In search of the skinny girl...

Morning all, hope you're all well

Well today is a monumental occasion as after 4 weeks off, I am restarting my slimming world journey by jumping back on the scales. I'm dreading it. To mark the occasion I am bringing you the "in search of the skinny girl" blog which I hope will give me a reason to stay on track, result in some advice from you and maybe even inspire some of you (although I'm certainly not promising that!!!)

So how did I get to having a restart. I must be mad. I'd just got my club10, I was 1.5lbs off 1.5 stone and I fit into a size 12 dress for my work Xmas party. That looks like a hell of a lot of reasons to not throw it all away to me! Well I missed a week due to being away for work (and consequently eating 4 hotel dinners) then I missed a week due to snow, then one because I was too scared to get back on the scales and then another because I was back in Essex for Christmas. And far too scared to find another group.

So, today, on the 29th of December, I find myself deciding to go back on plan. I could wait until 1st Jan but if I start today it will feel less like a new years resolution which I will definitely break!!!

So - with this in mind I jump back on the scales tonight. I didn't think the damage was that bad...maybe 1 or 2 lbs. But I appear to have put on 2 over night. On the plus side, since I've been ignoring the plan for pretty much 4 weeks, I'll hopefully get a nice big first week loss. And my first week was 6lbs. So that's some motivation!!

For now though, I must go and hide all of satans food aka chocolate (I got so much for Xmas) in really high places.

Oh my word!!! Just tried on a size 10 corset. It's a little on the bigger side. But it fits!!! Sweet jesus!! God knows how!!! I can even breath in it. Just about.

Just read this back and when I say bigger size...I mean it's a big size 10....def not a small 10. In fact I only picked the 10 up because the 12 looked huge!!! Although looks can be deceiving it seems...

So today's in take!!!

B - raspberry oatso simple and milk HEXAB with raspberries and blueberries

L - fat free noodles with ham stirred in, plus banana and apple

D - creamy pasta bake (which I think is syn free...will check)

Might treat myself to a glass of red and a mini milk with hollyoaks! (after weigh in of course!!!)

So...weigh in last night wasn't so bad and at least I didn't have to talk about it because it was just a weigh and go. 3lbs on. Which isn't bad given how long I've been off plan. So back on this morning!!

Today's meals will probably look like this:

B oatso simple HEXAB
L noodles again
D I'm trying out cod in parsley sauce...I'll post the recipe later although it might be revolting!!! I think it's syn free too or thereabouts

Time for yet another re-start! As you can see, I've been off plan for ages and according to my scales I'm about half a stone on. Which after three months isn't horrendous. I've been dancing less, fallen in love, then had my heart broken so I feel that is quite respectable. I am however venturing for two weeks in Nottingham for work from next Monday so hotel food won't be doing me any favours. Oh well. I can do what I can to limit the damage.

Today I will get back on plan. Shame there's five varieties of ice cream in the fridge and doritos in the cupboard....ah well.

I was doing so well before. Seems silly to lose it. Think I might syn free the week then save all my syns for the weekend. I'll be back later with today's food diary and might sling up some recipes too

What a joke that was!!!! YET ANOTHER RESTART and I really do need to stick to it this time. Think I may even head back to group on Wednesday. I didn't weigh myself today - so will do it first thing tomorrow although I am back on plan today. So today's intake...

B - HEXB 2 x Nimble Bread, Baked Beans
L - Low fat super noodles, chicken, peppers, red onion
D - Pasta alla carbonara - SYN FREE!!!!! HEXA

Syns - May have to find out the syn value of those little lindt egg things.... not had any yet though

I'll stick the pasta alla carbonara recipe in my recipe blog!

So fingers crossed this time I'll have some more success! Will write tomorrow to see whether I stick to this and with my up to date weight and the syn value of the lindt eggs....

Good news!!!! Lindt mini eggs are a snip at 1.5 syns. So I indulged in 10. Daily syns all in one go!!!! Yay!!! And it was worth it!

In other news, today's weigh in was what I'd calculated - 168lbs. Or 12 stone. I'm aiming for about 136lbs. So only 32 to go isn't that bad really. Just over 2 stone to lose. But I might feel happy in a stones time. Who knows?! I'm overjoyed at the original stone I've lost and managed to keep off so anything else will be brilliant. So today's intake so far...

B - HEXB x 2 slices of nimble
L - savoury chicken rice with chicken, banana and muller

D - I'm planning on mango glazed chicken with green beans and red onion with slimming world chips. Yummy

I'm madly in love with Kellys clotted cream and honeycomb ice cream as well so may spend some syns on that little treat. I like the idea of having that to look forward to tonight need to find out the syn value though...not sure what it is and don't have website access since I haven't been to group in months.

I'm contemplating going back tomorrow actually. I think I will do much better if I start going back to group. I'll feel motivated and I liked getting the recipes and stuff....

Food "ahem" for thought..

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Kelly's Cornish Ice Cream...11 syns per 100g....so 150g....is 16.5.
Plus 2 syns for the mango chutney..... 18.5 syns...

will have to take it easy tomorrow but that's no probs...
x

So I've been off for a few days. Out of the five days I've not posted, 3 were off plan I'm ashamed to say.

However, against all the odds, today, I have lost 3 whole pounds!!! Yay me! Time to change my sig!! YESSSS!!!!!

In other news, this wonderful loss has resulted in a proverbial kick up the ass and today I am behaving. Ish. So this is where I'm at:

B - two slices of nimble bread (HEXB) and lots of grapes

L - pasta, tuna, sweetcorn and red onion, muller light, more grapes and a terrys choc orange bar (I believe this is 10.5 syns but please do correct me!)

snacked on apples and bananas this afternoon

D - will be chicken pesto pasta with green beans. Level TBSP of pesto is 4 syns. Parmesan on top (HEXA)

sorted.

I do have jamies red pesto so if anyone can help me out on syn value for a tbsp of that I would be most grateful

x

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Despite my best efforts I still appear to have put weight on so drastic times call for drastic measures. I have re-joined the gym!!

I joined on Sunday and experienced my first ever Zumba class and one can confirm I'm officially an addict. I then went to Body Pump on Monday; something that a few years back I was fond of. However, on Day 2 of being in complete agony from the experience and unable to walk, thus missing out on Zumba last night, I have realised why my fondness turned into complete rejection of the gym! Oh well.....salsa'ing it up tonight!!

In terms of food diary...I've been doing well so far this week although somehow put a lb on....but I guess this is why you shouldn't weigh yourself every day!!

So today's intake:

B - mixed berries and muller light, apricot
L - savoury rice and tuna with rocket, apple, muller, banana
D - that good syn free carbonara (cheese will be HEXA) with a side of green beans

Totally syn free so far so think I probably deserve a naughty hot choc or something as a treat and even that will only cost me 2 syns unless I go all out with the baileys!!!

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Hi Joanna

Just wanted to drop a little note to say hey I love the way your still so positive about when you have your bad days... I Need to try and take a leaf out of your book and be a bit more relaxed.

I am 1 week post holiday where I had a much deserved gain of 6lbs :-( It Was a shock and it proves me right for thinking I was invincible or at least listening to my husband who kept telling me to "relax have a week off plan" but when i opened that door the floodgates came and i major pigged out so in the grand scheme of things I deserves it for being little miss piggy

I have stayed the same weight since December 2010 (but only just started SW on my friends recommendation so I can introduce more foods and still maintain my weight) and weighed myself monday morning and then yesterday and so fas lost 2lbs so only 4lbs off so hoping come end of the month or first week in June my indiscretions will be a distant memory haha

I don't have very many days off as I am like a Sargent major so I am thinking between us we could be a good influence on each other ;-) haha

Hope your well and sticking to plan....ish xx

Hi Laura,

Thanks for posting! I was feeling a little on my own all out here!!!! I went off plan at the beginning of the year after joining in September last year and having lost 1.5 stone I was overjoyed, but still wanted to lose at least that again! Then I ended up doing loads of travelling for work in January, and struggled to get back on plan and was so disheartened that despite my best efforts I couldn't get any more weight off so just thought, sod it....I may as well just eat what I want! March I broke up with my boyfriend so on the days I could be bothered to eat (which weren't many and I still didn't lose weight despite this!!!) I couldn't be bothered to cook so I'd eat takeaway, and that went on for about four weeks. All the dancing I'd been doing went out the window - I couldn't face going out. Then in April I was away for work again so back to the hotel food and far too much wine because there's not much else to do. (I'll point out now, that's pretty much the only time I do really drink so it makes a huge difference to my weight!)

I'm back dancing now but only once a week so I figured that I'd have to do SOMETHING! Hence Zumba!!! It's amazing and the motivation that has given me has given me the motivation I've needed to stay on plan, and on plan I have stayed all week. Which is a first since Christmas and I'm hoping I'll get a "first week loss" which will motivate me to continue from now. I know that I've lost 2lbs so far this week, but I've had another zumba class and a night out salsa'ing, plus going out on the tiles with the gay bessie tonight which is always.....energetic! Tomorrow will be the day when I find out how I've done this week! So fingers crossed.

I don't know where this massive health drive has come from, but I think maybe I'm finally over the ex, and I'm back in love with me and want to look after me....who knows, but one thing is for sure, you HAVE to be in the right frame of mind to diet. You can't do it when things are bad because when the diet is going wrong as well you feel even worse and it's just another thing to add to the list of "why i am a failure". Which right now with my positive mental attitude, I can see that the failure thing is complete nonsense!!!!!

Don't beat yourself up about being on holiday. The whole point of a holiday is to kick back and escape from life. You'll be fine once you've got your head in the right frame and you sound pretty positive to me!

Someone said to me the other day, when you're out salsa dancing and you get a step wrong or you have a bad dance, you don't go home and write the entire week off do you? No! You go back out on the dancefloor with another guy and go for it! So why should this diet be any different?

I would love someone to help influence and inspire me!!!!!

Let me know how you're doing

Joanna xx

I've just had weigh in, and as I've said on the Sunday weighers thread, I'm chuffed I've lost - gutted it's such a small amount

Lost 2lbs which is great but was hoping for more since it's first real week back in 5 months (wanted a first week loss) and was also having taken up the gym with a vengence.

At least I'm doing something right though because for the first time in a while my weight has gone in the right direction so that's definitely motivation for next week

I'll be syn saving as well this week as it's my friends hen do next weekend! That'll be fun to attempt but meals are all planned out for the week and they're all syn free!!

Bring on next weeks weigh in and maybe I'll see some results from all this hard work I've been doing

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On my iPod so can't see ur stats but from ur pic u don't look like u have much to lose so I'd say 2pm is a good first week loss. And I'm the expert when it comes to slow losses lol

Keep up the good work! x

Aaahhh thanks I'm just over 12stone...let's just say it's a very flattering picture!!! I do want to lose about 2 to 2.5 stone. Which isn't as much as it sounds! 9.5 - 10 is about right for my height/frame. All my family are small, and I used to be small as well. Sadly through too many hotel stays through work the weight piled on. And it goes on far quicker than it comes off again!!!!

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joanna25 said:

And it goes on far quicker than it comes off again!!!!

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Hi

I've just been reading though your diary. Well done on the 2lb loss this week. Take it as a positive. Congratulations for getting back on the horse. And I so agree with your comment above - doesn't it just!!!

Rebecca

Hey Joanna

congratulations on your loss 2lbs is amazing achievement so well done you

your taking steps in the right direction....your being positive, your staying on plan and your doing lots of exercise which i personally think is very important. I regularly do exercise, i currently do two classes of high impact areobics which i usually tend to bike to and from which is approx 2.5/3 miles and then i bike in the week with my friend which is again 1.5/2miles (just downloaded a app to calculate the route which i should be doing tonight) and i have just got my pole back up in the should be master bedroom of our extension thats just been built as i used to do pole dancing (for fitness i might add haha) regular at a studio close to me. so did 45 mins yesterday to break me in gently and about 20 mins this afternoon but then my daughter was up from her nap so i intend to do on again when shes in bed tonight or bike ride... dont like to bike on my own much down the canal and my friend is on holiday so if i can might wait until she gets back for that.

i think you should try to look at the 2lb weight loss as the achievement that it was otherwise it might be easy to fall back into that place of not making the effort and having the few extra syn's here and there which leads to coming off plan altogether.

i have lost two lbs myself as well so i am happy and hopefully going forward might be able to shift another two lbs before this wedding next sat as have a lovely karen millen dress and want to look super sexy if possible in it hahaha so i have been stepping up the exercise as i dont usually work out every day but def at least 4 times a week.

hope your well.
laura x

Thanks guys I know it is an achievement and I am chuffed to bits that for the first time since Xmas the scales have gone down! I guess I was just gearing myself up for a great loss because it was first week and the amount of exercise I've done must have given my body a shock!!! But apparently not!

I haven't reached for the ice cream (my normal vice!!) and just bought loads of fruit so I must be ok really and still motivated!

Just got home from Zumba which has improved my mood loads

Bring on another week

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Yeh that's great to hear I am loving my fruits as well and it's funny because until SW I barely ate fruit but I really do enjoy it now. I guess its because I know it's free food it's like for years I have always moaned when the OH brought wholemeal bread and the last time he got it I had a right go saying "how many times do I have to tell u I prefer White I don't like wholemeal" well since SW I have being using wholemeal as my HEB and he was like i thought you didn't like it. And I just said it's part of my allowance I am having it as theres no way I am using my syn's for bread that's for the good stuff like chocolate ;-)

So SW aside what do you do Joanna that means that you spend a lot of time from home on the work trips? Where do you live as well? X

I live just outside of Manchester towards Wigan (but I'm actually an Essex girl moved up a year ago!!!) I work in Learning and Development for a well known energy company and have the pleasure of travelling around all our sites delivering training! I absolutely love the job!

Just a shame I get stuck in hotels and stuff with a £25 dinner allowance! To be honest I can control myself until I've got colleagues with me, because that's when the wine starts to happen, and often I'll find myself drinking almost a bottle a night because there's nothing else for us to do!

What about you? x