Nocturnal Wenchy

My darling Bestie, @NocturnalWenchy again asked me to write a piece for her blog. And once again, I wonder if my words will have any impact on anyone else’s life.  

You see, I am quite the opposite to my outgoing, full of life, always smiling Bestie. The topic that she chose for me to write about is my weight loss journey.  And what an epic travel it is turning out to be.

I have always been on the bigger (read larger) side.  When I was a child, the weight issue got kept in check due to the vast number of sports that I participated in at any one time or another.  

So naturally after school, the weight piled on because I longer had the disciplines of the various sports to keep me going.  

I finished school weighing 85kg and a size 16.  And so it went for many years – the yo-yo dieting, the fluctuating weight and teetering between a size 18 and size 26.

Many of the days, it was just easier to give up and eat whatever. This was fuelled by the most cutting and snide comments from the ex. I got to the point that “who cares”. No one will love me being big, and I was my worst critic and enemy. This went on until the end of last year. 

I went on a cruise with my sister. I didn’t think that there was anything wrong with me at all. I just couldn’t see exactly how whale-like I had become. 

I got the shock of my life, when on a day in January, I decided to weigh myself.  I nearly died when the numbers stopped at 157kg.  

A fact that I am most certainly not proud of, in fact the complete opposite. I was sick to my stomach. How on earth had I let things get so completely out of control?  It was in that very instant that I decided that enough was enough and so the birth of #campaignsweet16 came about.  

I decided that working to a goal weight so often ends in failing, complete with the self-loathing and guilt that normally come with these types of things. 

The last time I was a size 16 was in 1992 when I finished school.  I have managed to get to an 18 quite a few times and then I fall off the proverbial wagon again.  Each time I was doing more harm than the time before.  I found a high protein diet on the internet and decided to give it a try. 

No it’s not Banting or LCHF or anything like that. Literally I started on high protein, no starch, no sugar, no added fats, no carbs, no colours or preservatives. So basically, think of everything that is yummy and nice and cut that out of your diet.  

However, I have found that if you are craving something, then has a small piece otherwise you end up binging and the whole cycle starts from the beginning again with the added “fun” of the extra self-loathing that you end up piling on yourself. 

I have also joined the gym, and hired a biokinetist to help me along my journey. So I try as much as I can to go five times a week.  I have had to take a little sabbatical due to broken ribs and torn tendons. That is a story for another day.  I have basically concentrated on cardio with a little strengthening and toning in between.  

My specialist has suggested that I begin swimming more often and also to join a yoga and/or pilates class to strengthen my core. This in itself should help the incredible back pain that I have suffered with over a number of years.

I think that the most important thing to remember is that it takes a long time to get into the “shape” that I got to, so getting back to the shape that I want to be will also take a lot of time. 

Unfortunately there are no magic pills, potions, rubs or miracle cures.  

It is simply working hard and sticking to a regimen that in total will benefit you. You have to be beholden to your own ideals and goals. Having said which it is generally a really grand idea to set goals that are achievable and work towards smaller short-term goals instead of looking at an incredibly huge number that you want to shed ahead of you.  This, I find, not only scares you and seems unachievable, but it is also easier to fall off the proverbial wagon.  

Smaller goals are easily reached and you are then able to “reward” yourself with little treats along the way.  

Most of all be kind to yourself.  Remember that we are all human and unless you have the will power that is as unbending as a scarecrow, there will be times that you err. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Keep in mind the end goal that you want to achieve. Keep going and you will get there. 

Be realistic. You can’t expect to lose everything in one month.  Slowly seems to be the best way to keep it off – as long as there are no huge binges involved as soon as you get some sort of positive result.   

I have also discovered that the more positive your mind set, the easier it seems to be to stay on track.  

So quite simply put, the happier you are, the easier it becomes to lose weight and the happier you become because you are actually getting to where you want to be! 

Having started this journey at the end of January 2016, I am now over 40kg lighter. I still want to lose another 35kg or so.

Most importantly I want to be at least a size 14!  I want those sparkly Guess Jeans. (Every girl needs diamonds on her ass at least once in her life!)  

So my original #CampainSweet16 has morphed in #CampaignSweet14GuessJeans.  

I will get there. I haven’t set myself a time limit (way too easy to set myself up for disappointment!) 

At the moment, I am a 16 on top and an 18 on bottom. So I am getting there. Top prize would be getting into those Guess Jeans by the time it’s my birthday. 

Birthday bubbles and sparkly jeans – sounds like a plan to me!

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Thank you my lovely #bestie for sharing. Congratulations on a wonderful, inspirational weight loss journey! I cannot weight to see you in them jeans.

You can interact with Gail on Twitter:  @GailvonG2  ✔