4.5 kg and 16 cm

I'm not yet a big loser, only managed to lose 4.5 kg and 16cm so far. That's my achievement after 7 weeks into the program. I consider myself quite a disciplined woman these days; I am watching what I eat, I work out at least 3 times a week, I take the stairs, I park really far away from the office lobby (usually it's due to parking spot unavailability... hehe), I avoid fast food and carbonated drinks (though I still have my usual dosage of coffee), I make sure I get 6 hours of sleep every night and I am now reducing my carb intake (which is the hardest thing to do).

It's quite a huge achievement to lose those kg and cm. However, I still think that my biggest achievement so far was joining the gym and didn't gain weight since 2005. Once upon a time I was so frustrated and afraid that my weight will keep on increasing and I would have to buy bigger clothes every year. It took me years to find the answer and solution to that problem.

Nobody forced me to start working out. It just happened naturally. One evening, about 6 years ago I went for a walk with my ex-colleague at TTDI park. We brisk-walked for about 5 minutes, I was breathing hard. Then she started jogging. I tried to keep up with her but I found my legs refusing to listen to my commands. I couldn't even jog or walk faster, I was panting and not able to talk. That was when I realized how unfit I was and I had to do something really fast. That was the moment that I finally raised my flag, admitted that I was obese, unfit and unhealthy. After that I went brisk walking more often, played futsal and finally signed up with FF in June 2005.

I was already 31 when I signed up. It was really hard and demoralizing whenever I joined the group exercises. There were many younger and fitter people in those classes. They could run, jump and dance effortlessly. I thought I could never be like that. There was a BodyStep class that I attended with another ex-colleague. We gave up after the 2nd track. I never attempted that class again until January 2010. Well, these days it's a totally different story. I can complete the 60 minutes BodyStep without any complain or breathlessness. For me that's another big achievement.

Another motivation to keep me going to the gym regularly was knowing 2 makciks who patronized FF Wisma Consplant. One is a 60ish lady who runs her own business and comes to the gym every evening without fail. She does RPM, free weight and all the GX classes. You'd be surprise to see her in her workout pants and sports bra which reveals her mid section. She has a nicely defined abdomen, I tell you. Although her facial skin looks pretty sagged but her abdomen makes many look in envy.

The other makcik is an Indian lady who looked like in her mid 50s when I first met her. She worked nearby. I've written about her once, a few years ago (yeah, she's the makcik with the flying bra... hahaha). She's also at the gym every evening. I haven't seen her for awhile as I was pregnant last year and decided to go to IOI most of the times this year. It was a really nice surprise when I saw her a few weeks ago. She looked like as if she lost 10 years of her age. Seriously, she looked 40. Although I never got to know her real age, she must have managed to turn back the clock and look a lot younger these days.

These makciks are working out regularly. Not sure whether they're taking any supplement but they surely look healthy and happy. That's exactly what I want to be when I'm in my 60s, insyaallah. Working out, eating healthy and the other physical maintenance are not just meant for losing weight and looking good. They're a way of life and Alhamdulillah... I think I'm on the right track. So, let's sweat at least 3 times a week, people.