Weight Loss & Fitness Challenge: Week 4

This week did not go as planned. Not a single or part of a kg shed. Oh well. Admittedly I've been on site a lot and with coming home late at night I just have not had the energy to cook. I even...GASP...had Chinese take out. Next week will be better. And PMS is here, so I could be bloated. Next weekend's weigh-in will tell it all.

And I wish my one client would stop having blasts on Thursday afternoons. It's making me miss out o my NIA classes. And I can't attend the Saturday morning classes as I have Pilates then. BooHiss!

I was looking at what I generally eat in terms of the Weigh-Less quantities. I only seem to manage 3 out of the 5 daily veg portions (min 3 and max 5). But damn. One portion is 100g and have you seen how huge 1400g is when it comes to veggies? Who can eat all that?  I am not exceeding my carb allocation and often actually come under. I hope it's not a bad thing. As for the milk, fruit and protein portions I get those right. I really need to work harder on the veg thing.

I must not less myself be demotivated. I've lost 5kg since the start of the year and considering I was planning on loosing 2kg/month, I've done well so far.

Who knows, maybe by December I will be back to my slinky varsity self. That would be nice.

Weight Loss & Fitness Challenge: Week 3

Third week and one more kilo down! I have reached my first 5kg milestone and I'm so proud. Now for the next 5 !

Still no chocolate cravings or cravings of any other kind. I'm even enjoying exercising. Who are you and what have you done with Gerlinde? Thanks for getting rid of her and make sure she stays away.

As mom is overseas Dad came over for lunch today. I made French style macaroni au gratin (macaroni, lean bits of bacon, onion and grated emmentaler), salad (butter office and pine nuts) and drunk berries and ricotta dessert. Believe it or not, but I didn't even eat half my portion! It's unheard from me. My dad is so proud of me. And it makes me glad to make him proud.

I'm feeling really good and am in a great space. Woohoo! Bring on the rest of my life!

Weight Loss & Fitness Challenge: Week 2

I have survived my second week. I have lost 1 kg and am not getting cravings of any kind, beside coffee. I have to admit that I am over the moon these two starter weeks are over so that I can have my morning coffee. As I am writing this I’m sipping on some good coffee. Bliss! I did buy a pomegranate flavoured Rooibos tea that tastes lovely (I firmly believe Rooibos has to be flavoured with something to make it decent), but as nice as it tastes it just doesn’t replace that feeling that coffee gives you.

This past week has been a challenge. I was being naughty, checking my scale every second day instead of once a week, annoyed that that damn kilo was taking it’s time to shift. I think that’s why dietitians recommend weekly instead of daily weighing. I will try and be god this week and only weigh myself on Saturday. And I will measure myself once a month only.  I'm also keeping track of what I eat with a food diary. It helps to not deviate too much and to ensure that I am eating the recommended portions.

Sarai came to visit me for lunch on Friday and we went to a Greek restaurant and had mezze. The nice thing about mezze is that you can have a variety of nibbles. We were really good and got the healthier stuff. But somehow, after almost 2 weeks of eating healthy, I actually did not enjoy the mezze as much as I expected. They felt very heavy on my stomach. We didn’t even finish our platters and took home the rests. My share I gave to Lindiwe as I couldn’t face eating them.  There was one Mezze dish though that was really nice: Chickpeas with Fennel. I am definitely going to try and make it when I can find fennel bulbs.

I have started having Jungle Oats for breakfast. Apparently oats have a fibre that prevents the body from absorbing cholesterol thereby helping to reduce the existing levels. Please keep fingers crossed that the oats, combined with my healthy eating lifestyle, exercise and Omega 3’s will help drastically drop my cholesterol levels.

Kelly-May told me about a NIA class at my local gym. On Thursday I went and had an absolute blast. NIA stands for Non Impact Aerobic. It’s based on a mix of dancing, martial arts, yoga and aerobics. I love that you can go at your own pace, that there is no right and wrong and that you listen to your body. I felt like a bit of a clunky elephant compared to the lithe graceful instructor, but I can see that NIA will teach me to get in tune with my body again. After 1 hour of non-stop exercise I came out of there quite exhausted and sweaty but very happy. I am definitely going to be doing it weekly. I cannot wait for next Thursday’s session! Poor KM could not make the session due to nasty tonsillitis. I hope she gets better soon so that we can start our walking sessions too.

My word, I can't believe I'm actually saying this: I am enjoying exercising!

So week 3 here we come! I am totally winning this challenge!

Weight Loss & Fitness Challenge: Week 1

So I'm one week into the challenge and so far so good. I've managed to shed the 3kg that crept on during the holiday, which makes me very happy. I’m down to 96 this morning.

I've also been to gym 3 times and had my pilates session. I was talking with my next door neighbour (KM) and she informed me that the Planet Fitness next to home has NIA classes on a Thursday afternoon. I love dancing and it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while. I can’t wait to try it out. KM and I are also planning on walking twice a week. My other friend Bee also wants to get back on track with Weigh-Less so once a week we’ll meet up for a weigh-in and healthy lunch.

I think doing this challenge with friends will help me stay on track. That has been the hardest part in the past. I’m also mentally in the right space to be doing this. I think trying to be healthy when one is depressed does not work.

Funnily enough I haven't got any chocolate cravings...yet. That's a good sign. The hardest part was giving up coffee. One more week and I can have my morning cuppa again. Rooibos just does not have the same effect as a good cup of coffee.

On the not so great part. I went to have blood tests done. My fasting glucose levels are fine and good. My cholesterol on the other hand, not so much. They’re sitting at 6.9mmol/l. They should be less than 5. So I've been told to take lots of Omega3 and eat healthy and exercise. Funny how that's just what I've started doing. In 6 weeks time I need to go back and if the levels are still high then we know it's genetic and I'll have to take meds. Keep fingers crossed that my health regime will be the cure!

Glue and Sushi

Every year we make resolutions and every year we break them. So how can one stick to them like glue? I thought for a while about it and realised that trying to lose weight solo is not fun, that it would be easier with a friend. My friend Lownstar was moaning that he’s become too fat and unfit and that is when the light bulb of Eureka popped over my head: I challenged him to a Weight Loss and Fitness Challenge. 

This is how it will work. We have set monthly goals for which we get points if we achieve them and loose points if we don’t. The monthly winner gets taken out for sushi. I can’t think of a better motivation than free sushi. The reason I’ve chosen my friend as a sparring partner is that he is very stubborn and the least likely person to flake out on me. His addiction to sushi and stubbornness will force me to be diligent about going to gym and sticking to my Weigh-Less eating plan.

My monthly goals: Gym 3 times a week, Pilates once a week, 2kg weight loss/month and not exceeding my Weigh-Less eating plan. If I lose more weight or go to the gym more often I get points for that too. Goals not achieved will result in a point loss. The system still needs to be figured out in more detail, as it needs to be fair both ways.

My current stats:

Weight: 99kg at the start of the week (beached whale anyone). I’ve somehow already managed to ditch 2kgs. I am happy. And I have already earned my point for that. MWAHAHAH! Keep fingers crossed that there will be more by the end of the month.
Waist circumference: 90cm. I aim to get to 80cm and less, and to fit in a size 34 again.
Hip circumference: 126cm. Reduce reduce!
Thigh circumference: 78cm. This is my biggest problem area. I would like to get down to a size 38 or 36 even.
Arm circumference: 40cm. Bye bye bingo wings. I mean it!

By the end of the year I hope to be presentable in a bathing suit.

The year it all comes together

I think that 2012 will be a pivotal year in many ways.

For me, the first part of 2011 was a very hard and unpleasant one. The second half was the polar opposite and it just got better and better.

My prediction is that this year will continue improving. I've just spend some amazing days in the bushveldt and I feel utterly rejuvenated and motivated. There's nothing like going on game drives, chilling by the pool overlooking the savannah and mountains like food for the soul.

Now I know we always make resolutions for the new year, but this year I feel truly motivated. It helps being in a better frame of mind. So beside my bucket list I plan the following this year:
* Eat healthy and get my energy levels back on track. I still have my weigh-less file so I will be making use of it that's for sure.
* Get fit again. This should also help with my erratic sleeping patterns. This means gym 3 times a week minimum.
* Reduce my cholesterol levels. That means bye bye to regular pastry indulgence and take away meals.
* Try out the recipes I've always wanted to from my wok bible and asian flavours cooking books.
* Get back into archery and nail the gold!
* Start meditation.

The eating healthy and exercising should also help me with weight loss. I would love to loose 2kg a month. I think that is a reasonable weighty loss plan. That should bring me close to my ideal weight by the end off the year.

On the work front I plan to do some short courses and catch up on 3 years of stagnation.

Wow! A busy year ahead. I'll keep you posted on how it all works out.