Entourage

Since tomorrow is a public holiday, I'd like to give my update to you a day earlier. I'm into my 3rd week of the challenge now and I'm happy...no, relieved, that the number on the scale is down to 87.8 kg! That's a weight loss for this week of 1.2 kg, bringing my total weight loss to 2.85kg. I'm more or less on track with where I want to be and I can see the results, especially around my waist.

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This week, I had lots and lots of support. My long time friend suggested we jog around the stadium in our area and we've recruited a few more ladies to join us today. It's actually a brilliant idea: We complain that we don't get to see each other often enough and that work and personal commitments keep us too busy. This way, we're doing something constructive as well as spend time together...thanks Noby!

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Also, on Sunday, I had my own "Entourage" :) My nieces, Kareema aged 19 and Kaashifa aged 12, also showed their support by joining me on my weekly Emmerentia training sessions. Despite all the ups and downs during this session, I managed to finish 3.7km in 38 minutes 55 seconds. That is, 2minutes 30seconds less than my work out on 13/04/2009. As always, Faizel was there to hook me up to all his gadgets and cheer me on!

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Be safe and have a good vote tomorrow...till next week!

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PS: Don't forget to please sponsor my cause. Do it 4 Charity has a celeb fundraiser...to find out who it is, browse the Do it 4 Charity website a bit more after you've read my update.

Challenges over the Easter weekend.

Hi All,

I'm accountable for my actions and since I made my weight challenge public, I owe it to the people who support me an update. So, here I am, telling you about the challenges I faced over the Easter weekend.

First off, I want to congratulate everyone who took the challenge with me, and thank my friends and family for their ongoing support.

Over the Easter weekend I asked myself "How does one maintain a diet and still get involved in social events?" The answer I now know is with a strong will and a lot of determination, something which I lacked this weekend, but aspiring to achieve through the next few months.

To recap, last week I lost 1.85kg, which put me at a weight of 88.80 kg. This week however, I picked up a whole 200g! I'm back at 89.00 kg and feel like I have to start all over again. That's the thing about changing your lifestyle. It has to be one day at a time.

The whole weekend wasn't lost though - I started my training again on Sunday. We were out at Emmerentia Dam early on Sunday morning and went for what I thought was a gentle walk. However, I was nudged a bit to do a bit more (thank you Faizel), and I ended up doing a brisk walk and worked up a bit of a sweat. I did 3.7km in 40min 58sec.

I knew I had to "catch up" on exercise (especially since Craig's mantra is "Eat Less, Walk More"), so I decided to do it again on Monday morning. This time, I thought I could beat my previous time by jogging instead of walking. I thought I did pretty well, and according to the heart rate monitor that Faizel let me use, I was in the "fat burning zone" for most of the time. However, not being as fit as I should, my recovery times were longer for jogging and because I wanted to rest a bit more under the Wild Cherry tree (its tough), my times was a bit worse than on Sunday. I completed 3.7km in 41min 25sec.

Immediately after the jog I thought "What's the point?". But every little bit helps, even just taking a walk across the street to the shops makes a difference.

So the moral of today's update is: "Instead of giving yourself reasons why you can't, give yourself reasons why you can." If I can get out there, jog and try (eventually I'll succeed), so can you...

The First week.

So the first week has passed, I must admit it was mind over matter, or should that be snacker :) This week was so hard coz I had to resist the temptations of easter eggs, good food at my friend's wedding, Simba chips at work and chilli bites (okay, i had a few of those to soothe my cravings). After all of that, I still made it! I lost 1.85 kg in my first week...its still a long road ahead, and to those of you who are taking the challenge with me, keep strong.

Initial Response

The response to my call for support is overwhelming!  I aim to lose approximately 1kg per week. As per my dietician's advice, anything more than 1kg per week would be unhealthy.  I'll post my weight on a weekly basis to keep you all updated.
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