The inevitable 'review of the year' post

Being New Year's Eve, I had to write the inevitable 'review of the year' post really.

Towards the end of 2012, it was pretty good as we'd just got married. However, spoiling our honeymoon period a little, I lost my job last December. This led to my depression going from mild to moderate/severe, which (of course) led to compulsive overeating. I gained back almost all of the stone I'd lost in 2012 (a 12lb gain, to be exact) over about 3 months.

So I was feeling pretty useless last winter, but thankfully an opportunity to do some admin for a carers' charity came up. This helped me to feel rather less useless, gave me some good work experience and (most importantly) helped them out for a few months.

In feeling better about myself I was able to start losing some weight again. As summer rolled round, the work at the charity dried up, but by then I was back on the Fluoxetine (an antidepressant) so I was able to continue feeling better.

In July, I did a course in employability and computer skills - something else to boost my self-esteem. That was months ago and I'm still not in work, but the ECDL qualification should help me to get something eventually.

Talking of self-esteem, perhaps the best thing for my mental health this year has been the Self-Esteem group  I've attended (run by the NHS). Knowing that other people feel a similar way to me, and having a structured course and good advice from the ladies who ran it on how to work on not feeling like that, has been very helpful. The course was largely based on a book called Overcoming Low Self-Esteem. I made some good friends on that course, who I hope to continue seeing.

I can't say I'm fixed quite yet, but I'm getting there! My new year's resolutions are about working towards getting better, and getting my life back on track.

The main life-back-on-track resolution is to get a job. Rather more easily said than done, but essential for my mental health and my husband's.

I also want to lose at least a stone, perhaps even a stone and a half (21lbs) to get to my goal weight. To get to a size 12 in 2014 would be a nice achievement.

Another resolution is to continue to work on my mental health. To be kinder yet firmer with myself in working towards improving my life.

I'd also like to be more creative in 2014, so I've started a new art journal. Not in a diary like previous years, so no pressure to record every day. I intend to draw/write something as often as I can though, whether it is a positive affirmation, an emotional rant or just a doodle.

At my heaviest this year, I weighed 11st 4lbs (in March I think), and at my last weigh-in of the year (20th Dec) I weighed 10st 1lb - a loss of 1st 3lbs (17lbs) in 2013. If I can have a similar loss in 2014, I'll be very close to my goal! Dread to to think what I weigh after the Christmas eating and drinking though ...

Happy New Year to anyone who might be reading this. We'll be spending it with Big Bang Theory and wine. Here's to a 2014 full of possibilities! 

Nearly halfway there!

So, after a couple of months of ups and downs, I've got down to the lowest weight I've been since I started Weight Watchers. I lost 1/2lb this week, taking me down to 10st 9.5lb, which is a loss of 26lbs (1st 11.5lb) so far, woo. I have just 2.5lbs to go until I'm halfway there, and will have lost 2st of the 4 I decided to lose when I started in February 2010. I should be able to lose those 2.5lbs in a couple of weeks - fingers crossed!

Want these shoes for my wedding!

I've bought my wedding dress (well, my Mum has anyway!) since I last posted, in a size smaller than I currently am. I'd love to be a size 12 (1st 2.5lbs (16.5lbs) to go) for my wedding day in the Autumn, though I'd still be happy with being on the slim end of size 14. I think size 14 is a more realistic goal! I'd have to have my dress taken in if I get any slimmer than that - not that that would be a bad thing at all :) Now I just need to get my shoes, jewellery, hair accessories ...

Image from Elle

I will have to treat myself to something nice once I reach that size 14 milestone. The shops are starting to get their Autumn ranges in, so it would be good to get me some new season clothes. Disappointing British summers tend to make me want to just skip this season altogether and go straight to Autumn. Fashion magazines start talking about A/W trends about now, and I get impatient to start wearing new things - nice jackets and such. Looks like there will be some decent military/utility jackets around this season - I do like this one from Burberry Prorsum, and their little bow belts - perfect for showing off the tiny little waist that I will have! I do like a bit of velvet too, which looks like it's coming back for A/W - a good incentive for slimming back into my size 14 velvet dresses. Though I'll probably end up going geek chic in a big knit like I usually do. At least I'll be on-trend!

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

Control Yourself!

I succeeded at controlling myself last week, and lost 2lbs on Friday. Hurrah! Just need to keep it up and I'll see some more losses. And remember that, in the long run, losing weight is much more fun than pigging out!

However, while I know this, I still succumb to the urge to pig out. Weekends seem to be the worst for it. While it's ok to have some treats, I have a tendency to really overdo it. I went way over my weekly points at the weekend.



I'm back on track now though - only had 25 PPs yesterday, and I'll carry on controlling myself through the week. Hopefully I'll manage to have a loss, but I'll know why if I don't!

Yayness

I seem to only want to post the positive on this blog. That's not what it's about though - it's supposed to be about everything weight loss related, good and bad. I've avoided posting here over the past couple of weeks, because two weeks ago, I didn't go to my meeting, and I'd put on 3lbs at my next weigh-in. Negatives are fine if they can be balanced out with positives though. My positive this week is that I have lost 4lbs! Yayness. 4lbs is in fact the most I've lost in a week.



4 more lbs to go til I'm 10st7 and halfway there! Hopefully that'll take me down to a size 14 too ^_^

10% again

In my previous post, I mentioned getting back down to my 10% goal of 11st 3lbs. Well now I'm 11st 2lbs, woo! Lost three pounds this week :) So now I know what's in the Totally 10% booklet:



It's full of motivational stuff, like the health benefits of weight loss, and how to get into good habits.





Losing 3lbs this week has got me thinking. If I lose 3lbs a week, I'll be a size 14 by Mid March. Or if I lose 2lbs a week, I'll be size 14 by late March.

I'm aiming for a size 12 eventually, though my goal weight might make me slimmer than that. I worked out in this post from last year that, because I was a size 18 when I started, at 12st 7lbs, and I got down to a size 16 when I was about 11st 7lbs, that losing a stone also equals dropping a dress size. If I'm right about that, I'll go like this:

Size 18 = 12st 7lbs (My starting size/weight)
Size 16 = 11st 7lbs (I'm currently 11st 2lbs)
Size 14 = 10st 7lbs (9lbs to go)
Size 12 = 9st 7lbs
Size 10 = 8st 7lbs

If I do end up a size 10 though, I'll be able to shop in teen ranges (both size 10 and age 14-15 have a 27.5" waist, according to the New Look website), which should save me a bit of money. And if I get down to a size 8(!) I'll be able to wear the right (kids) size for my height. Do I want to be that thin though?

What a smoothie

I made my own smoothie/milkshake thing, inspired by this Weight Watchers recipe:



Mine was a slightly over-ripe banana, about half a pint of skimmed milk, and a pot of low fat strawberry yogurt, all blended together. Very nice it was too, and for a ProPoints value of 6.

Being used to the old Points, 6 sounds like a lot, but I don't think it's too bad. Even if that is a high ProPoints value, it was a healthy drink so I won't worry :) I only started on the new plan yesterday, so I'm still getting used to what points are in things.

I've been somewhat over-indulgent over the past few weeks, getting lazy and complacent with my point-counting (or rather, not counting). I didn't manage to reach my size 14 for Halloween target, which I am a bit miffed about. I'm still on my way down to size 14 though, and I will get there before Christmas! I think change, i.e. the new plan, should be the kick start I need to get me back on track, thinking about my food more, and therefore losing weight again.

Out of the rut

Finally got out of the 11st-4 rut I've been in the past few weeks! Weighed in at 11st-3 yesterday, so now I'm only 2.5lbs from my next silver 7, and, I think, I'm only 10 pounds away from being a size 14.

I worked out that, because I was a size 18 when I started, at 12st 7lbs, and I got down to a size 16 when I was about 11st 7lbs, that losing a stone also equals dropping a dress size. If I'm right about that, I'll go like this:

Size 18 = 12st 7lbs (My starting size/weight)
Size 16 = 11st 7lbs (I'm currently 11st 3lbs)
Size 14 = 10st 7lbs
Size 12 = 9st 7lbs
Size 10 = 8st 7lbs

I was a size 12-14 last time I was 8st 7lbs though, so I could be completely wrong! We'll see over the next few months :)

If I do get down to a size 10 though, I'll be able to shop in teen ranges (both size 10 and age 14-15 have a 27.5" waist, according to the New Look website), which should save me a bit of money. And allow me to wear more things with Hello Kitty on, haha :P

Back on track

I gained a pound last week, oops. I know where that came from though - I went over my points 5 days out of 7, so it wasn't that much of a shock. I got back on track this week though, and I've lost that pound, plus half a pound more. The fact that I lost 3.5lbs the week before makes it pretty good overall too - four pounds in three weeks is pretty healthy. I'm only 3.5lbs from my next silver 7 (the stickers WW give you for every 7lbs you lose) too - that'll be a stone and a half, three-eighths of the way to my goal weight. :D

I also have a new favourite treat. Pre-WW, we used to have multipacks of chocolate bars in the fridge all the time, which I would just be constantly dipping into. I put had to a stop to that when I started WW (even if I did just switch to WW Belgian chocolate cakes!). Therefore, until this week, I hadn't had a Twix since I started WW five months ago. Lately though, I'd really been fancying one, so I bought one of those dangerous multipacks.



And, I found that I have enough self-control to have a multipack in the fridge again. I can take out one small, individually-wrapped finger of Twix (2.5 points) at a time, without feeling the urge to eat the whole pack.



It sounds so cheesy, but joining Weight Watchers really has changed me!