Hi all,

Firstly excuse me Meena for being out of touch from the blog.I was in India then came back with loads of extra weight which i had with much effort, as per me, reduced to certain extent. Now am trying to take time out again to hit the gym , but with my little one along its's getting difficult these days. But all your posts are so motivating and Meena specially yours, as i have seen you lately. You were looking so nice, your hard work is paying off !! I wish i could join you with the exercise !

Anyways, hope to get on the road soon !!

Cheers !

Pooja

Slow and Steady?

Hello everybody!

Yes, Joice, it looks like none of us have been to this page in a long time. I can only hope that everybody else is making more progress than myself in the matter! My husband and I recently moved into a new apartment, and are slowly settling down- and since setting up the kitchen and organising it is also included in the slowly-settling-down bit- you can only imagine what that means!

But I'm back on track again (this time with a broken weighing machine!! What did I ever do wrong?!?!), and I do have a few things to share with the group.

First off, counting calories.

I found a great new application for my smartphone called MyFitnessPal. If you don't have a smartphone, you don't need to fret, because the good news is that MyFitnessPal is available on the internet too! Here is a screen shot of my login page:

This is a good way to keep track of the calories you've consumed on a daily basis, and if you're registering your calories after every meal like I mostly do, it's a great way to determine how much to eat for dinner to stay within your calorie bracket. For the last few days, I've been logging my daily diet record on the application; and what's REALLY great about it is that it has a database of over 750,000 foods with an accurate count of calories! What's EVEN BETTER is that if the food item that you've consumed is not on their database, you can re-create the recipe and it'll give you an item by item count of the calories that went into your meal :)

You can also make an exercise diary, which I think does not have as exhaustive a database as the diet diary does, but it has the essentials: walking, running, aerobics, yoga, etc.

Second update: Zumba.

We recently purchased a PS 3. Now we're not gaming freaks, but we got it to hook it up to Netflix to watch some of our fave movies. The store happened to have a Zumba party game and I tried it out two days in a row, and I gotta tell you... the 20 minute beginner workout is more challenging than I ever imagined!

For those not in the know, Zumba is a form of aerobics infused with Latin hip-and-booty-shakin' dance techniques. So you're basically getting a heavy aerobic workout and having fun at the same time!

I've always wanted to learn Zumba, and now I know that it's great fun too! I only wish I didn't have to do it alone though. Oh well, it's a start :)

So I'll be back with a weight update soon. As of the last time, my goal was set to losing at least 40 lbs (turns out I did put on quite a bit after the wedding! sniff sniff)... so let's see how I well I do once we get the weighing machine fixed.

Till then, take care!

Progress

Its been a long time since I opened this site and looks like its the same story with the members. With my family falling sick one after the other, working from home on the bad days etc I hardly had the time to think about diets and exercise. But I must be doing something right when to my utter disbelief I found that I had lost a full kg (a miniscule amount, I know) and I felt like I had dropped 10. So, now its 1 down and 12 more to go to reach my target weight. After losing this 1 kg, I feel so impatient to lose 10 more kgs. I havent started exercising yet, and have started being a little more active at home and work. while feeding my child, I make sure the plate is far away, so that for each bite I need to walk at least 10-15 steps. And I just play more physical games (such as running and jumping around for no reason) with my older child and also walk around from one room to the other tidying the place up (instead of taking 5-6 items at 1 go, I take each one individually). So, in a way I'm trying to incorporate some form of increased activity in my life. Also, I've started counting calories and it really helps since now I think twice before sinking my teeth into some mouthwatering dishes. I really hope to lose 8-10 kgs by end of this year. So keeping my fingers crossed. How is everyone else doing with thier journey?

Found & Lost!

Hi there,
Finally, I have some good news to report. I found my weighing scale ...AND...lost two kilos! Woohoo! So those five days a week of workout are finally paying off. Two kilos in one month....23 more to go...:)

For some reason, I'm unable to post comments against each post. So here's something I wrote for you, Joice:

"Awesome! Congrats on getting back into the game. :) I spend about 30 minutes on cardio (usually the bike), spend another 15 minutes working on weights and spend another 15 minutes on abs and core. One hour every working day. I take the weekends off. I also make sure I stick to food portions. Seems to work so far. I'm also seeing this as a lifestyle change rather than a quick weightloss thing, so I'm working hard to build my inner discipline regarding health...which seems a lot harder than any physical activity at the gym! :) Did you think about, maybe, working with a personal trainer for a few sessions to help tailor your training?"
Cheers,
M

Getting back in the game.

Hey Anjana, great tips. I've read so much over the last few years and most of the information is all known. But sometimes its just so difficult to stick to the right food. There were quite a lot of good opportunities I missed to get back into shape. I'm back on the waggon now and instead of cutting down on all types of food, I'm learning to choose and substitute. With majority of the family celebrations out of the way, I am now be free of any temptations. While in Las Vegas for 2 weeks 2.5 years back, I had actually lost weight and was looking slimmer and fitter by the time I landed back in Dubai. The walking and the fresh air did wonders for our health. Also, I've made a decision to do my workouts early in the morn (the hardest part is getting out of bed at 5:30) so that I can look after my kids once I'm back from work. I started today with 20 minutes on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the rowing machine. Slowly, I need to increase my time to 1.5 hours of exercise. Any suggestions for the best type/combination of exercise to lose inches and the weight?

Eat Out, Eat Smart

Thanks for the welcome, Meena... although I do have to say that for my second post, I'm not doing too well on the diet/workout routine! My husband and I planned a long weekend trip to Las Vegas and despite all that we promised ourselves, we were just not able to stick to our diets! But exercise was a-plenty with all the walking around and sightseeing that was to be done. We do feel a little bad about it since we just started a week back, but instead of crying over spilt milk, we're steadily getting back to the diet (since I'm in charge of the kitchen!) and workout routine.

Thing is, on a weight loss program, you can monitor your diet as long as you're in charge of your own food. But sometimes you run into situations that just can't be helped- like a birthday party at work, or a friend's wedding, or (in my case) a vacation. It's alright if this happens only once in a while (and by that I mean at least once every 10-15 days!) because you can always make up for it by being extra careful for the next two days. However, if things like that happen more often than that, that's trouble.

Living the student life when I was trying to shed the pounds was also difficult, what with snacking to keep you up late nights. It was even worse because I used to hang out with a bunch of people who weren't fat at all, and somehow hungry all the time. I remember making excuses (which was more like lying) or even feigning illness to get away from their binge parties so I could stay on track. Once, some friends brought along with them some Dalwada (my favorite snack at that point) and I quickly escaped to the canteen where I sipped on sugarless tea until I was sure not even a crumb of the calorific monster remained to tempt me when I got back!

But then of course, there are times when you can't, and just to make sure you don't go overboard, here are a few tips from my personal experience on ways to stay within your diet while eating out:

1. Personally, I choose eating joints with respect to what I can eat which'll help me stay on course. Kebab joints where you can get a half tandoori chicken are my favorites. Try to order only one roti (no butter, no naan) to the side, but it's quite filling even without any form of carbohydrate to go with it.

2. Avoid rice or refined flour: try to stick to wheat as far as possible.

3. If you're a non-vegetarian, choose white meats like chicken and fish. I've heard that some cuts of red meat are lean, but I don't usually prefer those if I'm trying to eat light.

4. Clear soups are a great way to start your meal and make sure you don't go overboard with the main course.

5. If it's an Udipi joint, rava dosai without oil is a good option, and very, very filling!

6. Lastly, STAY AWAY FROM DESSERT. Even if the tag says low fat, don't be swayed!!

There is also one joint you can trust to help you stay on course always - Subway! I was loyal to the only branch in the city that was close to where I lived and it paid off. That guy on the advertisement who lost 111lbs is for real, people. Choose a wheat bread and preferably no sauces, but if you can't do without them, then here are the safe choices: mustard and chilli sauce. Sorry, the rest of them are all Mayo-based.

Well, that's all for me for now. I'll try to post some quick-fix low cal recipes of my own the next time.

Till then, keep at it! :)

Feb update: Meena

Hi all,
First things first: Welcome on board, Anjana! Your post has instantly livened up the blog. But I guess I expected that from an veteran blogger. :) I'm glad you joined and posted your goals & challenges on this blog. For me, this blog has been (and continues to be) a big motivator in my 'battle against the bulge'. There is something about publicly admitting my weight loss goal that drives me harder to try and reach it.

My update: In the last three weeks, I've managed to dedicate 1 hour every weekday to workout. I spend about 25-30 minutes on the bike. I cycle for about 14-17 kms. I'm not a big fan of cardio, but push myself to reach the 17 km mark within 25 minutes. And then I do weights, which I love. I do upper body one day and lower body the next. I do abs and core everyday.

So, have I lost weight? I don't know yet! Following a moment of weakness after my commitment to do monthly weigh-ins, I hid my weighing scale somewhere in my house (it was rather difficult not to weigh myself every week) and I cannot, for the life of me, remember where I put it. So, we'll have to assume I'm losing weight. But I do feel like I'm losing inches. Meanwhile, the search for the weighing scale is still on at home.

That's it from me for now. Will update you more soon. :)
Meena

Another One Bites the Dust

Hello all!

I'm a little late in joining the weight-loss rally that's been going on here, but better late than never as they say.

So here's my story: I've always struggled with weight loss from an early age... what can I say? It's genes, baby! Somewhere between ages 11 and 12, I must have gained most of the weight that hasn't left me to this date. I've suffered low esteem issues because of it, and not just in the teenage years, but well into my early 20s as well. I have tried all sorts of things to lose weight, some were successful, others not. But it never got me to the weight I'm actually supposed to be at.

My last venture into weight loss saw me lose upto 13 kilos, but I was just about halfway through to my goal weight. I haven't consciously pursued a diet plan since then (which was 2.5 years ago) because I felt largely comfortable with my body having gone from obese to slightly overweight. But then again, comfort is not a good thing. I also stopped watching my diet, and in the 3 weeks following my wedding earlier this year, I don't remember a single healthy meal at all.

My husband had earlier followed a workout and diet plan where he lost something like 15 kilos in the span of 3-4 months. But like all plans, if you don't maintain it, you're lost. And so he gained most of that weight back because of commitments at work that didn't give him the time to hit the gym often.

This time around, we've both decided to start it together. Well, here I am, documenting the process, which I hope will take me to my target weight!

What we'll be doing is an intensive workout regime that involves resistance training 3 times a week and intense cardio 3 times a week, and a six-meal a day diet that involves intake of a lot of protein. We started this Monday, and all I can say is.............. OW!!!! IT HURTS!!! MY WHOLE BODY ACHES...!!!!

Resistance training is my pet peeve at the moment. I used to work out with 1 kilo weights in my previous gym because I couldn't handle heavier, but here all that the gym at our apartment complex has is 2.5 kilo weights. At the end of my workout I'm as stiff as a post!

But then my husband said it's no picnic, so back to the, um, chopping board! It's dinner time and on day 3 it's difficult to look forward to bland food when we're already craving all sorts of fatty food. This is really, really turning out to be a challenge.

However, the plus point of this plan is that it allows you to go all out on Sundays. No gymming and definitely no diet!! Now, isn't that a relief?

So I'll be weighing myself in a few days time and I'll post the progress that I'm making. I don't think I'll see any results for a month, but hey, I'm hopeful :) and determined!! :D

Till then,

Toodles!

Fallen off the wagon

Hi all,
I just seem to have fallen off the wagon. With anniversary, B'day, V day etc straight, it was difficult to say no to so many things. It didnt help that I was fighting stress & depression (which makes me eat), I've put on weight instead of losing it. I never seem to find the time to exercise (which is no excuse), but with work, a baby and also having to take care of school work fir my older daughter, it just gets so exhausting to do anything.
Well, I'm hooping to start afresh from next week. Lets see how it goes. I'm so tempted to take the easy way out and go to a slimming place, but the fear that it would affect me in the long run (may be after I turn 50 or even younger) keeps me away.

Hope you guys are having better luck.

One month down! 11 more to go!

Hi there,

Sorry to have been radio silent for the last few days, but I had way too many things to juggle and the blog updates had to be pushed back. However, I’m happy to say that I’m one month down in my war against weight gain. Only 11 months more to go! Woohoo!

So what have I achieved in one month? I’m 5 kilos lighter! Naah…I’m kidding. I haven’t seen the scales yet as I’m now doing monthly weigh-ins (next weigh-in is up on Feb 7th), but I have had some success in food discipline. It is a lot easier now to not reach for a chocolate or soda. I like snacking on sprouts and carrots. And I’ve been off chips and crisps for a whole month now. I’ve also managed to stick to portion sizes (which is a lot easier than I thought).

Also, I’ve been able to make time for working out. I spend about 20 minutes on cardio (elliptical/cycle/treadmill) and then jump to the machines (arms & abs on one day, legs, back & abs the next) for 40 minutes. Liz, I know you read this blog: I’m still not falling in love with lunges….:(

And it looks like I’m losing a few centimeters (or should it be millimeters) here and there. So that’s what is happening with me. See you on the 7th with my weigh-in.

Cheers,

Meena

Expert Tips from Liz Honner

Hi everyone,

Here’s a wonderful note from our resident fitness expert Liz Honner. Liz is a personal trainer and a wonderful person. Here’s what she has to say about healthy living. Hope this helps you as much as it did me.

Email from Liz:

Congratulate yourself and be excited about the start of a new exercise and good eating habit program that you are about to commence.  It’s ok and there is no stress. Be good to yourself.  If you fall off the "wagon", that’s ok every now and then.  Try and not fall off more than once a week.  Just get back on again.  The best thing for getting "back on the wagon" is start off again slowly with a small cardio workout.  This will inspire you again to eat well, because you don’t want to "undo" all that good exercise you have done.

Remember, I don’t believe in diets, just good healthy food (i.e., really watching the fat, sugar and carbohydrate intake), and regular exercise.  ALSO.... ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY!  i.e., just stick with it, and please... do it slowly and bit by bit!  Results may start to be seen around 6 to 8 weeks, so don’t get disappointed that you may not start seeing weight loss overnight. A lot of the short term stuff is just the fluid we gain and lose.

So while you are waiting for the 6 - 8 weeks to come around, just focus on exercise now as part of your daily routine, as this should be part of your life, for now and ongoing!  Be good to yourself, and be selfish and allow the time for yourself, i.e., put the sandshoes/runners on, get up and say... "no, this is my time, I am going to do something for myself and exercise".  You will notice in a very short time, how quickly you will feel fitter, and more able to do things, giving you more energy.  I myself am attracted to the endorfin release that your body gets after exercise (a natural body chemical release into the brain!  I love it and you can get additicted to this).

I find what works for me, if I am not motivated is, cleaning my teeth, then I put my sandshoes on.  This is a trigger for me.  What I always say to myself is “ok, I am not really wanting to exercise, but I trick myself and say, ok, I will just do 10 mins” but what happens is that you find, after 10 mins has passed, that you will feel "well I am not feeling too bad, so I may as well keep going". 

Remember, it takes 20mins for the body to get into the "fat burning zone"  (that’s just how the energy system in our body works).  So, it’s what we do AFTER the 1st 20 mins that actually burns the fat off!   So even after the cardio part is finished, you will still be burning fat whilst you are doing your strength training.

I always find, even now as an advance exerciser, that I hate the first 10 mins of exercising.  Just remember this.  Once your body is accustomed to exercise, I will encourage you to push past that first 10 mins and you will enjoy the cardio.  Now for me, I must have music (ipod) in my ears, or have someone, standing or exercising next to me to help me keep going.  Just a habit I guess.  You work out what works for you.  Other good thing once you put exercise into your lifestyle, it is good thinking time, things pop into my head whilst I am exercising.  So it’s all good! 

Exercise will be just like you have to clean your teeth at night, it will become part of your lifestyle and you will love it. 

Now to see results. You must work out/ cardio  3 to 5 times per week and strength training a minimum of 2 times per week.  Strength will consist of 1 time a week working on upper body and chest, the 2nd time that week will consist of lower body and back/latts.  OF Course your Abdominals and side crunches will be done minimum of 3 times per week or every time you exercise!  Don’t forget the abs.  If you don’t have a stretch mat, no worries, just put a couple of soft towels out.

Again, none of this is any good without healthy eating, so NO chocolate, biscuits, chips, sugar, alcohol, fast food, you know all the bad foods I am sure.  Something to remember is  70% is WHAT GOES IN YOUR MOUTH 30% IS CONTRIBUTED TO EXERCISE.

It is ok if you have been good all week.  Still treat yourself (if you must) with a little treat...but cut it in half / make the portion smaller.  Analyze everything that you put in your mouth, read the backs of labels on food!! DRINK PLENTY OF WATER!!  Quite often the body is just thirsty and not hungry, keep water with you AT ALL TIMES!!   Have a focus or and interest on something, but don’t focus on food.  Get busy!!”

And let’s get going, girls! J

Thank you, Liz, for taking the time to write this article for us. I know how busy you are, so this “thank you” comes with a big hug too! J

Cheers,
Meena

About weekly weigh-ins

Hi there,
Sorry I've been away the last week, but a nasty cold has been making rounds at home. This also meant that I haven't been able to keep with the exercises, but I'll get right back on the wagon once this cold is gone.

Meanwhile, I had a wonderful conversation with Ranjani, a friend of mine from Uni. She had some interesting feedback on the weekly weigh-ins. Click here to read the comment she left on my last post. I've always been a weekly weigh-er (hey, did I just come up with a new word?), which has been a motivator for me. But  I'm going to tryo ut the monthly weigh-ins to see how it works as a motivator.

Also, do read this interesting article on weighing in.

More later,
Meena

3 days no walk :(

Hey, all my efforts seems to be going down the drain in just few days. My in-laws are here from India and they have come loaded with sweet home-made goodies, now how do i resist all those temptations !

Have not gone for walk for the past three days, absolutely not done ! I cant just sit and watch the time passing by. Hope to squeeze out some time during the day.

Hoping for the best !!

walk walk walk

Hi Meena and Priya,
Happy New Year wishes first of all !! Sorry for not being regular here. Reading the earlier posts has really encouraged me to keep writing.
I have not yet managed to check my weight which i have not tracked for months now or say year. But whatsoever i have increased my walking time starting this year.I was managing with 30 minutes walk 5 days a week but now i push myself for atleast 40 minutes for the full 7 days.

The thing i am not able to do is to watch what am eating.If am hungry i will grab the big piece of cake n then regret later no doubt! But the thing i have started every morning is to drink a glass of warm water with lime n little honey.Its said to be good for health as well helps in losing weight..so some motivation to do it every day !!

The game starts now

I've put down things I ought to be doing such as drink plenty of water (which somehow I never manage to do), prepare a healthy lunch to take to work, watch my caffeine intake, exercise etc. But first I need to find the courage to look at the scales (I can just imaging a sharp shoot up). Its been 3 weeks since I weighed myself. Prior to that I had watched the scales gradually move up and when i couldn't take it any longer, I just out it away and made up my mind to start disciplining my body from Jan 1 (a very deadly mistake) since now I find myself walloning in regret and if only i hads. Well, no use crying over split milk. Time to take charge and slowly erase the mistakes of December. 2011 - Start afresh, repair broken relationships and maintain a healthier body and mind. After all, if I want my children to lead a healthy lifestyle, I need to be an example and not a hypocrite.

3rd Weekly Weigh-In: Meena

Hi there,
Welcome back, Joice. Nice post! I sooo get that holiday wieght gain. But this year let's make it different. We are going to kick these temptations!

I'm a couple of days late, but here's my 3rd weekly weigh-in:
Weight: 74 Kgs (aaarrghhhh! Wanted to kick my weighing scale this morning...)
BMI: 32

Another week and yet no movement. I've been regulating my food intake (since new year's) and portion sizes, keeping a food diary, etc. I've recommenced my workouts., I'm sarting light with 30 minute cardio sessions in the last two days. I didn't expect any miracles, but a tiny change would have been great. Maybe even half a kilo. Sigh...anyways, I'm not going to let my scales discourage me. Hopefully next week, it will be a little better.

Cheers,
M

2011

2011 brings in hope, new opportunities, anticipations, new goals and along with everything it has also brought along new weight and a more visible tummy. Sigh.. the penalty of devouring all the food during the holiday season. With anniversary and B'days coming up...do i have any hope of losing at least an inch and few pounds? Only time and my frame of mind (hopefully a very fierce determination to say no to all the temptations) at that moment in time will show my fate.

Happy New Year!

Hello buddies and cheerleaders!
Hope you had a wonderful New Year's Day and celebrations. Along with a wish for a wonderful 2011 filled with cheer, happiness and all things wonderful, I also wish that everything you set your mind  to this year comes true through determination, persistence, commitment, hard work and God's blessings.

Cheers,
Meena