It's Nobember 19th.
Four weeks ago, on the 22nd of October, I was looking at my DietBet Profile, and was terrified to say the least. I hadn't made any progress in the 2 weeks prior to that as far as the weighing scale was concerned. Looking back at my weigh-in photos from the 2 weeks, I did see that I was losing weight from my face at-least. I was looking leaner, and I was feeling stronger... but alas, the scale wasnt showing any change, and that's what counts in a DietBet!
I had hit a plateau. I was dieting hard, and working out harder, but nothing seemed to work. Seeing the scale stuck at that 80-81 kg mark, I was feeling depressed and terrified at the same time. I had met my 10% weight loss goal of the Aug-Feb transformer, and there was no challenge left there. I needed a newer challenge, a newer goal, the next push. I don't know what occured to me and I signed up for a couple more DietBets - Shaun T's 4% in 4 weeks You-can-do-it challenge, and the next 6 months-10% transformer! Not meeting my goals was not an option. It was the worst time to sign up for a challenge at a time when my diet and exercise wasnt showing any results... but I did it. Was I becoming a compulsive gambler, who thought he was invincible? I don't think so... At that point, all I was thinking is that the future holds two possibilities... either I will get a six-pack or I will keep a paunch. The six-pack is what I chose to work towards.
Over the next 4 weeks, I gave it all I could. Never having felt any real hunger in the several years before, when I had packed the pounds... I transformed myself into a person who had disciplined eating habits. Instead of mindlessly drinking sugar and milk filled drinks during the day, I chose to only have water and sugar-free drinks... green tea and coffee, if I had to. It was hard to give up milk, so I started diluting it to at-least 50%, preferably 1/4th. I started logging my meals religiously on MyFitnessPal - the same strategy that helped me lose my first 12% weight when I started my DietBet. I doubled up on my exercise. After a grueling strenght training session at the gym, with some cardio thrown in I came home to to do a sweat inducing T25 workout session before starting my work. In the evenings, I resumed my running in the park, while my son cycled around for the nearly 3 mile loop. When I was hungry and wanted to just throw in some junk food down my throat, I was caring towards my body, and had fresh fruits and salads. I liberally filled myself up with salad before the main course of lunch and dinner. Dinner was light and early.
Did it work? How wouldn't it? It's 19th November today, and I have won my Shaun-T dietbet, and am on couse to winning this round of my new Transformer as well. I am at a weight I feel comfortable and confident about. I have busted through the plateau and am confident I will reach my weight goal eventually in the transformer. The cute little layer of fat around my belly is finally going away. My belt needs new holes and all my pants are getting lose. It's time to buy some new clothes. And yes, I'll reward myself today for the hard work and discipline I showed in the past 4 weeks. Congratulate me!
(or ridicule me, if I don't make it!!!)