Friday 14 October 2011

Weight Loss!!

Having sprained my ankle and therefore been very very lazy, been forced to rest and recuperate, I was not expecting a loss this week.  Combined with my sneaky peek, and my pizza munching I was not expecting much, perhaps even a gain.  I was presently surprised when I stepped on thescales and found I had lost a full 0.5lb.  I know its not much, and I know I could have done better, but I felt that this was a fair representation of my week.  No exercise, a little indulgence and a lot of boredom.  I treated myself on the way home to sausage and chips, as by this time it was 8 O'Clock, I was starving hungry, tired and felt I deserved it.

What my breakfast used to be like - 4 Points HaHaHa
Today I am back on it.  I had cereal for breakfast, and feeling that portions are an issue I decided to weigh it.  Wow! 30g of cereal is not a lot.  I have been cheerfully pouring a bowlful, writing 30g of cereal down, and feeling smug that my breakfast was only 4points.  Does anone else do this?  I think I am going to try weighing lots of things this week to see how much I am under- or over- pointing.  I was surprised by grated cheese yesterday.  A portion is 40g in the WW bible of food portioning, and in slices this does not look like much.  But I grated it onto the scales and, when grated, it starts to look like a lot.  So much I decided to only have half the amount. That is a trick I will try again!

Fridays are good days in my world.  This morning (in about 10 minutes, once I have posted this) I am going to Zumba.  My ankle is feeling much better and I have strapped it up.  I may have to modify the moves a bit if it does hurt, but I think I will be OK.

I wish my Zumba Class was like this one!
Then this afternoon I am waiting in for a man to come round! (No - not what you think)  We had a load of work done on our house last year, and two of the new doors need work doing.  He will be here in 'the afternoon.'  So I am waiting in.  And this evening is Beavers.  And today we are out walking.  I will have done a good amout of execise today!


Having only lost a small amount this week I have become hugely aware of how big a factor 'move more' is in the weight loss equation:

Eat Less + Move More = Smaller Bum

Move More is  huge part of this equation.  So this week as well as filling in my trusty small green tracker thing, I am going to start tracking my exercise.  I am going to try and move more every day, even if it is just for 10 minutes.  And I will write it all down, and see what happens on the scales next week.

Have a great week everyone. 

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Sneaky Peaks

Not my actual weight feet!
Having spent a lot of time on the weight watchers community boards recently, I have been reading all about Sneaky Peaks.  These are when you get on your scales in between your weekly weight watcher way ins, to see how you are getting on.  The general consensus is that these are BAD.  If you have lost you will thinks its OK to binge on everything in the house, and if you have put on you will be so fed up you will drive the the nearest McDonalds,  Pretend you are buying for a family of four, and shove it all in between the Drive Thru and your house.  OK, I thought, what a load of rubbish.  Just because Weight Watchers specify you should not weigh in between meetings does not mean this is a bad thing.  They are a money makng business after all, and while they are working for me right now, this does not mean I should follow every rule.  But, like the good little Weight Watcher I am, I did not get on those scales between Weigh-Ins.

In the car the other day I was talking to Husband about fishing, and about the weight of the British record Pike.  Apparently it weighed 46lbs.  So that is about the same weight as Daughter!  Well, you can't just say it is about the same weight, when we got home out came the scales and we weighed Daughter.  Yep, She weighs exactly the same as the record pike.  Then we weighed Son.  He weighs more, but not a lot more.  Then, foolishly, while the scales were out, I hopped on.  According to our scales I have not lost a drop since last week.  Not an ounce, not a gram, NOTHING!  'OK,' I said to myself, 'You should not weigh in during the week because your weight fluctuates, you are wearing different clothes, you have drunk a lot of coffee, it's water retention.' I tried to shrug it off.  I was not going to be one of these who lets the odd number fluctuation put them off the overall picture. 

Yesterday I ate a whole Pizza by myself!

This was a return to the dark days, the days when I ate to cover up how miserable I felt.  When I thought if i could fill every last inch of me with food, there would be no room for the bad feelings.  And I have had pizza since I was on weight watchers.  But that was normal, sensible, planned and pointed pizza.  Looking back in the cold light of morning, this seems so silly.  So I had not lost anything.  I look in the mirror and I can see changes, I feel more confident, only a tiny bit, but it is there.  My clothes are more comfortable, my bras fit better again.  But I let one little number knock me off track.  And I did not feel any better afterward.  I felt full, but no different.

So the rule is - no more Sneaky Peeks - Weight Watchers are right.  And while I know this diet is not forever, and I will need to learn to stand on my two feet, without the rules and regulations of Weight Watchers to use as a crutch, at the moment I need them to support me.

What do you think then - Is getting on the scales at random times OK, or should we throw the scales out the window altogether?

In other news my ankle is feeling much better.  I am going to give the Zumba on the Wii a go, on the basic level and see how it holds up.  I am booked into a zumba class tomorrow and Friday, so hoping I will be fine. I have a food plan in place to get me through to Weigh-In.  Heres hoping for those numbers to move!

Monday 10 October 2011

Enforced Idleness

Due to the large size of my right ankle, I have been forced to put my foot up this weekend, and this has made me re-evaluate my priorities. Since I left work in July I have been busy.  I spent the summer holidays with the kids, we went away in out caravan twice, we walked a lot, played games and had fun.  Then they went back to school and I set about rebuilding my friendships, and my non-working life.  I went out with friends, I had coffee, got free passes to the gym and went with my friends, I agreed to help at a toddler group, and I wanted to help at school.  Today, I  had a realisation.  I had always wanted to be 'a writer,' I studied creative writing as part of my degree, I always wrote stories, from when I was a child, and there was always a part of me that wanted this to be me - a writer. The second realisation was that this is a god-given opportunity for me to do just that, or at least find out if I have what it takes.

In order to do it, I need to spend more time writing, and less time being busy.  I have started this blog, started to lose weight, started to gain confidence and now is the time to keep making changes those positive changes in my life.  Obviously I can't just sit down and say 'Now I am a writer,'  but I started to do some research on what there is out there for people as freelance writers.  Tomorrow I am going to devote the morning to this, and the afternoon to helping in school.  I'll let you know how it goes.

On the weight loss / fitness front I managed to walk the dog today.  This is quite an achievement, but not what I had planned.  I wanted to do Zumba on the Wii!   I am inside my points for the week, and I have a healthy dinner planned. I have lost my first stone so feeling positive and not wanting to lose the momentum.  Basically all is good in that world.  Its starnge how quickly the new habits begin to supersede the old. 

I say basically, rather than completely, because I have one little admission to make.  I LOVE CREME EGGS.  The gooey yumminess, the sweet chocolatey bit, the sugary goodness all combine to make it a treat I can't turn down.  And they have just brought out a special hallowe'en version.  It is green instead of yellow but tastes exactly the same! I could not resist.  I counted it, and it was good. But they were on offer and its hard to resist a good bargain.  So the second one is sitting in the kitchen, calling to me. And I keep saying 'not yet...'

Saturday 8 October 2011

OUCH!


Not My Foot!
 Bouyed up by my success on Thursday, Friday started well. Went to Zumba again and I love it.  It is so much fun.  Apart from a few fits of the giggles when my friend and I couldn't get our arms and legs going in the same way, we did really well.  The main problem would be that I would be getting along OK and then I would glance at my friend and she would be doing something totally mad and I would lose all sense of what we were doing.  Then she would be doing really well and I would not be able to get my feet and arms going and she would look at me and off we would go again.  So silly, so much fun and I am sure all the laughing adds to the feel good factor of the exercise.

Friday night is Beavers night.  Me, another leader, a parent helper and 18 6-8 year old boys for an hour, in what is basically a glorified shed.  I love it and I was so happy, I skipped. Yes, I Skipped.  All huge wobbly mounds of me.  Then I turned my ankle over.  I did not go down, but I did go green from the pain, and lost the plot for a little while.

I did RICE last night and this morning it is still sore.  So no exercise for a little bit, my long walk plans ruined and going to have to concentrate on what I eat even more.  I did, however, stumble across this list of fantastic weight loss and healthy living blogs.  Many of them I had already found, but many more are new and exciting.  So that is my reading sorted out!

Have a good day everyone.

Friday 7 October 2011

Diet V Lifestyle Change

First for the news.  I had a 'Scale Victory' (I am assuming we can have scale victories if we can have non-scale victories).  I lost 1lb.  Yes One Teensy Tiny Pound.  But He went and joined all the other Teeny Tiny Pounds I had lost and ganged together and became ONE STONE! I like to think in stones as the numbers are smaller, and there are so many more milestones to enjoy.  My next mission is to get the number of stones down one.  This will take 5 more little pounds.  Easy Peasy when you know how.  :)

I also had a Non Scale Victory.  This is not so exciting, and is also a tiny, little thing but my Jeans are loose.  Not so loose I can throw all the 18s in the bin and shop for 16s, but comfortable loose.  They are hanging a little lower, the bottom is just a little saggy and I love it.  I can sit down without that awful strangled feeling round my belly.  I can grab any of my jeans and they will fit, I don't have to wash and wear the one larger pair I had.  I have CHOICE!

But all this success has gone a bit to my head.  I have a party coming up in 6 weeks, my Sister-In-Laws 40th birthday.  And in 7 weeks I have lost a stone.  So a little voice has started in my head.  'You've lost a stone in 7 weeks' It says 'I bet you could lose another stone in 6 weeks!'

'No' I tell it 'That smells like crash dieting.  We are not doing that this time.'

'But just think,'  It has a wheedling tone to its voice, 'You haven't seen some of these people since you started.  2 Stone off would be brilliant'

'No,' I say 'I am sticking to this and seeing what happens'

And so the argument inside my head continues.



Basically I have decided I will stick to the plan, try to do a little bit more exercise, and try not to worry too much about the numbers.  But I am going to have a look for some lovely healthy recipes which will keep me 'in budget' both with my points and with my money.  I might even put some of them on here, with photos and everything.

Who do you think will win?  Crash Diet Mentality, or Healthy Lifestyle?

Tuesday 4 October 2011

Weight Loss, The Stressful Way

This week I am trying out a new weight loss technique.  I am trying to STRESS the weight off.  On Friday Daughter had a riding lesson from 5 till 5.30.  She did not get on the horse until 5.20 so I had to phone hubby to come and watch while I zipped off to a local museum where I had 18 Beavers (small scouts, not dam-building mammals) waiting for me.  When I put my hand in my pocket I realised I had not paid for the lesson.

Saturday, I left Son at home while I popped to the stables to pay, and then nipped in to the shop for a couple of bits.  Notice the words 'pop' and 'nip.'  This was a quick trip out.  An hour later Daughter and I jumped in the car, errands finally completed and started the engine.  A hideous grinding sound came out from under the bonnet, and then nothing. It was dead.  Worrying about son (aged 8) being home alone for so long we abandoned the car in the car park and hurried home.  He was fine of course, still stuck in front of the Play Station, exactly as he had been when we left him.

I phoned my chosen breakdown rescuing people, and they agreed to phone me 10 minutes before arrival, as I had two children to deal with.  Daughter had a dance lesson to go to so we decided to cycle.  (This is where the weight loss comes in)  One of the other parents greets me with 'Is your car all sorted now?'  I was very confused as to how she knew it was broken, until she explained she had just seen my chosen breakdown van in the car park next to my car.  I rushed home and phoned them, they had arrived, but not phoned me. 

Finally I got the phone call and met the nice man at the car.  He got it started but I needed a new starter motor so on Monday morning off I went to the garage to drop the car off.  2pm and I picked it back up again.  My wallet was considerably lighter but I had my car back.  Yippeee.

Tuesday morning I went out to do the school run.  The car won't start.  Rushing to get to school on time we hopped on our bikes and pedalled like fury.  Both children deliverd to school, out of breath, but on time. The car is back in the garage and my credit card is cowering in a corner.

So with all this enforced exercise, and the additional stress of funding repairs, and all the rushing around involved will I have lost weight this week?  Only time will tell.

Friday 30 September 2011

Addicted to Shiny Stickers...

Another Thursday has been and gone and it was my weigh-in day.  I was so desperate to lose 0.5lb to get a shiny sticker.  A little round white sticker that said 5% on it.  You also get a book, but I am not bothered by a book, Shiny stickers are where it's at.  I tried so hard to lose my teeny tiny half a pound, and I lost 3!

Yep, you heard it, 3lb off!  That means since 18th August when I began this crazy journey I have lost 13lb.  Which means if I am REALLY good this week and lose 1lb I will et another shiny sticker.  of course I am losing weight for myself, to regain my confidence and my self-worth BUT that shiny silver sticker is calling to me.  So this week I am going to be good again.

I started well with bananas and Zumba, and went down hill a bit with wine and chocolate, but I have a plan, and I will stick to it.

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Heading in the Right Direction

Suddenly, Summer is back.  I sweated my way through the morning, came home and got changed into SHORTS and a VEST top!  I went for a walk with the dog for 6km with no socks in my shoes and now my heels are covered in blisters and my shoes area  bit smelly.  But it is a step in the right direction.

I thought I would share a bit more about me.  I am 34, I have two children - Son (8), and Daughter (7).  I also have a Husband, and a Dog.  On here I plan to only refer to them as Son, Daughter and Husband, but Dog is called George, so may be referred to as George.  A few years ago I did Weight Watchers and lost 4 stone.  I had a little 50lb certificate, all sorts of shiny stickers and a pretty keyring!  I still had 2 stone to lose.  So, of course, I became a clerk at my meeting, stopped paying any attention to anything and had a long period where I maintained but did not lose anything.  Then I started a full time job, and I started to regain the weight.  The job got progressively more stressful, and eventually I spent the period from Feburary 2011 to July 2011 crying, drinking lots of alcohol, eating cheese and chocolate and generally finding life very difficult.  I stopped exercising, I stopped spending time with my kids and I stopped being happy.

In July 2011 I stopped work!  I had three weeks off with a stress related medical issue, and felt a bit normal.  When I went back I knew that stopping this job was right for me, and that finding something else that was low stress, so I could put my effort into my home life and relationships was the way forward.  So I left.  I am now at home, enjoying the stress reduction and looking into what jobs might be around that I actually fancy doing.  In the meantime I am baking, spending time with the children, trying to do a bit of writing, walking the dog and generally spending time and energy on myself.  This makes for a happier home life, and means my whole life has recovered some equilibrium.

Havign been in denial about my weight, I looked at some holiday snaps from July / August 2011 and was horrified.  Gone was the slim body I had worked so hard to get.  In its place was some kind of beached whale, monstrous wobbly thing.  I KNEW I had to do something about it.  A good friend goes to Weight Watchers, and with a new plan since I last tried it, it seemed like a good idea.  I rejoined on August 18th and so far I have lost 10lbs.  This is despite the fact I have had my daughter's birthday and my husband's birthday to deal with, as well as dealing with a huge lifestyle change. I realise it is a small loss in the time but this is for life, not just for weight loss!  I am going to weigh in on Thursday and am hoping to have lost at least 0.5lb as this will get me my 5%.  This is a shiny sticker that goes in my card and shows me that I have done a GOOD THING!

I always was a sucker for a shiny sticker.

Saturday 24 September 2011

Its a new day!

Yesterday was a new day, and it went really well!

1.  I went to ZUMBA.  What a laugh.  I am really un-coordiated, and mostly unable to tell my left from my right in a hurry, so I was rubbish at this.  But I had a great time, let other people laugh at the fact I could not coordinate my arms with my legs, and came home glowing, and feeling very smug about the start of my week.(Yes I know yesterday was Friday! I weigh in on a Thursday night so Friday is the start of MY week.) 

2.  My friend and I went to the Weight Watchers Get Gorgeous Lounge.  What a fantastic idea!  We had Weight Watchers Tagine, Weight Watchers Mousse,  a mini manicure and a massage.  The Tagine and Mousse were both delicious, but I am unlikely to buy the Tagine.  It is too expensive, and I could make it at home, so for me it is not really worth it.  But anyone who is looking for a quick convenient meal, go for it.

3. Then as we were walking back to the car we were invited to have a free makeover.  I don't really wear all that much make-up, but my friend does, so she had her make-up done professionally.  She has been going through a tough patch (not for me to share really) but it was fantastic to see a smile on her face, and the make-up lady made her look GORGEOUS.  On the way home she texted her boyfriend to demand a meal out - and she definitely looked the part!

4. I went to Beavers (for those not in the know these are mini scouts age 6-8) and talked about Healthy Eating.  And for the first time I did not feel like a hypocrite.  We often discuss the need for exercise, and a balanced diet and today I have both exercised and eaten a balanced diet.  Yay!

5.  My Daughter had her frst riding lesson.  She loved it, and to see her going round and round, making the person holding her lead rein run in circles was great, as was her smile when she finished it.

6.  My husband is going out for a curry tonight, so last night I told him I had food envy.  When I got in from all the fun he had cooked me a delicious, low fat, made up curry.

Recipe (for two)
Ingredients
250g chicken breast
1 tin chopped tomatoes
150g 0% Fat Greek Yogurt
One Chilli, deseeded and chopped
2 tablespoons curry powder
One Onion
150g long grain rice
Saffron

Method

Chop chicken and onion, fry in a little oil in a sacuepan or other deep, lidded cooking pot (he used the wok!) until browned all over. Add other ingredients, cover and simmer. Meanwhile, boil some rice with a pinch of saffron following the intructions on the rice packet.  Remove the lid after about 10 mins to allow the sauce to reduce and thicken.  Once it is to your liking ( I like a really thick gooey sauce but I know some like theres a little runnier.  This is personal taste when you are eating a made up curry, so as long as the chicken is cooked through it is not a huge issue.  Drain the rice and pour over a kettle of boiled water to wash any starch away.  Serve on a plate.  Eat with a knife and fork.

Oh and I found this website. http://www.43things.com/   I am not sure if this counts as an excellent thing but basically it is a goal setting website.  So you set yourself a load of goals which could be a short term goal (lose a lb, get a hair cut, eat a biscuit) or long term goals (find a career/job, write a novel, eat a packet of biscuits), they can be sensible or silly or just plain wierd, and then you report back on how you did.  You can fill in a treport on how you managed to complete your goal, and comment on other peoples goals.  Going to have a think about this and maybe try using it.

So 6 (maybe 7!) excellent things happened yesterday. And today is another new day.  Another friend is coming to visit, husband is away on a stag weekend (hence the curry) and the only plans I have are Daughter's dance lessons.  Oh, I might make Son practice his karate.  Other than that it is wait and see what the day brings!

Thursday 22 September 2011

Why?

Soooo...This is my new Blog.  Exciting!  There is all this blank space to fill with my ramblings and thoughts.  I decided to start a Blog because I read so many fantastic, interesting blogs while hunting around the internet and I felt a bit left out! 

Why this blog then, and why now?  On holiday this summer I saw some photos of myself and realised I NEED to lose some weight! Whilst looking for a sensible diet that would not involve eating only a steamed lettuce leaf and half a banana, I read lots of weight loss blogs, and I thought that having this blog would make me more accountable for my weight loss.  I need to lose 78lb! At Least! 

I have deiced to Weight Watch, as this looks like a sensible, manageable diet to follow long term.  I was doing brilliantly, in 5 weeks I lost 10lb.  This is exactly what Weight Watchers say you should lose - 2lb a week!  Tonights weigh in I managed to stay exactly the same as last week.  This might be because I had two birthdays - my daughter and my husband - this week.  But is more likely to be because i did not religiously count those little points.  Basically I put more stuff in my mouth than I burnt off. And drank about 3 bottles of wine, and ate a load of chocolate... And now I feel royally miffed by the fact I did not lose.  In my head because I want to lose those pounds they should just fall off.  Staying the same is just not on the master plan!

Anyway, I have drawn a line, as recommended by my slightly over-happy leader (much more about her later I am sure) and tomorrow I am back on it!