Well Woman - Breaking the HABIT

I've always known this but the events of the last few days/couple of weeks have made it even clearer to me -

LOSING weight (or deciding to eat/live healthier) is just a tip of the iceberg and might actually be easier than actually MAINTAINING your new weight/body shape. - so it would be better if, as you lose weight, you arm yourself with the skills to maintain it when you have reached your target weight (and even as you go along)!

I relaxed for some weeks on exercise and for some days on healthy eating (partly due to work, part rebellion) and have put on a couple of kgs. I am not surprised, neither am I devastated. In fact, I am glad, it is just the reality check that I need. Perhaps, I was getting too complacent. BAD!

I've always suggested 'lifestyle change' to people when talking about losing weight/eating healthier/getting fit, instead of going on a "diet" or using different detox programs. I have 'dieted' for years and know firsthand that it only works for some time and as soon as you begin to eat normally again, the weight piles back on (and might even be worse than you started with -as is in the bible, the demon returns sevenfold, LoL!!!). 

Depriving oneself for a period of time just to lose weight might work physically (short term) but doesn't actually work on the psyche, which is actually where I believe we need to start from...YES! Unhealthy eating is a HABIT. Sugar is addictive and the more you have, the more you want (research!). Habits develop over years of practice, repitition and most times, blissful ignorance. We can not just stop it overnight or over a few weeks of managing to ignore those habits (or foods) that we are used to. Habits do not die easily, they need focus, strategic planning with dedication/determination.

So, you want to lose weight and keep it off without worrying constantly? 

Then approach it as you would a drug/alcohol addiction.

1) Admit your habit of unhealthy eating. (AA style - Hi, my name is Yinka and I'm an unhealthy eater, my poison is.....chocolate, neat brandy/whisky shots, rice, fried stew, etc...)

2) Get help - an experienced friend/family or better, a support group. This is backed by research, hence the reason we have so many support groups for nearly all kinds of addictions out there. They work!

3) Set your own goal (s) - might be weight or a dress size..and how to achieve those goals (dropping bad eating habits, etc). Read My top 10 'clean eating' food list for some ideas.

4) Plan ahead for temptations - If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Don't make yourself a victim of circumstances. Read this to find out how I changed my food habits to lose weight.

5) Track your progress - This is the only way you would know if your methods are working. There are so many "advice" out there, many based on myths and superstitions and not on research evidence. If you are following any particular healthier living practices, you need to track your progress to know if it is working for you.

So, there, the thoughts I had in the shower this morning whilst feeling sorry for myself on one hand and chastisizing myself on the other.

SO, WHAT EATING HABITS HAVE YOU STRUGGLED OR ARE STRUGGLING WITH?

WHAT ARE YOUR SUGGESTIONS?

COMMENT PLEASE!

Some habits we've developed over time and considered as "normal"; 

- The carbohydrate component of our meals is the MAIN food. People ask, "You want to eat rice, beans or eba?" instead of the healthier "Would you like fish, chicken, lamb, etc...?" and then make the carbohydrate an accompaniment alongside vegetables.

- Late night eating and heavy dinners! - Dinner must be the best meal of the day after a hard day's work otherwise, one won't get a good night's sleep.

- Making food the centre of attention at gatherings

FOCUSIMS: Trying to get pregnant - Nigerian women and FERTIL...

FOCUSIMS: Trying to get pregnant - Nigerian women and FERTIL...: It is amazing that a significant number of women (or couples) trying to conceive, have undergone little or no investigation. Some may have ...

Hair business

April this year, I did the "Big Chop".

Deciding to grow my natural hair was sort of easy for me as I have never liked permed hair. This isn't the first time I'm growing my natural hair. In fact, I've grown it for 4 years before and got it to nearly shoulder length just before I got married in February 2010. I was looking into Bridal natural hairstyles but was attacked by well-meaning sisters, friends and cousin and was ordered to perm my hair for my big day. I did. I don't regret it. Love my wedding day hairdo.

Anyway, fast forward 3 years later as I began my healthier lifestyle journey, it makes sense to pay a bit more attention to what I'm doing to my hair also.

This time around, my hair seems not to be growing as fast as it did last time. Age perhaps? I have read around A LOT, thanks to all the naturalistas out there sharing great tips. Adura's blog is my favorite. I learnt about making moisturizing spray for my hair when it's in braids and how to get it soft! I condition, wash, condition, rinse and condition some more! Right now, I'm loving Natural Nigerian's leave-in conditioner. My daughter and I use it and it leaves our hair supple and soft.  After applying leave-in conditioner, I seal with Shea butter and honestly, I find it hard keeping my hands out of my hair, just keep stroking. Lol! Yes, I'm also carrying my daughter along. We didn't have a get start as she had very scanty hair that refused to grow. Chopped it same day as I did mine in April and now, her hair is growing really well. I rarely wash it with shampoo, I make sure it's kept moisturized and well-conditioned.

Many ladies avoid working out because they don't want to sweat and mess up their hairstyles. Thankfully, I'm not one of those. With my hair, I can wash and style however I please after working out. Hair is always in twists, braids or undone but style-able. Happy days!

If you have permed hair and you are worried about how to handle your hair with exercises and all, read Adura's blog. www.adura-o.com

Well Women SLEEP!

If only I could write blog posts as often as they come to me whilst running or at work. Time does not allow. Regardless, I shall persist and write whenever I get the chance to do so.

Saturdays are usually my "extra" workout days. Today, I woke up planning to run 10km as I did last week, however after just 1km, I felt this tiredness creeping up and knew I wouldn't be able to achieve that particular goal. Why? I was exhausted. I went to bed after midnight, was woken up at 5am by my toddler and set out at 630am. That is definitely not enough sleep for me to embark on a 10km run, so I carried on and completed 5.5km in 34minutes using HIIT. I was pleased with myself for not giving and still doing what I can.

Many people get by on 3-4hours sleep a night and carry on going to work, businesses and so on and then when they embark on this healthy lifestyle, they struggle to work out or eat right due to fatigue (aka lack of sleep/rest!). I've come to realise over the last few months that getting enough sleep is just as important as eating right and working out, if I am to achieve my weightloss/fitness goals. Our bodies do a lot of rejuvenation whilst we sleep so it is also beneficial for skin, hair, mental agility and more. SLEEEP IS VITAL!!!!

I'm not a "SLEEP person" as they say. I find it hard sleeping during the day and if I have any outstanding work (serious or otherwise - think- CandyCrush and so on, LOL), I struggle to sleep well at night. I will make more effort to get to bed on time so I can wake up at dawn feeling refreshed. I will also try whenever i can (especially at weekends) to sleep during the day. 

So, there. Now that I have made this pledge and written it down, I know I have a better chance at achieving it.

Ciao!!!!

A Well Woman's 10 'clean eating' foods

Hello all!

Someone new to weightloss/fitness world on a BB group asked for a list of healthy foods to be e-mailed to her and within 5mins, from the top of my head, I wrote the following. At the end of it, I was so impressed, I decided to put it on here so many others can benefit. I've  procrastinated updating this blog long enough so hereis an opportunity:

Here's my own idea of 'clean-eating' foods...remember we ought to endeavor to eat "clean" 90% of the time when trying to lose weight.

THE PICTURES AREN'T FASCINATING, I KNOW, BUT THE FOOD TASTES GOOD. BLAME POOR CAMERA PHONE...

1) Oatmeal - great as breakfast - don't add sugar, just sweeten with fruits (apples or bananas or grapes or rasins). Make it even more filling and nutritous by adding nuts ;) Oats are versatile, they can be ground and used in place of flour for baking and can also be turned in boiling water and eaten as swallow!

2) Plaintain - I boil, grill or add them to vegetables. I never fry them. They are filling - high in cals so watch portions!

3) Sweet potatoes - another fave of mine. Vegetable that can b eaten as a 'carb' substitute ;) Friend to anyone trying to shed weight. VERY FILLING without high cals, nutritious too! I boil them, grill them or boil and pound them and eat with any soup! Also use to make pottage or as a simple snack. 100g-200g is a portion.

4) Apples!!! Filling, high in fibre and 1 a day really does keep the doctor away!

5) Fish - mackarel (especially) - high in healthy fats and oil, good for the brain and low in cals! Need I say more? Oh yes, grill or boil or smoke, do not fry!

6) SKINLESS Chicken - many complain about this however, over time my habit of removing skin has become 2nd nature, I no longer miss it. Skin is full of cholesterol, bad fats, high cals. Always eat more chicken/fish then the carb u r having them with.

7) Smoothies! These were used as my dinner for like 3months when I lost 18kg (only swapped for peppersoup sometimes). Vegetable smoothes, fruit smoothies of 'Freggys' (mixed)...get adventurous! They are filling and nutritious. Relieves fatigue and great for bowel movements ;) (remember to always add pulp). My fave mix is watermelon and pineapple with a little bit of lime for that kick ;)

8) Beans! This should be higher up on the list. High in fibre and protein, filling and nutritous. Beans pottage (oil free with shredded fish and co ;)), gbegiri, moimoi (akara is a no-no)

9) Nuts! Great as snacks, high in healthy fats (still fat so portion is important!)- I count my nuts ooo, don't just gulp them indiscriminately!

10) Wholegrain rice, pasta, bread - Yes, brown carbs, filling and they don't cause a high blood sugar spike and fall! Wholegrain foods may have a slightly higher calorie estimate to their white counterparts, however, u need less quantity in a portion to feel full and u get plenty more goodness (fibre!) With them ;) remember fibre, protein are a dieter's vice.

And last but not least, the ALMIGHTY Water!!! 2-3ltrs a day before during and after meals ;) Manytimes you feel hungry but you have eaten, you might just be thirsty! Gulp up!

Hope y'all find this 'quick off-the-top-of-my-head' list helpful. Pardon any typos or gbagauns ;)

Oatmeal+marvel milk+almond nuts

Oats as swallow + ogbono

Mango, pawpaw and carrots

Plaintain with ugwu and catfish

Oats+milk+banana

Pounded sweet potato

Well Woman Fitness (1) - Becoming a 'Running' Woman

Weightloss was my main reason for embarking on this so-called "Well Woman" journey of mine and obviously excercising/fitness is a big part of losing weight.

  

- Like I said in my last post, I started exercising in August last year. Walking/running was what I started with because 1) it was how I could burn the most calories in the shortest time, 2) it works for all parts of the body and 3) it was what I had observed one of my weight-loss motivators (Tayo Badejo of FADD) do over a few months in order to drop the kgs (in combination with healthier eating, of course).

I am not new to exercises, far from it. Through adolescent - adulthood, I've always been on the quest to lose weight/get fit, from high school to college to Uni and so on, I have acquired many exercise gadgets (stationary bike, lateral thigh trainer, several DVDs, etc..), I registered and signed membership contracts at gyms (which I hardly ever used but paid for nonetheless!), attempted playing football/tennis with my brothers and even once participated in a 5km run for Cancer research UK. SO you see, I've "been around" quite a bit but I never stuck to one thing long enough for it to have a lasting effect.

After the birth of my 1st child, I started to use the treadmill and Nintendo Wii at home but barely 2months after I started, I got knocked up again (Well Women should use Birth control - a topic for another day!!!) and with the way I carry on during my pregnancies, fitness was the last thing on my mind, LoL.

Saw this on FB and it just spoke to me....

ANYWAY! Fast forward to 2012, 2 babies, 88kg and so on later, I embarked on a "lifestyle adjustment" approach. Being a wife, mother of two kids and an aspiring entrepreneur, it was NOT easy 1) finding the "right" time to work out, 2) getting into the right frame of mind. I had a lot of excuses but as we all know, those [excuses] burn very little calories. I wanted to do it in the most cost-effective manner so registering with a gym was out of it for me as Gyms had collected ENOUGH of my hard-earned cash in the past.

So, after plenty pep talks from my dear Tayo (including opression from her numerous BBM updates), Bisi and co..., I ordered the shoes I needed, downloaded the necessary Apps to track my progress, set my alarm (which I snoozed/turned off a few times before giving in) and hit the road.  In the beginning (before I got wiser), I felt it was the only way I could eat whatever I wanted to eat and still lose weight/not gain any more weight so that motivated me.  (LoL! How wrong I was! Read about my 'wake up call' here). 

Used this wallpaper on my phone, laptop & iPad

I started with walking, aimed for 5km distance the first few times but didn't quite achieve it. Took 2 trips before I started doing a full 5km. As time went on, I started jogging intermittently after I read up on High Impact Interval Training (HIIT), which is better for people working out with the primary goal of losing weight - I would walk briskly for the first 5minutes then I would jog for 30 secs, brisk walk for 30secs and just improved from there till I was running for 3mins and brisk walking for 30secs-1minute.

One of the challenges I had in the beginning was BREATHING, which a lot of people I have 'coached' complained about. That feeling of being out of breath and nearly collapsing makes you feel tired quite quickly and discourages you from attempting to jog/run again for fear of passing out. Getting the breathing right is something that requires focus and training. Once mastered, your stamina improves greatly and you are able to go longer with jogging and actually start enjoying it! 

My tip - I breathe in through my nose and blow out through my mouth (as I normally tell my labouring women to do. LOL!). I also take occassional deep breaths whilst jogging whilst thinking about the supply of enough oxygen to my muscles, bla, bla...It kept me going anyway.

That is how I developed a love for running outdoors. Doing it on a treadmill indoors does not compare at all. The time I spend outdoors running is 'ME' time; I reflect on events/issues, I listen to good music, I pray or worship sometimes, listen to recorded messages from inspiraitonal speakers (depending on my mood) and just enjoy the view and fresh hair.

Time spent exercising & calories burnt

I am a supporter of 'progress monitoring', because it enables you to see how well you are doing and how you improve as time goes on. I used a watch (with pulse function) to keep track of my timing and calories burn. In the beginning, it took me 50-55mins to walk 5km and these days, I do it in 31-35mins. I gradually improved on distance too and now, I can do 7km, 8km during the weekdays and 10-13km on a Saturday morning before work.

It isn't easy (I say again) waking up super early (5am) to go out to run before coming back to bathe, feed the kids, prepare lunch, etc....Having support from my husband helped A LOT as through the period we had no nanny, he would start sorting the kids out if they wake up before my return. There is a way around that situation that is holding you back, find it!

My running experience has taught me a lot about myself, things that I am able to apply to other areas of my life. I love it and for now, I am enjoying it, it has been nearly a year now and I am planning (God willing) to run half a marathon (21km) in September at the Accra International Marathon event. Wish me luck!

Tayo Badejo of FADD

I hope sharing this would motivate 1 or 2 people to get started. Leave comments! Ask questions too....!

Well Woman - Food

Food! Food! Food! 

Yes, I love food! So it is no wonder that I found myself close to 90kg. 

When I started my 'Well Woman' journey, I knew my love for food would have to be controlled sooner or later but took me a while to fully accept that fact. Last year August at 85kg, 6 months after having my baby girl, I said to myself, "I'm going to lose weight by just exercising, I love food too much to control it" .

At 85kg

So I started jogging everyday....I would go jogging like 5km then return home and tell the help to fry 2 big plaintains for me then I would proceed to fry 2 eggs with sardines, baked beans and frankfurters. I had been good with exercise afterall, why should I not indulge/reward myself? Then for lunch, I would go my fave white rice and fried stew with enough meat and chicken and perhaps a little beans or boiled egg for "protein", For dinner, I would have something "light", maybe garri then have a huge serving of different fruits #epicfail!!!

A month later, I went to the gynaecologist's to get my birth control fitted (story for another day), I stepped on the scales feeling really cool with myself and to my "surprise", I had gained 3kg (88kg!!). I was livid! "How did that happen?" I've been running 4-5 times a week, doing aerobics, swimming and many workout dvds! I left the clinic that day and branched at a nearby restaurant to buy some good food to lift my mood. LOOOL!

Needless to say, that little voice that had been telling me all along got louder and louder in my head til I couldn't stand it. So, I sat on my PC, carried out enough research to support what I already knew, made a list of foods I needed to buy and drew a Food timetable (like the one I have for my son) and so it began. 

It was HARD! I gave up Fanta (tough one), Maryland cookies, Twix obsession and many others. I got a lot of support from my friends who had started their weightloss journey and were making progress. Tolu, Tayo and Bisi gave me tips on cooking without oil. I didn't want to be so drastic so I started off measuring the oil I use til I actually started  cooking some foods with no oil whatsoever (beans, vegetable soups..). Bisi was my mentor from day 1 and she pinged me daily to ask what I was eating.

Measuring cups and a food scale

So, as suggested by my friends, Tolu and Bisi, I needed to weigh/measure everything I put into my mouth. So, I dug out these measuring cups and food scale. It was a drag at first but I soon got used to it and I was surprised at how much I had been consuming and expecting not to gain weight. I cross checked the foods I weighwith 'myfitnesspal' - an app i downloaded on my smart phone to get a calorie estimate.

106g of pineapple

I was shocked at how little some foods were at 100g . For example, 106g was a mere 4 small wedges of pineapple which was 50calories & contained 15g of sugar! My daily sugar allowance according to 'myfitnesspal' was 24g. Also, a serving of weetabix minis (40g) had 155calories (without milk) but was so small. LOOL, I suffered small, I wont lie.

40g Weetabix minis

It was an eye-opening experience. I'm glad I went through it. I learnt a lot, I wasn't perfect, had many falls along the way (the occassional sneaky sugar indulgence) but I made it up by working out and cutting down on subsequent meals/days. I just never gave up. In October, I lost 3kg and by 1st november, I was 85kg once again and armed with plenty information, knowledge and will power to carry on.

Some of My 'Well Woman' Food Tips

1. Calculate what your BMR is (that is, the require calorie intake for your current weight/height, gender, age and level of activity) and decided how much you want to cut off your BMR in order to lose weight (If you consume your BMR daily, you would stay the same, consume more, you gain weight, consume less and lose weight - add exercise to it and you lose even more as you burn calories). Find out your BMR via this link http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

2. Portion control! - Learn to measure all meals (using measuring cups, scales, tablespoons, teaspoons) and check their calorie content (usually just estimates) using google, myfitnesspal and so on. Most foods have a serving of 100g, u can use this as a guide in the beginning like 100g of rice/beans/cereal + 1-2 tbsp of stew and so on...

- A friend of mine, Bisi was not into calorie assessments at all, she focused on reducing her portions and worked out doing a lot of cardio and lost a lot of weight. However, I felt this method makes it difficult to lose fat around our most common problem areas, e.g. tummies. This is because white/processed carbs/sugar tend to be stored in this region. So I recommend cutting out certain foods and using substitutions. After losing a significant amount of weight then you can become a bit more lax and use portion control to maintain or lose more weight.

3. Substitutions - I made efforts to substitute. Wholegrain to replace white carbs (oats, whole wheat, brown bread, pasta, etc..). I grilled/boiled my plaintain (I'm a big dodo lover) instead of frying it. Used spray oil to cook instead of pouring from a bottle, sweet potatoes (now my favourite food) instead of yam, and many others...

4. Water! I learnt all over again how to drink plain unsweetened, non-carbonated water! Hard for many people I know but it is a weight-loser's vice. Many times we think we are hungry or "peckish", we are actually thirsty and it is amazing how water can give you plenty energy and satisfy you between meals. Aim to drink at least 2litres a day. Carry one bottle around and refill from water dispensers if you have to.

5. Snack! It may be hard at first but learn to love snacking on healthy snacks. Almond nuts, I love! apple and peanut butter (measure!), carrots (weigh!), crackers and so on are some of the snacks that are sweet and crunchy and may satisfy those cravings. Snacking is important to avoid overeating at the next meal and to just sort of 'console' me. However, remember that just because something is 'healthy' does not mean it doesnt have calories. Even fruits! So don't pig out. Moderation is key!

Finally, get SUPPORT! Through groups, a friend who has been there before, or just plain making noise about it. I got my motivation from all these. On my bbm, facebook and all, everyone knew I was trying to lose weight. It helped keep me accountable as I knew they would be expecting a trimmer me when they see me so that thought kept me on the straight and narrow whenever I was tempted to grab a packet of cookies. I would grab an apple instead. I joined 'The Shrinkers', 'FADD' on my BBM and 'WeW' on Facebook. Reading about others on the same path, sharing challenges, logging in meals and exercise was a great help.

So, there it is. I am now fluctuating between 68-70kg (65kg is my target), I've relaxed a bit and I indulge every now and again, I don't measure my foods as much as I used to as I can now assess by just looking at a portion. I will blog more about food as time goes on, just thought I'd reminisce a bit and share what worked for me. I have many people asking for tips so it's easier to have this place to refer people to.

Please leave comments if you find this helpful.