Feet of Clay

Why feet of clay? Mainly because I have found out that it’s easy to start something, experience some victories and then think that you are invisible, the king queen of the world.  This is my reality check!

One thing I set out at the outset of this blog was to ensure I remain accountable and use the public stage to achieve this. If only someone had pulled my ear then and reminded me that it’s not always as easy putting yourself out there when things aren’t really going according to plan as it is saying you want to maintain some level of accountability.  

Having said that, I don’t think I was over ambitious or overly naïve – or was I? I never thought that living a healthy lifestyle would be easy, I never thought that exercising as a daily routine would be simple…but I think I underemphasized how hard this journey would be. Seriously!

So, 2014 is fully activated and running, I have projects to deliver both in my personal life and at my day job. And I have been very vocal about habits that make for a healthier lifestyle that I wish to develop and maintain all in a bid to ‘DROP IT’. I’ve blogged about working out every day, eating small portions, eating mostly proteins as opposed to loading up on carbs, binding bread… you know! The problem now is life is happening to me, I am busier now that I have ever been – with work, the leadership program I am running after hours, working on personal projects (ie PP), with living, with … so much more.

With all of these I find myself going to sleep later than normal, which means I most often wake up later and deferring my workout- to later in the day; then getting to work and having to drink a cup of coffee so I stay awake and focus. Then I run from meeting to meeting, working really hard, ending up having my meals at my desk. Now, for someone with my personality eating at my desk is a BIG NO NO – because I end up not regulating what goes into my mouth. Plus I end up eating the wrong things, and refueling with more coffee. At the end of the day I have to attend virtual ‘classes’ and complete my learning assignments. This means I am at my desk till about 8pm or later, and it’s far too late to work out, because I have commitments at home as well!

In essence, I seem to be backsliding - I have not worked out in many days (by this I mean my kettle bells or swimming), I have had biscuits and tea at my desk A LOT in the last week, I have not keep to my 6pm cut off time for meals in the last week. And right now I am very disappointed- and afraid to get on my scale. I am afraid that whatever value I gained from my Jumpstart program, I have lost with basically slipping into my old habits.

 

Has it all been bad news? No…I started extended powerwalks (1 hour) each Saturday and that seems to be going well, but I don’t see that it’s sufficient work out for the week– especially in light of the fact that I spend 7:30am to about 8:00pm each workday sitting behind a desk. Plus the fact that I still need to lose weight as opposed to trying to maintaining my current weight (does that make sense?)

I am of the opinion that this blog will not be of any value if I don’t keep it real; Yes? Realizing that everyone who struggles with one thing or the other will encounter obstacles – what I call ‘tests of resolve’ -I think I owe myself (and you) some honesty. I guess this is how one learns and grows and overcomes obstacles. When our resolve is tested, we confirm fully if we are in 100% (as committed as the proverbial pig that had to die to give us the bacon).

So has my resolve been tested? Severely!

And what is the next course of action?

I’ve given this some thought and my official answer is this ‘get back to the basics’. Everything following is my resolve, my answer to my obstacles at the moment – if it works for you, swell – but this highlights my game plan to keep at it, keep dropping the weight, and keep healthy. One thing I tell myself is that I have NO EXCUSE to put on more weight, to be unhealthy…no excuse whatsoever.

So this is me talking to me…

1.   So you think you don’t have time for your workouts – MAKE time. This will mean discipline – no more snooze button; when the alarm goes off it goes off, and you will get your big butt out of that bed however and by whatever means. You will make time to work out 20minutes (at the very least) each weekday morning. You will make time for your weekly power walks each Saturday.

2.   So you think you have no option but eat the easily accessible snacks and coffee at work – PREPARE & PACK your meals for work. You will hardly ever find healthy options, so don’t set yourself up to fail. Just plan ahead and execute your plan. You are in control only if you PLAN!

3.   So you think you are more productive (in the zone) working when you have a plate of something you can nibble on. Reach for fruits not Jacobs crackers (no offence, they are 26 calories per biscuit anyway). Also limit your options - surround yourself with healthy options, avoid buying those unhealthy options – so when crunch time comes what you reach out for will be healthy.

4.   So you think you can be trusted to keep to your healthy habit goals just because you think you can? You should plan each days physical activity, plan each days meals- Plan! Plan! Plan! Don’t leave anything to chance.

5.   Keep believing that you can, because it works if you work it!

So there it is…my progress in full Technicolor!  

This is me hitting my reset, resolve button…

 

I hope I have not discouraged rather than encouraged you…I’m just trying to keep it real.

Maybe you have some experience in keeping your flame alive, could you share? I’d also appreciate any advice you can offer to help me keep it going! I will endeavor to report some good news next week.

Bye…for now!

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My [Our] Monthly Increase

I know some men follow this blog, so I will give fair warning before I proceed. If you are a guy and get squeamish or don’t want to hear about womanly things, I’ll say skip this post! The mature, enlightened man should please read on! LOL

I think I’ve said that I keep my bathroom scale not in my bathroom but under my bed, and I check my weight regularly…every other day. Yes, I am quite obsessed. So I noticed a trend when approaching my monthlies (you know what I man right?) my weight usually shots up by 2-3kg. Until I realized what I am about to share, I used to get so despondent and push myself extra hard in my work out regime – many times cutting my eating really drastically (not healthy). As I approached my last monthly cycle I noticed an almost overnight increase from 113kg to 114.8kg! Yes! Now you know why I was depressed. Then I set out a beautiful new dress to wear to work, and it was far too snug – also evidence of ‘the dreaded spread’. This was more disturbing as I was just coming off my Jumpstart 2014 program and had lost one whole kilogram (approximately 2.2lbs)! So I got to thinking, it was not obviously because of too much food, or for want of vigorous exercise….what had changed then? Then it hit me…my monthlies, Aunty Flo’ was on her way for a visit.  But does it matter? At my age should I experience significant change because of Aunty Flo’? What I saw when I checked the web (I always seem to be checking the web, right? – Well it informs me! J) made so much sense to me, encouraged me and made me feel better that I said that no matter how exposing the topic was to me personally (after all my monthlies is my own business isn’t it?), I would blog about it. Maybe someone would be encouraged too, and learn as I have the sensible steps to take to regain lost grounds, regain equilibrium and minimize the impacts of Aunty Flo’.

So what is it about Aunty Flo’ or our monthlies that makes us put on weight?

 

First off, weight gain during and around your monthlies is a symptom of PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome), which is something some (not all) women suffer from. So, those of us who gain weight are not going mad – it’s not all in our minds. Some women have been known to gain as much as 3kg (about 6lbs), and it is largely due to water retention, bloating, some overeating due to cravings and fall in magnesium levels (according to my trusty WebMD).

So that is the ‘why’, and while it’s all well and good I am more interested in knowing what do I do? Should I ride it out? Hold my breath until Aunty Flo’ goes and wait in trepidation for her next visit? Or is there something I can do to help myself?

Personally losing weight is really difficult for me, so riding it out is not an option I would take. I cannot leave it to chance that I my bloated tissues will come back to normal after my monthlies (although that is what happened in this instance – the day after Aunty Flo’ left I was back to 113.2kg – yippee!). You especially cannot leave it to chance if the reason for the weight gain is over eating – I don’t think Aunty Flo’ will take the consequences of overeating along with her when she leaves, I think it will pile on and compromise every effort to DROP IT. But then, that’s just little me thinking.

So what to do if you fall victim to what I have called the ‘monthly increase’:

Exercise: This one was quite hard for me, because when that time comes I really do not feel like working out (most times I DO NOT – in the spirit of honesty and all that). But I hear it helps with the reducing bloating, curbing appitite (when I saw this, I was like ‘you serious???’) and giving you a feeling of wellbeing. The good thing though is that it does not have to be vigorous or strenuous exercise – stretching helps, as well as moderately paced walks and swimming (not sure if swimming is an option ‘during’ but I will give it a go ‘before’ – if you get my drift).

Reduce Salt Intake: Excessive salt can lead to water retention which could lead to the monthly increase. So cutting down on salt, processed foods that contain salt and a lot of sodium should help reduce the extent of water retention. I already limit the amount of salt I put in my food so this is a bit easy for me (kind of). Instead of salt, I use spices like onion powder (is that a spice?), garlic, turmeric etc. Then I have trained my palette to adjust to less than regularly salted foods.

 

Tea: As usual I swear by my teas - they have been my constant help for years - and I recommend a good hot cup whenever Aunty Flo' is visiting. I think it also helps with cravings and overeating plus keeps me hydrated enough to deal with dear ol' aunty - but when I say tea, I mean teas of the herbal variety - no milk! 

Some people will say medication like The Pill will help, but frankly I don’t know about that, so I cannot comment on that. But I think that for me, the main thing is not to allow Aunty Flo’ destabilize you from the healthy lifestyle you are working hard to establish. Don’t let her knock you off your rhythm (too much) to the point that you lose traction and have to re-crank your engine month on month – that’s just too exhausting and could cause even the most committed to derail.

I am sure there are some old mom’s remedies for the monthly increase but for the life of me I cannot seem to find any, nor do any of my friends know of any. So I’d really like to hear from you, do you experience weight gain because of the monthlies? How do you combat it? Feel free to comment or send me an email using the widget on the right.

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Not a Sprint, but a DASH!

Brace yourselves, this is a long one! But stay with me…

I was thinking to myself the other day, why do I really want to ‘DROP IT’? I am told that African men like ‘ample women’ (not my personal experience though….LOL) so why would an African woman like me want to lose them extra curves -as I typed extra curves I just got a picture of me ala Michelin tire – and I almost fell out of my chair laughing at myself – forgive my humor please.

Anyway back to the topic – It’s a new year, and I am just coming off my Jumpstart 2014 program (I’ll tell you how that went next week) I was trying to refocus and reenergize myself in my journey towards a healthier weight/size etc and one way I have come to reenergize myself is to ask the ‘why’ question. Why do I want to be healthier?

Why do I want to lose some weight?

Why do you want to [fill in the blank]?

I have found that I can only maintain my momentum on any project I undertake when I keep my motives (my ‘why’) front and center. I wrote about my whys in the initial blog post – you can read it here http://dropit4life.blogspot.com/2013/08/on-your-marks.html

 

So, as I begin a new year somewhat less obese than when I started my journey, it will be too easy to park on my current success and forfeit the ground I have gained on this journey. Recall that I started out at over 156kg! And I must confess that every day is a battle – a battle to not overeat, to eat the right things, to avoid eating after my 6pm cut off time, to step away from the chocolate bars and pastries, to get myself off my bed in the morning an work out…in one year it really has not gotten as easy as I thought it would be (this is me being truthful) and I do have failures but I have learnt not to dwell there and slip back to old habits. If I have learnt one thing, it’s this: its one day at a time. 

 

Back to the topic at hand - as I reflected, I own that the major reason why I really want to ‘DROP IT’ is the fact that at that size my health was simply….dreadful. The major health risk I suffered and want to focus on today was high blood pressure. My clinic nurse would always highlight my blood pressure in red when checking me and I was on a myriad of expensive blood pressure medicines (money that could have better invested was being spent on medication for an illness that was largely a result of my chosen lifestyle – when you think of it like that it sucks, right?)

One of my biggest fears is returning to my old habits and being unable to keep the weight off – in essence becoming again what I fought so hard to change. From what I have read, the real work is keeping the weight off after you have lost it. Look at this Huffington Post article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristin-kirkpatrick-ms-rd-ld/maintaining-weight-loss_b_942701.html (I do not personally agree with everything in the article but it succinctly paints the dire picture I want to convey. This determination to DROP IT 4 LIFE is the reason I started blogging and have become manic about health information. This is not a 5 year program, it is my lifestyle. Like a recovering alcoholic I have to watch it each day.

So in search for information to maintain my momentum that I heard about the “DASH Diet”. When I say DASH I don’t mean a race (Winnie, that dig was at you dear…LOL). DASH is actually an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, and according to WebMD it’s good for your heart, and could help reduce both high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

This diet simply says you should:

• Cut back on salt
• Eat whole grains like oats, cereals etc
• Load your plate with vegetables both for nutrients and fibre
• Get your 5 day [servings] – I mean fruits (you do know how to determine your 5 a day, don’t you?)
• Opt for lean meat and fish
• Don’t deny yourself a moderate portion of nuts and legumes (like beans, lentils etc)
• Reduce the quantity of fats and oils to take in (or cook with – eg deep frying)
• Sweets are a treat, not a staple. So please if you can’t stop them, reduce your intake to the barest minimum (I will advise cutting out all processed sugars entirely though – that thing is just poison! Opt for healthier alternatives like honey, or even low calorie sweeteners like ‘equal’ or ‘sweet n low’)
• Never deny yourself potassium rich foods like banana’s, sweet potatoes, avocado, cooked spinach. These really do help reduce your blood pressure

The goal of the DASH Diet from what I gather is to help you maintain a healthy weight while increasing your calcium, magnesium and potassium and fiber intake; reducing your consumption of saturated fats, and keeping sodium intake to the minimum. Sounds easy right? I’m optimistic and will give it a try. I find it really appealing because it does not really call anything taboo (including the dreaded bread J) and it fits my current lifestyle of healthy eating. PLUS a lot of the types of food it advocates we eat are easy to find and not overly expensive. If you have followed this blog for some time you will recall the meatballs and couscous recipie I shared about a month ago, I think that's a good idea for a DASH compliant meal - I think couscous has a good amount of couscous. Below is a picture submitted by Mrs Godiya who tried the recipie with amazing results.

If you check the internet you will find many DASH Diet recipes and meal plans – so I won’t go on and on about that here. But I will submit the picture following as my attempt at a DASH compliant meal. Its scrambled eggs with ham (made with skimmed not whole milk and onion powder rather than salt). I made this a couple of weeks ago and it was really yummy.

One thing I will add though, my rules of thumb will always be (and what I practice)

1.      Do all your heavy eating early in the day – preferably before 3pm – so no nibbling on that piece of beef by 10pm or eating that bowl of beans by 8:45pm. Then give yourself a cut off time after which you eat no longer (my cut off time is 6pm)

2.      Portion size still matters (from what I can see the DASH Diet does not advocate an all you can eat fest)

3.      Spice it up!

In ending, can I say that race is not so much a sprint but more of a DASH?

I am determined to DROP IT all off 4 LIFE, to keep it off and enjoy my healthy life.

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'Sugar and Fruits' or 'Fruits and Sugars'

I had an interesting conversation with my friend and sister Atinuke (see her blog here: http://modupesworld.wordpress.com/author/modupesworld/). With my starting Project Jumpstart 2014, we were talking about the benefits of fruits and the quantity of sugar in these fruits. We both were not sure the impact of fruits on a 'low calorie', 'low sugar', 'low fat', or 'low all what not' diet. There is a lot of conflicting information out there.  

We were even more stumpped when we got a hold of the following information:

Fruits lowest in sugar	Fruits low to medium in sugar	Fruits medium-high in sugar	Fruits with highest sugar content
Lemon, Lime, Rhubarb, Cranberries, Raspberries, Blackberries	Strawberries, Pawpaw (papaya), Watermelon, Peaches, Nectarines, Apples, Guavas, Apricots, Honeydew Melon, Grapefruit,	Plums, Oranges, Kiwis, Pears, Pineapples	Tangerines, Cherries, Grapes, Pomegranates, Mangoes, Figs, Bananas, Dried Fruit (apricots, sultanas, raisins etc)

I am sure you see my problem. I'm scratching my head, and saying 'what gives, Liz?'

If you don’t understand my predicament, let me explain- I am currently on a 7 day fruit & veg jumpstart (pardon me, but I just cannot call it a detox); any way I am juicing my own fresh fruit and making [some] amazing tasting juices (the strawberries, beets, apples, fresh ginger and carrots combination comes HIGHLY recommended) so for someone who is understandably staying away from sugar this information was rather disturbing. Was I inadvertently pouring the dreaded sugar into my system? Was I undoing months of hard work. These thoughts led me to my ‘goto’ resource for information …Google! [chuckle].

My Google search led me to this blog/site/article which with comments that give a relatively balanced view of the sugars in fruit debate:  http://authoritynutrition.com/is-fruit-good-or-bad-for-your-health/. You have to read the entire article yourself,, and come to your own conclusions but the main points were (taken verbatim):

• Sugar IS bad….but it depends on the context (natural or processed)
• There is a lot of evidence that fructose (sugar) can cause harm when consumed in excess. However, this depends on the dosage and context and does not apply to fruit
• Whole fruits contain a relatively small amount of fructose and they take a while to chew and digest. Humans can easily tolerate the small amounts of fructose found in fruit
• Fruits contain large amounts of important nutrients, including fiber, vitamins, minerals and various antioxidants and phytonutrients
• There are many studies showing that fruit intake is associated with lower risk of serious diseases like heart disease, stroke and type II diabetes
• The main reason to avoid fruit include some sort of intolerance, or being on a very low carb diet
• Fresh fruit juices however have a higher concentration of sugars as the fibers in the fruit have been stripped out.

The last bit got me. 'Fresh fruit juices however have a higher concentration of sugars as the fibers in the fruit have been stripped out.' But I figure if all I am eating or taking in is the fruit juice, and at regular intervals (no less than 2 hours apart) I am safe and won’t overwhelm my liver with sugar. But it is good to keep this in mind for when I resume eating solids (realizing that some of the solid foods we eat do contain their own types of sugars like starchy foods, some legumes etc). Then I am taking fruits as a part (not the whole part) of my healthy lifestyle. Fruits are NOT my silver buttet of choice to beat the bulge and DROP IT. But they will help me get there - my thoughts!

But if you really want to know how much sugar you are eating/drinking

when you take fruits check out www.sugarstacks.com. In summary, see this:

Fruit	Quantity	Amount of Sugar
Seedless Grapes	1 serving	20g (88 calories)
Apple	1 large	23g (116 calories)
Banana	1 large	17g (125 calories)
Peach	1 large	15g (172 calories)
Watermelon	1 slice	18g (86 calories)
Pineapple	1 serving	9g (50 calories)

So what’s the verdict (@ least for me): I still think it’s really healthy to drink fresh fruit juice (the emphasis is on FRESH and not PACKED juice) and the research is out there that links healthy consumption of fruit along with a healthy lifestyle with an overall healthier you and me. Please note the emphasis is not so much on weight loss at this time as it is on HEALTH. The way I see it weight loss is a path to improved health. Weight loss is then (to my mind) a means to an end, and not the end itself.

 

I'll just squeeze this in here: do you know that fruits are sometimes called 'natures candy'? How does that make you feel? Maybe when next your kid asks for a piece of candy you are justified in giving him/her a slice of natures own ...apple, watermelon...?

Have you heard anything to the contrary? Would you like to share? I’m sure I’ll probably learn something new and adjust my healthy lifestyle.

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Jumpstart 2014: Day 1

 

If you have been following this blog, you will know that I start my 7 day Juice Fest [aka Detox] in a bid to recharge my body (to read more about why I am doing this, please read my blog post tilted:Project Jumpstart 2014 - just click here http://dropit4life.blogspot.com/2013/12/project-jumpstart-2014.html).

 

Any-hoo, to keep myself accountable and make sure I do not slack off I have told everyone who will listen about this and invited them to join me.

 

And I am thinking that the benefits far outweigh the pain, don't you? [giggle]

 

I am going a step further and keeping a diary about what the 7 days were like, and how I felt while I was juicing and jumpstarting. Plus what physical exercises I get into {or not} during this time.

 

Okay, I don't want to talk too much, I'll just post my meal plan (in subsequent days, I won't be running my mount...er...fingers as much, I will just post the plan) and encourage you to follow it. If you are joining in, you don't have to follow my meal plan 100% you  can make your juices out of whatever fruits/veggies you have in your home. If you are not sure what would come out right, just experiment - if experimenting is not for you go to this site and you'll be spoit for choice:

 http://juicerecipes.com/recipes/

So, here we go!

Monday January 6 2014

0700	Lemon Water	A cup of hot/warm water with the juice of one lemon or lime squeezed in	This will help prepare you for the day. It will boost immune system, balance PH, aid digestion, acts as a gentle diuretic (which is the aim of the jumpstart, right?), hydrates the lymph system, clears the skin, curbs appetite
0800	Morning Glory	1 apple, 2large beets, 2 carrots, juice of 2 lemons/lime, crushed ice (153 calories)	Could boost stamina, lower blood pressure, improve digestion, reduce water retention
Noon	Carrot Infused Cabbage Delight	3 large carrots, ½ head of a medium sized cabbage (91 calories)	Could improve eyesight, prevent macular degeneration, reduce water retention, reduce the risk of a stroke, boost the immune system, improve complexion, prevent heart disease, lower cholesterol, improve digestion
1500	RED	1 large wedge of Watermelon, 1 Tomato, 1 whole Lemon  (138 calories)	Could help prevent colon, breast, prostate cancer prevention; acts as a kidney cleanse, helps with arthritis prevention, asthma help, reduce water retention, digestion help, lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation, boost energy,
1800	Sunset Blend	2 Green Apples, 2 beets, 1 large carrot, 1 sweet red bell pepper, 1 mid sweet potato (287 calories)	Could help cleanse blood & Liver, colon & stomach cancer protection, digestion, lower blood pressure, asthma help, Bone protection, lower bad cholesterol, improve stamina,  boost immunity, protect heart, improved complexion & eye sight,
2100	Tea	Peppermint Tea	Helps with digestion and hydrates your body

If these don't work for you, remember you can find alternatives at: http://juicerecipes.com/recipes/

Snacks

• Nuts – why not prepare some trail mix and have this handy should you need a pick me up
• Apple & peanut butter – no more than one apple and a tablespoon of peanut butter though!
• More herbal tea…

If you can keep a diary of your experience. You'll want to note for example:
@Your starting weight
@Your skin
@Any health issues you may have - constipation, cold, acne etc
@Cravings
@Stamina
@Blood Pressure
@Blood Sugar

Let's see if we record any significant change.

 

 

 

All the best juicing and Jumpstarting this fantasticly pregnant year!

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