It's weigh in day!

Infact it's this morning. I don't know why am shaking like a young girl who just took JAMB for the third time and is about to see her results ... Lol
Just the thought that I may loose little or gain some scares me like hell.
Do you know what, I have passed through the scale in my room 14 times already. My Aunty keeps shouting "jump on it already!" As far as am concerned she will never understand. This moment could be a moment of bliss or hmm a moment of beating myself up.
I have dreaded this scale this week not like I cheated but I am not just confident enough, but I have promised to win "myself" in this journey and there is no going back about that.
Ok jus give me 20 mins will get back to you guys with what I weighed for this week... Later

Pants sagging!!!

Saggy Saggy Nelly

So I have not dropped any dress size yet *i think* anyways but my very tight Ashley Stewart pants are freaking loose! I never wear belt because I hardly get my size and even if I get my size am just not comfortable with it so I skip belts afterall my tummy waist line is big enough to hold me.
Just as every normal day I put on my clothes for work and low and behold my pants kept falling of from my waist!
Hehehe, I have been dancing alanta since I noticed the change. It just continues to prove that consistency pays!
Ok there is another thing I noticed, I can now see a neck bone! Choi... Neva knew I had one o! .. Lol
This journey is a struggle but am happy so far with myself first check me out in August ... Lol
#teamslimbody!

Tips to make the Cambridge Diet Journey Easier!

So I thought it was fun knowing what to do first before starting up the diet, am no expert or consultant *yet* but this are little things that could spice up the journey


1. Make sure you take a picture of yourself, front view, back view, both sides, on the day you start your C D Journey.

2. Take pictures every 4 weeks so that you can see yourself getting slimmer, and make them into a photo journal. I have printed mine off and have in a photo album so that when I am feeling hungry etc. I keep looking at it! :)




3. Get measured!! If you dont want your CDC to measure you, then do it yourself! You might not think it's a great idea at first but when you have small losses, it's so amazing when you have lost inches off your waist instead!! Do this every 4 weeks!

4. Have a CD buddie, join a group for weight loss people or just track your loss it sure keeps you motivated.

5. Buy yourself something for every 10kg you lose. I have not gotten myself anything yet cos I have not lost 10kg yet but am certain I will in my next weigh in which is tomorrow!

6. When you first start CD, buy a piece of clothing that you want to get into, that is a few sizes lower than what you are and hang it somewhere where you will see it everyday, I have a lovely Ankara gown that is just pending its actually dress size 14!

7. Go to balogun market and buy clothes that are one size lower than one you are, I have trousers that are size 22, 20, 18, 16. I am currently a size 22, but I started a size 24.

8. Sell your 'fat' clothes on OLX!
Honestly, it is so much fun and you will make some money for your 'new slimmer' clothes!

9. If you dont like OLX or ebay, then, get rid of your fat clothes from your wardrobe, and take them to an orphanage. Not only are you doing something for the greater good, but you will feel so wonderful with a wardrope that is now free from clothes that are too big for you!

10. Keep one pair of fat trousers and one fat top. I have a size 24/26 of both and I look at them all the time. I used to be too tight for these, and they are a reminder that I never want to be able to fit into them again!

11. Moisturise your skin! I use bio-oil on a daily basis, for my skin, as I do not want to have too much saggy skin, but remember, to use it every single day and dont forget about it! It really does help!

12. Make sure to look after your hair while you are on this diet.

13. Keep a blog! I have kept a blog from day one and it is very useful to read back when you are feeling weak. If you dont want something online, write a journal, it is good to write about your feelings!

14. With the water, get a big jug and fill the whole thing with icecubes and then keep refilling it with your water, so that everytime you pour it into your glass, it's really cold. I find that having fizzy water with the water flavourings is just like having fanta!

Day what? For the love of water ...

Cant remember ... lol
Well what matters is that today is the day before Week 3 weigh in..yeay!
Ok, not like am expecting to drop a huge one when i climb the scale tomorrow morning but its now a routine i look forward to Saturday mornings!
So am in this BB group with awesome Cambridge diet dieters and we try to motivate ourselves every now and then... We all have different goals and talking about them makes the journey abit easier, we decided to weigh in every saturday and everyone looks forward to know who "biggest looser" will be, though i won it last week but i am no sure i will win it this week  ... no i didn't cheat well if tasting my son's food is cheating am so guilty.
But all in all am happy with the results am noticing, my lastest biggest challange is that water is now bitter, thanks for flavourings as its really difficult to gulp down water.
I have also noticed some nice changes in me since i started taking water, i pee alot, My skin glows and it kinda smoothe maybe my imagination so i google it up and i saw some amazing benefits of drinking water so am sticking to water...lol. see the amazing facts about water after the cut...

10 Reasons to Drink Water1. Water is absolutely essential to the human body’s survival. A person can live for about a month without food, but only about a week without water.
2. Water helps to maintain healthy body weight by increasing metabolism and regulating appetite.
3. Water leads to increased energy levels. The most common cause of daytime fatigue is actually mild dehydration.
4. Drinking adequate amounts of water can decrease the risk of certain types of cancers, including colon cancer, bladder cancer, and breast cancer.
5. For a majority of sufferers, drinking water can significantly reduce joint and/or back pain.
6. Water leads to overall greater health by flushing out wastes and bacteria that can cause disease.
7. Water can prevent and alleviate headaches.
8. Water naturally moisturizes skin and ensures proper cellular formation underneath layers of skin to give it a healthy, glowing appearance.
9. Water aids in the digestion process and prevents constipation.
10. Water is the primary mode of transportation for all nutrients in the body and is essential for proper circulation.

20 Interesting and Useful Water Facts1. Roughly 70 percent of an adult’s body is made up of water.
2. At birth, water accounts for approximately 80 percent of an infant’s body weight.
3. A healthy person can drink about three gallons (48 cups) of water per day.
4. Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication. Water intoxication occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain.
5. Water intoxication is most likely to occur during periods of intense athletic performance.
6. Water consists of three atoms, 2 Hydrogen atoms and an Oxygen atom, that are bond together due to electrical charges.
7. While the daily recommended amount of water is eight cups per day, not all of this water must be consumed in the liquid form. Nearly every food or drink item provides some water to the body.
8. Soft drinks, coffee, and tea, while made up almost entirely of water, also contain caffeine. Caffeine can act as a mild diuretic, preventing water from traveling to necessary locations in the body.
9. Pure water (solely hydrogen and oxygen atoms) has a neutral pH of 7, which is neither acidic nor basic.
10. Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid. Wherever it travels, water carries chemicals, minerals, and nutrients with it.
11. Somewhere between 70 and 75 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water.
12. Much more fresh water is stored under the ground in aquifers than on the earth’s surface.
13. The earth is a closed system, similar to a terrarium, meaning that it rarely loses or gains extra matter. The same water that existed on the earth millions of years ago is still present today.
14. The total amount of water on the earth is about 326 million cubic miles of water.
15. Of all the water on the earth, humans can used only about three tenths of a percent of this water. Such usable water is found in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and freshwater lakes.
16. There are two kinds of water; salt water and freshwater. Salt water contains great amounts of salt, whereas freshwater has a dissolved salt concentration of less than 1%. Only freshwater can be applied as drinking water
17. Water is the only substance that is found naturally on earth in three forms: liquid, gas, solid.
18. Frozen water is 9% lighter than water, which is why ice floats on water.
19. By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount.
20. The weight a person loses directly after intense physical activity is weight from water, not fat

Culled from Linda Ikeji

The Cambridge Diet - Review

THE DIET

Cambridge Diet is a diet invented by a scientist at, yes, you guessed it Cambridge University.
It is what is known as a VLCD (a very low calorie diet). In fact it’s so low you can only do it for 12 weeks at a time, then you have to increase your intake again for at least a week before continuing.
While you are on the diet you only consume around 500 calories a day, and live off your body weight (fat) instead.

This is my 3rd week  on the diet an so far i have lost

10lbs = first week
8.13lbs = 2nd week
(total of 18lbs or 9kg)

*I think why i lost so much is because i have lot of fat to loose ... lol*


Cambridge themselves specify you should usually expect an average of a stone (14lbs or 6.35kg) a month.
Fed up of losing a pound here, and half a pound there, this was the main thing that attracted me to this diet. I wanted quick, decisive results. But that is not to say other conservative diets are not good and may work better for you.

There are six steps to the Cambridge Diet, with the first step being divided into A and B:


Step 1: A Sole Source:
----------------------------
This consists of 415-554 calories acquired from 3 or 4 shakes or soups per day (depending on how fast you want to lose weight, your gender and your level of willpower). No other food is consumed although you should drink a minimum of 2.5 litres of water.

OR

Step 1: B Sole Source Plus:
----------------------------------
This consists of 615 calories and involves either 3 soups/shakes plus a 200kcal meal OR 4 shakes/soups plus 200ml of skimmed milk.

Sole source should be followed for a minimum of 1 week and a maximum of 12 weeks as it is a very low calorie diet (VLCD).



Step 2:
---------
This consists of 810 calories and requires the dieter to consume 3 shakes/soups plus additional protein rich foods, skimmed milk and some vegetables.

Step 3:
---------
1000 calories from 2 shakes/soups plus skimmed milk, breakfast, salads for lunch and dinner.

Step 4:
---------
1200 calories from 2 shakes/soups plus skimmed milk, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Step 5:
---------
1500 calories from 1 shake/soup plus skimmed milk, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack.

Step 6: Maintenance
--------------------------
1500+ calories from healthy diet plus your choice of using shakes/soups or not.

THE FOOD

The Cambridge Diet is a primarily a liquid diet consisting of shakes and soups. I won't lie to you and say that it's tasty. Some of the soups are, frankly, disgusting, and some of the shakes are much too sweet, but it is tolerable and my tastebuds got used to the flavours after the first week. It is trial and error as to which flavours you may prefer. I have tried most of them apart from banana flavour, which I despise in all things. As well as the shakes and soups there are two porridge flavours, plain and cinammon and apple flavoured. Apparently these are really popular, but I found them very floury and too thick so I just stick to the shakes and soups. There are bars too, but I have yet to try these. I'm worried that eating chewable food may set me on the path to ruin so will resist these for a while yet.

The flavours:
Shakes can be mixed with hot or cold water. I prefer mine as hot drinks. The flavours I have tried, with my own preference ratings are listed below:

Chocolate 4/5 If left too long this gets a thick skin on top which is not nice.

Cholcoate Mint 4/5 Also develops a skin. The mint is very subtle and quite artificial in flavour.

Chocolate Orange 3/5 Much too sweet.

Strawberry 3/5 Best cold. Very sweet but no mistaking the strawberry flavour.

Butterscotch 2/5 Much too sweet and smells artificial.

Cappucino 2/5 Like many of the shakes, very sweet. Apparently this is better made hot and mixed with coffee. And it's my favorite.

Soups:
Spicy Tomato 4/5 takes a little getting used to.

Cheese and Broccoli -2/5, Yuk, yuk, yuk. Smells like baby poop and doesn't taste much better either.

Vegetable 3/5, quite creamy but has a strange artificial smell. Blindfolded I would not know this was vegetable, but am not sure what I would think it was either!

Lactose free Leek and potato 3/5, this was my favourite but now when I have it I am overwhelmed by the saltiness. Must be a sign of my tastebuds changing.

Chicken and Mushroom 4/5, this comes with tiny slices of mushroom in it.

I'm sure I've missed some of the flavours out, but you get a general gist.

As well as the packet soups and shakes that you must mix for yourself (add hot or cold water) there are also tetra boxes of ready made shakes. These come in Banana, chocolate and strawberry flavours. I take chocolate and strawberry tetra boxes to work as it saves the hassle of mixing during my lunch break. These are slightly different in flavour to the shakes that you mix yourself. They are thicker and smoother and it is recommended that you increase your water intake if using the boxes. I certainly find them less filling that the packet shakes, but that is partly because there is less in them than the shakes I make at home.


MAINTENECE

Finally and perhaps most importantly I want to tackle the issue of maintenance. One of my biggest concerns when I went for my first consultation was if I lost the weight quickly, would I put it back on just as fast when I begin to eat normal food again.
I plan to try and exist on the Cambridge liquid diet for six months in total, after which I will hopefully have lost enough. Now, after six months of abstinence, you cannot simply start eating normally again. Cambridge have a 7 step programme to introduce food back into your diet slowly. By the end of this programme you will be on your recommended daily allowance of calories. Teaching you how to eat healthily and and about portion control.
However, after 2 weeks on this diet. I’ve already began to learn some very interesting things about myself. My relationship with food. Its amazing how this diet teaches, now when i pick up that noodles, i will like to know how many calories is in a pack. Yes its difficult doing the diet here in Nigeria but its possible, Am begining to learn how to count calories on our local nigerian foods.

SUMMARY

The Cambridge Diet is a very fast and effective means of weight loss. But, it’s not for everyone. It’s not a wonder diet, it has side affects that you need to consider before you start. There is something very exhilarating about losing weight rapidly, and seeing a difference in yourself and clothes right from the very first week.
If you’ve tried other diets unsuccessfully and don’t believe a diet can work for you, this one may very well do.

DISCLAIMER
I’m not a scientist & I’m not a weight-loss consultant, this is simply my interpretation & experiences of this diet also culled from different people's experience and blogs. I recommend that if you’re seriously considering doing it you read the Cambridge Diet website thoroughly and meet with a Cambridge Consultant.

My motivation - Winning "Self"

So people keep asking me why do i choose to go on such liquid diet and if this will affect my health and all, so i thought i should write about my reasons for choosing this diet and why i have decided to take this route.

Please am not writing to be criticised or praised, am doing this for me...

Am an emotional person when it comes to my weight, i refuse to talk about it or let it weigh me down thus i try to do all those things lekpa (skinny) people do. I always strive to be the best in what i do and i never belive no is an answer, but for some reason, which still beats me is that i cannot conquer "myself", am like a prisoner in my skin eating what my flesh wants and the way it wants it even when am least hungry...
This may sound weird to some people but i know how bad i feel after taking that chocolate or eating that pizza. I watched myself move dress sizes continously and still felt helpless, and the insults and passing comments about my weight became so much but i chose to ignore.
I have tried alot of stuffs in the past... i have guard my teeth (which i personnally removed as the thoughts of not eating was just unbearable). I have tried to get a personal trainer ( i just bullied them no matter how hard they try), I hate jogging because it leaves me short of breathe but i try walking. But the main issue i have is my thought pattern towards food. I crave for food all the time!


I did not need anyone to tell me i needed an intervention, First will be to change my thought pattern towards food. I was determined to start this diet after i saw my Friend (who is my consultant now) loose so much weight on the diet, i knew her well, and seeing her go from a size 24 to a size 14 in weeks was amazing! and i said to myself hey! Nelly you can do this, its gonna be hard but you could do it.
So i told her i was interested in what she did and that am tired of being the "fat Nelly" and she was glad i came to her.
She has so far been encouraging and i thank God for her.

Left is my friend in a dress size 14 and her on the right is she, a dress size 24

Today, i have accepted that i am big and i am working towards loosing weight. I have so far had so many encouragments from people when they know am on a diet. Though am not showing to that extent where one will see me and say wow!!!! Nelly you have lost some weight (which is my goal) but i have seen alot difference in me. I am much smarter and i am not always short of breathe after taking a few walks.
I see food but am not hungry neither am i drawn towards it, i keep telling myself how this story has to end in praise and the Glory of God manifested in my life as i have conquered "self".
I want to be healthy, fit and happy, i want a day i will stop snoring or a day i can walk into a bank and it doesnt say "two people are not allowed at the same time" this maybe funny to you but they are serious issues to me.
Am in week 3 my weigh in is on saturday, i still have like 10 weeks to acheive my first goal of loosing 30kg.
Though i have lost 9kg in 2 weeks i do not want it to get to my head, am seeing results for the first time in my life and i am glad i started the cambridge Journey.

My son's birthday will be in August and i want to be a trim size mum and flaunt my brand new body, i know its acheivable and am determined to win over "self". I wont give up now its too late to be sorry for "self".
#teamslimbody

I Cracked! ... *sad face*

Well not like i totally cracked but i, ehm.. ok i cheated with some snails and moi moi :(
Before you start the blame game on me, just wait a second, am human ok,... laughs. well thats no excuse at all. Well my cheat was deliberate, i am now fully on ketosis so i do not feel hungry anymore, i mean totally like what thrills me is the amount of energy i have! and its awesome! Amazing right?!
Now here is the challenge, i forget to eat! yes! i totally forget because i do not feel hungry coupled with my busy schedule and food (in this case the cambridge plan) is the last thing on my mind.
So in the morning i take my shake and at nights i take the porridge ... (i love the apple and cinamon porridge) and that is it.. ok plus lots of water.
Then it happened, i started having skin rash, more like pimples with water inside, at first i thought it would just go but it kept coming, spoke to my consultant about it and she warned me about not doing the diet right is not good for my health and i promised to stick to the 3 meals on SS she also said i should stop the diet and try to eat to boost up my system. and it sure did work the rashes are going. So it may seem like i cheated but if for a good afterall i checked and am still in ketosis but i need to boost it more.
So am not beating myself up so much. I dont look forward to Saturday at all because i know i wont have lost much (lol). but i may be surprised because i still have lots to loose.


You can see the picture of my rashes face after the cut *viewers discretion is advised* lol