A 5:2 Pep Talk...

Cast your minds back 10 weeks or so - those halcyon days pre-summer holidays where we were all enjoying the sunshine and hoping that perhaps this year we might actually get to wear flipflops and summer dresses and NOT freeze to death/look like drowned rats before the end of the day...

I was 6 weeks in to the Fast Diet - you know, the one where you eat very little for 2 days a week and eat 'normally' the rest of the time? I was doing alright, had already lost over half a stone and had calculated that, at that rate, I would be back to my pre-pregnancy weight by the end of September.

Fast forward to the end of September...

Guess what folks? I am nowhere near my pre-pregnancy weight (now there's a surprise!).

So what happened? you ask.  I'll tell you.

THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS HAPPENED!

Now I can't blame it all on having Roo home for six weeks but have you ever tried fasting with an uber energetic 5yo bouncing around the place like Tigger after a big bag of Haribo?  Fasting whilst he is at school is easy (ish) because you don't have that constant 'Mummy, I'm hungry! Can I have...?' in your ear from breakfast time right the way through till bedtime. 

Then there were the days out that usually required a picnic of some description if we didn't actually eat out, at least one ice-cream and the obligatory coffee (for me), milkshake (for him) and cake. Obviously.

We actually went on holiday too, to Devon, which meant a week of ice cream, cream teas, fish and chips and pasties. Plus a week with my mum and dad - who view fasting as some kind of torture and manage to pile more calories on one dinner plate than I generally eat in an entire day!

With all this going on it's amazing I only gained 2lbs throughout the entire holiday!

But now the hols are over, Roo is back at school, I have goal to reach and the clock is ticking...

5:2 began in earnest again last week - I have got back into my routine with relative ease (although the second fast day was a bit of a nightmare - time of the month and no chocolate? *shudders* ). The 2lb gain has gone again already and I am ready say good bye to the other stone and a half over the next few months. The next 4 months, to be precise.

They say it's always helpful to have a specific goal in mind whatever you are doing. It helps to keep focused if you know exactly where you are heading.

I know exactly where I am heading. In 4 months time I reach a milestone and I am absolutely determined I will not be fat AND forty...

5:2 update - little steps

Well today marks four weeks on the Fast Diet or 5:2 plan - I explained a bit about it here when I first started the plan (still refusing to use the 'd' word!)

So how is it going?

Well I lost 2lbs a week for the first two weeks, 1 1/2lb in week three and only 1/2lb last week. I am not surprised at this, in fact given the amount of ice-cream that has been consumed over the last few HOT days (yes, we have SUMMER!!!) I am amazed I lost anything at all!!

A total of 6lbs in four weeks is not to be sniffed at and if it feels a little slow I am grateful that at least I weigh 6lbs less than I did on 1st June. We all know that crash dieting and rapid weight loss are not good for us and long term weight loss so I am happy to be taking these little steps.

HOWEVER

I do think I need to curb my enthusiasm on non-fast days a bit! It's all well and good saying you can eat whatever you like on a non-fast day but I doubt that includes snacking on a whole pack (100g) of BBQ coated peanuts through out one day. Yes, I did that. They were yummy but they will not be entering this house again...  ;-)

We've had a few knock backs this week too - mostly money related (aren't the always?). Amongst other things, the heating element of our cheap and nasty cooker has died and no-one seems to be able to find a replacement...  Luckily everything else seems to work ok so we can still grill and stove top is separate and I have a slow cooker and microwave so in the grand scheme of things it's not the end of the world.  I have discovered a number of half about microwave cake recipes and made pasta bake in the crock pot. The Other Half's Friday night pizza proved a bit trickier - I went for sliced baguette topped with tomato puree and herbs and sprinkled with grated mozzarella cheese and grilled. It seemed to go down well. The oven will have to be sorted some time though (microwave jacket potatoes are NOT the same) - but whether we can get a replacement element and get it fixed or have to find the money for a new one remains to be seen.

The point of the above paragraph (apart from having a moan about our crappy cheap cooker) was to excuse my chocolate munching over the past week too. It's not really an excuse though is it?  One day I will learn not to use food (chocolate) as comfort...

Weight is not the only measurement I have been taking. I measured myself on the 1st June too and have just measured again - an overall loss of 171/2 cm - including 51/2 cm (that's about 2") off my waist and 3cm off my midriff (ie the belly fat)  My clever scales also tell me that, of the 6lb loss. 3lb of that is fat! I'm happy with that.

Little steps...

It's dieting, Jim, but not as we know it!

I have almost completed my second 'fasting day' on the 5:2 eating plan (still hate the word 'diet') and so far it is proving much easier than I imagined.

I weighed myself on Monday, before starting the first fast (no, I am not willing to share just yet!) Constant weighing is most definitely a no-no - especially as my scales seem to change their mind every time I step on them! - so next weigh-in will be Monday morning.  I have been advised by other 5:2 eaters to make sure I keep my calorie consumption around 2000cals (which is about what I would normally have anyway) on non fasting days so my body doesn't think it truly is starving.  It's so refreshing to not have to think too much about counting calories. Apart from the two 'fasting days' food consumption has continued much as normal.

I nearly slipped up earlier - Roo wanted an ice lolly when we got home from school. Mini milks were calling and I actually got one for myself and unwrapped it before suddenly remembering that today was definitely NOT an ice-cream day! I actually managed to wrap it back up and put it back in the freezer.

To be fair I could have eaten it - they only contain about 30 cals - but then I would not be able to have the ryvita I plan to nibble on with my soup a bit later. I am actually quite astonished at my will power over something so small - in the past I would have eaten it, reasoning that an extra 30cals is hardly going to make a difference, but not this time. I even managed to bin the half a fish finger and a few french fries that Roo left on his dinner plate.

Clearly my will power is exerting itself!

Keeping busy certainly helps and I suspect the beautiful warm sunny weather we have been having has a great deal to do with it too.   I wonder if the lure of chocolate will be stronger on those miserable days when nothing is going right and my period is due... We shall see. It's early days yet! 

Tomorrow I am heading out with the Other Half and his parents for a three course meal that I won in a Facebook competition at a local pub/restaurant The Inn on the Wye.  Friday night is fish night and I am really looking forward to tucking in with absolutely no diet guilt whatsoever!!

A personal challenge...

I've blogged about my weight before - I even joined a weekly meme for a while in the hope that blogging regularly about it would encourage me to stick with the 'diet'.

It didn't.

I piled on the stones (5 to be exact) whilst pregnant with Roo, mostly in the last 4 months. I made all sorts of excuses at the time - water retention, puffy ankles and feet making walking anywhere extremely painful, big baby... etc etc.

But the truth is I ate all the pies. And the pasties. And the chocolate hobnobs.

But it was ok because I was going to breastfeed and everyone knows that breastfeeding is the best way to lose the baby weight right?

Errmmmm....

To be fair I lost half the weight fairly quickly but the rest has resolutely hung about.

Roo was five a couple of weeks ago so I really cannot call it baby weight any longer.  It's fat. It slows me down and makes me look horrible in a full length mirror. It's all around my middle which is not only extremely unhealthy but also means nothing fits properly. And I want it gone!

I am rubbish at dieting - I love food too much. Not so much stuffing my face with chocolate (although you know how much I love good chocolate!) but just food in general. I hate sticking to a set menu. I like to be spontaneous with food. And besides I just cannot afford to follow a menu plan with all those special ingredients that the boys won't touch with a barge pole (ie anything healthy...)  I can't afford time at the gym either and besides which I walk nearly an hour every day just doing school run!

A diet is not what I need - a complete change of lifestyle is what I need and the 5:2 plan seems to be the way to go.

Have you heard of 5:2? Intermittent fasting or 'The Fast Diet'? The basic idea is that for two non-consecutive days of the week you 'fast', only consuming 500 cals (600 for men). The rest of the time you eat exactly what you want. And that's it.

It's not a new idea - yogis and holy men have been doing it for eons but new studies seem to show that not only is it an excellent way to lose weight and keep it off but also it has a whole raft of other health benefits too and may enable practitioners to live longer and with better physical and mental health.

I won't go into the science here - if you want to know more about it all then visit the official 'Fast Diet' website

So this is my new challenge - my first 'fast day' will be Monday.

I am looking forward to saying goodbye to the spare tyre(s) and maybe fitting back into the clothes I cleared out from my wardrobe last summer but never quite got around to getting rid of!

I'll let you know how it goes.

If any of you have tried 5:2 plan please let me know how it is going for you. I'd love to hear your stories. 

And if you have been thinking about giving it a go there really is no time like the present! We can do this together - a challenge is always a little easier when you have support.

That's not my wardrobe (part two)

A few weeks back I told you about my wardrobe and how I don't feel like it actually belongs to me. I have been meaning to do something about it ever since, so today, as the Little Man woke me up extra early ( a special Sunday morning treat... ), I thought I might as well take the bull by the horns and have a clear out..

#InnerTruth - That's not my wardrobe!

Feeling a bit uncertain what to write this week...

Haven't had chance to practise the 4/4 energising breath I mentioned last week and a lucky blog competition win of a rather large (and very scrummy) box of Lindt chocolates sent the 'healthy eating plan' (still refusing to use the 'D' word...) right out the window.

But that was last week.

Yesterday I had a bit of a tidy up and bagged up some old clothes I have been meaning to give to the charity shop for months. While the wardrobe door was open I had a proper look inside and to be perfectly honest I was utterly depressed by what I saw.  My wardrobe is packed full of clothes that aren't mine...

#Mumentum - A Week Off

I spent most of last week at my mums which meant portion control pretty much went out of the window.
My parents like to eat - although, to their credit, they do eat a lot less than they used to! They like BIG meals, usually meat based and in much larger quantities than we are used to.
As a grazer who prefers to eat little and often, I find the traditional eating three meals a day thing quite difficult. I find I simply can't manage the plate load put in front of me, and certainly don't have any room for pudding afterwards but a couple of hours later I am ready to eat again (while they are dozing). I also realised that I drink a LOT more than they do. And I am not talking about alcohol here. At home I virtually chain drink tea and coffee, although I am trying to alternate with water now. Whilst there I find myself flicking the kettle on and ending up making tea/coffee for the multitudes... (I should explain both my brother and sister still live at home. There is some rule that states whenever one wants a cuppa one MUST make a cuppa for everyone else in the house too. Which is probably why they don't drink nearly as much as I do...)

The weather wasn't brilliant either so, apart from a Friday morning bimble around town (which included a very lovely crafty purchase) there was not much exercise to be had, but I did manage to get to bed at a reasonable time and the Little Man was good and didn't wake up too early so I got a decent amount of sleep!

I am also proud to say I was able to turn down a (repeatedly) offered doughnut - I honestly don't think my mum believed me the first time!

Last night I did my first Wii workout for a week using the 'Combine Routines' function for 30 mins of varied exercise followed by a 20 min jog. After a week of nothing I noticed a definite drop in performance but it felt good to be back on it again.

And as for the scales - my new BFF - they neither frowned nor smiled. No change.

#Mumentum - Weighty Matters...

 The scales are not my friend...

Or you could say they are my very best friend as they are honest and they tell it like it is without sugar-coating the truth. Unlike a good friend, however, they don't offer hugs and a cuppa to ease the pain of bad news (and they are a bit of loss on the gossipping front to, if I'm honest...).

After last week's post full of positivity my confidence is back on the floor. You see, despite spending best part of an hour every day jogging, hula-hoop-ing, boxing, yoga and pretending to be a Jedi knight with my light sabre on the swordplay section of WiiResort; despite clocking up a couple of hours and 15km on the exercise bike whilst watching Eastenders; despite sweating like a pig in my Zaggora Hotpants; despite there being barely a cake, biscuit or packet of crisps in the house because money is tight again; despite all of this the scales show no change...

It's frustrating to say the least.

Friends have tried to reassure me that aren't showing weight loss because I am building up muscle mass thanks to all the exercise and although I am losing fat, muscle weighs more. Etc. Etc.
Problem is my scales are clever. They show me how much of my body is fat (a scary 38% at the moment!!) and how much that fat weighs (you really don't want to know).
The numbers are exactly the same as they were at the beginning of January...

I am clearly not doing everything I could/should so this week I am going to really concentrate on what I am eating, portion control, getting plenty of water and  ABSOLUTELY NO SNACKING.

#Mumentum New Year, New Me (blah blah blah)

It's been a while since I last did a Mum-en-tum post and, well, nothing much has changed.
December brought the usual round of over-indulgence - I blame the fact that mince pies and brandy cream are only available for 2 months of the year. I have to get my fix before they disappear from the shelves until next November...
But, that said I entered 2012 10lbs lighter than I was at the beginning of 2011 so there must be some progress being made!
Now back in the old days (read early 20's) shifting a stone after the party season was not a major problem. A few weeks of soup, salad and chocolate hobnob abstinence was usually all that was required to shift the winter weight. But it is true what they say about it getting harder as you get older.
Last week I celebrated my 38th birthday (with Chinese food and chocolate cupcakes) That's officially 'late-30's'. Nearly 40 even. If I stand any chance of getting rid of those excess pounds stones for good, this is the year I have to make it happen or else a  life of floaty tunics and elastic waistbands looms...

No dieting here though.
I detest that word... instead I am looking a bit more carefully at what I eat and, most importantly, my portion sizes. I have been researching some low fat, healthy recipes and trying to create meals that I can enjoy with the LM. I am looking for recipes that are intended to serve only one or two (not as easy as you might think) so that over-eating is not an option. If  I find some good ones I will share if you like :-)

The gym or exercise classes are still a non-starter for me. Even if we could spare the cash I can't get to any of the darn things! The exercise bike, however,  is finally being used as it was intended - ie: it's not draped with coats, bags, ironing etc and my lovely OH picked up a second hand Wii complete with Wii Fit for me for Christmas which we have all had lots of fun with through the dreary month of January. I am just starting to get into a routine of sorts and it is actually very good fun and the daily body tests are pretty motivational! I will let you know how I get on with that and how much of a difference it makes...

In the meantime I wish all you lovely Mumentum ladies a (slightly belated) Happy New Year. Lets make 2012 the year we all achieve what we want! xx

Don't forget to visit Liska's blog NewMumOnline and check out all the other Mumentum posts this week...  (for some reason my lovely new blog template won't let me add the the linky tool to this post)
 

I'm not pregnant, I'm just fat, ok?

Morning MUMENTUM ladies - hope you are all well and have enjoyed the summer 'break' (I use that term in the loosest possible manner as I know it's not really much of a break for many of us!)

It's been a while since my last MUMENTUM post ( about 6 weeks to be exact!) and to be perfectly honest not much has changed. I managed to not put back on any of the weight I lost through that *food poisoning* episode which is a bonus. But that's it.

The Thinking Slimmer Slimpod frankly didn't do for me what I had hoped it would do. That's not to say it had no effect whatsoever. It gave me a much needed boot up the jacksy and made me re-evaluate how I spend my day. I have become more organised and have achieved much more because of it. My appetite has definitely dropped, I am eating less (although that is partly due to financial constraints on my food budget as much as anything...) but there has been no further weight loss. It's quite depressing.

Last week I was wearing one of my favourite tunic top/dresses over leggings. A gorgeous retro 70's print, A-line with little cap sleeves and a cute double frill hem. I love it - makes me come over all 'Barbara Goode'. And it's very flattering. Or so I thought.

Whilst flitting about town (as you do) not one, but two people asked me if I was pregnant!!!
You know how it goes. "I don't mean to be cheeky but are you expecting again?" "No!" says I. "Oh I'm sorry, didn't mean to be rude!" "That's ok - it's just this top!" Inwardly seething - how bloody rude!! - and considering burning favourite top. "It's just that you look really well, glowing even..." Trying to cover tracks now and avoiding any possible accusation that she has just called me fat, quickly followed by "I love that top. Covers a multitude of sins!" "Thanks!" I mutter and quickly leave the shop before I burst into tears in front of her and further compound the embarrassment.

But the truth of the matter is, despite having lost a little weight (I can see it in my face and my legs) I still have the MUM TUM. It's getting in the way. It means none of my clothes fit properly. Hell,  I look more pregnant than my sister-in-law who IS actually 5months pregnant....

I know what I have to do (uncover the exercise bike that is hidden behind a stack of ironing/toys/random crap and actually use it) I have the motivation. Now I just need to find the time...

#MUMenTUM Losing weight the icky way...

Hello ladies - it's Monday, so it must be time for some MUMenTUM catch-up!
This past week has not been the best week ever - read this post here to see all the reasons why - in fact there were moments when I actually lost track of the hours/days and curled up in a little ball under a duvet on the sofa and prayed that it would all just go away... (especially the energetic toddler who insisted on using mummy as a bouncy castle)
Food poisoning is not a nice experience. It completely sapped my energy ( I guess not eating for four days can do that...) and reduced me to tears of frustration and pain. Not pleasant.
On the plus side I lost over half a stone. A couple of pounds have gone back on since I have started eating again but hopefully that's it.

#Mumentum Thinking Slimmer...

Hi ladies! Have been a bit lazy these past couple of weeks. Our lovely holiday in Yorkshire saw the diet on hold for a week as we lived mainly on fish and chips and ice-cream! I put on a couple of pounds that week and then spent last week moaning to myself about tightening waistbands and lack of will-power.
By Thursday I had had enough. Various things went pear-shaped, we had no money for food shopping and life just seemed to be one hard slog...

So I sat myself down and had a long, hard chat with myself.

In the old days I was pretty good at living in the 'now', enjoying the moment and trusting that what ever was needed to get me through would be provided. Somehow.  I think it is time to start getting that groove back. I think that would go a long way to  helping me feel 'me' again...
So I told myself to stop worrying about the future, next week, next month, next year, and start concentrating on the here and the now. We'll do what we can do in this moment and trust that we will find a way to do what needs to be done tomorrow...

Post arrives on Friday with letters from both the water company and electric/gas supplier. *GROAN*
Unbelievably the water supplier has halved our monthly direct debit as we were paying too much and even more unbelievably the electric company were refunding our over-payments from the past year to the tune of £170!!! Is this what they mean by 'the universe will provide' I wonder?
More remarkably still, a stroll down into town later reveals a fabulous red dress, only one left and in my size, and pair of shoes, both reduced, so I could even justify buying a new outfit for the wedding we were attending on Saturday...

It's the little things :)

With my little windfall I also 'treated' myself to a 'Slimpod' - I have heard so much about this weight loss method based on cognitive hypnotherapy and have been wanting to try it out but really couldn't find the money to pay for it. Until I stopped trying to find it! I am on day 2 so really too early to tell if it's working yet but I have high hopes!
One of the keys to the Thinking Slimmer programme is setting realistic goals to focus on and making them public - they suggest pinning them up on the fridge door (which I have done) but I also thought I would share them you as well....

1. To fit comfortably back into my pre-pregnancy size 14 clothes
2. To practice my Yoga stretches and breathing on a regular (daily) basis once again
3. To find the energy and enthusiasm to do all the things I WANT to do as well as all the things I NEED to do...

I will keep you ladies posted.

Losing my MumEnTum

After the euphoria of buying a new pair of jeans in a smaller size last week I have come back down to earth with a bump.

The snotty cold from hell completely wiped me out for the best part of a week (it's still hanging on in there but I am choosing to ignore it!) and total exhaustion just took over leaving me in a zombie state of grumbling and shuffling from kitchen to sofa. LM also decided this week to resume his 'Let's wake mummy up REALLY early in the morning' routine (4:30 one morning!!) Diet and exercise have gone right out of the window and so has pretty much everything else. Look I am even 4 days late with the MumenTum Monday link-up!!!

Back in March I set myself a goal of losing at least half a stone before the LM's third birthday at the beginning of May and I am pleased to say I achieved this - and some - mainly, I think, through using my exercise bike, every evening for half an hour. I cycled approx 5km in 30 mins which is enough to work up a sweat but not so hard going that I fall off at the end and can't move for an hour! (unlike the old work outs I used to do back in my Kung-Fu days that would, quite literally, kill me now...) I had intended to keep this up and aim to lose another half stone before our holiday, which is less than 2 weeks away. But it hasn't happened, for one reason or another. And I am not best impressed with myself!

So MumEnTum ladies -  I am telling you all now that as of TODAY I will be back on the exercise bike for half an hour EVERY evening, no excuses (I want you to shout at me if you spot me tweeting! Can't bike and tweet at the same time!). It's too late for me to shift that half stone before we go on holiday and the temptation is to just leave it till we get back. But that's just another excuse and I am getting tired of making excuses...