Weight Watchers

This morning I was doing group training and someone asked how much I've lost. I said 28kgs. She said, "Wow, that's like half of you!" And then I realised... Shit she's right! I weigh double that amount. 

It's both a scary and wonderful thought. Wonderful because damn, I lost a lot of weight... and scary because, well, I was carrying all that baggage before.

The journey started when I decided to tag along with a friend to her Weight Watchers meeting. At the time I honestly didn't have any faith in myself - I thought I wouldn't even lose 5kgs. I took it slow, without expectations, and was pleasantly surprised with the results each week.

The beauty of the Weight Watchers eating plan is that everything is allowed. You want chocolate? Have it. Just do it in moderation and track what you eat. That being said, I've never been too strict about the eating plan. I took the lessons they taught me and applied it to my life.

Fast forward a year and a half... I'm still going to weigh-in every Monday afternoon. I like being accountable to someone - it's reassuring to know there's something to keep me in check. Every week we get a motivational hand-out, and every week I read it, grasp it, and try to apply it.

I'm not saying Weight Watchers is for everyone... For me, it was a way to come to terms with my eating habits. The program showed me how unhealthy my old habits were, how I could change them, and how I could live a life of eating well without restriction.

Old Habits

Sometimes I feel like I haven't learnt anything. I've lost almost 30kgs. I've changed my eating habits. I eat more veggies now. I eat seeded bread. I eat BEANS (13-year-old me would have shuddered at the thought) And yet... I still find myself making some of the bad decisions I've always done.

Today, after a big helping of dinner, I ate chocolate chips right out the box. Chocolate chips! It's not even a dessert! It's for baking damnit, not for stuffing in your face at hyper speed. To my knowledge there was no good reason for this shameful binge - I'm not upset, I didn't have a bad day, I don't think I was even craving sweets. It was just there and I had it.

Perhaps sometimes, when we're not vigilant, we fall back into our old habits. My old habit is being a Constant Craver and I just want to eat non-stop. There's something ridiculously familiar and comforting about that motion of hand-to-mouth. Then, once I've stopped, I get another familiar feeling - one of disappointment and shame. I get so mad at myself because, even though I've lost all this weight, I've still got this great big belly I'm trying to get rid of. They say abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym - well I've eaten the whole damn kitchen, now what?

As always, I think the only thing to do is pick yourself back up, shake off the dust (and cookie crumbs) and start over.

Every journey is different

A quick note about yesterday's post on Fitness Goals - remember that everyone's journey is different and some people take longer than others. About 10 years ago, my mom tried to make me attend Weigh Less. I probably lost max 3kg. I was not ready to change my lifestyle. I was not ready to change my eating habits. I was not ready to deal with my emotional issues. If someone is not willing to make changes to their life, nothing you say or do can change that.

I've accepted that my journey will take very long. The way I see it, I'm undoing 25 years of damage I've inflicted on my own body. I've accepted that the process will be long, but the important thing is to enjoy the process along the way.

PS: Look what my mom bought me! #BestMomEver

Fitness Goals

Yesterday I had my third fitness assessment and I am so so happy with the results. Some things haven't changed much - my arm size went from 11 inches to 10. Yup, still got those jiggly Oprah arms. However, some things have changed...

My body fat percentage went from 39.1 to 27.5. My resting heart rate went from 80 to 60. My water percentage went from 43.4 to 50.9. These are massive amazing changes that you can't see when you look at the exterior. Setting fitness goals has taught me that it's really not about the number on the scale or even the centimeters lost. It's about getting fitter, faster, stronger, and loving how it makes you feel.

Click the pic to expand

At my very first session 8 months ago, my trainer Daniella told me to set goals to work towards - goals that have absolutely nothing to do with the scale. Perhaps you want to fit into that dress you bought three years ago and never wore again. Perhaps you want to run a half marathon. Find something to work towards that doesn't involve you hopping on the scale every morning praying the numbers go down.

Fitness goals are about slow and steady progress. Getting stronger one day at a time.

Recipe: Healthier Mac & Cheese

I despise food wastage, so I try to use up all the leftovers in my fridge. The notion was probably burned into my psyche from childhood - don't you know there are starving children in Africa?!

This recipe was born from some leftover fat-free yogurt that was just begging to be used.

I know there is butter in this recipe. Before you start shunning the heathen... just know that I don't care what you think. Life is not worth living without a little bit of butter. I'll go low fat, but I'll never compromise on flavour :) I also LOVE garlic so I use a lot. You can reduce the amount for your recipe if you're not in the business of warding off vampires.

Healthier Mac & Cheese
Serves: 2 hungry people (or 3 regular humans)

Ingredients:

•  Half a packet of pasta
• 1 tbs butter
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Half a small onion, diced
• 2 tsp garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbs flour
• Half cup fat-free milk
• Half cup fat-free yogurt
• 1 cup mozzarella, grated
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper 
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. While the pasta is boiling, reserve about a quarter cup of the pasta water. 
2. When the pasta is cooked, drain and set aside.
3. Place the butter and olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion and cook over a medium heat, until the onions are soft and translucent.
4. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, stirring constantly so that it doesn't burn. 
5. Stir in the flour and cook for another minute.
6. Add the milk and bring to the boil. Add cayenne, salt, and pepper to the mixture (I use lots of cayenne because I like a bit of heat)
7. Once the mixture is getting a thicker consistency, take the pan off the heat and add the yogurt and cheese. 
8. Stir in the pasta and do a final taste test for seasoning. 
9. If the sauce is too globby, add a bit of the reserved pasta water to make it smoother and thinner. 

I had some cooked bacon in the fridge so I chopped it up and added it to the sauce. You could add any toppings you like - mushrooms, peppers, chicken... Enjoy!

FAQ: Personal Training

8 months ago, I started personal training. There are 3 general questions I get asked about it:

1. Aren't you scared of getting too muscular?
No! I'm not lifting 50kg over here! Okay okay, to be fair... before I did my research I had the same misconceptions about weight training. We've all seen those scary buff girls with fake boobs and a Donald Trump tan and assume we'll look like that too. The truth is, you use weight training to build lean muscle, to burn fat, and to tone. Ever seen those girls with the incredibly firm perky ass? => Weight training. Squats.

 

 

2. Are you still with her? Don't you know everything now?
I've been for training 6 months. Daniella has been training for nearly 10 years - it's impossible for me to know everything. What I love about Daniella is that we do something different every single week. That way, you don't get bored with the routine and you learn new techniques all the time. A lot of people have told me that their trainer didn't do much with them and made them do a lot of cardio. You need to speak to your trainer and tell them what you want to focus on, and which parts of your body you want to work. If you're still not happy then change your trainer. You need to train with someone who inspires you, someone who will gently push you, and ultimately help you reach your fitness goals.

3. Maybe I should get a personal trainer? I need someone to make me do stuff.
I'm sorry to tell you this, but no-one can make you do anything. You are totally in control of your decisions. Daniella advises that her clients do 3 days of cardio in addition to the weight training once a week. Who's going to make you do those 3 days of cardio? The best way to get yourself to the gym is to do the things you love. Personally, I fell in love with running. I also love the dance workout class and body combat. Find a workout that you love and actually want to do and you won't need anyone to force you to gym.

The Awkward Gym Diaries

It gets awkward when the old biddy next to you can shake her 70-year-old booty better than you.