Hanging on to the Bandwagon

I trust and respect myself and deserve to satisfy my inner needs!

(Thank you to Clemma for this cute pic that made my day)

The last couple of weeks have been interesting, between going to the DRC for work, getting ill and eating big doses of antibiotics (dear Augmentin manufacturer, please make your pills smaller so that they are easier to swallow), and starting my first project managing role.

I have managed to lose some more weight and cms since my last weigh in 3 weeks ago, so I’m definitely getting my carb / protein ratio right. I will not pretend that it has been easy. Being ill made it even harder to be disciplined. The last thing I’ve wanted to do is cook. I did manage to make myself some soup for lunches last week, but suppers have been opportunistic and far from being a healthy choice at the best of times. I’ve also not been to gym for 2 weeks and I’m craving it! My lungs are finally clearing up so I should be able to slowly get going again.

I realise that I need to make a bigger effort to have home-cooked supper meals readily available. As my housemate is only home 2 or 3 nights a week, cooking for one is rather tricky. And I’m utterly not in the mood for cooking these days. There are some unidentified frozen dishes lurking in the freezer. I think it’s time to investigate them. Toss out what shouldn’t even be in the fridge. The sad thing is that there seems to me more condiments in that fridge than anything else (mostly my housemate’s. Do we really need that many? There are many variations on the chilli theme. I think she forgets she has that stuff and I don’t go near it, I like my taste buds). Once I’ve done that I need to be really prepared and disciplined.

It’s very hard to do this solo. Last year I did a challenge with Sean and it worked well until he bailed out on me. I need to find someone who is determined to get healthy, who will not sabotage the process, and who will rise to the challenge.

On the positive side of things, I am making more time for me. I have stopped accepting every invite that is being sent out. I am getting back in contact with my dear friends with whom I feel I have not been communicating enough. I’ve realised how much I miss them. I’m watching less TV, reading more and spending time in my garden. I’m also trying to look after my skin better: no more skipping on cleansing my face at night; I make sure that I treat my nails and cuticles every night; applying hand cream after every time I wash my hands; moisturising! This is all part of the Looking After Gerlinde Plan: pampering (without breaking the bank) and giving me some much needed love.

So here is the plan for the coming weeks:

1.       Find a health and fitness buddy who will not bail out on me.

2.       Make more time to see close friends.

3.       Sort out the fridge and toss anything unhealthy / old and manky / mysterious.

4.       BE DISCIPLINED AND PREPARED!

5.       Plan weekly meals.

6.       Get back to gym (at least 3 times a week) and start training for the 15km 702 Walk the Talk.

7.       Eat out not more than once a week, preferably not more than twice a month (my finances will be grateful too).

8.       No take-outs or convenience meals (happy waist and wallet).

9.       NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER SURRENDER!

Fitness and Weigh Loss Challenge: Week 12

Twelve weeks down and 10kg lost! 

I am really very happy. It's been a very tough 12 weeks I have to be honest, but the reward is immense. I think the worst part was the plateau. It was extremely difficult to remain motivated when not seeing the kilos shift. But I persevered and here I am, with quite a weight loss. I am not really "seeing" it physically, but I am noticing it in my clothes. I was joking with my mom that my one pair of pants have become elephant pants: all baggy around the bum. 

What is really assisting me is all the exercise. I'm at gym three times a week (although I do aim for four times) and I have Pilates once a week. I am also going to start walking longer distances on a regular basis. There is a monthly 5km or 10km walk at the Zoo, which I plan on doing. And I will be doing the 8km 702 Walk The Talk in July! This will really get me fit for my UK trip.

So here's to the next 20kg! In small increments of course :-)

Fitness and Weight Loss Challenge: Week 8

I have not blogged much regarding the challenge this month. Why? Well, there is nothing to report really. I lost 1 kg at the start of the month (I am now down to 92kg) and I have not lost a gram since.

I have hit my first plateau and it just SUCKS! It’s utterly demotivating to be eating really healthily and exercising and not having anything to show for it. I am at a loss of how to get past it. I do a variety of exercises at gym to prevent my body from getting used to routine. I’m following the Weigh-Less eating plan as closely as possible, but I just cannot eat the quantities of veggies that I should (400-700g/day). I get full so quickly. So I try and eat “heavier” veggies to hit 200g in one sitting, but that is not always possible. I was logging what I was eating on MyFitnessPal, and it clearly showed that I am under their recommended calories for weight-loss. It’s possible my body is rebelling against me and hoarding fat. So I’m working really hard at eating more, but the quantities just make me feel nauseous.

It’s really hard to remain motivated at a time like this. Now of course this week my body is screaming blue murder for all the things I should not eat. Thanks PMS. I love you too. So it’s a double challenge: to stay motivated and to not reach for food for that instant comfort.

We’ll see in two Saturday’s time what my cholesterol levels are up to. I was supposed to go this Saturday but the clinic is only open every second Saturday. I admit I am nervous. It should have dropped. I have lost some weight, exercising regularly and eating healthy. But with my luck nothing will have happened.

So yes, feeling utterly miserable right now. Sorry for the whine and whinge.

Then again, as I am learning in the "Living Your Potential" course (more on that in another blog): THIS TOO SHALL PASS. I just need to be patient.

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.

Another gold star for yours truly

Another kg down! Booya! Without even making an effort. Being happy in the work place is doing me a world of good. Happy dance!

Musings

Discovering civilisation had a great blog post the other day. And what was said is only too true. Getting to one's goal weight is a change of attitude, of seeing things in one's life.

So here are some things I need to look at differently:

1. 
   
   Food. It's not my enemy. There are many tasty healthy options out there that I actually like. So instead of reaching for the slap of chocolate when the sweet craving hits, I should go for the strawberries, and pat myself on the back for doing the right thing, for treating my body to something nice. I recently discovered that I actually like pawpaw/papaya. I used to avoid it. Now I generally have a Tupperware of diced strawberries and papaya at work with me to snack on. And I'm loving it!


2. 
   
   Exercise. It's not my enemy. I do actually feel good and sleep really well on the days I do exercise. The fact that I was a snort-blort monster last week and on site most of this week didn't help, but I can go out and do stuff this weekend. Ha!


3. 
   
   Accept thine body shape! I am hourglass/pear shaped. Busty, narrow-waisted, hippy and (unfortunately) thunder-thighs. Damn genetics! I love the fact that I have cleavage. Weapons of Mass Distraction! The narrow waist is great (though currently too well padded), the butt is great. Bootylicious yeah! But those damn thighs....And nearly all my weight sits there. And it's the hardest part to loose weight from. But they are part of me and I need to accept that. But it's damn hard. Looking at myself in the mirror and seeing how out of proportion my body is between the bum and the knees. It feels like the thighs belong on some other body. Do you remember that game we played as kids where we folded a piece of paper in three. One person would draw the head, fold the paper, the next person would draw a torso and the third the legs and when the paper was unfolded you would get a really funny person. That's me. I want to get to the point where I only have 1-max 2 size differences between my waist and my butt. Currently my waist is a 36 and I wear a size 42 pants. Just to get the damn thighs in. I struggle to find pants. All they make are narrow legs, even the Levis Eva range don't fit. I need super wide pant legs. And of course I always end up making tons of alterations at the waist as it's always too big. But yeah. Accepting my shape is the hardest thing.

It's not going to be easy. At all. But I need to reward myself mentally for every good choice I make. Maybe I will make a chart where I award myself stars for every kg I loose / size I go down, black stars for when I seriously slip up (like eating the whole slab of chocolate). Do you, dear readers, have any ideas I could use?

Food: 1 meelion vs. Me: 0

After a weekend of festivities, I gingerly stepped on my scale this morning and went to hide under my duvet with shame. Eish!

Weight needs to be lost! Like 30kg. I'm not kidding. That's how much I put on since I started university, and even then I wasn't super slinky. I just want to be healthy again. I would like to drop down one top size, back to ye good old 34, and not have rolls of blubber frolicking around my midriff. I would like to fit into a size 36-38 pants again, not an abominable 42.

Just by looking at the number you can guess that there is quite a discrepancy between my waist and my backside. 4 sizes difference! Yup. All my weight sits on my thunder thighs. I have never had a 90's - 00's fashionable shape. I'm more a busty, tiny waisted, hippy kinda girl. 50's style rock on me. Corsets rock even more. The waif-android look engendered by gay fashion designers is just not me and never will be me. (I have a whole rant about this and it will get blogged).

So have a backside and I have come to accept it over the years. With famous ladies like Beyonce and Kim Kardashian, the bootylicious booty has come back in vogue. Thank goodness! But the thunder thighs, not so much. They need to go!

Now I've done tons of diets. From Low Fat No Carb to WeighLess. It works for a while, then I somehow fall off the bandwagon.

From my therapy sessions it would seem that my food issues probably stem from early infancy, ad that I've eneded up associating food with validation. My lonely teenage years coincide with my weight gain.

• Few friends at school, eat food, feel better.
• Lack of romance at university, eat food, feel better.
• Unhappiness at work, eat food feel better.

Have you spotted the vicious circle yet?

I have no excuse now. I'm starting a new job and I have great friends. So I shouldn't be eating all the things I know are bad for me. I can see getting over food will take a while.

It is imperative that I loose the weight, not only for my physical well-being, but also for my emotional well-being. I plan on taking my time shifting the darn kgs. Something like 2kg a month isn't too hectic. I hope. That would mean it will take me 15 months to shift the weight.

So today I started (why do we always start things on a Monday?). Yummi strawberries, blueberries, a bit of muesli and yogurt for breakfast. Lunch at the canteen offered butternut soup with health bread. I was debating between that and a haloumi salad. I should have had the salad. The soup was yuck! and I didn't even eat half of it. Of course by the time 3 O'clock rocked up my stomach was growling and the canteen closed. Only the coffee bar was open and all they had were chips.

See! Sabotaged on day one already!

At least the GingaNinja is home early tonight and we're having chicken wraps, with tomato, lettuce, avo, mushrooms and other good things. Hmmm...Leftovers...

Of course, all the chocolates I've been given for my birthday are already planning my downfall. I will have to put them out of sight.

I also need to start doing some form of cardio-exercise. Time to get quotes for gym memberships, even though I don't enjoy the gym. Sigh...

No cheating girl. The journey from 94 to 65 starts NOW!

I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Wish me luck and support!