Skipping my way to 15lbs slimmer
AFTER the Christmas holidays and just before New Year’s, I made a pledge that I had to change my life. The wake-up call was seeing myself in the family pictures I’d arranged to have done professionally, and when they were e-mailed to me the day before Christmas so I could share with family Christmas morning, I just could not, because I looked huge in them!
I finally had to confront the literal elephant in the room — I was fat, overweight, too big, and it was all there to see, in living colour, in my family photos.
I bought a battery for the bathroom scale (I’d neglected to do this because I just didn’t want to see my weight), and was shocked, but not too shocked, when I saw that I was now at 182lbs. For reference, I am 5ft 5inches, and my weight for height should be between 130 and 135. So not only was I overweight, I was tipping the scale into the unhealthy, with a large stomach and thighs, fat arms, and a double chin indicating where most of the weight went. Something had to give.
My work schedule, and the fact that I have a toddler and a six year old meant that the gym was out of the question — I just couldn’t make it. I have a basketball court in my complex at home, but I didn’t necessarily want to be seen in a public space like that just yet, and so, I grabbed my daughter’s skipping rope, had Samsung Health check my steps, and adopted a daily routine where I would skip in my driveway while my kids played outside.
The plan:
•2 weeks of intensive skipping activity for 45-minute intervals.
•2 weeks of eliminating soda and white carbs
•2 weeks of walking as much as possible, instead of driving everywhere.
It all started out well, the first couple days I was pumped, and my husband even came outside to offer moral support, and help with timing me. Adjusting my diet was hard — soda is king in my house, but after a few days, too, I was no longer craving it. Hardest was eliminating carbs — I tried to substitute with brown foods and vegetables but they just didn’t have that kick. But I prevailed.
Rain or shine I was on that driveway, and after week one, even upgraded to a thicker skipping rope that would add more traction. I didn’t weigh myself at the end of each day, so as not to disappoint myself, but at the end of week one I was encouraged to see that I had dropped almost seven pounds!
I realised that if I upped my game I could go even harder, and was drinking more water, having my coffee without creamer, and snacking on nuts and dried fruit. By this time I was a skipping pro — not only was I doing the regular skips, I was alternating hands, jumping to a beat and doing all kinds of moves that gave my arms and legs more of a workout.
At the very end of week two, when I weighed in, I had lost a total 11 pounds, and so challenged myself to extend it, to see if I could get to 15. And at the end of the third week, I had met my target.
The journey continues — my ultimate goal is to get all the way down to 135 by mid-year. I know that the journey will be difficult, but I have faith that with diet changes and determination, I can get my body, and my life back.
Melena, a personal assistant, was last seen purchasing equipment to outfit her tiny home gym.
