Purely out of concern for the health of the Chairperson of the Maori Affairs Select Committee (Tau Henare), I bet him $20 I could lose 10kg faster than him.
Parekura overheard and thought he’d be in on the wager.
Mita Ririnui and Hone Harawira overheard Tau and I talking about the weigh-in, and thought that they could benefit from a bit of diet and exercise, and before you know it the whole event has grown legs with the Dom Post putting it on their front page, Te Karere, Te Kaea and Breakfast are all doing stories on it.
Close-Up has interviewed us all and will follow our progress each week for the eight weeks of the challenge.
Now I hear Simon Bridges, Paul Quinn and Shane Jones are all on board.
I can understand Simon and Paul needing to lose a few pounds, but Shane Jones? We all know he’s the epitome of physical perfection. An Adonis in his own mind. This has upped the ante – especially when he greeted me this morning with “Kia ora Twiggy.”
I thought I’d just cut down on food portions and go for a brisk walk a couple of times a week, now I’m hearing of nutritionalists and personal trainers being called into the mix. The others are obviously concerned.
We’re just waging $20 each, although one smart alec emailed a photo titled “The consequences of losing a bet at work” – some poor bugger obviously lost a bet at work, the consequence being he had to wear a Borat ‘man-kini’ for the day.This wouldn’t work for us. We have to wear a tie and jacket in the House.
Pants?
Maybe you should make the bet that the loser has to pay the other’s trainer Bills!
Jones needs to be wary. If he loses two of his many double chins no one will recognise him.
Did Paula offer to join? She has the most to lose?
Epitome of physical perfection? I’d say that’s Simon Bridges….
Good luck with this, it’s great to see MPs taking responsibility for improving their health. Maybe all readers of this blog should join in as unofficial dieters to help out.
My advice is to read the labels of anything you buy – watch out for lots of sugar in anything labeled ‘low fat’.
Just do what Mallard has done – get cycling. It seems the pounds have dropped off him.
just watch calorie intake – little buggers are are hiding in all sorts of places – esp things like beer.
Nicola – got your eye on Simon aye?
Don’t let the blood sugar get too low, keep feeding that metabolism.
To clarify: rules require a suit, or does jacket and tie over your Borat suit qualify? Just sayin’…
@ Nicola, maybe superficially but he has that evil tory gene somewhere. Jonesy cuts a fine figure of a man. That’s where I’d put my money. Maybe Labour could run an on-line ‘book’ on the contest, and donate the funds to the Heart Foundation?
Big Gerry not on the team? Too busy digging holes, perhaps.
Good luck to all you guys. I regularly try to lose weight, so I know how tough it is. Cut the fat off your pork and mutton, cut back on the spuds and bread, and you’ll soon be shadows of your former selves!
Actually Kelvin, I was surprised you didn’t win sexiest male politican earlier this year…well, I would have voted you tops anyway.
Great to see MPs from different parties doing something about improving their health – can only inspire others to do the same!
When you cook, cook more than you need and freeze in meal size portions. It stops you heading for takaways when you have had a long day and don’t want to cook. Use a slowcooker so tea is cooked when you get home. Have mashed pasnip and carrots (This doesn’t use butter or milk) instead of mashed potatos, though lots of people don’t like pasnip, we do. Have more fish and chicken than red meat. Snack on fruit. NZ has nice fruit. Most yogurt in the shops is fat free or very low fat (Yuck sorry but I like my full fat easiyo)
cook up whole wheat pasta and stir through a heated tin of tomatos, italian herb flavour is nice. Can get spicey flavoured ones too. this is nice for lunch
Spread toast with mashed banana instead of butter. Have done this in the past, but that was because I forgot butter in the shopping. Eat breakfast. I put in a glass bowl (This is one serve) 1/3c of whole grain rolled oats, 1/2c of apple juice, 1/2c milk or water, chopped up apple with skin on and cinnamin, put the glass bowl in the slowcooker and cover, fill up with water to level with the ingredients and in morning you have a hot breakfast that should get you through the morning, especially if you have grilled grapfruit after. Cut the grapfruit in half and cut into the segments and around the side, leaving the skin on, cover with honey and put mixed spice on then grill. Yum. Now I’m hungry.
Apart from that, cut out as much processed foods as you can.
Good luck.
Great tips, I hate low fat yogurt too
! And greentop milk. I don’t need to lose weight but I’m gonna try those parsnips and carrots. 
Just cook, drain and mash. Hate greentop milk too. If you have easiyo yogurt, if you buy the unsweetened one, You can use it instead of sour cream or you can flavour it with jam if you want to eat it as a yogurt.
I don’t need to loose weight either. I just cook most things and don’t eat much processed food at all. Also don’t have a car and pushing a double pram keeps me fit-ish
Maybe I should get my fire poi set out, that used to keep me fit, thats made of metal with material over it and chains that you swing around while its on fire so you don’t become lazy with your arm movements or it could be disasterious. Haven’t used them since before I fell pregnant with my son who is now three so nearly 4 years.
If I see a steak, I find myself thinking about how that can be chopped to use in my slowcooker to feed us for 3 nights. Pasnip, carrots, leek, tin of tomatos, some tomato soup concertrate, and some herbs and spices along with the steak chopped up is a meal with left overs. I love my slowcooker.
Thanks
Tigger you just made my year.