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!

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 ...

Another half pound off

Right. I've had 10 of my weekly points already, and weigh-in was only 12 hours ago. Think I should stop now :) Need to save some for tomorrow's Chinese takeaway, nom nom nom.

Another half pound off this week:



It's a little frustrating to only lose half a pound, but I have to remember that every loss is good! 3.5lbs to go til I get to 10st 7, and get my next silver 7. Hopefully I'll finally manage to get there by the end of this month.

Hopefully 10st 7 will mean size 14 like I've been saying for months now. I have in fact started wearing a couple of size 14s lately, though to be honest they are still a little bit small! Lose another inch though, and they'll be fine.

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?

I'm kind of bad at this

2lbs to lose til I reach my 10% goal. Again. I originally reached my 10% goal of 11st 4lbs on the 22nd of July last year, then got under 11st at the end of September. Now though, I'm back up to 11st 5lbs. On the new plan, my 10% goal appears to be 11st 3lbs. Not sure why it's different, but hey. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll get to see what's in the 'Totally 10%' booklet.

Though I doubt very much that I'll get a second one of these :)



My 10% keyring

I wanted to be a size 14 by Halloween. That didn't happen. Then I said Christmas. That didn't happen either. Now I'm thinking late March.

On the bright side though, I do seem to have had a bit of inch-loss, which is something. An inch from my upper arm, and half an inch from my hips in the past four weeks. Though I might just be holding the tape measure in a different place!

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.

Size 14 for Halloween

Despite an 11.5 point slice of carrot cake and a curry on Wednesday, I managed to lose a pound on Thursday's weigh-in. Wednesday had also included an afternoon of walking round Merry Hill though, racking up 7.5 miles and 4 activity points just from shopping (which can't be bad), so that must have canceled out the unhealthiness. I only had half a Chicken Biryani too, which helps.

I've started to aim for 5 activity points a week, which is a modest enough target, but still gives me something to work towards. I've met that target the past couple of weeks, exceeding it last week. It seems I've started to regularly earn a couple of points on a Thursday, which is Remploy day. I have my weigh-in on a Thursday morning at half 9, then make my way over to Merry Hill at half 10. The bus to Wolverhampton doesn't leave til quarter past 12, so that gives me a bit of time to wander around and earn some points. Having a couple of points guaranteed does help towards the weekly 5 :)

Since I last blogged, I've earned another silver 7 (last week) and got down to 10st-13.5 (this week). (Only downside to moving down a stone bracket is going down to 18 points, waaa! I'll live though, I'm sure.) I therefore have 6.5lbs to go til I get to my Halloween target of 10st-7 (147lbs), at which I will hopefully be a size 14. Can I lose 6.5lbs in 4 weeks? Of course I can!



Talking of Halloween, it's already begun in our house. I get the decorations up on the first of October, bedecking the place with pumpkins, bats, and all manner of other spooks.




I go a bit mad every year buying decorations - soon our Halloween collection will be bigger than our Christmas one!

Getting there ...

Lost a pound and half today, woo! So now I'm 11st 1lb, just half a pound away from my next silver seven (the little sparkly stickers WW give you for every 7lbs you lose), and eight pounds from being back to a size 14. Which is probably why I look so smug!

The flowery top I'm wearing under the black cardi is one I've recently slimmed back into, yay. I'm wearing a big jumper over it now though, because it's blooming cold today!

I'm sure I've mentioned my "size 14 for Halloween" mini goal before. Well, I've made myself a little spreadsheet to chart my progress. I'm currently on track to get down to 10st 7lbs (147lbs) by the end of October. Once I get down to 10st 7lbs, I'll be halfway to goal!

Polka dots

I do love this look.





Which is why I really want to slim back into this (size 14) dress:



In fact, there's a big box on top of the wardrobe, full of size 14 things I really want to slim back into. Including a black skirt with candy-coloured polka dots which would also fit well into this look, and which I kind of miss. I always wanted to get a black petticoat, like the one the girl above is wearing, to go under it too. I might stop short of putting my hair in bunches though!

I would like to think that I don't follow fashion, and have my own unique look, though this isn't entirely true. I love fashion really, and pore over the glossy images in magazines like Elle. I think it's entirely possible to be fashion-conscious and an individual. :)

Just 9 and a half pounds left to lose til I'm a size 14 again ...

Oh! :)

It seems I'd completely miscalculated my 10% goal. I don't know what I'd done to work it out as 10st 10lbs, but it is in fact the first two digits of of your start weight in pounds. My start weight was 175.5lbs, so my 10% goal was to lose 17lbs, or to reach 11st 4lbs. I did that yesterday, so I've reached my 10% :D I'll get a keyring and everything.

Yay :)

Bit of an nsv (non-scales victory) today. Tried on several size 16 skirts earlier (I started at a size 18) and they fitted :D



^ Happy laugh ^

Boyfriend said "I thought you were a size 16 already?" though. Doh :P

My mini goals

I've been having a look at some other weight watchers' blogs. Joey Brooks, from the WW forums, has a great site. She's now at her goal weight, and it's interesting to read how she got there. Particularly interesting is the Maintenance section of her site. That's been something I've been concerned about myself, how to stay at goal once I get there, and it's good to hear how it can be done from someone who knows.

Also a good read is Kimberlina's blog. She has her mini goals on the side of her blog, which is a great idea. I have my own mini goals too, so I thought I'd steal her idea and put them here. They're also on the sidebar, but I'll expand on them below.

Each pound lost is a goal in itself, though my first small goal was to reach my 5% goal of 11st 12lb. I'd achieved that by my birthday (29/04/10), when I weighed 11st 11lbs. My next goal was to drop a dress size (from size 18 down to 16), which I have also recently achieved. Next on the list was to lose a stone (get down to 11st 7.5lb), which I did just over three weeks ago.



Next on the list will be to get my waist down to 30-something inches. It's currently at 40", so hopefully I should manage that in a couple of weeks. (Ideally it will be below 32", as that is recommended as a healthy size.) After that will be to reach my 10% goal of 10st 10lb, which is 8.5lbs away at the moment. A couple of weeks after that, I should get halfway to goal. At that halfway point of 10st 7lb, I should be a size 14, hopefully in time for Christmas (or even in time for Halloween). Next on the list is to get my BMI down to 20-something (it's currently 32.6). Once I'm a size 14, it shouldn't be long before I get back into the pinstripe dress I wore on my boyfriend and I's second date, about four years ago. After that, the next mini goals are to be a size 12, and to reach my goal weight of 8st 7lb. I'd like to maybe get down to 8st after that, but I'll see how I feel when I get there ...