Why Am I Gaining Weight Even Though I Work Out!!!

This was the question that had me stumpped recently!

I realized last month that I had hit a plateau in my weight loss – I started the year at 113kg, went down to 112kg then stuck…nothing -I tried worked. So Googleing this question, I found out that my body could get used to my work out routine and this could cause the rate of weight loss or toning to slow down; and that changing the routine/regime could help in maintaining and jumpstarting consistent weight loss.

This weight loss/healthy living lifestyle, it really is not easy…

Anyway, as I am committed, I decided to join a gym near my house that has instructors who are reputed to be very helpful and hands on. So that is the path that I am on now….I am still swimming but once a week. Then I use my kettlebells only when I cannot make it to the gym…at least for this season. Now I am doing 20-30minutes on the treadmill, 30minutes on the cycler, 15 minutes lifting weights (to tone my abs), and 5 minutes (I have never been able to do more than 5mins on this brutal machine) on a horrible step machine  (don’t know what it’s called), and 10minutes on a cross trainer. I mix it up, but spend about 90minutes in the gym every other weekday and 2 hours on Saturday morning. Again, I am committed, I must get back on track and end this year at <100kg.

You would think that with all this work the excess would be falling off like leaves in autumn, right? WRONG!!! I was devastated when one week in I weighed myself and did a double take when my scale read 115kg!!! I was like…it must be the coffee creamer, so I ditched the coffee creamer. Three days after and another scale check and I saw 116kg!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE @@@&&&%%%????? I almost called my doctor… I was gutted. So I did what I always do when stumped, I searched Google. The result of my search was quite enlightening and reassuring; at least I am not going mad. I realized that:

a.   I am not the only one who has experienced this

b.   There is a story behind the post workout weight gain

c.    It is temporary

So, if you are like me and you just started a new work out plan/regime and you notice that instead of losing weight your scale is actually going the other way, this is for you! And I hope what I learned reassures you as it did me.

So why does this happen?

I found out that when we start a new work out program (like start jogging 20minutes each morning) we normally experience muscle soreness – the more intense the work out the more intense the soreness. This soreness/pain is our body trying to protect itself (similar to when we go into starvation mode when we reduce food intake drastically and gain weight). Physiologists refer to this protective soreness as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Basically, what is happening is that when we work out we are breaking down the tissues in our muscles, making them inflamed and slightly swollen as the breaking down causes fluid retention. This fluid retention is the reason behind the weight gain sometimes as much as 5kg! This weight gain can last for up to 3 weeks into the new program, and if we stick to the new program we begin to see major [but reasonable] drops in weight via our scales.

In my opinion, this can be disconcerting if you don’t know what to expect when you start a new work out regime but the payoff is ‘kind of’ worth it – especially if like me you have plateaued in your weight loss. I actually think that I can use this DOMS-thingie to facilitate my weight loss and change my routine (probably go back to swimming vigorously and four times a week kettle-belling in a few months) so that I can start the cycle again to dodge plateauing. Another payoff is that the increased intensity required to experience the DOMS also revs metabolism – so it is ‘kind of’ worth it.

One thing to note though…the temporary weight gain as a result of DOMS only lasts a for approximately 3 weeks – less if you are lucky (I waited about 3 weeks before seeing the drop in my weight); so if you keep adding weight after three weeks it’s best to look at your calorie to energy expended ratio (food in vs energy burnt). To effectively lose weight, we must always expend more energy than we are taking in (in calories) – and that is usually a culprit. So be cautious.

 

From experience I know it’s easy to say I worked out last night so I can cheat and have that extra bar of chocolate (GUILTY!!! J). When I did that, I was simply undoing all of my hard work. So I reckon, if I work so hard, I might as well help myself and zip it!

Right?

What do YOU think?

 

 

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Drop It While You Shop

We’ve all heard about retail therapy, right? What if I told you that you could actually burn calories while you shop? Yep! Burn calories while shopping!

When I was in university I came across the following information and thought to share it…after all every little helps, right? Plus shopping is so much fun!

Trying on Swimming Costumes burns about 60 calories and helps your posture (with all the stretching) which is good for all round flexibility.

Burn 100 calories by lifting heavy boxes off medium high shelves; this is a great workout for your triceps and front of shoulders including your anterior deltoids.

Work your biceps, triceps and those anterior deltoids some more by moving clothes along racks (long racks though…and not just one shirt on a hanger! LOL), this is worth 60 calories.

And one I absolutely love…trying on high heeled shoes – this can knock off between 60 – 90 calories in 15 minutes. You’ll say 15 minutes trying shoes…I assure you shoe lovers can relate to this. This work out exercises your calves (aka yams) and could help shape them! I’m off to my favorite shoe shop this holiday (ADD-ONS Accessories – check them out on Facebook) so I will definitely be getting my work out in!

Burn 100+ calories by walking briskly between shops, but it has to be some reasonable distance (I’m trying to rationalize cos this seems too easy – right?); this could help tone your legs and back. If you add your bulging shopping bags to the mix you are looking to burn even more calories (possibly up to 300) and tone your arms as well!

Jeans/Denim lovers will love this one – you can actually burn 200 calories trying on tight jeans! Yes all that shimmying and jumping and tugging and pulling has some value – 200 calories worth! [smile]. And while you are at it, your hamstrings (the muscles at the back of you laps, right under your bum), quadriceps (your laps) and gluteal muscles (your bum) get a good workout. So all that sweat is not for nothing!

So why all this information – two simple words RETAIL THERAPY! This is a long weekend, and as we celebrate Easter and recalibrate spiritually (after all the season does have a very poignant meaning) we may have plans to go shopping! This information ensures that this shopping expedition will be virtually guilt-free! Your own personal workout in the mall!

Enjoy…

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Loving Jill Scott

I fell in love with Jill Scott in Tyler Perry’s ‘Why Did I Get Married’. If you have seen the movie you would understand my affinity towards her character–

• She was intelligent [check]

• She was beautiful [blushing check]

• She was insecure [sighing check]

• She was chunky aka fat [check, check, check]

Remember how she had to leave the plane on account of her size? That was one of my worst fears flying and having to request for seat belt extensions!

Remember how her husband in the movie talked down on her when she surprised him with that lovely white/cream negligée? I would have broken his head right then!!! Yes, I would! Don’t y’all try me… LOL

Then at the end of the movie when it all came around for her – she gained confidence, gained a ruggedly handsome husband and an apology from her abuser to boot!

If you have not seen 'Why Did I Get Married', I recommend it 100%.

I’ve followed her career and life since then, and she has been my style muse –its quite hard to dress a certain way when you are a certain size – and she constantly pulled it off beautifully. So I love Jill Scott – her music, her movies, her clothes, her! I think she is a worthwhile example for all us chunky ladies out there. There is no need to hide your light under a bushel just because you are chunky and people don’t appreciate the gift that you are to their lives.

Anyhow, Jill reinvented herself recently and I’m loving it!  She lost over 63lbs! No small deal I assure you. But what totally tickles me is that she allegedly admitted that in spite of this weight loss, she still loves her curves and knows that she will never be a ‘stick figure’.

Reading stuff on the net, I gather she works out – 60 minutes of cardio and strength training three times a week with a personal trainer. This routine includes kick boxing, biking outdoors and boxing. Doable, right? Don’t let the ‘personal trainer’ bit discourage you – you too can get a personal trainer – just buy the DVD and the instructor is YOUR personal trainer! YEP!

As for eating, I hear she says that she has 3 low fat meals and two snacks each day! Remember what I blogged about in ‘Chanelling Dr Oz’ http://dropit4life.blogspot.com/2014/03/channeling-dr-oz-part-1.html? We don’t have to starve ourselves to DROP IT! Healthy choices are the best policy, and obviously Jill has got a firm handle and we should emulate her – after all her results speak for all of us struggling with excess weight!

So here is to loving JILL SCOTT…a worthy muse if you need some encouragement as you Drop It 4 Life!

I cannot wait to be her current size!!! Wink!

So, I’ve told you mine; who is your weight loss muse? Who encourages you…?

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6 Ideas to Help Cut Down [Your] Salt Intake

I got a shocker when I learned this, and had to share! I was like OMG!!

Do you know that excess salt consumption could sabotage your weight loss? Yes, OMG!! It could also actually affect your appearance by making you look puffy [a polite way of saying FAT], bloated (due to water retention)?

Do you know that it could also contribute to high blood pressure? Right about now you should be asking ‘So, my salt intake can actually hinder my efforts to lose weight?’ YES!!! Other than that, it can really mess up one’s overall health…

Other undesirable effects of excess salt consumption include:

ü  Stroke

ü  Heart disease

ü  Stomach cancer

ü  Osteoporosis

ü  Kidney stones

ü  Headaches

ü  Enlarged heart muscles

Very undesirable, right?

If you are like me, you would/should be keen on cutting your salt intake -avoid consuming too much salt. Here are some ideas I discovered:

1.   Beware of ready-made foods like packed soups. Although they are marketed as healthy options, they actually have an unhealthy amount of salt – sometimes over 2.5g of salt per 250g serving (almost half of the adult daily recommended intake of 6g). Think about it this way – you want to lose weight and have 3 packed soups in one day – that’s 7.5g! Then we wonder why we are having constant headaches and our BP is escalating? (for ‘we’, read ‘I’).

It’s not because of the stress of the diet…it’s the salt! L

2.   I was very happy when I heard that the best breakfast is a bowl of oats (porridge) rather than cereal – coz that’s what I have for breakfast most days. From an article on www.heart.org I gather that most cereals are quite high in salt with some having as much as 2.2g/100g serving! I have taken to reading the labels to make sure I am not dozing myself with salt. Both my parents are hypertensive, and prior to my new lifestyle I was on BP medication. Other options for breakfast include – egg, fruit…etc. Its about choices...we all need to make the choices that support a healthy lifestyle.

3.   Fresh is best! I hear that this is Jennifer Aniston’s secret to her beautiful skin and hair! With the hustle & bustle of life, we tend to reach for the fast option – the cakes, meat pies, packet soup, baked beans, sandwiches, corned beef …you know! All of these have far too much salt (sodium) – much more than we actually need. So, whenever possible avoid processed foods; opt rather for freshly made food (I don’t mean freshly baked bread…lol) like fresh salads, grilled fish/meat, soup, boiled plantains, fresh fruit, fresh smoothies (rather than packed fruit juice) …! Fresh also means less sugar, so on every side it is better!

4.   A know a lot of people who won’t eat until they have reached for the salt cellar on the table and added more salt to their meal. I have a thing – I think salt should be cooked (yep! COOKED). Call me crazy, but I will not add ‘fresh’ salt to already cooked food – I think it’s unhealthy. I have no scientific evidence to support this, it’s just my craziness! But hey! It helps keep my salt consumption down! J

5.   In one of my earlier posts I mentioned that I hardly ever actually cook with salt (if I can help it), what I do is get creative and use spices to add flavor to my meals. Really good alternatives to salt include onion powder – but I go the extra mile and use garlic powder and turmeric as well. I actually swear by turmeric to help bring out all the natural good flavor of my food! Try it, and let me know. You can also experiment with herbs like rosemary (works well with jollof rice, meat & even fish), oregano, thyme etc.

You may want to try something I did: I premixed some cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, garlic & onion powder, used a mortar and pestle to grind them fine and stored in an air tight container. This is now my go to when I want to grill fish or chicken. It’s one way I reduce my salt consumption. Give it a try, and let me know how it goes.

6.   Check label when you buy. Any sodium above 0.5g/100g is HIGH, and 0.1g/100g is low. Remember the recommended daily allowance of salt for an adult is 6g, so do the math. The things you chose to eat add up in much more than calories – salt adds up too. And when the salt adds up…the blood pressure goes up as well.

Don’t be shy to read the label before you move items off the shelf in the store to your shopping basket – I can say this because I used to be shy – used to think people would think I was ignorant when I read the label before adding the item to my shopping basket. NO!!! It is the ignorant who do not read what’s in the condiment/soup packet/cereal box, canned food etc before buying. Remember GIGO? Garbage In; Garbage Out! Same thing applies here (my opinion).

I hope you have been inspired and educated! And become more committed to cut down on your salt intake….it does help as we drop it for life! J

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Channeling Dr Oz [Part II]

I've been talking about things I learnt (attributed to Dr Oz) from an article on www.ivillage.com on things that could help us win the battle of the bulge - or at least help maintain a healthy weight and life. I'm hoping that the points that follow will be as insightful as last weeks blog post.

Here we go....

Iced Drinks help coz they could help rev up your metabolism, so try to go for 3 iced drinks daily (if your teeth and health can manage that). We can all take this a notch higher when we ice up drinks that naturally push up our metabolism such as coffee and green tea. [Note to self – stay away from the prepackaged iced coffees and such they usually have too much processed sugar – make yours from scratch].

 

Vitamins – Zinc some researchers say can help reduce hunger (why didn’t anyone tell me this like 10 years ago?), so when you do take multivitamins, try to see that what you get has at least 15mg of zinc. Although it should be safe, I’d say ask your doctor before starting on any multi vitamin medication – better be safe than sorry, right?

Interval Training: This is the new thing in physical training science - exercising in short intense bursts of activity. What I do when I go for my morning walks is I walk/run (not quite running but definitely walking really fast – to the point that I get out of breath) for about 10mins, then slow down to a more manageable pace for 10mins – I continue this rhythm for my entire walk. You can do the same in your gym – on the treadmill, spinning machine etc – just really go all out and hit it for all you’ve got for some time, then reduce your tempo (don’t stop, keep moving but move slower and with less intensity).

 

I hear that interval training burns more calories than you would if you maintained a uniform pace during your entire work out.

I am partial to Strength Training (I use kettlebells regularly, and prefer them to Dumb bells), so I think I will blog about the benefits of K-bells as opposed to Dumb bells. Suffice it to say, that I attribute blasting my abdomen to my K-bell routine!

Until then...

In the meantime…

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Channeling Dr Oz [Part 1]

A few years ago I subscribed to www.ivillage.com and get their healthy living updates (I recommend them). Last week they sent Dr Oz’s 7 plans to boost metabolism (http://www.ivillage.com/try-dr-oz-s-7-day-miracle-plan-boost-metabolism/4-a-520728?nlcid=P1|03-13-2014|&_mid=5724833&_rid=5724833.35500.71984.2) and I learnt so much I cannot not but share. I’ll just give a quick summary (will probably break this into two posts), if you want more details – with links to cool widgets please visit the site yourself.

So now to what I learnt:

1: Know your basal metabolism (yes, you can actually do that using some calculator at http://calculators.epnet.com/View/Pages/BasalMetabolism.aspx?docid=healthcalculators%2flistofcalculators&CollectionIID=954&DeliveryContext=coe&token=1edc3d6e-4fec-4b20-baca-795e48830daa&hasHRA=true&frame=parent). Mine is 1763 and this represents the number of calories my body needs to burn when at rest, and tells me how many calories I can actually consume after which I start adding weight.

2: Cut 100 calories daily. To do this I guess I will need to track how many calories I eat each day (which seems very alien to me – because I do not want to be a calorie counter). I guess the way forward for me is to identify some foods/snacks that add up to 100 calories and if possible start eliminating/reducing my intake progressively. Does that make sense? It does to me…J So, what will get the axe?

 

·        4 Jacobs crackers =136calories

·        Kellogg’s Special K (1 serving = 87 calories)

·        1 cup of white beans = 378 calories

·        1 cup of white cornmeal (tuwo masara) = 450 calories

·        Sardine in oil (4 fish = 100 calories)

·        1 tablespoon of palm oil – 120 calories

·        1 bean cake ball (akara) = 75 calories

·        5 Dried Figs  =100calories

·        1 cup of roasted cassava (garri) = 360 calories

·        1 cup of raw white rice = 693 calories

·        1 cup of jollof rich = 868 calories

·        1 evaporated milk tin sized portion of pounded yam = 400 calories

·        Baked beans (130calories)

·        1 serving of Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur about 1 medium glass =147 calories

·        15 pieces of Cashews =100 calories

·        Seedless grapes (33 grapes =100 calories)

·        1 serving spoon of Whole grain penne pasta (34 pieces) =100 calories)

·        13 large Shrimp =100calories)

·        2, 1 ounce Cheddar Cheese cubes = 100calories)

(I got a lot of this information from www.edenlifestyle.com)

I guess if you really wanted to take at this, you could get any of the interesting calorie counting apps making the rounds now like www.caloriecount.com (it also has a mobile version – so you can check them calories on the go!) An easier way to check calories is to read the label of the item before you buy. You will look silly at first checking labels in the shop, but think of the health benefit to yourself.

But to be fair, this makes sense, and while it will take some discipline it could give us some long term results! Guess there’s no harm in trying, right? (who am I trying to convince, you or me? LOL)

3: Add Protein. You all know I am already a fan of protein – majorly because proteins keep you fuller for longer and I appreciate their value to my health. Plus as someone with a tendency to always feel hungry, I’ve found that having more proteins have helped curb my appetite (generally speaking). Also, I hear that proteins could help boost metabolism. Okay now, what’s not to love? Before I forget, the Dr Oz site also says you burn twice as much calories digesting proteins than you do carbs – that’s a double whammy, isn’t it?

Your proteins will include: fish, lean beef, chicken, cheese, soya, nuts, eggs, beans etc. But don’t overdo it…they do have calories as well. I recall when I was in secondary school and trying to lose weight; I eat so much beans and beans contained meals. To my chagrin I ADDED weight - someone told me years after that while I was eating protein, the quatity was far too much, and I discounted the calorie content of other ingredents used to prepare the meal namely the high fat oils. So please do remember that balance is key!

I've included the diagram below to highlight some more healthy protein food sources...

Personally I try to eat 2 times more proteins than carbs each day. So I’ll opt for steamed beans cakes (moi-moi) rather than boiled yams; grilled fish with veg rather than rice. Again, balance is KEY! I check my quantity above all else! I think this is actually working for me.

4: Eat every 3 hours! Yes! I like this one! LOL. In a bid to lose weight, I was an expert in skipping meals for days on end, and then I’d binge; then start the cycle over again. From my ‘before’ pictures you can tell how that worked for me. L Since I started my healthy lifestyle journey I make a point to eat at least 5 small meals each day (many times I don’t make it to 5, but I try to ‘eat little but often’). When I say eat, a meal could actually be a couple of apples, a cup of plain yoghurt, yesterday I had a mug of homemade mango juice,  a cup of tea (yes, I see tea as a meal – it’s me conditioning my mind to accept this as a meal so I do not binge – It makes sense in my head J), a couple of pieces of grilled chicken (suya) – nothing too heavy, but enough that I do not feel deprived. I get all of these in before 6pm, coz after 6 pm I try not to eat anything. It was difficult at first, but it is a way of life now.

According to Dr Oz, your meals should be timed a bit like this:

6-8am –Breakfast

10am – Snack

12-2pm – Lunch

3-5pm – Snack

5 - 7pm - Dinner

 

A picture is worth a thousand words, and this on the right shows how your eating impacts your internal calorie burn-ability. Incentive to try eating more regularly but less each day? For me it is...!Apparently there is research that shows that people who snack on 250 calories each day eat less at regular meal times and have higher metabolic rates.

...next week...

 

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(health information, recipes and things to know about progressing towards a healthy lifestyle)

What is Sabotaging My Weight Loss? -Bandidos De Grasa [Fat Bandits]

I heard (or maybe read) that lives rise and fall on our HABITS – putting it simply the secrets of our success(es) are hidden in our daily routine/habits (got this from Mike Murdoch). Thinking about this I own that there could be things I do or not fail to do that contribute to my ‘situation’ (LOL). So typical me I went to Google to help me identify which habits I needed to ‘nix’. So this week I want to share what I learned with you … you will be surprised.

And as you read, please ask…are these my habits too?

Habit 1

Focus on ‘LOW FAT’ Labels

When I shop, I tend to gravitate to those items marked ‘low fat’, ‘99% fat free’… fat free biscuit, low fat spam…and such. But according to Dr Oz ‘fat free or low fat’ does not mean fewer calories, and manufacturers actually pile on the calories –in sugar, flour, thickeners etc to make up for the potential lack of flavor. But when you eat these, they don’t have the full contingent of nutrients your body needs to function, then they tend to fill you up fast then evaporate even faster (reminds me of a particular type of cuisine that is said to fill you up at the table but by the time you get to the door you are hungry again).

In the article I read we are actually advised to curb ‘low fat’ options to foods that did not undergo major processing before hitting the shop floor eg low fat milk, 99% skimmed milk, low fat cheese, or yoghurt.

So, note to self: And avoid low fat cookies, low fat snacks, low fat cereal or canned food.

Habit 2

Mindless Eating

This is a personal one for me – because I am SO GUILTY! Maybe ‘mindless eating’ is not the politically correct term, but I am referring to the gazillion cups of tea that gulped with unnumbered Jacobs cream crackers while at my desk working. It’s funny how my mental picture of productivity is desk, laptop, cup of tea/coffee and a box of cream crackers. Look at it this way:

Average of 10 crackers =34calories x 10 = 340!!! And these are empty calories at that, because lunch or dinner is sure to follow – so you see how this sets you up? And this is the crackers alone…I’ve not entered the coffee creamer or the milk.

In the past I have been known to gobble up the entire roll of cream crackers – no wonder, right?

So, note to self: No more mindless eating (…I will have my tea/coffee with the occasional healthy quantity of biscuit – but I will not gorge myself on them), I am learning to pack my lunch and have a pleasant healthy lunch. Plus I am working not just reaching for random bits of food without thinking about why I am eating – coz everyone pays for mindless eating.

Habit 3

Plate Scrubbing

I don’t know if you had a mom like mine (smile), but growing up we were never allowed to leave food on our plates – you had to finish everything mom dished out - no matter how BIG. Now that conditioning has resulted in habits where I tend to keep eating even when I know I shouldn't - whole mountains of food are pushed down, just because we need to clear our plates. To be frank, it kind of got difficult to know WHEN I was really full and to stop eating (my fault, not my moms).

I have a confession (and if you are honest you can relate with this) – I used to only frequent restaurants that offered ‘healthy’ portions J --- you know what I mean. I’d actually compare notes with friends about which establishments were more generous with helpings of food and that was where we ate.

With my journey, I realize that I really do not have to scrub my plate; my leaving food after I eat is not a sign of wastefulness or selfishness, but rather a sign of discipline! I heard it said that when you eat put a knife to your throat, for me I this means that I regulate how fast I eat (another destructive habit) so that I don’t miss the ‘tank full’ signal that comes when my stomach is pleasantly full – so we should not be eating till our tummies hurt, or we can barely move. Many of us are so conditioned that we do not even know when we are full – do you? How do you know? I had to re-learn the signals, learn to listen to my tummy and not overeat. So, I am breaking the habit of scrubbing my plate; I

Habit 3

Olympic Track Eating

I’ve heard tell that the fastest dog does not always beat the smartest dog to the finish line. One habit I caught was that I could eat so fast that the taste buds in my mouth would not have processed the taste of the food before the food was in my tummy. Seriously! How I developed this habit is another story for another day – but let me say that again it was childhood conditioning. L [Parents please help your kids develop healthy eating habits NOW, so they are not set up to struggle tomorrow]. In battling my bulge (pun intended) I worked with a nutritionist last year and she taught me that one way to hear when my tummy was full was to eat slowly (I am told twenty chews per bite)– give yourself time to really enjoy the food, savor the flavors and realize when you are actually full (NEWS FLASH: you are not full when all the food on/in your plate is gone). Eating is not an Olympic event – enjoy it, let it last (reasonably), taste the food, sniff the aroma…at least that’s my advice to me.

Habit 4

Me, Gremlin

Remember the movie ‘Gramlins’? Remember what happened when you fed them cute critters at night? There has to a cautionary tale there, right?

Well, I used to be among those that argued that heavy late night meals (eaten less than 4 hours before bedtime) were NOT detrimental to your waistline – but I have recanted! By heavy I mean fried plantains, yams, meat/poultry, garri etc- heavy carbs/starch and proteins. I’ve found that when I indulge just before bed I suffer for it through the night with heartburn. Also I read somewhere that some of these foods do not really digest before you shut down (not sure how true it is, but it’s scary enough to put me off heavy late night meals) so you actually wake up with undigested food in your tummy leading to toxin build up, bad breath, lethargy etc. I’ve said severally that I do my best not to eat after 6pm, but if I must it has to be something as light as possible – I opt for a cup of tea, or fruit (grapes are quite filling and since you chew them down they should digest before you bed down for the night – and they take about 1hr 45mins to digest). If you want more information on digestion times you should visit http://www.unani.com/digestion_time_of_foods.htm

Habit 4

Sahara Lifestyle

Are you like me and can go without real H2O (aka water) for hours on end? If I don’t watch it I could go without a simple drink of [pure] water for a whole day. I tell myself that my tea intake is liquid enough but that is not ideal! So I am trying to stop this habit, because there is no better detoxifier than agua …water! Plus water has been said to help people manage blood sugar levels.

I hear that everyone should have at least 8 full glasses of water each day…other people say 1litre is ideal. This is especially important for those of us who live in hot climates – you need to put back in what the sun takes out each day.

I’ve spoken of my leadership coach Robin Sharma previously (the author of ‘The Leader with No Title’), he says emphatically (and I agree) that ‘you can’t DO good if you don’t FEEL good’. I hope and believe that when I get my daily routine right (habits) I’ll be more energized & focused to DROP IT 4 Life!

Obviously, this is by no way an exhaustive list… just some of the things I am trying to build into my life. What other habits do we have that sabotage our efforts? What habits are YOU struggling with? What habits do you recommend for people who want to DROP IT? Care to share/comment?

And while you are thinking about this, care to share on what is sabotaging YOUR weight loss? I'd really love to hear from you.

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