Back in September 2009, I was pretty fat. I was at the heaviest I’ve ever been my entire life, and definitely wasn’t happy with it. I resolved to lose some weight, another friend was interested in doing the same, and thus the 5% challenge was born. We would race to lose 5% of our body weight. Whoever lost had to buy the other one lunch; a small victory for sacrificing all the sweet fatty foods.

My friend, Kim, won the first one. We had a small break, about 2 weeks, and decided to resume for another 5% which I then won. Now we’ve just begun our third round after a month long break over Christmas. Every time we start a new challenge, we have to lose any weight put on between challenges before continuing on to lose another 5%.

We’re only into the 3rd week of our next 5%, and so far I’ve not only lost the weight I put on over Christmas, but also another 1.2kg. It has brought me down a total of 10kg since starting the challenge back in September, and at the same time I’ve cracked the 80kg mark. I can’t remember how long it’s been since I weighed less than 80kg; at least two years. I’m not done yet though, my goal weight is to be less than 70kg. The lightest I can recall being was 75kg a few years ago when I was doing personal training once a week, and I was starting to really like my appearance back then. I still could have lost more, but I was happy.

When I get down to the 70kg mark, I know it’s not going to be the actual number on the scales that will concern me then. Really, 70kg is just an estimate. I have to factor in that I will be a lot more toned and have bigger muscles, which in turn will make me heavier. At the end of the day, I just want to be able to look in the mirror and be proud. Seeing that I have lost 10kg as of this morning, I was able to look in the mirror and feel a sense of pride for the first time in a long time. My butt is smaller, my arms less flabby,and my belly is shrinking.

The best part about this whole process is that I haven’t resorted to “quick fix” weight loss. I have been watching everything I eat, cut out sweets (of which I am a BIG fan), and rarely eat potato. I give myself a treat every now and then of course, just so I don’t have the urge to binge. I exercise, and I drink a lot of water. I can hold my head up high, because I’m doing this the right way.

So in conclusion, I feel I need to issue a warning. Kim, you’re currently beating me in this 5% challenge, but watch out. I’m feeling more inspired than ever.

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