As with any change that anyone succeeds at implementing,
there are many factors that contribute to
successful weight loss. Even when a number of
people follow the same plan/programme, the participants could all have
different results, because of these factors.
I will share my story with you. And that’s all it is – my story. If any part of it sparks
something in you, to tackle a challenge you’ve been considering, that’s very
cool.
1. I’d
been feeling dissatisfied with my weight for a while, and knew I’d reached an
all-time low, when I started dreading
looking at photos of myself.
2. I
watched, throughout 2017, as a friend who had changed her eating habits, steadily
lost 33kg in one year. (Her name is Chantel Erfort Manuel.)
3. I
admitted to myself that I needed to make a DRASTIC change, to address my
situation.
4. I
acknowledged that I needed HELP.
5. I
approached Chantel to be my COACH; she was someone I TRUSTED,
and someone who’d been through what I was about to embark on. She’d basically proved
to me what was possible.
6. I
decided to try the same programme she had successfully used - no need to
reinvent the wheel.
7. I
started with the Sleekgeek 30-day Reboot programme, to rewire my brain and body.
8. Within
a few days, I started feeling the benefits, and I knew that this was right for
me.
9. The
enjoyed the foods on the Allowed list, and realised that I could actually
sustain this way of eating.
10. I
also realised that I needed to ‘’Trudify’’ it a bit, to make it something that
I could stick to for the rest of my life: I basically included a few items on
the Not Allowed list, because I believed I could still be healthy
eating/drinking them: I ate oats for breakfast, legumes as my main source of
protein and I added milk to my coffee.
11. My
coach created a WhatsApp group for the 13 people who'd started on the same day, 8
Jan 2018.
12. I
joined a Facebook support group (Sleekgeek Reboot Support), where people on the
programme shared their recipes, experiences, challenges and successes. Never
underestimate the power of photos!!!
These groups became an important part of my
journey. I liked the fact that I could check in with other people, read their
stories, and still pursue my authentic journey. I liked the fact that I didn’t
have to GO anywhere – everything was just a click away. But the hard work was still
up to each of us, as individuals.
13. I
loved being free to tailor-make the Sleekgeek programme to my unique
preferences.
14. I
made a conscious decision to ENJOY EVERYTHING I ATE, so I prepared meals with INGREDIENTS I ENJOYED EATING. (I still do, and I look forward to every meal.
This is a great approach, I find. I have NO intention of suffering!)
15. I
did the mental exercises I needed, to keep myself motivated and inspired.
16. I
watched motivational Youtube talks.
17. I
read inspiring books. (Am busy re-reading The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron.)
18. I
WROTE ALL THE TIME, reflecting on my achievements, talking myself through my
challenges, and setting new goals. (Writing/journalling has always been my best way of
processing life’s ups and downs.)
19. I
shared my success story with whomever was interested. I share the Sleekgeek
website (http://www.sleekgeek.co.za/reboot/) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/SleekgeekREBOOT/) as often as I can.
20. I
have taken PHOTOS, throughout my journey, to keep track of my progress. (This
is very important, because you will
plateau and you will be tempted to
think you’re a failure – that’s when you need to look at your pics, to get some
perspective.)
6 Jan 2018: 84,7kg
9 June 2018: 72,6kg
***************************************************************************
I’d like to add these three points:
- I’ve been clear, from the start, that THIS WAS
JUST ONE AREA OF MY LIFE WHERE I HAD
BECOME STUCK. I chose the most difficult one, to prove to myself that I was
capable of making meaningful change in my life, and that I could do so while
remaining true to myself. I didn’t have to become someone else. I believed that
if I could nail this one, I could tackle other parts of my life where I felt
stuck; I would just apply the same principles.
- Even before I started the Sleekgeek lifestyle, I
used to read people’s weight loss stories, and something saddened me: many
people, despite having lost weight, or even having reached their goal weights,
still had very low self-esteem, and carried the scars of the years of ridicule
and discrimination they’d endured, as a result of being overweight. I told my coach my view on this: I believe
that a parallel process of psychotherapy is necessary, when on a weight loss
programme. If not psychotherapy, then a
similar process that helps the person re-align the self-image/esteem with the
physical changes. Things change, and you
need to be comfortable with who you are becoming, as you lose weight. (On a
deeper level, losing weight will not make you happier if there are serious
emotional/psychological issues you need to work through.)
- Thirdly, and most importantly, the way we feel
about our bodies is a very personal
matter. I chose to lose my excess weight, gained over 24 years, because I was
not comfortable. I do not want this to be confused with fat-shaming. This is my personal choice for myself. As my friends and colleagues will attest, I never
criticise other people’s bodies or meal choices. It’s inappropriate.
*******************************************************************************
This is my list of 6 Trudy Rules, since
08/01/18:
1. Eat
a low-carb, sugar-free diet, with a focus on fresh food and a move away from processed foods.
2. Drink
lots of water and green tea.
3. Exercise
three times a week. (I dance in my room for +- 45 minutes.)
4. Do
the mental work to support the physical activity of eating healthily. (I do
Mind Power exercises, watch motivational videos and read inspiring articles and
books.)
5. Write,
throughout the process.
6. Enjoy
every day of my life.
*********************************************************************************
TWO important things
that help me stay on track:
i) Eat five meals a day, roughly three hours apart.
ii) Be prepared – I shop with a plan, prepare my meals ahead
of time, and take a healthy snack with me in case I’m delayed somewhere. Every
night, I prepare my lunch for the next day at work.
*********************************************************************************
A typical day’s meals:
Breakfast: oats
cooked with some chia seeds, eaten with a few dabs of butter, sliced banana and
a sprinkle of ground cinnamon. Ok, I sometimes add honey (Not allowed!).
Mid-morning snack:
A handful of nuts & seeds from Allowed list. I sometimes add raisins,
sultanas or dates.
Lunch: Stir-fried
chicken strips (in butter, with spices of my choice), on a bed of salad (lettuce,
tomato, cucumber, yellow pepper, dhanya, whatever). At work, I re-heat the
chicken and toss it with the salad veg. Oh, and I add a bit of mayo (Not
allowed! I need to learn to make paleo mayo).
Lunch: hot chicken, bit of smoortjie and a basic salad. And mayo! Mmmm!
Mid-afternoon snack:
Sliced fruit. I prepare this the night before - usually apples and oranges.
I’ve been getting really hungry in winter, so I often take a banana to work.
Supper: Can either
be exactly what I had for lunch (depending on how much chicken I prepared) or
some other kind of protein (sautéed chickpeas, for example), a smoortjie ( I
love!) and hot veg. I have grown to equate healthy-meals-that-make-me-happy
with salad, so I eat salad with lunch and supper.
Supper: salad, chicken strips, smoortjie and roasted butternut strips.
I drink water throughout the day, and enjoy hot drinks as
well.
I am not enjoying winter, and can’t wait for it to
end!!!
And that’s that!
Interesting ... and so well done
ReplyDeleteThank you.
ReplyDeleteYou amaze me! What a feat! Well done Trudy!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Di. I swear, I'm as surprised as most people. I think I was finally ready to make this change, for reasons beyond just weight loss - I like the idea of living a better quality of life by making healthier choices. One of my affirmations is: "It's a new day and I commit to healthy choices - just for today." Peace to you, my friend.
ReplyDeleteTrudes you are my inspiration... Watch this space :))
ReplyDeleteThank you! Good luck on your journey. Baby steps. Implement a new ritual/habit, do it for one day & get through that day. The next day, do it for just one day, get through that day, etc. etc. Time is your best friend.
Delete