Weighing In

I weighed in this morning. I lost almost half a kilo, or a pound.

In tiny increments, I have made it to two stone down from my original weight. Or 28.82lbs, or 13.1 kg…..

As Dory from ‘Finding Nemo’ says; “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming” 🙂

 

Updates Galore!

So I find myself laughing after reading a comment left most recently. Anonymous but recognisable for all that 🙂 The comment says that it’s okay to lose my mojo for a little while but then it’s time to get back to it, or words to that effect….and it’s true. I’ve written about a thousand posts in my head in the last few weeks. While I’ve been driving, or at the gym (yes, I’m still going), or just at random times.

Today, I was driving back from cleaning the house of a client who is no longer able to do it for themselves and feeling strong and healthy and good….because no matter how crappy some days feel, I have the choice to make it better, or not but for me it’s a choice. I did fall down for a while. Not horribly, but enough that I wondered if I was getting into some self sabotage….of course I was.

As the weather’s become colder, I’m less inclined to make salads and it’s taken some adjusting to start to be organised again and really, I know I’ve said this before but organisation is the key for me and I’m sure for lots of people. This week, I’ve stacked my freezer and fridge with good foods that are easily accessed and go well together. Pre-making and freezing meals doesn’t work so well for me I’ve discovered. I don’t know why exactly. Maybe because I like the process of cutting, cooking, hearing the sounds, smelling the smells, watching the colours jumble together and the serving up. Freezing works for huge numbers of people, I know.

So before I can think too much about it and back out, I’m issuing myself a week-long challenge to take a photo of and then post, each evening’s meal. Here on this blog. Just to keep me mindful and to get me back into the habit of coming here every night, or morning. Sheesh….that’ll make me have to up my game… 🙂

I’m still really enjoying Curves. I’ve been averaging 3-4 days a week so far and I need to add walking to that at some point soon. I love the workouts but I know that the walking makes a big difference to my mood and to my weight loss. Added to which, it often gives me inspiration for posts and/or lets me meet interesting people I might not otherwise have met.

Andy and the kids continue to be supportive and beautiful. When they thought I was indulging too much, they called me on it in a loving and humorous way that didn’t make me feel attacked or upset but just reminded me what my set goal was. I’m so glad I belong with these people.

What else? Oh, weight loss 🙂 I’m hovering at the lowest since I started this journey and while it’s great that I’m not gaining, I’m not in this to hover, so here we go again….one of many new beginnings along the way. By the time I get to my goal, I will have done this a few times probably but I will get to my goal….Success is inevitable. (I say it to myself in the shower in the morning)

I started watching makeup tutorials on Youtube recently, which prompted me to do a little updating of my makeup bag. Amazing really, that I’ve been doing essentially the same routine for the last 20 years or so. Mostly because it’s easy and fast but since I put on weight, also because I couldn’t really see the point. Which sounds sort of pathetic. Exactly how it felt, coincidentally.

While I was looking at Youtube, I also started to watch videos by a man called Elliot Hulse. He’s a body builder, who reads Ralph Waldo Emerson and Joseph Campbell, is articulate and interesting and chooses to live with integrity.

He swears, a lot….so if that’s likely to offend you, you might want to forgo his videos but I think he’s a great male role model and I’ve started showing them to our boys. They already have great male role models of course but I’m glad for them to have another. He says lots of things I try to teach them already but I figure hearing it from a huge, manly bodybuilding type might carry more weight than from their mother 🙂 I just went and had another look at his channels (he has three that I know of) and for some people, it’s just going to be too much but I stand by my opinion of him so far.

One of the other things about watching his stuff is that I felt quietly inspired to exercise and eat properly, which I appreciate.

Right, enough for tonight, except to say to the anonymous commenter, Thanks. This is yet another time in my life that you’ve given me a reminder to get back on track and I appreciate it. This is me, Bouncing Back 🙂

PS: Thanks to my 12WBT facebook buddy group too x

Day 2 at the Gym

…was great!

I went straight after work, did the couple of circuits and stretches and left feeling strong and good.

The best thing about that is that exercise really gets me in the right frame of mind for eating well and doing more exercise. Added to which, it has knock on effects for the way I feel about myself in general, the way I feel in my clothes. My breathing feels better, I shopped for gorgeous fresh foods, I just feel better and more positive.

Just two days of proper exercise has made the world of difference. Pretty amazing really.

So last week I put on a little weight, this week I took off 600g. Overall, I’m still down from where I left off in the last round and really, until now in this round, they’re just numbers. This is where it properly begins and hooray for that. 🙂

After work, my workout and some shopping, I took my lunch down to the beach and ate, watching the waves come in. It was sunshiny and lovely. When I’d finished eating, I took out the art kit my mother gave me last night. It’s a pink pencil case with a tiny set of watercolour paints, a fine point black felt-tip pen, a water brush and a small hardcover book with blank art pages inside. It’s ridiculously cute and as it turns out, very fun to play with.

This isn’t mine, it’s from http://www.lifeneedsart.com but I haven’t taken a pic of mine yet and this is about the right size 🙂

 

I’d already done two drawings in the book, one last night just after Mum gave me the kit and one this morning, while I was waiting to begin work. I got myself comfy and sketched what I was looking at out of my window, then coloured it with water colours. It wasn’t spectacular, or even very good but it was relaxing. 🙂

 

Weigh-in…9…for week 10

Ha! I bet you thought I’d gone quiet because I’d fallen off the wagon and was feeling resistant to coming and admitting it here…

That I was embarrassed to write down that I was having yet another struggle with this stuff and I just wanted to shut down and not think about it.

Oh…actually…that’s exactly what happened.

It’s lucky I’d already shopped and filled the fridge and cupboards with good, healthy stuff. As it was, I had a sort of mixed week. I had days where I was mostly on track and days, like Saturday….which were completely off the rails.

and it wasn’t just a treat meal on Saturday….oh no….it was an all day eat fest, just one form of junk food after another. We spent the day at the movies and I took it as license to relax in the dark with crisps, strawberries, chocolate, diet coke….later there was MacDonalds…you get the picture…..

On Sunday morning I felt as though I had a hangover. Complete with headache.

My skin felt greasy, my hair felt lank, my tongue was dry. Way too much fat and salt.

Then I read an article about Scarlett Johansen, where she talks about having a kale-rich diet and my taste buds leapt. I had an immediate craving for kale. Which just tells me that my body knows what it needs.

I had a bunch of kale in the fridge (Thank you earlier me) so I quickly whizzed up a smoothie made with kale, a green apple, a few strawberries and some cold water. Dark green, sweet with a bitter edge, rehydrating….it was perfect and I felt almost immediately better.

mmmmmm

 

So I’ve been having a glass of smoothie and a banana for breakfast the last few days and eating sensibly the rest of the day,  since that morning. Which is only three days ago but still….

Also, this week I did three good walks and a few incidental ones, two with Natalie, one with Dawn, for a total of 15+km

The upshot is that this week I am 1kg lighter. Hooray. Still going in the right direction 🙂

Would I have lost more if I’d been sensible the whole week instead of just half? Probably, it’s hard to know and at this point I’m just glad I’m still going the right way.

The planning I did last week is what made the difference I think, and the fact that I had to come back here and report 🙂

Once a week isn’t enough though, for me. I’ll be resuming normal service from here on in. Well….every other day at the very least…..