Diet Update: how to lose 20lbs in 6 weeks
After posting my hair update last week which shows how my new protein, fruit and vegetable-enriched diet is promoting thick hair growth, I’m now posting my diet update.
The two holiday snaps were taken in November 2018 on my Caribbean Cruise where I was weighed by cruise nutritionist Dario on 13th November at 14st. I started my self-devised health regime on my return to the UK on 25th November. Six weeks later I am now down to 12st 7 3/4 lbs – a loss of 20 1/4 lbs. I’m still aiming to lose another stone and a half to be a muscular 11 stone, which will be fine for my height of 5ft 6ins. I don’t want to be skinny, just lean and fit.
Details of my food plan are in my previous diet update post and most of the exercises I have been following are in a previous tone-up post with the addition of steps and some yoga moves. However, I had to suspend my daily step routine of 50-100 steps after I pulled a calf muscle on boxing day! But I plan to start dance classes at the end of the month – street dance and African dance, which I have been putting off for ages.
Looking after ourselves as women of colour is so important, especially given the known racial disparities in health and mortality that exist, especially in relation to type 2 diabetes, which we can control. That’s one of the reasons I started this blog back in 2011, to motivate myself to make healthy living a priority. Over the years my health has often taken a back seat to my professional life, but my resolution for the New Year is never to neglect my health or take it for granted again.
I’m therefore pleased to announce that Lifestyle Challenge is collaborating with the Black Sister Network and Black British Academics to host an annual Health, Wellbeing and Happiness event, complete with expert speakers, workshops, and much more – we all need help and support to achieve and maintain good health! Our first event will be in London on my 55th birthday, Thursday April 4th. There will also be periodic events and a holiday is planned for 2020!
You can keep updated on this event and when registration is open by joining the Black Sister Network (open to women of colour within and beyond academia). Sign up to the Black British Academics newsletter HERE and select ‘Black Sister Network’ or alternatively subscribe to the Lifestyle Challenge newsfeed HERE
