Gratuitous begging post

Now I know it’s not very subtle of me, but here I am begging for your hard-earned cash, if you happen to have any to spare!

Nooooooo … not for me (although, if you do happen to love me that much, I could maybe make an exception) ….. it’s actually for a very good cause.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, that I’d made the decision to do a 10k charity run to support my friend Hannah, who had herself signed up as a novice runner.  The run in question is the Ashton Court 10k, which takes place this Sunday 17 October in Bristol, and is in support of Cancer Research.

The more I thought about it, the more I realised that I actually have a great deal to thank this charity for, as my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer 18 months ago at the tender age of 95, and thanks to the miracles of modern medicine, she was given the all clear earlier this year.  I’ve got no doubt that charities such as Cancer Research have gone a long way towards helping further those same treatments, as well as the tremendous amount of work they do publicising and demystifying cancer and raising awareness of it, helping patient and doctor to make a much faster diagnosis.

That was a couple of weeks ago and in my usual way, other things then got in the way, and I didn’t actually get round to entering the race and setting up a sponsorship page until today.  But here I am, now officially entered, several long preparatory runs completed, and just pointing out that there’s a handy link on the top right hand side of my blog to my sponsorship page …..

(It’s http://www.run10ksponsorme.org/suzannefontaine just in case it’s too far to drag your mouse all the way up there)

Have I mentioned how much I love you all recently?  No?  I should do it more often!

Begging over.  Those who were embarrassed may now safely open their eyes as we return to our usual program.

Shopping, yurts and puppies

It’s been one of those weekends, when anything can happen, and most of it does!

One thing I forgot to do, when I posted my slightly gloomy weigh in on Friday, was take my measurements and see how I’m doing on that side of things.  I got round to doing it on Saturday, and I was most surprised to see that my hips and waist were lower than anything I’ve previously recorded.  I can’t remember if I last did my measurements last week or the week before, but it just goes to prove that the scale is never the whole story!  Half an inch of my hips and nearly an inch of my waist put a smile back on my face.

Friday was a great day food-wise, as I waltzed into the end of the day with 3.5 points banked.  It was also a busy day, as I frantically baked birthday cakes for Jon’s celebrations yesterday.  One coconut cake and one chocolate cake later, and I had to rush back over to hospital to make visiting hours to see my grandma, and then back home to ice them before bed.  My grandma’s ok, but (and, oh the irony here) she’s in hospital because she’s basically not eating enough to sustain herself because (so unfair) her appetite has really dwindled away to nothing.  Unfortunately, I don’t think she’s really grasped this, and she thinks she’ll be out of hospital in the next couple of days, but realistically it’s looking like it might well be weeks, because she’s really not eating much more now she’s in hospital, and not walking every day is actually making her wobblier on her feet than before.  *Sigh*. Old age is cruel.

I was up early yesterday for a day-trip into Birmingham with Nia and Bec to hit the shops.  Unfortunately, they hit my wallet hard in return!  More nice stuff for work, and for the first time ever I’ve been able to buy fitted stuff from Zara and have it fit – wooohooo!  Mind you, I find it a little offensive that whilst I’m a Medium or Large in most shops these days, I’m a freaking XL in Zara, and even they come up small!  I just have to remember not to take it personally – those clothes are exactly the same size as my Mediums, etc, it’s just that they’re badged up differently.  I’ve definitely noticed my style getting more adventurous as I get smaller though – tucked in tops have now started featuring in my wardrobe and there’s a lot more feminine, girly work clothing appearing these days – my new colleagues had better appreciate all the effort I go to! lol

Last night was Jon’s party out at the yurts.  After driving a winding country lane, followed by over a mile of narrower private drive, we arrived at the bottom of a field in the pitch black with no clue where we were going to get there, and looking like pack-ponies with all our sleeping bags, spare clothes and food and drink.  After some wandering round like a herd of lost sheep (the real sheep were looking at us in a mighty puzzled fashion), we were rescued by a local and fellow party-attendee in a handy 4x4 who ferried us to the site.  Good job really, as it turned out to be a good half a mile of unlit and not very obvious farm track away across 2 fields and through a couple of gates!

It was a lovely evening with a BBQ flaming outside, wood-burning stove heating the main hut, and awesome tunes provided by the not-inconsiderable skills of Mix Master Moss (aka our friend Chris when he’s not behind the decks).  There was much hilarity, drinking games, chin-wagging with long-unseen friends, weeing in fields (strangely enough yurts don’t come with modern plumbing – just another experience to add to the list!), trying to figure out how I was so drunk, when I don’t remember more than 3 drinks, and finally stumbling to bed in the fabulous Moroccan painted beds that were handily arranged around the smaller huts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eating-wise I was over on points yesterday, but yet again, I’m pleased with my decisions.  We had Yo! Sushi again for lunch, and for a second time (in a week!) I made good choices and stopped when I was full.  I tried eel yakitori which was one of the special dishes, and it was amazing, and I had pumpkin fritters which were sodding lovely!  Vegetarian and fish dishes are low in points, so that was a winning combo, and I took a WW’s snack in my bag, for while we were wandering round in town which turned out to be a good idea, as well as a bottle of water.  When it came time to head to the supermarket to shop for my BBQ food, I kept my head screwed on.  Chicken breast instead of burgers or sausages, and I chucked in my cajun spice jar from home so I could just season them on the grill.  A pack of light cheese slices.  A small pot of couscous with roasted veg, and a potato salad, and I realised that would be more than enough, especially with birthday cake circling too.  I ended up swapping one of my chicken rolls with a friend for a small homemade burger, but for virtually the same points.  A small slice of coconut cake, and my drinks rounded it off.

The potato salad never even got touched.  Actually that turned out to be a good thing, because I had some for tea tonight and when I pointed it, it turned out to 11 points for the little box.  Yikes!!!  I could happily have demolished that in one sitting, but armed with the knowledge I had half, and put the rest in the fridge, to be portioned out over the next couple of days.

This morning was a little slow to get started as we were a bit fuzzy-headed.  I had a bizarre scavenged breakfast of a small amount of shortbread and a jam doughnut, as most of us forgot to put any kind of breakfast food in, and then there was the slow process of tidying up the site, packing the 4x4 with the BBQ and generators, etc, and walking all our gear back to the cars.  I was feeling a bit sluggish after that breakfast, so I jumped at the suggestion of going for a walk by the river in the sun and then going to meet a 7 week old Labrador puppy when my old friend Ben suggested it.  An hour of deliciously warm sunshine, and feeding the swans, and then rolling round on the floor with the cutest puppy you’ve ever seen was a great hangover antidote!

Meet Finlay:

In short – it’s been an awesome weekend, which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.  I’ve got a points deficit of 18 to start this week. Tomorrow I start work (gaaaaaaah!), so I’ve already planned my food.  I’m just about to go and prep it now, before I go have a shower, and fall into bed to read for a bit and then an early night.

Wish me luck for tomorrow!

Judgement

The verdict’s in and it’s 0.5lb on this week.  12st 3.5lbs. 

In one way, I’m annoyed, as I’ve eaten less than I would if I was on maintenance, but this comes down to more what I’ve eaten I think, than the amount.  I’ve not eaten enough proper food in the last couple of days – missing meals here and there and eating snack food instead.  Coffee shops are my downfall, as I’m not very good at just having the hot drink, and not something sweet (and delicious) to go with it.  As I’ve been out running around all the time, I’ve been grabbing bottles of Diet Coke, but then not drinking enough squash and water to hydrate properly.  And I didn’t work out as regularly as I normally do.

Anyway – persistence not perfection, eh?  Today’s a fresh day, indeed a fresh week!  It will be All Change this week, as I start my new job on Monday.  I’ve got birthday cakes to bake today, and I’m going to visit my grandma in hospital again this afternoon.  Tomorrow is Jon’s 30th birthday, and just for something completely different, he’s hired some yurts in the grounds of a castle nearby.  I know!!  Crazy!  Apparently, they’re furnished Moroccan-style inside with hangings and cushions, and we’re having a big barbeque and fire-pit outside, and a friend’s dj-ing for the night. 

Tomorrow will definitely be my food challenge for the week, what with the barbeque, cake and free-flowing alcohol.  Great - time to plan, me-thinks!  And then Sunday, I’ll need to get my act together for the new all-commuting, all-working me.  Stock up on healthy snacks and fruit for the office, and get lunch sorted to take with me.  At least I’ll be getting at least 30 mins of walking each day to and from the bus, so I suppose that’s a little bit of exercise for me, if nothing else.

Time to go buy cake ingredients now!

Not very clever

Not very clever at all.  That’s what my food choices have been over the last couple of days.

Monday – good – points saved, spin class done.

Tuesday – errrr – good.  Survived the day in Birmingham with Caroline, including lunch at Yo! Sushi (oh my god – have I finally learned to rein myself in at this restaurant?) and multiple Starbucks visits, missed my circuits class, but all was still good.  Got stuck into researching flats to rent and flatshares in Bristol til the late hours …. and munched my way through a bag of Thorntons’ fudge while I did it.  I think I meant to just have a piece or two and then put it away, but we all know that’s not how it goes often.  Unless you take the bits you want and put the rest away out of reach.  Did I do this?  No.  Instead of a few points saved, a few points added back to the weekly deficit.  Boooooo,

Wednesday – again – not too bad.  Had lunch with Jo, then went over to the hospital to visit my grandma.  Spent a couple of hours with her, and helped her with her dinner, but missed dinner time myself.  Grabbed a Nutri-grain bar from the shop to tide me over.  Stopped off to catch up with Bridget on the way home.  A small piece of cake at hers (well, I hadn’t had dinner).  Still good on points.  Got home just after 10.  FAIL.  I still have huge issues with missing a meal, or at least the evening meal, even if I’m not hungry, so I went rooting through the cupboards.  First thought was beans on toast, which would have been fine, but instead I decided to be clever and go for an omelette instead, and apparently forgot how the points add up in those.  Again – should have been a point or so saved, and instead a few points deficit.

Blech!!!

This morning I had to be up relatively early for a couple of hours in my new office to meet the team and get the tour.  Slightly annoying to have to spend 3-4 hours commuting (yeah – pity me – that’s going to be my commute time daily for the next few weeks – ugh) for only a little while in the office, but nice to meet everyone before I start.  I picked up lunch at Starbucks on the way home – can I just say their roasted chicken and tomato panini is very nice for 5 points, and it’s nice to see a well-stocked fruit basket on the counter with fresh looking fruit in (I whipped a banana out of that there basket).  Being that it’s the last day of my Weightwatchers week, and that I’m also supposedly running a 10k in …. ohhh … about 10 days!!!! … I therefore thought a run was called for this afternoon.  I tried out an all-new route this afternoon into uncharted territory, and it was on rougher terrain than I’ve been used to – not just trails, but across fields, with stiles and gates to negotiate and a fair few big muddy puddles to skip, hop and jump round.  I ran just a little longer than last week – 1hr 5mins today, including surprising myself by running all the way up the hill by the house – I wasn’t expecting that!  I’ll prob only get in one or two short runs this week before next Sunday, as I’ll be back to working during the day, but I reckon I’ll be ok as I stand. 

****** Edit – just mapped my run on Gmap – 8.5km of cross-country, which a) I’m really pleased about – longest run to date, but b) more importantly – I ran 7.5km last week in 58mins, and 8.5km in 64 mins today – my pace is actually improving with distance!!!  Weird.  I don’t know whether to put that down to running with music today which is unusual for me?  Any thoughts? ******

So with the help of that run, I’ve at least managed to save a few points today (although I guess there’s still some time for me to cock it up if the last couple of days are anything to go by!).  I’m finishing this week with a not very impressive 17 point deficit.  Given I had such a big loss last week, I’m really not expecting anything great at the scales tomorrow, but let that be a lesson to me that I need to not just track everything (which I have), but also not stray too far from the beaten path that is Weightwatchers.

Expect tears and lamentations, or at least grumpiness tomorrow morning.  Apologies in advance for that!

Hungry girl

So here's the skinny, so to speak - if you let yourself relax a bit on the weekend and eat a few of the things that really take your fancy, if you snack a bit more than usual, and maybe eat a bigger portion than usual, then Monday becomes a struggle.

I have no on / off button that let's me switch instantly back in to full-on healthy-eating mode. For me, it's more like the throttle on a boat or plane that has to be gently revved up from idle to full beans.

Ironically, it wasn't as bad after the Great Bristol Restaurant Marathon last weekend, as although my points were high over the weekend, there was very little snackage, and it was more to do with the richness of restaurant cooking than huge portions.

I was struggling a bit yesterday, because this weekend's relaxation was more about home-cooked food and tasty little snacks and treats. My appetite yesterday was up, and I all I kept thinking about was damn food.

Maybe it would have been better if I'd planned my whole day's food up front, so I knew where the next meal would be coming from. Instead, I indulged in a few snacks at Dad's when I went over to de-clutter my old spare room. I snuck some left-over chicken foo yung off my flatmate's plate whilst I was waiting for my dinner - yes, clearly I still have some issues. I mean, seriously, I offered to clear her plate away when I was clearing a load of glasses to the kitchen, because I'd spotted it sitting on her plate and wanted some. That's some kind of fucked up eating (and yeah, I'm kind of ashamed to admit to it - no judging please!), but here's the deal - I pointed the whole bloody lot.

And then I took some strategic action to curb my eating for the rest of the evening. I finished cooking my healthy dinner, and deliberately cooked way more veg than I needed. Extra butternut squash and practically a plate full of marrow, onion and tomato (ratatouille-style - seriously yummy and free on WW). I loaded my plate as I usually would and enjoyed it. And then when I was comfortably full, but still feeling snacky, I went back and ate more veg. No space to snack. Job done for the evening.

I saved points for the day - maybe not quite as many as I'd have liked, as honesty dictated that I had to drop some points from spinning last night. I felt like I'd worked hard enough, but my HRM said less than usual, so I re-pointed it in accordance with that. Kind of annoying, but no point in denial. That won't help me at the end of the week.

I feel far more back to it today. Less snacky and more in control. I'm heading into Birmingham to meet the lovely Caroline for lunch and gossip. I don't get to see her often as she's based over in Brussels these days so it's always great to catch up. Light breakfast, and left-over soup for tea means I don't need to worry too much about lunch. I'll miss circuits this evening, but several hours walking around Birmingham will give me activity points anyway.

Tomorrow I'm going to visit my gran in hospital. Dad told me yesterday that she got admitted on Friday after her legs gave out, but they suspect there might liver failure. Poor gran! I keep hoping she's not feeling too scared (I would be) and lonely. I don't know why Dad didn't tell me on Friday or over the weekend, so I could have gone to visit sooner, except I know he was trying to protect me from the news. I love him, but sometimes I want to hit him over the head!


- Posted from my iPhone

What you don't know won't hurt you

They say (whoever "they" are) that what you don't know about can't hurt you. Maybe that is true of some things - if your co-workers earn more than you, what people sometimes say behind your back - ignorance can be bliss. There is one area however where what you don't know most definitely can hurt you. And that's food.

Most of us who are dieting got where we were by not understanding what we were merrily shovelling into our mouths. We probably knew that some of the food we were eating was bad but, if you were anything like me, what I didn't get was how everything added up and the cumulative effect it all had. What I didn't know was hurting me.

When I hit my 6 month weight-loss plateau from January to June, I unintentionally sabotaged myself because I started ignoring what I knew. In fact, because I stopped being entirely honest with my tracking, I stopped "knowing" what was going in my mouth and it did indeed hurt me.

I can't say I ate particularly sensibly this weekend. I've been lazy, had a few days away from the exercise, and eaten, if not wisely, then well. There might have been a box of chocolates eaten over the course of Friday and Saturday, a Chinese takeaway on Friday night, a few glasses of wine, and some fish and chips today (although I did have to walk over the hills and back for those).

But that's the beauty of this healthy eating malarkey. I can eat what I choose, but as long as I take responsibility for it, I can still get where I want to go. I've written down every bit of bad food I've had this weekend, clocked the points deficit I now have (actually not terrible) and having enjoyed the lot, I shall now return to my regular program of healthy eating for the rest of the week.

Happy weekends, guys.

- Posted from my iPhone

O. M. G.

Well, that was more than a little bit unexpected!!  There I was, fearfully prodding the scale with my toe to switch it on this morning, and then doing that funny screwed-up hopeful face that kind of winces and says “Please be something down.  Even just half a lb” – yeah, you know the face – as I waited for it to register me.  Open eyes, look at numbers.  Look at numbers again.

12st 3lbs.

Not half a lb.

3 and a half lbs.

Bloody hell!!!

So much more than I hoped for!  I’ve crashed through that 4 stone barrier by 3 whole lbs, and I’m so totally at my new lowest weight to date!!!!!

*squeeeeeeeeeeeal*

Back in the real world, this means that I’m going to have to be extra good this week, and even then I think I’ll be lucky if I lose anything or stay the same, because my body doesn’t usually let go of large chunks of weight like that easily.  So that’s cool, and I accept that.  I’ve switched off any expectations for next week, and just intend to carry on sticking to the plan.

If you have a look on my goals side bar on the right, you’ll see that I’ve finally been able to update that last one for 4 stone (yay!), and I’ve added my next mini-goal, which is only a lb away, which is 12st 2lbs, or 170lbs – 60lbs lost, and only 10lbs to go til goal.  After that, I’ll be heading for that 12st barrier, and looking to see an 11 on the front of my weigh ins.  That’s a massive thing for me, because a) it feels so close to the end, and I don’t think I expected to get there in some ways – it feels like a huge break-through to be edging so close now, and b) I have never seen an 11 on the front of my weight before!!!  The first time I remember stepping on a scale was in 5th form at school I think (maybe 16 or so), and there was a 12 on the front then, and it’s only ever gone up from there.

One step at a time though.  I expect this bit to be slow, but if I can keep it slow and steady and keep creeping forwards a tiny bit at a time, I’ll be hugely pleased with myself.  I absolutely do not expect any further losses like this one – I can only think that it’s because I’d eaten a heavy meal last Thursday night, and I didn’t last night, so it’s showing a bit of a catch-up loss.  Whatever – I’m am hugely chuffed with myself.

4 weeks since getting back from Costa Rica, 4 losses and 6.5lb lost.

Not got much planned this weekend (which is good as I’ve not got much money to do it with), so no excuses for any big derailments.