Sometimes, when you are trying to lose weight you can forget the destination you are aiming for when the journey is a particularly long one. It is easy to get side tracked and distracted from what you are doing and I think I was guilty of that this week.
I know I wrote about my obstacles last week and it is so easy to use my health issues as a reason to not follow my diet and I have to learn that in food there is no comfort, no support or help and certainly no divine glory. The more I eat the longer it is going to take to get to my goal - simple as. Very easy when you type it but not so easy to follow in practice. However, little by little I am starting to get the right idea.
I am going on a cruise in 46 days - just under seven weeks time. I really want to have lost 50lbs by then and I am very pleased that this year, despite all the distractions I have remained fairly focused on losing weight. So many times in the past I have promised myself to get a little slimmer when I have a holiday or important occasion coming up but I have never achieved this and bearing in mind my need for a goal I can't understand why I have constantly tripped myself up. Yet I have. This year has been different. I have already lost a quarter of the total I wish to lose and will have done even more by the time I go on holiday. I am proud of that achievement and I know it will make a big difference to me.
I also know that meeting up with family or friends is more of a pleasure these days when I know I am looking better and have made an effort. In times gone by I have been known to cancel arrangements already made because I have felt so disappointed in myself.
Going back to my weight loss, I have found I was becoming a little lazy in my approach. I had stopped keeping my journal of what I am eating and was slipping into bad habits again. However, whereas before I would have continued making these mistakes, nowadays I rein myself in more quickly and get back to my winning ways. I had a few days of drifting and a few days of improvement so I was not surprised when I weighed in on Thursday that I had only lost half a pound. Still, it was a loss and that is the most important thing.
I am being hampered by continual dizzy spells which makes life a little harder to put in mildly but it is not a reason to keep putting food in my mouth.
So I am exactly 19st and hopefully next week I will be in the 18s. I need just 13.5lbs to get my 50lb certificate and that goal is firmly in my sights.
I have done a virtual model of me of what I will look like when I reach goal and will look at this occasionally when I need inspiration.
It is really difficult at times to overcome the obstacles that are put in front of you. Sometimes, it is easier to just sit down and not even bother climbing over them and sometimes the effort is very worthwhile. I suppose it depends of many factors, your mindset and how important the final destination is.
This year has been full of obstacles. Small ones and very large ones. Recently, my shoulder has been a big obstacle as it has stopped me driving, using the computer that much, exercising etc. and it would be so very easy to just give up and lie in bed waiting for things to settle down. However, that is not really in my nature and I just hate the idea of giving in to something.
I got the result of my shoulder xray and found out I now have osteoarthritis as well as the rheumatoid arthritis. I am not particularly cheered up with this news and it just gives me yet another health issue to deal with. The GP offered (very kindly) to inject the shoulder with steroids and I happily accepted.
Have to say on the morning of the injection, happy is not an emotion I was feeling and I felt sick at the thought but with the idea that it would make a bad situation better I was happy to submit myself to the injection. I would be lying if I said it wasn't painful - it was - but the GP was very good and it was over very quickly. I was sent home with the information that I must rest my shoulder for a few days in order for it to work properly.
Oh dear, I thought, that means I wont be able to do anything and will need to be waited on hand and foot - however will I cope
So, rest I did and that also meant I did next to no exercise particularly one armed swimming. It did actually cross my mind to give it a go but decided it possibly wasn't the wisest thing to do given the circumstances.
On weigh day I was feeling particularly bad, after a sleepless night, so decided staying in bed was an option and I missed my weigh in. I knew I was eating the right foods so wasn't worried as I would be weighing in the following week.
However, I had to be fit for Saturday as it was the Finals Day of the Twenty20 cricket competition at the Rose Bowl and YES, I had tickets
Having decided driving was not a good idea, Jo and I set off (picking up Neil along the way) to the Rose Bowl. It was extremely hot and within an hour of squeezing myself onto the little plastic fold up seat that I was to call home for the next 11 hours I realised it was going to be an endurance test.
The cricket was great and we were enjoying ourselves so much.
Until I did something rather stupid.
I fainted
One moment I felt absolutely fine and the next minute my vision went and I seemed to lose all ability to sit upright. I leaned heavily on Jo and the lady in front of us got a steward who in turn got the medical team.
By now, I was feeling like a right numpty
I got carted off to the medical centre and had to drink lots of water and rest for half an hour. I have to say it was not one of my finest moments but the paramedics were charming
Anyway, I made it to the end of the day and we finally rolled home at midnight. It was worth every minute as it was a great day.
On Wednesday I went back to swimming and managed to do 110 lengths (with both arms!) which is 1150m. From next week I am going to start swimming twice a week to try and up my exercise - if my body will let me.
Weighing day seems to come round so fast each week and I was a little concerned as I hadn't done much exercise but I was delighted to say I lost 3lbs!!!!!!
That makes a total of 36lbs.
I have set myself the goal to try and lose 50lbs by the time I go on holiday at the end of September. Fingers crossed.
I realise my health is always going to be an obstacle. At the end of the day though it is up to me to decide whether it is a little hurdle or a huge mountain to climb. At the moment, I am determined it will be nothing more than a small crack in the pavement - easily stepped across on my path to glory
I have always been a very goal-orientated person. I love the challenge of attempting a goal and reaching it. This can be in every corner of my life.
When I worked as a medical secretary and typed a consultant's clinic I would time myself and then the following week I would try and beat the time and so on. It gets to the stage where you are putting undue stress on yourself to try and improve and that isn't a good thing.
However, I love striving for goals. It is probably why I love watching sport so much. Whether it is cricket and one team catching another team's run rate or any other sport where one team or individual tries to beat another.
I don't know if everyone else feels challenged in this way and sets themselves targets. If I do the ironing in one hour, the following week it has to be done faster. I am glad to say I don't have this mentality when driving!! I have always been competitive and try to improve all the time. This is very hard when you have a disability and when you catch yourself driving your mobility scooter in a racing car stance you realise that you can go too far!!
My goal this week was to regain my 10% award. This was very important to me and psychologically very significant. It means I would have lost 10% of my body weight which has great health benefits. I achieved this earlier in my diet but obviously with my three month blip of not following the plan I saw this 10% evaporate. I still had the award in the display cabinet in the hall and everytime I walked out of the bedroom I would look at it and realise that it didn't actually 'belong' to me at a heavier weight. I wouldn't even touch it and felt angry with myself for letting it slip through my fingers.
So I just had to lose 1.5lbs to regain this award and with it the achievement that I had got myself back on track and moving forwards. As I had had two good losses in the previous two weeks I also knew I was going to have to work hard to achieve this goal but I was definitely up for the challenge.
However, I had an added burden to deal with. Over the last few weeks my right shoulder has been getting worse and worse. Now this week I have got to the stage that I can hardly use my right arm at all. I contacted the doctor and he saw me the same day and sent me off for a xray at the local hospital.
I hate going for xrays.
1) You are made to put the wounded joint into an impossible position which just makes it a whole lot worse
2) The hospital gown never fits and you are left with your 'assets' hanging out
Anyway, I got there with Trevor in tow so he could help me disengage from my bra (not pleasant) and put the gown on and
PUT MY TOP OVER MY HEAD AND RUN AROUND
the gown fit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If I had a willing body I would have done an acrobatic display down the hospital corridor!!!!!
I have to wait two weeks for the results but at least it is being investigated and hopefully they will be able to help me as it makes life just that little bit harder.
That night I actually had to phone NHS direct the pain was so bad and with some good advice, a cup of tea, painkillers and a hot pad I finally fell asleep.
As you can't keep a good dog down, I was up at 7am the following morning with the insane idea of still going swimming. I go every Wednesday morning - I love swimming (always try to do at least one extra length each week to fulfil my goal mentality).
So, with Trevor driving me to the pool I was wondering, on the journey, if swimming with one arm would just make you go round in circles
I am thrilled to be able to tell you that you dont!!!! I managed 62 lengths (15m pool) in one hour and actually went in a straight line. How impressive is that and that there is life in the old dog
So, back to my weight loss and I went to the class on Thursday with my fingers firmly crossed (wonder if that weighs more!) and was so happy when I had lost 2.5lbs. Woooohoooo! When I got back home I reached in and touched my 10% award - mine at last.
After all the traumas of the last few months it is really good to be back to my winning ways.
Having lost 5lbs last week really spurred me on to do well this week. I have found that getting back onto the Weight Watchers plan was fairly straightforward and I am thinking about what I am eating far more these days.
On Saturday I attended the Diamond Wedding Anniversary party. However, it didn't create any problems as the food provided was mainly salads and cold meats. I was very pleased as now I have decided to put my back into losing weight I didn't want the wheels to fall off the wagon so quickly!!
I have also tried to increase the amount of exercise I take. This is so hard due to the rheumatoid arthritis. I swim once a week and have done a little more walking. This is very hard particulary with tendonitis in my left foot but, to coin Jane Fonda's mantra "no pain no gain" so I am pleased with my efforts.
I had hoped that all this extra effort would show on the scales and it did!!!!
I lost a whopping 6lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was over the moon. That is 11lbs in two weeks and a total of 29.5lbs. I have now recovered most of the ground lost beforehand so feel I am finally moving forward.
In September Trevor and I are going on a cruise and in November Jo and I are off to Las Vegas so I have many reasons to keep going.
And nothing it going to stop me smiling at the moment
It is nearly four months since I used my blog and I decided it was long overdue to return and update it. And what a four months it has been.
In March, I went down to Devon for three days to visit my parents and take my dad for a gastroscopy as he had been having stomach problems. When I arrived in Torquay I was disturbed to see how jaundiced he was but he still had the same cheerful smile on his face. On the day of his examination the doctors told us that they thought there was something 'sinister' going on and that he would need to be admitted after the Easter bank holiday for further investigations. How I hate that word 'sinister'. It sounds like a villain in a B rated movie, not a word that would change our world forever.
Dad was so ill over the weekend that he had to be admitted to hospital on Easter Monday. I took the decision to stay in Torquay to support my parents and help in anyway I could. That Thursday we were told the devastating truth. He had pancreatic cancer and probably only had six to twelve months to live. Is it possible for your heart to stop beating and for time to stop because that is exactly how it felt. Just like someone had punched me hard and knocked all the breath out of my body.
Dad took the news well and said he had had a good innings (typical of him to use a sporting analogy). However, the following day he seemed to forget what he had been told and was confused at what was happening around him. The hospital said they would try to deal with his pain and make him able to return home for some time.
This was not to be.
Every day, the sliderule of life shortened and we kept being told that our time with dad was being slashed by months at a time. It will be a year, it will be several months, it will be a few months, it will be several weeks, it will be a few weeks, it will be days - all this happened so fast it was beyond comprehension. We started to worry that he wouldn't even make his birthday on 9th April.
In the days leading up to his birthday I started wondering what I could buy for someone for whom time was slipping away. I then realised that no present could really make any difference but memories were precious. My daughter and I spent hours (when not sitting at the hospital) going over old photos and scanning them onto the computer and printing them over. Finally, we had an album prepared of over 70 photos charting his whole life from his mother to his latest grandchild. I grieved as I put them in order that he probably wouldn't even see this album as he was now so dosed up with morphine he was rarely awake. I had also managed to blag a signed photo of the England cricket team and knew he would love to see this as he loved watching cricket and we had so many long discussions about the rights and wrongs of the game.
We stayed with him until 12.30am on the morning of his birthday and then went home. We received a phone call from the hospital at 6.30am to say he had woken up and was lucid so if we wanted to celebrate his birthday with him get up to the hospital immediately!!
After a frantic runaround we all shot up there and surprise surprise he was sitting up in bed waiting for us with a big smile on his face. What followed was a very special few hours with him when he was back to his old self, joking with the nurses and teasing us. He loved all his cards (he received over 70) and was so touched by the photo album which brought back so many memories. It was as if all the family were with him at that moment. At lunchtime, the nurses gathered around his bed and sang happy birthday to him (all 14 of them) and gave him a cake. He clapped and said he would remember that moment for the rest of his life.
After lunch he was given further sedation and it was the last time he was awake. Our wonderful guiding light passed away just 36 hours later, peacefully and content.
He was a very special man, a perfect role model and his memory and the example he set to all of us will live with us forever.
I stayed in Devon for seven weeks helping mum and dealing with the myriad of things that need to be organised. Other family members did everything they could to support mum and cope with the aftermath of what had happened.
As you can imagine my heart hasn't been losing weight or dealing with anything that requires any thought so I have just plodded on and basically eaten anything within sight. However, I never stopped going to Weight Watchers and finally, two weeks ago, after many false starts, got my head together and got back on track. In that time I had put on 18lbs.
Last week, after the first week back I am happy to say that I lost 5lbs and now feel I am gaining control again. I have two big holidays coming up later this year and know I would have only regrets if I didn't do everything I can to lose some more weight.
So, hello again and I can't tell you how glad I am to have got back to normal. I do know one thing, my dad will be following my progress very carefully so I better not let this challenge bowl me over.
It has been some time since I last made an entry in the blog.
I could give you many reasons (and probably will) but the bottom line is that I got distracted from what I was trying to do. Lose weight. As you know, I was heading off to Devon when I did my last blog entry. Until the last day I was due to go, I was wondering if it was the right decision due to the pain I was in. It would have been the 'easy' option to just lie in bed and not go but I wanted to be there for my friend and so with 24 hours to go I made the decision to pack.
I am so glad I did. I know I was able to make a difference for Annie. Jo, Mum and I attended Nick's funeral. As I had pointed out before Nick was a 'larger than life' character in every sense and he would have been highly amused that he caused a few problems when lifting the coffin out of the hearse. When the trolley the coffin was resting on hit a bump in the aisle and he nearly landed on my mum's lap we all knew he would have a broad grin on his face. I can hear his booming laughter now!
Over the next few days I helped Annie in anyway I could but just spending time with her was a bonus. She was so brave and I was proud of her.
Several days later Jo and I came home but it was obvious I was struggling with my RA. The pain levels has risen and another flare up loomed. I got plenty of rest and Trevor was very happy to see me home. Exhaustion and pain make poor companions and my sleep was now being very disturbed.
I hadn't made it to a weigh in whilst in Devon and due to being on the go all the time I didn't concentrate on what I was eating so it was no surprise that when I weighed in on Valentines Day I had put on 3lbs. Not a disaster but disappointing.
Now, at that point, common sense should have prevailed and I should have got back to eating healthily. However, it was very easy to lie in bed feeling sorry for myself and just eat anything that came to hand. Frighteningly easy. Some of the old habits which I thought I had left behind came back to haunt me and I soon found I was grazing again. I really am like a vacuum cleaner at times and suck up anything that bears a vague similarity to food. I was bound to suffer for this.
On top of the pain and tiredness, I was starting to wind myself up with the prospect of the new drugs starting. The injections had been delivered to the house and they were due to start on Monday 18th. I was so nervous. I just didn't know how I was going to cope with injecting myself and the thought of all the side effects as well. Another great excuse to comfort eat. (Not that I need excuses I hasten to add).
The nurse arrived on Monday to go through everything with me and I was told how I had to rotate the injections round on either thighs and my stomach. Surely my stomach didn't need this on top of all the food I had eaten
Then it was time to inject (using a pen like contraption rather than a syringe). And it was easy!!!! I managed really well. Yes, it stung but that was over very quickly. The nurse said I was fine doing it so she doesn't need to come again and I can go solo from now on!!!
Why was I so worried?
The really good thing is that I haven't had any side effects
So back to gaining, sorry losing weight
My leader has been very supportive whilst all this has been going on and she has kept in regular contact via email. This has made an enormous difference to me. Normally, if I had struggled and had a bad week, or two, I would probably have given up. However, with chatting to Helen I have been able to work through my worries and so even though I knew when I weighed on Thursday I was going to have put on weight I knew I could cope with it and would start losing again.
Thursday came and again, I was not feeling well but I went to the meeting and had gained 3.5lbs. Whereas before, it would have been complete self destruct - let's face it 6.5lbs gain in two weeks is not that good, I am now back to focusing on what I am eating and behaving myself.
I think the last three weeks have taught me a valuable lesson or two.
One - when you are 'in the groove', at home and concentrating on losing weight it lulls you into a false sense of security. You think you can do this at any time but it really doesn't take much for me to become distracted and lose direction.
Two - (this point is more valuable) - A couple of bad weeks doesn't destroy what you have achieved already. So, I have put on weight and it is not ideal but in total I have still lost 2st 4lbs which is a good loss since November and I have not lost sight of that.
So, this is my first day back to eating more healthily. I am not saying it is easy and I am taking each day as it comes but I know I can do this. I am still as determined as ever and I realise it is not easy when my RA is so bad but I will succeed. Losing weight is a long journey. Some people travel a faster and more direct route and some, like me, take the scenic route, but no matter how long the journey, the destination will be reached.
I find it amazing at how quickly the weeks are going by and I have now completed 13 weeks at Weight Watchers. I know when I started that I didn't expect to do very well as I have a rather poor history when it comes to sticking with a healthy eating plan. However, as soon as I joined this time I felt like I could really achieve something and three months later I still have as much determination as at the start of my journey.
It has been another week of problems with my rheumatoid arthritis. It really doesn't know when to behave itself and should be given an ASBO for anti-social behaviour!!! Three times this week I have cried myself to sleep with the pain and have had alternate days of having to rest to try and get through the week. I finally gave in on Friday and rang up the doctor and he has prescribed some non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. Within 24 hours I have felt a great benefit from taking these and the pain is considerably less than it was. It beggars the question, why wasn't I given these before as I have been backwards and forwards for the last year to the GP and consultant with out of control pain. Still, I shouldn't grumble but I will and I suppose it is a case of better late than never.
Anyway, back to the weight loss as I already give far too much attention to my 'lodger'!!
When I started at Weight Watchers I bought a journal in which to record what I eat each day and the amount of activity I do. The journal lasts for 12 weeks so I had the pleasure of starting a new journal this week. Am I the only person who loves filling in paperwork etc. Give me a form to fill out and I am a happy person
So, before I started the new journal I went over the old one before putting it away and noticed something. As the weeks have been going on I have been eating less and my weight loss has been getting less and I know it is said that the more you eat the more you lose so I had obviously lost sight of this. I thought I would try a little experiment as in the last few weeks my weight loss has not been that special. I decided to retrace my steps and eat week one again!!
I stuck to it religiously, following the menu plan I had painstakingly written down all those weeks ago. It wasn't that difficult to be honest and I had high hopes when I arrived at the meeting on Thursday morning. I had got up early and baked some Weight Watchers lemon drizzle muffins so that members could try them and see that it is possible to have tasty food that are low in points.
I waited in the queue and chatted to my friends as we shuffled towards the scales. There were the usual looks of worry and smiles which speak volumes. Finally, I was at the front of the queue and it was my turn. I hopped (well, ok, hobbled) onto the scales and was delighted to see that I had lost 3lbs.
THREE POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The great news about this is that I have finally left the 19's behind for good and am now basking in the 18s. In actual fact, I am 18.12 which makes me an 'overture'!!
This week is going to be a lot harder as I am off to Torquay tomorrow for Nick's funeral. I will be staying at my parents and my Mum certainly shows her love through the food she provides so wish me well on that!!!
Finally, it is our wedding anniversary today. Trevor and I have been married for seven years and not an itch in sight!!! May there be many more happy years ahead of us and although there is now less of me, the love is definitely more concentrated
It has been a week of ups and downs and now the week is over it is difficult to sort out how I feel.
My health started to improve slightly and it meant I could get out of bed a little and start being a little more active. As Thursday approached and my next weigh in loomed I obviously hoped that I had managed to redress the gain from last week. Although I have to say, for the first time in nearly three months, it was not my top consideration as I had an important appointment at the hospital to attend just after my Weight Watchers meeting.
So, Thursday morning arrived and off to the meeting. It was a very long queue as new members are still joining after their New Year's resolution to lose weight. It is good to see some fresh faces as they look ready for the challenges ahead. I found out that Helen, our leader, wasn't in class as she is poorly, so it was a leader from another class who weighed me. She was actuallly the lady holding the class on the first day I joined and she blinked twice when she saw me and couldn't get over how well I was doing. Strange how others see you so differently from what stares back at me in the mirror. I still don't see much of a change but I am sure it will come.
I had lost 2lbs this week so I am back to where I was and ready to continue losing and forging new ground. It was lovely to say hello to friends but I wasn't able to stay long.
I made a quick dash home to pick up Trevor, my lovely husband who is always there to support me, and then the 50 minutes journey to the hospital at Haywards Heath. What a pity I didn't need to be weighed prior to my appointment with the rheumatology nurse. I was desperate for them to know of my progress!!
Anyway, the reason for me being there is that my current RA drugs aren't working. I had my first assessment for new drugs at the end of November and now this was the all important second assessment. Pass this and the chance of improvement beckons.
The assessment lasted nearly an hour and took into account my symptoms, inflammation of my joints and me marking on a chart how my quality of life was affected. I needed to score over 5.15 and actually scored 7.93 so sailed through. I never did that well at school so was pleased I have found something I am good at - joint swellings - hardly something you could put on your CV now is it!!!
The good news is that I will only have to wait about four weeks to start on the new drug (Humira) and if it works I should discover a better quality of life and lower pain levels. The bad news is that I have to self-inject it.
I hope you understand why I think this is a double edged sword. On the one side it is good news that the drugs are now available to me and that if they work it should bring about a really positive change for me. On the other side I am sad that I am having to go through this at all. Sad that I have an illlness where I need to take such strong drugs which will disable my immune system. However, I am trying to remain positive, as always.
However, whatever is going on in my life, pales into insignificance against what my best friend is currently going through. She rang me on Thursday night to say that her husband was in hospital and dying. He has had diabetes for some years but the last two years have been very difficult for him and, in turn, very difficult for Annie. I spent Friday evening trying to reach her, unsuccessfully, and finally spoke with her this morning.
Nick died last night. It was his 61st birthday last Sunday. He was a 'larger than life' character, who despite adversity, had retained his sense of humour. On losing his leg to diabetes two years ago, his son had presented him with an eye patch and a plastic parrot. That is the sort of person he was and that is how he will be remembered. My children called him General Mayhem. Large, full of life and completely irrepressible - Nick I salute you and no doubt you are already corrupting the angels into your way of thinking.
Over the last ten weeks everything had pretty much gone my way. I had stuck to the plan, turned up to class and hey presto - I had lost weight. I knew from the beginning it would never be that simple and that I would have my challenges. I also knew that it was then that I would have to dig in deep to find out what I was really made of.
This was my week to start digging!
I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I stuck to the plan, I ate the right foods, I drank my water and I made sure that I was sensible and didn't make any bad choices.
Except my body decided to revolt (no wise cracks here please!!)
My rheumatoid arthritis decided to make its presence felt. For nearly a week I ended up having to take to my bed. I could hardly walk to the toilet, my body was one burning gasp of agony. I couldn't find anything that would alleviate the pain. Everything from my neck downwards hurt and was swollen. My ankle seized up, my elbows wouldn't function and even my jaw decided it wouldn't work properly. Now you might think this was a godsend for two reasons - one I couldn't eat that much and two, I couldn't talk that much either!! And don't even get me started on the pain when I needed to yawn - OUCH!!!
Unfortunately, at times like this, there is only one thing that will do and it is keeping warm and resting in bed until it has had its fling. So, rest I did - lying like a beached whale watching daytime TV. What joy.
Finally, Thursday arrived and I wanted to go to my weigh in so I got up early to allow time for all my bits and pieces to arrange themselves in fairly organised harmony (except for a rather exaggerated limp) and off I went with Jo, my daughter, who was making sure I made it there in one piece. Not that I was in one piece when I left the house you understand!!
I arrived early and Helen, my leader kindly allowed me to stand on the scales early so I wasn't left hanging around (or falling over). Jo took my shoes off (poor girl) and then I managed to hobble onto the scales but overbalanced. So, my next attempt was a little more successful but I leaned too hard on my walking stick and had to try again. Third time lucky the scales finally told me that I had gained 2lbs. GAINED TWO POUNDS!!!! As if I wasn't in enough pain already
Helen was very kind and whilst Jo was balancing me into my shoes again she told me that as I had been in bed all week it had taken its toll but I wasn't to worry and things would soon sort themselves out again. Humph.
I wasn't exactly a happy bunny I have to say but knew it wasn't the end of the world. I knew I would turn things around and as my old school reports used to say, I 'could do better'.
So, I hear you asking, what has rock climbing got to do with all this?
Well, I emailed Robert, my brother, in California and his reply said everything to me. I have copied it below as I think it is something for all of us to think about when we have a bad day on the scales.
Mary
When you go rock climbing and try out a really hard climb there are guaranteed to be some falls, scratched knees and elbows, bruises and bumps before you make it. It's riding through the problems and staying focused on the climb and the top that makes the difference between the best climbers and the ones who never quite get there.
Your bump is no surprise - at least you understand what happens when RA strikes. It's a small setback. Let's stay focused on the 33 pounds you've already lost, the many successful weeks and that you'll soon be back on the right route.
I'm cheering you on.
Rob
So, my message for you this week is happy rock climbing and just remember that getting to the top of your mountain is the most important thing and not how long it took you to get there.
There are many ways in which we can assess our weight loss; bags of sugar, bottles of water, packs of butter etc. Me, I am slightly different. I go by sausages!!
Eight sausages in a pack in the supermarket weighs one pound. Just one pound. However, one pound is really important. Just imagine all those sausages sizzling in a pan. Now imagine them stuck on your waist, hips, etc. They would soon mount up. I am carrying hundreds of sausages around with me all the time. Stuck all over my body. So to lose eight of them is a result and that is what I have achieved this week.
EIGHT WHOLE SAUSAGES are not to be scoffed at. Or more to the point, not to be scoffed!!
It has been a difficult week for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, when I was at the Weight Watchers class last Thursday, the leader was introducing the new kickstart programme. It is for people who are either starting on their weight loss journey or who have hit a bit of a plateau and need a little push. So, she asked anyone in the class if they would like to try it and being a glutton for punishment I said I would. She said she would do it along side us. On the core plan, this meant that I would have my three meals a day with any food off the plan but I was not allowed to touch any of my 21 optional points for the week. I didn't realise at the time how difficult this would be.
I can honestly say it was very tough but I stuck to it like glue. I didn't have anything I shouldn't have and I thought the weight would drop off me but it wasn't meant to be. After a week of self inflicted torture it brought me a one pound weight loss. The leader said she had also found it difficult but wouldn't be weighing until Saturday as that was the end of her week. When I got back home I rounded up my optional 21 points like a sheepdog and hurded them back into their pen ready to be pounced upon when I needed them!
My second issue this week has been my rheumatoid arthritis rearing its very ugly head. I have really struggled to overcome the pain and cope with everyday life. This is all part and parcel of having RA in your life. It really is very difficult to contain. You think you are managing to cope and then one morning you wake up and your body doesn't want to know. I can hardly stand let alone do exercise or participate in everyday chores so I need to rest and let it have its fling. One of these days I am going to sneak up behind it and knock it senseless and then it can creep out of the house and down into the drain where it belongs.
In the meantime, I am sat looking at the five silver sevens I have now achieved sparkling in the light. They represent the 35lbs I have lost in the last ten weeks. That is a total of......
........ 280 sausages and not a frying pan in sight!!!!!!!!!!
