After two weeks of the body challenge I’ve surprised myself with losing another 2 pounds!  Now I’m down to 145 and getting closer to my goal each week.

I worked out 5 days, including 2 days playing raquetball and one yoga class. Though for next week I will go back to no morning workout on Thursdays because I need that mid week break and just do an evening yoga class that day.
I did pretty well on my diet except for a couple of lunches — Mexican food is my weakness!  But overall I did pretty well last week.

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Andre Chaperon: By implementing any one of these two components, if done consistently, will result in weigh loss. Of course, if you practice BOTH, weight loss is guaranteed… simple, right?!

Bloody typical! That’s what happens when I make bold statements (LOL!)…

This week — for the first time since being in the UK (almost 7 years) — I managed to go to gym for 5 straight days (Mon - Fri)! Whoohoo!

Thing is, I weighed in at 0.2 KGs (0.44 lbs) heavier than last Friday. Methinks I’ve shocked my body into a state of panic. I don’t think its very happy with my new fitness program… and hence, this is it’s way of trying to get me to fail. Yeah, right

My DIET was also pretty good throughout the week. I never veered from the straight-and-narrow, once… other then last night {*blush*}. Anita and I had supper at the pub… a nice juicy cheese and bacon burger for me, with two pints of larger. Hehehe!

12 Week Goal: 72 KGs (158.4 lbs)
Week (Jan 11): 81.40 KGs (179.08 lbs)
Week (Jan 13): 80.10 KGs (176.22 lbs)
Week (Jan 20): 80.30 KGs (176.66 lbs)

Weight Loss This Week: +0.2 KGs (+0.44 lbs)
Total Weight Loss to Date: 1.1 KGs (2.42 lbs)

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LOL! I guess I should probably pre-qualify that statement, eh?

Loosing weight is made up to two components…

1. DIET (although that’s not really an empowering word as it tends to scare the crap out of 99% of the population).
2. EXERCISE.

By implementing any one of these two components, if done consistently, will result in weigh loss. Of course, if you practice BOTH, weight loss is guaranteed… simple, right?!

Yeah, but then WHY do we all battle to stay in shape… and WHY are there so many bloody fad “weight loss” books making the publishers millionaires each and every year?

I guess, in a way, weight loss is like Internet marketing. The majority of marketers spend their lives seeking out that “silver bullet”… that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that will make them “rich” in just 30 days. “Fadders” are the same, diets become like a jail sentence. You just can’t wait to get the hell out (and 10 months later, you’re back in again)!

Of course, we all know that it’s not the SIMPLE concept of loosing weight that is the jaw breaker; it’s the ability to stick to the SIMPLE plan.

My gym access card has a great quote written on it… “Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going.”

Pretty powerful, eh?

So, although weight loss is SIMPLE, it’s probably HABIT that we should “rather” go looking for… not the next fad diet book describing a prison sentence diet program.

So…

Turn “exercise” into a HABIT, and your “diet” into a lifestyle

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I started at 243 lbs. and am now 238 lbs.

This is not unusual for the start of the South Beach diet, except that I’m not strictly following the South Beach diet.

I’ve been eating Phase I foods (eggs, meat, nuts, cheese, non-starchy vegetables) fairly consistently, but not slavishly. Why? Because I HATED it the first time!!

(For those who fell off the Atkins/South Beach/whoever else low-carb bandwagon and want to get a little back on track, check out The 7-Day Low-Carb Rescue And Recovery Plan.)

Having done it before, I pretty much know the drill and how to best make it work for me. A little less of high-carb foods and replacing white flour products with whole grain stuff. I’m eating very few sweets too, walking a half hour daily with some light calisthetics thrown in for good measure

Part of me still wants to go on a full-pack hike into the mountains or take a day-long cross-country ski expedition. Fortunately, the rest of me knows better.

My take on this sort of thing is this: I believe weight loss to be a negative, self-defeating term and much prefer to think in terms of health enhancement. When you “lose weight”, it involves giving things up, including part of yourself; when you enhance your health, you’re improving and adding value to your life. MA-jor difference, huh?

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Week one for me got off to a slow start. Monday was definitely an un-diet day with take out Pappa John’s pizza - complete with garlic dipping sauce and dessert pizza. Troy threatened to find my blog password and report it himself if I didn’t confess!

I started a diet journal on Tuesday and this helps a lot.  There are online ones like FitDay.com but I’m just using a spiral notebook.  I record what I eat and the approximate calories. I’m not sure about the calorie amount I log into Fitday to find out. I also write down my workouts.

I eased into a workout routine on Wednesday doing the treadmill and eliptial trainer.  Thursday I also added a yoga class.  For week two I’m increasing my workout time and intensity.  I will do a morning workout for one hour, 5 days a week and a yoga class 2 nights a week.

Starting Weight: 149
Week One Result: 147

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Week one of our challenge is now behind us. We’ve stated our goals and decided on some ways of reaching them. How did week one go for you? What new healthy lifestyle changes did you start last week? What would you like to focus on during week two?

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These fruit shakes are easy to make and great for breakfast, a snack or dessert. Each is around 200 calories per serving, depending on the type of milk and fruit that you use.

For each serving pour 1 cup milk into the blender, then mix and match fruit and 1/4 package of Sugar Free Jello powder. Just be sure to add the Jell-o last otherwise it sticks to the bottom of the blender container. The following are the suggestions from the magazine but the possibilities are really endless. I like using bananas or peaches with raspberry Jell-O.

This idea comes from the Kraft Food & Family Magazine. It’s a free magazine that’s delivered quarterly and always has great recipes.

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Week (Jan 11): 81.40 KGs (179.08 lbs)
12 Week Goal: 72 KGs (158.4 lbs)
Week (Jan 13): 80.10 KGs (176.22 lbs)

Weight Loss: 1.3 KGs (2.86 lbs)
TOTAL Weight Loss: 1.3 KGs (2.86 lbs)

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I have always been big on breakfast. If I skip it I get very cranky and we don’t want that! I like just about all breakfast foods - pancakes, biscuits, french toast, bagels with cream cheese. But these foods are not so great for losing weight!

Luckily over the past few years I’ve really come to love healthy breakfast foods too. When I did the South Beach Diet two years ago I got into a habit of 2 scrambled eggs topped with cheese, 6 oz. Picante V-8 juice. Sometimes some ham or bacon to go along with it. (Though I’m trying to stay away from pork these days.) I like this combination because it is both tasty and filling; I won’t get hungry again for several hours. The V-8 juice is very low in calories and has many vitamins.

Cereal is also one of my breakfasts of choice and I’ve tried a variety of cereals. My favorites are Kellogs’ Frosted Mini Wheats Maple & Brown Sugar, Special K Fruit & Yogurt, Kashi Crunch and Raisin Nut Bran. The mini wheats and kashi are the highest in fiber which is best for filling you up. They are also sweeter than the other varieties of Kashi and shredded wheats.

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So here’s another guy for Sandra’s Body Challenge … Kidino. I am doing this from Malaysia. And the school system here uses the metrics. So my reports will be mostly in the metrics.

People like to reflect on the good old days … sometimes it’s important so that you get that same feeling of success. That is the feeling the propels you to greater heights. But just do get too hooked on the past that you forget to move forward in the present time.

As for my story, I used to do martial arts. And I also played basketball. That was like 10 years ago. But those were the times when I was most fittest.

I always had excuses for not being in shape. My office was 40km away. With the jam and traffic, it took me an hour to go and another hour to come back. I remember myself complaining … “Those are the times to exercise”

Well now … I run my own business. I don’t need to commute to work anymore. I stay home most of the times. I don’t have an excuse anymore … which means I have to make this work.

Hmm … so what are my numbers right now?

Weight - 85kg (187.4lbs)

Height - 1.8m (5′ 11″)

BMI - 26.5 (Overweight 25 - 29.9)

My goal is shed 10kgs, which is about 22lbs. If I manage to do that, then I should be 75kgs by then. My BMI would 23.1.

Apart from weight and BMI issue … I also want to regain my stamina. I want to be able to play sports again without puffing after just 30 seconds. I can say that my stamina is at the lowest it can be right now. I may look alright, but maybe kindergarden kids can beat me in a 100 meter run.

So what’s my plan?

I remember how I used to enjoy martial arts. During college, I did Jeet Kune Do. During school I did Silat. Here in Malaysia, it’s almost like the heaven of martial arts. You can find masters of Teakwando, Karate, Wushu, Silat, Aikido, Wing Chun, Kalari Payat, Silambam, etc …

But with these forms of martial arts, there are normally too much discipline and grading. As the main object is to keep fit and lose weight, I don’t really want to go through gradings and examinations.

So I decided to take up Kickboxing instead. With kickboxing, I can learn a few things, and maybe spar a bit later. It’ll be more fun that way …

After looking around, I found the right a martial art gym. I wanted to enrol sooner but this week is the week of Eidul Adha. I had to go back to my hometown and gather with families. And next week, I am going to Langkawi with my family. I’ll be back on 20 January 2006.

The thing is … I need to go for my introductory class where they will give a free lesson, and maybe a bit of safety precautions. I guess I can only do that on the following Monday when I am back from Langkawi. That will be the 23 January.

23 January will be the actual date where I will be starting this challenge.

Right now, I try to control my eating habit. Will talk about that later …

 

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