9st 13.5lb ... noooooooo!

Phew - exam over, and not too much of a gain

Going in the right direction again

Oh dear ...

Daily Plate!

Well, I've finally decided to give up on Fitbug, as although the idea is brilliant, their website is always falling over or stalling and it's hard to add food to the journal.  So, having heard about The Daily Plate from a number of people, I thought I'd check it out - although I did think that all the food items would be American, and so it wouldn't really be useful to me.  How wrong I was!  It has everything!!

I figure I'll log everything on the Daily Plate, including my exercise, and try to stick within their guidelines to lose 1.5lb a week.  As it's free I don't have to pay for it and can just keep it up without feeling guilty about paying for anything.  Then if I slip up it isn't the end of the world but I can just get back on track.

Good stuff!  Logged everything today, and just 50 cals over the guide.

Up to 9st 13lb today, but it's TOTM so I'm not too bothered.  Back on track - YAY!

Hmmm. Fallen off the healthy wagon with a bump

Well, once again, I don't imagine that the Weigh In result tomorrow will be good - I've been eating rubbish for the past few days again, and generally falling back into bad ways. 

I haven't been able to run, but I haven't been swimming either because the weather's put me off (it's a 15 min bike ride, or half hour walk to the pool).  I've also been eating lots - probably because I haven't been feeling fit and healthy - and topped it off last night with a major curry hit.

Hubby decided it would be nice to treat my parents and I to a takeaway curry - and instead of going for the usual healthy option of Chicken Tikka, I had a Badam Passanda - a bit like an almondy Korma.  Oh dear ... probably more calories in that alone than I need in a day.  But,  I also had an onion bhaji, a samosa, a whole tray of pilau rice, poppadoms, naan bread and mopped up others' sauces.  Oh yes, and wine, port and chocs ...  I couldn't move afterwards!  I get the feeling my poor hubby was a bit ashamed of the food monster I become   - I know I am.

So - start again today.  I've decided that I want to reach 9st 4lb by Christmas so I can honestly say I've lost 4 stone this year, rather than 'nearly' 4st.  My promises to myself are:

• Focus on being healthy
• Drink more water (barely drinking any at the moment)
• Log my food - haven't done this for weeks, mainly because the Fitbug site's not working very well.  If I can't log on the website, I'll 'declare' it here
• Exercise every day - even if it's just a lunchtime walk
• Continue swimming twice a week
• Run three times a week - but don't overdo it. 
• Enter for the March half marathon and build up to it carefully - I need goals!

And so ...

Breakfast today:  Granola, grape nuts, All-Bran and Activia yog pot mix.  2 mugs of coffee with skimmed milk

Lunch:  nada (hubby working early tomorrow, so early dinner)

Tea:  skimmed milk in my tea, and about 6 biscuits

Dinner:  We're having turkey breast strips fried in soy sauce, wraps, lettuce and half fat creme fraiche.

Not too bad, but I do need to cut down on the sugary snacks!

Kind words - and only 1lb gain

Frankly, I'm amazed that I haven't gained more than 1lb this week.  I know that's 3lb over the past fortnight as I've slipped back into old ways, but I'm going to put that down to being ill ... pick myself up, dust myself off and get moving again.

Thank you for your kind words guys - it always helps to get me feeling that I'm not the only one, I'm not on my own and a total freak-muncher!

So - I have a meeting this afternoon at our other offices, about a 40 min walk, and I'll kick things off by walking over there.  Theatre tonight, but I'll make sure I get some more walking in tomorrow as well.

As I didn't get much study done while I was off I now have to start work at 7.30am to give myself a bit of time before I start work, otherwise I'm just not going to cover all of it before the exam.  That means getting up at 4.45am, so I'm really going to have to focus on making an effort to get exercise into my life over the next month. 

Going swimming at night will be quite tough, so I think I'll have to just go once during the week, and once at the weekend (note to self - must get earplugs to block out screaming kiddies!)

Wish me luck! 

Really struggling

What a pants weekend - I'm still suffering a bit with a cold, and it's really beginning to get me down.  I felt like crap yesterday, and woke up feeling like all I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and ignore the world.  Hubby had got up long ago and gone out, so I got up, made coffee and granola with yoghurt, and went straight back to bed to watch TV. 

I finally got up around midday, showered, and plonked myself firmly on the sofa.  I also ate everything in sight again ... all of the Curly Wurly's I had in the fridge, biscuits, sweeties ..  Hubby then came home and decided that if I was going to be rubbish, it was probably a day for DVDs. 

So, we went into town and I got Pick n' Mix from Woollies (I only ever do this if I'm really down in the dumps - not sure why as it always makes me feel worse eventually), he picked up a big back of Smarties for me too (bless him, but oh dear).  We also stopped off at M&S for some nice biscuits for tea - but stupidly I completely failed to pick them up after I'd paid for them so they're still in the shop (well, I'd only have eaten them!).

I proceeded to eat all of the above, and a pork chop dinner that hubby cooked for me - and I honestly thought I was going to explode. 

Why, oh why do we do this to ourselves?  I wish I knew the answer ....  the thing is, today I feel fine and I just wouldn't do it.  How do I turn myself around when I feel like that?  How do I stop myself from feeling like that in the first place? 

I guess the key this time around is that I haven't really been able to exercise properly for the last couple of weeks due to my horrible cold, and my diet has been poor because I haven't been at work the whole time.  My whole equilibrium has been upset as a result, and I think my head just revolted!

So - positive step forward - off to the opera (!) to see Carmen tonight, in a really swanky expensive place (Glyndebourne) ... although we're in the cheap 'seats' (I say that because actually there are no seats, and we have to take cushions and binoculars).  I'm also off to the theatre tomorrow night again - what a culture vulture am I!

I now have to sign off and work out a study plan for the next few weeks so I don't completely flunk my re-take exam in November .....

Back on that wagon

Hmmm.  So much for turning it around - I said to myself that I was going to be good yesterday and then decided that it would be my final day of feeling sorry for myself.  So, I ate tons - far more than I really wanted, let alone needed - and woke up feeling bloated and full of wind this morning (sorry! ).  Actually, it's amazing how I've got used to feeling healthy, fit and 'good to go' - I don't like feeling rubbish now, and I can really pinpoint it down to eating rubbish food these days.  Before I'd just feel a bit crap all the time, and feel varying degrees of rubbishness with no real reasons for it.  Now I know it's too much crap in my system, and no exercise!

So - I went down to the pool after a breakfast of granola and yoghurt, with a view to doing some of my Challenge lengths (just about on track!) and then having a fab time in the steam room.  Wow - that really felt good!

I'm still feeling rather congested today, but I actually feel human - just a bit in slow motion!  The swim really helped. 

However - I now sound awful (always the way when you're feeling better), which means that I can guilt trip my clients and colleagues.  I'm officially on study leave (i.e. holiday), but there are major issues at work and they keep ringing and emailing me for help.  Now they feel really guilty!  Hurrah!!  Maybe I'll get a day working from home out of it - that would be nice.

How completely rubbish am I?

Not only did I spend yesterday eating everything I could get my hands on (from biscuits, all the way through to frozen party prawns in filo ...), but I surpassed my own laziness and crapness this morning.

I got up, as planned, this morning at 5.50am to get the train at 6.45am to London in time for my course.  I got to London in good time, with half an hour to go, and got a paper and a steaming latte from the station.  I wended my way to the course building, and looked up at the board to see which room my course was in.  Yep, you guessed it, I hadn't checked the joining instructions and I'd actually booked myself onto a course in a building the other side of the city.

Now at this point, I thought "Damn it" (or words to that effect), partly because I had a steaming mug of coffee in my hands, and to try travelling on the Underground with that would be sheer suicide.  So, I walked slowly back to the main station and drank my coffee. 

By the time I'd got there, through the Underground gates, to the right area and was queuing up for the train, I had somehow convinced myself that I was going to be late, it was only a revision course, and that it would be much better all round if I came home and just studied from home.

WHAT WAS I THINKING??  Do I not know myself by now, just how easily distracted I am from my studies??  Am I not on the internet now, doing things I really shouldn't be?????  Jeeez.

So - I think the only answer is for me to head off to the damp, smelly library for punishment.  This is also the only thing that will keep my wandering fingers out of the biscuit tin - I have no self control!