72.8kgs - hold on. hold on.

we made it. It's been so hard. I eat like a wee bird.
Dealing with all the other shite in my life means I'm drinking too much right now, so expect the number to rise. Not much for it - something's gotta give. I hope to continue the "good work" in the weeks to come - it's just very hard at the moment.
Viva vegetables. Viva!

73.8kgs

De fat beeyatch is now de skinny beeyatch.
Yes, despite all the shite in my life this past week I have managed to lose another 2 1/2 pounds of mighty aphrodite. This means that I am now in the 73kgs zone and that equals a trip to a certain very high end shoe retailer. My reward for getting to a goal.

74.4kgs and it's been a month... hmmmm

So it's been about a month, and I haven't lost a whole lot. My local WW meeting has closed down. Meh! Started a new one. I'm now eating rice cakes for recreation (who would EVER have guessed?!), and sipping my alcohol with caution. Salads all 'round but still not able to kick the need for latté (full fat please barista, or semi at the very least). I will be breaking the 74kgs barrier this week - I will be down to 73kgs next week :)
Yes! hold your breath

74.9kgs to 75.5kgs bing bang bong

I been a good girl. Huzzah! Tomorrow night I fly away to an exotic location with a small blue polka-dot bikini in my suitcase. I wanted to weight 75kgs before I left... and I DID IT ! I shouldn't be so surprised but I am. I'm going to be 43 this year, and it's always harder to lose weight when you're older. I have very steadily lost, and lost, and lost. Weightwatchers has worked well and I've found it easy to swallow and follow. I am turning into a vegetable-bake (courgette is the green of choice) and (brazil) nut junkie - it's all good. I'm still training twice a week with Sufyan, I've cancelled by gym membership at the Lab (waste of money really), and will be cycling more and more too - the Nightrider event is in 2 months time, so my time is going to be cut out for me when I get back from my hols. Beep Beep.
What would I change ? Learn to be more self-motivated about the exercise.

it's all in yer 'ead

Trying not to overthink "motivation"... what it is? what it does? what it achieves? goal-setting, and I mean REAL goal setting - where you know EXACTLY what it is you want to achieve. No fuzzy edges. So, I wanted to lose weight for Keith's 40th - which was last Saturday night. I think I looked happy, fabulous, slim (mer) than normal. It was a key 'marker' in the weight-loss plan.

Now I need to stay on track - stay motivated - stay focused. I want to lose enough to confidently wear a bikini on holiday in 8 weeks time. Yes, 8 weeks. I need to really have a clear idea in my mind - BIKINI. Sunshine. holidays. relaxing. fresh fruit. It's so real I can almost touch it :)

That means I want to lose at least another 5 kilos. 78kgs minus 5 equals 73kgs : which is what I weighed when I conceived baby #1.

I can do this!

double time

So things are going well. Reading my book on Willpower and thinking about the "how" of losing weight and sticking to a diet. One of the big things about goal setting and goal-reaching is telling people that you're on the path, doing the thang, going to succeed.

Suf is enthused and has put my training up to twice a week. What fun! what pain :(

And on we go.

1.8kgs off - WeightWatchers whoop! whoop!

And so it begins. We're on the downhill run now.
Few depressing statistics. I started off last week weighing in at 180lbs. I lost 4lbs which means that I'm 176lbs. I find the conversions from pounds to kilos takes up oodles of my time. yawn!
Anyhoooooo....
my BMI says that I should we anything UNDER 70kgs. That is 9kgs +
I think that means that I'm NEVER going to be a Gold Member of Weight Watchers as I'd be happy to just weigh 72kgs, nevermind 70kgs. Or less. Guess we'll wait and see.

79.7kgs joining Weight Watchers

Yup. Suf suggested I focus on getting more bang for my buck and he's right. I think it's something that wore down training with Mike. And will probably wear down training with Suf. But that's life - I want to train and will have to keep changing my trainer every few years, so that I stay enthused, encouraged, challenged. Each one's style is different. Hurrah!
So Suf said I need some goals, and one of them is losing weight. Going on the Paleo diet isn't REALLY enough, so I've joined WW.
It's good to do it in a year when there are a few goals to aim for :
1. Keith's 40th - 22 January
2. Keith's 40th party - 8 February
3. beach holiday in Thailand - 8 April
4. Cycling challenges - May and June
5. Two weeks in Tuscany - August

Need to cycle more!

too much booze

The wheat free, or shall I saw "low" wheat diet is going well. I'm not missing eating bread at all. Nor am I consuming butter. And the two together are not a good combination, so it's a win! However, I have found that I'm substituting ice-cream at 10pm... now I understand my brother's ice-cream eating binges. [light bulb moment].
The weight has come down a bit, but it's been a crazy week of alcohol. Last night was the year-end social for the parents, and then today's double-whammy:  Hemmo's birthday at Iberica in Canary Wharf. We just drank red wine and ate deep-fried tapas, cheese, oily sausages, etc. (what the Spanish do best). Came home and made dinner for friends and thought I can't really face any more wine. So it's no wine for me for a while. I've started thinking I'm on the verge of alcohol poisoning or something... I just feel like it's too much.

80.6kgs eating protein

Sooooo... I have started reading about Mark Sisson, and Paleo. I'm feeling full all the time. Waking up in the morning I really don't want to eat egg. sigh. but I do. I'm eating more courgette than I thought was possible. And trying my damndest to have veg and protein for lunch and dinner. Feeling full means I don't always want to tho'. Also, I've found that my penchant for lattés is waning.

82.2kgs a new beginning ?

So Sufyan (my personal trainer) and I had a sit down on Friday and talked about goal-setting and the game plan. He proposed that I lose 10kgs (or more) in the next 3 months. it's possible. I know it is. He's proffered the "low carb" diet as an approach, and I've done a bit of reading on it. A "bit" being the operative word here.
Yesterday was Day 1, and my mouth felt dry and my tongue felt like I'd burnt it for most of the day. One of the write-ups I'd read said you'll struggle with bad breath, and as such I've been super-breath-aware. Boo! it does affect your breath. Yuck!
On the positive side though - I have felt full and not hungry. So you don't feel like you're on a starvation course.
Today was Day 2, and I remembered to take my multivitamin AND my fish-oil tabs (whoohoo!). I also remembered to have 2 glasses of red wine, 2 slices of cheese and few pieces of penne pasta.
Tomorrow I see Sufyan again.

I'm back on my bike which is a happy happy thing.

binge day

talking to Jo about why we "over-eat" and the psycho-babble is that we revert to the binary settings/ survival instincts, etc when we are in crisis. Emotionally = can't deal with the tsunami that engulfs, therefore, eating to stay alive. Sigh.
It's been one of those days

82.2kgs and 5 weeks of holiday. Day #1 Omega 3 supplements

No surprises there. Hardly did any exercise - childcare challenges. Ate and drank with friends and family. There you go.
so why am I tapping away here ? it's not all bad news - I've started taking Vitabiotics ULTRA Omega-3 Super Strength fish oil capsules. My friend Greg is a big advocate of Omega-3 supplements. We've debated it at some length and he stand firm that we should all be taking these little golden orbs for our health and well-being. So there you go. Day 1 of the 30 day challenge. I'll keep you posted.

79kgs - 78kgs up and down

I'm training to cycle the NightRider race on Saturday 8th of June. I'm putting in more time on the bike. It's going fine. Legs are getting stronger. Eating habits are up and down. I start using a new personal trainer tomorrow. watch this space...

79.6kgs post USA Spring Break

Oh ! My! Goodness! can the Americans eat!

We've just spent two weeks on a road trip through the Southern States of the USA - the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. We only had 4 days in one place - the longest we were in accommodation for one stretch, and while there, we were able to eat lots of fruit and enjoy our own breakfast combinations. The rest of the time it was hotel, motel and B&B food which is overwhelmingly starch and protein for breakfast, carbs for lunch, and carbs and protein for supper. We ate hardly any vegetables - they weren't offered - and very little fish (oysters don't count do they?). I bought apples, watermelon, bananas, grapes whenever we could, just to keep as a snack in the car.
I took my running shoes with me, but only ran once for half an hour on the beach. We hired bikes and I cycled with Zack for a few hours. I didn't do as much exercise as I'd hoped to. Altho' I was being ambitious with the amount of driving we had to do over the time period.
I came back weighing 81kgs, but have gone off bread and dairy (as much as I can) for the last 6 days. Tummy is flatter already and I'm feeling lighter - healthy vegetable weighted diet feels so good.
I've signed up to cycle 100kms on the 8th of June - the Night Rider through London. It'll be fun, and Jo has agreed to do it with me in principle. I'm considering doing a 5km run too, on the same day. Maybe it's too much - watch this space.
I've had to replace my bike's inner tube on the back wheel. Grrr... I changed it (took me 45 minutes) and cycled a few blocks only for it to be flat again ! Turns out I had a huge nail in the tyre. Drat! I have now learnt to clear out the tyre before putting a new tube inside it. Having done it twice, I also made time to wash my bike and scrub off a good bit of debris that had built up on the break pads and the fork. The chain needs a good clean. I'll have to make time for that one weekend when it's sunny.

2kg gain :(

Lent?! I've never fasted or gone off anything for Lent before, but this year I thought I'd give up wine. So far I've gained 2kgs and haven't spent one minute meditating on the Easter message - Christ's gift of salvation - and everything Lent is supposed to mean. So I'm stopping. Yay! I can give up wine. But woe, woe whoah! horse! to the weight gain.
.
still cycling, but haven't run or swum in an age. Physio has worked on the sore hip - no reason to evade the exercise. Weather's improving too, so gotta get out there.

78.8kgs - in the face of dreaded crap weather

sooooo... where are we now ? A kilo or two heavier. Annoyed. Demotivated. the weather in the UK at the moment (and for the past few weeks) has been absolutely c.r.a.p. so I have not had the motivation to go and get on my bike. However! I did wash my bike yesterday (first time in 3 months at least) and did a quick 6.7mile cycle to René to drop off some stuff. Soooo... I can do it! Need to just do it more and more

77.9kgs after a week of skiing and eating in France

Hello extra kilo. I shall lose you quickly I think. Training started today for the triathlon - went to gym at 9:15am

76.9 kgs

a little surprised by that weigh-in, as it's not been the best of weeks - christmas and all. Been eating choccies and drinking too much. I've tried to cycle when it's dry and bright but not hit it every time as the to-do list is never ending at this time of year. Just the same - I've managed to cycle to lunch engagements across the city on two consecutive weekends. And do a little cycle during the week. I need to do much more in the new year if I'm going to participate in a triathlon. Steadily marching towards that!

77.6kgs

The weather is just awful. Terrible frost on the ground the last two days which makes it treacherous for cycling. I'm spinning and running. Need to do more swimming this week. Looking at the triathlon with some trepidation, but excitement. Will be fun.
It's so easy to be an armchair shopper when it comes to bikes. eBay is a trap! there is so much on there, and altho' it's mostly eye-candy, you do get a good idea of prices and what people are riding, or selling. Discovering the smaller bike shops in London is such an adventure. There are some great places eg. Look Mum No Hands on Old Street, and On Your Bike near London Bridge. I do love my local bike shop, The Bicycle Maintenance Company; Phil and Paul are fabulous and really know their stuff.