Losing weight

I normally write this post on a Wednesday morning, usually while the boy has a nap. However, I have decided to write this weeks update on Tuesday night; partly due to the boy currently dropping his morning nap and partly due the the fact that I am so excited about this weeks weigh in that I can’t wait to write it down.

This week I needed to lose 1lb to reach my 2 stone award. I am in fact proud to say that I lost 4lb! So I got my 2 Stone award and I have also reached my Club 10, that is to say I’ve lost 10% of my weight. All in all I’ve lost 2 Stone 3lb (31lb) so far.

So OK, I have to admit, I have no idea how I did so well this week. I went to a friends for a girly night in on Saturday with all the best intentions (bottle of Diet Coke, box of grapes etc) but she had done the most lovely spread of nibbles and picky bits and well whats a girl to do? Before I knew it I had a glass of wine in one hand, a mini duck spring roll in the other and am passing judgement on what colours suit/don’t suit Cat Deeley! It was a great night!

I think the weekends can be the worst time for slip ups like this, when even the very very best intentions can and do get thrown out the window. I think I was able to counteract Saturday night buy having an angelic Sunday (filled I might have with a fry up – well a grill up, all on plan – yum yum!) We’ve got another outing this Saturday. Our neighbours have invited us round for an “at home Wine Tasting Evening” (that is, a wine tasting run by a proper company – not just a bunch of us supping wine and going “mm yes, like this one, pass another bottle”). I don’t know about an angelic Sunday, I think I’m going to have to be Gabriel himself all week to counteract that one. Hmmm.

Anyway, to targets. As I explained last week we only ever set our own targets at Slimming World. I don’t actually know what my ideal weight would be. I don’t know and at the moment I don’t really care to think about it. Working out just how much I have to lose would do nothing, except possibly make me cry! So my targets are my own and bit by bit I’ll get there. I promised last week that I’d set myself a new target if I reached my original interim target of 2 Stone tonight. I have so I will. My next target is to lose another 1.5 stone, and it’d be nice, although not essential, to do this by Christmas. For those who knew me back then, that will make me roughly the same as when I was Bridesmaid for Rachel in 2005.

I was so happy with my result tonight. 2 Stone, Club 10, oh and I got Slimmer of the Week.

I’ve got so many stickers I’ve had to start putting them on the other side of my book. What a shame 😉

Well hello there!

How’s your week been? Mine’s been OK. Actually no its been good – there I just upgraded it! I’ve had a good week, despite preparing and interviewing for a job I didn’t get. I got so many lovely compliments from people who saw me dressed smartly and in make up (hahaha yes it is that rare) that you know what? It was totally worth the interview, regardless of the outcome. Take that world!

So onto the reason for the post. I weighed in yesterday and lost a respectable 2lb, taking my total weight loss to 1st 13lb (27lbs). I said last week that expecting to lose the 3lb needed to take me to 2 stone in one week was setting myself up for a fall and I was right. I’m so glad I managed my expectations and came away happy with the loss I achieved, rather than going in with unrealistically high expectations and coming way disappointed. There are few emotions worse than disappointment.

This week I didn’t attend my usual group. For various reasons, we went to the earlier group, with Oscar in tow, weighed in and came straight home. I have to say it sucked! I was desperate to weigh in (its so much easier to stay motivated when you know how you’re doing – managers the world over take note!!) and i’m really glad I did. But I have realised just how much I get out of my group meetings, the time I spend there and the people I’ve met. Obviously, its partly due to the time I get to spend out of the house without Oscar (sorry the boy!), but more than that I realised I wanted to share my week with others and in return hear how others are doing. I felt like I’d missed out and am actually pleased I didn’t get my 2 stone award outside of my normal group! However, I could easily have turned the situation into an excuse not to go. But I didn’t. I’m committed, it means something to me, so I found a way, and for that I am jolly proud of myself.

That’s something else I’ve been doing of late, giving myself credit for positive stuff I’ve done. Its not been easy (is that a British thing or just me?), but the more I practice it the better it feels. Yay me (hahaha there I go again).

So the plan for the next week? At Slimming World we only ever set our own targets, regardless of what they might be. My first target was to loose 2 stone. My next week will be focusing on achieving that. Then I’ll be setting myself another target. I think I know what that’s going to be, but I’ll let you know (once I’m done with this one;))

As promised here is my first Wednesday update. My plan is to do these every Wednesday, after my weigh in on Tuesday night, from now on.

So last night was not the celebration I had hoped for . I only had 0.5lb to lose to reach my stone and a half (21lb for those of you who don’t work in stones :-)) and I was sure I’d done enough to get there. As it turned out I had a maintain last night, my first week without a loss since I started, and it felt a bit weird to tell the truth.

I am choosing to take the positive out this and am focusing on the fact that I didn’t gain anything, which is good. But I am also in a reflective mood as to why I didn’t lose. As far as I can see, I didn’t do anything to sabotage my weight loss. I kept my diary and was honest with myself. It’s a bit of a mystery. I mentioned this to my consultant and she has given me a more detailed diary to keep for 7 days, which looks at not only what you eat, but how, when and why. Hopefully any negative behaviours should be glaringly obvious and I can work to change them.

But then, do you know what? It could just be one of those weeks. I’ve had them before, I’m sure I’ll have them again. You make good choices, but your body just doesn’t get the memo. You accept and you move on.

Or it could also be the sausages and cream tea catching up with me, but less said about that the better 😉

So as it stands, I remain on 1 stone 6.5lb and I am still aiming to get my 1.5 stone award next week.

PS

I don’t know if she reads this, but I’d also just like to say an amazing well done to my sister in law, who only 2 months after having her baby is back at Weight Watchers. Last night she reached her 5% (ie she’s lost 5% of her body weight). I couldn’t have done that so soon after having Oscar so I for one think she’s doing brilliantly. Well done girl!

Good morning!

I meant to do this earlier in the week, but made a pact with myself that I’d definitely get it out before the next weigh in. Which is tonight. Talk about cutting it fine!

Anyway I have decided to write these more regularly. I’m going to start by writing a quick update every Wednesday morning, after my weigh in on Tuesday night. I’ll see how that feels and whether it allows me to say enough. So watch out for Wednesday updates from now on (including tomorrow!)

So update from last week.

After the incident with the sausages (ooer!) I must have been super focused the rest of the week, as it turned out I lost 3.5lb. I got on the scales, looked down and my instant reaction was that what I was seeing was a maintain. I was so relieved that the figure wasn’t higher than the previous week, that it took about a minute to realise it was actually a loss! I was gob smacked and super super smiley I can tell you!

That leaves me 0.5lb away from my 1.5 stone award which I really want to get tonight. I have been pretty focused this week; like someone in group said last week – I have been “on it, like a car bonnet”! I haven’t been too challenged this week, which has made things easier and we’ve eaten tonnes of yummy things. I think my favourite this week was Fajitas. Made in the usual way with lots of chicken and peppers etc, but instead of the high syn wraps or sauces (which Ben had), I had mine with free rice flavoured with corridander. Very filling and very yum!

However, one thing I did do this week was to buy a 5 pack of Curly Wurly’s. They are only 6 Syns a pop and I have found it easy to fit them in. But the thing is, I don’t feel good about having one every day, just because I have the Syns to spare. Technically there is no harm in having one every day if that’s what you want to do, but I just haven’t enjoyed them as much as I thought I might. Plus after not eating chocolate for a couple of months, this week has seen my skin erupt again, so maybe I’m feeling uncomfortable about chocolate every day for a reason. it might work for some, I just don’t think it works for me. I’m going to knock this on the head now and not buy multi packs again.

Anyway weigh in tonight. Also looking forward to seeing my friend who has been busy on her days off writing essays. Yes she is Wonder Woman!

I’ll let you know how I do in the morning. Wish me luck!

 

PS: If anyone has any questions about this please feel free to ask. I’ve had a couple of people ask me things and I’m trying to be as open and helpful as possible. Ask away….

 

I wanted to write a quick post about something that’s important in my life at the moment as I feel its likely to come up often in my writing soon.

I have recently started attending a Slimming World group.

I know its not a big deal for some, but for others its a mammoth task, both to start the journey and to admit they’re doing so. A couple of people know I’m doing this, and I don’t have a problem with people finding out, I’ve just not offered the information out there. I am rather want to compartmentalise my life (such as not mixing groups of friends etc), so maybe that’s why. Or maybe it’s fear. I do remember thinking when I started,”I wont put it on FB til I’ve lost Xlb etc, that way if I fail I’m the only one who knows about it”. Wheres the joy in that? Am I ashamed? Am I really that sure I’ll fail? And if so am I ready for this journey? I’ve been going for three weeks and already I’m starting to see a difference. I’ve lost 1/2 stone, (7lbs) which in the grand scheme of how much I really have to lose is such a small amount, but I’m choosing to look at it as a positive achievement either way.

I’ve been to “diet” groups before and did pretty well on them. However, I have since gained all the weight I lost (over time). Consequences have enabled me to be lazy, or even to believe my excuses. Funnily enough while I was pregnant with Oscar I actually lost weight in my first two trimesters – my body went in to healthy overdrive and craved fruit and lost any interest in refined sugar. I couldn’t even watch Bake Off that year as it made me feel sick! So it seems I can do it. My body knows what it needs, so it would appear my weight gain has largely been caused by my head. And I think when it comes down to it, most seriously overweight/obese people would agree with me.

Which brings me back to why I have chosen not to tell people this is what I’m doing. The reasons are cerebral, not logical. I don’t do it because my emotional mind tells me it’s protecting me. Well yeah and the same mind told me that after I had Oscar I could eat what I wanted, cos I’d just had a baby and I deserved it. That kind of thinking helped me put on 2 stone in the year AFTER I had my baby. Who the hell puts on weight after a pregnancy?!

So any way I decided enough was enough. I couldn’t keep spinning these excuses and happily believing them. I had to do something about it. I have read lots of interviews with slimming mothers and they all seem to say they’re doing in for their children, but do you know, I’m not doing this for Oscar, I am really doing this for myself. For one thing, my group meets on a Tuesday night. Its a opportunity for me to get out of the house without him. Does that sound terrible? Meh – so what if you think it does. I take my motivation where I can find it and this is one massive motivator for me at the moment.

So am I going to tell people? I’ve always found being accountable is one of the best ways of staying motivated, so maybe I should. I’ve told total strangers, but can’t tell my best friends. Whats that all about?!

We’ll see…..