Choose Your Vices Wisely

I'm a bit late with this update due to work getting in the way of my writing. But the eagle eyed among you may have spotted this weeks's result when it appeared on my Twitter updates over there <---- on Monday. For those who missed it, I lost 4lb, bringing me down to 18st 4lb. I'm delighted with that result and think I can attribute it to my 100% effort in the main. The Orlistat may have had a hand in the matter but I think only a small percentage because I don't think I'm giving it anything to work with. I'm certainly not experiencing any of the adverse scary side effects that I have seen reported on the internet, and any initial discomforts that I did have settled down quickly. So I shall plod along happily with the Orlistat and Slimming World working hand in hand. I have to say I am feeling lighter already!

When I was in the chemist collecting my prescription last week, I found myself waiting near the "New Years Resolutions" dislay, the one containing all the smoking cessation and diet products, and it came to my attention that it is cheaper to give up smoking than it is to lose weight if over the counter pharmaceuticals are your method of choice. Alli, the over the counter version of the Orlistat I am taking will cost you a hefty £32.95 for a 14 day supply but Nicotinell patches will only cost a measly £12.98 for the same timescale. And that cost is easily offset against the fact that you won't be buying cigarettes at, I believe, over a fiver a pack. AND the Alli purchaser not only still has to buy food, but if all goes to plan, new clothes as well!

So my lesson for the day children is this: if you must develop a bad habit, make it one that is cheap to give up. Put those crisps down and have a cigarette instead.

Only kidding. Honest!

Magic Potions

I bring glad tidings! I got weighed ysterday (after only 4 days, I wanted to bring my weigh in back to a Monday!) and had already lost 3 1/2lbs (bringing me to 18st 8lbs)- yay me! I knew I had lost some, I was spending an abnormal amount of time dashing for a pee! It's nice to feel the effects of healthy eating so quickly though. And I'm really loving feeling in control again.

Has anyone heard of magic porridge? I stumbled across this on the internet, and tried it with trepidation, and it was soooooo tasty! Basically all you do is mix 28g of porridge oats with a muller light (or a yoghurt of your choosing!), any flavour, leave it overnight and the oats absorb the yoghurt so it's mega creamy, and then you can eaither warm it gently in the microwave, or just eat it cold. I ate it cold, with some blueberries and banana and really loved it. I'm going to try it warm in the morning just to see how that works out.

I went to see my GP this morning and my blood pressure is really not well controlled at all, so he has increased my meds even further. He also wants me to take Orlistat because he feels we need to optimise the weight loss. He is happy with me doing Slimming World, and is accepting me going there in lieu of a referral to a dietician, but he just feels that the blood pressure is so related to my weight that we have to take medical measures to deal with it. I'm disappointed and kind of feel like I'm going to be cheating. But I have every reason to trust my GP so I'm going to go with it. I'm nervous about starting the Orlistat though - I know about the side effects! If I suffer bad side effects, I'm stopping, I have a limit to how badly I want to be skinny!

One Day At A Time

Oh god, here we are, year 3. I've spent 18 months or so yo-yoing, but always managing to at least stay below 19st. And as I emerge bleary eyed and bloated from a lengthy Chrsitmas and New Year binge, I can only be thankful that I am still just about the right side of 19st.

So when I last wrote, I think I was doing OK, and I did OK right up till about 14th December, which was my first Christmas party night. And from that moment on, Muller Lights were swapped for mince pies, homemade soup became home baked cookies, and every day began with a "fresh start" and ended with a guiltily full belly and possibly a large glass of Baileys.

No matter, I am now back on it. I weighed in on Thursday and eventually got around to looking at the figures. I am now 18st 11.5lbs. And my blood pressure? Well it had been reasonably well controlled, and then in the week or so before Christmas I started feeling really unwell - headaches, throat pain, exhaustion. And so checked myself out agin and it was back in the 170/120 zone. When this had gone on for a few days I increased my own meds. It took about 5 days for that to really help but now I am again doing OK, but on double the dose I was on before. So I have an appointment with my GP on Tuesday to find out whether I should try to decrease again, or stay as I am. I wonder whether my weight gain is enough of a factor to have caused this?

Exercise at the moment is fun - we have about a ton of snow, like everyone else in the UK. My thighs ache with the effort of walking through it, or maybe it's the effort of staying upright? Or maybe it's the climbing to the top of big hills so we can sledge down? I wouldn't have dared sledge a couple of years ago so we can add that to the list of things I can do now that I couldn't do before! Also we have a new Wii game called Just Dance. It does what it says on the tin and is very energetic and addictive - no matter how exhausted I feel, I always want to do just 1 more dance. I've been working up quite a sweat in my front room. With the curtains tightly shut!

So, on to New years resolutions. Well, if I've learnt one thing, it's not to set myself up to fail, so with that in mind, I'm going to do this on a week by week, if not day by day basis. I can eat well for 1 day. I can eat well for a week. I make no promises about a month! So I hereby promise that this week I will give 100% effort to eating well, exercising often and losing weight.