Day Log June 28, 2008 Up at 9:00am Stretches 10min Breakfast: one whole wheat toast (Texas size) with honey, fresh pineapple chunks Snack: 4 slices of orange Lunch: Rice with tomatoes, onions and vinegar/soy Snack: Medium mango Dinner: Bowl of rice, beans and corn 20 min Yoga before bed Bed at 11:00pm Three 75cl of filtered water (4.5 glasses of water) 1 full kettle of Green Echinacea tea (six cups) Fitness – Morning stretch, 3pm workout session with Sanjo for 1 hour, and yoga before bed Writing down what I ate in the past few days wasn’t a hard thing to do! But looking at the kinds of food I’ve ate does make the meals seem boring. Let me explain. I usually eat MORE than that and with MORE variety. But my gas stove ran out of gas and it costs 5,000N ($50) for a new tank of gas – I wasn’t willing to pay that much and I am leaving in 2 Mondays for Abuja and not returning to Birnin Kebbi until September 13. So not worth it! So I have been borrowing my intervenor’s single kerosene burner, which is a bitch to light up (eight candle wickets) and to reassemble. It’s a filthy job. And with my stove I was able to cook on three burners. Now I just have one. So I have not been able to cook as many dishes. In the past five days, I’ve cooked enough (rice, pasta, couscous, beans etc) to last me 3 days. I don’t want to cook on the kerosene burner as much. Also my intervenor has been busy with her university exams the past few days and this weekend so I’m short on foods I can feast on. So it’s kind of been DULL with the food. I’m out of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, some herbs so my dishes aren’t as flavorful as before. I’m finally out of beans and corn – I’m getting sick of it! So, I have one more bowl of rice left for lunch tomorrow and HOPE I get to go to the market by Monday and fill the fridge up on goodies! Workout was great. It’s a very small gym with stairmaster, tracker (whatever you call that thing), exercise bike, some other equipment. But the stairmaster needs NEPA on, so if its off, I cant use the stairmaster. I do weights, sit ups, leg lifts, boxing (medium sized punching bag) and so on. I alternate cardio and weight training on every other day. But my weight loss has been SO rapid. It isn’t encouraged because the SKIN IS HANGING off me. Not attractive. So if you want to lose weight, I suggest 5-10 pounds a month. I’ve lost 15-20 pounds a month since I started. It’s not conscious, but it’s the heat, working out, limited choice of foods and a LOT less processed foods! Lot less sugar, too! I am determined to make it a habit out of having a healthy lifestyle of eating and fitness and avoid gaining all the weight back! That would be a nightmare! I have to be mindful to eat more calories. “tactile love yourself, first&foremost.” ~coco | 
