A little treat

A half a pound weight loss this week, and 2.5lbs off last week, means that I now only have 3.5lbs to go until I'm 10st 7lb, halfway to goal, and a size 14. I've been planning for a while that I would treat myself to a few new clothes once I got to size 14, and this week I couldn't wait. I like to give myself some little non-food treats sometimes when I've lost weight, and Friday just happened to be payday. So I went to New Look straight after my meeting, saw some purple skinnies and tried them on. Size 14, and they zipped right up. So I had to have them.

I've been wearing a few 14s lately anyway - I wear a size 14 skirt to work most days. Won't be long til I've lost the 3.5lbs and I'm 'officially' a size 14! The jeans will fit better then, lol. It took me about 6 months to drop my first dress size, but that was nearly two years ago, so I've been waiting a long time for this! I have the wedding to motivate me now though, so I will get there, and beyond to size 12.

I have 1st 3.5lbs (17.5lbs) to go until I'm 9st 7lb, and a size 12. If I want to be there for the wedding, I have 17.5lbs to lose in 24 weeks. I can do it!

Wedding Weight Loss

Something borrowed, something blue, something old and a slim new you.

Nicked that from a Slimming World ad. Cheesy, but I quite like it :)

So we finally have a venue for our wedding, and therefore a definite date. I was thinking that knowing the date meant that, if I want to be at goal for the wedding, I'd have to lose 33lbs in 29 weeks. Which might be doable, but I don't think I need to lose that much to be a size 12 bride. If a stone is a dress size, I would only need to lose about 20lbs to get there (at about 9st 7lb) in time. Which I can definitely do.

I've lost a few more pounds since I last posted, taking me down to 10st 12lb at my last weigh-in on the 6th of April. Great to be back under 11st, although Easter and then visiting the family last Saturday mean that I haven't lost since then. Time off is fun sometimes though :) Next challenge is my 30th birthday next weekend ...

Inch Loss

So, in the past eight weeks, I have lost 2" from my waist, 1.5" from my hips, and 2" from my thigh. Gained half an inch on my upper arm though, randomly. Maybe I've gained muscle at the gym? An error in measurements is more likely though, and it is only half an inch after all!

I've lost on average half a pound a week since I restarted Weight Watchers. It's not a vast amount, but 4.5lbs (down from 11st 6lb to 11st 1.5lb) is enough of a loss to see a difference, so I'm happy. If I can lose 8.5lbs in the next 6 weeks I'll be a size 14 for my 30th birthday (29th April), which would be great, but I'll be happy to get there by the summer. The main goal for this year is to be a size 12 for our wedding, which will hopefully be at the end of October (even though we haven't got anything booked yet!), so fingers crossed (and eyes crossed so I can't see cakes) for that.

Progress

1.5lbs off last week, and half a pound off today, so now I've lost a third of the dreaded 9lbs that I'd put on between July and January. Lose a pound a week for the next six weeks, and I will have got rid of the dreaded 9lbs, lost more than half a stone, and be getting more of the aforementioned vouchers. Losing half a stone before the end of the month sounds good to me. Keep losing at the same rate, and I might even finally get to size 14 for my 30th birthday!

Back on it

Just been for my fourth meeting since I've restarted Weight Watchers, and I've lost a pound so far. Had lost 1/2 lb the second week, then put it back on (oops - naughty chips), and lost 1 lb this week. Feeling optimistic that I can keep it up :)

Hoping to lose a stone by the summer - I need to dig out a summery size 14 dress for inspiration :D

Bad news and good

Ugh. I have put on 9lbs since July, when I last went to Weight Watchers. Nine pounds. A few of those can be blamed on Christmas, but it's still pretty bad. I weighed that much 18 months ago.

I hadn't been to meetings because I was unable to get more vouchers, due to not having lost enough weight. I get vouchers to go to WW for free via my GP, as I have PCOS and my BMI is over 30. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, is an illness that is partly caused by being overweight, and also causes sufferers to put on weight. Treatments for it include weight loss, hence the free vouchers. I get 12 week's worth of vouchers at a time, and they generally recommend that I lose about half a stone during that 12-week period. I didn't lose anything this time round though, so no vouchers for me.

Good news is that, after a "6 month cooling off period" (not sure who is supposed to be cooling off) I have been able to apply for more vouchers and should be getting them soon. So the weight can start to come back off again, and I can stop feeling like I'm letting myself down.

I am making some effort though - I joined a gym, and have been going 2-3 times a week since early November. I hadn't lost any weight with that, though muscle does weigh more than fat (not just an excuse - the personal trainer said so!). So I may be fatter, but at least I'm getting fitter. My limbs feel more toned, and my stamina is steadily improving. I'm finding that I enjoy it too, which is quite a surprise! Me enjoying exercise. That's just wrong XD

Emotional Eating

A page I follow on Facebook (the page of a local gym I have yet to join, in fact) posted an interesting article on emotional eating today. For quite a while I'd assumed I was an emotional eater, and I sometimes can be, but I have realised that am more of a boredom eater. And an I-really-like-crisps-and-choklit-and-sweets-and-biscuits eater.

The aforementioned article says all the usual things about emotional/comfort eating, such as observing how you are feeling when you have unhealthy snacks. Through observations like that, I've realised why I sometimes binge, but that hasn't yet solved the problem. I used to be so in control of it, so I know I can control myself. Is control the issue though? Shouldn't I be dealing with the root of why I want these things, rather than just stopping myself from having them?



What really struck a chord with me is something the article also mentions about setting yourself a routine, including a little bit of everything - exercise, work, fun and socializing - in that routine. I think that's what I lack; a bit of variety and fun.

The work part of that equation is at least taken care of. Regular readers (if I have any) may have noticed that I haven't posted for a while. Well, after over 3 years (ack!) of unemployment, I have a job, which I started in June. Having a job is great, but it means less free time to blog (and play Cityville, not that that's relevant)! Working selling nuts, dried fruit and sweets is not terribly diet-friendly. Also, my WW vouchers ran out, and I hadn't lost enough weight to get any more, so I haven't been to meetings for a few weeks. There's also the issue of having gotten rather bored of weight watching, and therefore falling backing into old bad habits. All in all, there's not been any weight loss to blog about.

I've started to miss losing weight though, and I'm pretty sick of being a size 16. I need to get back on it! I'm not entirely sure how to proceed though - it looks like I'm not getting any more vouchers, and monthly pass looks prohibitively expensive (nearly £240 a year!). Hopefully I can go it alone ...