SELF IMPROVEMENT - THE WEIGHT LOSS CHRONICLES.

I know everyone has those moments when you just want to give up.  When you trick yourself into believing that it isn't actually that important, that it doesn't really matter and that you're far too busy or stressed or overwhelmed to actually be able to make it work. That's how I've been feeling this week, family problems, illnesses, financial struggles as well as working full time, trying to make progress on several projects I'm doing and finding time for me have all started to weigh on me and with the addition of beginning my online PT this week, I've been feeling like the proverbial broken camel. Luckily, I have enough positive people and influence in my life that I can take time to regroup and reassess these thoughts and feelings and then I remember that this isn't supposed to be a chore, this is supposed to be me, creating a better lifestyle, to create a better life for me and all it takes is to create new thought processes and new habits and the...

So we all know the sayings.  ‘No pain, no gain',  ‘you reap what you sow' and my favourite, ‘cake solves everything!’.  Well ok, maybe that last one isn't actually a saying and is perhaps a little off topic but I'm only human after all! So it's been a mad week, family illness and work craziness etc. (I know, my excuse list is like Mary Poppins' bag, a never-ending supply of unnecessary excuses to pluck out at will) so strayed a little off plan this week.  There may have been incidences of McDonaldsgate, Greggsgate and midweek chinesegate.  Forgive me father for I have sinned! The actifry that I so excitedly bought in the new year sale remains neglected and abandoned in it's packaging.  The spinach that I so lovingly divided and froze remains untouched and redundant and still the kettlebells that I bought 3 months ago at the start of this journey have begun exercising alone so that their life's purpose will be fulfilled. I have an excuse for...

No gains for 5 whole weeks!!! Woohoo!! You know what's important in life?? Celebrating the victories! However small, however unimportant or insignificant you feel it is, however much you feel that it could have been better... it doesn't matter! Recognise it, share it, celebrate it! It's an achievement and you (and it) deserve to be proud and acknowledged! So every time you notice a non scale victory (or any other victory in life) then shout about it, post it, share it, celebrate it! Why? Because you deserve it! Have I done as good as I could have? No.  Have I done as much as I could have? Definitely not.   Have I achieved as much as I could have? Not at all. But... Have I done something? Yes.  Have I achieved something? Yes.  Have I made a conscious effort, made more mindful choices and gotten results? Yes!!! And that's what truly matters and by refusing to acknowledge that, I would be doing myself out of the recognition that I deserve for the effort...

Hi everyone!  Thanks for returning to read my rollercoaster diet journey.  Normally I start by going through all the trials and triumphs of the week and leaving the weigh-in result until the end, but this week I'm just going to get straight in there and announce proudly my 3lb loss taking me to 1 st 13 lbs overall!  😁😁😁 I was actually 8oz off 2 stone so I was a little bit gutted lol but I'm really pleased with how it's all going at the moment 😊 I haven't had any gains now for a month and I feel much more organised and controlled in what I'm doing and happy at the steady loss! Both my lunch flask and actifry have arrived this week and I have a freezer full of goodness for a food prep day so I've got no excuses but to eat fresh, mostly healthy, measured portions for this week.  I say ‘mostly healthy' because despite the title, I genuinely don't see this as a diet. My primary goal isn't losing weight.  Losing weight is a consequence of...

Christmas is over.  New year has come and gone and Easter is months away! 😁 though I anticipate a slight blip around Shrove Tuesday 🙈 So with no more excuses, I'm back on the wagon and I'm strapping myself in so that I can't fall off again. So today, although not technically day one, I'm going back to basics, back to the essentials that I know about, back to meal planning, back to shopping with purpose and back to focusing on the end goal (for those of you who don't know, I've promised myself a trip to Iceland to see the Aurora Borealis if I make significant progress).  So, I'm 100% in and ready to do this! For those that remember, I've struggled a lot with having to buy excess food and then throwing it out, so today I tried something new.  Firstly, I decided to do my shopping in Aldi, meaning that the overall cost was lower compared to where I would normally buy groceries.  Secondly, I bought the majority of food as either frozen or pre-pac...

New Year's Eve.  Tomorrow is the day - new year, new me malarkey.  I've been a sucker to it before myself, gym memberships, exercise equipment, kitchen appliances.  Hypnotised by a calendar change and consumerism seduction.  And this year, well!  This year takes it even further by starting the year and month on the first day of the week!  Monday 1st January 2018.  Does it get any better than that?! I'm more than a little OCD so trust me when I say that that is an OCD sufferers dream come true!  The fact is, yes, it's a new year but it's also the same me.  I'm no different today than yesterday.  I don't want a new me for the new year, I want the old me, still trying, learning and growing but just with an upgraded, more determined mind-set. Mind-set deluxe edition 2.0 platinum! So as tempting as it was to become overwhelmed by sales and offers, promises and guarantees and the very best that Photoshop has to offer.  The truth is,...

..Need I say anymore??? Lol No dieting, no trying, no worries.  It's once a year, I'm pleased with my progress until now so I'm enjoying seasonal goodies and treats! Weigh day +2lbs. Could have been better, could have been a lot worse lol. Thanks everyone as always, hope you're all enjoying the festive season and not giving yourself too much guilt and stress. Merry Christmas all, thanks for your support this year, hopefully the new year will bring a strict regime and my MIA motivation 😂 Enjoy!

... come to an end. Hi guys, back again.  As always I want to thank everyone for reading, commenting and supporting me on this journey.  It really means a lot to me to have you all, your advice and empathy is irreplaceable and is greatly appreciated.  😊 So firstly, let me apologise for not posting last week.  Excuse number 1, work has been extremely busy.  Excuse number 2, I've been extremely busy.  Honest reason, I'm disappointed in myself and was ashamed to post my lack of effort and results and because I'm sick of writing repetitive, negative stuff.  So to combat this, I have decided firstly, to be more accountable – after all I control what I do with my time and my body.  Secondly, to leave the past where it is.  If I wasn't accountable in the first place, then there's no point in me complaining about it now.  And thirdly,  focus on the future and what I'm going to do day by day, week by week, to achieve the goal I set out ...

Ok, so we all know that saying that ‘what goes up, must come down', yeah?  Well let me introduce you to its long-distance cousin, ‘what comes down, must go up'.  Yeah, he's the unpopular cousin that's only ever invited out of obligation even though he only dampens the party like a dirty dish cloth! Eugh! Week 5 was a rollercoaster of good days and bad days, good choices and bad choices and a whole lot of wishful thinking!!  Rather than putting the effort into cooking healthy meals, making health decisions and finally starting an exercise regime, I spent a lot of time trying to disprove basic maths theorems so that I'd be able to justify what I knew was going to be a bad week.  And the end result?  I failed on both counts!  Maths – 1 , Me – 0  😔 My days see-sawed between grilled chicken and jacket potato and chips, cake and coke – oh wait, is that a Ferrero Rocher???? 😒 I convinced myself, in a very small, deluded part of my brain, that it w...

Again, I just want to start by thanking everyone that is supporting my journey.  Your comments, compliments, encouragement, advice and well wishes really inspire and motivate me to carry on and try harder. Now on to week 3.  Surprising, successful, challenging and confusing lol but finally approaching the end of the week, I'm starting to feel more organised and in control.  Non- scale victory 1! The week started how week 2 ended, disheartened and discouraged.  Have you ever just thought that if I can't get my eating habits right then I should just stop eating?  I don't know if it's just me but when I have a difficult time, I decide that at least if I starve myself then I have to lose weight and I won't have the stress of trying to plan and buy and organise and cook and store, I just won't eat.   Problem solved! Obviously that wasn't sustainable and not a great idea with the mindset I was in.   Luckily I pulled out of that funk on Wednes...

WARNING: LONG POST ALERT! Wow! Just wow! The first thing I need to say is a big THANKYOU to everyone who has read my last post.  I have been overwhelmed by kindness and support especially from a specific Facebook group – you know who you are!  I truly appreciate the time and effort you have all taken in reading and replying to my post and I hope your support continues throughout my journey. So, week one – what a week! For me personally I get over-excited  and overwhelmed at the same time, which leads to a very stressful and disorganised beginning. Firstly, I've unpacked all my new contraptions, because to be honest, with the sheer level of my culinary challenged-ness, they may as well be replicas of the Hadron Collider, and now I'm ready to shop. There was no forethought to this shopping trip at all!  I simply knew that I needed food and that it had to be as healthy as I can deal with, so a trip to Tesco and £60 later, I'm now armed with the whole fruit and veg...