Monday 11 October 2010

Get Trimmer... Naija Style (Week One)





GOAL: Leaner, Trimmer, Slimmer YOU

 







Participants:

  • Ade
    Chest - 37" Waist - 35" Hips - 44" Weight - 80kg Height  - 5'4.5"
  • Amina
    Chest - 41" Waist - 38" Hips - 48" Arm - 14" Thigh " 30.5" Weight - 95kg/210pds Height - 5'6"
  • Ayo
    Chest - 51" Waist -42" Hips - 41" Arm - 15.5" Thigh - 25.5" Current weight - 235 pounds
  • Bolanle*
    Tummy 38" Waist 36" Hips 48" Neck 10"
  • Damie
    Chest - 38.5" waist - 32" hips - 44 arm L - 11" R - 10.5" Thigh L - 24.5" R - 24" Weight - 168lbs
  • Emem
  • Funmbi*
    Chest - 42" Waist 38" Hips 48" Arm 13" Thighs 28" Weight  90kg/198pds Height - 5' 7"
  • Kemi*
  • Ibitoru*
  • MakeItDeep
  • Ms Zee
    chest -39.5" waist-37" hips - 42" Arm (L & RA) -13" Thigh (L &RT)-25" Current weight - 82.9kg
  • Ngozi
    Weight - 80kg, Height - 1.65m
  • Omolara
  • Omobolanle*
  • Preye
  • Tomi A
    Chest: 34 Waist: 29 Hips: 40 Thighs: 23 Arm: 11 Current weight: 62kg Height: 5"4
  • Toyin*
  • Vickii
    I'm 10 Stone 7 or 147 pounds
  • Yemisi
    chest - 48in waist - 47in hips - 52in thighs - 32in current weight - 270lbs
  • Yvonne
    Bust 39, waist 39, hips 40, weight 67kg
  • 1511th*
    73.4kg ( 11st 7lb)
*new additions

GUIDELINES/TIPS


1. You MUST eat Breakfast
No exceptions. I know most of you have to get to work really early so the solution to this is to have a box of your cereal at your desk and have breakfast when you have 10 minutes to spare. Easiest thing to have for breakfast is cereal e.g. Weetabix, Quaker Oats, Bran Flakes (I'll add more to this list this week)

2. Stew (Chicken, Fish, Meat, etc) - Try what my friends named my "Weight Watcher's Stew"
Chicken stock definitely contains oil so you don't have to use vegetable, sunflower, etc oil.
Like I've said before, oil doesn't make food taste better. If you season your chicken nicely = yummy chicken stock and you season your stew properly.

3. Bulk Up Your Meals with Vegetables
E.g. Fried rice. Usually the ratio of rice to mixed veg is 2:1, and at the very best, 1:1.
Increase the portion of mixed veg to result in a ratio of  1:3(or 4) for rice to vegetables. Trust me, there's enough rice in there, it actually makes fried rice look more appetizing (all those beautiful colours - red, green, yellow, orange...) and honestly, it tasted good, and it's was more nutritious. (I know most of us do this already but for those who don't know, cooking rice in chicken stock just makes it taste soooo good).
Do the same for noodles - instead of 2 packs of noodles (nothing unusual there, everyone does it). Cook noodles with mixed vegetables and chicken, you'll end  with a plateful of a lot of food <-- I usually was unable to finish a whole pack of noodles.

4. Eat even More Protein
Chicken, Meat, Fish aren't bad in very generous portions.  Aside from bulking meals with vegetables, you can increase your portion of protein -  reduce your portion of rice, replace with vegetables and a lot of chicken, meat, fish, shrimp, etc.

5. For other Nigerian staples e.g. yam and plantain. Reduce your portions. We rarely cut thin slices of yam, if you're having 3 slices of regular sliced yam, reduce to 2 or 1.5. Remember the other tips on vegetables and protein. Boil Yam, Boil, Roast or Bake Plantain.

6. Healthy Monday To Friday (#healthymondaytofriday) - Make sure you treat yourself at least one day a week but try not to go overboard. On your treat day you can have e.g. pounded yam (smaller portion than usual) and efo, egusi, okra... maybe even a meatpie. I'd advise you to have different treats every week.
Please do not deprive yourselves completely. If you eat very healthy for weeks without treating yourself, you will most likely have a setback which will involve you bingeing... we don't want that.

7. Eat Often During The Day
Try not to wait until you're almost starving to eat something. I've found that the hungrier I am, the more I eat and I eat really quickly and don't realise I'm full until I'm far gone.
An example day is:
Cereal for Breakfast, An apple and a handful of nuts as a snack, Lunch - Chicken cooked with chopped tomatoes and mixed vegetables with 1.5 serving spoon portion of rice, some more fruit and/or nuts as another snack, Dinner - A whole fish and a generous portion of efo - spinach (little to no oil) cooked with tomatoes, pepper, well seasoned (egusi/melon seeds can be added).

8. Don't forget Water
We are made up of between 60-75% of water so it is important to stay hydrated. Also, we sometimes feel hungry when we might be thirsty. If you feel hungry shortly after eating a meal or snack, drink a glass of water and your hunger pangs will most likely have been thirst <== works for me!

Other Requirements

  1. Starting Picture - in a pair of jeans (or another item of clothing) that you want to be able to fit in by the end of the challenge. If you send in a picture, I will blur your face (promise!).
    and/or Stats
    - your measurements incl. waist, hips, chest, thighs, etc
    or
    - weight.
  2. Check in often, at least once a week. Share how you modified preparations of your meals, how you deal with everyday obstacles. Please share when you have setbacks because those are the most important times when you'll need encouragement from everyone else.
  3. Share your progress, there will be an official check in day every 2 weeks.
GOOD LUCK!!!


All participants: Please comment now with your starting stats. Those who want to send pictures, please email me: email @ adura-odesanya.co.uk
There'll probably be some silent participants, please comment or email me with your progress or questions.

Meal Suggestions
It's best to work with things that are easily accessible. Some of you are in the UK or US so you have access to heathier versions of food e.g. brown rice. But we want to make this work for everyone wherever you are.

Breakfast - 1. Cereal (Quaker Oats, Bran Flakes, All Bran, Weetabix) with milk - Avoid using condensed milk, it's full of sugar. If you have access to semi skimmed milk, that's great. If not, have the equivalent of a glass of milk - if you have to dilute the milk to be of a thinner consistency than milkshake (lol), ok seriously you will know when your milk is too thick (and rich).
Example of Cereals to avoid: Frosties, Coco Pops, Rice Krispies, Golden Morn
2. 1 slice of Wholewheat bread with 2 boiled eggs and tomatoes (I love this!) (you can have ham instead of the eggs)

Lunch - Potatoes (including sweet potatoes)/Rice (basmati or brown if you can)/Noodles, of course with chicken, meat, fish or any other source of protein and bulk up with vegetables.
Potatoes would be a great choice over white rice (do you have a microwave at work?) Are you at a job where you can use a microwave and eat in a designated area? Or do you have to go to a cafetaria? White Rice is ok (not great) but ok. Jollof/Fried Rice, - if you cook it yourself, use oil sparingly or not at all. Broth/Stock usually has enough oil. If you're buying it from the cafetaria at work, it's bound to be very oily. Your portions of rice, potatoes should be the equivalent of a 1.5 serving spoon size.
E.g. Rice, Chicken and vegetables (mixed vegetables - peas, carrots, corn, peppers; spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, etc). You can be very generous with your serving of vegetables e.g. up to 3 serving spoons.
Noodles (half a pack of Indomie, trust me this is not too little) cooked with mixed vegetables and chicken (cook chicken, season nicely. Cut into small pieces and add to your half cooked noodles. steam veggies in chicken stock and add to the noodles and chicken. Stir and leave to simmer for a few minutes. <-- This is yummy.
TIP: Cook your rice, noodles, pasta, potatoes, etc in stock, adds a lot of flavour to your meals.


Dinner - You should have your smallest portion of carbohydrates at this time of the day. Dinner can be similar to what you eat for lunch but a smaller portion of potatoes, rice, etc or just cut them out completely. Examples of dinner include: Efo (healthy style i.e. little to no palm oil) with more meat or fish than usual. Also what I'm cooking right now - turkey with mixed vegetables and chopped tomatoes (I'll share the recipe and take pictures soon, I promise.. The secret to this is the seasoning, as always. I season and cook the turkey. Later, add the mixed vegetables and the tomatoes). You can eat this with a small portion of sweet potato (half of a medium one).

Snacks - Fruit - in Nigeria, you have  lot of access to organic fruit, use that to your advantage. Yes there are some fruits that are higher in sugar and starch than others BUT their sugar/starch content is nothing in comparison to having e.g. a meatpie as a snack. So please do not worry yourself about this... for now. I'll come back to this when you're weeks into the challenge.
An apple, an orange, tangerine, banana, grapes (up to 15), 2 pineapple slices, paw paw (I miss this), watermelon and more.
Nuts - I am aware some people breakout when they eat nuts so you don't have to eat them. They're a good source of protein so eat them if you have no negative reaction to them.
A handful of boiled or roasted groundnut (called monkey nuts in the UK) - avoid the salted packaged ones (too much salt), handful of cashew nuts, etc
Tomi mentioned that she has Ryvita as a snack. I don't really like Ryvita, mainly because it tastes like sand (lol) but if you must have it, please don't force it down your throat and wash it down with water for snacking sake. *Try to make sure you enjoy everything you eat*. You can have Ryvita with ham, chicken (yes, chicken!) *Protein makes you feel full quickly and it's not bad for you as long as you don't overdo it and have 2 whole chickens in a day ;)* ). While we're here, you can have a piece of chicken as a snack (not fried, of course), meat, fish, etc.

Important Notes/Tips

We will focus on healthy eating during this first week. In my opinion, it's more important than exercise (which ofcourse is very important). All the weight I lost in 2002 was 100% from eating healthy so believe me if you had to give up one, I'd say exercise. Not saying you should, lol... next week's post will be full of exercise tips.


- Basmati/Brown Rice, Potatoes, wholewheat pasta, whole wheat bread, porrige oats (eg Quaker Oats) are Unrefined Carbohydrates and they keep you full for longer as they're higher in fibre.
- A lot of vegetables contain carbohydrates so please discard the misconception that the only source of carbs are rice, bread, pasta, etc. Veggies contain much less carbohdrates than "carbs".
- A tip on controlling your portions (thanks for the reminder Tomi): Use a smaller plate or tupperware (container) for your meals. If you use a large plate, your food will look so small in comparison but when you use a smaller plate, your meal takes up more space on it and it doesn't look like you're eating "rabbit" food ;-) This worked for me when I was on WW years ago, my Aunt still reminds me about it (they were her plates that I took to Uni) 

PS - This post will be much longer - I will share a couple of meal ideas (how to prepare them) plus more meal suggestions for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. If there's anything else you'd like me to include, email me and I'll work on it tomorrow.

34 comments:

Ms zee said...

YYYEESSS I AM PUMPED.
chest -39.5"
waist-37"
hips - 42"
Arm (L & RA) -13"
Thigh (L &RT)-25"
Current weight in KG - 82.9

I sent you pix via email :) boooyaahhhh

Anonymous said...

Hi Adura, thanks a lot for this. I weigh 235 pounds at the moment.Need to lose 88 pounds. Will we be getting an exercise plan too? Hey Ladies, here is to fitting into that beautiful smaller outfit:)

Adura O. said...

ms zee - lol :) Haven't recieved the email yet. Did you send it to the right email address?

Anon - Lol, don't know who you are, make sure you enter your name when leaving comments :)
Exercise... I'll get on it :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Ladies,

Chest - 51"
Waist -42"
Hips - 41"
Arm - 15.5"
Thigh - 25.5"
Current weight - 235 pounds.

Will save the pic for later :)

Can't wait to start seeing the results:)

Ayo

1511th said...

Hiya, will send my stats and picture over tomorrow. I need to go to boots in the morning and weigh myself. I also need to get a tape rule.

yemisi said...

I am so excited to be a part of this and cannot wait to start seeing results!!!

chest - 48in
waist - 47in
hips - 52in
thighs - 32in
current weight - 270lbs

picture will be sent to your inbox.

Unknown said...

Hey!!! I'm going to go by my weight (you know I'm a scales girl) - I'm 10 Stone 7 or 147 pounds! Consider this my registration!

Yes please to meal ideas/recipes and I'll definitely be checking in and you can yell at me if I don't!

Good luck ladies!!!!

Amina said...

Chest - 41"
Waist - 38"
Hips - 48"
Arm - 14"
Thigh " 30.5"
Weight - 95kg/210pds
Height - 5'6"
Not too comfy with pictures just yet :)

Amina

Anonymous said...

Nice... super pumped and waiting for exercise tips.

Where can I get me some nice sport gear. and sports underwear as well. anyone please?

Adura O. said...

Keep them coming ladies :)

Anon: Re: Sportswear, Where do you live?

Anonymous said...

Day One is going well. Almost missed breakfast though :). Need to make the extra effort to eat my breakie. Are cereal bars allowed? What other snacks would you recommend besides nuts?

Adura as per the exercise could you please recommend a few tips for getting rid of tummy flab. Will have the veggie indomie for dinner.

Ayo

Adura O. said...

Cereal bars are high in sugar so you need to be careful with them.

Other Snacks - Some bars which I don't think are available in Lagos (Nak'd, Trek, 9... I'm giving you this link cos you are in the UK but I'm trying to focus on eating things that are easily accessible in Nigeria), fruit(Try sweet fruit e.g. pineapples when you're craving something sweet.)

I'll add more to the post soon.

Exercise tips are coming as well.

Unknown said...

Chest: 34
Waist: 29
Hips: 40
Thighs: 23
Arm: 11
Current weight: 62kg
Height: 5"4

Wooooooohoooo,let's go there:)

Yemisi said...

Day 1 is going well....almost missed breakfast as i was late for work but had a cereal bar, had some rice with loads of veggies and some lean meat for lunch and had honey nut cheerios ( probably a handful) for a snack, dinner is chicken cooked in a tomato sauce.

Ms zee said...

I love it ma, totally love it - Please do a post on healthy snacks as I am getting bored eating celery , fruit and nuts, the rabbit in me could not take it today so i had half a cup of mango sorbet arrrrrgghhhhhhhh. So a healthy snack post please and thank you and can you share some of your meals on youtube too thanks

Ms Zee

Anonymous said...

Uhmm, I am officially starting today, just got my breakfast cereal last night cus I usually skip breaky, what time do people generally have breakfast, haven't done the breakfast thing in years :)

Yesterday I had 2 spoons of rice for lunch with a piece of chicken a a piece of meat and fruits for dinner.
Amina

Unknown said...

I snack on Ryvita and grapes or apple slices.

It might also help to use smaller bowls to control your portion. I noticed that when i started pre-packing my smaller bowls i started being content with the food in front of me as opposed to stuffing my face. Because we have a "i must finish everything in my plate or bowl" mentality.

Meanwhile is it really bad that i haven't been to the gym in 3 weeks and i haven't gone running either?? Will i achieve as much with just the "Get Trimmer" program?

1511th said...

Hello, I finally made the dreadful trip to BOOTS and my weight is 73.4kg ( 11st 7lb) *DEAD* My BMI is even so so wrong!

Also, as I am fasting most mornings, I can’t have breakfast for now

I also need a healthy snack post too please as the boredom in and around me, makes me want to nibble! nibble!! nibble!!

Adura O. said...

Amina - your lunch yesterday would have been perfect with loads of vegetables :)
I eat breakfast at 9 cos I usually eat after I train or teach. Anytime between 7 and 9 is fine for breakfast.

Tomi - Great tip, I've added it to the post. I have so much info in my head and keep forgetting important things like that so thanks :)
Ryvita on its own is so bland (admit it! lol). You can have it with a few slices of ham, some fish or any protein.
Yes exercise is important but a couple of weeks off exercise will not set you back. Sometimes people over indulge because they exercise and eat twice the portions they should.
I'll add another note to the post - focus on your eating more this week. If you exercise already, great... if not - we'll discuss exercise next week.

Adura O. said...

1511th - please ignore BMI readings. Especially those on scales in Boots, etc. They are too general, everyone is different but these scales don't take that into account.

Healthy Snacks will be added shortly :)

Yvonne said...

Bust 39, waist 39, hips 40, weight 67kg.

Hi Day one has been OK so far.
Almost missed breakfast. Had a slice of whole wheat bread with margarine (that's all I had time for).
One of the major challenges I have is I get home really late at night like 10pm and usually eat whatever I find at home. Could you please give me advice on this.Is there any kind of foods I can eat late or I should skip supper all together.

Adura O. said...

Hi Yvonne,
Best thing to do if there's a chance you'll rush out of the house is to boil a few eggs and put them in the fridge. Also slice some tomatoes and keep them in the fridge. You can prepare and eat a slice of bread with eggs and tomatoes in 5 minutes if you do it this way.

Don't skip supper. Do you have a fridge where you work? Start packing snacks to take to work with you (I'll put up snack ideas soon). You can snack at 7/8pm so you're not starving when you get home late.

There's no harm in eating late e.g. sometimes cook a healthier version of efo with fish and meat and that can be eaten anytime. Try to wait at least an hour before you go to sleep because you'll probably have indigestion the next morning if you don't.

Amina said...

I am not so great at the vegetable thing, what if I just reduce my portions, do I have to take veges to achieve weight loss? Also I get food from the canteen in the office so my options are quite limited, maybe I should start cooking my own meals

Amina

Yemisi said...

Day 2 went okay, had two slices of toast in the morning with my coffee, had my rice and veggies in the afternoon, watermelon for a snack and chicken in tomato sauce for dinner, a banana for an evening snack.
i also wanted to ask your opinion on oatmeal. i love oatmeal but can't have it with regular milk as i am lactose intolerant, it affects me really bad, the only things that work are evaporated milk or creamer. is this bad?
oh yeah forgot to put my height in my stats, i am 6ft tall.

Ayo said...

Day 2 was a lot easier. Had oats for breakie, rice for lunch, sweetcorn as a snack,beans for dinner and carrot for a snack. The real work is really with the mind :) Off to have breakfast:)

Ayo

Adura O. said...

Amina, you don't need veggies to lose weight but you need them because they are good for you :) A plate with one piece of chicken and a small portion of rice doesn't look as appetizing as one with rice cooked in chicken stock and mixed with vegetables :) Try to have veg as much as is possible.
I agree - *start cooking your meals* That's the best way to know exactly what you're eating :)

Yemisi - If you have evaporated milk, make sure you really dilute it :) Well done, you're doing good :)

Ayo - Yep, once you set your mind to it, you more than halfway there :) Your lunch and dinner, did you have meat, chicken or fish with it? If you did - perfect :)

Adura O. said...

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK LADIES.

I am on a course all day tomorrow (and all weekend) but will edit this post every evening.

Please check in as much as you can, it's very encouraging for everyone. I know some silent participants and they like seeing your experiences.

Please send more pictures :)

Yemisi said...

Day 3 was pretty much the same as day 2 for me except that i had oatmeal for breakfast.
A little tip i got from my sister is that if you like poundo type food, instead you can blend oatmeal into a fine powder and make it like poundo and eat with efo or whatever soup you like. it's supposed to be healthier and you get used to the taste after awhile.

Yvonne said...

Day two,
Had a slice of whole wheat bread, one egg and tomatoes for breakfast(thanks Adura, was actually Yummy). For Lunch I had boiled groundnuts and an apple, couldn't leave the office. For Supper I had a pack of indomie with lots of tomatoes and onions. I intend to shop for proper food this weekend :).

Ayo said...

Day Four went well:) had oats and chicken for breakie,lunch was rice,peas and fish,had bananas and nuts for snacking and beans for dinner. I best confess now:) had dodo with it.Minor setback. Ladies enjoy your weekend.

@ Yemisi oatmeal poundo is so yummy. Your sister was right,had it a awhile back.Really tasty with efo or okro.

Unknown said...

Hiya all, i have lost count of my days but it seems to be going well. Had weetabix for breakfast and made some some mixed veggies with half a pack of noodle and salmon for lunch. Also packed a small bowl of pawpaw for snacking:)

Not sure what dinner will be yet.

Also started working out again, my personal trainer is back in the grind:) (my own is wedding day-driven and i think when you have a target it becomes easier but not necessarily sustainable.

Oh i was bad over the weekend, i definitely had more chocolate than i should have:) Healthy monday to friday is a must this week!

kuesooM said...

Hmmm.....so u startedd this without informing me....won't hold this against u...still waiting for my training plan... :-)

yetunde johnson said...

Hi adura,am yetunde,I live nigeria,I dnt want 2 lose weight,I just want my body toned.I av 2 kids and was able 2 lose all d baby weight by bn vry active but still wish my tummy was flatter,height 5.5ft,tummy 30,waist 31,hip 39,thigh 21,weight 58kg,pls wat do u tink I need 2 do?

... mii2 said...

Am trying to get back on track.
- Preye :(
So am popped up.