Rachella's calorie counting diary - 'getting the old me back!'

I've been thinking about starting a diary on here for a while now and finally taken the plunge as I'm on the home straight now and I have got to STAY POSITIVE!

So a bit about me – I'm 34 and work the 9-5 in an office job where I'm sat down all day! I'm married to an amazing man who has been a constant support and just generally wonderful throughout this whole process. We both love cooking and going to the gym together and that has been really integral to the last 8 months!

I realised I needed to lose weight last summer when I felt so really low, lacking in confidence and energy and generally just feeling rubbish. I had done SW 5 years ago, started at around 12 stone and went down to 10 stone. I felt amazing at the time and kept the weight off for a few months but it crept back on as I am an emotional eater and lots of life events happened which made me to turn to food for comfort and I became really negative with everything. I was absolutely disgusted with myself when I stepped on the scales last summer at the start of my journey and saw I was 3st heavier than my heaviest SW weight and also the heaviest I'd ever been. It seemed impossible at the time that I could ever achieve a healthy BMI, it just seemed too out of reach but I proved myself wrong. I am nearly there and this time it’s about a complete lifestyle change as I go to the gym now and am generally more active and so much happier. Being happy is the most important thing after all and I dont think I realised how unhappy I was until I made things change.

One thing that’s made this all the more challenging is finding out in December that I've got an underactive thyroid which means the weight comes off a lot slower as my thyroid doesn't work properly so this in turn effects my metabolism and slows it down. A pound a week is what I aim for at the moment and it’s hard work each week to just manage that as it involves remaining dedicated and focused. Being hypothyroid also means lacking energy, getting a foggy head and aching muscles so on days I'm feeling fatigued I have to really push myself.

The biggest challenge is the psychological side of things and overcoming the down days and remaining on track. It has been coming up to 8 months since I started my weight loss journey and I've put my goal as Easter. In fact I'm already at my original goal but decided I wanted to be 10st 13 as it would mean a 4 stone weight loss.

I don’t intend to record all I eat on here as I already do that on MFP but wanted to use this diary as more of a cathartic release to connect with people in the same situation!!So hello everyone and thank you for taking the time to read this - I know it's long and I tend to waffle!!!arty0011:arty0049:

Rachella said:

arty0011:!!!

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Hi Rachella,

I wrote a reply on here earlier this evening but then my computer went a bit nuts (bubbles appeared on screen!) so here I am again, subscribing.

You have done so amazingly well against the odds (with hypothyroidism and stressful life situations) and I'm really looking forward to reading your diary for inspiration!

Bella xx

Hi Rachella!

Your results are even more impressive with the hypothyroidism - has medication helped at all?

Hi rachella, here to sub x

Hello lovely here to sub too. X

Wow, Rachella, you've done brilliantly, especially given the thyroid issue...HUGE congrats!

Have the docs managed to boost your thryoid function with meds at all? That would be a big help going forward to maintenance if they can.

Thanks for all your comments and support – I love this calorie counting section because it’s so encouraging and most importantly everyone is really sensible and realistic with what they’re doing which to me is super important as this has to be sustainable for the future doesn’t it?

So lost a pound last week and another pound this week which…. (drum roll!) means I’ve reached the 50 pound loss and am even closer to goal…. But staying conservative with my outlook and still intend to stay steady with 1 pound loss per week.

Also need to start changing my gym routine – have been doing just cardio but now need to combine kettle bells to tone up my tummy area. Have had to sessions of doing kettle bells at the gym with my husband helping me but need to pluck up the courage to go it alone I know that sounds silly but I’m still really self-conscious at the gym and need to shed that so I can get on with my journey in a positive way!

Well done on your loss x

I was the same with the gym, pure cardio for the calorie/fat burning. ...I've just started to do weights to get toned for summer. ...I feel like everyone is looking at me but I know they aren't really x

Well done for this week's loss & the 50lbs!!

I’m down to 11st 3 now and really pleased as I’ve had a few days away in Spain at the end of Feb and did allow myself to have a bit of wine and ice cream so despite not logging cals I have managed to shift a couple of pounds.

I have signed up to do a 3km open water swim in July. This is something I’ve never done before and I’m really motivated to train over the next few weeks to build my stamina, I’ve always enjoyed swimming (though not done much over the last few years) and swam competitively as a teen but this is still a big challenge for me! I thought I needed something to work to over the next few months to keep me driven and focused on my goal.

I also bought a size 12 dress on Saturday which is beautiful and though a teeny bit snug it is another motivation as I’d like to wear it to somewhere nice in the summer maybe a day at the races!

About a month ago I had an increase in my dosage of drugs I take for my hypothyroidism and I feel it has really helped my energy levels and metabolism but I still get the odd episode of feeling really drained.

I’ve also decided to change my goal weight – initially I was happy to be just under the healthy BMI threshold but since I’ve now passed that and I still have a bit of belly fat I know I need to strive to lose at least 7 pounds more so I’m aiming for 10st 10 now.

Well done for the loss. Did you have a nice time in Spain? where did you stay?

Having a competitive swim to look forward sounds like great motivation to get to goal.

Losing weight whilst not logging the kcals and still having a few treats - excellent! Sounds like you naturally know what to do and how to control your kcals now.

Taking on that swim is impressive, whether you swam competitively as a teen or not!

Hey here to sub

Rachella said:

I’m down to 11st 3 now and really pleased as I’ve had a few days away in Spain at the end of Feb and did allow myself to have a bit of wine and ice cream so despite not logging cals I have managed to shift a couple of pounds.

I have signed up to do a 3km open water swim in July. This is something I’ve never done before and I’m really motivated to train over the next few weeks to build my stamina, I’ve always enjoyed swimming (though not done much over the last few years) and swam competitively as a teen but this is still a big challenge for me! I thought I needed something to work to over the next few months to keep me driven and focused on my goal.

I also bought a size 12 dress on Saturday which is beautiful and though a teeny bit snug it is another motivation as I’d like to wear it to somewhere nice in the summer maybe a day at the races!

About a month ago I had an increase in my dosage of drugs I take for my hypothyroidism and I feel it has really helped my energy levels and metabolism but I still get the odd episode of feeling really drained.

I’ve also decided to change my goal weight – initially I was happy to be just under the healthy BMI threshold but since I’ve now passed that and I still have a bit of belly fat I know I need to strive to lose at least 7 pounds more so I’m aiming for 10st 10 now.

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Size 12 dress is fab. X enjoy your weekend