Losing weight for 2011

December 28, 2010 · 16 comments

Just before Christmas I realised that my weight was heading in a direction that was getting a little scary. Since I have given up other vices in my life food consumption has always been something that I have struggled with. We don’t have too many temptations down here but when I started buying packets of M&Ms at the shop and eating the lot before I got home, secretly hiding the wrapper from Mrs O, I felt it was time to take some action.

For two weeks now I have been really watching what I have been eating, limiting my portions, trying to choose the healthy option and cutting out sugar and super fatty foods altogether.

In the past I have realised that dieting on its own does not work. You just spend your day feeling deprived. I think you have to balance it with an exercise program of some sort.

Now I am not a fan of exercise. I enjoy sport, but when it comes to running or going to the gym I am rubbish.

I wanted to find something that I may have a chance at actually keeping up. I remembered hearing Stephen Fry being interviewed some years ago and he said that had lost weight by walking for hours every day while listening to audio books.

So I have started walking every morning and while I walk I listen to podcasts.

I must have missed podcasts when they came out some years ago but they really are a great way of staying in touch with the things that interest you, especially when living overseas.

Subscribe to your favourites via iTunes and then simply sync your device each morning. Couldn’t be simpler, (as long as you have an internet connection obviously).

I then spend fifty minutes walking around the village where we live enjoying every step of the way as I catch up on news, interviews, opinion, music and sport.

At the same time I have found that I also then start my day in a positive way enjoying the beauty of the Cambodian countryside rather than watching emails download in Outlook.

Here are the podcasts I am enjoying and listening to at the moment:

And another bonus is that I get to get to take some photos of the stunning Cambodian countryside.

View over the paddies to Bokor

If anyone has any suggestions for Podcasts they’re enjoying or tips for losing weight for lazy people then please leave a comment.

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Tagged as: Bokor, cambodia, dieting, health, kampot, podcasts, technology

  • http://twitter.com/jameschannning/status/19811187894001666 James Channing

    Losing weight for 2011 | Tales from an Expat: I remembered hearing Stephen Fry being interviewed some years ago … http://bit.ly/gVUilt

  • emswindsor

    @SimOliver good luck. Also like your post on modern marriage. Lol

    • http://twitoaster.com/country-kh/simoliver/ SimOliver

      @emswindsor thanks a lot. I’ll have a 25 year old figure back in no time. #optimist

  • andy_tutte

    @SimOliver interesting… Mr O dieting, exercising and suntanning what’s the world coming to? You’ll be using moisturiser next lad…

    • http://twitoaster.com/country-kh/simoliver/ SimOliver

      @andy_tutte and what’s wrong with moisturising Mr Tutte? ;-)

  • http://twitter.com/clstrout/status/19925010026074113 Cindy Strout

    Losing weight for 2011 | Tales from an Expat http://bit.ly/e4pKv8

  • peter_k440

    @SimOliver Getting fat in #Cambodia surprised me actually considering there’s nowhere to buy cheese n onion pasties, melton mowbray ..(cont)

  • peter_k440

    @SimOliver ….pork pies or cheesey wotsits. As a tourist I would *lose* weight here.

    • http://twitoaster.com/country-kh/simoliver/ SimOliver

      @peter_k440 pork pies, cheesy wotsits. pasties *mouth waters*. I think if I had access to those as well I’d be obese by now. ;-)

  • http://www.mybigfatface.com Lina

    I know I’m in for some abuse suggesting this, but check out This American Life.

    • Simon

      Why? Am going to give it a go.
      You will see there is a Canadian show in there so it’s not all Beeb & UK stuff

  • Sue_bailey

    Try FOOC ‘From Our Own Correspondent’. I’ll join you with morning walks!

  • http://www.thephnompen.asia thephnompen

    Stop eating donuts doughboy ! How many KGs are we talking ? I tipped 100kg recently. Struth.

    • Simon

      I was just below that – 99.5kg. Now I am down to just under 90kg.

  • Pingback: How I’ve lost 10 kilos by blogging

  • http://www.ourmaninhanoi.com Steve Jackson

    Two unmissable, for me, podcasts…

    Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s film reviews from FiveLive also UK music magazine – The Word has a great podcast.