Week 11

14 Stone 6 pounds 3/4

YES. I am finally under 14 and a half stone. It's taken it's time, but I have reached my 14 and a half stone goal, which has been my 'official' weight. That is, the weight I told everybody I was regardless of what I really was.

now, I can concentrate on working down to 14 stone. That's my next goal.

I know that the key to all of this is exercise exercise exercise.

Week 10

14 stone 8

I just spent a week in Paris, walking till my feet could take no more, and eating all the hot chocolate and almond danish pastries I wanted. I didn't expect to lose weight, I just certainly didn't want to gain any.

I haven't, so that's good. :)

Now, I have to go back to eating in a much more regulated manner. I must go back to regular food, not loads of danish pastries. I need to keep up the exercise because my body wasn't even tired from all that walking, it was just that I had the wrong shoes and my feet really hurt.

So I really want to try and do an hour of exercise a day now, and try and lose 2 lb a week for two months to try and shift a bit of weight a bit more quickly.

Week 9

14 stone 8 lb

1.25 pounds down.

I'm weighing today on Saturday, because we're off to Paris tomorrow, and I won't be around on Monday to weigh myself.

I feel thinner, so this 1.25 pounds feels accurate.

I'm still keeping, more or less to a 1lb a week weight loss average. I'd love it to be more, but this was my goal and I have to think long term weight loss. Over a year, that would amount to 52 lbs and would be a massive loss of weight before Penrallt next year, which is my goal.

I want to have a massage next year, with far less fat on my bones :)

My ripped jeans do up very easily now, with space to spare just after they've been washed. I'm quite liking that, and look forward to being 14.7.

Week 8

14 stone 9 pounds and 1/4

I'm down half a pound.

This is much better than not losing anything, but it is quite slow. However, if I lost 1/2 pound every week, at the end of the year, I would have lost 26 pounds, which is a stone and a half and would make a big difference to my health and dress size.

However, I haven't exercised much this week, always putting off my wii cardio fit, I couldn't seem to get into a good pace at swimming, and we didn't go for a long bike ride.

I did however walk down to the library, and I noticed that I was walking visibly faster. I could keep up with Gaby, and usually, I can't. I also wasn't absolutely shattered when I got back like I used to be.

Also, my M&S combats are getting quite loose around my waist, but they still fit my hips. These used to be too uncomfortable to wear before.

My raincoat does up with ease now. When I purchased it, it was very tight, so much so, that the pockets would gape open and the zip would strain.

So, some real signs that I am losing fat and gaining health.

However, we had a huge roast yesterday with all the high calorie trimmings such as yorkshire pudding and sausagemeat stuffing, followed by chocolate pavlova Nigella style, and I also think my period might be coming, as I've had back pain and a swollen tummy.

There were a number of personal trials that I over came this week. When going shopping, there were quite a few half price offers on my favourite biscuits and some dark chocolate hob nobs that I've been wishing they'd bring out for years, also on half price.

I had the hob nobs in my hand, and really wanted them. I could just imagine sitting with a cup of tea and dunking the lot. I do find that such a pleasure. But I put them back.

But I will say, that it is VERY difficult for me to resist such things, and why are these products so cheap? 47p for a large pack of hobnobs? It's little wonder that the whole world isn't fat, or am I just really greedy?

Also, I was feeling annoyed about some online transaction last night that didn't work properly. A holiday booked didn't book the correct number of train seats for the journey, and I came downstairs, got the ice cream out of the freezer in a 'fuck it' like way, got a big spoon and came to sit down. But a very loud internal voice said, "Don't do it, you'll lose weight if you don't". So I put it back. The voice was REALLY loud and very different to my usual voice which would be quietly urging me to eat it.

And, I did lose weight. 1/2 a pound, which had I eaten a litre or half a litre of chocolate ice cream, may not have happened.

So real changes are happening to my habits and lifestyle.

I really would like to lose 2 lb next week, so I need to up my exercise and up my soups and veg based meals as I haven't really don't much of either this week.

Week 7

14 stone 9 pounds 3/4

Down 1 pound and a quarter.

However, I haven't gone to the loo, and I had a big meal last night with pudding so it 'might' be more.

BUT - exercise has been great this week. I swam once, went on a long bike ride and did two sessions of cardio wii fitness. I was delighted to see in a photograph at a party that my arms do seem decidedly more toned, and I think my facial hair is growing back more slowly. I haven't removed any facial hair since it was waxed last week, and it doesn't really seem too bad. I've hardly noticed it.

I didn't eat in the evenings but I did go to the pub and have a few drinks on Sat, and I had some cakes and chocolate at my mums Thursday and Friday.

I saw the endocrine specialist this week, and she said that fat cells turn estrogen into testosterone, so I really do need to lose weight, and I also read that weight loss is better than metformin in reducing symptoms, so I'm really fired up now as I'd really rather not have treatment than have it, and I was a bit worried that untreated CAH is bad for me, but I've read up that you don't really have to treat non classic CAH if you don't have that many symptoms.

So, roll on the fruits and veggies and get moving.

I'm a bit concerned at how the weight loss has become erratic over the last two weeks, seriously sabotaging my success. I think it's because I've lost the weight that's made my clothes too tight. My clothes feel all loose, so I have lost the urgency to lose weight and start being less strict with myself.

But I do want to break this barrier, and get down to 14 stone. My goal is to lose four kilos by the time I next see the endocrine specialist in three months. That's about a stone, so I am going to try to be much stricter on myself and instead of eating small amounts of unhealthy stuff, I will try to eat a bigger quantity of healthy food.

Week 6

14 stone 11 lb

I'm very disappointed but in fairness, I did eat things that I shouldn't, and there were a coupe of evenings I ate in the evening, but in the quantities I used to.

I've put on 2 and 1/4 lbs.

However, the truth of the matter is, I suppose, that I did have an ice cream on wednesday, some pastries on Thursday and Friday and dessert on Saturday.

Equally, I didn't have three or four pastries at one sitting, I only had one or two. I only had one plate of food at the party, and one small dessert, I didn't go up for seconds. I ate grapes once when I was hungry in the evening, instead of sweets, and most nights I didn't eat in the evening.

I exercised loads this week. I went swimming, I did a massive long cycle ride, I did wii cardio fitness. I walked.

So, I am quite disappointed, as I feel, at the very most, that I should have stayed equal, not gained over 2 lb.

I just didn't eat enough to account for that much weight gain.

Still, this is no time to give up. I don't want to eat all that stuff in the evenings for health reasons as well as weight loss, and I enjoy exercise. So, I shall keep on keeping on and will definately have to stay away from pastries in the future.

I had two

Week 5

14 stone 8lb 3/4

Fantastic news, I lost another 2 lb.

I did a stupid thing this week and weighed myself every day, the scales seemed to be getting higher and higher, at one point, I was up to 14 stone 12 lb. But instead of getting depressed, I thought that it must be because I've been lying on my bed all day in order to keep out of the way of the kitchen workmen but still be in the house. But I knew that I wasn't over eating, so I just thought, oh well, it'll come off next week when I start moving again.

However, my husband did warn me not to weigh myself every day, as it won't be an accurate reflection of what I have lost over the week.

Turns out he was right. What a lovely surprise when I got on the scales this morning.

Food motivation was 8 out of 10 this week.

I was DESPERATE for costco cakes this week, and to be honest, if I had some here right now, I'm pretty sure I'd eat a few for breakfast. But I didn't give in.

I did have some costco icecream this week and it was totally lovely.

I had alot of take outs because the kitchen was being fitted, but I didn't go mad on my portions.

Over the weekend, I did eat deliberately small quantities (small bunch grapes for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, burger mash and cucumber for dinner) As you can see, not exactly healthy choices, but I visit my sick Dad often, and just eat what my mum makes me.

I'm not going to turn into a diet bore. She cooked for me, I ate it gratefully. But it is possible to have a small portion of mash, one burger instead of two, and extra vegetables. However, I was hungry in the evening, so I had a banana too.

Exercise Motivation 5 out of 10

Like I said, I've been stuck in my room most of this week, which isn't conducive to exercise, couldn't do Wii as there were loads of cabinets in front of the TV and couldn't go swimming because couldn't find my costume. However, I could have walked or run up and down the stairs. However, I did make up for it over the weekend with lots of moving and shifting kitchen equipment back into the kitchen.

This week I aim to swim twice, clean the house more and walk to the shops at least twice.

Testing out video blogging

Week 4

14 stone 10 and 3/4

This week, I have lost 2 lbs.

This is Fantastic and the second week in which I've lost 2 lbs which is twice as much as I had planned to lose.

My evening motivation to not snack after dinner was very high this week, although it slipped a bit yesterday because I had bought some gorgeous cherries and raspberries and found those too much to resist.  Having said that though, it's a world away from the 400g bar of Cadbury's I'd regularly put away, or the entire packet of chocolate hobnobs.

I am doubly surprised at my weight loss this week, because I had a bit of a mad weekend overall for eating.  I had fish and chips on Saturday evening, and at TOO MUCH.  I should have followed my daughter's example, and actually taken half the chips off of my plate.  I felt ill afterwards.

I kind of over-ate at a little at dinner time on Sunday too, but not to the same extent.  So it's back to normal sized portions.

Even though I haven't dieted for 10 years, the difference this time to previous times I have dieted, is that if I go a little off the rails, I don't go crazy and think "oh well, might as well eat like crazy and start again tomorrow."  Then feel a massive pang of guilt.

This time around, I just say to myself, "ok, I've eaten a bit too much, I'll be more careful tomorrow.  One day won't ruin everything."  

It's a much better mindset, and one that doesn't sabotage myself.

As far as exercise goes, I've not done as much deliberate exercise because we've been getting the kitchen emptied ready for the workmen who are due to arrive today to install a new kitchen.

I did swim once and walk down to the shops twice, but I moved around more at home.

Albany Swimming pool opens up again today though, after two weeks of being closed for refurbishment, so that should make it easier to go swimming.

My goal for this week, seeing as I am regularly losing 2 lbs, is to lose another 2 lbs, taking me very very close to my first goal of 14 stone 8 pounds.

This is a psychological first goal for me. This is kind of the slimmer end of my current size, if that makes sense.  This is the weight at which my clothes fit easily and I feel good in them.  

To remind myself, I started losing weight because my clothes had become so tight, that on the way to Penrallt, I had to take my bra off because it was digging into me, and my previously loose trousers were so tight around my middle that they were uncomfortable.

Also, whilst at Penrallt, I had a massage from a back specialist, and was quite concerned that when I lay on my back, I was so fat that he couldn't really reach my neck because the fat rode up so high.

Since I've started this diet, my uncle has had two heart attacks, and this reminds me of my family history that I need to protect myself from.  My dad has angina and has had a bad stroke, my mum has had a heart attack, my uncle has had two.  In addition, all the women on my mum's side have diabetes and severe back problems.  So, by losing weight and exercising, I will protect myself from these health risks.

Week 3

It's Monday - weigh in day.

I am now 14 stone 12 lbs and 3/4

I have lost 2 lbs this week.

This is EXCELLENT.

I was only aiming to lose a pound a week by cutting out evening snacks so this has exceeded my expectations.

The annoying thing is, that I weighed myself on Saturday and was 14 stone 12, but it hasn't been a GREAT week food wise.  Darren got me some chocolates I had my eye on for some time. Some thorntons ones.  I ate them old habit style, in the evening, and you know what, they were not very nice, but out of habit, I ate them.  I didn't exactly REGRET it, but it didn't give me the pleasure it usually did.  

It made me realise that I'm unlikely to do that again.  

Also, yesterday, we went to pizza hut because the house is a mess due to decorating and the kids were hungry NOW.  And what I really wanted was one slice of pizza and a salad, but I put 'value' ahead of choice and ended up going for a small deep pan and greasy mushroom starter.

I felt bloated all evening, I hated the greasy feel in my mouth afterwards and today, I'm 3/4 of a pound heavier than Saturday.

So, the moral of this story is to eat what you want, not what offers the best 'value', because that 'value' is only made up with cheap bread and lard.

Another thing I learnt this week was not to eat something for somebody else.  Darren got me a chocolate bar after the pizza hut yesterday but I didn't want it.  So, I didn't eat it.  And then, I completely forgot about it.

As far as exercise goes, this was a good week.  We walked to the library twice and went swimming twice.  Lots of moving stuff in the house pre-kitchen installation.  I'm sure it's this, rather than my food choices that contributed to my 2lb weight loss last week.

So, these are my aims for this week.   

I will  swim twice and walk to the library or shops twice.

I will make better food choices.  Less fatty options.  More fruit (I'll need to go to costco)

Eat Well and Move More.

Week 2

15:0 3/4  (-3 1/4 lbs)

Whilst this looks great on the surface, and it is, there are some changes to how I'm weighing myself which will account for the 3 1/4 pound loss.

My mum gave me her old digital scales which I think are much more accurate than the dial scales I was using at my mums.  Also, I'm weighing myself in the morning when one is always lighter, and with no clothes on, which accounts for 2 lbs.

However, it's still a nice boost given the ice cream sunday I had at the cinema yesterday, the Turkish take out I had on Saturday and the cupcake I had on Friday.

Still, I'm 100% motivated on the no eating in the evenings, as this is an experiment to see if I can have a slow 1 lb loss every week by cutting out snacks in the evening, but I could exercise more.

I went swimming last week, and walked down to the shops.  But I could easily add in some cycling.  So that's the plan for this week.  Swimming tonight, add in 1 cycle ride, and walk to the shops a couple of times and also be more careful with the weekend eating in the evenings.

Blog to keep track of my diet

I'm using this blog to log my diet.

I'll be tracking how much I lose as well as what I eat and how much exercise I do.

It's not really intended to be exciting or anything, just a log, but this seems a good a place to log it as any.

My goal is to lose 1 lb a week for a year. That's nice and steady, hence the blog title, the tortoise and the hare, but should help me to retrain the way I eat and change my lifestyle.

I am currently 15 stone and 4 lb.