How to lose 10 kilos

by Claire
(Londo, UK)

Between a newborn baby and making up the ranks as a manager I juggled everything but my weight. At 1,55 m I had ballooned from 49Kg to 59 Kg in one year.

The problem with a deformed figure is that it soon precipitates you into a spiral of low esteem and more aloofness. My call to alert: my peers thought I was pregnant a second time!

Like my infant I decided to proceed with baby steps: slowly but with a clear intent.

First step: wake up half an hour sooner and walk around my neighborhood.

Second step: go the "milky way" : I had to buy twice a week yoghurts and milk for my daughter , I started buying liquid low fat yoghurts and small milk cartons for myself, for mid-morning breaks and late office hours- goodbye cheese bits from vending machine.

Step three: Do it the fun way: I was always stressed, so I turned it positively: power walking to the cafeteria burnt calories and...saved time; House chores were done always with loud, funky music-it setting up a quick pace and almost always leaving me in a good mood. That was enough to get rid of 1.5 kg in 2 weeks. Uplifting as it was, I moved further.

My next step was changing food habits at home; soup was re-introduced on the menu (again an easy step in line my child needs). Lots of vegetables and water versus the usual meat and carbs dinner cleansed my body while giving me a filling of hunger fulfillment much needed after grueling office hours.

Soup is not an acquired taste but turning into traditional recipe books, I discovered a wide range of cold and warm soups -with veggies and even fruit which were both easy to do as well as very palatable.

By the time I had lost 4 kilos I was very proud of myself but also feeling my weight had reached a plateau.

My last - and still ongoing step, was entering a "Power group". Basically together with a few neighbors, I extended the power walk to the cafeteria to a power walk to the beach every evening: the four us give mutual support and every evening we trot down to the seaside (2km) do a bit of stretching exercises and walk back.

We are registering our progression in a log - so far we have reduced our initial time by 10 minutes ... more calories burning! Setting into a routine of exercise - even if mild as ours- is difficult as in the back of our minds a lot of excuses - house chores, children, unfinished emails - pop up, but that’s what they really are , excuses.

As a group we push for each other, and don't let anyone to be a dropout. Peer pressure and budding are helping me a lot. Hope it can help you too.

Workout routines