My name is Brad and I’m addicted to food. There I said it. Does food addiction have a name? It must have a name. I can’t be the only person who suffers from this addiction.

That’s number one of the seven things I plan on getting a handle on in 2012. Call it what you want to call it but the truth of the matter is food has ruled my life for way too long and it has to change. If you have been following my journey you’ll know that has been an issue I’ve been battling with for a long time my whole life. It is time to draw a line in the sand and get better. The problem is unlike drug addiction or alcoholism as there is no rehab (that I know of) for food addiction.  I’m going to have to play this by ear as I go along.

Yikes!!!

One thing I have learnt by getting down from 165kgs to 110kgs in the last two and a bit years is that diets don’t work. Sorry to burst your bubble. If you are looking for a quick fix you’ve come to the wrong place. It didn’t take me a few weeks to put the weight on so I can’t expect it to fall off in a few weeks (unless I amputated a limb or two). It’s a process, a change in lifestyle and that is what beating this addiction is about for me.

It’s time to call a spade a spade. I managed to get down to 110kgs for Ironman 2011 by literally training my backside off. 2 sessions a day, 6 days a week. Swim. Bike. Run. Swim. Bike. Run. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. When you are training that hard you can almost eat what you want and you’ll lose weight but the problem is as soon as you slow down or stop you will just put weight back on. You I need to address the food issue. Ironman was on 10 April 2011, Comrades was on 29 May 2011. I was still running quite a bit in that 6 week period. I ran an ultra marathon (48km) and a standard marathon (42km) in that time. I wasn’t swimming and cycling though and I managed to put on 10kgs. My Comrades 2011 starting weight was 120kgs. I took a bit of a break from training after Comrades but not an out and out hiatus. I was still putting in the odd session. By August 2011 I was back up to 128kgs just because I was eating like I was training for ironman but without the training.

I put on 18kgs from April to August. In case you were wondering, that’s not good. That is why I need to take control and firstly admit I have an addiction and secondly to get it under control.

Here is the deal. One of the reasons I want to do the Seven Things is because I need to be accountable. As I go through the other six you’ll see what the plan is and how they all fit together. This is what the plan is for number one of the seven:

I need to get down to 90kgs for a few reasons. According to my BMI my ideal weight range is between 80 and 98kgs. I have a funny feeling 80kgs might be a bit low but 90kgs sounds good and I’ll never know until I get there. Secondly I have never, in my entire life, felt thin. I want to feel what that feels like. For as long as I can remember I have had a bad body image. Thirdly I want to know athletically what I’m capable of racing at 90kgs. More on that one later though.

This is how I’m going to get down to 90kgs in 2012. Accountability is the key. I am going to keep a food journal for the duration of 2012. Every morsel of food or drink that goes into my mouth will be written down. Every morsel. OCD much? Absolutely. You don’t get to weigh 165kgs without being obsessive. By keeping a food journal it will help me see where I am going wrong (and right) on this journey.

I am also declaring now that for 2012 I will not buy ANY fast food. No McDonalds. No KFC. No Debonairs. No junk. Period. This is going to be really hard to do. Especially pizza. Especially pizza after Ironman and Comrades. I might need to reconsider this on the 22nd April and the 3rd of June but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

The next thing I need to do am going to do in 2012 is to radically change my eating lifestyle. By that I mean I need to re-educate myself with regards to healthy food choices, food preparation and in my case the correct portion sizes. I know Low GI is the way to go. I am dedicating myself to learning as much as I can in 2012 about the Low GI way of eating. I will learn at least one new Low GI recipe a week for the duration of 2012 and share them on here.

Part of the accountability will also include a once a week weigh in and measure (which I’ll post the results on here). Nothing quite like putting it out there that I’m on a mission to turn things around.

If you missed where the Seven Things idea came from you can read the origins of it here. I would love you to join me on this journey. I don’t know what your Seven Things are but if you don’t aim for anything that is exactly what you’ll get. Feel free to add your thoughts and your Seven Things in the comments section below, I’d love to hear from you. 2012 is the year to turn things around.

I got sent this list from Carol Willis, who has also lost a ton of weight and thought I would share it with you. I made a few changes, took a few things out and added my five cents worth where I could. It has been a crazy journey for me but one that has been extremely rewarding. Since July 2009 I’ve lost 50 kilograms. Here are 25 steps to losing that much weight:

1. The first and most important thing you need to get going is a reason to lose weight. You need a light bulb or “aha” moment – this can’t be engineered sadly, but if you are honest with yourself you’ll recognise it when it arrives. For me it was meeting someone who had overcome some great challenges and that inspired me to get moving.

2. Do the math – you need to know your numbers: weight, BMI, BMR, waist-to-height ratio, hip-to-waist ratio and a variety of measurements. Take as many as you can. There are some measurements I didn’t take but wish I had. My ring finger has become a lot smaller. Odd, I know, but my wedding band was fairly tight for me before I started my journey. I cant wear it now, it’s so big for me now it slides on and off without touching my finger! You need to know what all these measurements mean and how they affect your health; this is a great place to start.

3. Forget the math – the next and probably most important step, is to not obsess about those numbers. Know them, be aware of them, but don’t be ruled by them. Sometimes this is easier said than done but it is important not to get caught up in the numbers.

4. Take pictures – this is probably the best method of recording your progress. The scale and tape measure don’t record the pasty, pallid complexion, or the bad skin or the greasy hair or the dark rings under your eyes, or the tired look…all of which are signs that you aren’t healthy. Apart from the obvious “shrinking” pictures, those early shots will keep reminding you of how you really looked. That will spur you on like nothing else will! Also take pictures along your journey. You may not see it in the mirror but comparing pictures doesn’t lie.

5. Educate yourself – losing weight and getting healthy has no place in the pages of a gossip mag that touts celeb diets or detox potions. They don’t work, aren’t healthy and there is no quick fix. Accept that you didn’t get fat overnight and neither will you lose it overnight…it will take time, hard work, and more sweat than you thought you had in you.

6. Get serious – you either want to do this right, or not. Do some serious soul searching and deal with the reasons why you are overweight to start off with. Break the emotional eating associations, find non-food methods of rewarding or consoling yourself and never underestimate the power of your mind. Get your head straight and you will be unstoppable.

7. Be patient – it takes a while for others to notice the changes. You may see small changes happening but others won’t for a while, don’t let that make you despondent…it will come, and when it does it’ll be worth the wait. I lost a whole lot before anyone outside of my family and closest friends actually noticed…and what a sweet day that was!

8. Hydrate yourself – if you do nothing else right, this is the one activity you need to master early on. Water is the only calorie free nutrient that your body truly needs, it has been proven to raise your metabolism, help curb hunger and nibbling, and it keeps everything working the way it should.

9. Rule the kitchen – knowing exactly what goes in your mouth is probably the best, safest way to feed your body. I found it beneficial to keep a food diary. This might surprise you (and scare you like it did me) when you actually see what you put in your mouth… Do your time in the kitchen – try new recipes, modify old ones, swap with friends. No-one ever got thin on fast food!

10. Add it up – there are hidden benefits to a new and healthy lifestyle…one of them is the money saving. I’ve proven repeatedly that eating healthy is actually cheaper than the fast food options. Do your own calculations and you’ll see that I’m right – fast food is not cheap!

11. Get moving – find ways to get your body moving. We are engineering marvels, with more movable joints than any others creature on the planet…we are designed to move! Do it with purpose, enjoy it and don’t stop ever. Look for ways to keep yourself moving. I can honestly say the main reason I have lost so much weight in the last year was because of the training I have done.

12. Don’t lose the fat clothes – keep at least 1 item for an “after” picture. We all need a cheesy shot of climbing into our fat jeans and showing off how far we’ve come . Mine is going to be quite funny. I started at a 52 waist and am down to a 38 and still have more to lose.

13. Find like-minded friends – anyone who is on your side adds to your resolve. Friends don’t need to be fat too, they just need to understand your journey and offer support

14. Get ready for another lightbulb moment – this is the point when you realise that you aren’t on a diet and you leave the mentality behind. This moment is the most-defining one of all because it is at this point that you know for sure you’ll get it right this time and that the change is for good. Diets are just short-term projects – you’re on a lifestyle change, use that as your mantra. For me it was realising that eating healthily was a habit, so was eating badly and it boils down to a choice.

15. Find a sport – endless hours in the gym will become boring eventually and that can lead you back to the couch. Avoid this at all costs, try everything, experiment with every kind of sport out there…find one you like and stick with it. This is the route to making the change permanent. I’ve fallen in love with road running and have also managed to mix up my training routine by hoping on the bike or into the pool.

16. Reward yourself – there has to be something you would like to have or really need, and it doesn’t need to be fitness/diet related. Find ways to reward yourself as you progress – a movie, leisurely reading on a Sunday, a pedicure, a new hobby…it doesn’t matter what it is as long as it’s important to you and makes you feel good

17. Crank it up – studies have proven that listening to music can make you increase your exertion during exercise. Make a playlist (or 10) and enjoy the tunes…and it doesn’t have to be the thumping, throbbing music from the gym either. I love music and use it as a bit of a reward (as in point 16). I don’t get to listen to as much as I’d like to but I listen to as much as I can while I train. It’s my reward for hitting the road. I get to listen to music with no interruptions.

18. Pay it forward – as you progress; don’t be shy to share your secrets and solutions. Pass the knowledge on to others who ask for it or need it – be an inspiration! It doesn’t matter what horrible number the scale said in the beginning…share the detail so that others can realise that they too can achieve the same. Encourage others who are on the same journey, tell them the things you’d like to hear, cheer them on. You’ll be surprised at how you motivate yourself this way too. I’ve been lucky that my weight loss has been in the public eye for a lot of the journey so I’ve been able to fire a lot of people up without even knowing it. It really motivates me to keep going when someone comes up to me out of the blue and says I’ve lost 5kgs or run my first 10km race because of you.

19. Give thanks – there’s no way you can finish this journey without help and support. Acknowledge and thank those that have inspired you, find the unsung heroes in your story and let them know what part they played. I am truly grateful for my chance meeting with the guy who’s story inspired me. We’ve kept in touch and any opportunity I get to say thanks to him I do. I don’t think I can ever repay him for the positive effect he has had on my life. I will always be indebted to him.

20. Plan you meals. This was some of the best advice I was given when I started on my journey. Mark Pilgrim said to me “Be a boy scout and pack a lunch!”, I was never a boy scout and don’t know if that is what boy scouts get taught but it has worked for me. If you are know you are not going to be at home for a meal, pack one. My biggest problem when I was putting the weight on was that I used to skip meals and then be so hungry I’d eat the closest and most convenient thing I could. Be prepared and you will ge the results you want.

21. Repeat steps 2 & 4 – do it periodically, at least once a month. And smile when you notice the differences!

22. Challenge yourself – keep changing your routine, find groups of friends that can spur you on to greater things, try something new. I have found that by running and cycling with people who are better athletes than myself it drives me to get better and push myself harder.

23. Don’t be shy – as soon as you dare, move into the type of clothing that you used to avoid. Open arms, shorter hems, fitted waistlines…..ENJOY the changes! Those are the changes that people see and comment on, they never see the scale so flaunt the off-scale victories. Also buy new clothes. I used to hate wearing clothes that were tight fitting because of my weight, so I used to hide under baggy clothing. I now feel frumpy when my clothes are to big and don’t fit properly. Just buying a new pair of jeans that fit better has done wonders for my confidence and it will do the same for you.

24. Get your beauty sleep – one of the unhealthy symptoms many of us has is insomnia. Work out a sleep program and make sure you get your rest – again, it has been proven in studies that well rested people have higher metabolisms, not just more energy and clearer heads.

25. Have your cake and eat it – do not deny yourself the things you enjoy, just find ways to build them into your diet without breaking the calorie bank. The 80/20 rule is best…eat well 80% of the time and eat fun food the other 20%. Denying yourself that glazed donut on a day when you really are desperate for it can trigger off a binge cycle – so don’t deny yourself, there is a way to live life, eat what you want and keep the weight off. I try and stick to the 19 out of 21 principle. 19 meals out of 21 a week I eat as healthily as possible but that leaves me with 2 meals that I can be creative with and have a bit of a treat as opposed to a cheat.

And just for fun…here’s “before” and “now” pictures…

Confederations Cup Warm Up - Italy vs New Zealand 10 June 2009

Brad Brown Joburg Day 2010

I spent a bit of time in Cresta shopping centre this weekend. I love people watching and I spent a bit of time watching the folks doing their month end shopping on Sunday. Something struck me that I haven’t really noticed before. I can’t get over how many overweight people there are around (excuse the pun). I’m not sure if it is a sudden phenomenon or if it is just that I’m only noticing it now.

I’m not a hundred percent sure if the only reason I’m noticing it now is because a year ago I was one of the seriously obese people doing their shopping on a Sunday afternoon. But you would think you would notice it more when you are overweight yourself. Kind of like when you buy a new car, it is only then you realise how many of that model of car there are on the road.

Or do you not realise it when you’re obese because you are have blocked being overweight out of your concious mind. You know the problem is there but if you ignore it it will just go away or it is not as serious as it actually is.

What ever the actual truth is, if its always been like that or if the problem is getting worse, there is a major problem with obesity in South Africa. I feel a bit like Miss Piggy at a Weigh-Less convention talking about this because I still have another 20kg’s to lose myself but feel its ok to bring it up because I’ve lost 45 already. If that makes any sense. I see guys (and girls for that matter) the size that I was and wish that there was something I could do for them.

On my weight loss journey this time round (its not the first time I’ve tried to lose weight) I’ve had so many people come up to me and tell me how great I’m looking. Don’t get me wrong, I am truly appreciative of their support and well wishes. What concerns me though is this, I wasn’t born weighing 165kg’s. There are numerous reasons that I got to that weight but not once on the way up did someone say to me “Jeez boet, you’re looking a bit podgy, what’s going on?”. Not once. That to me is concerning. Surely someone noticed I had put on 10kgs. 20kgs. 50kgs and not a word.

Is it that society tries to be so politically correct that you don’t want to say something like that to an overweight person because you don’t want to hurt their feelings? Is their emotional well being more important than their physical well being? Being 65kgs overweight can’t be good for you. So when does your physical health start becoming more important than your feelings? At 100kgs overweight? Or is it then even more difficult to say something? I know this is a difficult bridge to cross for many people but at what point do you stop sacrificing a loved ones physical health in favour of their feelings? I’d love to know your thoughts on this…

A lot of people have been asking for before and after photos form my weight loss efforts for the last year.  To be dead honest I’ve been quite hesitant to post these photo’s because I still want to lose another 3o kilograms. So, below are the before photo’s and a halfway to my goal photo. The first two were taken last June, around the time when I decided to run Comrades. I was 165kg’s and I’m sure you can understand why sports physician was not to keen on me giving Comrades a bash. The last photo was taken last on Thursday the 10^th of June in Soweto for the Fifa 2010 Kick Off Concert. It was taken exactly a year, to the day, after the picture at the Confederations Cup warm up game.

June 2010 - 165kg's

Confederations Cup Warm Up - Italy vs New Zealand 10 June 2009

35kg's lighter in June 2010

I have been a bit slack over the last two weeks as far as updating the progress of my training and also on the status of injury I have picked up. At least my training hasn’t been as slack as my updates! After seeing Dr Jon Patricios at the Morningside Sports Clinic the diagnosis was made that I have peroneal tendonitis. I am current seeing Derrick Carter, a physio, who is doing amazing work on my ankle.

Hopefully I’ll be back running within the next few weeks. I did go for a 3km run on Friday afternoon and it went really well. I felt very little discomfort during the run which I was extremely happy about but as I cooled down my foot became more and more tender. I saw Derrick on Saturday morning, had a pretty long treatment and felt a lot better afterwards. I definitely feel that we are making progress and I am confident I will be back running very soon. In the meantime I’ve been very keen to maintain my fitness levels and have been putting in some serious time on my mountain bike. For the last two weeks I’ve put in on average an hour a day on the bike. I’ve actually enjoyed the cross training more than I thought I would (other than yesterdays quad bike incident) and am pretty confident that I am going to continue riding on the days that I don’t run just to keep building my cardio vascular capacity and also for the added weight loss benefits. I also think the time on the bike can only make me a stronger and better runner. And who knows, I might even get in the pool soon and get cracking on some swimming cross training.