His name is Ben, he was overweight and unhappy and turned his life around. Video below:

If you want to continue to follow his journey, Ben has a tumblr account at http://bendoeslife.tumblr.com/ I wish him all the best, and thank him for sharing his experience with others. From personal experience, I know sometimes it can be damn hard to keep on going but he proves that it’s possible.

I love success stories.

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Yesterday working at Soundwave festival was a debacle. I didn’t realise yet just how loose my board shorts were, so put them on at home, jumped in the car and headed to Brisbane. Thankfully I’d packed my denim shorts for later (in case it got a bit cooler). After just 1/2 hour of working at Soundwave, I had to change. The board shorts had loosened up with a bit of wear, and were pretty much useless for public attire. I changed, and sweated it out with my denims for the rest of the day (although I hadn’t packed the belt, and was really pushing my luck).

Defeated, I gave in to the fact I needed to buy some new shorts, and went to the shops. I timed it badly and arrived just as everything was closing. I had been given some Coles Myer vouchers for my birthday so had planned on using those, which limited me to just Target and K-Mart. Target was shut, and after a 5min scavenge in k-mart, discovered all the clothes were crap.

Everything was either jeans (too hot to wear) or 3/4 pants. The board shorts were ugly. I didn’t want anything, and they didn’t want to be owned by me. I did give it a shot though, I tried on a pair of long cargos that I found that would have been OK for winter, but had the fortune of discovered that not only is it between seasons at the moment, but I’m also between sizes. Brilliant. The bigger size is too big, the smaller size is too small. For someone who hates shopping, finding out that she needs to spend hours upon hours in the stores to find something that fits correctly is NOT good news.

So I gave up and went home.

Trying to look on the positive side, it’s fantastic that I’m losing weight. I need to both for health reasons as well as career aspirations. I’ve also been handed on a silver platter the motivation to push harder with the weight loss until I can really own that smaller size. I’ll have free run of all the stores, knowing that I’ll be able to fit into anything.

On the negative side, too many people are going to become familiar with my butt crack while I continue to wear saggy pants. No one ever wants to see that. New blog site perhaps – the crack of Kelsbells?

I’d better drop that size soon.

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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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As of this morning week 1 finished with a grand total of 2.3kg lost – exactly half the weight I need to lose for this challenge. The fact that I’ve lost that much already astounds me, I can’t remember ever having lost that much in a week before. While attending weight watcher classes many years ago they preached that usually 1kg is around the norm. The only difference  between then and now is that my diet is a lot more strict. But it’s obviously working.

A 2.5% weight drop in a week. Wow.

I don’t expect to have the same result this coming week, that would be insane. Plus, at the risk of sounding like a typical female making excuses, it’s “that” time of the month where my body likes to retain as much water as it possibly can. It happened already, with a gain of 0.6kg between Saturday – Sunday where I was still pretty careful with what I ate. There’s no way that food could have accounted for that gain, and I’d also climbed a mountain that morning. But anyway, meh. I’ve still got 2.5kg baby!

There are 3 moments in this week that stand out to me as the hardest. The first was day 2 of the challenge, where my body was still adjusting to the change in food portion sizes. The time between afternoon tea and dinner was the worst, and thankfully my body has now adjusted that it knows to wait until about 6pm before it starts feeling hungry. Second hardest to me was at a tupperware party on Saturday afternoon, and seeing all the treats on the table yet not being able to eat any. Thankfully I had a supportive friend there who kept reminding me that I’m better than that, and can hold out. I still had one small chocolate pod, one thin slice of camembert on a cracker, and a small portion of a club sandwich. All just so I could have a taste, and remember what I’m missing. When I ate the small chocolate piece, it was like heaven. Sugary, sugary heaven. But one was enough. I used to be a camembert junkie, so having one small piece (and being satisfied) wasnt something I expected.

The last, and possibly the worst out of the entire week, was visiting Mount Tamborine with my family. This was my first time I had been dining out where it wasn’t as simple as a steak and salad. Trying to find something that would be suitable in a cafe was a bit of work, and as it was the sandwich I had (ham & salad on rye bread) still included cheese and butter, of which aren’t a part of my diet’s recommendations for lunch. While I ate it, I watched my family eat blueberry & buttermilk pancakes, a BLT, and a big iced coffee with cream on top. Yum. Then they went and visited a chocolate and ice cream shop, while I bitched on twitter about not being able to eat any of it.

Yet come the weigh in this morning, holding off eating any of it was well worth it. 2.5% baby!

Bring on this next week. With an adjusted stomach for the food portions it will be interesting to see how I go. If I can be strict enough I might be able to crack the 5% mark, and this competition will be over a lot quicker than we had bargained for. Wish me luck!

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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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I’ll do something with this later, but just putting it somewhere so I don’t lose the code haha

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