On January 4th, Kim and I began round 3 of the 5% weight loss challenge. It was possibly going to be our last as it brought Kim right down to her goal weight, so it was only fair to deem it the deciding round. As at the beginning of the round, we had previously both won one round each. Now, while I’m reluctant to write this blog post and really wish I didn’t have to, I’m also incredibly thrilled to announce:

In just over 4 weeks, Kim has dropped 5% to win the third round.

I would love to be a bad sportsman (woman?), and kick something over and cry foul. But in reality, I’m so proud of Kim. She worked damn hard to get there, and while she showed moments of weakness and wanting to cave in, her amazing determination to succeed always came through. There is no one more deserving of the title of the biggest loser, and so with that, I extend my sincere congratulations to Kim.

Kim’s graph of success:

Now, I’m not sure if Kim is still going to try to lose more weight or not given that she’s reached the area of her goal weight. I still have 1kg to go before I hit my next 5%, and after that I still have another 6kg to go until I reach my overall goal (which will bring me to a massive 20kg loss). So while there’s a chance that I won’t have anyone to compete with to get my weight down, the desire to write a blog post about reaching my weight will be motivation enough to keep me going.

Doing the 5% challenge has been such a positive experience for me. It’s put a competitive fire in my belly, but more importantly, I’ve been able to prove myself that if I truly put my mind to something I can achieve it (even with times of weakness – I’m only human after all). I write this today not as the winner of the competition, but instead someone who is still incredibly proud of what I have achieved. I am currently 12kg lighter than when we started this challenge back in September of 2009. Twelve friggin kilos. It blows my mind every time I think about it.

So again, thanks to Kim for showing me that I can be successful, and for being there when I needed a friend. For all those times you listened to me wishing that I could eat chocolate (what does that stuff taste like again?) or buy takeaway, thanks for talking me out of it.

Now…what’s our next competition?

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At first I was extremely hesitant to upload this photo. Women are usually so secretive about their weights, you’d be hard pressed to get the information from them. Today I’m doing the extreme opposite. I’m sharing this information with the world. Tough, very tough.

I’m in the process of losing weight (you can read more about it here). Towards the end of last year I weighed myself, and got a reality check. I was the fattest I’ve ever been, and extremely unhappy about it. Rather than sit on the couch and scream “woe is me”, I did something about it.

I’d tried dieting before, but never really stuck to them because I’d never had that true motivation behind me. But the day I weighed in and saw my weight, and knew it was keeping me from achieving my goals, was the day I found my inspiration.

3 months later I’m now down 10kg. During the 3 months I’ve had periods where I’ve allowed myself to be indulgent – Christmas, New Years etc.But for the majority of the time I’ve maintained a healthy diet and exercised regularly.

This morning I cracked the 80kg mark. I’m extremely ecastatic, but the hard work isn’t over. I still have another 10kg to go before I begin the hard task of maintaining my weight. Putting my weight as the photo of the day for me today was tough, but I don’t think I could have it any other way. This was a major milestone for me, and I’m celebrating my achievement by sharing it with you all. Most importantly, I intend on NEVER, EVER getting this way again. Ever.

Thanks for looking.

**I should also probably mention the quality of the photo was never considered today. It was a quick happy snap from my iphone**

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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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However, this time it’s going to be different for me. A friend on twitter, JonoH, decided he was going to lose weight and at the same time raise money for charity, namely Diabetes Australia. JonoH is no stranger to raising money for good causes, having been involved in Movember in 2009. He invited anyone else who was interested to join him in the weight loss challenge, to which a number of people from twitter joined up. I was one of them, and you can find the whole list on our team page here. At the time of writing this post, there is a total of 12 members in the group.

The challenge is simple. Ask people for sponsorship, and lose the weight. People can donate either by a lump sum, or a dollar amount per kilo dropped. Our goal is to reach $1,000 by the end of the challenge. JonoH will be tweeting his weight using the Withings scales, while I will be reporting my progress weekly right here on my blog. You can also keep up to date on twitter using the official hashtag, #drop4good.

I would be honoured if you would sponsor me for this challenge. Donations can be made over the internet on our team page, http://www.everydayhero.com.au/drop4good, or if preferred, to me personally. I will then donate the money onto the team page on your behalf. There’s no set amount required, anything you can spare is welcome, it’s for a good cause!

So wish me luck; here’s to reaching $1,000 for Diabetes Australia!

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So my other friend and I continued, and she won the first 5%. The first time we raced it took just over a month. We only had 4 – 5 kilos to lose, so 1 a week made it easy. This time, not so much so. After a short hiatus, we resumed the challenge for another 5% on the 12th October. This time, we had to lose any weight we’d regained during the break from the 1st challenge, plus another 5%.

October and November proved to be the busiest social months on our calendars. We had weekends away at the Gold Coast, or Tweed Heads, or there were Hens Days or Christmas Parties. To try and remain strict on our diets would have really thrown a damper at those times. We acknowledged to the other challenger they would be pulling ahead, and then gave up for a few days (although we didn’t go silly). Most importantly though, the overall trend of our weights continued in a downward fashion.

These last two weeks, I had kicked it up a notch with my exercising. I still had the odd hiccup with a weight gain; one night I might have given to eating pasta, for example, which immediately showed on the scales the following day. Yet the weight continued down.

This morning I jumped on the scales, and BOOSHKA. I had reached my goal weight. Brilliant!! I had defeated my friend (and immediately sent her a photo of the scales with a victory message).

I’m incredibly proud to say that since the first time we began competing, I have lost a tremendous 9kg. It shows. My clothes fit a lot better (I haven’t dropped a size yet, though that has to be coming soon, my jeans are pretty loose now), and the shape of my body has changed in a most favourable way. Though I haven’t finished yet, in fact I’m only halfway to my goal. It will bring me to my thinnnest in about 7 – 8 years. Looking forward to it.

The overall trend of my weight loss during the challenge

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As for my performance I’m disappointed to say in the least. I’ve been very cautious with the foods I ate, and made sure I was exercising in some form every day. My weight loss chart went as follows:

I think you can see where I experienced that monthly “girl” time! Overall it’s been positive, I’ve lost a total of 3.7kg, which over 3 weeks is nothing to be sneezed at. That’s pretty damn good! I think I’m just disappointed because of the curve for the last week, it never really dropped much.

After discussing it with some friends I’m going to change some things, and see how my body reacts. For example, one of my gym sessions each week consisted of a class called “Body Pump”. You have weights on a bar, and do various exercises with light weights and high reps. I think my body still might be gaining a bit of muscle from that, and therefore not losing weight. I will try sticking with cardio for the next week, and see how that goes.

Also, for lunch I had been having the wholemeal bread option from my eating plan for lunch each day. For this past week I’ve felt like I wasn’t eating enough fresh produce (even though I was having a salad each night for dinner, and tomato/celery/carrot for afternoon tea. So this coming week I will try switching back to salad for a couple of those days and see how that goes. Perhaps my body just loves bread so much it grabs it and holds onto it for dear life? I am a big sucker for the smell of fresh bread, yum.

I should point out though, that I’m a little worried we’re putting so much of a fixation on the scales. When I visited weight watchers a few years ago I had gotten the “weight” mentality out of my head. It was about the body fat percentage, not your weight number. I think that’s what caused a bit of a mood swing for me this week, I had put far too much emphasis on weight. My scales at home are meant to calculate body fat percentage as well, however that function hasn’t worked for a good year now. Also, each morning when I weigh myself for the challenge I have to step on at least 5 times before I find a consistent number. I think it’s time to buy some new scales. Then I will be able to track my body fat percentage as well, and that will be the number I will become fixated on.

Kim and I agreed that at the completion of the challenge we would take a week’s break before resuming for another 5% challenge. To that end, I think I will be enjoying the odd treat or two this week, but nothing crazy. I would hate to undo what I’ve already lost, and I want to keep going with being cautious with what I’m eating. After all, being health conscious is a great habit to get into.

So, let round 2 begin!

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I thought I would share my diet plan with everyone, so if anyone else wants to try it out they can.

I was given it by a friend, and it was designed by a personal trainer, so not anything I just sorta knocked up myself. I’ve found the first couple of days I felt a little bit hungry, but my body soon adapted to it and I’m feeling so fantastic now. I don’t feel bloated at night, I feel healthy and great during the day. I’m eating more fresh produce than ever, so that’s probably the reason why. So here it is:

Breakfast

1 x toasted wholegrain english muffin topped with one boiled or poached egg or 3 slices of avocado, 50g ham, 4 slices of tomato (I can never fit 4 slices so I just have two)

or

1/2 cup muesli, 3 large strawberries, 1/3 cup low fat plain yoghurt or 1/2 cup skim milk, 1sp flaxeed oil or coconut oil (I’ve never tried this one)

Morning tea

2 x rice cakes topped with low fat cottage cheese and sliced tomato with cracked pepper, and 1 small banana (I have a new found appreciation for rice cakes)

or

1 apple or pear, 10 walnuts or almonds

Lunch

Wholegrain breadroll filled with baby spinach, sliced tomato, cucumber, grated beetroot, 1 slice low fat cheese, 125g tuna in spring water or 120g of chicken or beef (I will alternate between this and the other option for lunch, but I tend to leave out the beetroot, and sometimes the spinach)

or

Chicken & brown rice salad. Salad can include lettuce, baby spinach, tomato, cucumber, beetroot, olives etc. 1/3 cup cooked brown rice with 120g cooked chicken breast (can have 125g tuna or 120g of turkey). Alternatively, can have two cups of vegetables with chicken instead of the salad.

Afternoon tea

1 small carrot, 1 stick celery, 3 tablespoons low fat cottage cheese (yum!)

or

200g fat free yoghurt and 5 – 10 macadamia nuts

Dinner

120g white fish, chicken, turkey, lean mince or lean beef with 2 cups of green vegetables (I usually just had a good salad)

or

Stir-fry with 120g of turkey, lean mince, lean beef, fish and lots of vegetables of your choice in a sugar free stir fry seasoning

Dessert

1 packet of sugar free jelly and 5 strawberries cut in half (aeroplane jelly have sugar free packs that come with two little packets inside, still i find that 1/2 that packet was enough for me)

So that’s it. Combine that with daily exercise and you should see results in no time. I ride a bike to/from work and go to the gym 3 times a week, and after only 5 days of this eating plan I’m an amazing 2.2kg lighter. I have my moments of craving some carbs like garlic bread or potato, but I know I can introduce those back in once I’m at my goal weight. Plus, I give myself a treat every now and then by having a bite of something naughty. Just a bite tough, nothing more. I get the taste, but not al lthe calories, woohoo!

Good luck if anyone decides to try it out! Happy to provide advice if needed.

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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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