weigh in and swimming

1.5lb on this week.  I’m still 1lb below target so shouldn’t feel bad about it, but I do.  It’s still not easy to see weight going on and it being ok.  I’ll get there.

On to swimming.  The half hour lesson went so fast.  I am getting much better about having my face in the water.  My front crawl is getting stronger.  At then end we got to jump in.  The instructor said it was best to take goggles off.  Well, sorry, but there’s no way my head is going under water without my goggles on.  So I straddle jumped.  After the lesson finished some of us headed into the open lanes (where the public get to play when part of the pool is segregated for lessons/classes) and I did another 4.5 lengths – ran out of oomph on that last one.  Now trying hard NOT to fall asleep.

Tomorrow is personal trainer day.  Early night tonight.

Something a bit different

No weigh in this week, had sore throat and catarrh over the weekend so cancelled all my usual activities.

Fortunately the germs are taking the hint, though hubby is none too impressed that he has them.  So, as I’d cancelled my PT session yet woke up this morning wanting to DO something, I dragged my bike out the garage and dug out my nappy shorts.  For those of you who don’t cycle – or you just want to know what the heck are they are – nappy shorts (my own term for them) are shorts that are tight and clingy BUT with a giant piece of wadding to protect your undercarriage from those all too rough interactions with the saddle.  The wadding is shaped like a giant sanitary towel – a not very discreet one either.  I must admit it brought back flashbacks to my pre-hysterectomy days (bet the menfolk readers are all running for the hills now,  hee hee hee).

It was a lovely ride, mostly tarmac with a small unpaved section.  There were a few hills and I got up them really easily.  OK so they were short and not that steep, but c’mon they were hills!  I knocked off 5.93 miles in 46 minutes.

Weigh in – Award time again

Yes!!  That’s my two and a half stone loss award bagged.  I am half a pound inside my lower range limit.  It feels so wrong to be TRYING to put weight on (only a couple of pounds or so) when I have spent so long getting it off.  I’d really like to get down into the upper 10 stones as, although everyone says I look great as I am, I still feel a bit on the chunky side.  For now I think I’m going to see what all this exercise does; I’m hoping it’ll tone up the saggy bits.

After last week’s demotion to the easier class at swimming (thank goodness), this week’s class was so much easier.  I am less exhausted (so far), although the arm with the partially torn muscle (in June) aches plenty.  On a more positive note the swimming seems to have eased the (?) sciatic-y ache in my lower back/buttock.  AND I managed to do more breathing out underwater.  Still managed to swallow some, though.

Weigh in

Lost another half pound – just another half pound to go to have lost two and a half stone.  Hopefully next week.

I really didn’t deserve to have lost anything this week – should have put on a couple of pounds really.  I went up north to a funeral and spent a few days visiting family.  The buffet at the wake was all pastry/bread with NO salad.  Plus, my parents aren’t quite used to me eating properly yet so there was a serious shortage of good stuff on the menu.  I bought myself some grapes and peppers, and did my best with what was in the freezer.  And I put away a bottle of wine in 3 nights.  On the plus side I did go for another gentle run/walk session; and MIL goes to Slimming World so her larder was much more suitable.

Weigh in – long time, no post

Sorry for the absence.  Life keeps getting in the way.

I lost half a pound, so I’m now half a pound above target.  Not bad, all things considered.

I’m slowly getting going again with exercise.  And it IS slowly.  I’ve done a bit of gardening, a bit of deep cleaning – I always like to do my spring cleaning in September to get the house ready for winter – a bit of walking, and a bit of lifting and carrying.  Nothing too much or too long.  I’ve also discovered the Game of Thrones books.  Great reads if you like fantasy and convoluted plots lines – plenty of crossing and double-crossing.

I should hear soon when the in-laws moving date is.  That’ll certainly get the exercise chugging along.

I’ve started making wine again.  Yes I know it’s not really healthy or promoting sensible eating but a girl has to have ONE vice.  Each bottle I make should work out for less than £3, a lot cheaper than buying it in.

I promise to blog more.

Weigh in

Another 0.5lb on, making me 1lb above target.  Still in range though, but I must get back in the groove.

Today was our group’s Woman of the Year competition.  I was shocked during the past week to receive a letter telling me I’d been nominated.  I managed to find a couple of photos of me in the bad old days, wrote a bit of a blurb (which I duly ignored and winged it) and thought “not a hope in hell”.

There were 5 of us to do our thing in front of everyone else.  Standing up in front of people to speak is NOT my favourite thing.  My mind went blank and, as I said above, I winged it – severely editing the 2.5 sides of A4 I’d prepared down to not even a side.   Musta done something right because I WON!!!!!!!!!  I was presented with a sash, a certificate and an orchid.  Took me a few minutes to stop shaking.

I’ve no idea what comes next, though there is a national final.  My consultant will fill me in later.

So, if any of you are struggling with your weight I can recommend SW.  I haven’t found it difficult to follow, and it’s got me from eating 5 a year to 5 (or more) a day.  If it can do that for me it can help anyone.  If you already belong to a group, then try to stay to the chat bit after weigh in.  That’s what I put my success down to (and my stubborn-ness when I really want to do something).

And remember, above all, this is not a temporary change to your eating regime.  No, it’s meant as a lifetime commitment.  If what you were eating before was gonna keep the weight off it would have done.  It didn’t work then, it won’t work now.  Not that I’m 100% on plan at all times.  I have the odd day off here and there, and the odd day where I’m part on and part off.  Any questions, please ask.

From this –

Sat in a cafe in Monte Carlo.

to this –

Same clothes, different size me (different location too).

Size 12 shirt size 14 jeans.

 

Late again

One for you, dear readers.  Now that I have hit my target do you still want me to report my weigh-ins?  This week I gained a pound (but it was really over a fortnight as I didn’t weigh in last week).

I’m gearing myself up to start walking again – as in, walking for fitness.  It’s just finding the time.  There’s so much going on in real life here in Couchland and I’m trying to keep all that off this blog (as much as possible).  I aim to start stepping out again next week and will see how it goes.  First week’s target will be 5 miles.

Sorry, no weigh in

Now I’m a target member of Slimming World I don’t have to weigh in every week.  This week saw me returning the in-laws back to in-law-ville instead.

I’ve managed to upset my upper arm muscle again, probably due to lots of driving and lifting of things.

Normal service should be resumed on Monday.  Thanks for still following me (if you are).

Weigh in – yeah baby!!!!!

Can you guess what I did?!?!?!  That’s right, I hit my target.  In fact, I went half a pound under.  Go me!!!!!!!!!!

Wow!  I never thought I’d do it.  I mean, I hoped that I would, I wanted to, but every other attempt has derailed after a few pounds so I was expecting to get bored with Slimming World way before I got this far.

I cannot thank enough my consultant, Linzi, and the support of my group.  There were times when things weren’t going well (series of gains/maintains) but staying to group and listening to how others have got through these phases really helped.

And now, I positively crave my fruit and veggies during the day.  Whilst this may not sound impressive to you, I spent the first 43 years of my life refusing point blank to have anything to do with 99.9% of them.  In my life the 5 a day idea translated into 5 a month if you were lucky.  So big changes have happened; big changes that have embedded into my psyche and now feel normal and right.

Have I finished losing weight?  For now, yes.  In the future, who knows?  I have another target in mind but others have told me I look fine as I am.  So I’m going to give it a while and see how I feel in a few months.

Weigh in

Sorry it’s a day late.  This “lovely” weather is playing havoc with my sense of self.  So much so that I have been making poor food choices for 3 weeks now.  Yet I have lost a net total of 2.5lbs.  A 3lb loss followed by a maintain followed by this week’s half pound gain.

That was the motivation I needed to stop messing about and get rid of the last pound and a half by Monday – even if I have to amputate something   lol .

As you’ve probably noticed, there’s not been much getting off the couch in recent weeks.  Well, as long as this heat lasts there won’t be much in the next few weeks either.  My knee seems to be bearing up reasonably well.  My arm twinges if it gets in a breeze for too long.  I am ready to get out there and knock off some 3 mile walks before slowly easing back into the running again.  Just need the heat to go away.