It's Me Again.

 After what seems like eternity, I'm finally back. In the last four years I have tried and failed several times to lose weight. Instead, I just seemed to keep on adding more. For every 2-3kg lost I would end up gaining that and then some. To say I've moved through moods; from depression to despair and then defeat just wouldn't express what I've been through.

I've tried to act like I'm unperturbed by the development. After enjoying the peace of mind and good health that came with weight loss a few years ago. I now have to deal with constant feelings of lethargy and waist pain that only suppositories seem to get rid of. Enough! I'm literally tired of this weight and intend to do something about it.

I won't be standing on the scale or posting a starting weight till the beginning of February. However, we start afresh tomorrow.

The plan is to do the following:

1. Exercise for at least 30mins each day.

2. Eat less carbs.

3. Stay away from soda and juices

4. Eat more vegetables 

We start with baby steps and add on as we go.

I would say wish me luck but at this point I really just need to get off my lazy butt.

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 :).

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?

                                

Was August A Successful Month?

Most definitely! I'm really glad that I decided to reboot my weight loss efforts in August. The month was a good one as far as eating well and exercising were concerned. I lost 9.3lbs just because of the following:

• Exercise
• Healthy eating
• Journaling on Myfitnesspal
• Most importantly, God's grace

So, now that August is done. I have another goal for September; continue losing. I'm not going to set the number of pounds that I hope to lose. I'm just going to continue doing the right things. 

Oh and I'm thinking of trying this. Couldn't do it in August so I'm gonna try it this coming month.

Anyone want to join me?

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.

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.

December is Here.

November has come and gone. It was a great month for me. I joined a weight loss forum and logged in all my meals and exercises. I failed to journal for only two days but on the whole I believe I did great. Logging my food intake really made me watch what I was eating. I think it also motivated me to exercise regularly too. Seeing people journal Taebo, Leslie Sansone videos, Body Pump, Insanity etc. made me realize that if people are working harder to achieve their goals, so must I.

Anyways, I gave my tickers a reboot. I said I was not going to disclose my weight earlier till i reached 200lbs but, where is the accountability to you guys if you can't witness my losses and gains? So I've decided to continue the weekly weigh-ins even though I'm not 200lbs. :-) 

How many of you guys have heard about the Warrior Diet? The folks at the weight loss forum seem to be into it because most of them have lost crazy amounts of lbs by following the program. Apparently, you eat  little during the day and then eat (not overeat) your main meal for dinner. I tried it during the week and I must say it's not a bad regime. You get to eat fruits and vegetables in the day and then adequate amounts of carbs and proteins at night. I must confess that it does take a bit of discipline to ensure that you don't binge :-)

I'm hoping that if I follow my diet and exercise plans to the letter I would be able to reach Onederland by Christmas. I'm also thinking of getting a camera so that I can post more pictures here.

Here's to a great month. Cheers.

Journal Update...

So, I've actually been able to keep a journal since Monday. I entered everything I ate, my exercise and my thoughts. I also wrote down my impression of how the day went and the things that could be looked at. Below is my journal and the James Patterson book I'm currently reading.

Funny enough, the book I picked for this purpose has a picture of the Kung-Fu Panda on it. lol! I'm glad i'm chronicling my efforts. it would be good to sit back later and identify my habits that promote or prevent weight loss.