This is Hard!!

I'm struggling here. I keep falling off the wagon on Day 3. Can't tell if my hormones are working against me here. Resumed the gym after a two-week break today and the experience was a millimeter away from hell. I don't remember the last time I felt like I was gonna die. Finished my session feeling like I was going to puke on my personal trainer.

Anyhoo, I began visiting the dietitian just to keep me on track, since everything else seems to be backfiring on me.

I'm going to try again from tomorrow and this time I'm not going to stop till I get the prize.

Maintenance is Hard.

Yes. Maintaining the weight loss can be pretty daunting, especially when you've been 80lbs overweight for as long as you can remember. Sometimes, fear grips you when you see the scale moving in an upward direction even after a relaxing day out with friends. 

Sometimes, I remind myself that a day off will not bring me back to square one if I do the right thing 99% of the time and exercise like I'm supposed to do.

That being said, my weight is still hovering between 75kg and 80kg. I'm my happiest at 78kg, but wouldn't mind going down to 74kg or lower. The current plan is to come down to 74kg, and then decide what to do next.

It does feel good to not be obese. 

Day 149

I still can't believe I have been on this diet for over 21 weeks. It's been one heck of a ride these last five months with each week being filled with extreme joy as I watched the number on the scale go down each time I stepped on. I remember the day I fit into a pair of UK 14 jeans. Oh my! There were tears in my eyes as I screamed "they actually fit."

To say it was so easy would not be entirely true. There are times I miss eating my favorites like grilled chicken, salmon and the likes. I however console myself with the fact that I would be able to eat these in moderation if I do what's right and lose all the weight. 

It feels good to finally get clothes that fit every time I enter a shop. I'm even scared that I may end up spending too much on clothes now 😍😍, but I'd rather do that than spend on medication as a result of me being obese.

At the moment I weigh 84.8kg, the lowest I have ever been in over 17 years. My first goal is to get to 80kg, and then slowly move to 70kg as I progress through Steps 2 to Step 5. I ultimately want to weigh at least 64kg to be in the normal BMI range, but I also want that to happen at a much slower rate than what I have now.

I'm just so grateful to the Lord that I finally found a plan that worked for me and helped me lose over 30kg in 5 months.

I can't to see what the rest of the year will bring but I'm so happy!!!

100th Day on Cambridge Weight Plan

Wow! Now I know why procrastinating can lead to a wasted year. When I started the program on the 13th of March, my motto was to take things a day at a time. That strategy worked! I have managed to do 12 weeks on Step 1, a week on Step 2 and then go back to Step 1. Determination absolutely leads to success. All we need is to just put in the effort and trust the process.

Today is exactly 100 days since I started the Cambridge Weight Plan. I still maintain that it is the easiest diet I have ever done in my entire life. Seeing the numbers drop consistently was enough motivation to just keep going. I have lost almost 50 lbs in 100 days and I feel more confident and healthy. My blood pressure which was always hovering around 130/90 or 120/80 is now at 100/70.

I have started taking swimming lessons and exercising is so much more fun than it ever used to be. A number of people hear about the diet and think it isn't realistic and try to discourage me, but I never budge. They weren't there when I had to buy new clothes every single month because the old ones wouldn't fit. Neither were they around when I would wake up choking for air in the middle of the night.

The program in my opinion is realistic as it helps you change your relationship with food whilst training you on portion control through the Steps program. So you start with just the products, and begin to introduce normal food as you lose the weight and incorporate exercise into your routine.

I'm so happy and can't wait to see what happens by the end of 2018, as I have dedicated this year to ensuring that I enter 2019 as a healthy, non-obese gal.

Here's to another 100 days by God's grace.

Days 13-21

Hey. So it's been a minute since I last posted. Work has been crazy and tiring, hence my inability to keep up with the daily posting. Thankfully, I'm back so let's get this narrative going, shall we?

I stayed on plan and lost 3.8lbs in the Week 2 Weigh In.

Week 3 was a breeze and I lost 3.1lbs at the weigh in, bring me to a total of 15lbs lost in three weeks. I'm chuffed with that!

Can't wait to see what Week 4 brings.

22 days down, 62 to go!

Day 6

What a day! I resumed work today and had to deal with a flood of aromas every single time I needed to head to the water dispenser.It was okay though, as I know why I'm doing this diet in the first place.

Had a cappuccino shake for breakfast, that was really good. Lunch was a vanilla shake, followed by rice pudding for dinner.

Everything was going pretty well, till I suddenly started feeling pretty tired. I did a lot of work-related walking today, plus the numerous trips to the bathroom. Perhaps that was the cause.

Water intake was great too. I did the 4L and then some.

I'm a bit nervous about my weigh in. TOm has a funny way of messing things up. Fingers crossed though, as it is in two days.

Day 6 down, 78 to go.

Day 4 - Getting A Hang Of This

Hey guys. Hope y'all are having a great weekend. So this morning the lady who does the laundry came in and set a giant bowl of rice and kontonmire stew right close to where I was working. I muttered a silent curse and got on with it. Like I said to a friend at the start of this journey, I have eaten every single thing I could possibly crave for so I can give them up for a year if I have to.

This morning I tried the Original Porridge for the first time. It tasted really good and got me remembering my childhood, when we would be given a steaming, creamy bowl of Quaker Oats 

before heading out to church. 

I think I mentioned before that I really liked the rice pudding, so much that I asked for more from my consultant. Picked up my stash for the week and realized that it included an apple and strawberry yogurt bar. It was quite chewy but nice.

This coming week I get to try the Apple and Cinnamon porridge, Chocolate Mint Shake, Toffee and Walnut Shake and the Cappuccino shake. 

I know it's only Day 4 but I'm really nervous about my weigh in. I feel lighter but I would great if I could get out of the 110s. Fingers crossed.

Day 3

Today has been a really good day, aside the fact that I woke up with saliva in my mouth, which was accompanied by a strange taste. Weird, as this only happens when I'm down with Malaria. Told my consultant about it and she mentioned that my body was probably reacting to the change in diet.

I had the vanilla rice pudding for breakfast and the lactose free vanilla shake for lunch. I love the rice pudding so much that I'm gonna have that again for dinner. At the moment I don't have any other savory meal options though Cambridge has a few such as the Spicy Couscous, Macaroni and Cheese, etc. 

I tried the Couscous for dinner last night and, honestly I'm not sure I liked it. I mean, I managed to eat it but I probably will eat less of it in the days to come. 

Tomorrow I get to meet my consultant to pick up supplies for next week as I will be at work and won't be able to pick them up when my supplies for Week 1 run out on Tuesday. 

Still drinking my water though. Almost finished my 3rd bottle for the day. One more to go and I will have hit my 4L goal for the day.

3 days down, 81 to go.

Cheers.

Has It Been 5 Months?

Wow! Time sure does fly. I didn't realize how long it's been since I last put up a post. Oh well, better late than never, right?

So, I guess this is where I tell you that the weight loss thing has been a breeze,  I've lost a gazillion pounds and can finally fit into those size 12 jeans. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to disappoint y'all today.

I'm currently sitting at 230.78 lbs after going through a cycle of 1 lb gains and losses over the last couple of months. Before you even mention the P word, let me stop you right there. It can't be, Not so soon. Or can it happen after a 30-something pound loss? I refuse to believe it.

Anyways, in the quest to lose the extra 30lbs and hopefully more before December, my dietitian has modified my plan, AGAIN! Now I eat fruit for breakfast, limited carbs for lunch and soups for dinner, with adequate amounts of protein of course. For someone who loves her rice, this has been tough, but I get better with each day.

Well folks, that's what I've been up to in a nutshell. I will try to post updates frequently.

Have a lovely weekend.

Till next time.

XOXO.

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.

Starting on a Good Note....

So, I woke up at 4:30am this morning determined to continue my exercise challenge for the year. I'm proud to say that I was able to do 60 minutes on the elliptical. Yayy!

Now, TOM has been very bad to me so I took a pineapple/yoghurt smoothie with a very spicy pastry :(. I know I shouldn't be taking pastry but I promised to burn that extra 300 calories tonight; through exercise or skipping dinner.

Will post pictures of lunch later...

Cheerio!

Getting Back To Where I Left Off....

After a year of working at a fun but most often stressful job, eating junk at late hours and gaining back kilos that I'm ashamed to write here, I figured it was time I got extra serious about dropping this weight once and for all.

My approach this year is quite simple. Moderation. The key word here is to have whatever I want, as long as I am eating in moderation and making the amount of calories I'm entitled to daily.

I'm exercising too. I do walks and the elliptical as much as I can. Eventually, I will be at a steady pace of exercising on a daily basis too.

I got a Fitbit Flex which has been aiding me with increasing my movement throughout the day. Will share that in another post.

Wish me luck as we try to kick the weight off this year.

Cheers.

I Feel Like A Failure.

I have not been posting as I should, and I have not been exercising as much either. My eating patterns are so poor that you would be disappointed in me If I gave details. The last few months have been stressful in many aspects. Unfortunately, my exercise and diet regime suffered as a result. It's a wonder that I haven't gained so much weight. 

Thankfully, I am stopping myself RIGHT NOW, before things go way out of hand. Under normal circumstances I would immediately post my weight but since I want to start a new week with measurements, I will post my details on Sunday. My plan is to go on a detox for three days to reboot my system. So much junk has been going down these fast few months and my system needs a thorough cleanse.

To those that I've disappointed, I'm so sorry. Not only do I want to lose weight, I want to be a motivator to you; my friends. I promise to try harder to stay on track.

Here's to better days. Bless you all.

Cheers.

I'm Still Here

Sorry I've been MIA for a while. Life has been crazy. Will get back to posting regularly from tomorrow.

Cheers guys and gals.

September Squat Challenge...

I started the squat challenge yesterday with 50 squats and I must say that my heart was beating like crazy after I was done. I try as much as possible to do these workouts in the mornings because knowing the kind of person I am, the probability of me not working out later in the day is quite on the high side.

Anyways, this morning I did the 55 squats that Day 2 requires. I'm feeling really good about this. I hope that I notice some changes in my thighs by the end of this challenge. 

On other matters, I am still journaling at MyFitnessPal (user name ameryati for anyone who wants to add me). I think it's become a habit now :).

18 Days Later.......

It's been 18 days since I rebooted my exercise and diet habits (Clapping and dancing). I must admit that it hasn't been a total breeze. In the last few months I've realized that I'm more committed to a morning workout   rather than an evening one. This therefore means that I have to get up at 3:30am everyday in order to leave for my morning jog at 4am. Thankfully, my body clock has gotten used to it so waking up is not a problem.

So, I try to jog/brisk walk everyday. On days that I don't feel like it I just climb onto the elliptical in my bedroom and pedal away. To anyone who likes to have time alone to themselves, let me suggest this; workout! It really helps you organize your thoughts.

On the food front things have been good. I've been journaling regularly on MyFitnessPal and that has really helped me stay within my calorie limits. I've also changed my dinner habits since I go to bed early to get enough sleep before 3am. Instead of having a heavy supper, I take fruits or cereal (Who knew this would ever happen?). Now, lunch is when I get to eat whatever I want, as long as it is within my limits.

These habits must be working because I weighed in at 216.3lbs on 3rd August and, this morning the scale read 209.8lbs, showing a loss of 6.5lbs in 2 and 1/2 weeks. 

A Good Week!

The previous week was a successful one as far as diet and exercise goes. Between last Sunday and today, I burnt 5,672 calories, according to my Garmin HRM. A good achievement, right? I think so too. I think using the HRM has helped me make careful choices when making food decisions. After burning all those calories, the last thing I want to do is go eating beyond the allotted 1,200 calories a day as prescribed.

Besides, like they say......

I sure as heck don't want to be doing all that hard work and messing it up because I can't seem to be disciplined enough to avoid that extra piece of cake or extra serving of rice. Thankfully, my hard work was rewarded. I saw a loss on the scale. I'm creating my workout plan for the week and will definitely share it with you guys as soon as I'm done.

How was your week? What are your plans for this week?

I Love My Garmin!

It's only been five days and I'm still getting a hang of all the functions but, as far as the basics go, I'm so in love!!! I must confess that having the heart rate monitor has changed the way I look at crappy food. Of course there are days when you just can't resist the cravings but, having this has really sent the "Weight loss is 80% diet" message home. 

I remember looking surprised when after a 6km walk I realised I had burnt 493 calories, Lol! I was actually expecting more. Then it suddenly dawned on me that I did not want to spend all this time working out only to be negating my progress by going beyond my 1200 calorie a day limit. So, I'm revisiting Myfitnesspal and logging in my food intake. Also, I'm going to try writing in a food diary too; tried so many times and failed :-(.

Wish me luck. I'm  hoping to hit Onederland and stay there by the end of this year.

Shaun T Rocks!!!

Dayum! I love that man! It's 4:39am and I have just finished doing Hip Hop Abs and I'm dripping in sweat. What I love about this workout is that you really don't realize that you've been working out for 30 minutes. How cool is that? 

This morning was the fat burning cardio workout and I must say, that even though the program is Hip Hop Abs I had an arms and legs workout too. Maybe not a full workout but generally with all those arm and leg moves, it was cardio for sure.  I had sweat was dripping down my back and it felt good. Will fill you in on the day's eats later.

Hope you all have a fun workout today! :-)