Time for my annual post :)

It's almost a whole year since I last posted. Having read my blog entry from August 2010, I realise I can update on 3 things that I wrote about last time.

1. Weight loss (oh no not yo-yo!)

2. Hajj (Finally managed to complete the 5th Pillar of Islam, May Allah accept it from all of us that have attended and for those who have not been may He (subhana wa ta'ala) make it easy for you, Ameen)

3. My job


Weighty issues
The last blog entry stated that I had reached 10st 13lbs (153lbs/69kg). I was planning to do something about it after Ramadan. Sadly I'm a great procrastinator and it didn't quite happen :(

So after a holiday in Spain back in April 2011, I decided that I am going to tackle it properly. So I kicked it off with the Dukan Diet and then adapted a little to suit my needs. I weighed 11st 9lbs (163lbs/74kg) or possibly more.

Still trying to eat mindfully and put into practice what I said last time about intuitive eating.

I have since the 25th of April a total of 13lbs (6kg approx) and it is still going down. Using the principles in the Dukan Diet and just generally eating healthily and consciously I have managed to lose the weight and maintain it. Actually the whole family is eating similar food to me.

Most diets work to lose the weight, but it comes back because what they don't teach is maintenance (or we don't want to follow it 'cos it seems hard to do). What we need to do is train ourselves to eat sensibly. The bad habits didn't happen overnight and getting out of them won't happen overnight.

Eat less, move more. Easy to say but not so easy to put in practice. How do you achieve a balanced diet when you are so unbalanced. A tightrope walker isn't born with the ability walk along a thin wire, they train themselves. Similarly we need to train ourselves before we can lead a balanced life. To be honest, I'm still learning how this works.

Calories in must be less then calories out. You can do this by counting calories and exercising and you will achieve your weight loss goals. Every diet makes you reduce the calories and of course all suggest some form of exercise. I've been watching the Biggest Loser series (US, UK and Australian versions). It is clear how this can work in an amazing way. They show you how to eat healthy and do all the proper exercise. There is even an attempt at mimicking real life situations on some episodes.

The time at the ranch is quite intensive and the contestants are monitored. They also have the added motivation of losing weight to win the contest and other prizes. This means that once they leave and enter into the real world it becomes far more difficult to maintain this. This is why many past winners have struggled to keep the weight down (see: 'Biggest Loser': Where are they now? The women on the list seem to have done far better then the men).



Similarly, when I reached my normal weight range with my diet that has been documented on this blog, I struggled to keep it down. As you can see in the pic here I have struggled to keep it down. I am steadily bringing it down at present and I hope it continues until I reach my target weight which is 9st 9lbs (135lbs/61kg).

I was hoping to reach the target by July 20th (my birthday) but I am off to Beijing (work related) and then on a short break with the family in the UK and then Ramadan comes along. My key aim is to lose weight steadily and if I can't, then to maintain it. This means that I need to eat healthier, make those good choices on most occasions.

I think in general if you do the following you will start losing weight

1. Eat lean protein - cut out the fat, eat fish even oily ones as they contain things like Omega-3, eat the leaner meat such as chicken and turkey (avoid the skin), eat lean cuts of meat

2. Eat vegetables - They are all good, don't be shy pile your plate high with fresh veg. The calories are low and the belly fill factor is high. Eat plenty of salad stuff too, that green stuff is good for you. Avoid fatty dressings. There are plenty of low fat options out there.

3. Fats - where possible avoid - There is a diffence between fats, some are good and some are bad. Plenty of info out there about what they are. Olive oil is good but when trying to lose weight minimise it's use. For example if you want fried egg, have it but put only a touch of oil in the pan and then using a kitchen towel (tissue) wipe away the excess. Tastes just as good. Or of course you can boil or poach them.

4. Refined sugar - where possible avoid - Refined sugar is a major problem for us. It's in everything. Many products have it as a first ingredient. Many low fat products increase the content of sugar when reducing fat to make it taste good. Replace with sweetener where needed and get your sugars from fruit and other natural products (the benefits from fruit far outweigh the negatives of sugar)

5. Drink water - Often we don't drink enough water and it is difficult to distinguish hunger from thirst sometimes. Around 1.5 litres is fine for the average person. Many say 8 glasses a day etc, I think this is dependant on the person and the activity they are doing. Remember we get water from food and other drinks as well. So no need to go crazy here. Drink before and during your meal. Helps reduce the amount you eat.

6. Exercise - I don't like going to the gym on my own. I prefer playing a sport. However we can all do more by going for a walk for 30 minutes in a day, just basically moving more. I know that fitting in an exercise regime can be difficult ('cos I'm lazy) and you just don't want to do it. But it is easy to go for a walk, get off a stop earlier on your journey. Avoid using the car for short journeys. Go take in the beautiful scenery of the country you live in with your family.

Can't remember any more steps. Hmmm, waffled on long enough. Still talking too much!

Hajj
Finally made my journey to Hajj. I went with my mum, my aunt (mum's sister) and my brother Nojmul. It was amazing to be one of 5 million or so people performing the same rites performed by Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail and Muhammad (alayhimus salaam). To be with so many muslims. There were testing times and my focus was on making sure I did everything correctly and looked after my mother, aunt and brother. My only hope is that Allah subhana wa ta'ala accepts it from us. I have discharged the obligation, acceptance is through the mercy of Allah.

My job

Recently took an MSP Practitioner course and exam and managed to pass it somehow. Alhamdulillah. Like all certifications like this, it is useful to have but not essential. I am already performing the role of a Programme Manager. Am I looking at greener pastures? Well the answer is I'm always looking at greener pastures, but the grass on this side is still good.

Finally, got burgled again at the end of April. The burglar broke in through the back kitchen window and made off with laptops, MP4 player, some mobile phones (used for work), gold and some cash. We think it was a neighbour that did it. It's not possible to get into our back without going through a neighbours house. It is the loss of the photo's, my wifes gold and the kids savings in a piggy bank (not actually a pig, my son had a Ben 10 one) that annoy me more then having to replace the window and the laptops. The sentimental things are of more importance and we have lost them forever.

This world is a temporal one and I hope that the burglar enjoys his short lived ill-gotten gains because life in the hereafter is eternal and determined by the choices we make in this world.