Wednesday 30 April 2008

One small step...

So I went to the gym this morning a bit reluctantly if I'm honest. What I really wanted to do was go back to bed! And I got off to a rubbish start because I'd grabbed my gym bag on the way out for the school run, intending to go straight off to the gym, but once at school I realised I hadn't picked up any water, or my membership card. So I had to go back home, and then the dog wanted to go out, and needed feeding, and then I unloaded the dishwasher, and, and, and....it took me about half an hour before I actually dragged myself back out again!

On the way there I did a deal with myself. I'd put everything into 20 minutes on the treadmill and then come home. I had my fingers crossed behind my back though, because of course I couldn't just do that! But my little white lie to myself did the trick and got me in there.

My 20 minutes on the treadmill was my best yet, I must say. I walked briskly for 5 minutes to warm up, then I did the "run for 1 minute, walk for 3" thing till the end. Previous efforts have been a bit random, and lacking in structure and goals, so I haven't achieved much. Today I feel as though I achieved the first steps of a basic beginners running programme. So although I was knackered (really really knackered!), I felt very good too! I just need to build on on that now, maybe one day the run:walk ratio will be reversed!

40 minutes later, completing my stretches, I rolled onto my back, only to find the divine John Barrowman gazing out of the TV upon me. It was then that I realised that at some point during the workout I must have died and gone to heaven!

Monday 28 April 2008

Week 16

Weight: 19st 4.5lb.
Loss this week: 3lb.
Total lost: 49lb

Woohoooo, I reached my 3 1/2st award tonight! I wasn't expecting it actually. I'm a bit of a secret scale hopper and as of this morning I thought I had maintained and was feeling a tad despondent. So I was extra chuffed when I saw the scales tonight!

So apparently this averages out at 3.0625lbs a week, and has taken my BMI from 53.2 on 7th Jan to 45 today! Oh, and my 15st by Christmas date is currently at 13th October!! I have several other ways of looking at the stats if you're interested....no? Bit bored actually? OK then, I'll spare you ;-)

If I didn't have to go to work in half an hour I would write an interesting post, so the NHS shoulders the blame for the poor quality of this one. Luckily the NHS has broad shoulders and can take it.

Saturday 26 April 2008

Not for the Fainthearted!

Today I decided that I needed to urgently get on to the job of buying decent trainers, because mine really are not comfy at all when I try to run in them.

So I despatched Rebecca off to Ballet & Tap, and I headed off to Running Bear in Alderley Edge. Running Bear is a shop specialising in - yes, you guessed it, running equipment.

I imagine many of you now reading will know the procedure for purchasing good running shoes from a specialist shop. And are already laughing at me. For those who haven't experienced it, I'm here to enlighten you!

First of all I need to set the scene. It's a fine Saturday afternoon on the main road running through Alderley Edge. If you don't know the town, think Posh and Becks, think expensive sports cars so low that I couldn't see them in my rear view mirror, think expensively blonde hair and perfect permatans cultivated in exotic destinations. Think not of sandwich shops, but of "Purveyors of Bespoke Sandwiches"! Then think of me jogging up and down the street with my trouser legs rolled up and 2 people staring intently at my feet and frowning a lot! I'm just relieved I had the foresight to shave my legs and wear my sports bra, that's all I'm saying...!

Having had a little run in various trainers, leaving me sweaty and unable to speak, the bad news was broken to me. "Look, you have broad feet." The shame of it!! Luckily I knew this already, so wasn't too distressed by it. But I was mildly perturbed when I was offered orthotic insoles. Broad AND deformed? Surely not! As it turns out, the orthotics didn't work so well for me, so back to just broad then.

I'm delighted to report that despite my shortcomings in the foot department, I have been kitted out with some very very comfortable Nikes.

That 5K will be a breeze now.

Wednesday 23 April 2008

I am not a number...

Mr Postman brought me my Race For Life pack this morning. That and another pretty new bra!

So I will forthwith be known as "2163". I imagine that figure may represent my place over the finish line, but as long as I cross that line, I'm not going to care if 3499 other people cross before me! Well, I might be a bit miffed if I'm beaten by every single other person there, but it's not the winning, it's the taking part, blah blah....

I feel really sluggish and yuk today though, not one jot athletic. Had a rough night with Rebecca being poorly, and she's off school today so I've had to miss out on the gym, or in fact leaving the house. I have managed to grab an hour sat outside to get some fresh air but Rebecca isn't currently well enough to take beyond that, she didn't even get up till lunchtime - that tells me all I need to know! Fingers crossed her temperature will settle and she will be well enough to despatch to school tomorrow, we'll see.

What I'm craving now is some camping! I love camping, and it feels like way way too long since my last trip! Don't know if you recall last year's weather, it was a tad moist, and pretty much curtailed many of our planned trips. I have put the tent up in my friend's garden last week but it got too windy to leave it up, since there wasn't enough space to peg the guy lines out properly. It would have made an expensive kite! So we haven't even camped in the back garden yet. This time last year we'd already been away 3 times! Finally the weather seems to have turned pleasnt enough, so now I just need the opportunity. I'm going to scour one of my favourite websites - UK Campsite- for somewhere nearby to go very very soon!

And my next stop after that will be to find some Food Optimising meals that I can whip up on the camping stove!

Monday 21 April 2008

Not just a banana....

Week 15

Weight: 19st 7.5lb.
Loss this week: 4lb.
Total lost: 46lb

Through the power of wearing weightless clothing (fact!) I have managed to shed another 4 of those pesky pounds this week. Thank goodness the weather has warmed up enough to allow such light fabrics!

While I was in the bath earlier I was pondering body dysmorphia - you know that condition where gorgeous people think they are ugly? Well I kind of think I have that in reverse. I look in the mirror and see a slim attractive 20 year old woman - I get a terrible shock when I see photos of myself! I think I prefer it this way round though, since it enables me to leave the house with my head held high a big smile plastered on my face. It must be tough to hate yourself and think you are ugly, the world isn't a kind place for people with hang ups and differences.

What does make me self concious though is doing anything that draws attention to my situation. For example, at the weekend I took Rebecca to M&S for lunch (she has very sophisticated tastes for a 6 year old!) and I was forced to sit and eat an apple and a banana, with a glass of water and a black coffee chaser while she tucked into her children's goody bag of tasty treats. Eating my fruit made me feel very visible, it was like having a big sign pointing at me saying "Too Fat For Cake!"

Still, it wasn't just a banana, it was a home grown, sun ripened, hand picked, organically farmed, Fairtrade Marks and Spencers banana, so it wasn't all bad after all.

Saturday 19 April 2008

Handbags and Gladrags

I've discovered a pitfall to this weight loss malarky. Suddenly I'm all interested in fashion and stuff. This is leading me to trying out new make up, desiring new clothes, and coveting fabulous new handbags. One website leads to another and my purse is quaking in fear!

Today I tried on a dress...2 actually. I am not a dress sort of person, they never look nice on me, and even Gok says trousers are best for my "Beautiful Butterfly" shape. But the 2 dresses I tried on both looked pretty nice! I have to resist though because I don't want to spend fortunes on clothes I'll barely get any use out of. Can't hurt to look though, hey!

I could have done with a dress on Thursday actually, as I went out with some friends and I wanted to look good. We went for Tapas, which was fabulous and fun. And I tried to stick to the spirit of Food Optimising, even if I couldn't stick to the letter. In case you are wondering, yes, I am lining up my excuses for weigh in on Monday... ;-) I don't think I did much harm, I stuck to the veggie menu really which always seems healthier. But I don't think it's healthy or wise to sit fretting about syns too much when on a rare night out with friends. My journey is a long one, so if I just made it a week longer I can live with that.

Sunday -updated to add: Somebody stop me! I'm all over the internet today looking at dresses! There's no hope for my bank balance, that's all I'm saying...

Monday 14 April 2008

Boobilicious!

Week 14

Weight: 19st 11.5lb.
Loss this week: 0lb.
Total lost: 42lb

Readers of a masculine or delicate disposition may like to avert their eyes for today's post!

I have had my first maintain this week but I'm fine with that because I got weighed with a belly full of Nando's chicken and Starbucks coffee. I've had a very girly day shopping in Leeds with my friend Nic, where she introduced me to the wonderful Bravissimo.

As a "woman of size" pretty lingerie has eluded me for years! In many shops the only bra I would be offered was the miserable Doreen , the name telling you all you need to know frankly (apologies to any lovely Doreens out there!)

So imagine my excitement today when I was shown not one, but a selection of dainty pretty bras that fit beautifully! My size was assessed by a lady who needed no tape measures - one look at me in my 44F, and she came bearing a 38G that fit like a glove! Genius! Because of the ongoing healthy eating and exercise regime it was sensible to buy only 1 very expensive gorgeous bra, so I chose one called Fairylights - you know right away that this bears no resemblance to a Doreen! I also bought 3 floaty camisole tops that make me feel so, well, sexy actually!

It's amazing how gorgeous lingerie changes the way you feel about yourself. No one knows it's there but it makes you smile and move with self confidence. Anyone who thinks they can't get sexy flimsies - get your boobs down to Bravissimo and experience this feeling - it's better than chocolate!

Saturday 12 April 2008

Racing.

Tomorrow my big brother is running the London Marathon...what a role model! It's not the first time he's done it, but last time I forgot to set the video (yes, it was that long ago!) so I have already set my V+ box to take care of things tomorrow. I will watch every second bit by bit in a determined effort to catch a glimpse!

Good Luck for tomorrow Mark XXX

This reminded me that I had planned to enter the Race For Life. So I have.

I will be doing it at Tatton Park on Saturday 21st June...if you live close enough maybe you could come and cheer me on, and perhaps learn some basic life support skills just in case.....

My sponsorship page is at http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/wendyfurness *hint hint*

Oh god, what have I done!!!

Thursday 10 April 2008

Facts and Figures

One of the comments on my last post was from Saraseahorse, who mentioned the xls chart she created for me way back in January. This is an Excel spreadsheet where she has plotted a default of 2.5lbs loss per week, but which I update every Monday with the actual figures. There is a little graph, a column for BMI and one for percentage of target loss reached.

I love this chart. It is brilliant on so many levels. Short term targets are great - you can work towards them knowing they are realistic and achievable in the forseeable future. But sometimes, when 1 or 2lbs a week seems nothing, it's good to look at the bigger picture too. Sara's chart was what first showed me that with a modest regular weight loss I could lose 7 st by Christmas...7st! Suddenly all those 2lbs add up to something amazing! And I'm a tiny bit competetive (no, really!) and this leads me to try to bring certain target dates forward. So for example if the chart says I will reach 15st by November, I'm going to be trying damn hard to do it by October!

Another visual aid to spur me is a little ticker which plots my weight loss - the one below shows my current progress to an initial target of 50lbs loss.




I have enjoyed watching my little tortoise race to reach the pot of gold!

Maybe not everyone would be as excited by numbers and tortoises as me. It's all about finding what works though. I have to have a loss every week because Sara hasn't told me how to enter a gain onto the spreadsheet. What better reason could there be for staying on track?

Monday 7 April 2008

Drumroll.............

Week 13

Weight: 19st 11.5lb.
Loss this week: 4lb.
Total lost: 42lb

Generate Your Own Glitter Graphics @ GlitterYourWay.com - Image hosted by ImageShack.us

I'm thrilled tonight - I not only passed the 20st mark, I destroyed it, picking up a nifty 3 stone award and Slimmer of the Week along the way! I will never weigh 20st again. If I do, shoot me!

I may have acquired a whole new audience tonight - hello to all the lovely ladies in my group who wrote this address down! Lovely of you to come, please bear with me while I overcome the slight self consciousness I am now feeling! In the meantime, enjoy the rest of my little bloggety blog!

I might go and have a celebratory drink now - Cheers!

Saturday 5 April 2008

Chocolate, Chocolate, everywhere!

I've no sooner survived Easter, than I'm taking dd and her friend to Cadbury World for the day last Thursday! I must be mad, how is a person supposed to survive such a full on chocolatey experience without either caving or going mad! We came home with our body weight in free chocolate, indeed I have just this minute eaten half a bag of Chocolate Buttons (4 syns!) but actually I was pretty restrained on the day. I managed to eat only a Curly Wurly and a little bit of liquid chocolate, which didn't put me over my syn allowance by much, if at all! I guess this is one of the great joys of the Slimming World plan - it has enough flexibility built in to allow the odd naughty treat! Hopefully the scales on Monday will bear that out!

I seem to be undergoing some kind of transformation at the moment. At 41 years old I am slowly but surely developing an enjoyment of cooking and creating delicious meals. I used to firmly hate cooking and time spend in the kitchen was time wasted. But without a doubt the tide is turning and so much so that this morning I was saying to dh that I'd like to go to a cookery course at the local college! Wow! This is great news because being interested in cooking surely has to make it much easier to prepare healthy, delicious and varied meals. I've always preferred fresh ingredients to processed foods, but I'm taking it up a level now and it's all good. Plus dd is now learning to cook with me which is brilliant. It's fun seeing her choose which herbs to try in our spaghetti bolognaise. And it makes me smile when she has a little taste of a work in progress and declares it a good sauce LOL! I wish someone had taught me to cook at 6 years old!

Tuesday 1 April 2008

Week 12

Weight: 20st 1.5lb.
Loss this week: 1lb.
Total lost: 38lb

I'm a day late posting this, apologies if anyone was sat with baited breath awaiting this week's weigh in result LOL!

OK so 1lb off. I shouldn't be disappointed but I am. 1lb is just such a tiny tiny amount of what I have to lose. But I wasn't 100% on plan this last week if I'm honest. We went out for a curry last Wednesday and the rules flew out the window faster than you can say "Peshwari Naan please"! And then of course there was that Chinese after last week's weigh in that I didn't especially enjoy and actually I was up half the night with terrible heartburn. I've never regretted eating something so much! This week after weigh in I made my own healthy Sweet & Sour chicken with boiled rice. It was nicer, didn't make me ill and won't cause disappointment on the scales next week. Lesson learnt!

So now I'm back 100%. I get a lot of support from a forum dedicated to Slimming World, and this week a Boot Camp challenge has begun. The rules include posting a daily food and exercise diary and I think this will be good for me, it's all to easy to let things start to slip so this will keep me focussed on the task in hand, and is fun too. I recommend this site to anyone who wants to follow the plan, whether a member of SW or not.

So I'm aiming for a minimum of 2lbs off this week - I want to see those scales say 19st something next Monday. Bring it on!