by Ragad | Mar 2, 2014 | Diabetes, Diet, Motivation
For me it was never about dropping sizes, it was simply about regaining my health. But dropping sizes has sure helped! From size 21 to a size 12 in a short time sure brought a smile to my face!
New Year resolutions and all — I have had a few people message me asking me for support in their own journeys. I thought it may be an opportune time to just give 6 simple steps to losing that waist size … and regaining whatever it is one is seeking….
Step one:
Track What you put into your body
Managing your intake (food, beverages)
log on to www.myfitnesspal.com.
It is website to track calories. (Don’t worry about what others say about counting calories……for the time being simply do it). It’s free. It’s polices your intake, without anyone else knowing about it. It’s yours, it’s private. EVERY morsel that you intake, you add in there, so you know how many calories you eat every day. For average women over 25 yrs , they can about 1200-1500 calls should be enough (including the beverages we consume).
I would constantly say ‘I don’t each much” until I started tracking the calorie intake. I was in for a rude shock. I was eating food equivalent for 3 women every day. You will be shocked how much we actually eat – little morsels, little extras here and there all add up.
Step two
Start walking – Start moving your body: Not just from the bedroom to the refrigerator please.
Start walking….with 20 mins, then build it to 30 mins a day at a steady pace. Slowly keep increasing the time. Increase the intensity.
Join the gym and start doing some strength training, all the better….
Step three:
Sleep well. Try and get at least 8 hours of sleep…every night please (not every week!)
Sleep is so under valued, but is the most necessary for all of us. A well rested body can do much more — requires less food, has more energy to do things …..
Step four:
Think positive. Surround yourself with positive people. Not those who suck the energy out of you.
Most of us, rush to the refrigerator when we feel low. Try and be happy, (life is full of ups and downs and it is not easy) so surround yourself with positive people. This is very critical.
Not those positive types who need to eat and drink to feel positive – if you know what I mean.
Step five:
Educate yourself about food and nutrition
If you are reading this, chances are you have access to internet and the information world. The best thing one can do as we go on this journey of lifestyle change, is to educate ourselves about food and nutrition. Learn to read labels at supermarkets or when you buy groceries. Make sensible decisions. Just because it is commercialised, it doesn’t mean it is good for you.
For example: (a detailed blog on this to follow)
stay away from sugar substitutes.
stay away from ‘diet’ drinks
stop buying processed food (and convenient foods)
eat simple food but home cooked.
low fat is not necessarily fat free or good
Step six:
Keep loving yourself
Keep loving yourself…..I have to remind myself every day that I am the most important person in my life. My happy self brings in happy energy around me…and to me spreading happy energy is what keeps me going.
Keep a log…you will start noticing small changes initially. Until in about 3 months, you will start receiving compliments as others will notice it as well…!!!Take plenty of pictures…I swear I have loved seeing my “before and after” .. it’s an amazing feeling to see the progress one has made and how we can change things if and when we take control.
With love and best wishes to all….Keep walking…keep logging…keep loving….keep happy…stay beautiful (inside and out) xxxx
by Ragad | Feb 20, 2014 | Diabetes, Diet, Motivation
First issue was I had no idea where to start. Doctors basically have no time for you. They share what they think they should and leave you to deal with it. Also, what do you ask someone about something that you have no idea about! So, you just nod, smile and go home and feel worse, and feel all sorry for yourself.
However, we live in great times – we have access to information. That was my first step.
Research
First, I researched every information I could on diabetes, hypertension and my gall bladder problem. I searched the internet. I found very interesting tips and information on
www.diabetes.co.uk,
www.livestrong.com amongst other sites. There is a huge amount of information available.
All the research, led to one key solution to my problem. LOSE the weight.
And losing weight was not just an exercise in working-out and diet, I realised it was much more. It meant, I had to:
– re-tune my thinking
– get my family on my side
– be more disciplined (if I had to wake up 2 hours earlier than usual so I could add gym to my routine, I had to). Also getting adequate sleep was as important as the work out.
– work on my emotional side – lots. There are days you just don’t good. Those are the days you need to be stronger, and push yourself
– find my spiritual side, to ensure I was happy inside, knew who i was. (this lead me to searching for a higher purpose which I had always questioned in the past – more on that in later posts)
– change my way of attitude towards food.
– change my attitude towards working out. Wow, is it hard! In London when the temperatures get low and all you want to do is lay in the duvet that extra hour….
– let go of all inhibitions – when you are at the gym, you are the only ‘focus’ you need to be
– learn to be more happy
Biggest question I worried about: But, where do I start?
I realised, I had to simply give it everything I had – to make a change!
Don’t believe anyone who says that you should go ahead and eat/drink anything you want as long as you drink/eat in moderation. NOPE.
It’s a committment. No half measures. You got to give it all that you have got!Life gave me a second chance – I wanted to not mess it up.
by Ragad | Feb 20, 2014 | Diabetes, Diet, Motivation
That July morning, when I woke up to a different day – when I saw darkness around me in many forms, was the lowest day of my life. The symptoms were painful. I got myself to a doctor, series of tests…all suggesting I had severe Type 2 diabetes, huge stone in my gall bladder, hypertension amongst other ailments, all due to obesity.
Time stood still. But more than that, life stood still.
I had no idea of Diabetes except that I had lost a few family members, who lost their limbs first before they passed on. And at very young age. I had a history of diabetes in my family. I felt I had no chance. My doctor suggested getting the gall bladder out. But, he wouldn’t operate (or just couldn’t) on me as I had severe diabetes, which meant the chances of infection was very high and so was the healing time. I was scared inside to undergo surgery as I had no fall back option for my young twins if something were to happen to me. Those were dark days. Long days and longer nights. I felt alone. Miserable. Lost.
Other than the diagnoses, I hated the feeling I had within. I felt extremely unwell. For the first time ever, I felt I couldn’t go on with life. I needed to end it all and start again.People who know me are shocked that I was going through all that — I just did not show it to anyone. It is common, amongst us women. We simply pretend all is well to the world, when inside we are crumbling.
It’s then I got off my ass and decided to give it a try. To start all over again without ending anything. I made the decision to get off my arse.
And GetOffMyAss I did!
I decided to take charge of my life…
by Ragad | Feb 20, 2014 | Diabetes, Diet, Motivation
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My blog is not about losing weight. It is about re-gaining health. I am a middle-aged woman, with a full-on life. I lost control for a while, gained huge amount of weight in a very short span, and got very ill. I was told I couldn’t live much longer if I did not do something about it. The starting point for me was to lose the excess weight. It was not easy. It was not hard either. It was just about making a decision and taking action. I decided to take one day at a time. Every day, I focussed on that one day. And slowly, things changed. I lost the weight. I re-gained my health. My diabetes went into remission. I no longer suffer from hypertension. My liver is fine. The stone in my gall bladder is getting smaller. Is it a “miracle” as we would like to believe? No. It is simply, about making a decision and taking action, and sticking with it, every day.
One common phrase I have heard over and over again, “You are so lucky, you can exercise, I have no time to exercise”!
Seriously, one thing we all have in common is the 24 hours we get. What we do with those 24 hours each day, is what makes us different.
Make the decision and take action:
I have been there — making hundreds of excuses for not being able to exercise> some of my common excuses were:
- No time – long days, and longer nights of work !
- Travel – as you all know, I travel atleast 10-15 days a month
- Children – Two teenagers is a full-time job plus more…
- Social life – late nights can be tiring … with all that eating, and drinking!
- Unpredictable life – I have to travel at short notice at times
- Over 40 – My life is now about my children, so why bother!
- Why put the effort – Exercise does take effort.
- What will people think – Oh, I thought the whole world was watching 🙂
All of the above is totally true, and has not changed, honestly. But, I decided to work with it. So, I make use of what I have, with the time I have.
Just simple things to do at home. Remember, every little thing does count, as my trainer once told me, “everything is CBO” (Calorie Burning Opportunity). Ten calories here, and ten calories there…it all adds up. And it’s fun!!!
- Buckets: Oh, that’s the best. I use half filled buckets (soaked with whites) to lift. helps with building my core, and also my arms.
- kichen bench for push ups – while cooking, waiting for the pot to boil…
- More ways to use the chair – I do planks, tricep bench dips. I sit on the chair at times, and do stomach crunches.
- Stairs: Apart from using the stairs to go up and down, I use them to do push ups. I do about 50 odd a day. Just because I can!
- Children : If you have young children, carry them around! Amazing calorie burners.
I am still a few kilos away from my goal. But my goal is not about my weight. I want to stay well, healthy and alive. I have a lifetime ahead of me, after all.
Feel free to comment on this, share with anyone needing encouragement. Remember, every little does count. Follow me on Facebook
by Ragad | Feb 20, 2014 | Diet, Exercise, Motivation
We are now into our 3rd week of the ‘5 kilos in 8 weeks’ challenge. By now, this is what must have happened:
– Some are still on the journey, like myself – I have now lost another 2 kilos (6 more to go!)
– Some have decided to take a ‘break’ (and that’s okay too. Remember, we all have the option of starting today)
I thought this would be a good time to share a beautiful story of my friend, Adrian Owen, from New Zealand. He is an amazing person — a family man, an entrepreneur. He has shared his weight loss journey with us, so we can all gain some motivation from this, to continue on this journey.
It’s never too late to start. Please remember that…Adrian Owen’s weight loss journey.
(more…)
