Decisions, decisions

31st December 2011 I eat like a bird -sure you do. A bird eats four times it's own body weight. Better we eat like horses! I'm a formerly fat person.  I'm not a doctor or a psychiatrist.  I'm not a dietitian.  I don't know the technical details of nutrition and I've never had lessons in hypnosis but I do know how to eat, how to lose weight and stay that way!  I don't guarantee that losing weight makes life beautiful. I don't guarantee that it's going to give you the success in life that you want.  But surely it's going to make you confident that you are capable of controlling your own body, that you are not the victim of your compulsions.     (I took those words from jean nidetch book-the lady who invented weightwatchers ) So is today the day for you to decide - to clearly make a decision about what you want.   As you go through life you gain more responsibilities - one of the biggest is to decide what you want. There are always choices so ask yourself, "what's next for me?" It's not always easy to make decisions.   Fortunately you can always ask for help from others. You can also "try on your future".  This means closing your eyes and imagining the different possibilities for yourself, and then noticing how each choice feels. Which one makes you feel happiest?  Which choice makes you feel loved and safe?  Which one feels like it would be most helpful to yourself and others?  Always choose the path that's best for you.   If you ever feel stuck, as if your life isn't moving along smoothly, then you need to make clear decisions about what you want.  Decisions are magical, in that they get things moving again. If you don't like the direction in which your life is going, you can examine your decisions to see if they need changing. The best decisions will make you feel happy, and will make the people around you happy, too.   Enjoy the last day of 2011. Xx  

You can only do your best x

30^th December 2011

Be the best that you can be and that should do me perfectly.

So you’re either still eating like a loony and thinking I’ll start again in January, or you got back on track yesterday in the hope of pulling it all back.  Of course you might have been amazing and stayed on track all over the festive season, in which case I take my hat off to you.  Remember whatever your behaviour has been, it’s not what you eat before Christmas Day and New Years day that causes your weight problem, it’s what you do from New Years day till the following Christmas day!  So losing weight – are you serious about it?

Here are five questions to ask yourself as you get back on track to make sure you really do mean business.

1)      Why do you want to lose weight?  Seriously what is your underlying reason for wanting to lose weight?  It has to be something strong and powerful, like a valid health concern or a special occasion, you need a reason, not ‘just because’.

2)      Are you truly committed?  Do you have someone to support and encourage you on those difficult days?  Who will be there to help you?  This is where your Weight Watchers meeting really comes into play.

3)      Can you make a mistake – or fall off the wagon – without giving up and saying, “Oh I’ve blown it.  I might as well eat all the pies”?

4)      Can you visualise your new body in a month, three months, six months and even a year from now?  Imagining what you look like when you’ve lost weight will spur you on.

5)      What support do you have from friends and family?  Who will encourage you on difficult days?  This is essential for staying on track.

That’ll give you something to think about whilst you’re getting yourself back on track.

So tomorrows the last day of the year and a time when a lot of people get very drunk and walk up with a big hefty hangover!  So here are 6 foods that will minimise the pain if you do overindulge. 

Banana – eat on before going to bed after your drinking session, apparently it will keep your blood sugar from plummeting overnight which is a common cause of headaches.

Orange Juice is good the morning after the night before because it will rehydrate you, swiftly raising your blood sugar and provide a hit of vitamin C, which can be depleted by booze.

Eat tinned rice pudding before you go out because it’s more substantial than the traditional glass of milk as a pre-booze stomach liner! 

Probiotic yogurt / actimel – every day throughout the festive season because the friendly bacteria might help counteract morning-after bowel problems caused by binge drinking.

Baked beans on wholegrain toast if also a good pre-drinking session meal because it provides slow-release carbs to offset the drop in blood sugar that booze causes; stops alcohol racing into your bloodstream too quickly.

And finally poached eggs for breakfast the next morning because the protein and carbs give prolonged energy and eggs are rich in B vitamins, for energy release.  Some say the cysteine in eggs helps detoxify.

Now I’m not saying all that to encourage you to overdo it, it’s just to help you if you intend to, remember though all that booze is loaded with ProPoints, so don’t even moan about the ProPoints in the foods above when you’re gonna waste so many more on alcohol.

Enjoy your day xx

Overeating makes you normal...

29^th December 2011

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you'll help them to become what they are capable of becoming. – Goethe

So yesterday I finished reading the Jean Nidetch Weight Watchers book and it was very good, reading it reminded me of what being overweight felt like for me, and how much better I feel now.  It made me realise how far I’ve come, there was a time when I was completely, totally, 100% obsessed with food and what I can next.  I used to just shovel it in, after the first bite, I didn't even know what I was eating, anyway.  Now I’m happy to think about what I’m going to eat, plan it, enjoy it, taste it and appreciate it.  Food doesn’t have to be the enemy and it doesn’t have to make you fat.

Think about it, over Christmas how many of you have eaten just for the sake of eating, can you even remember eating half of it?   How many of you are thinking, “I really need to stop now, I really need to get back on track, but there’s still so much food in the house!”

Remember you are not the dustbin, don’t treat your waist as a waste bin!  And remember a lot of it has a very long sell by date, we’ll be looking at that next week in the meeting a little bit more.

Sometimes though you just can’t resist certain foods can you, you’re just not that strong.  I’m a bit like that with peanuts, they’re my Frankenstein.  What’s your "Frankenstein." That's what Jean Nidetch (founder of Weight Watchers) calls the food you can’t leave alone. Is it chocolate, crisps or cakes or biscuits or bread? It’s good to know because this Frankenstein can rear its ugly head at any time. 

Resisting temptation isn’t easy so I find keeping my house “peanut free” works best for me, if I fancy them I’ll treat myself to a small packet, but I find I rarely think about them when they’re not in view.

How many of you have shovelled chocolate after chocolate down, talking why you eat them and not even realising you’ve eaten them.  I’ve had 3 x  46g bars of galaxy which are 7pp each, and they were divine, I made every chunk last as long as possible by letting them melt in my mouth, mmm if you’re gonna indulge in a chunk of chocolate that’s 1pp, then make it last, enjoy it, taste it.

Pizza is another of my Frankensteins, one that I really enjoy and could eat till it comes out of my ears, in the good (bad/fat) old days I could easily eat a 30 inch pizza to myself, I dare say I still could but now I manage to split a thin crust 12 inch pizza in two and share it.  Could I eat it all, hell yeah, do I – sometimes but mostly no.  WHY? Because there isn't a slice of pizza that's worth it.  

Worth what?  Worth going back to where I started!  You’ve got to admit that once you’ve overindulged, once you’ve had that extra slice (or whatever it is) that you weren’t planning on having, the minute it goes down, you're sorry you ate it.

So let’s stop it, if you haven’t already, otherwise you’re in danger of it spiralling out of control, you’ll overeat, and then feel bad, you hate the way you look, so you eat a little more. 

So what’s the answer, well as much as I enjoyed Jean Nidetch book, I didn’t agree with everything she said, I don’t think it’s as cut and dry as ‘giving it all up’, we’re all different and we all know ourselves better than anyone else.  You might need to go cold turkey, you may not be able to handle having certain foods in the house, you might be able to have a little bit of what you fancy – only you know the answer.

Whether it’s there or not you have to cut down dramatically on all the junk and your Frankensteins.   So ask yourself - are you willing to give up a chocolate? Are you willing to give up a packet of crisps? Are you willing to throw away your kid’s leftovers instead of eating it? Are you willing to throw away cold mashed potatoes, pieces of half-eaten bread? If you're willing to do that, you'll make it. 

Most importantly remember to love yourself no matter what, you should be proud of yourself for wanting to look after yourself and lose weight.  So here’s to 2012 and looking and feeling great. xx

The tide is high but we're holding on...

28^th December 2011

Learn to do things right and then do them right every time. Bob Knight

Was woken this morning by a very high tide, 5.6m according to the tide table, it gets later every morning, so we had a lie in till 7pm today, bonus, that means I had 10 hours!
 
Well I couldn’t resist the traditional turkey dinner, when I went to get the papers on boxing day, they had a turkey crown reduced from £20 to £8 so after smelling next doors on Christmas day, I decided carrying it down the cliff path would be worth the effort.  I did do it the lazy way though, readymade mash (reduced to 45p), Aunt Bessie roast potatoes, microwave sprouts, frozen peas and Yorkshire puddings and waitrose broccoli cheese and last but not least bisto turkey gravy and guess what – it was delicious!  Plus I only spent 20 minutes in the kitchen which is my idea of cooking. I think you’ll agree it does look too bad;

So I’ve noticed a few of you have started realising either you’ve had enough of overindulging because you feel bloated, have indigestion or heartburn or just feel pretty much like you’ve overdone it!  And a few of you have already started panicking about the damage you’ve done! 

Stop stressing about it, it’ll come off we all know we can lose weight, it’s not like we haven’t done it before. 

If however you’re not feeling so good after your overindulging then at least you’ll find getting back on track easier because you won’t want to continue feeling rotten. 

I haven’t gone too crazy, I have enjoyed the odd biscuit and a couple of small bars of galaxy, I’ve drunk a lot of wine as you can imagine but I’m hoping the damage won’t be too bad!  Plus I’ve been a bit active which really helps.

Yesterday when I went to get the papers, Alfie refused to walk up the hill with me, so I told mom I’d be gone a while because I wanted to go explore.  I was exploring for 2 hours, I walked to the top of the cliff then ran along the Coast Path to Rame Head and back, which was 6 miles total and a lot of up and down the cliff. I’ll admit I walked up the really steep sections, and I also stopped to take the occasional photo but I was still out and moving and sweating and hopefully burning off some of that excess, even at moderate intensity it would have earned me 9pp, at high that would have been 22p!

I also walked Alfie on the beach a couple of times so that’s another hour or tea of low intensity activity.  We’re sleeping well as you can imagine, even with the noise of the bashing up the outside of the building.

I’ve realised that trailing running is my thing, I just love it.  I’m not about speed or distance as long as I’m moving that’s all that matters, and I find road running can be monotonous but running along a country path or better still a coastal path is what makes me buzz, I love the scenery, I enjoy the thrill of what’s round the corner and being in nature is just fabulous, yesterday I spooked two deer and watched them run away and also ran through a field of Dartmouth Ponies, you don’t see none of that in the gym ;-)

If you’re interested in the photos from my run yesterday, follow this link;

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150537721815862.426387.595730861&type=1&l=d4bbd60312

I know I can’t run along a coast path every day, but I can take a drive somewhere in the countryside once a week to run and use the 30minute run round the estate in the week as training.   So that’s my plan for next year.

I enjoy the way I feel whilst doing it, and the buzz afterwards, so I’m going to start making the effort to get in my car and drive, and if I continue to improve my eating habits too, hell maybe I can be fitter at 42 than I was at 32!

So what’s your plan, and I’m not talking resolutions because this isn’t something you’ve just decided to do, so how do you plan to get back on track.

I intend to use some of the spare time I have over the next few days to put together a week of meal plans to get me through my busy January, if you’re sat round bored why don’t you do the same.  Things are always easier if you think about it and plan.  When you don’t think things through beforehand and you don’t think about the consequences of what you do, that’s when you get in trouble, just like Alfie has over the last few days, he’s been stuck on a 20ft high rock and not able to get down and twice he’s nearly drowned chasing a seagull who flew over the sea and Alfie forgot he can’t run on water!

                                                                                                                         

So use your spare time, make your plans, think about the consequences – don’t be an Alfie and end up saying “oh no” afterwards ;)

Enjoy your day.  I plan to xx

'Alfie on the rocks', way more likely than 'Bev on the wagon'!

5k on Christmas Day & a whole lotta love xx

26^th December 2011

Perfection has one grave defect; it is apt to be dull.  Somerset Maugham

Hopefully you all had a very merry Christmas and spent the day with loved ones. I had a very enjoyable day, up early and out with Alfie, we walked for a couple of hours, it’s almost a half a mile walk to get to the top of the cliff from where we’re staying!  Alfie did a runner on the beach and wouldn’t come back, he was chasing the seagulls which sounds funny until you realise they can fly over the sea and he can’t walk on water, very scary as the sea is quite fierce here!  So once he’d saved himself from drowning he ran the other way and I had to rescue him or the top of a 20ft rockface!  He will of course now be spending the rest of his holiday on his lead as I’m not the best swimmer in the world.  Once I’d chased him all over the beach, I decided I was up for a run, so did 5k on the beach, running on the sands on Christmas day with the sun shining, what a treat.  The rest of the day was very relaxed, moms not a big roast dinner fan so we had spinach and ricotta cannelloni with broccoli and garlic bread, plus I didn’t fancy having to lug a turkey and all its trimming down a 250ft cliff!

I’m may not have spent yesterday with lots of people but I’ve never felt so loved and cared for.  The power of technology meant for the first Christmas in a long time I had internet connection and a phone signal so I was able to stay in touch with all my friends and some of my family.  I’m really lucky to have some very special people in my life who care so much about me and some of the conversations I had yesterday with them proved that to me.

I’m sat here smiling because Alfie woke me up barking at the waves this morning at 4.44am and the baby next door was crying, then my mom got up and made a drink, now they’re both fast asleep again, mom on the sofa, Alfie on the floor and I’m sat here wide awake on my own typing!  I can’t moan though I fell asleep last night just after 7pm, missed Doctor Who and everything!  Thankfully I’ve Sky+ it so can watch when I get home.

Diet wise, I’m tracking out of curiosity because I’ve never tracked when I’m not trying to lose weight before and it’ll be interesting to see what my habits are.  I’m enjoying my break but not being ridiculous in my eating/drinking, so hopefully the damage won’t be too bad.

I’ve been reading “The story of Weight Watchers by Jean Nidetch”, fabulous read, she’s an interesting lady, for those of you who don’t know she founded Weight Watchers and her story is inspirational.  The books out of print now but below is Chapter One, if you are interested in reading the rest email me.  If you’re not interested in reading it, you can stop reading now and I’ll say Happy Boxing Day, enjoy yourselves xx

chapter One
F.f.h. that’s me. Some time ago, I was invited to participate in a seminar on obesity at the Statler  Hilton Hotel in New York City. I was the only layman invited. All the others were psychiatrists, psychologists, sociologists, doctors of every kind, and I was the only one who didn't have a bunch of initials like M.D. and Ph.D. to put after my name on the program. So I decided to give myself some. F.F.H. is what I chose: Jean Nidetch, F.F.H. It sounded good.

And that's just what I am. A Formerly Fat Housewife married to a Formerly Fat Bus Driver. I'm also a Formerly Fat Baby, a Formerly Fat Child and a Formerly Fat Girl. I was fat until I was 38 years old, only I didn't call myself fat. I never said the word "fat." I weighed 214 pounds and I was "chubby." But "chubby" isn't for 38-year-olds, it belongs to 18. That's when I discovered I was "big-boned." I carried my "big bones" on a "large frame," and I "carried my weight" rather well. I was a perfect size 44. I surrounded myself with big-boned, large-framed people. I was marned to a fat man. I had a fat dog and fat friends. My whole world was fat.

I found out that all big-boned people developed a disease. The disease we had was "glandular." I'm not even sure what "glandular” is, except my doctor said, "You don't have it." But I liked having "glandular" because when a skinny friend would say, "How come you can't lose weight?" I could say, "Glandular," and she would say, "Oh? So, eat something."
It was a great sickness for me, but I made it even worse. I found that "glandular" develops into something more serious called "heredity." My fat was inherited. One of my aunts was very stout - even if she wasn't actually a blood relative.

I used to ask myself, "Why am I fat? I don't eat that much." I never ate breakfast-I got nauseous just thinking of breakfast. I never ate lunch, either. I don't remember ever making lunch for myself. I had two sons and a husband and a house to take care of.  I didn't have time for lunch..... Well, I did do a little bit of eating at noon. You see, when a child goes back to school and leaves some cold French fries covered with cold ketchup on his plate, you can't throw them away. If you throw them away, somebody in Europe drops dead. I sincerely hope the people in Europe benefited - did so much for them.

I had an advantage over most of the fat ladies I knew. My husband, Marty, was fat too. He was 5 feet 10 inches and weighed 265. I was 5 feet 7 inches and weighed 214.

We were so jolly. We didn't dance so well together, but we were made for each other as eating partners. We were a hostess' dream. We never complained about the food. As a matter of fact, we got rather excited about whatever was served. Did you ever see a gorgeous chicken? Or a stunning turkey? A lovely cake? Beautiful cold cuts?

Somehow, we had a lot of fat friends. It was easier that way because there was always a couple who looked worse than we did.  I was always saying to Marty, "Do we look as bad as they do?"  And he'd say, "Oh, no, they're sloppy. We're very neat." You know, that's a claim to fame - to be neat!

I was happy except for one thing. There was always one woman at every party who didn't belong there. A size 7. Do you know any size 7's? In my opinion, they have absolutely no personality and, if it's any consolation, I think they age faster than we do. They have no figures and I hate them. But a size 7 was always there. I could always tell because my husband would say, "Why don't you get a dress like that?"

I would avoid her, but before die night was over, she would always walk over to inc. It was amazing how there could lie such a big voice in such a little body. In an unbelievably loud voice, this little thing would say to me, 'With a face like yours, how could you let yourself go like that?" I never had an answer ready, but I had to say something. I wanted to give her a biting reply.  What could I say to hurt her a little bit? What could I say to make her go home and envy the way I looked? The only thing I could ever think of to say was, "There's more of me to love."

Every night in the bathtub, I would make a promise. I used to promise that I would choke on the next cookie. When you are sitting in a bathtub, there is no place to look. When you look in a mirror, you learn never to look below the shoulders. You concentrate on the face. You tell yourself you have pretty eyes and a nice nose. When you buy clothes, you are very concerned with what's happening at the neckline. When you have your picture taken, there's always a child, a chair, a sweater, something to hide behind. But in a bathtub? It's all you and it's floating. You can't escape it. I never took a bath but that I wasn't sure I had been cursed.  Of course, I'd been cursed. Surely a skinny size 7 must have come up to my baby carriage soon after I was born and said, "She shall grow up to have a pretty face so that all who meet her will say, 'With a face like yours, how did you ever let yourself go like that?' She shall grow up to be reasonably intelligent, so that the question will hurt. She shall grow up never to eat, but to get fat from air. She shall grow up never to take showers but to sit in the bathtub every night surrounded by herself." That was my curse.

After my bath, I'd make the terrible mistake of walking into my living room, where I was forced to look at my couch. Obviously, when you don't like your couch, you have to eat something, maybe a meat loaf sandwich between two slices of salami.  Some people think that's ridiculous. For them, it's the carpeting that makes them eat. For others, it's the neighbors. Or the drapes that don't hang right. They'll wake up in the middle of the night,
think about the drapes, and they'll eat anything, even if it's stale.  Anyway, stale food doesn't count.

After looking at my couch, I would go into the kitchen and eat some chocolate-covered marshmallow cookies.

I weighed 214 pounds in 1961, only I never told anybody.  On my drivers license, I always wrote 145.  I had never, in my adult life weighed 145. 

That was me, Jean Nidetch, in 1961 - 214 pounds of big bones, on a large frame, suffering from glandular heredity, making promises in the bathtub and breaking them in the kitchen. 

In 1962, I lost 72 pounds. And that was the beginning of the Weight Watchers story.

I had dieted all my life I dieted in preparation for birthday parties. I dieted for graduation. I dieted for my engagement party.  I dieted for my wedding. I'm talking about crash diets, any fast method like black coffee with nothing. Or black coffee and cigarettes, or eggs and grapefruit. Oil capsules. Wafers that looked and tasted like dog biscuits. I took little red pills, little yellow pills, little green pills. I lost weight hundreds of times. You can lose weight if you eat watermelon for two weeks. Or bananas and milk, or cottage cheese and peaches. A neighbour tells you about a diet and it works. You lose weight. Sometimes you don't feel
well, often you don't look well, but you always lose weight.

I remember one diet where I drank oil and evaporated milk, cold, three times a day, and you mixed it in a plastic container, I don't know why the plastic, unless it was to get the flavour of it.    Maybe the idea was that if you suffered enough and if it stuck to the roof of your mouth, you were doing it right. It was called the "Rockefeller" diet. I never discovered why they gave Mr. Rockefeller credit for it, but I remember the recipe. I mixed the oil and milk and drank it all day. It was great. I definitely lost weight I also got sick to my stomach constantly. My skin had a funny colour and my nails got soft, but I lost enough to go off the diet.

After I'd lose 20 or 30 pounds, I'd always go off the diet. That's what a diet is, something to go on and then go off. 

But this time, starting in late 1961, it was different. I discovered a new way of eating and a new way of life. I lost 72 pounds – but that’s not my claim to fame because I probably could have done that on oil and evaporated milk. The important thing is that it happened eight years ago and I've maintained that loss for eight years. I fluctuate two pounds this side or that, but I never get panicky because I know I'll never be fat again.

I discovered a diet I was told was written by Dr. Norman Jolliffe many years ago.  Desperation (I'll tell you about that later) drove me to die New York City Department of Health Obesity Clinic in October, 1961, and there I was handed a piece of paper with a diet on it. I had seen this diet before.  All overweight people save diets, it’s part of the disease. I studied it like I had studied every other one. The first thought in my mind was that I would rewrite it, change it to suit myself, I would find a way to substitute cake for something else. I'd eliminate the bread and substitute a muffin twice a week. I looked for a way to work in my favourite cookies.  I was still firmly convinced that breakfast would make me nauseous.

But I wasn't allowed to substitute anything, I wasn't allowed to cut out anything. I had to go along with the entire program or I wouldn't be permitted to stay with the clinic. And I had to stay with the clinic because I was desperate. I had finally come to the point of attending an obesity clinic run by the New York city Department of Health and I was making one last effort to dig myself out of all that fat. I was 38 years old. I had been fat all my life and I wanted to get down to a size 20.

I did get down to a size 20, then a size 18, 16, 14 and, finally, 12. From a perfect 44 I went to an imperfect 12, and I've stayed that way for eight years. I now weigh 142, even less than what it used to say on my driver's license.

I lost all that weight on the obesity clinic's diet, but I added something. I added talk. I found that I couldn't do it on a diet alone. I had to be able to talk about my eating problems, to tell
other people what I was going through. So I called up a few fat friends and asked them to come to my house to talk. They came. And then they came every week after that, bringing other fat people with them. It was our little group where we met to tell each other about being fat. Soon the group grew—40, 50, 60, 100 people—until now hundreds of thousands of people gather each week in classes run by formerly fat people like myself to talk about losing weight. There have been close to two million members of Weight Watchers so far.

My little private club has become an industry. I never intended it to. It was really just a group, a group for me and my fat friends.  But today, there are more than 10,000 Weight Watchers classes held every week in the United States, Canada and many other countries throughout the world. It's as if, never having had a lesson, I sat down at a piano and  played a concerto. It’s utterly fantastic.

Weight Watchers is now a public corporation. We are in the food business, we have a summer camp for overweight girls and a dozen other projects in the wind. I wrote a cookbook in 1966 called, of course, The Weight Watchers Cook Book. It is, I am told, one of the few cookbooks ever to hit the best-seller lists. In partnership with a publishing company, we are putting out Weight Watchers Magazine for overweight people. It is sold in supermarkets and on newsstands all over the country.  When I am asked how successful Weight Watchers is, I never know how to answer. Do you measure the success of something like this by the amount of money that has been made or by the number of people who have come to you? Are these true signs of success? I think the best way to measure our kind of success is to speak to a person who has lost over 200 pounds. When he tells you how his life has changed, how he's now joined the human race, how he now has self-respect and the respect of his family, his friends, neighbors and the mailman, then you know how successful we are.

I think of the paraplegic who has become one of the best basketball players on his wheelchair team. He used to be so heavy that he could hardly move himself in that chair. ... I think of the nun who lost 123 pounds and told me that she can now continue to work for God without fear of dying in the attempt. ... I think of the 8-year-old girl who sent me a valentine that said: "I love you because you helped me look beautiful—I lost 18 pounds."

And the 72-year-old woman in Connecticut w ho lost 60 pounds and told me: "I feel as if I’m starting my life all over again. Now I'm going to help other people do it." She's on the staff of Weight Watchers International today.

And George, who got stuck in the turnstile entering the World's Fair and had to be cut loose by the fire department. He lost 254 pounds.

The most important thing about Weight Watchers is that hundreds of thousands of people have lost weight with it and have learned how to keep it off. We used to lose weight all the time - and then gain it right back. We were like Yo-Yos. Now we look in a mirror when we've reached our goal weight and say, "This is me and I’m never going to change. I'll never get fat again. I don't have to suffer, I don't have to starve, I don't have to be on a diet. I'm in control of myself."

Now we've learned that we have power over ourselves. Weight Watchers has changed attitudes. We've made a dent in the thinking of the world. Today you can go into a restaurant, the smallest diner or the plushest restaurant and say, "I'm a member of Weight
Watchers and I want my fish broiled dry, without butter." You'll get it and with no remarks from the waiter. 

You can go to a friend's house for dinner and say, "I'm sorry, I can't eat the dessert. Weight Watchers, you know," and the friend will understand. 

When I first started Weight Watchers, I used to think it was all a dream. I thought that all the people listening to me must be doing something I didn't recommend. They must be taking diet pills or injections. They couldn't be losing weight just because I was talking to them, convincing them not to eat layer cake and chocolate cookies.

Then, not too long after, I realized that they really were doing it my way. They had become fat the same way I had become fat and they were getting thin the same way I got thin. We were all part of a tremendous army.  When we first started, people would go to a class, and the next day, someone who knew they had been there the previous day would approach them and say: "So? What did you do there? You sang songs? You were hypnotized? What could they teach you that you don't know already? Furthermore, you don't even look any thinner."

Weight Watchers does not simply give you a method of losing weight. What it is, is a new way of life.

I've arrived in heaven

23rd December 2011 When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things chance to catch you up.  Well I'm in heaven we really are on the beach, the flat we are staying in is 12 feet above the sand, it's fabulous to be able to hear the sea constantly.  Waiting to see how far the sea goes out and how much sand we will have to walk on.  I almost caved yesterday and thought about not tracking but I've caught my journal up this morning and I don't think I'll do too much damage if I continue to track.  Yes I've gone over my allowance everyday but I've still tracked. Its when your not sticking to the plan that tracking can help you realise what parts of your eating routine you need to work on.  I hadn't done any Christmas food shopping before I left home because not only hadn't I got time but I wasn't sure what the kitchen would be like here. It's small but usable and has a big kitchen so I'll go get some stuff today.  I did pick up three meal deals at the services though, they were Waitrose main, side, desert and box of mint chocolates for a tenner = bargain.  I've just ProPointed them an the mains are 13pp a serving, I was impressed as ones lasagne. The sides are between 5-7 the pudding is 10 and I gave the chocolate mints away to the lady who helped us carry our bags.   When they said steep steps they weren't joking!  We are nestling at the bottom of a 250ft cliff and it's a steep path ending in steep steps, got to be 1/4 mile long.  That'll keep me fit walking up there to the car everyday to go get the papers.  I'm hoping climbing up there together with walking Alfie and a couple of runs will help keep any weight gain to a minimum ;-) I intend to eat delicious food but not be greedy and knowing whatever I buy from the shop I've got to carry down that cliff will certainly help with that! Lots of chilling and reading today I think after a bracing walk on the beach and a walk round a supermarket.  Hope you've all thought about and decided how you are going to cope over the holiday period, there isn't a right or wrong way - there's only your way.  Just remember to have a good time and be prepared for the results. Xxx

Chill out time...

22^nd December 2011

Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom? Thich Nhat Hanh

Someone said to be this week “the best thing to come out of this year is our friendship” and I couldn’t agree more.  I can honestly say there is nothing on my Christmas list this year, nothing I need and nothing I desire.  How lucky am I?  This year the most important things in my life have been people and the only desire I’ve had is to spend time with them, so I would just like to say here on my blog that if you’re one of those friends, thank you for spending time with me and helping to make my life fabulous, thank you for all the memories which until dementia truly kicks in, no one can ever take away from me.

I’m excited this morning because I’m taking mom on holiday to the seaside, and my nephew loves it when I go away because he gets to live in my house, we however will be spending Christmas on a Cornish beach, just feet from the water!  Can’t wait, even if it is a good four hour drive, I like to drive it gives me chilling out space and gives mom a chance to talk to me without me being able to escape.

I have to pack first though, so lots of books I think, my running gear and my jeans, that’s all I need as all I plan to do is chill out.  I haven’t done the food shop yet so hopefully the shops won’t be too crazy tomorrow!

A fantastic day in my meeting yesterday, 102 of you came to get weighed yesterday morning and you lost 109lb, I also weighed another two ladies that achieved their goals, so my total for the year ended on 135 members to goal and many, many more who were also delighted with the weight they have lost. 

Well it’s only 3 days till Christmas day, just remember to enjoy it and don’t beat yourself up if you don’t quite stick to the plan you have in your head.  Being fit and healthy isn’t just about being slim remember, it’s about being emotionally healthy too and that means loving yourself regardless. 

I’ve loved my year and can’t wait to begin another great one in 2012, actually I can wait two weeks so I can have a good chill out. As much as I love people, I also know I need to take time out, I think everyone should because our lives are so busy. Our days are full of people and things to do, things get chaotic and confusing trying to get it all done. I know how important it is to be by myself, to find a sense of calm that renews me.  By January 1^st, I’ll be aching to get back to my day to day life and back to work, but for now I’m longing to sit staring out of a window looking at the sea with a good book in my hand, to potter in the kitchen and maybe cook a thing or two.  To wander along the beach with Alfie and not worry about how long we can be out because I’ve got to go to work, yeah to not have to look at a clock for a few days will be just wonderful.

If for some reason I don’t blog again this year, have a fabulous Christmas, I’m not sure what my connection will be like or if I’ll fancy writing.  I’m going to go with the flow and enjoy the remainder of 2011.

Enjoy xx

Life's a game, how you gonna play it?

21^st December 2011

Don't make excuses, make good.  Unknown Author

Isn’t life a funny old thing, last week I got quite worked up over the new Weight Watchers adverts in their February magazine, the slogan is “Play Weight Watchers – the game you play to lose weight”, well I wasn’t impressed at all.   A GAME!  It isn’t a game, we’re not messing about - this is serious business.  Then I thought about it and also had the concept explained to be and afterwards realised to myself that LIFE itself is a game, and if I’m thinking seriousness well, chess is also a game and a that’s serious. 

I have always believed that enjoying the journey is the best way to get to your goal and with 133 members achieving theirs, another one last night, it obviously does make a difference.   It is important to enjoy life and weight loss is a huge part of a lot of peoples lives, the next few weeks will be difficult for most of us, however I don’t want any of you to stress about it, just accept that Christmas happens every year just as holidays and birthdays do and we can leave to cope with the consequences without letting it get us down.

Make sure you don’t miss the new Weight Watchers advert on New Years Day, it will be shown on most commercial channels between 6.30 & 7pm (inbetween Corrie I think).  It’s a 3 minutes advert which is also a music video starring Alesha Dixon and 180 Weight Watchers who have lost 422 stone between then.  The song “Do It Our Way (play)” was written by Alesha and I was told by a friend who appears in the advert that when they had the castings sessions in September, they were asked how they felt about losing their weight. The song in the new advert has been written from what members said.  Liz my friend said "I felt back in control of my life" and you'll hear that line over and over again in the song!

Alesha Dixon has never struggled with her weight but decided to get involved in the project because Weight Watchers helped one of her best friends which I think proves we are all affected by weight issues in some way in our lives.

The song which is a catchy tune will also be available to download from iTunes the same day, with 25p from each sale going to Weight Watchers’ chosen charity, Tommy’s.  Wouldn’t it be great if we could raise loads of money for a fabulous children’s charity.  I will most definitely be buying my copy.

So in line with the ‘PLAY’ theme, yesterday I decided to play a new game for me called ‘meal planning’, I’ve started to put together a weeks worth of meals together with a shopping list using the new “Complete Kitchen” cookbook.  I know if I have delicious food to look forward to each day, I’m much more like to stay on track and also to get mom to play along too.

Bless my mom, I love her so much and can I say if you love yours please tell her often.  Yesterday I took her to the doctors and whilst we were there he did a dementia test and one of the questions was who is the prime minister of the UK, well it turns out we both have dementia because I didn’t know the answer either!

On that note, I’m off to do my last days work this year. xx

Be NICE!

20^th December 2011

The heart of the giver makes the gift dear and precious. Martin Luther King, Jr.

For a change I’m stuck for something to say!  My brains not really in weight loss mode, although I am tracking 100% truthfully, yesterday ended on 51 ProPoints, so need to work on that.

So instead let’s talk about Christmas and the law of giving!  It can be a difficult time of year if you’re skint, but giving doesn’t have to cost the earth, it not about how much you spend, and giving can be something as simple as your time.  Yep the law of giving affirms, in simple terms, not only do we feel a sense of satisfaction, but we also contribute to the flow of prosperity.  It’s almost impossible to be happy and prosperous without being of service to others.  Offering friendship and showing consideration for others, a smile, a kind word and a few moments of your time are all precious gifts.   Giving is not just an action, it’s an attitude too.  If you give through gritted teeth or merely because you hope to get something back in return, you’re unlikely to feel good and it probably won’t work anyway since others will sense your true motives. 

If you have parents or grandparents or old neighbours who are alone, give them some of your time, getting old is difficult and at this time of year can be lonely to. 

I’m quite distracted this morning and don’t really know how to word the thoughts in my head nor if I even should but without going into detail I think what I’d like everyone to think about today is, “Is there someone I know that could do with some of my attention”, or “Have I done something or behaved in a way that may have caused someone else pain or unhappiness”.  If the answer to either of them is yes, then do something about it. 

I plan to, there’s a person in my life and they are being extremely thoughtless towards another, and now I need to decide how to handle it, because I don’t think they even realise they are doing it!

Iif they’ve got their own problems people can be thoughtless and not even know they are doing it, that doesn’t excuse such behaviour.  On that note, just be a little more thoughtful with your actions and words, the world doesn’t revolve around any one person!

Today, go and be nice to someone you’re not too keen on xx

Believe...

19^th December 2011

Why compare yourself with others? No one in the entire world can do a better job of being you than you. Unknown

Somebody keeps messing up my desk!  I tidy it of and before you know it I can barely find room to put my cup down!  Why do we continue to do things that annoy us?  And can we change those bad habits.  I intend to find out I think, I’m going to once again clear off my desk and see how long I can keep it clear, I will look at the things I move and see if there’s a place they can live that’s close by but not my desk.  I’m sure if I can change lifelong eating habits, then keeping a 2ft by 3ft space clear can’t be that difficult.

Speaking of eating habits, 6 more sleeps to Christmas day and 13 more sleeps left in this year, I’m hoping that tracking will limit the damage even though I know I’ll overindulge and gain, if I’m aware it hopefully won’t be so bad.  Yesterday I made a huge chicken casserole and a beef bourguignon so I will at least be eating well for the next few days, I’m going to have a few filling & healthy days I think, yesterday for breakfast I had poached egg and baked beans, this morning I might have mushrooms on ww toast if I have time, if I don’t cereals always quick or even just a bit of fruit.

I’ve had a lovely weekend and now I’m on countdown for my break, the only thing I’ve packed already is my wine ;), that’s all I’ll need really though isn’t it and my wellies for paddling on the beach – just in case you’ve got a bad visual going on there, I will have my jeans and a coat on with those wellies!

Christmas really is a magical time of the year, and its fantastic to watch the kids getting excited, if you’re a parent you’re in for a long week I reckon and they get themselves more and more overexcited.  Personally I still believe and no one will convince me otherwise, Christmas makes everyone more generous, not just with gifts but with their love and attention, kindness and caring sides. 

Do you believe?  If you don’t believe in Santa at least decide to believe in yourself!  See yourself doing well and you will, so decide to hold positive thoughts about yourself.    If there’s something you need or want, then hold a vision of yourself doing well.  Only ever think positive thoughts about yourself, such as ‘I can do it’ or ‘I am good at this’.  The more you believe in yourself, the better everything will go.  If you expect success, you’ll have good results, but if you worry about failing, you won’t enjoy your experiences.  You can enjoy life more if you believe in yourself.  If someone else tells you that you won’t succeed, then picture a big “X” through their words to cancel them out.  Don’t let someone else’s words take away your self belief!  Instead act in a way that makes them change their mind and see what you can really do.  Decide now “Yes, I can do this!” whether it be relating to your weight loss goals or something else, because when you clearly decide to do it, instead of just trying you will approach the situation with confidence.  All that matters is you believe that you can do it. 

On that note, I believe I can have a tidy desk ;) 

Have a remarkable day. xx

Care about what you consume.

18^th December 2011

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost. H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Just got back from a great night with the girls and no hangover which means I can have a productive Sunday instead of lying around dying.  We had a really good giggle and a delicious Indian which only cost up 20pp each, went to Sainsbury’s and bought some of their chiller range, really good and if you share it can be within your allowance.  We did of course wash it down with an equal amount of ProPoints in lager but hey it was our Christmas get together.  I even managed to stay awake till 1am – check me out, I’m usually passed out by 9pm!

Starting my journal on Friday and tracking has really made me think before consuming these last two days, I’ve been over my daily allowance both days which means I’ve used my weekly allowance and about 15 extra, however writing it down has stopped that number being even higher.  If I wasn’t tracking yesterday, I know I would have eaten more and I know I would not have eaten a pear or a banana, so yes starting the journal before Christmas is a good idea.  I have not intention of not enjoying myself over Christmas but tracking it will make me realise I can enjoy life and not gain too much weight, heck maybe even maintain.

Mom and me were chatting about food and she’s realised cutting down on her consumption of junk does make her feel better, so we are both going to start improving the quality of the food we eat, which means over Christmas I can cook some delicious dishes out of the new cook books.  That’s what I plan to do today, read through both and pick out some recipes that I want to try whilst away. I’ve already spotted a chicken and bacon casserole in the ring binder book, ooo and chicken tagine with apricots and almonds, mmm Dhal Soup with naan bread croutons.  Need to stop looking now and finish my blog. Mmm food, I like it a lot.

I’ve taken some chicken and beef out of the freezer and later will be making something delicious to last a couple of days, I’m feeling a few days of Filling and Healthy coming on.  Off to the shop to get carrots, onions, potatoes and possibly more fruit.

I sat yesterday and filled in the questions at the front of my journal which were, “Why I want to lose weight” and “My personal goals are”.  Two really good questions to ask yourself, especially at this time of year. Then at the beginning of week one it asked me to complete, “My goal for this week is…” and “My top 3 priorities this week are:”

I wrote;

My goal for this week is to write everything down and think about my choices.

My top 3 priorities this week are wise choices, damage limitation, writing it all down.

Notice there was no promise of sticking to the plan 100% or losing weight because I know that is highly unlikely, it’s not the time for me to expect perfection, it’s the time for me not to just think ‘sod it’.  That’s my aim to still care about what I consume.

However you’re spending your weekend, hope you’re enjoying it. xx

How you gonna make a dream come true?

17^th December 2011

In order to learn the art of dying, one must know completely -- the art of living.  S. N. Goenka

Following on from yesterdays blog and feeling good about yourself, and how I used to put quotes all over my house to improve my mood and motivation levels, another thing I used to do and still do occasionally is use oracle cards.  I don’t particularly believe in fortune telling as such but oracle cards are very positive and if used on a daily basis they can give you something to think about and something to be positive about.  So yesterday I drew one that said, “One step at a time - Lots of little steps make big dreams come true.”  The little booklet that came with the cards went on to say the following;

You may have a big dream, but you may not know how to make it happen. It can come true if you'll focus on taking one small step at a time. If you will just do one or two things a day related to your dream, it will come true more quickly than you can imagine!  You can take small steps to complete any project.  For example, if you need to write a report or clean a room, you can focus on one page or on corner of the job at a time. Don't think about the whole project - just focus on the little bit you're doing right now.  Then once that page or corner is done, you can think about the next page or corner. You can even plan how many pages or corners you'll complete (on a calender) to help you plan ahead.  Taking one step at a time is a secret way to success. You'll be amazed at how much you can do if you'll just make slow and steady progress. Take a moment and think about your project or dream. Imagine that it's already completed, and notice how you feel in your body and your heart. Then ask your angels, "What step should I take right now to make this happen?" Notice any thoughts, feelings, words, or pictures that come to you. If you receive a strong message to take action in a positive way, then do so. Remember that every big job or dream can happen if you'll just break it down into small steps and then take them.

I haven’t got a particular BIG project at the moment although I have had a BIG project going on for the past 10-15 years and that’s been to understand myself and be happy and I’d say it’s working.  One of the things that I constantly work on is my eating habits, partly because of my job but partly because I know if I didn’t there is a very good chance I’d put all my weight back on.  Why?  Well after much thought and self exploration into the subject I believe it is merely because I have a massive love of food and eating and also because I can be a lazy eater which usually involves high calorie food.  It isn’t because of childhood trauma or an unhappy life as a lot of books make out, I just like eating and enjoying social occassions that involve eating with others. 

Now I plan to enjoy Christmas because I’m going away, then on Wednesday all the new Weight Watcher stock arrived and I fell in love with the new Journals - sad I know but I have a passion for pretty note books and they are.  Instantly I wanted to start tracking so I could use one, but part of me said, no we’ll start in January.  Then the obsessive side of me took over and said yeah I’ll fill one in every day for a year because there are four different designs and I’ve never that, this  instantly scared the lazy side of me (yes we all have more than one personality trait – I’m not a nutter!) because I know the likelihood of me doing that is not good and then I’ll feel like I let myself down.  Mmm starting to sound a little crazy now ain’t I? ;)

Anyway yesterday morning after drawing that card I instantly decided to start my journal there and then, not wait until January, not make promises to fill it in religiously for a year, but to just start it.  Why, because I’ll enjoy it, because it’ll make me think before I indulge over Christmas and most of all because I WANT TO!

What do you want to do that you keep putting off, it might be something simple like mine, hell I’ve just spent £4.50 on a tracker and it made my day 2 weeks sooner than if I’d waited till January and I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it so much then.  It might be something much bigger that you need to break down into smaller steps, for example achieving your goal weight, if that’s the case, ask yourself “what is the first step I need to take”, then take it.

You still here, go on start walking ;)

learn to love yourself and all the flaws...

16th December 2011

Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you is determinism; the way you play it is free will. Jawaharlal Nehru

I went home last night feeling really good about life, I’ve had a great week at work, my meetings have been full of honesty and caring.  And the one thing I think we realised from them is it's okay to be different - you don't need to be like everyone else. You're perfect as you are!  We are all individuals, and a number on a chart or a weight on a scale doesn’t define us.

Sometimes you may worry whether other people like you.  At those times, you may pretend to be somebody other than yourself. For example, you may try to act, talk, or dress like someone you admire. You're great right now. You don't need to act like anyone else. In fact, things will go a lot better, and you'll feel happier, if you'll just be yourself.

If you feel you need to be different from your true self, the problem may not be with you, but with the people around you. Perhaps they're trying to change you. Change is a part of life, and there may be behaviours that you can improve upon within yourself, but be sure that you're not trying to change into a different person.  And also know that true friends love you as you are and won't try to change you into someone new. True friends will ask you to stop dangerous behaviours, but they won't try to change you in ways that make you feel bad about yourself.

So spend your time with true friends, instead of with people who don't understand you. Things go better when you trust your intuition.  Whatever the situation, you always know what to do in your heart, so always trust your inner truth and act upon it.  Great things can happen when you follow your own inner voice, we are all here to make a positive difference to this world. And the best way to do so is by being true to yourself, remember you're amazing always.

No sure if you wanna be you?  Trust me, you’re the perfect person for the part and a bit of Self-Love is the Key to Life.  Love makes the world go round, but it all begins with you. If you want others to treat you well, treat yourself well first. If you seek love from another, fall in love with yourself first.  Whenever you need a little self-esteem boost, inspiring and motivational self-love quotes. In fact if you’re really struggling with the whole self-love thing, jot down your favourite and tape it to your mirror or computer to help remind you to cherish yourself.   Here’s a few to choose from;

To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.  Oscar Wilde

 

Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.

Self-love seems so often unrequited. Anthony Powell

To fall in love with yourself is the first secret to happiness. Robert Morely

If you aren't good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you'll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren't even giving to yourself.  Barbara De Angelis
 

Be gentle with yourself, learn to love yourself, to forgive yourself, for only as we have the right attitude toward ourselves can we have the right attitude toward others. Wilfred Peterson

The first stop on the road to romance is you. Honoring and loving yourself opens the door for another to truly do the same. Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway

"If you can learn to love yourself and all the flaws, you can love other people so much better. And that makes you so happy. Kristin Chenoweth

Love yourself unconditionally, just as you love those closest to you despite their faults. Les Brown

Love yourself instead of abusing yourself.  Karolina Kurkova

To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself heaven. Don't wait until you die. If you wait, you die now. If you love, you live now. Alan Cohen

You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve love and affection.  Buddha

I don't like myself, I'm crazy about myself. May West

If you think all that’s nonsense and won’t help, trust me, I haven’t always been this happy content person you see now, I used to be a real miserable cow who had no time for anyone (as my old work colleagues 10 years ago!) and things like sticking quotes up around my house have made a difference along with a whole lot of other things.  Give it a go, what you got to lose. xx