At Last Day 7: Veggies, Juices & Rice

I started the day with some baked sweet potatoes (with a tiny bit of butter and cinnamon), and some fruit juice. Ok so I didn't do Yoga, and had rice crackers instead of the bowl of rice. But I still got through a week of healthy eating and stuck to the diet plan for the first time ever. It doesn't feel much different physically and I can't wait to get back to my normal schedule tomorrow. But it is good to know that temptations can be directed towards healthier options.

Day 6 - Veggies and Meat

I started the day with some sprouts, then moved on to a nice mix of stir fried veggies (broccoli, baby corn, mushrooms, onion) and had a very early dinner of half a hamburger. I don't think I'll need it, but I have some baked chicken with celery handy for supper (Husband has to eat too after all). I planned to do some yoga, but laziness got the better of me. Tomorrow I will...I promise!

Day 5 - I see Hamburgers

Beef (hamburgers are allowed) and 6 tomatoes all day. So I start the day with 2 tomatoes, a Thai foot massage, and a good ol' burger at TGIF (I had very few fries...not enough to classify as cheating). I got one packed too for the night, but could only have half of it. Had another tomato (2 of them turned out to be rotten inside so couldn't complete the quota). Today didn't even feel like I was on a diet! Tomorrow will be similar, but I'll go for the lean meat (grilled chicken) and veggies.

Day 4 - Going Bananas

A day full of only bananas and milk...sounds like a daunting task. But it was surprisingly an easy day....relatively speaking of course. I did not feel drained out, although i felt hungry more often. I had 10 bananas and 3 glasses of milk. Temptations came and went barely noticed. Just 3 more days to go.

Day 3 - Fruits & Veggies

It wasn't bad at all. Had some grilled aubergines, carrots, fruits, salad and since we went for a movie, some plain popcorn. I have to say I wasn't at all tempted by the delicious smells at the food court either - maybe because I had already made up my mind about having the salad (with mint dressing) and cut fruits. I didn't feel drained out, and even did a bit of yoga. Almost half way through!

Day 2 - Veg Extravaganza

As expected, the first thing I did was to bake me some potatoes. I seasoned it with salt, pepper and dried chives, topped with some butter - YUM! The rest of the day wasn't so hard since I got to have hot, and seasoned food such as - spinach soup (just spinach and garlic); baked aubergines with mint; carrots; and I cheated a bit with popped corn (technically it is still a veggie).

Although it wasn't mentioned in any of the sites that talk about the GM diet, I had to 'go' quite often on days 1 and 2. Every corner of my stomach must be clean by now! I guess that's the reason for any weight loss.

My First Diet Plan: Day 1 - Frooty

I don't do diets...mainly because I am easily tempted. But when I heard of the GM diet plan and the many people who claimed to have been cleansed at the end of it, I decided to give it a try. This would be more of a detox diet than a weight loss plan, but of course a couple of missing lbs won't be missed. I don't have a weighing machine handy so I'll have to just go the 'feeling' of being lighter.

Here I am at the end of Day 1. Today I could eat only fruits (except bananas). This is what I had: 1 pomegranate, 1 cantaloupe, 1 papaya, 1 medium-sized watermelon, 1 apple, and 1 pear...I am starving still. With that and the 10 glasses of water I am required to take, I am not going anyplace too far from the loo.

I have a low impact schedule on most days when I skip gym (which I have for 2 weeks now!) since I work from home. This helped because I did not need much energy required to go out in the crazy world where a bucket of fruits will be used up the minute you step out your door.

Beware though! The absence of carbohydrates drives you crazy. I wasn't able to concentrate on work, and all I keep thinking about is that I can have potatoes tomorrow morning. I can't wait!

Mini Celebration

I weighed in today...I've lost 1 whole kg. YAY!

Celebrated by sharing a piece of sweet with Rummy who has perfect control over his diet - except when he smells chicken...then he goes berserk!

Starting from my current 68.8kgs, my target weight is 55kgs based on my 5ft3in height. After that we tone and maintain. The journey never ends .

It's funny when I hear my parents and their parents say that when they were young it was unthinkable that someone would need to reduce their food intake. Lack of unhealthy options kept everyone (well...almost everyone) in their ideal weight zone. At one point I was nicknamed 'Cigarette' because of my cylindrical shape. Then we discovered pizzas and burgers and Oh! the French fries...all delivered to your doorstep.

I know someone who has given up all junk (read: yummy) food including chocolate since she couldn't bear the thought of all that unnecessary food in her system. I think it is safe to assume I will never get to that stage. The most I can do is make an extra effort to have home cooked food (including home made pizzas and burgers with lots of veggies and minimal oil), and then wait for the weekend to indulge, just a little bit. Then on Monday, sweat it out for an extra 30 minutes to make up for it.

...and we're back!

It's been over a year since my last post during which I have made more attempts at fitting into my clothes. The most I can say for the past year is that at least I haven't put on more weight! I recently joined a gym...so the saga continues.

I still look for motivation everyday to stay on track. Intake of junk food has reduced...not been eliminated. It's a start though. Target is to lose 15kgs by this time next year and at least 2 by this month end .

Diet wise, I am making an extra effort to have a proper breakfast everyday, and to not give in to the smell of donuts and burgers when I walk by the food court. I have NEVER been on a diet so this is difficult. I don't know how people manage to live on celery sticks and carrots for a month.

Hope this works!

Still at it!

It's been a while now since I started Yoga...I have given up the classes but not the practice. It has made 'some' differencebut not significant. Plan B is to up the ante by including a long walk (which MIGHT progress into a jog) followed by a couple of Suryanamaskars and strength routines. I hope that this makes more than a significant difference in weight. Although since I have cut my hair short, I think I already have an advantage of a few miligrams.

Yoga - not just the latest fad

A while ago I noticed that the number of clothes I could fit into was reducing dramatically…till I was able to only fit into clothes I bought recently. Not a good place to be! My few attempts to solve this problem were futile.

However, when a colleague decided to join yoga classes, I said enough is enough – I shall follow.

Many have advised that if I wake up at a said time for a few days, my body clock will adjust itself and I will be able to wake up at the exact time every morning thereafter without hassles. I guess my body clock doesn’t have an alarm. Blessed are you people who witness the sun rise every morning. I prefer the sunsets (I believe this to be true since I have not seen many sunrises).

Yoga, many people such as myself believe is a very relaxing form of exercise, so the first day was quite an eye-opener. This was power yoga – and no, that does not mean a kick-boxing version of yoga, it just means a whole bunch of yoga routines in fast forward that leave you breathless. For the next three days, I was walking without bending, turning or stressing any part of my body!

Once I got over the initial aches and pains, and was just barely able to keep up with the 50 year old lady in the class, it started feeling good.

The class usually starts with surya namaskar, which is a series of positions that alternately stretch the spine backwards and forwards. It utilizes almost 95 to 97 percent of your muscles compared to the 35 to 40 percent that we would use in a normal day. On your first day, it would be good if you could do one set – do not get disheartened by people claiming to do 101 sets at a go. You will get there eventually, but even if you don’t, 10 to 20 sets a day will keep you fit for a lifetime even if you do no other form of strenuous activity.

The focus is on balance and breathing, then comes the strength and stamina and flexibility and weight loss and the glowing skin (true fact!).

If you have ever gone for a Yoga class, you will identify with my love for the last part of the class – the savasana. It is when you lie on your back and in the name of good health, go to sleep. And oh! What Bliss!

It has been just over a month since I have been doing yoga, and although I still cannot keep up with the 50 year old lady, I am getting there. I have not lost much weight or inches so far, but my guess is that’s because the weight loss with yoga is slow but steady, which is how it should be. So, I keep myself going and motivate myself to wake up every morning by imagining all the clothes I will fit into very soon.