Just a heads up - this week's update is purely a rant on the bedazzling of losing weight in society. Now I'm not an image of perfect health.. far from it as a matter of fact.. but I am the face of a LOT of women who are trying to better themselves in one way or another. Frankly, the whole process of "society is getting fat. They aren't happy with it, so let's just use man made technology to remove the fat from food then add chemicals to make it taste the same!" is just obscene. After receiving advice from a very knowledgeable friend and doing some of my own research, I've decided to try and remove some of these items from my diet. Fat is not a bad thing, it's our portions that are killing us. And our food choices! A golden bit of advice I've never forgotten: when buying your groceries, shop around the outside of the supermarket. This is your fruit, veg, meat, bread and perishables. Most things in between are your danger foods. Except the health food aisle - I've made a truce with some of the items in that aisle.
So moving on from my food preach (apologies that you all had to suffer through that paragraph - if you want some info on this though, hit me up!), I'm going to use this week to give you a 5-point insight into my 10kg weight loss journey since the beginning of this year:
1. Have I consciously driven to woolies, purchased the ingredients, made an entire tray of hedgehog slice and eaten it over four days? Yes. Yes I have. Not a 96 hour timeframe I'm proud of, but it happened and I'm sure I'm not the only one to encounter a binge like this. I mean, it was delicious for the first two days (you're meant to let it set overnight - I gave it an hour and commenced gnawing on it) but after that I was simply eating it because it was there. All I'm saying is don't beat yourself up over it too badly because we all bloody do it. Part and parcel of life! Accept it and move on to healthier things. Needless to say, I won't be eating hedgehog slice until.. well probably Wednesday because that's what I'm like.
2. I sometimes have the guilty pleasure of going for a walk simply to see who looks at me from their cars. Now I'm not talking about the weird children who gawk from their back seat whilst snotting up the window, I'm talking the tradies on their way to/from work, delivery drivers, etc. I get that walking is not the most extreme fitness craze out there, but every bit of movement helps, right? And ladies, it's not a crime to enjoy a bit of attention shown from passing motorists. Sure some of it can be creepy, but for the most part it's good fun! Like many of you, I have a man that I wouldn't give up for the world, but it's just sometimes nice to know that men who don't have to like you still think you're worth the 90 degree turn ;)
3. I have taken to a habit of not eating if my boyfriend isn't eating. Now I encountered this on the weekend just gone, when we had breakfast at around 9am and then had a drink at about 1:30pm with the plan of getting lunch. When I suggested ordering, Vik said he wasn't hungry. This put me in a dilemma as I was reeeaaallly hungry but at the fear of being the "fat girlfriend whose eating while her boyfriend watches", I certainly was not going to go there. Naturally I sulked and we went back to nap. My stomach then proceeded to make noises I've only ever heard before from a T-Rex on Jurassic Park. I know that this will seem critical to a lot of people, but please let me be clear that I do not judge people who are in this circumstance - I'm simply being ridiculous and it is not healthy (mentally or physically) to take this approach. A view that Vik also shared when I told him why I wasn't eating. My point to everyone is don't be like me. At least on this point. If you are hungry and your body is telling you that - EAT. Not eating when you're hungry will lead to over-indulging later and create a whole new world of problems. Just make it something healthy, or as healthy as the options will let you be. And yes, I do plan on taking my own advice... at some point, anyway.
4. Do not underestimate the mental element of weight loss/body changes. This point is on a bit more of a serious note, but it is of utmost importance. Don't hold back on your emotions and always ALWAYS let someone know what's going on upstairs. I generally seem like an unstable, emotional cat lady who will fall apart at the drop of a hat, and guess what? I am! Well, minus the cat part. Vik won't let me have one.. but back to the point. Just because you find it difficult and have weak days does NOT make you weak. It actually makes you strong because you allow yourself to go through the emotions that such a turbulent roller coaster journey will put you through! Expect and embrace the ups and downs that changing your life will put you through - it simply isn't possible to change physically and remain the same mentally. You will encounter new struggles, but at the same token, struggles that used to exist will no longer be there. Embrace the change - you'll be in a much better place to tackle whatever life throws at you! Including an entire tray of hedgehog slice, but you all now know how that ended for me..
5. I've made a conscious effort to tell EVERYONE about my goal. It might seem crazy, deluded, self-indulgent, moronic and absurd, but it makes the world of difference. I genuinely do not believe that you can do this without telling friends and family of your goals. Especially in my circumstance, where I am generally the person relied on to hoover up everyone's leftovers to ensure there is no wastage (which, mind you, was a role I was more than happy to take). It can be awkward, and expect questions/opinions - "why?", "I don't think you need to lose weight.", "you've always just been curvy", "what does this mean?", "are you going on a diet?". Things like that. There will also be the odd pressure to indulge, ie. birthday cake, celebratory drinks, etc. I have a very hard time saying no to things like this because, a) I love cake and drinks, and b) I don't like to be the awkward person who rejects everything and ends up being a hermit who newspapers her walls. Not that things will necessarily go that far, but refer to point 3 for my weird perceptions of myself. So do what feels comfortable to you. I'm not going to tell you to reject everything because it's just not possible and I don't even do that myself. Nor am I going to tell you to indulge once a week because, again, everyone's journey is different! So make your own goals and celebrate a little milestone every time you achieve something you thought you couldn't. My pick of rewards are massages!
There you go - a little insight to my journey thus far. I get the fact that I'm not where I was hoping to be by the end of my 5th month but hey, shit happens and life goes on. So far I'm having fun, I haven't missed out on much and I'm not that person that my friends avoid because I will berate them for adding butter to their mashed potato. Or at least in my mind I'm not... hmm. I should perhaps ask the question. Anyways, enjoy your week everyone, and remember, every journey is different. Expect pitfalls and embrace the change!
Starting weight: 101.6kg
Current weight: 92.7kg
Total weight lost: 8.9kg (hoping to crack 90kg by next week!)
