Cupcakes Be Gone!

Keep going!

2009-02-05T08:08:00.000-08:00

Well, things aren’t going too bad on the diet and exercise font at the moment. 3 weeks in, and I haven’t missed a gym session yet. Ok, it’s only 2 sessions a week at the moment, but it’s better than what I used to o (0 sessions at any time!). I am really enjoying going, and will be changing my personal plan in 3 weeks time.

I have got a date for my Race for Life, so I now also have a definitive goal to work towards. I know it’s only 5k, but I really want to run at least half of it this year, even if I have to walk the other half.

I haven’t been following a specific diet plan at all. To be brutally honest, I don’t have time to be counting calries/points/syns and I can’t really be bothered to work out if I am having a green or a red day. All I am doing is stopping when I am full, and leaving about 20 minutes after I am finished eating to see if I am still hungry. If I am, I will have something else, but 9 times out of 10, I am not hungry at all. If I want to satisfy my sweet craving, I have a couple of pieces of dark chocolate.

It is normally about this time in any plan or regime that I am following that I give up, however, if I keep going on this one, who knows where I will end up? It seems to be going well at the moment, so keep your fingers crossed for continued success.

Am I officially a gym bunny now?

2009-01-20T05:14:00.000-08:00

OK, So I did it. I went to the gym at work in my lunch hour. My program is:

5 mins bike
10 ins rowing machine
10 mins cross trainer
20 mins treadmill

Today, I did:

5 mins bike – well, tbh the bike I was using had a dodgy clock on it and kept re-setting the times, so I probably did more than 5 mins.
10 mins rowing machine
12 mins treadmill – my shjns were killing me by this time and I thought it best to stop.

Considering I haven’t done anything majorly cardiovascular for at least 18 months, I’m pretty proud of myself, and I know that on Thursday I can and will do better!

Water water everywhere!

2009-01-18T11:50:00.000-08:00

I HATE water retention! I am SO sick of being able to look in the mirror one day and feel not too bad about myself, and that maybe the "stopping when full" is working, and have the oomph to carry on, and then the next day, looking in the mirror and seeing a blimp looking back at me and feel like a whale! I know that as long as I carry on just eating sensibly and exercising, that I will actually lose weight and the water retention will be nothing to worry about, but in the meantime, it is totally doing my head in!!!!!!!!!!!

On the upside, I have joined the gym at work, had my induction, my mini MOT and my personal program has been set up for me, so roll on Tuesday when I will be going in my lunch hour, and in a really weird kind of way, I am actually looking forward to it. I am also going to try and build up my walking. Without making excuses, it will be so much easier when my son starts going to nursery in March, as I will have 2.5hours free each day, and on my days off I can do a DVD or go for a nice power walk.

Roll on Tuesday!

Flylady and my shiny sink!

2009-01-15T01:01:00.000-08:00

I haven't been on for a few days but thats only because I have been extremely good and working on all my aims. I've been busy working on my sites too, up until late adding new items...keeping it up whilst the positivity and motivation I have is still working!!!

One of my 'problem areas' in my life was house organisation/clutter/cleaning/tidying etc...so I started following the flylady system. And found myself with lots and lots of emails which seem to be hourly motivating me to do little things around the house.

I have to admit that a lot of these have gone unread BUT flylady HAS worked for me despite the unread emails. One of the very first things I read was the Shiny Sink 101, and have since learnt how satisyfing it is, even amongst the rest of the chaos how nice it is to know that my kitchen sink is clean...not full of washing up and...shiny! And somehow with that I have managed to keep my kitchen organised and clean for more or less 24 hours a day and this is a first for me and I'm blooming proud of myself!!

As for the diet, I don't know if I have lost any weight (I daren't weigh myself) but I have been making a HUGE effort to cut down and have not eaten biscuits/choc for ages...But I'm constantly hungry and for me, water does not cut it. I hope the hunger feelings go soon!

OK, I really don't understand this now!

2009-01-08T08:45:00.001-08:00

This is just SO weird. Today, I have had 1 Rice Krispies creal bar, a banana and a yoghurt for breakfast. Between 8.30 and 12.30, I nibbled on shredded coconut, banana chips, dried mango and pineapple pieces and brazil nuts. I probably had about 1 handful in total. At 12.30, I was ready for my lunch and had a Ham and cheesy coleslaw sandwich on brown bread. After my sandwich I was totally stuffed. I have had 1 cup of black tea and up to now (4.45) 11 x 0.2l cups of water. What is going on?

I have on my desk in front of me an Apple mullerrice, a Green and Black cereal bar and the rest of my bag of fruit nibbles. I am not in the slightest bit hungry, still full from lunch. Could it be all the water I'm drinking?

The reason I drink so much is that it stops me nibbling on stuff. Could I be drinking TOO MUCH water? I have already had about 2 litres, and will probably have another 1/2 litre when I get home.

OK, I relented at 4.50 and had some more fruit, about 2 mouthfulls, BUT the Muller and Green and Blacks bar are still on my desk untouched.

I found solace in the bottom of a chocolate brownie bar....

2009-01-08T07:56:00.000-08:00

The title says it all really!!
I went shopping to Asda after breakfast....and feeling a bit low and anxious, my inner naughty food radar found a reduced Honeybuns gluten free chocolate brownie and bought it.
I don't why, but I did. I mean, being on a diet an' all!
As soon as I loaded the shopping into the boot of my car, I sat down and enjoyed every last crumb. And I didn't feel so bad as yesterdays choc muffin 'episode' as it didn't have wheat...so I was allowed it despite the label shouting at me that it was over 500 calories!!!!

Later on this afternoon my friend Sam and I took her gorgeous dalmation over the fields, and felt great for it, even if I am feeling extremely flushed now!
We put the world to rights and came home feeling less anxious and more 'with it'.

Surprising what a bit of exercise, fresh air and talking can do it to the soul!

Mind over Matter - Paul McKenna?

2009-01-08T00:22:00.000-08:00

How weird is this? I had 1 bolied egg for breakfast, with 1 and a half slices of toast soldiers. Then, I had nothing until lunch when I had 2 slices of brown bread, 2 slices of ham, spread of mayo, 5 cherry toms and 12 pringles. I then has a small piece of mum’s Christmas Cake. I was pleasantly full, not stuffed, but still brought an apple and a banana to work for my 3.00 munchies, but they never came. I had 8 cups of water at work, and had to have my apple at 4.30 as I had hunger pangs.We had homemade shepherds pie for tea, and I had the other half the slice of Xmas cake from lunch. I am now full, just a really nice feeling in my tummy. I will drink about another 1/2 litre of water before bed (saves me snacking on Xmas chocs), but I feel as if I could quite happily go until tomorrow morning without eating anything else.I have read Paul's book, and the only one of the 4 rules I have a minor problem with is to eat when you are hungry. What with the school run, and lunch hours at work, it's not always practical, i'd say about 85% of the time I can do it, just not 100%.Maybe if I listened to my body more instead of just shovelling food down my neck, I might find weight loss at bit less of a struggle.

Living Frugally

2009-01-07T01:55:00.000-08:00

Yet another thing on my list of 'to dos' is to learn to be more 'frugal' (economical in the use of money or resources; thrifty)

To be honest, my family and I are very UN frugal but I plan to change this! I've found lots and lots of Frugal living websites (UK based too!!) which give tips and advice as well as recipes, freebie sites etc - which I will list when I get the time, they all make for interesting reading!

Whilst browsing I found an offer someone may be interested in, a free full sized sample of Rimmel's NEW LASTING FINISH MINERALS LOOSE POWDER FOUNDATION. All I needed to do was register with Rimmel and answer the a question (the answer is Up to 12 hours) and they are now going to send a sample. I'll post when I get it! (heres the link - http://www.rimmellondon.com/UK/promotions.aspx?id=359)

Anyway...today I'm feeling pretty rotten, a right stuffy head and blocked sinuses and sore throat, when I feel like this I just want to EAT, especially crisps! But I haven't yet and I will try to be good but don't hold too much hope for me today!

The tea thing? I can't do it, I'm afraid I'm addicted to the stuff. My life is just not right without a cuppa in my hand!!!

*update*
I have a confession!! =(
I purchased 4 big choc muffins in Tesco to take over to my nephews (he's 16 today everyone!) and upon unloading my shopping found that one of the muffins had been squashed and what did I do...? I thought it looked *eherm* unsightly....and ate it.
And did I enjoy it?? Nope, not one bit, yet I ate and ate until it had all gone. And now besides feeling slightly sick, I also feel huge guilt and fat!
GRRRR!

Today's the day

2009-01-07T01:28:00.001-08:00

Well, I started yesterday with good intentions, which lasted until about 3.30 when the afternoon munchies hit. I had a Green and Blacks cereal bar, so not all bad, but the fruit in it on its own would have been SO much better! Also, after a lovely sausage casserole made by my wonderful DH, there were 2 bakewell tarts left in the tin, and I could just feel them staring at me saying "if you eat us both tonight, then you can start again tomorrow". My lack of willpower overtook, and I ate them! I felt like a pig afterwards, and quite disgusted with myself, but there wasn't really a lot I could do about it.

Today, I know there are no more cakes in the house, all of my Christmas chocolate is in a jar that my hubby bought me for Christmas which you can set a timer on and if you try and get it open before the time runs out, it gives you an electric shock! I have joined the gym at work, and have my induction on Monday morning, so I am NOW ready and sorted.

I don't know about anyone else, but each night when I am sat in bed watching TV, I can imagine myself the following day, eating all this healthy food, almost imagination meal planning. Then I get up, and the whole plan seems to have disappeared. But, not this time. I have had 1 boiled egg, with 1.5 slices of buttered toast for breakfast. Lunch will probably be cup a soup and a ham sandwich followed by a yoghurt, and a banana at 3.00, and tea will be homemade shepherds pie, followed by a cup of tea and 2 jaffa cakes. Now that I've written it down, I'll have to eat just that, or else I'll feel like a hypocrite and a fat minger for ever!

Totally addicted to...Tea!

2009-01-06T01:28:00.000-08:00

I'm sat drinking my second cuppa of the day...
Just like smokers may claim that a cigarette may go hand in hand with a beer, I claim that a cup of tea goes hand in hand with me when I'm sat on the PC typing away and reading emails.

I obviously need something else to slurp whilst I'm on on the pc!...any ideas? I won't be able to do water...I can drink water fine but it won't satisfy my urges!!

I may brew the green tea which has been lurking in my cupboard for a while now...The thought makes me feel a bit blurgh as the taste is...different to say the least! but I think it's a case of just getting used to it. Like chamomile or peppermint, which I hated at first but now am quite partial to it at times.

But honestly? Give me tetley anytime!!

2009-01-05T09:10:00.000-08:00

Where do I start? I don't know. I'm no good at starting these kind of things.
If you are here then you probably feel the same as me. You want to better yourself? Get fit? Lose weight? Learn something new?.....a whole multitude of things.....?

I've started this blog to log down how I feel - my lows, my highs...To motivate, to be motivated.

I start this on the Fifth of January 2009, feeling bloated, lethargic, unfit, unconfident...and thats just me getting warmed up! I aim to feel better about myself by eating healthier, getting active, and finding 'me' I hope that doesn't sound too deep!

I'm 30 this year and I feel I haven't achieved a great deal, and I really thought that by 30 years old I would have achieved more than I have done. I hope to change this!

Wow, I wrote more than I thought I would, and there was me thinking I had drawn a blank!