Halfway There - Living on a Prayer

We're Halfway There - Living on a Prayer

10 weeks into the new "diet" and things have slowed down a bit after a flying start. As I decided at the new year there would be a new me I set my goals to live a little healthier and to try to get rid of the excess fat gained when I stopped smoking.

I've Ramped Up the Life Changing Habits

1. Eating (better & less)
2. Moving (more)
3. Breathing (harder)

I already posted the January "results" and things started off quite well. I was exercising every day, eating well (& vegetarian) and "dry" for the month.

In February though things changed a little, although the weight still came off at a similar rate.

Exercise - Home Gym

To start with I took a complete break from exercise during the winter vacation week. To be honest I felt quite good for the rest and it made me realize that my "off days" were too intensive really.

My regular alternate day workout now contained 4*25 push ups instead of 12. This was having an effect on my arms and shoulders. Part of my "off days" workout was as many push ups as possible. I had managed to get to 50 but I was hurting.

So after the vacation week I have been exercising at the home gym 3 times a week max.

Exercise - Walking

The amount of exercise absolutely affects my weight, not only with calories burned but amount of food consumed too. On my "off days" I have tried to walk at least 8 km daily. This has been helped by an extended walk with the dog in the morning, so again: We're halfway there .... by 10 am..

Eating - More Healthy

After the over indulgence of Christmas time, it was pretty easy to cut down on quantities of food. However, I decided that I would go vegetarian which has impacted quite heavily what I am eating.

As with previous weight loss attempts I am trying not to eat too many carbs. One of the main reasons for my trying to avoid this food type completely is control. I have none when it comes to pasta for example. I can just eat. And eat. And eat.

Eating - Vegetarian

This decision has opened a whole new avenue and has been quite interesting to find new recipes and ideas to make tasty food with no meat or fish.

During my souping days of my previous diets most of the soups were vegetable based so as I eat soups at lunch there hasn't been too much of a change - other than the fact I make my own homemade vegetable stock these days.

I have always liked stir-fries and now that these are exclusively vegetarian I can eat practically without limit.

I've discovered a few meat substitutes with varying degrees of success. I found a brand of tofu that I like. Mifu I am unsure of. Still.

Eating - Flexitarian

Although I would class myself as vegetarian, I have strayed from the path a few times. On holiday I had meat a couple of times, and fish a few times too. To be honest I didn't really enjoy the meat based dishes that much.

But I did enjoy the fish based meals and I have had fish again outwith the holiday week.I dabble with vegan, but I am not committed to that ideal. My issue is more to do with food over consumption rather than animal welfare... although I am against animal cruelty.

Lifestyle

So as well as modifications to my routine, with regards to eating and exercising, I am striving to drink less and sleep more. It was indeed a wet February and the "rain" continues into March - but there are more dry days during the week than before. The tea consumption is still pretty high.

I have not been hitting my target of 8 hours sleep per night that often but I have been in bed earlier than in previous periods of my life. The main issue for me has been waking up and not falling back to sleep again. This is not diet related though.

Halfway There - Results

So at the the halfway point, through the means detailed above, I have lost 6 kg in the 10 weeks. The time is halfway and so is the weight. I am on target to lose 12 kg in total but I know it will be tough at the end especially.

As I've said before the weight ultimately is not the main thing for me this time around since I am exercising a whole lot more and hope that I am building up at least a little bit of muscle.

That and other changes to body shape are more important to me for now. I will hopefully be tightening the belt by another notch within the coming month.

Halfway There - Living on a Prayer?

On a prayer? No - on a balanced and controlled diet. How's your year going? Dieting or just controlled eating?

PS: would be rude not to give you a link to the inspiration of this piece's title - Bon Jovi: Living on a Prayer. Enjoy.