One Month Later...

At the beginning of this blog I told you I am no expert, I am just sharing my own experience. I remind you of it now as I failed catastrophically in my diet the past few weeks. I had dinners with friends, my father's birthday, my birthday...AND my engagement!
So yes all happy occassions and very happy news, but my behind beggs to differ. And the worst part is, I am too happy to care.

So here's advice number one for weight loss; don't get engaged. Or have birthdays. Or have a social life. Basically you need to be alone and miserable to lose weight. Obviously I am not going to make myself alone and miserable to lose weight, so I will just have to get back into a healthy daily rythm.

In all fairness, the damage is not so bad. I broke all the rules; I've drunk alcohol, eaten big meals, eaten late, eaten sugary things between meals, you name it. This lasted for about 2 weeks (possibly 3, I lost count in my sugary haze). I was away for a weekend and was not able to do any sports, but I did get back into in when I came back, even if it was a bit less than before. Despite all this, I gained only 1.8 kg. I find that acceptable.

However, as the weather is getting warming and beach season is approaching, I want to lose those last 2 kg as well as exercise more to have a firmer body, so I will need to pay a bit more attention.

I think this is some of the best advice I can give those of you looking to lose weight; you're human. You're going to be less than perfect, and that's ok. Don't beat yourself up for every piece of chocolate you had, or do 4 hours at the gym because you overate or forgot to do your exercise yesterday. This will only lead you back on the track to gaining weight. I think most of us who are struggling to lose weight are emotional eaters. I certainly am. And I can tell you that this guilt tripping and compensating and pressuring only made me feel worse and want to eat more. Because that's what I do, I eat when I feel bad.

So take it easy on yourself. Instead of beating yourself up over that piece of cake you had or the fact that you lost only a few grams this week, focus on the fact that you are losing, even when you think it is not enough. Not only that, but you are taking care of yourself and creating a healthier lifestyle for yourself. When I first started eating healthier, it was difficult to go with so little sugar (hence the high amount of fruit in my diet). At first I felt energyless and depraved. But after a while you start feeling the opposite - you feel more energized because you are taking better care of your body.

I'll be honest, those 2 extra kilos are bothering me. But in the end it doesn't matter as I am feeling more energetic than ever and more confident in my own skin. On top of that, my weight is now steady between 61-62 kg which is ca. 7-8 kg lower than my starting weight. And it is stable enough to go crazy every once in a while and break all the rules. All in all, a successful journey in my eyes.

The Final Push Round 2 Day 1 of Diet - 4 kg in 2 Weeks

After the holidays we all gain a little weight. Who has the discipline to say no to those wonderful meals and snacks for the holiday season? Eating is also a social thing, and what other time to be social? Point is; I gained back one kilo.

Anyway my goal was to lose 3 more kilo so what harm in starting another diet? This time I have only 4 kg to lose. The only problem is that I will do a training for work on the 10th of February onwards and this will mean dinners in restaurants...not very diet-friendly. Therefore, I've decided I need to lose 4 kg before the 20th of January...wish me luck.

I therefore started strong today, with a protein bar and a slimming tea (not sure I believe in teas that promise to help you lose weight, but it's more like insurance) for breakfast and a small salad for lunch. Here's a tip; don't buy those prepares salads in nice individual boxes. Those are usually overprices, less fresh and come with fatty dressings. I just get a bag of pre-cut salad at my local convenient store and prepare my salad at work. I either prepare a super-light vinaigrette consisting of lots of vinegar/lemon/lime juice and minimal olive oil with some spices, or buy a light dressing separately.

As the salad was very small, I also had a Activia yoghurt (I tried something new: you know the healthy drinkable yoghurt with vitamins) and I had some fruits ready for the afternoon as I hit the gym for an hour. I had a banana and a mandarin or two ready to go. As I had so few calories, I could allow myself a bit more for dinner as I was starving after my workout.

My boyfriend cooked a while grain risotto with lentils which fills you up nicely at the end of the day. I absolutely had some pineapple as dessert (and before because I couldn't wait for dinner). All in all I am satisfied with my effort and I didn't suffer much. I didn't spend the day feeling hungry but kept well under my calorie budget.