Caroline - Find Your Summer Body Week 4

I’m delighted we’re at week 4.  In one way, it seems like the first 4 weeks have passed really fast, but then again, it feels like there’s a long way to go.  I’m hoping my mid-challenge results will keep me on track...  I’ve lost 3.4kgs, 3.5cms from my waist measurement and 6.5mm from my skin folds.  Needless to say, I was utterly delighted.

2 months... sounds a lot longer than 8 weeks don’t you think?  Especially when it comes to the cleanse / detox!  Having attended weight watchers pre-Hazel and successfully reaching a healthy weight, I went completely off track with my food while pregnant and breastfeeding.  I’m not beating myself up about it, I enjoyed it.  But I did put on a lot of weight and needed to recalibrate (putting it mildly).

I decided I’d give the challenge round 2 cleanse / detox “a go”.  I printed the sheets ‘foods to eat / foods to avoid’ and stuck them to the fridge door.  And I’ve followed it.  Not to the letter of the law, but on the whole, I’ve made some pretty big changes.  My breakfast has changed from creamy fruit yogurts with cereal to natural, no fat yogurt with purred fruit and oats.  For lunch I’m treating myself to a yummy salad with either tuna or lentils or boiled eggs and as many fresh veggies as I can fit into the bowl. This is the biggest change for me... I love my bread and cheese.  Dinner is fish and salad or a stir-fry.  I’ve dropped the skinny cap and now have the occasional soy, decaf latte (tastes better than it sounds!!) and my treats are date rolls or carrot sticks and hummus. 

I need to be a little more organised, but the switch hasn’t been too bad at all.  I’m still eating what I love, just making different choices daily.  I am however avoiding meals out and being a little high maintenance at dinner parties (my family and mates are supporting my challenge so they’re happy to cater for me to a certain extent).  I have had a couple of glasses of wine, maybe even 4 or 5 some weeks.  But given what I would usually drink, I still see this as an achievement!

I’m certain the detox has significantly contributed to my weight loss.  I plan to keep it up for the remainder of the challenge, just to see how much more weight I can loose.  Aside from the weight loss, I feel my body is ‘cleaner’ and functioning better.  The real challenge will be as the challenge finishes and whether I can make these changes stick.