can’t leave his flat. He needs to have his leg amputated, and as he waits for the crane that will get him out of his fourth floor home and take him to hospital, he is terrified. He hasn’t been outside for 9 years. But he needn’t worry, as the world is about to end.
The chair of the British Obesity Society had this to say about it: “This is a horror story. It’s a visceral portrait of addiction and the hope of redemption in a world turned mad by hate and fear. The worst thing is that it is true. A must read.”
You can buy it on Amazon here (and you can get it free on Kindle Unlimited if you’re a subscriber)
We’ve also been reading about how to quit sugar without being miserable – heaven knows I’m addicted to sugar, as I’m sure a lot of us are. It just tastes TOO GOOD. This article sees US news presenter Katie Couric chat to a doctor to explore what sugar does to us and how we can cut down on it. Read it on Medium here.
WHAT WE’RE EATING
We’ve written about Jake & Nayns’ Naansters before – they’re convenient, uber tasty naans filled with delicious curry and rice which are not bad on the calorie front either (the flavours vary, but are all under 455 cals).
Now to mark Veganuary, they’ve launched a new vegan version – chickpea curry, featuring a fluffy naan bread filled with delicious chickpeas and cauliflower in a tikka sauce, with pilau rice and mango chutney. Yum – and they’re only 377 calories each.
So if you’re attempting to go vegan for the month, or even if you’re not, give it a try for something a little different for lunch.
Image from The Grocer
Fibre One have added a birthday cake flavour to their range of low-cal squares. Ignoring the fact that ‘birthday cake’ isn’t really a flavour, these new cake squares sound amazing – vanilla cake mixed with sweet drops and an icing drizzle. The best part? They’re 84 calories each. The worst part? They’re tiny. Ho hum.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
I don’t miss alcohol.
I don’t miss take-always.
I don’t miss gambling.I have (very much) missed @manvfat football over Christmas… roll on tomorrow! 😬⚽️ pic.twitter.com/xSQZvn3tsh
— Deke Hardman (@DekeHardman) January 9, 2020
Awww, this warms the cockles. We missed you too!
