On the 1st of November I went to my gym and got all my measurements taken. I went again this morning, and this is what it looks like:
Bust: -4.5cm
Waist: -1.5cm
Abdomen: -0.3cm
Hips: -4.0cm
Thighs: -23.0cm (woah!)
Arms: -4.0cm
TOTAL: -37.3cm!!
I think that's a pretty huge achievement. Now, it must be recognised that I had two different people measure me, so there will be some discrepancies (I think that the small abdomen and large thigh changes are indicative of that), but it's clear that there was a big overall loss. Well, I knew that already: people have been commenting all over the place. (I really must get a second round of photos taken so I can see for myself.)
I will write more about life post-Challenge in the coming days, for now, it's time to finish my spring cleaning!
Current weight: 74.6kg (-7.5kg, or 16.5lbs)
Current body-fat percentage: 34.1% on my scales (-4.3%); 29.3% on the gym's machine (-2.9%)
Current feeling: Successful! And committed to making 50% Raw for the long haul work...
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Day 29: Cooked food again!
So, tonight was the big office Christmas party at a certain gourmet pizza restaurant. I knew I was going to be breaking the Challenge a day early, and so I planned for it: large salad to start, and only a slice or two of vegetarian pizza so as not to freak out my liver. I did have the salad to begin with, but I also had four slices of pizza! Two vegetarian, one fish (smoked salmon) and one chicken. I did ensure that I chose the smallest sizes available, though. Let's face it: I wanted to try a few different flavours!
The interesting thing is that, although I really enjoyed eating all these things again, it wasn't as though I could never live without them again. This bodes very well for my intended future of at least 50% Raw!! I was also pretty restrained (for me, at this establishment) and, although I would have been fine with just three slices of pizza and took the fourth anyway, it was a decision that I took, rather than just taking the pizza without thinking.
Baby steps, guys, baby steps.
And given that so many of the steps that I have taken over the course of this month have been pretty huge, I don't think that's a bad thing.
Next Challenge: maintaining the weight loss (although at a slower rate) and maintaining the positive changes!
Current weight: 74.8kg (-7.3kg, or 16.06lbs)
Current body-fat percentage: 36.1%
Current feeling: Really positive for my eating future
The interesting thing is that, although I really enjoyed eating all these things again, it wasn't as though I could never live without them again. This bodes very well for my intended future of at least 50% Raw!! I was also pretty restrained (for me, at this establishment) and, although I would have been fine with just three slices of pizza and took the fourth anyway, it was a decision that I took, rather than just taking the pizza without thinking.
Baby steps, guys, baby steps.
And given that so many of the steps that I have taken over the course of this month have been pretty huge, I don't think that's a bad thing.
Next Challenge: maintaining the weight loss (although at a slower rate) and maintaining the positive changes!
Current weight: 74.8kg (-7.3kg, or 16.06lbs)
Current body-fat percentage: 36.1%
Current feeling: Really positive for my eating future
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Day 28: Beachside epiphany
As I was sitting on the beach today, looking out upon the messy, choppy waves, I had a thought. Surfers seem to have a kind of zen experience whenever they enter the waves. You seem them running down the beach toward the water, pausing only to zip up a wetsuit, or attach the lead, and they're off. They cannot wait to get into the water, and once there, seem reluctant to get out. I can't surf, but I do know what it's like to get lost in the motion of the waves. I don't get that sense of purpose that surfers seem to have, though, where they hate to be away from the coast for an extended period of time.
It made me wonder. What I am I passionate about to that extent? Putting aside family and education, seriously: what am I passionate about?
I couldn't think of anything. I could think of things I enjoy, sure, but that I absolutely need?
That worried me slightly. I thought of the things that I enjoy (and value), and realised how much I tend to push them aside for other things that I still might enjoy, but don't value to nearly the same extent. (There is soo a metaphor in there about the food choices I make.) How I will spend hours a day on the computer, but leave my reading til bedtime when I get through two and a half pages before falling asleep. Or I will refresh my Facebook or other blog pages hoping for communication from the ether rather than picking up the phone. I make excuses to stay in rather than reasons to go out. I say "no" rather than "yes" too often.
Right at the beginning of the BES process, I completed the Advanced Workbook, designed to give me a space to articulate and write down my goals and commitments for the BES Challenge. I reproduced some of what I wrote at the time here. I was asked to come up with 2-3 changes I would make in ten key areas of my life. Although there are changes that I have successfully made (eg taking better care of my skin, cease all technology use at least one hour before sleep, listening to my body regarding hunger and cravings, etc), there have been others that have distinctly fallen by the wayside. I think that revisiting those proposed changes will be a good start.
A good start to what, though? Overall, I would like to "own" my time. By that I mean that I want to choose my activities (or relaxation) rather than being forced into them through laziness, lethargy, tiredness etc. Obviously when you live in the world there are certain timetables that must be followed, certain chores to be done and there are times when you simply are too tired to do much more than flop into bed. I do, however, have quite a lot of "me" time, especially with work winding up over the summer holidays, and I plan to choose what I do more carefully. We only have so many minutes available to us in this life and, while I recognise that I can't learn how to do everything, experience everything, feel everything, I can make positive choices about what I do, experience and feel.
This is my new commitment to myself.
Thoughts can snowball into ideas, which then begets passion, which can result in action. Will this thought snowball?
Current weight: 74.7kg (-7.4kg)
Current body-fat percentage: 36.0%
Current feeling: Rejuvenated
It made me wonder. What I am I passionate about to that extent? Putting aside family and education, seriously: what am I passionate about?
I couldn't think of anything. I could think of things I enjoy, sure, but that I absolutely need?
That worried me slightly. I thought of the things that I enjoy (and value), and realised how much I tend to push them aside for other things that I still might enjoy, but don't value to nearly the same extent. (There is soo a metaphor in there about the food choices I make.) How I will spend hours a day on the computer, but leave my reading til bedtime when I get through two and a half pages before falling asleep. Or I will refresh my Facebook or other blog pages hoping for communication from the ether rather than picking up the phone. I make excuses to stay in rather than reasons to go out. I say "no" rather than "yes" too often.
Right at the beginning of the BES process, I completed the Advanced Workbook, designed to give me a space to articulate and write down my goals and commitments for the BES Challenge. I reproduced some of what I wrote at the time here. I was asked to come up with 2-3 changes I would make in ten key areas of my life. Although there are changes that I have successfully made (eg taking better care of my skin, cease all technology use at least one hour before sleep, listening to my body regarding hunger and cravings, etc), there have been others that have distinctly fallen by the wayside. I think that revisiting those proposed changes will be a good start.
A good start to what, though? Overall, I would like to "own" my time. By that I mean that I want to choose my activities (or relaxation) rather than being forced into them through laziness, lethargy, tiredness etc. Obviously when you live in the world there are certain timetables that must be followed, certain chores to be done and there are times when you simply are too tired to do much more than flop into bed. I do, however, have quite a lot of "me" time, especially with work winding up over the summer holidays, and I plan to choose what I do more carefully. We only have so many minutes available to us in this life and, while I recognise that I can't learn how to do everything, experience everything, feel everything, I can make positive choices about what I do, experience and feel.
This is my new commitment to myself.
Thoughts can snowball into ideas, which then begets passion, which can result in action. Will this thought snowball?
Current weight: 74.7kg (-7.4kg)
Current body-fat percentage: 36.0%
Current feeling: Rejuvenated
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