20 Days Of....

So this is my second post about my fitness challenge. So far so good.

I started out by dropping starch, dairy, sugar, red meat and saturated fat on February 20th. Since then my diet has consisted mostly of vegetables, fruit, water, juice and alot of protein. I haven't had eggs, which is a big achievement for an omellette lover like me.

The effects have been subtle but far reaching. I am definitely not complaining. I had decided to keep a food journal but I know I will be inconsistent so I will leave that alone.

A typical day in my life now involves, a glass of water or two in the morning and a sizeable bowl of muesli with natural yoghurt, the only dairy I have allowed myself throughout this journey. For lunch my favorite has become my hearty tuna salad. That's lettuce, onions, tomatoes, peppers, olives and shredded tuna. I have it for dinner too sometimes.

When that isn't dinner, I have chicken tandoori, made in a pan with no oil, or a grilled hungarian, or a grilled fillet of tilapia with some kind of veggie mix made up of broccoli, carrots, baby marrow and mushrooms or a side of boiled cabbage doused in vinegar or a green salad without the tuna. Then before bed some more yoghurt. I am drinking a lot more water now and that's good. Never been a tea or coffee person but the coca cola withdrawal has been EPIC! :(

I have had a few cheat days. A tablespoon of rice under some healthy curried fish or a tablespoon of instant noodles under the chicken and a couple of times full on letting myself down by PIGGING OUT on fried chicken but that was my bestie's fault. Eyyy, I'm not shy about apportioning blame! :) But so far I have not done too badly at all and I say this with pride because I have had a lifelong love affair with over eating so this is a big deal!  

I miss nshima/sadza/pap, pasta, potatoes and SOMETIMES fresh bread from Food Lover's Market. I also miss milk and cheese and cake and sweet stuff. But I can feel the benefits of my sacrifice so I am going to keep going for the next two months and work hard to get to my goal weight.

Some of the benefits are I am not sweating as much, I'm not bloating at all anymore not even before my period and I feel a lot more awake even when I'm tired. I can taste my food so much better now because I am not overloading my taste buds and that's a new sensation for me. There are a number of other subtle changes and I am loving the effect it has had on my problem skin. That has been a great incentive to keep going.

So my next post will be about how far I have gone with the exercise side of things. To be honest I have been EXTREMELY lazy in that department. But that's all about to change because I am motivated to get on it. I am happy with my progress so far, 11kgs to go...

#Scarlets20_20Challenge #RoadTo55Kgs #HealthyLiving

#TitaniumSolid #Kilimanjaro

M.M

Solwezi...Long overdue...

So I went to Solwezi...I think I might just start up a travel diary. Two weeks ago I went to Mongu *insert chuckle here* but I didn't see much so lets just call this my first entry.

My friend just moved to Solwezi because she got a new job. When she told me she was going I freaked out. My first thought was the distance. Imagining different time zones and language barriers. That's how it felt. So it was a pleasant surprise to get on the plane and get there in under an hour.

Don't judge me.

This particular friend is someone who has been in my life since 2009 and we have gotten through some pretty rough times together. So we kinda have a thing where when she's lonely I'm there and when I need to escape, she's there and it works. She spoils me and makes me laugh and I cook for her and keep her company. 

So anyway, this new long distance chapter of our love affair saw me flying out to see her and the joy on her face when she saw me was everything. Nothing hectic but we hung out and saw the golf course and went sight seeing and had girl time and chit chat...

But the highlight of it for me was our little excursion to see the Mutanda Falls. Now the places we went to were not particularly spectacular, but the view at the "Resort" was amazing. 

The water dashing itself loudly against the rocks, swirling around the trees and bushes in the water and flowing past us to God knows where reminded me of that lady called Life.

See Life has so many stages....she is that river, and we are here tributaries, paths clashing and colliding or gently flowing into each other becoming one, creating perfect synergy and flowing together towards wherever God leads.

The rapids and the lulls, slowly streaming past reminded me of Life's ups and downs. The hard, rocky, dangerous, uncomfortable and treacherous places and the journey down to where it bubbles and then calms are our experiences.

Life isn't always gentle, dressed in her pretty pink dresses with the scent of strawberries and milk on her breath. Sometimes she wears black, treacherous dark lipstick with the taste of whiskey on her lips. At other times she is dressed in war fatigues, bullets around her waist ready for battle, win or lose, no limits, no flinching. Death before dishonor. And you're just along for the ride, rolling with the punches taking each day as it comes.

A couple of days ago I asked my best friend a question. I was surprised and saddened when the answer he gave began with "I am not looking that far..." Because once upon a time he was such a dreamer. And that inspired me so much. But after sitting down to think about it I realised that its possible that his dreams still exist. Except that Life is wearing a black dress for him right now and its safer to just keep his head down and get through every day in one piece. Optimism has long been her nemesis.

I completely understand where I am at in life right now. In the thick of the rapids on my little inadequate raft. Life is wearing her combat gear for me. But the cool thing about it, the thing that keeps me going is knowing now, after seeing that water, that the journey is always going to be like this. Some way or another, I will get through these rocks and find myself bouncing along, bruised and battered into the place where the water will calm and get warmer and my wounds will begin to heal. And for a little while I will rest there before another moment comes to drive me temporarily insane.

Whatever she wears, whenever she wears it, Life is beautiful. Every single moment is a step towards the wondrous God knows where that each one of us is destined to arrive at when this little boat ride is over.

Let that keep you going today...in the words of my darling fairy, Miss Lulu Haangala, #WeKeepMoving :)

#TitaniumSolid #Kilimanjaro

M.M