Jive for 5!

I broke through the 5kg mark, I am now at 85.4kg, and lost 0.9kg over the last week. I was alternating my meals and did a bit of work on my exercise ball (though I think I had more fun just bouncing on it).

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The most difficult part is to get myself to the gym or get ready for my jog but the results are sweeter than the sweetest koeksister...yes, I can say things now like chips, cake, cookies without craving for it all the time :)

Keep well all.

W

Mini Plateaus and Really Mini Triumphs

Hi All,
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So I've hit a "mini plateau", and only lost about 100g again this week. Seems I can't get away from the 80's. I'm now on 86.3 kg and really need to up my game (though its difficult to get myself to gym these days, especially when its so cold).
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I completed my first 400m "sprint" (if you can call it that) yesterday, without stopping to walk or rest. Though I started seeing spots when I tried to repeat my triumph second time around.
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I've also started doing some resistance training in conjunction with my cardio exercise. So despite the slow weight loss, I'm feeling better and looking better. In fact, I had noticed earlier this week that my stretch marks are disappearing...just imagine the stretch marks being an army of soldiers and an Army Sergeant shouting "Retreat men, pull back!!...Sir, Yes Sir!"
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Till next week.
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W

Slow Week

Its been a slow week for me. I lost only 100g. I tried my utmost best to stay on the straight and narrow, but the samoosas/chicken nuggets and sweet chilli sauce was too lekke at Shaahida's place :)
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I'm still trying to maintain my jog sessions on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and now at work, we've started walking during our lunchtimes. The irony of it all is that the more I excercise, the more I feel hungry. I wake up hungry and try to supress the pangs, but every time the tune of Lilly Allen's lyrics plays in my head - "And I am a weapon of massive consumption and its not my fault its how I'm programmed to function" (from The Fear).
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At least I'm not afraid to try again and again, even when there's negative progress, it brings me to one of my all time favourite star's lyrics (Aaliyah, may her soul rest in peace): "And if at first you don't succeed, Then dust yourself off and try again, try again". But, before I break out in song and dance (on the desks), let me sign off.
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W
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PS: Thank you to those who show their continuing support, I've "recruited" a few more people to walk with me and I think we're gonna have a blast at the Discovery Walk the Talk!

Gratitude

My apologies for not updating you last week, I was away on holiday.

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I was aiming for that 5kg mark this week, but alas! It has eluded me. To date, I have lost a total of 4.15 kg! Yes people, I'm down to 86.5kg! Its not as much as I'd hoped for but still something to celebrate, I celebrate the fact that I'm healthier (my blood pressure has decreased), I notice the difference in the mirror and I'm still feeling positive and having fun at the same time.

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This week, I'd like to take a page out of my Gratitude Journal (I'm a big Oprah Fan):

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I'd like to thank everyone who made my birthday special, all the phone calls/sms'es/birthday wishes, the appropriate gifts (all relevant to my cause), the donations (though some of you struggled to donate, I appreciate the gesture), and then to those who stopped me from eating too much chocolate cake :)

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Then, I'd like to thank my sister, Sharmilla, for being such a worthy opponent. There's this little thing called "Sibling Rivalry" between us, and it doesn't matter how fast I run, she just runs faster! Well done on beating me in the Cradle of Humankind Race! On Sunday, 03 May 2009, I managed to improve my time for the 10km race by 8 minutes (1h 49min to 1h 41min), but Sharmilla just managed to get in there before me.

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Also, a special thanks to Chaneen, who offered those words of encouragement during the race. Hope to see you at the next one!

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Have a beautiful week ahead, till next week.

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W

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.
W