Weigh Day: Week 5 - Travelling Mama, Walking for Weight Loss and Terrible Tantrums

It's the end of Week 5 of Operation Skinny Bitch and it has gone relatively well.  The mobile stats look good, but I am not entirely sure the output will negate the input, if you get my meaning!!

Being away from home for the four days was difficult. For all my chat and excitement for my baby free time, it was not easy to spend so much time away from her and Himself and I was so excited to get back in to their loving embrace, that was until my little Dolly decided that she would punish me for her abandonment by launching into a level five tantrum that shook the house to its very foundations.  Hell hath no fury like a toddler who cannot wear her leggings on her arms, let me tell you that! For a full 35 minutes she lay on the floor and howled like she was being murdered. I must admit, I admire her dedication and commitment to her cause and it gives me great hopes for a bright and successful career in the future. But my goodness; it was a sight to behold.  By the end of the 35 minutes, she pulled her tear stained, sweaty little head off the floor, crawled up into my lap and lay on my shoulder rubbing my face saying "sssh sssh sssh". We were exhausted, mildly traumatised and relived that the (many) moment(s) had passed.  She returned to her loving little self and was all smiles and hugs and kisses from then on... while the fear of a repeat performance mounted in the pit of my stomach at the thought of having to change her bum! That was my punishment for being a Travelling Mama...

Here's hoping a frustrated drama queen is the only punishment I will receive for my break from the norm! I have asked my WW Leader to talk extra nice to her scales.  I was quiet good, but definitely had a little more than a tiple or two! I didn't go wild, like usual, but I am definitely not as confident about tonight's weigh in as I have been in previous weeks.  I am going for my silver seven. I need to loose 0.5lb to achieve this. It's so hard to have confidence in your choices when you have no control over what is going into them.  Eating out a lot is difficult. I did make some very good choices, I also made some not so good ones too - Doritos, I'm looking at you... but for the most part I kept breakfasts to fruit and yogurts and lunches to salads without the dressings so that I could be a bit more relaxed about my dinner and enjoy a glass of two of wine.

But I walked! I moved and I move and I moved. I set my self a goal of 81k steps by bed time tonight. I have 11,212 steps to go to make this goal. That's not a bad achievement if I do say so myself.

It's easy to rack up the steps in London. You practically walk everywhere, except the first day when your sense of direction fails you and you end up getting the tube to the next stop. It took longer to get down into the tube station, buy a ticket, wait for the tube, get on it, get off it and go back up to the street than it would have if I had walked, but I didn't know where I was going and looked like a fool walking up and down the road afraid to commit to a direction!!! 

Here's my stats so far this week... It's hard not to feel a little bit confident that I will achieve my goal when I look at them, but I am afraid to get cocky... 

Week 6 is about to start. Every week my confidence in myself grows and grows. And with that, so does my pride in myself.  I have made the decision to change my life, and I am not using excuses to stop me from doing this. My mantra again this week; the scales is not a true reflection of the effort I have put in.

All the same, if  you could send a few feather light thoughts my way I'd be ever so grateful!!! 

London Life

Greetings from Lovely London… I am currently living it up in a beautiful serviced apartment in the heart of London. It is amazing. It has a fully functioning kitchen, a shower that would strip the skin off your back, and the biggest bed with the most comfortable mattress, fluffiest pillows and cosiest blanket.  If you’re traveling, this is definitely the way to do it!

I have been concerned about how my eating habits my go while away. It’s so much easier to be at home and in my routine (and my comfort zone), but I know that this is a way of life for me now, I need to be able to adapt my food choices to my life. And I am trying very hard.  I made really good food choices yesterday, I had a bagel with smoked salmon and salad for my breakfast and I went out for dinner to a lovely Italian. I read the menu, I drooled over the pizza choices and the creamy cheesey gooey sauces, so much so that they had to put a “Caution, Wet Floor” sign beside my seat.  But, as tempted as I was by all that, I made good choices. I had an avocado and prawn salad, no dressing, for starter and Gnoochi with a tomato and basil sauce.  I had to fling the menu at the poor girl and order her away from my table before I changed my mind and said “Four cheese sauce, with extra cheese please”..

I can’t speak as highly of my willpower when it came to the bread and oil that was brought to my table. I ate that. I am not proud, but man it was so tasty. So I am happy to live with the shame…. The great thing about being in London is that you manage to get a lot of steps in without actually having to make a huge conscious effort to move. So yesterday I had managed to do a grand total of 14,534 steps without really trying… although tell my legs that cause they are killing me today!

After such a successful eating day yesterday, it’s given me the confidence to remain on track and not completely loose the plot while here. Smart choices! I’m starting with low pointed breakfasts (had fruit salad and granola bar (5pp)) and I’ll do the something similar for lunch so that I can be a bit more relaxed about dinner.

London is such a busy place. It’s one of my favourite places to visit, but I am really missing Himself and the Dolly. I had a facetime with them last night and my poor Dolly didn’t understand what was going on. She got so upset when I was saying goodbye to her. I think she’s wondering where the heck I’ve gone. Only two more nights to go! This jet setting lifestyle wouldn’t really be for me.

Week 4 - The Result

Well I made it safely to the end of Week 4, and I have had another loss! A loss of 2.5lb kids! That's a total loss of 6.5lb! I am so pleased with myself.  This is the first time I've been in weight watchers that I have consistently lost! I am so close to my silver 7 that I can see it's shiny sparkly goodness winking at me in the distance! This day next week I'll be sticking that bad boy to my card!!!

Like I said, the scales isn't the be all and end all, but it sure does make me feel even better knowing that it's working!

Now the biggest challenge - a week in London without gaining!! Thankfully, I got word that there is a tube strike so I'll be found trotting around London for the next few days!

It's Weigh Day - Keep Her Lit is nearly over

The end of Keeping Her Lit is in sight.  It's been a tough week! The Diet God's have conspired against me all week and done their utmost to distract me from my goal, but for once,  I was bigger than (most) of my excuses! I have been as sick as a small hospital all week - might have mentioned that once or twice. But I still managed to get up and going and do over 10k steps every day this week bar yesterday. Which was the worst day ever....

I thought I was going to die!

In preparation for my weekend in Donegal, I got up on Saturday morning and worked out to about 5k steps. I hopped in the car, fresh as a daisy, and headed off for my 3.5 hour drive. The Dolly was a pet and slept a good portion of the journey but we stopped half way to stretch the pins and grab a quick something to eat. And herein lies my downfall... I went to a supermarket / garage place and decided that I would say no to the spicy wedges and jambon and go for a chicken and salad wrap. I paid dearly for this choice... because I got a dose of food poisoning that hit me at about 4am and caused me to pass out in a heap on the bathroom floor ensuring that my poor father nearly had (another) heart attack. I was bed bound for most of the day yesterday. It was Feckin horrific.... but may bode well for the scales eh???

Despite all that conspired against me, I have completed 68,330 steps. I am just over 12,000 short of my goal of 81k and am going to do what I can to achieve it. I am still weak as a kitten but a little walk won't kill me...

Someone made a comment to me during the week about my positivity and that they hoped that I had the support to back it all up..it got me thinking. I am blessed to be surrounded by some incredibly supportive people,  Himself being my biggest cheerleader. But regardless of the support I have,  this journey will not be a success unless I support myself. We need to give ourselves the very best chance to succeed. So, for example,  right now may not be the best time to look into that tour of Cadburys ....

Speaking of the Husband. He went off out and bought me a lovely early birthday present. Diamonds?  Good lord no! A hunk of black rubber that vibrates if I sit still for 30 mins and tracks all my moving and grooving? Why yes, that romantic old divil knows how to cut straight to my heart!!!! He bought me a jawbone UP24. The most addictive thing I have ever owned. I am obsessed with it!

I made it through Week 4. I haven't jacked it in and thrown in the Towel. I am still remaining positive and I am so proud of myself for getting over this week without just saying "ah feck it, I'm sick, pass the curry and prawn crackers".

I would be over the moon with another 2lb loss, but will be conservative and say 1lb. And again, that scales is just a number.  It's not always a fair representative of all the work I have put in during the week. It can not make me as happy as I was made on Friday morning when I put on a pre-pregnancy work dress,  and it zipped, and I could wear it out in public! Granted I had a massive amount of scaffolding on underneath it holding everything in. But I felt amazing!!!! The scales can't give you that feeling!!

Good luck to all my weight watchers this week! Sending you all feather light thoughts

Some of my meals

All of my moving and grooving and my new favourite toy 

Me in my work dress delighted with myself of a Friday morning !!

Thought for today

It is by attempting to reach the top in a single leap that so much misery is produced in the world - William Cobbett

We all know Rome wasn't built in a day,  no matter what it is we are trying to achieve; personal success, professional success,  increased fitness or decreased girth, it won't be done over night. We need to work at it and be prepared to stay the length of our journey. Don't sabotage yourself by expecting too much too soon!

(Final) Thought for Today

Thought for Today

Keeping Her Lit... on a slow burner

Ah lads! It's finally got me. The Feckin head cold has taken a hold of me! I can't believe it. I've dodged throat and ear and chest infections like an immunity ninja for weeks! Himself has been struck down, my Dolly has had it twice and I've still avoided it. But last night before I went to bed I could feel the cotton wool expanding in my head,  my throat starting to burn and a tightness in my chest as I coughed up a lung like a seasoned smoker!!

I haven't the time or the inclination to be sick! I have steps to maintain, pounds to loose, weight to keep off!

Still managed to do over 10k steps today so that's not good.

All sympathy and virtual hugs and love gratefully accepted and appreciated! 

The POA for my PMA - Keeping Her Lit Week

As I previously mentioned, this is Throw in the Towel and get a Snickers Week, in my usual weight loss journey.  At this stage the last time I went back to weight watchers, I ran from the scales crying and snoting and in an awful negative place.  Granted, I was full of postpartum hormones and had only pushed a tiny human out of a tinier hole about 12 weeks before the crying and snotting and running and I had to quit.  My wonderful WW Leader reminded me last night of an email I sent her saying how trying to regain control of myself by being in weight watchers at that particular time was having an incredibly negative impact on me, and I would have to leave it for the time being. And leave it I did. I retreated into a happy lovely little bubble of myself, Himself and Herself. Sure I was delighted in my little life, still wearing my maternity jeans (because lets face it, they are just so comfortable!).

It makes me very sad reading back on some of those posts from that time.  I was very hard on myself, and if a new Mama came to me right now and said half of what I said to myself, I would give her a swift (but gentle, very gentle) kick in the backside and tell her to sit down and mind herself and her baby and have a little bit of what she fancied. Sure isn't she after growing a whole human all by herself. That's something to be incredibly proud of!

Anyway, I totally digress here! The purpose of this post is to discuss tactics!!! Tactics to protect my losses! I need to hire Fat Protectors who are going to guard me from my lost 4lb, in case they are a bit like homing pigeons and make their way back to me! I am heading to see my family in Donegal this weekend.  This means wine (yay!) and good company and happiness (more yay!).  So my plan is a simple one - sit in a corner and be a miserable moo for the weekend!

Ah not really! I am aiming for 81k steps this week.  And I have gotten off to a wonderful start! I was up at 6am this morning jumping around the sitting room for a bit of a HIT workout. Had to check what that meant when I first read it, it's High Intensity Training. Jesus I was a mess after it. Talk about making my fat cry (sweat). My goodness, I was sweating behind my ears after it! So while I was buckleaping around the sitting room, and my lovely family were snoring their heads off, I racked up at good 3k steps and it got me going for the day.  My whole mood lifted - I'm not a great morning person! I was bouncing around and I have kept it up all day with making sure I move for at least 10 minutes in every hour. This is what I've achieved so far today:

Pretty happy with that!

I am thinking that a mixture of aerobic and resistance training and keeping them steps up at around the 12k mark every day this week will ensure that I minimise the damage that could be caused at the weekend.

If anyone has any tips at all on making sure my weekend doesn't blow my whole week, please feel free to share!!!

I am looking forward to weigh day next week, when Week 4 officially gets renamed at Keeping Her Lit Week!!

Weigh Day - The Result

Prayers to the Pooh God's went unanswered (yes, I am discussing my bowel movements!) But despite their blatant shunning of me and my pleas, I have lost another 2lb! I am the happiest little weight watcher in the world! That's a total of 4lb in 3 weeks... not to shabby if I do say so myself!!!!

I'm as giddy as a goat right now. So glad the scales decided to take in to account all my hard work. So next week I just gotta go harder and stronger! I have a really big weekend on the horizon, I'll be going home for the weekend. Which includes lots of lovely food and wine and all sorts of the bold things I've been avoiding..so I need to get a plan of action in place, and a couple of minders to guard that lost 4lb so I don't bloody find it again!

Next week goals?  Well, I have achieved a grand total of 81k steps this week, so I think I might give myself a push and aim for 81k again next week. Easy peasy! A loss of 1.5lb would be perfect.

Here's to a good week!!!

Weigh Day - End of Week Three

It’s the end of Week 3 and the start of Week 4.  Week 4 is usually “Jack It All In and have a Curry” week for me. But this time round it’s going to be ‘Keep her Lit’ week. I started weigh day as I mean to go on, with a good old workout to get the heart pumping good and fast before work. I have worked out every day since last Monday. That’s never happened in all my life. And I’m not even working out for the sake of it. I am doing it because I really want to do it.  I am enjoying challenging myself with different You Tube videos.  The only issues I really have is my inability to co-ordinate all my limbs.  Everything is smooth sailing when it’s just the lower half of my body or the upper half of my body, but when I have to combine the two… lets just say it’s not pretty. I can’t get it all to work in unison, with the result, I look like I am thrashing around the place just drowning in the air. But I’m doing it, and the lady on the TV assures me that I don’t have to be perfect, I just have to keep moving, so I’ll take her word for it!

My PMA is through the roof. I am delighted with all the effort that I am putting in. I’m enjoying my food and moving more and it’s helping me with sleeping better, being more patient and just overall feeling very happy. Although Himself did mention that I looked a little bit cross recently, so I must pass the ‘I’m delighted with life’ message on to my face!  The PMA is so high, that my whinging unhappy insomniac of a Dolly couldn’t even drive me to ordering a take away! Oh no Sir.  Usually, when my favourite tiny human gives me a day like she did yesterday, when she’s done nothing but cry and refuse to sleep, I am exhausted (which I was) and feel hard done by (which I totally was!) and so I cheer myself up with a take away because I haven’t the energy to cook. Not this time! I got her to bed and decided that I really didn’t want to go fluffing about making a big dinner, so I “treated” myself with a little sausage sandwich and a packet of popcorn, and it was delicious! All within my points and no crazy “I hate myself” guilt!!

It is only the start of Week 4, but I am beginning to notice little things are changing – like I don’t grunt as loudly when I bend to pick something up these days. That’s always a nice change.  I have some tops that are beginning to look a little bit big on me. But then I lose the run of myself and beat my hips and ass into something skin tight and body con and realise that  -2lb does not equate to -2 stone, so I have to shout in the mirror “Get your ass outta that lyrca and into something a little bit more forgiving”….

Some of my favorite meals this week included a lovely Strawberry and Feta Cheese Salad which can be found here and also a gorgeous Grilled Hake and Avacado Sauce which can be found here

Last Monday I set myself a goal of 70k steps for the week by bed time tonight.  At 9pm yesterday evening, I had achieved 71k steps, and as I type, I am currently at 75,184.

This weeks stats:

So with all that effort, I would be really happy to be down 1lb. Regardless of what the scales says, I know that I have put in a massive effort and I am still remaining very focused on the positive changes that I am already seeing and have faith that even if the scales choose to ignore all my efforts, all the sweaty and fuzzy headed sacrifices I have made this week.  Even if it doesn’t take into account all the ice cream and chocolate and fizzy cola bottles I resisted, I know that it will eventually pay off and I will start to see results.  Rome wasn’t built in a day, as himself says, so in this case, RachMc won’t be deconstructed in a day either!

Now, excuse me while I go pray to the Pooh Gods, cause it’s weigh day today! 

Thought for Today

I saw this today on Instagram and I think it's a really good attitude to have. For me, my own body image is what has driven me to weight loss and exercise in the past.  This time round, I made a promise to myself that I would make physical and mental changes in my life, starting with how I speak to myself and how I feel about myself.

So far, I have been totally focused on how these changes are making me feel and not necessarily on what the scales is telling me.

A lot of the time, those of us on this weight loss journey have spent so long being cruel and unkind to ourselves that we don't even realise we are standing in our own way!

Poking Fun at it All

Thought for Today

I am just gonna keep on trying... one step at a time!

Motivation Tip

Exercise is the bane of my life. I am the first to admit it. I know I should be moving more, but the rain falls, the couch calls and, unable to play hard to get,I drop everything and sit in the ass groove I've lovingly and painstakingly carved for myself and before all thoughts of exercise are forgotten, I make a vague and undefined promise to try again tomorrow...

Having rejoined weight watchers,  I decided that in order for this to work I needed to look at this as a change in my life. To succeed I need to think of it as the new me, not a means to getting slim and then forget about it. So I made a a loud and definite promise to block all calls from the couch and move more every day.

The motivation is high right now - but it is only week 3! So to keep it going, I have been using the pedometer on my phone.

Everyone everywhere should have one. Yes, there are fancy Dan bracelets that track your steps and your z's and every breath you take etc etc.  But if, like me, you think there's a chance that this is a passing phase, download an app and just get walking. 

I have set myself challenges for the last three weeks. Increasing my weekly goal every time and, when I see I am doing more steps every day than the last, I am getting a bit addicted to bettering my count every day. I am a numbers girl.... I  like to see the numbers getting higher and higher. And, as a result, at the end of the week, regardless of what the scales tells me, I can see for myself that I am doing the right thing to get me where I want to be!

So my tip? Get a pedometer. As basic or as fancy as you might like.

Today, I did over 15,000 steps... my best yet!

Week 2 - Goals Achieved

Thought for Today

So I'm not actually fat... I'm just really really intelligent

Weigh Day - The Result

I'm not gonna lie kids, I was a nervous wreck coming to class this morning. It felt like that time I was in school and had been summonsed to the principals office because I had been caught writing dirty notes.... I was dying!

But I need not fear!  The soul crusher didn't crush me today. All the hard work these last two weeks have paid off, cause I lost 2lb! Yay! I'm delighted with life.  And even though it wouldn't have made a big difference to me to not loose, it has bolstered my confidence and given me a real boost to keep going into next week!

The goal next week is to continue with the moving. I am going to aim for 70,000 steps this week and I would like to loose 1lb.

Couldn't be happier starting my week this way!

Below is a pic of 1lb of fat... I lost 2 of those!

Weigh Day is Looming

It's coming around to that time of the week again.  And what a week it's been! As I mentioned in a previous post, the day after weigh day this week was a tricky one. I just felt very disappointed that I wasn't seeing the results that I was feeling.  So I let myself have a moan day (one day? I hear my husband say, sure don't you do that every day!), and then I got up off my backside and got going again.  I challenged myself to 60,000 steps this week.  It was a challenge that I didn't think I was going rise to, given how enthusastically I had thrown myself into pity partying. But, despite this, I have so far managed to achieve a grand total of 54,108 steps and I still have one more day to go!

I am feeling so great with the changes I have made.  Last night was the first time in a very very long time that I went on a night out and felt good about myself and how I looked. I even managed to fit into my Hen Party outfit. Although, the look was not really fit for human consumption just yet.  But the jeans zipped, which was more than they did a couple of weeks ago. The last time I attempted to put them on they had a massive row with my hips and thighs.  It was an almighty battle, they were returned, bloodied and bruised, to the wardrobe to lick their wounds.  So that gave me a great big boost alright.

I had such a great night! But the end of it was a feckin minefield.  Have you any idea how many fast food places are open on Swords Main Street at 3.30am on a Sunday morning? Well? There's a million of them.  I trotted on past Mizzoni and ignored the calls of the cheesey fries, I clip clopped on past McDonalds and refused to listen to the Big Mac's begging me to eat them, I tottered on past Apache Pizza and declined to respond to the invitations from the chicken dippers to come in and have a dunk. It took all my willpower to trot, clip clopp and totter on past those tempting invitations.  But I did it, and I got home delighted with myself. Even in a decent enough state to remove my make up correctly and remember to bring some water to bed with me! Managed to remove my lenses AND put them in the bin instead of leaving them somewhere to dry out and become crusty and gross! All in all, it was a successful evening.

I slowly arose from my slumber this morning, gingerly moving my thumping head (I may have avoided the fast food, but I wasn't so virtuous with the aul Vino..) and, instead of having a dirty big cooked breakfast and heading down to the shops to stock up on jambons and wedges and crisps and chocolate and jellies, I had an lovely egg poached in a spicy tomato sauce for my breakfast (recipe on the Recipe page of my blog) and got up and did a work out for 45 minutes! Himself was in shock.  I was in shock. The usual turn of events after a night out consists of removal from horizontal position in bed, to horizontal position on couch barking orders to be brought food of all sorts and watching Harry Potter from start to finish.  But not today! Oh no sir!

So with all that in mind I am expecting to wake up tomorrow morning a size 8! Here's hoping the scales recognises all my work, because if it doesn't, I will have to set it on fire!!!

Although in all seriousness, even if the scales doesn't want to recognise my hard work, I can feel it in myself.  I'm not as tired as I usually am, I am in a constant good mood (although Himself might have something to say on that subject!), my stress levels are decreasing daily and I am starting to notice a big change in my attitude towards myself.  The negative thoughts are not as frequent and I am much kinder to myself this week.  Which was one of my main goals for the week.

Wish me luck tomorrow morning people!!!

Poking Fun at it All

If you were hearing thunder around 6am this morning in the Kinsealy / Holywell area, don't blame mother nature, it wasn't her... it was me running around the place!

Poking Fun at it All

True story 😅

Thought for Today - Staying on Track

I have to be totally honest, yesterday was a bit of a tough day, and for all my chat about not minding about the scales and feeling great regardless of what it said, I think I was a little bit more disappointed than I was letting on. Actually, a lot more disappointed. Like, a Malteaser Bar, 1 meringue nest, a Babybell Cheese and a packet of popcorn, disappointed - not all in one go mind! It was spaced over the day. I was hollow all day, nothing I ate could satisfy me, but it didn't stop me from eating let me tell you! I didn't get anywhere near my goal of 9,000 steps because I was in a 'can't be feckin arsed' kind of mood.

As my wonderful Hubby kindly pointed out to me, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was the wide load I call my ass (he didn't say that last bit, I did!). He knows that I have unrealistic expectations with food and exercise.  I am from the "eating well and moving more for one week will totes undo years of sitting on the couch making bad food choices" camp.

So today, despite a terrible nights sleep with the worst bedmate ever - my daughter, I have woken up with renewed positivity and am back to really believing in the benefits I am feeling. No more feeling sorry for myself! Yesterday's bad day will not be Monday's bad week!

Thought for Today - Fall in Love

I love a good inspirational quote! Can't beat them with a stick. They inspire me for about twenty seconds after reading them and then my mind moves on to something else, inspiration forgotten.

But I read this quote last night, and it has been ringing in my ears ever since.  My Weight Watchers class was very interesting. What I took away from it, apart from some amazing medical advice regarding dehydration, was that a lot of us in the Weight Watchers classes, or any slimming groups, are there because of how we feel about ourselves, as much as we are there to learn the right ways to become fit and healthy.  I have been so many years imagining how I would feel when I reach my goal weight. Visualising it and what I would say about how happy it has made me to achieve the goal.  But, after last night, I think that as well as working on my physical health, it is equally as important to work on my mental health and change those negative voices in my head that make me feel worthless.  There is no point in achieving all that I want to achieve if I still can't look in the mirror and love who is looking back at me.

So this weeks goals have increased by one, I will be nicer and kinder to myself I will not berate myself or be too hard on myself.

I think this is a goal that everyone should set for themselves every single day.. Just remind me, won't you?

The Weigh In

Ah fanny!!! I stayed the same! Neither a loss nor a gain but that's ok. I'll see all the results next week.

I am not gonna lie, a part of me is slightly disappointed. But it hasn't put a dent in my PMA and I know I can keep it up next week.

New goal - 50,000 steps and 1.5lb down for next week!

Weigh Day - Week 1 The Simple Start

I have come to the end of Week 1 of Operation Skinny Bitch. I am eagerly anticipating my weigh in today.  Eagerly? I hear you say... Well, I'll have you know that I have worked very hard this week.  I have moved more in the last seven days than I think I have in the last seven months.  I have swapped my chocolate and sweets for veggies and fruit and I'm feeling really good about it all.  My energy levels are higher than they have been in about two years. Not even a restless night from my Dolly can put a dint in them. I am zipping around the place, singing songs and feeling far less stressed out.  For the most part Himself is delighted with the change, but would really prefer that the "singing" stopped.  He has told me that the sound of my dulcet tones irritate him so much he wants to pull his ears off.  I can put all these changes down to a couple of things, obviously the happy hormones that are being released from all the moving and healthy eating, but I think it could be down to feeling like I am a little bit more in control.  My head is clear and positive, and I've even started to declutter my wardrobe and house. Himself couldn't believe it when he saw me doing actual housework.  He got such a shock that he had to take to the bed for two days (he also had a throat and kidney infection, but I definitely think it was the sight of me with the bleach and the marigolds that sent him over the edge).  To say I am on a mission is an understatement.

I started this week off with a goal to achieve 40,000 steps. I smashed that particular goal and actually managed to do a grand total of 62,478! I can promise you, I'm feeling every one of those steps in my legs and hips, but I am happy with myself.  I have become a little bit addicted to trying to out do myself every day.  This week I have even managed to run an entire 2.5km without having to stop once.  Granted, it's not a fast run, or a long distance and I won't be winning any marathons anytime soon, and when I do stop, my legs seize up and my lungs are on the verge of exploding, but I am sure it will get better / easier soon. This is what my week of moving looked like

A lot of  time was spent thinking about and preparing food this week. I mean a lot of time and two finger tips were nearly donated to the cause.  But for once I wasn't obsessing about sugary foods, or the gourmet selection that is provided by McDonalds. Instead it was more about squeezing in the best possible foods to make me feel better. And it has worked. This is what some of my meals and snacks looked like this week:

The reduction in refined sugar was very difficult this week. I was craving sugar like a crazy woman at the beginning of the week. After every meal I would wander around the vicinity searching for something to give me that hit I was needing. I was like a junkie! It gave me a headache once or twice. It is for this reason, that I actually decided to limit myself to two / three cups of tea in a day, instead of my usual 6 gallons of the stuff!! I love something nice with my tea. And this week made me realise that I was having something nice with every cup of tea I had! It was crazy. So after being so good and resisting the urge to give in to my cravings for six bags of haribo and three tonne of chocolate, I rewarded myself with a galaxy bar on Friday night with my evening cup of tea.  And it was delicious. I was in chocolate heaven.

I have even decided to count my alcohol points.  Something I never ever did! As it was the bank holiday and I had walked and run the legs off myself all week, I treated myself to a lovely bottle of Merlot - yes, that's right, bottle.. I see no point in just taking a glass out of the bottle. Might as well crack it open and finish it off, it could go off!

To sum up, this week has been great. My mood is brilliant, my sleep is makes me feel rested and I am feeling really positive.  What do I think my loss will be this week? Well, the dreamer in me says 6 stone, but realistically I would be happy with 1lb gone.  I don't actually mind what the scales says to me, I am feeling so good about myself, which was one of the objectives of going back to Weight Watchers. I rejoined last week because I am just tired of feeling crap about myself, inside and out! I just couldn't listen to the negative thoughts in my head anymore. I am not too worried about the scales.  But, if it told me that I had lost 7lb (see, keeping it real) I would probably have to go in for the wear and snog the digits off it!!

Wish me luck anyway!