What better way to spend a three-day weekend than to have Himself down with flu and out for the count, and me starting with it as of this morning?
*sigh*
We had planned to finally make it out to Sinsheim to the technology museum out there, where there's an actual Concorde and Aeroflot's own copy of Concorde which is referred to as the Concordski. We were also going to head over to Roller and look for cheap kitchen cabinets and a length of plywood or countertop to finally start sorting out the desk area in the living room. The existing desk is ancient and not really big enough, there's nowhere to store the counter and there are so many power blocks (four European and two US, plugged in to a transformer which is housed inside a small cupboard) and wires down the back of it that it is all quite disorganised. So we were planning on putting in a counter from the pillar to the back wall, which is a good ten or twelve feet, I reckon - half the width of the house, put it that way, the downstairs being kind of open plan. This counter would be supported with some wood dividers, with kitchen cabinets underneath at either end for storage/hiding the transformer. We considered keeping the existing desk, knocking off the top and replacing it with a longer length of countertop, but it is really quite knackered, so....
I haven't exercised since Thursday, and Saturday and Sunday were not the best of days. I think I have probably eaten my weeklies already, put it that way! Feeling rather bloated at the moment, but I suspect my visitor is due in the next three to five days so that's no real surprise. I have snaffled a water tablet anyway, and will keep doing so in an attempt to beat the bloat and nip any stupid water gain in the bud.
With any luck, I can fight off whatever this lurgy may be and get back to exercising post-haste. I am enjoying the break, however, as my knees and ankles have been rather tight since Friday morning; I may have overdone it somewhat. It's a beautiful day out there, cold but sunny and crisp, I just don't feel up to going out in it. My head is pounding and tight across the forehead and top of my cheekbones, my chest is somewhat congested and I am just all-round bunged up-feeling. Not nice, but better than having a dripping nose, I suppose!
There's barbecue sauce-d pulled pork in the slow cooker for later; just a third of a two-pound pork loin joint I bought, a third of which was roasted and eaten on its own for last night's tea, a third cut into chops and frozen and the rest in the slow cooker. Chopped up a couple of onions, stuck the whole piece of pork on top and squeezed over about a half pint of barbecue sauce. Leave on low for sixteen hours or so, then pull apart with two forks, stir into the sauce and leave till you are ready to eat. No more liquid required than that. Lush, and so easy.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Sad news, though rather belated in getting to me
About sixteen or so months ago, I found myself thinking about my ex's father. I was with Butthead for almost nine years, and his parents were a big part of my life. I was very fond of his dad, who was your typical bluff Yorkshireman, with a cracking, dry sense of humour and a wicked grin. He was unfailingly kind to me, and we shared many a wry grin and rueful look down the Sunday dinner table at the antics of other family members.
Anyway. I knew that he had been diagnosed with fairly advanced Parkinson's disease not long after retirement. Dopamine was prescribed and made little to no difference, so when he popped into my mind towards the end of 2010 I Googled his name in the obituaries but found no entries.
I woke up thinking of him yesterday, and tonight it crossed my mind to do another Google search. And there it was. Died peacefully aged 69 on September 19, 2010. I don't mind telling you I've shed a few tears for him, tonight.
Rest well, Stephen. God knows you've earned your rest.
Anyway. I knew that he had been diagnosed with fairly advanced Parkinson's disease not long after retirement. Dopamine was prescribed and made little to no difference, so when he popped into my mind towards the end of 2010 I Googled his name in the obituaries but found no entries.
I woke up thinking of him yesterday, and tonight it crossed my mind to do another Google search. And there it was. Died peacefully aged 69 on September 19, 2010. I don't mind telling you I've shed a few tears for him, tonight.
Rest well, Stephen. God knows you've earned your rest.
Yay, Me!
3.6 pounds gone this week, and back into the sixteens by 1.6 pounds. Whoopee!
Just another 20.2 pounds to go now to get back to my lowest weight in years - I am aiming to lose twice that this year if possible, and a little more besides would be nice. If I can manage to keep it to about five pounds off a month or a pound a week, then that would see me lose about sixty pounds over the course of the year. I am obviously ahead of the game for this month already, but that should give me a bit of a cushion for when things slow down, as they inevitably will.
51.6 pounds from here would see me at 184 pounds; that's 23 pounds away from goal. Not too shoddy! (In stones and pounds, that would be 13 stone 2 lbs (184) and I am aiming for 11 stone 7 (161).
Just another 20.2 pounds to go now to get back to my lowest weight in years - I am aiming to lose twice that this year if possible, and a little more besides would be nice. If I can manage to keep it to about five pounds off a month or a pound a week, then that would see me lose about sixty pounds over the course of the year. I am obviously ahead of the game for this month already, but that should give me a bit of a cushion for when things slow down, as they inevitably will.
51.6 pounds from here would see me at 184 pounds; that's 23 pounds away from goal. Not too shoddy! (In stones and pounds, that would be 13 stone 2 lbs (184) and I am aiming for 11 stone 7 (161).
Thursday, January 12, 2012
New running gear purchased, so I had to go out and trial it!
As I had to go over to Himself's work and pick up my car this morning, I took the opportunity to detour into Heidelberg on the way back and go round the Base Exchange there. I am not in the market for fancy clothes at the moment; I don't 'deserve' new clothes just now, and anyway I don't intend to be bursting out of my 14s and 16s (US) for more than another three or four weeks if I can possibly help it.
I do, though, have a shortage of technical tops for running in. Now, you may laugh, but for the last twelve years or so whenever I have exercised it has been in ratty leggings or jogging bottoms or whatever I could get to fit me. Teamed with big, baggy cotton t-shirts and a fleece if cold or a waterproof jacket if wet.
I've been slowly building up a wardrobe of running gear for the last few months. I have a couple of pairs of Nike Dri-Fit yoga pants in black that are good for running in (I don't do running tights, not as of yet!) that help keep me dry while also being warm enough. What I was lacking in was tops made of similar material; I have an under-vest and leggings but nothing in the way of outerwear. Until today. I now have a short-sleeved Adidas t-shirt and a long sleeved zip-neck top in bright, bright pink with sizzlingly-green stripes across the shoulders and halfway down the sleeves.
I decided to hit the trail and get day 2, week 3 of C25K done (I should really have done it days ago, but kept putting it off.) I got a little bit further by the end of the second longer run, by a matter of a couple of hundred metres, I think. As I did on Saturday, I carried on walking briskly along to my music and by the end of an hour had covered around 7,500 to 8,000 steps (I know that route very well) and had apparently burned 951 calories - 225 more than on Saturday, when it took me a minute or so longer.
My legs are quite stiff, as you may imagine, and my knees are a little creaky. Not quite painful but making their complaints known! I've swallowed a couple of Move-Flex capsules which are full of stuff that help oil the creaks out and work very well - I've taken them before - and will shortly take a couple of ibuprofen to help with any inflammation. I don't much feel like heading for a bath but I might have a ten minute soak in some muscle relief bath salts I bought before Christmas.
I'm feeling pretty good about this whole Filling & Healthy business. It seems to be suiting me pretty well, and I haven't once been hungry. Looking positive for a good result on Saturday morning, too!
I do, though, have a shortage of technical tops for running in. Now, you may laugh, but for the last twelve years or so whenever I have exercised it has been in ratty leggings or jogging bottoms or whatever I could get to fit me. Teamed with big, baggy cotton t-shirts and a fleece if cold or a waterproof jacket if wet.
I've been slowly building up a wardrobe of running gear for the last few months. I have a couple of pairs of Nike Dri-Fit yoga pants in black that are good for running in (I don't do running tights, not as of yet!) that help keep me dry while also being warm enough. What I was lacking in was tops made of similar material; I have an under-vest and leggings but nothing in the way of outerwear. Until today. I now have a short-sleeved Adidas t-shirt and a long sleeved zip-neck top in bright, bright pink with sizzlingly-green stripes across the shoulders and halfway down the sleeves.
My legs are quite stiff, as you may imagine, and my knees are a little creaky. Not quite painful but making their complaints known! I've swallowed a couple of Move-Flex capsules which are full of stuff that help oil the creaks out and work very well - I've taken them before - and will shortly take a couple of ibuprofen to help with any inflammation. I don't much feel like heading for a bath but I might have a ten minute soak in some muscle relief bath salts I bought before Christmas.
I'm feeling pretty good about this whole Filling & Healthy business. It seems to be suiting me pretty well, and I haven't once been hungry. Looking positive for a good result on Saturday morning, too!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
The Red Mist, or 'Bolt the Cupboards, Mother, I've Become a Not-So-Little Nommer Beast!'
There must be something in the air, today. Several of my lovely ladies who are also Weight Watchers and post in the same group on Facebook have had one of those days, either today or earlier in the week, when the red mist has descended and food has been shovelled down the proverbial cakehole without a thought or a by-your-leave. (I haven't done so today, but I am by no means immune - I did it on Saturday!)
I actually blogged about this a long, long time ago on the WW UK site, and that post may be below somewhere; there are months and months of posts I suppose I ought to archive here.
In essence, there are two ways of dealing with this: shit happens, it's over and done with, you can't undo it so try your best to limit the damage if at all possible by exercising and clawing back as many points as you can (or just write it off if you are at the beginning of your week or have weigh in imminently); or, throw in the towel altogether.
I shall give you a small hint, here. The first alternative is the sensible, healthy one!
Always remember: one bad day does not make you a failure. Skinny people binge occasionally, too. Really! However, they do not then turn round and say 'Oh no! I am going to be fat forever and ever, I can't lose weight!' Bollocks to that, says I (Oh, it is so good to be able to swear if I want to! Huzzah!)
Truth is, after so long on plan, weighing and counting and pointing and tracking, you do start to go a little sort of stir crazy. You know it works; you can see the weight come off. But, just once in a while, you really don't want to or can't be bothered to do all of that stuff. For me it's a kind of 'Why should I? I want to EAT!' - usually crap, junk, rubbish. I don't know about you, but I have never gorged myself on salad....
Step away from the food, and just move on, already. Nothing to see here. All forgotten about. Never happened.
That's my way of dealing with it. I accept that I am imperfect. (I am, you know, and I do!) But, one meal or binge or bad day doesn't mean I can't lose weight and keep it off. Same goes for you. It's all in how you choose to categorise it in your own mind.
Besides which, some argue that a bit of a binge every so often sort of resets your metabolism and kickstarts the losses again. I don't know if one bad day can do that; certainly a couple or three weeks of not really bothering are usually followed by large losses! And thank goodness for that!
I actually blogged about this a long, long time ago on the WW UK site, and that post may be below somewhere; there are months and months of posts I suppose I ought to archive here.
In essence, there are two ways of dealing with this: shit happens, it's over and done with, you can't undo it so try your best to limit the damage if at all possible by exercising and clawing back as many points as you can (or just write it off if you are at the beginning of your week or have weigh in imminently); or, throw in the towel altogether.
I shall give you a small hint, here. The first alternative is the sensible, healthy one!
Always remember: one bad day does not make you a failure. Skinny people binge occasionally, too. Really! However, they do not then turn round and say 'Oh no! I am going to be fat forever and ever, I can't lose weight!' Bollocks to that, says I (Oh, it is so good to be able to swear if I want to! Huzzah!)
Truth is, after so long on plan, weighing and counting and pointing and tracking, you do start to go a little sort of stir crazy. You know it works; you can see the weight come off. But, just once in a while, you really don't want to or can't be bothered to do all of that stuff. For me it's a kind of 'Why should I? I want to EAT!' - usually crap, junk, rubbish. I don't know about you, but I have never gorged myself on salad....
Step away from the food, and just move on, already. Nothing to see here. All forgotten about. Never happened.
That's my way of dealing with it. I accept that I am imperfect. (I am, you know, and I do!) But, one meal or binge or bad day doesn't mean I can't lose weight and keep it off. Same goes for you. It's all in how you choose to categorise it in your own mind.
Besides which, some argue that a bit of a binge every so often sort of resets your metabolism and kickstarts the losses again. I don't know if one bad day can do that; certainly a couple or three weeks of not really bothering are usually followed by large losses! And thank goodness for that!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
No! NO! Not the Great Baked Potato Debate a-Bloody-Gain!
"Jumping Jehosaphat!
A raw potato. Unassuming, spudlike in it's very spud-ness. A simple, humble potato.
It weighs 400 grammes, raw. How many PPs are there in that potato? 8. Right? 50 grammes of spud equals 1 PP, yes?
What happens if you bake that potato? Does it get bigger or smaller? Clue: water evaporates. Ergo, the potato shrinks. How many points does it contain now it is a baked potato? 8.
That's right! Bake the little bludger, and it still contains 8 ProPoints! But it weighs less, thanks to the wonders of physics, or chemistry, or biology, or something. Water evaporates when heated. The potato becomes denser. It doesn't gain fat. It doesn't get heavier, it gets lighter. It still remains an 8 PP potato.
This is why you weigh your potato BEFORE you bake it. On average, a 400 g potato, once baked, will be somewhere from 225 g - 250 g in weight. It is still an 8 PP spud. It was 400 g and 8 PP raw. Once it has been baked and the water evaporated out of it and so shrinking it on the scales, it is still an 8PP spud.
The value in the EOG and plan material for a potato, old, baked, assumes that your potato started out at 400 g or more. So, a 250 g baked potato that contains 8 PP was once a 400 g raw potato.
Is that any clearer?
Jeezo. I remember now why I never come on this board!"
And this, Gentle Reader, is why I never, never, never - okay, hardly ever - am to be found posting on the boards. Especially not the 5+ stone to lose.
'I can't eat all my points!' - what the hell are you doing at WeightWatchers, then? How did you end up with five stone or more of flab and blubber more than you should be carrying around?
'Baked potatoes are evil!' - oh aye, the work of the Divvil Himself!
'I've lost seventy pounds, I know what I'm talking about!' -my arse.
The problem I have with Weight Watchers is that individual leaders seem to tell their members whatever comes into their heads. I wonder whether half of them actually understand the training that they're given, or do they just sit at the back and fall asleep?
Eat less than you burn off. Read about your basal metabolic rate and figure it out for yourself. If you eat healthily and consume sensible portions, and move more, you are guaranteed to lose weight. WeightWatchers just makes it easy for you to eat less, without you needing to worry about counting calories or fat grams. To be honest, you can use a site like Sparkpeople and do just as well; you may even find you eat a more balanced diet as a result.
(I am watching Reservoir Dogs on Channel 5 here, and am pleased that, after fourteen years, I can still recite most of the dialogue verbatim!)
A raw potato. Unassuming, spudlike in it's very spud-ness. A simple, humble potato.
It weighs 400 grammes, raw. How many PPs are there in that potato? 8. Right? 50 grammes of spud equals 1 PP, yes?
What happens if you bake that potato? Does it get bigger or smaller? Clue: water evaporates. Ergo, the potato shrinks. How many points does it contain now it is a baked potato? 8.
That's right! Bake the little bludger, and it still contains 8 ProPoints! But it weighs less, thanks to the wonders of physics, or chemistry, or biology, or something. Water evaporates when heated. The potato becomes denser. It doesn't gain fat. It doesn't get heavier, it gets lighter. It still remains an 8 PP potato.
This is why you weigh your potato BEFORE you bake it. On average, a 400 g potato, once baked, will be somewhere from 225 g - 250 g in weight. It is still an 8 PP spud. It was 400 g and 8 PP raw. Once it has been baked and the water evaporated out of it and so shrinking it on the scales, it is still an 8PP spud.
The value in the EOG and plan material for a potato, old, baked, assumes that your potato started out at 400 g or more. So, a 250 g baked potato that contains 8 PP was once a 400 g raw potato.
Is that any clearer?
Jeezo. I remember now why I never come on this board!"
And this, Gentle Reader, is why I never, never, never - okay, hardly ever - am to be found posting on the boards. Especially not the 5+ stone to lose.
'I can't eat all my points!' - what the hell are you doing at WeightWatchers, then? How did you end up with five stone or more of flab and blubber more than you should be carrying around?
'Baked potatoes are evil!' - oh aye, the work of the Divvil Himself!
'I've lost seventy pounds, I know what I'm talking about!' -my arse.
The problem I have with Weight Watchers is that individual leaders seem to tell their members whatever comes into their heads. I wonder whether half of them actually understand the training that they're given, or do they just sit at the back and fall asleep?
Eat less than you burn off. Read about your basal metabolic rate and figure it out for yourself. If you eat healthily and consume sensible portions, and move more, you are guaranteed to lose weight. WeightWatchers just makes it easy for you to eat less, without you needing to worry about counting calories or fat grams. To be honest, you can use a site like Sparkpeople and do just as well; you may even find you eat a more balanced diet as a result.
(I am watching Reservoir Dogs on Channel 5 here, and am pleased that, after fourteen years, I can still recite most of the dialogue verbatim!)
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Back to running once more
It's been at least a month, probably a little longer. So it was high time I dusted off the running gear and flung myself onto the trails round here.
I relocated Carli's C25K podcasts and downloaded those then put them in their own folder on my new iPod Shuffle. I decided - since I have been running reasonably regularly and was up to being able to do at least twenty minutes non-stop - that I would start week 3 again so as to ease myself back into it slowly. It was fine. I felt pretty good, actually. Have to say that Carli's idea of rock music and mine don't exactly match up, but that's okay. I might see if I can find some different downloads as I really don't much care for her choice in music.
After 28 minutes of running and walking, I'd burned off over 400 calories according to my heart rate monitor (which also monitors calories burned, time spent exercising and so on.) I wasn't ready to come home, so I carried on walking for another 32 minutes, keeping my heart rate around the 116 mark. It reached a high of 159, which is 86% of maximum heart rate for me. Higher than I'd like, really, and higher than is usual for me after just three minutes of running, especially as my resting heart rate is in the low sixties ordinarily. Or is these days, now that my blood pressure is on the lower side of normal.
Having said that, I just checked my BP (I've been home about three-quarters of an hour and have had a mug of cocoa and some grapefruit) and it's 111/75. That's a ten-point increase in diastolic, which may be a residual from the exercise or a sign that being a stone and a half heavier than I had been is having an effect on me. Yet more motivation to get back to exercising regularly and to stick with it.
Tomorrow I may stick my ankle weights on and head out for a brisk walk for half an hour or so. Or I could fix the water bottle onto my bike and take it out for a spin; while the snow holds off I might as well get out and about.
I relocated Carli's C25K podcasts and downloaded those then put them in their own folder on my new iPod Shuffle. I decided - since I have been running reasonably regularly and was up to being able to do at least twenty minutes non-stop - that I would start week 3 again so as to ease myself back into it slowly. It was fine. I felt pretty good, actually. Have to say that Carli's idea of rock music and mine don't exactly match up, but that's okay. I might see if I can find some different downloads as I really don't much care for her choice in music.
After 28 minutes of running and walking, I'd burned off over 400 calories according to my heart rate monitor (which also monitors calories burned, time spent exercising and so on.) I wasn't ready to come home, so I carried on walking for another 32 minutes, keeping my heart rate around the 116 mark. It reached a high of 159, which is 86% of maximum heart rate for me. Higher than I'd like, really, and higher than is usual for me after just three minutes of running, especially as my resting heart rate is in the low sixties ordinarily. Or is these days, now that my blood pressure is on the lower side of normal.
Having said that, I just checked my BP (I've been home about three-quarters of an hour and have had a mug of cocoa and some grapefruit) and it's 111/75. That's a ten-point increase in diastolic, which may be a residual from the exercise or a sign that being a stone and a half heavier than I had been is having an effect on me. Yet more motivation to get back to exercising regularly and to stick with it.
Tomorrow I may stick my ankle weights on and head out for a brisk walk for half an hour or so. Or I could fix the water bottle onto my bike and take it out for a spin; while the snow holds off I might as well get out and about.
Take that, blubber!
239.6 pounds. That'll be a five pound loss, then. Not so bad - that's how much I was aiming to lose all month, so it's all gravy from here! Quietly pleased with it, to be honest.
I've not really been all that hungry all week; it is nice to no longer have that bloated, permanently-full feeling that was starting to afflict me again, from over-eating between Christmas and New Year. Not to mention the booze! I'm snacking a lot less, and what I am snacking on (a handful of nuts and a glass of milk, or a protein bar, or some fruit or fat and sugar free pudding made up with fat-free milk) is better for me. I am still having a little bit of chocolate every day if I feel like it, and to be honest most days I have. I've even had a glass of sparkling wine or two!
Considering this is me playing fast and loose with a kind of Filling and Healthy approach, I am pretty pleased with how things are going.
I've not really been all that hungry all week; it is nice to no longer have that bloated, permanently-full feeling that was starting to afflict me again, from over-eating between Christmas and New Year. Not to mention the booze! I'm snacking a lot less, and what I am snacking on (a handful of nuts and a glass of milk, or a protein bar, or some fruit or fat and sugar free pudding made up with fat-free milk) is better for me. I am still having a little bit of chocolate every day if I feel like it, and to be honest most days I have. I've even had a glass of sparkling wine or two!
Considering this is me playing fast and loose with a kind of Filling and Healthy approach, I am pretty pleased with how things are going.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Well, hello, blog - long time no see
I am still - just - signed up to WeightWatchers UK on line. I haven't blogged there since Christmas Eve 2011, however. I haven't been blogging much since the beginning of December; I went to a party in Glasgow with lots of other WW ladies, some of whom I'd met before and some I hadn't, then had a few days with my brother and his family.
When I got back, I discovered I'd upset some of the people at the party. How? By wandering into the chat room a small group of us used to find that they'd been talking about me behind my back. That really hurt. I'm rude because I don't hug the women who never spoke a word to me all weekend? I've bared my soul to you, but you cannot tell me in person that you think I have been avoiding talking to someone in the chat room? Someone who then makes no effort to speak to me at our hotel or at the party - despite being in a group of several strangers or near-strangers, and knowing how awkward that makes me feel?
Whatever! Two wrongs don't make a right, but two lefts do. Or is it three? I've better things to do with my time than moan on about the behaviour of those women.
The result of this is that I don't really feel like continuing my blog at WeightWatchers UK. I will probably continue to blog here, though - if I remember to!
So...this is what has been happening, weight loss wise. I had a lousy latter half to the year. I struggled to lose a stone and a half from the inception of ProPoints in November 2010 to August 2011, then hit the most horrendous plateau yet. Actually I plateaued continuously but managed to wriggle down the sixteens into the fifteens somehow. I got down to 216.2 pounds, or 15 stone 6.2 lbs if you prefer - and couldn't get below there, or even stay there, OR get back there. Twice in a row, I had my period and gained nine or ten pounds and couldn't shake all of it by the next monthly gain. Pissed off? Majorly, yes! End result? 244.8 lbs on the scales on December 31 2011.
Now. I had been bouncing around the top end of the fifteens/early sixteens up to around the beginning of November. Then it was a case of yoyoing from 16 stone 4 or so to 16 stone 11 or so and back again. I spent December going from 16 stone 11 or so up to 17 stone 2 or so, with a couple of hits of 17 stone 5. It has to be water weight, pretty much, some of that yoyoing up and down - the weight can vary by five pounds from week to week.
Am I downhearted? A little; I'm more disappointed in myself and disillusioned with ProPoints. The weight fell off before that! I suspect I have been too reliant on filling myself up with fruit. It may be low in calories, but it is full of sugar, and I rather think that sugar is more of a trigger for regaining fat than any other sort of food. So I've cut right back on fruit, to the point that I rarely eat it at all (again!) I've been a little lax on the vegetables front, too, to be honest. Doesn't help that my husband doesn't much care for most veggies, and I haven't been producing salads due to the cold weather. I don't see why I can't eat pretty much the same way all year round, but it hasn't been turning out like that.
What I have been doing is adopting more of a Filling & Healthy approach. I can eat what I want within reason from a list of particularly filling and healthy foods. Most fruits and vegetables are on there, as are reduced calorie bread, baked beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes and so on. (It reminds me a heck of a lot of Slimming World, actually!) I do at least have some idea of portion sizes these days; I must though weigh things like pasta and potatoes so as to be sure I am not going overboard. I don't often weigh things like chicken breast or pork chops, though, I just have one and assume that is an adequate portion size. Could be a mistake, but it didn't hurt pre-ProPoints. Could be doing harm now I am lighter, of course, or was lighter, rather.
I have been eating a lot more protein, hardly any fruit, a small amount of vegetables and some carbohydrates such as whole grain bagel thins and reduced-calorie bread or sharing a packet of microwave rice with my husband. I aim to have two or three smaller meals a day, and a decent evening meal. If I want some chocolate in the evening, I have it. I just don't stuff my face with it. I might have a tin of pinto or navy beans with a small amount of tuna or salmon and a dash of balsamic vinaigrette dressing, or a bagel thin with cheese, or make chicken noodle soup from leftover roast chicken. Tonight I will be making pork goulash, and I am pretty certain to have some leftovers - that's goulash soup for lunch tomorrow. Sometimes I just grab a protein shake or a meal replacement bar. No, not WeightWatchers at all, but I am not quite following Filling & Healthy. Instead, I read about this plan devised by a lady who lost 175 pounds by eating four small protein-based meals a day with a larger evening meal comprising a protein source and plenty of vegetables.
I don't believe in cutting back on carbohydrates quite so much as this lady, so I am including a small amount of rice or potatoes with my evening meal, and maybe having a bagel thin with my lunch or breakfast. I know I am a night time nibbler, so I sometimes save a small meal for a late-evening supper; typically I will save half a tin of beans and mash those with some low-fat cheese or a small piece of blue cheese and stick that in a toasted bagel thin, or just have a slice of real cheddar in a toasted bagel thin. Makes a pretty effective toasted cheese sandwich without having to do anything more than toss the unsplit bagel thin in the toaster till it pops, then peeling the two halves apart and whacking a slice of cheese in there.
I've also been wandering around with ankle weights on for several hours over the last couple of days, while doing housework or wandering around the BX. I bought an iPod Shuffle the other day and have a running playlist on there. Today I downloaded weeks 2-9 of C25K and will probably start on that either later this afternoon or tomorrow. I really need a shower - I hate running when my hair is greasy and I feel stinky, even though I am going to need a shower afterwards anyway! Plus I need to get in the basement and clean cat boxes. Yeuch! Yeah, yeah - excuses!
I am expecting to be below 240 pounds tomorrow morning when I have my official weigh in, anyway. I plan on sticking to this sort of eating pattern and throwing in more exercise and see how it goes. It can't hurt; if I see the scales starting to move consistently down the way rather than up and down like a whore's drawers, I will know I have hit on something that will work for me once again!
I promise to keep you updated, Blog.
When I got back, I discovered I'd upset some of the people at the party. How? By wandering into the chat room a small group of us used to find that they'd been talking about me behind my back. That really hurt. I'm rude because I don't hug the women who never spoke a word to me all weekend? I've bared my soul to you, but you cannot tell me in person that you think I have been avoiding talking to someone in the chat room? Someone who then makes no effort to speak to me at our hotel or at the party - despite being in a group of several strangers or near-strangers, and knowing how awkward that makes me feel?
Whatever! Two wrongs don't make a right, but two lefts do. Or is it three? I've better things to do with my time than moan on about the behaviour of those women.
The result of this is that I don't really feel like continuing my blog at WeightWatchers UK. I will probably continue to blog here, though - if I remember to!
So...this is what has been happening, weight loss wise. I had a lousy latter half to the year. I struggled to lose a stone and a half from the inception of ProPoints in November 2010 to August 2011, then hit the most horrendous plateau yet. Actually I plateaued continuously but managed to wriggle down the sixteens into the fifteens somehow. I got down to 216.2 pounds, or 15 stone 6.2 lbs if you prefer - and couldn't get below there, or even stay there, OR get back there. Twice in a row, I had my period and gained nine or ten pounds and couldn't shake all of it by the next monthly gain. Pissed off? Majorly, yes! End result? 244.8 lbs on the scales on December 31 2011.
Now. I had been bouncing around the top end of the fifteens/early sixteens up to around the beginning of November. Then it was a case of yoyoing from 16 stone 4 or so to 16 stone 11 or so and back again. I spent December going from 16 stone 11 or so up to 17 stone 2 or so, with a couple of hits of 17 stone 5. It has to be water weight, pretty much, some of that yoyoing up and down - the weight can vary by five pounds from week to week.
Am I downhearted? A little; I'm more disappointed in myself and disillusioned with ProPoints. The weight fell off before that! I suspect I have been too reliant on filling myself up with fruit. It may be low in calories, but it is full of sugar, and I rather think that sugar is more of a trigger for regaining fat than any other sort of food. So I've cut right back on fruit, to the point that I rarely eat it at all (again!) I've been a little lax on the vegetables front, too, to be honest. Doesn't help that my husband doesn't much care for most veggies, and I haven't been producing salads due to the cold weather. I don't see why I can't eat pretty much the same way all year round, but it hasn't been turning out like that.
What I have been doing is adopting more of a Filling & Healthy approach. I can eat what I want within reason from a list of particularly filling and healthy foods. Most fruits and vegetables are on there, as are reduced calorie bread, baked beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes and so on. (It reminds me a heck of a lot of Slimming World, actually!) I do at least have some idea of portion sizes these days; I must though weigh things like pasta and potatoes so as to be sure I am not going overboard. I don't often weigh things like chicken breast or pork chops, though, I just have one and assume that is an adequate portion size. Could be a mistake, but it didn't hurt pre-ProPoints. Could be doing harm now I am lighter, of course, or was lighter, rather.
I have been eating a lot more protein, hardly any fruit, a small amount of vegetables and some carbohydrates such as whole grain bagel thins and reduced-calorie bread or sharing a packet of microwave rice with my husband. I aim to have two or three smaller meals a day, and a decent evening meal. If I want some chocolate in the evening, I have it. I just don't stuff my face with it. I might have a tin of pinto or navy beans with a small amount of tuna or salmon and a dash of balsamic vinaigrette dressing, or a bagel thin with cheese, or make chicken noodle soup from leftover roast chicken. Tonight I will be making pork goulash, and I am pretty certain to have some leftovers - that's goulash soup for lunch tomorrow. Sometimes I just grab a protein shake or a meal replacement bar. No, not WeightWatchers at all, but I am not quite following Filling & Healthy. Instead, I read about this plan devised by a lady who lost 175 pounds by eating four small protein-based meals a day with a larger evening meal comprising a protein source and plenty of vegetables.
I don't believe in cutting back on carbohydrates quite so much as this lady, so I am including a small amount of rice or potatoes with my evening meal, and maybe having a bagel thin with my lunch or breakfast. I know I am a night time nibbler, so I sometimes save a small meal for a late-evening supper; typically I will save half a tin of beans and mash those with some low-fat cheese or a small piece of blue cheese and stick that in a toasted bagel thin, or just have a slice of real cheddar in a toasted bagel thin. Makes a pretty effective toasted cheese sandwich without having to do anything more than toss the unsplit bagel thin in the toaster till it pops, then peeling the two halves apart and whacking a slice of cheese in there.
I've also been wandering around with ankle weights on for several hours over the last couple of days, while doing housework or wandering around the BX. I bought an iPod Shuffle the other day and have a running playlist on there. Today I downloaded weeks 2-9 of C25K and will probably start on that either later this afternoon or tomorrow. I really need a shower - I hate running when my hair is greasy and I feel stinky, even though I am going to need a shower afterwards anyway! Plus I need to get in the basement and clean cat boxes. Yeuch! Yeah, yeah - excuses!
I am expecting to be below 240 pounds tomorrow morning when I have my official weigh in, anyway. I plan on sticking to this sort of eating pattern and throwing in more exercise and see how it goes. It can't hurt; if I see the scales starting to move consistently down the way rather than up and down like a whore's drawers, I will know I have hit on something that will work for me once again!
I promise to keep you updated, Blog.
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