How I lost 5 Kilos in a Month and I Got #FitB4Christmas

25 days ago, Najib from BlogBaladi challenged me to be #FitB4Christmas by loosing 5 Kilos (10 pounds) before the 24th of December. At the time, I thought that Najib has lost his mind, and I was doomed for a public shaming spectacle, nothing less than the Game of Thrones way.

shame
Every time I got close to quitting, I would imaging myself doing the walk of shame 🙂

For the past 5 years, I’ve been struggling with excess weight due to my not-so-active lifestyle. I have a desk job, I work long hours and I spend most of my time seated behind a screen. I used to be athletic and used to dedicate time to sports activities, but somewhere along the way, I became lazier, heavier and very short on time.

Like most people struggling with excess weight, I would start a diet every Monday only to end it the following day. I love food, snacks, chocolate and drinks and the thought of not enjoying them drove me crazy.

What Was Different This Time? Why Did I Succeed?

1- Public Challenge:
I have to thank Najib for taking the challenge publicly. I guess, the fact that everyone was watching did put an additional pressure of not giving up easily. I have accepted the challenge and committed online to be #FitB4Christmas. Technically, everywhere I went, people knew about my challenge and were helping me and motivating me in their own way.

fit-teasing
Friends (including Najib) never stopped pranking me, by sending chocolate and yummy food my way 🙂

I have to admit that I was teased and tempted many times, but I guess what doesn’t make you eat chocolate, makes you more immune to it 🙂

2- Being a Fit Dad:
I have 2 kids, Mary-Jo (10) and Anthony (7) and both of them love sports. Mary-Jo, my eldest, turned out to be quite the little athlete, she is a kickass gymnast and a really fast runner. She was recently selected to be part of her school’s athletic team and to participate in the cross-country running challenges. She asked me to start running with her, because like any little girl, she looks at her dad and sees a superhero.

fit-maryjoMy little athlete takes her training seriously

The fact that I was not fit enough to run with her drove me crazy and I really wanna loose these extra pounds to be able to run, keep up, practice and bond with my little girl and most important preserve that image she has of her dad.

3- Because I Wanted!
For the first time in many years I wanted to loose weight, not just because some of my shirts won’t fit anymore, but because I wanted to be healthier and feel better about myself.

The Result

fit-meals
During the whole period, I was religious about my commitment

Today, I’m happy to say that I have successfully finished the challenge and I lost the 5 Kilos. I started out with 95 Kilos (93.6 Kilos – morning / without clothing) and now I’m at 89.5 Kilos (88.1 Kilos – morning / without clothing). I have to admit that it feels great. I haven’t gone below 90 Kilos for more that 5 years.

fit-biking
I just love biking, I would hit the roads everyday if I can

I have to say that it wasn’t easy, especially that I wasn’t able to exercise as much as I wanted, but I made sure to move a lot during the day and walk as much as I can. I managed to pull anywhere between 6,000 to 12,000 steps daily, I was cycling indoors on a daily basis and hitting the streets on my bike Sunday morning. I ate a light healthy breakfast everyday, a balanced lunch (carbs, proteins and vegetables) and had green salads for dinner. No chocolate, no carbs, no alcohol.

For the next few days I will be eating “guilt free”. It isn’t Christmas without the good food. But, I will make sure to return to the healthier lifestyle as soon as the holidays are over.

Stay fit, stay healthy and Merry Christmas!

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