A Good Solid Start
Today I finally braved the scales to weigh myself after the first week of the Go Smell the Flowers Weight Loss contest that has kick started my road to a healthier weight. I was expecting some loss, although I am sure I have gained some muscle mass. However, significant lifestyle changes have been implemented.
The first of these changes has been the elimination of a large percentage of the unhealthy beverages from my diet. In the first week I have seen a significant reduction in the amount of coffee I am consuming. I have replaced it, except the morning cob web cleaner, with an organically grown Rooibos tea. Rooibos is an African tea made from the Rooibos bush. It is great tasting tea and is much the same taste as you standard Lipton from the supermarket, but I enjoy it more. For those of us that drink Lipton Ice Tea it is the tea in the Red Tea variety.
On the Red Tea ice tea I am using that and water to replace the consumption of soft drinks and energy drinks. I still have to odd soft drink, but am choosing Coke Zero or Sprite Zero. I can not stomach the Diet varieties with the exception of good old Bundaberg Ginger Beer. The others taste like strained compost, but less healthy to consume.
On the diet front I have been eating much healthier. We have all been eatting healthier with much more cooking going on within the home, which is fantastic. When it was not practical for us to cook I have been opting for a healthier option in a six inch six grams of fat or less Subway sandwich with no dressing. I have also walked to the store to obtain my sandwich so am getting exercise just getting my bodies fuel.
As documented in the A Change is as Good as a Holiday post we have been looking, and found, some new digs. This lead to a celebration on Friday night of Chinese food at our favourite, soon not to be, local restaurant. I restrained myself rather well, certainly much more than I normally would.
I have also managed to introduce a regular walking regime into my routine. I went for a 20 minute walk which quickly stepped up to 30 minutes. Then all of a sudden I was walking for an hour or more. Since the last of those big walks it has rained pretty much solid and limited my regime. Tonight was the first night that it has not rained, and as luck would have it work got busy and confined me to home. Also, I had to pack and clean the house.
This week is going to be a bit of a loss in terms of organised exercise, however incidental exercise will increase. We will be moving a lot of our belongings from Thursday, hence I will be quite active moving boxes, fridges and couches for the weekend. I expect that will compensate for the loss of some of the organised exercise. I will be compensating from next week though I expect as I will be keen to explore the new area.
So now you no doubt want to know what all that has achieved. Well I have managed to increase muscle mass and stamina for sure. I have also dropped 7 kilos to 137.4 kilograms (302.915 pounds). So I am a stilly definately a fatty, however I believe I have made the crucial first steps in becoming a much leaner and meaner individual. Only time will tell.
January 22nd, 2008 at 1:22 am
It’s great to know you lose weight.. what have you done…?
Just dropping by to say Hello
Hye
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January 22nd, 2008 at 2:14 am
Keep gong, don’t give up. Even small changes are a huge step towards health.
I joined curves a while back (August). I haven’t lost any weight, but my pants are a size smaller now. I got discouraged after Christmas and was about to give up when someone noticed that I had trimmed down. I’ll be back at Curves again today.
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January 22nd, 2008 at 8:57 am
Hey, dude, you can do it. Best of luck .. You dropped 7 Kg.. That’s a wonderful achievement,
well, I’ve seen people dropping more than 80 kg of your size.
You know what? you are trying and you will achieve that goal. Keep running
January 22nd, 2008 at 9:37 am
good job for dropping those pounds. congrats
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January 22nd, 2008 at 11:30 am
Well done and congrats!
Keep up the good work
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January 22nd, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Great work so far…. Before you know it you’ll be at your goal wait. Don’t give up!!!!
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January 22nd, 2008 at 10:11 pm
I would like to thank everyone for their support and kind words.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Good for you for losing some weight, but more so for making a lifestyle change by adding exercise and changing how you look at things.
I think in the future I want to measure myself in cats, instead of pounds and kilos. Let’s say a cat weighs 10 lbs. and a kitten weighs 2.5 lbs.
Currently I am roughly 16 cats and 2 kittens. That’s after I have lost almost two kittens and I am looking to lose another two cats.
See, doesn’t that sound better? It does to me.
cardiogirl’s last blog post..Those moments before the storm
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:41 pm
cardiogirl,
If you knew what I am currently living next door to then you would understand why cats are not the most appealing alternative weight measure. Let me put it this way, when I move on Thursday I will instantly lose 16 cats and an unknown number of kittens either born or on the way.
Other than that its a great way to measure that is fun and a really good goal.
March 19th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
It’s not a small thing to take decisions to change your lifestyle. The hardest thing in life is to change your habits. You’ve already done that. Now all you have to do is keep up the good job. You have to remember though that the first few pounds it gets tougher and tougher. The most crucial part after those first pounds is your diet. More important than exercise.
June 19th, 2008 at 1:07 am
I am weighing myself at the gym, but I think that I am going to get a scale and maybe one of those thingies to check your heart rate. I want to make sure that I am in the right zone! I know that you started your quest in January, but I have a late start!
September 5th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Awesome progress so far…. Before you know it you’ll be at your goal . Carry on and dont look back ….
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September 11th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Good Job….A good diet and usual workout are the best ways to get oneself in a better shape..
September 25th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
You have more commitment than I do – I couldn’t give up my regular dose of tea!
I’ve tried Rooibos tea, which is quite nice, but it couldn’t be my substitute…
Good luck with it,
K
September 28th, 2008 at 5:14 am
Wow this look very good ….
September 30th, 2008 at 5:52 am
I have heard lots of contest being going on these days realted to health products
November 12th, 2008 at 2:33 am
Congratulation for a job well done. Losing weight is hard sometimes when you don’t have the right motivation to do it.
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May 23rd, 2009 at 12:57 am
Congrats for reducing weight about 6 kg. I believe that by adding exercise in your regular schedule you easily lose pounds in some amount of time, in fact healthier diet including green salad will also help you for losing weight.
July 31st, 2009 at 12:18 am
Great post!!! I really enjoy the taste of rooibos, and I just cannot do without it…. My favorites in rooibos are chai and organic green…. The health benefits of a balanced Rooibos Tea Diet are countless…. Being rich in essential nutrients rooibos is perfect for the dieting individual…