After being married and having kids and after I stopped smoking, I gain a tremendous amount of weight. Some attributed to unhealthy diet, some to lack of exercise and a little bit for the side effect of me having stopped smoking. But now, I must say that's all just excuses. Anyway by the middle of last year I was so fat that my weight was a whooping 97 kilograms. Yep, just 3 kilos more and I'll join the 100 kilos club with some of my colleagues at the office. I thought I've got to do something to change this. The last thing I wanted in my life is to be 120 kilos and suffer from various cardiovascular deasease by the time I'm 40.Low-carb Diet
I got a head start after the Hari Raya last year because I lost some 9 kilos after fasting for the whole month. And then I started this new diet regime where I basically eat less carbohydrate like rice, bread and noodles but mostly rice. Whenever possible I would avoid eating anything with rice in it. If I really had to eat rice, I would shelve half the normal portion that I usually take and eat a lot of vegetables as substitute. Of course I will eat rice whenever my wife cooks it at home and sometimes when I had the urge to have Kak Na's delicious nasi berlauk but I will eat them sparingly. You'll notice a huge different in your figures if you eat less rice in a month or two.
If you've been working in the same office with me, you'll probably notice that I didn't go out for lunch much. Well in the beginning it was a cost-saving measure but after some time it kind of became a routine for me. FYI I barely make enough with my current salary so I always end up nearly broke everytime towards the end of the month so I've decided to eat only at home. My wife would cook me breakfast in the morning and I will wait until she comes home in the evening for dinner. If somehow I had to eat outside for dinner, I will share it with my 5 year old kid so that I won't have to spend (or eat) much. I know it's not easy staying back and skipping lunch while all your friends go out to eat everyday but I learned to cope with it. In a way being broke has it advantages because when you're rich and loaded with money you tend to indulge more simply because you can.
And take your breakfast. I always take my breakfast and to me it's the most important meal of the day. I can skip lunch or eat a little during dinner but I never skip breakfast. It gives me the energy to start my day. Some people (bachelors and single people especially) chooses to skip breakfast (because they're too lazy to wake up early) and have their first meal during lunch. Well that is not right. When you miss breakfast you'll tend to over eat and indulge during lunch which beats the purpose of not eating breakfast in the first place.
Exercise
After about a month or so of skipping lunch and eating less rice I started to loose weight but I wasn't going to be satisfied with myself yet. So a week after my 28th birthday I started a new exercise routine. I would wake up half an hour earlier than usual (around 6:00 AM) and I would go for a jog around the neighbourhood. I tell you it's not easy at first sacrificing 30 minutes of your sleep to wake up early but like they always say, there's no shortcut to success. I began by walking casually first at a brisk pace and then after like 2 weeks of walking then I started jogging slowly. You must not push yourself too hard when your begin any type of exercise. Give your body some time to adjust. Jogging is an effective and cheap way of losing weight and keeping yourself fit. And you don't have to spend a fortune for your jogging shoes. I've been running with my cheap RM75.00 Power jogging shoes for the past 5 months and it had never let me down yet. I would normally jog 3-5 times a week around the neighbourhood and I usually do it in the morning simply because I don't have the time to do it at any other time because of work and family commitments.
And if you're a smoker, quit, full-stop. Smoking and exercise just don't go hand in hand. You won't last a week of exercise if you don't stop smoking.
Will power
The low carb dieat and exercise would never be possible if you didn't have an iron will and rock-solid determination. Set yourself a target and just do it, no excuses. It was not easy skipping lunch at first, being hungry and have your friends teasing you but if you got the will power to do it you just ignore the hunger and the teasing. It's not easy not eating rice or eating less for dinner but I got the will power and I just do it anyway. It's almost impossible to stop smoking but many people including me have done it if you got the will power to do it. It's not easy waking up early in the morning to exercise but I just set my mind on it and just do it. Yes I am starting to sound like a Nike commercial but that's basically what it's all about, set yourself a target and have a strong will power to just do it. I know I'm fat and I'm overweight and I wanted to be slim and fit so I set my target on my ideal weight and take the steps necessary to achieve it. To hell with what other people thinks, their thoughts don't matter - yours do. I don't loose weight so that people would compliment me, I did it for myself. I want to be healthy and I want to look good. And just shove all those excuses aside. Those McDonald's Lunch McValue meals are so cheap and irresistible. But my friends will be hurt if I don't go to lunch with them! It's cold and dark in the morning is it safe to go out at this time of the day? I can never stop smoking. Those are just excuses and they're a big stumbling block between you and success. You make them disappear and you will achieve success.
So there you go. I will call it the Afif Diet ha ha! That's how I change from 97 to 76 kilos, just one kilo off my initial target. Low-carb diet, exercise and a strong will power. And it took me nearly 6 months to achieve it. Losing weight and being fit takes time so don't be too disheartened if you didn't notice much difference in the beginning of your diet program. Rome wasn't build in a day and you won't be slim in that much time either. And start now before it's too late. If you're below 40, you still have a chance. Older people tend to have less will power, determination or the energy to change anything. So now I've explained everything. Stop pestering me for answers, tips or any secrets again after this :)