Goals For 2013

I have decided on my New Years Resolutions for 2013, or how I prefer to stay it my goals for the following year to come!

1) To carry on with my weight loss journey that I started last year.  I have also reminded myself  why I have started my weight loss journey.  I am also going to do a monthly plan on what I want to achieve to help motivate me.

2) To help achieve my dream and my weight loss I am going to make sure I do at least some form of exercise at least 5 days a week (aim is to go for 7 days a week!)

I have to forget that I have put weight on over Christmas (that was going to happen) and not let it upset me.

Here is to the next 12 months!

HEARTSTRINGS: " I Think I Can, I Think I Can!"

HEARTSTRINGS: " I Think I Can, I Think I Can!": “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude” ~Maya Angelou~   It has been few months that...

Progress Pictures

I have stopped myself from doing it in the past, but I have taken some updated photos of me showing what I have lost.  This is more of a reminder for me to keep going as I have found this journey so far a struggle!  I can see the difference in me.

I've been feeling fat lately (and don't get me wrong cos I am) but I have been feeling fatter than I was at my heaviest in January, so its has given me a reminder of what I have achieved so far and the desire to keep going!

I still want to have achieved 3 stone weight loss by the end of the month and win slimmer of the month in Slimming world class in November.  So what can i do to achieve this?

My goal of the week is to pick on fruit at work rather than go to the canteen and get that packet of crisps!  My second goal of the week is to just drink alcohol on 2 nights and if I choose to drink at the pub I need to eat dinner before I go out and not eat crisp while I am there!

The month of October

This month has been a tough one!

2 weeks on holiday in bonnie Scotland!  What I fab time we had with some lovely food!  Didn't stick completely to the slimming world plan, but used it where I could!  Breakfast was often a croissant or a Pain Au Chocolat from the local village shop, where I brought bread rolls for lunch for sandwiches and often with a bit of cake or a pie or pasty!

We had a few lovely meals out in one of the village hotels and always went out drinking every night!

I was pleasant surprised to have come back and only put on 4 pounds!  But I did come back with a viral infection and struggled to stick to plan and put on a further 3 pounds the nest week, which I managed to loose the following week!

Seeing as its the last day of the month I decided to set some short goals!  I want to get back to 2 and half stone weight loss again and achieve a total of 3 stone all together by the end of the month!

I do have a night out with the slimming world girls on Friday 23rd and marks birthday the week before so to big nights out!  But I know I can deal with it.

I have lost 2 and a half stone!

It has taken from 02.01.2012 til 18.09.2012, but I have lost 2 and a half stone (35lbs)!  I have done it slowly, but I am enjoying myself doing it and not ignoring my social life!

I have done lots of reading on weight loss and fitness over the last couple of weeks to build up my scrap book!  One article that I came across listed 101 ideas for motivation to help with weight loss, some of them I am already doing i.e this blog!  Another one is make a commitment to completing a race or competition!  I have chosen one and have told some people I am doing this!  I don't know if I'm ready to tell the whole world on this blog as I feel it will make me to accountable to more people, but I have told the people that really matter and hoping to get a load of support from them!  Once I'm ready I will tell the whole world!

what I will still I am upping my fitness plan and it involves running, which starts tomorrow!

This month so far!

First weight in this month on Tues the 4th of September I came out of class buzzing!  Which refocused and recharged me at the beginning of that week.  I wanted to aim for the big looses again so wrote a fitness plan as well as my weekly food plan!  In my fitness plan I have also included some new classes including Pilate's and Zumba which I am enjoying!

I also started to keep a scrap book of ideas, thoughts and feeling to help me keep focused and refocus me where needed!  It includes fitness ideas and recipes to.

What do I have to do, to get back the big weight loose? try new recipes and stop picking at the wrong foods and to have more self discipline!  This means my attitude and habits have to change!

I also need to remind myself of what I have achieved! I have lost over two stone and have kept it of....something I have never achieved so far!  When I have done other plans, my biggest draw back was not staying to group, but I have this time and have never missed a meeting so far (is it becoming a good crutch?) so much so that our annual holiday is going to be in this country so I can still attend a slimming world group!  I have also made some really good friends, that I hope will last a lifetime!

Need to also remind myself that I am loosing the weight for myself and no one else and I have to do it to be able to ride again!

A technique that I am going to try is to use the power of the voices in my head  to talk myself out of wanting the things that are going to affect my weight loss.

I had a big challenge on Saturday the 8th as went to Blenheim Horse Trails (burger vans etc) so I had planned ahead food wise and was very good, until I got home and went to the pub and had 6 vodkas (15 syns) and a bottle of wine (24 syns).

Unbelievably on Tues the 11th I recorded a loss at weight in, but since then I haven't really been motivated!  I have tonight done a thought chart on why I started this journey, what I have achieved so far and what I want to achieve by Xmas

“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.” 
― Marilyn Monroe

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life, but define yourself.” 
― Harvey Fierstein

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection” 
― Siddhārtha Gautama

“When you're different, sometimes you don't see the millions of people who accept you for what you are. All you notice is the person who doesn't.” 
― Jodi Picoult, Change of Heart

“The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself.” 
― Mark Twain

“You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” 
― Siddhārtha Gautama

“I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.” 
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

“There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn't matter anymore.” 
― Laurie Halse Anderson, Wintergirls

“That's what real love amounts to - letting a person be what he really is. Most people love you for who you pretend to be. To keep their love, you keep pretending - performing. You get to love your pretence. It's true, we're locked in an image, an act - and the sad thing is, people get so used to their image, they grow attached to their masks. They love their chains. They forget all about who they really are. And if you try to remind them, they hate you for it, they feel like you're trying to steal their most precious possession.” 
― Jim Morrison

Self-esteem

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Self-esteem is a term in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs (for example, "I am competent", "I am worthy") and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame^[1]. 'The self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, the positive or negative evaluation of the self, is how we feel about it'.^[2] A person’s self-concept consists of the beliefs one has about oneself, one’s self-perception, or, as Hamlyn (1983: 241) expresses it, "the picture of oneself". Baumeister (1997) described self-concept as totally perception which people hold about him/ herself (p. 681). It is not the "facts" about one-self but rather what one believes to be true about one-self (Sarah Mercer, p. 14). Early researchers used self-concept as a descriptive construct, such as ‘I am an athlete’ (Rosenberg 1979).

Recent theories adapted self-esteem with more evaluative statements like ‘I am good at tennis’ (Harter 1996). The latter statement not only describes the self, as the individual identifies herself or himself, but evaluates the self by putting worthiness on it. Therefore, self-esteem is defined as both descriptive and evaluative self-related statements. As a social psychological construct, self-esteem is attractive because researchers have conceptualized it as an influential predictor of relevant outcomes, such as academic achievement (Marsh 1990) or exercise behavior (Hagger et al. 1998). In addition, self-esteem has also been treated as an important outcome due to its close relation with psychological well-being (Marsh 1989). Self-concept (i.e. self-esteem) is widely believed to be composed of more than just perceived competence, and this leads to the relative degree of evaluative and cognitive beliefs of the construct.

Self-esteem is viewed as the most evaluative and affective of the three constructs (Harter, 1999a). Overlay, self-concept is considered as the beliefs about perceived competence and self-evaluative in a specific domain. Self-esteem can apply specifically to a particular dimension (for example, "I believe I am a good writer and I feel happy about that") or have global extent (for example, "I believe I am a bad person, and feel bad about myself in general"). Psychologists usually regard self-esteem as an enduring personality characteristic ("trait" self-esteem), though normal, short-term variations ("state" self-esteem) also exist.

Synonyms or near-synonyms of self-esteem include: self-worth,^[3] self-regard,^[4] self-respect,^[5][6] and self-integrity. According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, "self-love" is "the instinct or desire to promote one's well-being";^[7] while La Rochefoucauld considered 'that amour-propre (self-regard) is the mainspring of all human activities'.^[8]

Low self-esteem

Low self-esteem can result from various factors, including a physical appearance or weight, socioeconomic status, or peer pressure or bullying.^[22]

Low self-esteem occasionally leads to suicidal ideation and behaviour. These can include self-imposed isolation, feelings of rejection, dejection, insignificance, and detachment, and increased dissatisfaction with current social relationships. A lack of social support from peers or family tends to create or exacerbate stress on an individual, which can lead to an inability to adjust to current circumstances.^[23] Drug abuse and forms of delinquency are common side effects of low self-esteem.^[24]

A person with low self-esteem may show some of the following characteristics:^[25]

• Heavy self-criticism and dissatisfaction.^[17]
• Hypersensitivity to criticism with resentment against critics and feelings of being attacked.^[17]
• Chronic indecision and an exaggerated fear of mistakes.^[17]
• Excessive will to please and unwillingness to displease any petitioner.^[17]
• Perfectionism, which can lead to frustration when perfection is not achieved.^[17]
• Neurotic guilt, dwelling on and exaggerating the magnitude of past mistakes.^[17]
• Floating hostility and general defensiveness and irritability without any proximate cause.^[17]
• Pessimism and a general negative outlook.^[17]
• Envy, invidiousness, or general resentment.^[17]

Wow, what a month so far!

This month started with a bang this month! Lost a total of 6 pounds in the first 2 weeks, but put on 4 and a half pounds on last week.  I am not upset or obsessing over it!  Why? Because it was all my own doing and enjoyed every minute of it!  I had a week of and spent every night at the pub and also celebrated my birthday on Saturday!

What am I going to do about it this week?  Stick to plan, exercise everyday and write everything down.  I need to loose what I put on and more!  I must do it!

Exercise plan for the week!  Wifit tomorrow and Thursday am,  then gym and or swimming on Friday through to Monday.  Plus also allotment and helping out at the show on bank holiday Monday!

Highs and lows

This week has been a week of highs and lows!  My main high was my weigh in on Tues when I hit my first goal of loosing two stone.  Other highs include having been to the gym and swimming and I even managed 30 lengths today. Lows have been going out 2 times this week and drinking far to much alcohol and lacking self discipline which the chocolate that is sat in the cupboard.

But tomorrow is another day and I am going to be really good and I am even going to the gym again after work!

Trouble is I have relaxed to much after such a big loss and lacked a bit of self discipline this week.  Just got to remember why I am doing this!  I will get back on a horse again!

Self Discipline

self-dis·ci·pline (slfds-pln) n. Training and control of oneself and one's conduct, usually for personal improvement.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published byHoughton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

self-discipline

n

the act of disciplining or power to discipline one's own feelings, desires, etc., esp with the intention of improving oneself

self-disciplined  adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

Yesterday I totally lacked self-discipline, hence the reason for today's blog with the same name.  I went out with the intention of just having one wine last night, as I had already used up the days syns (on chocolate), but one led to another, which then led to more!

Here is an interesting link, which has some tips and ideas that may help (some I could change slightly)!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/wellbeing/5899818/How-to-improve-your-self-discipline.html#


Also take a look at this
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/self-discipline/

and this
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/06/self-discipline/

Empowerment!

em·pow·er  (m-pour)

tr.v. em·pow·ered, em·pow·er·ing, em·pow·ers

1. To invest with power, especially legal power or official authority. See Synonyms at authorize.

2. To equip or supply with an ability; enable: "Computers ... empower students to become intellectual explorers"(Edward B. Fiske).

---

em·power·ment n.

Usage Note: Although it is a contemporary buzzword, the word empower is not new, having arisen in the mid-17th century with the legalistic meaning "to invest with authority, authorize." Shortly thereafter it began to be used with an infinitive in a more general way meaning "to enable or permit." Both of these uses survive today but have been overpowered by the word's use in politics and pop psychology. Its modern use originated in the civil rights movement, which sought political empowerment for its followers. The word was then taken up by the women's movement, and its appeal has not flagged. Since people of all political persuasions have a need for a word that makes their constituents feel that they are or are about to become more in control of their destinies, empower has been adopted by conservatives as well as social reformers. It has even migrated out of the political arena into other fields. · The Usage Panel has some misgivings about this recent broadening of usage. For the Panelists, the acceptability of the verb empower depends on the context. Eighty percent approve of the example We want to empower ordinary citizens. But in contexts that are not political the Panel is markedly less enthusiastic. The sentence Hunger and greed and then sexual zeal are felt by some to be stages of experience that empower the individual garners approval from only 33 percent of the Panelists. The Panel may frown on this kind of psychological empowering because it resonates of the self-help movement, which is notorious for trendy coinages.


empowerment [ɪmˈpaʊəmənt]

n

1. the giving or delegation of power or authority; authorization

2. the giving of an ability; enablement or permission

3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (in South Africa) a policy of providing special opportunities in employment, training, etc. for Blacks and others disadvantaged under apartheid

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

The above have been copied and pasted from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/empowerment

I have realised in the last couple of days how important empowerment is when you are on a healthy eating plan, to loose weight.  Why have I come to this conclusion?  I went out last night to meet up with friends at my local, and I always end up having far to much to drink, which affects my weight loss.  Last night I gave myself permission not to drink alcohol and drunk diet coke instead and which left me enough syns (part of the slimming world plan) to have a packet of Quavers instead.

This afternoon I went to the gym and had a really good session, and did 1.1km on the cross trainer (in 20 mins), followed by weights and then in 10 mins on the treadmill I did 1.05k.  I then went for a swim and managed 24 lengths today.  My fitness level is improving and I am now looking forward to doing the race for life tomorrow and I might even go for a swim afterwards.

He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

~ Maria Robinson

 

You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.

~ Sri Ram

The mind is everything. What you think, you become.

~ Buddha

These are all so true, please take time to consider them when you are trying to loose weight!

Time to get back on track, part 2!

I can't believe it's been so long since I last wrote an entry.....since the end of April I have sort have been cruising along and staying roughly the same weight.  Last week we had a different consultant at my Slimming World meeting as our normal consultant was away on holiday.  Lets just say she was the bitch from hell and she made me feel like a bit of rubbish (just trying to be polite and not be dragged down to her level!).  She laid into me for about 20 minutes.  Any way due to this I relaxed a bit last week and only put on a pound, which I'm happy with as I enjoyed myself!

But I'm so glad I went back to group last night it was so positive and chilled thanks to the girls! (You know who you are).

Since my last post I have still planned my meals on a weekly basis and have started to enjoy cooking again, but the last couple of days I have started to write down everything that passes my lips, so I will be absolutely mortified if I haven't lost weight this week.

What do I need to do to help me with my weight loss journey:
1) Take one day at a time
2) Write down everything I eat
3) Do I need that glass of wine?
4) Enjoy what I'm eating and If I don't like it, don't have it!
5) Realise when I am full up
6) I can have a treat (I had ice cream and fruit for desert, which was lovely).
7) Take responsibility for my actions
8) Visualisation.....3 times a days how do I perceive what I look like now and how I want to look in the near future
9) Being more positive

Why do I want to loose weight?
1) To be able to fit into smaller clothes
2) To look nicer
3) To reduce my blood pressure
4) To be able to ride again
5) To be fitter


Why I wouldn't want to loose weight?
1) I see it stopping me going out and socialising as I can't drink as much

Race for Life
I am taking part in this on Sunday, at 11am in Prospect Park in Reading.

Here is my link.....so please please sponsor me
http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/lucyjohnson406

I am doing the 5k challenge and I am not fit enough to run all the way round but I will complete it an am also looking at going to the gym and swimming over the weekend to.

How am I feeling now?
I have now got that positive feeling and am eager to achieve a weight loss each week, no mater how small...it is achievable!  Just need to keep that focus and enjoy doing it.  There was a very good line in the following article:
http://www.rd.com/health/diet-weight-loss/easy-ways-to-lose-weight-50-ideas/
Its the line about ice cream being the jewel in the crown and fruit being the crown!  That's so true and I read it after I had dessert of fruit and 60g of Ice Cream (5 Syns for those of you that are currently following the Slimming World healthy eating plan).

Hypnosis
I have got a Hypnosis app on my phone which I used for the first time in a long while, and I selected the weight loss and confidence session combined, which helped be to relax and I had a brilliant nights sleep

Time to get back on track!

I have the last couple of weeks really difficult trying to loose weight!  In fact I have even tracked what I have eaten the last couple of days!  The problem I have had is not eating enough veg and fruit and filling up on other food including sweets.  I should have also been to the gym a couple more times this week for my exercise, but I have been so tired (not eating enough fruit and veg?).

Time to refocus and look at what I really want to achieve!

Goals

On Tuesday 17th of April I decided to set some goals for weight loss, but before I did this I decided to review why I started my weight loss journey.  The reason for doing this is I could decide how quickly or slowly I want to loose weight.

My reasons for losing weight are:
1) To be light enough to ride horses again
2) To lower my blood pressure
3) To be fitter
4) To fit into size 12 clothes

To achieve these goals I have decided to reach my club 10's every 6 weeks except my first one.  So here goes:

By 01/05/2012 I want to have lost 6 and a half pounds
By 12/06/2012 I want to have lost another 2 stone and 1 pound
By 24/07/2012 I want to have lost another 1 stone 12 pounds
By 04/09/2012 I want to have lost another 1 stone 10 pounds
By 16/10'2012 I want to have lost another 1 stone 7 ponds
by 27/11/2012 I want to have lost another 1 stone 5 pounds

So in 32 weeks my aim is to loose 8 stone 13 and half pounds.

Every week I am going to carry on with my weekly menu planners and writing down what I actually eat, as lets face it we always have that hidden extra!  I am also keeping up with my gym visits, which I am thinking of increasing to 5 times a week if I can fit them in.

Good day turning into a bad day!

My day in the terms of my healthy eating plan started out really well.....but having finished work at 8pm and the other half not being in a position to be able to pick me up, I has to get the bus home!  Where I get of the bus  is a shop that sells wine, cheese and chocolate.  So where did I go?  Yep you guessed it and what did I buy?  I brought wine, chocolate and cheese!  These are my 3 nemesis, the three things I'm trying not to eat!

In the terms of exercise...it was really bad, as I was going to get up early to try and go for a run, which didn't happen!

On Tuesday I worked out my 10% weight loss goals.  The reason I am writing them in this post is because of what I have just done to myself bu drinking the wine and eating the chocolate and the cheese!

To achieve my 1st 10% i need to loose 6 and half pound and I am going to do that by my weight in on the 1st of may.  My second 10% I need to loose a further 2 stone and one pound (that's 29 pounds) which I want to achieve by the 12th of June!

I have written a list of ways to achieve this...but I want to think about this again and think about wether this is realistic!

Today was weigh in day and I haven't made the 3 pounds weigh loss this week, but I did loose half a pound.  On the positive side I still did loose....and I need to loose 2 and half to get to a total of 2 stone weight loss and I need to loose 6 and half pounds to achieve my Club 10 (10% weight loss).

So I have been thinking on how I am going to achieve this!  First of all stick to plan all week,  some of the problems I have had last week is not having to much wine and for those of you who know the diet I have eaten all my Healthy Extras.

I am also going out Friday night to have a meal at Nandos and I know already what I am having, so I have that under control.  I am going to try and do extra exercise this week, but I do need to plan this in to my routine.

I need to think more about what I have achieved so far and what more I do want to achieve, some deep thinking and think were I want to be in 6 months time.

Why did I start my weight loss journey?  My main reason, so I would be light enough to start riding horses again.  Second reason to lower my blood pressure, thirdly to be fitter and fourthly I would love to fit in size 12 clothes comfortably.

I have decided to help me reach these goals, I am going to put a monthly goal setting plan to help me achieve these goals, and then break this down into a weekly plan!  I may even post this at a later date.

Catchup

It has been a few days since I made a post!  I went to the gym friday and ended up with the personnel trainner as his car broke down!  I thought I worked hard, but by god I worked even harder when  I had my session on saturday morning and increased my running on the tread mill!  My plan was to go again on sunday, but I didnt make it (and I was recovering from a hangover!)

Sunday we spent 3 or 4 hours down the allotment digging away qnd sorting the beds out....it is looking so much better.  I am so looking forward to the freah veg we are growing...so far we have got broad beans, runners, courgettes, chard and strawberries ont he way.  We have also planted some sweetcorn!  I cant wait for them all to grow and for us to start harvesting them!

In regards to me following the plan, I am trying really hard to follow the plan, but I have found it hard this week and have drank to much wine!

Sunday I did the weekly shop and as usual I have cooked all my meals this week.  I had chicken stirfry tonight and will have it tomorrow night and I have one portion for lunch this week.  I have cooked a chicken curry and a beef madras for dinners this week and will at some point have some Salmon ( we have loads in the freezer as it was offer in Tescos just before Easter).  For my other lunches I have a chicken soup and will have salad to.  I have also stocked up on plenty of fruit.  I have been stuffing my face with strawberries the last couple of days as I got 2 punnets for a pound in tescos (but here were about to turn) and they were yummy!

I am hoping to have made some loss tomorrow, and I am hoping it is the three pounds that I was aiming for after my last weight in.....but I can understand if I havent!

Please read the new link!

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2127461/Secret-sugars-food-From-cubes-salad-16-half-bottled-water-youre-eating-realising-it.html

Above is another good article to read, a few surprising results!

I downloaded the Paul Mckenna 'I can make you thin' App to my phone last night.  I watched the video on how t o beat cravings and have put this into practise today and managed the whole day without Diet coke.  I am going to try the whole day without caffeine tomorrow, so no diet coke and coffee and put the videos into practise.  Cravings are my one big things to tackle,  and I put what I learnt into practise when I had a craving for chocolate and crisps today.  I haven't had a craving since!  I am feeling so much more in control.

I have also managed three litres of water today, which is 5.2 pints!  Apparently by drinking 6 pints of water can help speed up weight loss. Please also check out this link:

http://news.discovery.com/human/glass-water-weight-loss.html

Paul's technique uses visualisation and I think the way he has taught this practise is great and I am going to carry on looking for new methods and techniques to help my weight loss.  Is anyone else using techniques that's helped them, or have you tried something that hasn't worked?  I would be interested in finding out.

Gym visit. So close yet so far!

I have been visiting the gym for a while now, and have been having a personnel training sessions each time, today I decided to brave it alone.  It was quite scary and I nearly chickened out, but I braved it and  completed the session ( i much rather have had a lie in!).  I don't think I pushed myself hard enough as I didn't feel as worn out as I normally would!

I am on a real mission to achieve my 3lbs weight loss this week, to hit the 2 stone total weight loss and to get closer to my first 10% total weight loss (another 7lbs away).  My mini challenge is the 10 %, or 7lbs..can I do it in 2 weeks or maybe even less?  Time to push myself and get focused!  Does anyone want to join me in the challenge?

Tonights weigh in

I was very pleased with my weigh-in tonight, and in all fairness I was expecting to have put weight on this week.  The reason I thought I had put on weight was that I had planned what I was going to eat and tracked everything I ate.  Every day I went way over my syns values, but it gave me an idea of what passed through my lips. 

This week I lost two and half pounds, making the combined weight loss for the last two weeks seven and a half pounds.  My goal for this coming week is to loose three pounds, as this will take me to a total of two stone weight loss.  My goal after this is to reach, what Slimming World call Club 10, which is a 10 % weight loss of your original weight.  For me to reach this after tonight's weigh-in I have to loose seven pounds!  If I reach this i will have lost a total of two stone and four pounds.

At the moment I am really excited!!  I have had a night where I have gone way over my syns, but fresh start tomorrow, as I don't want last week to catch up with me!

I am also going to try this weeks challenge that Gill, who takes our meetings set us.  The challenge is to eat five bits of fruit or veg before consuming any syns, and being on a late tomorrow, will mean I can try and stay of the chocolate until I have done this.

Another big step for me tomorrow is to do my first session without the personnel trainer at the gym tomorrow!  I don't know if I am going to find this easy or hard!  I will keep you posted this week!

Secret Sugars in your food

Check out this Daily Mail link:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2127461/Secret-sugars-food-From-cubes-salad-16-half-bottled-water-youre-eating-realising-it.html

Interesting reading!  What does everyone else think?

For those of you trying to loose weight and are using diet drinks (like myself) check out the link to this daily mail article:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2009055/Why-guzzling-diet-drink-make-fatter--trigger-appetite.html

As this is a new blog for me, I am constantly changing the layout and adding new bits to it.  I have added some photos of me before I started loosing weight and will be adding some new ones soon.   I am seeing it more in my clothes at the moment and I have managed to get into some smaller work trousers!!!  My jeans and tracksuit bottom's are feeling looser to!

I have also added some links, please let me know if anything doesn't work!

My first Slimming World Meeting

On arriving at the first meeting I was taken through the plans (there is more than one).  I decided to follow the Extra Easy Plan as it sounded so easy to follow.  The basic principle is that I fill a third of my plate with super free foods (mostly fruit and veg).

I also stayed for the whole meeting and have done so every week, since.  I really find this helps keeps me motivated and its great for ideas and tips, especially if you have had a bad week.

By the end of January I had lost a total of 12 pounds in weight!

It wasn't until the 14th of Feb that I reached my stone weight loss, after putting on the week before.  This was the month of really struggling, but I just stuck with it, as I know it works.  February was the month I also started to go to the gym.  I had a introductory lesson at the end of January and I am know loving it!  I must admit all my sessions so far have been with the personnel trainer, but it means I go and it keeps me motivated.

By the end of Feb my total weight loss was 13lbs, so just 1lb over the month.  but by 3rd of April  my weight loss has 1 stone 8and half pounds and that's done in 14 weeks!  The last week I lost 5lbs and I had felt like that I had put weight on that week!  It just goes to show!  But, how did I do it?

Firstly, as I do every week I do a weekly menu planner, but what I did differently was noted what I actually had!  It got me results. So this is was I decided to do for this week, as I wanted to achieve the same kind of weight loss.  But I have found it so difficult this week to stick to the plans and have gone over my daily syns every day, but I have done my diary every day.  So what else am I doing about it? I am reminding myself of my goals, and using visualisation techniques!  I've also got to remember how much I've lost, as I certainly can't carry that in weights at the gym, so how did I do that when I was heavier!

I have also got what I call my fat file, which started out as slimming world recipes, then my menu planners got added and has expanded from there.  The key to the weight I have lost is planning ahead and then reviewing what I have done (which I find very difficult) and one of the reasons for this blog!

I would love any hints and tips from other people on how they have achieved their weight loss goals!

My first post about my weight loss journey

Hi,

My name is Lucy and I have decided that I want to write about my weight loss journey that started on 3rd January 2012.

Towards the end of last year my blood pressure shot up and I was advised by the doctor to start loosing weight.  In all fairness my weight had been creeping upwards for about a year (or more), when my job role changed at work, I was working 5 days a week on a riding school yard.  This meant I was constantly on the go and I could get away with eating and drinking what I wanted.  My job changed and I wasn't moving around as much, but guess what I was eating and drinking just the same amount and living in denial!  I then completely changed jobs and I am now working from behind a desk.

I don't think the roller coaster of all the changes in jobs helped with my weight and having the shock of my blood pressure rocketing my me realise that I needed to do something which didn't involve surgery (which I apparently qualified for).

I had previously signed up to weight watchers and never stuck to it, so I decided to rule this plan out and chooses to go to Slimming World instead.  I also decided to start in January as well as I now Christmas was going to be difficult and wanted to get started on the plan first before having to tackle such a big event!

Of I toddled to my first meeting on 3rd Jan 2012.  I was shocked at how much I weighed!  I had put on loads in a year and three months.  (I started my new role at the stables on 1st Sept 2010).  Everybody was so friendly and welcoming and made me at home.  I found it really hard to walk through the door that time.

Since that date I have lost 1 stone 8 and half pounds!