Blogger Challenge Week 5

Week 5: FOOD!!

Jayne writes: This weeks blogger challenge will be all about food! I want you to think back!

 

What were your old food habits like? What were you like before embarking on this journey to become a healthier version of yourself? How did you feel?

 

Was there anything you struggled with but have over come?(etc addictions soft drinks, chocolates are some examples) How did you do it? Was it just a decision you made? Or did you do it slowly?

 

Now I would like you tell me and maybe tell others that aren't on the journey what has changed? What are your new eating habits like? How do you feel now? What is the difference? Tell us how it is changing your life? It can be hard at times! But tell us why it has been and continues to be worth it?

 

Express yourself however you like! :) Can be brief, long, pictures and you don't have to answer everything :) its up to you how you interpret my post!

rakscraps.com

I love food. Always have. And still do.

The only difference now, is that I know how much energy & effort I have to put in to work off the “bad stuff” and honestly, it’s just not worth it!

 

 

My Weight – A Brief Summary

I’ve never had weight issues. Ever. Of course, growing up I was a typical girl & always thought that I needed to lose a few more kgs, but honestly, there was nothing wrong with my weight.

It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with Lupus in mid-2005 when my weight and my appearance started to change. The copious amounts of medication I had to take (and still do), played havoc with my body, and a drug called prednisone changed me in more ways that I ever thought possible.

 

From then on, my weight fluctuated depending on which drugs I was taking and what dose I was being prescribed. Typically I would be on higher doses during a flare and also had to be on high doses before, during and after my pregnancy (I was a high risk pregnancy, and prednisone was just one of the many drugs I had to take).

As part of my lupus pregnancy journey, I had to be on a crazy concoction of meds, which included high dose steroids. It felt like I put on 5kg almost instantly when I started the new drugs! And that, combined with pregnancy itself, saw me put on a whopping 20kg!!

Once baby was born, I dropped 10kg in a matter of a few days, but it was that last 10kg that just wouldn’t budge.

 

 

State of Mind

Old Habits

·         During the week we would generally eat clean – well I guess in comparison to our weekends, it was clean.

·         Friday night would be our “take-away” night, which would typically stretch across the entire weekend.

·         Portion sizes were way too big!! And I would always finish everything that was on my plate.

·         I always had at least 2 biscuits with my cup of tea, and I averaged about 4-5 cups of tea a day.

·         Buying foods that were quick and easy, and not necessarily healthy.

Old Favourites

·         Coke (I was addicted to Coke & oranges during my pregnancy. Unfortunately the Coke addiction seemed to hang around after baby was born.)

·         Chocolate (need I say more?!)

·         Biscuits with my tea

·         Take away (KFC, McDonalds, Hungry Jacks…..) you name it, I’d eat it.

  

New Habits

·         Planning our week – setting a menu & sticking to it

·         Only buying what’s on the shopping list and not buying something

       because it’s “new” or “on special”

·         Eating clean during the week so that I can relax on the weekend (but still 

       be sensible about my food choices)

·         Trying out new recipes (Resources from 12WBT Round 1 and Mish’s

       cookbooks)

·         Eating fresh instead of out of a jar/can

·         Drinking more water

·         Eating more fresh fish (prior to 12WBT, the only fish I ate was frozen and

       came out of a cardboard box!)

New Favourites

·         Tandoori chicken (12WBT Round 1 recipe)

·         Lindt dark chocolate (I can still get that sugar fix!)

·         Greek yoghurt!

 

My 12WBT Weight Loss Summary

End of Round 1 of 12WBT = total weight loss of 7.9kg (back to my pre-baby weight)

Start of Round 2 of 12WBT = a further loss of 2.4kg, bringing my total loss to 10.3kg (at my ultimate goal weight)

I went from a size 12 to a size 8.

I didn't train 6 days a week but I did follow the eating plan.

 

What I've Learnt

Discipline, organise & diarise, motivation and plain hard work!

Getting my nutrition correct is so important when it comes to weight loss, and now, maintenance. For me, I know that I will have days, weeks or months, where my fitness plans will need to be put on hold - that's just the reality of having Lupus - but I can always control what I choose to fuel my body with.