Olympic Opening ceremony - well what else should I talk about!!!!!!!!!

If you are already bored with the Olympics or so cynical that you won't let yourself enjoy it - this post will drive you insane!!!!!!!!!
If you didn't know already on Friday we went to the Opening Ceremony & it was truly a once in a lifetime experience - amazing entertainment, fabulous architecture, fabulous volunteers, wonderful organisation & then there was the actual show - yes I know Paul McCartney probably should stop singing but that finish with the whole arena singing Hey Jude was a fitting end.

Ok I'm back now - yes I realise you didn't know I'd gone but internet went down and then I watched the Women's Road Race & Andy Murray play tennis, a bit of weightlifting and some table tennis. Yes I am a junkie - shame there are no calories expended watcghing other people sweat!!!

On the diet front, suppose I'd better get back to the point!, it's not been too bad this week although a bit erratic so I really have no idea what will happen tomorrow. For example on Friday it was pretty warm still & I was rushing about as I had an insurance medical at 9am, then went to the deli, pop into a friend for coffee, Dom & I went for a dental check up & then back home again to have my nails done - phew! No time to eat properly so grabbed some cold meat & fruit from fridge but at the Opening Ceremony we all had fish & chips (very yummy!!). Had loads of water to drink during the day and nothing else at all to eat.
I've been very good yesterday & today so far and at Curves this morning burned off 523 cals - that's over 500cals for two Sunday's on the trot - so really hope that helps as will be disappointed if I don't lose my 1lb tomorrow after staying the same last week.

Tobz went to camp this morning & I'm sure by now he'll be having a fab time and I need to get on with tidying his room (now that's a mega calorie burner!!) I do miss him while he's away - sad mummy that I am 0)

Anyway I think that's all for now - was hoping for some time in the sun today but it wasn't to be  Maybe tomorrow....................

Bye all
Lxx

Sunshine, BBQs & lots to drink :0)

Hi all

Hope you've all been enjoying the sunshine this week as much as I have.

A few things have occurred to me that make the sunshine good for me (as well as the potential for a suntan!)

1: I don't eat chocolate in this weather because I like my chocolate 'hard' at room temperature - probably why I'm not that keen on chocolate spread. I suppose I could put it in the fridge but as I eat most of my chocolate in the car & at speed it doesn't tempt me.

2: BBQing is one of my favourite things - it does mean I'm eating much more meat than usual per meal but I'm having lots of salad with it and only fruit afterwards.

3: I'm not as hungry in the heat and when I am I tend to eat less (this is during the day only as by dinner time the temperature is cooler!). For instance today I had a Mug Shot followed by a yogurt and some raspberries - minuscule by my standards :)

4: I must have drank about 3l of water/squash/coffee today which is really good for me as like many of us menopausal over-weight women I tend to suffer whole body swelling in this heat & drinking lots really helps.

Tomorrow is a very busy day. Starts off with an insurance medical when I'm sure I'll be weighed and told how overweight I am :-(
Then to the dentist with Dom and back home to have my nails done and then...........

Off to Stratford for the Olympic Opening Ceremony - soooo excited just seen a little snippet of the rehearsal on the news and I can't quite believe that this time tomorrow we'll be there :-)))
Before that we've to collect our tickets which is likely to mean we'll have to wait in a very long queue but who cares - we'll be queuing for a lifetime's experience
Will let you know how we get on

Look for me in the crowd - lol!!!

Weigh in & sunshine

Hi all

This will be a quick one because
A) I haven't got a lot to say
And
B) my parents & in-laws are coming for a BBQ tonight so haven't got much time!

I'm really enjoying the sunshine - it makes everyone smile & actually makes me less hungry and more thirsty. So I'm banking that for now!

Went out to eat last night to a Greek restaurant in Camden - lovely meal but we ate quite late and although I was careful it had an impact on my weigh in this morning and I stayed the same. Bit disappointed but with the ups & downs of the week not devastating either!!!

So on to this week and keeping up my determination.
BBQ tonight is chicken wings, lamb spare ribs & sausages. I have to say up front that the meat came marinaded so between that & the sausage that I'll have because I love sausages, I expect to use the full 15 syns today. This is not a problem & certainly better than some weeks in the past when the post-class syn count was off the scale!!!
I've also made cucumber salad, potato salad (3 syns for the whole thing), green salad & lots of salad bits in bowls.
Have chopped up watermelon & a bowl of berries for dessert - there is ice-cream too but not for me :-)

So that's me for today.
Hope you are all enjoying the good weather - don't forget to drink lots

Love
Lxx

The ups & downs of dieting - no suprises today :)

Hi All
Hope you've had a good week.
I've been really busy - even had to work on Friday - and so my dieting journey has had it's fair share of ups & downs this week.

In fact more ups that downs but the downs were unavoidable as they all involved food provided for me.
Three times this week I've been at work 'things' lunch was provided and the veggie option was either sandwiches or fried. I have really controlled what I eat - so no more that 4 triangles, no crisps, plenty of water/coffee and fruit if it was there. It does go to show I can do it but with the fore-knowledge of my fat holding menopausal body I may be heading for a 'stay the same' week.
Although this will be disappointing - on the other hand I've been pleased to note that my personal control levels are improving and this is a big relief.

Also when I've been in control I've eaten lots of fruit - lovely at the moment - & salads (also lovely and loads of variety). I've ensured that I measured everything that needed to be and, most importantly tried really hard to make everything on my plate look lovely (see below)

And what's more today - I've eaten them in my garden!!! Could it be that summer has arrived? I've no idea but I've hung washing outside and sat outside today & it's lovely :)

I've come to the conclusion that taking more time over what's on the plate & how it looks - or even just taking the time to put it on a plate!! - makes a huge difference to how I eat it and taste it.
In truth if I grab something from the fridge it's 'down the hatch' and forgotten in milliseconds, doesn't fill me up &I'm soon enough on to the next thing. Whereas if I arrange it on a plate, think about what I WANT to eat rather than shoving something in as quickly as possible I feel fuller longer.

Wouldn't it be lovely if I remembered these nuggets of info all the time???????

Anyway, I've bought some new clothes this week in sales because I can't wait until my holiday. In truth most of what's come so far is a bit on the tight side but it will loosen - it'll have too.

So now for some clearing up and a bit of telly!!

Love to all
Lisa xx

Success & stumbling blocks :-))

Hi all

Firstly (drum roll required!) I lost 1.5lbs this week. I'm so pleased with myself as I worked hard at it last week so it's always nice to get the reward.

I couldn't stay to group this week as I had to take Toby to the orthodontist & then collect my friend from her hospital appointment. So I came straight home (not via anywhere to buy 'naughties') and had breakfast (fruit & yogurt).
Thus my feeling of smugness continued.

Unexpectedly I went out for lunch to Daisy's in Pinner Park - had smoked salmon & poached egg on brown toast (no butter) & hollandaise sauce - oops forgot to ask for sauce on the side (stumbling block 1). I didn't eat it all but still probably had 3 syns-worth.

Stumbling block two came with the Chinese takeaway we had for dinner !! It was a treat for the boys & tried very hard not to over do it but I guess it must have contained around 20syns (probably a conservative estimate£.

Still today is another day & I have had a much more controlled day.
Breakfast was choc Weetabix with blackberries and milk. Lunch was a mixed salad with cous-cous with strawberries, grapes & an apple. For dinner tonight I've had cold beef with brussels & stir fried noodles with mushrooms followed by an orange. I've had loads to drink but absolutely no stumbling blocks today - phew!!

I realised after yesterday, which wasn't awful but not a 'strict diet day', that if I persist with the one day at a time principal, one bad day does not have to mean a second bad day or third & so on - lesson learned I hope.

I have a very old friend (male) who started on SW last September and has so far lost over 7.5 stone - I'm so proud of him - and I so wish I could lose at the same rate as him but I realise that my hormone-filled menopausal body just isn't willing to give up the fat cells that quickly.
However, they will be given up because I really don't want them anymore, but it will take time, effort, patience and not too many stumbling blocks!!!

That's it from me tonight - it's time for Superstar (Nathan for Jesus!!)

Love
Lxx

Why are Sunday's so tricky?

Tonight I'm posting whilst watching 'Superstar' & 'Titanic' in the ad breaks!!

It's obvious from our SW group's Facebook page that people are struggling over the weekend & contemplating not weighing in tomorrow. Whilst I understand fully the 'I've had a c**p week and so I want to hide under a rock and pretend it didn't happen' syndrome, it just doesn't help.

Personally, and after all this is my blog, I prefer to face the music and get it over with so I can move on to the next week. Also I find that going to group is so supportive and really helps me develop a positive attitude moving forward - it's what happens when I'm left to my own devices that is problematic for me. But not this week....

In truth it's been a good one all around for me - achieved lots at work this week, (finally) booked our holiday & was a well controlled dieter!!
Not perfect but feeling optimistic that I will lose something this week.

My Sunday has been tricky though as between the gym, taking Tobz to table tennis & both boys to tennis - I have been roaring hungry!!! I've eaten loads of fruit, made a huge frittata from some leftover veggies (& eaten half!), drank loads of squash (thank goodness for SF squash) but I'm still peckish.
In truth I know I know I'm not hungry for any of that - what I really want is a big bar of chocolate :-(
I really, really wish that I could go to bed tonight & wake up tomorrow without the chocolate addiction that I so obviously have. However, that being unlikely I will struggle on (& it is a struggle) until I get to grips with it once and for all.

Please keep your fingers crossed for a weight loss tomorrow.

Love to all
Lisa xx

Contemplation & consistency

Hi All
Just time for a quick catch up - hope everyone's weight loss ambitions are going as well as possible - I think mine are but I am just incredibly hungry all the time & it is hard to THINK each time you put something in your mouth rather than just do it!

Last couple of days have been very busy - hence no blog & for the sceptics among you I haven't been hiding away from you I really have been very busy. In fact on Thursday, I had a small re-breakthrough moment. I call it a re-breakthrough because of course it isn't the first time Ive had it but I recognised it as one :)
Anyway back to my moment...........
I got up in enough time to have breakfast AND make my lunch to eat at work. It really doesn't take long to do and it means I can forestall the temptation to pop in somewhere on the way to work, buy lunch and, of course, some little (very fattening) extras!
I also took loads of fruit because I had an evening meeting on Thursday and wasn't sure what the food was.
This was a good move because by the time I arrived the vegetarian option was gone and all that was left was cous-cous with some decidedly uninteresting salads and, of course, the pudding (chocolate cake or cheesecake). You'll be impressed (& surprised) to know that I stuck with the uninteresting salad a cup of coffee & found someone to chat to - distracting tactics are the successful dieters secret weapon :-))

Yesterday, I went to Curves, M&S Food, the deli & back home all by 11am, as I had to get home to get dinner ready - we had visitors. Menu was designed to be SW friendly so I could eat everything so had Chicken Soup (made on Wednesday), chopped liver (fried with Fry-Light not fat), Egg & Onion (made with LF mayo), roast chicken, dry roast potatoes, cabbage, asparagus & mushrooms. All followed by fruit platter (see below) & home made ice-cream (I didn't eat that!)

Having got all that together Toby's new tutor arrived - excellent recommendation from a friend - so that took up an hour, then dropped Toby off to Rayners Lane and back home to have nails done (see below - excuse weird grey mark its a reflection of my iPhone!!)

Then out to collect Toby from gym & Dom from tennis (so wish he hurries up and passes his driving test!) and finally back home to lay table etc & 'breathe'

Had lovely evening with our friends - food all eaten and appreciated which is always a good sign :)

Today I've been to shul with Dom, tidied up from last night - which funnily enough Tobz & Andrew didn't find time to do do while we were out :-(

And now I'm writing to you dear friends.

I hope you are all having a good weekend - the forecast is for better weather tomorrow but I'm not holding my breath. BUT if it is nice I think we might have a BBQ or at least sit in the garden.

Bye for now

Lxx

Fruit & veg vs Sweets & chocs - decisions, decisions

Well how is everyone doing?
I can't remember the last time I blogged three days in a row but it certainly gives me something to do with my hands other than pick at food.

Except for the bag of Twirl Bites I ate this afternoon, I've had an excellent day diet wise - the Twirl Bites I estimate are around 40 syns (OMG that's three days worth!!!!!!!!!) - the actual value of a bag isn't on the website because they obviously don't expect anyone to eat a whole bag. On the website it says 2 bites are 1.5 syns - not sure which paragon of virtue is able to eat just two but it ain't me.
They are truly the devil's food & I felt quite sick after I'd eaten them - but that was the first chocolate I'd eaten since last Friday which is probably some kind of record for me :-)

It was really silly to eat that chocolate as I'd planned well today - taken loads of fruit to work, had salad for lunch & only ate fruit at the meeting today (swerving the nuts, crisps, sandwiches & biscuits in the process) & I wasn't even hungry. I'll learn one day!

After the meeting I finally got to do my food shop - Tesco will declare a premium tomorrow I expect :-)
My trolley was truly virtuous - loads of different fruit, veg & salad, fat free yogurts, crispbreads & water (fizzy, still & flavoured) and some Iced Gems & Mikado Sticks for a treat - not today (obviously) but thought having these nice things might prevent me going berserk again!
BUT...........................why oh why is it all so expensive & why can you buy 4 large Mars Bars for the same price as two mangoes - no wonder half the world is obese - much as I like mangoes if I'm honest I'd rather have a Mars bar.
I am, I realise, very fortunate that I can afford to buy as much fresh fruit as I want for myself and my family and do so on multiple occasions each week but I am beginning to notice how expensive it all is. On the other hand - Tesco is amazing for special offers (I realise there are other supermarkets & they do great offers too but today I was in Tesco) & I had lots of vouchers - I do love a voucher - so it did bring the cost down a bit, but if you are on a more limited budget than I am it must be so hard to make sensible choices.

Anyway, at least now my kitchen is full of all the right things now & I shouldn't have any excuse not to make good choices in my own kitchen!

We have friends coming for dinner on Friday so I've just made a big pot of chicken soup (it always tastes better if you make it in advance & I'm out tomorrow night at a seminar) - can't believe I'm still making soup in July but it truly is the perfect SW soup (veggies, chicken & water all boiling away & making the house smell lovely).

I don't think I've anything else to share tonight so I'll bid you farewell for now.
Lx

PS: Over 40 hits for yesterday's blog - thank you again xx

65 readers can't be wrong - or can they???????

Evening All (As Dixon of Dock Green used to say - ooh I am very old!)

Well I bit the bullet and went to class tonight and I'd put on a pound. No surprise there but goodness knows what it would have been if I hadn't pulled myself together over the weekend. I haven't been to the Tuesday night class before & everyone was really lovely but I really don't like weighing at night.I don't like the pressure on myself to be almost 'nil by mouth' ALL day.

Anyway that was last week & I'm looking forward not back.
Have to say I've been a model Slimming Worlder for the last three days which just shows I can do it when I try - can't we all??

Planning is definitely the key and tomorrow I plan to shop! I was so busy at weekend, and what with working yesterday and the boys both being at home now, my fridges & cupboards are bare :(
Tomorrow after work it's big shop time - just need everything fruit, salad, veg, cereal, crispbreads, yogurts..................yes we really are out of almost everything.


Yesterday on my home from Cambridge (yes my presentation went well thanks!), I came over feeling a bit peculiar on the M11. I know that I am a bit peculiar at best of times but this was different - felt a bit like cramp in my chest & before anyone starts to nag there were no pains in my arms and although it was unpleasant enough that I stopped the car it wore off quite quickly. However I did feel a bit 'odd' and I drove home much more slowly than I might normally have done.
When I got home I had a large glass of water & decided to change into my dressing gown. When I got undressed & took off my bra my whole body seemed to 'realign' itself & I realised that the pain & discomfort had been from a bra that was too tight.
The morals of this story are

1. Make sure you don't wear underwear that is too small - nothing is worse or more uncomfortable.
2. Have your weight loss epiphany before you worry yourself stupid!!!

On that note I'm signing off, except to say that as you know yesterday was the first blog I'd written for ages and when I logged on tonight lo & behold I've had 65 hits since then - I'm so surprised (& pleased) but it is an amazing feeling to know people are interested in my very ordinary ramblings. I suppose it also makes me feel less alone in my struggle to lose weight, knowing that people are reading & supporting me - well I assume you are :-)
Any whatever reason you have for reading thank you so much - it means a great deal to me.

Have a good evening

Lisa xx

Back to square one.............again!

Hi All

It's been about two months since I blogged and even then it's been extremely spasmodic this year - so if you've missed me I'm sorry :)
In truth my dieting has been very spasmodic too (if not to say non-existent) and consequently instead of losing weight I seem to have steadily put on about 10lbs since Christmas & I'm heading back up to the weight I was when I started in November 2010 - I suppose the only reason I'm not over that is because I've been paying SW £4.95 a week to weigh and guide me.
But...........despite the fact I have a straight talking but supportive counsellor & a view in the mirror that I'm not especially keen on (to put it mildly) my self motivation powers seem to have deserted me.

I should be going to weigh in this morning but Dom is coming home from 'a week with the boys in Zante (OMG!!!) &, more importantly I'm giving a presentation in Cambridge at 2pm today and haven't written it yet!!
So instead of doing either of those two things (for now), I've decided to give my blog another go as my motivational tool. On 20th August(ish) we are going on holiday - 5 days in Venice & then a 7 day cruise around Greece & Croatia - so I've six weeks to reduce the amount of excess baggage I take with me and I'm going to give it a crack.
If my meanderings over the last year or so have bored you I suggest you switch off now cos it's going to get a whole lot worse for a while!!!!

I've started well this morning (I know it's only 07:34) with 2 Weetabix & milk plus a glass of water and a black coffee. Between the blog, my presentation, and the conference this afternoon my fingers should be kept busy, and in any case, I've not been able to shop over the weekend and my cupboards & fridges are definitely looking bare so it's Tesco for me later too.

In the interests of honesty my weight has gone up to 18-11 (as of last Monday) and my BMI 34.2 - yuck :(
I had my weight & measure done at Curves last week and my waist & hip measurements had gone down but my hips, thighs, bust and upper arms had gone up - double yuk :(( - so I've lots of incentive to pull it together.
Still now I'm back boring you to death with the minutiae of my dieting life, I'm feeling more optimistic than I was.

But now, I have to stop prevaricating and write my presentation for this afternoon, practise it, and ready myself for the return of my gorgeous son and his not so gorgeous suitcase.

This feels nice.......................

Love to all
Lxx

PS: Hope you like new profile picture - went to lovely 50th birthday party on Saturday & felt good in my new dress :)