Okeoghene- Week 1

Waist : 37
Hips : 44
Thigh: 24
Weight : 178lbs
Height: 5'5"

I am a day late for this weigh in and  I apologize for this "too much flash" picture. From last week, I lost 3lbs and I was pleasantly shocked, I lost any weight at all. The only thing that changed from my routine is water. Before this challenge, I rarely drank water. I can go days without tasting water, except when I am brushing my teeth. I am a tea junkie. I drink tea with most meals. The information out there is so massive with losing weight or adopting a healthier lifestyle. So as not to be overwhelmed, I decided to take a baby step and make the change with drinking water. I downloaded a water-logger app, set it up with reminders on my phone and my water intake has improved. I also noticed improvement on my bowel movement.

For exercise, I used Jillian Michaels ripped in 30, 3 days this week and I also used the C25k app for alternate days. C25k is a couch to 5k program that helps to prepare one for running a 5k.

For nutrition, I have reduced my portions, and with all the water I am drinking, I am not as hungry. I started keeping a food journal yesterday which I intend to review every week, to note foods that are working for me and those that aren't.

The Worst!

Hey Guys, so i started this weight loss journey in january and i have lost 8kg. but the problem is that i have been in the same spot for a month now and i am not pleased with myself.

Guys i need all the support and motivation!!! the struggle is real!  i promise to put my weight on    blast tomorrow as that gets me to focus... i just have being having 0 push these days. so today i brought out one of my new dresses that i cant wait to wear but is a little tight and i promised myself i was going to get into the dress by 27th of may which is my birthday so help me God.  I could use some motivation. i am happy to be a part of this and i promise to kick butt!

Blog Settings

Hi Admins,

Please can we get some more functions, like email notifications when there are new posts? Or like when there are comments?

Sting Wk 1

Down 1.2lbs.

Alice Week 1

Heya!!!

So I'm down .6 pounds, not a lot but its something... Slow and steady right?

This last week was a turning point for me, realized for the last 2 months I've been basically starving myself, eating an average of 1500 calories and then working out twice a day burning at least 600-700 out of that, leaving my body with a basic 800cal to function.. Bad bad bad.
I was doing some research on why I wasnt seeing the results I was expecting with all my hardwork and I realized that was the problem, I was eating too little.
Way too little.
Did some research online for my basic metabolic rate BMR, calculated it and realized that my body needs about 1700 to function if I am completely leading a sedentary life.. Imagine, being as active as I am I need about 2200, to safely lose weight at 1 pound a week I should get in close to 1800cal a day which is 500 less since 1 pound of fat is 3500 calories, to keep my body functioning and not starve it.
To lose 2 a week I should average about 1560 calories which is still a safe weight loss, that's even under 1kg a week.

anyone interested in reading more about BMR go here http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981 ton of information to educate yourself
Hence with my active lifestyle I'd have to eat about 2000calories so that exercise burns the odd 400-500 daily and leaves my body with 1500 calories to function.
Eating too little is bad bad bad... Eventually your body adjusts to the little you are giving it and holds on to every morsel of food instead of burning it because it isn't sure if more food will be coming a LA starvation mode.

All in all I have decided to up my calories to 1900. It will have an adverse effect for the first few weeks, I might gain a few pounds at first and then steadily start to burn the weight fast when my body readjusts... This is a scary process, eating more :O, I won't lie I'm worried, what if it doesn't work and I just get fatter... Bleh, this isn't about some goal its a life style change and I'm going to try everything till I find what works for me. So I'll risk it, and be patient with the results. I have also invested in a heart rate monitor, so I can properly calculate how much calories I'm burning per workout, this is important because all those machines at the gym tend to over estimate. I can't wait for it to arrive.
Its a new day guyssss. Hope your weekend was relaxing.
I had a blast, iyanya is touring north america so I went to kukere with my friends looool.
Current weight -182.4 pounds
Height - 5 ft 7
Chest- 36.5
Waist-29
Hips-42

Till next week!!!!

Adele's Week 1 Weight

This is where I'm at now. I lost 0.1kg. It's a miracle that I even lost any weight at all no matter how minute. I haven't taken my weight loss seriously this week at all. I had a piece of cake on Wednesday. I haven't done any exercises at all. Only thing I have tried to do is be more conscious about my food and portion control. I haven't really cut down on carbs as I have been eating a lot of rice lately.

It's been a busy week for me, as I had a wedding to help coordinate on Saturday, two important reports to submit on Wednesday and Friday, combined all these with church duties on Saturday and Sunday and a party after church on Sunday  I had can sodas on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and yesterday. I am having coffee as I type this. It's black though. I have however managed to keep up with drinking as much water as I can especially first thing in the morning. I also tried something I saw on juicing vegetables' facebook page - warm water and lemon juice first thing in the morning. I had this on Saturday and Sunday  It's supposed to be good for weight loss too. Apparently, it cleanses the system and detoxifies.

I keep putting off my morning walks and exercises because I can't find my headset/earpiece and haven't been able to go get a replacement. Fingers crossed I shall get that sorted and commence exercises this weekend.

I have now decided to keep track of everything I am eating/drinking by writing it down. I'm hoping this will help me curb and control my eating once I see it written down in black and white and also to keep track of my calorie intake.

Sorry I haven't taken other stats.  I keep forgetting that's why I haven't done that yet and I also don't own a measuring tape. I have an appointment with my dressmaker this weekend, so she 'll help me with some of my stats.

~Sirius~ Tuesday Weigh In

Ooops!

1 day late. Sorry guys.


I'm not sure if I would have liked my weight yesterday morning as my Sunday was "unpure"
 ~The Mister~ took me out to eat and I had to eat something :)

Current Weight: 73.8kg
Waist:: 30"
Height: 5"7
BMI: 25.4 (don't really believe this stuff)
Feelings: Stagnant, little progress

Looking OK today, I think I might have reached a Plateau as things seem to be slowing down.
Only 1 week into working out with heavier weights, I will draw conclusion at the 2/3 week mark, if I don't loose some significant weight- say between 1-2 kilos, then I will have to result to extreme measures to jump start the weight loss again.

I have now included 1 slice of yam to my diet on weight training days. which is about 3 days a week. Still on all sorts of vegetables and lean protein, fats as my meals. It's amazing how cravings disappear and you almost always feel full!!

Today is sports day at the office (May day celebrations), I put in for sack race....my workout for today.

Have a great week people!


~Sirius~ Signing out....XoXo

Mojisola

Waist: 48
Bust: 50
Hips: 54 in
Tigh: 33 in
Weight: 235.6lbs (107.1kg)
Height: 5ft 2in

Currently detoxing, trying not to snack on cookies, cake, and cutting out the juice, soda and energy drinks. I have replaced the snacks with fruit and the drinks with crystal light. Trying to watch my portion sizes and to eat as much vegetable as my carb portions, I was going to start walking but the weather has been awful this past few days. My workout capabilities are limited due to a recent broken arm; I used to have a gym membership but actually using it was the problem cos the kids got to daycare at 7am and I go to work; and I picked them up at 5:30pm get them something to eat and then go to the gym at about 7pm; work out until 8pm get home bathe kids and sleep. the routine driving around was wearing me out more than the workout and of course, I snacked more to compensate for all the tiredness. Also, started noticing unruly behavior in the kids since mommy and us time was converted to mommy fit time. It just made sense not to renew when the contract was over (after dashing them five months payment). I want to try the Catho steps have got the equipment and DVD; will begin soon :)

Izzie's Week 1 Weight

Waist = 33.5

Hips = 40.5

Waist/Hip ratio = 0.83

Thigh = 25

Weight = 180.5lbs
Height = 5ft 8in
BMI = 27.4

So not much changed, gained half a pound (expected more) except for my waist and hip which is surprising as I really ate a lot of food (healthy and probably unhealthy). I didn't do any exercise as I went on vacation on Wednesday, so was in 'let yourself enjoy' mode. Although, I did a lot of walking while on vacation, so maybe that helped.

Oh well.


P/S
Tomorrow I'll be posting the weight lost ranking for everyone that posted their weight last week and today, so if you haven't posted today, GET ON IT ASAP.. :D

P/S
Also the site layout will be changing very very soon and if for some reason, you are not able to open pages, Maybe, Just Maybe, MAINTENANCE is going on. Just a heads up.

Ngwa, ciao people. Anyi ga kpa later (we'll talk later)

IzzieMedula

Beautiful: Week 1

I haven't lost any weight and I know why. You see, I have reasons to give on why I just can't go to the gym:
a) I get headaches after working out at the gym
b) I work as an IT Systems Analyst and don't get home before 11pm daily. On good days, I get home between half 8 and 10pm.
c) I have an event coming up in my life soon which takes up the whole of my friday nights and saturdays while church takes the whole of my friday mornings and afternoons (p.s: Weekends are Friday and Saturday where I live and Sunday is the first working day of the week so all "sunday" church services hold on Fridays).
d) There's a big gym about 10 minutes walking distance from my building and to be honest I actually went and registered but for 2 months, I never went in there so by the 3rd month when they called me saying I hadn't paid, I insulted them all and their manager saying they were all thieves.  Afterall, I never came into the gym after I registered so they would not collect any penny from me. Well, that didn't end well and my subscription was cancelled by MMA Fitness with a notice that I have to re-register as a new member if I ever change my mind and come back. Well, I told them I would not come back.

The headaches I get (re: a above) are manageable so that's not a strong reason but leaving work late just makes me think of food and my bed. Its really difficult to consider going to the gym when I'm that tired. The headaches are usually the same type I get when I wear my glasses for a very long time at work...usually at the forehead and include both eyes, not at the middle of my head or the entire head. I'm not sure if that makes any sense.

There's usually a workout room in most buildings but my apartment is on the 10th floor and the work-out room is on the 15th floor. The elevator stops on the 14th floor and when I get back from work at 11pm, I get really freaked out going upstairs by myself because its usually ghost-like at the stairs. The few times i've braved it up, there were always guys doing weight training so I had to wait for them to finish up. (p.s: I can't be in the workout room with religious men and they can't be in the workout room with me either so we have to take turns and its all just really draining so I usually just go back to my apartment and sleep).

I remember a conversation Alice and I had a few years ago (babe thank you for leaving me behind, you're now a sexy lepa o) that its more about what you eat. I try, I try really hard but veggies taste really bad, salad is tasteless, I can never eat brocolli or cauli, beans without palm oil is horrible. My favourite meals are fried plantain, proper beans with red oil, rice and bread...hmmm I love bread. What I've done is to have fruits for breakfast, then any of the staple foods I love for lunch and convince myself that I'll have weetabix for dinner lol, however when I get home I find myself munching on bread or frying plantain. I would appreciate some help regarding how to prepare carbs in a healthier way because I really don't like salads or veggies to be honest.

I'm trying to make small changes and not drastic ones which I can't maintain. I've totally given up soda until June 8th - my birthday. That hasn't been working well because I think I have "withdrawal symptoms" from coke I'm not kidding. I actually do have to PRAY when I see a can of coke because it takes all my self-control not to pop the can and just have some. I started the "no-soda" plan at the beginning of March but I had coke last week thursday sha I won't lie. Apart from that, I've been really diligent  It doesn't help that the company gives us lunch at the start of weekend; read as every thursday which is usually Mandi (Indian rice), Nandos fries, etc AND chocolate cake. There's also always soda in the office pantry but we have fruits as well, its just that apples don't appeal to me so I always have bananas which I've been told do not aid weight loss.

I have tried body magic and Levive nah didn't work, I did lose some weight by going to the gym in 2011 but steadily gained it all when I moved to my new location. Its difficult to plan meals, also I always have stew and when tired, I just buy bread from the store downstairs, microwave some stew, eat and go to bed.  I have tried to work out at home, hmmm that thing was just self deceit o, I have Zumba cds, weights, skipping rope, 30 day shred etc.

Lol, I'm sure you're wondering what the long epistle is for, well its just to let you know that I really do know what my problems are - "Laziness and Time constraint". When you know the problem, you can find a solution. If there's anyone out there who has any of these problems (I doubt there's any, all you work out people), don't feel alone but make an effort to tackle it. I'm going back to MMA Fitness after work to re-register with my tail between my legs and seriously hope they don't ask for payment as a new member all over....that stuff is just too expensive. I love challenges and being a part of this will spur me on.

Height - 5ft 7 inches

Week 1 statistics
Weight - 101.8
Bust - 43
Waist - 35
Hips - 49

I did lose 0.1 kg....that should count for something!

Isha: Week 1 weigh in

So, I have to do this via mobile. And my memory card is crap these days, so I lost the photo I took (You're gonna have to take my word for it. Lol. Thank you). Current Stats: Weight: 97.1kg Waist: 37 Hips: 47 Thigh: 30.5 Boobbies: 40 (And I'm adding a new one I want to keep track of) Arm: 15.5 How are y'all doing?

Late Comer Alert!

I made it here...finally!

Thanks Madam Sting for this platform and signing me up

My weightloss journey already started in march. My statistics at that point were:

Weight - 80kg (176 lbs)
Height - 5ft 7
Chest - 40 inches
Waist - 33 inches
Hips - 43 inches

My heaviest ever (after giving birth). I was 95kg on my delivery day, August 2011.

9 months before I struggled with my weight and i was at 68kg (if only I had seen the future, I would have appreciated my 68kg)

I lost some good amount of weight post pregnancy, almost back to the old me (I think exclusive breastfeeding was the magic behind that), but somehow I fell off the wagon when I had to resume work and life as a working mum isn't a bed of roses.

I am excited to be here. I'm hoping that all the support I need to achieve my goal will be from here.

Now, I follow the 80% Nutrition 20% workout rule.... because abs are truly made in the kitchen. Eating clean in Nigeria is one hell of a task, however- very possible if you are determined. I can't wait to share my nutrition plan. No starvation, eating at least 3 times a day is mandatory and drinking water half your body weight (I carry around a 75cl bottle with me daily and aim for at least 5/6 bottles a day)

I try to have in every meal carbs (vegetables only- not even tubers allowed) protein (eggs/egg whites, skinless turkey/chicken/ all kinds of fish/snails/bush meat :)/very rare- lean beef/any other sea food available to me) fats (olive oil (extra virgin cold pressed)/avocado/ depending on the fish I'm having, I also get fish oils) 

so a typical breakfast is scrambled eggs/egg whites in vegetables (carrots, cabbage, lettuce, onions, ugu, green (shoko), bitterfeaf, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, green pepper, chopped snail/ turkey/chicken) with avocado on the side. the veggies are sautéed in olive oil seasoning with a lot of herbs and spices, dry pepper and salt. I have made this every morning for the past 2 months. (all the vegetables may not be available but I use at least 8 every morning) I usually sauté a lot of the veggies and divide into 2 (one without eggs to have with fish for lunch).

I limit my fruit intake to 1 to 2 pieces of fruit every other day or just 3 days a week. I used to think oatmeal was the healthiest breakfast until 2 months ago when I read this..... and I had oatmeal the day I stumble onto this write up. there are a lot of diet dos and don't s out there, however I believe is choosing what works for my body. 

I've read about the 5 foods that cause inflammation, bloating and hinder weight loss in the human body (grains, dairy (anything milk based), soy, wheat, can’t remember the last one legumes i think) however if you consume them and lose weight, I don't see why you should eliminate them- my 2 cents ( this can be done by going off all of them for at least 21 days and including them one by one, looking out for signs of your body rejecting them) 

As for workouts, I've been pretty inconsistent (that changed this week), main workout being weight training for 45 mins at least 3 times a week, with an added 8-12 mins of HIIT (30s slow 30s intense) or also on alternate weight training days. 

I love green tea. I drink between 3-5 cups a day

Last week my stats were:

Weight - 74.5kg (163.9 lbs)
Height - 5ft 7
Chest - 39 inches
Waist - 30 inches
Hips - 42 inches

Will weigh in tomorrow and update you on my routine.

I smell a plateau coming, so I’ve upped my weights

My goal for weight loss turned into a goal for washboard abs.....wish me luck guys!

March 2014 is my deadline.

See ya!

~Sirius~ Signing out...XoXo

Monday's week 1 weigh in

Are you ready for Week 1's weigh in???!!!!!! The fear of weigh in's are the beginning of exercising and eating right. I hadn't been to the gym in over a week and when i thought about having to weigh in on Monday, i dragged myself there on Thursday evening and this morning. I will be going tomorrow morning at 6am with my neighbor who wants to show me some weight training exercises. Apparently cardio is all well and good, but weight training or is it strength training or are they even two different things, is also good to do too so you can build muscle while you lose weight.

Also, I agree with what Phunkie said in an earlier post. You can't totally eliminate carbs from your diet and you shouldn't. Just more protein than carbs.

See you guys on Monday :) I am excited to see what you guys have been up to. Feel free to share how the first week went for you and what changes you have made. I don't want anyone on a starvation diet. That is not sustainable. Remember, this is a lifestyle change. Small steps and you will get to your goal and be able to maintain it eventually.

Phunkie's Tricks #2 - Frozen Veggies + Rotisserie Chicken

Hi guys!

How are y'all doing. I'm out next week for a conference for work, and so thought to make one more post before I am MIA.

On my journey to eating clean, one thing I have realized is that for me (being the lazy woman that I am), I don't like "long tinz" in other words, sometimes, I like to make things a little easier for me. One of the ways I do this is by purchasing frozen veggies and rotisserie chicken.

Contrary to popular thought,, frozen veggies are equally as nutritious and some times even more nutritious than fresh veggies (unless you live in Naija). Here in the US, veggies (from the big chain stores) usually come from far places. Nutrients get lost in this transition. Meanwhile for frozen veggies, they are picked in prime season and frozen immediately, thereby trapping the nutrients.

I especially like to buy the frozen veggies that can be steamed right in the bag (I avoid the ones with sauces). This makes my life super easy. I get my bag from the freezer, pop in the microwave for 5 mins and voila! my steamed veggies are ready to be served.

In this theme, when I am super busy at work, I go to the grocery store and purchase a rotisserie chicken. Yes, I buy a whole chicken. It goes a long way for my single self. I avoid the ones with maple or honey and just buy the plain smoked or roasted ones. I live in Texas, so I LOVE me some charred meat read: BBQ. I go to my favorite joint and purchase 3-4 servings of my meat of choice, usually brisket.

So a typical meal for me would be:

Steamed veggies + avocado + rotisserie chicken (or brisket).

Nice, healthy, lean and takes 10 mins to throw together!

Hope this helps!

Be well,

Phunkie O

Adede- Starting weight

Get ready for this, I weighed in at 225.5lbs. I think that's the highest so far but yeah. I'll go invest in a scale and measuring tape tomorrow to be on point and ready for next week's clock in.

Phunkie's Tricks #1 - Plan Meals and Cook Ahead

Hi guys,

Just wanted to share a tip for healthy eating. 

My Tip for today: Plan meals and cook ahead! I realized very early into my clean eating lifestyle transition that to succeed, I had to plan ahead. The times I fell off the wagon were times I didn't have food on hand. I was literally caught off-guard! You know, that day you come home from work/school and because you are crazy hungry, you reach for the first thing in your fridge? yeah, that happened to me all the time. When I'm stressed, my healthy eating is the first to go! This is what I do now:

I plan ahead, sometimes even 2 weeks ahead. I determine what I want to eat for each meal and each snack. I typically plan for 3 meals a day and 1 - 2 snacks. I prep and cook my food on the weekends. I'm lazy, so I divide my work into two days. I prep veggies and boil meat on Sat, I cook on Sunday. If I am feeling extra efficient, I portion my meals (usually lunches) into my tupperware bowls and stack them in the fridge, that way, I can grab my food and go.

If my work schedule for the month is crazy, I cook two weeks worth of food. I freeze some, refrigerate the rest.  I replenish my supply of eggs, almond milk, greek yogurt, and bacon as needed.

This plans works well with Naija food.

Hope this helps.

Phunkie O

Healthy Food Options

I think it's really easy to say stop eating X, Y, Z because they are all carbs, but so difficult to do because our staple Nigerian foods are carbohydrates. Some people have gotten the food part down, and i would like people to start sharing healthy food options. Right now i am eating mixed veggies (the california blend - broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. You can get it from Target or Walmart) and Tilapia.

I just steamed the veggies and microwaved the tilapia with seasoned salt and black pepper. I will look for some pictures of other things i have made in the past. Please, feel free to share yours. Thank you guys so much for doing this. I haven't been contributing as much and i am about to get busier, so might even be participating less (will definitely do the weekly weigh ins). I am happy people are actually participating. I have a doctor who is a fitness expert lined up to do guest posts in the future. So if any one has any questions or topics they would like addressed, let me know i can pass it along.

I buy the already made salads - i forget what this is called and add some croutons and french dressing. Don't eat this as much any more because the salad comes in a big bag and it gets bad before i can finish it, so i stopped buying it

Oatmeal, dried cranberry (or banana or whatever you like) and soymilk. These days i just eat plain oatmeal and milk. 

I eat oatmeal, almost every morning.

Staple lunch or dinner. Tilapia and mixed veggies

I also eat a lot of beans - Black eye peas, 5 beans, Kidney beans, Chick peas, baby lima beans.  I usually buy the kidney beans and chick peas in cans. The rest i cook from scratch with tomatoes instead of oil.
So more liked stewed beans.I started eating unripe plantain a lot. In fact, that's my favorite food. Multiple people had to burst my bubble and tell me unripe plantain is still a carbohydrate, so i had to cut down on it. I hardly ever eat rice, it's just not a regular part of my diet.

I was actually 154lbs in dec. I gained a solid 10lbs this year because of school stress. I started eating crap. I would go to walmart and buy barbeque wings and hawaiian sweet rolls, and chicken nuggets. I went through a whole tin of Milo in a month. I wanted quick meals i didn't have to cook. Well, the result is staring me in the face. I know for a fact based on my personal experience that weight loss is mostly about what you eat, exercise is important to maintain the weight loss and be healthy but you have to put the right foods in your body or spend hours in the gym burning off calories, if not, the weight piles on.

I just tried Quinoa for the first time this weekend. It's a high protein grain and kinda a substitute for rice.

Starting Weight

weight 190 pounds
height 5ft 8 inches..
waist 35..

Alice first weigh in

Hi guys,
Sorry this is late, was soooo busy yesterday. A little background info about me and why I am doing this, I'd say I'm pretty disciplined about my weight loss.. But still being accountable to other people helps.

At my heaviest in 2008 I weighed about 220 pounds, since then my weight has severely dropped and yo-yoed. At my lightest last year I weighed 165 pounds in may, that was after an intense month of juice fasting that worked but completely destroyed my metabolism in the process... I ended up gaining all the weight back over 6 months and then some. Frustrating ish I tell you.

Its a temporary situation like say you were trying to lose weight for a wedding or something... But that weight comes back believe that...
I'm a gym rat, always have been... I workout at least 5 times a week, a healthy dose of cardio and weight training.. Try to mix it up as much... A lot of my weight is in my boobs, they are massive, and we all know its fat and I inherited them from my grand mum so I know even though I lose weight they will still be there.. At my lightest last year I still wore a 32h bra. My blessing and curse sigh..

Went on vacation for 2 months earlier this year and I didn't work out and basically ate like a pig...ended up gaining 12 pounds in 2 months imagine.. That's exactly what I mean about my metabolism being shit *excuse my French *  so in March this year when I got back.. I decided to do this the right way.. Completely change my lifestyle and not just diet.. And I haven't looked back since then.

I cut out all simple sugars... And replaced them with complex whole grain options.. I added a ton of veggies to my meals and lean proteins... Its been an amazing journey.  Finding delicious healthy options for all my fav meals... If I want something I make it myself at home.. Pizza? Yes I make a healthy version myself that I can control.... Muffins? Yes I'll bake healthier versions... I want something.. I make it and eat it.. Its been really enlightening... My metabolism has highly improved... I try to eat at least 4 small meals a day... And I drink a ton of water.. I'm always peeing, its annoying but so worth it.. Starting to love things I hated before.. I think my palette has readjusted.. Non fat plain Greek yogurt tastes like ice cream to me with some berries added for sweetness.. I love nuts again.. And have then in moderation, things like avocados now seem like delicacies... Its just amazing.

I'm still working out hard, currently doing insanity, I'm on day 42 of 63, haven't missed a day yet.. I'm also going to the gym daily, mixing up cardio days with weight days and yoga and core training.
I didn't really lose any weight in the first month.. It was depressing but I think all the strength training and insanity was building muscle and you have to remember that muscle weighs more than fat.. I was losing inches, my waist went down from 31 to 29.5 and so on.
Checked my weight yesterday and now I'm starting to drop slowly... I'm soooo excited and motivated...
Even with the 12 pound weight gain I'm still a us 10.. Which is funny.. I think I just lost all my muscle and replaced it with fat then because my clothes still fit, some a little snuggly but still....

Anyway right now I'm tracking my body fat percentage and my measurements
Goal is to get the percentage below 25 and get my waist to 25 inches.

My ideal weight will be 155 pounds. Which is almost 30 pounds from where I am now but bleh!!!! I gat this.

Anyways here's my current starting measurements

Weight - 183pounds
Height - 5ft 7
Chest - 38 inches
Waist - 29.5 inches
Hips - 42 inches

Good luck to everyone
Alice

What I weigh now...

My current weight is 80.0kg. This is the only detail I have for now. I will get to the nearest pharmacy or hospital when I can for my proper height measurement.

I am not sure that I believe in this BMI business though. I think more research needs to be done, taking into consideration the typical African woman's curves and all. I read somewhere that it is not exactly accurate for Africans or something like that.

I haven't quite figured out an eating plan. I notice though that I am now consciously trying to eat healthily. Had one boiled egg and cucumber with salad dressing for lunch at work but for dinner, I had yellow eba and vegetable sauce with diced shaki, shrimps, smoked mackerel and dried shrimps. (covers face in shame) yesterday when I got home from work, at about 8pm (I am truly mortified seeing this written down in black and white).

Weird thing though, is that I lost some weight between yesterday morning and this morning. As at yesterday morning, I weighed 81.6kg or so.

Trying to start this fruit water infusions thing so I can drink more water. Also considering ditching my regular morning coffee for lemon and honey infused black or green tea instead.  So far, I have gone two days on lemon and honey tea instead of coffee and it's not too bad...

Not started any exercises yet. Will resume early morning brisk walks and exercises, sometime this week. I need motivation to get out of bed in the mornings, especially now that the rains are coming in and the weather is getting cooler in Abuja.

Starting Weight

Didn't remember I had to take pictures of the scale..  I will try and take the picture for my next weigh in.

My starting weight is 99kg


bust - 44 inches
waist-42
hips 46
height - 1.67m

The bulk of my body fat is in the stomach region!!!!


ciao!

downtheaisle!

Okeoghene- Starting measurement

Waist - 37"
Hips- 45"
Thigh- 24"
Weight- 181lbs
Height- 5'5"
BMI- 30

Better late than never, Okeoghene signing in.

Let's do this!!!

Phunkie: Starting Measurements

Starting weight: 136.1 lbs
Waist: 33 inches
Hips: 39 inches
Bust: 34 inches
Thigh (L): 24.5 inches
Height: 5 ft 2.5 inches
Body Fat: will have this done on Wednesday

Kaura's Start weight

sorry about the grainy picture
weight:183lbs
height:5ft 3inch

Misslara Start weight.

I could not get myself on a scale today i had to travel and i dont own a bathroom scale... but right now my weight is ... brace yourself.... 110kg. Will be sure to upload a picture tomorrw!

Beautiful - Starting Weight

Weight - 101.9
Height - 5ft 7 inches
Bust - 43
Waist - 35
Hips - 49

Beautiful,
http://megababextra.blogspot.com

Misdemeanor - Starting weight

Stats:
Weight 189.6 lbs
Height: 5ft 7

Isha Starting Weight

Seems everyone is waiting to see a weight that's higher than theirs before they post. Lol. I guess i'm about to help y'all out.

Starting Stats
Weight: 97.8kg
Waist: 38in
Height: 5'4" (or so)
Bust: 43in
Hips: 48in
Thigh: 30.5in

My former trainer said BMI wouldn't be accurate for me because of my bone density. Ah well.

Well, a little about me. I'm in Lagos. Work as an Eletrical Engineer by day, and I have a side business by night. I like food, I just have to figure out how not to get fat by eating. Lol. I already started my weight loss program at the beginning of this month, before I read about this. Then, I weighed 98.5kg. I guess, any progress is good progress. Hehe.

I'm pretty active - Stairs (yes they count, like pedestrian bridges), Salsa, Wii Fitness Trainer, Walking (like along Ozumba Mbadiwe), lunch-time gym-date, Saturday morning runs, Sweating (yes that counts too, lol).

I want to lose weight because I want to know how slim I can be. I don't know my ideal weight. The slimmest I've ever been was in JSS3, after the boobs grew out, other parts seemed to follow.

I look forward to competing!

(Madame Sting, I think each person should keep an exercise/food diary, so that each week, the winner can share her (are we all girls here?) 'weight loss secrets. Abi?)

Isha
http://ishashotgist.blogspot.com

Izzie's Starting Weight

Waist = 34

Hips = 41

Waist/Hip ratio = 0.83

Thigh = 25

Weight = 180lbs
Height = 5ft 8in
BMI = 27.4

Sting- Starting weight

Height- 5ft 5in

BMI- 27

Waist-34

We start Tomorrow.....

Competition starts tomorrow, Monday, April 21st and will last until July, 29th, 2013. Every Monday, you have to post a picture of your scale (with your weight, lol), and you can include the stats that were mentioned in a previous post, if you so desire. At the barest minimum, you need to record your weight.

I will tally the weight loss and see who's in the lead each week.

People who have signed up for the competition are

• Sting
• Mystoriesmytestimonies
• Downtheaisle
• Misdemeanor
• Beautiful
• Adele
• Phunkie
• Bumight
• MissLara
• Sugabelly
• Kaura
• Okeoghene
• Izzie
• AliceDCL

I still have 4 more invites that have not been accepted, so we'll see if there will be more.

So Monday morning bright and early (or whenever you can get to it), post your starting weight. If along the way you can't post a picture, i will accept your word but pictures are always better.

Thanks guys for doing this. Let's get healthy. Bumight is ready to murder people with her bikini body this summer. lol.

Howdy from Texas!

Howdy y'alll!

I'm excited to participate in this challenge with y'all. I'm making strides towards being healthier and eating mindfully and so being in a group of like-minded people is a definite plus. Accountability is everything!

About me, I am a 27 year old (soon to be 28) Biotechnologist. I came to the US in 2008 to get my Master's degree. I've always been small. I weighed 105 lbs up until NYSC year. As the years have gone by and the stressors of life have increased (working and paying bills is not for small children at all!), I have put on weight.

I have always been interested in weightlifting, I believe all women should lift weights and no, unless you do extra (aka steriods), you won't look like a man. My first year of weightlifting was great, I lost weight, body was getting toned and stuff but then, I hit a rough patch of insomnia (I'm a chronic insomniac), and I was drinking 4-8 cans of Coke (my kryptonite) a day. I gained weight (thank you stress and insomnia). Working out started to do more damage than good - I gained more weight. I was my heaviest at 140-145 lbs. I needed to change.

Last year, I signed up for a Nutrition challenge at my CrossFit gym, it lasted 8 weeks, I lost about 5 lbs and 4% BodyFat. Since then I have maintained at about 140 lbs. I ran my first half-marathon this past December, and lost some body fat from training. I went to Naija for the first time this past Christmas, hi Malaria and crazy Allergies! I fell sick and lost some weight. I came back and really started looking at what I was putting into my body. Hippocrates said "Let your food be thy medicine, and thy medicine, your food". I couldn't continue my can of coke-a-day habit and expect any weight loss or great gains in the gym. I hit a rough patch this year and my can of coke became 2,3,4 cans of coke. Crazy, I tell ya!

My cousin died of Diabetes in March and it hit me. I couldn't put crap in my body and expect to be healthy. Outside of eating clean, I had to do something about my insomnia. Insomnia or lack of sleep makes sugar cravings worse. Bearing all these in mind, I signed myself up for a 21 Day Sugar Detox. A detox in the sense of I removed all kinds of sugars from my diet, including fruits which although natural, are still sugar! Today is Day 18 for me. I feel great, my sleep has improved (I still have some bad nights), MOST IMPORTANTLY, I'm curbing my stress.

My goals for this challenge are to eat mindfully, to eat healthily, to reduce my stress, and to lower my Body Fat. I don't really care about my scale weight!

Sorry for the long epistle.

Be well,

Phunkie O

Weight Statistics To Be Measured During This Fat Busting Period

Hallo people of the page, this is IzzieMedula again o. Very happy to know people are really interested in the challenge. Based on the responses from my last post, I thought it would be a good idea to list out the full statistics we would be gathering for our private weight watchers challenge.

Stats to capture for the challenge (weekly/daily???)

Waist Measurement (inches/cm) (using a tape measure/rule)
Hip Measurement (inches/cm)
Waist to Hip ratio
Thigh measurement

Weight (pounds/kg)
Height (ft/m) - I know this is most likely to be constant but still have it handy if interested in calculating your BMI
BMI - for those interested in checking their BMI like me :), you can use this link {http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/BMI/bmicalc.htm} ).

I agree that weight/BMI calculation is not a full indicator of your progress but for health reasons, it may still be wise to still note down your BMI (afterall,e no cost money :D. If for any reason you have health issues, the doctor will still check this).

**RANDOM NOTES**

I completely adore your blog AliceDCL...Whaaat? I was blown away by the design ( I take it you designed it your self?). On top of that, its about food too...You have a new fan ooo...

So now I have a contact in Dubai?? ....SWEET! ;) :D

As for those that have been binging on food with the mindset to change on Monday, I may have a post for you soon....lol...

Excited in Illinois {about this challenge :-) }

I'm super excited to be a part of this weight loss journey. I've always wanted to join one of those weight loss challenge groups but never felt that connection or pull to join the once I came across. I also wanted to keep an online journal of my journey because felt I needed the motivation and encouragements of other people to be able to stay consistent on the challenge but because I didn't have followers or subscribers {neither did I have the power to start growing one} I scratched that idea also.

When I saw Sting's post on this challenge I was super stoked and practically kept bouncing on my seat from excitement.

I really like MissLara's post where she asked the question 'Why do you want to lose weight?' and I see that it got people to think about their reasons for wanting to lose weight and joining this challenge. I personally think, this should be viewed from an angle of being healthy and living a healthy lifestyle. As much as we want to be able to fit into that fab dress or build amazing abs (my current obsession as I have a lil 'afo beer'...according to Verastic....lol), if we lose sight of what is more important which is being healthy, we go fail yakata..

Just like MissLara, I am not a professional on the topic, just someone who is overloaded with too many information (which you can find for free on www.internet.. daz all). So I would love to share some of the ideas I found interesting and easy to follow through on.

First, I'm going to give a very brief bio of myself and my weight statistic so you guys can maybe make a mental picture of this noise maker :)

I'm IzzieMedula and manage a million and one blogs which I do not consistently update ...rme...I'm 29 years old and currently live and work in Illinois, USA as a Quality Assurance Engineer. I came here to study in 2010 weighing 198 pounds (don't gasp, I really did/do not look biiiig..lol). Then, my friends told me I was going to blow up from stuffing myself with burger and all that crap. Thankfully I didn't. That is blow up or stuff myself with crap and I was able to fluctuate my weight from 198-195-190 and now currently 180 pounds with an average of 15/20 exercises a year...lol..How, just staying away from burger and all that crap ;)

Anyway my stats are below

Weight as of today = 180 pounds / 81.6Kg

Height = 5 ft 8" / 1.7m

BMI = 27.4

So yes, I am overweight :( . This is why I'm joining this challenge. To get to a healthy BMI and build some 6 packs meeeeein. Just to be clear, I look great and look fabulous in dresses ooo, but like I said, I have to also factor the future into whatever I am doing now and make the best decisions for my life and family.

I chatted with MadamSting about how and when we'd start the challenge and it seems like Monday 22nd April will be the day to begin...can someone say Woot Woot... Actually, she mentioned it would be our first weigh in and I practically decided we can also start then too.

So our task on Monday 22nd April 2013 would be to note down our weight stats at the start of the challenge. Like I did above, we should note in a journal and also share here (if you like) our weight, height, waist measurement (for the abs interested people) and calculate our BMI. Here is a link to calculate your BMI by the US Natioanl institute of health {http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/BMI/bmicalc.htm}. I'll do a follow up post on some activities/exercises we could do on this amazing journey of being healthy, losing weight and looking/feeling fabulous.

P.S

Sorry MadamSting, I did not mean to hijack your blog oooo...just my enthusiasm getting the best of me....hiohiohiohio

Weight loss: Why do you want to loose weight?

So I have to issue a disclaimer up front! I am not a professional at this in fact, I just lost enough to get into a size 16 dress so don't think I am some skinny 'human' dishing out advice. I am a person who has a very different view of life so this enables me to see things others don't and I can give great advice too... problem is I never take those advice myself... funny right?

 Today, I would just share a bit of my journey with you. I have consciously tried to get my weight in since January 2012 I succeeded a little failed a lot and all I have achieved is dropping two dress sizes...Sigh!

There is a lot of information about weight loss out there and believe me there are some really helpful ones. I am not here to give weight loss advice but to get you to think about why you think you want to lose weight.

 For me I decided I want to lose some weight because I wanted to be a healthier version of me I want to be able to do a flight of stairs and not literally need oxygen... I kid.

 I also decided to lose weight because I wanted to just be smaller... I just was curious to see myself physically smaller, see what I would like like....

Another reason I decided to embark on the weight loss journey is to lose weight is because I want to raise my children with the healthy life style and I want to be a good example. I am perfectly secure in myself and you should be in you too...

I live my curves but at some point I started to feel like I was pushing the envelope, it was getting out of the confines of being curvy and so I decided to do something about it...

Why do you want to lose weight? Share your reasons in the comment box below...

Before I forget, a few friends and I decided to go through this week not eating any of the obvious carbohydrate foods... E.G Rice, Couscous, Eba, Amala... etc LOL we are all Nigerians so you know how important Rice is LOL.

 If you want to join in the #0carbweek feel free and let me know your experience in the comment box.

I will be posting my weight by the end of the week. Also, I will share some of the changes i have had to make with you guys and my whole journey as we go...

Good to be here I pray we make tremendous progress Amen.

Misslara

Easy Weight Loss Tips