Fire

Sometimes, for no apparent reason, a fire is lit under your motivation, and just roars to life all on its own. And just like that, everything seems easier to accomplish. The challenges are manageable, the everyday becomes straightforward, and progress starts to occur.

This is what apparently happened to me whilst in France last week. I had a lovely week near Cognac with a big group of friends, which was exactly what I needed it to be. It was mostly comprised of sleeping, and relaxing, and chatting to wise and wonderful people - both those I'd known for a good long while and some excellent new additions to my circle of acquaintances - and eating lots of bread, cheese and pâté, and drinking wine, and diving in the pool and then floating around it for hours on a giant inflatable ring stolen from the kids, reading my book and nursing a cold glass of white some kindly soul had bought out to me. And then some more reading in the glorious sunshine. And a lot of napping. All in the surroundings of a sprawling, quirky farmhouse and some idyllically quiet countryside.

Occasionally, I stirred myself to daytrip to Congac for a tasting at Maison Hennessy (where I discovered a love of Hennessy VS and ginger), or a pootle round La Rochelle's pretty old riviera style, but mostly it was about the restorative effects of just disconnecting for a while.

I allowed myself to eat and drink what I pleased, and the sheer amount of sleeping and napping I did told me how much I needed the break, but towards the end of the week I found myself becoming increasing eager to get on with my healthiness and fitness goals ready for ski season.

I've come to the conclusion that, in order to make real progress, I need a bit of good old-fashioned discipline, and that means a framework to guide me. As much as I enjoyed the break away from Weightwatchers and trying to some different approaches, right now I need the control of their portion sizes. I originally left WWs because I thought their revised plan didn't work for me ... I lost all my weight on the older plan, and when ProPoints came in I really couldn't get to grips with it. In hindsight, I think I'd just got to a point where I didn't have enough motivation to make it work. And now I do.

The first week? Spectacularly well! I stayed on my basic daily points pretty much all week, with only a night at my Dad's seeing me dipping into a few flex points. I made it to my first spin class and did my fist run in 7 months or more. I would have done Pilates too, but when I arrived at the gym it had been cancelled and I didn't have kit to do an alternative work out with me. And in the first 5 days I dropped nearly 4lbs. 4!!

This morning I even got up and made it to the gym for an hour long RPM class (slightly different spin). At 10am. On a Saturday!!!

I feel energised, and positive. And I've enjoyed wine and a bit of chocolate this week.

I seem to have found a menu balance that works, so for now I'll stick roughly to that whilst I work out some other alternatives to add in. Lots of veggies with my dinner. Lots of fruit during the day. Carbs or protein for dinner - not both together (helps keep my points total down). Lots and lots of fluids. And a touch of discipline.

Long may this feeling continue!!


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