Thursday 31st January

I didn't blog yesterday as I wanted to see how I did on the scales last night before checking in.

I went along with full confidence and couldn't wait to jump on them scales! To find that I've put 1.5lbs on! Mucho upset! 

It has been explained to me that due to all the exercise, my body is storing water and more than likely, I'm losing inches rather than lbs. Still left feeling like I'd done something wrong and that I could've prevented it. Then part of me thought about my mini bday target and it left me feeling worse as now I have to not only lose 4.5lbs but also the 1.5lbs that I have put on this week. I've got the biggest uphill climb to conquer - 6lbs has to come off next week to keep me on track for it... it's nigh on impossible! 

On the other hand, I can't let this beat me. If I let it win and I slip, it's me that's going to pay the ultimate price in the end. So I have to find a way to pick myself up, dust myself off and keep going. I'm in this for the long haul! 

As a positive from last night, I did gain my Bronze Body Magic award. That gave me a little boost. At the end, I had a lovely lady asking me for advice on exercise and how Body Magic works. That made me feel very good! 

So today is the start of a new week and I have to remain focused! Got a long walk ahead of me today (not part of my exercise regime) so that will make me feel good. Exercise seems to do that - good old endorphins  kicking in. 1 helping of natural anti-depressant for me! 

I HAVE TO CARRY ON, GIVING UP IS NOT AN OPTION!

Tuesday 29th January

I was awake at 3.30am again this morning! Ugh! I treated myself to a Muller vanilla with dark chocolate and cherry underlay and went back to bed lol! It's my favourite one of the chocolate range.  It is 2 syns due to the cherry bit but it's totally worth it!
I woke up and decided that I would get some workout in before breakfast this morning. I looked out the window and saw the wind and rain.... I had to make a choice - sit indoors, on here til the afternoon and then do a bit of Rosemary Conley at my leisure or forget that it was windy and rainy and get my trainers on and hit the pavement..... So I got my coat and trainers on and off I went. I have never felt so good! I just kept thinking that proper runners and athletes don't stop for a bit of rain so why should I? :) 30 mins later, I was home, wet and fully exercised :) The only downside is that I think that I overdid it... :'( I've pulled the muscles both sides of my groin and it's a little achy tonight. If it still feels like this tomorrow, I'll try a little stretching to help them loosen up and if that doesn't work, I may have to take it a little easy. I don't want to because tomorrow is weigh-in day and any little bit of exercise could be the difference needed to hit my target for the week. I am aware that most of the time, our bodies are a week behind so if the decent weight loss isn't until next week, that's fine but if it impacts on this weeks, it'll be worth it!
So after my exercise burn out this morning, I had my morning fruit salad and yogurt. Tomorrow, I think I'll have something different and save the fruit for later in the day. I like some variety!
Today other than that has been quite a lazy one for me. It went really slowly for some reason.
For lunch I thought I would try out a recipe that one of my fellow slimmers had made - but adapted it slightly to my taste. I made mashed potatoes (no milk or butter) but mixed in some baked beans, cooked some lean bacon and cooked 2 hard boiled eggs to go with it. Was yummy!!!
I felt slightly naughty today. I fancied some chocolate so used 10 of my 15 syns for 4 jaffa cakes (2.5 syns each) :) They were so good!! Very naughty of me!! :)
Tonight, I'm having a chicken stirfry (chicken, beansprouts, pepper, courgette, sweetcorn, carrot, oil - 2 syns, soy sauce and egg noodles).. one of my favourite meals.

Today's syns - Muller light vanilla and dark choc yogurt with cherry underlay  - 2 syns, 4 jaffa cakes - 10 syns and oil - 2 syns = 14 syns

This time tomorrow, I'll know how I've done this week! T Minus 22 hours to weigh in! Fingers crossed for a good loss and I hit my target of 2/2.5lbs for the week, which leaves me on track for next week and my target of 1st loss for my bday! :)

Monday 28th January

I have this habit of waking up at stupid times of the night regardless of how much or little sleep I've had.. it's very annoying!
I made myself a hot lemon squash, which is my alternative to having tea as I like to keep my HE A choice for other things. In last night's case, that was me and my cheese addiction. I had 2 20g mild cheese sticks ( 1 as part of my HE A with a dash of milk for 1 cup of tea tonight and 1 was synned - 4 syns). I also tried a Mug Shot that I'd never tried before - Tikka with Pasta (1 syn). I'm not really keen on the noodle ones. I have to say the tikka wasn't my thing but I tried it and can safely say that I don't like it. After my splurge, I decided I'd go back to bed.
I woke up alive and feeling very positive about life, me, my weight loss and the challenges that lay ahead of me.
I had a lovely fruit salad for breakfast ( banana, clementine, plum, pineapple, apple, pear and grapes) with an Activia 0% pineapple yogurt on top! I love pineapple!! I love fruit :)

As I said yesterday, I planned on trying out one of my new exercise DVDs for a bit of variety. I tried the Biggest Loser: The Workout. I have to say it's a little advanced for me and the size of me. Once I've trimmed down a few stone, I can try that one again. It looks good and they have a set plan to help you get to your 'ideal weight'. It's just not for me right now. So, that DVD came out and instead went back to what I know and did my normal exercise DVD - Rosemary Conley Ultimate Body Workout. I feel completely comfortable with it. So did 30 mins on that, which is the first section. Tomorrow, I'll do 50 minutes - section 1 and 2. I need to get as much on as I can before Wednesday.
I also decided that I would go out and pound the road. I walk to start, build up to a light jog, to a slight run and then slow down and back to walking again and start the process again. I did 20 mins of that. I would normally have done more but the sky decided it was time to rain so I finished up and came home. Boy was I knackered when I got home!
I have to say that I always feel good after I've done it - regardless of whether it's just the DVD or the outdoor work or both. I always regret it if I don't do it. Who can say they have ever regretted exercising? No-one! I feel amazing tonight. I did have a little nap though hehe!

After my nap, I made some lunch. I really fancied something naughty - but not that kind of naughty! I made myself a mini fry-up SW-style! I had fried egg (done in fry light), lean bacon (all visible fat removed), beans and 2 slices of wholemeal 400g bread (HE B choice). I have to say that I have always loved my fry-ups... and look at where they got me! To be able to still have them with a few changes to how they are cooked is amazing! I have one at least twice a week. I can't get enough! It's all syn free! :)


Tonight, I'm having spaghetti bolognese..another big yum!! All free again!! Lean mince, mushroom, onion, plum tomatoes and spaghetti :)


I thought that I would also share with you my motivation board. I created this when I started again. It's a reminder of all I accomplished the first time and my SW role model's before and after pictures. Harriet Evans is proof that bigger girls like me can do it, lose all their excess weight, hit their target and look AMAZING! One day, that WILL be me! I can guarantee it! This hangs above the computer desk so that I can see it when I walk in the room and especially when sat here!

Syns for today: 1 syn for Tikka Mug Shot, 4 syns for extra cheese and 5 syns for a bag of Ryvita Minis. 10 in total.
T-minus 2 days to WI and 12 days til my bday and mini target!

Sunday 27th January - Part 2!

I woke up this morning and made myself a scrummy fruit salad (plum, grapes, apple, pear and pineapple) with syn free Activia 0% vanilla yogurt for breakfast!

I had planned on going for a walk/jog (my walk a bit, jog a bit method) but the day just didn't go that way. I did a load of housework instead though. I know it wouldn't have made up for the walk but I didn't really have a choice. 

Today was a first for me, I opened up my Slimming World cooking to 5 people. My mum, sister, gran and my sister's friend plus myself. I did a whole roast dinner on 5 syns! I'm very proud of that. We had roast chicken, roast potatoes (cooked in frylight), low fat sausages wrapped in bacon, stuffing balls, brussel sprouts, carrots and gravy and for dessert, we had baked apples with mincemeat (Healthy Extra B choice) and syn free Activia 0% Mango yogurt. I was stuffed after all that!! 

This evening, I started to feel a little peckish so I had a tuna pasta salad with onion, sweetcorn, pepper and baby plum tomatoes. 

For my Healthy Extra A choice, I opted for cheese over milk. So I have my cheese sticks already pre-weighed and munched on that. Was lovely! I miss my cheese! 

Syns today: 5 from lunch ( 2 syns for the sausage, 2 syns for the stuffing and 1 for the gravy), 1 syn for Tikka Mug Shot, 5 syns for bag of Ryvita Minis and 3 syns for a large chocolate chip Snack-A-Jack. 

Today I also created myself a new background picture for my computer. A few SW successes before and afters, some motivational phrases and the odd SW mention... now every time I'm sat here, I can see all the people that have gone from fat to thin and it will help me keep on track. 

Tomorrow is a brand new day! The snow from around the area is now gone, thanks to the rain we had last night! wooohooo!! So I will be back pounding the path. I treated myself to some different exercise DVDs last week as I already do one but I want a bit more variety. Going to try one of those out too. 

T-Minus - 3 days to weigh in!! Come on me, I can get the 2lb loss that I want this week, so that next week, I have 2.5lbs to lose to hit my 4.5lb loss goal that will see me 1st lighter for my birthday in 13 days! Eeeeeeeeeeek!! 

Sunday 27th January 2013

I started my journey on 2nd January 2013. 
There are lots of reasons that I started my journey this year and at all. All of which I will share later in the post.
3 years ago, I managed to lose almost an amazing 3st. I was just a few pounds away! Life got in the way - I got a job that required me to be there during the times that I would've gone to the meetings and I didn't feel capable enough to do it online. I needed the support of the group. So I quit. That was one of the biggest mistakes I could have made. That's all in the past now though and I need to look forward and be focused on what I can achieve now. 
I've started this blog as I'd seen some of the amazing other blogs that left me inspired to not only carry on down the path that I am on but to also, write my own blog about my own journey, from fat to thin! 

So my reasons, in no particular order:
1. I turn 30 in 2 weeks and I don't want to grow old looking like this
2. I have type 2 diabetes. I know that if I can get my weight under control, I have a chance to lessen the effect on me. Possibly, even get rid of it for good!
3. I want to be able to fly in an aeroplane, in 1 seat with the belt around me comfortably without any chaffing, tightness or embarrassment. 
4. I shop in 1 shop for my clothes and it's not as if you can mask the reason for going in there. It's a big girl shop and the world knows it! So I want to be able to shop anywhere on the high street and know that the clothes will fit straight off the rail. Also, it'd be a big save in money as big girl clothes are mucho expensivo compared to normal sized clothes
5. I want to be happy and confident in my own skin. Nothing more needs to be said on that. Anyone doing this for themselves will know what I mean.
6. Being big means that every photo of you has to be checked and criticized. I'm certainly not photogenic but it would be nice to not have to worry that I look the size of a beached whale - because I won't anymore! It would be great to look at photos of me and not be embarrassed by my size and lumps and bumps in all the wrong places.
7. I want to start a family. My weight has contributed to years of heartache in my failure to have children. All my friends have them, cousins the same age as me, have them.. I love children and I want my own. I have around 10 good years left so this is important and personal to me. 

The plan that I am following is Slimming World. I am trying out the Extra Easy for the first time. 
My start weight: 25st 10lbs (not my heaviest, I kept the 3 stone I lost off!)
My height : 5ft 8in
My Club 10 target (10% of your body weight): 22st 9lbs
I have set myself an interim target of: 20st 10lbs (5st off my start weight)
My PAT: 9st 7lbs

I have had 3 weigh-ins so far:

9/1/13 - 25st 6.5lbs - -3.5lbs
16/1/13 - 25st 1.5lbs - -5lbs - achieved half stone award! YAY ME!
23/1/13 - 25st 0.5lbs - -1lb
TOTAL LOSS TO DATE = 9.5lbs!! Very proud of myself!

I have set myself a 4 month goal - I want to lose 3st by 2nd May! The reason for the goal is to prove to myself that I am serious about this. I know that I am but my body needs convincing! 
I have also set myself a goal for my birthday! I have 13 days (2 weigh-ins) to drop 4.5lbs. I would love to be a stone lighter on my 30th birthday. So my challenge for this week is to lose 2.5lbs. I am being good but not being all panicky about it. I have increased my body magic (exercise) and really started concentrating on what I'm putting in my mouth like is it a free food? or a superfree? or syn? 

Well, I will update once or twice a week with what I have been doing and also once a week with my weekly weight. Fingers crossed for plenty of losses and hardly any gains! 

A NEW YEAR, A NEW SLIM ME!