Fall 2007
I am neither a nutritionist nor a personal trainer. If you want to learn how to count calories or how to measure your pulse, this blog is not for you! And most importantly, Consult with your Doctor first regarding any physical activities.
This blog is not about how to lose weight. Rather, it’s about giving you hope to motivate and to inspire you, knowing I turned my life around only by sheer determination.
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August 2008
This is my story...
It was right after a friend’s wedding in August 2009 that I
looked at my own picture and became overcome with a feeling of shock. Up to
that point, I had not been aware of the drastic changes in my body over the
years. I had neglected myself emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Two
months prior, I had just ended a 20 year marriage that had left me with more
questions than answers about where my life was headed. Here I was, a single mother of two with a
decent job and no other means of support in any form or shape. It was me and
only me. I wanted to look good and feel good. I wanted to do something for me
and only me. This wasn’t about society
telling me I had to look a certain way. This wasn’t about impressing anyone.
This was about me realizing that my health was in danger. I was someone who
took pride in eating healthy and keeping fit but for many reasons I had decided
to ignore that part of my life style and let go of it. I had taken nutrition
courses while in college and I used to read a lot of articles pertaining to
health. And here I was with back pain, shortness of breath, and aching muscles.
I don’t like to weigh myself. I even won’t remember the
pounds or kilos to tell you. I don’t own a scale! I do remember being size 14-16.
I had no money to join the gym nor did I like the idea of joining a gym. I had
no money to go on a special diet or those programs that we are bombarded with
every day. So, what did I do?
I knew a crash diet was out of the question. I can’t starve myself
as years ago I had done it and just made myself sick. I even don’t like the
word diet. This time around I told myself I am going to have a different
approach. I will be working towards a healthier life style gradually, slowly,
steadily, and with patience. I told myself for decades I have neglected myself,
therefore, I think I can afford to be patient for an optimal result in a couple
of years. For the most part of my life I
was size 10-12. I knew getting from a size 16 to 10 required time. I had to
start with simple steps. I was
determined to eliminate the unnecessary stuff in my life and replace them with
things that brought joy and health.
I started reading a lot online and soon I figured out all
those articles are giving the same messages:
*Do not eat
3 big meals a day; rather eat throughout the day up to 5 to 6 times/day
*Eat almost
everything you want in small portions
*Eat healthy
(Canada's Food Guide)
*Don’t eat
after 7 pm
*Drink plenty of water
It sounded
simple and the only requirement was my willingness to stick with it, be
patient, and wanting to do it for me. I was determined to turn my life around
and to be healthy. I had started having back pains, muscle aches, all sorts of
problems that are associated with being overweight. I wanted to be healthy and
fit.
Lunch time at work was either left over from the
night before or rushing across the street to buy something to eat and I ate
everything! I decided to buy a bag of bread which I kept in the fridge at work
plus a jar of peanut butter. Why peanut butter? It was affordable, easy for lunch, enjoyed eating it, and it was a
regular source of protein for me.
I started paying attention to my daily routine and
questioned them as to be necessary or just bad habits that I had gained gradually
without paying attention. I noticed that
every morning I stopped by my favourite coffee shop and ordered a large coffee with
cream and sugar; and a delicious, buttery fresh muffin. I decided to go for the muffin every other
day at first. I did not want to eliminate everything at once. I started
reducing the amount of cream and sugar. Next, I replaced the cream with milk and eventually eliminated the sugar. It was gradual and I did not feel deprived or
frustrated to say the hell with it, I’m going back to the way it was. I stopped buying a muffin every day.
I had a habit of being hungry before coming to work. I made sure I had a
healthy breakfast which for years has not changed, raisin bran cereal with 2%
milk. I don’t have a fancy breakfast with all calories counting.
For dinner, I ate anything I wanted to but started reducing
my portion.
But
something else needed to be done.....I had to keep Moving....
I have
always enjoyed walking. I had actually come across an article in early 2000 that
talked about “Walking it off”. In 2002, I started walking and shed lots of
pounds. Based on experience and knowing that I enjoyed walking and it had work
in the past for me, I added walking to my daily routine.
*I walked 15
min during my am break. A very fast power walk as strolling yourself has no effect!
*I walked 15
min during my pm break.
* I walked a
very fast 20 min lunch walk and had 10 min to gobble down my peanut butter
sandwich
*Every time
I got back to work, I climbed 4 flights of stairs rather than taking the
elevators. Learn how to walk!
For a short
period of time from Jan 2009 to 2010 I took up Kung Fu and boxing and loved it.
I eventually bought a boxing bag to practice on my own in the basement. The
bottom line is to find out what you like to do and do it. Not everyone works
out in the gym! Not everyone counts their calories morning and night. Be
sensible and make it easy for you and the chances are you’ll stick with it. I
love boxing and it helps me tremendously to get rid of negative energy and
keeps me fit. You can read many benefits of boxing here.
2009 - 2010
But what
else did I do? I love dancing. I danced. Every opportunity I had, I’d play
music at home and just danced away. The combination of dancing, walking and
healthy eating was working faster than I expected. Again, since I don’t weigh
myself, I did not realize I was shrinking till I had to use a safety pin to
hold my pants up. At that point I was probably a size 8 or 10.
Xmas 2009
Once people started realizing my shrinkage
they started asking what I was doing. I told them I’m eating healthy and
I’m walking it off! When I finally decided to buy new pairs of pants as all my
clothes looked ridiculously too big, I picked up two pairs of pants size 8 and
headed to the fitting room. To my
surprise they were too big! I double checked the size and couldn’t understand
it. The fitting room attendant said “Oh honey, I’ll bring you size 4!” I was
like what? I was size four!!! In the fitting room I held my own face looking at
my own body and could not believe I had gone beyond what I had intended. It was
exhilarating to know I had reached my goal, and I did it without diet, or gym.
That has been of one my top accomplishment in my life so far.
Fall 2010
I was very good in track and field throughout school years. I started reading more about my favourite athletes. I was finding my way back doing things I enjoyed, cared about and was passionate about. It was motivating to read about their accomplishments and just get excited to see their accomplishments, breaking records, and reaching their goals. I have been a huge fan of the athletics as long as I can remember.I became more motivated I started adding running gradually to my routine.
2011
I couldn’t
run far, but I felt great even for that 5 minutes. I was free. The minutes were
getting longer and longer. I ran my first 5K in 30 minutes.
I’m planning to do more runs and have set goals for myself.
I continued
steadily to a size 2, but have been sitting at a stable size 4 for 1 year now. I try to fit walking into my daily routine.
The longest walk I’ve done has been 18 Km. I can complete 4.2 Km walk in 25 to
30 minutes. I am aiming to do bigger
walks and sporting events.
I hope this
blog has been able to give you hope and understanding that we are able to stay
healthy and fit by doing little steps. Those little steps eventually lead you
to where you want to be.
If you have
loads of money to throw a personal trainer and a dietician, go for it. If you don’t have the
financial means, know that you can do it with persistence and stamina. Find out
what activity you enjoy and do it. The only advice I can give you is to keep
moving, eat healthy, don’t deprive yourself and most importantly do things that
make you happy.
...start moving
This article was posted on Facebook today: The Ultimate Guide to Fat Loss!
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