abunaimah's Journal

Back on my diet again ...
Jan 14 2009 15:05

... well I never was off it really, just relaxed a little and put a few pounds back on.

At my highest weight I was around 190lbs (13.5 stones approx). At the beginning of 2007 I decided (not for the first time I should add) that I would finally try to change my ways. Over the year I shed around 16lbs by simply changing some of my eating habits and getting involved in the weekly 5-a-side football (soccer) with my colleagues.

However it wasn't enough. I was till obese with a 40 inch waist. So in December 2007, I decided to on a proper diet and I managed to shift 38lbs more. By July I was a little tired of dieting constantly and started to ease up a bit. I put around 2lbs back on.

At the end of August I went to Paris with my family, on holiday rather then business (I work for a large French company and need to go out there occasionally). It was nice, the food was good and I loved the desserts etc. I put around 4lbs back on.

Then came Ramadhan, our month of fasting. First week was great, I reduced my weight back down by 3lbs or so. Then we got into the habit of indulging in some desserts in the evenings. The food intake was good. I blame these Buy One Get One Free offers in the supermarkets! General rule, don't go food shopping when fasting, you end up buying all sorts of stuff you either can't eat all of or shouldn't eat it at all.

Ramadhan was followed by Eid (our festival) where we eat a lot of lovely food. Unfortunately we had a heavy week (foodwise) following Ramadhan.

At this point I was extremely busy at work, working late nights and some weekends in order to get several applications I was developing (and responsible for as the technical lead) out the door. It was hectic and I stopped watching what I was eating as much. Too tired to care frankly.

Also my sports Badminton and Football stopped as well as I couldn't join my colleagues due to being busy.

However I started to control things again and halted the increase as I got less busy. I wasn't eating like in the old days but clearly enough to gain weight.

Now I am around 145lbs, my lowest was 135lbs. So a gain of 10lbs. I am back on my regime and I am happy to start feeling my clothes feeling looser. Scales aren't showing the change but that may mean I'm building muscle.

I played badminton today and I am playing football tomorrow with my colleagues. So the new year is looking good. I've changed my target and now I want to get down to 126lbs. So I'm looking to lose around 19lbs in total.

I'm glad I started this journey and that I am actively managing any weight gain. I am not going to give up!