Hi people,
Howdy? A few people such as IBK have asked about my lifestyle change and I want to share it with you all in this post. The key each day is that I must use more than what I take in. This means I must use up more calories than I eat. That was the cause of this whole weight gain in Bwari. I mean, from crazy Lagos driving, working in a busy Law firm, going up and down, I found myself in a place where it was from my room to class to mammy to eat and back to my room. And yet, I ate the same portions I would eat during my days of having a tight and busy schedule in Lagos. My body, for the reduced work it was doing, certainly didn’t need so much food anymore. In order to maintain my weight, I should have cut my food by a quarter and in order to lose weight, by a half. Anyways, all that is neither here nor there. The issue is what am I doing NOW to deal with the situation.
Well, I start my day with 2 cups of water. I’ve read that drinking ice cold water first thing in the morning is an easy way to speed up your metabolism. Right when you wake up, drink a glass or two of cold water. Your body will have to warm up the water entering your system, which means increasing your metabolism in the process. It’s a simple step to add into your daily routine that, while not a miracle cure, can certainly contribute to your other weight loss efforts (http://www.fitday.com)
I LOVE coffee!
At about 8 am, I have my cup of coffee with less sugar and milk than I would normally use (don’t bother advising me against coffee- the name of my blog should be instructive in this regard :p). That carries me till about 11am when I have king size portion of fruits- I love pawpaws because the sugar content in them is low and they are so filling and have great effects on the skin.
So I have what will equate to 2 N50 slices of hard pawpaws. By 4:00/4:30, I am ready for what will end up being my only meal of the day. I still eat rice, yam but very reduced portions. So my plate has less whites and more colors. I have vegetables with my meal and drink loads of water. I have little portions of nuts during the day as my snack. At 8/9, I have more fruits and that’s it!
This is different from when I’d starve myself or skip meals. Now I always feel filled but I’m now filled with the right stuff that is good for me. My portions are small but not so small that I’d be craving another meal in a few hours.
I believe this kinda diet is sustainable. I also do a lot of housework that gets me sweating. I was sweeping and mopping yesterday and sweating like no man’s business. I’m not so great with the gym and always waste my membership so I have to figure out how to make diet work . I also pray to God for strength. I have reduced my Coke intake and have more water instead.
I have also stopped checking the scales every time or expecting tight clothes to automatically be free. I’m okay with the change taking two months to start being apparent remembering that my weight gain took a whole 3 months to build up. I have 4 inches to lose all over. So my waist needs to go back to 27 etc. Right now, clothes are fitting better and I feel better within. The changes are small but I celebrate them. If I can get back to my pre-Bwari size by the end of December 2012, I shall be a happy bunny. I also watch loads of weight loss videos on YouTube for inspiration. Check this one out:
Do you guys have any additional tips to share?
Temiville.xoxo
Musings of a Caramel Latte Addict 
Nov 03, 2012 @ 08:27:29
🙂 Thanks. I’m d only person I know who is gaining weight during Nysc so I’m worried. I hope this helps.
Hope u’re enjoying ur break? Stay blessed.
Nov 03, 2012 @ 14:27:51
You have a good plan. Here are a few things I will suggest:
1. You may benefit from actually flipping your plan on its head. That is: start with a heavy/big meal in the morning and progressively get lighter throughout the day. I will recommend a protein filled breakfast. Proteins fill full quickly and keep you full for quite some time, so you won’t need to eat other stuff.
2. Rather than drinking just plain ol’ cold water, squeeze lemons into the water. It helps to cleanse your system and increase your metabolism.
3. Don’t limit your fruits to just paw paw. Eat different fruits and eat as much as you want. You really can’t go wrong with fruits.
Nov 03, 2012 @ 18:31:55
Try GM diet
Nov 03, 2012 @ 21:17:09
This blog is sooooo wonderful! Please follow myn too http://www.belloibrahim.wordpress.com
Nov 04, 2012 @ 15:20:58
Hi as I just had a baby my diet is kinda like yours. Since I breast feed I need to eat. So like u said I have breakfast but reduce my portions. I have tea but without sugar or milk. I then eat by 5 or 6pm n I am through for the day. If I am hungry later in the day I will eat a little animal crackers. Since I do not go out I make sure I do some exercise no matter how little. Like walking up n down the stairs, sit ups for my belly cos it has to go down. Lol n I jump rope. Hope my advise will work for u. Www. Secretlilies.blogspot.com
Nov 04, 2012 @ 23:06:55
Aww yay! In the process of chaing my diet and lifestyle as well !
Best wishes!!
Nov 05, 2012 @ 00:59:29
I think it’s easy to lose oneself in the society we r living in today. There is so much pressure on women to be a certain size which is leading up to people having low self esteem. I’m an advocate for women losing weight to look good as long as they are doing it the healthy way. It’s high time people learnt to embrace their figures and not listen to what people are saying. The reality of life is one can never satisfy people. When one is slim, they will complain that one is too skinny, when one adds weight, they will say one is too fat. At the end of the day,one has to do what makes one happy. As per tips on your diet, i would say one size does not fit all. It’s all about finding what works best for you. I think you could incorporate some cereal into your breakfast like muesli or oatbran. Also rather than eating fruits again at night, you could have a salad instead cus it helps food digest faster. I find eating too much fruits leads to overly frequent bowel movement. Also olive oil is a healthier option for cooking.
Nov 05, 2012 @ 04:27:59
Way to go! About 3 weeks ago, I also decided on a change in my eating habit and lifestyle basically. I’m using the book “The Halleluyah Diet” by George Malkmus as a guide. It basically advocates a lot of raw fruits and vegetables and only one cooked meal daily. just like you are doing. I love watermelons too, low sugar also and they are filling too. I have lost a little weight but I feel a gazillion times better on the inside. I am like 5ft 11 and weigh around a 100 kg. That should paint a picture of my size but I carry it nicely and people don’t usually believe I weigh that much. Problem is I feel heavy all d time and my heart pinches. But for like 2 weeks now, my heart hasn’t hurt, my tummy is flatter and I feel lighter generally and that’s enough motivation for me to continue. Thanks for this post. I wish u all d best in the quest for a healthier lifestyle.
Nov 05, 2012 @ 08:38:59
I didn’t know pawpaw doesn’t have much sugar. One of the problems with fruits is the sugar content.
Thanks for sharing.
Nov 06, 2012 @ 07:50:39
hi temi,
what can i say ‘good job’. i lost 44 pounds last year and has kept it off for 10 months without consulting any of them cambrigde, halleluyah or GM diet. i am 5’9 and weighed about 96-98kg. i suggest the following- tested and trusted.
1. find what works for u. all these diets ‘get as e be’ in the medium to long run. No two people are the same.
2.pay attention to ur body, find out what makes u put on weight, when u eat, why u eat.
3. count calories. even when u dont know the exact calories u can estimate. check out @caloriecount on twitter. so much info there
4. my secret food is cucumbers. at 16 calories per cup and super filling, u cant go wrong. very filling u cant finish 2 cucumbers
5. peppersoup. if u r a chilli freak like me(those of us who cant help but eat pepper everyday, without which we would fall ill) veg peppersoup is my favourite. lots of peas, cabbage, some tomatoes, sweet corn etc.Get creative
6.Ogi. yup i said it. at 80% water and 20% carbs u can fill up on this anytime during the day.
theres more but this is all that comes to mind. always remember it a lifestyle change not a diet. dont check the scale everyday, keep a food journal and do exercise. no matter how little time u have to exercise. i didnt go to the gym, i didnt run, i didnt zumba, i just walked and used some ankle weights. get moving thats all.
dont deprive urself and more importantly dont deprive yourself of anything. MODERATION is the key.
hope this helps.
have fun on your journey
Nov 06, 2012 @ 08:00:21
BTW 44 pounds is 20kg. i still have 10kg to go, its a daily stuggle but i will get there 🙂