Category: Health & Fitness

Enough is Enough

LagosMumLeave a comment

I’ve tried it all, haven’t I?

Clean 9, Cambridge Weight Plan, exercising (kind of) – and I ALWAYS fall off the wagon. Why?

My relationship with food is not a healthy one. I go through phases where I eat and eat – whatever I want, whenever I want. And I go through phases where I’m pretty good.

Lately, it’s been difficult. I told you about having the cafeteria right next to my classroom, right? Last month, I was feeling fat, like nothing fit me and like I couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it. I exercised a few times – but couldn’t walk for a few days afterwards as I’d overdone it a bit!

After my birthday (yes, I am now 39) I decided that I’d had enough of feeling like that and went to see a nutritionist and “fat loss expert”. People I know already “see” someone (“see” because she doesn’t live here – everything is done online). She tells them what to eat, how much of it and if they go out to eat, she tells them what they can and can’t eat from that particular restaurant. Friends told me to try it out, but, to be honest, I was scared. Scared that I’d be told I couldn’t eat particular things in my favorite restaurants, denied my favorite foods at home, etc. I didn’t want to feel as though I was missing out on anything.

I think I may have realized that drinking two Cokes every weekend, eating pizza every Sunday and having a chocolate brownie and/or French fries every day was not going to help me lose any weight, or make me feel better about myself. Therefore – nutritionist and fat loss expert.

So I met with her on a Saturday morning. She weighed me and measured my body fat, etc. We chatted for a while about the type of food I eat, my timings, etc. She then gave me a meal plan and told me to follow it for two weeks. It involves green juice, salad, a bit of chicken, fruit, spinach – all very healthy stuff. She also said I had to do an hour of cardio every day. An HOUR? Of CARDIO? That’s like the worst thing in the world – ever. Anyway, so I wasn’t happy about it, but I did it. So for two weeks, I followed the diet. I slipped up once – I will NEVER say no to apple crumble!

Then we were traveling last week – so I called her and told her I was worried that I’d undo all the good I’d done. She sent me a holiday plan. It was very doable. But I didn’t do it!! We were on the move all day, and making avocado smoothies just wasn’t possible. Having said that, I think I was pretty good. I mean, I ate – but I didn’t really overdo it.

We got back on Sunday and I started the clean eating again on Monday. I feel pretty good. I haven’t had a Coke or a chocolate brownie in 3.5 weeks!

Anyway, so this is something I’m hoping that I can stick to long-term.

Let’s see!

Starting Again

LagosMum3 Comments

As you already know, I’ve started teaching full-time again. And… I love it!

One of the things that I was looking forward to, was the fact that I’d be too busy to eat everything I could get my hands on!

Seriously – I’ve exercised five times in the last YEAR! Four times in August and once in September. And that’s it.

Every day I eat two boiled eggs for breakfast and I take food to school with me – a small box of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, a small box of carrot sticks, an apple and some chicken salad. It’s enough to see me through the day, right? Apparently not.

So I need the Crunchy Nut and the carrot sticks for while I’ve got my prep periods – you know, something to munch on while I’m grading or planning, or whatever. But that usually means that it’s all gone by 8.30 am.

Anyway, so just my luck – the cafeteria is right next door to my classroom. RIGHT NEXT DOOR.

Bistro 7 caters for the school. This is great for them. But not for me. Have you ever had their chocolate brownies? TO DIE FOR!

Anyway, so at 9.30 every morning, in to the cafeteria I go – whether I’m hungry or not and I have a chocolate brownie. It’s reached a point where the staff don’t even ask me what I want anymore – they just hand me the brownie and I hand them a N500 note. It’s also reached a point where my colleagues take the piss out of me!

But that’s not all. So I have the brownie. And then two hours later – during my lunch period, I have my chicken salad (it’s good – but it’s become boring). And then I’ll go back to the cafeteria and get French fries (they are SO good). JESUS CHRIST – WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? Again, the staff just know what I want!

Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if I had to walk down three floors to get there and then three more floors to go back to my classroom – but no. NEXT DOOR!

Needless to say, although I know I’m not doing myself any favours, I keep on eating. A couple of weeks ago I decided enough was enough and I didn’t want to keep eating the brownies and the fries. So I decided to go back on Cambridge Weight Plan. I did so well on it last year… But stuff kept getting in the way – dinners with friends at the weekend, drinks with colleagues on a Friday afternoon, brownies in the cafeteria next door…

I decided half-term was a perfect time to start. I wanted to go to the CWP centre on Friday to get all my shakes and soups sorted so I could start on Monday. But Friday was a half-day at school and a large glass of red wine with colleagues put a stop to that plan. So I decided to go on Saturday – but they close early on Saturdays and I couldn’t make it on time. So I went yesterday (Monday).

I walked into the centre and the lady there had to weigh me. And I’m ashamed to say that I’ve put on four (FOUR) kilos since April. WTAF? To be fair, I did go in the middle of the day – so maybe I’ve only put on 3?

Anyway, so I’ve started Cambridge Weight Plan again today. It should be relatively painless (yeah right) this week – but once I start back at school…

Oh well – let’s see!

I’m Doing It Again

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I’ve spent the last month or so indulging in a lot of food and drink that I’m not meant to. I’ve been exercising a bit – but not as much as I should have been. My sister introduced me to blogilates. I really enjoy those (short) workouts!
Anyway, so after all my indulgence, I’ve decided it’s time for a cleanse. So I started the Clean 9 again today. I won’t post updates as I’ve done in the past – there’s only so many times I can tell you that I’m hungry and that I ate stir-fry for dinner!
I’ll update you if I anything out of the ordinary happens!
Here’s to cleansing!
X

Weighting Around

LagosMum1 Comment

It’s been over a month since I’ve come off the Cambridge Weight Plan diet and I think I’m kind of doing ok.

Well, I’m trying not to put on what I’ve already lost! After coming off Cambridge, I definitely put on a kilo or two. I suppose you can’t go from five hundred or six hundred calories a day for three weeks to about a thousand calories a day and not expect to put any weight on. I think I put on one or two kilos.

The first couple of weeks were difficult as I was trying to control myself, but struggled a bit.

However, I think I’m managing quite well now.

The exercise isn’t going very well, but I’m being careful about what I eat.

Generally, my diet consists of boiled eggs, salad, mung salad, fruit, stir fried vegetables and a bit of chicken or chicken salad. No oil. No fat. And I’m trying to have any sugar. But that generally depends on where I am in my cycle! If we’re going out – then I eat what I like. If we’re going out several times in the week, I’m a bit careful about what I choose to eat.

In the past I’ve rarely thought about whether I’m making a good decision when it comes to choosing food off a menu – but I suppose I have to start now. Apparently the older you get, the harder it is to shift excess weight. Great.

Anyway, I’m going to try!

So… Here’s to the next ten kilos!

 

I’m Done. For Now.

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I’ve stopped the Cambridge Weight Plan. For now anyway. I’ve did it for three weeks and lost 6 kilos. Amazing, right? I should just continue. Right?

But I can’t. I think I’m going to take a break for a week or two and then go back on it. Why can’t I continue? To be perfectly honest, I just want to eat for a bit! Not eat as in completely binge. But just eat.

Also – it’s kind of expensive.

So this morning I didn’t know what to have for breakfast. I was also a bit too scared to eat! After three weeks on 500 – 600 calories a day, I didn’t want to go overboard! I was so busy rushing around in the morning, I didn’t remember that I hadn’t eaten.

I had a boiled egg for lunch. With plain spaghetti. Not mixed. I know it sounds gross – but I’m not fussy.

THEN… It was Booni’s birthday today. We had some friends come over for tea this afternoon and to cut his cake. And going overboard is what I did. I actually want to cry. The cake was just so delicious. Then there was all snacks and ‘small chop’.

And after that… Dinner.

UGH. I have to try and control myself!

Cambridge Weight Plan: Week 2 Weigh-In

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I just went to my nearest Cambridge Weight Plan Centre to have myself weighed and my measurements taken.

I told myself I wouldn’t weigh myself at home during the week, but somehow found myself hopping on and off the scales at random moments during the day (and night!). As usual, it was a mistake as the scales never wavered.

Anyway, so I went in and weighed myself.

Last week I lost 1.7 kilos. I was disappointed. BUT, when I thought about it again, I realised I’d lost 5 kilos over the last two weeks. That’s better!

So measurements and weight loss over the last two weeks:

Kilos lost: 5 kilos

Inches lost from:

Waist: 4.8 inches

Hips: 2 inches

Chest: 1 inch

Arms: None

Thighs: None

I was thoroughly pleased with myself. However, I was also a little surprised that nothing had come off my thighs. I can tell from the way my trousers and shorts fit that something must have come off. So I decided to measure them myself once I got home.

According to my own measurements, I’ve lost 2.5 inches from each thigh. Because of that, I thought I’d better do all the measurements myself!

So here they are…

Waist: 4.8 inches

Hips: 4 inches

Chest: 2.5 inches

Arms: None

Thighs: 2.5 inches (each thigh)

I wonder if I’ve done it incorrectly… Oh well – I’m going with it!

I think this will be my last week. I can’t hack the no eating thing any more. And… I kind of miss exercising (shock, horror).

Onwards and upwards!

 

Cambridge Weight Plan – The Second Week

LagosMum2 Comments

It’s getting harder.

The initial high of losing 3.3 kilos last week has worn off!

I went to see my consultant on Thursday to pay for next week (24th – 30th August) and I asked her when I could eat again. I have actually been dreaming about chicken!

She said that normally they more people onto the next step once they’re closer to their target weight. But since I’m not that close to my target weight, she recommended that I stay on step 1. However, if I really insisted, then they could move me up. BUT – then I’d have to be content with losing about one kilo a week rather than two or three.

Hmmmm…

I told her I’d stick to step 1 for now. She said she admired my spirit and motivation!

I have my weigh-in tomorrow and they’ll take my measurements. But I don’t think I’ll continue on the Cambridge Weight Plan after next week. I’ve become tired, grumpy and cranky. And it’s not really suiting my lifestyle.

My worry is – what will happen when I suddenly go from having about 550-600 calories a day to eating normally? How do I maintain what I’ve already lost?

I’m thinking of trying Slimming World.

Any opinions?

Cambridge Weight Plan – Week 1 Weigh-In

LagosMum2 Comments

I know I’ve been quite silent about my CWP diet over the last few days – but to be honest, all I’d have been writing about is how I want to eat. And eat. And eat. And never stop.

I’m not hungry – not always. But I just want to eat! I keep thinking about different kinds of food – pizza from Pizze Riah, steak from Talindos, kebabs from Spice Route, burgers at Bistro 7, popcorn in the cinema – and I wonder if I’ll ever get to eat any of them again.

I will, right? At some point? Someone please tell me?

Anyway, so I carried on with my shakes and soups. I’ve no issues with any of the soups – they all taste good. I just wish there was slightly more of it! When I first went in, the ladies told me I could swap flavours of anything I didn’t like after one week. I didn’t even try the strawberry or banana shakes. Or the chocolate orange for that matter. And I wasn’t too thrilled with the butterscotch or cappuccino flavours – so I switched them all for chocolate and vanilla. I know it will get boring fast, but I’d rather have something I like than something that will make me gag!

So today is one week since the diet started and I had to go in and get myself weighed.

I was a bit nervous about it for some reason. I didn’t feel like I’ve lost any weight.

They did my shake flavours swap and I stood on the scales.

I have lost…

3.3 kg

Hooray! They don’t take measurements until week 2, so I’ll have to wait for that.

Now another week of these soups and shakes and we’ll see what happens!

2.5kgs of fat v 2.5kgs of muscle
2.5 kg of fat and 2.5 kg of muscle

 

Cambridge Weight Plan – Day 3

LagosMum2 Comments

It’s getting a little more difficult to stick to the diet. I was feeling a bit peckish this afternoon and started to reach for the box of Lindors that are in my room. I remembered just in time that I’m not allowed to eat any!

I had the oriental chilli flavour soup for dinner last night – it was really good. I just wished there’d been more of it!

I had a mango shake for breakfast today – it was quite disgusting. And I had the oriental chilli flavour soup for lunch again today.

I was pretty busy with the children all day – so I didn’t have as much water as I should have had. In fact, I had a lot less than I was meant to. Oops.

I started feeling quite hungry in the afternoon, so I took a nap. It was wonderful!

And for dinner I had the chicken and mushroom soup. It was also quite good. It was hard though… LagosDad was having tandoori chicken and it smelt so amazing!

I have to say – I’m quite impressed with the soups. They’re quite tasty!

As tasty as they are, and as hungry as I’ve been – I don’t think I’ve lost any weight yet. I’ve decided I’m not going to weigh myself or take any measurements until I go into the centre on Monday.

I’d better have lost at least 3 kilos though!