Hey you, hope you are ready for the shape up challenge? If you are yet to make up your mind, don't be scared. You really don't have anything to lose but the excess fat disturbing you, LOL! I love competitions like this one, they bring out the best in me, what about you? *jumping and clapping* Wooohoooo!!! My blood is hot, even though i am not participating, i feel pumped.

I will not be giving meal plans for this, so you guys will have to do this all on your own. Although as time goes on, i will share ideas on what to eat, etc. Below, I will give you a list of things to avoid this period for a maximum weight loss. But first, here are some vital info:

1. DO NOT starve thy self, i repeat, DO NOT starve thy self!! If you starve you wont lose much o, the fat will perch in one corner. There is a technique to fasting from food so as to achieve weight loss, i will share that one later. hehehe!
2. Eat your heaviest meal in the morning and your lightest at night. Not the other way around biko.
3. If you haven't cleansed before commencing, i suggest you take the first 3 to 7 days to do so, in order to achieve a maximum effect of weight loss.
4. Have a diary where you document your daily activities. I mean your meals and the exercises you did. This will help you to make adjustments later and correct your mistakes.
5. Drink as much water as you can through out. At least 3 liters or 8 glasses a day. I recommend 10 to 12 glasses a day, or 4 liters.
6. If you are pregnant, do not attempt this challenge. My hand is not there oooo....heeeee! *pulling ears* wait for the baby to land before you get your body back.
7. If you are nursing, take it easy, don't be tempted to over do it and do not detox while breast feeding.
8. Workout real good. Whenever you get the chance put in AT LEAST 30 mins a day of exercise, you will get an added advantage.
9. If you have to have a cheat meal, do that once a week, and eat whatever it is in small portions.
10. Don't listen to negative talk, you are doing this for you, focus on the finish line and know that you are gifting yourself a healthy and beautiful life and body.

Hi dearies, I have made it part of my life's duty to help out anyone who is willing to lose weight. I will continue to sing this 'war song' till someone hears it and many lives are changed by the grace of God. I know what it feels like to be fat and overweight and really i am sad that some people aren't even willing or ready to make a change.

Someone needs a wake up call, and i am here to do just that. I will help give you that push you need. Open up your heart and soul, be ready. Stop living in denial, tell yourself the truth. Truth hurts, but it heals.

Your doctor has told you to lose some weight for your own good, you still go back and sit on it, why? I have put a list of things to help you realize that it is time to make a change. You don't need to climb a scale to know it. Let these signs help you decide.....

1. Firstly search your heart. In fact don't search. its right there on top, you know it, you feel it. Its affecting you both physically and psychologically. The excess weight is making you sick, its aging you its pulling you back, its making you withdraw into your shell.
2. When you climb a flight of stairs, you pant like someone that just completed a 10 km swim.
3. People stare at you and you see pity in their eyes for you.
4. You go into a fast food place to buy some snacks and you feel guilty and sad at the same time, you buy the stuff anyways.
5. Just within a year, you've gone 3 dresses sizes up.
6. You have broken a chair or bed. Your side of the bed keeps getting flatter than the other side.
7. When you sleep, you snore for Africa. (read about Sleep apnea) If you're not sure if you snore in your sleep, ask someone to monitor you or record yourself.
8. You cannot cross your legs at all or if you do, you can't stay that way for at least 3 mins.
9. You feel pains in your joints especially when you sit for long. Getting up is difficult.
10. You have high blood pressure.

Happy Democracy day sweeties, how has your day been? Mine has been good, spent the day with family. We thank God.

I was supposed to post this a week ago so that people would prepare well, but i've been thinking of ways to make it as fair as possible. I felt in my heart the need to motivate and 'ginga' a few people, people that really want to lose some weight. Please see this as a small contribution of mine. Here goes; lets do a one month weight loss challenge where the person that sheds more weight gets a price. Actually the top 2 people will get  prices.

Its called : "SHAPE UP #june challenge". It will start on the 1st of June and end on the 29th of June. I chose Sunday 29th for this so that those that work can have time to take their closing pics and send them in.

The Price: 

1. 1 workout DVD.
2. 1 week meal plan for fat burn (upgraded version)

Hi there y'all, hope you had a fun children's day celebration yesterday. Even if you are not a baby, you are still someone's child. Hehehe!

Good Morning Sweets,
Hope you all had a swell weekend. I wish you all a fabulous week ahead. For some weeks now I have been sharing stories of some beautiful ladies who have lost a huge amount of weight. Hoping to motivate as many who would love to shed some weight now or in future. I recently discovered that some readers never knew that I was once overweight, so, I have decided to share my story today. I have done this briefly in the past, but let me just refresh for "motivation" sake. Lol! This is quite long, but please try and read through :)


My past:
I was always 'one' of the biggest girls in the room, if not the biggest. Right from primary school, I was bigger than my mates. I was not really bothered about it until I got into the university. I did everything I could to lose weight and be slim. I became a 'gym rat' each time we were home on holidays, I exercised, went swimming, drank all manner of teas and drinks etc nothing worked (I never starved myself though, because I love food). I was always worried about how I looked, weight loss was all I could think about.  People called me 'orobo' all the time, bike men would refuse giving me a ride, chai! Whenever I went to buy clothes, I would get stares from the sales person, next thing they would say, "sorry we don't have your size" Which meant that I shouldn't bother checking.

One time, an uncle said to me; "If you don't lose weight, you will not find a man to marry you o" I swallowed hard! But eventually, I got married. It took me a year to get pregnant after marriage, I was told to lose weight so that I could increase my chances of conceiving.( See eh, there are some things that we have no control over, no matter how we try....I eventually got pregnant) While I was pregnant, with my first child, I kept on packing on the weight, increasing and increasing, I kept buying bigger clothes. I knew I had to do something but, I was too weak in my mind and I wasn't ready. One time my former boss said to me; "Madam, at this rate, hmmm very soon you will wear 'bubu' to work" OMG!!! I almost died. I didn't show it, but it pained me, very pained and angry with everything and everybody. At this time, I didn't know what I weighed, I didn't want to know. My office suits at this point were a size 20 UK and they were snug.
                              In the left pic above, I had already lost 10kg after my second baby, while on the right, I weighed 76kg.

What motivated me to lose weight?
While I was pregnant with my second baby in 2012, I made up my mind to lose weight for real. I had reached a size 22UK at this point, nothing fit. Health wise, I knew I had to do something about the excess weight. I stopped going out, I stopped taking pictures. I felt insecure and ugly. I told myself that this was it, no more bigger sized clothes, enough was enough. Then one day, I saw a picture of a friend that lost some weight and I was all of a sudden motivated! At 40 weeks, I was due for delivery and I weighed 118kg. Exactly 5 weeks after delivery 31st January 2013, which was a day before I commenced my weight loss journey,  I was ready and I weighed about 109.9kg. I ate everything in site, I ate till I was content because I knew that this time it was for real. My mind was MADE UP!! I wanted to lose 35kg. I wrote this figure down in a fresh book which I opened for my weight loss, I was prepared mentally and physically. I began my Journey on the 1st of February 2013.

How did i do it?
Oh boy!! No be small thing o. I worked my butt off!

1. First, I encouraged my mum to go, bye bye to omugwo...Hahahaha! (Omugwo is one of the greatest causes of weight gain for nursing mums.Our mums make us eat and eat as if our lives depended on the food alone. Hian!) 
2. Immediately she left, I changed my diet because I knew that with here presence in my house, there was no way I could be eating vegetables and tea alone, it was impossible. So I reduced the amount of carbs I took, increased my intake of fruits and vegetables. 
3. I drank loads and loads of water daily. Sometimes up to 5 liters a day(remember I was breastfeeding)
4. I ate loads of fish pepper soup, which helped burn fat.
5. I started going to the gym. As the days went by, I kept weighing myself and by the end of the first week, I had lost 3.8kg.
6. After a month of going to the gym, I wasn't really satisfied with my progress so I changed to home workouts. I used different workout dvds. I workout out with all my might, mehn the grace of God was with me o, I felt like Samson(in the bible) with so much energy. Sometimes, I would workout morning and evening. It wasn't easy but I had a target and i was determined to reach it. I lost more weight working out at home.
7.  By December 2013 I had lost over 33kg. Today, my weight fluctuates between 76kg and 78kg and I am very OK with it.
8. I just maintain that range now by eating good nutritious meals, fruits and vegetables, and daily exercise.

Hi sweets,
I didn't want to write on this topic because i have done so in the past, but since many people seem to be having issues with bloated and or 'big tummy' i just had to do this. In case you want to refresh on my past posts please read  here for how to reduce the bulge without exercise and then here for how to reduce it with exercise.

Personally, i think the tummy is the toughest and last area of the body to flatten and reduce because:

1. We carry it in the mid-section and we can't move it around like we do other parts of the body. 
2. Due to surgery associated with child birth, it takes a while to work on it. Then before you know it, extra fat is added and it becomes harder.
3. Some of us find it difficult, very difficult to stop eating those things that are the main cause of this 'big tummy'. 

Hey there sweets,
Recently, a close sister of mine was complaining that she was no longer losing weight and that she was getting depressed about it. After a long chat, i asked her if she was getting enough sleep at night  then she answered "no". She said she's been very stressed lately due to work etc.

For many of us trying to lose weight, its the same story. Its so bad that some of us (including me) gain weight when we don't get enough sleep. Who can we blame na? With all the work stress, kids and family that we (especially women) have to put up with, its almost impossible to get at least 7hrs of sleep daily.

According to 'Gaiam life' sleep deprivation can cause weight gain..read more Here

• When you don't get enough sleep, your body produces more cortisol  which actually makes you eat a lot the next day. And we know what over eating means. Yikes!
• When you don't get enough sleep at night, your brain wont get the message that you are full whenever you eat. Fatigue is a major factor here.
• When you don't sleep enough, you wont have the energy to workout hard.
• I think lack of sleep causes depression, which makes one feel horrible and too weak for anything. that means you eat and eat to make yourself feel good. Then what next, you put on weight.

Morning my sweets.
Upper arms is the second biggest problem women have when it comes to weight loss. Bloated tummy is the first, in case you were wondering. Funny enough, I think arm fat is easy to burn just like thigh fat, it all depends how much dedication you give it. Tummy fat on the other hand is a bit difficult because we carry it around in the mid section, we cant really fling or 'run' with it can we? Lol.

There are many great arm workouts out there, but I want to share 7 of them. I do at least 5 of these daily.  Yes i said daily because even after my 30 mins workout, i try to squeeze in 10 mins of arm routine. I love shaping my arms, i think it brings out the best of me when i take pics. If you dont have dumbbells, fill 2 small plastic  bottles with water or sand, or use 2 cans of baked beans. NO EXCUSES!!!
Lets work together to fight off the 'Turkey wing' and 'Xtian mother' arms. Lol
                                                   My before and after 'arm pic'



1. Push ups: (see pic above)

• Start by resting on your palms on the floor, body needs to be straight and feet facing the floor.
• Neck has to be neutral and head facing the floor.
• Raise your entire body and bring back down. Make sure you don't bend or curve your back.
• Modify this rougtine by resting your knees on the floor while at it.
• Do 2 sets of 10

Good morning Sweets,
I hope y'all enjoyed your weekend. Its Monday again, and you know how i love to dish some motivation and ginger to keep the heat up! I would love for you to read the story of a very sweet and adorable lady. I think she has the warmest smile. Her name is Nicole and she's a natural hair aficionado and blogger. Her blog; www.napturalnicole.com is my favorite hair blog. I have followed her hair story for a while now, She doesn't know this, but she motivated me to cut my hair and grow it naturally. I have been on no relaxer for 6 months now, and i love it! Thanks Nicole! She's been on a weight loss journey and blogs about that too. She also gives tips on what she eats. She gave the low-down on her weight loss and i begged her to share her story with us here. So happy she agreed.  I know someone will be inspired today. Here's exactly what she posted on her blog some days ago.......

WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE: #CHELLEO’SARMS!
CURLIES!!! Many of you have been following my healthy lifestyle journey- that began in March 2013. I had reached an all time high in my weight gain- and was well OVER 250lbs (#truthmoment- it’s the first time I’ve shared that number with my CurlFriends! I was bad, y’all!)-

I had allowed myself to completely disregard my health, my comfort, and honestly- my happiness. I was an athlete all through high school- and even did track in college- but once school was out, my activity level plummeted, and my college ‘fast food’ eating habits stuck around…

Fast forward to March 2013- at this point, over the past 3 years I’d managed to lose 30lbs (and gain it back plus more!) FOUR TIMES. All by exercise- I joined a gym, got a trainer, started walking- you name it. I even managed to drop 30 lbs in 2 months by my wedding day- but I was still heavier than I’d ever been-
Not good. I just didn’t feel like…me.

Well- I was almost 2 years into my natural hair journey and going natural had been (HAS BEEN!) such a liberating journey of self discovery that it has caused me all sorts of reflection. I started thinking- if being natural/using clean products is so important to my hair- why can’t I apply this to my body/health? If someone had told me 2 years before that I would give up relaxers- I would’ve LAUGHED IN THEIR FACE! And here I am. Maybe if I give up eating poorly, I can succeed there too?

Coincidentally, at this time one of my close friends decided to adopt a vegan lifestyle (a drastic change for her)- I was inspired by her willingness to ‘try something new,’ and though I knew that I wouldn’t do away with meat forever- I knew that I could probably cut back a lot- and add more veggies. My thoughts were- Even if I didn’t lose weight, hopefully my health would improve, right? So I educated myself on ‘meatless’ dishes, and veggie alternatives- and the eating was SOOO good-

And not only did my health improve- cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides- everything- but the weight was coming off! AND FAST!


Even my husband- who wasn’t fully committed to a healthy lifestyle- and still ate meat outside of the house whenever- saw huge results!
And with ZERO EXERCISE. Not one day in the gym. All these years of going back and forth with my weight- without realizing that I can have the BEST workout plan and the BEST trainer- but if I don’t know how to eat clean and healthy- I will never have a sustainable healthy weight. Never.

That doesn’t mean working out isn’t important. My big update is that I AM working out. But nothing crazy- no jumping in hard, and setting myself up to quit- it’s about long term, sustainable habits. Right now, I’m in terrible shape- while I am lighter, I don’t have the stamina I need to run a marathon. But that’s okay- and to be expected. My first goal is to- Just get out there and move. 3 times a week, I am putting on my workout gear, and walking a few laps in the park.


I don’t have a time goal, or distance goal- I just walk until I’m totally burned out- then I do ONE MORE lap past that point, and call it a day. The first day it was about 20 mins of walking- but by the end of the week (my 3rd walking trip)- I walked for 45 minutes. Yup. I’m doing this.

I’m not watching the scale the same way, and hoping to just feel results- but no matter what, I am happy to have made it this far.

For those Curlies starting a healthy journey- I’m right here with y’all- way to go! For those looking for some inspiration- scroll up, I transformed- you can too. Oh, and Mrs. First Lady- you think you have ripped arm muscles?
Just wait till you see my newest ‘After’ Pic- I’m gettin there little by little
Keep up the hard work, Curlies! It will take LESS time to fix, than the years it took to get off track- stick with it!

-N.


Wow! Congrats again Nicole, I am impressed. Keep it burning till you reach your ultimate goal. Its all about determination, self control and focus. You have that in you and i love you for that. Thank you and God bless you for sharing your story with us, and for being an inspiration. #teamnatural :)

Sweets, please follow Nicole's hair story on www.napturalnicole.com she has loads and loads of natural hair tips and more. God bless.
Cheliz.