Christmas

Slimming World Update Week 23

24/12/2013 by MrsSavageAngel Leave a Comment

So as promised in my previous post here is my update, a day early.

This past week has been incredibly challenging. I feel like I have been surrounded by images of festive indulgence for weeks now, but this week it has really started to get to me. I think it’s because all the groups we go too have broken up for Christmas, which really makes it feel like we’re on holiday. I have had to remind myself constantly that its not actually Christmas yet!

So OK this past week hasn’t always seen the wisest food choices, although I have tried to keep to planned meals. I know my will power has been tested to its absolute limits in the past few days, which is why I am so glad I hadn’t bought a tin of chocolate biscuits, like I normally do at Christmas. I’m pretty sure one of those bad boys would have been gone in one sitting on Sunday if I had!

For various reasons it worked out better for me to go to the weigh in on Monday, rather than my usual group on Tuesday. It was at a different venue (same consultant, different group) but I was desperate to get weighed right before Christmas. Partly to know how I’m doing, partly so I know exactly how I do over the Christmas week and partly so I could tell you, and my family when I visit them in Devon, exactly how much I have lost so far.

And that figure is exactly 4 Stone (56lb).

Yep this week I lost the 1lb I asked for and reached my 4 stone award. It feels like the best Christmas present I could have given myself. I’m so proud and seeing Ben’s face when I told him was priceless.

So what will the coming week bring? Well, I still intend to eat what I want to on Christmas Day. We went and bought small pieces of our favourite cheeses on Saturday from the very knowledgeable cheese counter at Secretts Farm Shop in Milford and I am really looking forward to savouring every mouthful. We have our one box of beautiful chocolates and our Baileys and bottle of Verve. I can’t wait!

But this Christmas will be different for me. I will not eat til I ache. I will not eat things I don’t really want or like, just because they’re there. And I will not eat food others want to give me if I do not want it myself. I’m just not prepared to deal with the kind of fall out a week of binging will bring.

But a day of small indulgences, well that I can cope with 😉 .

Before I go, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has read my blog and given me such amazing feedback over the past 6 months. I cannot explain how much it’s meant to me and my journey and I look to pay that positivity and kindness forward wherever I can. You are all so amazing. Thank you.

I hope you all have the Christmases you want and choose for yourselves. Mine will be spent with the family and friends I love wearing clothes that are already three sizes smaller than when I started this journey. I feel so very lucky and I can’t wait to see what I can achieve in 2014.

I look forward to updating you in the New Year, but for now I’ll say a massive

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Slimming World Update Week 22

18/12/2013 by MrsSavageAngel Leave a Comment

Morning!

You might remember, last Friday was Ben’s Christmas Party – the one I’d focused on and used as a timescale for my weight loss. I had a beautiful Monsoon dress to wear…….

And wear it I did….

…with complete pride! This isn’t the best photo I could have taken, but it took me longer to get ready that I thought it would (doesn’t it always!) and the cab was practically on the doorstep when this was taken.

I loved wearing it so much. I felt glam, confident and happy all night. We had such a blast and I have to say thank you to Matt and Ben at IQ for organising the whole thing. I also want to say a huge thank you to Jo for making me laugh til I cried on the waltzers! Particularly when I asked where she’d put her handbag to stop it whizzing away!!!! Hahahaha still makes me laugh now!

Despite my hair do (a hastily cobbled together french pleat!) not surviving the waltzers, the dress looked flawless all night. As evidenced by the drunken selfies I took when we got home!

It was also a great dress to dance in, the net underskirt making it extremely swishy – just right for a good boogie!

And I am guessing it was that dancing that was my saving grace this week. Considering the amounts of white wine I consumed on Friday and white toast I ate without really thinking (man did I feel rough) the next morning, I was happy with my decision to go for a maintain this week. I have to say I did even wonder if I might have a small gain. But at last nights weigh in I nearly fell off the scales when I saw I’d had a loss. And not just any loss. I had lost a whopping 5LB!!!!! and won Slimmer of the Week. That takes me to a total of 3 Stone 13lb (55lb). It also takes me into the next stone bracket, which was my original goal for the weeks leading up to Christmas. Despite changing my goal last week, it seems my body just didn’t get the memo!!

I couldn’t have been more thrilled or more baffled. But I am so very very close to 4 Stone now. It would be so nice to get that by next week, my last weigh in before Christmas. That would be half a stone more than my original Christmas target

So that’s my plan for the next week. 1lb loss please.

I have another festive gathering this Friday, but I don’t intend to go as mad as I did last week (ooo my head hurts just thinking about it) partly because I’ll have Oscar with me and partly because I couldn’t face a hang over with him in the house. I wont have the super duper Emma looking after him like she did last week. Thank you again petal!

Hope you have fun, festive time in this week before Christmas – I haven’t wrapped a single present yet. I plan to do them in front of the Strictly final on Saturday – eeek so exciting!!!

Big loves

xxxxx

Slimming World Update Week 21

11/12/2013 by MrsSavageAngel Leave a Comment

Hey howdy hey (can you tell we’ve been watching Toy Story? A Lot?)

So this past week heralded the beginning of the festive party season for me. Last Saturday was our NCT Ladies Christmas get together. We went to a lovely local restaurant that specialises in steak – perfect for me as steak is free on SW. I planned well in advance, deciding to chose a la carte as opposed to going for the three course Christmas menu, so all in all the food was OK (came with a sauce I didn’t ask for, but I scraped that off). What I found much harder to control was the wine, particularly when we went from glasses to botttles on the table, as you do. I couldn’t even work out how much was being put in my glass, as the glasses were enormous. Even a couple of inches in one of these bad boys was probably a large! In the end I decided, as I’d been careful with my food choices, I wouldn’t worry too much about the wine.

El vino did flow 😉

So although I had a spanking night out, I had little hope for this weeks weigh in. As it turned out I lost 0.5lb! I couldn’t have been happier and more relieved! That takes me to a total loss of 3 Stone 8lb. Which (I have just realised) is also a total of 50lb. 50lb!!! When you put it like that it suddenly sounds like so much more! Wow – sorry just had a moment there. 50lb! Thats like…. well….. loads!

Anyway!

So the next couple of weeks will pose more challenges. This week alone Oscar has three Christmas Parties! First one was yesterday and I steadfastly avoided the cakes, making SW free egg & bacon muffins (of which I only got one as they were snaffled up – see healthy food rocks!) instead. We also have Ben’s Christmas do on Friday. Again I’m not so bothered by the food there, but I have a feeling the wine may prove free flowing 😉 !

So with all this in mind I have decided that last weeks target of losing 4.5lb before Christmas was unrealistic. I think now, in order to enjoy myself and not feel under any pressure, I am actually happy to maintain, until Christmas Eve (my last weigh in before Christmas).

Hope you all have wonderful weeks and as promised to sooooo many people who keep asking, next week’s post will feature pictures of me in my new dress!

Party on!!!

Lovely night out with lovely ladies. And wine.

Slimming World Update – Week 19

27/11/2013 by MrsSavageAngel Leave a Comment

Morning my lovelies!

Lets not beat about the bush here – last night’s weigh in was fantastic and for so many reasons.

I have been really focussed this week. I explained why I wanted to lose at least 2lb this week and I’ve kept that firmly in my sights all week. Saturday’s trip really helped me to focus, particularly as the dress is now on the back of my wardrobe door. So I can’t tell you how stoked I was to find out I’d lost 4lb this week! That takes me to 3 Stone 5lb (47lb) in total, only 2lb away from my next interim target. Brillo pads!

Technically, I now have two weeks in which to lose the 2lb to take me to my interim target of 3.5 Stone. However when Zoe asked when I felt I could do that by, I rather rashly said by next week! What AM I doing to myself? My nerves wont take it 😉 .

Anyway, group was awesome of other reasons this week. Several people who have been struggling over the past few weeks had fab weight losses – and I’m so pleased for them. Small changes in their habits produced amazing results all in a week, so well done ladies!

We also talked about Christmas. I know it’s only November, but when you’re on a journey like mine, then planning is absolutely the key. Zoe asked what people intended to do over Christmas and whether they were prepared for the fall out that this might bring in the New Year. I decided a long time ago that Christmas Day would be off limits, but as the time gets nearer I have arranged things to be enjoyable but not crazy, because to be honest I’m not sure I could take the fall out – mentally or physically. We are going out for Christmas dinner this year, just Ben, Oscar and me. It wont be low fat but it will be a sensible portion, and more importantly there will be no leftovers! We have decided to get some small pieces of our favourite cheeses for tea and one box of really nice chocolates, instead of a tin full to the brim of chocs I will eat whether I like them or not. Again there will be no leftovers.

Other than that, I plan to cook a ham (syn free and Oscars favourite) for Boxing Day and make loads of salads and crustless quiches. I’ll happily syn my favourite Le Mesurier piccalilli. Don’t get me wrong – there are some things I refuse to forgo – like Baileys in my coffee – it just wouldn’t be Christmas without it. But I couldn’t bare to have to go back to shopping on plus size websites, just because of food choices I’d made over Christmas. Last night’s discussion was already one I’d had with myself, but it was great to hear other people’s view points and get some validation of my own thoughts.

Oh yes I also got Slimmer of the Week AND Slimmer of the Month for November.

Suuuuuweet!

So the plan for the coming week is to lose 2lb and get my 3.5 Stone award. Simples :s Eeek!

Have a great week!

Couldn't have put it better myself! — Couldn’t have put it better myself!

Christmas? Already!

14/10/2013 by MrsSavageAngel Leave a Comment

A couple of weeks ago, I started to write a great big ranty post about the long commercial run up to Christmas, having seen mince pies in the shops in September. I wrote so much, then lost my thread. I couldn’t work out what to say next. I was stumped and I had no idea why. Then, last week, I realised what my problem was. I couldn’t get indignant about the run up to Christmas because, actually, I love it! I love everything about the festive season, including the insanely long retail run up. I am one of those people. Sorry.

Last Sunday we went to a local garden centre (I know! I live the dream!). We walked through the store towards the onion sets, when I saw the Christmas decorations were out. I swear I may have even squealed, as I ran away from Ben and Oscar towards the glitter, shouting “I’ll see you later” without even turning my head. I had no plans to buy anything, just to look was enough for me. In October. I could not have been happier.

So anyway, since then, I’ve been wondering just why do I love the Christmas season so much? I say season as it’s not just the one day that gets me, but the planning (I love a good list as Ben will tell you) and the preparations. For me, I think it’s partly the aesthetics of the season (everything is just so much more beautiful at Christmas) and partly the the traditions. I love the the familiarity of old traditions, but I also love the excitement of creating new ones.

Ben and I were a family of two, for nearly 14 years and in that time we developed a couple of our own Christmas traditions. For example:

Decorating the tree before 12th December – kind of one I borrowed from my mum, but the tree must always be up in time for my birthday on 12th December. Decorating it usually involves me getting giddy with excitement and an argument about the lights. One thing it does not involve is tinsel. Despite my yearly protestations, Ben refuses to have tinsel on the tree – he thinks it looks tacky. And I married this man?

Starbucks list writing – we always used go to Starbucks to write the Christmas present list in about mid November. You cant beat a notebook, a cosy corner and a large Toffee Nut Latte to fill you with generous spirit.

Christmas chutney – making and giving chutney started one year when we were super broke, but still wanted to give presents to family and friends. It went down so well I’ve done it almost every Christmas ever since. I try and do a different recipe each year and October finds me looking through my Preserves and Pickles book. Chutney is culinary alchemy!

!cid__9FBE3D2837FA9D48850F8F60D8FD43C9@iqcloud — Chutney Choosing

Buying a new decoration – when we started out we had no Christmas decorations and very little money. We bought some cheap basics and a couple of really nice decorations, with the understanding we’d add to our collection as the years went by. Thankfully the red and silver cheap basics have now gone, but the mismatch of colours and styles grows every year and I love it. We often try to buy the decoration(s) from somewhere we’ve been that year. I’ve got a Welsh dragon from Swansea, a wooden Christmas Tree from Paris, a silver Alamo from, well, the Alamo (San Antonio, TX) and a patriotic state of Texas wearing a Santa hat from Dallas!

1338_53278405615_330_n — And you thought I was joking?

These are Savage Family traditions pre-Oscar or BtB (Before the Boy), but the question is how will things change now we have him, particularly as he becomes old enough to understand what the hell is going on? I’m so excited to create new traditions with him and for him. So for example I plan to buy him a Christmas Tree decoration every year, so when he leaves home he has a box of decs ready and waiting. When he’s old enough we’ll let him choose it (however awful it may be – kids have weird taste!), it will go on the tree that year and then be added to his collection. But what else will we do? I’d love to do something that has a particular smell. Scent can evoke such a hugely powerful memory and I’d love him to be able to smell something as an adult and be reminded of awesome family Christmases with us.

Then I guess we have to address our Christmas Mythology? Will we call the big man, Santa or Father Christmas? Will we leave Sherry & Mince pies or Whiskey & Flapjack (the best way to my husbands heart by a mile!)? Will I tell my child that if he gets out of bed and sees Father Christmas that he will take all the presents away, like I was told, to keep me in my room? Do we tell him anything at all? I think Ben would be quite happy to debunk the myth fairly early on. But I want to create just a little magic in Oscar’s life while he still believes. My most precious Christmas memory from my childhood was standing at the top of the stairs aged 5, with my mum and my brother, while my dad went downstairs to “see if Father Christmas had been”. He pretended to have walked in on The Big FC and I heard them have a conversation. I was beside myself at the top of the stairs, partly because my dad was talking to Santa and partly because I was scared Santa would take the presents away, having been ‘seen’. It was pure magic.

So yeah, yeah I’m getting carried away and I’d love to be this perfect mummy who creates the most memorable Christmases ever. But chances are Oscar’ll have a blast whatever I do. What kid being given new stuff and sugar doesn’t? I’m definitely excited about “doing” Christmas with the boy though, teaching him the familiar and developing the new, as the years go by.

One day, I just hope he’ll turn to his other half and say “because we never had tinsel when I was growing up, that’s why!”