A thread on weightloss during #Covid19
As we all may be aware that losing weight or even maintaining is a mission when one is at home & not able to follow any exercise regime, the trick is to stick with Intermittent Fasting as it works regardless of whether you exercise or not.

Remember that gym constitutes 20% and food is 80% therefore you can’t outrun your fork.
I started IF in September after having seen a lot of positive reviews about it here. Our MEC of Health & Fitness @MohauHlonyana used to share insightful threads about its health benefits.

I had previously lost 14.5kg to be exact, between 2011 and 2013. I maintained & I was doing well until July 2018 when I fell off the wagon.( Steroids)
The struggle continued from then until recently when stubborn fat resisted to get shaken.I went back to gym full time in 03-2019

I had a personal trainer and I also continued with my usual 3 meal- diet, a combo of Carbs, Proteins &Veggies with less starch. During my initial weight loss, I reached a goal weight of 63.5kg from 77.6kg. ( 2009-2010) I started losing weight from 2011 after having joined gym.

In 2018 for some reason my body never responded as fast as it normally did, regardless of intense training that I did with my PT. I then realised that it’s true that when your body is used to the same routine it takes longer for you to lose it if you do at all.

Age was also not helping as my metabolism had become sluggish,the frustration was mounting because I was doing everything accordingly but dololo results. If I lost any, it would be 2kg then I will gain 3kg more ...so damn frustrating.

I then resorted to #IF and never looked back. I started in September 2019 and I weighed 75.5kg then and I’m still on it now. I opted for the 16:8, which means I ate my first meal only after 12h00 and my last meal at 20h00 the previous night. This means I fasted for 16hrs.

I continued exercising and in about 3-4 weeks I started seeing the difference, suddenly I was losing and not gaining any weight. Diet wise I would eat more proteins & veggies and a bit of starch and less carbs.
Proteins dominated my eating plan and my weightloss continued.

I started eating 2 meals but I ended up eating only one meal a day and some snacks like ( Nuts or homemade Popcorn)
Previously my waist expanded mainly because every month without fail I would eat Biscuits and hide under the ‘ I’m ovulating ‘ banner. That was my weakness!

Biscuits are very bad, in fact they could be worse than chocolates. I noticed that cheating with Chocolate didn’t cause a lot of damage like when I cheated with biscuits consistently. ( That’s just my observation ) Also bear in mind that our bodies are not the same.

During the lockdown I wasn’t prepared mentally to continue exercising at home and I have been very lazy and not as consistent as I was before. I still continued with my 1x meal a day, I guess my body got used to it and adapted quickly. As they say ‘ all is in the mind’.

I used to be a firm believer of eating Breakfast without fail, but I stopped.
My meals have been a combination of everything from dumplings to oxtail, beans or Amagwinya. Here is what I have discovered about Amagwinya, which many may find it hard to believe.

I decided that if Icheat with
Amagwinya, I will not eat anything else.I have eaten more of them since the lockdown without gaining weight. I always have a cheat day and it’s always dedicated to any junk, as that also helps to shock my system and it’s essential for weightloss.

If I compare the time I ate more biscuits as opposed to my cheating Amagwinya, I can confirm that they did not damage my waistlin & my weightloss is still steady. When I started IF I was 75.5kg and as of today I weigh 66.5kg which to me is remarkable as I do not exercise.

Again,our bodies are not the same. May I also state clearly that I am neither a Dietician nor a Health Practitioner, I am just sharing my recent weight loss journey after a year and a half of struggling. I hope this helps. I also drink a lot of green tea & water ( Wine& Coffee)