This morning I went for a run before going to work. I ran 2.3miles and walked for another 0.7 miles, making a total of 3 miles covered. It was a bit of a struggle to get up at 6am to go on the walk/run, considering I had planned to do this for the past two mornings, and only got to do it on the third! As I ran and got the exhilarating feeling that comes with it, I felt very happy that I got myself back up and that I am able to just keep pushing. During my run, it occurred to me that it is not necessarily an easy road to weight loss. I should know, of course. It took me 4 months, 859,178 steps,  372.75 miles, 3520 active minutes (but you can quadruple that for the actual amount of time spent working out) and 265,342 calories burnt to lose 18kg (39.7lbs)! It definitely has not been an easy road, and it was definitely not pleasant either. As the thoughts ran through my mind, I became even more determined to keep at what I have been doing now for months as this has become a new way of life.

In the past few days, the comments from friends and family have shifted from “Wow!”, “How did you do it?, “great job!”, “you look good!”,to “AH! It’s enough o!”, “Funke, I don’t like how you are looking!”, “Funke, at this rate, you will soon disappear!”, “You are losing more weight by the day”, and each time, I give the same response of “I am not there yet. Almost there, I still have 4 kgs to go!” And Yup, I do have 4kgs to go to reach my set target of 75kgs. For the past month, I have been stuck at 78/79kgs with the scale only moving to 77 once, last weekend, after my second stair climbing escapade. No associated muscle pain the second time. Thank fully!

In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned some of the things one needs for motivation as you embark on the weight loss journey and one of those was having friends with similar interests who you can walk or run with. Unfortunately, one of my very good physiotherapist friends who was always available to run and walk with me traveled out of the country and won’t be coming back anytime soon .*Sobs*. She was always ready to go for a run or walk or try new things and even when I didn’t feel like, she was an ever-ready partner. Now she is not around and I have to just keep at what I have been doing. I have to keep at it because it is important that I continue to stay fit and trim, and I totally love the body magic that the exercising and dieting has brought me. I still have a few reliable partners, although sometimes inundated by mounting workload and other pressures.

On the food side of things, it has been a lot easier. Last week, I went back to re-hydrating a lot with my lemon water. I have also embarked on a week of 8pm – 6pm fasting to rejig my body a bit, and hopefully drop the nagging 4kgs, and yesterday, I broke my fast with boli (roasted plantain) and roasted Titus fish. Awesome! I couldn’t resist….Lol! Fortunately, I have not suffered any rebound cravings for the foods I dropped, so that helps. I have been craving some ice-cream lately though, so I think I am going to stop by coldstone very soon and help myself to some good ol’ ice-cream. I just need to ensure that it’s on a day when I eat fruits and veggies only!

A couple of things I have done to shake things up for my exercise routine and eliminate the tedium setting in include:

• Set a new running target for end of June – I plan to run 8km non-stop. If I can do 5km, then I can do 8 (Yes o! I believe). So watch out for the updates on this.
• Included some weight training exercises using my body weight – I am now doing 15-20 press ups a day. Started a month ago and could barely get past 2, so the progress is encouraging. I have even upgraded to elevating my feet while doing the press ups. I will one day do 50 non-stop.
• I will get some dumb bells of different weights to start working on my arm and hands and increase the consumption of calories in those muscles

So, the mental challenge for me has been with the workouts, but men, I have to keep going. I felt the need to share the recent burnout I am passing through from the intense workouts because I am sure it applies to other people who are getting bored with their exercise routines and probably losing motivation especially if they have lost the weight they aimed to lose or if they have been at it for a while and seen no progress. Don’t stop.

Like everything else in life, you have to go hard! Nothing is going to be handed to you on a

 platter, you have to work for it. I still enjoy working out, I love the immediate after effect, and I am pleased with the outcome till date, so while the flesh may want to get into a state of nonchalance, I am not going to let it. I didn’t start this journey to quit halfway. I will be stair climbing again tomorrow morning before work, and again on Saturday morning. I will probably schedule an early morning run for Friday before work because it is what it is.
When one stops training for an extended period of time (weeks), the fitness level drops and goes into reverse mode. It is important to keep at it in order to maintain the fitness levels. If you don’t use the muscles, you will lose their capabilities. So, guys, let’s do it. You just have to go hard!