2013: Moving forward

December is practically finished, the holiday came with lots of celebration and eating. This is time to set goals for 2013, I didn't set any goal for 2012. My goal is to lose the remaining weight in the 1st quarter of 2013. To achieve this i will be counting calorie in and calorie out (i.e calories i consume and calories i burn).

• I will try to incorporate more cardio to my routine although i dislike it. 
• My food storage pack is ready, I will be preparing my meal weekly to avoid any unplanned food choice. I know its not best microwaving food daily but its better than not planning at all.
• I also bought leg weight for my workout to increase the intensity of the workout. 
• Its my goal to fit into a dress size 10 (are my asking for too much...............time will tell).
• I hardly ate rice in 2012 but with brown rice in my cupboard....i sure will eat enjoy rice.
• I don't intend of going on any crazy diet because the word DIET sounds pretty scary, rather i will eat healthy like i will for the rest of my life. 

Try Out: Belvita breakfast biscuit

The product I am  reviewing is the Belvita breakfast biscuits "milk & cereals". It comes in a stand up box, carrying all the  information needed: brand name, product name, description, flavor, nutritional information and finally a picture of the biscuits within. Inside, it contains packs of 6,
each separately sealed within which are four biscuits.


I opened a pack, it has a pleasant scent of  rich wheat emanating from the rather thin looking biscuit. As you can see from the above picture the biscuit itself is a long oval shape, very thin but crunchy, with nice oaty bits across the topside. As i bit into it, WOW......it was sooo tasty, crunchy, light and it melts in your mouth, it tasted more like digestive or danish biscuit. To be sincere, these were soooo sweet compared to digestive biscuit

These biscuits are advertised as being the prefect breakfast for those on the go. The commercial claims that they are “specially baked to release energy regularly and continuously in your body,”. The whole draw of this particular snack is the added vitamins and minerals, and of course the high fiber content, with 1 of the biscuits equating to 2% of your daily fiber intake. I won't advice relying on this biscuit for your daily fiber intake.
The nutritional information -
Per biscuit i.e 1 biscuit
56 kcals, so for the 4 in a pack is 56x4 = 224 calories 
1.1g protein, x 4
8.6g carbohydrate, x 4
2.4g of which sugars, x 4
1.9g fat, x 4
0.5g of which saturates, x 4
0.5g fibre, x 4
0.05g sodium x 4

These are no more healthier than eating Foxy biscuit or Oreo cookies for breakfast. They are laden with fat,sugar, and white flour; but because they have a few whole grains in them they're called healthy. When I had them for breakfast, I got an immediate sugar rush after couple of minutes I was hungry again. The sugary taste in my mouth was like I had a big piece of frosted cake.

2012 Review

Dec 2011 @ size 18 / Dec 2012 @ size 14

As 2012 is about to end, it is only wise that i review it so as to know if the changes i made has benefited me or not. Did i lose weight? how much weight did i lose? what size are my? what changes have I made?

Did I lose weight? 

Yes i did lost some weight.

How much weight did i lose?

I started this year at 208 lbs (94 kg). This December, I weigh in at 72 kg meaning that i lost a total of 22 kg in a year. To some people it might be little but as am taking my journey gradually, I am very happy at my lost.

Whats my clothing size?

As of December 2011, i wore a UK size 18 jeans, and 2012 December i wear UK size 14 jeans. Am very happy with that.

What changes have i made?

Funny enough i ate more food than i did in 2011 and it worked for me. Eating new foods and drinking more water.

I didn't really set any goals entering 2012 but 2013 will be different because i will be setting myself goals.

Christmas Day Download

Cooking for Christmas day for me started 24 night, baking cakes, pastries and pre-roasting chicken, turkey and fish. I slept around 1 am, in an African or lets say Nigerian home Christmas celebration is no joke because families and friends come together to eat, laugh and take pictures. Everyone kind of woke up around 9 am on Christmas day to open presents, I got a lovely gift from master chef kitchen collection which i loved considering that am about having my own kitchen. After that
, we continued with cooking, here is a list of the temptations we made:

• Pasta with home made pesto 
• Red velvet cake
• Garlic knots and garlic bread
• Real Nigerian stew with beef and chicken
• Roasted turkey
• White rice
• Mushroom sauce
• Tilapia Fish
• Salad
• Biscuits and chocolate 
• Spring rolls
• Samosa

Well during the family lunch (no one thinks about breakfast during Christmas lol) my baby told me he got me chocolate for Christmas, i was like "you got to be kidding me, i don't like or eat Chocolate ". Well after some long emotional words from him while i  open the chocolate box, I saw another little box inside the chocolate box...... he popped the question: Will you marry me (in my mind i was like, about time love, its been like 3 years). Well my answer was YES.....it was sooo emotional.....here is a picture



The rest is history, well around 6 pm we (the family) went to a family friend's and the food there was beyond and also every family that came brough loads of food. The lunch i had (little pasta with salad) got me filled that i was uncomfortable. I was expected to eat again just to show respect to the people we went to see. I managed to shovel salad and piece of turkey down my mouth. Came back home around 3 am and bounced on the bed......and off i slept, that's how my Christmas day went

A thankful heart

With my weight loss progress/achievement, it is only wise that i recognize and thank everyone who have stood by me all these while.

• To God Almighty for life. For the strength of starting and coming this far in my weight loss journey.
• To my Mum who pushed and pushed until i accepted to try losing weight.
• To my siblings for their support.
• To my one and only COOKIE, my baby Sam.....I love u for being there for me, encouraging me and supporting be all through.
• To everyone person who has lifted me up in one way or another, wrote on my face book wall, commented on my blog............ I thank you so much. 
• I love you all and hope you all have an amazing holiday. 

Routine Crash: Moment of truth

This month is flying ........................ its Christmas eve
The past two week has been extremely busy, tiring and stressful. The truth is that i don't need to climb the scale before telling myself the truth that i have been stress eating. Yes I have, last week I baked like no mans business, name it cookies, mince pies, shortbread, puff puff ......... .Normally, when i bake i don't eat it but last week was very much different. Here's what happened, the fateful day i baked mince pie i ended up consuming 4, yes 4 whole mince pie.

Moment of truth, the scale doesn't lie as i have added, am back to 72 kg from 71.6 kg. My body keeps telling me i should stop but I have not gotten to my goal which is to get to either 63/60 kg
and until i get there, I WON'T STOP.

Am not beating myself about the gain, the truth is that i have done sooooo well that i can pat myself in the back for a job well done. Am not perfect but human, a lot of my friends on weight loss journey over worry themselves when their routine go bad but the truth is that everyday won't always be perfect or good for you. Face it, the purpose of keeping a journal is to improve on your eating habit. Criticizing or wallowing in self hatred or pity for eating too much isn't really going to help. The only thing that will help is realizing you ate too much and plan on making better choices.

It can be disappointing climbing the scale and you found out the numbers went up, a lot of people break down and properly go on water fasting just to lose the added weight. But for how long will you do that, my weight loss journey is a life time thing not a quickie. An increase in scale doesn't really move me at this point, the fact that it took me 2 solid years to lose 68 kg means that i can do anything. Lets say i have 10 kg more to lose and it MUST come off but am not going to starve to reach my goal.

Am not making excuses for gaining last week but am not gonna get stuck, am moving on. Weight loss is gradual, the earlier you realize that the better for you. Of cause there are fast weight loss for occasions like weddings and parties, some people want to lose 5 to 10 pounds for such occasions but mine is a life time commitment.The quick and fast weight always come back but i don't intend to lose all these weight and put it all back.

If time allows i will be updating more

Planing for success

Early this year, I planned my meals weekly i.e I cook weekends and pack 7 meal boxes for a week. One thing is that this strategy helped me stick to my healthy meal plan, I avoided eating junk when am really hungry because my meals were already prepared. And whenever am going out, I put an apple or any fruit in my bag just to snack on something healthy. Well, as this year is coming to an end and another year is starting, I have decided to go back to what worked for me. 

I bought these containers today, I will start planning my meal weekly by Monday. I know its Xmas but I don't want to be carried away by the fun and food so am getting me equipped for the

temptations and surprises.

I intend be try out food that I have not eaten before, well i love food and I can't hide that. I will try and update my posts as much as i can.

The warrior diet so far has been okay, few ups and downs. Cravings and all but overall, its been okay. I really don't like the word DIET because it makes everything look soo complicated. Healthy eating on its own is flexible and that's what i have enjoyed in my journey. 

I have started doing cardio exercise, although i hate it but it is best for weight loss. I enjoy strength training a lot, while it  burn fat, it also tone the skin and build muscles. I am trying to hard to like cardio but i have not succeeded. Hopefully I incorporate it in my daily workout routine. 

Under the Weather :(

I have been under the weather since last week Monday coupled with paying my monthly dues, it has not been easy. I have not worked out really and as for food, I think i did okay, not wonderful or as i normally would. This is another week and greater opportunity to do even better.
So whats new with me is that I found a weight loss buddy (yeah) after a long search, very necessary at this stage. I need to stay motivated in order to get to my ultimate goal. My buddy is cool and funny, but most importantly she wants to lose weight too which makes it perfect for us.
I couldn't weigh in today due to my monthly dues (Sad) but next Monday i will.

Slimmer but Overweight

2 years ago I was obese but funny I can proudly say that I am overweight (I cant stop laughing). My BMI has moved from 54.7 to 27.7, WOW is the word.
I am overweight and happy because i know my goal, which is to get to 23.4 bmi. Its getting extremely hard to lose weight but am not giving up not me.
I feel down and ill but am still moving on...............

Xmas Plan to beat weight gain

Since I am not planning on gaining any weight this Christmas, the best strategy will be to plan ahead. From today, I will stick to eating more fruits, working out more like an hr a day and getting enough sleep. I have exams early January so Xmas is really not for me. So what will i do different this season?
1) I will plan my meals ahead of time and stick to it.
2) I will incorporate cardio in my workout routine considering that i hate it, i know how important it is.
3)Make sure I take my vitamins (have not taken them in months: i hate medications)

4)Instead of salted nuts, i will stick to unsalted nuts like almond or pecans.
5)No biscuits, chocolates, cakes, pies for me but i will try out a vegan pizza recipe i read online and will tell you guyz how it goes(lol)
6)Well I don't worry about drinks because i don't drink anything apart from H20 (water).
7) In a typical Nigerian house, rice is compulsory for Xmas but am substituting mine for a new found love.... cauliflower rice.

I have set myself a goal to get to 70 or 69 kg before 1st January 2013.

PHOTO: Stop, Don't Stop

On Saturday, I posted my recent picture on Facebook and on bbm. A lot of people said i have to stop losing weight. According to them, too skinny won't fit me but the truth is that am far from being too skinny. For goodness sake, am 71.6 kg and my body mass index (bmi) is still high. I have to get to 63 kg which will bring my BMI to 25 before i can think of stopping my journey and start maintaining.
I have 8.6 kg to lose in order to get to 63 kg. After that, I will still have to decide whether to stop or get to 60 kg. The truth is that right now, am very far from stopping.
To all those telling me to stop, I truly cannot stop now and am obviously not skinny. UK size 12 up and 14 down is not skinny besides am losing weight to be healthier not skinny. Below is the picture :

UPDATE: Weigh In!!!

Okay, I can say this week was kind of all over the place but its better than weeks when i don't lose jack.
Last week: 160 lbs
This week: 158.0 lbs

2 lbs lost, finally am off from the 160 ish and moving down to the 150's. My goal is to get to 155/153 lbs before this year ends. By Gods grace and hard work.
Am still planning on strategic way to avoid the fries and baking of Xmas but i guess i have to make healthy baking alternatives.

Pictures Of The 625lb Mother Who Ate Herself To Death

Lanoise, born in Haiti, started gaining weight aged 16, following the birth of her first daughter. As her weight skyrocketed to more than 600 lbs, she spent her days sitting in bed wrapped in sheets as she couldn't find clothes to fit. She first came to the media's attention in 2010 when she was forced to stay in Haiti for three months after the earthquake, because she was too heavy for commercial airlines. she was virtually housebound for almost two decades with her daughters washing, feeding and caring for her. She died in March, after being given less than a year to live by doctor's who had been waiting to give her potentially life-saving stomach surgery.....More pictures  below:


Before







I never knew this will be in the news, I watched this woman's video on youtube on tuesday. According to the documentary, she started gaining weight when she moved to US with her husband. She said "I couldn't stop eating fast food". after piling on so much weight, her husband left her. Even with doctors intervention, it was difficult for her to stick to it. She wanted to undergo a surgery but was told that with her weight, she will simply die. she was put on strict diet so as to lose like 100 lbs but she sabotaged her diet by drinking fizzy drinks, her daughters didn't her because they always eat fast food around her and that triggers her desire to eat more. She did lost some weight but gained it all back. even her 2 daughter out of 5 are obese.

This is why it is important to lose weight while u still can. Too much eating doesn't not add to your life, rather it cuts it short. I don't have anything against big people really, am big and still working on myself. living in denial is the worst thing that can happen to anyone. Big might be sexy but what about the health.
Parents if your kids are big, please do help them now than wait for the fat to accumulate. losing weight is not easy, there is no magic to it.

Right way to lose it

The above picture explains how I feel right now. The pains and sores I go through daily. Most times, my whole body hurts from jogging, high interval training and weight lifting. Sometimes, during a workout I feel like quitting but I still have to push through, quitting is just not an option for me. After jogging yesterday, my whole body hurts so much.

My eating habit keeps improving, although not perfect. I am not looking for perfect, am only trying to lose weight the right way. I learn every day because I don’t know it all. There is nothing like
perfect plan, I have tried fat free, low cal, low carb and carb free eating plan, it just makes me tired, I easily forget things and my moods were bad. But what my body agrees to is eating healthy and working out and I don’t drink anything apart from water.

Through my weight loss journey I have been happy most especially after a hard workout and I climb the scale, the feeling of seeing those numbers reduce is just wonderful. It has not always been wonderful because I have being on plateau and the feeling is just not good, especially when you work hard and the numbers are steady.

The bottom line is that I am working out as I can and eating healthy, the truth is that I can’t starve myself because I love cooking and trying out new foods. I don’t try to eat all I see but I love to experiment in the kitchen. Creativity is what I love to see on plates. I am not among those that drink only green tea and salad to lose weight. I love my proteins and I love to make out amazing things out of boring foods.
I am not going back but moving forward, the pain is worth it….totally worth it

Update: Food and Exercise

The warrior diet is going on well so far but am craving for sweet things like biscuit. Well, the other day i had digestive biscuit and foxy biscuit but I have regain myself on that. I hopefully pray that the scale moves by Monday, I want to move away from 160 lbs, I believe its time to move to 150's . One thing is sure, its getting even harder and harder to lose these weight. But am focus and working out hoping that the scale will start moving.
As for workout, I have just discovered another fun exercise:- JOGGING. Yes, I don't know if its the weather but am kind of enjoying it. 

Warrior Diet: Day 7 & 8

1st of December marked my 1 week into the warrior diet,it is becoming easier.
1/12/12
breakfast: an apple
lunch: an apple
dinner: 1 roasted unripe plantain with tuna fish
snack: 18 cal crackers (4)
water;6ltrs

workout: none

2/12/12

breakfast: an apple
lunch: water cress salad
dinner: 3 tbsp basmatic rice+1/2 roasted chicken breast+ 1/3 roasted aubergine
snack: 4 tsp soybean
water: 6 ltrs
workout: enough dancing in church (lol)

December is Here..... 2 years into my journey

Like joke and play December is here and Christmas is nearly here. This December marks it 2 years into my weight loss journey. Wow, thank God I have succeeded and still moving to my ultimate goal. I can remember starting this journey not because i wanted to but because i wanted to please my mum. Today, am happy she pushed me that far. I am healthier and enjoy losing weight. It has not been easy but its worth the time, dedication and patience.
Starting this journey, I was 140 kg but today I can happily say that I am 73 kg, still moving to my ultimate goal which is 63 kg. As am getting closer to a smaller me, the weight is getting more
difficult to lose but the truth is that I have come a long way to quit now. I have enjoyed giving out my clothes to charity, the feeling is just amazing (lol).
December, holiday and Christmas comes with eating and eating. Normally Christmas is when most of us pile all the pounds, kg and stones. As December is here I have to keep calm and plan for this month. A lot of cooking, baking and temptations, I don't want to be caught unawares. I don't intend to add any pound this year, well the food and pastries will be calling but i will refuse to answer.
In the coming week, I will be make up a realistic and obtainable plan to conquer this month and what it comes with.

How I Overcome Overeating

To distract myself from overeating, this is what i do...

• I take a walk, outside or around the house
• I watch movie lying down (lol)
• Write a journal
• Think through about what I eat
• Organize my wardrobe  
• Take a cup of green tea or water
• I watch documentary on obesity, over eating and weight loss 
• Browse weight loss blogs
• I try not to eat or binge

Warrior Diet: day 5 & 6

29/11/2012
breakfast: 1 apple
lunch: an apple + broccoli
dinner: water cress salad + tuna fish
water: 5ltrs
workout: 20mins circuit training


30/11/2012

breakfast:an apple
lunch: an apple + carrot + broccoli
dinner:water cress salad +tuna fish
snack: low fat Jacob crackers (18 cal each) (7)
water:6 ltrs
workout: 1 hr walk