Weigh In 8 & Low Carb

Last week's weight: 243.5 lbs

This week's weight: 242.2 lbs

A loss of 1.3 lbs this week. Though I was excited with my loss, the dietitian indicated that per my plan I should be losing more. After deliberation, we agreed that switching things up may be a good idea. For that reason, I will now be doing a low-carb diet with adequate amounts of protein.

My calorie allowance has also been reduced to 1200; from the initial 1400.

I start on Monday, as today happens to be the birthday of a family member and there is going to be CAKE!

Let's see how the coming week goes.

Cheers.

Weigh In 7

Last Week's weight: 244.2 lbs

This week's weight: 243.5 lbs

A loss of 0.7lbs this week. Not the best, but not the worst either.  

I have decided to resume my workouts, as I feel that will help me hit the 1lb loss a week consistently.

Let's see how this week goes.

Weigh In 6

Last Week's Weight: 245.9 lbs

This Week's Weight: 244.2 lbs

A loss of 1.7 lbs this week.

I think I overdid the peckish eating today. Thankfully I've reined myself in and won't be doing this anytime soon; till Christmas perhaps.

Cheers.

Weigh In 5

Last week's weight: 246.7 lbs

This week's weight: 245.9 lbs

That means I lost... 0.8 lbs this week. Not so good as far as my dietitian is concerned. She kept saying something was wrong and I probably ate what I wasn't supposed to it. Well guess what? She is right!

I left my food at home on Monday and therefore ending up eating out. Though I made sure I stayed within my portions, the food had its fair share of oil, something I'm not supposed to take in large quantities. And as if that wasn't enough, I burnt the roof of my mouth and the pain was excruciating.

From now I'm doing this before anything enters my mouth.

Also, I have been quite peckish. Took a few too many cookies. Guess this week has to be extremely strict.

Wish me luck!

Weigh In 4

Last week's weight : 247.7 lbs

This week's weight: 246.7 lbs

A loss of 1 lb this week. I'll take it!

Not much to say this week. 

Cheers.

Weigh In 3

Last week's weight : 249.7 lbs

This week's weight: 247.7 lbs

This week was a good week, I lost 2 lbs. Yayy!

Anyway, on the clothes front, some old clothes that were too tight are becoming too loose. Exercise-wise, I didn't do any exercise this week. Was battling a nasty cold and was too scared to go for my morning walks; weird but true :).

I think seeing the dietitian was the best decision I've made all year... and I have made a lot of decisions.

I decided not to set any major goals as I hate disappointments. My only goal is to lose something each week. Whether it is 0.5, 1, 2 or 2.2, all I want is to lose something. Know what I mean?

Hope your week went as well as my mine. Feel free to share.

Cheers.

Weigh In 3

As usual, I went for my weekly visit to the dietitian on Saturday for my review and weigh in.

Last week's weight: 251.5 lbs

Saturday's weight: 249.7 lbs

That means I lost 1.8 lbs this time around. I'll take it! 

On the food front... we finally figured out what had caused the low loss at last week's weigh in. Would you believe that I was confidently eating frozen mixed vegetables, when the sweet corn and green peas, which are a part of that mix were actually sabotaging my hard work?

I should have known, right? Green peas and corn are quite on the higher side of the calorie chain, even though they are healthy. Imagine if I were taking 2 cups of mixed veggies as a substitute for 2 cups of lettuce or cabbage; the horror!

Anyways, now that I know, I'm going to take those two fellas sparingly.

Off to work now. Will catch up with you guys later.

Cheers.

Weigh In 2

So, today was weigh in day at the dietitian's office. As usual, I got there early and ready to step on the scale. Little did I know that I was in for a shock when she told me how much I had lost this week.

Last week's weight : 252.1 lbs

This week's weight: 251.5 lbs

Yep, I lost 0.6 lbs. Even the dietitian said this was so unlike me, since she was used to seeing me lose not less than 2 lbs since we started this journey. Truth is, I didn't go off plan. I ate like I was supposed to. Measured all my portions and stayed away from soda and pastries. 

However, to be on the safe side, I've been asked to keep a journal for the week, so we can both review during my next weigh in. Will start tomorrow, as today was my brother's wedding day and I didn't stay on plan.  Now, before you go raising eyebrows, I tried to eat healthy with what was available. I had a salad with fried fish and some pepper sauce. Then I had five gizzards and a bottle of Alvaro (yes it is a soda, and I do not feel guilty since I won't be taking any soon).

Got home and then took some popcorn and a Diet Coke for dinner. I just didn't feel like eating real food but was peckish. Logged everything on MFP but suspect I overestimated just to be safe.

Anyways, will resume tomorrow and add some more exercise to ensure a better loss at the next weigh in. I'm taking things one day at a time and keeping in mind that it is a lifestyle, and there will be days where life will make it impossible to follow plans to the letter. 

Today, I learnt that staying away from the carbs was a good option. Next time I may stay away from soda :).

Eating That Won't Make A Difference And Other Things I Have To Deal With....

Tomorrow will mark three weeks since I decided to put an end to this weight gaining exercise that has been the story of my life. It's been a great and surprisingly good experience so far. My plan is more focused on diet as that has always been the major problem. Exercising is on the light side, as I aim to do at least 20 minutes of some activity three times a week.

At the moment, I am trying to do Shaun T's Cize Dance Workout and boy.... that exercise is no joke. I was sweating by the eighth minute of the Crazy 8's. 

Anyways, back to the main issue that is the source of my rant on this, quite sunny afternoon. To all my weight loss blogging pals out there, I must give you kudos for managing to deal with all the weird s%$t  people say to you when they find out that you are eating clean and trying to lose weight. So far the ones I have had to deal with are:

1. "What harm will eating this do? It won't make a difference"

If it won't make a difference, then eat it yourself! It shouldn't bother anyone whether I decide to eat or not. For Pete's sake, a calorie will always be a calorie, whether it is a bite or a sip.

2. "Are you sure that will be enough to satisfy you?"

Seriously? Are you the one giving me grocery shopping money, or am I eating for you? Mtcheew! That question always drives me up the wall. Each time I'm having lunch at work, someone always has something to say about how small my portions are. My solution now is to use an opaque food flask that makes it impossible for anyone except me to see the quantity of food I am eating.

3. "If you lose weight, you won't look as pretty"

Yeah. I didn't realize that you those saying that valued beauty over being able to reduce the risk of developing hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Besides, how can people who have never seen you slim even know how you would look at a healthier weight? That is something I just can't seem to fathom. 

At the end of the day, I am doing this for me and me alone. They don't know how many nights I have cried when my favorite pair of jeans couldn't fit anymore because I gained 20 extra pounds or, the number of times I have had to stay away from church because all my church clothes couldn't fit anymore.

This journey to lose over 100lbs is definitely going to take at least a year, but I am prepared to take things a day at a time and focus on losing something every week. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Any of you out there with similar experiences? Feel free to comment and share them.

Cheers.

Weigh In

I previously mentioned that I had enlisted the help of a professional in my quest to shed the excess pounds. Well, so far so good. By God's grace I have been able to follow instructions and not cheat.

This morning I was at the dietitian's office for my weekly weigh in and the results were as follows:

Last Week's Weight: 254.8 lbs

This Week's Weight: 252.1 lbs

Yes! I lost 2.7 lbs, which is in line with my goal of losing 2 lbs every week. I have lost a total of 10.3 lbs in two weeks. I am not too surprised though, as I figured that my body wasn't used to the drastic change in diet, leading to a loss of over 7 lbs in the first week.

Anyways, meals weren't bad today. I think I have figured out how to enjoy good food in a healthier manner. For now I am not allowed to take snacks, since my meals are quite filling. My dietitian indicated that we could have the snack conversation when I have lost about 50 lbs :). Taking things one day at a time.

Deep breath.... I can do this through Christ who strengthens me.

I Finally Sought Help.

After months of trying and failing miserably to lose weight since my last weigh in, I finally sought the help of a professional. As I sat on my bed one night watching the Biggest Loser episodes I realized that my problem has always been with making the right food choices.

So, I enlisted the help of a pretty cool dietitian whose practice is thankfully, not too far from home. My first visit was pretty cool. Measurements and before photos were taken in addition to my weight.

Though it is going to cost me a pretty penny to do this, I decided to keep visiting that office till I reach my goal weight. Heck! I may even continue on maintenance.

Anyways, my dietitian gave me a meal plan to follow based on foods I love. What I love about this plan is that, though the portions look small, they are surprisingly able to keep you going to the next meal time. In order not to injure myself due to how heavy I am, I have decided not to start any serious exercises until I have lost at least 5-10kg. So far it seems like I will get there soon by God's grace.

Tomorrow will be my second weigh in since I started two weeks ago and I am looking forward to seeing a loss on the scale, as I have been a good soldier in this war against the bulge.

Wish me luck.

Weigh In : Week 1

So the first weigh in is already here. This week I was consistent with my workouts. I exercised from Monday to Saturday and I'm hoping to start the C25K on Tuesday since I will be working out indoors tomorrow. 

Alright, let's get to it.

Last week's weight was 118.4kg.

This week's weight is:

I lost 1.3kg. That's the equivalent of 2.86lbs. I'm just to keep on taking things one day at a time. I have 33 weeks left in 2016. I pray that God gives me the strength to exercise and eat right at least 6 days in each of those 33 weeks.

On meal prepping, I have sorted out my meals for the week, Chopped up my fruits and vegetables, Grilled some chicken breast and prepared jollof rice and kontonmire stew. This week's meals are going to include lots of rice and vegetables.

My plan is to eat healthier versions of the foods I love and not go eating entirely new things. This is a lifestyle change that I intend to keep doing so I will keep eating my rice, yam, plantain and potatoes in smaller quantities. 

So Far So Good.

It's been three days since I rebooted and I think my body is resetting its internal clock. Been doing well to take the right foods. I'm currently re-inventing my relationship with smoothies. Been enjoying them in different combos that include, spinach, beetroot, pineapple, oatmeal and low fat yogurt.

Spinach, pineapple, oatmeal and yoghurt smoothie

Beetroot, pineapple, oatmeal and yogurt smoothie

I've decided that breakfast will be mostly smoothies, oatmeal, muesli and oat flakes, as these usually keep me full till about 2pm in the afternoon. I'm yet to move onto brown rice :(, I can't stand the taste but we will get there.

Things are going well on the workout front too. Been burning 1000+ calories during my morning walks. I prefer going alone as this helps me move faster and there are usually no distractions. I pray God sees me through this and it yields in some positive results at the end of the day.

Today's burn

Yesterday's stats

I will keep doing this as I believe that God will help in the healing process that my body so desperately needs.

Reboot Begins.

So, I finally got serious and started my new regime yesterday. I even weighed in to make sure that the weekly weigh-ins happen.

My weight as at yesterday morning :(

Yesterday was quite a busy day. I went for a walk and burnt some calories. Luckily I was able to get another Garmin FR70 at a good price and that help me monitor how much I had burnt. Removed my HRM chest strap before remembering to take a picture.

I also did some meal prepping for the week. Made enough vegetable (cabbage, carrot and green pepper) and chicken luncheon meat stew to last for four days.

Paired portions with a cup of rice and a cup of wok noodles for lunch on Monday and Tuesday. Will also be making sandwiches with the cold cut turkey bacon and pita bread I bought. I also grilled some chicken breasts and chopped them up for my salads.

I intend to ensure that every meal I eat this week comes from my kitchen. Today I will complete my meal prepping exercise by getting some avocado, pineapples, mangoes and lettuce. Will share pictures with you as I go.

Let the week begin.

Ashamed.

I've been feeling really low recently. Stepped on the scale and realized that I was at my heaviest weight since 2009. A whopping 118kg! 

I'm not going to tell you that I didn't know how I missed the numbers slowly creeping up. For some reason, I was sure I would lose the weight amidst all the stress and late night eating.

This evening I saw the look of sadness in my father's eyes as he talked about my weight. See, I promised him that I would lose a significant amount of weight by the end of the year but have barely lost a kilogram.

Frankly, I'm disgusted at myself right now. 80% of my clothes don't fit and I've had enough of this embarrassing situation.

My new regime begins tomorrow. I have to make time for my health and lose these excess pounds.

Wish me luck and pray with and for me. I need all the help God can offer me.

You Reap What You Sow

Yes. That is exactly how I felt when I realized that most of my good clothes don't fit anymore. I guess that is what happens when your workout routine goes to hell and your eating patterns would make the dietitian cringe.

I have eaten so late these past couple of months that it came as no surprise when I found out that I have not only gained all the weight that I lost these last 5 years, but added a couple more kilograms.

If I needed any reason to get back on the saddle, I think this would be it. I can't afford to buy new clothes at the moment so something's gotta give. I have started monitoring every single thing that enters this mouth of mine.

My Garmin FR70 gave up the ghost last year and I think it is time to get a new one to help me in this quest of mine. I'm definitely going to be back here posting regularly, even if it kills me. Being accountable to you guys is what keeps me in check.

Wish me luck friends, I really need it.