So, I started off this blog warning you (and mostly myself) that I couldn't cook.
I guess I shouldn't be too surprised then that last week I got sick with food poisoning.
It wasn't so much what I ate (I think) rather than how I mixed my meals. Instead of dessert one night I decided to "be healthy" and made myself a yummy protein shake. But as I soon found out, after a heavy meal, the last thing you want is a drink that is heavy enough to be a meal replacement on its own!!
My heart was in the right place but my stomach definitely felt like it was in the wrong place. Yuck.
Last week, during the Ford brothers' weigh in, Coun. Doug Ford said it was getting harder to maintain the diet and fitness routine with each passing day.
Amen to that.
The key to both my success and my failure the last six weeks has been the support (or lack thereof) of my friends and family.
Everyone has been wonderful by telling me I look great but these same people are also the first to tell me that it's ok to cheat "just this once."
"It's my birthday, you have to have chocolate waffles with whipped cream and bananas," my best friend said over brunch.
"You just got over food poisoning, these homemade cookies will make you feel better," said my mom explaining the Tupperware full of goodies she was carrying.
"I'm only here for a week, what do you mean I can't have American-style pizza and hot dogs for dinner?" said my cousin who actually stayed with me for two weeks. Did I mention she's from Paris and looks like she belongs on a runway?
Ugh!!
Thank goodness for good ol' Michelle, my personal trainer and the best friend a girl can have in times of a Nutella crisis.
"Sandie!!! How many cookies are you going to excuse??!!" she said angrily after receiving my latest food journal. She then patiently reminded me how good I've been feeling and how much progress we had made in our six weeks together.
"Look at your cute little muscle!" she exclaimed, as she pointed to my arm.
Since starting this weight challenge six weeks ago I have lost nearly 7 pounds. Four in the first month and about three in the last two weeks. That's about 2 per cent body fat. I can do about a dozen girly push-ups without fainting and I can swing a kettlebell without bruising myself.
I have done all this by being extremely healthy with my eating choices, by going to the gym a few times a week and by counting on the people who have supported and encouraged me to continue with my fitness journey since day one.
Mayor Rob Ford has lost 20 pounds since announcing his Cut the Waist challenge three weeks ago. I say congratulations, I wish him luck and most of all, I wish him all the support he needs to meet his goal.
@SandieBenitah is on Twitter.
To read more of Sandie's fitness blog, click on the links below.
