Quick update...

Another 1.5lb off this week (on Sat), which I was really pleased with. I have definitely turned a corner now I feel and I'm so happy to be back on track.

I don't expect such a good result this week - it's been a bit of a mare. Multiple eating out and trying to make the right choices but it's hard when you're a) as fussy as me and b) have such a shitty selection of healthy foods locally. I've also missed the gym a couple of times due to appointments (dentist etc).

On a more positive note, I had a breakthrough in the gym this week. I am still going to spin class but I find it so hard to keep standing up. I can only manage maybe 30 seconds max. I never found it comfortable - I'd either find it really painful in my thighs and couldn't push through, or it would hurt my calves or my ankles. I did stand up but just couldn't push through.

Well this week I had an absolutely shit day at work and felt miserable. I just wanted to come home and hibernate. I also felt really icky. Really nauseous and dizzy and just not 100%. I wasn't going to go. Right up til five minutes before I had to leave I wasn't going, but I did. Even when I got up there I thought "oh I could just go home before class starts" but I didn't - I went to class and ten minutes into it something unexpected happened - I felt amazing! I couldn't believe it. I had so much energy, all the sickness and dizziness just disappeared. I pedalled by little heart out! And then when it came to standing up, I did the whole time for two whole songs. I've never even been close to that before. I didn't manage the whole way through all of the standing up parts, but I stood up on all of them and I managed the whole time and the two longest parts.

One of the songs is super cheesy, I can't even remember the words but it's one of these 'reach for the top, keep going, don't give up' kinda dance numbers and I normally laugh (internally!) at it but I fully embraced the cheesiness this time! I reached for the top! I kept going! I didn't give up! I really couldn't believe I'd managed it, and I didn't even really struggle. It was hard but I didn't struggle or feel like sitting down, I just wanted to keep going. I had to hold back the tears, because (I've never said this before) I was so proud of myself. It was such a great moment and I'd say one of the key experiences I've had so far on my weight loss journey. Now I just need to keep it up!

<3

Droppin' the pounds, droppin' the points

It's been a while since I've blogged. I keep sitting down to do it, but can't find the words. I don't feel anything positive or negative in particular, I think it's more just laziness (one of my worst traits!) and whenever I sit with the purpose of blogging nothing comes out.

Anyhoo, the last two weeks I am super pleased to say I have been back on track big time! I started back on the Discover plan (or "vintage points" as they now seem to be called, which I love) and I'm having far more success. I didn't go to weigh in the week before last, we had snow again and I didn't make it so I weighed myself in the house and I lost 2lbs (my scales were weighing me 0.5lb heavier than the WW scales last time I did this)! I was so pleased, and gutted I couldn't get to weigh in to get that little mark on my card! What was even better was that it brought me back down to 0.5lb to get my next Silver 7 - my 3 stone off mark. I feel like I've been waiting for this forever, but pretty much that I am to blame for it. Propoints didn't agree with me but I should've faced up to that much earlier. But, no time to dwell on what should've happened.

Last week, I pointed and tracked again all week, but I was terrified when I went to weigh in I wouldn't have lost the 0.5lb I needed to get to my mini goal (a mini goal I set back in October and only had 7.5lb to lose to get to). I'd done everything right but I was just so scared I'd get on those scales and it wouldn't happen for me. So I had a sneaky peek. I've never done this before and I won't again - my scales weighed me in at 11st 4lbs. That was a 3lb drop from the week before. I knew I hadn't lost that much so I didn't feel reassured at all!

I went along to WW (after briefly toying with the (silly) idea of not going in case I "failed"!) and stepped on the scales, practically sweating (TMI, sorry!) with fear and anticipation...and I dropped 1lb! I was SO happy! Takes me down to 11st 6lb and I got my super shiny little Silver 7! I could've leaped with joy!

So once again, it just goes to show TRACKING WORKS! There's no way to avoid it, when you start sneaking those little titbits in that's when it gets out of control. And I'm pleased to say, I am back in control :) The downside is dropping a point, but hey, it's worth it!

One thing I will say is for all the time I was on my self imposed plateau I maybe didn't lose any weight, but I did lose inches. I'm now a proper size 16. I can go into a shop and pick up a 16 and it'll fit. I put this down to keeping up with my exercise even when not on plan with WW. I made a point of always going and the last couple of weeks I've upped my classes to five a week.

I'm also now able to start dressing the way I want to dress (blog post coming up on this) and I've recently treated myself to the little goodies below! (If only I had this gal's figure!)





from Dorothy Perkins

I am hopeful that this is me now over the plateau and back on track for good. I have 2 stone to lose now (28lbs) to get to the highest "healthy weight" on the WW scale so I am aiming for that as my goal weight, and I will see how I feel when I get there. Because I am pretty short, I think I might feel like I want to lose a bit more.

My next mini goal is to get to 11st exactly, then I'm going to try running - one of my aims for the year. I still feel like I am too heavy just now and I've been having slight issues with my knee at the gym (even doing low impact stuff) so I need to keep an eye on it.

Oh, and after I said I hated spinning, I still don't love it but I am still going and I'm coming round to it...I did it twice last week!

I suck at blogging!

About as much as I suck at Weight Watchers just now!

I am DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY back on track this week though - I need to get a grip on this!

I'm still coasting away - one week I didn't weigh in, then I put on 0.5lb, then STS, then another 0.5lb (which is amazing considering I ate out 3 times this week and ate a full Dominos pizza (I couldn't manage that before I was on WW, but demolished one last night) as well as a starter from them. Gulp!). But I am going to get a handle on it this week. I am!

I plan to sit tonight and plan out my whole menu for the week and track ahead. Actually write it out so I know where my points are maxed and I know where I have wiggle room (I'm doing VP for a few weeks before giving PP another go). I also want to try and eat better (more fruit and veg) and eat cleverer (eat leftovers, as little as possible going in the bin).

I also want to get back into regular blogging so that when I am having a shit day I have an outlet rather than stuffing some Cadbury's down my neck to make it feel better, so I can identify any other triggers I have to either overeating or making bad food choices (I've already identified being pissed off and being bored and two huge triggers for me) and I also want to finally get my Inspiration #2 post up.

I have to say I have had a NSV this week. I've finally dropped another dress size (despite not having lost any real weight since October - I put this down to hitting the gym hard!) and I'm now a UK size 16 - so chuffed!

Have a good week everyone (and me!) xo

Trying something new - Mk1

In my NY resolutions post, I said I wanted to try some new forms of exercise, and I'm pleased to report I have. I've tried a few classes, but the one I'm going to talk about just now is Spinning.



Spinning was the class I think I was most excited to try. People I know who've done it rave about it. Online reviews say it's fantastic. Apparently, you can burn up to 800 calories in an hours class. 800 CALORIES?! Sign me up!

In case you're not familiar with spinning, it's basically indoor biking. You sit on a stationary bike and pedal like hell for however long your class is!

Before I went to class, I had a different idea of what went on. I thought that you pedalled, but I also thought you did upper body exercises. It seemed a bit mad to me that you'd just pedal for an hour. I'm sure every class is different, but in my class we basically just pedal. There's no upper body exercises at all - save for a couple of stretches.

The bikes are pretty basic - no digital displays. Just a wee notch on the bike you use to control the resistance/tension. We're told at the beginning of the class to move the resistance to where our "ten" is and then we set off at a five. You bike in time to music that is blasting out - to me, that's the best part. And there's some good tunes on ours! Once we start pedalling we literally don't stop til the last few minutes when we're doing cool down. You don't stop when the music stops, you don't stop to change resistance, you just go, go, go.

The instructor will shout out to increase or decrease the resistance, and instruct you to pedal along in time with the music - there can be a fair bit of difference in the tempo, and I actually find it harder going slow!

A few times you crank the resistance right up and then get up and pedal standing up. Hooooly moooooly. When I was a kid I'd never think twice about pedalling like that - especially uphill! I find it SO hard at spin. I can't stay up the whole time (it's probably less than a minute), so I just do what I can and then sit back down and pedal sitting down. I have noticed in the short time I've been going that I can manage it longer now though.

My first impressions were that I hated it. I've never come out of a class hating it, but I downright hated it. I felt terrible when I came out of the class. I was tired, my legs hurt and I was actually grumpy. And even though I was tired and sore, I didn't actually feel like I'd had a good workout. Plus, the first time, your undercarriage will hurt. And hurt BAAAAAD! I'm not just talking butt cheeks, I'm talking everything that touches the seat. I was in agony - it was so bad that I couldn't sit up in bed that night and I had to sleep on my side. I could also still feel it painful (no joke) four days after I took the class. I was sure my foof was bruised and I was actually worried that I'd hurt myself until another first timer said she felt the same, phew!

I wasn't sure whether to go back or not. My friend who went along liked it and was definitely going back, but I wasn't sure. So I talked to another couple of friends who did it and also posted on the WW message boards. The response was overwhelmingly positive and everyone encouraged me to stick with it so after that feedback I decided not to shoot it down after class #1 (plus, rememeber - up to 800 calories!) so I decided to give it a month (which would be four classes) and see how I feel before looking for an alternative if I still don't like it. Also, everyone said ass-wise, the first class is the worst!

One of the other issues I had is that I am pretty short (5' 1") and I found the bike very uncomfortable. I felt like I could barely reach the handlebars (even with adjustments) which make the whole experience even more uncomfortable for me.

I went to the next class and I'm pleased to say I found a much more comfortable bike and although you could definitely feel your butt bone hurt a bit, it wasn't even a fraction as bad as the first time. But, in all honesty, I still found the class boring. Cycling to music in the dark, and not going anywhere. I bet I could cover miles on a real bike at that intensity for an hour. It doesn't energise me or excite me. I'm sure it's a good workout but because from the waist up nothing moves, it doesn't feel like it to me. I'm also worried, having little legs, that it could build up muscle in my legs and I'd end up with pins like a rugby player, no thanks!

Tonight is going to be my fourth class, so I will see how I get on after class tonight (if I make it, I might not make it to gym in time, in which case it'll be next week).

I'd definitely recommend trying it. Everyone else I've spoken to who does it loves it and finds it a fantastic workout. And if you do try it and like it and plan to keep it up, I'm pleased to say you can invest in gel seats or padded shorts to save your lil cheeks from pain! I'd also recommend taking a towel in to wipe your face (You. Will. Sweat!) and a full bottle of water.

My health & fitness inspiration - Part I

There are two people I can credit with getting me into the whole exercise and health and fitness thing, and I am about to introduce the first lady who motivated me to get off my fat ass and do something!

Name: Danielle Hampton
Blog: www.sometimessweet.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/danihampton



I discovered Danielle's awesome blog through her Flickr photostream, and I can't actually remember how I found her Flickr. Probably through a tattoo group on there (as you will see if you visit her blog, Danielle has some of the most beautiful tattoos I've ever seen!).

I shouldn't like Danielle. She's the complete opposite of me. She's sweet (sometimes, according to her blog!), focused, positive, happy, healthy, clever and so pretty! So really, I should dislike her, or at the very least she should bug me, but she doesn't. I think she's an amazing young woman and she inspires me so much. Her blog isn't a health and fitness blog per se, but it features a lot because health and fitness is such a big part of Danielle's life.

Danielle was the first person I encountered who was young, cool, trendy (cool and trendy, OMG, that sounds so square!) who actually enjoyed exercise and talked about it and how beneficial she found it. I never came across ANYONE online or IRL who did that. I knew people who went to the gym or went running, but they all moaned about it. The fact that it was something you could enjoy, well that was a revelation to me.




Danielle has recently had a gorgeous baby boy, Henry, and she stayed fit and healthy through her entire pregnancy. She looked amazing (as always) and I even read that she exercised right the way up to her due date. This is definitely something I aspire to do should I ever fall pregnant. Before I'd have used it as an excuse to sit on my backside with my feet up and be waited on with plates of chips and chocolate bars and coffee for nine months. Now I would like to have a fit, wholesome pregnancy like Danielle.



After reading her blog for a while, maybe a year or so, I decided it was time for me to try out exercise to see if it was a good and fulfilling as Danielle said it was. And with that, I joined Curves.

After going to Curves for a few months, I felt like it wasn't really the gym for me (I'll go into this in another post) and I joined a "real" gym - the gym I'm at now, which has machines, weights, classes, pool, showers, changing room etc - and I have never looked back! I now LOVE exercising and I understand exactly what she means when she says its a natural anti-depressant.

Check out the blog for motivational hints and tips and info on what type of exercise Danielle does.

Danielle also posts super tasty recipes from time to time. Always nutritious and delicious and generally with ingredients that are easy to source (something important to me being in the UK and not always being able to get super exciting healthy foods like you can in the States), with nice easy to follow instructions and pictures, which is great for me since I'm not the most accomplished cook you'll ever meet (but I'm trying to learn!). She also knows how to treat herself so you will get the odd cookie recipe in there as well! :) Again, I think she takes a very balanced approach to her health and she isn't afraid to have a slice of pizza or pie every now and then.




Besides the health and fitness aspect of Sometimes Sweet I love it for the positive and happy outlook she has on life, as well as for her super cute outfits and general life updates!



All in all I genuinely don't feel I ever would've joined the gym and discovered what a joy exercise can be if I hadn't read Danielle's blog, so for that I'd just like to say a huge THANK YOU to Danielle for being so awesome and inspirational and if you haven't been there before, check out Sometimes Sweet!

Its been a while....

...and not much has changed.

I've been coasting with WW. Put on 1lb. Take off 1lb. Put on 3lb. Take off 3lb. Put on 0.5lb...oh, you get the idea!

I've really fallen out of love with Weight Watchers recently. I've been finding a brilliant new sense of resolve only to fail the next day. Or I've been sticking to plan (in my mind) without tracking and then been surprised when I've put on weight. I've been using exercise as an excuse to eat more than I probably should be.

This week I put on 0.5lb. I really wasn't expecting it and I was downright pissed off when I stepped on those scales and they said 11st 8.5lb. I pretended it was okay, then stormed off in a huff, wondering why yet again I'd put on. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the Wispa, bag of chips and can of juice I'd consumed the day before. Course it didn't - I worked out at the beginning of the week! Yeah, I hadn't done anything since Wednesday night, but eating shit the night before weigh in wasn't going to have any negative impact, was it? FML, I'm an idiot.

Anyway. This week. Ugh, I dunno whats going to happen. I decided to track ALL WEEK - something I've never done in my entire time on WW (I always gave myself a Saturday off) so I did and go back to trying ProPoints. I ate 58 points on Saturday by my estimations (29 dailies and 29 of my 49 weeklies) and on Sunday I vowed to stick to my 29 dailies. Which I did, until I was offered a Mars Bar ice cream (which I initially turned down, then gave into) and a shitload of cider! I didn't track and I can't remember what I had.

Today, I've been studying and been filling myself with coffee and sweets. So much so I didn't eat my pre-packed lunch because I was so full from sweets. I've decided today is a right off and that I'm not going to plan the rest of the week. My head's obviously not in the right space for this and I'm just going to fuck up whatever plans I make. So if I'm "good" (God, I hate that saying!) then it's all good. But if I'm not, then I'm not going to beat myself up about it.

I do know that I need to get this shit back on track though before I lose all control. I am defintely, DEFINITELY going to do that.

As I need to remind myself of why I started Weight Watchers and in the spirit of Lurve Day, I'm going to (FINALLY!) post my 'Inspirational Bloggers' posts tonight. Even if I have to stay up all-effin'-night to do it, so stay tuned for a coupla downright awesome ladies!

(PS when did this blog become a TO blog, it was meant to be for me and now I feel I'm writing to people. Hmm).

xoxox

The number that I can't hit...

Three is apparently the magic number. But not for me. I've been hovering around the almost-lost-three-stone mark for so long now. Last week I had 1lb to drop. So easy, so doable. I went to the gym way more than normal. I thought I ate well. I stood on the scale. And I put on a 1lb. So now, I'm 2lbs away from my next Silver 7 and I'll be honest, I might as well be 2 stone away from it. That's how far it seems.

This week will be hard as I'm away with work so basically will be served food I have to eat - no choices. Gulp.