Consistency

Today I had a 10 out of 10 day! I did my exercise – and my arms are still burning! I ate my five meals at even intervals and dodged all the temptations. I am so proud of myself!

Here is how the day went:
Breakfast was oats, fat free plain yoghurt and one peach. (I know… I am falling into a “breakfast rut”… thankfully, it’s a healthy one!) Oh, and of course my daily cup of coffee (which I am proud to announce is all organic). I then hit the gym to do my upper body resistance exercise. That was hard work! Gosh! The workout starts with 5 min warm up, which today was the elliptical trainer. Then I had to work chest. For 4 sets I had to use the heaviest weights that I can do 12 presses with (which for me is about 10kg dumbells) and then, follow the last set with a set of flyes till my chest are “on fire”. A two-minute break until we repeat the sequence, this time involving back exercises. Once my back was burning, we went to shoulders, then biceps and triceps. The whole thing took about 45 minutes, but I was really burning after that. My second meal was a small protein bar which I had on my way back from the gym.
Then, for lunch I had some eggs with a slice of toast. I went out to the movies with my buddies in the afternoon. I didn’t partake in the “coke and popcorn” thing, so I brought my meal replacement shake to the cinema. This way I felt like I was part of “the group” and no one was asking me why I am I not buying coke. It’s very inconspicuous and much easier to avoid the “coke and popcorn” rush when you have a dark bottle (with unknown contents) in your hand. You can even joke it’s alcohol!
Dinner was meat balls with salad and a small apple. And of course… litres and litres of water.

Good night!
Melissa

Jeni:
Mel is doing really great. It is her 10th day on the plan and even though I have been dissing her and telling her she can do better (that’s what trainers are for, right?) she has been very consistent and very dedicated. And that, guys, is the key to losing weight for good. Consistency!

Consistent meals – One of the most important things that you can do with your weight, and your health in general, is to keep a nice even keel with respect to your blood sugar. When you eat a choc-chip muffin and coffee for breakfast and then nothing until lunch then you will get a big blood sugar spike and then a drop soon after and be just dragging your way until lunch. If you eat consistently small but evenly spaced meals every couple of hours during the day then you will not have blood sugar problem and eventually – no weight problem.
Consistent meal sizes – If you make sure that you eat 200 – 400 calorie meals then this will go hand in hand with the point above. Having even sized meals will mean that you are not bloated after one meal and then hungry after the next. Of course unless you are a dietician (or have spent a long time on Weigh Less) it is difficult to know how many calories are on your plate. So, here are the simplified rules: a protein serving (e.g. chicken breast) the size of your open palm and a carb serving the size of your clenched fist. You can measure that, right?
Consistent exercise – I know the gym is not exactly the “coolest spot” to hang out at, but exercising regularly IS very important in your weight loss efforts. Make a plan to do something on a daily basis. And if you don’t like the gym, that’s cool. Walking the dogs is just as good. So is gardening, shopping (as long as you keep moving all the time) and dancing. Pick something you like or come up with something fun to do with your friends on the beach next weekend – frisbie, beach volley ball, soccer…
Consistent rest – Rest is as important to your well being and weight loss as exercise itself. Go to bed the same time every night (as best as you can) and get 7 or 8 hours of zzz to reach your full potential. Besides… slim, toned and tanned legs and bags under the eyes do not go well together!

As we get deeper into January and new year’s resolutions become less and less vivid (more of a distant memory, actually), we get back to work and daily stuff interferes with the best of intentions, other priorities find their way into our to do lists. We sometimes tell ourselves that we can skip the workout today and work doubly hard tomorrow. You know the drill, right?
It doesn’t work. Remember that consistency is the key.

Till tomorrow!

Jeni