lose 60 pounds

Once again, I’ve hit that point in a diet where I stop losing weight and just get so discouraged.

I got to that point and then realized that although my body was burning fat, it would only lose so much until it stopped because I wasn’t living as healthily as I should have, and therefore certain things in my lifestyle needed to change in order for me to reach my optimum health. Namely, sleeping patterns and overall daily exertions and water intake, as well as meal portions.

Sleeping patterns: I either deprived myself of sleep by waking up too early/sleeping too late, which is very very bad for the health either way. The right amount of sleep does absolute wonders for health.

Daily exertions: I realized that although I exercised very well every day, the only time in the day when I actually exerted myself was during my trips to the gym, which defeats the purpose really, it’s supposed to bring my overall energy level up so I can burn more calories altogether even when I’m not in the gym!

Water intake: no need to really deliberate on that, its the golden rule in any diet, which I’ve started to neglect.

Meal portions: I’m starting to fall into the large portions fewer times a day trap rather than the small portions more times a day thing. This needs to change as well.

Although I haven’t gained any of the weight I lost – which if I’m being optimistic is much better than just gaining but not as good as at least losing slowly and steadily – I can do so much better.

No more gym for three weeks as I’m going to be going on holiday for three weeks. But in cool European countries like the places I’ll be headed to (Switzerland, Austria and Germany), I predict lots and lots of walking! Hopefully that will take care of my exercise requirements, so what I need to work on is water intake and healthy meals!!!

PS: Anyone at a loss for how to remove fast food cravings from your life, just watch Fast Food Nation. Although I read the book, it’s the movie that did it for me. Not one single craving since then. Watch this movie people!!! I’m seriously contemplating vegetarianism atm because of it!

I weighed myself today knowing and understanding full well that the number would be higher than last night – and right enough, I had gained around 3 pounds.
I knew that I was retaining water, as I always do around this time of the month, and yet when I saw it I got SO angry! That’s all water? 3 pounds of my blood and sweat and EFFORT and giving a damn!
So I, for no good reason, went wild today and ate this massive burger for lunch at the restaurant right in front of my GYM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn’t have the fries and no mayo at least, but that pales in comparison to all that red meat and OIL, and WHITE CARBS!

And then, as if to comfort myself for being so bad, I went out with some friends later on, and ordered a slice of chocolate cake instead of dinner, and a shirley temple… what on earth?!!!

I understand the need for meat at a time like this, but really, I should have stopped at the burger!

This is a real setback!!!! Ok, today was a bad day – a very bad day – in terms of my diet, but I’m not going to make it worse by giving up, which I usually do at this point. I’m going to just continue the way I was before this dreaded day, and try to right the wrongs I stupidly made today!!!!!!!!

After the elation of having shed those pounds, I feel slightly lost. Like, now what? I thought about it, and realized that I have almost three-quarters of the way to do, so all this sense of achievement suddenly felt highly misplaced. I had this sinking feeling that my body has been co-operating so well up till now, that my luck had to run out eventually.

I went to the gym, and noticed that on my usual half hour on the elliptical machine, it took almost ten minutes to get my heart rate to its highest, and even then it was like 5 bpm lower than usual! AND it took me at least 15 minutes to actually break a sweat. Also in my cooldown, it took around 4 minutes to get my heart rate under 150, whereas before it would take around 7. The muscles in my legs no longer ached crazily as well. This was all a good sign, which means that now I’m going to have to step up my intensity.

STILL… I have a plateau-phobia. No matter what happens, I do NOT want my weight to stop at one point. It’s SO FRUSTRATING when that happens, especially when you put in tons of effort.
Next weighing session: Saturday… fingers crossed!

Man, those 3 days felt like three years!!!
Yesterday I decided to make the mose out of my liquid diet and overdid the workout, I think I did a bit too much, because when I got back home and had myself a small bowl of nice hot spinach and chicken broth, half an hour later, it came right back out! I felt really weak, and it must have been because of the intense exercise add to that the fact that I gulped down the broth with lightning speed.
After that, though, I had myself some apple and cinammon tea, which did wonders for calming my nerves, and a good deal later made a second attempt at just a little bit more broth.

ANYWAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Point is, I was literally counting the minutes until I could weigh myself again, and finally this morning, I went and discovered the results of all that effort!
I’m officially 4.4 pounds lighter than I was the day before!!!!

Today, though, I’m back to normal dieting. I just had some of the most amazing meat… yummmmm…. with some potato and just a handful of rice, it’s probably the most delicious meal I’ve had in my life!! Or seems that way at least lol!

Total weight loss: 17.6 pounds
Weight left to lose: 42.4 pounds

Ok, day 2 officially over and done with!
This day was a bit harder than the one before – I couldn’t do as much as I did yesterday at the gym, so my trainer just stuck me with strength training most of the time, but I tried to make the most of it.
I got more frequent hunger pangs as well, but the thing that boggles my mind is they’re not the same cravings that used to result in me bingeing on junk like crazy! As a result… I could totally resist it! Or maybe they were the same cravings but.. (I’m almost afraid to say it), I’m actually acquiring motivation and willpower????? How unlike me!
Still, I think my body is retaining a lot of the liquid I drink as the Time of the Month is drawing near. In relation to that, my cravings are trivial, because I used to be consumed with the need to devour chocolate and pizza or chips and ice cream (it’s always those two combinations I don’t know why!).

I’ve been drinking a cup of hot water with lemon juice squeezed into it. I can totally feel it working it’s magic in my stomach!!! It’s supposed to be really cleansing and good for the skin too.

Perk! I put on my favorite jeans that I bought in uni (UK size 18) and guess what? they were loose!!! I actually needed to keep the belt on!!! Big difference from before when it was really tight on me and created unsightly lovehandles!

Tomorrow is my weigh-in… I’m really nervous! I wonder if this will actually result in a loss in weight – fingers crossed!!

Day 1 is now over… it was a lot LOT easier than I anticipated. If someone told me a couple of months ago that all I could eat was chicken and spinach broth with fresh juices and water, I would run 100 miles in the other direction!

Yesterday was also my first day in the gym (this time around at least!). I heard somewhere that if your body gets too used to an exercise you burn around 25% less calories! I needed a change from my usual treadmill.

I’m really happy though because although I went to try other machines, I did use their treadmill, and even was able to jog for around 20 minutes! I was never able to before because it really took a toll on my knees, but now I could easily have done another 20 minutes… of course the reason I slowed it down was because I was out of breath, NOT because my knees hurt!!!
Yesterday, I drank water like craaaaazy, easily 2.5-3.0 litres, two glasses of fresh pineapple juice, some cranberry juice, and i started to eat a bowl of chicken and spinach broth but found that half the bowl made me full!

No lethargy, no cravings (NONE!! imagine that!), no bad moods… damn, I’ve probably gone and jinxed myself!

Ok, so it’s been a week since my last weigh-in, and although I promised myself I wouldn’t weigh myself again until a week from today, I felt like I was hitting a bit of a plateau!

Since I started my diet, this has been my intake routine: lots of veg, steamed, raw, boiled or roasted, a serving of fish or chicken, sometimes some meat, mostly roasted or grilled. and cottage cheese!! I love cottage cheese, which is really a blessing that I actually enjoy something healthy, otherwise this diet would be HELL for me. Another treat I allowed myself was one can of diet soda a day (if you knew me you would know that that is a BIG cutback). And of course a minimum of 30-60 minutes of exercise per day.

Well, despite the fact that I’m eating right and exercising right, I can actually feel my metabolism slowing down. My body is getting used to this routine, and so it needs a change!! Also I’ve been feeling a little icky and slow lately, so I thought the best solution was: detox! 3-day fast, with only liquids to be consumed: fresh juices made right at home, veg soups and chicken broths… oh well it’s only gonna be three days!!!

Since I’m starting this up, I want to keep a record of how much weight I lose during the detox, so you see, I HAD to weigh in!!!

I did so today, and I had lost in one week… FOUR more pounds!

It feels amazing! I was freaked out that maybe I didn’t lose anything, but I did which is just too cool!

Total weight loss: 13 pounds
Weight left to lose: 47 pounds

Wish me luck, and you guys keep it up too!!

My first year at uni really really did a number on me. A year before that, though, I was at my lowest ever weight and felt amazing, although I still had a way to go. By the time I got back for my summer break, over two years I had gained over 40 pounds. It’s been a stressful couple of years, dealing with the death of a loved one, and many drastic changes.

So when I got back home and my mom saw me she was like, that’s it, it’s time for some TOUGH LOVE! I love my mom hahaa – she got me started. I stayed home for the first three or four days, because I was jetlagged and exhausted, but then I realized that the tiredness wasnt from the travel – it was from the change in diet!! I felt crap but that meant it was working!!!

After that I went to dubai for 4 or 5 days, and I noticed myself having many cravings. I didn’t act on them, though, which is a FIRST for me. Still, I’m so used to failing at diets that even though my family was telling me that I looked better, I was certain that I hadn’t lost anything, or possibly even gained!

So when I got back home, I couldn’t take the suspense anymore and went to the health clinic nearby to weigh myself (i only ever trust that scale lol) and lo and behold…. i lost NINE POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was in such a state of shock! Not eating crap and exercising daily actually does work!!!!

So… up to now total weight loss: 9 pounds
Weight left to lose: 51 pounds

my next weigh in is in 10 days, I hope it goes as well!!!