Well, I'm resigning myself to a 'stay the same' result for my next WI. I had a large loss on Monday and I've been struggling to manage on my reduced points - 23. I very nearly went over points yesterday thanks to a 'hawaiian jacket potato', but made up for it with LOADs of exercise.
Yes, I was thinking ham and pineapple when my ex-mother-in-law suggested it to me as 'fabulous'.... She didn't mention the cheese in it and the mayo as well. The restaurant we went to, the Lowenac (Cornish for Happiness) is an unusual place. Think garnish for a minute - I used to think a small side salad or perhaps a sprig of parsley...they do crisps - yes, crunchy potato crisps!
Pointing my lunch when I returned, I worked out my lunch was a full 12 points....argh - more than half my allowance! Along with breakfast and a mid-morning snack, I was at 20 points by 2pm! With 8 bonus points of exercise, I managed to squeeze in a supper of cheese, onion and tomato on toast....but only just!
I spent last night revising goals....not sure whether they'll change for better or worse - but here ya go:
30/4/7 13 s 13 (195)
19/6/7 13 s 2 (184)
30/6/7 12 s 13 (181)
31/8/7 11 s 13 (167)
31/10/7 10 s 13 (153)
31/12/7 9s 13 (139)
28/02/8 9s 7 (133) GOAL!
Goal is still feeling a touch flexible as I know the healthy BMI range goes from about 8s 7 to 10s 7 or 121lbs to 147lbs...It's quite a big range really. I'm hoping to set something concrete when I get into the 10 stone range (140's).
Thursday, 29 March 2007
Sunday, 25 March 2007
Week 11 Weigh-In
Pleased to announce a loss of 7.5lbs this week. Not sure if it was increasing my exercise with my PS2 dancemat or not having a single frozen meal this week (plenty of jacket potatoes)....but it's a a full half-stone gone forever!
My BMI has dropped a total of 7 points from just over 42 when I started to 35 now. Dress size has decreased from 22/24 to a safe 20 now...sometimes 18. Within myself I feel fitter, healthier and stronger.
I haven't been in the 14 stone range since 2005, so I'm definitely feeling proud of myself!
Bring on the 13's!!!!
My BMI has dropped a total of 7 points from just over 42 when I started to 35 now. Dress size has decreased from 22/24 to a safe 20 now...sometimes 18. Within myself I feel fitter, healthier and stronger.
I haven't been in the 14 stone range since 2005, so I'm definitely feeling proud of myself!
Bring on the 13's!!!!
Warning: Never give in to the chocolate cravings!
While buying some chocolate treats for my dog, the shopkeeper told me a funny story heard in a Weight Watchers meeting. One night, a lady was so desperate for a chocolate fix that she resorted to eating her dog's supply (one whole bag!). Apparently, the results of this binge lasted for a few days. My bum twinges at the thought of it. Makes sense to just say no - if only for the benefit of a happy digestive system!
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
What's your motivation?
Reading an article by Joan Morris of the Contra Costa Times, I wondered whether my motivations were purely noble. While I want to live a healthier lifestyle and be fitter, I think I'd be a liar to say that my motivations weren't mainly superficial.
Morris writes: "Weight loss goes hand in hand with vanity. After a lifetime of being told that we are ugly and disgusting, it's no wonder we lose our heads a bit when we receive praise and attention for our new look, and that we lose sight of what's important."
She continues: "It is just part of the package, but it's just the wrapping, not the contents inside. I've come to realize that the reasons I decided to lose weight in the first place remain firmly entrenched in my psyche. My goals of three years ago are my goals of today. I just needed to dust them off and put them on display again."
Yes, I must confess that I am craving and loving the praise showered by peers, loved ones and society at large. To some extent, I'm craving it from those who were unable to praise me in my previous form.
I remember reading Fat is A Feminist Issue some years ago and I agreed with it to some extent. After finishing the book, I considered my excess weight almost like a buffer against anyone only caring for me superficially. I guess I longed for a love that enveloped me - warts and all. And do you know what? When I found it, that weight just slipped right off me.
However, the flaw in that thinking is that you can buffer yourself so much in the hopes of Mr Right coming along that it puts your own future in peril. And what if, as in my case, Mr Right was merely Mr Right Now? Well, several Mr Right Nows later, I think I've built up the strength to deal with men and life - buffer or no buffer.
While I am only in the third month of my journey, I will do my best to appreciate the aesthetic benefits of weight loss while embracing the healthy lifestyle. I do worry sometimes though about whether I will manage that. I mean - while I am concerned with the medical implications of carrying excess weight and the impact it will have on my family - why can't I worry about that instead of why a pair of size 16 jeans doesn't fit me yet?
I suppose they go hand in hand and I best make the most of the complete package!
Morris writes: "Weight loss goes hand in hand with vanity. After a lifetime of being told that we are ugly and disgusting, it's no wonder we lose our heads a bit when we receive praise and attention for our new look, and that we lose sight of what's important."
She continues: "It is just part of the package, but it's just the wrapping, not the contents inside. I've come to realize that the reasons I decided to lose weight in the first place remain firmly entrenched in my psyche. My goals of three years ago are my goals of today. I just needed to dust them off and put them on display again."
Yes, I must confess that I am craving and loving the praise showered by peers, loved ones and society at large. To some extent, I'm craving it from those who were unable to praise me in my previous form.
I remember reading Fat is A Feminist Issue some years ago and I agreed with it to some extent. After finishing the book, I considered my excess weight almost like a buffer against anyone only caring for me superficially. I guess I longed for a love that enveloped me - warts and all. And do you know what? When I found it, that weight just slipped right off me.
However, the flaw in that thinking is that you can buffer yourself so much in the hopes of Mr Right coming along that it puts your own future in peril. And what if, as in my case, Mr Right was merely Mr Right Now? Well, several Mr Right Nows later, I think I've built up the strength to deal with men and life - buffer or no buffer.
While I am only in the third month of my journey, I will do my best to appreciate the aesthetic benefits of weight loss while embracing the healthy lifestyle. I do worry sometimes though about whether I will manage that. I mean - while I am concerned with the medical implications of carrying excess weight and the impact it will have on my family - why can't I worry about that instead of why a pair of size 16 jeans doesn't fit me yet?
I suppose they go hand in hand and I best make the most of the complete package!
Monday, 19 March 2007
Week 10 Weigh-in
Hopped on the scales this morning and saw a loss of a half-pound. While I hoped for a bigger loss, I wasn't shocked in any way, shape or form. With a mega-loss of 5lbs last Monday, I knew that to expect any loss at all was wrong.
I can remember in a nutrition class in school being taught that you should lose no more than 1% of your body weight each week, so anything beyond 2.1lbs is considered unhealthy at the moment. Whoops. Weight Watchers take it one step further - anything beyond 2lbs full stop, regardless of your body weight, is naughty. So, I best keep my average weight loss of 3.65lbs on the QT.
So I've lost 36.5lbs over the last ten weeks. I'm left wondering what that's equivalent to in food...
36.5 tubs of butter
18.25 bags of oranges
28 cans of diet coke
36 pints of milk
6.5 bags of potatoes
While I struggle to view my changing form properly, seeing figures like that - particularly the sacks of potatoes - makes it all slightly clearer for me.
So, I'm aiming to make it a full 7 bags of potatoes for the next weigh-in!
I can remember in a nutrition class in school being taught that you should lose no more than 1% of your body weight each week, so anything beyond 2.1lbs is considered unhealthy at the moment. Whoops. Weight Watchers take it one step further - anything beyond 2lbs full stop, regardless of your body weight, is naughty. So, I best keep my average weight loss of 3.65lbs on the QT.
So I've lost 36.5lbs over the last ten weeks. I'm left wondering what that's equivalent to in food...
36.5 tubs of butter
18.25 bags of oranges
28 cans of diet coke
36 pints of milk
6.5 bags of potatoes
While I struggle to view my changing form properly, seeing figures like that - particularly the sacks of potatoes - makes it all slightly clearer for me.
So, I'm aiming to make it a full 7 bags of potatoes for the next weigh-in!
Sunday, 18 March 2007
The Eating Machine
Yes, today I am the non-stop eating machine. Fortunately after a shop (with list I might add) yesterday, my house is stocked with low point goodies like Go Ahead Bars, Ainsley Harriot Cup-A-Soup, salads, and Skinny Cow ice cream lollies.
I haven't slept well over the last few nights as cough and my son have interfered with my 8-hour-a-night habit. I wondered whether this might play a role in my increased appetite as I suspected as much when my son was newborn seven years ago.
On the Women's Health site, Tracee Cornforth writes: "According to recent studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Lancet, sleep loss tends to increase hunger and affects the body's metabolism making it difficult to maintain weight loss or lose weight."
Oh dear....
The hormone cortisol, which reins in your appetite is affected by sleep depravation, causing a feeling of hunger even if you've had adequate food intake.
Oh and there's more....
Sleep loss interferes with carbohydrate metabolism causing excess amounts of glucose in the blood stream. This allows for insulin overproduction - leading to the storage of excess body fat and insulin resistance.
Michael Thorpy, MD, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York says: "Sleep loss is associated with striking alterations in hormone levels that regulate the appetite and may be a contributing factor to obesity. Any American making a resolution to lose weight in the New Year should probably consider a parallel commitment for getting more sleep."
"Sleep loss disrupts a complex and interwoven series of metabolic and hormonal processes and may be a contributing factor to obesity," said Dr. John Winkelman, medical director of the Sleep Health Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "What most people do not realize is that better sleep habits may be instrumental to the success of any weight management plan."
On that note, I am setting myself a sleep target of 8 uninterrupted hours sleep a night this week!
I haven't slept well over the last few nights as cough and my son have interfered with my 8-hour-a-night habit. I wondered whether this might play a role in my increased appetite as I suspected as much when my son was newborn seven years ago.
On the Women's Health site, Tracee Cornforth writes: "According to recent studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Lancet, sleep loss tends to increase hunger and affects the body's metabolism making it difficult to maintain weight loss or lose weight."
Oh dear....
The hormone cortisol, which reins in your appetite is affected by sleep depravation, causing a feeling of hunger even if you've had adequate food intake.
Oh and there's more....
Sleep loss interferes with carbohydrate metabolism causing excess amounts of glucose in the blood stream. This allows for insulin overproduction - leading to the storage of excess body fat and insulin resistance.
Michael Thorpy, MD, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York says: "Sleep loss is associated with striking alterations in hormone levels that regulate the appetite and may be a contributing factor to obesity. Any American making a resolution to lose weight in the New Year should probably consider a parallel commitment for getting more sleep."
"Sleep loss disrupts a complex and interwoven series of metabolic and hormonal processes and may be a contributing factor to obesity," said Dr. John Winkelman, medical director of the Sleep Health Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital. "What most people do not realize is that better sleep habits may be instrumental to the success of any weight management plan."
On that note, I am setting myself a sleep target of 8 uninterrupted hours sleep a night this week!
Friday, 16 March 2007
Changing Stats
It's been just over two months since I made the change over to Weight Watchers. I've been doing some thinking about stats vs actual weight loss and while I do sense a change in the shape of my body, I think by putting stats down in print, it will help me acknowledge personal success better.
Well, I haven't managed much in the way of grocery shopping today. Instead, I went through my wardrobe and removed all items of clothing too big from it as I don't want any chance of needing them in future.
Tomorrow we'll hit the shops and give the shopping list idea a whirl!
Current Goals:
15 s 1lb (211lbs) by 05/04/07
14 s 2lb (198lbs) by 31/05/07
13 s 2lb (184lbs) by 17/06/07
- Weight - a loss of 33lbs!
- BMI - dropped nearly 6 points from 42.1 in January to 36.4 in March
- Chest - decrease in 4" from 48" to 44"
- Waist - reduced by 3" from 43" to 40"
- Size: - while a size 22 was too tight to be comfortable in January, I'm slowly slipping into size 20 and the occasional 18!
Well, I haven't managed much in the way of grocery shopping today. Instead, I went through my wardrobe and removed all items of clothing too big from it as I don't want any chance of needing them in future.
Tomorrow we'll hit the shops and give the shopping list idea a whirl!
Current Goals:
15 s 1lb (211lbs) by 05/04/07
14 s 2lb (198lbs) by 31/05/07
13 s 2lb (184lbs) by 17/06/07
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)