Category Archives: Health

Body fat percentage

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so body fat percentage is a complicated topic of discussion. In fact i could ramble on and on about it as its something i have noticed is more important than weight.

To calculate you body fat isn’t the easiest thing to do. there are a variety of methods with positive and negative sides. it is difficult to get an accurate ready for most of the easy options.

So here we do :

1) Skin Fold Caliper ( My method )

This method measures your body fat percentage by pinching your fat a body fat caliper. its like a big plastic tweezers. it isn’t an easy method to do but i find it to be the most accurate.  i must be honest that i get my nutritionist  to do this for me. so its easy for me, but for those of you who don’t have a professional helping you on this journey it isn’t the easy. the best thing to do is to speak to a personal trainer at your gym and see if they will be willing to help you.

.2) Bio-electric Impedance Analysis (BIA) – the scale

This is  a special scale that has BIA . BIA scales basically send a  flow of an electric current through the body. and by doing this it can measure your body fat % . I find this is the easiest way to measure your body fat. the problem with it how every is it doesn’t take into account your state of hydration, so this can impact the level of accuracy.

3) Anthropometric

This method uses body circumference measurements to estimate body fat percentages.  it is an easy inexpensive way to measure your body fat,  but on the downside it doesn’t directly measure you body fat so accuracy is a problem.

So what should your body fat be :

My body fat according to my last measurement 2 weeks a go is : 18.9 % , this is actually really good. i only have another 5 Kgs to loose so this should put me at 14% body fat.

hope this helps (:

The Hunger

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So with the diet I am on I have 6 meals a day, you would think that that would be more than enough right? Well it really isn’t, I have n=been fine with my diet up to now, iv done really well. Suddenly in the last two days I’ve been suffering from extreme hunger pains.  Steve always said that hunger is a good sign. It means that your metabolism is alive and working which is a good thing. It means that you are losing weight.

But the problem is I’ve not only had hunger pains, but I tired and grumpy. It really isn’t fun at all. But its only for a few more days and then I’m seeing Steve again and he will adjust my diet for me. I get to eat abut more YAY. I’m really excited to go see him on Friday. I know that the scale has only gone down 1 kg but my body has changed so much in the past 2 weeks. I’m so interested to see if my body fat percentage has gone down.

Friday will be the last day that I see Steve for almost a month!! That is a pretty scary fact. I really have been doing extremely well on his diet and I’m so scared without his guidance I will lose motivation and fall into temptation.

You know what this time I’m not going to let it happen.  I’m better than that. I suppose this time will definitely be different because I have David (the boyfriend) along with me for the journey. He went to go see Steve last week and he too is on a diet. Difference being that he wants to gain 10KG of muscle. But still his diet comprises of exactly the same foods as mine just in much bigger quantities.

I’m also on leave from work from Tuesday next week which means I’m going to get to go to gym with David everyday! YAY… He gives me such motivation to do better and be better.

There is to another day, I really hope it’s better than yesterday (:

Tips for fat free cooking and eating:

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Use tomatoes puree: this is an essential item in my shopping list, you tomatoes puree is very very low in calories. It is amazing with mince, chicken curry and veggies.  Tonight I plan to make an amazing veggie bake. Look out for recipe tomorrow. (:

It’s all in the spice: I am a curry addict. Seriously, I have a problem. I eat hot sauce with every meal, so for me I tend to eat mince curry for lunch and chicken curry for dinner. Now spices are generally considered as ‘free’ but look out for curry powder that contains yeast and added sugar. Stay away from curry paste as it contains quiet a lot of oil and preservatives.

Olive oil isn’t that good for you: a lot of people assume that olive oil is good to cook with, but as a matter of fact when you heat olive oil you change it, it turns from a good fat to a bad fat, so add olive oil after to your food. YUM

No stick is best: invest in a really nice non-stick pan this way cooking will be way easier and so will the clean up.

Keep veggies crisp: this is one that I tend not to follow, for me there is nothing better than mushy veggies, but the thing is when you over cook veggies they tend to lose a lot of nutrients, so rather keep them crispy.

Keep it lean: when it comes to meat always keep it lean or extra lean. Meat contains saturated fats which is one of the fats you need to keep on the low side. So rather look out for lean meats. When it comes to chicken , always go for skin-less chicken breast or buy chicken breasts with the skin on and just remove the skin when you cook it.

Learn to love the simple things: The thing with fat free cooking is that it can be somewhat bland. But don’t disappear. You will learn to love these foods. They really aren’t that bad. Your taste buds will adapt and soon you won’t want to eat oily foods or sugar stuff. Just give it a little time.

When in doubt leave it out: this is a really good rule to live by, the problem with going to a restaurant or to friends houses is you tend to be confronted lot of temptation. The thing to remember is to eat things that you know what they are. Stay away from pastas, pizzas, burgers, wraps, smoothies and cocktails. Rather go for things that you know what they contain. Like a chicken or tuna salad. But always remember to ask for grilled chicken and salad dressing on the side. If you are at a friend’s house and they only have burgers then don’t eat the burger. Because really it’s your own fault for not being prepared. You know better. And if it is a truly desperate situation, I’m sure there must be something else you can eat in the fridge. Or just take a trip to the shop. There is no excuse for bad eating.

Mom is not the word: never trust your mom to prepare your food for you. It’s simply your mommy loves you but sometimes they can be abit clue-less when it comes to your diet. So either you prepare your food yourself or give your mom strict instructions on how you want your food prepared. Always remember that just because you are on diet doesn’t mean everyone else has to be on it too, So stick to things everyone enjoys like Roast chicken is normally a safe bet. Just remember to stick to the breast and do not eat the skin.

10 ways to stay on diet

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For me losing weight is the easy part, when the kgs drop they drop quickly, then it suddenly stops and I lose motivation. Or I start to feel so good about the fact I’m losing weight I lose focus on my diet.

So I’ve come with ways I’m hoping to keep the motivation going.

1.       The scale isn’t always right – this is a really problem with dieters, we all tend to jump on that scale and if it’s up we are sad, it is down we are happy. But what we don’t realise is the scale isn’t ALWAYS RIGHT.  Our weight fluctuates all the time depending on water retention and hormones.

2.      Muscle weighs more than fat – The best measure of weight lose is your body fat percentage and centimetres.  If you do a lot of training you will pick up muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. It really is that simple. If you don’t have a way to measure you body fat percentage then measure yourself every week or 2 weeks with a tape measure and that is where you really see the results.

3.       You don’t deserve all that chocolate –  The truth of the matter is once in a while sure eat a chocolate, but don’t make it into a habit,  and when you do have that chocolate have and really enjoy it. Once that chocolate is done its time to move on with your diet.

4.       Learn your triggers – Being on diet means you are depriving yourself of most of your favourite things and unfortunately these things became triggers.  They become the binge trigger.  It’s a terrible thing, having a binge is terribly depressing and destructive. So learn what your triggers are and stay away from them.

 5.       Change our environment – for me this is a biggie, I work  on weekends as a waitress and  they always have the most amazing staff meals where I work, even more amazing when they are served at 11pm and you are starving hungry. So now what I do is I tell them not to make me a staff meal anymore, thus I don’t even have the option to eat it. So the truth of the story is change the way you do things and stay away from those environments that lead to over eating.

 6.       Preparation is everything – the biggest excuse for breaking of diets is: BUT there wasn’t anything else for me to eat. Such utter crap, there is no excuse for eating badly; the trick is to always be prepared. Last night when I got home I made my dinner and lunch in one go so right now in my bag I have lunch, a snack, and some protein shake. So I don’t have to worry about trying to find something for lunch I already have it.

7.       Be prepared for a cheat day – at some point or another you will have to cheat on your diet, it might be your birthday or Christmas.  So work hard the week before, but in a few extra gym sessions and then go enjoy these days, eat drink and be merry. But the next day get back on it and don’t feel guilty!!

8.        Set goals and rewards - it’s simple if you do well you deserve a treat, NOT FOOD but something else.  I must for me it’s always a new dress. There is nothing better than a new dress in my perception. Another good reward is stuff that actually helps you lose weight like an exercise machine or a few sessions with a personal trainer. These things can be pricey so if you are not dedicated it is a waste of money. So rather use it as a reward because then you know you have put the work in to begin with.

9.       Keep a food diary or a cheat list – I used to keep a food diary but I found it pretty tedious most of the time, but when I start cheating I start writing. So I keep a food diary to keep me on track when I feel my motivation dipping. I have started a cheat list though, so every time a have a little slip up I write it down. Those I am acknowledging it and I can move forward.

10.   See a specialist – this is perhaps the easiest way to stay on diet. I am referring to going to see Dietitian, nutritionist or a personal trainer. I really feel that if you want results quickly and steadily these people can really be of help. They can measure your body fat percentage, give you a diet to suit you and motivate you to carry on going. If money is an issue that find a dieting partner to keep you motivated.

So there are some tips to help you along the way!

 

 

 

Chapter 2 : Mr Steve

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So it’s been a week since my last post. Let’s just say I’ve been extremely lazy this last week. I haven’t really gymed or made any effort with my diet, I’ve just been going about life and living. But you know what this week I have realised a lot about myself.

Doms realizations

  1. I need help
  2. I love beer to much
  3. Beware the weight catch up
  4. Don’t drink and eat
  5. Life is too short to be unhappy.
  6. I’m far too lazy.

So this week I haven’t lost or gained weight but that’s OK, this is the start of a new chapter, this is a new beginning  and this time I’m going to lose the weight and learn how to maintain it.  So as I said last week I’m going back to Steve Dunn for help. I’m glad to announce that this morning I went to see him.

Let’s just say that he wasn’t impressed with me at all, in fact I feel pretty ashamed with my results compared to what I was almost exactly a year ago. I actually don’t want to talk about it I’m so ashamed. But I do think that this is the exact shock that I needed to get my butt back in to gear.

The nice thing about Steve is he adjusts the diet as we go, adding more calories and a treat day now and then. The diet is pretty min to start off with.  This is to help me get my confidence back. Then after that the calories will increase to an amount more manageable.

I am seeing him in 2 weeks again. He is expecting some big results, I’m sure that if I work hard and I follow the diet I will do it!

Here’s to focus, more blogging and more gyming.

Here we go…

Seeing help

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So. I’ve been abit distant of late, you see sometimes life happens and for me when life happens I tend to focus on life if that makes sense. So blogging hasn’t been on my top to do list. I’ve just been focusing on get through the days. The last week I have been on a will-wind of emotions. I’m been super sad, super happy, super angry and super scared.

Yes Scared.

You see the problem with me is I’m so terrified of letting the people I love down, I’m so scared I won’t turn out to be as successful or as brilliant as the people around me. I’m so terrified it’s terrible; it makes me feel like I can’t breathe.

But today I decided.. NO MORE, I’m going to be happy today; I’m going to be extremely good on my diet (except for the whiskey I will be drinking tonight).

On a good note I’m another 0.5kgs down bring my total down to 5.5 kgs lost (or somewhere around there) so I am making progress even if it is abit on the slow side. Which I am happy about!!

I have also decided it’s time to go back to see Steve (the sports nutritionist) I have decided this because I was always pretty scared of him and he makes me lose weight.  I always hated letting him down.

Its so funny how my feel of failure is the only way I can really focus on losing weight. I am sooo scared to go and see him as I was like 4 kgs lighter then what I am now last time I went to see him.

He is going to kill me, so I made the appointment for next Friday (gives me a week to work extra hard)

I am hoping that this time once I get to where I want to be I can stay there. I just need his help to get there first

Weigh-day everyday

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Like most dieters I tend to weigh myself once a week,  I’ve always been that way and it is the way recommended by most of the doctors/ dietitians I have been to. I still do feel that it is a good idea to only weigh you once a week.  But I’m thinking maybe that because it’s always been that that way, I don’t know any different and I’ve never done any different.

so…  for the sake of science and experimentation I will be for the next 5 weeks weighing myself at least 5 days a week. I always said I was willing to try anything so I’m going to try this approach. I will also be graphing it on a pretty little graph every time I weigh myself, just to keep track of everything.

This really is an experiment to see the fluctuations weight goes through.  Is it really true that water retention and hormones play a huge part in weight? When I have a fat day am I really just retaining water? There are lots of questions I’m hoping this will answer

I am however pretty worried actually, I’m scared that doing this is going to have a huge impact on my moods. I am one of those people that my happiness depends on the number that that scale takes.

On the positive side, maybe by seeing that number everyday it will remind me of my goals and why I am doing this. Only time will tell. (:

Here is the first successful weigh day everyday achievement. I weighed myself this morning and I’m 2. 1 kgs down from yesterday!!!

So.. I am thinking that yesterday I was retaining alot of water, from all the drinking and eating, now that I’ve back on diet my body is getting rid of all that excess water. That’s the theory I’m sticking with.

HIS BRINGS MY TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS TO:

5.1kgs (11.2 pounds)

I’m pretty impressive actually; in fact I’m super stoked. It has given me the motivation to continue and strive to get to my goals.

Yay for Dom!

oh and i still haven’t had coke zero… its easier to say no (:

Doctor Shocker –

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So yesterday (as I still wasn’t feeling better) I decided to go to the doctor, so my normally doctor wasn’t answering his phone, apparently he is closed on a Thursday afternoon… why would you close of a Thursday afternoon?? Makes no sense to me… a Thursday… why not a Friday???

But oh well, so I called another doctor and to my surprise oh what a nice guy, he managed to see me straight away, AWESOMENESS… so I left work in a hurry and headed over to his office. I must say this doctor is amazing; he did all these weird tests on me. He was super friendly and he gave me free medicine!!! YES it is only adco-dol but seriously this is Africa and we never get anything for free here.

He did scare me a little though because he had one of those mole testing machines, seriously what GP has those?? Well…. my new doctor does. He checked some of my moles and apparently I have a few worrying moles. The scary thing is that sun block doesn’t protect moles for the sun.  According to doctor peter if you expose a mole for more than 11mins to the sun, you will experience growth.

So basically he said I must always seek the shade, stay under cover, and no sun tanning… BUT WAIT!! My other doctor said I must spend at least half an hour in the sun as I’m vitamin D deficient.

This is all so confusing.

So now I have to go back to the doctor for mole mapping, which basically means he is going to little photos of all my moles and see if any of them are dangerous… Like melanomas (skin cancer). So that’s something I need to do next week I’m sure. Fun fun fun.

So what dr peter said about my headaches apparent from numerous questions about the fact of possible pregnancy (I’m definitely not pregnant). Is that I have a low level viral infection. Basically I have a virus. So I have to be extra careful and look after myself, no drinking or going out just a good few days of rest and SOUP! YUM YUM YUM.. I’m totally making soup tonight (I’m lying to myself here).

I’m so excited to have a good night of sleep.

YAY YAY YAY (can’t wait)

Just so over it . . .

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So it seems that things are falling apart at the seams, I don’t know what happened but im loosing my momentum, I’m just not in the mood to do anything at the moment, pretty sad actually.

I just wish everything could be simple, why is it that I seem to live such a complicated live when all I really want is such simple simple things. Maybe I just make it complicated in my head. In fact Im pretty sure I do.

My diet isn’t going so great, had one hell of an eating weekend. I just wanted to be free and happy and do what I wanted. Funny how I equate being free and young to being able to eat what I want when I want it.

I think that really has to change.

I’m hoping I haven’t put any weight on, I don’t think I have but I know I haven’t lost any weight.  I actually don’t really care about losing weight this week. I need to focus on getting g my groove back. (:

So I’m now in my last officially week of my first 5 week challenge and I know what I need to do .

  1. firstly I’m not going to weigh myself  till next week Tuesday…. got to at least give myself a little time to recover from my food frenzy.
  2. I’ve also decided to stop drinking till 20th of December, this is to help me concentrate on saving for the big flat move and alcohol doesn’t fit into my new diet next week anyway. So might as start now.
  3. Focus on going to gym ( going to go tomorrow morning for sure)
  4. Start getting rid of everything I can’t eat in my next 5 week challenge.

So to make it clear ( so I can’t back down )for my next 5 weeks challenge I will be eating a low 1300 calorie a day diet with some awesomely awful rules ( I feel like a challenge)

-          No wheat

-          No dairy

-          No sodium

-          No preservatives

-          No sugar

-          No alcohol

-          No caffeine

Now the problem is I live on coke light, cottage cheese and curry powder…. oh dear, this is not going to be fun, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it eventually. The thing that’s going to be the hardest is not being able to drink diet coke; you see diet coke is my absolutely favourite thing ever. I just can’t get enough of the stuff.

But apparently its pretty bad for you. So I have to stop drinking it. I really really do!!!