Well, another year has gone by. I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas and even happier New Year’s celebrations, I know I did!
With the New Year comes the 'New Year’s Resolution', I don't tend to make them anymore as I know what type of person I am. I get all enthusiastic and then after a brief trial it fizzles out, like 90% of the rest of the world it seems!
A resolution is a promise, and it's one you make to yourself. I have heard a lot of people say that they want to 'Lose weight' but they rarely say how they are going to achieve it. For most people when they hear the words 'Lose weight' the instant thought is 'Go on a diet.' I think as a nation we're a bit lazy, if we don't have a history of exercising and keeping fit we're less likely to turn to it. People who half heartedly turn to exercise for the New Year after doing nothing for years and years soon give up because it's horrendously hard going when you first start up. I was quite lucky in that I had a husband who kept prodding me with metaphorical sticks every time I complained that it was hard, it was hard, really hard, but I'd made up my mind. Once I’d been doing it for a while I passed that hurdle of “Oh God why...” and it gets much easier after that. I'm determined to do this, I don't think I'd have been able to keep this up if I'd done it purely through a New Year’s Resolution.
Losing weight is more about mental strength than physical strength, I always have times where I look out the window and think "Oh for goodness sake, I really can't be bothered to go out in that...". You will only lose weight if you choose to. If you're doing it for someone else or because someone's told you to it becomes a less effective motivator. That's why personal trainers exist! It's an outside influence telling you to exercise which can be very helpful, it's a boost to your efforts to have someone else encouraging you which is why I wanted to do this weight loss effort in a blog, to have outside views and opinions.
This is quite a good site with advice and tips for keeping your resolutions if you made them this year :D. 'How to make New Year's Resolutions stick.' I carried on exercising over the holidays, admittedly not as much as I have been doing but I didn't stop my effort. The results over the holidays are as follows:
19th December
Body Fat %: 51.4% (45.9kg/7st 3lb/101lbs)
Visceral Fat: 8 (0 Normal)
BMI: 32.8 (Obese)
Weight: 14st 0lb/89.2kg/196lbs
3 January 2011
Body Fat %: 51.4% (45.1kg/7st 1lb/99lbs)
Visceral Fat: 8 (0 Normal)
BMI: 32.2 (Obese)
Weight: 13st 11lb/87.8kg/193lbs
In today's results I have put the number in brackets as the comparison with the very first measurements in August, it's looking quite good overall:
16th January
Bust: 42 in/106.7cm (-0.5in / 1.3cm)
Chest: 34.5 in/87.6cm (=)
Waist: 38 in/96.5cm (-2in / 5.1cm)
Hips: 45 in/114.3cm (-2in / 5.1cm)
Thighs: 27 in/68.6cm (-0.5in / 1.3cm)
Calves: 16 in/40.6cm (-1in / 2.5cm)
Upper arm: 13.5 in/34.3cm (-0.5in / 1.3cm)
Forearm: 11 in/27.9cm (=)
Body Fat %: 51.5% (44.9kg/7st/98lbs) (-1.4%)
Visceral Fat: 8 (0 Normal) (=)
BMI: 32 (-2)
Weight: 13st 10lb/87.2kg/192lbs (-11lb / -5.3kg)
Wow, I'm so close to losing a stone!! Well, this proves that you can keep weight stable over Christmas. You can enjoy the meals and as long as you exercise too you should be fine.
