Day 128 Update: Beginning of another challenge

I am done with a 30 Days Fitness Challenge, I always love the challenges I see on about.com. The previous ones I had done over the years always left me with loss of weight and a stronger, fitter body.

As I cleaned the house this morning I thought hard and I think I am treading the right path to get me to my desired and healthy weight this year.

Here are some fact findings:

- They say eat 6 meals a day i.e. try to eat small throughout the day so that your metabolism is raised through the day. It never worked for me, in fact I packed on so much pounds on when I tried it I really surprised myself. It cannot work for me because I typically take large portions (I think it is an African thing), they are not just large portions but large portions of carbs. 

- The typical meal is like:

3 cups (peak milk tin) of cooked rice (carbs); 

2 tablespoons stew (veggies); 

4 slices of fried plantain (more carbs); 

2 pieces of meat (protein). 

That is the go to meal around here. 

- You really need all the consciousness to be healthy with what you stuff your mouth with. So, one of the major things to do is to skip some meals or drastically reduce the portions and workout so hard to create that deficit that is needed to lose weight.

-It is like our bodies have been customized to eat that much food at a time, coupled with the emotional struggle that comes with living comfortably and at peace here too.

- All the staple foods are fattening.

- The food is a major setback for anyone who wants to lose weight here [when I say here, I mean Naija] and until you take charge of your meals and the combo, I am sorry you are on your own still.

- Research keep warning us against diets and unsustainable steps towards weight loss but I want to also believe there is no one-size-fits-all journey to weight loss. I believe in studying your body, know what works for you and be determined to Just Do It. Be disciplined to overcome your obstacles and move on.

- Life itself does not come all white or black, there are grey times. There is no all mountains or all valleys or all plains, life can be really undulating and you need to also prepare for such so that when issues come as to the the rats in book "who moved my cheese", you learn to move on. That is what I have decided about my journey to my goal weight.

- Go out of my way and make healthy choices daily.

With all the above in view, I am moving on still [mind you since I started this discipline about food - 27th December, 2014 - I moved from 177lbs to 168lbs, what more could I ask for] on to another level of the challenge. Another 30 days ahead, another doable 30 days with results.

Goals for the Challenge

• 4 Days of Cardio - You're doing two moderate cardio workouts for 30 minutes and one interval workout that will take you well out of your comfort zone (if you're willing to go). The fourth day is an accumulation of light activity throughout the day.

• 2 days of total body strength training with 2 sets of each exercise - You have a new strength workout this week that includes new exercises along with some of the same moves you practiced in the last phase.

• 1 core and flexibility workout - Your brand new workout this week is a core and flexibility workout to work on ab strength and relaxing and lengthening the muscles. 

• 1 day of active rest - Active rest just means you try to stay active as much as you can.

• This challenge starts February 15, 2015