What do you look like!

31^st July 2013

Laugh until your belly hurts & then just laugh a bit more!

Weight loss is such an emotive subject isn’t it, and yesterday in more ways than one reinforced that belief for me, can you imagine walking up to a complete stranger in the street and saying, “look at the state of you, sort it out!”  What you thinking right now?

Personally I hope you’d be a bit shocked at the suggestion and wouldn’t even contemplate it, yet how many of you look in the mirror and say or think it about yourself?  How many of you give yourself a really hard time over your appearance and your body? 

Whose fault is it that you’re overweight? 

Should we actually be laying blame anywhere, should we be judging ourselves and others on weight problems?

Sometimes being overweight can be an external sign that not everything is great in that person’s life at this time.  Sometimes being overweight can be as simple as that person likes food a little too much, or that they lack the food education to know which choices to make.  It may be that they’re financially strapped at the moment and the cheaper foods aren’t the healthiest foods.  Should anyone be judged because of any of those reasons?  I don’t think so!

There are lots of reasons a person gains weight, heck you could even blame W H Smith for offering you a bar of chocolate every time you go in their to buy a magazine!  It’s easier to say yes to something than it is to say no, especially when that something is going to give you instant gratification, after all we’re pleasure seeking creatures!

It’s not easy to change the habits of a lifetime, if you’ve spent most of your life being critical of your appearance, then suddenly loving and embracing the skin your in isn’t as easy as it should be.   I believe we judge our own appearance much more than others, yesterday I wore a knee length skirt and had bare legs to work, something I never do, one reason being because I used to be very self conscious of my legs and got into the habit of not wearing them, yet my helper told me, she thought that length suited me more than my longer skirts.  I did of course get the “Oh you’ve got legs” comment from about a quarter of my members, now a few years ago that would’ve been the reason I didn’t start wearing the knee lengths, or the reason I wouldn’t have put one on again because I wouldn’t have wanted so much attention drawing to it, however yesterday I was okay about it.  Have my legs changed?  No of course them haven’t, my mindset has, I’ve realised they’re just legs, okay they’re not supermodel legs I’m a good foot too short for that but they’re my legs and the suit the rest of my body!

The meeting discussion yesterday was so emotional, for me it’s was what Weight Watchers is all about, that group support, everyone contributing, sharing each others successes and setbacks, boosting each others morale.  I’m so very lucky to have such wonderful people in my meetings, I would never get to know this many amazing people if I wasn’t a Weight Watcher leader, and what’s even better is I get to tell them how gorgeous they are and also to try to get them to see it too.

So just for today lose the judgment, whether it’s towards yourself or others, someone’s appearance doesn’t really tell you all you need to know about that person

You absolutely can change your appearance if you wish to but you don’t need to in order to be a better person, our actions and behaviours are what make us.  If you want to lose weight Eat Gorgeous, BeYouTiful and realise you are already a very special person because a bit of self love goes a very long way. xx

Who blew it this weekend?

30^th July 2013

There are few things more painful than to recognise one's own faults in others.  John Wells

I could’ve had an extra hour in bed this morning, it’s the first time this year I’ve been tempted to reset my alarm and give myself an extra hour, I’m thinking maybe it’s because I worked more hours last week, I spent Friday in Leeds and also worked yesterday morning to catch up from week before.  I’m waking up now I’m drinking my pint of water, yes still doing that before I have a cup of tea, it’s become automatic as soon as I get out of bed.

I made a lovely dinner yesterday Moroccan fennel & apricot chicken tagine, with leek and butternut squash served with couscous, it was delicious, a little on the warm spicy side for us but still very tasty, I think I had the packet mix from Sainsbury’s. 

We also took a drive over to David Austin Roses in Albrighton because I was thinking of having the front garden borders full of roses, worthwhile trip because I changed my mind, so back to the drawing board, I did however treat myself to a couple of plants from the garden centre in Albrighton, one a lovely sedum we’d seen in the gardens at the roses place.

Okay back to weight loss, who blew it at the weekend?  Come on be honest!  I know a few of my members did because they told me, so how do you put that right, stop it happening, carry on?  First of all I think you need to remind yourself of your reasons for joining Weight Watchers in the first place, ask yourself what you want to achieve.  Next examine your current reality, this is really important because too often we try to solve our problems or reach our goal without fully considering where we’re starting from, do that means we often miss some information that we need in order to reach our goal effectively.  Scary word ‘goal’ isn’t it, remember it doesn’t have to mean your long term goal, it may just mean your aim for this week, or your target for the summer holidays.

So where are we right now?  What’s happening in your life right now, and what effect is this having on your weight loss efforts?  What if any steps have you already taken towards your goal?  And is this goal conflicting with any other goals you may have, for example if your goal for weight loss is 2lb this week but your other goal is to go out this weekend because it’s your birthday and have a damn good party night, chances are ones going to affect the other!

Once you’ve answered those questions, then it’s time to get real and work out what is possible, look at all your options, how could you stay on track this weekend?  I could make lots of suggestions but I’m not going to because only you really know what will work for you.  For me I know if I only buy myself two bottles of wine on a Thursday, then two bottles is all I have to last all week until the next time I go shopping, I also know that if I go and buy some none alcoholic Becks Blue that’s going to help me with the habit of wanting a bottle of beer because I actually like it as much and it’s only 1pp a bottle.  So what could you do?   And then when you’ve thought about that, ask yourself - What else could you do? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each option?  What do you need to stop doing in order to achieve this goal?  What obstacles stand in your way?

So do you have some solutions? An idea of how you can get through this weekend without blowing it?  So, what will you do come Friday? What else will you do? What could stop you sticking to this plan? How will you overcome this? How can you keep yourself motivated?

You’ve just done a bit of self-coaching on yourself – well done if you did it, if you didn’t you can come back later and have a go.  Don’t expect the answers to come instantly, think about them, remember we didn’t gain all our weight overnight and we won’t change all those habits overnight either.   

I’m going to sit down and do this exercise myself later because I do get led astray a little more than I’d like at weekends and this weekend I have my bestie coming to make it more challenging!

Weigh day today for me, I’m praying to the scale gods, that buffet demon got me remember and I was tripped up by a pork pie at Essington Fruit Farm yesterday, oh yeah and kidnapped over the weekend by a bottle of port that had been on offer the week before!  Wish me luck J

Have a great day, Eat Gorgeous and remember you are BeYouTiful. xx 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I just can't do it" is too easy an option!

29^th July 2013

The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything. 

The other day I was asked why it was important to me to lose weight; my response was because my boss told me I should!  The truth was it isn't, but it is important to me that I don't gain weight, for me there's a huge difference there in how I approach my eating on a daily basis. Yes I would be happy to be a stone lighter but the truth is I'm quite happy at the weight I am, I feel good about myself and comfortable in my skin, I think I look good in my clothes and for my age I'm a fit bird ;-). However I don't want to weigh any heavier for health reasons mainly, but also for vanity reasons. 

So that is why I'm ProPointing and tracking, if I can continue to lose 1/2lb a week or maintain ill be happy, the odd gains okay as long as the scales aren't creeping up to that unhappy weight I have in my mind. 

I'm writing this down as a reminder of that conversation so that on days when I go into "sod it" mode and tell myself I don't care what I weigh, I can read this and remind myself that isn't true!

I'm guessing if you read my blog you are or have been a Weight Watcher, do you remember your reasons?  Do you sometimes choose to ignore them?  Are you in a none Weight Watcher place right now and telling yourself you don't care what you weigh because you can't do it!  We can do this you know, especially if we keep telling ourselves and each other that we can x

When we're in the zone, I believe we enjoy our food more, I believe we feel better about our actions and I believe it feels a hell of a lot better than "sod it" syndrome!  You may disagree and if you do I'm guessing you're not in the zone at the moment and just like I'm known to do, you're disagreeing with me because it reinforces that place that you are right now. 

Even when you're struggling to stay on track it's better to admit that and do the best that you can at that time than to forget about it altogether as that when the weight creeps back on and it tends to do so quite quickly!

Are you struggling to get on track?  What are your reasons, here's a list to choose from;

I don't have time to do it.
I don't know how to do it.
I might fail.
There aren't enough hours in the day to focus on this too.
I can't afford to do it.
I'll start after my holiday.
No one believes I can do it.
No one supports me.
Everyone laughs or says 'here we go again' when I go on a diet.
I'm too old.
I've got too much going on at the moment.
I'm just too tired.
No one understands how I feel, it's just so hard!
I just can't do it....

We have two choices, we can continue to focus on all the reasons why we can't do it or we can choose to get on track and lose weight despite them!

Don't let your past experiences dictate your future - the past is past.  The limit of our history is NOW. All you can choose now is your next move. 

Just looking at the first of those reasons for not doing it - TIME - they'll never be enough hours in the day but we all get the same amount so it's down to us to prioritise, don't focus on the time you haven't got control over and manage the hours you do.

We can always find a reason not to do something and yes life can be hard at times and that's when you have to dig deep and carry on regardless.  It's healthy to step outside your comfort zone, not many people get success by coasting along and taking it easy. Look at J K Rowling, she was a skint, single parent when she wrote Harry Potter and she got turned down loads of times by publishers, how easy would it have been for her to quit - she didn't and now she's a rich successful author!

I reckon this week we all embrace the fact that we will have many weight loss challenges but acknowledge everyone has them and we also have the same chance of success as all those Weight Watcher Gold members who have achieved their goals.

All you need to do is start…

Eat Gorgeous (whilst ProPointing it!)

BeYouTiful (and realise you really are xx)

Because you’re worth it. 

It's not always what it works out on the box!

28^th July 2013

People who are attracted to you because of your pretty face or nice body won't be by your side forever. But the people who can see how beautiful your heart is will never leave you.

Well I’ve just spent an hour deleting!   My Bev’s WW Facebook group is a private now for existing members only, that way they can all discuss things knowing they are speaking to other members.  If I’ve accidently deleted you and you’re still attending let me know, it’s really difficult from profile photos especially when they’re not even of the person.

So there they were gone!  All my weeklies have left me, so today’s got to be a very dry day if I want a weight loss on Tuesday, that shouldn’t be too difficult as my head hurts a little this morning, so I don’t actually want any, that’s what comes of not drinking in the week, when you do, your head hurts!

Yesterday was a very chilled day, did a bit of weeding, then sat in my garden for an hour and relaxed, did a bit of shopping, had a massage then chilled with mom watching tv, lovely day.

I also treated myself to a couple of pieces from this chap, really nice stuff and it’ll look fab in my garden ;)

https://www.facebook.com/Woodsplinterworkshop

 

Food wise, I had a sandwich around 11ish then for tea I had fish baguette with veggies, I took the bread out of the middle of the baguette to save me ProPoints, and I also gave mom the larger of the two fish portions saving me another 2pp.

Just goes to show that certain foods really need weighing for total accuracy because they nutritional information when it gives ‘per portion’ is only giving an average not a definite. 

Anyways, I have to go, I’m being dogged by Alfie, he wants a walk and to be fair I could do with some fresh air and activity ProPoints.

Catch ya tomorrow, stay focused on your goal. xx

The Diet Demon made me his Buffet Bitch!

27^th July 2013

Some pursue happiness, others create it.

Good morning all, so yesterday I was up at 5am and left the house early to drive to Leeds for an all day training session, then I popped into see my cousin on the way home whom I hadn’t seen for years, and didn’t get home till 11pm, so I’ve only just got up because I was shattered ;-)

Great day though, I got to meet up with a couple of leader friends and seeing my cousin after all these years was fab, I love how we grow and change and my word how we’d both changed for the better, she used to be a proper little princess and I used to be a little sh&t, mmm did only one of us change because I’m sure my mom would say I still am on of those ;)  No it was great to catch up and natter, she even fed me and it was a Weight Watcher recipe, spinach and ricotto pancakes (recipe in complete kitchen) absolutely delicious and she made the pancakes herself too!  Impressed I was!

 

Just in case you were worried folks, I’m now trained to be a fabulous leader ;-) so that was a day well spent, so if I haven’t seen you for a while, come back and tell me if you can tell the difference!

BUFFET!  That’s all I’m saying and for a lot of you reading you will understand me without any further explanation.  Yesterday when I arrived at the hotel, I was early because I don’t like rushing and there was a ‘conference café’ with a FREE breakfast bar, cereal, muffins, cakes, biscuits, fruit, juice, smoothies, coffee, fruit & nut and chocolate covered raisins!  Oh my days, two words – FREE FOOD, another two words – WAS HUNGRY, oh and another two words – WEIGHT WATCHER!  Now not all Weight Watchers but myself and a good many other fellow watchers will understand the feelings I’m about to explain, it’s like a gnawing inside, a longing, a yearning, a voice in your head and also in your stomach and I’m not talking love, well I am but not for a fellow human being I’m talking the effect food laid out in front of you with “help yourself” written on it has on me.  I wasn’t bad, I totally ignored all the cake stuff, I had a bowl of bran flakes, a smoothie, a coffee and a little tub of fruit & nut,

What’s scary is I worked that little lot out to be about 18pp because I’m sure the milk was full fat and well fruit & nut although a healthy choice is loaded with calories and ProPoints.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then had a morning of learning stuff, followed by lunch at 1pm, oh my days BUFFET – FREE FOOD, and the worst word you can add to that collection DELICIOUS!  Doomed I was, normally buffet food is a bit rubbish, it’s maybe been there too long and goes a bit cold I like my food hot or its just not the best.  But nooooo this was good and it’s like looking at a HD 4D (cos there’s smellivision too) menu isn’t it, I already get struggle to order because I’ve got excited sitting and reading the choices in a physical menu in a restaurant so when that menu has been set out in real life terms in front of me to choose from, well what can I say; I get all confused; then I get all excited; then I can’t decide; then my plate just isn’t big enough; then I start being aware that the other people might think I’m being greedy; then I think do I care what the other people in the line think of me; then I question whether I should really be mixing 3 or 4 different mains on a plate with chips; then I think I want salad but if I have that first as a starter the rest of the food might be gone or cold and I’ll be miffed that I missed out; then I decide I can go back for salad because I can’t fit anymore on this small plate; then I sit down and look at my plate and don’t know where to start; then I realise the pasta is the tastiest thing on my plate and I start to wish I’d had more of that and less of something else; then I taste the fish & I don’t usually like batter but this is delicious (it was on like a big fish finger – justifying my greed there a little); then I look to see how quick the other people at my table are eating & realise I won that race, even though I didn’t want too; then I sit mulling over whether I should go get some more of the pasta or just a bit the salad like planned; then I get and go back and I really want more pasta but I know if I have it in half hour my belly will hurt & I won’t be able to focus on the afternoons learning because I’m be in a carb coma; I resist and grab some salad but sneak another fish thing on my plate as I walk back to the table; then I’m glad there isn’t a desert I fancy; then some fool draws my attention to the cheese & crackers; I think noooo don’t do it, you’re wasting valuable weekly ProPoints here; then I cave have 2 crackers and just a little bit of each of the 3 cheeses (10pp!); then I continue to sit with my back to the buffet to try to forget its there; then I see the skinny training lady sitting eating her ample plate of food nonchalantly & I think “it’s soooo unfair”; then I look at my clock and realise it’s time to go back to the training and I’m relieved! 

 This was the only plate I wanted you to see!

This is why I don’t like BUFFETS!  Because as delicious as they are, they are extremely uncomfortable, stressful situations that usually blow your weekly ProPoints allowance!  I don’t want all that choice, I grew up in a house where we ate egg and chips every day except Sunday when we got a roast, and if we were lucky pudding was a sugar sandwich.  Don’t give me a table of cooked delicious choice because I revert to a ten year old who used to get excited over school dinners and this is like fancy posh school dinners for grown ups!

Rant Over ;)

Oh no it isn’t, we broke for afternoon tea and beggar me, there’s biscuits, cakes and wait for it sweets!  Oh yeah, I reckon there was some dude out the back who worked for the buffet devil, and he’d got in touch with him and said, “guess what, that buffet bitch who we thought we owned resisted the cakes at breakfast and the puddings at lunch, I thought we had her nailed, she’s still within her weekly ProPoints – what shall I do!” and the buffet devil said, oh I know her she can resist that stuff, her weakness is booze but she won’t drink because she’s driving, mmm what can I do to get her.  “TING” he remembers, he aims, he shoots, he scores!  He then tells his buffet employee, “she’s a sucker for sweets and a lollypop, but not just any lollipop because as a child she didn’t really get sweets often so she can resist most of them, but those chalky ones that you scrape your teeth over to eat and get a bit at a time, she likes them, and because they’re wrapped up, we may be able to tempt her to take a handful.  Then just incase for good measure, but those chewy and fizzy cola bottles there too, she loves them!

Yeah it was like my very own demon had made me his buffet bitch!  I caved, but was still restrained, I had 3 sweets & two lollies, still 3pp though – gone!

So this is why I never walk down the sweet aisle in the supermarket, nor look at that counter in the garage or newsagents because being strong and resisting isn’t always possible!

And breathe Beverley…

So it’s Saturday morning and I reckon I’ve used 33 of my weeklies to be on the safe side, if I say breakfast was 18pp, lunch was 30pp, tea was 8pp and my sweets were 3pp, my dailies cover breakfast and tea, thank goodness I have 18 activity ProPoints earned and double thank goodness I’ve not had a drink for 3 days, so I have 34pp on top of my dailies plus any more I can earn to last me the weekend.

Oh my days, I have rambled haven’t I ;) Right I’m off, have a good day, and if you did make it to the end of my blog and recognise yourself, learn from my mistakes lol.

Eat Gorgeous not Greedy!

 

 

 

Entering the end the excuses era!

26^th July 2013

What comes easy won’t last, what lasts won’t come easy!

Morning all, well I’m in a rush today, driving to Leeds for a training day with Weight Watchers, ooo wonder what they’re gonna train me to do – be a leader maybe ;-)

So yesterday was officially end of excuses day and I won’t be using today as an excuse to go off track, especially after the success I witnessed in my meetings yesterday.  My morning members lost 170lb and the night group lost just shy off 100lb, total weight loss for the day was 269.5lb which is amazing, total weight loss for my members this week was 525.5lb (37.5 stone!) and 4 new gold members taking our total to 49 I wonder who will be the 50^th of 2013, just inspirational and their was so much positivity this week, everyone realising they can survive the summer and even if they do have a holiday, they will either stay in control or come back as soon as they get back.

I ate well again yesterday, started my day with Shredded Wheat (5pp with skimmed milk) and a smoothie, used tinned peaches this time, lunch was a cucumber sandwich and ham salad 7pp, and for tea I stir fried some mushrooms, broccoli sprouts and mange tout and then served it with a Sainsbury’s Aloo Saag side dish for 9pp including the 1pp of oil from my WW spray, washed down by 2 pints of Beck’s Blue alcohol free shandy for 2pp.  I also earned 7pp on my pedometer and didn’t even take the dog out!

It’s Friday, let’s get ready to enjoy the weekend, I plan to enjoy my drive to Leeds and back, I’ve even bought me a cd for the car of summer tunes, can’t wait I love to drive, I’ve also got a book to listen to if I get bored of music.  And on my way back I'm stopping of to see my cousin, it's been years, I can't even remember how many, but we've reconnected thanks to facebook ;-) busy day for a Friday, I usually chill out and get over my working week!

Here’s to an amazing excuse free weekend, hope you’re all there with me, healthy and happy don’t forget!

 

 

Being Healthy - feeling good!

25^th July 2013

“You cannot have everything. I mean, where would you put it?” - Steven Wright

We’ve finally got the summer we’ve been waiting for over the last month and whether you’ve been on an actual holiday or a mental holiday from healthy eating, it’s time to get a grip folks, time to draw a line ___________ and get back on track, let’s stop looking for the excuses unless of course you’re happy not to be losing in which case you carry on ;0)

What are the excuses you’re using at the moment?  Mine’s been I’m happy as I am so I don’t need to lose weight - erm yeah I do because I want to get back to my ‘happy’ weight which isn’t the number I’m at now!  Other excuses include stressed, the weather, too busy, kids off school, oh there’s just loads of reasons not to isn’t there and I’ve used them all. 

I mean I’m on a day training course this Friday in Leeds and lunch will probably be included, how easy is it to say “oh I’ll just not worry Friday and get back on track Saturday”, well this week I’m not playing that game!

I’m on a conscious healthy track this week, going to do my best to eat as much Filling & Healthy foods as I can, yesterday I started my day with a smoothie, 3pp (1/2pt milk, 80g frozen raspberries, banana) and it wasn’t bad at all, then I nipped to Asda and bought myself some Summer Berries calorie free squash so that I can make zero ProPoint ones too, which I did on the afternoon and they’re really nice because the sweetness of the squash makes it yummy and not quite so thick to drink.

My lunch was lush and quick to do, Salmon cooked in the microwave and microwave Tilda tandoori rice to served with roasted vegetables and broccoli.  Healthy food is just delicious so why do we just crap any old rubbish at times, bizarre creatures we are.  It wasn’t even difficult to make, chopping the veg took minutes and I just whacked it in the oven and walked away.

Tea was a little lazier, lamb, broccoli, Yorkshire pud and gravy, no I didn’t have any potatoes because I wanted bread & WW spread to mop the gravy up mmm, nice – very, very nice.

I even indulged in a shandy but made it with Becks Blue (alcohol free lager) and diet lemonade so it was only 1pp a pint, I ended on 29pp and had a good night’s sleep.

So how was your day?    Are you happy with your progress, if not what can you do about it?  Yesterday I got another two members to goal and one of them has lost 41lb and it’s taken almost 2 years, it hasn’t all been plain sailing in that time for one reason and another but she didn’t give up!  She also found a way to make the plan work for her and keep her on track, so the last few months she’s been sending me photos of her meals, I’ve been her virtual tracker thanks to the power of “What’s App” and it’s worked, it’s kept her on track and in the zone, now she gets to go on holiday at goal next week – congratulations Tracy you’ve really worked hard and totally deserve your gold membership.  

Today’s my long day so I need plenty of nutritious healthy food to give me the energy to get through it, I’ve got a kitchen full of things to chose from thanks to my trip to Asda yesterday, so no excuses, here’s to another fab day on track, within budget and alcohol free (saving that till the weekend).

Happy Thursday everyone, keep going it’s almost the weekend and there is sun forecast.

Eat Gorgeous Always!

Been a little more happy than healthy this week!

24^th July 2013

Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change!

Weigh day yesterday and I gained a pound, ending my run of 1/2lb losses, so what happened, well if I’m honest I’ve probably been a little bit more happy and a little less healthy this last week or two ;-) so today I’m getting my tracker out and I’m going to get back to sticking to the plan 100% because I have a happy weight too and I’m above it at the moment, therefore a little more thought is required.

I got a little lapse after I visited the doctor and he sent me for that emergency appointment, as soon as he said worse case scenario cancer, then I’d got an appointment in under an hour, I thought to myself “well if I’m dying – I’m eating and drinking and enjoying it!”  Any excuse me!  Thankfully I don’t have anything terminal so I can just get a grip now and stop using it as an excuse to eat, drink and be merry.

Well yesterday we had quite the storm, thunder so loud it shook the houses locally, and sadly the lightning actually hit one house not far from where I was running my meeting, what a nightmare for them, but no one was hurt and that’s the main thing.

I posted this photo on my Facebook to five folk a smile;

Now I talk a lot about being at your ‘happy weight’ and ‘loving the skin your in’ and posting that photo yesterday for me made me realise I’m there, I really have  come an awfully long way.  There was a time I wouldn’t have even showed my legs, let alone post a photo of them on Facebook for all to see!  I used to be really self conscious of my legs and other parts of my body – actually all of my body but particularly my legs thanks to a lad I went to school with who used to call me “Banana legs”, bless his heart – he thought he was witty, I was devastated!  But yesterday I had no qualms of sharing the photo, it’s amazing what self-love, self-acceptable, age and confidence can do for a woman, I’m there, I really do embrace every ounce of my “Me-ness” and if anyone has a problem with how I look, they’re more than welcome to look in a different direction!

Yep that feels good, it feels good also that my tracker has come out today because I want to eat healthier, not because I suddenly feel fat and yak, no I still feel fantastic, I’m just aware that if I play the ‘happy’ card for too long I won’t feel so fantastic, I’ll feel sluggish.  And yes the scales told me I’d gained a point but the bigger hint that I need to cut back is the heartburn I’ve had the last day or so, that’s always a sign that I’m overdoing the richness in my food.

So I’m thinking Salmon and rice for lunch, I may do a filling & healthy day, I might not, I’m undecided, although it would be easy because I have crumpets and baked beans which could be breakfast, we’ll see when I look in the cupboards, what I do know is whatever I have it’ll be good for me. 

To say I’m impressed with my members right now is an understatement, the total weight loss for 2013 to date is 1,000 STONE, or 6.25 tonne, wowsers, if you needed any more proof that Weight Watchers works, there it is! 

Have a healthy and happy day (make it a balanced on ;-) ) and Eat Gorgeous. xx

What size are you? I'm size Happy Me!

23^rd July 2013 

Remember the tea kettle, it is always up to its neck in hot water, yet it still sings.  Anonymous

Woke early this morning, not sure if it was the thunder that woke me but it still rumbling on outside, that’ll make loading my car fun if we have a storm this morning!

So yesterday I had another appointment at the hospital for an ultrasound scan –on my neck not my tummy - I’m not pregnant and it won’t be a boy unlike Kate!  Apparently it’s a branchial cleft cyst and the lumps coming out it’s, that’s all I need to know, and I shall be staying away from the google search engine for further info!  Anyways my nurse used to be one of my members and said something along the lines off, I couldn’t stick to it and unless you can sell me some motivation then I never will.  Mmm motivation, see it’s what gets you started but habit is what keeps you going, I’ve talked a lot over the last few days about being happy in your skin, that if you have a good body image, high self-esteem and self confidence then you can feel good at any size, and how you’re more likely to take care of your body and Eat Gorgeous in a nutritionally balanced way.

I believe that if you learn to love yourself for who you are now then you’ll find making changes easier because change comes from valuing and caring about yourself enough to want to improve your life. 

We all get motivated to lose weight initially by something, it might be a photo of yourself and a realisation that you’ve gained more weight that you thought, it may be that you feel sluggish and uncomfortable in this heatwave we’re experiencing right now, or it may be not being able to get the bar down on a fairground ride, or the seatbelt across on an aeroplane seat.  Most people have something that triggers them to want to lose weight and join Weight Watchers, and as quick as that motivation arrived in the first place, it can leave!

So it’s important to constantly remind yourself why you want to be healthy and lose weight, then put in place things that will help you with that.  If it’s not in your cupboards you can consume it is a favourite of mine, also make changes that you are happy to keep in place for the rest of your life, if it’s too difficult it won’t last.

Also find your happy weight, that weight that when you get to it, you’ll feel good and be able to maintain – it’s all very well wanting to be a size 8 or at the lower end of the bmi scale but it takes some maintenance and if you’re not prepared for that you won’t stay at that weight.

We all have what I call our ‘happy weight’, that’s different for everyone, it should be a weight where you can maintain without too much effort, those lower bmi weights for a lot of us mean we have to live on quite a low calories diet with only the odd treat and also exercise quite intensely, if you’re happy to do that, then go for it, I personally am not because I’m no longer happy at that point, it’s not a natural place for my body to be. We are all different, some of us are naturally smaller and slimmer, some of us are naturally bigger and curvier. As long as I feel good in myself and my body is healthy, free from illness and working as it should then that’s good enough for me, I’m happy! We are all ‘real women’ no matter what size we are. If you are overweight and it is affecting your health and wellbeing, losing weight is one of the best things you can do but it may be that your happy weight is naturally on the bigger side.  I love the idea of monitoring the success of your weight loss on your health rather than your dress size – I cut the labels out of my clothes as soon as I get them home, they’re all Size B!

For some it’s worth the extra effort needed to be slimmer, that’s down to the individual, for me at this moment in my life, it’s just not worth the time or effort to get that extra stone off, I enjoy food too much, I also feel great, I’m happy in my skin right now, my extra pounds aren’t bothering me, I have curves that some wouldn’t want but also some would love, but to be honest I’m not fussed what others think of how I look because I’m happy and healthy, I make a conscious effort to Eat Gorgeous, that doesn’t mean I only eat what would be classed as the healthy foods, I have my treats, I indulge myself but I don’t go ridiculous.  I do tend to gain weight in the winter and now the suns appeared I do seem to be losing those few pounds, it’s 1/2lb at a time but that’s even better because I’m not having to put in the extra effort, the fact I’ve done Weight Watchers so long really helps because I’ve made those lifelong changes and tweaked those habits.

 So no you can’t buy motivation, but at Weight Watchers you can get education, inspiration and constant support and that’s why I love it, Weight Watchers helped me lose weight and that journey was worth every step, so wherever you are on your journey, don’t give up because the rewards of being at a healthy weight for your body, those rewards are even better if you can be relativity free from being at battle with yourself!

Have a great day. xx

 

I'd rather be happy than hungry!

Who cares if you’re bigger or smaller than the woman next to you?

22^nd July 2013

Begin by expecting good things to happen, start by doing what’s necessary, then what’s possible, & suddenly you’re doing the impossible. 

Enjoy your summer holidays regardless of your size! Loving yourr body only when it's in perfect shape is like loving your kids only when they're well behaved! BeYOUtiful always x

 

Who cares if you’re bigger or smaller than the woman next to you?  Probably only you!  Start to celebrate everything about yourself, you are unique – stop comparing yourself. 

How slim do you actually want to be?  WHY?  Our weight seems to be a subject that occupies our thoughts a great amount of time.  If you lose this weight and get to your magic number what difference will it make to your life?  Will it improve it and in what way?  Is there a perfect number on the scales where your life will suddenly change and become perfect?

As woman lose weight I’ve noticed that their confidence seems to get better (not all woman but a lot of them) does the actual weight loss cause this or is it because you suddenly feel in control of your life, is it an if you can handle your eating habits you can handle anything attitude?  Is it because you suddenly stop wearing clothes that flatter or suit you and start wearing clothes you actually like?  Maybe because you’ve lost weight you’ve treated yourself to some nice pretty new underwear and added lots more colour into your wardrobe.   Maybe you don’t feel quite so self conscious about being noticed, so you’re happier to wear clothes that make you stand out a little more. 

A study conducted in the UK last year found that 7 in 10 women in Britain think about their weight three times a day, and 80% say they’re depressed by their body’s appearance. 

I read a magazine article yesterday when the lady had lost 21lb and she said it had changed lots of things for her, she’d always felt a ‘tad too fat’, ‘a bit too voluptuous’ and that losing the weight had made exercise easier, since she now had more energy and was more inclined to do it.  She also said, “I like my thighs (that’s a first)”, “losing the albatross stone and a half has had a seismic effect on how I feel about myself, my wardrobe, my world”.

She’d gone from a size 12 to a size 8!

Now don’t get me wrong, I work in the weight loss world but REALLY! 

My thoughts are, was she less inclined to exercise because she didn’t have the energy or was it more because she had low self esteem and bad body image so didn’t want to exercise.  I’ve seen many a larger lady run a marathon, plenty of size 12+ women are fit and active, myself included.

Voluptuous at size 12 wouldn’t be a label I’d give myself, curvy maybe, but having said that I’ve just looked at the online dictionary and this is the meaning; “describes a woman who has a soft, curved, sexually attractive body”, so in that case go on then I’ll take that label ;) rather that than “skinny”!

If you have a good body image, high self-esteem and self confidence then you can feel good at any size, with these qualities you’re more likely to take care of your body and Eat Gorgeous in a nutritionally balanced way.

Maybe instead of waiting until you’ve lost weight you should go out and buy the clothes you like in the colours you adore right now, forget ‘flattering’ go for fabulous, go buy that sexy underwear now.  Being slim doesn’t put you in control of your life – YOU put yourself in control of your life, make the decision right now, say it out loud “I AM GORGEOUS, I am loved and I’m always going to be BeYOUtiful!”  

YES you are!

You don’t need to wait until you’ve lost weight to feel amazing about yourself, you don’t have to see a certain number on the scale to be sensational, and you can be both of those things right now by making the decision to be amazing and sensational.

You can lose weight if you wish to and it will be much easier if you eat for nourishment not punishment, if you exercise for energy not to burn calories, and if you do it for yourself because you want to not because you feel you should.

Don’t weight for that number to feel great about yourself, if you want to wear a bikini – go wear one even if your name’s Stan ;-) each to their own I say.  Big ladies are beautiful too, skinny doesn’t have the monopoly on sexy, what’s that saying beauty is only skin deep when I believe Gorgeous starts in the gut, and awesome comes from the heart.

You are beautiful, now go get healthy and happy xx

Only if you want to of course….

Being thin isn't the answer to everything!

21^st July 2013

A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.  – Eeyore

On Friday I posted this photo of a beautiful plus size lady in her underwear and commented “You can be healthy, happy & gorgeous at any weight - enjoy the journey”, I was making a point which I think my comment explains.  I had one reply saying “She looks ok, but is she healthy. No.”  I beg to disagree, I suppose it depends on your definition of “healthy” but in my world (and that’s the one I’m commenting on – these are my opinions, no one else's) healthy covers both physical and emotional aspects.  I consider myself to be extremely healthy at this moment in time, I’m in a great place with my emotional health, I feel good about myself and the way I look and I also feel physically well and the recent tests I’ve had appear to back that up.  I’ve weighed a lot less than my present weight over the years but I wouldn’t say I’ve ever been this emotionally healthy, I’d also add my physical health wasn’t as good at some stages, usually when I was struggling to get to the lower end of my ‘healthy’ bmi weight!

Some may question why as a Weight Watcher leader would I be posting photos of plus size (or overweight as some would say) women, well because I want all my gorgeous members to realise they are just that – gorgeous!  They are beautiful already – inside and out and to lose weight won’t make them a ‘better’ person, being slim doesn’t make you a ‘healthier’ person necessarily either, I know a lot of skinny unfit folk! 

I believe that if you learn to love yourself for who you are now then you’ll find making changes easier because change comes from valuing and caring about yourself enough to want to improve your life.  If you can get yourself into a positive relationship with your body, even if your body isn’t “perfect” (trust me not many, if any are!) you’ll strengthen your ability to make the changes you desire. 

It’s obvious isn’t it, if you feel better about yourself, you make better choices, that’ll include both food and activity choices, you’re more likely to want to do positive things to make yourself feel even better.  Whereas if you feel down about yourself and your body, you are more likely to go into self destruct mode, if the only reason you exercise is because you see it as a “punishment” for being overweight, you’re never going to enjoy that activity.  If you eat “diet” food because you want to change a body you hate, you’re unlikely to enjoy anything you eat and probably end up overeating in defiance.

Think about it if hating your body was motivationally effective – there would be more slim people!

I’m not saying don’t try to lose weight, what I’m suggesting is that accepting yourself as you are right this minute and learning to love yourself for who you are not just what you look like, you’re more likely to succeed because you’re now going to be eating and moving to take care of a body you look and respect. Xx

If you don’t feel that way right now - try it, you might like it!

Trust me a thin body will not make everything right in your world, stop believing when I’m thin everything will be so much better – it won’t necessarily be any different at all!  Decide today to accept who you are right now – don’t wait until you become the person you imagine being – live now, have fun, be healthy and happy because you can do that at any weight. Xx

Today I shall mostly be being “BeYOUtiful”, fancy joining me ;-)

 

 

 

What a difference a month makes...

20^th July 2013

 

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. Carl Jung

 

What is this stuff – RAIN!  Yep I’ve just gone up the garden and theirs a fine mist of rain coming down, quite welcome though as long as it doesn’t stay, I’m enjoying the weather far too much for it to change, makes my garden so much more enjoyable.

I’m multitasking as I type, because I’m sorting my photos for Facebook to show people the garden and how much it’s changed in a month, I do love it and enjoy being out there so much.  Yesterday I found a couple of wooden boxes in my shed that I’d made years ago to carry members cards in so now they are flower pots and I’ve painted them blue and added some lovely pansies and sunflowers.

 

If you do want to look at my garden photos, here are links to all of them, you can access them whether you’re on Facebook or not.

 

My Garden – before

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151721976300862.1073741841.595730861&type=1&l=ada9dcfc5d

 

My Garden – day 1

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151721979765862.1073741842.595730861&type=1&l=8ca60589f5

 

My Garden – weeks 1-2

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151721983830862.1073741843.595730861&type=1&l=f81c75c7f2

 

My Garden – week 3

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151721990520862.1073741844.595730861&type=1&l=4d72a6ea43

 

My Garden – the Rockery Project https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151722000405862.1073741846.595730861&type=1&l=812702582b

 

My Garden – week 4

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151721995330862.1073741845.595730861&type=1&l=dac7e0584f

 

My Garden – week 5

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151722004470862.1073741847.595730861&type=1&l=998a4852ee

 

Not only has doing the garden kept me active and earned my activity ProPoints but it’s also given me an interest, a hobby which means less time spent thinking about food which has to be a win win situation.  I also plan to spend time enjoying it whilst reading a book or just day dreaming as I did yesterday.  I have to admit you can’t beat sitting drinking a cold glass of lager or white wine in this sunshine but the last few days I’ve been drinking Becks blue which is alcohol free and only 1pp a bottle, I’ve bought my lemonade now so this afternoon it’ll be pints of shandy for 1pp, none alcoholic I know but I will have myself a can of fosters too to balance it out ;)

 

I tried the Warburton Pitta Pockets yesterday 2pp for half (you would eat the whole one though), and they were lovely stuffed with salad and ham, very tasty indeed.  Need to have a look in the freezer for todays meals, not sure what we have but there’s plenty going on to choose from.

 

Ooo the suns coming out again that rains gone, so I will be too, mom and Alfie have both gone back to sleep but I’m sure he’ll wake up when I open the front door.  Have a great day, remember you’re fabulous in EVERY WAY!  BeYOUtiful and Eat Gorgeous. 

 

Oh and sit a little less xx