Some of you might have noticed I’ve been a bit quiet over the past week. Others may have enjoyed the peace and quiet! 🙂 Well I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve been sorely neglecting my blogging ramblings of late. I may have got a bit distracted – after all I’ve been off enjoying some quality time with ma famille in the Yorkshire Moors.
It was lovely to get away and forget all the hum drum of everyday life for a few days and it’s safe to say our little boy had a whale of a time. But like every holiday, no matter how fab they are, it’s always nice to get back to home sweet home.
After the last week of excessive scoffing and guzzling of anything and everything that crossed my path (come on, I was on holiday), my jeans are verging on almost not fitting and the cake variety of muffins is not the only type in sight. So, holiday over, fear of having no clothes to fit and an impending Wolf run in about 6 weeks time, it’s time to bite the bullet and get back on course….
… so today (after a wee bit of prompting from the OH this morning!) I have successfully completed my first fast day (back on the 5:2) and I am resolute that tomorrow will be my first run in a little over 2 months.
I really do have the attention span of a gnat. Even as a child I drove my mum to insanity with my constant stream of five minute fads.
Along with my hobbies, my weight yo-yo’s around all over the place, usually in sync with my motivation. When I’m on form there’s no stopping me, but when the vroom goes the pounds tend to pile back on. Although I’m losing weight overall at the moment (with a few ups and downs along the way), it makes my progress very slow.
The last few weeks have seen the tank completely run out of fuel and I’ve come to a complete standstill. Any dreams of becoming a streamlined lamboughini are fading further into the distance, as stretch-Hummer status is becoming more of a reality.
Since the start of the year I’ve already tried Weightwatchers and the 5:2 fasting diet. But four weeks seems to be the length of my attention span. And heaven forbid if I lapse into a diet break, as trying to get back on the wagon again verges on insurmountable. So after a few failed attempts to get back in line with 5:2, I well and truly admitted defeat.
About to throw in the towel until after my holiday, praying that my jeans still fit by then, I stumbled upon another diet of interest – the ‘8 hour diet’. 8 hours of eating what I want, followed by 16 hours of fasting, every day. How hard can that be? And anything has got to be an improvement on stuffing my face silly 24/7! So, new diet = new boost of motivation. So today, I picked 11am-7pm to be my eating times for the week and I’m off to a good start – I sticked with it for the day! 🙂
I have to admit I’m a bit sceptical about this diet, but if it works I could be well and truly sold (it just sounds a bit too good to be true!).
The reassuring thing is that there appear to be other fickle souls out there. I recently stumbled upon this great blog where the blogger is taking on 52 diets in 52 weeks – what a brilliant idea, I love it! Hey, if I get waylaid this time, maybe I might take a leaf out of her book.
Well, as many of you know I am a woman on a mission – trying to lose about a third of my total body weight! I will be a skinny minny yet, I tell you!!!! 🙂 Having methodically followed the Weightwatchers diet since the beginning of January, I have managed to lose 11 lbs in weight so far. I am really happy with this, but my problem has always been ‘staying on the wagon’ so to speak – and the last two weeks I have well and truly fallen off of it!!!!! After a period of illness, friends visiting, birthday celebrations (my 3-year-olds), too much naughty food and not enough exercise the scales were starting to tell the tale! My other problem is fickleness (god knows how I have managed to stay with the OH for 13 years!!!!! :)). In need of a new burst of motivation, I decided it was time to try a change of diet plan. Which leads me onto the 5:2 fasting diet.
I’m sure lots of you have heard about it already – in fact I think I am a bit behind with the times on this one! But the basis is you fast for two non-consecutive days of the week and then eat what you want for the other five. I have been reading a lot of good reviews about this diet from various people and when my friend lost 3 lb after her first day of fasting, I was starting to think I might be missing out on something! So, I have jumped on the band wagon!
I quite liked the sound of this diet as I find maintaining a diet for a long period of time very hard. And when I get waylaid it knocks my motivation for six. The fact that I only have to effectively ‘diet’ for two days of the week, should theoretically be easier for me to stick to. The premise behind intermittent fasting is that it mimics our pre-historic ancestors eating habits, i.e. feast and famine. Modern habits have apparently made our metabolisms sluggish and this diet is meant to kick-start things back into action!
I invested in the book by Dr Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer, which claims to be the ‘original 5:2 diet’. After a full-on reading session Wednesday night, I was all set for my first fasting day on Thursday. The good news is that fasting doesn’t mean ‘no food at all’, just that you can’t consume more than 500 calories (600 for men)! I was sceptical to say the least, knowing how much I love my food! So after a smoothie for breakfast, it was a long old wait til my next feed at dinner (salmon, tender-stem broccoli and a poached egg)! It was hard. I was starving … and I drank so much green tea to try to stave off my hunger it was ridiculous. But I did it, without eating my arm, and the following morning I was 4 lb lighter!!!!! I have since put on a pound or two, but it is already making me think more about what I am eating. I am also more aware of real hunger versus eating for the sake of it. The sadistic side of me is actually even quite looking forward to my next fasting day on Monday. After all I do like a challenge! Though I am hoping it will be easier the second time round. And the best thing, my equally obsessed friend is also doing it too, so we are able to compare weight loss and/or gain at least twice a day!!!! 🙂
I’m looking forward to posting on here again soon with lots more news of my ever decreasing weight!!!!!!! Fingers crossed! 🙂
I recently signed up for WordPress email updates so I could take part in their weekly writing challenge. However, I generally just ignore the ‘daily prompts’, choosing to rather stay on track with the overall purpose of my blog and not get too waylaid by ‘other stuff’! But, when I got the WordPress daily prompt through this morning, I did a double take; the title of which is ‘Obstacle Course’. Aha, I thought – perfect for some reminiscing on another one of my favourite past-times – getting cold, wet and muddy in the middle of god knows where! 😉 However, on closer inspection, it turns out that they weren’t prompting a ramble on my latest zombie runs, wolf runs and the like – phew, I here you say! But instead the challenge is …..
‘Think about what you wanted to accomplish last week. Did you? What are the things that hold you back from doing everything you’d like to do? ‘
Perfect! The timing of which couldn’t be better. As it is the beginning of a fresh new week, I was planning to reflect on last weeks activities. So it all ties in beautifully together – and I can kill two birds with one stone so to speak! 🙂
So where am I at? Well, for those of you who follow my ‘almost daily’ updates – I think things have been going pretty well in the challenge department overall. However, saying that, I’m not feeling 100% positive about last week’s achievements (or lack of!).
Sneaky McDonalds
Shall I start with the weight?! I have a rather unhealthy attachment to my scales at the moment. I know it’s not the best idea to weigh-in every morning, but I can’t seem to stop myself. So, Friday morning (after a whole bottle of wine – the night before!) I step on the scales. Okay, looking alright, another 1 lb down this week I think to myself. But, as Saturday is officially my weigh in day, I will hold off celebrating until the following morning! Saturday morning and the official weigh in day arrives. I stand on the scales …. low and behold – I am 2 lbs heavier than the day before (what the f**k!!!! – please excuse the language!). So, now I’m not happy … wondering what the point of all this dieting and exercising is!!!! So what do I do? Go on a blow out … eat a yummy McDonalds burger for dinner … write the day off … and plan to start again with good intentions on Sunday! 🙂 I am pleased to announce that I am now back on track. (and my sneaky peek at the scales this morning is weighing me lighter than Friday – long may it continue!!!!).
A bit healthier on Sunday night!
Which leads me on to one of my under-way challenges this week …. give up alcohol for 4 weeks! Eeeek!! After struggling a bit on Friday after my bottle of wine the night before, I felt it was time to purge my body of the evil toxins! Not only does it make me feel rubbish, but it also throws my will power out of the window ….. I must step away from the mini Cadbury chocolate fingers!!!! 🙂 So, for the sake of my diet and my fitness, let the challenge begin! I am now on day 4 and so far I haven’t even had a twinge of missing it … but talk to me again after Saturday (my 3 year old is having his birthday party!!!).
Just before heading out for a stock up on healthy food at the weekend I stumbled upon this great Facebook clean eating group. It’s something I have thought about in the past, and also something I hope to trial out myself at some point (see challenge 54). After checking out the group, I was pleasantly surprised to see some very yummy looking recipes. I was sorely tempted to start the challenge this week – until the OH put paid to that idea and in the process reminded me I had just stocked the cupboard full of Weightwatchers cakes and crisps! Oh well, with further thought it might have been a bit ambitious to jump straight in at the moment. So instead I think I might start dropping the odd ‘clean’ meal into my days here and there. Last nights dinner was pretty good going – Chicken breast stuffed with mozarella, cherry tomatoes and red onion, accompanied with roasted mediterranean vegetables and a rocket side salad. Even the OH said it was ‘quite nice’!!!! There may be hope of converting him to healthy eating yet!!!! 🙂
The running hasn’t been too great last week either! My stomach has been feeling a bit off for most of the week – with me having to leg it to Tescos toilets mid run for a pit stop on Wednesday night! Not great!!! So, even the running has been a bit slow. I am currently at a year to date total of 48 miles, which is slightly short of the 80 miles I need to be averaging to hit my 1000 miles this year! Oooops!!! Might have to start marathon training later on in the year after all; just to make up lost mileage!!! The good news is – I have ‘borrowed’ my Dad’s treadmill, which he doesn’t use anymore. So after a bit of a sort out in the garage … it has now taken up post in it’s rightful new home! I’m hoping that I can clock a few sneaky extra miles when the little one is asleep!
Ooooh …. and very exciting. I have just finished my first ever short story (‘The Medium’) and submitted it to Spinetinglers monthly writing competition (challenge 19 completed). Wish me luck! 🙂
So watch this space … some goodies coming up shortly:
A review of the new Panache Sports Bra – my new ‘over the shoulder boulder holder’!!!!
An update on my sponsor a child challenge
My latest book review – be patient …. this books taking me a while (thanks Rob!)
It’s been a relatively chilled weekend. Apart from a kid’s birthday party and a couple of good runs, I have had a nice relaxing weekend. Well, as relaxing as it gets with a crazy 3-year-old running around the house! I actually stumbled upon some half-read running magazines I had forgotten about, so I snuggled myself up on the sofa with a nice cuppa and stuck my head in them for a good part of the weekend!
During my marathon (not the running sort!) reading session I stumbled upon an article about a subject close to my heart – trying to lose weight. Something I have struggled with most of my life and has now been exacerbated by having a baby! The article, courtesy of ‘Running Fitness‘, has now made me feel super motivated! 🙂 Did you know that nearly half of diets fail within the first 24 hours? 1 in 20 women have NEVER been on a diet which lasted into the second day? And, the average woman goes on 3 diets per year, but in reality the diet is abandoned within 11 days on average? Not great statistics for those of us trying to lose weight in the New Year! :-0
Well, I’ve been going for 26 days now … so, in light of this research, I am performing well above average! 🙂 Worked out on my initial goal of wanting to lose 5 1/2 stone – minus the amount I have lost to date (10 lbs) – I now have 4 stone 9 lbs left to lighten myself of! Based on an optimistic estimate of 2 lb a week weight loss, I should be down to target weight in …. well, 32.5 weeks time (or approximately 8 months)! I won’t even begin to get into the statistical mathematics of the likelihood of sticking to a diet for that long! 🙂 What I do know is that: a) I have never had so much weight to lose before; b) I can’t even comprehend sticking to a diet for that long; and c) I have never felt so motivated to lose weight and get in shape. Which adds up to = I am going to get there, but I’m taking it one ‘manageable’ day at a time!
Weight loss and dieting has been a big part of my life throughout the years. I struggled with my weight as a child, managed to stay relatively steady throughout my 20s (with a bit of fluctuation!) and then got pregnant and ate everything in sight for 9 months! The moral of that story – 3 years later I am still paying the price! 😦 Years of obsessing about weight has meant I have been through most diets over the years. I have lost count of the number of times I’ve joined Weightwatchers and I can safely tick off the ‘been there’ box for Slimming World, the Atkins diet and the GI diet, among others. On occasion I have done quite well – losing the odd stone here and there. But 5 1/2 stone is a mammoth challenge! I have tried a few times to commit to a diet since giving birth, but inevitably have fallen off the wagon, often within days (if not hours!). I was the statistical norm for a while! So what’s so different this time?
Well, whilst killing some time on Facebook, I came across a great piece of advice about successful weight loss. So, what did it boil down to in the end? Diet pills? Fad diets? Healthy eating? Exercise? Starving yourself???? Nope – the correct answer is – POSITIVE THINKING! Apparently being in a negative state of mind is the biggest no, no for starting a diet. We need to learn to love ourselves before trying to lose weight – as losing weight to ‘earn’ or ‘deserve’ love is likely to set us up for a big fall. A few years ago I would’ve probably scoffed at this idea, but now I have a different point of view. I can completely relate to this. Over the last few years I have been the biggest I have ever been, and I have struggled to come to terms with it. Going from a size 10 (at my lightest) up to a size 22 (UK sizes) – I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t knocked my self-confidence. I have spent many a day feeling fat, sluggish and unattractive. I have been diagnosed with asthma – which I’m sure is exacerbated by my extra weight! Last time I worked out my BMI it came out as ‘obese’ – how depressing is that?! 😦 A roller-coaster of emotions later, I now feel more comfortable in my own skin (I do naturally still have the odd off day here and there though!). Yes, I want to lose weight – but I love myself and I know I have family and friends who love me too! Losing weight isn’t about outside acceptance any more, it’s about improving my running and fitness, improving my health, and looking better for ME!
I am in the best place for starting my weight-loss journey – so why shouldn’t I beat the odds and get to my goal weight! 🙂
Wish me luck!
x
Time for some goal setting ….. can I do all 101 challenges in 1001 days?
After the last week of excessive scoffing and guzzling of anything and everything that crossed my path (come on, I was on holiday), my jeans are verging on almost not fitting and the cake variety of muffins is not the only type in sight. So, holiday over, fear of having no clothes to fit and an impending Wolf run in about 6 weeks time, it’s time to bite the bullet and get back on course….
stay relatively steady throughout my 20s (with a bit of fluctuation!) and then got pregnant and ate everything in sight for 9 months! The moral of that story – 3 years later I am still paying the price! 😦 Years of obsessing about weight has meant I have been through most diets over the years. I have lost count of the number of times I’ve joined Weightwatchers and I can safely tick off the ‘been there’ box for Slimming World, the Atkins diet and the GI diet, among others. On occasion I have done quite well – losing the odd stone here and there. But 5 1/2 stone is a mammoth challenge! I have tried a few times to commit to a diet since giving birth, but inevitably have fallen off the wagon, often within days (if not hours!). I was the statistical norm for a while! So what’s so different this time?
101 Challenges in 1001 Days 