One month passed and took more than 7 kilos with it

Do you remember this post? This year I proposed myself to change some things in my life and I’ve started, of course, with the weight. What I was expecting happened and losing weight made me more positive and a little bit more joyful.

I celebrate the lost of 7 kilos – of which I am so proud to be able to let them leave. This is only the beginning, so I am conscious that changes need to happen each day. But, as a personal achievement, is a great one and I should congratulate myself for the effort I’ve put into for this. I will not lie, it was hard and it is still, but I have more ambition each day. Important is that I don’t give in the negative parts which are always there when you want to do something which is requesting a lot of work.

But what have I done? First I took it step by step, I’ve realized that each step counts and that pushing myself into sport will put me down too much. So walking around 4 kilometers/day + using stairs instead of elevator + 2-3 times a week using a medicinal bicycle compose my work and it is more than nothing, even if other people will judge and think less about me. I simply don’t care anymore.

Second and important – I quit drinking beer daily. Yes, I am lucky because it is winter, but I managed to leave out the alcohol. Not yet during gatherings outside – this will come by time. Now suddenly it takes less than 4 beers (0.33) to get drunk so soon the number will decrease. I used to think that I don’t want this, that I have only one life and I should enjoy it, but without the daily beer I feel so much better generally – there’s no second day hangover, there’s no headache or dizziness.

Third and most import – I quit on eating daily deep fried food. Living in the Netherlands this is translated into I’ve started cooking. I am not the kind of person that can eat each day salad so the only option was to carry food daily at work. If at the beginning I was thinking it will be more fun to write the recipes here, I’ve decided not to. I am not the best chef and I have no abilities in food photography, not to mention that I don’t have a strict recipe. Now I cook twice a week, 2-3 dishes at a time, and I realized I like cooking on Sunday morning – the town is silent, I put some music and I just don’t feel how the time passes – it’s already lunch time when everything is ready. Another good point is that you don’t need bread anymore, which is one of the best things to happen in a diet. I’ve replaced the bread with some rice, pasta, bulgur, coush-coush or other side dishes that go well with the meals I’m cooking. I never said I plan to keep a strict diet so I am still using a little bit of oil (1 spoon max for 4 portions) and I still use a lot of vegetables with meat. I enjoy food, it’s only the size of the meal that was reduced and the fact that there’s no sweet each day or in between snack. Another thing is related with the dinner: I like to eat soups and I’ve started to prepare old Romanian ones I’ve cooked last time more than 4 years ago. This is bringing a lot of good and tasty memories, but also a easy feeling when I go to sleep.

The hardest part is still going out. As we have at least one dinner/week outside, Saturdays suck entirely – because I weight myself after a “light” meal in town. I am not able to eat the Dutch salads, they have no taste, are incomparable with the ones sold in the Romanian restaurants. Another thing, yes, it is the fact that when you go out you also want to try some new things which are not always in line with your diet. But I will come to that point, when going out will not have such a big impact on my weight.

And now. These last few days were so emotional. In the evenings the TV was continuously on Romanian news. Maybe you’ve heard, or maybe not, but this week Romania was covered with peaceful protests, with beautiful people asking for their right, for children asking for their future. The new government decided to have a law in which the state employees can have misconduct in their job (even the deliberate one) and shouldn’t be prosecuted if the injury is less than 45.000 e. Imagine this! Romania – the country of all possibilities… Let’s be serious, who will accept this! Especially when you pay so much money as taxes and you see that the money are not invested: not in health, not in education, not in roads. It drives you crazy, it drove me crazy. The protests started with 20.000 people and yesterday the pick was achieved: 650.000 people around the country and some others protesting world-wide (we were 500 in Amsterdam). Imagine a protest with 300.000 people (it happened in Bucharest) without injuries, without violence. Yesterday the government canceled the law, but who trusts them anymore? We want a new government, we need new people, people which can be proud of being minister without stealing. We need people involved and trustworthy, not some puppets controlled by corruption. I am far, many times I thought of going back home, Romania is still my home, it’s the place I want to visit with joy, the place which will never be forgotten wherever I will be living. So this month, outside the 7 kilos, took with it the disbelief in my country, in my co-nationals. I am full of hope when I see them on the street, I am full of joy when I see that they awaken from the long ignorance which was laying down the entire population, while few of us were protesting in the previous years. In the last days I passed through so many states, anger, happiness, shock, sadness and all of my friends, you need to know, we are far, but with our mind and hearts so close to you!