Weight Day; The Result

Weigh day has come and gone. I had a day off work yesterday and I decided that I was going to use that day to go to my class and get my hair done.  Getting my hair done was out of necessity rather than desire.  The other day someone told me that the balayage in my hair was lovely... I didn't want to tell them that what they were actually looking at was nearly five months worth of re-growth... I said thank you very much and, with a slight hint of red to my face, picked up the phone and made an appointment to get regain control of my mane! Once upon a time the thought of sitting in a hairdressers for two hours doing nothing would have filled me with dread.  I was never able to fully relax into the experience, I wanted it over and done with as quickly as possible.  These days, well, it's a completely different experience.  Two whole hours of not having to wipe a nose or change a bum.  Two whole hours of reading trashy mag after trashy mag, and they were all in date too so it wasn't months old news I was reading either! I got two cups of tea handed to me along with a couple of Roses, which I politely declined. Then the lady massaged the scalp off me. I was on the verge of making very inappropriate noises when it came to a sad end. Yes, post baby, hairdressers are my new favorite place!

My pampering was almost ruined by the scales... I was half a pound up yesterday morning.  Very disappointed in that because even though I didn't put in the effort with my exercise, I did put in the effort with my food.  But, thankfully, I had measured myself on Sunday night to compare my stats to what I was 12 weeks ago and I was very happy with what I saw.

The scales may not have  been kind to me, but at least the measuring tape was.  That's 9.5 inches lost all over my body in 12 weeks and I think that's not to be sniffed at.  I can feel it in my clothes and have already dropped a dress size. I am very happy I took these measurements because I think if I hadn't, that half pound would have resulted in me saying "Feck it, where's the selection box"?  

With only four weeks left of the year, I am going to give it all I have got to start 2016 at a minimum of one stone lighter than when I started 2015.  I will go into the new year with a much smaller challenge ahead of me.  I will not throw in the towel! 

The party season is upon me and my wee diary is already filling up with fun and frolicks. I love this time of year, catching up with people and getting dolled up and just the general happiness that seems to reign supreme for most.  So as I was scooting around the interweb looking for inspiration from some of my favorite bloggers such as the very talented Skinny Doll, I stumbled across a great post from another blog called 59 Pounds to Go.  This post had a great idea for planning the festive season that I am going to get on board with.

This is my plan for tackling the party season 

My goals for December are as follows: 

Loose 4lb 

Survive Christmas with a maximum of 2lb gain 

Exercise every day 

Do a minimum of 11,500 steps per day 

Drink at least 2.5l of water per day 

Track every day 

Happy 1st of December everyone!

Weigh Day, The Result

Isn't that a wonderful little saying? And it is very true of my life at the moment.  I am impatient and impulsive and always expect changes to happen the minute I have decided to implement them. Like, if  I work out for two days in a row, I fully expect to be a size 8 with abs to die for! Even though I may have only done 6 sit ups!!!

But right now, I am slowly throwing each and everyone of my bad habits down the stairs and replacing them with good habits! Slowly!

Today is weigh day.  I went to bed last night with a faint feeling of butterflies in my tummy.  I wasn't really too sure why I was feeling excited, until I got weighed today.  I had a brilliant week. I was very good at tracking everything I ate and I worked out a good bit too. Good hard working out where your sweating from your eyeballs (or crying, whatever you wanna call it!). And it was all very much worth my while because when I approached that scales and hopped up on there, I was told that I had lost 2.5lb this week! Which means that I am now 11lb down, a dress size if you please, and in addition to this, I have lost 5% of my body weight!  Happiness reigns supreme!

I bounced out of my class delighted with myself! All my hard work really and truly paid off this week. It gave me a massive big boost and I headed off into the day to do some christmas shopping and search for a new guna for my Christmas party.  Alas, there are no party guna's anywhere to be found, and the ones that I did find, lets just say my old trick of thinking I'm smaller than I actually am was played and I found myself standing in the changing room, looking at myself buttered into an inappropriate styled dress thinking, what happened between the rail and the changing room? What? 

But it didn't dampen my mood in any way at all. I am just chuffed with myself. 

Next week will be a challenge to say the least! I have a night away on Saturday with Himself and the rest of my family to celebrate a great man in my life turning the big eight-oh! My grandfather is turning 80! I have always been aware of how truly blessed I am to have not one, but three grandparents to celebrate every year! So we are having a great big party for him and staying over in a hotel.  It is a wonderful chance to spend some much needed time with my family and to catch up with aunts and uncles and cousins that I don't get to see a lot of. So I need to work hard to make sure that I don't gain back any of that 2.5lb I lost!! 

This is all the moving I did this week and you can find a copy of my food diary for the week here

Day	Exercise
Tuesday	Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, Level 2.  This is a work out session I am getting from You Tube
	Jessica Smith TV 30 Minute Yoga Sculpt
	10,893 Steps
Wednesday	Jessica Smith TV 30 Minute Yoga Sculpt
	Jessica Smith TV 45 Minute Cardio Ball Ballet
	11,430 Steps
Thursday	Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Level 2
	Jessica Smith TV 30 Minute Strength Training
	7,610 Steps
Friday	Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Level 2
	Jessica Smith TV Fat Burning Burning Belly Fusion Workout
	6,222 Steps
Saturday	4,856 Steps
Sunday	4,641 Steps
Monday	15,546 Steps

Total Steps this week:              61,198

Total KM this week:                  45.3

Weigh Day, The Weekly Result

Yesterday was weigh day. It was a busy week of walking and travelling and a lot of drinking. The usual story, I went off to London and lost all control of myself and proceeded to drink lots of beer and eat all the wrong things. No control whatsoever! But at least that was my last trip to the UK until the Christmas Party in December, so I now can no longer blame travelling to the UK for my lack of achievements on the scales!

All things considered, I didn't gain any weight! I stayed the same so that was a little victory in itself. Clearly the 30 Day Shred challenge is paying off somewhere along the way! And perhaps the little stats below had something to do with it also!

I ate relatively well this week. I even threw in some extra veggies with some of my meals! My favourite lunch this week had to be the Pizza Boats. They were amazing! Really tasty and felt like I was getting a treat.  I had decided that I was going to attempt a new recipe every week to try and keep things fresh and prevent me sinking into a food rut. So I attempted this  Skinny Lasagne. The meat sauce was lovely, but unfortunately, I just don't like leeks.  Food textures play a big part in what I will and won't eat.  And leek is way to slimy for my taste buds.  It was a little bit disappointing after going to all that effort, but at least I tried it. From now on, lasagne will be made with good old fashioned pasta, like the Italians intended it to be!!

So, what's in store for next week? I'm going to continue with Level 2 of the 30 Day Shred. Jillian Michaels is the most irritating person in the world, but at least it makes you get through the routine with a bit of passion! I'm also going to aim for 73,000 steps as well as a couple of Jessica Smith TV routines for good measure.  I am planning on loosing 1.5lb next week and that will be achieved with lots of good food, zero point soups, prep and planning and my big big goal for next week is to track everything I eat and drink 24/7! 

6 Mondays to go until the last weigh in! I got this! 

Weigh Day: The Result

I haven't been to class in two weeks because of travelling and family life and, of course, excuses!  When I saw that my leader was off on her jolliers to Boston for a couple of days, I decided that I would give myself one more week to 'claw back' and secure a weight loss before going to my class. Then I remembered that it never works when I do that, and decided to get my backside in to face the music. And face it I did.  I went to class with no expectations. Mainly because I had a big weekend of beer and wine and very little actual working out. But I was good with food and even managed to avoid a large amount of the tricker treaters sweets! I found an amazing way of dealing with the sweets and treats lying around waiting on the dressed up little people, put it in a big pot and leave it on the door step with a note telling them to help themselves, thus avoiding me eating it and teaching the kiddies to be honest and have some self control - I was doing them the favour more than me!!! 

Anyway, I got up on the scales and was delighted to see that I had been doing something right since my last weigh in and was down 1.5lb! So one more pound and I am back to where I was three weeks ago before I started gaining. 

The class was very inspiring and it made me realise where I have been going wrong.  I had been so successful because I was tracking everything I ate. 24 / 7. And I had stopped doing that. Allowing myself to have a sneaky snickers or a crunchy crisp and then ignoring it.  

Novembers goals are in place: 

I want to loose 8lb by the end of the month 

If I bite it, I will write it 

Jillian Michaels 30 day shred 

Water Water Water 

And most importantly, a clean and shiny aura for the rest of the month!! 

I am all set for the coming days with my zero point soup made and my meals planned out. My wee slow cooker will be my savior I think!! 

Here's to an excellent week ahead!

Weigh Day; Week 11

It is weigh day again. I can't believe how quickly the weeks are going by!! It's the end of Week 11 and while I was away, I was getting a little bit disheartened by how I have slowed and my focus feels all over the place the last couple of weeks.  I know that it is mostly down to travelling and not being in my usual routine, and I am very hopeful that the travel is coming to an end, and soon.  But this week is brighter and more positive for a number of reasons.  Firstly, because I do not have to step foot outside the country for the week. Yay me! I get to spend all my time at home with Himself and Herself! It makes me happy.

Because I have not been in the driving seat with my food prep, I have decided that it is best to focus all my energy on my NSV's this week and ignore what the scales says to me. These are my NSV's this week:

1. My wedding rings are swinging around like a pair of bangles on my fingers! Delighted with that. Wonder should I plug for a new bridal set and get the aul eternity ring included?
2. I put on a pair of long boots I wore last winter and there is room in the leg.  Last year, I had to rub vaseline into the zip in order to get it to close easily over my baby cows (calves, you get it?) and when they did close, lets just say I am doubtful about the amount of blood that actually made it down to my toes! I had rings around the top of the baby cows for days after wearing them! 
3. I am feeling so good in myself.  As I mentioned last week, travelling is getting me down a bit.  Before I started this journey I would have spiraled into a bleak and horrible mood and just eaten everything in front of me, and behind me, and beside me, heck, if you stood still long enough I would probably have taken a lump out of you too! 
4. I can move further for longer and faster than I have ever been able to do. This makes me happy! 

Regardless of what the scales tells me, I know I am making lasting and happy changes in myself.

Thought for Today is: 

Kindness to ourselves is the only way we are going to complete this journey successfully. 

This weeks stats include: 

Not bad going so far is it? I'm 20k steps off my goal for this week, but there is time to make some of that deficit up before bed today! 

Finally, some of my meals this week: 

My new slow cooker is my favourite new toy! It has produced Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs and Pork Goulash. They were both amazing!! My Homemade Granloa is an amazing breakfast or just as added crunch to a 0% fat greek yougart!! 

Here's to a happy week this week and, hopefully, a more successful scales week next week!! 

Weigh Day, Week 10; The Result

I'm not skipping home let me tell you. I am up 1lb this week.  I knew that It wasn't going to be great, and it could have been a lot worse! I am taking the gain and dusting myself off and carrying on into next week.

This travelling to London is just playing havoc with the scales for me.  The travelling and my inability to say no to a night out. But mostly the travelling, because I figure if I wasn't travelling, I wouldn't have the opportunity to dance my socks off till 4am of a Thursday morning!

I am going to focus on all the NSV's this week and next week to get me over the hurdle of the travelling I need to do.  I measured myself when I started this process, and again at 4 weeks into it.  Last night, knowing that the scales was going to be brutal to me, I measured again, just to remind myself that there is more to weight loss than just the number on the scales.  I discovered that since my last measure 4 weeks ago, I have achieved this:

So even though the scales is not telling me what i want to hear, the inches on that measuring tape is making up for it. My total inch loss in the last 10 weeks is:

Bust: 1.5 inches
Waist: 1 inch
Hips: 1 inch
Thighs: 1.5inches
Arms: 1.5 inches

That's not really to be sniffed at.

I am going in to this week with a battle plan.  I will be back in London Wednesday, Thursday and Friday so I need to be as prepared as possible for the week ahead.

Himself bought me a lovely present yesterday. He bought me a slow cooker and I am dying to get home and get trying it!  Who says romance is dead eh? It may not sparkle, or fit on a finger or around a neck, but it made me very happy... anyone with some good slow cooker recipes to share, please send them on in and I will get cracking on them!

Weigh Day - The Result Week 9

Good Lord I don't know where the evening went yesterday, but it skidded by me at a thousand miles an hour and I never got around to posting! 

So I went back to my class last night after my week of MIA.  It took me until Thursday to get back into the swing of things and get working on some damage control after my Old School Boozy Weekend.  And thank God I did, because I stayed the same this week! Yay.  I really knew that if I had gone to class last Monday after my hectic weekend and gained, it would have thrown me right off.  Throughout the earlier part of the week I was full sure that I was starting to loose all focus, but a swift kick up the jacksie got me moving again.  

I have posted the above because sometimes I need to remind myself to be happy, and also, when I am happy, remind myself to tell my face, because it doesn't always receive the message!  Yesterday was spent basically preparing my family for me to leave them for three days, return for two days and leave them for a further three days.  Travelling back and forward to London is starting to take its toll on my patience.  I have gone from a stay at home Mama, to a part time working Mama to a Mama that seems to leave the country every two weeks, and I'm not loving it.  Sure, the uninterrupted sleeps are amazing.  And it is nice to be able to sit and eat a meal without fear of it being thrown all over me (well, fear of someone else throwing it all over me, I have a tendency to be a bit of a sloppy eater).  And there is a lot to be said for the comfort of going to the loo without "what's that" being shouted at my lady garden. The thing is, motherhood wasn't unexpectedly gifted to me.  It was a gift I went out looking for. It is a gift that I really really wanted, so fecking off for three days a week a couple of times a month is not giving me a chance to want to be away from that gift, ya know what I'm saying?  The novelty of no Dolly has well and truly worn off.  All of these thoughts made me very sad yesterday.  I actually felt like crying. I went to bed with a cup of tea and had a little pity party for myself. 

I got up this morning bright as a button though, full of positivity and ready for the week ahead and the challenges it will present.  I am prepared and have a plan in place for what's going to happen next week and I have my moving goals and weightloss goals set.  I am aiming for 2lb next week so I have got to get a wriggle on! 

Here's to a good week to everyone! Enjoy 

Weigh Day; The Result for Week 7..

I had an early weigh day this week because I am in London again on Monday. So I returned to a class that I haven't been to in a very long time. The last time I was in the Pavilions class I burst into tears on the scales and retreated into a 16 month long bubble of denial, cruel thoughts and personal neglect.  Today, I approached the scales so bloody hungover that I didn't have a chance to even think about it! I am literally the most hungover I have been since The Child was born. 

So I hopped up on that scales and for the first time in seven weeks, it beat me. I gained half a pound.  This would usually send me spiraling into an abyss of junk fueled negative thinking.  I would normally present a number of excuses for my gain such as; not my usual class, only five days since my last weigh day, the scales at the Pavilion Shopping  Center hates me and wants to depress me etc. etc. But I promised myself this time that I would be bigger than my excuses. So I have none. I went out last night and drank my weight in wine and even did a shot of Sambuca like I was a bloody 18 year old again. I can't do those things any more, I should have more sense.  I also have  been a little bit too cocky this week and have started to let my motivation slip. So I definitely deserve that kick in the backside. 

All in all, the gain could have been much worse, so I just need to shake it off and get back in the middle of zone instead of hanging about on the edges of it pretending I'm getting stuck in! I have until Monday week to loose my gain and then some.

Preparation is key! Traveling to London will be a hurdle but not one I can't get over.  I will do what I did the last time I was over and stick to low pointed breakfasts, salads for lunch and then dinner can be healthy choices.  Being in London is great because you can walk the legs off yourself (and if you get lost, which I will, it only increases your steps!) 

So half a pound is not the worst result in the world. I am looking at the bigger picture here.  Although I did gain, I still feel great about how far I have come in 7 weeks.  The changes I have made, and the way I feel cannot be measured on a scales.  Going out last night I felt amazing, with a lot of help from Himself.  I put on the Guna that I recently found I could fit into, but I nearly chickened out of wearing it. I had a dip in my confidence, but Himself came up and saw me and said that I was a lovely girl and that I wasn't to change into something else.  So, seeing as he loves me, I decided to take his word for it and ran away from the full length mirror so that I couldn't see myself anymore and talk myself out of the dress and into my boring old jeans and top.  After his little pep talk, I felt much more confident and headed off into the night to drink too much wine and die a holy death this morning! 

Now, I'm off to get organised for dinner. Fake-away tonight! I'm going to treat myself with some Diet Coke Chicken and Fried Rice  I'll have to add a couple more points onto the recipe for the fried rice, but feck it, it'll be worth it!

Have a great week everyone!

The Weekly Result; This Roller coaster is only going up...

And by up, I mean the weight is just going down!I have lost another 2lb this week.  I'm not going to lie,  I got nervous hopping up on that scales because of the crazy sugar monster that took over my willpower earlier in the week. But all of my moving has paid off, because I lost another 2lb!I am 0.5lb off 10lb. That's a dress size! An almost dress size in 6 weeks! This has never ever happened in all the time I'm weight watching. I am so pleased.

And, to add some sugar free icing on top of my low fat weight watchers desert... I FINALLY fit into a guna  (dress) that has been laughing at me for over 18 months from the back of my wardrobe. And not just it zips fits, oh no, actual fits and is appropriate viewing for the general population! So, after 18 long months keeping my wardrobe warm, it will keep me warm for a night out on Friday night.

Here's to a great week to everyone!

Weigh Day - Week 6 The Toughest One so Far

It's a new week, the end of Week 6 and I am looking forward to the start of Week 7.  The start of this week was tough for me. I had to force myself to get into the swing of things, and my sweet cravings were the highest they have been since Week 1! But I managed to remain on track and force myself to get up and get moving. By Wednesday I had gotten back into the swing of things, the sugar monster within me had quietened down and the couch potato had fallen fast asleep so could no longer badger me into joining her for a Home and Away marathon.  All that being said, I have still managed to rack up a pretty impressive 75,298 steps this week.

I have worked out every single day for at least 30 mins bar three days in the last 6 weeks.  This is the most working out I have ever done, in my life, and in fairness, I have only had to force myself to do it about five times.  The weight loss (and inches ) has been consistent.  It is the first time I have ever managed to achieve this amount of loss in such a short space of time and I am contributing it to my hard work, but most importantly, my frame of mind.  The more I work on the negativity that creeps into my mind, the better I seem to be getting.  I can't stress it enough to anyone who is on this journey, your frame of mind has as big an impact on that scales as any amount of food or movement you do.  Work on this as well as your body!! 

I've had loads of lovely meals this week. Smoked salmon is my addiction of choice. I literally cannot stop eating the stuff. I love it with avocado and tomato on toast. It is such a lovely, colourful breakfast or lunch. It's pleasing on the eye and the tastebuds, let me tell you!!! 

I will be so happy if I can continue my loss and loose 1lb tonight. If I don't, it's ok too because I am feeling brilliant. My energy levels are really high, my attitude is really positive and I am in a more consistently happy mood now than I have been in a very long time! I even have patience to deal with a newly toddling toddler and her stage 5 tantrums when I go to change her bum... 

Here's to a good weigh day, and another successful week! 

Weigh Day; The Result

Oh my goodness. I have such a busy busy evening and morning since I got weighed that I haven't had a minute to update you all... wonderful news to be shared. In absolute record time for me, I have shed a grand total of 7.5lb in 5 weeks. Completely unheard of! That never happens. I have lost consistently over the last 4 weeks and had only one maintain on Week one. I normally loose 1, gain 6, loose 0.5, gain 3 - you get the picture! I lost another pound last night and I swear to God I am so very proud of myself!!!

New month now. New goals to be achieved. My goal of 81k steps continues to evade me... I made it to 79,500 steps in the last week. I just couldn't do the last 1,500. I am raging now because I am meant to be bigger than my excuses! But it's past, I'm moving on.

This month's goal is another 7lb loss by 30 September. I am going to achieve this by getting back on my tracker and really using that tool. I'm also planning on increasing my daily steps by 500 so that I achieve 83,000 steps next week. It's a challenge,  but I will do it! I need to keep building on this momentum and my PMA!

I celebrated my loss with a workout and a cup of tea!

Here's a pic of me and my shiny silver seven

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!!! 

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 !!

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! 

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!!!

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!