losing it *

I HAVE MOVED

2011-10-28T13:56:00.000+01:00

I have sorted out my new blog and moved to:

http://www.weightandrun.co.uk/

Please update your feeds and come and join me there. I hope you like my new blog and all feedback is welcome.

Great Birmingham Run Pictures

2011-10-26T09:26:00.000+01:00

Some pictures as promised. I am so pleased I cannot tell you, if someone told me in January I would do two half marathons later in the year I would have broke into hysterical laughter. Now I have my entire 2012 running events planned out; Berlin Half, Manchester Marathon, Manchester 10k, Berlin Marathon then Birmingham Half! Phew sounds tiring just reading it listed there.

So an update on the sore legs, they are still sore (giggles). I did do a mile swim last night and that has helps massively but I still feel like I did a long run. Tonight I will stick to just swimming to and hopefully get a short run in on Friday, if my legs will let me of course.

Kind of feel weird now that my next event is going to my spring next year, I have to say I have enjoyed all my events this year and they have kept me focused, I don't think I would have lost this weight hadn't I had all these events to keep me going.

So what keeps you going? What events will you consider signing up for to keep you motivated to train?

Great Birmingham Run (half marathon)

2011-10-25T17:25:00.001+01:00

2:07:17! Get in! Thought I would just get straight to it. I am over the moon needless to say. My first half was only 6 weeks ago and I beat that time by 7 minutes!

The event was fantastic, the crowds just kept shouting and clapping during every minute of every mile, truly a great atmosphere. I will be doing it next year that's for sure.

So how an I feeling now 48 hours later? Sore, sore as hell, just my thighs but boy I have not felt like this before. I think this is just a taste of how I will feel after a full marathon but hey I have 6 months training to go yet.

I will post some pictures tomorrow when I have downloaded them from the marathon photos site.

A well done to everyone else who ran on Sunday.

2012 Berlin Marathon, thats my whole 2012 planned out

2011-10-21T15:59:00.000+01:00

As most of you know I have already entered the Great Manchester Marathon on the 29th April 2012, this will be my first marathon, I have now also entered the Berlin Marathon for the 30th September 2012.

Am I crazy, yeah but I totally love Berlin, I am already signed up for the Berlin half marathon in April which is great training for my marathon 4 weeks later. I fancied doing the Berlin marathon and thought why not, its 6 months after my first one and it will keep me focused on training and keeping my goals alive and I wouldn't want to totally suck on the day either.

I have to say I surprise myself, I only really started running in January this year and back then I couldn't run a mile without stopping for a breather and now I am just getting out there and clocking up the miles (although this week has been a total crash as I have such a bad cold and feel physically terrible, just a few swims this week). I think if I don't get on and do my marathons next year I never will, I am in the best shape I have ever been and that is improving every week and I am taking advantage of it. Running inst all of it though, I still do gym workouts and swimming (proper swimming, no leisurely laps for me) and that wont change, I have a great balance now so I can do something even when my body is a little sore or I just need to burn some excess energy.

So here is my entered running event list
1st April 2012: Berlin Half Marathon.
29th April 2012: Great Manchester Marathon.
20th May 2012: Bupa Great Manchester 10km
30th Sept 2012: Berlin Marathon.

I will try and fit a few smaller races around my marathons to keep me focused and to act as speed sessions for me. I think I will decide upon these as and when they arise.

In other news, 2 days until Birmingham half marathon and I feel like crap. I have had such an awful cold for a few days now which seems to be only getting worse. I can only hope the sheer amount of cold and flu remedies I have taken will get rid of it, if not Sunday is going to be one long day and I will not even try thinking about a personal best just getting round in one piece because hell if I am going to pull out!

Muscle pain, tiredness and achievements

2011-10-14T11:44:00.000+01:00

I had a great run last Sunday, 9.5 miles and it felt good, I felt good. There was a slightly funny moment when I was running down the canal, I was running towards a few Swans and they were going no where. I stopped thinking hmm how the heck am I going to get past here, so I kind of tiptoed past to not aggravate them. Can't believe I was scared of a few Swans, worse case would have been them chasing me up the canal which would have given me a good workout if anything!

After my run I went to Matt Murray's testimonial football game with my hubby which was great fun. After that I went to the gym pool and did a 1km swim which was great, practically had the pool to myself. Needless to say I was beat after that and it carried on for a couple more days too. I have been suffering leg and ankle pain, quite bad so I rested it for a couple of days.

I did managed a 4 mile run on Wednesday and a short 600m swim, the break was good as my run was a lot quicker than normal. Last night was not good though, I only managed 3 miles as my right ankle was having a cry at me so I went to the pool and *drum-roll* managed a 1 mile swim, yep 1 whole mile, 1600m. Who would have thought I could ever swim a mile, I am so glad I had swimming lessons. 2 months ago I would have abandoned my run in a grump because of the pain and not managed anything else but instead made up for it by a good swim and I by no means have a leisurely swim, front crawl all the way, paying attention to my ever improving technique and speed.

Tonight I am going to have a chill out evening with my lovely hubby, may even crack open a bottle of wine (don't tell anyone). I want to have my last long run on Saturday before the Birmingham half marathon next weekend. I will only have a couple of short 3 mile runs in the week to keep my legs going and to ensure any pains are gone and dealt with before the run.

Week 40 Weigh in and update

2011-10-12T11:06:00.000+01:00

wk: 40// 08-Oct-11 // 10st 0.5 lb // 140.5lb // 63.8kg // 23.4 BMI // Loss this week: +0.75 lb // Loss overall: -32.5 lb

So weigh in is 0.75lbs up from my last weigh in 4 weeks ago, I don’t feel too bad about that but I wish I had lost a few since I have been working out like a machine and literally running my behind off (or not as the case seems to be).

It has just shown me that I am eating a little too much for me to be carrying on losing a few pounds every few weeks. I know it’s not much of a big deal these days but I do want to keep my weight off and I don’t want my food to get out of control. I am loving my workouts and loving how I am feeling but I have been eating a lot of things I would have avoided like the plague 3 months ago so I know within myself I need to get back to full healthy Vicky.

Yesterday I started my food diary again just to keep tabs on my intake and I will keep this up throughout October, hopefully I will get back on track food wise and see the scales move a little over the next 4 weeks.

In other news, I have the Birmingham half marathon in just over 2 weeks time. I am actually looking forward to it. I am not putting pressure on myself to beat my Wolverhampton half marathon time but I will be trying to push a bit more than I did then. This maybe my last event of the year so I want to make it a good one that I finish feeling I could not have tried any harder.

My marathon training plan is also all drawn up and will start on the 1^st November. I have a dedicated Google Calendar with it all planned out which conveniently syncs to my iPhone. I will be trying hard to stick to the plan but I know life can get in the way. I am not worried about training, this year has seen me change in so many ways, not just physically and I know I have the dedication in me to train for the marathon and do it well.

So next weigh in will be 4 weeks time (5^th November) and in that time I will be tracking my food, completing my second half marathon and starting the first week of my marathon training plan, oh yeah and working at my day job, can’t forget that!

Ive not vanished

2011-10-04T13:56:00.000+01:00

honestly!

I have been super busy with running training and work and trying to re-design my blog since losing-it isn't strictly true anymore.

I also have been trying not to weigh myself every week (I say 'try' quite loosely of course) but this coming Saturday will be my monthly weigh in so I will post the result then. I am fluctuating 1-2 lbs at the min which I can deal with quite happily, I have obviously got a good balance right now.

My big news is that I didn't get a London Marathon place but I have entered the Great Manchester Marathon on the 29th April 2012, the first one in 10 years so no doubt they will want to make it a great event. I am nervous but excited about it but my current training is focused towards my next half marathon, the Great Birmingham Run which is on Sunday 23rd October, bring it on, just over two weeks to go.

I am in the process of blog changes and such so watch this space, oh yeah its also measurements check time on Saturday, any size loss at this point will be very much received with happiness!

I do regularly tweet so check me out on twitter.

No work just training and swimming and climbing...

2011-09-23T09:49:00.000+01:00

Wow I have not been a good blogger this past week.

I had a week off at home last week where I got lots of training in and loved it. Here is how much I got in last week and the beginning of this week:

Saturday 10th Sept: 3 mile run then 1 hour boot camp.
Sunday 11th Sept: 4 mile run then 1 hour boot camp.
Monday 12th Sept: Spin class, 320 meter swim.
Tuesday 13th Sept: 5 mile run, 1 hour swim lesson.
Wednesday 14th Sept: 1.5 hours at climbing wall (such fun), 400 meter swim.
Thursday 15th Sept: 6 mile run, 1 hour swim lesson.
Friday 16th Sept: 1 hour swim lesson.
Saturday 17th Sept: REST.
Sunday 18th Sept: 2 mile run, 1 hour boot camp, 600 meter swim.
Monday 19th Sept: REST.
Tuesday 20th Sept: 4 mile run, 600 meter swim.
Wednesday 21st Sept: 3 mile run (felt very tired).
Thursday 22nd Sept: REST.

I loved my swimming lessons, I cannot believe how much my technique has improved with just a few hours coaching. It really has made a difference to my training and recovery. I feel less sore when I have added a swim after my runs and boot camp sessions. I am stopping less after each length swam too so I know I am getting better and I can swim for much longer with much less effort now which is great. I never thought I would love swimming again like I did when I was a kid but after my runs and other workouts it’s great to jump in and get some serious swimming done (none of this head above the water being leisurely) and feel I am still really pushing my body.

Weight wise I have not really checked, I have been fluctuating 1 or 2 pounds but I am trying not to let it consume me. My fitness now needs to be my priority and my weight should stay as it is if I am doing the right things.

I am due to rename my blog and move it to my own hosting soon, hopefully in the next few weeks. Any new name suggestions will be very welcomed since I feel ‘losing it’ is not strictly correct anymore. If anyone has preferences on what they like to ready about or what posts interest them the most let me know also.

I'm on Twitter

2011-09-15T09:11:00.000+01:00

Here I am finally on twitter: vickylwills.

* Week 36 Weigh In *

2011-09-12T13:10:00.000+01:00

***********************************************************
WEIGHT LOSS GOAL MET: 2 STONE 5 POUNDS LOST

WEIGHT = UNDER 10 STONE
***********************************************************

wk: 36// 10-Sept-11 // 9st 13.75 lb // 139.75lb // 63.5kg // 23.3 BMI // Loss this week: -0.75 lb // Loss overall: -33.25 lb

Woooohoooo weight loss goal has finally been met, my hard work has paid off on the scales at last. I am so chuffed you cannot believe. Over 33 pounds lost, down 3 dress sizes (UK 16 to a UK 10), 3 x 10k races done and a half marathon with another planned for 6 weeks time. What a year, I have worked so hard and it has paid off and as I continue to work hard I will keep reaping the benefits.

I am off work this week so training is my key focus, I have started the week well already. Friday eve was a 4 mile run, Saturday was a 3 mile run then a killer bootcamp session, Sunday was a 4 mile run with a boot camp session and this morning saw me at Spin class. Yep my body is tired and sore but I love it, I feel so motivated I can't stop, I am loving it all.

As long as I stick to training and eating well I can keep what I have worked so hard to get, the hours and pain have been worth it as I feel the best I have ever felt in my life. I look at myself and like what I see, I'm not prefect but I am happy with myself on the outside as well as on the inside.

I may start doing my weigh ins once a month from now on, I don't want to be a slave to the numbers, I want to focus on my fitness and getting toned. I will see how I get on with that but I will post all my weigh ins.

reflection and next weeks plans

2011-09-07T10:57:00.000+01:00

I have been a bit slack in commenting again on peoples blogs, I apologise, I do read all your posts usually via my reader on my iPhone while on a train or over lunch. Work is very busy as is my home life due to the sheer amount of work I am having done in the house so when I get home for the weekend I haven’t been turning on my laptop at all. It seems to be a tough time of year for some and others are really doing well, I will get back to commenting as soon as I can.

I have had a lot of time now to reflect on my Sundays Half Marathon and I feel positive about it. I have suffered a bit with a very odd colored toe for a few days but it’s getting better. I even went and did a 3 mile run this morning before getting to the office, yep you read right, me running at 6:30am, never thought I would see the day either, I am planning on doing the same tomorrow morning too! I feel I have achieved so much this year in regards to fitness, weight loss and my running progress, I am so proud of myself. I genuinely look forward to putting on my running shoes these days and I love having a massive workout in the gym, any silly problems of the day really just melt away.

I am really looking forward to the Birmingham Half Marathon in 7 weeks, not just because I have one under my belt but I will be there with all my gym buddies, we have such a great day when we do events together. It’s never just a run for us, we really make it a great day and have a great time supporting each other and soaking up the day come rain or shine. We are planning on making a big day of it, have the run in the morning then go and have a meal and a few drinks afterward, hey it’s okay if we all look like crap after the run, no one will care!

I am off work next week, we did plan on going on holiday but we are still doing lots of work on the house which is fine. As I will be at home I have planned on getting in lots of workouts. A total of 33 miles of running planned, 1500m of swimming planned, 3 spin classes booked, 1 Pilates class booked and 2 boot camp sessions booked and a session at my local climbing wall (cause it’s great fun). I think that will do for next week, I will get nice and toned damn it!

Week 35 Weigh In

2011-09-05T11:46:00.000+01:00

wk: 35// 03-Sept-11 // 10st 0.5 lb // 140.5lb // 63.8kg // 23.4 BMI // Loss this week: 0 lb // Loss overall: -32.5 lb

Weigh in was a STS so not bothered with a picture. I am happy with that, I didn't workout much this week since I needed to rest for my half marathon that I did yesterday!

So I did my first ever half marathon in Wolverhampton yesterday and it was great, my official chip time was 2:14:19 which is great and not much off my set target of 2:10. I honestly cant belive I have done it, it was only in January I couldn't run a mile without gasping for breath so to have done this is massive for me. I am even smiling at the end of this one, I know shock right!

Back to training on Tuesday legs allowing as I have half marathon number 2 in just 7 weeks time, yep I am mad but I love it and it keeps me motivated to workout and stay fit as I always want to do better than before.

So onwards with the training and fitness and enjoying all of it!

Week 34 Weigh In

2011-08-31T11:50:00.002+01:00

wk: 34// 27-Aug-11 // 10st 0.5 lb // 140.5lb // 63.8kg // 23.4 BMI // Loss this week: -2.75 lb // Loss overall: -32.5 lb

Sorry for the delay in posting my weigh in this week. I am having a new bathroom fitted (yey) so my house is in uproar and I have been massively busy with work.

So back on topic, -2.75 lbs, wow right? I think it may be a bit of a false loss if I'm being honest. I have had an upset tummy for a week or two so we will see what happens at this weeks weigh in.

I haven't been tracking either (last week or this week) or wearing my Ki-Fit, I want to see how I get on for a 3-4 weeks without it and if I can start being normal now I have got exercise firmly routed into my life and I know how my body feels when I pump it full of crap food. I think its time I try and be more normal, I'm so close to goal and feel so much better about myself the need to hit it right now and suffer for it is not there. I would be happy to just really tone up than lose a load more weight. I want to be strong and fit not skinny and weak.

I think my running plans for the rest of the year and next year will help me stay in shape and get toned up nicely. My first ever half marathon is on Sunday and I am nervous but I know within myself I can do it. I then have another one 6 weeks later. I think that will be it for running events this year but next year will be a biggie!

I have entered the Berlin half marathon which is April 2012, I am awaiting to find out if I have a London Marathon place for April (fingers crossed), May 2012 is Manchester 10k, if I don't get a London Marathon place I will go back to Berlin and do the Marathon in September (yes I love Berlin) so either way I will do a marathon next year.

I will weigh in Saturday and post if I have time, if not I will post after my run, I think I will need some rest time after that!

Week 33 Weigh In

2011-08-22T11:51:00.000+01:00

wk: 33// 20-Aug-11 // 10st 3.25 lb // 143.25lb // 64.9kg // 23.8 BMI // Loss this week: 0.5 lb // Loss overall: -29.75 lb

Up half a pound, all I'm going to say is 'MUST DO BETTER'!

Good week gone bad

2011-08-19T11:32:00.000+01:00

I started the week so well and I was so motivated then it all turned to pot.

I went out on Tuesday night and got a little merry which resulted in a days long handover which ultimately lead me to eat. I ate so much crap to try and make me feel better, I also consumed so much the night before in alcohol my intake for the just those 2 days was way way to high. Add a travel day home and my consumption was high again. Today I am not feeling the best, its no wonder really, my poor body is suffering with the sheer amount and type of food I have given it.

Needles to say I am dreading weigh in tomorrow despite my weekend workouts, Monday night workout and a slightly hungover 5k run on Wednesday evening.

I have set my week up already for next week and I will be on it and back to my normal workout self. I am not going out drinking, I have booked a 3 day pass at the gym round the corner from my hotel (I will def be going Mon, Tue and Wed since its cost me a fair few quid for the privilege) and I have a boot camp session Saturday and my long run planned for Sunday. I will really give it my all this coming week, in a way punishment for letting this week slip so badly.

Fingers crossed I get a stay the same at weigh in tomorrow.

Questions and Answers

2011-08-16T10:47:00.000+01:00

I went to the gym last night after arriving into Edinburgh around 9pm. I wasn’t going to but then thought, hmm you’ve sat on your behind all day and all you will do until 11pm is sit watching TV so I forced myself down to the gym. It was surprisingly good, my legs feel a little tired after my Sunday running efforts so I just got on a bike and got to it. I surprised myself, I managed 20Km in 37 minutes on a hill setting and I didn’t feel overly tired afterward. If the gym didn’t close at 10pm I probably would have done much more but even the gym trainers need a rest.

I feel really motivated right now, my running is going quite well (a few niggles of pain on my long runs which I am nursing) which means I am feeling slightly better about my up and coming half marathon, not totally confident but more optimistic that I can actually finish it without the need for walking.

I have also had a few questions recently so thought I should answer them in a post:

Why is hitting my goal so important since I am practically there, a couple of pounds is nothing?
It’s important to say I finally hit it as I have been working hard towards it since January, I won’t feel as though I have truly made it until I hit it on an official weigh in day. I have been so up and down over the last few years and never seem to get a hold of it since losing the weight the first time round so to say I truly did it once and for all is important to me.

Will you be trying to lose any more after that?
I will try and lose a few more to hit my ultimate goal of 9st 9lbs. Why? Well this will put me right in the middle of my ideal weight, giving me a few pounds leeway here and there for times like Christmas etc without me feeling panicky at seeing 10 stone on the scales. I think it would make me feel better to set myself a maintenance target of never getting over 10 stone again so being 5 or so pounds under that will help me stick to that maintenance target.

What other fitness goals have you got after you do your first half marathon?
This year has been massive for me in terms of how far my fitness has progressed. I couldn’t run a mile outside without stopping in January and now I am out running 10 miles without walk breaks. I have also already taken part in three 10k races this year and have my first ever half marathon in just under 3 weeks time. I have also signed up to do a second half marathon in October about 6 weeks after my first. I will then take a rest from running events until next year although I will still keep up with the running and keeping my endurance up just no events.

I am however waiting to find out if I have a ballot place for next year’s London Marathon, wouldn’t that be fantastic and a great achievement. I know the chances are slim but you never know I may be lucky. If I don’t get a place I may consider something like the Berlin Marathon next year. Either way I will still be out running or at the gym progressing as much as I can, I won’t let my fitness fall to the wayside.

What would you say to others in regards to weight loss and fitness?

Stop making excuses, if you want it you will do it, if you don’t really want it you will make excuses.
Be consistent, 4 good days a week are not enough, you need to be consistent all the time, that doesn’t mean eating like a rabbit all the time, everything in moderation.
Getting fit is hard and it takes you doing the hard work but it does get easier and you will feel the benefit, again being consistent and working out regularly is the key. Make a habit out of working out and you will reap the benefits.
Record food and exercise. I think this is important, record food so you can actually see in black and white what you consume, be honest too your only kidding yourself. It will help you see where you are eating badly and what foods are not the right ones. I say record workouts too so you can see your progression. As you get fitter the time it takes to run the same distance or walk the same route will be less and will be easier on your body, it’s nice to look back and see that you are in fact progressing even when you think you haven’t.
Prepare, if you know you’re going to be traveling in a car or on a train for a long period and you will need to eat, take food with you. Don’t rely on the shop bought sandwich that will be full of crap, prepare to eat well by bringing you food in a container that way you know what you’re eating and can avoid unnecessary intake.

Do you feel good, confident, better about yourself now you have almost got to goal?
This is quite a question really and losing weight doesn’t automatically erase 26 years of being the obese fat girl, I wish it did but it doesn’t. I still have confidence issues and moments of feeling low. I know what people see is not what I see in the mirror but that is something that is deep etched in my mind and will take a lot more time of me being where I am now to get that out and it not be part of me anymore. I know that losing weight has helped me move forward with my self confidence and I am starting to feel good about how I look and it does help other areas of my life. I was never under the illusion that weight loss cures all body hang-ups, it doesn’t but it has helped and my fitness improvements have helped no end too. I feel better equipped at dealing with how I used to feel about myself and I can look at that part of my life and feel I have moved forward for myself and that makes me feel good.

Your blog name will need changing soon since you won’t actually be dieting or losing it or are you going to keep it as it is?
Yeah I have thought of it and I will change it, I will get my own domain name a point this blog to it, I’m not sure what it will be or what I will want my blog to become. I intend to do weekly or monthly weigh ins even after I hit my goal (if I ever do of course) to keep me on track and I will document how I get on in maintenance mode and being ‘normal’ for once in my life. I will start to think about what direction I want my blog to go in when that time arrives.

10.6 Miles done, phew!

2011-08-14T21:01:00.000+01:00

So I managed a 10.6 mile run today and boy was it hard. It started to really get hot and I forget every time I leave the house how hilly the area I live in actually is, it's a real killer. Anyway I did it in 1 hour 51 minutes so a good overall pace throughout. My legs and feet feel tired now which is not a surprise and I seem to have developed a slight headache so I will be trying to re-hydrate to get that shifted for the next couple of hours.

I am back in 'sunny dry' Edinburgh tomorrow so I will be doing some cross training in the gym for a couple of days, I don't think my legs or feet will take any more running for a few days which is just as well, I don't think I can cope running in the rain up there, it rains like no where else!

Week 32 Weigh In

2011-08-13T21:43:00.000+01:00

wk: 32// 13-Aug-11 // 10st 2.75 lb // 142.75lb // 64.8kg // 23.8 BMI // Loss this week: -0.75 lb // Loss overall: -30.25 lb

Down another 3/4 of a pound. Not much but at this stage it all counts. I had a good week too, managed a few quality workouts, ran a total of 23.2 miles (Saturday to Friday) and ate quite well all week too. My training for my first half-marathon is going well but the closer its getting the more I feel nervous. I have planned on doing an 11 mile run tomorrow so I will see how I feel during and after that.

I was taking to my friend today who I haven't seen for a while and the first thing she said when she saw me was wow you look amazing which really made me feel good, I know she genuinely means it. We were taking about how far I have come in just over 7 months. In January I couldn't run a mile without stopping and this week I have ran 23.2 miles and 10 of them were during 1 session alone, I could not have even considered that doable in January.

It is amazing what you can do when you seriosuly put your mind to it and get on with it without excuses and without letting distractions take over that desire to hit goals.

I will post an update on how my run goes tomorrow, I hope it goes well and I feel good for it.

Mid week slump

2011-08-10T14:01:00.000+01:00

I have to say I am feeling out of sorts today, if that’s the right way of putting it.

I went out with work to a comedy show last night where I only had half a beer, and a small glass of wine but woke feeling like I only had a couple of hours sleep and a head like I had drank 6 pints of beer. I was in fact in bed at 11pm and didn’t wake until 7am so I had a good rest but my body is not feeling like it has. Despite my body having its own little tantrum against the will of my brain I am going to go to the gym tonight. I know I will feel better after a workout and I will without a doubt feel and sleep better for it.

I got me a Garmin Forerunner 405CX

2011-08-08T18:28:00.000+01:00

Here is the little beauty. I am so chuffed with it, I will be able to get accurate distance and pace measures during my runs now and hopefully it will help me train better. It will be nice to know during my runs how far I have actually ran instead of mapping it before I leave then re-mapping to include deviations I took on-route.

I cannot wait for my next run to give it a good go!

I do run run run, I do run run

2011-08-07T21:46:00.000+01:00

I have been running my behind off literally this weekend. Friday after work was a 4 mile run on a very steep hilly route. Saturday I opted for a 6 mile treadmill run purely to help me stay at a set pace and today I did a 10 mile run which was part of the route for my up and coming half marathon.

Today marked 4 weeks until my very first half marathon so its only fitting I train on the route I will be doing on the day. I was surprised by some of the route today as I didn't realize quite how hilly some parts were. Granted I haven't ran some parts of the course before and obviously I didn't do it all but it was quite tough, the hills really affected my pace, heart rate and overall feeling. The last part of the half marathon is up hill, that will hurt on the day, mile 13 up hill all the way, harsh I would say after running 12 miles of the course with several gradual and steep hills.

I am glad I went and did 10 miles of the course (I missed off a 3 mile section that goes around a housing estate then back to a road we turned off so I was able to stay pretty much on route for the 10 miles) and I will try and get more training in on the course to help my body adapt as much as possible in the next 4 weeks.

I do feel very tired though, 20 miles ran in 3 days is the most I have ever done in such a short time. I am proud of myself, I went out running alone today after already having done 10 miles in the previous 2 days, it would have been easy for me to have just stayed at home and thought I had already done enough. Despite the run being hard it was enjoyable and that's what it all about.

I will have a workout rest tomorrow as my legs are feeling somewhat worn, hopefully I will fit some cross training in while working away next week but we will see.

Week 31 Weigh In

2011-08-06T10:29:00.000+01:00

wk: 31// 06-Aug-11 // 10st 3.5 lb // 143.5lb // 65.2kg // 23.9 BMI // Loss this week: -1 lb // Loss overall: -29.5 lb

Down 1lb this week, I'm quite happy with that considering I haven't worked out like I usually do as I have been super tired this week. I have been out a couple of times with work too, I know I know I said I wouldn't but hey ho there you go. I have been good with food still so it just shows that even if I'm not working out as much all is not lost as eating well is still important. Next week is going to be a 'going out' week as I am working in Edinburgh so we are going to catch some comedy shows since the Fringe festival is on.

Boot camp mega weekend this Saturday and Sunday so hopefully it will help towards next weeks weigh in.

That's all for now, off to the gym shortly for this weekends boot camp round 1.

Dreaming about it

2011-08-02T09:33:00.001+01:00

I had a really disturbing dream last night, I was lay on an operating table wide awake having weight loss surgery. I woke up quite disturbed by this, maybe I shouldn’t watch any weight loss / surgery shows relating to weight right before I am about to go to bed. It really has given me the heebie jeebies.

Anyway, must get back to work, lots to do as always.

Why have I gone slack?

2011-08-01T12:48:00.002+01:00

I was lay in bed late last night unable to sleep thinking about things. I was running through my mind why I am not as dedicated as I was 2 months ago to my healthy food intake and weight loss. In my mind, my vocal cords are telling me I want it and I want to get to goal and I want to finally be at the end point but the doing part of me seems to give in and lack willpower. I had that willpower 2 months ago and that drive to drag myself out and workout even after a 14 hour work day was there so what’s different?

I think it is the fact that I am much more comfortable with myself. I don’t claim to be a model or a size 8 super toned athlete but I do look at myself and like what I see. I like how my clothes fit and how my fitness levels are still going from strength to strength so maybe my sub conscious is kicking in. When I am faced with moments of indulgence (probably not indulgence to the non dieter) It means much less to me to sacrifice all the pleasures as I know deep down if I don’t lose anymore it’s no big deal, I am in a healthy weight range with a good level of fitness so I can live my life normally as long as I keep up with the exercise and don’t go back to a bad eating regime with regular drinking sessions.

I think I do need to put into perspective how far I have come, I am down over 28lbs and in terms of size down 3 clothes sizes (UK size 16 to a UK size 10). I will be working hard to hit my goal as I do want to finally hit my marker I am just realizing why I have been so slack and my reasons are not bad ones, I am just living my life and enjoying the new look me in the process. I need to stop being annoyed and upset at my little losses and start being happy that I have got to where I have and I am managing it well while living normally without too much restriction Obviously it goes without saying I don’t binge eat anymore, that part of me is gone and I enjoy my working out, exercise is part of my life and it always will be, a big change for the better and one I will keep doing way past me hitting goal (if I ever do).

Week 30 Weigh In

2011-07-31T19:34:00.000+01:00

wk: 30// 30-July-11 // 10st 4.5 lb // 144.5lb // 65.6kg // 24 BMI // Loss this week: -0.5 lb //
Loss overall: -28.5 lb

Down 1/2 a pound. What do I think about that? Well I don't deserve anything more to be honest. I started the week really well, had nice big deficits, good workouts but fast forward a few days and I slacked on the food, drink and workouts. I am determined not to be a sliding scale for weeks to come and I know what I need to do, I just need to stop saying it and start doing it and 3 days of being super good is not enough.

Work is taking over a bit and that's no excuse but I am feeling mush more tired than normal. I need to push past it and stop opting for meals out which involves calorie heavy meals and the inevitable missed workout session that evening. I need to re-focus and decide that my fitness is more important than a meal out and a few beers, with my half marathon a measly 5 weeks away I really should be dropping a couple more pounds and stepping up the running in-order to be on form for it.

I hope I have a good week, all I can do is try and avoid the meals out, that is my downfall right now. I will be good and I will put my fitness first again while working away as I have the evening time to dedicate to it. I need to take advantage of those few hours each night for working out and that should be my evening priority.

My first half marathon: Race number has arrived

2011-07-26T16:33:00.000+01:00

I am nervous as hell about it if I'm being honest. It is such a long way (distance) and its just over 5 weeks away until the run. I am carrying on with the training and I just hope it will be enough to get me to the finish line without me dying on the way around.

Week 29 Weigh In

2011-07-23T21:14:00.002+01:00

wk:29// 23-July-11 // 10st 5 lb // 145lb // 65.9kg // 24.1 BMI // Loss this week: +0.75 lb //
Loss overall: -28 lb

So first weigh in since coming back from holiday and I am 0.75 lbs up, not bad considering I was worried about it and expected 2-3 lb gain but obviously getting straight back at this week has probably helped towards this weeks weigh in. I am not at all bothered by 0.75 lbs and it will be off and some next week.

I didn't make boot camp this morning as I just couldn't get up at 7am, I felt so tired I need the extra sleep so I stayed in till 10am. Me and my hubby went shopping which entailed several hours walking and lunch at Costa coffee. I did go to the gym around tea time however and put in another 5km run so my calorie burn is at a good number on my Ki Fit today so I am pleased with my efforts. Here is a photo collage of my food intake for today (I won't be doing this much longer, maybe one more day just to give you an idea of how I eat even when out shopping and not able to cook).

Boot camp in the morning is going to be attended and I will work as hard as I can. I will write a post about what we did as it is a session in my local woods, out and about with nature I just hope its not raining, I don't want to be that close to nature!

Back on track, No questionmark.

2011-07-22T21:16:00.000+01:00

Food for today, feeling pretty good and not hungry at all. I think this balance is just right. I don't know if I can maintain it when I am traveling to several offices all over the country like I am next week but I will soon find out.

Back on track?

2011-07-22T09:11:00.000+01:00

I would say in a confident voice yes I am.

I feel so good for having a good day yesterday and getting completely back into it, I came in below my 1500 calorie limit and managed a 5k run in 32 minutes. Its not much (for me) but for some strange reason I have been suffering with foot pain the last few days (don't remember hurting it or anything) but I did the run and it seems to be alright. I couldn't put my work heels on this morning as putting my foot on down hurts like hell but its fine in my flats. Very strange so I will stick to flat shoes for a while until it eases and at least it won't affect my workouts.

Here is a picture diary of my food intake yesterday, I ate regularly thought-out the day as to not stuff myself or leave myself hungry for several hours.

I will do another picture diary today and post it tomorrow.

If I get back from head office at a reasonable time tonight I will head to the gym, I have a 2 hour train journey home so it all depends what time I can get away.
Saturday plan is boot camp at 8am then if I feel I can I run afterward, if not (I go to the 8am session having no breakfast as its so early so it all depends how my body is feeling) I will head out for my run early evening.
Sunday is boot camp in the woods at 10am, I love this session being out and about and I am actually looking forward to it since I haven't done it for 2 weeks due to my holiday.

What it takes to burn that impulsive purchase of a muffin with your Starbucks coffee

2011-07-21T13:38:00.001+01:00

When I have a treat day I still look at what it will take to burn off what I indulge in. Although I am just getting back to eating just my daily calorie allowance no excuses it’s interesting to see what those impulse treats really cost in terms of activity needed to burn off the calories consumed. It’s easy to look at something small like a muffin with your morning coffee and eat it without a care in the world but when you think about it one really does need to do some exercise to compensate for indulgences because the time it takes to burn it during regular activates is just endless.

Food for thought:

One Starbucks Skinny Lemon and Poppy seed Iced Muffin is 424 calories (nutritional value taken from Starbucks).

Here is a list of day to day activates to burn that off, look at the time it will take, this also means not eating anything else during that activity either. Over 6 hours of watching TV to burn off that one single muffin, hardly worth eating now huh?

424 calories in 6 hours 27 minutes: Watching TV.
424 calories in 4 hours 18 minutes: Socialising (sitting and talking).
423 calories in 4 hours 57 minutes: Moderate sexual activity.
423 calories in 7 hours 10 minutes: Sleeping.
424 calories in 3 hours 13 minutes: Driving a car.
423 calories in 4 hours 17 minutes: Light work desk job.

For comparison here are a few much quicker ways of burning off that muffin if you’re willing to put the effort in:

420 calories in 0 hours 29 minutes: Treadmill – 8mph.
426 calories in 1 hour 51 minutes: Walking at leisurely pace.
422 calories in 0 hours 55 minutes: Swimming – freestyle.

Note: Calorie stats are based on my previous weigh in weight of 145 lbs, (figures taken from caloriesperhour.com).

Getting back in the swing of it

2011-07-20T15:32:00.000+01:00

I really need to get back on plan and back to extreme calorie counting and working out like a mad woman. Since coming back from holiday I haven’t felt the best so not had a workout since my early morning run in Spain on Saturday. I think tonight is a write off too as I have a headache so I will go straight to bed when I get to my hotel and hope it clears up.

I am finding food a bit hard too, probably because I did eat more ‘normal’ last week so feeling a bit hungry despite giving my body enough fuel. I will treat this week as a ‘getting back to business’ week. Getting back to reduced calories and hopefully back to working out tomorrow evening.

I am kind of dreading weigh in on Saturday morning, last week was the first weigh in all year that I have missed and the first time all year I don’t actually know what my numbers are. I feel worried about a gain since I haven’t just come home and started working off any possible gain from my holiday, again first time I don’t actually truly know what I gained. Worried as I am struggling with my food and working out usually helps in that arena as it reduces my appetite so I get through my evening with ease and without hunger.

Hopefully I will be back to my normal self tomorrow and working out and eating right and back firmly on the wagon.

The buffet effect

2011-07-19T11:42:00.000+01:00

On our holiday we just returned from we stayed on a full board basis. This was buffet breakfast, snack style lunch and buffet style evening meal. We didn’t stay at the hotel for all our meals as we wanted to try different things but there were a few things I noticed about people eating from a buffet.

Breakfast:

I typically had 2 slices of toast, a small bowl of muesli and a couple of slices of melon as well as my arbitrary coffee for my breakfast each day. This is what I would have at home and would get me through until my lunch.

This is what I typically saw others have for breakfast. 2-3 croissants, 2 slices of toast, yogurt, bowl cereal (chocolate sort) and a bowl of fruit. I’m sure people do not eat like that at home each morning, I was shocked by the sheer amount people were putting away.

Lunch:

I typically ordered the ham and melon plate with a bread roll or I just had a basic salad. Light lunch considering I did nothing all day long. I also wanted to enjoy a few beers and cocktails so I made sure my food wasn’t on the bad side too.

Other people were ordering burgers with chips and all sorts even after they had ate a massive heavy breakfast a few hours before.

Dinner:

I typically had a basic salad with some form of meat of the day, so a chicken breast or a slice of fish with literally a portion on pasta or rice (1 small cup of pasta or rice is a portion to me). I did indulge in a slice of pie for desert with a scoop of ice cream but not every day.

I saw people with plates overflowing with food, as much chips, meat and pasta as they could balance on a plate. Followed by 2-3 portions of desert.

I snacked on fruit and Ryvita in between when I was hungry, I avoided mindless eating of crisps and biscuits which seemed to be the staple of other people choices.

I know people are on their holidays but I don’t understand the need to eat in massive excess just because it is a buffet and they are on holiday. If anything one needs less food as if you are not sightseeing and walking about the amount of activity your getting is next to zero so the need for the food is considerably less than a normal day.

Don’t get me wrong I did indulge a bit and I drank a fair few beers but I didn’t eat until I was bursting or even close to feeling like that, I was just shocked at how much people felt the need to eat just because it was there. I’m sure I have done that in the past, I must have hence one of the reasons I was overweight in the first place but when you are aware of your intake and you look around its not surprising why so many people are overweight.
It’s interesting to understand why people eat like that and why they feel the need to. Would those people have ate like that if say the meals they had were all from a set menu that were given to them rather than them helping themselves? Would those people ate a more nutritionally balanced meal if the meals were from a set menu that were portioned controlled? I think they would have ate better out of default so why eat so badly just because it’s a buffet?

Back from my holday

2011-07-18T21:04:00.000+01:00

I am back from my holiday and ill get right to it, I'm not going to do weigh in week 28, I don't think its wise, I feel bloated so for my own mind I am going to wait until next Saturdays weigh in. I have not been particularly bad and my holiday report below will show that but I am feeling generally bloated and irritated.

Onto my holiday:

I managed to do 4 runs while on holiday and boy was it tough.

Run 1 was in the day around 4 pm and it was hot, I mean really hot, I was sweating the moment we started running. Nerja is also very hilly, steep hills too, much more than I have ever experienced, needless to say the whole feeling was not good! 4Km done.

Run 2 was my first ever morning run, yup I got up at 6:30am while on holiday to get a run in while the sun was down and the temperature was bearable. I for sure could not do another day run in such high temperatures. This was also the first time I have ever ran on a beach, it's much harder than it looks on tv shows like home and away! 6.5Km done.

Run 3 was another early morning run along the beach, it was nice for many reasons. No people on the beach and seeing the sun rising along the coastline is just amazing. The colours are just so different to that of a setting sun, well worth getting up stupidly early to see. I enjoyed stopping and holding my husbands hand while admiring it for a short time before setting back off on our run. 4.5Km Done.

Run 4 was a different story, I forced myself up at 6:30am and headed out and it was tough, I planned a long route but my body wasn't feeling it, I was out of breath in a bad way and my legs were so tired from all our walking over the previous days (yep we did a load of walking as well as going out running) so I called it a day after a short distance and went back to bed. 4Km done.

Fear not I did relax on my holiday, we chilled by the pool after our runs and spent a few evenings enjoying 1 or 2, okay a few cocktails. We walked a lot too but we lay on sun loungers for a good amount of time. All round I had a great break, I needed the workouts to help me relax for the rest of the time, to help control my restlessness if anything.

Food wise I think I contained myself, I didn't overeat or chomp on crap each day all day long. I enjoyed treats as well a my favorite alcoholic beverages but it could have been much worse. I was mindful of what I ate and how much I was taking in but I wanted to enjoy my week as well as feel I was in control.

I wore a bikini too, several different ones in fact and it was the first time I felt reasonably good in it. Don't get me wrong I don't think I looked like a catwalk model but I think I carried it well. My abs are really starting to show now too which I am really pleased about. I work hard in all my workouts and its clearly paying off, I want to look toned and fit not like a bag of skin and bone.

I also had my belly button pieced while I was away. I never considered it before as I have always been over weight (never stayed at a healthy weight for a decent time period) but I got it done and it looks fab. No one will see it but my hubby and when it's gets air time on future beach holidays but he thinks it looks great. I know much younger people have it but I never had the tummy for it so I suppose its my way of making up for a small amount of my early 20's when I should have been having stuff like a belly piercing and such! It will for sure force me to work to keep my flat tummy so it's good for that if nothing else.

As I am being brave here is a pic of me in said bikini with said piercing.

I have a lot of blog posts to read this week and I will catch up so hopefully I will manage to comment on a fair few this week inbetween working, doesn't work just get in the way!

My geeky charts

2011-07-09T22:48:00.000+01:00

I keep stats on everything weight and workout related, its the geek inside me and that I am a numbers person so I thought I would share with you my charts (click to view larger versions).

My weight chart this year: Overall I am doing better that what I set my weekly weight loss goal to be but only by a couple of pounds, I am on course for what I had set myself at the beginning of the year which at this point is all that matters.

My workout chart showing the total time spent working out each week. My average is around 6.5 hours which I am quite happy about. This should increase when I get back from my holidays as I have 2 half marathons coming up so I need to put in some serious running training, which means many long runs.

Finally my calories in, out and balance chart. I have and still am keeping a food diary religiously, it keeps me on track and aware of my intake. This chart shows my weekly calories in, weekly calories out and what my balance was. I have noticed myself getting slack the last few weeks. this week I have a very good deficit but the previous 4/5 have not been so good so I really need to get a grip and go back to basics and get my numbers looking like they did in the first 3 months of the year where my consumed was lower and my burned was higher and my balance was a much larger negative number.

I'm glad I record all this data as it is an eye opener to why I am not getting the losses I think I deserve. For me the numbers don't lie and I know I have been slacking off the last few weeks, I can tell by just looking at my calorie graph and by looking at the slight fluctuations in my weight chart. When I'm back from my holiday next week I am going back to basics and getting completely back on track.

Week 27 Weigh In

2011-07-09T17:31:00.000+01:00

wk:27// 09-July-11 // 10st 4.25 lb // 144.25lb // 65.5kg // 24 BMI // Loss this week: -0.75 lb // Loss overall: -28.75 lb

Down a measly 0.75 lbs, even after all the working out and the massive calorie deficit this week. It sure is proving to be difficult the home stretch to the goal.

Off on holiday tomorrow (like you don't already know) and I'm not back until Monday 18th so I will do my weigh in on the 18th or the 19th so it will be a few days late.

Will post a more in-depth post when I get back, I need to pull my finger out and get packed and sorted out.

This weeks progress

2011-07-08T11:38:00.000+01:00

I think this week is a good week on the healthy living front.

Weekend started with double boot camp, 1 session Saturday at a time I should have still been firmly in the land of nod and 1 session in the woods on Sunday. Sunday’s session I was made to do an array of things that involved me being in severe pain and finishing up looking like I had been dragged about the floor kicking and screaming.

Monday was a well deserved rest from working out, well it was a forced rest in all fairness because I was in complete and utter agony. Getting to the office was literally a pain, not just in the backside but in the legs, arms, back and chest.

Tuesday and Wednesday were my running days and I loved it. I stayed in a really nice hotel just on the river so I had my running routes up the river sorted. It was lovely, zero traffic with no roads to cross or dodging of people walking on the pavement, just lovely. I even surprised myself by how well they went considering I did them after long days in the office and my body was still suffering from the weekend. I even took advantage of the hotel swimming pool after my run on Wednesday and I think it really helped my muscles recover as usually after a long run I hurt but I woke on Thursday pretty much ache free, result!

Last night I forced myself to go to my hotel gym, it took me from 6.30pm till 8.30pm to convince myself to get in there but I went and did some cross training and rowing. I didn’t want to go out running as my legs needed a break but it was completely tipping it down so I just couldn’t face it.

Tonight is travel home day so I doubt I will be back home in time for a workout but I think 6+ hours this week is enough working out so I will just slob at home ready for boot camp round 2 first thing in the ridiculous hours of the morning.

Food wise I have been a bit up and down but overall this week I have worked up a 5000+ calorie deficit, which is the highest deficit I have had in the last 6 weeks so I am hoping for a good weigh in on Saturday.

T Minus 2 days, 15 hours, 32 minutes

2011-07-06T21:27:00.002+01:00

Not that I am counting or anything!

Counting down and a big thank you

2011-07-05T12:25:00.000+01:00

I will firstly start by saying thank you for all the comments on my last post. I have been so busy lately with work and working out that I have been a bit neglectful of commenting on many of your blogs. I do read all your posts (I promise) via my blog feed app on my iPhone while I am traveling so commenting is a bit difficult. The last thing I want to do when I get home after a manic week is turn on my computer so apologies that you guys are not getting the feedback from me that you for sure deserve. I do believe in being active in the blogging community and I will try my best when I'm back from my holiday to be more active in returning comments etc.

Its 1 more week until me and my hubby are off on our holiday, I tell you I cannot wait. I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my hubby without phones going off, iPads beeping, emails needing a reply or people 'popping round'.
I am planning on doing my boot camp session on Saturday and Sunday morning as we dont fly until tea time on Sunday so I will have had a decent workout before I go. I will be taking workout gear with me too so I can get some running in while I am away, ill feel better if I have some activity to justify chilling out for the rest of the time.

Holiday countdown: 5 days, 0 hours, 36 minutes.

Week 26 Weigh In

2011-07-02T12:50:00.003+01:00

***********************************************************
THIRD WEIGHT LOSS GOAL MET: 2 STONE LOST
***********************************************************

wk:26// 02-July-11 // 10st 5 lb // 145lb // 65.9kg // 24.1 BMI // Loss this week: -0.75 lb // Loss overall: -28 lb

Ahhh finally after a few weeks of up and down I have hit my third weight loss goal, woohoo, about bloody time too.
I have been out drinking and eating a bit more than normal recently, mainly with my work colleagues which I know has affected my weight loss. I'm also sure I would have had a bigger loss hadn't I had a pizza, garlic bread and chocolate pudding last night after getting home from work late, I was so full I haven't even had breakfast today I still feel so full!

Boot camp has started however, 8am this morning I was giving it some in the gym which was not only painful but really tiring considering I never workout in the morning let alone on a weekend when I should be having a lie in and relaxing after a busy work week.

I will really make an effort next week while I am working away to stay away from alcohol and eating out, I go on holiday next Sunday and I would like to go after a good weigh in on Saturday, it will make me feel good and will hopefully spur me to carry on working out while on holiday to try and reduce the amount I put on. Yes you read right, I will be working out on holiday, 1 hour a day is nothing since I will be relaxing for the rest of the day. I am looking forward to having a jog on the beach too, its something I haven't done and I think running by the sea will be nice.

As I hit my goal (finally) here is a new picture of my bracelet with my new charm on it to mark me reaching my goal, well its a smooth clip but I love it all the same. 5 lbs to my next goal, not much but its going to be hard getting the last 5 off once and for all.

Time to get out of the house and soak up some of this lovely sun we rarely get here in this part of the world!

Stone 10k

2011-06-28T09:47:00.000+01:00

I have never ever ran in heat like I did on Sunday and it was no fun at all. I struggled to keep going. Despite the sun cream I used I still ended up with a burnt back and shoulders which isn't nice, I'm sure that will take a week or two to fully heal. I also have to say I haven't fully recovered yet, I have had quite an upset stomach since and its showing no signs of letting up. I feel like I just want to lie down and sleep, not good at all. I hope I feel back normal soon so I can get back out there.

I will go to the gym tonight and have a light workout just to keep my muscles going but I wont be anywhere near a lean mean working out machine that's for sure.

Here are a couple of pictures from the run (look how stressed my face is, its clear I'm not enjoying this one).

Blog award from Ruby (Strictly Blooming)

2011-06-27T09:26:00.000+01:00

I received this stylish blog award from Ruby over at Strictly Blooming. As part of this I will thank Ruby, thank you Ruby, I am pleased you read my blong and enjoy it, warts and all. I also need to tell you all 7 things about myself and pass it onto 5 friends. Here goes:-

1: I am a geek, its true and have been for many years. I like to think am a cool geek though!
2: I am quite obsessive about cleaning, mess drives me mad to the point I have to clean up before I go to bed just so I can relax.
3: I am such a light sleeper I have to wear ear plugs every night just to be able to doze off.
4: I have been married to my lovely husband for almost 1 year and I would marry him all over again, no question.
5: If I had to choose food over coffee, coffee would win every time. I love the stuff and cannot live without it. I am one grumpy lady until my morning coffee has been consumed, and my afternoon coffee x3 and my early evening coffee, coffee all day long.
6: My favorite film of all time is Blade runner, fantastic film even by today's standards.

I would like to pass this award onto the following people:-

Tamara @ A lot more exercise, a little less of me: She has done so well and recently completed the Edinburgh Moon walk marathon. Great walk report and great pre-training posts.

Sazzajp @ Woman on a mission: She recently finished a 10k midnight walk. Honest talking blogger who tells it how it is.

Paul @ Fat4Now: We don't get many men posting about losing weight so its nice to read how men feel about this and how differently men and women juggle everything.

Sue @ Losing a little bit of me: She has done so well and is keeping at it, despite some insect bites recently (the pain of being active). Always honest and to the point and you can really relate to her bad days, she can practically write my posts some days.

Charlie @ Operation shrink charlies big butt: She for sure does not have a big butt! Fab blogger, a busy mum too. She has lost 85lbs and she looks gorgeous but aside from the looks reading her posts show how much of a different person she is. A worthwhile read who will for sure inspire you in some way.

Week 25 Weigh In

2011-06-26T18:17:00.000+01:00

wk:25// 25-June-11 // 10st 5.75 lb // 145.75lb // 66.2kg // 24.3 BMI // Loss this week: +0.5 lb // Loss overall: -27.25 lb

So a 0.5 lb gain, I cant say it wasn't expected. I will for sure work hard to get it off and more for next weeks weigh in. I need to have a drink free week me thinks, this week is my week for being good and getting completley back on plan.

The week has started well, Saturday I did a light 20 minute run followed by a spin class and today I did the Stone 10k run and boy was it a hot one. I am not a fan of running in such heat but I did and it was painful. Every Km was an effort and my body is feeling it. I finished in 60 mins exactly so I can't grumble but I know I could have done better had the heat let up just a bit. I will post some pics soon.

In other blogging news I was awarded a stylish blog award from Ruby over at Strictly Blooming, thank you very much Ruby, much appreciated. I will pay it forward and ensure I fulfill my award commitments in a later post this week, scouts honor!

New dress to lift my spirit

2011-06-24T15:18:00.005+01:00

I went out during my lunch break to pick up our holiday tickets from the travel agents so it only seemed right that I pop round the shops to look at holiday clothes to get me in the mood (any excuse to shop right). The sales are on at the minute so I thought I would see whats on offer at Warehouse, well I found a stunning dress which I got for my holiday and nights out. I love it, its not normally the shape I would go for but now I'm much smaller I'm more inclined to try new things. I'm also chuffed that this is a size 10, who would have thought I was even a size 16 six months ago. I might wear it on Saturday night for a friends birthday meal, can't wait to wear it.

I think a small gain is imminent

2011-06-24T12:11:00.002+01:00

Despite good workouts this week I feel a small gain is imminent, I have been eating a bit ore than I should, not bad things but still too much all the same. Next week I will be on top of this and if I'm hungry then so be it. Will see what happens at weigh in tomorrow.

Letting things slip / BOOT CAMP

2011-06-22T16:20:00.001+01:00

I have been looking over my numbers for the last few weeks and I have been a bit slack on the calories in / calories out front. I really need to get back to being in control and sticking religiously to my calorie limits, even if it’s just for a week. I have noticed my calorie deficit getting lower and lower as the weeks go by, I know I have lost weight but I don’t feel completely in control of my intake. I feel I am getting a little lax on the food front and I don’t want to go down that road let alone see any more gains on the scales. I have been going out a lot more recently, drinking a bit more than normal and eating more than normal and I need to stop and have more self control. I went out last night with work, had a couple of beers and a meal. I chose the best things I could, did a run before hand but I know its not enough. I need to not be drinking and not eating out during the week. I have another meal out on Saturday for a friend’s birthday but as I have the Stone 10k on the Sunday it will be an early night and no alcohol will be consumed so I’m not worried I will over indulge. Then its 2 weeks until my holiday! Yey!

In other news which I am so happy about, my gym are doing another round of Boot Camp sessions. I am booked on the following sessions:

8am – 9am Boot camp: July 2^nd, 9^th, 23^rd, 30^th, 6^th August.

12-1.30pm Boot camp: 6^th August, 7^th, 13^th, 14^th, 20^th, 21^st, 27^th, 28^th, 3^rd Sept, 4^th, 10^th, 11^th.

Yep on the 6^th August I will be doing double boot camp, reason for it is that its 2 separate sessions by 2 different people, the courses start at different times so I signed up for both of them and they happen to overlap one day but hey ho ill have one hell of a workout day! I am so chuffed to be able to have these sessions and to get 17 of them is fantastic, I even get 2 in before my holiday so that will for sure make me feel good.

Week 24 Weigh In

2011-06-19T17:14:00.007+01:00

wk:24// 18-June-11 // 10st 5.25 lb // 145.25lb // 66kg // 24.2 BMI // Loss this week: -1 lb // Loss overall: -27.75 lb

1 down, a real shame I couldn't get that extra .25 lbs to hit my next mini goal but fingers crossed next week will be my week. I have quite a lot of making up to do during the week as I had a heavy night out last night so I need a to be super on the ball. I also have the Stone 10k run next week so last thing I need is to be pumping my body full of crap and waking up on Sunday feeling awful so this week is going to be a good week, I can feel it.

It is also measurements week this week so here are the results:

Really pleased with my measurements and progress, can't ask for any more really. Next measurements will be the 13th August, aiming for the same kind of loss.

Here are my overview stats for the last 24 weeks too, being a numbers girl I really like seeing my progress this way, who would have thought over 6 days of this year has been spent working out, its really bazaar to see it wrote down and know how hard I have worked and just how much I have worked.

I am so pleased and proud with my progress so far, I really cant ask for more, I certainly cant work any harder and I really am looking forward to hitting my goal at some point this year. I will be so chuffed when I hit my goal, I will go out and buy a gorgeous frock from Coast or Karen Millen and have a fabulous night out with my husband.

Goals mean charms

2011-06-15T09:37:00.002+01:00

I really hope I hit my next weight loss goal this week, 1.25 lbs is all I need then I get to buy a lovely new charm for my gorgeous Pandora bracelet.

PAIN - noun

2011-06-13T10:14:00.002+01:00

1. Physical suffering or distress, as due to injury, illness, etc.
2. A distressing sensation in a particular part of the body: a back pain.
3. Mental or emotional suffering or torment: I am sorry my news causes you such pain.
My addition. Having someone scream at you for 1 hour solid, putting your body through various movements to cause suffering and distress of which you have paid for the privilege.

I had a personal training session on Saturday followed by a spin class. Boy was it hard, I hurt all over, my abs are on fire and hurt so much I can’t even cough without it causing slight tears in the eye. I did plan on doing a run yesterday but I could barely walk let alone manage an hour running around in the rain like a woman gone mad. Today I am feeling slightly more mobile but my legs and arms have decided to join in the pain fest. Getting on the train this morning was a killer, dragging my suitcase to my hotel on arrival was a not nice on any part of my body. Today is going to be a long day that’s for sure, if I can manage it later I will brave the gym and try some cross trainer in the hope it will loosen me up, I really wish I had packed my swimsuit so I could go for a leisurely swim to help my body, oh well maybe next week.

Also I want to say a massive congratulations to Tamara who completed the Edinburgh Moonwalk over the weekend, well done girl :-D

Week 23 Weigh In

2011-06-11T16:39:00.004+01:00

wk:23// 11-June-11 // 10st 6.25 lb // 146.25lb // 66.4kg // 24.3 BMI // Loss this week: -2 lb // Loss overall: -26.75 lb

Down 2 lbs, phew I needed that! I hate those up weeks they do nothing for my motivation and overall mood, so glad my body gave me a good week. I did have the most indulgent week of the year so far so I wasn't expecting any loss but I know I need to live my life and enjoy it and I did this week with a couple of meals out, nice drinks and good company. Next week will be back to normal, eating right and working out as much as I can between working and traveling.

Good start to the week so far, today has involved a 10 minute cross trainer warm up, a 1 hour personal training session (oh boy did it hurt) followed by a 45 minute spin class. Food wise I really need get some more food in, I have only managed to have 723 calories so far so a nice cooked meal is in order.

Tomorrow I have a running session with the gym crew planned, I'm sure this will turn into a 1+ hour run which is great so all is good for the start of the week!

Not forgetting the past.

2011-06-09T14:36:00.002+01:00

I have been a little down about my progress the last week or two and this got me writing this post, just to keep me going and not putting my hands up and giving in.

I don't want to forget how I felt at new year, seeing the pictures and feeling the shame and guilt. I don't want to and won't forget my first run of the new year, having to walk several times in the first mile. I won't forget how it felt to put on my work trousers and having to breath in to fasten them. I won't forget how uncomfortable I was sat down because my trousers dug in they were so tight. I won't forget how I could barley look at myself without thinking how horrid I looked. I won't forget the tears I gave on the 1st January when I stepped on the scales and saw that number flashing back at me. I won't forget how annoyed at myself I was for going back to that girl I thought I left behind years ago.

Sometimes letting go of the past is great thing, for me it's what keeps me going, it's the feeling I felt back then that keeps me from going back there. I don't want to feel those feelings again ever so remembering how it was will kelp me from slipping back to then.

Time is passing way too fast

2011-06-08T20:55:00.004+01:00

I was looking at my calendar as I do everyday, it does at the moment dictate my life, thank goodness for Google calendar to help me stay organised. Anyway I noticed tha my first half marathon run is getting ever so close now, 12 weeks on Sunday to be precise. 12 weeks sounds like a lot of weeks but really its not. Working away again has proven to be as hard it has ever been and my running training schedule is none existent at the moment, routine is really needed and at the minute I am struggling to get in one, never mind my slight back injury I'm nursing at the moment.

I also have a *gulp* 10k event 2 weeks on Sunday and at this rate I wont be hitting an under 1 hour time. I just hope my body is kind to me and gives it all it has on the day to get me my much needed sub 60 minute time, it will for sure give me a good mental boost.

In other news, I have turned on the new blogger mobile device template so my blog is now mobile device friendly, it contains a link at the bottom to the full web version but the loading and viewing will be less weighty on a mobile device.

A week that needs effort and dedication

2011-06-07T09:47:00.002+01:00

I still haven’t got over my gain from the weekend weight in, top it off with a heavy weekend and I truly feel guilty as hell and feeling really frumpy. Sometimes you just know when you have put on a bit, I am not feeling as firm as I was a couple of weeks ago and I know it’s partly because I haven’t got much resistance training in so I need to focus on that for the next few weeks that’s for sure.

Work was manic yesterday, I was up at 5:30 am to get to the office for 10am, didn’t get away until 7:50 in the evening so there was not workout done. Had I had stayed in Reading I would have forced it but I had to travel to my hotel in Kensington so even I couldn’t push that one.

Today I woke up with a terrible shoulder / back pain, obviously I have pulled something there, probably dragging my suitcase around everywhere, hopefully it will wear off over the course of today as I really need to have a workout, just for my sanity if anything. Taking of workouts I am really looking forward to my personal training session on Saturday morning, really need a butt kicking (there must be a good joke in there somewhere)!

Food intake has been good since the big Saturday outing, Sunday was just over 1200 calories and yesterday just under 1200 calories. Hopefully I can manage this for the rest of the week then next week go back to my 1400 – 1500 daily calorie limit. I have even moved to Americano coffee’s from Starbucks this week instead of my regular skim latte to save on calories, I would say that is dedication (yep I am a coffee fiend so its a big deal)!

Week 22 Weigh In

2011-06-05T20:08:00.005+01:00

wk:22// 04-June-11 // 10st 8.25 lb // 148.25lb // 67.4kg // 24.7 BMI // Loss this week: +0.75 lb // Loss overall: -24.75 lb

Don't really know what to say about it this week, obviously a 5000 calorie deficit and 4.5 hours of working out isn't enough for a loss. Yeah its not a massive gain but it's enough to piss me off. How much harder do I have to bloody work for it. Bad thing is I have had a really heavy weekend, out with girls all day on Saturday drinking cocktails and eating fine food followed by my Nieces Christening today so no doubt I would have put on one or two this weekend alone, I can feel it so I know I have.

I have booked some personal training sessions at the gym for Saturdays to keep me going and motivated. I can't eat better than I am but this week I will try hard to stick to 1200 calories as a way to kick my body a bit. Ill workout at my hotel Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, hopefully Ill be back from the office at a decent time Friday to get a workout done in the evening. I will be working out no matter how tired I am this week, I need to make up for the weekend and try and get a decent loss to get my spirits up again.

Security blanket

2011-05-31T15:47:00.000+01:00

Today is my first whole day not wearing my Ki-Fit and I tell you I feel a little weird. I am trying to avoid wearing it in work, wearing no sleeve suit dresses and short sleeve shirts means it’s visible and I don’t want it to be topic of conversation so I am going without it during my work day. I do feel a little lost not being able to keep track of my burn but I know what I should have burned roughly, I have been wearing it for 5 months I mean I should be letting go of it a little at some point. Ki-Fit has very much been my security blanket since January but I need to not rely on it all day every day. This week I will only be wearing it during my workouts so I can see how I get on without wearing it all day long, checking the numbers every hour of the day. Its time I try to get into a more ‘normal’ routine and that involves putting the Ki-Fit aside during the day and living a normal work life during the 8am till 6pm office hours. As long as I stay true to my food I know not wearing my Ki-Fit should have no impact on my progress, fingers crossed all works out well this week.

Don't you just love bank holiday weekends

2011-05-29T18:57:00.004+01:00

This weekend is so far so good! Gym session yesterday and a 12km cross country run today with my gym mates, plans for circuit type workout tomorrow. Feeling pretty damn good this weekend, successful clothes shopping day, good healthy food, good quality but tough workouts and to top it off quality time with my hubby, a girl can't ask for anything more!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Week 21 Weigh In

2011-05-28T16:03:00.004+01:00

wk:21// 28-May-11 // 10st 7.5 lb // 147.5lb // 67kg // 24.5 BMI // Loss this week: -2 lb // Loss overall: -25.5 lb

Down another 2 lbs, I cannot believe it. I only managed 2 workouts in the week due to all my work travel commitments so I didn't expect to see that on the scales. I did however eat really well, stuck to my calories and made sure I didn't just eat because I was tired. I do hope though that I can workout more next week, I need to get into my workout routine on my new project and get memento going again, it will probably take another week or two to achieve as I need to get my routine sorted first but I will get there. The aim is to workout each day of this weekend then Wednesday and Thursday while I am away this week, hopefully I can manage it.

I have also had a good week in other ways too, I finally went out and bought some new work clothes and the good news is my new suit jacket is a UK size 10 and my suit trousers and skirt are a UK size 12. I am over the moon with that, considering I was a size 16 at new year I have come such a long way and I really am starting to enjoy clothes shopping again. I will look so smart at work next week, out is the baggy looking Vicky, in is the smart confident Vicky.

More shopping will be done but it seems its not a good time to be buying suits, not much around in the shops at the moment but as that's what I really need I will have to keep my eyes open when I'm out and about and buy things as and when I see them.

I'm off to the gym now for a running and rowing workout session!

No workouts, yawn, sleep deprived, yawn

2011-05-26T16:50:00.003+01:00

I have been so busy with work this week I haven't managed a workout since Sunday.

Monday was 5:30am start to get to London for a 9.30 meeting, stayed over for the night, was ridiculously tired but barely slept, typical really.
Worked Tuesday in the London office and got train home around 7.30pm which was delayed so didn't get home until around 10:30.
Got up early again Wednesday to get to Reading for a 10am meeting, yep I was feeling pretty shit at this point and my eye lids were definitely fighting gravity all day. Stayed over in Reading after a really long day only to get up early again this morning to get to London for a 9am meeting. You would think that Reading to London is quick right? No, its an arse and I am really beginning to hate the London Underground, when its running well its good but add one delay or problem and its utter pandemonium, which I do not want when I'm a.tired, b.tired and c.hacked off that I am too tired to have had a decent workout that will probably help me sleep better!

Anyway rant over, I will have an early night tonight and hopefully feel a bit 'fresher' tomorrow, I'm working from home so at least I can look forward to absolutely no taxis, trains, buses and bloody underground trains!

Week 20 Weigh In

2011-05-21T19:33:00.003+01:00

wk:20 21-May-11 // 10st 9.5 lb // 149.5lb // 67.9kg // 24.9 BMI // Loss this week: -1.5 lb // Loss overall: -23.5 lb

Minus 1.5 lbs this week, quite happy with that considering its that time of the month. I am also chuffed at my loss as I have now dropped into the 'normal' BMI category. Okay so I am just in it as it's 24.9 but I'm in that category whatever the number says and I'm so pleased about that.

Hopefully next week will see me more into the normal category and a little closer to my goal.

Bupa Great Run Manchester 2012

2011-05-18T17:40:00.003+01:00

Manchester 10k 2012 has been entered, I know entering 1 year before it actually happens but these events are so popular you really have to get in there when online entry opens. I love the Manchester run, its special to me as its the first running event I did when I lost the weight the first time round. I ran it with my friend who was a fantastic support to me, I remember the day and I cherish the feelings I had at the end of it. Manchester is also my home city so I especially love going back and running up Portland street and around the city when it is completely traffic free.

The run will be on the 20th May 2012 and I am setting myself a goal of completing it in 50 minutes. More than doable and fingers crossed I am put in the right running wave next year.

This needed sharing

2011-05-17T10:05:00.002+01:00

I came across this in one of the running forums and thought I would share it A whole site dedicated to walking / running / cycling music based on your pace by selecting tunes with a specific BPM (beats per minute). No excuse for not having good workout music anymore!

JOG.FM

Reflection

2011-05-16T12:10:00.004+01:00

I didn't sleep well last night, woke up at 3a.m and couldn't get back to sleep, today is turning out to be one of them really long days.

Anyway onto the point of the post.

I was sitting thinking last night about how the run went and how I felt about it. I closed my eyes and remembered how hard my first run (ahem I mean jog/walk combination) was back in January when I wanted to get my body and fitness back to being the best it can be. I remember not being able to jog a mile without stopping for a breather and having such sore legs after doing a walk then jog combination for just 3 miles. Yesterday I managed to run my fastest 6.2 miles I have ever ran and did so without stopping once, the thought came and passed I have to admit but I need to remember how far I have come in just 5 months.
My hubby could have ran much faster yesterday (he stayed with me) and he felt fine at the end, he made sure he told me so (not in a malicious way of course, he is supper supportive and would never make me feel bad over anything) which was a bit hard for me to swallow. I felt like I had done a hard run and I kind of felt like my achievement wasn't as significant because he was able to run it much more easily than I had. I felt like I had held him back to achieving a better result and I was no where near as good despite the amount of running I have been doing lately. It is hard to not compare myself to others but in this case I have come to realize that its what I have achieved that counts, doesn't matter the time / speed or achievements of anyone else as I know I could not have come close to achieving my result even just a month ago and my hard work is paying off nicely.

The point I am making is that it is so easy to get carried away thinking I could have done better, tried a bit harder but I have come such a long way in a relatively short time and I am proud of myself. I go out running all the time and often alone so I know I have the motivation to keep going. I will continue to better my results and train hard and be proud of my achievements regardless of whether someone has done slightly better than I have.

No more comparing myself to others!

Manchester 10k

2011-05-15T17:37:00.006+01:00

I'm back from the Manchester 10k (6.2 miles) and Ill get straight to it. My time was 01:00:27. I am pleased with that and its a new personal best :-D.

It was a good day apart from the weather! We were in the last wave of people to run at 12.30 and it was pouring down the entire time which made it a bit colder than I usually like. I did manage to run the whole thing without any walk / jog breaks. My time at the 5k marker was 29.46 so my pace was consistent throughout at around 9.45 minute miles.

I did have trouble being in the last wave too. The last waves are for the slower finishers and it was a problem weaving in and out for people who run slowly or walk and run. I am not criticizing at all, I think its great that even those that cant run the whole thing do take part. I think I was wrongly placed in the last wave and hopefully next year will see me start with a group of faster runners so I don't have to keep slowing down to move around lots of people.

We didn't get any pictures of us before the race due to the weather but here are a few once we got home after the 2 hour drive back.

Week 19 Weigh In

2011-05-14T09:33:00.004+01:00

wk:19 14-May-11 // 10st 11 lb // 151lb // 68.6kg // 25.1 BMI // Loss this week: -2.75 // Loss overall: -22

Down 2.75 lbs, I really think last weeks gain was just a general weight fluctuation and had I took my weight the next day it would have been a stay the same. I'm pleased I have got down an extra pound although as always feel I deserve a bit more.
My body is definitely more accustomed to exercise now and I need to workout twice as hard to achieve the same amount of calorie burn but I suppose the fitter I get the harder I have to work for it. I'm not complaining, I wouldn't swap my level of fitness for a few extra pounds, no way but it would be nice if my body cooperated a bit more with the scales.

Manchester run tomorrow and I am not feeling the best, had a dry tickly cough all week and now my nose is blocked and I feel really congested, hopefully it wears off over the course of today. Looks like its going to be a wet run tomorrow, its been a long long time since I ran in the rain for more than 5 minutes so it will be interesting. Ill let you all know how it goes tomorrow, fingers crossed I can run it under 1 hour.

5K personal best and New running shoes

2011-05-11T20:38:00.000+01:00

I went out this evening for what was intended to be a 4 mile run, it tured into a 3 mile (5k) run as I have a sore throat and a slight cough which is causing me some issues, I ran anyway and ended up with a personal best, 27.24 get in! I have never ran a 5k in that time, the fastest is usually just skimming 30 mins. I am quite chuffed with that considering I'm not feeling my best.

I got new running shoes a couple of months ago and love them, they are so snug and comfy that I went and bought a second pair today. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get them again when I need new ones so I bought them while I can I and will alternate between the two pairs I have. Luckily I have them in alternative colours so they always stay as a pair! I love getting new running shoes, makes me feel good that I need them in the first place, silly but true.

The said new shoes:- Nike structure triax 14.

A much better week already

2011-05-10T16:16:00.003+01:00

This week is going so much better than last week by far. It is so hard when you have an off week to just forget about it and move on without feeling guilty and constantly critical of yourself but I think I have safely got over my small gain and have realised that I cant be 100% on the ball with this 100% of time, no one can be that perfect, life is just not like that.

In all fairness the week started well with a night out with my hubby at our favourite restaurant on Saturday where I didn't drink a drop of alcohol (remember my self pledge to avoid it until my holiday) but had a lovely meal. Sunday started with a 10k running event with all my gym friends which was great fun, so much so that we have all entered a couple more runs together for June.

Last night saw a successful gym visit where I ran 4 miles and maintained a 10 min mile pace for the whole of it which has given me a new sense of achievement. Even just a month ago there would have been no way of maintaining that speed for 40 minutes, not a chance, I would have reduced the speed more than a few times and added walking breaks. I could have ran faster too as I was more than comfortable but I held back as my legs were a little tight from the 10k run the day before and I have another run on Sunday that I really want to achieve a personal best in so I am mindful not to overdo the training this week in preparation for Sunday.

On top of this I have managed to go out for an hour walk each day during my lunch break, I will be making the effort to do this all week come rain or shine just to get some more movement into the day while I can. I am taking full advantage of working from home that's for sure as I have no idea when the madness will start all over again with a new project demanding all my time.

Overall I am feeling pretty good right now (apart from my runny nose and sore throat, hoping it goes away before the weekend), a compete 360 on how I was feeling last week, my mind was just fighting against me last week. Just goes to show, a break is sometimes all one needs to move forward and get re-motivated.

Week 18 Weigh In

2011-05-08T15:04:00.006+01:00

wk:18 07-May-11 // 10st 13.75 lb // 153.75lb // 69.9kg // 25.6 BMI // Loss this week: +1.75 // Loss overall: -19.25

Well I had a gain, +1.75 lbs. I did have a up and down week, I did still have a calorie deficit but no where near what it normally is and I didn't workout to the degree I usually do. I have felt very off this week and I am hoping that the gain is temporary as I am feeling bloated so we will see next week.

In other news I completed the Market Drayton 10km run today with a couple of friends and we had great fun. I treated today as a fun run as I was there to support my friend and go at her pace. Next week I have the Manchester 10k where I am hoping to set a new personal best. Here are a couple of pictures from today

The start, it was quite cold to begin with

Getting over the finish line

Group well done hug at the end

Guilty feeling

2011-05-05T17:47:00.004+01:00

I am having a really off week this week in all aspects of my 'healthy living'.

I had a night out Saturday and it really has caused the whole week to be off. I stayed in bed all day Sunday and felt off on Monday so 2 days of workouts missed. Since Monday I have felt so stupidly hungry as-well. I haven't been able to hit my deficit target each day as my workouts haven't been what they usually are so my overall daily burn has been lower. I think this week will see me have the lowest weekly calorie deficit this year, first week I won't hit my weekly deficit target and I feel pissed off with myself and incredibly guilty. I feel annoyed that I let one night out ruin a whole week, okay so I haven't gone mad and ate loads, I have had no 'bad foods' but I haven't been physically able to workout like I would have as my body has just not felt right and I have needed much more food than normal.

I am planning a run with the girls tomorrow at 8.30am (I know I know what a nutter) followed by the 9.30am gym spin class. Hopefully this will get me going and make me feel a bit better for my weigh in on Saturday. Saturday though will be a workout free day as I have a 10km race on Sunday morning so I don't want to be stiff, aching or just plain sore for it. Fingers are crossed that I am able to work from home next week so I can get to the gym or go out for a run each day. I need this guilty feeling to be extinguished quickly.

My progress and what I still need to do

2011-05-03T14:18:00.004+01:00

in reply to some messages I have had recently.

I have had a couple of messages giving me the thumbs up for how well I have done so far this year and asking how much more I have to go and surly there is not much more to go.

I understand that I started off at a weight that to some is a lot less than they are at even after losing a lot of weight. I understand that others may read my blog and think I'm just obsessed with my weight and want to be a stick thin insect like creature. This is not the case, I started my journey several years ago almost hitting 14 stone and at 5 foot 5 that is me in the obese category. I did get down to 10 stone but I couldn't keep it of due to various things in my life so my journey to get and stay at my healthy weight never truly ended, it just stalled for a bit while I got to a place where I really wanted to tackle it again. For the last 3 years my weight has been up and down and I couldn't seem to get control of it. I feel I am and have made the best progress in the last 4 months than I have from the very first time I started to lose the excess weight a few years ago. Its also important to me to get to a healthy weight range as my mum had a stroke at 42 and my Aunt had a heart attack at 36 and I have had several high blood pressure readings over recent years (not sure if it is work stress related though) so being healthy and at a manageable weight is important to me especially with my family history.

I very much want to be in the middle of my healthy weight range for my height and build, currently at 10 stone 12 lbs I am still classed as overweight. My initial weight loss goal is 10 stone but ideally I would like to be around 9 stone 9lbs which is not unrealistic for my frame and build. So I have 12 more lbs to my first main goal which is my focus then I will decide if I do need to lose anymore after having another full health check and my body fat percentage measured.

The weekend and future plans

2011-05-03T09:36:00.004+01:00

I had a rather quiet somber weekend, mainly due to the fact that I went out on Saturday night with all my gym friends, I got really drunk which meant I suffered all day Sunday and felt a bit off still yesterday so my usual weekend of working out was left to the wayside. I haven't drank alcohol in such a long time its no wonder I felt like crap on Sunday. It was a good night though and it was nice to let my hair down a bit, forget about food, working out and dieting.

I wont be drinking alcohol again for a long time as I have a few fitness goals I want to hit this year and they require me to train and not waste days lay in bed feeling like I have been hit by a small bus.

I have my first running event of the year next Sunday, a 10km run, this will be a slow one for me as I am going to support my friend and run with her, she is a lot slower than I am but I want to stay with her and support her through it, it will be such an achievement for her and I am more than happy to stay with her however long it takes.

The second running event is the Sunday after next which is another 10km (yep 2 10k runs 1 week apart) but this is one of my favorite events. It's the Manchester 10k my home city and I really want a personal best so I will be trying ever so hard to get my finish time to be under 1 hour.

The major goal I have is my first half marathon on the 4th September, this seems like ages away but its only 17 weeks away and I have a week holiday in between. I know I can run 13.1 miles but I want to do more than just finish it without feeling like I'm going to die so I will be training hard and getting the miles in and hopefully I can finish in a good time and this will set the bar for my future half marathons.

I may also do the Tamworth 10k run on the 16th October just to keep me going and keep me in 'fitness mode'. It is also supposed to be a lovely run starting at Tamworth castle so it maybe worth doing it for the surroundings.

Finally, I have applied for a London Marathon ballot place for 2012, of course the changes of me getting a place is slim but I will be stoked if I do, if I don't I will run the Wolverhampton Marathon next year so either way next year I will run a Marathon.

Week 17 Weigh In

2011-04-30T08:58:00.005+01:00

***********************************************************

SECOND WEIGHT LOSS GOAL MET: 1.5 STONE LOST
***********************************************************

wk:17 30-Apr-11 // 10st 12 lb // 152lb // 69.1kg // 25.3 BMI // Loss this week: -1.5 // Loss overall: -21

I have hit weight loss goal number 2 (happy dance, booty shake)!!!

I can't believe I have hit goal 2, I'm at the lowest weight I have been at in 3 years, I have stuck to it without my weight going up and down like it has when I have tried in the past. I have worked out even when I have felt too tired, stuck to my calories even when I could have just let go and ate all the sugary foods I love. Overall I have been consistent and my weight loss has been steady and in the direction I have wanted and worked for. I am so pleased with myself and this motivation will help me work towards goal number 3 which is 7lbs away.

Here is my lovely reward treat (not a great pic I know), its been sat in its box for a few weeks on my bed side table just patiently waiting to be put on my bracelet.

I have worked hard this week, I have really took advantage of working from home by getting good quality workouts in at a time that my body much more prefers. Food has been alright but I have had a couple of days where my deficit has been too big. This was down to me working out for quite a long time and not consuming more food when I did eat to compensate for the mammoth workouts. This is something I will for sure work on as it does make me feel horrid both physically and mentally.

I am working from home again this week (thank you boss) so I will be working out as usual but today is a rest day, I worked so hard last night that my thighs are burning while I'm just sat down so I think a well deserved rest is in order.

Self perception

2011-04-26T10:08:00.002+01:00

I wanted to wrote a post about self perception for some time and think now is a good time to discuss it based on how I feel about my body and self image at this moment in time.

I have been on and off losing weight since 2006, I almost reached my goal in 2008 but surgery and 2 broken arms really set me back and a lot of the weight came back. My weight problem has not been a recent issue, its been a big problem for all of my life. I was always the fat kid and I carried on getting bigger throughout school, college and most of University. Losing weight the first time really helped my self confidence and I am no longer the shy girl who hides away and has no opinion, in fact I'm the complete opposite these days but when weight comes back on, I'm not talking 2 or 3 lbs here, I'm talking 20+ lbs in less than a year, it really does affect more than the tightness of the cloches you wear. It affects how you actually see yourself, how you scrutinize yourself and how you analyze every inch of your body.

I have a problem with being happy with my body, I look at myself and see every flaw, not how my body has improved, how much stronger it looks and the difference in such a short time. I really am trying to change the perception of myself by thinking something positive when I look in the mirror. I try and think back to how I felt on my first run / jog of this year and how painful it was and how much easier it is now. I put on an item of clothing that I wore at the beginning of the year just to show me how much I have lost and it does boost my confidence seeing something hanging off that was once too tight. I am working on improving my body by working out and improving my self perception by accepting my body and seeing the positive side of the progress I have and am making.

I think its much harder to look at yourself in a positive way and really look at your body and be happy than it is to look at every flaw, lump and bump and scrutinize it until you feel defeated. Its natural to look at yourself and see what can be improved but I think its important to look at yourself and praise how you are, not just the outside but the inside too. It is hard to lose weight the right way, it takes determination and hard work, that deserves self praise. I regularly look at my workout log and see how much more I do now than I did at the beginning of the year, I look at my measurements and cannot believe the difference.

If anyone else has the problems with feeling down and defeated just think about something positive you did to help yourself recently, think about any little changes you have made in your life, compare how you felt a few months earlier. Feeling good about yourself helps you move forward quicker as things seem less daunting and less of an effort. For other weight related bloggers, write a positive post about your progress, even if you are having an up and down year write about what you have achieved, you might surprise yourself and start feeling good about moving forward.

I ran 9 miles today

2011-04-24T16:35:00.003+01:00

without stopping once!

I am so pleased with myself I cannot tell you. It is the longest run I have ever done in one go, it took me 1 hour 40 minutes so it is a plodding pace but I didn't stop once and I feel great. I went out running with a few people from my gym and it made such a difference to my motivation and drive, they really helped push me further.
Last week I managed a total of 17.5 miles over the course of the week which I was over the moon with but this has really made me feel great about the progress I have made thus far and I can clearly see how far I have come.

Tomorrow is rest day and haven't decided what my workout will be on Tuesday, I may see what the girls at the gym are doing and join them, maybe a little run and some weights.

I am also managing to resist the Easter chocolate binge, me and my hubby shared an egg last night and that will be it for me, a little treat to feel I'm not missing out but no more as I just don't need it and I certainty don't want to undo any of my hard work, its just not worth it to me.

I think a rest in front of the TV is in order this evening, ahhh good times.

Week 16 Weigh In

2011-04-23T08:39:00.004+01:00

wk:16 23-Apr-11 // 10st 13.5 lb // 153.5lb // 69.7 kg // 25.5 BMI // Loss this week: -1 lb // Loss overall: -19.5 lb

Another pound gone forever. I am now in the 10's, wooooohooooo! I am rather happy right now with that and with just 1/2 a pound to go to be at my lowest weight in 3 years it is a big milestone to have got to finally after trying over and over during the last 3 years.

Here are my measurements for today too:-I am so happy with my progress this far, roll on next week where I hope I can hit 10st 12lbs as that's my next goal and that means new charm for my lovely Pandora bracelet :-D.

Pre week 16 weigh in

2011-04-22T20:48:00.003+01:00

I thought I would do a pre 16 weigh in just to assess how I'm feeling and how I think I am progressing. 16 weeks is a long time to stay on track and stick with it, its a good point to get to and look back at how far I have come, so here it is, the good and the bad.

The good

18.5 lbs lost so far, cant ask for more really, steady losses that have stayed lost.
Improved fitness 10 fold, gone from being able to run less than a mile without stopping in the new year to running 6 miles + with 1 or 2 breaks at less than 60 seconds in length, a big achievement.
Smaller clothes, not good for the wallet but great for my motivation.
Worked out more in the last 16 weeks then I did over the whole of last year.

The bad

Still not happy with how I look and feel, my confidence hasn't increased as much as I thought it would.
Shopping for new clothes is still not as enjoyable as it should be now I am smaller.
I cant take a compliment without pointing out one of my flaws, I instantly negate any compliment with a self put down.
I am a slave to the scales a bit too much, in an obsessive way which is not healthy.

I am also at a measurements point tomorrow too so I am hoping to see a few Cm's off all of my measurements, my clothes have told me I have lost size so I'm sure they will come back with a difference. Weight wise I really am hoping to be in the 10's tomorrow, it would be great to fall into it but at the moment I am suffering my mother nature visit which is leaving me really bloated so we will see, fingers crossed.

Dealing with food while being away from home

2011-04-21T09:06:00.003+01:00

Most of my regular readers know I work away from home a lot for my job which means I spend a lot of time in hotels eating on the go or in a restaurant more than a few times a week, this can be problematic and I do get a few people ask me how I stay on track while not being able to cook for myself. I do and am still managing to stay completely on track.

Here is how I manage my food in the week (away from home days and nights).

I plan my Monday morning by taking my breakfast with me as I cant eat at 5a.m in the morning. I typically take a 1 portion porridge pot that you just add water too and these are getting really popular in the supermarkets now and these really save me a lot of time and keep my breakfast as normal as possible (here's a pic of what I have), I have noticed you can get special K and such now so just add milk, great for on the go.

I then get my lunch from a supermarket, a leafy salad with fresh meat and a couple of packs of pre-prepared fruit. It is expensive but I know I am filling up on healthy fruit and I wont feel hungry and want to binge on stuff that is just not good for me. I would much prefer to spend more on good food than spend less on bad food and it not do me or my waistline any good.

At the end of the day and once I am checked into my room I go the the supermarket to get essentially all my breakfasts, snacks and dinners for the remaining days away. I fill up my mini bar normally so it all says fresh.
When I'm walking round the supermarket I plan each day in my head, breakfasts are usually the same, porridge pot and maybe a couple of slices of toast in the hotel, lots of packs of fruit for snacking on during the day and dinners are usually salad based with some form of meat / cooked fish or light cheese. If you really try you can get a basic salad with no dressing and buy a pack of lean ready cooked meat and that's your dinner, have that with a 0% fat Greek yogurt and my dinner is extremely filling. The only thing you may have to do it bring a couple of containers to with you to tip your salad and ham/prawns into as usually these are not 1 person size packs (your not gonna eat a whole bag of prepared salad in one go) but I have no issue sorting my food each day.

Evening I would have a sandwich or soup in the hotel I stay in, I keep my evening intake light as I like to workout and if I eat too much I feel sick so I consume most of my calories during the day.
Overall I plan everything, I make sure I have healthy food to hand for the moments I feel hungry so there is no slipping my hand into the box of chocolates at the end of the desks in the office. I also don't drink on a work night, in fact I don't drink very much at all, just on the occasional night out these days. I don't want to wake and feel like crap in the morning for a start but I don't want to consume all those excess calories right before going to bed and after spending a day sat in front of a computer for up to 12 hours. I also don't go out and eat at a restaurant after work as again I need to workout so by the time I'm done its easily 8/9 p.m and that is way too late to fill up on food I have no control over so I leave eating out like that for weekends when I am much more active and can eat at a much earlier time.

I'm not saying it has to be boring but even when working / being away from the home there is always healthier options, it's just about making the effort to find them, plan to have things with you for hungry moments and not let mindless eating at the wrong time of day take over.

The weekend and the end of boot camp

2011-04-18T14:24:00.001+01:00

My weekend was quite busy, we drove to Manchester early in the morning on Saturday to celebrate my mums birthday, we took her and my niece out shopping and had a bbq at my sisters house at tea time, it was an okay day, the weather was nice and I loved seeing my mum and my lovely little niece, she is such a cutie.

Sunday I went out for a run about 10.30 am then met the girls at the gym around 11.30 and back out I went running with them before our last boot camp session at 12.30. Our last session was a pool based session and it was great, we used the outdoor pool since the weather was just gorgeous. We used kettle bells, vipers and ropes in the pool. I was a bit skeptical but for me it was a hard session and my body got a good all over workout, if anything I had to work harder to get my body moving as I was already tired from the 1.5 hours of running I had done in the morning but it felt good to really push myself. I am a bit gutted the boot camp sessions are over, they are such a good motivator and really push me to the limit, back to reality for my workouts again, I need to use what I have learnt to push myself in my workouts.

When I got home home it was another story, I felt ill, tied and started getting a blasting headache. I know it was because I was dehydrated, I tried taking in lots of fluid but obviously it wasn't enough. On top of that I spent hours in the sun and I know my sun cream had wore off from all the sweating. I need to get sweat proof sun cream that’s for sure, my poor shoulders are red today and I even wore factor 50. I had 1/2 hour lie down, a small chocolate bar and a sport drink to try to help and it did but in all honestly I was completely beat. After tea I got everything sorted for work and had an early night, this was around 9.30pm.

I still feel off today, my tummy is not feeling the best and my eyes are really heavy I could just fall asleep. I had a look at my calorie in and out's for the weekend, I def haven't consumed enough. Saturday was over a 1700 deficit and yesterday was over 1900 deficit, it is no wonder my body is not happy. I do find it hard consuming enough calories on a major workout day, I cant eat for 3 hours before a workout as I feel sick, I then workout for a few hours so straight away 6 hours of the day is gone and I have only had breakfast so I am finding the balance a bit difficult. I'm sure I will get it right eventually, I will start taking energy drinks to my workouts to help keep my sugar levels up, it may help me feel better following a long workout too.

Week 15 Weigh In

2011-04-16T20:17:00.005+01:00

wk:15 16-Apr-11 // 11st 0.5 lb // 154.5lb // 70.7 kg // 25.7 BMI // Loss this week: -1.25 lb // Loss overall: -18.5 lb

Yey, another loss for another week, get in!

It has been an up and down week this week, I worked so hard at the weekend, had a massive deficit (1600 calorie deficit on Sat and 1500 on Sun) that I spent most of Monday feeling really hungry, then after Tuesdays workout spent Wednesday feeling incredibly hungry which lead me consume more calories that I burned that day, the first time since the 1st January. I didn't feel guilty, I know my body needed it and 1 day with a calorie surplus in 3 months is great going. Overall this week I still had a 5600 calorie deficit, the lowest weekly deficit I have had in the last 3 months but still more than my target and I still had a weight loss which has helped my mood for sure.
I feel good for having a sort of 'free day', no I didn't consume massive amounts, about 3000 calories but a lot of them came from a pizza in the evening, which I did enjoy at the time but my tummy complained all night which wasn't nice. I think my tummy now disagrees with the consumption of high fatty foods as it does make me suffer and in all honesty its just not worth it, I got bad gas, tummy pain and I couldn't sleep so I will continue to stick to my calorie limits and enjoy treats as I have been in the last 3 months. I know what works for me and sometimes a day of eating a bit more is needed but overall I am doing well and I don't feel like I am missing out on anything.

Next week I have a super busy work week, I am working on 3 different projects in 2 cities so its going to be a bit manic but I would really really like to fall into the 10's next week at my weigh in and I will be trying ever so hard to achieve that, fingers crossed this week is my last in the 11's forever!

Anyway off topic, my image looks slightly different/off today as I have just upgraded to an iPhone (hurray - all other pics taken on a Blackberry) , I am just getting used to it so the pic quality is a bit crap, it will be better next week. I have also downloaded a notes app to record my calories (I don't want a calorie counting app specifically) so this will take over my paper and pen 2011 diary.

Holiday in 13 weeks

2011-04-12T19:24:00.001+01:00

Me and my hubby have decided to book a summer holiday to celebrate our first wedding anniversary in July. We have decided to go to Nerja in the Costa Del Sol from the 10th to the 17th July (anniversary on the 12th July) for a week of sun and relaxing. This gives me 13 more weigh ins until we depart, realistically I will want to be buying holiday things a couple of weeks before so in say 10 weeks I should be looking to buy some swim wear.

I really hope I can carry on as I am with the same rate of loss as it would get me close to my initial goal. I also hope I can get my head straight and not be afraid to wear a bikini like I was on my honeymoon last year. I really struggled on my honeymoon and made sure I was wore a beach cover-up most of the time, I want to be able to walk around on the beach without feeling self conscious this time and not let my size, shape or ill representation of myself get in the way of enjoying the beach and the pool at the hotel. I hope that kind of confidence grows over the next 13 weeks as I am seeing a change in my body and I like it, I just need my head to catch up so my eyes see what is really there and not what was there 14 weeks ago.

Ready Meals from M&S

2011-04-10T19:56:00.005+01:00

I am not a fan of ready meals these days but sometimes when your really busy and don't have time to cook a ready meal you can put in the microwave is a real time saver. I stick to my calories religiously and don't let my use of ready meals ruin that so I pay close attention to the packaging and ensure I get a least 1 of my 5 a day in there too. I have found a really good range of ready meals from Marks and Spencer (in the UK) called fuller for longer, that are quite healthy, are high in protein, have balanced carbohydrates so they really do keep your fuller for longer and they taste great.
Here are a few I have tried, I wouldn't normally have ready meals at a weekend but I have been stupidly busy and hardly been at home so I have not had time to cook at all.

The only problem I can see with these is the salt content which is the same with most ready meals on the market but as I don't consume salt at all normally, get no where near my daily salt limit so I don't have an issue with having it in the occasional ready meal I eat.

I think my fav is the Paella, really lovely and very filling too, I didn't need to eat anything else with it or after it for quite some time and at 450 calories it was perfect for me as a main meal of the day.

Week 14 Weigh In

2011-04-09T18:06:00.004+01:00

wk:14 09-Apr-11 // 11st 1.75 lb // 155.75lb // 70.8 kg // 25.9 BMI // Loss this week: -0.5 // Loss overall: -17.25

Lost another half a pound, not a lot but its in the right direction and I know I could not have worked harder this week. I did have a night out this week but I more than made up for it in the week. I have been a saint with my food and working out at such a high intensity, I have ran 23km this week which is the most I have done in a week in a long time so I know within myself I could not have done any more. The only thing I can do is carry on and hope my body gives it up eventually but aside from that I am so happy with how my fitness is coming along and how much better I am feeling within myself.

I have had another good workout and food day today which has started my week well so I will carry on the hard work. I have got a work dinner on Tuesday night and I am going to the gadget show live on Friday so it will be hard to be good food wise that's for sure, hopefully I will contain myself and not let these 2 things ruin any losses I have had so far.

Its all working out great

2011-04-05T21:09:00.003+01:00

I am feeling pretty good at the moment. After my mammoth weekend of working out and a slightly dodgy ankle I still managed a 7km run tonight following by a 15 minute session of interval skipping and upper body weights. I really had a lot of excess energy tonight, after my rest day yesterday and sitting on my behind all day at work I was ready for a quality workout session.

I am totally feeling good about my fitness right now, I really feel like I have turned a corner. I actually enjoy my workouts and I really feel satisfied with my efforts afterward no matter how sore or tired I am, can't ask for more than that. I will be looking forward to tomorrows gym session I think.

Boot camp update

2011-04-04T11:45:00.001+01:00

What a weekend, it has been none stop go go go for me and I have loved it.

Saturday was boot camp at 12pm and it was a tough one, circuits and stair climbing, up and down actual stairs no machine here! There was no breaks or recovery for the entire 90 minutes and it showed on me by the end, I looked so knackered and was completely soaking wet with sweat from head to toe.

Drove home, yep looking a right frightful sight, had a shower and went to town with Andy for a mothers day present and a decent coffee, we walked into town and back which was a complete trip of about 3 miles. When we got back I got ready for our night out and walked again into town (in 5 inch heels might I add) to catch the train to Birmingham. We had such a good time, the meal was amazing, I had the best company I could ask for (my hubby obviously) and a few glasses of lovely fine red wine. Needless to say I was completely and utterly beat by the time we got home and my legs were telling me how unhappy they were. On the plus side I burned over 3000 calories and did around 19,500 steps, the most steps I have done in a single day since wearing Ki Fit, not bad!

Sunday started off all relaxed, basically I didn't want to get out of bed so I stayed wrapped up until 9 am. Got into my gym kit and drove to my local gym shop for a skipping rope (for me to use in the hotel gym while working away) then went to Andy's mums to give her a mothers day present. I was dreading boot camp as my legs were tried and I felt really sleepy but I got there and very quickly we got going. We warmed up in the gym car park doing shuttle runs between cones then out came a very long rope. The session was a cross country run where everyone had to hold the rope, when one person stopped we all had to stop but we couldn't stand still, oh no that’s too easy, we had to do start jumps, squats, push ups and lunges while the person who stopped caught their breath back. This got very tiring as you could imagine, 2 people dropped out after about 30 minutes which left about 10 of us. We then just got on with it, we barely stopped and when we did it was for a scheduled break after running up massive steep grassy hills. It was one of the most intense hardest runs I have ever done but I loved it. We all worked together as a team to ensure we all stayed holding the rope and slowed down when people needed to and gave encouragement when they were struggling, it was great. We covered a distance of about 8 miles which is the longest run I have done this year so far which meant I was even more stoked. I am actually looking forward to next weeks sessions (yep I am a little mad).

Today my legs are feeling sore, my ankle was swollen last night so I gave it some ice treatment which helped but it is still sore today, luckily I can still walk on it. The pain is because I need to replace my running shoes, I really don't think my poor feet can handle much more so I will go and do a running analysis session at my local running shop and get me some nice new running shoes that are perfect for me on Saturday morning before my next session.

This week I will be working out as best I can, light running, skipping, cross trainer and some resistance training but not today or tonight, I am on a rest day, my poor little legs need a break. An early night is most definitely on the cards tonight that’s for sure.

Week 13 Weigh In

2011-04-02T09:18:00.002+01:00

wk:13 02-Apr-11 // 11st 2.25 lb // 156.25lb // 71 kg // 26 BMI // Loss this week: -1 // Loss overall: -16.75

Another pound down this week which is good considering I haven't had a decent workout since my last weekend boot camp sessions due to my sore hamstring. I have ate really well this week so I am glad I had a loss just to help keep my sanity.

Hopefully I will have a much better week in the exercise department which starts off with boot camp round 5 in about 2.5 hours time.

Are diet shows damaging for us or do they help motivate and inspire us?

2011-04-01T10:58:00.002+01:00

We were having a debate in work yesterday about the number of diet and health shows on TV lately, it got us talking about how they are both bad and good for us. I was listening to several opinions on this and though I would share what people thought on both sides of the argument.

Why they are bad:

Some people will only take on selective information given in theses shows to try and go with a quick fix to their weight problem, this overall is not good for anyone's health.
Some shows explain in detail what is involved in crash diets, this may lead people to give it a go who had otherwise not considered them at all.
The people in most of these shows are on the very high end of the obesity scale, they don’t help or inform those that are just a little overweight who already eat relatively well and exercise who probably just need to make small changes to get into a healthy range, they are too focused upon the obese or morbidly obese which straight away rules out a massive proportion of the population.
We already live in a 'government nanny' country, we don’t need shows telling everyone we are living their lives badly, its up to individuals to make the right choices not for some show to tell everyone how to live, eat and exercise.

Why they are good:

Having these shows on TV regularly will make people think and be more aware of how they look after themselves.
Some people really have no clue about nutrition and exercise, what seems straight forward for some but is a mind field to others and having programmes on that explain the ins and outs may help those that really struggle to understand the basics of nutrition, exercise and how some foods damage the body.
Some shows that follow individuals can really inspire others to get started with a healthy life plan, some people have real charisma and are able to get across true feelings and triumphs that could really help people see that they can do it to.
Some shows really drill home the importance of exercise and if that gets someone off the sofa and into some workout shoes then the show is always a good thing.

For those that are interested in some of the shows that are on TV, I had a quick look through the Sky TV schedule and here are some of the current ones on (in the UK):

The Biggest Loser US: Tuesday 9pm, Channel LivingIt 112.
Supersize vs Superskinny: Tuesday 8pm, Channel 4 104.
Losing it with Jillian: Sunday 10am and 10pm, daily 12pm, Channel The Style Network 253.
I used to be fat: Wednesday 8pm, Channel MTV 126.

What do you think about the shows relating to diet, fitness and health on the TV?

Feeling all Meh

2011-03-31T15:59:00.001+01:00

This week so far has been a bit off, I have been suffering with a sore hamstring which hurts even to walk and I developed an eye stye on Tuesday which has left my eye looking red and swollen (probably my own fault for not cleaning my contact lenses properly). I have tried to get some exercise in by walking on the treadmill in my hotel gym but its not been great and certainly not enjoyable.
I have felt really exhausted too this week which is not a surprise since work has been manic and I have been working 11 hour days. I have carried on eating well however and stuck to my daily calories which I am pleased about, I do seem to have total control of my food and intake these days. I just generally have that 'meh' feeling, I want to chill out and sleep a lot. I also feel like I'm having a fat week, you know them weeks where you just feel fat and heavy no matter how hard I try to shake it I still feel much heavier than I did last week. I'm not sure why I feel like this, it probably is due to my lack of workouts to keep my body going and my mind clear.

I will be happy to have a small loss this week, I have been good with my food and have a good deficit, there is no reason for a gain or stay the same so fingers crossed for Saturday.

I will have to pull my finger out next week though as I will be making up for my planned night out on Saturday with my husband. He is taking me to one of my favourite restaurants in Birmingham (Piccolino Restaurant), I see lots of nice food being ate and fine wine being drank!

Clothing clear out done

2011-03-28T11:29:00.001+01:00

I had a wardrobe clear out last night and it was both a happy and sad occasion.

I had been meaning to do it for a couple of weeks since noticing how big everything I am wearing has got. I started of with my chest of draws then onto my wardrobe, everything that didn’t fit was on the out pile which got pretty big (don't worry everything that is decent is going to charity). It was weird trying things on to see if I could get away with wearing them a little longer, not did they fit, are they too tight but can I still wear this without it looking overly big on me. My hubby helped me by giving his opinion on if I could wear some things a little longer or not, I'm glad he can be honest and help me out.

I have had to keep a few things that are baggy as I need work clothes for during the week as I have not gone out and bought anything new for sometime, simply because I don't want to waste money on things that wont fit in a couple of months time.

There were a couple of things I am sad to see go, when looking at certain pieces I do remember the occasion I wore it and it sparks a memory and in that respect I felt a little sad to let things go but it is the right thing to do. I did contemplate putting these clothes in a suit case in the storage cupboard but after a quick chat with Andy and understanding why I was thinking about keeping them I realised I don’t ever want to be able to wear them again, I don't want to be in those sizes anymore so holding onto them as security just in case I may need them again is doubting my ability to stick at what I have started. I want to be clear of my 'fat baggage', I don't want it to be in the background, I wanted a fresh start this year and that includes my wardrobe with no holding onto the past. My wardrobe and draws are looking very empty now and I am glad of that, it has given me space to fill them with clothes that fit. It has also forced me to stop wearing clothes that are just too big and that ultimately make me look bigger than I actually am, no more belts holding up jeans that are 2 sizes too big for me!

I will have a big clothes shopping day in a couple of months, I want to really try and make do with what I have left for a bit longer before spending any money on nice new smaller clothes. I may have to pick up some cheap work trousers and shirts in the meantime as I am not looking my best but I'm not looking totally awful either, just a little baggier than I should look.

Ohh it hurts

2011-03-27T18:15:00.003+01:00

it really hurts!

My whole body seems to be in pain following this weekends boot camp sessions but aside from that my right hamstring is particularly sore. It has been sore all week, I have still continued to workout on it and I know it is probably not the best decision I have made. I took some pain killers before my Saturdays boot camp session, again not a good idea I know but it helped get me through it. At today's session I really suffered with it, my trainer helped stretch me out afterward and gave me a lecture about using pain killers rather than resting my leg. She also told me to stay away from running and cross trainer for the week to give my hamstrings a break, I will have to do something so she suggested using the bike, no hill settings and walking (on the treadmill is fine) but again no incline as it will put too much strain on my hamstrings.

I am so worn out and tired today, the boot camp sessions have really took it out of me, I am going to have a workout break tomorrow and take my trainers advice and stick to walking and cycling for the week in the hope that my hamstring recovers a bit.

Week 12 stats

2011-03-27T10:08:00.003+01:00

I have a spreadsheet to record my weight, workouts and daily calories so I thought 12 weeks is a good time to show how I'm getting on away from just the pounds lost. Here are my stats for the last 12 weeks.

(click to view larger version)

Week 12 Weigh In

2011-03-26T09:26:00.004Z

wk:12 26-Mar-11 // 11st 3.25 lb // 157.25lb // 71.5 kg // 26.2 BMI // Loss this week: -1.25 // Loss overall: -15.75

I am chuffed with my loss this week for a number of reasons, the main reason being is that I was a bit skeptical of my loss last week due to having such a poorly tummy on the day of my weight in . Another reason I am happy is that its that time of the month and I am so bloated this morning I feel like a balloon so I didn't expect to see much on the scales. I am also feeling really dehydrated so I know my body is probably holding onto a lot of water, this problem will be rectified today!

Overall I have had a great week both food and exercise wise. I have stuck to my calories, worked out even when I didn't really want to in a a hotel gym that was less than ideal and managed to obtain calorie deficit of just over 8000.

12 weeks done and gone of 2011, it has flown by, I have been thinking about how many changes I have made in this short amount of time and I am more than happy with my progress. I will make a post tomorrow showing my stats for food, workouts and weight over the last 12 weeks, I have even impressed myself with some of the numbers.

A full day of 'working away from home' food

2011-03-25T11:30:00.002Z

I wanted to make this post to show what I typically consume nowadays while working away from home. It is all pre-prepared as I live out of a hotel during the week so its easier for me to manage and calorie count of course. I have made massive changes in the food I consume while away for work, I haven't been socialising in the hotel bar in the evening, going to restaurants eating massive meals, in fact since the new year I haven't had one beer during a work week or ate out at all.

Here is a pic of today's food (minus 2 slices of wholemeal toast I had at breakfast also).

Here is a breakdown of the calories in today's food menu.
200 / 2 toast
187 / Oat so simple porridge pot
59 / melon pack
51 / grape pack
120 / Chicken salad
94 / Cherry yogurt
284 / Roast chicken dinner
174 / Snack pack low fat houmous
60 / 200g fresh carrot

1229 / Total calories.

I will add on any extras such as coffee's as I drink them.

I will be home by the time it comes to eating the roast chicken but if it was a night where I was away I would have something like this just before leaving the office (I do work late) so I don't have to go to a restaurant.

Core Training

2011-03-24T08:38:00.002Z

During my second boot camp session at the weekend it became apparent how weak my lower back is. I was able to do crunches, oblique crunches, lunge twists which focus upon the front area of my core relatively easily, it was hard work but I could perform the exercise with ease. That cannot be said for exercises that included working my lower back and hamstrings, I struggled with the hip lift (legs in air then pull hips off the floor), the superman (lie on tummy raise and hold leg and alternate arm), the lie down bicycle (basic crunch with a bicycle movement with the legs). The trainer said it was because my lower back is weak and my hamstrings are really tight, he pushed back on my leg when I was lay down and I had barely any flex in it. The hamstring issue is a result of all the running I do and the utter lack of flexibility workouts (in fact I do zero flexibility workouts like Yoga or Pilates). The lower back issue is simply down to not training that area specifically.

The core is not just the front abs area it’s the complete trunk of your body from the neck down to the lower back, I am struggling in areas of the boot camp class purely because my whole core is not strong, having good abs strength is no good when my lower back muscles are letting the side down.

Here are a few things that were recommended I do to build up my lower back muscles and thought I would share, I will be adding these to my weekly workouts whenever possible:

Rowing: With the right technique rowing is a great all over workout with the added benefits of it being none impact and it being back strengthening.

Back bridge: Lie on the floor, bend your legs and push your bum in the air (make sure your feet are under your hips). You should have your shoulders and head on the floor with your hips in the air and a straight line from the top of your knee down to your shoulders. The goal is to maintain this position for 20 to 30 seconds but of course its better to hold the position perfectly for a shorter time then to hold it for a longer time in bad form.

Plank: Lie on stomach, prop yourself up on your elbows and onto your toes and with a straight neutral back hold the position in sets of 20 to 30 seconds. Bring feet and arms closer together to make it harder.

Quadruped exercise: On your hands and knees with a neutral back, raise one leg and the opposite arm and hold for 20 to 30 seconds, switch to other arm and leg and repeat.

I know it will be hard trying to incorporate everything into my weekly workouts, time is always an issue and lets face it lying on the floor and doing strength exercise can really make time slip away but I will write a workout plan to ensure I do some or all of the above during the workouts I have to try and get my back as strong as my abs.

The cost of a desk job

2011-03-22T21:12:00.003Z

I am working in Bristol this week, my hotel is over the road from the office, not even a 5 minute walk door to door. From walking up at 7am, popping over the road to the office for 8am and popping back to my hotel at 6pm gave me a calorie burn according to Ki Fit of just 1454 calories. It just shows how much I do not move during the day, once parked in front of my computer I only move around to visit the bathroom, to get lunch or to fill up my coffee cup. I love my job but this is one of the things I really dislike about it, I couldn't really just go for an hour walk at lunch time, no client would be happy with that. This means I really have to try and make up for my lack of movement in the evenings by spending time in my hotel gym. I may have to seriously consider hitting the gym before starting my work day which is not what I like doing (I am overly stiff in the morning and not the most energetic) but needs must I think. I may try and put it into practice next week, even just half hour to gradually get me into early morning workouts.

One of the plus sides of being in this particular office is that down the road is a sandwich shop that also provide fresh salads to order so I can have a salad without all the crap that makes it calorie heavy, a small consolation to my inability of getting activity in during the day.

Let's talk about tracking

2011-03-21T20:08:00.004Z

Regular readers of my blog will know I am a tracker, well I have been since the new year anyway. I started tracking in a new 2011 day to a page diary from week 2. I write everything that I consume in it no matter how small, large, healthy, unhealthy or sugar ridden it was. I think, no, I know it has been one of the reasons I have stayed on track and managed to hit my first weight loss goal.

The point of this post is point out why tracking is useful and how it is such a simple aid in assisting anyone trying to lose weight.

Why should you track
Can you write down everything you ate in the past week and be right on the nose of how calories you have consumed? Do you know how much fruit and veg portions you eat? Did you eat anything that is considered damaging to your weight loss efforts?
If you don't track I do not believe you can answer this and give accurate figures, everything will be a guesstimate which means you could be consuming much more than you think you are. Remember that choc bar you had 3 days ago when you were shopping, no? Things do slip the mind but a quick update in the diary means you are aware later of everything you have had in the day.

Sticking to tracking
Tracking initially is a bit a bug to bare, its not easy to get a diary out and write in it every time you eat especially while your out and about. I have way of dealing with this, primarily just so people don't ask me what I'm doing. I write things in I know I will eat the day before, I am a creature of habit, I eat the same breakfast, with the same amount of milk so when I know I'm at home I can write that in a day or so in advance. If I have made myself a packed lunch the night before I write it in, no need to get the diary out during the day. If writing in advance is not possible I fill it in when I am alone, taking a toilet / coffee / walk break. It takes no time at all to jot what you have ate down and whether counting calories or weight watchers points you will be glad you know the numbers and know how your food week is or has gone.

Reviewing good and bad days
We all have good and bad days and sometimes that spills into food intake for me. I am completely honest with my diary so having the ability to look back at a bad day and see exactly the damage is a good thing, it allows me to rectify it in the next coming days. The same for great days too, if you have a great day, seeing it wrote down is a great motivator, seeing that your daily / weekly target is met gives me a great feeling and it helps if the scales hasn't returned what you know you have earn't, you know you were completely on target and you couldn't have done anything different so your body just needs to catch up, you don't sit wondering if you had something that could have hindered you in anyway.

Food vs emotions
I also sometimes add a one line of how I'm feeling on a particular day. I know I am an emotional eater so its good to see patterns of feeling and what food I consume so I can try and think about things differently in future. This has been working for me for the past couple of months, I know I feel overly hungry during that time of the month but I know its not because I haven't ate enough its my emotions.

Its all about the numbers
It is true, if you burn more than you eat you will lose weight. Recording the numbers shows you that you are indeed burning more than you eat, not guessing or questions.

It's also not a secret that I am a number cruncher. I like to hit my daily deficit target of 750 calories and my weekly deficit of 5250 calories. I have every week since the beginning of 2011 hit my weekly deficit target. I know this as I have stuck with it, I may not have hit my daily target every day but the days I haven't have been rectified in the deficit I create during the rest of the week. Here are a few stats fro you:-

In 9 weeks I have consumed 102597 calories, I have burned 177156 calories, I have created a deficit of 74559 calories. This deficit equated to around 32 days worth of food (if I was eating a maintaining calorie intake of 2000 calories). 32 days worth of calories not consumed, how mad is that! This deficit should have also equated to a loss of around 20 lbs (3500 calories in a lb) but in the last 9 weeks I have only lost 12 lbs (14.5 overall of course), I am not bothered by this because I know I can not do anymore than I am doing, I can not reduce my food anymore or try harder at my workouts and the numbers are telling me this. I am not letting the scales tell me I'm not doing well (it annoys me but I know and I can see that I am on track).

Get tracking and be honest with it, after a few weeks it will be part of your normal routine, it may even open your eyes to your eating patterns you were not aware of.

Boot camp is hell

2011-03-20T16:36:00.002Z

and I am sore all over.

I have finished my first 2 sessions of boot camp and my body is feeling every minute of each of them sessions. I woke up this morning feeling so sore and stiff I was really not looking forward to today's session but I went and gave it some and I now feel even worse. My legs, bum, arms, back, abs and ribs hurt so much, I actually feel sore just sat here being still.

I know I am going to feel rough tomorrow and it's going to be awful, I am traveling to Bristol in the morning and I am far from looking forward to carrying my laptop bag and suitcase all morning on and off trains and to the office. Pain killers will be at the ready for sure.

First goal achieved = Reward

2011-03-19T17:25:00.008Z

I went shopping for my reward to mark my first weight loss goal.

Here is what I got. I love it, a 19cm Pandora silver bracelet (payed for by my lovely husband) to hold the beads that will represent each of my weight loss goals. A purple and blue flower Murano glass bead to actually represent my 1 stone loss (purple is my favourite colour so it was an easy choice as my first). I even love the packaging, so nice and it was lovely putting the bead onto my bracelet when I got home.

(click to see larger version)

I am going to order my second goal bead (see goal and rewards page) this week and have it sat in its lovely box on my dresser to spur me on some more, don't worry it wont come out of the box or be put on my bracelet until my next goal is met which is 6.5 lbs away!

I think I am back to my normal positive self again after my boot camp session today. We did circuit and kettle-bell training for 90 minutes. We didn't break between stations either, the only breaks I had were the ones where I just quickly sipped form my water bottle and changed workout station. It was a tough session and it hurt, I hope I don't feel too sore for tomorrows session otherwise its going to be more hellish than today was. I can only imagine how I'm going to feel after tomorrows session, Monday morning may consist of me groaning with muscle pain!

Onwards and upwards towards being focused on hitting goal number two.

Week 11 Weigh In

2011-03-19T09:10:00.006Z

***********************************************************

FIRST WEIGHT LOSS GOAL MET: 1 STONE LOST
***********************************************************

wk:11 19-Mar-11 // 11st 4.5 lb // 158.5lb // 72kg // 26.4 BMI // Loss this week: -3.5 // Loss overall: -14.5

3.5 lbs off, the 2.5 I apparently gained on holiday (still annoyed about it) and and extra one, it also means I have hit my first goal of 1 stone loss (yey happy dance, jig to the left, jig to the right, shake that booty). Not bad, 1 stone 0.5 lbs (don't forget the half, its important) lost in 11 weeks, that's an average loss of 1.3lbs per week which is completely fine and healthy.

I do hope this loss is real though, I say this as I have had a very upset tummy last night and this morning, I don't think I need to spell out what I mean by upset tummy but needless to say I feel very tired today!
Next week will cement this for me by giving me another loss even a little one to give me that boost. I am extremely happy though to have got just past that 1 stone barrier, I went away with just 0.5 lbs to go before hitting my first target and I really expected to come back and have got it but it wasn't meant to be so I have felt down about it this week and to see the scales below the dreaded 11 st 5.5 lb marker is great.

I have boot camp sessions in the gym at 12pm every Saturday and Sunday for the next 5 weeks (going to be tough today since I feel so tired already) so that will give me some serious workout time and give my body some much needed weight and resistance workouts. All my workouts this year have been cardiovascular based so I am long overdue some weight, resistance and circuit training.

I will post a picture of my reward for hitting my goal later when I have gone and got it, cannot wait to get out of the gym this afternoon and pop out to my local Pandora shop, I'm going to be like a kid in a sweet shop!

motivation slump

2011-03-17T19:35:00.003Z

The gain I had last week after my mammoth week of activity has really hit my motivation. I have really had to fight my head telling me it’s all a waste of time and dealing with the whole 'what's the point' feeling. I don't feel that spring happy feeling about my progress so far like I should, I feel a bit defeated and I am struggling to keep my emotions in check. I haven't been eating crap or anything, in fact the exact opposite, I have stuck to my calorie limit and ate good quality salads and fruit but that inner 'I'm doing great' feeling is not there right now. I really hope it’s a passing phase and next week after my next weigh in I will be back feeling like its all worth it.

A successful weigh in will definitely work wonders for me this weekend, fingers crossed.

Oh yeah I got back in that thing we call a gym

2011-03-16T08:16:00.001Z

Here is how my evening began:

Work colleague: We are all going for a curry at 7pm tonight if you fancy it.
Me: Emmm, if you don't mind I'm going to be anti-social tonight, I have a date with a treadmill.
Work colleague: *with a slightly confused look on face* Oh okay, enjoy that eh.
Me: *Thinking* Hell yeah, go me, I can say no and not care what work people think about it *end thinking*

Well I did go to the gym last night (hurray, mini dance), it wasn't the best workout but I managed a 15 minute warm up run and 30 minutes on the cross trainer an a random hill setting. I would have had a longer run but *ahem* as my bum jiggled about it hurt, my bruise is still there and it was really annoying feeling the pain every time my foot hit the treadmill. See if I didn't have a back side that jiggled so much my bruises wouldn't have affected my run!

I will go again tomorrow and get another workout of some kind in, I do feel a little more refreshed for it and its nice to just get my body going for a bit after sitting down all day at my computer.

Why is coming back from holiday so tiring?

2011-03-15T11:56:00.000Z

I know I spent the whole week pushing my body to the limit and collecting an impressive array of bruises but I can't seem to get my body moving again.

I have now not had a workout of any kind for 4 days straight now (been for short walks but nothing major), the longest without one since the 1st January and truth be known I am feeling incredibly guilty. I got to my hotel last night and I just couldn't bring myself to have a workout, not even 30 minutes on a cross trainer, what's happened to me? I was on such a roll before my holidays and before being sent on a new project at work, I must get back into the swing of things. I need to pledge to myself to get in 30-60 minutes of activity a day regardless of how tired I am. I also need to get moving as I have my first boot camp session on Saturday and it will hurt so much more if I am stiff from a week of none movement.

You would also think that I would have that real desire to push like a mad woman this week since I had that ridiculous undue 2.5 lb gain at last weigh in and of course to go and get my Pandora bracelet and first charm to wear to mark my first stone loss, damn the last 3lbs.

Tonight I will (I really will) go to the gym and do something, I will get back on the workout wagon!

Meh

2011-03-14T17:08:00.001Z

(Read in a singing voice)
I feel tired, oh so tired, oh so tired and bored and hungry.
I want to go home now, to eat food, to sleep and then be all dull.
I feel tired, oh so tired, oh so tired and bored and pissed off.
(end singing voice)

Work really sucks today, first day on new project and it's the dullest work with the dullest people I have ever had the 'pleasure' of working with. I really hope I'm not stuck here for too long, I might just go crazy and run out the front door screaming with my arms flapping about.

It's official though clock watching is just the worst way to get through a work day.

losing it *

I HAVE MOVED

Great Birmingham Run Pictures

Great Birmingham Run (half marathon)

2012 Berlin Marathon, thats my whole 2012 planned out

Muscle pain, tiredness and achievements

Week 40 Weigh in and update

Ive not vanished

No work just training and swimming and climbing...

I'm on Twitter

*** Week 36 Weigh In ***

reflection and next weeks plans

Week 35 Weigh In

Week 34 Weigh In

Week 33 Weigh In

Good week gone bad

Questions and Answers

10.6 Miles done, phew!

Week 32 Weigh In

Mid week slump

I got me a Garmin Forerunner 405CX

I do run run run, I do run run

Week 31 Weigh In

Dreaming about it

Why have I gone slack?

Week 30 Weigh In

My first half marathon: Race number has arrived

Week 29 Weigh In

Back on track, No questionmark.

Back on track?

What it takes to burn that impulsive purchase of a muffin with your Starbucks coffee

Getting back in the swing of it

The buffet effect

Back from my holday

My geeky charts

Week 27 Weigh In

This weeks progress

T Minus 2 days, 15 hours, 32 minutes

Counting down and a big thank you

Week 26 Weigh In

Stone 10k

Blog award from Ruby (Strictly Blooming)

Week 25 Weigh In

New dress to lift my spirit

I think a small gain is imminent

Letting things slip / BOOT CAMP

Week 24 Weigh In

Goals mean charms

PAIN - noun

Week 23 Weigh In

Not forgetting the past.

Time is passing way too fast

A week that needs effort and dedication

Week 22 Weigh In

Security blanket

Don't you just love bank holiday weekends

Week 21 Weigh In

No workouts, yawn, sleep deprived, yawn

Week 20 Weigh In

Bupa Great Run Manchester 2012

This needed sharing

Reflection

Manchester 10k

Week 19 Weigh In

5K personal best and New running shoes

A much better week already

Week 18 Weigh In

Guilty feeling

My progress and what I still need to do

The weekend and future plans

Week 17 Weigh In

Self perception

I ran 9 miles today

Week 16 Weigh In

Pre week 16 weigh in

Dealing with food while being away from home

The weekend and the end of boot camp

Week 15 Weigh In

Holiday in 13 weeks

Ready Meals from M&S

* Week 36 Weigh In *