Loving the sunshine, ready for a rest ;)

Just a quickie to say I promise to do the best I can whilst I'm away, but at the same time enjoying myself.

I will take whatever the scales say upon my return and then strive to get back to my goal.

I'm really looking forward to a week off and by the looks of this weather I will be playing on the beach with Jen & Will building sandcastles if they're not too grown up for that - do you ever get too grown up for building sandcastles on the beach.

I haven't even packed yet so I really should go do it shouldn't I? ;')

Enjoy your weekend folks, I may or may not blog, I'm undecided and I'm unsure of the network covereage.

Be gentle on the wonderful leaders who have agreed to take my meetings next week, let me know how you've all done by posting it on our facebook page.

Yay I'm off on my holiday, long live the British Summer Sunshine. xx

The sun has got his hat on!

25^th May 2012

A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.  Mahatma Gandhi

YAY it’s Friday, although I’m spending this morning in an area meeting in Burton On Trent which isn’t quite so much fun as saying I’ve only got a bit of paperwork to do then I’m done, but hey ho, I’ll behave like the rest of the world of people who work till Friday afternoon today, it’ll be an experience! 

Isn’t this weather just gorgeous, hoping it lasts as long as possible, I’m loving it.  Plenty of water is the key then you don’t need all those lolly pops and ice creams which cost lots of ProPoints, however if you do fancy one, remember to ProPoint it.  A Walls Double Caramel Magnum will set you back 10pp, a twister will only cost you 1pp, neither is the wrong choice if you have the spare pp.  I’d guess a 99 cornet from the ice cream van to be at least 12pp = ice cream 6pp, wafer 4pp and flake 2pp – that is a guesstimate though.  The more generous the man, the bigger the cornet, the higher the ProPoints, so it’s all about being honest really, which I know is extremely difficult.

(16pp, chips (half pack Tesco Finish side dish chunky chips (8pp), 1/2 tin Branston baked beans (5pp), fried egg using ww oil spray (3pp) delicious)

Staying on track 100% of the time is extremely difficult if you like food/drink/socialising/life but it can be done if you are determined.  Even if you don’t manage 100% of the time you can still do your best.  I went over my ProPoints yesterday partly because I was hungry when I got in, partly because I knew I was breaking up for a week, partly because the sun was shining and I fancied a couple of lagers!  Does that mean I need to give up my weight loss mission, hell NO it doesn’t it means it may take me a little longer to achieve. 

I’m on holiday from Saturday for a week, am I going to lose weight whilst away – erm highly unlikely!  Am I going to totally forget I want to be back at my goal for August 17^th – absolutely not!

I’m going to have a fabulous time but not go ridiculously off track.  I will take whatever the scales say on my return and continue my journey.  This is the first week long summer holiday I’ve had in 7 years and I’m going to enjoy it, I’ve got a couple of good books to read and a few cans of lager to drink.  I also have two kids to amuse and two dogs to walk so they should help keep me active, I plan to take long walks and throw in a few runs for good measure. 

Yep my journey to goal isn’t a race, I’m not in the Olympics, I will do it but I’ll do it at a pace that means I’m still living my life, enjoying the food / drink and socialising.

Previously when I’ve gone away I’ve either got it in my head to stay 100% on track or just blow it, but this time is a bit like how I felt at Christmas when we went away, I tracked but I didn’t stay within budget, yet I somehow managed to end December the same weight I started it, by January I’d only gained a couple of pounds, so I’m not fretting about it like I used to because I know I can deal with whatever happens.

Yep I’m going to enjoy my holiday, remembering that having a good break or a good time doesn’t have to mean eating yourself to death!  The same principal applies to all of us every weekend, having a great weekend in the sunshine does not have to mean eating 4 burgers at the barbecue and drinking copious amounts of booze, you can still have a ball with less, me and Lynne had a fabulous day last Friday and both stayed on track and within our ProPoints.

So here’s to a fabulous weekend, enjoy it but not too much that it ruins your weigh-in next week. x

Hey good looking, what you got cooking?

24^th May 2012

It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It's what we do consistently. Anthony Robbins

You’re AMAZING! Did you know that?

Yes YOU ARE GORGEOUS, absolutely stunning.

I’ve never met anyone quite like you!

Do you believe me?  Do you realise I’m talking to you, or did you assume it was aimed at someone else.

I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such awesome people day in, day out and it never ceases to amaze me that they don’t see the beauty in themselves that I see.   So please go look in the mirror and see what I see because you are just fabulous.  Life really is too short to be unhappy with yourself, learn to love the skin you’re in right now.  That way your body and mind will be more likely to help you get to where you’d like to be physically and emotionally because they are both intrinsically linked, if you feel miserable about your image and berate yourself then you’re highly unlikely to take care of yourself with the food you choose to put into your body. 

Yes I am trying to get back to my goal at the moment because I’ve been enjoying life a little too much of late but I’m not giving myself a hard time about it and I still look in the mirror and love the girl staring back at me even if she is an inch bigger round her waist, hips and thighs than she is when she’s at goal, all it means is there’s 3 inches and 9lb more of me to love at the moment.  Luckily it’s a healthy 9lb because I’ve got active so I can now run for 3-5 mile where as in the past before Weight Watchers when I’ve lost weight, I wouldn’t have the energy to walk to the end of the street because I’d be living on lettuce leaves and ryvita to get results.

If I had to make a choice I’d rather be a happy healthy fit size 12/14 who enjoys a night out and partaking of the odd pint, than a unhappy, hungry, lazy size ten which I was before, back then I didn’t think I needed to exercise as I was thin already!  In the past I wouldn’t eat a fresh cream cake because I feared it making me fat, now I may have one on occasion because they’re scrumptious and it would make me smile but I wouldn’t want to eat one everyday because I know it wouldn’t be good for my health. 

If you’ve been in my meetings this week you know we’ve talked about not being a diet dinosaur and living on ‘diet’ food, with the belief that you will lose weight so that at some time in the future you can eat normally again, because that mentality will lea to you gaining it all back.  NO, instead eat sensibly, still include the foods you love and lose weight at a sensible pace.  We’ve been thinking about our top ten food/drink and working out how we can include them in our week, my top three so far are fried eggs, red wine, lager!  I keep getting stuck at lager cos I just want to drink lots of that whilst the suns shining, but I won’t because I know partaking of too much of it, too often isn’t good for my health let alone my waistband.

Everything in moderation is the answer - except for the self-love you can never have too much of that ;-)

Ooo number 4 has to be blue cheese – Saint Agur to be precise, mmm.

Number five mmm that’s my mates home made chips, but they have to be with bread and butter and ketchup.

Now I need to think about the other 5 things on that list, I just love food/drink, how do you choose just 10 favourites, I think it may be impossible; it would change on a daily basis!

Ooo Pizza, number six possibly.

So who’s up for being a Happy Owl (Over Weight Lady/Lad) http://www.happyowls.co.uk/promise.html go and sign the pledge to adore yourself regardless! 

It’s much easier to lose weight if you feel great about being you, and you’re looking forward to your next meal – honest!

Well I’m off for a walk to wake me up properly, no better way to start the day. xx

"Onyarf" I'm thrilled with that!

23^rd May 2012

Success is a ladder you cannot climb with your hands in your pockets. American Proverb

YAY, I did  it, tracked everything for an entire week, stuck to my ProPoints, albeit I used every last one, every daily (26pp x 7), every weekly (49pp) and every activity ProPoints (50pp total) has been consumed!  I’ve enjoyed every last thing I’ve eaten and I’ve lost weight, so I’m a very happy girl.  How much did I lose – ½ pound wooooo hoooooo!  “Onyarf” as the majority of my members would say, but I’m chuffed with that because if you recall last Tuesday after being weighed on the morning, I didn’t track for the rest of the day because I was smitten having lost 2.5lb and I was doing the 4.5 day diet dance because somehow I’d got away with it and lost lots!  Then I did what you’re not supposed to do and weighed the next morning to realise I’d put 1.5lb of that back on, not this morning though because this morning I’m on day 8 of total tracking with honesty and thought.  Yep, there isn’t a weight gain this morning because I did have a ‘treat day’ like last week, so I am officially one step closer to getting back to goal for August 17^th, 3lb gone in 2 weeks, and 9lb left to go. 

Better still than any of that information is the fact that I feel like I can do it, I’m finally in the zone where I know it’s possible and I have the power.  Yesterday was the first day I didn’t think about food most of the day, yeah I don’t care what anyone says the first week on a diet is usually consumed with thoughts of when can I eat next, what can I have, how many ProPoints have I got left!  Yesterday, I had a tuna wrap for quickness about 3pm (I did take the time to slice some cucumber and pepper though) when usually I’ve eaten my lunch about noon, so hopefully my appetite is calming down because it does, we’re not naturally greedy people, we become greedy people through exposure to food and availability, and habit over time.

Having looked back on my 2008 blog and realised I lost weight quicker back then but I changed my eating pattern quite a bit and I cut out the wine, I’ve realised I’m not willing to do that now, I’d rather lose it slowly and tweak my eating and keep my wine and then I’ll be more than likely to keep it off.

I was so proud of Charlotte achieving her goal yesterday, over 3 stone lost and she’s made changes to her lifestyle that she will be able to continue for ever.   She plans her main meal of the day first and then the rest of the day around that, she’s got to the stage now where she doesn’t 'need' a treat everyday like she used to because her attitude towards food and how much she needs has really altered.   It may sound like she’s painting a perfect picture but it has taken a long time for her to reach this stage.  She’s even managed to have two holiday over that time and gained 12lb then got back on track to lose it and achieve her GOAL.  Just shows we can have a life and lose.

So here’s to Day 8, already have an idea of what I’m eating today, it actually includes chips but pre-bought ones that are portion controlled and ProPointed, not manky orange ones brought from a moody dude in a chip shop!

Enjoy the sunshine, looking positive again today.

Did you track that?

22^nd May 2012

Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo DaVinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein. Get the idea?

Great day yesterday, lovely meeting on the morning, I do like my nice gentle start to my week, then I managed a 5 mile run round chase water, ran round clockwise then anticlockwise to see it from a different angle, I also managed to get up close with some deer which was WOW!  I’d only planned on running my usually 5k (3.1mile) but as I pulled up on the car park my phone beeped, my best mate telling me she’d just run her first half marathon!  She was one of the people who originally inspired me to give running a try and she’s been training to build up to the 13.1 mile half marathon, the furthest she’d got so far was 10 mile, so when she text and said she’d done it, I was motivated to try and push myself further too.  She runs really fast and did it in 2 hours, so that’s like 9 minute miles, I however took 57 minutes so 11 ½ minute miles, and you know what, I’m happy with that because I’m running, and that’s all that matters, plus it earned me 10pp for wine whilst I was soaking in a hot bath later than day.  Mmm you gotta love relaxing when you’ve earned it. 

I was also inspired as always by one of my members yesterday who’s been on their journey for a good long time, we all go through phases of it being easy and times of it being really hard to stick too, sometimes those times are influenced by other things that are happening in our lives.  Realising this will help us all get to our goals, because regardless of how long it takes you to lose your weight, you’re always going to have to watch what you eat in order to keep the weight off!  They’ll always be times in your life when there are things that challenge you, because it isn’t easy being a human being, things happen that cause problems, however we can cope and continue to lose.  How do I know, because she’s been doing it for 3 years now and is still going, she’s 18 ½ stone lighter than she was and I know she’s going to go all the way to her goal, she may have moment where she doubts herself, hell don’t we all, but she’ll do it because she knows deep down she’s worth it, she’s worth all the effort that’s necessary to succeed. 

Enjoyed my dinner yesterday, liver and onions in gravy, with mashed potato and chives (I added 1pp of low fat fromaige frais, which made it really creamy mmm), carrots and spinach.  It was a huge plateful of food for 12pp and not forgetting I’d earned 10pp running, it was covered ;-) easily, I’d had mushroom thin for breakfast, and for tea I had a square wrap stuffed with coronation chicken and salad leaves.  I was having leftover mash, carrots and onion gravy which smelled delicious when my mom came walking in with it, after saying she didn’t want any!  It’s a good job I love her because I was drooling as I watched her eat my tea, before going and making myself a wrap!

So it’s my official weigh in this morning, I’ll be happy with a stayed same or loss, I know I didn’t track last Tuesday and I wasn’t particularly good that day, I had a 2.5lb loss last Tuesday which was a tad unexpected as I’d only tracked 4.5 days out of the 7.  This week I’ve tracked religiously since Wednesday, so it’ll be 7 days tracking at the end of today, it’s the first weekend this year probably that I’ve stayed on track and I’m still within my allowances.  I’ve had all of them mind, every daily, every weekly and every activity so let’s see if I get away with last Tuesday’s blip or not.  Either way, I’ll be happy because I just feel great being back in control, making the effort to find foods I know I’ll enjoy as well as them helping me get my weight off.  I’m loving my journal, it’s really making me think about what I have, writing it down really is the answer!

Right I’m off to walk Alfie, he’s getting the full hour these days, I need the steps on my pedometer ;-) It’s all about the wine-ometer!

Enjoy your day, it’s gonna be a good one!

So nice NOT thinking "I've blown it again" this morning

21^st May 2012

The easier it is to do, the harder it is to change. 

Made it through to the other side lol ;-) Yep it’s Monday and I did a weekend on track and in the zone, my first of the year might I add!  What’s made me even happier about that fact is that I’ve still done more or less what I would’ve done any other weekend, i.e. been out with my mate, had a meal out, had a drink and genuinely enjoyed everything I’ve eaten, none of which had the words ‘low fat’ or ‘diet’ written on them.  Oops I fib; I had a Weight Watcher desert yogurt for 1pp, which was quite nice.

I ran 5k yesterday, that was hard work as I hadn’t been for 11 days because of my head cold, I did it though which always makes me feel good that I actually can do it. 

So things that I’ve done over the last week that have helped to motivate me include, taking photos of my front, back and side in my underwear, they’re on my phone so I have a constant reminder of why I’m in the zone!  Taking measurements of myself too, so I’ll know if I’m losing inches because I can’t always tell when I look in a mirror, and the scales don’t always give a true representation of your success.  Tracked, that’s the number one thing that’s made a difference, when you write it down at the time of eating, it really keeps you aware of how many ProPoints you’ve spent, how many you have left and whether you should be fancying something else or if you’re just craving something.  Having support – that’s the number two thing that’s helped, luckily me and my mate tend to veer off track at the same time, so we both knew each others weak moments this week and we’ve timed a text perfectly.

I’d almost forget, last Tuesday in my meeting we mentioned a recipe for Yuk Sung, here it is;

Yuk Sung

Total made with chicken =, 13pp, made with pork = 18pp

450g minced pork (17pp) or chicken (12pp)                                 

1/4lb mushrooms, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped                                                            
2 small tins water chestnuts, finely chopped                              
WW Oil spray if necessary to fry (added PP though) use a little water instead
2 garlic cloves crushed                                                                          
2 tsp Oyster sauce
1 tsp Sesame oil (1pp) Optional                                                        
Iceberg lettuce

Put spray light in wok on medium heat. Fry onion and garlic until slightly brown, add mince and fry until brown. Add mushrooms and water chestnuts. Add seasoning, oyster sauce and finally add 1tsp sesame oil (optional). Drain excess oil and serve in iceberg lettuce leaves

I haven’t had that for a long time, but I think I may be buying some turkey mince and having a go this week maybe mmm.

Another question that appeared both on my group page and another place yesterday was concerning activity ProPoints, I generally use all mine because I calculate them accurately either using the pocket guide (pages 62-63, esource or my pedometer. 

With Activity the thing to remember is to start by doing more than you did before, any activity you can do will benefit you.  There is new guidance around earning activity ProPoints values to protect a member’s health – in that Weight Watchers recommended members aim to earn a minimum of 14 activity ProPoints values a week, and no more than an average (over a usual week) of 6 activity ProPoints values per day, unless you are under the supervision of a qualified exercise specialist.  The reasons for the 6pp rule is that the American College of Sports Medicine recommends earning no more than an average of 6 activity ProPoints values per day, unless you’re under the supervision of a qualified exercise specialist. This is because this is the level at which injury risk is increased.

There are no rules around spending activity ProPoints values – members can earn them and spend them as they wish. There are no limits on how many activity ProPoints values members can swap for food or drinks.

So now that’s been clarified, don’t be afraid of using them, Weight Watchers wouldn’t let you use them if it stopped you losing weight, I shall continue using my wineometer (sorry Pedometer, I get the name confused!) to earn me my daily class of wine, I earned 7pp yesterday with my run, I’ll take the risk of injury, my bodies already old and battered ;-)

Enjoy your day, YAY it’s Monday, and for once I’m not ‘restarting my diet’ hurrah!

Losing & Living at the same time!

20^th May 2012

To be successful, you must decide exactly what you want to accomplish, then resolve to pay the price to get it.

I’m enjoying my weekend and proving it’s possible whilst staying on track, even managed a bottle of red wine last night whilst watching Adele at the Royal Albert Hall, we had tickets to see her at the Civic Hall but she cancelled so that was the closest I was getting ;-) she was excellent though.

Of course the programme everyone’s been talking about this week is Secret Eaters on Channel 4 on Wednesday, if you missed it, here’s the link to go watch it online.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/secret-eaters/4od#3346428

The idea of the show is based on the fact that apparently Britain's a nation of Secret Eaters. Each year, we're gaining weight, but many of us just don't seem to know why.  Secret Eaters puts overweight families under 24-hour camera surveillance - their every move and mouthful captured by cameras in their shopping trolleys, cars, fridges and cupboards.  Once the families are aware of the scale of their overeating, they embark on a ten-week 'Food Rehab' regime to help them shift the pounds.

So the first episode focused on siblings Jill and Stuart from the Wirral are in the spotlight. Both are desperate to lose weight, but convinced they don't eat enough.  The episode shows a totally different story and once they learn the shocking truth of what they're really consuming, they stick to a ten-week healthy eating regime and realise they can lose weight!

I think other than the shock factor of the show, the one thing you realise more than anything is the importance of awareness when you’re eating. I’ve carried my journal with me everywhere this week, I even took it out in Nando’s and I don’t care what anyone thinks, because in a few months time when I’m back at goal it’ll all be worth it.

Because ultimately there isn’t an easy, quick fix way to lose weight, it’s about making realistic changes you’re happy to keep for the rest of your life.  I wouldn’t be willing to eat ‘certain foods’ or omit ‘certain foods’ to get to my goal weight.  I’m not going to eat ‘special diet meals’ for a few months to get there either, nor drink a shake twice a day.  Nope, I want to be able to go out with my mate every Friday and have a giggle over a pint of lager and maybe a bite to eat if we’re in the mood.  And I know that can be done by following the plan and making choices, instead of 4 pints, I’ll have 2, funnily enough we didn’t really notice any difference in our enjoyment levels by drinking less!  And of course make wiser food choices when eating out, we did that too this week and it was delicious.  Yes I’ve realised if I can maintain for 2 years at 7-11lb over my goal with a few tweaks and in a few months time I’ll be able to maintain at my actual goal.  It’ll be so worth the effort and we’re still enjoying ourselves whilst we’re getting there.

So I have used all my weeklies now, I do have 18 activity ProPoints earned if I need them, haven’t decided on what I’m going to eat today yet but it’s likely to involve large mushrooms and small potatoes because that’s what’s in the fridge.  That’s one way of ensuring you stay on track, only buy foods you know are good for you and taste great.  Although saying that we do have a cupboard full of junk for mom but I’m so focused at the moment I have no desire to go there, I didn’t even get the munchies last night after my wine. 

It’s Sunday, which is my day of rest, I will be doing a bit of stuff this morning, I’m emptying my office to have the floor and walls done, what a mission this is turning into, but once I’ve done that, walked Alfie, possibly had a run, then I plan to plant my behind firmly in my chair and watch tv.

Hope you enjoy whatever you have planned.

The time will pass anyway!

19^th May 2012

We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us. Marcel Proust (1871-1922)

We did it, and we had a fabulous day too, me and Lynne stayed on track all day yesterday, we pre-planned our meals and our drinks and we had a full day out with lunch at mine, followed by a pint in the pub, then went to see “The Dictator” at the cinema (very funny it was too) then we went to Nando’s and then for another pint in a pub before finally going to see Dara O’Briain at the Civic Hall.

The entire day cost me 43pp (my lunch alone cost me that last Friday), awesome, and I recommend Nando’s it was great and the peri-peri ½ chicken for 9pp is great, I didn’t add any extra sauces, I had corn on the cob as a side for 4pp, didn’t use the butter – it didn’t need it.  I was going to have a side salad but that wasn’t considered a regular side, so the chips looked good and I had the allowance so I had those, they looked better than they tasted so I left half and if when I go again I’ll have 2 corn on the cobs because they were scrumptious.  Free top up on the diet coke too which is always a bonus!

It feels fantastic to be in the zone 100% at last and I know I will make it to weigh day without blowing my ProPoints budget because I feel so focused.  It’s amazing how you can be motivated and inspired by people you’ve never even met!  Tuesday morning when I weighed in meeting I’d lost 2.5lb, then I didn’t track all day because I’d got cocky and so when I jumped on the scales Wednesday morning (I’m aware we shouldn’t weight more than once a week but I did because I knew I’m been stupid) knowing I’d gone over my allowance the day before, I’d put 1.5lb of it back on!  I had that, “here we go again!” thought in my head, knowing what I’m like - how I have one good week, one bad week which for the last 12 months has meant I’ve maintained my weight but maintained it at between 7 to 14lb over my goal!  Then I logged onto facebook, and I read a post written by a Weight Watcher leader named Shan and something just clicked!  The post said;

“THE LIGHT SWITCH HAS BEEN SWITCHED ON!! I've been a leader for 13yrs and for all these years it's been a on going battle to maintain my weight as most of you know; for the last 3 yrs I've been a 1.5 stones over my goal! This week I saw the light!! I've tracked as a new member would track, I've planned my meals and organised my mind and I've got a grip!! 7lbs off!! Come on girls, let's lead by example!! It feels amazing! I'm much more confident in my meetings and I can now prove I know what I'm talking about! I'm 1 happy leader!! X :-)”

Well I was like ‘WOW’ this is what I want, I want a bit of that, get a grip Bev you can do this!

Then yesterday to help motivate me even more I watched this video on You Tube;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzJI2PWX9Vk&feature=youtu.be

If you watch that and aren’t motivated, well I don’t know what to day!  Sarah the lady in the video looks amazing, has had a fabulous journey and these are the words that I’ve taken from her video that I thought were most poignant’

“Every journey starts somewhere, it’s never too late to try - what would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?  Never give up on a dream just because of the length of time it will take to accomplish it.  The time will pass anyway.  A year from now, you may wish you had started today!  Anything is possible; it’s your choice whether or not you choose to make IT happen.”

Luckily for me I also have an amazing friend who knows me so well she spent Wednesday saying all the right things and pushing the right buttons to turn that initial inspiration from Shan into full blown motivation to get me well and truly in the zone and I feel great.  I’m not worried about surviving the weekend, I know I will because my decisions have already been made in my head.  For example I’m having my hair done today and they give you the most delicious cappuccino and biscuits, so I already have a bottle of diet coke in my bag and I shall be saying “no thanks” when asked if I’d like a drink.  I’ve already thought about meal ideas for the next two days and I know exactly how many ProPoints I have spare if I’d like a glass of wine or two or three. 

Yes I can go out with my besties and stay on track.

Yes I can enjoy a glass or two or three of wine and stay on track.

Yes I can eat out if I consult my ‘eat out’ guide and plan beforehand.

Yes I can lose weight and get back to my goal and SO CAN YOU!

It’s about looking for inspiration and motivation anywhere and everywhere instead of trying to find kindred spirits to wallow in your self-pity party with you!  We’re all guilty of getting stuck in the, “I can’t, it’s just so hard” place, but it sucks there doesn’t it, the other people sat at that table will drain the dreams out of you.  So I suggest if like me you’ve been sat at that particular table for a while, you excuse yourself and go join the likes of Shan and Sarah on the top table where the losers (but winners) hang out.  Surprisingly enough the food served there tastes way better too because not only is healthy food delicious it always comes with a dash of virtuous, which tastes simply devine ;-)

Happy days, apparently it’s raining, for some reason I hadn’t noticed I’m too busy smiling and feeling good this morning. 

Enjoy your weekend and remember I’ve saved you a seat at the top table, see you there!  

I'm driving the Weight Watcher Wagon - do you want a seat?

18^th May 2012

When the student is ready the teacher will appear. Zen Proverb

I need a few extra hours this morning to get everything done, before my weekend begins, lots of paperwork and a dog to walk first.  Then lunch with my bestie, I’m cooking because we’re both on track, we’re having garlic & herb chicken, roasted vegetables and quinoa and it shall be truly scrumptious.  Then it’s off to the cinema to see The Dictator and later we’re going to see Dara O’Briain at the Civic, so a fabulous day planned.

Yesterday went well, finished on 34pp, so used 8 of my weeklies but again I earned 5 on my pedometer, so the weekends looking promising.  I had a delicious lunch, stuffed mushrooms (put diced carrot, pepper, spring onions & 100g phili light in them then topped with 40g cheddar, made 3 total of 8pp, slip between 2 of us) and Tilda mushroom basmati rice (4pp for ½ packet).   Total cost of meal about £2.50 for 2, I only ever buy the rice when it’s on offer so it’s never more than £1 a packet.

It feels good to be back in the zone, I’ve been tracking for a while, I never really actually stop but I’ve not been in the zone; it’s a mindset isn’t it.  If like me you’re always conscious of your weight, then you know you go through phases and sometimes you’re more focused on healthy eating and taking care of yourself and sometimes you just don’t care, you’re otherwise occupied with different things and your weight suddenly isn’t as important. 

It’s really helping that everyone in the meetings appears to be getting in the zone too the last few weeks, there’s much more losing going on than gaining, it’s fabulous, loads of successes, the Rachel’s stole the show yesterday, one getting her 50lb certificate the other her 9½ stone!  Brilliant, there were plenty of silver sevens, 5% & 10% handed out this week too, and a few gold memberships so it’s definitely that time of year where the success is shining through.

I just need to shake this cold now which started last Sunday, I no longer feel ill as such it’s just in my head  now and it needs to go, I have running ProPoints to be earning!  I measured myself this week and although I haven’t really kept any of the weight off that I’ve lost this year I have lost an inch off my thigh which is fabulous because that’s where I hold my weight from the waist down!

I told you yesterday that I’d taken photos of myself, well I got the idea from a member on fb, she said she had seen an article in the paper about a lady who lost 9 stone! This lady found that keeping a photo diary of herself in the same pose every week helped her to see results! So Amy took her first photo in her bikini to do the same thing, she’d also put it as her screen saver on her phone.  We both agreed it’s too easy to cover up by dressing well but once you undress you see the real truth.  Now don’t get me wrong, we’re both gorgeous already, so we’re just tweaking on our own perfection ;-)

Okay, Alfies getting restless so I’m getting going.  We can do this folks, we can all lose week on week and enjoy the journey too.  My mission this week is to do it as cheap as possible because I’m skint.  So I will tell share with you any finds I make.

Have a fabulous Friday. x

In the ZONE! It's great here, come join us!

17^th May 2012
Fall down seven times, stand up eight. Japanese Proverbs

I appreciate we’re all busy but I truly believe tracking is a small price to pay to ensure a weight loss!  After my loss on Tuesday morning, I did what I’m renowned for in my own head and I didn’t track that day thinking ‘WOW I’ve  lost 2.5lb and I only tracked Monday – Friday, so I don’t have to bother’, by Wednesday morning, when I stepped on the bathroom scales (yes I know once a week in the meeting, but I needed the reality check!) I’d put 1.5lb of it back on.  So 7 days a week tracking from now on it is, I realised I need to go back to basics and think about what I can have instead of just reacting in the supermarket or kitchen I need to think beforehand. 

I then also realised I was a little bit skint!  So I couldn’t just go out and buy loads of diet meals.  Luckily my cupboard is full of good stuff – if it’s used correctly, I just needed to add fruit, veg and salad which I could afford.  Yes if I could afford a £1.30 bag of chips the night before, I sure as hell could afford a 99p bag of salad leaves, 50p for half a cucumber, £1 for 3 large mushrooms, 50p for a bunch of spring onions, 10p for 2 carrots £1.30 for 3 peppers and 99p for cherry tomatoes, there’s enough salad there for two main meals, I know because I had one last night, and I’ve just prepared the other one for two, I’ve also used some of it to prepare 3 giant stuffed mushrooms and a bit left over to throw in a stir fry maybe.  Yes I spend £6 in the greengrocers and with what I already have in the fridge I’ve already got 3 or 4 meals out of that which is about the same as 4 trips to the chippy and a guaranteed weight gain which would cost £5.99 for the extra week at Weight Watchers to lose it again!  Yep finances may be tight for all of us but a bit of thought means your money can go much further.

I did treat myself to a new journal though, and because I prefer ring bound books I’ve taken all the pages out of the journal, hole-punched them and put them in my Weight Watcher blue folder so I have everything in one place, I now have my A-Z pocket guide in the same place as my tracker.  

To motivate me even more, I’ve taken photos – FRONT – SIDE – BACK, oh my word, the back view was a shock!  I took the photos in my bra and pants too and when I looked at my rear, I realised it’s a view we never need to see that’s why it’s behind us!  I will definitely be getting back to goal now, mainly because I’m actually curious to how different that back view will be when I do ;-)

I started yesterday with Ryvita, but not because they’re diet food but because I actually do really like them.  I made a delicious gammon pasta main meal using Bachelors condensed low fat chicken soup as the sauce (recipe of facebook) and for my other meal I had the salad mentioned about with a packet of Bernard Matthews Coronation Chicken  (3pp & only 99p) and 10 olives (1pp).

I’d got 7pp white wine left in a bottle so I finished my day with that, meaning final score so to speak was 29pp, so used 3pp from my weeklies, but I did earn 7pp on my pedometer.

Yeah it’ll all be worth it when I get another weight loss next week, it’ll be worth it even more when I see my goal weight again on the scales, it’ll be 8 years on August 17^th (3 calendar months away) since I got to my goal, I have about 10 or 11lb to get to it.   

We can do this!  Aren't you glad I didn't share my knicker and bra shots with you!! '-) 

Have a fabulous Friday, it's almost the weekend. xx

Small or Large - You mean XL or XXL!

15^th May 2012

“Judge nothing, you will be happy. Forgive everything, you will be happier. Love everything, you will be happiest.” ~Sri Chinmoy

Seriously, have we all totally lost the concept of portion sizes?  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big eater, it’s what caused my weight problem in the first place, I can eat a lot, especially if it tastes nice.  I do however know that the amount I can eat is too much and not the norm.  Last night in my meeting I showed a trifle from Tesco to my members as I was impressed that it was 6pp per serving and the dish served 3, a good few of them said it would only serve one or two of them in their house.  Then on my way home I decided to treat myself to chips after my 2 ½ lb weight loss this week I was feeling rather pleased with myself - I have to be careful now because I usually get smug about my loss and eat too much the following week and gain it back!

Anyway I stop at the chip shop, I’d just found out there was a battered chips shop round the corner from my venue so I wanted to try them, luckily they weren’t amazing and the staff were rude so I won’t be returning.  But anyway to the point, he asked if I wanted small (£1.30) or large (£1.80), obviously I said small and then I stood and watched him shovel at least 5 maybe 6 scoops into the bag!  What the hell!  Small or large, I think he meant XL or XXL, because if you lived on those portion sizes that would be what you’d be wearing in a few months!

When I got home I weighed them and they were 2lb (900g) in weight, that’s 62pp according to esource for fried retail chips, that’s the equivalent of buying a 1kg bag of Aunt Bessies Homestyle Chips and cooking the lot for yourself!  You just wouldn’t dream of doing that – I hope not anyway!

According to Weight Watchers esource a regular portion is 165g (11pp) and a large is 210g (14pp).  I had my handful and threw the rest away, what a waste.  I suppose good value if you realise there’s 4 portions in a small bag and split them accordingly with the rest of the family!

Even if you’re not on a diet and you don’t follow Weight Watchers, the average woman (if there is such a thing) should maintain her weight on around 2000 calories, a man around 2,500, that bag of chips worked out at about 2,151 calories. 

Did you know the West Midlands is the FATTEST region in Europe!  Yep earlier this year studies showed that only 6 in a hundred people think they are obese and the actual figure, 1 in 4 people are.   I’m glad that I have so many members in my meetings because it’s proving that we aren’t ignoring the fact we have weight problems, we’re doing something about it and they’re doing mighty well – another two hit their targets and got to goal last night, that’s 41 so far this year to add to the 135 last year.  Yep this year my members have lost 1,900 stone WOW, that proves we can get a handle on these portion sizes.

I don’t know if portion sizes from takeaway outlets are so large in other parts of the country but serving people 2lb chips is ridiculous, the Chinese and Indian takeaways are similar, there’s usually enough food in a tray for two people.  Heck look at MacDonalds, their Big Tasty is 23pp, their breakfast wrap is 16pp (595 calories and sold as A pork sausage patty with a free range egg, tasty British bacon, potato rosti, cheese and ketchup or brown sauce - all wrapped in a soft tortilla.)  I wouldn’t mind but they don’t even fill you up!

It’s really difficult to change your ways and get out of eating large portions and these takeaway places sure don’t make it any easier do they!

Enjoy your day and downsize your plate today xx

Give yourself a bit of love x

15^th May 2012

“Judge nothing, you will be happy. Forgive everything, you will be happier. Love everything, you will be happiest.” Sri Chinmoy

Recognise these words, have you ever said them “I really want to lose weight but it’s so difficult” – are you nodding your head right now?

Yep it sure is difficult and anyone who says it isn’t is either new to the game or really has a different mindset to the majority of people.

Sometimes when you’re lucky, you just get in the mindset where it all clicks into place and you’re on a roll, the weights coming off week by week, you’re enjoying your new and different interest in healthy eating and you find ways of eating out and socialising that doesn’t stop you losing weight.

Other times you feel like every social occasion is a battle, in what you feel is a never-ending war! 

Monday to Thursday you manage, you stay on track and you earn some activity ProPoints then BAM it’s here, it arrived sooner than you were expecting and knocked you off your feet with a sucker punch, yes it’s Friday and you have plans.  You really want to have a good time and at the moment for you that seems to involve food and/or alcohol.

See I know, I’ve been there, sooooooooooo many times, I love eating, I love living, I love socialising and I find losing weight at times the hardest thing in the world and other times the easiest.

These days, I ride the storm so to speak, if I do find myself struggling, I just keep my head down and do my best whilst getting support from my members and friends.  When I’m finding it easy, I enjoy the ride.

I used to think it was more difficult when I was younger, because then you really want to party and that usually involves alcohol followed by curry!  Well it used to anyway, but as you get older you’ve actually got more money so you can afford more!  Nightmare ;)

So are we all doomed to fail?

No, I’ve managed to keep my weight under control for coming up to 8 years now, yes I fluctuate some but I’ve always stayed a good 2 stone away from my heaviest weight, and I have a tip over point that if I get to it, I suddenly find myself IN THE ZONE!

HOW? Well that’s what you find out in a meeting, that’s why Weight Watchers works, because we share our ideas, thoughts, feelings and experiences and we all learn from each other.

The one tip I would share with you here though is the one constant you always need and that's a whole lot of self-love.  Don’t beat yourself up for struggling, don’t call yourself names for not looking the way you wish you did.  Instead give yourself lots of positive thoughts and treat yourself well.  Find ways to take care of you that doesn’t involve cake!

Have a good day, remember you’re worth all this effort because you’re the most important person on this planet. xx