Diary of a Wannanbe Skinny Mummy & Bride

Hi, I joined Slimming World 2 weeks ago and have had great results, so to continue those I thought I would start up a diary on here. Here's a little bit about me.

I'm 27 years old and my fiance and I just had our first child, a little boy named Jack, 11 weeks ago tomorrow. We love him so much and he is the light of our lives, we can't remember what life was like before he arrived!

I have always been big, except for a brief few months when I was 19 and I got down to a size 12 from working 2 jobs Monday to Saturday during my gap year, and my goal is to get back to a size 12 as it was when I felt the most comfortable with my body and my healthiest.

My biggest weight was just under 18 stone and I knew I had to do something about it, so I did a few meal replacement diets over the space of a couple of years and managed to get down to 15 and a half stone 2 years ago. I managed to maintain my weightloss for 2 years, except for when I got pregnant and gained 21 lbs, but a week after my son was born I had lost the 21lbs of pregnancy weight and was back to my normal 15 and a half stone / size 20 clothes (although my pre-pregnancy jeans could be pulled on without even undoing them!)

For the last 7 years I have been unable to get below that weight, I went to the gym, ate healthily, and I just yo-yoed between a pound or two around it.

My fiance and I have set a date of 31st August 2013 for our wedding and I WILL be back in a size 12 for a size 12 wedding dress by then!! I want to be healthier for my son so that I can do more things with him when he's a little older and I want to feel better about myself too. I decided this was the right time to do something about it while Jack is still young enough to not need me to run all over after him and while I still have a good amount of time before the wedding to lose the weight.

I'm hoping to get to a target of 11/11 and a half stone by Christmas or New Year so that I can start trying on wedding dresses in the right size and so that's my motivation. I know I can maintain weight as I have done for the last two years, so once I get down to my target I know I will stay there.

My first week on Slimming World I was so happy to have lost 5lbs, and was motivated to continue my hard work and rewarded with a loss of a further 5.5lbs in my second weigh in yesterday! I can't believe that i'm down into the 14's already when I could never get past 15 and a half before. I weigh in each Monday at 5pm so I will be using this for a food diary and to record how I feel each week and then if I do experience some slow weeks or maintains I'll be able to look back on my posts and use them as further motivation to continue if I need it.

xx

PLEASE NOTE THAT AS I AM A BREASTFEEDING MOTHER I AM ALLOWED EXTRA HEA'S AND HEB'S EACH DAY. IF YOU ARE READING THIS DIARY FOR MEAL PLANNING TIPS PLEASE TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION SO THAT YOU DON'T ACCIDENTALLY EAT TOO MUCH.

Here are my losses so far, this post will be updated each week:

Week 1: - 5lbs
Week 2: -5.5lbs Half Stone Award & Slimmer of the Week
Week 3: -2lbs
Week 4: -2.5lbs Stone Award
Week 5: -0.5lbs Slimmer of the Month July
Week 6: -2.5lbs
Week 7: -1lb
Week 8: -1lb
Week 9: -4.5lbs One and a Half Stone Award & Club 10
Week 10: -0.5lbs
Week 11: -2lbs
Week 12: -3lbs Two Stone Award & Slimmer of the Week
Week 13: STS (* week)
Week 14: -3lbs
Week 15: STS (* week)
Week 16: - 4lbs Two and a half stone award and Slimmer of the week
Week 17: -1.5lbs Slimmer of the week
Week 18 & 19: Holidays from Slimming World
Week 20: -5.5lbs! Won 'Miss Slinky 2012'! and got 3 stone award!
Weeks 21 - 24: -2.5lbs (had holidays)
Week 25: -2.5lbs Three and a half stone award!
Week 26: -2lbs (Christmas eve)
Week 27: -1lb (New Years Eve)
Week 28: +0.5lb (First gain, had bad stomach and bloating all week so not upset about it.)
Week 29: -0.5lb

My Goals:

Target 1 - Half a stone Award (15st 1lb - total of 2 stone lost) DONE! 09/07/2012arty0011:
Target 2 - One stone Award (14st 8lbs - total of 2 1/2 stone lost) DONE! 23/07/2012 :banana dancer:
Target 3 - One and a half stone Award (14st 1lb - total of 3 stone lost) DONE! 27/08/2012
Target 4 - Two stone Award (13st 8lbs - total of 3 1/2 stone lost) DONE! 17/09/2012 :banana dancer:
Target 5 - Two and a half stone Award (13st 1lb - total of 4 stone lost) DONE! 15/10/2012
Target 6 - Three stone Award (12st 8lbs - total of 4 1/2 stone lost) DONE! 12/11/2012
Target 7 - Three and a half stone Award (12st 1lb - total of 5 stone lost) DONE! 17/12/2012
Target 8 - Four stone Award (11st 8lbs - total of 5 1/2 stone lost)
Target 9 - Four and a half stone Award (11st 1lb - total of 6 stone lost)
Target 10 - Five stone Award (10st 8lbs - total of 6 1/2 stone lost)
Target 11 - Target 10 stone 7lbs - total of 6 stone 8lbs lost!

Tuesday: Green Day

Breakfast:
35g Bran Flakes (HEB)
Muller Light Vanilla
Pear
250ml Glass of Milk (HEA)

Lunch:
Huge Fruit Salad with pink grapefruit, orange, clementine, apple and banana
Muller Light Orange
Water

Tea:
Macaroni Cheese, Beans & Bacon (HEA & HEB) - Sounds odd I know, but my fella convinced me it would be nice, as well as easy, and it wasn't bad!
250ml Glass of Milk (HEA)
Mint Hi-Fi bar (HEB)

No syns today, too full from tea! xx

Wednesday: Green

Breakfast:
35g bran flakes with 250mlo semi skimmed milk (HEA)

Lunch:
Fruit Salad with grapefruit, kiwi fruit, nectarine, apple and clemantine topped with a banana and custard muller light
2 x HiFi Light bars (HEB)

Tea:
Cheese omlette (HEA)

Extras:
250ml semi skimmed milk in cups of tea (HEA)
gherkins

Syns:
Lion Bar 13.5 syns

Thursday: Extra Easy

Breakfast:
Fruit Salad with grapefruit, apple, kiwi, clementine
Hi Fi bar (HEB)

Lunch:
Pork loin with mashed potato, carrots, peas and gravey

Tea:
Chicken, Gamon and boiled egg salad with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, green pepper, spring onion, pickled onion, and celery
Glass of milk

Syns
butter in mash 3 syns
gravey 3 syns
2 finger kitkat 5.5 syns
Total syns = 11.5

Not really used to extra easy, think i've done it ok, but now today i've just got a really down feeling like i wont lose weight doing this EE plan, it's too much like how i used to eat before and i maintained for 2 years on that, so that's probably where my anxiety is coming from. Going to go back onto green days from tomorrow, at least i know they definitely work, as i desperately want those scales to keep showing a decrease each week xx

Friday: Green

Breakfast:
35g bran flakes (HEB)
250ml milk (HEA)

Lunch:
HiFi bar (HEB)
Muller Light

Tea:
Chicken and Mushroom Carbonara (YUMMY!)

Syns:
3 chunks of cadbury's bronzed creme crunch (4.5 syns)
3 chunks of cadbury's silvery creme (4 syns)
3 chunks of cadbury's nuts for gold (4.5 syns)

Total 13 syns

Here's the recipe for the carbonara....

Chicken (HEB)
Mushrooms
Spring onions
Garlic
Philadelphia (HEA)
Milk (HEA)
Thyme
Spaghetti

How to make...

Put spaghetti on to boil.

Using frylight, gently cook the chicken. Add the garlic, mushrooms and spring onions and lightly fry until cooked. Mix in the philadalphia until melted and add milk to make the sauce go further and add a little thyme. Drain the pasta and mix with the carbonara and serve! So yummy! And Syn free! ) xx

Saturday: Extra Easy

Breakfast:
35g bran flakes (HEB)
milk (HEA)
clemantine
grapefruit

Lunch:
Piece of what's left of my son's christening cake (5 Syns)

Tea:
Steak and mushroom in pepper and cheese sauce (using philadalphia as HEA) with mashed potatoes, roast potatoes (8 syns), green beans, brocolli, cauliflower and sprouts.

Total syns: 13

Have bought a new pair of running trainers today. I've got a couch to 5k running plan from the internet and going to start that to try to build up my fitness as my friend (also my maid of honour to be) is going to be moving back home soon and we will be going running together again (haven't been running in over 3 years!!) so I need to build up some stamina for when she gets back! I can't wait!! Slimming World can help me lose the pounds and running can help me tone up! ) xx

Well got weighed in today and lost 2lbs!!! Bringing my total for 3 weeks so far to 12.5lbs lost, so pleased with the results so far my son is about 12.5 lbs at the moment, and he's heavy! Amazing to think I was carrying all that extra weight! I haven't been this slim for 7 years, so happy hoping I can keep up an average loss of 2lbs a week and I'll get to target for Christmas and can start trying on wedding dresses then

Going to try a whole week of extra easy this week. My thoughts on extra easy aren't all that, but thought I'd give it a go for a week. If it doesn't go well then I can always go back onto my green days the week after to make up the losses really hope it works though! Will keep the diary updated. Xx

Hi - You're pretty much on the same track as me- although I'd been hanging onto my baby weight for nearly 4 years. lol. I've lost 10.5 lb in 3 weeks with SW - currently 14 stone 6 and the plan is to lose 2lb a week until Xmas so I can have a decent engagement photo and finally some pics with my kids. Then it's time to hunt for a wedding dress, which hopefully wont be too scary when I can actually fit into them properly
You are doing great - I must mix things up with a few green days this week.

largerthanmost said:

Hi - You're pretty much on the same track as me- although I'd been hanging onto my baby weight for nearly 4 years. lol. I've lost 10.5 lb in 3 weeks with SW - currently 14 stone 6 and the plan is to lose 2lb a week until Xmas so I can have a decent engagement photo and finally some pics with my kids. Then it's time to hunt for a wedding dress, which hopefully wont be too scary when I can actually fit into them properly
You are doing great - I must mix things up with a few green days this week.

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Hi Hun! Good to have someone else at a similar place to me with similar goals! Well done on the weight loss, that's great! I find green days the best to be honest, I love my meat, but prefer not to have to measure my potatoes/rice/pasta etc and I get good results. I'm a bit apprehensive about doing a full week of extra easy, but going to try it and see how it goes. I know my consultant is desperate for me to try, even more so because of how much I was against it at first, as I just couldn't see how it would work when it seemed so close to what I used to eat before joining SW.

Anyway, thanks for reading hunny, I wish you all the luck in the world to reach your goals and look forward to hearing how you're doing xx

Hi nakuku thanks for reading my diary ) Slimming World is aparently one of the few diets you can do whilst breast feeding, you just have to have extra a and b choices to make sure you're getting enough calcium etc to produce milk. I'm not eating too differently to how i used to when I used to maintain my weight, but it's the small differences that mount up to weight loss. I was amazed that I lost so much for ther first two weigh ins, but seem to have slowed down to a steadier rate now, which is healthier anyway. I think it was just that my body needed to adjust to what i was eating to steady out the losses. My milk hasn't suffered, in fact it seems to have increased so i'm really lucky.

Sorry you haven't been losing the weight are you on slimming world? how long have you been breast feeding? xx

[h=6]Well my first full week on Extra Easy is going fairly well I think, my head is slowly getting around it and I think i'm doing it right. Now longer worrying what the scales will say (for now!) as I'm doing what i'm meant to be doing. If i can manage 1-2 pounds a week weight loss I will be extremely happy, don't want to lose it too fast and chance negatively impacting my milk supply.

Jack had his 12 week weigh in today and he's 12lbs 3oz!! My little chunky monkey She says his weight gain is perfectly fine and he's doing well. She's also asked me to start going to the breastfeeding cafe in town on a Thursday morning to offer my support and guidance to any breastfeeding mothers who may need it as she says i'm a natural and have lots of experience because i've been breastfeeding three months now and with my calm, chilled out personality she thinks I'll be a great help. It'll also get me out and about and meeting other mums too, so I've said I'll go. Have missed this weeks session now, but looking forward to next weeks! xx[/h]

Well Jack went to his first birthday party today at my nieces. There was all the most gorgeous party food under the sun and I turned up with my own packed lunch! Chicken salad with a muller light, 2 baby bells and a banana! I ate my food and am proud to say I didn't touch a thing at the party. Mostly I was ok, there was a bit of temptation once most of the kids had gone at the end and there were still cakes and doughnuts left, but I resisted. Feel really proud of myself as I love party food. I know when i'm maintaining i'm fine to have some as i'm concious of what i'm eating, but while i'm wanting to lose weight I need to stick to the plan. It's all about weighing up what's more important to you, and at the moment losing weight is more important to me than a blow out on party food. I can imagine myself looking lovely in a wedding dress and that's what I want. I don't want my big day spoiling just because I don't feel comfortable or confident enough in my dress, I want to be happy and feel like a princess for once in my life

I'm really excited and impatient to fast forward until Christmas to see if I will reach my target, but at the same time i'm not as I don't want my baby to grow up so fast and for my maternity leave to be over. It's very hard and confusing, like a battle going on inside me wishing the time away and then wishing the time to go slower! I guess things will happen in their own time, and the time is already going quickly enough, can't believe Jack will be 3 months old on Wednesday!! It is going by too quickly. (see what i mean? i've got a split personality lol!)

Anyway, no idea what i've done weight wise, guess I will have to see what happens on Monday. I went on my Wii and it said 4lbs on! I nearly dropped to the floor! But then i weighed myself upstairs on the scales, came down and fed Jack and expressed and then weighed myself again and i'd lost 2lbs, so no idea where i'm at as both scales are all over. Just hoping for at least 1.5 lb loss to get my 1 stone award this week! xx

I am SO EXCITED!!!!! Just worked out the costs to have the wedding reception at the hotel we like and we can get everything we want UNDER OUR ORIGINAL BUDGET!!!!! arty0011: We're manageing to have welcome drinks, a wedding breakfast for 75 guests and canapes later on for 130 guests and the use of the honeymoon suite for Ben and I and the use of their table decorations/linnen etc all within budget! I've asked him to book us in officially and we want every room in the hotel as we have a lot of friends and family travelling fairly far, so we will have the whole hotel just for our reception!! It's going to look dead posh considering how little we're paying for it! So excited!!!! Definitely made my day better as I'm not feeling too well today got tummy ache and constantly feel sick xx

sammyb1985 said:

Hi Hun! Good to have someone else at a similar place to me with similar goals! Well done on the weight loss, that's great! I find green days the best to be honest, I love my meat, but prefer not to have to measure my potatoes/rice/pasta etc and I get good results. I'm a bit apprehensive about doing a full week of extra easy, but going to try it and see how it goes. I know my consultant is desperate for me to try, even more so because of how much I was against it at first, as I just couldn't see how it would work when it seemed so close to what I used to eat before joining SW.

Anyway, thanks for reading hunny, I wish you all the luck in the world to reach your goals and look forward to hearing how you're doing xx

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Hi - did you give the EE a go? I have to say I find it hard to understand how you can eat as many bananas, sweet potatoes etc on the EE or even fruit with a high sugar content - I just felt I was eating too much food (and I'm a greedy pig!) with a 1/3 veg/salad. I'm mixing them up now - and even had an off track day last week with too much vodka and then of course a bacon butty and a muffin the next morning but whereas the old me would have let be the end of everything, I had a proper dinner and got back on track. So delighted to get a 3lb loss this week.
How are you doing with the couch to 5k? I've borrowed a treadmill and might give it a go.
Hope you've had a good week. x

sammyb1985 said:

I am SO EXCITED!!!!! Just worked out the costs to have the wedding reception at the hotel we like and we can get everything we want UNDER OUR ORIGINAL BUDGET!!!!! arty0011: We're manageing to have welcome drinks, a wedding breakfast for 75 guests and canapes later on for 130 guests and the use of the honeymoon suite for Ben and I and the use of their table decorations/linnen etc all within budget! I've asked him to book us in officially and we want every room in the hotel as we have a lot of friends and family travelling fairly far, so we will have the whole hotel just for our reception!! It's going to look dead posh considering how little we're paying for it! So excited!!!! Definitely made my day better as I'm not feeling too well today got tummy ache and constantly feel sick xx

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Fabulous news. Just imagine you in your drop dead gorgeous size 12 frock on the dance floor.
And feel better soon - probably just a bug. Keep your fluids up.

largerthanmost said:

Fabulous news. Just imagine you in your drop dead gorgeous size 12 frock on the dance floor.
And feel better soon - probably just a bug. Keep your fluids up.

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Thanks hunny, I can't wait to be in a beautiful dress, i'm not normally a girly girl dressy person, but i'm just so excited to feel special and pretty on our big day! I'm keeping my fluids up to make sure i've something in me. So far i haven't actually been sick, i just feel like i'm going to be, which is worse really as i'd rather be sick and get it over with, at least i'd feel better afterwards then! This is what I was like when i was pregnant, continuously felt sick for 12 weeks but never once threw up (i know i'm not pregnant this time though so no worry there! lol!) it's just a horrible feeling!

Well done on your weight loss hunny, you've done amazing! xx

largerthanmost said:

Hi - did you give the EE a go? I have to say I find it hard to understand how you can eat as many bananas, sweet potatoes etc on the EE or even fruit with a high sugar content - I just felt I was eating too much food (and I'm a greedy pig!) with a 1/3 veg/salad. I'm mixing them up now - and even had an off track day last week with too much vodka and then of course a bacon butty and a muffin the next morning but whereas the old me would have let be the end of everything, I had a proper dinner and got back on track. So delighted to get a 3lb loss this week.
How are you doing with the couch to 5k? I've borrowed a treadmill and might give it a go.
Hope you've had a good week. x

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I've done a full week of EE this week, promised myself that I would at least give it a try and see how I go. I have the weigh in tomorrow so I guess I'll see what happens! I too can't understand how I can eat as much of all that as I want without going over calories as I have big portions too, which is why I was so resistant to EE at first. I have to admit that it is a lot more flexible, especially when i'm out and about, but green and red days just sound like they should work so much more! I'll see how I do tomorrow at weigh in. I figured that if I do well then great, but if not then it's only one week and I can go back to my green days )

I've not started the couch to 5k yet, going to start it on tuesday. Quite looking forward to it! My friend who i used to go running with is no longer moving back home, so i'm a bit gutted really, but i'm doing this for me to get fitter and to get into shape for that dress, so i will still do it. I'll let you know how i go on though hun!

My week has been ok other than just not feeling well today. I had my nieces birthday party yesterday and didn't touch a single piece of party food, i ate the chicken salad and muller light that i took with me instead lol so if i dont see a loss i will be very disapointed! Hope your week has been good hunny xx

[h=6]Another 2.5lbs off this week! So i've lost 1 stone 1 pound in 4 weeks! SO pleased with the results! Starting the couch to 5k tomorrow, really excited to get into it, let's hope it goes well and helps rather than hinders my weight loss next week! xx[/h]

Well I've had a friend up today, she's up to take some professional photos of jack for us and is staying over so we had a BBQ and a couple of drinks. First time I've gone over my daily syn allowance in the four weeks I've been on plan, but only had 21.5 syns in total so only 6.5 over daily target, easy enough to pull it back throughout the week made gorgeous turkey kebabs marinated in lime, lemon, garlic and chilli and some pork kebabs in reggae reggae sauce, had pork chops, bread as HEB and cheese as HEA and a massive salad.treating it as if it was a red day as it mostly was. Was all so yummy, hope it doesn't affect my loss this week xx