Category Archives: change

Beware stretchy clothes – for they are the enemy!

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So I wrote in a previous post about staying aware and staying changed. This morning, I had the perfect wake-up call for this.

Yes, I went to the gym on Saturday, but yes, I also enjoyed a little break from healthy eating over the weekend.  Apart from the gym, I was not very active and lolled around for most of the weekend in my stretchy gym gear or PJs. So far, so comfy!

Pasta was my friend again this weekend, and so was a very pleasant dry, white wine and other things that have been absent for a while! Now, usually this would be okay, under the good old 80/20 rule. In reality, it was more like 50/50 over this past week, 50% ‘good’, 50% not. And amazingly, this morning it showed in how my clothes fit. Or didn’t.

Yes, dear friends, the skirt I put on for work this morning was too tight. Now, I know this is hardly world headline breaking news, but I really was a little shocked.  And disappointed. It was my wake-up call! Enough is enough. Time to reverse the trend.

So, beware stretchy clothes, everyone – for they are the enemy! They let you put on weight and carry on in blissful ignorance, happily in denial, until you need to wear something fitted.

But, stretchy clothes will not win! I am changed. I am not in denial. I am aware. I will not buy larger clothes! I started to address it today.

So that’s me, still making the change and staying changed.

Stable. Stuck. So should I stick, or stick with it?

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Greetings to you all, this fine day. Had a very busy, but productive week at work with not much space for ‘me’ time.  Went to the gym in Sunday, but didn’t manage to get there again until this morning. But that’s just about twice in a week, so not too bad.

Now here’s the thing. I’ve lost a fair bit of body weight – and 3 dress sizes – (yay!) – since June last year. I was last stable at my current weight about 18-20 years ago (wow, that’s scarier written down, than in my head!) It’s still not quite where I want to be and I am definitely not beach-ready, if you know what I mean. I’ve been stable to within about 5lbs at this weight for the last two months. I know this is a good thing and it proves that I can maintain my weight.
But I’d really, really like to get a little bit more off. I wondering if psychologically I am taking into account other people’s comments:
“Don’t go too far – we don’t want you to be a lollipop head”
“Don’t get too skinny, you’ll be a beanpole!”
I think it might be because I like my food, and it is nice to eat a bit more – to be stablising, not dieting. I can ‘live’ at the weight I am – you definitely would not describe me as skinny and according to my BMI, I am right on the borderline of healthy weight and overweight.
This week, I thought, right, this is it, stop messing around, I’ll stick at it, give it a four-week focus, get to where I am happy (and firmly in the healthy BMI range) and then stabilise. But for some reason I have struggled. Maybe I just don’t want it enough. Maybe I am diet-weary.
Maybe I should stabilise for a bit, and gradually, gradually try to get to a lower weight – carry on with the gym, tone up and keep a track on my weight. Am not sure. As a minimum, I’ll be working at sticking where I am – making sure the belt stays on the same notch and that my clothes don’t get tighter than they should be.
And maybe tomorrow evening, after a nice weekend, I’ll have the motivation to do that four-week push for the last few pounds.
As you can see, I am undecided. If you’ve experienced something similar, I’d love to hear what you did about it! Looking for some inspiration and advice!

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March 2012
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May 2012
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April 2013
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March 2013

Too many Easter Eggs? Time to get back on the diet pony!

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Well, the Easter break in the UK was 4 days long and a very welcome break from work. Met up with family, celebrated my Godson’s 16th birthday and generally ate and drank what I wanted to.

When I woke up yesterday (day 4) I felt more sluggish than normal – almost like a hangover. It seems my body has become used to eating more healthily – and it was not too keen on the carb-laden treats of the weekend.

Stepping on the scales was none too pleasant this morning either, but no more denial for me, the Easter weight needs to come off. So, today I jumped back on the diet pony and even went to the gym after work with Wayne (Fiance). Neither of us really wanted to go, but somehow we cajoled ourselves into going. Once there, I did a good job of impersonating someone who was enjoying themselves 🙂 except for the burpees with this weird pipe thing and doing the plank on a powerplate! Ouch.

If you’re reading this and you’ve over-indulged… don’t worry, just start being healthier tomorrow. Oh yes, and try to get some decent sleep – apparently it helps with weight-loss.

Night, night, my friends!

Stay Changed. Be Aware.

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It’s a bit of a constant mission, this ‘project me’  thing. It’s not just over when you reach your goal weight. Here’s a little of what I’ve learned over this change process:

One, decide what to want to change. Two, make the change. Three, you are changed! Ta Da! Not done yet, though. Four: Stay changed – or end up right back where you started again. And that’s not good. Unless you liked that place. And I definitely didn’t!

What’s a tiny bit scary is that the behaviour from ‘before’ is just there, waiting, below the surface… waiting to make its appearance. In my case it could be the eating to celebrate … the convenience (for convenience, read junk food) eating … and possibly the worst offender, eating when not even hungry. What can I say, I like food! But you know, a slip-up is just that. As slip-up. A few days off is absolutely fine – and probably quite healthy. I’m probably going to make a mistake, go a bit food-crazy from time to time. The important thing is to recognise when I am no longer making sensible choices as soon as possible and not let it get out of control. In the past, this has been my mistake – I haven’t noticed as the weight gradually piled back on. So this is how I am trying to stay changed:

1) Stay active – walk up stairs; park away from the supermarket door (not the closest possible parking space!) – go to the gym once or twice a week (it’s hard to avoid those full-length mirrors!)

2) Stay well-hydrated (it’s amazing how easy it is to forget about this)

3) Wear belts or tight-fitting clothes (or at least, not stretchy clothes) – to tell when my waistline starts to increase!

4) Get on the scales once a week

5) Throw away larger sized clothes so there is no instant bigger wardrobe on hand; give them to the charity shop or have them made smaller

6) Nip any weight gain in the bud and don’t let it get out of control.  It’s easier (and less depressing!) to lose 6 lbs than 20. Or 40!

I think awareness is going to be key. So that’s my goal: Stay changed. Be aware.

Wow. ‘Normal sized’ people diet too?

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Who knew? Well, I probably did, but I was clearly not taking any notice of it! Why this didn’t sink in before, I have no idea.

Of course slim people watch what they eat too. They cut down those calories before a holiday or a weekend away… and then again when they get back. I accept that there will always be exceptions – the person that can seemingly eat anything they want and never gain weight – but ultimately if you increase your calorie intake vs your calorie expendure, you will gain weight – and vice versa.

But back to the slim-jims … they might eat less Monday to Friday, so they can relax a bit over the weekend. Or maybe they’ll do some extra exercise to compensate.

Wow. That sounds simple. Although it’s taken me most of my adult life to realise this, I’m trying to be one of ‘those’ people. The ones that conciously eat … and the ones that enjoy their splurges, but stop the food party afterwards!

PS Off to the gym this afternoon to try out a new, personlised programme – got a feeling I’m going to feel it later on!

When do you know you’ve succeeded? And what are you doing this week to achieve your goal?

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I find it interesting as people are now asking me how I’ve lost weight. In their minds it is as if I have already succeeded. (By the way, there’s no one easy answer because I’ve changed just about everything, from using the stairs and not the lift – to my entire eating habits. I’ll come back to this – probably – in another post.)

I wrote in my last post that my mantra was ‘get it off, keep it off’. Well, I’m still in the ‘getting it off’ place – a few more pounds to go.

But it got me thinking – how do I know when I have been successful? I don’t feel like I am successful… yet! Yes, I am part of the way there, but I think it has to be to do with the latter part of my mantra ‘keep it off’.  As we know, a massive proportion of dieters regain the weight after they have dieted.

So I think I’ll be able to say that I have been successful if I am the same weight as I am now (or less) in one year’s time. That will be an achievement.

In the mean time – to keep losing those few extra pounds so that I achieve my goal – and to counterbalance going out for lunch AND dinner on Friday (can’t wait!) – I’m going to:

  1. Make sure I drink at least 2 litres of water a day (yes, water helps!)
  2. Get to bed before midnight (yes, sleep matters)
  3. Go to the gym on Sunday for an ‘MOT’ (health check) and workout (no surprises, here)
  4. Watch ‘The Biggest Loser’ for motivation!

What about you? What will you do to help achieve your goal this week?

Until next time…

 

 

 

“Is this plane seat smaller than the others in the row in front?”

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Slightly too long pause.

British Airways Crew “Er… no, madam!” Uh oh. It’s just the size of my bottom, then, causing the trouble! Not an auspicious start to my holiday and not a very comfortable two hour flight. Thank goodness it was a short haul flight!

Well, that was then, last year. Things are a bit different now. Thankfully.

What sparked this particular memory was this wonderful image I found on Facebook on Detox International’s Facebook page last week – which really resonated with me.

Website: Credit: https://www.faactually I just woke up one daycebook.com/pages/Detox-International-A-life-changing-experience/276360322420371

It struck me then once you have decided you want to change – then you do. It’s not that difficult, you just have to want it enough. It can apply to any area of your life – big or small.

This is what happened to me after the plane incident. Last June I started ‘Project Me’. I didn’t blog about it. I didn’t really talk about it – except to those closest to me. I just did it. I am still doing it.

I am trying to become healthier by the day by losing the unnecessary weight and becoming more active. And becoming more aware of myself – because somehow, somewhere, I had lost ‘Andrea’ – she was buried deep in extra layers. And boy did ‘she’ like to reward herself with food and drink. Tough day? Glass of wine! Good day? Glass of wine? Normal day. Oh, let’s have some nice dinner. And on it went.

So my first trigger for action was the (small!) plane seat.  The second was choosing what to wear every day had become a trauma. It was taking longer and longer to find something that looked vaguely flattering, to hide my increasing bulk.  But, really, the plane was the trigger. Enough was enough. I enjoyed my few days abroad, but I knew I had to do something about it. Summer was coming and I had a big programme of events to deliver for work – where it would be difficult to eat healthily. Timing was terrible. But deep inside, I had to start. So start I did. I bought a pedometer. I found myfitnesspal.com – a free app that calorie counts your food. And that was the start.  So gradually, I am changing and I need to stay changed!

My mantra is ‘get it off, keep it off’. I have a feeling it will be the continuing challenge of my lifetime. I’ll be blogging about my journey from time to time – sharing things I have discovered  about myself in the hope that even one other person (apart from me!) will be helped or inspired to make some positive changes in their lives. Until next time!

Swimming to restart!

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So last time I went for a swim I felt terrible. It was a horrible swim, the worst since I started. I couldn’t understand it – surely I should be progressing, not the opposite!

All made sense though a couple days later as just couldn’t keep awake and was unwell – must have been fighting it when I went swimming.

Then had a mega busy time at work and I haven’t really felt like going swimming since. I can get up early to watch the F1 or work, but not for a swim?! So today is the day. Off for a splish splosh.

Have a great day, y’all!

Training and Rewards

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So 2 swimming sessions done so far this week. So far.
I decided a couple of weeks back that once I got to 10 swimming sessions that I’d allow myself a reward. So on Sunday it’ll be 10 sessions done, so I shall be buying myself some boots that I’ve been wanting for a while! Often, though, my ‘reward’ for anything would be food or drink… but am trying to get out of that habit! You know that thing. Food to be sociable. Food to commiserate. Food to celebrate. Food because I deserve it.  I guess I need to change just ‘food’ to ‘healthy food’!!

Anyway today I swam about 90 lengths today – and about 40 of them legs only! Feeling it a bit tonight!

Session 4 … pull buoys and swim paddles …!?

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So I didn’t manage two training sessions this week as I was chained to my work desk! I won’t bore you with the details except to say that I more well-aquainted with Brazilian import prodedures than our Post Room (and more than should be) and yet I still have four packages stuck in Sao Paolo that should be somewhere else. Just a tiny example of the week’s trials and tribulations.

So swam I did this evening at least – session 4 of the Swimathon training and it was tough. And apparently I needed a swim paddles (for my hands) help with the training. And a pull buoy (just a funny shaped float). So no swim paddles unfortunately – I had never even heard of then so I’ll have to acquire some! So I did 30 lengths without swim paddles – just arms only – but it took me ages. I guess the paddles would have made me faster, right? If anyone knows, please do tell!

I haven’t signed up for the 5K yet (200 lengths of a 25m pool) and I’m slightly concerned that I’ll be the slowest one there and run out of time to do it!  I guess I still have time as it’s in April…!