I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve achieved over the past year. I’m the strongest version of my self & I love that! Despite being in kidney failure & on dialysis I’ve managed to improve my fitness, my strength & my emotion wellbeing. 🙏🏻💪🏼⁣

But over the last few weeks I’ve felt like I’ve reached a bit of a plateau with my weight loss journey. I’m not seeing much movement on the scales or with the tape measure. I’ve found the motivation to “track” food has decreased as it was a bit all too consuming. So instead I’ve been focusing on consuming nourishing foods with protein, leafy greens & healthy fats. I’ve also enjoyed foods which are less nourishing but incredibly satisfying! It’s all about balance. ⁣

In saying all of that I still have five additional kilos I would like to lose… And I know it’s not all about the kilos; but still I would like to lose them!! I also know that apparently the last five kilos is the hardest to lose. ⁣

So I’ve been thinking a lot about losing the last five kilos” & I think one of the reasons it’s the hardest is because of self sabotage! Because so often we don’t let ourselves be happy… But the thing is I am happy at the weight I am now. Heck I was happy at the weight I was when I was ten kilos heavier… Ultimately it’s not about the weight on the scales it’s about moving & feeling fabulous. I do however want to get to a certain weight so I can officially be a healthy BMI (even though I know BMI is bullshit)! So many contradictions 🙈🙈🙈 ⁣

Anyway I guess my point of this ramble is that I’m going to continue on my path the wellness. Taking the great privilege of life day by day! Being gentle with myself & allowing kindness to always be a the forefront of everything I do. Kindness to others & kindness to self! I used to exercise as a form of punishment to get skinny. Now exercise brings me happy-dancing-levels-of-joy & I do it to get strong! ⁣

What’s your relationship with exercise like? Emmy Xx P.S photo from my shoot with @zarc_clothing Thank you to Jac @jlsmakeup for the makeup & Rach @rachcreates for the photo! Xx #emmyisgettingfit

Just a little lighter…

Just the happy face of a girl who has officially lost 16 KILOGRAMS!! ⁣⁣

And whilst I’ve been saying all along it’s not about the weight… Hitting a milestone like 16KGS is definitely worth celebrating! ⁣⁣

I think it’s worth reminding myself & everyone reading this post that it has taken me over thirteen months to lose this weight. (No one week skinny teas here)…

I started over a year ago doing one swim a week & one yin yoga a week. I slowly built up my own confidence and fitness. Adding in more swimming & more yoga & then eventually boxing & HIIT classes. I’ve been seeing a GP & a dietitian. I track my calories. I manage my macros. I count my steps. I think mindfully about why food am about to eat. I meal plan. I mean prep. I eat a rainbow everyday! I work weekly with my amazing P.T Wendy from Phoenix Personal Development. And I’ve nearly completed the F45 Challenge (not sure now many dialysis patients with 5% kidney function have done that 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼). I’ve gone from not being able to walk up my front stairs to working out at least five times a week & sometimes up to eight! ⁣⁣

But I didn’t wake up 16 kilograms lighter after a juice detox or a quick fix calories restriction. I didn’t wake up one day and say I’m going to dead lift 30kg. It took time. And it is still a work in progress. The best part about all of this is when my alarm goes off I don’t go “ugh the gym”; I literally jump out of bed & smile because I am healthy enough to go to the gym! Working out & being healthy is a privilege & one I took for granted for many years. ⁣⁣

I’ve had many people asking me for the “secret”⁣⁣ of my weight loss. And I guess there are a few things I’ve learn along the way. ⁣⁣

The biggest thing I’ve learnt is consistency & to set small goals. There is no point waking up one day saying your going to go to the gym seven days a week if you have been in a year! It’s sort of setting yourself up for failure (in my opinion). Start small. Start with one gym session a week or one walk a week or one yoga class a week. Once you had achieved that goal you will feel empowered and inspired and you will naturally start adding in more sessions! ⁣⁣

⁣⁣You also need to find support around you. Be it friends, husbands, families, crèches etc… And everyone’s support system will be different so you will need to find what works for you. ⁣⁣

⁣⁣And finally for me it’s calorie / macro counting. Now I know this isn’t for everyone & I know intuitive eating is a really big things these days… BUT I was obese last year so I guess you could say I wasn’t really very intuitive with my eating 🙈 I enjoy calorie / macro counting because it allows me to make sure I am eating a balanced diet. I also have to watch my potassium, sodium & phosphate intake so recording helps keep all my blood levels stable. ⁣⁣

⁣⁣And finally go gently. This entire journey for me has been about listening to my body and going gently. Sometimes that means having a few days off & other times that means doing two sessions in one day. But I always go gently & treat my body with respect. I think that’s probably enough ramblings for one day 😆 Emmy Xx