And no it isn't early because there is good news. I don't think I will have the chance to weigh in on Magical Sunday so I thought best do it today or not at all. After going to McDonalds and getting an Indian last night, I have put on a pound. So we're back to 12.13. At least this is still in the 12's though. I must admit that the hopeful part of me is hoping that this is probably because I haven't finished digesting the Indian yet - actually, I'm pretty sure this is true. It would have been better to weigh in tomorrow, and if I get a chance I may still do so. If I don't get the chance, I think I will re-weigh on Tuesday and go from there.
I am now on 2 weeks Easter holidays so my usual plans are a bit different. Today, tomorrow and Monday I am going to do whatever I like. I will make healthy eating choices where possible, and if I can't then I won't worry about it. I won't be able to go for a run or any other 'traditional' exercise so I'm expecting to feel fairly sluggish. I have plans with family for the next three days though, so I will make the most of that and enjoy it. Come Tuesday the weight loss plateau plan of attack begins in earnest. Duh, duh DUUUUH!
I've been reading about plateaus and it advises to switch things up and force your body to adapt to the new changes. I'll kick start it the next few days by eating whatever I want and not exercising (!!) and then I am going to shock it by returning crisps and non-rice carbs back to my stomach. I've had a very similar routine for eating since January, so I do need to change it or I'll get bored and I'm wondering if mainly consisting on fruit/veggies, rice and wholewheat bread might be making my metabolism sluggish. I need to remind myself that fat and protein are good for you to.
Breakfast will be more protein-based. I'm going to change the fibre aspect from toast to cereal, and I'm going to throw in scrambled egg (poss even with dairy-free cheese) and a fruit smoothie with dairy-free yogurt and 100% fruit juice if I can find any. I have got into the diet mindset that fruit juice=unnecessary sugar and calories, and that just isn't true in moderation. Lunch - I'm going to go old school and return to sandwiches, crisps and maybe a salad. Also a low-calorie dessert (I've got fruit 10 cal jellies chilling in the fridge as we speak). Dinner will probably continue as before, but where I have the choice I am going to go with something a bit more interesting, and a little less meat-rice-veg. Maybe wholewheat tortilla pizzas with dairy free cheese, shitloads of veggies and some chicken pieces. Mmmmm. And I'm going to ramp up the exercise even more. I'm still figuring out how to do this (expect another blog post in half an hour, haha!) as I completely chickened out of going swimming the last two days as I 1) do not want to spend the amount of money that is necessary without a membership, and I don't want to get a membership if I can't even make myself go for two experimental days! and 2) I'm terrified at the thought of running into anyone I know/have ever met in a swimming costume. Bleurgh. Running is good and I can use some of my equipment at home. I might be able to do a couple of days of DVDs but I can't use them on a regular basis due to being in a shared house. I'm going to need to think this through......
Positive changes ahoy!
Saturday 30 March 2013
Friday 29 March 2013
Friday
I weighed myself this morning. Before breakfast and in my usual outfit. Still the same weight. Exactly the same, down to the ounces.
I don't understand. I don't get it. I tend to find that Sunday is some kind of magical weighing day, where my weight is always lower regardless but... what is going on? I'm wondering if it is pre-period symptoms, and I guess if that is the case then I should be grateful I haven't put weight on. Somehow I need to lose 2 lbs by Sunday despite this being a holiday weekend and going for an Indian tonight.
On the one hand I am definitely in the 12 stones. On the other hand, being stuck at 12.12 sucks donkey balls.
Hmmf.
I don't understand. I don't get it. I tend to find that Sunday is some kind of magical weighing day, where my weight is always lower regardless but... what is going on? I'm wondering if it is pre-period symptoms, and I guess if that is the case then I should be grateful I haven't put weight on. Somehow I need to lose 2 lbs by Sunday despite this being a holiday weekend and going for an Indian tonight.
On the one hand I am definitely in the 12 stones. On the other hand, being stuck at 12.12 sucks donkey balls.
Hmmf.
Tuesday 26 March 2013
Reconsidering
The popcorn diet was a stupid idea. Here is what happened: I bought 4 bags of popcorn and 4 double milky ways. I ate two bags of popcorn and all the Milky Ways one after the other on Sunday. I ate the other two bags on Monday. I ate no popcorn or Milky Ways or other snacks today. I'm declaring the popcorn diet experiment over.
The reason I'm declaring it over is because I realise I have broken the physical habit of bingeing, if not necessarily the psychological habits and I do not want to undo any of the good work that I have struggled so hard with until now. On Sunday, I was not hungry and I was not craving any of the food that I had slogged through the snow to buy. Admittedly once I started eating it was pretty easy to fall back into it and scoff the lot in a very short amount of time. I didn't feel good afterwards; I felt bloated and my stomach ached. I haven't had these feelings for a very long time and I didn't welcome them back. On Monday I genuinely intended to just eat half a bag, but how often is that ever possible? I didn't enjoy my dinner and Zumba was harder than it had been last week. Those could be for any number of reasons but I'm choosing to blame the popcorn! It's just stupid to eat for the sake of eating, making myself feel full and bloated when I have worked so hard to recognise my body's hunger cues and to train it to eat healthy food and not to crave things that are bad for me. I have been enjoying over the last few weeks waking up hungry for breakfast, then being fine, then starting to get hungry about half an hour before lunch, then being fine, then starting to get hungry for dinner. Admittedly I get hungry for dinner way before my usual dinner time hence the previous bingeing but I assume that is a problem with my timetable - my body requires food it just isn't possible at that time! This is good and normal, right? It isn't normal to be permanently full and eating anyway, or to be hungry all the time despite eating all the time. I have had the occasional fleeting thought that I would like to eat this or that,but that happens to everyone doesn't it?! I haven't had the crushing cravings to binge that I couldn't make go away or ignore until I ate everything in sight. This. Is. Progress. And I shouldn't have been trying to mess with it. I don't want to go back there.
So, I am trying to be accepting that the way I am eating is healthy if I am 'only' maintaining and not putting weight back on and maybe I will just have to be patient and lose weight slowly but healthily. It is hard to swallow this though, when I am desperate to lose 6 pounds in the next three weeks!!! I am also intrigued to know whether, just maybe, the popcorn did help and will be responsible for any loss this week. That would be a bitter pill to swallow.
I have just been running, so this is week 2 day 1 of Life as a Runner. I hope to go running another 3 times this week, and once I've been paid I'm going to try and go swimming twice. I will also throw in some walking and some of my other little exercises as well as continuing with my healthy eating and hope that does the trick. I guess time will tell until Sunday weigh-in. As I am going swimming, I will also be shaving my legs - the last time I lost 2 lbs I had also shaved more closely than usual. As I have PCOS it is entirely possible that this was the cause of the lost 2 lbs ;-). Hmm.
The reason I'm declaring it over is because I realise I have broken the physical habit of bingeing, if not necessarily the psychological habits and I do not want to undo any of the good work that I have struggled so hard with until now. On Sunday, I was not hungry and I was not craving any of the food that I had slogged through the snow to buy. Admittedly once I started eating it was pretty easy to fall back into it and scoff the lot in a very short amount of time. I didn't feel good afterwards; I felt bloated and my stomach ached. I haven't had these feelings for a very long time and I didn't welcome them back. On Monday I genuinely intended to just eat half a bag, but how often is that ever possible? I didn't enjoy my dinner and Zumba was harder than it had been last week. Those could be for any number of reasons but I'm choosing to blame the popcorn! It's just stupid to eat for the sake of eating, making myself feel full and bloated when I have worked so hard to recognise my body's hunger cues and to train it to eat healthy food and not to crave things that are bad for me. I have been enjoying over the last few weeks waking up hungry for breakfast, then being fine, then starting to get hungry about half an hour before lunch, then being fine, then starting to get hungry for dinner. Admittedly I get hungry for dinner way before my usual dinner time hence the previous bingeing but I assume that is a problem with my timetable - my body requires food it just isn't possible at that time! This is good and normal, right? It isn't normal to be permanently full and eating anyway, or to be hungry all the time despite eating all the time. I have had the occasional fleeting thought that I would like to eat this or that,but that happens to everyone doesn't it?! I haven't had the crushing cravings to binge that I couldn't make go away or ignore until I ate everything in sight. This. Is. Progress. And I shouldn't have been trying to mess with it. I don't want to go back there.
So, I am trying to be accepting that the way I am eating is healthy if I am 'only' maintaining and not putting weight back on and maybe I will just have to be patient and lose weight slowly but healthily. It is hard to swallow this though, when I am desperate to lose 6 pounds in the next three weeks!!! I am also intrigued to know whether, just maybe, the popcorn did help and will be responsible for any loss this week. That would be a bitter pill to swallow.
I have just been running, so this is week 2 day 1 of Life as a Runner. I hope to go running another 3 times this week, and once I've been paid I'm going to try and go swimming twice. I will also throw in some walking and some of my other little exercises as well as continuing with my healthy eating and hope that does the trick. I guess time will tell until Sunday weigh-in. As I am going swimming, I will also be shaving my legs - the last time I lost 2 lbs I had also shaved more closely than usual. As I have PCOS it is entirely possible that this was the cause of the lost 2 lbs ;-). Hmm.
Sunday 24 March 2013
That didn't take long...
Ok, I've thought about it ;-). I find that writing my thoughts out here helps me to make sense of things, so here goes.
I'm going to strap on my snow gear and go and buy a couple of bags of popcorn and some Milky Ways (my new favourite treat). I am going to eat half a bag of popcorn when I get back from work before dinner and try to use my will power to not eat the rest of it. The Milky Ways will help if this triggers off my usual binge tendencies and I needtoeatsomethinganythingrightnow.
My reasoning behind this is manifold. I looked up the maintenance calorie amount for my goal weight and I was beyond surprised to see that it is exactly the same as my current weight loss calorie amount. So, I need to start building the habits now that will see me through for the rest of my life as this is it now calorie-wise.
Then, I realised that it is still lent so I am not eating crisps. Usually I would eat at least one packet of crisps per day and usually several family-size bags if I was feeling bingey. After losing weight my healthy eating lifestyle would include eating reasonable amounts of the foods I currently binge on so it is realistic to think that crisps will be counted in my calorie amount when I am at my goal weight. So, quarter of a pack of popcorn is roughly equal to one bag of crisps. I have also stopped eating cheese, and drinking milk in beverages as I am needing to be strict about my lactose intolerance needs at the moment. I drank full-fat milk in up to 8 cups of tea/coffee a day and I have dropped this outright. This probably accounts for the other half bag of popcorn. At the moment I also try to avoid eating high-fat meals or snacks in order to avoid developing a taste for them. When I am at my goal weight I am going to eat like a person that is at their goal weight and not a person in fat recovery, so this will necessitate eating out, cooking the occasional ready meal etc.. I will have meals that push up my calorie amount from time to time and this is a good thing.
I also do not snack any more as I can't eat when I am at work outside of lunch time. All the recommended healthy eating plans have at least two snacks included, so I am missing out on vital calories here. I have got into the bad habit of thinking that this is good for me as it is less calories in total but, really, it isn't working out is it? As I can't have a morning snack I will have a double snack in the afternoon before dinner, which should be fine as realistically I do all my exercise in the evenings anyway.
I'm going to try it for 1-2 weeks and see how I get on. Here is to the popcorn diet!
I'm going to strap on my snow gear and go and buy a couple of bags of popcorn and some Milky Ways (my new favourite treat). I am going to eat half a bag of popcorn when I get back from work before dinner and try to use my will power to not eat the rest of it. The Milky Ways will help if this triggers off my usual binge tendencies and I needtoeatsomethinganythingrightnow.
My reasoning behind this is manifold. I looked up the maintenance calorie amount for my goal weight and I was beyond surprised to see that it is exactly the same as my current weight loss calorie amount. So, I need to start building the habits now that will see me through for the rest of my life as this is it now calorie-wise.
Then, I realised that it is still lent so I am not eating crisps. Usually I would eat at least one packet of crisps per day and usually several family-size bags if I was feeling bingey. After losing weight my healthy eating lifestyle would include eating reasonable amounts of the foods I currently binge on so it is realistic to think that crisps will be counted in my calorie amount when I am at my goal weight. So, quarter of a pack of popcorn is roughly equal to one bag of crisps. I have also stopped eating cheese, and drinking milk in beverages as I am needing to be strict about my lactose intolerance needs at the moment. I drank full-fat milk in up to 8 cups of tea/coffee a day and I have dropped this outright. This probably accounts for the other half bag of popcorn. At the moment I also try to avoid eating high-fat meals or snacks in order to avoid developing a taste for them. When I am at my goal weight I am going to eat like a person that is at their goal weight and not a person in fat recovery, so this will necessitate eating out, cooking the occasional ready meal etc.. I will have meals that push up my calorie amount from time to time and this is a good thing.
I also do not snack any more as I can't eat when I am at work outside of lunch time. All the recommended healthy eating plans have at least two snacks included, so I am missing out on vital calories here. I have got into the bad habit of thinking that this is good for me as it is less calories in total but, really, it isn't working out is it? As I can't have a morning snack I will have a double snack in the afternoon before dinner, which should be fine as realistically I do all my exercise in the evenings anyway.
I'm going to try it for 1-2 weeks and see how I get on. Here is to the popcorn diet!
Week 7 - Surprise, Surprise
You will notice the lack of photos again this week. This is, once again, due to the lack of weight loss. I am frustrated and irritated, but oddly motivated as the body shape changes I wrote about yesterday keep reminding me that this is a long road and obviously something is working somehow. I am kicking myself, however, for introducing the number 12 as clearly it wanted to stick around!! I'm glad, on the other hand, that the number has stayed at consistently 12 as that means I am fully in the 12 stones! Woohoo!
In an effort to make this a better week (I am desperate to lose 6 lbs in the next three weeks, I can't begin to tell you) I am trying to look at all the differences that made this a 'maintenance' week and not a 'loss' week. I have come to the conclusion that maybe I am not eating enough. I have worked so hard to stop binge eating, and to make consistently healthy choices over eating crap that it didn't occur to me that maybe a lack of calories was causing the problem. When I have tried to starve myself in the past (let's face it, who hasn't?) it never got me anywhere. Genuinely, my body will not lose weight if I don't eat properly - sometimes even I have to accept that my body is not a faulty machine and it really does try to do its job if I will just let it. This last week I avoided bingeing to the best of my ability and I did really well. I ate healthily and I have increased my amount of exercise exponentially.
After stepping off the scales this morning and ruminating on things to improve for next week while I was making my breakfast, it occurred to me that for the last half of last week I had not eaten my usual fruit with my breakfast, as I had run out and hadn't remembered to go to the nice fruit shop to buy more until yesterday. I also realised that in the first half of the week I skipped eating the pasta I had brought with my veggie-laden spag bol sauce as it is the gluten-free/dairy-free/taste-free rubbish that smells like porridge, looks like papier mache and tastes, genuinely, like cardboard. Throw in the no-binge rule and the dramatic increase in exercise, and was my body trying to tell me something? So, I myfitnesspal-ed an average day in the life of my meals whilst simultaneously using a calorie calculator to work out how many calories I should be eating on a day to day basis. The calorie counter has three options: Maintenance cals, fat loss cals, extreme fat loss cals. Guess what? My daily eating calories came in under the extreme fat loss calorie amount :-(. The whole point of changing to a healthy lifestyle wasn't just about losing weight it was about becoming healthier in general. Forcing my body into starvation mode isn't making a healthy choice. I threw on a massive bag of popcorn (my current usual binge of choice) to see what happened and guess what? That 500+calories took my calorie consumption up to the fat loss calorie amount. Guess which weeks I have consistently lost weight against all my perceived odds? The weeks that I was binge eating. Seems like my body was trying to tell me something.
This leaves me in somewhat of a predicament with 6lbs to lose in 21 days. I don't like the cycle of binge eating. I don't think it is healthy at all. I can't see realistically where I can add in around 500 calories to my usual meals without throwing in mindless fat or food and I have worked so hard to get to a point where I am not eating mindlessly. I don't know what to do. My initial thought was to strap on my snow gear and hike over to the shops to buy 21 bags of popcorn with the intent of bingeing on one entire bag per day (and trying to maintain the will power to not eat the whole frigging lot of them in one go) - I even know when I would eat them, I would eat the whole lot in the time between getting back from work and eating dinner. That time and just after eating dinner are my usual binge craving time periods. But that is just faulty thinking, surely? Surely it can't be a good idea to deliberately plan to binge on crap just to try to lose weight???!! Have I actually lost my mind?! I'm getting to the stage now where I don't even want to binge eat any more. Psychologically my brain seems to have re-engaged and is telling me to stop eating or just telling me it isn't interested when I see what is usually a food that I would sell my own grandmother to eat 20 packets of. Yesterday, I was out in a cafe and I ate a piece of cake and went back for a scone with butter. I got half way through the scone, and was plowing on despite being full. My brain, all of a sudden said 'why are you still eating that when you are full?? Just put it down, and eat a bit more in a little while if you get hungry again'. Isn't what my brain said the normal way of thinking, the way that people who are not 12 stone 12 and stuck in a bingey trap think? Shouldn't I be encouraging this??!! Maybe my eating is so disordered that I can't even make my own way out of it any more.
So, I'm stuck this week. I guess I will just have to think about it today and see what happens. I want to make a couple of other changes - going back to decaffeinated drinks, reminding myself that I am lactose intolerant on a regular basis, upping the toning exercises - in the hopes that this will make a difference. GAHHHHH!!!!!!!
All suggestions welcome.
In an effort to make this a better week (I am desperate to lose 6 lbs in the next three weeks, I can't begin to tell you) I am trying to look at all the differences that made this a 'maintenance' week and not a 'loss' week. I have come to the conclusion that maybe I am not eating enough. I have worked so hard to stop binge eating, and to make consistently healthy choices over eating crap that it didn't occur to me that maybe a lack of calories was causing the problem. When I have tried to starve myself in the past (let's face it, who hasn't?) it never got me anywhere. Genuinely, my body will not lose weight if I don't eat properly - sometimes even I have to accept that my body is not a faulty machine and it really does try to do its job if I will just let it. This last week I avoided bingeing to the best of my ability and I did really well. I ate healthily and I have increased my amount of exercise exponentially.
After stepping off the scales this morning and ruminating on things to improve for next week while I was making my breakfast, it occurred to me that for the last half of last week I had not eaten my usual fruit with my breakfast, as I had run out and hadn't remembered to go to the nice fruit shop to buy more until yesterday. I also realised that in the first half of the week I skipped eating the pasta I had brought with my veggie-laden spag bol sauce as it is the gluten-free/dairy-free/taste-free rubbish that smells like porridge, looks like papier mache and tastes, genuinely, like cardboard. Throw in the no-binge rule and the dramatic increase in exercise, and was my body trying to tell me something? So, I myfitnesspal-ed an average day in the life of my meals whilst simultaneously using a calorie calculator to work out how many calories I should be eating on a day to day basis. The calorie counter has three options: Maintenance cals, fat loss cals, extreme fat loss cals. Guess what? My daily eating calories came in under the extreme fat loss calorie amount :-(. The whole point of changing to a healthy lifestyle wasn't just about losing weight it was about becoming healthier in general. Forcing my body into starvation mode isn't making a healthy choice. I threw on a massive bag of popcorn (my current usual binge of choice) to see what happened and guess what? That 500+calories took my calorie consumption up to the fat loss calorie amount. Guess which weeks I have consistently lost weight against all my perceived odds? The weeks that I was binge eating. Seems like my body was trying to tell me something.
This leaves me in somewhat of a predicament with 6lbs to lose in 21 days. I don't like the cycle of binge eating. I don't think it is healthy at all. I can't see realistically where I can add in around 500 calories to my usual meals without throwing in mindless fat or food and I have worked so hard to get to a point where I am not eating mindlessly. I don't know what to do. My initial thought was to strap on my snow gear and hike over to the shops to buy 21 bags of popcorn with the intent of bingeing on one entire bag per day (and trying to maintain the will power to not eat the whole frigging lot of them in one go) - I even know when I would eat them, I would eat the whole lot in the time between getting back from work and eating dinner. That time and just after eating dinner are my usual binge craving time periods. But that is just faulty thinking, surely? Surely it can't be a good idea to deliberately plan to binge on crap just to try to lose weight???!! Have I actually lost my mind?! I'm getting to the stage now where I don't even want to binge eat any more. Psychologically my brain seems to have re-engaged and is telling me to stop eating or just telling me it isn't interested when I see what is usually a food that I would sell my own grandmother to eat 20 packets of. Yesterday, I was out in a cafe and I ate a piece of cake and went back for a scone with butter. I got half way through the scone, and was plowing on despite being full. My brain, all of a sudden said 'why are you still eating that when you are full?? Just put it down, and eat a bit more in a little while if you get hungry again'. Isn't what my brain said the normal way of thinking, the way that people who are not 12 stone 12 and stuck in a bingey trap think? Shouldn't I be encouraging this??!! Maybe my eating is so disordered that I can't even make my own way out of it any more.
So, I'm stuck this week. I guess I will just have to think about it today and see what happens. I want to make a couple of other changes - going back to decaffeinated drinks, reminding myself that I am lactose intolerant on a regular basis, upping the toning exercises - in the hopes that this will make a difference. GAHHHHH!!!!!!!
All suggestions welcome.
Saturday 23 March 2013
Pre-weigh in nerves
I have had a weigh-y week. Every spare minute I got I have been jumping on the scales. I'm not sure what has brought this on, exactly, but it isn't leaving me with much hope for my weigh-in tomorrow. I think this will be another 'maintenance' week, as the scales haven't changed every time I got on them.
I think this could be for several reasons, firstly I am lactose intolerant and I had three pizzas this week so I'm 99% sure that cheese bloat will be a factor (and it takes a good long while to get fully out of your system) and I'm also craving pizza like mad now :-( Also I am working my way through a large stock of teas and I have started on a green tea that is not decaffeinated, therefore I'm sure the caffeine that is now suddenly in my system is not helping with water retention. I'm quite disappointed that not bingeing this week whilst taking up zumba and running hasn't led me to a startling drop to be honest. There is the niggling thought that I always seem to lose weight when I've binged... maybe I am not eating enough?! Certainly seems like it though. I am clinging to the hope that maybe I have lost fat weight but gained muscle weight due to all the running! I have convinced myself that I can see muscle definition in my fat thighs. There is oodles of fat but a dip where my muscle is. And I have caught sight of my thighs in certain lights and they are looking thinner. Not thin by any stretch of the imagination, but thinner.
Finally, I can't believe I am already making excuses for myself and trying to justify not losing weight this week. Hmm. I'm still holding out the vague and untenable hope that there is just something about Sundays and I will have lost 2lbs overnight and be at my finally-reached-three-stone goal tomorrow morning. Or possibly even further. I'm not so confident.
Also it has snowed up to the rafters here so my runs have been cancelled today and yesterday. Tomorrow I will have to go out anyway, even if there is a blizzard. If I have managed to lose those 2 lbs I will bloody well dig my way into town to have my eyebrows done as I will have EARNED it, baby! I also have the motivation of catching up with some old friends in 2 weeks time, so I have the potential to be down by almost a half stone by the time I see them if I can get a 2lb a week weight loss by then. Imagine being less than 12 and a half stone?! Pshaw!
Nervously awaiting the results for tomorrow... Pleasedon'tletmehaveputweighton, pleasedon'tletmehaveputweighton.....
I think this could be for several reasons, firstly I am lactose intolerant and I had three pizzas this week so I'm 99% sure that cheese bloat will be a factor (and it takes a good long while to get fully out of your system) and I'm also craving pizza like mad now :-( Also I am working my way through a large stock of teas and I have started on a green tea that is not decaffeinated, therefore I'm sure the caffeine that is now suddenly in my system is not helping with water retention. I'm quite disappointed that not bingeing this week whilst taking up zumba and running hasn't led me to a startling drop to be honest. There is the niggling thought that I always seem to lose weight when I've binged... maybe I am not eating enough?! Certainly seems like it though. I am clinging to the hope that maybe I have lost fat weight but gained muscle weight due to all the running! I have convinced myself that I can see muscle definition in my fat thighs. There is oodles of fat but a dip where my muscle is. And I have caught sight of my thighs in certain lights and they are looking thinner. Not thin by any stretch of the imagination, but thinner.
Finally, I can't believe I am already making excuses for myself and trying to justify not losing weight this week. Hmm. I'm still holding out the vague and untenable hope that there is just something about Sundays and I will have lost 2lbs overnight and be at my finally-reached-three-stone goal tomorrow morning. Or possibly even further. I'm not so confident.
Also it has snowed up to the rafters here so my runs have been cancelled today and yesterday. Tomorrow I will have to go out anyway, even if there is a blizzard. If I have managed to lose those 2 lbs I will bloody well dig my way into town to have my eyebrows done as I will have EARNED it, baby! I also have the motivation of catching up with some old friends in 2 weeks time, so I have the potential to be down by almost a half stone by the time I see them if I can get a 2lb a week weight loss by then. Imagine being less than 12 and a half stone?! Pshaw!
Nervously awaiting the results for tomorrow... Pleasedon'tletmehaveputweighton, pleasedon'tletmehaveputweighton.....
Monday 18 March 2013
Running and me!
I just wanted to mark the occasion. Today I went running for the first time. According to googlemaps, I ran 1.8 miles, or 3km. Thats a good start, right? It was really dark, I wore my hat pulled down and I was running almost bent in half every time a car went past in case there was someone in there that recognised me! There was a mysterious fog that came over suddenly when I had to run past a pedestrian! Luckily I didn't come across many people. I ran very slowly, in fact I think it barely counted as jogging. I think it was mostly a speeded up version of walking and it was really slow. I am still red in the face though, although I wasn't actually sweating. Hopefully that still counts. I am going to go running again tomorrow morning before work, wednesday and friday in the morning too, although I did like running under cover of darkness! If it is too cold, I will switch to running in the evening.
I also went to zumba class. So I am feeling super exercisey today! I just need to keep up the healthy eating, and not binge so I'm losing fat with all this hard work and not just crappy food! Fingers crossed, I am proud today :-)
I also went to zumba class. So I am feeling super exercisey today! I just need to keep up the healthy eating, and not binge so I'm losing fat with all this hard work and not just crappy food! Fingers crossed, I am proud today :-)
Sunday 17 March 2013
Week 6....Welcoming a new number!
Week 6 weigh in and I have to make introductions! 12, meet everyone, everyone, meet 12. 12 will be joining us for some time (up to 12 weeks, hopefully more like 6 weeks or less) This is what I saw on the scales this morning:
Not counting the ounces, I have lost another 2 lbs this week and I am officially in the 12 stones. This has done wonders for my motivation right now! Especially, as if I can lose another 2 lbs this week then I can get my eyebrows/hair done next weekend on the official 3 stone lost goal reward day!
Therefore, in six weeks I have lost half a stone. 7 lbs. That doesn''t seem like a lot but at the same time it seems like it should make some kind of difference, surely?? That works out to roughly 1 lb a week. I need this to increase or realistically I won't be rocking that hot beach bod come the summer time.
So, time for pictures! In honour of the half stone mark I have also made a fancy half-stone loss comparison. Doesn't look any different does it?? Give it another half stone and hopefully there should be some noticeable changes (dear God there had better be changes or I'll lose my mind!):
Standard sides:
This week I will be starting running tomorrow; it's already snowing, so I will be spending some of today searching for ideas on how to go running in bad weather like that! I'm also going to a Zumba class and I will be trying to do some of my exercise DVDs in my new exercise space as well as carrying on with my walks.
I also have a vegetable-packed spag bol planned for my lunches at work next week, and several great ideas for veggie combinations to have with chicken and rice for dinners next week. I'm hoping this will be a really good weight loss week as I could use the continued motivation in the run-up to Easter. I gave up crisps for lent and I'm dreading what I will do once lent is over. I also will have the whole Easter holidays to either get fatter or get thinner. I'm really not sure what will happen....
Let's rock the 12s!
Not counting the ounces, I have lost another 2 lbs this week and I am officially in the 12 stones. This has done wonders for my motivation right now! Especially, as if I can lose another 2 lbs this week then I can get my eyebrows/hair done next weekend on the official 3 stone lost goal reward day!
Therefore, in six weeks I have lost half a stone. 7 lbs. That doesn''t seem like a lot but at the same time it seems like it should make some kind of difference, surely?? That works out to roughly 1 lb a week. I need this to increase or realistically I won't be rocking that hot beach bod come the summer time.
So, time for pictures! In honour of the half stone mark I have also made a fancy half-stone loss comparison. Doesn't look any different does it?? Give it another half stone and hopefully there should be some noticeable changes (dear God there had better be changes or I'll lose my mind!):
Standard sides:
Front and back, just to mark the occasion (may I say again how hard it is to take photos of one's back):
And my fancy comparisons, left side is 13 stone 5, right side is today, 12 stone 12.
I also have a vegetable-packed spag bol planned for my lunches at work next week, and several great ideas for veggie combinations to have with chicken and rice for dinners next week. I'm hoping this will be a really good weight loss week as I could use the continued motivation in the run-up to Easter. I gave up crisps for lent and I'm dreading what I will do once lent is over. I also will have the whole Easter holidays to either get fatter or get thinner. I'm really not sure what will happen....
Let's rock the 12s!
Friday 15 March 2013
No sign of that 12 yet..
I caved and weighed myself today. It was the same as last Sunday but this was after I had eaten my breakfast and fully clothed. Still, I have been to McDonalds and the chippie this week in spite of doing well with the not-bingeing so I should be happy not to have gained! I also caved and ate a brownie that apparently had over 500 calories in it... it was delicious though, so I am making the effort not to be too disappointed in myself and to just enjoy it as it was better than bingeing on stupid stuff all week like I usually would.
My plan before weigh in on Sunday is to up my exercise amount, keep off the fast food and stick to not bingeing. I have really had to fight myself on several occassions not to go and buy a stack of milky ways or several bags of popcorn. I just need to break the overeating mentality but it is really, really hard. I'm struggling.
I am still fully intending to start running on Monday come hell or high water. I am also taking up a zumba class with a friend next week and I have my new exercise space that I am wondering if I would have room to do an exercise dvd or two in. This is hard work. I need a positive number on the scales this week to keep my motivation up otherwise I'm going to fall off the wagon again :-(
My plan before weigh in on Sunday is to up my exercise amount, keep off the fast food and stick to not bingeing. I have really had to fight myself on several occassions not to go and buy a stack of milky ways or several bags of popcorn. I just need to break the overeating mentality but it is really, really hard. I'm struggling.
I am still fully intending to start running on Monday come hell or high water. I am also taking up a zumba class with a friend next week and I have my new exercise space that I am wondering if I would have room to do an exercise dvd or two in. This is hard work. I need a positive number on the scales this week to keep my motivation up otherwise I'm going to fall off the wagon again :-(
Sunday 10 March 2013
Week 5
So there are no pictures to go with this post today as I have not lost any weight. Well, apparently I lost 2 ounces - the scales this morning said 13 stone 0 pounds and 4 ounces. I am trying not to be discouraged, particularly as I am going out for a mothers day/birthday lunch later today and I intend to eat my bodyweight in chips, so I have been looking at the reasons for no movement and hoping to do better this coming week.
For starters, I am on my period so I think this has ramped my weight up quite a bit. Last Monday I weighed myself (I know... I know!) and I'd put on 5 lbs. Even I cannot put on 5 lbs overnight, so I think this was the period-related symptoms starting. Once they have gone away I may even weigh myself just in case!
Also, I consumed a lot more bread than I usually do. It was all wholewheat, of course, but I think that it is still something my body is not used to digesting. This coming week I will be back to mostly rice and salad again so hopefully that will help. I have planned a low-fat vegetarian curry for my packed lunches at work this week and I will make that later today.
I'm also going to increase the amount of exercise I do. I have cleared a space at home now and so I should be able to put my many DVDs and exercise equipment to good use once again. In addition to walking with the leg weights, I hope this will help. A week on Monday I intend to start running even if it kills me, and it would be so much more motivating to be a 12 stone something runner than a 13 stone something runner.
I've also got things together to stop the binges. This week, bizarrely, I was very good about not bingeing excessively. This coming week I am going to stick it out! I have got snacks that I can eat as much of as I want to, and I hope these healthy, low-fat options will do the trick on fighting the salty and Milky Way cravings!
So, fingers crossed that there is some positive movement on the scales this next week!!!
For starters, I am on my period so I think this has ramped my weight up quite a bit. Last Monday I weighed myself (I know... I know!) and I'd put on 5 lbs. Even I cannot put on 5 lbs overnight, so I think this was the period-related symptoms starting. Once they have gone away I may even weigh myself just in case!
Also, I consumed a lot more bread than I usually do. It was all wholewheat, of course, but I think that it is still something my body is not used to digesting. This coming week I will be back to mostly rice and salad again so hopefully that will help. I have planned a low-fat vegetarian curry for my packed lunches at work this week and I will make that later today.
I'm also going to increase the amount of exercise I do. I have cleared a space at home now and so I should be able to put my many DVDs and exercise equipment to good use once again. In addition to walking with the leg weights, I hope this will help. A week on Monday I intend to start running even if it kills me, and it would be so much more motivating to be a 12 stone something runner than a 13 stone something runner.
I've also got things together to stop the binges. This week, bizarrely, I was very good about not bingeing excessively. This coming week I am going to stick it out! I have got snacks that I can eat as much of as I want to, and I hope these healthy, low-fat options will do the trick on fighting the salty and Milky Way cravings!
So, fingers crossed that there is some positive movement on the scales this next week!!!
Sunday 3 March 2013
PS
For whatever reason I just checked the NHS Bmi calculator. I am now officially 'overweight'!!! Considering I was 'obese' before this is HUGE! I never thought having an 'overweight' BMI would make me so happy ;-)
I checked my bmi from when I weighed 15stone10 and it was 35.53. Yeesh.
Now it is 29.41. If we take the whole number (as I do with my weight!) then that is only 5 bmi points to go to the 'healthy range'. I've already made it 6 points down to where I am now.... BRING.IT.ON!
I checked my bmi from when I weighed 15stone10 and it was 35.53. Yeesh.
Now it is 29.41. If we take the whole number (as I do with my weight!) then that is only 5 bmi points to go to the 'healthy range'. I've already made it 6 points down to where I am now.... BRING.IT.ON!
Week 4
Ok, the official weigh-in today is 13 stone, 0 and 6 ounces. So 1 pound down. This is exceptionally good news considering the sheer amount of crap I have eaten this week. Including, but not limited to, McDonalds THREE times (each time included two portions of chips), one entire Dr Oetker pizza, popcorn, Milky Ways, Oatmeal and Raisin cookies....
I have no idea how I still managed to lose 1 pound. I have started taking raspberry ketones which I have seen advertised all over the internet, so maybe that has something to do with it. It's only been a few days though, so I'll keep you posted!
This week, as I am only 6 ounces away from seeing that gorgeous 12 on the scales I am going to slightly relax my weighing rules. I did cave again last week and learned the hard way why it is a bad idea to weigh yourself all the time - I seemed to have gained 2 lbs and that is just demotivating. So, if I'm feeling particularly thin or something I will allow myself to check and see whether the 12 is there. Fingers crossed for next week!
Here are this week's pictures:
This is officially 5 lbs down from when I started. Is there any noticeable difference yet?
I have no idea how I still managed to lose 1 pound. I have started taking raspberry ketones which I have seen advertised all over the internet, so maybe that has something to do with it. It's only been a few days though, so I'll keep you posted!
This week, as I am only 6 ounces away from seeing that gorgeous 12 on the scales I am going to slightly relax my weighing rules. I did cave again last week and learned the hard way why it is a bad idea to weigh yourself all the time - I seemed to have gained 2 lbs and that is just demotivating. So, if I'm feeling particularly thin or something I will allow myself to check and see whether the 12 is there. Fingers crossed for next week!
Here are this week's pictures:
This is officially 5 lbs down from when I started. Is there any noticeable difference yet?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)