2nd Weigh In and a Confession

So I have a confession or 2 to make.

Firstly, I’m not doing this all by myself. I am going to Rosemary Conley Classes on a Thursday night. They are really good because not only you get to weigh in (like Slimming World and Weightwatchers) but on top of that you get to do the exercise class instead of just sitting around talking and then going home. Even I survive (to date by varying degrees) the exercise classes. It’s a ½ hr cardio work out and then ¼ hr toning. Then if you are still standing or even alive, there is a Zumba class after. I am normally just hanging in there till the end of the toning. At the moment if I stayed for Zumba it probably would kill me off.

The one I go to is great, and its turned Thursday nights into my night. The group has lots of lovely ladies in it of all ages and sizes. I was welcomed into the group from my first night, and really enjoy going. I will even be going next Thursday which happens to be my birthday! The concept is quite simple, there is a calorie limit you have a day, starting low for first two weeks and then it goes up a little for another 2, and then you have a limit set for your size, age, weight etc.

Golden rule is everything you eat has to be 5% fat or less. So as long as for the 100g, 100ml the fat is 5 or lower you can have it, obviously keeping in check the calories side for the portion you are having. I have become obsessed by how much fat is in stuff. I was offered a glass of Baileys last weekend at my friends, the first thing that went through my head was “how much fat is in that?” 13% to be exact. I did turn the glass down.

I have been slimmer of the week the last two weeks, both certificates are up on the fridge door to remind me to keep going.

And I guess this brings me on to how much I lost this week. Well I did OK. 5lbs this week, and this is where confession number 2 comes in. I was a little bit gutted. Even though this means I have lost 1lb short of a stone in 2 weeks I was rather disappointed. I was really hoping for the whole stone loss at least, especially as I had done so much walking last weekend, and again have been so strict with myself over what I am eating with no cheating at all, (apart from a small tsp of low fat soft cheese and a bit of salmon when I was preparing my lunch for the following day one day (confession #3?)). I know is stupid that I was disappointed, because 5lbs is still a fab amount to lose. The first thing I thought was what can I change this week? I am also nervous because my daily allowance has gone up this week, so surely I will lose even less if I am eating more calories? I know its unhealthy to lose a lot of weight quickly, but it’s not as though I can’t afford to lose it at perhaps a quicker rate than a slimmer person at the moment.

Anyway I am happy that I lost 5lbs, I am proud that I have done that much already. So as long as I focus on that part then I should get my shrinking arse through the next week until I stand on those scales again on my birthday.

Weigh in Worries

Second weigh in is looming, two days to go. When I set out at the beginning of the year I was expecting or rather hoping to lose around the 4lb mark each week to start, so the 8lbs last week was amazing. The last time I lost that amount of weight in one go was when I gave birth to my son! The downside to this amount of weight loss is defiantly not physical, but mental. It has made me feel even more under pressure this week. How will I feel if I haven’t lost as much? Or even half as much? The thing is I know I can’t/won’t keep losing weight at that rate, also bigger people, I think; lose more weight quicker at the start than their slimmer counterparts. I also know it would be very unhealthy to keep losing it at that rate. So it is silly that I am getting worried about stepping on those scales, but it is still there niggling in the back of my head.

So I am trying to concentrate on being proud of what I have achieved so far and in such a short amount of time, not just the weight loss but the start of change in my head. Where in the past I would have said it’s too cold, too wet, too windy to go out for a walk, I just wrap up more and brace myself for the onslaught. Weekend just gone, instead of driving into town (about 1.6 miles away) I walked (I can’t say I will do that if its chucking it down). Little things like that do make the difference. I look forward to my lunch time walks during the week. I start getting twitchy around 12.30 and count down the last 30 minutes before I head out. Then it’s on with the coat, scarf and gloves and down Worthing seafront for ¼ hour and then back. Last night I even considered going for a ½ hour walk before I went to bed. Not sure that would have been a good idea. Is it good to exercise that close to sleeping? Will it help me sleep better/lose weight better or will it keep me awake longer? Answers on a postcard please. So in my head I am feeling more ‘active’ and the body so far is keeping up.

Anyway, I am about to head off for my lunch time walk, an hour late but I had been hoping the lashing rain and gale force winds (<<< only a small exaggeration) might have let up to a more gentle pace. Never mind it will be worth it, after all, I have lost 8lbs already and that’s 14½ packs of butter!!!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The decision to lose weight etc was toyed with before Christmas. As I was pretty sure I was going to do it, I kept a food diary for a couple of weeks. It wasn’t good reading, apart from the lots of homemade food in the evenings.

There are things I have always done and that won’t change, just a bit of adapting and portion size control.

I very very rarely do ready-made meals, to many additives, chemicals, crap in it, so every homemade evening meal was made with fresh meat and veggies. I made a promise to my son when I had him that no matter how broke I am I will always cook meals using fresh meat, veggies and fish.
I don’t use margarine or spreads either, have you seen the chemicals and rubbish that they put in on the ingredients list of those things? So butter for us.
I don’t fry, everything is grilled, baked, boiled, steamed or stir-fried (tiny oil). I hate things that look greasy, things like roast potatoes and stuffing that is cooked in oil is always put on kitchen roll before put on plates. There are 2 exceptions to this rule – fish and chips and KFC. Neither of which I would have very often, but they were guilty pleasures.
I have always had semi-skimmed milk (1% fat). Skimmed milk is just too watery.
I don’t really do sweet foods. If I get cravings it’s for savoury things. I’m not saying I never ate sweet things as you can see from below, but the majority of it was savoury, Crisps being my nemesis. I love crisps, they were the snack of choice. I had my last packet 2 weeks ago, and so far so good.
If I do eat something sweet it seems to start a sugar high/craving. Perhaps this is because I don’t have a lot of sugar in my diet generally, and my body goes “whooo hoooo sugar!!!!” who knows?
I drink a lot of water. I have two or 3 cups of tea at work, but the rest of the time its water.

Below is what a normal week for me would have been before doing what I am doing now.

Friday
Breakfast – cup of tea
Snack – packet of crisps
Lunch – Homemade Thai butternut squash and sweet potato soup – (has coconut milk in)
Snack – crisps in car on way home
Tea – homemade lamb jalfrazi with lots of rice
Snack – 2 slices of toast.

Exercise – none.

Saturday
Breakfast – Bacon (grilled) sarnie on brown seeded bread with brown sauce
Snack – Costa black forest Hot chocolate with cream
Lunch- nothing
Snack – chocolate bar
Tea – homemade Chilli con carnie with lots of rice with cheese grated on top followed by choccie éclair
Snack – packet of kettle crisps

Exercise – housework? Does that count?

Sunday
Breakfast – None due to lie in
Snack – Bacon (grilled) sarnie on brown seeded bread with brown sauce
Lunch – None due to late eating of bacon sarnie
Tea – homemade roast chicken with lots of roast potatoes, carrots, broccoli, peas, brussel sprouts, gravy
Snack – Brie with crackers and pickled onions.

Exercise – none

Monday
Breakfast – cup of tea at work
Lunch – homemade pasta bake reheated in microwave at work.
Snack – Crisps
Tea – Kedgeree (smoked cod, smoked haddock, boiled eggs, rice, peas with a squeeze lemon juice)
Snack – Slice of toast with brie & extra brie to snack on while toast is cooking

Exercise – none

Tuesday
Breakfast – cup of tea at work
Lunch – homemade pasta bake reheated in microwave at work.
Snack – crisps
Snack – crisps in car on way home
Tea – chicken fricassee (made with remains of roast chicken) – this is delicious, chicken in a white sauce with lemon in on a bed of rice and peas.
Snack – slice or 2 of brie

Exercise – none

Wednesday
Breakfast – Cup of tea
Snack – bacon baguette (courtesy of project manager)
Lunch – homemade pasta bake
Snack – packet of peanut m&ms
Tea – lamb chops with new potatoes, carrots, peas, brussel sprouts.

Exercise – none

Thursday
Breakfast – Cup of tea
Lunch – ready made prawn, cheese and rocket sarnies, crisps, and fresh orange juice (supermarket deal)
Snack – crisps
Snack – kitkat in car on way home
Tea – KFC (2 piece variety meal with medium diet coke after film at cinema.)

Exercise – walked round the supermarket, that counts right??

On Thursday when I blog about how much I have (hopefully) lost I will also post what I have eaten since last Thursday. Hopefully it will look a lot better than the above.

So from above I can see good, bad and ugly stuff.
Good being home cooked food with lots of veggies.
Bad being crisps, no breakfast, snacking.
Ugly being no exercise and that KFC.

My Year – The Beginning

This is my year. 2013 is all about me. I am going to do somethings for me. I’m going to be selfish. I have decided, by this time next year (when I am due to turn the big 40), I will be half the person I am now, I will have a job I want and love and you never know there might even be a man in my life.  

I have started making steps to achieve these things. I have eaten my last packet of crisps (cheese and onion just for the record), and I’ve updated my CV on job sites.

I have also decided that instead of working through my unpaid 1/2 hour lunch break (which I have been doing for the last 2 years), I will go for a 1/2 hour walk along the sea front. I have been back at work 3 days so far and have managed to do 2 walks. I think I need to invest in some trainers, walking that far (and I am hoping I will get further as time goes by) in steel toe caps is not the most comfy way to go. Now this might not seem like much exercise but its 2 and half hours a week more than I am doing now. So that has to be good right?!?

I’m not going to post my before weight because I have no idea what it is, I’m not going to put my inches because I’m too embarrassed,  I’m not going to put my size because again I am embarrassed. Silly I know, but being so uncomfy about anyone knowing is a sure sign I need to sort my shit out. Perhaps as time goes by I will start to feel more comfortable about it, perhaps I will this time next year reveal all. Not literally of course, I strip for no one!!

I’m going to continue this blog over the next 12 months, more as a cathartic thing for me than anything else. But if you choose to follow and read about my ups and downs and no doubt my many failings, then that will be fab. Perhaps if you are trying to do something similar let me know, we can encourage each other. I will deffo need support and encouragement, and probably more than a few metaphorical kicks up the bum.  

No doubt there will be some ramblings about completely random things, and many rantings about who knows what, and I will probably have a bitch or two about the boy or work.

So come with me on my journey to find me and you never know we might actually like each other by the end of it!