Days 2 & 3 on the One2One Diet

 Hello there to anyone reading this. Today is Day 3 and so far things seem to be going okay. I'm grateful that I haven't felt any hunger pangs or headaches as is usually the case in the first few days. Hopefully this smooth sailing continues.

I've been having pretty much the same things so far; porridge, cappuccino shake, couscous, green pesto pasta and chicken tikka curry. Thankfully these are actually very nice so I haven't felt like I'm being punished; even though I must confess that the portions are literally what you'd serve babies.

That being said, I guess a girl has got to do what she's got to, right?

Day 3 down, 81 more to go.

Cheers.

Starting All Over With The Cambridge Weight Plan.

After deep thought and consideration, I've finally decided to try the Cambridge Weight Plan. I know a lot of people are going to ask why I won't just do the normal exercise and diet thing. Truth is I've done that and achieved minimal to moderate levels of success. I either lose till I'm halfway through to my goal weight and then give up when I hit a plateau.

After carefully reading about the plan and meeting with a CWP consultant, I started the program yesterday, 14th March 2018. For those that don't know much about the plan, you are basically replacing foods with meal replacement shakes, soups, smoothies and savoury meals. This program forces the body into fat burning mode, since there are no carbs available for the body to use as energy. The program which comes in various stages, allows you to discipline yourself with the Sole Source stage for about 12 weeks before introducing normal foods gradually into your diet.

To be honest, I was quite skeptical when I heard about the program, but that was until I saw someone I've always known to be big lose tons of weight on the program. That was my cue to try.

Today is Day 2 and so far it's been great. I won't lie and say I haven't resisted the urge to engage in mindless snacking ( I tend to like roasted maize and groundnuts in the afternoon), but with my goal in mind and the grace of the most high God, we shall overcome.

Starting weight is 253lbs and I hope to at least leave the 200s by June.

Let's see how this week goes.

For The Right Reasons

Yea I know; it's been a minute! It's interesting how we allow work and other aspects of our life to impede our quest to achieve a healthy goal weight.

I've been on a whirlwind of weight loss and weight gain since the beginning of the year. Even though I was seeing a dietitian at the time, I just kept yo-yoing all over the place.

I've had a number of people comment on my weight and frankly, it's beginning to get irritating. Perhaps it's because I don't believe they actually care but are only interested in saying what they know will hurt my feelings and hit a very tender nerve.

Nevertheless, I won't let this deter me from achieving my goals. I will keep pressing on towards the mark with the Lord as my helper.

Will keep this page more active with updates so check in from time to time.

Toodles pals.

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 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Dukan Diet

So I've been reading a lot about the Dukan diet and after weeks of deliberation I've decided to give it a go.

Basically this diet is split into four phases but right now I'm focusing on each phase as I go.

The first phase is the Attack Phase which lasts for 7-10 days. Here the main rule is to consume pure proteins and drink a lot of water, tea and diet soda (optional). Water is a very vital component of this process as it flushes out the toxins from the system.

The Attack Phase allows foods like skimmed milk, fat free yogurt, lean meats like chicken breast, lean pork and lean parts of red meat except sheep (have no idea why).

I've decided that it wouldn't hurt to give it a try so I've decided to do this from Monday, the 21st September 2015 and see how it goes.

So far I've been able to minimize my intake of white rice and bread. Seems to be yielding positive results as my weight has been much more stable.

Will keep you posted as I embark on this journey.

Any of you tried the Dukan diet? How did it work for you?

Keep me posted y'all.

Cheers.

Reboot.

I keep posting that I am going back to healthy eating and fail to do so. I'm not proud of it but I guess so much was going on in my life that I kind of put my weight loss endeavors at the end of my priority list. After looking deep within and reminding myself why I decided to lose weight in the first place, I decided to start over.

So I finally rebooted my system last week. By reboot I mean resumed healthy eating patterns. And after a few days I began to feel better about myself. I also started eating breakfast at home. I take Lipton tea with skimmed milk and, an omelet with loads of veggies plus two slices of wheat bread for breakfast. Not only does this keep me full, it also helps me avoid junk food such as the pastries that are sold a few blocks away from my workplace.

I sometimes take some fruit as a mid-morning snack. It is usually some pineapple or mango. This keeps me going till about 2-3pm when I take lunch; my heavy meal of the day. Now I hardly take much for supper. It is either some cereal or a glass of juice with a slice of wheat bread.

I have also started weighing my foods for accurate figures. I read somewhere that it helps with weight loss because you get to know exactly how many calories you are consuming, as compared to just measuring and eyeballing quantities. Though I use Myfitnesspal to log in my daily intake I may consider actually writing down what I eat with pen and paper soon. Oh well, let's wait and see.

So, this morning I weighed and realized that I was at 101.8kg. I weighed 103.2kg last Sunday, meaning that I have lost 1.4kg. Under normal circumstances I would rejoice, but I've been here before. All I want to do now is continue watching my food intake and see if I can get to at least 95kg by the end of the month.

I intend to start exercising regularly again. It's the rainy season here so I will have to work out indoors more often.

Today's Eats....

I realized that I hardly post food pics so I decided to give you guys a feel of what I eat. I'm on some medication today so I'm actually eating more than I usually do. Thank God I managed to exercise this morning to balance out my food.

Breakfast:

I never thought that I would be a fan of almond milk but, when I finally tried it with cereal I totally loved it. I use the unsweetened version which has 40 calories in each serving of 240ml. How awesome is that? It even has less calories than skimmed milk which is 80 calories per 250ml. I had it with Fit & Active Vanilla Almond cereal. Have any of you tried it? You should. Calorie-wise it is around the same value as Special K for a cup.

Breakfast: 343 calories (2 cups cereal + 300ml almond milk)

I almost forgot to show you how it looks out of the box. See the little almond pieces? I love cereal that has nuts and fruits (It is no wonder that I'm a huge fan of muesli ;)) 

Lunch:

My yummy lunch (Chicken breast, spaghetti and mixed vegetables)

I love stir-fries. I can eat any vegetable you put on my plate if it is stir-fried with the right spices. Today's lunch is a simple Chicken, mixed vegetable and spaghetti stir-fry. It had green beans, carrots, sweet corn, green peas and cabbage). Does that look like a lot of food? Guess what? That's 548 calories only.

Like I said, spices makes it possible for me to eat any vegetable. I however an careful not to do the sodium bit. See the main additions to the meal.

Spices + Olive oil cooking spray

 I still haven't decided on what I'm having for supper. It may be a sandwich with some tea or a smoothie.  

How about you folks? What are you eating today?

                                

Early Bird....

It's 4:55am and I just finished working out. Finished my schedule and decided to do an additional 10mins of Shaun T's Total Body Burn which is in the Hip Hop Abs program. Gosh! I'm dripping in sweat. I wish I had a big mirror in my room so I could see what I was doing. Even with the confidence I exude when doing the workout, I'm sure I look way different from those on the screen. Lol! 

I wasn't able to workout yesterday because my right eye hurt so bad and the last thing I could think of was exercise so, there goes my rest day. I'm going to have to exercise on Sunday.

Stepped on the scale this morning and let's just say, I've got tons of work to do if I want to hit my goal for the year. Really need to eat clean. Saw this on Pinterest and it really got to me. Why eat certain foods and punish yourself later?

 Guess my problem has always been dinner options. Any tips guys? Would love to read your suggestions.

Redeveloping Good Habits...

After the heartwarming discussion I had with my Dad concerning my weight loss efforts things have sort of fallen into place. My exercising has been consistent and I'm really paying attention to my food intake. I measure my food and make entries on Myfitnesspal. It really helps because I at least, have a fair idea of how many calories I'm taking in. 

I also started doing squats. Trust me when I say it's no joke. Doing overhead squats with the exercise ball helps me work my arms, back and thighs at the same time. I love that cos even with exercise I love to multitask ;-). 

My water intake has also increased significantly. It's not even noon and I've almost finished the 1.5L bottle of water sitting on my desk.

My desk is always a crazy mess; no matter how much I tidy it up.

And my veggies intake has increased significantly. In addition to the cabbage, lettuce and peppers, I've discovered these.

They consist of peas, carrots, green beans and sweetcorn. I use these because it is more affordable to buy  as compared to getting the individual components separately. I do plan on trying the oriental mix version too. 

I also decided to take it easy on the scale. I know I said I would post my weekly weigh ins before but, I don't want to discourage myself with a number. Imagine how crazy I would go if after all the hard work the scale doesn't budge. The muscle theory does not really stop me from feeling bad and I would hate to do that to myself. I may weigh in monthly but for now I would like to focus on the good habits I'm redeveloping.

In Love With Green Smoothies....

After reading so many articles on the health benefits of green smoothies, I decided to give it a go. Yesterday I passed by the vegetable market on my way home and got some spinach, beetroot, cucumber, pineapples and bananas for my little green smoothie experiment.

This morning's breakfast consisted of spinach, pineapple, banana and orange. Mmmmmm.... it was totally awesome!

This is enough proof that I enjoyed it, right? lol!

Recipe

1 cup of pineapple

1 cup of banana

1 handful of spinach

Juice squeezed from two medium-sized oranges

Blend the ingredients with ice in the blender, serve and enjoy. :-)

Weigh In No. 5, January Recap.....

January has been a great month. I exercised on 26 out of 31 days. Yayy! I also ate more vegetables than ever. I realized that my love for jogging has increased. There's no stopping me now. Even if the weight loss process is a slow one for me, I will persevere to the end.

Previous Weigh In: 207.5 lbs

Today's Weigh In: 207.9 lbs

Gain: 0.4 lbs

Am I surprised? No. Am I upset? No. I'm not surprised because the previous week was very stressful and I think I overdid the carbs a little bit. I'm glad that I did not gain a pound. That would have pissed me off. Lol! Not to worry though. Next week would be better. Besides, I have lost 5lbs in the month of January. That's an achievement for me. Here's to another 5lbs in February.

February, here we come!!!!!

Have a great week folks.

Brisk Walking WIth 3lb Dumbbells Is No Joke!

I'm telling you! It was quite a task but I loved it. Truth is, if I were to have been in the gym I would have dropped the damn thing after 10mins. Thankfully, that's the advantage of working out outdoors, you have no choice but to carry everything that left the house with you. So, I walked with my two 3lb dumbbells and climbed two hills with it. It felt good afterwards but one thing's for sure. I will stick to just walking on my own for a while. I don't think I'm ready for that combined cardio/weights exercise yet. 

On the food front things have been great. I've eaten more salads than I ever thought possible in less than a week. I hope that this shows on the scale at Monday's weigh in. :-)

Have a lovely weekend y'all and don't get carried away with the calories. :-)

Weigh In No. 2, Still Jogging...

The past week has been a very busy one. I resumed work after a well deserved two week vacation and things continued from where they paused before the break.

Have I mentioned that I'm still jogging? Well, I am! And I'm doing more jogs than walks as the days progress. I still think I can do better with my eating. Don't get me wrong, I am eating healthy. It's just that my supper options still worry me. Perhaps preparing meals ahead would solve the problem? Let's see what happens.

Anyways, let's get down to business. It's time to see if I've been doing something right.

Previous Weigh In: 210.5 lbs

Today's Weigh In: 208.3 lbs

Loss: 2.2 lbs

Enough said. I'm off to work.

2012 In Review.

The year has almost come to a close and I decided to review my year to see if I was really able to do any of the things I had set out to do. Did I lose weight? Did I change my eating habits? Well, let's find out.

Weight Loss

I set a goal to lose 50 pounds by this year. Unfortunately, I failed :-(. However, I realized that weight loss was a daily battle and that I would continue striving to be a better, fitter and healthier person.

Clothing

So, I was hoping to wear a UK size 14 by the end of the year. I managed to get to a size 16 for some clothes. I know it's not the same but I believe I have learnt  many lessons that will make me achieve this goal in 2013.

Exercise

I had a couple of exercise goals in 2013. And I was surprised that I was able to achieve some of them.

Complete the C25K program: I got to Week 8 and just froze. I don't even know why. After completing Week 7 I just couldn't motivate myself to continue. Will I try again in 2013? Definitely.

Walk a 10K on the treadmill or outdoors: I'm proud to say that I achieved this goal on the 9th of May 2012. It was a cool evening at the gym and it took me almost two hours to complete but, I did it and was so damn proud of myself.  

Run for 15 minutes straight: Check! Check! Check! Did this for the first time on  April 24, 2012. It felt so good. I, Enyonam, actually ran/jogged for that long without dying. lol!

Do at least one kind of exercise daily: Is there a half mark for this? I mean, I exercised at least three times a week most of the time. We'll be putting this goal up for 2013.

Do at least one type of ab exercise daily: Total fail! I'm not even going to try explaining why. 

Diet

Eat less fast food: I think I did better at this than last year. I can actually count the number of times I ate fast food this year as opposed to last year. I cooked more meals at home. 

Drink more water: Pass! I did drink more water this year. Made sure to consume at least three litres daily. There were days when I drank less because I took in fruits that contained lots of water but on the whole I think I passed this one. 

Eat more fruits and vegetables: Another pass! I took in more smoothies than anyone in my home. And before you attack, I made these smoothies with fresh fruits only. I had lots of salads and vegetable stir fries too. 

Eliminate deep fried foods for 6 months: Not sure about this one. I don't really eat a lot of fried foods but, I did eat chips at some point. I ate less of the fried foods but I can't say i did this for 6 months straight.

Drink more herbal teas and less processed drinks: Fail! I still drank Diet Coke. Reduced my frequency  of intake but still drank it. :-( And funny enough, I drank less herbal teas. 

I still ate white rice and refined carbs but, it was to a lesser extent as compared to 2011.

On the whole I can't say I'm happy with what I achieved but, I must admit that the year wasn't a total failure. There was a time when I would have taken advantage of the holidays and shoved everything in sight down my throat. Now, I actually exercised during the holidays and ate thoughtfully. I may not have lost 50lbs but I'm proud that I didn't gain more than what I weighed at the beginning of the year.

I'm off to set my goals for 2013. Don't be surprised to see a repeat of some of the listed goals since I'm not going to give up that easily.

Getting Better At This..

By this I mean keeping a journal. I have entered consistently since the 26th of November. Every bite, nibble or sip has been entered into my book. I'm glad I'm doing this because I can look back later and say I did this the right way.

On other matters, I am beginning to understand why so many people insist on a low carb diet for weight loss. Just eating right this past month has made it possible for me to drop a few pounds. It hasn't been easy but the journal has helped keep me accountable.When I overdo it, I make up for it in the next meal. I feel lighter this days. 

Exercise has been really good. I've been alternating between skipping and the elliptical so that my body doesn't get too familiar with one exercise. I'm even considering going back to my twice a day challenge where I exercise in the mornings and evenings. Maybe intense in the morning and then light in the evening. What do you guys think? 

This morning, I had to use a scarf to tighten my workout shorts and prevent them from falling as I skipped. I must be doing something right, right? I really want to hit Onederland so I can get myself this.

Yes, I'm a  huge fan of Armani Code. It's a bit high-priced in Ghana so I plan on spoiling myself once I hit Onederland. Perhaps a picture will help me work harder and be more disciplined. I'm ashamed to say that I have been so close to seeing 199 on the scale more than once. I don't know if it is a psychological thing that makes me self-sabotage. No more! I will get there this time.