Friday 25 October 2013

Willpower and Mussels

Normal weight loss service seems to have been resumed this week, with another solid 1.75 lbs down, taking me down a solid stone (and half a lb) since I got going again after holiday. Not the quickest perhaps, but good steady progress.

In all honesty, this weekend has been a bit up and down though. I got a little carried away on Saturday when, after a virtuous morning spin class, I went a bit overboard at a girls lunch and then had to struggle through a birthday dinner which left me feeling soooooo sick because I was far too full. Silly, silly girl!!

I was then excellently well behaved for the next several days, before hitting a bit of a unexpected bump. At a dinner out on Wednesday night (when I was making some sensible choices and had eaten lightly during the day to be good) I think I had a bad mussel. Yeah, possibly 'nough said.

Suffice it to say I wasn't a very well bunny on Wednesday night, and was feeling a little fragile and sleep deprived on Thursday. Ah well, these things happen, but although I made it to work on Thursday I didn't feel up to a gym workout, so I'm a bit down on my activity for the week. Work is still busy so it's a still a bit of a struggle keeping up with anything at all this week!

On the good side of these things, my "skinny" skinny jeans are now wearable! They are snug, but wearable, which is very good news.

Sooooooo, the weeks seem to be whipping by at the moment, and it's already time to start the move out of my flat this weekend! Oh my god, where have the months gone? It's only 3 weeks tomorrow before I leave the country and make my way to the French mountains - argh!!!! I'm ... sort of organised! I've done quite a bit of packing already, but still have quite a lot more organising to do before tomorrow. Luckily, I have a very lovely friend coming to help me to load my hire van tomorrow, which makes this part of the move a little less intimidating. I've got a big chunk of stuff packed already (good), and have trial packed my ski season luggage and what I need for the next couple of weeks (very foresightful of me if I do say so!), but I definitely feel like I could do with an extra day to get sorted (arrrrrrgh).

Wish me luck!

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Tuesday 22 October 2013

No Time

What a crap day! Or it could have been anyway.

Like many days recently, I feel like I've been non-stop-go-go-go all damn day. 12.5 hours in the office, lunch break spent on hold to the various utilities companies cancelling stuff ready for the move, get home at 9.40pm, shove some dinner down my throat, put gym kit wash on so I actually have some clean, non-stinky kit, and then unload what's left of one wardrobe into the other (I've been packing stuff already), bag up all my shoes into those to go back to dad's and those still needed, and dismantle said wardrobe and stack everything neatly downstairs. Just in time to go to bed at midnight.

Get up at 6.20am, squeeze in a sneaky spin class before work and repeat.

It's bloody knackering, and I'm glad that I think this week will hopefully be the last of the truly hectic ones. Early next week at the latest, as I'm off for the second part of next week actually moving house. Unfortunately, moving next week means taking everything not needed home in a van this weekend. And somewhere in the middle of all that I'm trying to hold together my weight loss and get fit / healthy campaign.

On days like today, it feels like a miracle that I've stayed on track. I haven't worked out today, but my eating has been pretty damn saintly. Which is all the more amazing when you consider that I caught myself, at various points this evening, staring into the tuck drawer at work and then closing it and walking away empty-handed, turning down my boss's offer of a chocolate biscuit, and guilty hunting down the chocolates belonging to the neighbouring team, before turning back to the drawer and putting the chocolate in my hand back in the box and going back to my desk. Resistance!

I'm tamping down the feelings of panic about not being packed and ready to move in time for the weekend by setting myself smaller, discrete jobs to achieve; it'd just difficult when I come home late and knackered every night (and I have a birthday night out to attend on Wednesday).

In the interests of full dislosure and honesty, I should say that my eating did go a little awry on Saturday when I ended up having both a leisurely lunch with one of ,y best friends and then another birthday night out in the evening with dinner. I felt so ludicrously sick after two meals out in one day though ... that'll teach me to practice a little self-restraint. Which is why I've been extra determined to get it right every other day this week.

Baby steps and persistence though.

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Saturday 19 October 2013

A Loss Is A Loss

Well, it wasn't the most dramatic weight loss result the world has ever seen, but it was a loss.  The smallest loss I could have had and still technically called it a loss, I'll grant you, but I'll take what I'm given!

Was this week 9?  Probably.  And the result was a tiny, little, sliver of a quarter lb off.  In one way, that's a little disappointing, but a loss is a loss is a loss.  And frankly, after a week of stress, lack of sleep, and some rather inprudent eating, I'd say it was entirely what I deserved.  The fact also remains that I saw the scale go considerably lower than that during the week, which gives me some confidence that I haven't gone completely off the reservation, and that this is just a little "bounce" of the scales.

It has also given me a well-timed kick up the arse to strengthen my resolve and get it right this week.  Friday's are often one of my more relaxed days eating-wise - the start of a new week and the furthest point from weigh in, etc - but I don't think I've been too shabby today at all.  Catching myself with thoughts of takeaway a I left work (8pm this evening - not so bad!), I sort of stopped and listened to what I was saying.  Metaphorically speaking.  I was thinking "it's been a long day, it's wet and miserable out - I could treat myself to a takeaway and catchup on all the recorded tv".  Then I thought, actually it's been a bloody long week, lacking in sleep, relaxation or vegetables - if you want to treat yourself when you get home, have something healthy and including veggies.  Treat your body well.

So I did.

This is how I behaved the first couple of weeks when i got some really excellent results - little things and baby steps

Thursday 17 October 2013

Dealing With It

Well, it wasn't quite the immaculate week of healthy eating and living I wanted it to be, as work has now ramped up to such an extent that sleep is getting somewhat optional (in that even on nights when I do get home at a reasonable(ish) hour, I'm usually too wired to get to sleep and then wake up stressing over something in the middle of the night), and eating for comfort looks like an entirely viable and perfectly tempting option. But I haven't let it all go to the dogs, so there's hope yet.

Working weekends has made me grumpy, which in turn tends to lead me to an "oh fuck it" mentality. It also means lunch is bought for us and the boys inevitably want the good stuff. By which I mean pizza or similar. But I dealt with it - I pre-planned my choice from my eating out guide and cut back my breakfast and lunch to compensate.

Working evenings makes me rather to anxious to reach for the wine when I finally get home. Especially when it turns out to be a rather delicious Viognier I bought back from France in the summer (for a whole €2.80 - fancy that!).

Stress over deadlines and delays makes me a little too eager to cave in and say "yes" to the offer of sweets and cookies.

BUT. But - I tracked every last miserable little chocolate that passed my lips. If I couldn't restrain myself, I could at least be honest enough to write it down, so I always knew the bigger picture for the week. And just doing that definitely stopped me rolling further off track.

I just about found time to get two spin classes and 2 circuits workouts (1 with my trainer) in this week. It was hard work finding the time - 3 before work and one straight after but then returning to the office for another couple of hours. The sacrificed sleep was (probably) worth it though. And with the added activity points from my gym sessions, I ended up being 22 points over for the week. That doesn't include the 6+ hours that I spent walking to and from work, the gym and the cinema this week either.

So what will this mean for weigh in? I started to recover from my stress-driven blip yesterday and made a real effort to get it right these last two days. My weight has remained solidly in the 12's all week and a bit lower than my last weigh in, so fingers crossed that I get a small loss this week.

And then, whatever happens, I WILL make a good effort this week. I just need to plan for the stress!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Saturday 12 October 2013

Urgent Update!!

Breaking news!!!! There has been a rare sighting of the Twelves in the vicinity if Bristol. I repeat: a rare sighting of the Twelves!

Local experts had begun to fear that the explosion in the population of the Thirteens had spelled disaster for the Twelves and placed them in danger of extinction, but it seems they have rallied and sightings on 3 consecutive days have been recorded. We have yet to see any evidence of the smaller Twelves, but if the larger ones are still alive and kicking there is hope that smaller ones may be sighted soon.

******

For the 6th week in a row I've lost! Whooop - another 1.5lbs off!!!! 12.5 lbs gone in total since I got my ass in gear at the end of August, and I'm FINALLY back into the 12st bracket. Finally!!!

This is where I felt more comfortable before, although I'm still half a stone off my goal before I leave for the winter season. I haven't been at this weight for around 18 months or more .... basically since I moved into my shared house, so it's good to know I can do it.

I'm getting to the point now where I'm noticing a difference I my clothes - some stuff I haven't worn for ages fits again - my Skinny skinny jeans (if you know what I mean) nearly fit again - whilst other things are now getting too big - annoyingly my two current pairs of skinny jeans are rapidly getting loose just ahead of the other ones fitting - rubbish! Ah well - at least I know I've got plenty of choice of dresses that will fit well for the wedding I'm going to next month!

Focusing on having a really good week to make good headway into the 12's - I'm working this weekend but decided to stay in and cook last night (lovely fish pie!) and get in a 60 min spin class this morning before hitting the office. I really want to try not to use all my flex this week as I've been using them all the last couple of weeks.

And in other exciting news - I'm going to try ski boots tomorrow!! I love kit shopping :-)


- Posted from my iPhone

Friday 4 October 2013

The Weekly Report

In which we find our heroine sitting at the kitchen table on a lovely sunny Friday afternoon, enjoying a cup of tea and some biscuits, and basking in the happy glow of cheques received through the post from Mr Taxman. Oh yes, and another 1.75lbs off at her morning weigh in.

Hells yeah, that makes it 11lbs in 7 weeks!!

Once our heroine has finished her tea, she'll get changed and hike off out the door for a Friday evening spin class because that's how she rolls. (Or spins).

The list of things I need to do before the ski season starts seems to be getting longer, but at least I'm crossing some things off the top of the list, so something's happening. And those tax refunds will come in handy paying for some of the shopping bill involved in getting ready! Spending half an hour with some HMRC paperwork was definitely worth it!

I'm keeping a low profile socially at the moment as work's ramping up to busy season and I've lots of organising and packing to at home, so I don't want to book up all my spare time and have nothing left for me! Especially as that makes it so much harder to spend time on exercising, cooking properly and sleeping well.

In the meantime, I'm just enjoying wearing a shirt and skirt that haven't fitted properly in ages and knowing they're comfy again.

Happy Friday everybody!!

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Tuesday 1 October 2013

Baby Steps

Baby steps - that's pretty much all I'm capable of after my resident evil-genius trainer decimated my entire lower body last night in the name health and ski-fitness...

Quads, inside thigh, and my poor old gluteus maximus are all feeling the after effects today. Even a spin class hasn't helped loosen anything up.

I can't complain though as I'm reaping the benefits of all this gym time and healthy eating. I decided to update my measurements tonight to see what was happening outside of the scale numbers, and the answer is small increments of happiness. I've known things were changing a bit because I've recently worn a skirt twice that I haven't looked at in months and my jeans are feeling a bit looser, so it was nice to see it in hard numbers.

1.25 inches off my chest and 1.5 from my waist. 0.75 inches from my hips and a whopping 1 in gone from my thigh (that'll be the spin then!). My measurements were last done at the beginning of August, so pre-France-cheese-and-wine lbs, so I think I was about 8lbs heavier then than I am now. Happy with that.

Talking of baby steps, I'm also trying to introduce a bit more variety into my meal planning. Over the last 7 weeks, I've pretty much figured out the basics that work for me. A sensible but not too big breakfast, a hearty lunch and a pared back dinner seems to work well, and I'm happy to stick to those parameters, but there's a limit to how many times I can eat protein and veg, or carbs and veg, plain and simple, before I get a bit bored.

So sticking to the idea of pared down dinners, I'm also trying to mix up what I have a bit. For a completely different flavour combo tonight I revisited good old scrambled eggs on toast with some ham and mushroom chucked in. I know - hardly revolutionary - but I need to make sure I keep some variety (whilst also keeping it simple and quick to prepare) in my weekday dinners so I don't go stir crazy any time soon! I'm thinking some winter casseroles might be making an appearance sometime soon.


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