Weekly Weight Loss Report week 14 - Finding motivation

I missed last week's weight loss report as I was away in Cardiff having a hyperlocal blast at Talk About Local's un-conference.

I did over indulge a little last weekend and put on 2lbs. So, this week, weight loss wise, I have the same results as two weeks ago.

The excess 2lbs went on quickly and came off quickly.

Being only 4lbs away from my 50lb weight loss goal is getting quite exciting. I must admit I'm so proud about this progress. This time last year I wouldn't have been interested at all in losing the excess weight. If you had of brought up the subject I would have said "I'm fine as I am. I'm happy. I'll get round to it one day". Half acknowledging that from a health point of view it's better to be slim, but at the same time giving stubborn resistance to changing myself.

And I guess this is one of they main keys to losing weight: You can't lose weight for anyone else but yourself. YOU have to be ready

You can't do it for your parents, friends or partners

It's going to be your personal journey

And only you will know when you are ready.

Of course you can understand friends and family concerns and why they would want you to lose weight. Their motivation is for you to be healthy and live longer. That's so natural!

But from my experience, somethings got to change in YOU.

You have to make the switch in your mind and find your own motivation, whatever form that may come in.

Perhaps you are just curious to see what happens if you start to eat healthier and move a little more.

Perhaps there is always something you have wanted to do, but have been physically unable to due to excess weight

Perhaps you are just sick of feeling the way you do, whether that's mentally or physically.

Perhaps you have an event coming up that you would love to go to and have your eye on a certain outfit that you would know will looking amazing on you when you have lost some weight

Perhaps you know, deep down, that your putting your health at risk, and you really do need to make a change.

It's your body and you can take control.

Losing weight doesn't have to be a miserable experience! I think that's what put people off trying some times. They foresee a life of deprivation. It doesn't have to be that way. It's about BALANCE.

I haven't felt deprived in the last 7 months. About 80/90% of the time, I'll have a healthy diet consisting of natural non processed food, and the other 10/20% I'll have what I feel like. For example, last night's tv snacks consisted of cake, peanuts and crisps with a glass of wine. Now I just watch my portions, and find myself easier satisfied with small amounts.

If you want to lose weight, be patient with yourself. Give yourself the time you and your body needs to adjust. Your taste buds will change too. Give it time.

Figure out HOW you are going to lose weight. I think most of us know this one really. You would have to be living in a cave not to read or watch something on tv about healthly eating and balanced diet, and exercise. Do some research if necessary, but I would be keen to point you in the direction of a healthy sustainable way to lose weight. Check resources that support this.

DIETS DON'T WORK!

That's a phrase you hear time and again. Well, actually, I'd have to disagree with that. Diet's DO work. IF you stick to them.

Atkins, Cabbage Soup, Low Calorie, Grapefruit, Hollywood, Meal Replacement, Baby Food (YUP!), Maple Syrup... you get the idea!

HOWEVER, these are fad diets, and I would strongly recommend you don't go down this route. Sure, you might get a quick weight loss result in the first week, but at what cost? These diets aren't sustainable, and they don't teach you how to eat 'normally'. Be lured in by their promises at your own risk!

There are a few weight loss companies that seem to have a good reputation, so if you need some extra guidance and the option of having support, you can attend meetings with others people losing weight, or join communities online. I'm talking about Weight Watchers, Slimming World and Rosemary Conley.

Out of those I have only tried Weight Watchers. It must have been about 15 years ago, and I lost weight, and got to my goal. I joined again in December 2010 for a month's free online trial, and they have shaken up the food plan quite a bit since 15 years ago, and it seems more flexible and it definitely encourages healthy eating with lots of fruit and vegetables. I thought I would give it a try, but I didn't stick to it, so didn't lose much weight. And that's totally MY fault, not Weight Watchers. As I said, if you follow a plan, it will work. I didn't follow it. (I was too busy eating After Eights over Xmas!) ;)

Around Jan/Feb I started to pay a bit more attention to calories for a few weeks, and then realised I don't want to be a calorie counter. I just found it too time consuming, and prefer to eat more and instinctively. It's what worked for me when I started this weight loss journey last August and it suits me.

Take time to find out what suits you. There may be some time invested in trial and experimentation. You may experience set backs. Just see those as learning experiences and a way to find out what isn't working for you so you can adjust and move on.

From experiencing the benefits of weight loss personally, I'm so glad that I took my head out of the sand and got rid of the stuborness I had in relation to losing weight. I'll reach my goal soon enough, but that won't be the end of the journey! It will just change direction a little in that I will be working on keeping off the lost weight :)

Weekly weight loss report week 11 - What am I eating to lose weight?

I've stayed the same this week. In fact, apart from the quick 3lbs on/off a couple of weeks ago, I'm the same weight as 3 weeks ago.

So still 43lbs down

Still 7 more to go, which I've just realised, when I reach that, will make a total loss of FIFTY pounds (3st 8lbs)!

I'm pretty much ok with not having a loss this week. Yes, I would have been pleased to see a loss, but I also remind myself how far I've come, and how delighted I was when the scales registered a 43lb loss.

Also, and I'm very annoyed with myself about this, I've only been for one run this week and NO HULA HOOPING! :( The last week has been full on work wise. I have got SO much done, and after being really run down a couple of weeks ago my energy levels have shot back up, so I've been making hay whilst the sun shines and managed to do 13 hour days this week!

However, I'm aware of falling into the same routine that got me piling on the pounds over the last few years.... work, work, work (which I absolutely love!) and no exercise (which I am now also loving).

Eating wise, I'm right on track. I'm still doing the things that helped me lose weight. A balanced diet that includes lots of fruit and vegetables.

This is my fruit and veg 'haul' from my shop last Saturday.



A week later, this is what I have left.




And I've just stocked up again today with this little lot...




I've had lots of questions about what I'm eating to lose weight, and I do plan to dedicate a blog post to that at some point (I promise!).



But don't let the photos bring you to the wrong conclusion, I do eat more than just fruit and veg!

As I have been asked: Yes, I do eat carbs. This week for instance, I've had potatoes, rice and rice noodles.

And I eat meat: this week, tuna, bacon, chicken, lamb, duck (3 times!) and pork.



And I do have 'treats' such as crisps, chocolate and cookies! Oh, and alcohol!

I'm eating more seasonally. During the cold winter months I had a lot more stews and soups ( I LOVE my slow cooker ) and hot and hearty Sunday roast type dinners.

Now spring is starting to appear I'm in the mood for stir fries and less 'heavy' food.

And in preparation for the blazing summer we are bound to have (ha) I treated myself to a book for some salad inspiration.







I've eaten out a couple of times this week and had a Chinese take away. I'm getting less and less pleasure from eating out, what with also avoiding gluten/dairy until I get the chance to figure out my allergy. Anyway, in the take away I asked for boiled rice. Simple enough right? Oh noooooooo! Not simple at all. When I got home I found the rice to be covered in OIL!

Fuming? Yep! It wasn't like I was given fried rice by mistake. This was literally boiled white rice with some sort of oil on it.

Now it seems I'm going to have to ask if food is gluten/dairy and OIL free! *sigh*. I'm not adverse to oil or fat. I use oil (olive, vegetable, sesame) when cooking, but use it sparingly. I don't mind eating something with fat in it, WHEN I CHOSE TO, but don't force it upon me when I only want boiled rice. *rant over*

To sum up, I'm eating mostly natural, unprocessed food around 80-90% of the time, and out of that I'd estimate that fruit and veg make up 50-60%.

A roughly typical dinner plate might look like this...










But that's only a rough estimate. Sometimes there'll be much more veg, sometimes less protein or more carbs. I really don't get hung about this type of thing, nor do I want to. I just try and eat instinctively and have the freedom to have what I want. As I have mentioned before, my taste buds have changed so much, and I rarely will want something highly processed very often.

Anyway, the sun is shining and I've promised myself a run today!

Get in touch if you have any questions! Have a great weekend :)

Weekly weight loss report - week 5

In the photo below you are looking at a lady who is just 1.8lbs away from a 40lb weight loss!

I should reach the 40lb mark soon and this is quite significant for me as when I started my weight loss endeavours in August, 40lbs was my goal.


Taken before I went out last night.

And it's just dawned on me that 6 months have passed since I decided to lose weight (having more energy for my trip to NYC was my motivation). During that time I've lost on average 6lbs a month/1.5lbs a week. A nice steady, and as the doctors like to tell us, sensible weight loss rate.

This week's weight loss - 2.4lbs
Total weight loss - 38.8lbs (2 stone 10.8lbs)



I must say I've surprised myself. I was never unhappy when I was heavier. I liked my curves! It didn't affect my confidence. I have high self esteem and I wouldn't criticise my looks or start any negative talk in my head or put myself down. I'd occasionally wish my tummy was a bit flatter, but that was a momentary thought that would be forgotten quite quickly.

Very occasionally my Mum or my best friend would suggest it might be healthier to lose weight, but I didn't pay much heed - I was happy as I was!

If it wasn't for my New York trip, perhaps I would still be the same weight as I was six months ago.

When I started to lose the pounds my Mum would say "You must feel better for it. You must feel the benefit." And I would kinda think "Well, I don't feel worse for it." It's only since breaking past the 30lb mark that I have started to feel differently....

Here are a few changes I've noticed:

• I feel 'lighter' now. When I move around now, it's hard to explain, but it feels 'easier'.
• I've introduced running and hula hooping, and find it hard to imagine running around whilst carrying around 30+lbs
• I can wear high heels for longer without my feet hurting. Bonus! I haven't got the extra weight bearing down on my feet. My feet still ache, but it takes longer for that to kick in
• It's getting easier to shop for clothes and they fit better which equals less stress whilst shopping
• I don't crave junk or over processed foods anymore. My taste buds have changed.
• I'm really enjoying cooking and planning my meals and I make more decisions based on nutrients and listening to what my body is asking for - I need more vegetables today. I need more fruit. I need more carbs. I would like a little bit of chocolate (rather than the whole bar!) I'm eating more instinctively.
• My energy levels have increased. They must have done for me to take up running!

So now I'm feeling the benefits of weight loss. I don't feel this has been a hard, emotional, arduous time. Quite the opposite; it's exciting and I don't feel deprived of anything plus I'm really proud of myself too.

I still have a little way to go, but I'm getting there. I'm not in a rush and I'm enjoying the journey :)