A Taste Of Honey

[Honey39]

Good day - feel very focused. I'm off next week and a bit worried about bingeing, but I'm setting up loads of things to do and people to visit in advance. I love the fact I have so much more energy these days, it's a difference.

I wonder what my life will be like this time next year? I want to be on this journey, happy and focused.

 

[Honey39]

Tuesday's journey:

Berries
Muller light yoghurt
Bran flakes
Skimmed milk
Bananas x 1
Apple x 1
Satsumas x 3
Salad: rocket, tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, pomegranate seeds
John West: tuna with a twist = 3 syns
Skinny cinnamon latte = 4.5 syns
Be good go yourself chicken chow mein = 8.5 syns
Salad: rocket, pepper, pomegranate seeds

TOTAL = 16 syns

 

[Honey39]

The oddest thing is, the more weight I lose the more I feel like myself in many ways. I feel confident, and I feel polished. I feel like myself, but more like I haven’t been myself for years. It’s very odd. I feel great.

The feelings I have right now are much more powerful and exhilerating than overeating ever was. I feel really really really good most of the time – it’s very strange, and very lovely.

 

[Honey39]

Wednesday's food:

Berries
Muller light yoghurt
Bran flakes
Skimmed milk
Bananas x 1
Apple x 1
Satsumas x 3
Asparagus risotto (meal out) = 10 syns
Skinny cinnamon latte = 4.5 syns
Salad: rocket, pepper, pomegranate seeds
Be Good to Yourself, Shepherds Pie = 6 syns
Muller light yoghurt

TOTAL = 20.5 syns

 

[Honey39]

It seems unbelievable that you’ll ever weigh a certain weight – say ten pounds less than you are now. When you get there and look back it seems weird that you doubted it.

I have a long way to go. But still – I’m gradually realising I’ve lost a significant amount of weight!

 

[Honey39]

Friday's food:

Berries
Muller light yoghurt
Bran flakes
Skimmed milk
Bananas x 2
Satsumas x 3
Salad: spinach, pepper, pomegranate seeds
Be Good to Yourself Beef Lasagne = 7.5 syns
Mushrooms and asparaghus
Salad: spinach, pepper, pomegranate seeds
Mushrooms and asparaghus
Be Good to Yourself, Chicken & Pasta Bake = 7.5 syns

TOTAL = 15 syns

 

[Honey39]

I’m determined that I am going to stick to slimming world throughout my holidays, and not give up and fall face forward in a box of chocolate eggs!

I had a great day yesterday, walked further than ever before, did so much, and ate well. I’m also meeting up with a lot of friends next week, so I want to make sure that I am looking my best, which is a great incentive.

I feel slightly odd about losing weight. I keep thinking about the figures and the ‘where will I be’ thoughts. But I’m definitely going to stick to this, because it works for me. Also, the more weight I lose, the more energetic I become, which is exhilerating. I always knew this, but it’s definitely a circle that is now working in my favour:

- the more weight I lose, the more I do
- the more I do, the less I want to over eat and sit around
- the less I over eat and sit around, the more weight I lose

Before it was a downward circle that was hard to break:

- I am fat, so I want to sit around and comfort eat
- I comfort eat, so I put on weight
- I put on weight so i don’t want to out and about, I want to sit around and comfort eat

Change one thing, you change others. I knew this logically, but I have to remember this for the future. If I put on weight again, just remember that I have to blindly put my trust in losing weight for a month or three, because then it will gather its own momentum.

Goodness. I guess this could be applied to loads of other areas in my life too.

 

[Sarahelizabeth]

I've only read your last post as it caught my eye and just wanted to say that you are doing so tremendouly well and I am full of admiration. The cycle one gets oneself into is really the crux of losing weight and I can fully appreciate where you are coming from. I know, like you, a new form of eating can become such an integral part of your life that you may go off course from time to time but you become more and more able to get right back to it and not use it as an excuse to give up. I have been struggling to lose the last few pounds but have not gone overboard with overeating just probably eating too many calories of good foods! You can almost get a high from feeling great and wearing nice clothes. Anyway, bit of a rant but good luck and I'll try to read back over your diary when I can.

 

[Honey39]

Another 2 lb loss this week, and I feel fantastic about the Sunday morning weigh-in. I love seeing the scales steadily going downwards, especially on big holidays (Christmas, Easter Sunday). This is a fabulous feeling, and I want to hang on to how I feelt his morning:

- optimistic
- positive
- determined
- knowing that I can and will carry on with this journey.

I have made good food choices this week, although I have had quite a few cinnamon lattes in the evening because I didn't want to go home. I'm going to be cutting back on these, because this is not what I want or need on a daily basis.

This has definitely been a terrific week, and I am full of hope and happiness. I feel awed by my ongoing success and commitment, and it does feel tied in with regularly posting about my progress and so on.

Yay!!

 

[Sarahelizabeth]

Well done-that all sounds really positive! You must be delighted and not so far off the point of having lost 100lb!

 

[Honey39]

Well done-that all sounds really positive! You must be delighted and not so far off the point of having lost 100lb!

Thank you so much!!! You are so lovely, I really appreciate the positive feedback. I think I will actually faint when I have lost 100LBs, lol!

 

[Honey39]

Someone sent me a really interesting article about long term weight loss maintenance (because the stats for losing and KEEPING off weight are appalling).

Anyway, this longitudinal study found that 20% of people do keep off the weight, but there are five key things to keeping it off permanently (I’m paraphrasing and going by memory, so this may not be quite right, lol):

- eat breakfast
- take about an hour of strenuous exercise every day
- low calorie low fat diet
- monitor your weight regularly
- don’t overeat on holidays/weekends, be consistent with your eating
- catch ‘slips’ quickly before they turn into regains.

That’s interesting – I’ve got the order wrong, but that’s pretty interesting. I’ve put on weight before, and definitely these are areas I slipped up on. I love the last one especially, catch regains quickly. I’ve put on weight twice since I’ve lost weight, over Christmas and over a stressful work period, both times about 3 lbs. I just shrugged and go on with it and I do think that’s important.

Naturally slim people will put on a pound or three over holidays or Christmas, but the difference is that they will automatically readjust and take it off in the next week or so.

All the long term maintainance webblogs I visit (about three) have that in common as well. They weigh in weekly and although sometimes they are a pound up or a pound down, they still are accountable on a weekly basis. Most of the sites are not that interesting, because lets be honest, weight loss maintenance isn’t as thrilling as weight loss to the reader, but still – there is that level of weekly checking in and keeping within five pounds either side of one’s goal weight that does it.

The other thing that the article said was that the longer you kept the weight off, the more likely you are to keep it off. So, say I get to my goal weight at the end of 2012, if I maintain for six months doesn’t mean much. If I maintain for two years, it’s got more significance, and if I maintain for five years I am unlikely to be one of those classic regainers.

I know it’s awfully early to be thinking about weight loss maintenance just yet, but it’s really hand to think ahead and have these strategies and studies on hand.

 

[blue*smartie]

That was an interesting read Honey

My sister has managed to maintain her 4 stone weight loss for 8 months now, she has a 'limit' of 9.5 (her target weight was 9.1) As soon as she hits that weight she is right back to do SW 100%, attending group etc until she is back to her 9.1 target.

I spose it is a bit yo-yoing thinking about it, but she is definantly accountable now. She knows that she will gain over certain periods, but deals with her gains straight away.

I didnt get up to 17 stone overnight, there were several periods when I remained static for a long time, but then Christmas would happen and I would gain 5 pounds, I would never lose it ..... Come Easter another largish gain, and so it went on until I had gained about a stone over a year and so it repeated :sigh:

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It does feel so different when the weight is going down. When I was going up I felt sluggish, ugly and fat. Going down I feel svelte, sometimes sexy and confident. I remember weighing 15 stone (going up) and I nearly cried at how fat and ugly I was. Going down, I got to the same weight and felt great lol. Its amazing how different the mind set is

 

[Sarahelizabeth]

The last two posts made so much sense to me and were interesting reading. You have a real buzz and get a high from losing weight and seeing and feeling the difference it makes to many aspects of your life. However, once goal is reached it is so hard to maintain the dedication and realise that it is a long-term objective. The high goes and reality kicks in and you realise that this is for life! I have lost most of the weight on two occasions and have never maintained for longer than a few weeks. Terrible but true! This time I have taken it much slower and am really trying to adjust my mindset as I go along. We'll see! I still have 12lbs to lose and find that this is taking an age but it is sort of like maintaining as I am only losing a pound or two a month and hope this rate will make proper maintenance easier. I am sure you will be successful as you have already looked ahead and understood the pitfalls.

 

[Honey39]

Monday's food:

Berries
Muller light yoghurt
Bran flakes
Skimmed milk
Banana x 1
Rocket, tomatoes, peppers,grated carrot
BGTY chilli con carne with rice = 7 syns
Strawberries
Rocket
Cottage cheese
Omelette
2 x quorn sausages
Baked beans + tinned mushrooms

TOTAL = 7 syns

 

[Honey39]

Woo hoo, I lost 1.5 lbs this week!!!!!

Oooooh, good week! I feel fantastic about this week's loss, I was a little trepidatious that I would have a gain, because I have been off work and not eating 'right' Too many lunches out (3), too many lattes and a couple of cakes. But on the up side, I have been walking more than ever before and I am frankly aching! I know that exercise isn't enough on its own, but I did make a couple of big efforts to keep this in check.

I feel great about this week's result. I'm also bang on target for losing 2 lbs a week since I started - that won't last of course, because already I can see my loss taper off. That doesn't matter.

I'm feeling great about myself and my life just now, I feel really happy with this week's loss, and looking forward to getting to 80 lb lost and a new 'decade' of numbers. I'm feeling so buzzed right now, and it's the boost that I want and need for the first day of May. I feel fantastic!

 

[Sarahelizabeth]

Nothing beats that feeling does it?! Well done-you have to put in a lot of effort to lose that amount and what with the exercise you are on a roll!x

 

[Honey39]

So, how did I do in week 17 on my goals?

237 in 2011: Weight Loss
Lost 1½ lbs this week, taking me to a grand total of 78 lbs lost!

The 2 million dollar woman: take 2 million steps in 2011
Did awesome on this, walked my highest ever daily total, and also walked over 10k steps every single day!

Always the sun – always wear sun block
Fantastic! Using more sun block on all exposed skin, and switching to higher factor for the summer months.

Money makes the world go round: save £3,500
Not great, but still all controlled.

Come Fly With Me – follow FlyLady and open my home to the world
My home is spotless and completely clean and clear – I feel fantastic about this.

Back in the closet – keep putting my clothes away…
Yep, everything ironed, washed, put away. Loads thrown out, all very neat and sorted. I’ve got storage cases for my scarves etc, so gradually making a kind of different order.

Let the right ones in – cherish old friends, make new friends, go to every single invitation all year
Huge well done to me on this one – have prioritised catching up with people and really put myself out this week to visit and see folk. Great stuff!

Keep the wrong ones out – let him go this year
Doing crap on this one, but it’s my focus for May 2011.

Personally positive and living in the moment
Had some very wobbly moments, don’t fully understand why, but sticking to this goal a lot.

My invisible gossamer wings of steel
Didn’t need them because I was off work. Didn’t think once about my evil colleague, realised I couldn’t give a crap when she’s not in my life. bit of a step forward, before she had bothered me all the time.

Howl at the moon
Bit grumpy this week, want to prioritise this next week.

Simply gorgeous
Didn’t do much pampering this week, so I’d like to get back into this again next week.

Fashions fade, style is eternal
Oh huge step forward here – loads of clothes, gorgeous new accessories, feel beautiful and stylish this week!

Miss Smarty Pants – 500 top stories
Not too bad – bit bored with current affaires, and the royal wedding has dominated.

Film 2011 – my 42 films
Went twice this week, so doing well on this (think I’ve seen 13 in total)

Great week overall, really pleased with progress on my main goals.

 

[Honey39]

Nothing beats that feeling does it?! Well done-you have to put in a lot of effort to lose that amount and what with the exercise you are on a roll!x

Definitely! I wish I could bottle that feeling, because it's the best feeling ever.

 

[Honey39]

I feel fantastic because I had such a good break from work. And the key thing for me was that I didn't do any lounging around or lying in. I got up very early every morning, and was out and about at the usual time. I did so much!

I also made a list of a hundred things I wanted to do, and while I didn't do even half of them, I did so many things that I feel fantastic. I travelled around my country, visited friends, went to different places. I also didn't blow my healthy eating/weight loss plans, which made me feel totally exhilerated, and realised that holidays doesn't have to equal overeating. In fact, quite the opposite.

I am definitely going to remember this in future, it was such a great break and all because I planned it (loosely) and had loads of things I wanted to do, not just 'rest' - translation to wasting time.