My latest challenge – 5% body weight loss
Tomorrow morning I will weigh myself in what will become a race to be the first to lose 5% body weight. I’ve taken up the challenge with a couple of people, two friends of mine, for which I have individual bets. With one, if he wins he gets a WOW subscription. If I win, my Flickr pro account will be extended. With another friend, the winner gets lunch at our favourite mexican restaurant. While it’s ironic that by winning a weight loss challenge you get a fatty meal, it’s my thought that such a major treat after eating only the healthiest of foods will make us all the more keen to get to the finish line quickly. Following the celebratory lunch, we will resume for another 5% competition, or at least until I reach my goal weight anyway (which is almost a 20% decrease in body weight – I won’t know myself).
Why the competition you ask?
I need to lose weight. I’m slightly overweight, I’m not happy with the way I look, and I need to be at a weight where I will pass a medical test as part of the application process for the police service. Plus my health of course; it deserves a mention somewhere.
I’m by no means a lazy fat person. I go to the gym 3 times a week, I walk my dog, and I ride my bike to/from work most days (roughly 9km round trip). My problem lays with my eating – I make all the wrong choices. I’m a big fan of carbohydrates, and that is my biggest downfall. It’s the overload of bread and pasta and all those sweet sweet calories that gets me. So for me to win this challenge I don’t need to concern myself with exercise, I already do that. I really need to focus on what I’m eating.
After all, calories in < calories out = weight loss, right?
Another friend of mine is in the middle of a 9 week boot camp in which she is put on a low calorie diet for 9 weeks (with the meal plan changing every fortnight to keep things interesting) as well as 3 personal training sessions a week. She’s kindly shared the meal plan with me, for which I am happy to pass on if anyone is interested. The fantastic thing is there’s two choices for meals each day and a total of 6 meals each day. I know I won’t be going hungry, and in return I will learn how to eat well.
From previous experiences I know that publicly sharing my challenges reinforces my will to succeed. More than anything, I fear failing in public. I hate to show people that I’m weak. I’ve proven that with absurd challenges like giving up my iphone for a week, and going without chocolate for a month over Easter. While they were individually challenging tasks, I never feared failure, I knew I could do it. This one has me worried. My willpower with food is not great, I give in far too easily (as evidenced by numerous offers of weight loss challenges before, which I bowed out of early on). I hope that by publicly declaring my challenge I will reignite the desire to succeed, no matter what it takes.
So bring it on! I won’t be sharing the details of my weight (I’m not THAT open and honest on my blog) but I will be sure to keep you all updated with my progress in the form of a % lost each week. Heck, I’ll go all graphic and plot it all on a chart for you (hopefully it’s an extremely steep decline). If I have the pleasure of being the winner, I will also make sure I take plenty of photos of my victory lunch, fatty foods and all. So bring it on!
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