Hey Fitfam,
Your darling OCQ is here again ????
And I come bearing gist! Yes, gist again ? This time CSL team Banah will be are sharing their 21 Strong personal experiences .
CSL’s team Banah and CoachE’ has being strategizing on next levels for CSL for some time now and because CoachE’ is living the Fitfam life squarely she wants everyone on her team to not just work but be part of the process. So for first time we are on a weight loss program as a team with double accountability.
Sounds intriguing right?
We will be starting with our super efficient Admin Angel, Ewa . Let’s get right into it.
Good day CoachE’ blog fam. My name is Ewaoluwa and I want to share my journey so far on our ongoing 21 Strong program.
So when Coach E’ mentioned at the end of November that we’re to go on this journey, I was excited. Prior to this, I had lost 5kg on my own by intermittent fasting and taking long walks in October but in November, I really struggled with my weight loss and lost nothing. The accountability was just what I needed and I was up for it.
I started the journey because I really wanted to lose 5kg before Christmas?. So I put myself under pressure. I didn’t use the regular 21 Strong plan because I wanted to lose weight fast. I started very high with a detox. So the first 3 days were fruit fast and it was very HARD. I struggled so much. First day, I ate rice. The next 2 days went well until the night when I ended up eating meat or so.
Now I don’t think a fruit fast is bad or anything but my reason for doing it was PURELY to lose weight fast. And for someone like me who needs a very very strong reason to do something, that reason wasn’t good enough. I’ve done fruit fasts because uneventfully but this time I really struggled with it.
Anyway I moved on and continued my detox for 2 days.
I remember that I wanted to eat coconut in the first week and CoachE’ said I had to do 300 jumping jacks?. I challenged myself and did it. Then I saw that I can indeed do hard things. So I challenged myself to do more. By Friday, I had lost 1.7kg and it was so good, I was so happy and pleased. I started Autophagy on Friday and then broke on Saturday with small chops and cracker. The following Monday when we were to weigh again, my weight remained the same.
Then I noticed that it had started to get really hard for me to keep up. Oh I was still eating fine and doing our morning exercises but I didn’t do the extra exercises. I came to realise that I was doing something wrong and that my why wasn’t strong enough and that I needed to deepen my conviction.
Towards the end of our second week, coach challenged us read and review Joyce Meyer’s book ‘Good health, Good life’ over the weekend and review together this week.That just gave me perspective as I dropped the mentality of just trying to lose weight at all costs or because I wanted to be the biggest loser?? and to incorporate healthy eating and habits into my lifestyle.
Two things really stuck with me from reading the book, I needed God’s help and that I must treat my body as God’s temple. Bringing God into my journey gave me the higher reason I needed to do it. I came to understand that my body is the temple of God, and that it’s my responsibility to care for it and feed it with what is good for it. I even learnt that what I eat can either boost my metabolism or drag it. So I must treat food as sacred and ask if what I’m about to eat glorifies God. Also exercising is not just to lose weight, my body was made to move and be active, so incorporating exercises into my everyday routine is important. I’m so excited about this new perspective.
So far in this third week, I’ve managed to not overstuff my body, I’ve incorporated fruits and vegetables into my meals because I know it’s good for my body. I know now that my focus shouldn’t really be on the numbers but on living healthy. I’ve also noticed that this week, I haven’t really struggled so much with eating the right things.
Next we have Queen T our amiable ACQ . She’s a married mama with 2 wonderful kids . Let’s see how she did it
Initially I was excited about the whole thing because I’ve been indirectly and unconsciously losing weight by the many food choices I make since I joined CSL and see somethings Coach E does. Then the process started hmmn it was not that easy peasy, the challenge I had was working out, I had never done that before apart from prayer walk and all.
My legs cried, my whole body trembled? but I kept pushing and what really gave me the push was the fact that being the ginger and accountability queen I want to feel what our squaddies are feeling so when I’m bringing the ginger and accountability demands I’m bringing it with the experience.
Then the pressure sets in, I was really looking at the amount of weight I would shed like at the end of the program i would be like yipee??i lost so so kg, until I became bloated and the scale wasn’t smiling that weigh in day, the 2kg I lost showed back on the scale, I was sad really I was then I remembered when Coach said we (us the Team and squaddies also) need to drive down our convictions.
Thanks to Joyce Meyer book “Good health, Good life”, I know this wasn’t just a program or something I’m doing because of the squaddies alone, it’s for the long haul a lifestyle thing.
Mindset changed so I set some sustainable goals; New healthy habits are being formed, Mindful eating, conscious decision about what goes into my body, being fit etc. I’m also taking my family along on this journey, I’m not there yet, it’s a lifelong thing as i said earlier so taking baby steps knowing i’m solely responsible for the healthier me, with God’s help and not being hard on myself the weight will come off.
I now see weight loss as a bonus for me if I go on this healthy lifestyle, I believe if I do all the right things, eat well I mean balanced meals, more veggies and fruits, cut out sugar laden food especially processed and store bought food items, sleep well, workout and have a positive mindset to life, the scale will fall in line. I was able to lose the bloated weight with just the right mindset to the whole weight loss thing.
Another thing is the meal prep, planning my meals and snacks of the day very early in the day as a stay home mom also helps in managing infrequent cravings and hunger pangs easier. I know it’s not that easy meal prepping and all, sometimes you don’t feel like, but like I always tell myself what’s that easy in this life sef. Water also helps to curb hunger, I drink a lot and it get full most time that I don’t crave some things.
I also love the accountability the program/group brings, like you have people to hold you accountable in case you want to slip because sometimes we slip in our mind before we slip foodwise. It was so real that there’s full disclosure accountability, I mess up, I quickly come tell or I’m being asked sef so it was easy to go back up if you slip.
As we close for the year and enter holiday celebration mode, all I’m asking for is God’s help and strength to not slip too much or over indulge. I plan on making the healthier choices so visible and the unhealthier ones scarce so if there’s going to be any slip ups, not in my home but you know we can’t really control our choices at someone else house, scratch that we Can so if there are healthier choices at a family celebration during the hols I will go for it.
And finally we have meeeeee ? Queen O
Check it out
When CoachE’ mentioned in November ending that she wanted us to go on this journey, I was intrigued. Personally, as a nursing mom I had started applying some of the knowledge from CSL to my personal life such as workouts and intentional healthy meals. But my workouts were not consistent and I was eating late at night sometimes.
So I loved the new accountability plan and I also got my customized meal plan ??
My weight when we started was 60kg and I wanted to lose about 5kg before Christmas. And I particularly wanted to get rid of my ‘baby pouch’.
The first week was a challenging and different experience for me. Sticking to the meal plan and taking pictures of my meals was definitely a different experience for me but I managed.
By the second week I had influenced everybody in my home with the daily workouts so they willingly joined me and reminded me to do it in the evening in case we missed the morning ones.
By the 3rd week my tummy had adjusted seriously to portion control and I had comely eliminated late night eating. My waistline actually reduced by 2 inches and my arm by 0.5inches??????
My bust didn’t reduce probably because I’m actively breastfeeding. Hips too didn’t reduce but still we move!!!!! It’s not over yet.
I definitely feel lighter and fitter and that’s a big win for me.
Also CoachE’ blessed us by challenging us to read and review Joyce Meyer’s book: Good health, Good life. That book is such a blessing.
In conclusion, I’m so glad to be a part of this journey and I’m proud to say that at CSL we are not just coaching, we are part of the process.
So that’s it Fitfam, you heard it straight from the “horses’ mouth”. It is indeed a fantastic experience.
We all at CoachE’ Squad Limited are wishing you a prosperous, healthy and safe Holiday
Love and Strength
Queen O