Thursday 29 March 2012

At last!

It has taken a lot of hard work, determination and dedication to get to where I am today.  I have truly had to work extremely hard to get the results I am getting.  But you know it is so incredibly worth it. I stepped on the scales last night a bag of nerves.  I know in my heart I was due a good loss and that I deserved a good loss after sticking with it week after week with small 0.5lb losses or staying the same.  Why is it we always doubt ourselves when it comes to shedding weight?

I finally got a great loss of 3lb's and I am now 52.5lb lighter than I was at the beginning of June last year.  My weight loss averages out to just over 1lb per week and you know that is amazing!  For anyone else who struggles to lose weight slow and steady weight loss is the way to do it.  I am confident that with the time it is taking me to lose the weight I will easily be able to keep it off.  Keeping it off can be as hard as losing it to begin with!

I am going to take some pictures over the weekend.  I have a photo from exactly a year ago, I am going to dig out the jeans and t shirt I was wearing and take a picture so I can compare.  I also have a dress I wore to a wedding just over a year ago so that will also be coming out to have a picture in.  I struggle to see my own weight loss.  Of course the fact I have dropped 3 (almost 4) dress sizes I know I have lost weight and I do notice subtly changes but the fact I am now over 50lb loss I want to see big changes.  Hopefully the pictures I take will show me that.

Actually the only time you will ever find me in a dress is at a wedding and then it is begrudgingly.  Just the other day I ordered myself a dress and I love it.  It is stripy with all different colours very summery and was almost 100% comfortable in it.  Obviously I am still a woman with another 46lb that I need to lose and once some of that is gone and my stomach is a little flatter I am sure I will be just fine.  If I am brave enough I may take a picture in that dress.

I am feeling a lot fitter now.  There was a time when just walking up the stairs would have me out of breathe.  Seriously, it was not a good feeling.  Heavy breathing due to the weight around my neck.  That is just two things that I do not miss what so ever.

I will be completing my week 6 of C.25K on Saturday morning.  I have to walk for 5 minutes to warm up then jog for 25 minutes then walk for 5 minutes as a cool down.  I made it through 20 minutes last week to complete week 5 so whats another 5 minutes (if you don't hear from me you know I didn't make it lol).  I am so surprised by how much I am enjoying running.  I know when I was in school that I thoroughly enjoyed cross country but that was when I was 14 - 16 and 126lb.  To be able to run again and enjoy it feels great.

So for anyone else out there trying to lose weight or start exercising it can be done.  Just take it slow and steady.

My next goal is another 3.5lb loss which will equate to 4stone (sorry UK measurements) which is a nice small amount to concentrate on.  Hopefully it won't take too long but if it does so be it!

Thursday 22 March 2012

It wasn't to be

Not this week anyway.  I am still at 49.5lb loss and that is okay.  I had a great week with everything pointed and my exercise routine back in place.  Maybe next week I will get one of my amazing losses, time will tell.

Update on my two friends.  J and I went to visit and deliver presents to A she looked awful and fabulous all at the same time.  After major brain surgery she is doing brilliantly.  We can't get over how brave she is.  Brave is a word so many of our friends are using for her now.  How she manages to carry on from day to day is unbelievable.  She has such strength and for all of us witnessing it, it is amazing.  All the small inconsequential things that we worry about day to day really are not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.

As for my other friend.  We finally found out that she also had a brain tumour.  First of all we were all in complete shock.  How often do you have a close group of friends within which two get diagnosed with a brain tumour and have major surgery within 12 days of each other?  There is better news for V, it is not cancer and hopefully now that the tumour has been removed she will recover well.  When I found out I just burst in to tears.  I felt devastated that this was happening again to someone we are so close to.  We just have to keep praying that the surgery was all that was needed and her brain will recover so that she can continue to enjoy her life.

After such a knock within our close knit group we all felt that we needed to do something.  I mentioned that I was going to do our local Ra.ce For Li.fe and many of the other girls also said that they would like to join in.  I signed myself and two others up and since then our Team has grown to 15 members with many others who have told me they will sign up also.  It is definitely going to be a day to bring us closer and to raise much needed funds for Can.cer Res.earch UK.  A way to honour our friend while she is still with us.

After the race itself we have a BBQ arranged and I am hoping to organise a raffle.  That is the next thing on my list.  I need to think of prizes and ways of getting local businesses to donate.  If any of you have any other ideas for me to help raise as much money for the charity then it really will be appreciated.  I want to keep things as simple as possible though.  Am I aiming too high to try and get an i.pad donated, I guess we will just have to see how generous people are going to be.  There is plenty of time to get this organised though as the big day isn't until June 24th.  Wish me luck in getting it all done, though with 14 others in my team I am sure they will have some ideas and will want to help.

I also need to set a target, I think I will hold off on that until I am sure of the numbers taking part.  Wish me luck!

Wednesday 14 March 2012

Life is precious

There has been so much sadness and bad news around here lately. Life is short and precious and every day should be spent with happiness. So many people are sick and a good friend of mine has just found out that she has only months to live. 39 years old and just a few short months of time to spend with those that she loves.

Another friend may have suffered a stroke at a mere 60 years of age. Healthy all her life and now it is like she has disapeared and someone else is in her place. Right now she has been kept in the hospital so hopefully they will figure out what has happened a stroke or something else and it can be treated and I pray that she comes back to the woman she was. It is tragic to see her now she is so intelligent so to see her confused breaks my heart.

I will do all I can for each one of them. If they ask me for something I will get it done it is the least I can do.

I also realise that it is up to me to keep myself as healthy as possible. I am unable to stop cancer or even a stroke from happening but I sure as heck can limit the chance of it. Getting this excess weight off and exercising more to get myself fit is a massive step in getting and staying healthy. Last week i had another 0.5lb loss and this week was 1.5lb gone. So I am not at 49.5lb total loss and under 200lb. I am doing all I can to save my life i guess that is the best I can do for now at least.

Thursday 1 March 2012

Weigh In Wednesday

I know it has been a few weeks but I just have not felt like writing.  Actually as it March 1st it has been a whole month oops!

Before I get to the weight loss, today is also Yellow Shirt Day which kicks of the month or week (depending where you are in the world) of Endometriosis Awareness.  I have my Fight Like A Girl yellow endometriosis awareness t-shirt on today, do you?  If not that's okay just get prepared for next year you have 12 months warning.  I am planning on doing a post or two throughout the month to try and raise some awareness.

Right well back to the weight loss.  After 4 weeks I am another 4.5lb's down.  Of course it would be brilliant if it was more but I have learned to be happy with a 1lb loss per week.  I set myself a target of reaching 50lb loss by my weigh in last night and that didn't happen still 2.5lb to go for that.  In the past setting myself a target and failing to reach it was really detrimental to the whole process.  This time I am in a whole different frame of mind and it really isn't a big deal.

50lb is so near now that I don't care when I get it as long as I get it.  Well that is a bit of a lie I want it next week (or the week after).  I am going to be extremely good this week and may even throw a little exercise back in the loop now the the days are staying lighter for longer.  I was planning on getting back out doing the C25K again a couple of weeks ago but life has just gotten in the way.

I did make a start on kettlebell training though and I really enjoyed it.  I must get myself in to a routine and fit it in a few times a week perhaps alternating with the c25k.

My weigh in the results the past few weeks were:

Feb 8th      2lb loss
Feb 15th 0.5lb loss
Feb 22nd 0.5lb gain  I have no idea what went wrong this week
Feb 29th     2lb loss

So overall it has been a good month as I am 4.5lb lighter today than February 1st.  Keep your fingers crossed I hit that 50lb mark soon.  For anyone else on this journey I hope you are doing great!