I likes to blog - I can't stay away ;-)

22^nd December 2012

How others see you is not important, how you see yourself means everything!

Good morning from Wonderful Wales, well I wasn’t going to blog whilst away, but in all honestly I enjoy it, it’s a bit like keeping a diary and it helps me process the randomness of my mind.  Plus there’s never anyone up at 5am so what else is there to do when it’s pitch black outside, although I will be reading more this week.

The drive down was smooth, no traffic at all, that’s the beauty of Pembrokeshire, you don’t have to go anywhere near the M6!  We spent two hours of the journey listening to Micky Flanagan ‘the out out’ tour, very, very funny, a gift from a fabulously sparkly new friend I’ve made this year.  It was wonderful to hear mom laughing so loud for so long, absolutely wonderful.

The cottage (well house) is beautiful, they’ve put up a huge real Christmas tree for us, we arrived first and hid all the presents before they arrived with the kids, and I did laugh because one of the first things Jen said was, “I’ve found a secret cupboard”, I’m like, “erm no you haven’t, we’re not allowed to go under the stairs, it’s where the owner keeps all their things so it’s private, plus there’s only the hoover and empty boxes under there”.  Kids ay, they miss nothing do they. 

There’s no phone signal at all even if I go for a walk, so a week without a phone will do me the world of good, we have got wi-fi but that doesn’t always seem to work.  I’m going to enjoy reading and spending time with real people rather than virtual ones.

Mom bagged herself the best room as soon as we arrived, and we all agreed it’s not worth tackling her because as old and frail as she may be, she’d tackle any of us to the floor in a scrum ;-)

Our Tesco delivery came about half eight last night and we struggled to get it all in the fridge, we’ve got the veggies in the cold porch!  So I’m thinking bring the Sunday dinner forward to Saturday and that’ll make some room, it’s our holiday we can do what we like.  We didn’t get our order completely correct, I suppose that’s what happens when you put Lynne in charge of the laptop and hand her a pint of Guinness!  We somehow ended up with one onion rather than a bag of them, and two massive punnets of tomatoes – not quite sure what meal she’s intending to use them with ;-)  But one thing I know for sure, we won’t starve – there is so much to go at, plus there’s only a Chinese takeaway at the top of the road, about a 5-10 minute walk max = result!  Although having said that I’ve never had a descent Chinese in Wales ever, we really are spoilt in the midlands for takeaways, we have some of the best in the country I reckon.

This time of year can be really emotional for so many, driving down yesterday we were listening to Radio 2 (I know, it’s sad, I’ve reached that age where Radio 1 annoys me!) and they were reading out message for loved ones to the troops in Afghanistan – it was very moving, they also had some talk to each other, you could hear the love.   I’m very lucky I’m getting to spend Christmas with those I hold dear and for that I am very grateful.  To those of you that have lost loved ones, a few of you have contacted me, don’t dwell and live in the past it’ll lead to depression, don’t worry and fret about the future it’ll cause anxiety – focus on the now and LIVE, it’s good to have wonderful memories but don’t let them stop you making new ones.

Have a fabulous weekend, make new memories xxx

 

 

Let the festivities commence....

21/12/2012

"What happens when people open their hearts?"..."They get better."- Haruki Murakami,

End of an era!  That’s what yesterday was, Kath my helper did her last meetings and we all got very sad as we gave her the gifts and cards we’d all got her and told her how much we were going to me her.  Over £100 we collected for her, my members were so generous and she was very touched by it all.  I will miss her very much; she’s been consistent all the years I’ve known her, such a positive person and very real.

So I’ve not got a meeting now till January 2^nd, and once I’ve done my paperwork I going to enjoy a good rest and break from it al, I may or may not blog, I will see how I feel – I’m just going to be doing exactly what I fancy doing, no pressure no stress, no hassle.  Sounds like bliss, then I remembered Jen and Will the two kids coming with us and I remembered I won’t get a lot of say in some things as those two can be very convincing!

Oh we had a small victory yesterday; I only went and lost weight!  1.5 lb off, so that’s good before my holiday, it shows I’m not a total lost cause and that my own body actually tells me when to stop these days, which is just fabulous!  We’ve all agreed that whatever happens over Christmas we will come back smiling say, “I had a fabulous Christmas”, get on the scales and get on with it!  I even had a new member last night so that just shows that some people out there will be staying on track and my new member that joined last week had lost 6lb this week so good stuff.

There was a great article in the Daily Mail yesterday saying how Weight Watchers is the best out there, the NHS agrees and on the radio it said you’re 54% more likely to keep your weight off with Weight Watchers.  Well what can I say, we already knew that didn’t we, it’s the best and I’ve kept mine off for 8.5 years, mom for 8 years – yes it’s the best.  And as we agreed in the meeting yesterday morning, it’s not just a diet, it’s also a social community, friends have been made in many of my meetings, heck I’ve met my best friends through Weight Watchers and it’s a huge part of my life.

My amazing members have lost 1,997 stone between them this year and 98 of them have achieved their final goals.  However there has been so much more success, Denise ended the year on 292.5lb that’s just shy of 21 stone, Rachel is looking sensational 10 stone lighter, oh there’s just too many to list, those are just two ladies I weighed yesterday morning and thought WOW.  So many of you share you’re amazing stories with me, not just the weight talk but your life’s, you’re all so inspirational and often move me with what you cope with.  Then there’s the joy, the text messages I get when you’re in changing rooms and you’ve just got into a pair of size 12 (or whatever size) jeans, or some other situation that has made you feel sensational and you want to share with me.  I feel very privileged to be taken into your hearts and blessed to be so fortunate to have a job I truly enjoy.  I’m always touched when a member tells me I’m the best leader they’ve ever had, or that they couldn’t have done it without me.  Some of the things you’ve written in my Christmas cards have moved me to tears – I’m not a big softie at all much.  Yep I love Weight Watchers and all it’s bought to my life, it’s not just helped me lose weight it’s softened me too.

On that note, I’m not going to be doing a great deal of weight watching for the next week ;-), I’m about to have a fabulous holiday, and leave my brother and his wife to finish making my house lovely – aren’t I lucky!  We shall be partaking in a MacDonald’s half way to Wales; it’s a tradition on our 4.5 hour journey.  Then from then I really don’t stand much of a chance because my best mate who is also a Weight Watcher will be with me and we shall more than likely spend the week leading each other astray!  I will however be walking my mom and her dog once or twice a day so at least I’ll be getting some exercise. 

All that’s left for me to say just in case I don’t blog (but I bet I will, I won’t be able to stay away!) is Happy Christmas folks, have the best one ever, remember it’s not about how much you spend it about how much you love.  Kids want time and attention so much more than material stuff, I was a lucky kid I got so much of my mom’s time and we had fun.

Xxxxx Here’s to an amazing 2013 xxxxxx

It's going to be emotional!

20^th December 2012

Choose to make the rest of your life, the best of your life!

 

It’s beginning to look at lot like Christmas! NOT!  It’s utter crazy chaos in my house, it’s never seen so many people in such a short time pass through it, add to that Terry’s painting all the walls in most rooms and the woodwork in the hall, stairs and landing and really you have a recipe for disaster, so far so good though.  Alfie has somehow managed to get around without getting any paint on him so far, that could all change this morning though as the staircase is quite tacky!

Hey Ho, one more day, 5 more meetings and then I can start thinking about my Christmas break and a very long four and a half hour drive to Pembrokeshire; we can leave my brother to it here ;-)

Yesterday was cause for more celebration in my meetings with another member getting her goal, fabulous to have so much success so close to Christmas.  I had the most amazing chocolate brownie made for me last night, and not only did it taste divine, and I’m talking the best damn brownie I’ve ever had, little crunchy on the outside and rich and smooth but with just the right density of squidgy – amazingly delicious and it even had glitter in it which made in a magic brownie, so I’m thinking as it was a gift and magic then surely it was zero ProPoints!  Oh how I wish I had baking skills to match those!

Now because I’m such a dedicated leader and I take my work very seriously, plus I wanted my members to see the damage you can do if you stop tracking for 3 weeks and just eat whatever’s going, not really paying attention to making the wisest choices from the menu.  Yes that’s what I have done since the beginning of December and just for your information I’ve gained almost half a stone, so please let that be a warning to you this Christmas, it’s all very well to let the reigns slacken a little but don’t get silly ridiculous or you may live to regret it!  I’m ok with my gain because if you recall I’d spent the 12 weeks prior to that losing some weight, so I’m now back to where I started maybe a couple of pounds heavier – it depends what the scales say today!  Although I think I may have pulled it back a little because honestly I actually get bored of the bad, I start to miss the green stuff and the healthy, the sluggish feeling isn’t pleasant and I’ve eaten more salad this week, still not tracked, finding a pen in my house this week wouldn’t have been easy let alone the kitchen scales!   It’ll all be worth it when the new carpet has been fitted and I’ve got a nice tidy-ish house apparently.

So today is going to be an emotional day, Kath my clerk at my Bloxwich meetings is leaving us to go and live in Spain in the New Year, she’s been a helper in Weight Watcher meetings for over 20 years!  She’s helped me for 8 of those and she’s been a fantastic help at that, I’ve never had to check her work she’s amazing and today I’m going to cry.  We’re having a bit of a party at the meeting, I’ve ordered cake and I’ll say no more just in case, but I’m sure she doesn’t read my blog.

Just in case you were wondering and a little bit curious, I reckon there was approximately 15pp in my magic brownie last night – ignorance isn’t bliss, it’s often the cause of a weight gain!  On this occasion though I’d take it on the chin and smile. 

Remember a healthy lifestyle and taking care of yourself isn’t about being 100% all of the time, it’s about enjoying what you’re eating, eating healthy because you want to take care of yourself and indulging in the occasional treat guilt free and smiling.   That thought pattern has helped me keep my weight steady for a good few years now, I’ll never be a size 20 again whilst I think and behave in that way!

Ho Ho Ho, it’s Christmas!

So much success in one day! WOW!

19^th December 2012

The only way to have a friend is to be one. Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

“I haven’t dieted this week, if the worlds going to end Friday it seemed a waste of effort!”  That’s possibly one of the most original lines said to me at the scales this year, I love my members I do!  It seems not everyone agreed with her though as four of my gorgeous ladies got to their goals yesterday, Michelle has lost 3 stone since June and hasn’t gained once, wow that’s not easy but as she admitted she has been really strict with herself.  Lydia is looking amazing having lost 48lb and plans to treat herself to a new hairdo to celebrate, then there’s Susan who’s struggled to lose her 17lb because like me she likes the odd glass or two of wine ;-).  Last but by no means least Gaynor, 84.5lb or 6 stone, she has done so well, joined in September 2011 and has lost steady and changed dramatically as you can only imagine.   Yes there is still a great deal of success going on in my meetings, 100lb lost in total by my members yesterday which is just fabulous when you think about what we’re up against at this time of year, the challenges and temptations of celebrations and seasonal foods.

One of my members got her 10% target yesterday, she’s done absolutely fabulously so far and I for one am very proud of her, especially as she hasn’t been blessed with good health lately.  She had to  go to the hospital this week and she told the doctor she’d managed to lose over 20lb and he just looked at her and said, “come back when you’ve lost another 20kg” no well done, great start, keep going!  I would personally like to tell him or anyone like him that knocking someone’s neck in when they’re doing their best is not the way to get them to continue trying.  I hear so many stories like this from health professionals being plain rude to people about their weight, it really is unnecessary and unlikely to motivate anyone!

Well we are living in a decorating crazy house, my brother bless him is trying to paint the hall, stairs and landing whilst Alfie keeps him company!   I’m in my office attempting to concentrate whilst listening to him sing every tune he has on his ipod, but Terry doesn’t just sing the song, he then supplies you with information about the song and the artist, such as what year it was made, where it was recorded, did you know “I wish it could be Christmas everyday” was recorded in the summer?  I do because he told me yesterday, along with many other factoids I will try not to remember because there isn’t enough space in my head. 

Then I’ve got Alexis (sister-in-law) she’s cleaning my kitchen for me, including my cooker and every time I go in there to do something, she tells me off, apparently the bread now lives in the cupboard!  Mmm that ain’t gonna last, as soon as she’s gone, it’s back out on the top! Although I may invest in a bread box as a kind of compromise, most things in my kitchen are on display, it’s supposed to make them easier to find – it doesn’t because mom never hangs them in the same place twice so it’s more like the Krypton Factor. 

We’re now down to floorboards on the landing and the stairs, they’re coming to measure today and said they’d fit Thursday or Friday – I’m praying they will say Friday cos I’ll be gone to Wales and won’t care no more!  Leave Terry to it, he can sort it all out and my loony sister in law can tidy and sort to her hearts content, I’ll still with my new nickname “Stig” that my brothers given me, I have no issue with being untidy I’ve decided, I almost always know where stuff is, when it’s all been tidied away, I can’t find sod all.

Now diet wise, I didn’t do too bad yesterday, had toast for breakfast, couscous and prawns about lunchtime, a couple of salad pitta’s late afternoon and a bit of turkey biryani for tea, not bad at all when you consider how we’re living.  Because the walls were wet, we couldn’t carry the blow up downstairs so I’ve let them have my bed last night and I’ve shared with mom so not the best night ;-) her quilts quite thin and small and I was cold, it’ll all be worth it when it’s finished.

I was a bit naughty yesterday though, as Alexis was cleaning and Terry was painting, I’d got all my paperwork done, so instead of going to help, I pretended to continue working when really I was reading my new book on my pc, the one I paid 20p for, so far so good, I’ve read four chapters, it’s different and I’m interested to know what happens next.  It’s described as laugh out loud in the reviews, I haven’t yet, but I live in hope, I’d quite like a good laugh at a read over Christmas, so any suggestions – let me know.

Right on with the day, remember whatever is going on around you, however crazy or difficult, you can smile at it or let it drag you down, I opt for smiling otherwise by now I’d be in a room, wrapped in a white coat – rocking, and trust me none of it is worth stressing about, and very little of what you are stressing about will matter next week let alone next year!

Have a smiley stress free day – sod it all ;-)

Short but sweet!

18^th December 2012

"To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don't need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself." - Thich Nhat Hanh

It’s very weird having people stay as it throws your routine out, once I got home yesterday went by in a blur if I’m honest and my diet went out the window again once I’d eaten breakfast, although I did enjoy a nice bit of salmon with some broccoli.

Today I’m at work most of the day so order will be restored; I’ll try and stay out of the way as much as possible because my brother is going to start decorating.

3 more sleeps till my holiday, I can’t wait, I’ve got me a couple of books for reading, have downloaded 3 onto my kindle, 20p for a book , that’s madness!  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hundred-Year-Old-Climbed-Window-Disappeared-ebook/dp/B008D30K7E/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1355764245&sr=1-4

This will be my Christmas read, sounds good, and something completely different.

It was great to see one of my members Kelly lose weight yesterday taking her total to 76lb and now she’s only a stone away from goal, what an amazing achievement in less than a year!  She joined on January 16^th of this year and is now almost five and a half stone lighter which is just brilliant and shows that change and success is possible.

For me what’s even better than seeing weight loss in my meeting, is listening to members tell me that although the plan to enjoy Christmas they don’t intend to just go ridiculously overboard because they realise it actually isn’t that enjoyable! 

I love it when I see something click inside a person, it maybe that they realise food doesn’t have to be such a major issue, or it may be that they realise they’re fabulous just the way they are and weight loss is more about health than being attractive.  I love watching a member turn into a happy owl, there really is no greater satisfaction for me, it makes everything I do worthwhile.

Yesterday I took the first batch of food etc to the food bank and they were really chuffed, even more so when I told them it wouldn’t be the only donation hopefully.   Taking it really makes me grateful for everything I have, as long as I have a roof over my head, food in my belly and people to love anything else is a bonus.

As crazy as it is to have people staying in my house, it was lovely to have a living room full of laughter last night, it’s just a shame I can’t keep my eyes open too late, I had to leave them to it I’m afraid, a 5am start calls for a reasonable time to go to bed too.

It’s only a week away!  Hope you’re all ready for it. xx

 

 

 

My first mince pie consumed - twas good!

17^th December 2012

 

Not long now, this time next week will be Christmas eve and I’ll be putting in place my treasure hunt for the kids, will soon be here, but first to enjoy my last week at work of 2012.

I had a semi-healthy day yesterday food wise, started with oats, sultanas and sunflower seeds for 7pp then for lunch had a healthy lamb (cooked on George Foreman) pitta with chopped salad and mint and low fat mayo sauce for 8pp.   I also made a veggie couscous, stir fried carrot, courgette, mushrooms, pepper, spring onions, sultanas and garlic then added to the couscous which I’d also added a stock cube too, very nice it was too.

I did indulge in my first mince pie of the year thanks to my mate Katie who bought a plate of hot ones round at tea time! 

So what bought on the drastic change in the quality foods?  Watching my mom suffer when she got up that morning that’s what, the effect certain foods have on her quality of sleep and how she feels.  If both of us eating differently will make her feel better than how she did yesterday morning then that’s what we’ll do!

I went shopping as soon as the shops were open, bought lots of fruit and veggies, bought some fresh salmon as it’s on half price offer in Sainsbury’s so that’s today’s main meal, it’s lovely looking in my freshly stocked fridge and it’s great seeing mom eat again, especially as it’s the right foods.

Mom also came out for a short walk with me and Alfie on the afternoon to feed the ducks, it was lovely to see her out and about this weekend, even if it wasn’t walking far, if she wasn’t such a stubborn old sod she’d let me get a wheelchair so that we could go out and about places and she’d be able to come too, we’d have a ball racing around and ‘beeping’ folks out of the way!

Looking forward to my meetings this week, I have my Santa hat and I’m ready to encourage my members to have a great Christmas and to think wisely about what they indulge in and the results it’ll show on the scales!

I shall be starting my day with a bowl of oats again, I’ve bought some nice honey yogurt to go with it too, I’m thinking salmon with couscous for main meal and I defrosted some turkey breast pieces yesterday so I will make a curry with them which can either be had today or tomorrow.  Mmm I likes cooking again this week, haven’t been fussed the last few weeks but it’s returned, my love of good food.  I’m going to attempt to cook broccoli so it tastes as good as it does at Cosmo, will google a few recipes to get an idea of what they add, I’m guessing stir fried in soy sauce or oyster sauce or a bit of honey and ginger, I can experiment.

Well I’ve just printed off the Cost of Christmas List for my backboard, that’s the ProPoint values of everything you’re likely to eat or drink over Christmas on one list, every 50ml of Bailey’s is 6pp that’s about an inch up the glass btw!   Even the healthy stuff can be high, 3 walnut halves = 2pp! OUCH!

Okay, I’m off, need to shower, walk Alfie, load car – exciting life of a Weight Watcher leader, oh and after my meeting, I’m taking the first batch of food and toiletries to the Black Country Food Bank.  Thank you to everyone who’s donated already, it’s filled the back seat of my car almost.

Have a great day, eat well – feel well. xx

does it worry me that I’m gaining weight?

16^th December 2012

Ask yourself: Have you been kind today? Make kindness your modus operandi and change your world. Annie Lennox

 

A lovely day was had yesterday, it was great to see mom out of the house, we took Terry and Alexis to Poundland and B&Ms to have a mooch and mom really enjoyed herself too.  Being in constant pain or feeling poorly is not easy but distracting yourself is a great way to take your mind of it for a while and that’s what we did.

 

My diet has been horrendous the last few days though, I’m actually craving vegetables and healthy food right now as you can only eat so much fast food, yesterday we had chips and Friday we had KFC, yep the scales will be mocking me again this Thursday but that’s okay, I know whatever happens the rest of this month can be rectified come January, however long it takes.  Don’t get me wrong I’m not gorging myself, I’m just eating the wrong stuff and there’s way more ProPoints going into my body than is needed. 

 

One bonus is that I have to walk Alfie twice a day regardless of what I’m doing so at least I’m getting some activity, we were out a good hour yesterday morning, covered at least 3 mile and it was nice because my brother came with me so I was able to follow the canal tow path, I wouldn’t normally do that for safety reasons.

 

Mom and I managed an early night last night as they went out with friends and stayed out, so it’s nice and quiet in my house this morning, bliss.  The decorating starts tomorrow so chaos will resume!  I will be busy today sorting things away and also packing reading for my holiday.

 

As you already know I’m collecting for the Black Country food bank and we already have a good first batch for me to drop off tomorrow, when I was in B&M’s yesterday I bought a pack of toothbrushes for 99p and toothpaste 69p, that’s a bargain for sure and things like that and toilet roll are also needed.  Please bring something to the meeting next week so we can keep up this fabulously easy way to make a difference.

 

So does it worry me that I’m gaining weight?  Does it worry you when you gain weight?  My answer is no and yes!  It doesn’t worry me because I know why I’m gaining, it concerns me that it may take a while to get my head back into the ‘zone’ but then sitting here I realise it won’t because I actually enjoy eating well, I love healthy food and the only reason I haven’t bothered the last few days is because of time and the fact they wanted to have chips.  It bothers me having junk food in my house but as of January we won’t be having it, mom can get used to not having Pringles because they aren’t any good for her, just because she’s lost weight doesn’t mean she can eat rubbish as it doesn’t do her medical condition any good at all!  I don't buy into the "I have to have it in the house for the others", junk food, unhealthy food isn't a good thing to have a lot of around anyone, treats should be exactly that - a treat now and again, not the norm!

 

I’m thinking some soup today, mmm out of a tin because I’ve got too much to do to be cooking from scratch, then maybe something out of a tin or if I have to go out I will get some salad, I’d love a big plate of salad with some mackerel or tuna on, mmm yeah that’s the plan.  But first housework and sorting – boring, can’t even walk Alfie first because its so damn dark!

 

9 more sleeps till Christmas, 13 more meetings till my holiday, here’s to a Super Sunday.

All about the love today. x

15^th December 2012

There ain't no cloud so thick that the sun ain't shinin' on t'other side. Rattlesnake

Well I managed a little lie in but I also had a late night so it’s still the same amount of hours sleeping, and now I’m sat listening to my brother snore, well I think its him not Alexis!  Lovely to see them yesterday and as my meal was cancelled because the road was closed and we couldn’t get there, I was able to pick them up from the station.

Today we shall be checking out the cheap shops, I’m going to introduce them to B&M’s, then visit a few pound shops and end at Asda – rock and roll baby! 

Well they’ve woken now so this is gonna be short as I can’t concentrate!  So I’m just gonna share one thing with you all, we all have different goals when we’re losing weight and we discussed it in the meetings a few months ago.  This is one of my handsome members achieving the goal he wanted to achieve by Christmas and it made me smile, getting back into his original wedding ring, ain’t that romantic.

 

So today let’s be all about the love, show or tell everyone you love them, share the love today. xx

Christmassy hot chocolate 2pp mmm

14^th December 2012

Love is something that if you give it away, give it away, you end up having more.  Malvina Reynolds

 

Yay my brother and Alexis (his wife) arrive today, busy but fun week ahead, and I’ve got my Christmas works lunch later, mmm carvery nom nom.

 

I’m really pleased with peoples enthusiasm to help me collect food and toilet rolls etc for the Black Country food bank, I will be taking our first batch on Monday and shall continue to collect for January at least next year, so if you haven’t got anything spare in your cupboard, pick up a cheap can in the supermarket, then next year if anyone bought you sweets/chocolates/biscuits etc that you know you don’t need in your life, pass them on to me too.   Just in case you missed the previous message, the list of things they can use is at the bottom of this blog.

 

As for me and my Weight Watcher journey I only went and gained another 1/2lb that’s three weeks on the trot now, and 5 1/2lb heavier, it’s a good job I lost 5 of that in October and November.  So I’ve decided from now until the end of the year for me it’s damage limitation, and then by then I know I’ll be sick of eating that way and will be glad to get back to the healthy way of life.

 

I wanted to share Natalie’s version of Christmassy Hot Chocolate because it looked fabulous for 2pp, especially when you think a hot chocolate in Costa can set you back 16pp!

 

 

1 serving of weight watchers hot choc powder (1pp)

Add ground cinnamon and grated nutmeg and top with 26g anchor light real cream (1pp) sprinkle nutmeg cinnamon and pinch of choc powder to decorate :))

 

Then there’s Diane’s Christmas selection tub so she doesn’t feel deprived over Christmas, brilliant idea.

 

 

I can’t believe it’s only 11 sleeps till Christmas day, there’s only 18 days left of this year, it’s gone so quickly, Facebook has just shared my yearin review with me, a look at 20 moments in my year and wow it’s been fantastic, weekend in Rome, weekend in Corfu, weekend at Center Parcs, week in Pembrokeshire, an hilarious afternoon on the park, my role model award, my diamond leader award, helping to motivate some phenomenal people to get to their goals, Red Hot Chilli pepper concert, Burlesque in a steel boned basque, numerous random comments from my gorgeous mom and these moments are but a few, because I can find something wonderful every day to smile about, it’s the little things.

 

For example I wrote on my Weight Watcher page yesterday, “If yr thinking about missing yr weigh in just remember I don't get paid if you don't get weighed - #justsaying!” and then on the night Penny came to get weighed and told me she’d only come because of that post and she felt guilty that I wouldn’t get paid, she thought she’d had a rotten week, then got on the scales and lost 3.5lb!  I think that tells us never to assume to know the answers!

 

Yes I’m well and truly ready for my Christmas to commence, I have my Santa hat and my car now has antlers and a red nose!  Bring on the festivities!

 

Have a fantastic day folks, find the thing in your day to smile about xx

 

Here's the list of foods & stuff we are collecting for the food bank;

The general shopping list is:

·    Milk (UHT or powder, pref. semi-skimmed)

·    Cereal (preferably non-sugared)

·    Tinned Soup

·    Fruit Juice (carton long life)

·    Fruit Squash

·    Pasta / Cooking Sauces

·    Baked Beans / Spaghetti

·    Rice/Sponge Pudding (tin)

·    Tomatoes (Tinned)

·    Pasta/Rice/Cous Cous (500g / 1kg)

·    Tinned Veg (carrots, sweetcorn, peas, mixed)

·    Tea Bags (40’s/80’s), Coffee (small)

·    Potato (Instant Mash or tinned)

·    Tinned Meat/Fish (corned beef, ham, minced beef, spam / tuna etc)

·    Tinned Ready meals (Curry, macaroni cheese, chilli, beans & sausages, cauliflower cheese)

·    Tinned Fruit (in juice preferably)

·    Sugar (500g / 1kg)

·    Biscuits, Crackers, Crispbreads

·    ‘Healthy Snacks’ (Raisins, Apricots etc)

a ‘Homeless Pack’ includes some of the items:

·    Can opener

·    Wash bag

·    Bowl

·    Mug

·    Set of cutlery

·    Soap, shower gel, bath creme

·    Shampoo

·    Deodorant

·    Anti-bac hand gel

·    Toothbrush toothpaste

·    Flannel / sponge

·    Tissues (handy handbag packs)

·    Nappies (all sizes)

·    Baby wipes

·    Sanitary towels (not tampons)

·    Toilet roll

·    Shaving gel / cream (not razors)

Wish me luck - it's weigh day!

13^th December 2012

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars. Ralph Waldo Emerson

It’s getting closer, 12 more sleeps! I’ve got to admit I’m so ready for a week off work, I love my job but I want to sit around chilling and enjoying spending time with my extended family, can’t come soon enough.  Although as always I’m still enjoying my meetings, and my members are still doing really well, some are losing, some are maintaining and a few of us are gaining a little but okay with it because we’ve enjoyed it, we’ve already lost over 200lb this week which is awesome.

So I’ve deleted Facebook from my phone and it’s having a positive effect on me, my mind isn’t so busy and I’ve actually started to clear some of the clutter in my house too, that’s not just because I’ve deleted an app off my phone it’s also helping that I haven’t got as much paperwork to do this week.  Don’t get me wrong I think Facebook is great, I won’t leave it completely because I’ve met some fab people through it and I love to catch up with them, however I don’t need to have it to hand all the time, half hour in the morning and at lunchtime is more than ample.  I can text and email directly to my Weight Watcher page which is fab because I can do that from my phone, it’s also a different app so I can still be in contact with my members as much as I want.

Very busy day today, actually this is the start of a busy weekend, 5 meetings today, lunch with work colleagues tomorrow in Burton on Trent, bit of a trek but it’ll be worth it.  Then when I get home tomorrow my brother and his wife will have arrived for the week so no time to rest, although I will need to sort out my stuff for my Christmas break, this time next week – I’ll be even more excited!

I’m hoping that I’ve maintained on the scales today, it’s all about damage limitation for me, I looked at my weigh card over the year and I’ve more or less maintained all year within 7lb, it’s not the weight I’m supposed to be but hey it’s progress on the bad old days when it was 2 or 3 stone heavier!  One of my friends posted last night that she was watching some weight loss programme on tv and she’s like a gastric sleeve (I’m hoping she was joking!) seriously though you couldn’t pay me enough to have one!  I would rather struggle with my weight for the rest of my life than have to eat food mushed up or only be able to eat little and often.  I’m sorry but the thought of never being able to go to Sainsbury’s ever again and buy a whole roast chicken and start devouring it in the car on the way home actually makes me feel a little sad!  To not be able to go and buy way too much food from the Chinese or Indian and sit and have a banquet with friends would be a tragedy of life!   Or worse still to not be able to go and build a carvery castle in a Toby restaurant, well it just doesn’t bear thinking about, building a moat for the gravy with your mash and putting the peas in the Yorkshire so you have spare space for the other stuff!

No as much as I struggle with my weight I wouldn’t have it any other way, I adore being me and I love my passion that I have for all things including food and eating, I even love that I love to think, talk about and plan what I’m going to eat, and I really wouldn’t want that part of my personality taking away from me in return for a size 8 body, nah I’m still with my size 12-14 (sometimes 16!) body which I constantly work at stopping it growing back up to a size 20 like it was when I joined Weight Watchers in 2004!

However I have declared PRINGLES officially banned from my house unless my mom learns to refuse to share them with me, they actually have a sickly quality to them and make me feel a bit sick when I eat them, but then of course I forget that the next time I start eating them!  I think they’re laced with cocaine or some similar drug that makes you want more and more and more until you’ve basically snorted the tube!   Yes I shall be having a discussion with my mother this morning, she was warned that if I asked for one she was to say no and she failed her mission, she handed them over sweet as a nut!  Well that’s it now, I shan’t be buying anymore – they are going on the ‘can’t have in the house because I’m weak’ list along with Cheese and onion crisps.

On that note, I’m off to get ready for work, tis dark out there still – boo!   Have a tremendous day, and your mission today is to just notice how many times you think and talk about food, they reckon we make over 200 food decisions a day!