Week 10

Ok, wasn’t sure whether to post or not but since my last weigh-in 10 days ago, I have lost 2.5lbs. This now means that there is another half a stone certificate on the front of the fridge and another shiny sticker on the front of my book. I wasn’t sure whether to post because some might think that I had a really crap Christmas. It could not be further from the truth. It was probably my best for years, in as much as I didn’t put on half a stone and fall into a massive low thereafter and as an added bonus, I remembered it all. I have also been swimming a little more which has probably helped. I have pushed the boat out and bought myself a new cossie this week. Although, to be honest, it is quite snug and makes me susceptible to the odd wedgie. No pain, no gain.

 Anyway, I think that achieving this weight loss over really difficult time is down to a couple of fundamental things.  Firstly, I was not hosting Christmas or Boxing Day. There were no leftovers in my fridge calling to me and no overnight guests. Secondly, I nominated myself driver on both days, actually I was nominated by my hubby. There was no way he was going to drive on either day. Anyway, this lead the way for controlled alcohol intake. I was careful with puddings and cheese but didn’t hold back on the mains. A stunning piece of beef cooked on the BBQ to compliment the Christmas day turkey and a boxing day which really did bring back all my childhood memories of cold meats, pickles and cheesy mash. So I had what I loved without the drunken stupor and I am the first to admit I never thought this would be an option. Having a good time at Christmas without lots of wine, really never seemed to fit into my vocabulary and if we had had this conversation last year, it would have been a very different story. Very, very different.

So moving on, I am so very, very lucky with all members of my family and particularly my chef of a brother in-law who let me completely violate his extraordinary modern music system with my choice of dance music. Ok, alcohol played a massive part in this takeover and clearly I waited for my moment as he hit the port. But really, what psychological damage can be laid at my door with the lion sleeps tonight (tight fit – my sisters choice), YMCA (the village people – which my sister and I thought it might be just the right dance for our synchronised swimming, upside down of course, fully waxed, in water), dance yourself dizzy (liquid gold) and the Benny Hill theme tune. I bring class to the party, my little chicka dees, pure class.

Did I also tell you that he, (my brother in law) is helping me do the LIDBA cycling challenge in June? He is a top bloke cycling enthusiast who doesn’t break a sweat after a million miles. Now, I haven't been on a bike for sometime and was relatively shocked by the size of the saddle on his bike. No room for nothing and certainly no room for bits or bobs if you know what I mean. They better do a significantly bigger one before I mount and ride or it will be a short sharp experience ending up with some kind of medical intervention thereafter. Anyway, after the New Year I shall be a work in progress and I bet that he is delighted that he offered his training services.

So, moving on to something a little different. I have to say that very few people really, really agitate me. But on Boxing Day morning down at the pool (yes, I know what you are thinking - how bloody righteous I was for going swimming on Boxing Day) I had a ‘small talk’ conversation with a lady in the changing rooms which I am really struggling to process. I know that this may lead the way to lots of differences of opinion so let me fill you in.

After swapping pleasantries, we moved on to what was in store on Boxing Day. I covered our family gathering angle and she launched into detailing the organised shoot she was going on at a friend’s estate. I probed further asking if it was a clay shoot and she said no that it was a live shoot. At this point I wasn’t really shocked as organised shoots on Boxing Day have been a tradition for sometime, indeed my Daddy (whom I love very much and who, now, would NOT EVER dream of killing an innocent animal) used to shoot regularly. It was only when I became an adult that I realised that Pigeon, duck and rabbit are not supposed to be crunchy. It is the added buckshot that makes them that way. Anyway, back to my conversation. I asked the lady what she was shooting and her reply was ‘anything that we find. Squirrels, rabbits maybe a fox or a deer, but with our luck it will probably be just be a pigeon.’ She then continued the conversation by saying this year is going to be great because the children will be able to enjoy the day and shoot as well and it will be great experience for them. Of course! Why didn’t I think, silly me. Great experience? I always thought that children would derive more pleasure from traditional family board game time rather than blowing apart an animal for the fun of it. Oh yes getting grumpy. Look, I understand organised shoots, I understand the culling of animals but I do not understand the cavalier, non responsible attitude of people killing our wildlife just because they can. That’s my piece said. I have chewed this conversation over for a couple of days now and think that I am nearly ready to confront this lady again in the only adult and responsible way I can think of....by sitting on her in the deep end of the pool. Sorry about the moan.

Well, I hope you are all having an amazing festive break and if you are looking to embark on a New Years Resolution of a diet plan then be kind to yourself. Don’t look for the quick fix, the VLCDs –Cambridge Diet or Lighter Life. They are just not a life solution. I know. They nearly destroyed me. My closest friends and family warned me away but I was so desperate and head strong that I didn’t listen but I guess you already knew how head strong I can be as I started this blog ten weeks ago talking about a Gastric Band.

My next weigh-in is on Tuesday 8^th January and blog shortly thereafter. Have an amazing New Year everyone.

So here we go then, ready to launch into 2013...Twenty two pounds of fat left behind in 2012, forty eight pounds and counting. Sx

Week 9

Oh yes, very pleased indeed my pretties....  2lbs of fat lost this week despite one night of red wine indulgence which I shall come to later.

I am still enjoying my little trips to the swimming pool and I am still having fun watching the aqua aerobic ladies on a Monday and Friday do their jumpy around thing.  One thing I have noticed, however, during this time is that there are pool staff testing the water PH levels at each of these sessions.  Maybe they believe that 16 ladies of a certain age bouncing around in the water for one hour increases the chances of a sneaky wee in the pool.

So away from the pool but still on the subject of bodily functions, it would appear that I am mainly responsible for providing a new form of entertainment at home for the girls.  Where Beano has been eating, shall we say, healthier leftovers, it has paved the way for his new party trick of ‘snarts’.  After every meal he has acquired the habit of having a sneezing fit and with that now comes the ability to fart at the same time.  Now, I know we shouldn’t laugh and it really is very childish but it is hugely entertaining.  There would have been a time when he would have been so embarrassed but now that his hearing is limited, he is completely unaware of his new talent and we are fairly confident that we can collapse into hysterics without hurting his feelings.

 Do you remember in last weeks blog how I told you how grown up I was by going out to dinner and only having a couple of glasses of wine?  Well you will be pleased to know that this week I am not being so self righteous as I spectacularly crashed and burned on Saturday night.

 We had some close friends and their siblings over for dinner and it all started so well.  Lasagne on the menu with all the garlic bread side bits and salad etc.   I even made myself a low fat Quorn lasagne with cottage cheese.  No, I know what you are thinking.  It actually tasted fine but I must admit it just looked a little bit weird.  Anyway, I steered clear of the garlic bread but decided to make an adult informed decision to have a couple of glasses of red wine. After all, I hadn’t had a glass since being out with the girlies at the beginning of the week.  The fire was lit and after dinner we all sat around in the Christmas ambiance with cheese board until 1 o’clock in the morning.  By this time, and several empty red wine bottles later, I was at the ‘love you’ stage and willing to adopt everybody else’s children. 

Is it just me or does this happen to other people; that if I get myself into a semi vulnerable state then at least one of my children will need me in the middle of the night? Sure enough, after only a couple of hours of sleep, I was rudely awakened by Jess having a nose bleed at 3am.  Somehow, I managed to get myself up, stem the blood flow, pacify and re-bed her while feeling like I was getting a major dose of the Kate Middleton’s.  As the whole situation was a little bit touch and go I decided to spend the rest of the night on the sofa complete with the nurofen and water just to be on the safe side.

Sometime mid morning, I eventually got off the sofa and did the most stupid thing I could ever have done.  I pulled out my bathroom scales and weighed myself just to survey the damage.  So as if I didn’t feel crap enough already, the sight of the scales showing a plus 3lbs immediately put me into a state of despair and very, very grumpy.  Why on earth can it take weeks to lose the weight only for one night of indulgence to put it all back on?  My blood sugar was on the floor and the kitchen (still a devastation zone from the night before) had leftovers and sweets strewn from one end to the other.  It took everything not to fill my face as the cravings hit.  I am still not sure how I managed it but I quickly weighed my cereal, topped it with a large banana, growled at the children and retreated to the sofa where I began to feel a little bit more human. 

As the morning went on, the girls started to bug me about going swimming and as much as every ounce of me wanted to remain cocooned in my own self pity, I agreed.  A short swim would get me out the house and might counteract some of the calories consumed from the night before.  So off to the public pool for, what I thought would be a quick swim.  Twenty minutes in and the lifeguards started removing the lane ropes and pumping up the huge inflatable.  We had inadvertently ended up in the middle of the family fun session.  Not a good place to be with a hangover.  To cut the story short, we ended up staying in the pool for another hour.  Prune like and exhausted I emerged from the pool looking like I had swum the channel with baggy bum and all.  And all I could think about were the 30 children and a handful of adults that I had shared the water with.  Surely at least one of them must have weed in the pool during that hour.  Obviously the Olympic swim session got me back on track and the reading on my scales was a false reading as I still lost my two pounds this week.  Another lesson learned.

So to finish my little chicka dees, my next weigh in is a week on Thursday and if you are around I shall drop you just a little line to let you know how things are going.  Have a brilliant festive break and I hope that the man in the red suits gives you all that is on your Christmas list and that you get to spend time with those special in your life. And for two very special sisters reunited in Canada, may you find comfort in your time together. Have a glass for me. xx

So here we go then my little festive bunnies....nineteen and a half a pound of fat gone and fifty and a half a pound and counting.  Sx

Week 8

So I apologise yet again for the slight delay in getting the weekly blog to you. I fear though my chicka dees that it may be landing more frequently on the Wednesday  morning as I write my blog ‘off the hoof’ when I return from weigh in and If anything time consuming lands in the way it gets delayed.  So, if it works for you, let’s aim for the Wednesday and anything earlier is a bonus.  xx

Anyway, I have a great excuse this week; I went out for a rather lovely Italian Christmas Dinner with the girlies last night.  It was such a nice evening and quite a revelation as out of a potential 14 Secret Santa Pressies, only one set of Candy Nipple Tassles and one box of Chocolate Willies emerged from Santa’s bag.  Unbelievable.  Luckily neither of them were for me so I didn’t have to have any kind of conversation with my girls when I got home or melt the chocolate down quickly to make Rice Krispie cakes without them seeing.

So, 1lb off this week.  To be honest, (and here we go again) I really did think it was going to be more.  I am not disheartened though, crikey just to be able to LOSE weight this time of year is a bonus.  Going out to dinner after a weigh in and slightly disappointed could have led to hair down and gay abandon as my crooked mind set used to say ‘you have a week to lose it’ but I didn’t binge at all.  In fact, I only had maybe two and a half small glasses of wine max, wise choices on the set menu and no pudding.  So, the lack of Ann Summers gifts and minimum alcohol consumption, (sigh) maybe I am growing up after all....but I am still NOT prepared to give up the helium.

How do I feel in myself?  Overall, I really do feel lighter and I am sure my tummy is shrinking.  I had a squidgey feel of it while I was in the pool, during a breather, watching the aqua aerobics ladies do their thing, (which is really quite humorous from an underwater perspective).  I am not sure but I think I may have felt a little muscle under the fat layers.  Also, my swimming costume is definitely baggier and not attractive, not that it was ever attractive I hasten to add but it now has a newly formed baggy bum which doesn’t help.

In general my clothes are also definitely looser.  Those naughty leggings are in the bin as they wouldn’t even make it out of the bedroom before rolling down.  The M & S ones are still going strong which surprises me slightly.  How could they still fit me 17and a half pounds ago and still fit me now?  Maybe they are magic, you know like the tights they used to sell in Debenham’s ‘one size fits all’.  I can tell you now that they were part of a very clever marketing campaign.  For heavens sake, one size may fit all but in what way?  If my sister and I bought the same pair of tights and put them on, hers would be under her armpits with gusset climbing her belly button and mine would be hipsters with the crotch between my knees.  Oh lord, we are back to that again.

Now, as I feel I know you so well, I want to have a little chat.  If you, like me, have been on the dieting roller coaster for a long time and always end up back at the same place or even heavier, then something about your approach and the way you engage your attitude to your weight loss has to change. I know. For years I was chasing ‘the diet solution’ by joining every club, reading up on all the new wonder diets and periodically embarking on stringent exercise regimes which clearly could not be sustained.  I was the typical overweight woman funding the £1billion diet industry.  As much as control and discipline are great qualities to have and are fundamental to achievement, I think it important not to put the bar too high.  This is crucially where my attitude to dieting and exercise has changed (that and reducing my alcohol consumption).  I used to be such a control freak.  I would stick to a regimented diet for so long but the moment I ate or drank something above the allocated allowance my whole mind set spiralled into guilt mode and made me feel that I had failed.  Once that had happened, it was sabotage city. I would wake up the next day even more determined to stick to the diet, slip and around I would go again which was just exhausting.  This, clearly, is why I ended up so overweight.  The same approach goes for me exercising.  Sometimes, now, I only swim for 20 minutes and sometimes I just swim and float around a bit.  There was a time when I was so controlled and focused on what I should be doing that if I didn’t have time to swim 50 lengths (for example) or complete a 5 mile walk (for example) then in my mind, the sense of achievement was compromised so I would give up or not go at all.  Now I realise that any extra walking or exercise is helping me move in the right direction and after years of failure due to an obsessive mind I am finally relaxing, following a simple eating plan and being comfortable in my journey.  I have to be, for goodness sake, I have a very long way to go. 

So moving on and pep talk over, here is another quick look at my bucket list which I am adapting and changing all the time to suit how I feel and I cannot believe there is one big tick in that first box already.

14lbs   Treatment at Old Thorns     Booked Girlie Spa Night away  in January	21lbs   Walk from Hayling Island to Emsworth (without oxygen)	25lbs   Reflexology	28lbs   TBA	31lbs   Synchronised Swimming with Sister.	34lbs   Western Horse riding in the new forest.	38lbs   London and the Theatre	42lbs   25 mile LIDBA Bike Ride (June 2013) raising money for www.harrisonsfund.com
50lbs   Afternoon Tea at Claridges..with the girlies (This seed was sown last night and all are cordially invited)	52lbs   Drop down the highest red slide at play zone Portsmouth (Note to self...new bra will be required)	54lbs   TBA	57lbs   TBA	60lbs   Flight on Warbird at Goodwood (Have wanted to do this forever!)	62lbs   TBA	65lbs     TBA	66lbs   TBA                 70lbs The Holiday

 

Just a quickie note...I popped down to see my lovely cousin recently and we got onto the subject of the diet and after discussing the ins and outs, it transpires that it almost mirrors the diet that she was recommended before she had her gall bladder out.  A low fat healthy eating plan as recommended by the medical profession.  As I said before, I used to believe after years of self programming, that carbs were the enemy.  I took a massive leap of faith really with Slimming world in accepting that a mixed low fat carb and protein diet is the way forward.  Oh don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy the creamy texture in food, particularly with curries or pasta dishes but I now use low fat quark instead of cream.  A low fat life saver.  You can normally find it hidden on the shelf next to the full fat cream cheese and it is pronounced like the noise of a posh duck.  Quark, quark.

No mad antics in our household this week from my girls mainly because they have had the most awful throat infections and have been barking like seal pups.  I have overlooked their untidiness for once and have even forgiven them for putting things back in the fridge in such an ad hoc manner which means that every time I open the fridge door, I am engaged in an involuntary game of Ker- Plunk. 

On a really positive note, and to end this rather long blog my chicka dees, I am so glad that I started this diet a few weeks ago and have a weight loss under my belt.  At this time of year I used to push the idea of dieting to the New Year and enjoy myself far too much over the festive season.  This invariably ended up with me being at least a half a stone heavier by the time I joined yet another club in January.  This year, as a first, I am aiming to be another 4lbs lighter at my first weigh-in of 2013. 

Thank you all for your wonderful comments and support. Please keep them coming. As much fun as I am having with sharing my life with you in blog world, every comment is propelling me forward and keeping me on track.  I know that I couldn’t do this journey without you.

Here we go then, buckle up...seventeen and one half a pound gone and fifty two and one half a pound and counting. Sx

 

Week 7

2lbs off, oh yes and another shiny sticker and certificate.  This time it wasn’t for a half stone milestone but for slimmer of the Month!

Well, it was with slight trepidation that I mounted the scales this evening as last Friday presented me with the very best of Birthday celebrations.  A fabulous lunch with seven wonderful girlie friends followed by a very grown up, dinner with my family.  Good food, Champagne and beautiful wine, and possibly the slightest of hangovers thereafter and I still managed to lose 2lbs.  It just goes to show that even with a day of over indulging that it is still possible to lose the weight.  Unfortunately, due to slightly over indulging, one member of our party did slightly over do it and had a touch of the Kate Middleton’s.  No they didn’t end up pregnant, you know what I mean.  Also, following my obsession to create a National Helium Day last week, it was only fitting that as responsible parents and grandparents we made full use of my four birthday helium balloons and showed the children how it was done.    

On a slightly more serious note though, the day after the day before I really struggled to keep to the diet.  My blood sugar was all over the place and come to think of it, so was my head.  Cravings like you will never believe.  For the first time in weeks I was back on the edge of a destructive blood sugar cycle again as my body was craving more of the same and I found that quite scary.  It took everything, including a grumpy mood and a very early night to get back in control. Ooh danger zone definitely.

Following the evening of celebrations, our bottle recycling box was looking much healthier again.  Our bi-monthly collection took place this morning and it may have been my imagination but I am sure boys had a spring in their step again believing that normal karma has returned to our household as, once again, the bottles out numbered the jars.

Bucket list update. Well always one to make the most of an opportunity.  As you know at reaching a loss of 14lbs, my bucket list reward to me was a treatment at old thorns county health club.  Well, clearly, as I am not a selfish person, I stretched this bucket reward slightly to incorporate Mums Birthday treat from last year.   So now I have booked a full spa night away with my Sister and Mum in January. Because we are worth it darlings.

On Monday I forgot to take my towel to the pool.  As the pool is part of the health club, they have lovely white, crisp towels that they can lend to members for such an occasion.  When I explained my plight to the young lady at reception, she very kindly offered me not only one, but two towels.  How generous I thought, one to wrap myself in and one for my hair.  That was until I opened them.  They were both the size of hand towels and most definitely not big enough to cover any part of my modesty at any angle.  Whilst I was struggling coming out of the shower another lady also commented on how small the towels were and how she was thankful that she had lost two stone at slimming world otherwise she would have been baring all.  I look forward to the day when I can make both sides meet.  A good measure for the weight loss.

Do you remember me talking about our clothes drier which is sitting in our back room which seconds up as a cross trainer?  Well, apparently, our maintenance department had to move it the other day and discovered that it is mysteriously missing an important bolt which means that we cannot use it safely for anything other than drying washing on for the time being.  A travesty.

With the weather getting so cold this week, I seem to be forever on at my girls about looking after their guinea pig.  Constant reminders of hay, water, food and cleaning out that I am fed up with my own voice.  The usual threats of it will be re-homed and there will be no other animals if they do not look after her etc were again falling on deaf ears, or so I thought, until Jess came back from her piano lesson.  She said that they were not ‘that’ bad at looking after the guinea pig compared to Suzanne, her piano teacher.  Slightly perplexed I asked her to explain further.  It transpired that Suzanne, was also fed up with asking her children to clean out their guinea pigs and in a mad rush one day set about it herself.  She lifted out the boxed bed where the guinea pigs like to hide and put it out in the run.  She then proceeded to scoop out all the loose soiled newspaper and hay.  Having finished the clearing out process she went to retrieve the guinea pigs from the run to put back in their hutch, only to discover that there was only one in there.  A frantic look around the garden led her back to the hutch.  Following the noise of a faint squeak she found the rather stressed missing guinea pig sitting in amongst the dirty newspapers in the wheelie bin.

Last week I indicated that it would be wonderful if at least one member of our family, other than me, could change a toilet roll once in a while instead of piling up the empty rolls like Jenga on the dispenser. Clearly I underestimated the ability of one member of our family who may not have shown an interest in the toilet rolls but has discovered how much fun it is to put more that one blue loo down the loo at any one time.  Our upstairs toilet bowl is so dark it now looks like the black hole of Calcutta. 

So my wonderful friends, can you believe it?  Sixteen and one half a pound of fat gone forever.  Fifty three and one half a pound and counting. Sx