31st Day

So I had my 30day weigh in today and Im pretty happy (read results here).

Aside from the plan related improvements, I have learned to forgive my boyfriend for cooking all the mf meals he has been eating on his diet. I mean T-bone steaks, pork ribs and bangers, pork belly??? I mean, would you look at these 2 dishes?!? 👿 

I reckon his diet is closer to Keto with Intermittent Fasting. He only eats once a day after his morning shift, so his body is in full fasted mode before he goes to work and eats just about time. 

I'm getting used to just smelling his food and not really wanting to take his plate. Today he made pork belly cubed up with some veggies and mushroom. Not bad.

As for me, I have been sleeping more since the break started. It feels good to get the right amount of sleep. I'm in bed by 11pm and my body wakes up at around 5am, but I don't get up (I know I should) and try to sleep in more. I promise I will do that tomorrow.. hmmm..

I had cut out the fruits and diet cola's for 2 days now and I noticed my losses have been more than the days I have them. Is it because I cut out these 2 or was it because I am sleeping better? I do miss my oranges and mangoes. But, as I have been listening to Dr. Berg as well, every time we eat, we spike insulin, even if we have coffee or just have our fruits for snacks. Plus, as I have been reading a lot of entries in the NewYouForum, especially on exercise, I found out that our muscles need sugar when we exercise and since I eat the fruits without exercise, I have sugar floating around and not really being utilized. So maybe next time, I will have the fruit before I expect some movement (like running errands, driving to work/walking to office or when I go out for a walk), or just take it when I feel hungry/peckish.

I'm also being mindful of my water intake as well, I try to make it to 3 liters per day. I 

My Omega 3 liquid supplement has run out so I got a new one. I didn't buy the one I was using coz it's bloody expensive! I have no doubt its good, but I need to economize. So bought another one from the same brand - Complete Omega (with Omega 3,6,9) that's twice the size. Let's see the effects.. if I'm not happy about it, will switch back to the Ultimate Omega.

Still on my break and relaxing. I'm thinking of going for a massage today or tomorrow. 

Day 31: All meals, crackers and vits taken on time. Deviation free.

ROUND UP 2.0: Week 1 - 4 Results

Hola peeps!

I've got some great news. After 30 days of being on the plan, I lost 8.6 kgs! That's just 100gms less than my 1st go I had with the program 5 years ago without exercise and with deviation (see Food Pushers entry), so I'm pretty happy about it.

Cue in.......

As for the scale that tells me my life 😛, I've seen some nice improvements too, most notably Body age and Visceral Fat have both gone down.

I haven't taken my body measurements when I started, probably because I never thought I could do it again after so many failed attempts. I wanted to do that this morning but I can't find our tape measure. I'm doing that tomorrow so I have better reporting next time ;). 

Observations:

1. Hair and Skin - both definitely looking much better. My hair looks healthier and my skin is not dry. I don't think my hair is falling out than the normal daily hair loss. 
   
   
   Aside from being on the plan, I'm taking a high dosage of liquid Omega 3s (Ultimate Omega by Nordic Naturals), it's quite pricey for a 4 oz bottle. I've switched to their Complete Omega which has a lower dosage of Omega 3 but has Omega 6 and 9 in the mix. It's cheaper and twice the size. So let's see..
   
   
   I'm also avoiding direct sun exposure because I get that a lot of that from Oct-Apr at work. 
   
   
2. BMs - way more regular before I got on the plan. I'm happy about this because I have poor BMs that I take a laxative tea at least once a week to get a good clear up. Nowadays it comes like clockwork in the morning. 
   
   
3. Exercise - I did NADA! On my first try, I was still pretty active and reduced my workouts to yoga at least 3 times a week. Now, all I did was walk for about an hour thrice? I just walked, because I'm feeling like a lazy bum from doing nothing. 
   
   
4. Oranges - I love them! :D I never really ate oranges by choice. Now, I have 1 every day (except for the past 2 days)
   
   
5. Sleep - I'm still struggling with this. Before the Eid break, I couldn't sleep early. But since the holiday started, I'm sleeping more. Was it because I cut the DC? Or maybe I'm not thinking about work so much? NO STRESS LIFESTYLE.
   
   
6. Mood - definitely better. I feel good. Same as the 1st time, I didn't feel the same amount of "dread and depression" prior to my periods. I felt the lethargy and the quick temper, but nothing compared to how I felt each month prior to it. I wasn't sickly as well.
   
   
7. Energy - I can't really gauge, because I haven't done anything that's extra. Overall, I just feel better
   
   
8. Allergies - For years, I've depended on a nasal spray to clear my nose up. My nose is clogged as I type this however, I feel that my use of the spray has lessened. I look forward to getting rid of this nasal spray for good. 

I'm not as strict on meal preparations like before. I don't prepare my meals for the week in advance anymore. I'm trying to establish the habit of cooking my food per day, as I believe that's how it's supposed to be, so the food is fresh.

The plan really works as long as you follow it. It is difficult at the beginning but once you get over the initial weeks, it is pretty easy to be on. On some days I'm craving, but I think its something to do with the timings of my fruit intake or I'm just missing the thought of eating "good" junk. 

But honestly, I'm not hungry and no longer craving. And it feels so damn good to be rid of that dependency on the stuff that's not good for me.

I look forward to the days ahead :)

30th Day: Relaxing

No, this is not me nor my bathroom. How I wish! :)

So I'm following through my plan of taking this break by relaxing in the comfort of our home. All of my friends are all travelling on their own, which I cant help but be jealous of. But hey, I have to make the most of it in any way that I can.

Yesterday, my body woke up before 5am! How about that? But I didnt get up (yikes). I chose to roll around the bed, my alarm going off at 06:30 and 07:30. I managed to get in some more sleep and got up at around 08:40-ish. Feel bad for bf, he had to go to work at 06:30....

Made breakfast, had coffee, did nothing. Listened to books and watched a few episodes of Friends for a good laugh. I havent laughed out loud in a while, so it felt good. 

BF came home from his morning shift and we watched the Alienist. He went for his afternoon/evening shift, I made my lunch and ate on time and prepared my DIY stuff which I have available at home.

1. Hair mask - fresh aloe vera + egg yolk + olive oil -> washed my hair off with sulphate-free shampoo and conditioned it really well. Leave on conditioner post bath.

2. Face scrub /mask - egg white + oats + honey -> toner + face oil

3. Foot scrub - whilst the hair and face mixture(s) processed, I gave myself a foot scrupband used Footlogix stuff which I bought some time ago. Their scrubber (?) is the best. So if you've got some thick ass dead skin on the soles of your foot, this is the best thing you can own for that (Im not paid whatsover to say this). Followed it up with the moisturizing mousse.

Watched more of Friends, laughed some more.

BF came home and we finished the Alienist. Had my dinner.

A totally relaxing day, not worrying about a thing. I kinda feel guilty though. Today I have more stuff to do and will squeeze in a bubble bath and a luxurious oil/salt body scrub at no cost. A friend gave me a relaxing body scrub with essential oils plus a body cream for Christmas that I have used only once. And another one has gifted me for our move-in day a year ago with a bubble bath plus bath salts that I used about twice. So I guess its time to utilize those. I'm lucky I have awesome products at home! 

Lovely.

Day 30: All meals, crackers and vits taken on time. Deviation free. 

29th Day: [Very] Long Weekend

Eid Mubarak to all my Muslim friends and readers :) 

I've got a few days left until my 30th day weigh in. Im targeting a 10kg loss which Im behind. I'm going to cut out the diet colas and fruits until my weigh-in day and make sure I have my last meal no later than 8PM. Im not sure if those will help, but I will try 💪💀. 

I've nothing planned during the Eid break (6 days!). I started to stress out on how I will fill those days in. I've got some errands to do but I'm cash low these days so I have to penny pinch. So I thought, I will have totally relaxing days at home, 

1. Wake up as my body does.
2. Have a cup of coffee on the balcony, enjoying the warm mornings.
3. Cook my meals when I feel like it (but on time, but no pressure to cook all of them in one go).
4. Eat on time
5. Clean up when I want to
6. Go for a walk when I feel like it
7. Do yoga if I fancy
8. Sleep well - sleep when I'm sleepy, read when Im not
9. Take my cat to the groomers - no particular day, just make sure its done.
10. Collect laundry - I received laundry vouchers worth $300! so I sent all the clothes I cant be bothered to iron plus everything that needs to be dry-cleaned and permanently creased.
11. Maybe go to the beach
12. Have an at-home spa - talking about DIY facials, hair masks, bubble baths, scrubs
13. Cat-sit
14. Read/listen to my books
15. Improve my knowledge on the job
16. Read diaries in the forum
17. Shop for groceries
18. Get the car serviced

Not going to stress about it, just do them if I can or if I want to. Since I'm in a good head space right now and I feel better overall, I want to continue destressing my mind and body. God knows my work during the Equestrian Season is crazy. Who thought organizing back to back polo tournaments (we've got 15 tournaments in the upcoming season) and show jumping competitions (around 15 SJ comps, maybe more) in a span of 8 months could be so hectic?! Mentally and physically draining, 6-days a week of working long hours.

So I'm using the summer season to relax, but still plan ahead, and this Eid break to basically indulge in the luxury of doing (almost) nothing.

Day 29 - all meals, crackers and vits taken on time. Deviation free

28th Day: Death in the family

My friend's mom died today. We were just talking about her yesterday as my friend was showing me their old pictures together and then today, she died peacefully in her sleep.

I cant imagine my mom passing away. I dont have a lot of fears but this is one of them. Being an expat in another country so far away from my folks is something I question my self from time "What am I doing here? My parents have a few more years left and I why I am spending it away from them." Easy to say to move back home, but Im scared to start all over again. Plus I actually dont feel like returning and settling back home for some reason... 

On the diet side, nothing to report, but I was just really hungry in the afternoon. Had my meal at 4pm, then hunger kicked in after an hour, had a full mango, then hungry again after an hour, so I had my diet cola..

Day 27: All meals, vitamins, fruits and crackers taken on time. Deviation free.