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.

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.

Sigh..... Here We Go Again...

So, after God knows how long, I've decided to get back on the wagon I totally fell off.

The plan, to start jogging again, even if it means going alone at 5am in the morning. I'm starting this tomorrow and will post regularly about my activities.

Here we go again. Hopefully this will be the last time I'm starting all over.

13 Down.... 39 to Go!

So, I was reviewing my weight loss for the year and I realized that though I have not achieved most of my goals set for the year, I seem to have made a bit of progress. I have lost 11.8lbs since January meaning, an average of 3.8lbs a month. 

Some of the habits that I have been able to maintain are:

• I drink a lot of water
• I eat more fruits and vegetables on a daily basis

I am still trying to avoid the refined carbs... not easy but, I try to take such foods at most ONCE a week. I have drastically reduced my intake of diet sodas - I only take those when out with friends or at the movies. My clothes are also loose. Yesterday, I wore a dress I haven't worn in 3 years to church. Oh yeah baby! That's a total NSV there. :-) 

So, I guess I have 39 weeks left to lose 38.2lbs if I'm going to meet my goal of losing 50lbs by December. I can do this. Oh yes! I can!

MIA...

Sorry for being MIA for a while. Last week was a busy one because of my graduation and work. I graduated with a Masters Degree on Saturday :-), and of course, I celebrated with lots of bad food and drinks. I did weigh in on Monday but was unable to post due to my busy schedule. I weighed in at 202.6lbs on Monday which meant a 0.8lb gain. 

I haven't been able to work out as much as I would like to because I have been experiencing a bit of pain in my chest. My doctor dad suggested that I lay off exercise for three days so they can find out the cause of my pain :-(.

I honestly hope that I do not gain any extra pounds because of this. Guess i just have to watch what goes into my mouth.

February Wrap Up

So, the month has come to an end and I decided to reflect on my doings this month.

• I exercised at least 5 times every week. 
• I started exercising during lunch break. Intense 45 minute workouts baby

The bad things

• I only did the twice a day workout 4 times. I'm so disappointed. However, there were days that I was just too exhausted to go in the evenings.
• I didn't watch my food intake. With the stress of my mini car crash on Valentines Day came more personal issues that had me drinking more juices and eating out more. Hopefully that would change in March.

I'm sure many people are wondering why I didn't post a weigh in on Monday. Thing is, I only remembered to weigh in after I had worked out at the gym. Now, that wouldn't be an accurate reading since the number would definitely go down after the kind of cardio session I had. I therefore decided that I would weigh in next Monday.

Oh! and after a long hiatus I've decided to continue with the C25K program. I stopped at Week 4 and I plan on continuing from where I left off. 

I'll Look In My Gym Bag Twice!!!

That was the mental note I made when I forgot to pack underwear on Monday. So, after finishing my workout and taking a refreshing shower I realized that I didn't pack panties. WTF! I actually cursed so loudly that I'm sure people were wondering what was going on with me. Thank God I drive.

I quietly put on my dress and, with no panties on, I walked out of the gym feeling that all eyes were on me and people could see what I had done. Embarrassing eh? Anyways, I drove as home as fast as I could.

Guess I will remember to look in my gym bag before heading off to the gym. Wonder what would happen if I left my bra. I shudder to even think of it, considering how stubborn the "twins' are. Lol!

Remembering the Past.

Last April, I put up a post on Facebook and my other blog about the love lives of the plus sized (or fat, whatever). It was an emotional post for me since I used myself as an example. Here is what I had to say.

THE PLUS SIZED GIRL + ROMANCE = A STRANGE MIX?

"I have, on numerous occasions seen the end of what seemed like, healthy growing relationships for one single reason... Wait for it... My weight! I’m sure many of you would begin to shake your heads in disagreement or even, try to find other reasons why those relationships never lasted.

I’ve never been a skinny girl. I’ve always had what the typical Ghanaian would call BODY. So, it saddens me to realise that guys that get involved with me actually envision a slimmer version of me and try to force me into being that “ideal” woman they fantasise about. The last guy I “fell” in love with would sometimes look at me and make snide remarks about how fat I was and how I needed to lose the extra flesh. And that was after I had lost some weight!

Oh! And there was this guy I had adored since secondary school who told me he had feelings for me via phone. The problem: He hadn’t seen me for years. And when we finally met? He just vanished into thin air after calling me to say that he was “still” interested me. Still? Was my look so repulsive that he had to use the word “still”? Geez... These among many other experiences got me asking myself, “is there a law of nature that forbids plus sized women to find real love”? I know you guys are going to reply by saying that there are men who find plus sized women attractive but, do you think women want a man who likes them because of their size or, one who likes them in spite of their size?

There were times in the past when I would cry myself to sleep and, not eat till my Dad practically begged me to stop the stupidity. You are beautiful, he said. All you need to do is exercise and eat right and you’d be a knockout. Then I would go out for a walk and the guys in the area would start calling me names like “Obolo”, “Obiggie” et al. I’m sure you know how that ended. The worst state of depression ever known to man... having a low self-esteem.

Today, people see me as the flirtatious and sexy plus size woman who has an overdose of confidence. If only they knew how much work it took to get there. A friend once said to me “Enyo, if you can love your flaws, people will follow suit”. That was my moment. I decided to fix what I could. First line of action, lose weight. And I did lose, 35 pounds to be exact. I still have more to lose but, I also love to look at myself in the mirror every morning and say “Damn girl, you’re one hot mama”.

I did digress a little but, I had to so my questions would make sense... So, like I asked, do you guys find the thought of dating a plus sized woman repulsive? Are u dating a plus sized woman? Would you put pressure on your woman to lose weight? Are you embarrassed to be seen with a plus sized lady in public?"

Looking back, I realize that it took a lot of hard work to build my self-esteem. I hated the fact that I was fat and hearing someone else say it made me feel even worse. I thank God that I was able to get up and do something about my weight. I may not be at my goal weight now but I weigh less than I did two years ago and I'm grateful for that. Here's to a year of more pounds falling off.

I Was Tagged!!! :-)

Yayy! I was delighted when Kate from Losing for Good tagged me. Thanks. Now, apparently there are some rules I must follow so, let's get down to business.

Here are the rules:
1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things yourself.
3. Answer the questions the tag­ger set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new ques­tions for the peo­ple you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them that you've tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tag­ging sec­tion about ‘you are tagged if you are read­ing this.’ blah blah blah, you actually have to tag 11 peeps!

So, let's start with 11 random things about myself.

1. I love to sing. I've been told I sound goood too. Thank God!
2. I love to cook and experiment with food
3. I am an excellent listener
4. I have a limited amount of patience when it comes to unnecessary stupidity.
5. I love movies and serials.
6. My first job was at a video store. I just loveeeed it!
7. The ability to forgive is my weakness and strength.
8. I have a thing for David Baldacci and Jackie Collins. Their books are absolute page-turners.
9.I can't stand people who waste unnecessary time at ATMs. It drives me nuts.
10. I had my first kiss at the age of 24, and I'm dating the guy I kissed.
11. The treadmill is my favorite exercise equipment to use in the gym. I use it almost everyday.

Now that I've told you 11 not-so-interesting things about myself, let's answer Kate's questions for me.

1) If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?

I would buy a house and a car. Then, I would invest the rest of the money to make more. It is after this that I would start thinking of more things I could do such as give to charity, etc.

2) If you had a sensory disability,would you rather be blind or deaf? Why?

I wouldn't chose any my dear. It's even depressing to think of having a sensory disability.

3) What's your favorite vegetable?

That would definitely be cabbage. I can eat it with everything.

4) How do you de-stress from your day?

A glass of wine and a good movie.

5) Do you believe in God(s)?

Absolutely! I believe in the Almighty God.

 6) If there was a fire and you had time to grab one thing from your life, what would it be?

My photo album. Too many precious memories that can't be recreated are in there.

7) What is one thing you love about yourself?

I love the fact that I am a forgiving person. I can't imagine holding grudges for a long time.

8) Who is your favorite musical artist and why?

That's hard! I have so many but for now I'll choose Joss Stone. She's got soul! Her music really helps me relax.

9) What is the most scared you've ever been?

When my thesis supervisor refused to look at my work because my department had switched him as my supervisor and only changed their minds when the other professor showed disinterest in my work. I thought I wasn't going to get a Master's Degree and started wailing like someone had died. It was horrifying. Thank God he changed his mind.

10) If you were a color of nail polish, what color would you be and why?

Cool Blue. It's such a calm colour that gives a serene atmosphere.

11) What is your ideal weather?

A cool day with no sun or rain.

Turns out that all the people I could have tagged have already been tagged :-(. Maybe next time.

Have a great Sunday.

Bulge Patrol!

I was just looking at some pictures that I took with friends yesterday. Everything was looking great till I came across a particular picture that horrified me. I could see my muffin top in the photo. Aarrrghhh! I always hide those very well. Anyways, seeing that made me realise that I've got a lot of work to do so I'm adding a few more goals to my goal list.

1. Do at least one type of ab exercise daily. I hate these eh.... :-)

2. Drink more herbal teas and less processed drinks. Yes, that includes diet coke.

3. Avoid highly refined carbs (pastries, polished white rice, white bread etc.)

Any other goals you want to share? What did you change in your diet and exercise patterns to ensure that you lose weight?

It's A New Dawn...

Let me start off by wishing every single one of you a Happy New Year. I'm sure we all have a list of things we want to do this year. In my previous post I stated my goals for the year.

I've also given my blog a new look. Hope you like it. :-)

Here's to a year of great achievements.

Two Are Better Than One!

After putting off jumping rope because the sports bra didn't seem to support the twins adequately, it finally hit me this morning when I realised that I didn't want to walk on the treadmill. Two sports bras!

I tried it and had a quick and fun filled jumping experience. 1000 jumps was a breeze and I intend to do the remaining this evening... I can't wait :-).

I hope to see some weight loss by the end of next week. I didn't do so good with exercising since my knees were affected by the bad weather (Dunno why). Hopefully jumping rope will solve that problem for me.

It's a new day and I'm feeling good...

Aching Pains and Loose Clothes...

Yesterday I decided to do weight training exercises in the morning and walk on the treadmill in the evening but things didn't turn out the way I planned.

First, I used the ab roller and then did some wall push ups, some tricep exercises and dumbbell sidebends. That went pretty well but, the evening workout wasn't pleasant. After 20 minutes on the treadmill I began to experience some pain in my right knee. I therefore had to quit my workout before I could get any serious calorie burning done. Aaaarrggghhh!

Then I woke up this morning feeling sore all over. Guess the weight training exercises did work some muscles. I could only do 20 minutes and really hope that I'm able to put the remaining 20-30 minutes in this evening.

Oh! and about the loose clothes. I guess I'd have to start shopping for new clothes much earlier than I expected. My friends at work have started telling me that my pants look too loose on me.  Yesterday I wore a pair of size 16 pants that I haven't been able to get into for months. I admit it was a bit tight at the waist but I was comfortable.  I seem to be losing more weight on my lower body than my upper body. It's scary but all the weight will go eventually so who cares....