Booty and Brains - 31 days since my lifestyle change

I've always had a problem with my weight fluctuating like crazy, I could fit into a small shirt for 6-8 months and in about 3-4 months time have the need to raid my brother or father's closets for XXL shirts, all while eating the same food and doing the same things. It's been a problem, to say the least.

These pictures were taken in the span of a little more than a year:

With my 25th birthday fast approaching, it feels like a coming of age of some sort, I've already lived through and survived my quarter life crisis (23-24) before I even reached a quarter of my supposed life and once again, weight gain was one of the results of my sulking.

On January 1, I decided to make real changes, real sustainable changes that might be slow but are definitely sure. Stretch marks are inevitable and frankly I don't care so much about that, but the only way to lessen that and to make sure that losses stick is to do it in a way that does not deprive myself of much, me being naturally and notoriously rebellious, in a few months I'd probably be like, you know what? F that, I'm sick of dieting, I'm gonna be like Ashley Graham, a plus-size model, if Q leaves me for it, well F him too.

My weight loss has never been for anybody else but myself, it's really for the self-loathing in the shower while staring at my belly and the clothes that once fit and then suddenly do not, and the cycle goes on and on and on...

Anyway here are some of the random things I've learnt in the 31 days since my lifestyle change (I refuse to call it dieting, see below:)

1. Diets are a fad

• I absolutely hate it when people tell me that I should go on a diet, diets are unhealthy and unsustainable - if you want instant stretch marks, a bad attitude (cause you're always so damn hungry) and to gain back all that weight once you relapse (because you will, you cannot honestly believe you can live your whole life eating a piece of toast and drinking green tea for breakfast, a piece of egg for lunch, a piece of cracker as snack and definitely not chicken breasts for dinner EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Kudos to you if you do but you are slowly (because I'm sure you no longer have any energy) and surely digging your own grave.

Eat well (do not cut out any food groups, don't let anyone tell you not to eat calories, carbs, protein, fats) everything simply has to be in moderation and for the sake of nourishing your body, exercise and enjoy life, damn it.

Give yourself a break now and then, and get back into it, it's a "LIFESTYLE NOT A DIET" - Whitney Simmons, youtuber

2. No one will understand why you're always running to the toilet

• I'm in the toilet at least 6 times during my shift which is not even that long from 10-6:30 PM. I drink a ton of water, water always has to be in my sight otherwise I forget, so I bring a water bottle with me everywhere I go.

Water helps you to sustain your workouts, dehydration is not a pretty feeling believe me. It also keeps your skin pretty, I rarely wear makeup to work anymore cause with the skin I've achieved in just 31 days of upping my water intake, girl...you better believe.

This act alone will help you drop off those pounds! I didn't start exercising until much later this month and the comments and compliments are overwhelming even when I don't see the results so much myself, but it feels so much better when others do cause then it's not just all in my head that my pants are getting looser and my belt is at its last notch.

3. I still eat fast food and chips

• My lifestyle prior to trying to eat clean most days and drinking what seems like the contents of a bathtub every single day and working out most days was filled with late night orders of Hardee's and Burger King, binge watching and eating and thoughts of....what the hell am I doing?

For me to know that I'm still in control and I'm still leading a life that I can sustain in the long run cause you cannot take away a UAE girl's salad chips, you just can't. I'd fight you for it believe me.

PMS cravings are strong, if the ovary wants hardee's she's getting it, but it's come to a point that I work out so much, and I drink so damn much that I now take hours to feel hunger or the urge to give in to my cravings because now that I'm working I usually have to wait to eat and then it becomes an "out of sight, out of mind thing" it was hard, but if I could do it just in 31 days, why shouldn't you?

4. There's always a cheaper, healthier and more natural version of that supplement you want to buy so bad to help you give your workouts a little more oomph

• Some days I have to drag myself to do anything, AKA everyday. With my training schedule with the dragon boat team until almost late at night and having to go home to Baniyas (1 hr from the city) my mornings are...least to say, awful. I can barely put in the workout I need for the muscles that are not being utilized in dragon boat training so I thought I'd go out and get myself a pre-workout....It turned out to be super expensive for someone who has other addictions besides wanting to get fit and health, and also super unhealthy in the long run...artificial caffeine, taurine, l-glutamine, etc. etc. is bad for your heart. There always other ways to do things. Make google your best friend, I'm going to explore the beetroot juice option once I get my payout hehe.

5. Once you've built a habit, you no longer have to wait for motivation to strike you

• As you might very well know, it takes 21 days to build a habit, so do that, take it one day at a time, think about what you're doing it for but most of all enjoy it. I know it's hard to enjoy a workout that beats your ass but remember there's NOT just one way of working out. It's all a trial and error, I had no idea I would fall in love with dragon boat paddling and my arms are now thankful for my googling abilities.

6. People will mock your effort

• It's so easy for people to say, enjoy your life! Eat whatever you want! Why do you put yourself through so much just to lose weight, once you're tired of all that you'll gain it all back. Or the very famous line "pag tinigal mo yan mas mabilis kang tataba" or worse! di ka naman napayat/di ka na papayat! kumain ka nalang!

Guess what, I do enjoy what I'm doing. Who are you to tell me what I do and do not like doing? Has it ever occured to you that maybe I'm not going to stop, maybe this is my life now and this is how I want to lead it from now on? If you can't support me then just leave me alone and once I reach my goal weight, just tell me I look good. hehehe

7. Don't mind the people who tell you what to do from their couches and mountains of back fat.

• Again, there will be people who will act like they know more about you, what you're doing and most especially about your journey. "You're eating rice?? pano ka papayat niyan?" How I'd love to say "may race kami mamaya, I need the extra carbs" but they'll never understand because they don't know the hardwork that needs to be put in for you to reach your goals even if they think it's ridiculous.

YOU DON'T KNOW ME, YOU DON'T MY LIFE'S STORY! (quoting the other woman)

8. No-Scale Victories

• Stop obsessing over the scale, everyone is built differently, those numbers do not equal to the stubborn fat you need to lose, you've got bone density, you've got body fat percentage, you've got muscles and so much more to consider than just hoping to go from 90 Kgs to 45 Kgs which is frankly...unrealistic. Look at your progress in other ways, look at your clothes, look at the mirror, use your measuring tape. There are so many ways to celebrate a victory than just a bunch of numbers, you might find out you lost 1 pound, but do you know what 1 pound of fat looks like?
  
  CHOOSY KA PA BA?

9. Set realistic goals

• Saying this year I'm gonna lose 50 kgs is gonna put unnecessary pressure on yourself, why not say "I wanna lose 4 kgs this month" put in the work, do the deed, build up the habit, there's no doubt you won't be able to do it, and once you do rejoice! and do it all over again, keep going the same way or challenge yourself to lose more and work harder - this is almost inevitable because the more you walk this path, the stronger you get and the workout you used to dread will then be just a warm up.

I believe that I've got this, and if I do then why the hell shouldn't you?

Good luck!

Love and light,

Sarah, the ____ :)