tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9797442060652511132024-02-06T21:09:43.360-08:00Fat Bat to Fit Bit - How To Lose WeightA no-nonsense guide to losing weight safely - without tablets, crazy diets, spending a small fortune or half killing yourself with exercise. This is one woman's bid to inspire you to feel better about yourself and to lose weight.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-29812737124267994012015-08-29T14:56:00.000-07:002015-08-29T14:56:51.878-07:00What A Difference A Year (Or 11) MakesToday, I went and got my <a href="http://www.minkblink.co.uk/" target="_blank">eyelashes</a> done again. I'd been counting down the days until Stef came back from her holiday so she could sort my <a href="http://www.minkblink.co.uk/" target="_blank">eyelashes</a> out for me! Now Stef is very kind and, as I left, she said that my jeans looked too big. (Love Stef!) So when I got home, I thought I'd get out my next-size-down jeans to see if I could squidge into them. The jeans I had been wearing were the biggest of my 14s. They're a Matalan 14 and Matalan flatters its customers by being somewhat, ahem, generous. The jeans I pulled out to try on are M&S ones. Proper size 14s.<br />
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They actually look ridiculously small when I compare them to what I was wearing just seven months ago, so I didn't hold out much hope for getting into them. But, yippee! They fit!<br />
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Then I found something in the pocket. It was a train ticket dated 05 Jun 04. That's probably the last time I wore them. The last time they fitted me. Eleven years ago. Then I thought about that date some more and realised that exactly one year later, 05 JUN 05, I was in labour with my gorgeous son, Thomas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMga3S21c62Za0HEqTNHdFu_C0X_fkRmqlr2yvAmM_dZSzKYdQQA7Uds_3Tk72B7beOKfaVt_EyKYWUe7fO_6vCrzoINfPZTO21O81MZlIA8D_OcGVyqfA_pbo0h41FWLf4-3RQNlwg831/s1600/Ticket.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMga3S21c62Za0HEqTNHdFu_C0X_fkRmqlr2yvAmM_dZSzKYdQQA7Uds_3Tk72B7beOKfaVt_EyKYWUe7fO_6vCrzoINfPZTO21O81MZlIA8D_OcGVyqfA_pbo0h41FWLf4-3RQNlwg831/s320/Ticket.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Funny old world, isn't it?<br />
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Still dieting and walking though, and still losing the weight - albeit more slowly than I'd like.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>Menu</u></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Breakfast:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Yakult, grapefruit.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Lunch:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Plain omelette</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Dinner:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Thomas and I baked bread today, so I had some of that with all manner of naughty things on it ;)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Snack:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Drinks:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 1.5l of tap water</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">This little lot adds up to about 840 calories according to FitBit.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>FitBit Stats From Yesterday</u></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Steps: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">10,983</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Distance:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 6.99 miles</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Active minutes:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 64</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>My Stats</u></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Current weight:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 11st 2.6lbs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next weight target:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 10st 13.8lbs (Giddy with excitement at being '10 stone something')</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-65914164706501691432015-08-23T00:33:00.000-07:002015-08-23T00:48:08.771-07:00At last, I'm Overweight!YES!!!! I am no longer obese and am now just considered to be overweight according to the NHS BMI charts. I know, I know, the BMI charts aren't the perfect way of measuring, but I'll take that win. However you look at it, I'm certainly on the right path.<br />
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I haven't written anything in my blog for a while because I've been ridiculously busy with work and I've really struggled to lose weight. I think it's because I'm so desk-bound. When I'm working, I'm not moving and that's not good. I have been moving a lot more than I would have done in the same situation before, but it's still not enough. I've only missed my 10k steps target on one day though.<br />
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Despite this, I've managed to battle my way down by another 2lbs to hit my mini-target. Yippee! I'm even wearing shorts - and no, I don't care that I don't have 'thigh gap'. I don't look too awful in shorts (which are actually chopped down jeans that are too big for me) and it makes me happy - and cool - in the hot weather to not need to cover up.<br />
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Better still, I have so much energy that my house is still clean and tidy AND I even got out some paint yesterday and I gave the hall, stairs and landing a quick going-over to freshen it up. Who knew that losing weight could be so good for your housework? :D<br />
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Here's how I'm doing...<br />
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<b><u>Menu</u></b><br />
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<b>Breakfast:</b> Yakult, dry toast and grapefruit.<br />
<b>Lunch:</b> I have quite a bit of fruit kicking around, so I might just eat a load of that.<br />
<b>Dinner:</b> Hard boiled eggs and salad.<br />
<b>Snack:</b> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink.<br />
<b>Drinks:</b> 1.5l of tap water<br />
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This little lot adds up to about 680 calories according to FitBit.<br />
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<b><u>FitBit Stats From Yesterday</u></b><br />
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<b>Steps: </b>10,900 (This isn't very accurate because I took off FitBit when I was painting)<br />
<b>Distance:</b> 7.07 miles<br />
<b>Active minutes:</b> 68<br />
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<b><u>My Stats</u></b><br />
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<b>Current weight:</b> 11st 3.8lbs<br />
<b>Next weight target:</b> 10st 13.8lbs (Giddy with excitement at being '10 stone something')Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-3822966236466527222015-08-11T04:41:00.001-07:002015-08-23T00:00:09.170-07:00Help! I Can't Keep My Knickers Up!My diminishing girth is causing me a problem. My knickers keep falling down. I have considered stapling the sides to make them fit again, but perhaps it's time to pay M&S a visit? What? Other shops sell knickers? Don't be ridiculous!<br />
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It's not just knickers though, I just put that in the title as an unashamed way of getting people to read the page. 'Help, my t shirts are baggy!' does have quite the same pull, does it? Tis true though. My t shirts are all too big as well. Luckily, as I put weight on, I kept all my old jeans, so I'm OK there. You'll just have to pretend not to notice that they're all a bit 'retro' being as how they are at least a decade old.<br />
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So, knickers have gone from an 18 to a 14, and my t shirts have gone from a 22 to a 14 - I bought three tees today. Whoop, whoop and thrice whoop! I can cram into a 14 jeans too, but it's really not a pretty sight. Still, I think I'll claim that as being 'about a size 14', if anyone asks my dress size. I've always been a glass half full kinda girl ;)<br />
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M&S now do packs of lacy knickers not just the plain ones that I would usually get, so I'll treat myself to those. I need to bras too, but they're expensive, so they'll have to wait for another couple of stone.<br />
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New clothes! How exciting! Must resist buying too much just yet. I still have some way to go :D<br />
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I still have a nasty head cold though. Poor me :(. It's making me feel shattered all the time and walking is exhausting. I spent two hours asleep yesterday afternoon which isn't like me at all, so I must be ill. Bah!<br />
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This is all by way of an excuse for not having lost any weight again. I wonder how much snot weighs. Perhaps that's what's holding me back.<br />
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So today...<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>Menu</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Breakfast:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Yakult and a grapfruit</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Lunch:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Salmon fillet with veg and avocado.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Dinner:</b> Quinoa and chicken.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Snack:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink. </span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Drinks:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 1.5l of tap water</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">This little lot adds up to about <b>810</b></span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> calories</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> according to FitBit. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>FitBit Stats From Yesterday</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Steps:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 10,624</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Distance:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 6.12 miles</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Active minutes:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 36</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>My Stats</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Current weight: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">11st 5.6lbs (pffft)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next weight target:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 11st 3lbs (I will go from 'obese' to 'over weight' according to the NHS's BMI stats)</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-42881927011306065632015-08-10T11:45:00.001-07:002015-08-10T16:35:02.503-07:00To BMI Or Not To BMI?In the next thrilling instalment of my weight loss saga, I will soon be hitting 11st 3lb. At this point, I go from being obese to *just* overweight according the the NHS BMI table. Who knew this could be so exciting ;)?<br />
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It got me to thinking about the whole BMI thing. What is a BMI? Should I care about BMI?</div>
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BMI is your body mass index. It's meant to tell if your weight is right for your height. If you're over or under weight, you are susceptible to all sorts of health issues, so it's handy to know where you are. I know it's quite flawed. Athletes, for example, are likely to be heavy for their heights because they have lots of muscle which weighs more than fat. However, it's still useful to have some idea of what constitutes a healthy weight for your height, even if it's not entirely accurate.</div>
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For most adults, your BMI should be between 18.5-24.9. You can check yours out <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx?Tag=" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Mine will be 30 at 11st 3lb. This gives me a toe hold into the 'overweight' category, which in theory makes me less likely to have a stroke or to develop diabetes. Obviously, nothing's as cut-and-dry as that. There won't be a magic point at which such risks just disappear, but the more weight I lose, the less likely I will be to suffer from these things - and the more likely I will stick around longer for my son. So, although it's not perfect by any stretch, it's good to have something else to aim for that inches me closer to a healthier me.</div>
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Did I mention that I've been wearing shorts and t shirts for the last couple of days? None of the neighbours have complained (yet) and no one has been ill. So all good ;)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now. How am I doing today?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Not as well as I'd hoped because I've had a horrible head cold that has rendered me virtually useless. I've had a sore throat and have been forced to drink lots. By 'drink lots', I mean 'eat lots of ice lollies'. I've not been able to walk much either, so that's annoying. Despite this though, I haven't actually put any weight on, so that's good. I've pottered around the garden in a bid to be a bit active.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>Menu</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Breakfast:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Yakult and a lovely fresh croissant with some marmalade.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Lunch:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Roast chicken breast, spinach, cucumber, tomatoes and a dollop of mayo.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Dinner:</b> Quinoa and salmon.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Snack:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink. </span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Drinks:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 1.5l of tap water</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">This little lot adds up to about <b>920</b></span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> calories</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> according to FitBit. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>FitBit Stats From Yesterday</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Steps:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 10,279</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Distance:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 6.2 miles</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Active minutes:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 69</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>My Stats</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Current weight: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">11st 5.6lbs</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next weight target:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 11st 3lbs (I will go from 'obese' to 'over weight' according to the NHS's BMI stats)</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">TOMORROW:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Help! I Can't Keep My Knickers Up!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-62638530398428066482015-08-08T06:41:00.001-07:002015-08-10T11:28:24.577-07:00Weight Loss PlateauArghhhhhh! This is the most frustrating thing about the whole dieting thing. You're tootling along nicely losing weight here, there and everywhere and then suddenly nothing... nada... zip. It all comes shuddering to a halt.<br />
<br />
When I started dieting and exercising, the first stone melted away really quickly. I could easily lose 4-5lbs a week. But sometimes your body just slams on the anchors and hangs on to all the weight it's acquired. The Mayo Clinic has a nice succinct article about why this happens <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss-plateau/art-20044615?pg=1">here</a>.<br />
<br />
For me, I've found that having a day or two off of dieting can help to kick start things when you go back to dieting. Increasing exercise also helps. One thing that really seems to burn the calories is housework. I know, I know, but since I've been on my 'new healthy me' programme, my house has never been so tidy. I have lots more energy and I figure that I might as well burn off some of that fat by improving my environment too. (This must surely top the list of things I never though I'd hear myself say).<br />
<br />
My weight stopped dead for two days this week, but I kept at it and it's on the slide again. Whoop whoop!<br />
<br />
So don't get disheartened. Get the hoover out instead ;)<br />
<br />
I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am with my weigh-in news today. I have smashed through the 3st target and can now knuckle down with the next target. Whoop whoop! I added to my general feeling of well-being today by getting my eye lashes done again. So now I feel great and look as good as I'm ever gonna look too. Thanks Stef! http://www.minkblink.co.uk/<br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>Menu</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Breakfast:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Yakult and a pink grapefruit.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Lunch:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Roast chicken breast, spinach, cucumber, tomatoes and a dollop of mayo.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Dinner:</b> Spanish omelette</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Snack:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink. </span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Drinks:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 1.5l of tap water</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">This little lot adds up to about <b>760</b></span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> calories</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> according to FitBit. It's well below what's suggested, but I feel pretty full on it. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>FitBit Stats From Yesterday</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Steps:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 12,703</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Distance:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 8.08 miles</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Active minutes:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 85</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>My Stats</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Current weight: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">11st 5.6lbs (Yippee!!! Another target SMASHED.)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next weight target:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 11st 3lbs (I will go from 'obese' to 'over weight' according to the NHS's BMI stats)</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">TOMORROW:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> To BMI Or Not To BMI?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-15266136594878767032015-08-05T10:50:00.002-07:002015-08-05T11:00:14.867-07:00What The F*** Is Quinoa?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've heard lots about Quinoa [keen-WAH] (yes, really, it's not pronounced Quin-noah), so I thought I should investigate it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Incas called it the 'mother grain' and The UN says it contains <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.5px;">all eight of the essential amino acids we need. They consider it to be a supercrop that's packed with dietary fibre, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. It is also gluten-free and easy to digest. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22.5px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.5px;">I tried a ready-prepared batch from Sainsbury's first. I ate it cold with salmon and some salad. The grains were white and red, with the red ones looking very like cress seeds. It tastes a bit nutty really. It doesn't have a particularly strong flavour, so if you like things like rice or couscous, I can't imagine you'd struggle with this. The grains are quite solid and chewy, but again, that's all fine.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.5px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 22.5px;">Next, I tried heating it up. Two cups of water to one cup of quinoa, simmering it for around 15 mins. You need to rinse the grains first because the outside is quite bitter. I haven't tried flavouring it yet, but I'm sure you can in the same way that you'd flavour rice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.5px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.5px;">It's quite nice warm too.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.5px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.5px;">I can't dance around the house with excitement over something so utility, I mean - it's not exactly chocolate cake, but I am</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.5px;"> excited about it because it seems to be pretty healthy and gives me something new I can bulk my food out with that isn't starchy. Yippee!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.5px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.5px;">I'm going to experiment with flavouring it, but am just pleased to have something else to add to my repertoire.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.5px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.5px;">It seems to be available in various forms in the major supermarkets and also in the health food shops, so it's pretty easy to find. The first lot I tried came from a little high street Sainsbury's.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 22.5px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Let's see how I'm doing today...</span></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u><br /></u></b>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>Menu</u></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u><br /></u></b>
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Breakfast:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Yakult and a pink grapefruit.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Lunch:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Chicken and baked beans</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Dinner:</b> Tuna mayo salad with some quinoa ;)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Snack:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Drinks:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 1.5l of tap water</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">This little lot adds up to about <b>620</b></span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> calories</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> according to FitBit. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>FitBit Stats From Yesterday</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u><br /></u></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Steps:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 21,548</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Distance:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 8.54 miles</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Active minutes:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 171</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>My Stats</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u><br /></u></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Current weight: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">11st 7.8lbs (Somehow I'm a pound heavier than yesterday. Perhaps I've retained some water, or turned lots of fat into muscle with all that walking. I wonder if I can get away with blaming my sister's birthday cake on Monday? Annoying.)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next weight target:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 11st 5lbs (I'll have lost exactly 3st at this weight.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next: Weight Loss Plateau</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-72216096076453104462015-08-03T08:08:00.000-07:002015-08-03T01:00:53.459-07:00Moving Targets - Losing Weight Little By LittleOne thing I discovered very early on is that having your eye on the end game is very daunting. If, like me, you have a lot of weight to lose, you are much better off looking for little targets that are achievable in a few days. It's a bit like climbing a mountain. You know you need to get to the top, but finding finger and toe holes is what will get you to the top.<br />
<br />
I started this at 14st 5lbs and I'm now at 11st 6.8lbs. I've just moved my target from 11st 7lbs (my pre-holiday weight) to 11st 5lbs because that's when I'll have lost exactly 3st. V exciting! My target after that will be just one pound further along - 11st 4lbs. This is the point at which I go from being obese to just being overweight. According to the NHS anyway. Then I'll be able to concentrate on getting to 10st-something. I can hardly believe that I'll soon be 10st-something. That seemed impossible back in February when I started this little adventure.<br />
<br />
I can't wait to tell you why 10st 10lbs will be a target :)<br />
<br />
Little steps allow you to tick off all these minor wins and let you see that you're heading in the right direction. You won't lose all the weight overnight, but you really can feel very much better about yourself very quickly.<br />
<br />
Do it!<br />
<br />
Let's see how I'm doing today...<br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>Menu</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Breakfast:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Yakult and a pink grapefruit.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Lunch:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Going back to salad for lunch probably with salmon because I bought a twin pack yesterday and need to eat the second one. Need to take it easy because it's my sister's birthday today, so there will be cake ;)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Dinner:</b> Veg stir fry and cake.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Snack:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink. </span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Drinks:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 1.5l of tap water</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">This little lot adds up to about <b>900</b></span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> calories</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> according to FitBit - I had to guess what the cake might be because it's home-made and won't appear on the FitBit stats. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>FitBit Stats From Yesterday</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Steps:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 13,036</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Distance:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 8.29 miles</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Active minutes:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 106</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>My Stats</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Current weight: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">11st 6.8lbs</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next weight target:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 11st 5lbs (I'll have lost exactly 3st at this weight.)</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">TOMORROW:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> What The F*** Is Quinoa?</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-21044173600082452302015-08-02T14:31:00.000-07:002015-08-02T16:08:35.596-07:00Do Low-Calorie Desserts Really Exist?No.<br />
<br />
I've had a look at online recipes for things purporting to be 'low-calorie' (especially chocolate things) and can report that not a single one was any such thing. When they joyously proclaim things like 'only 50 calories each!', reading a little bit further will reveal why they have so few calories. 'Makes 97 servings'. Hahaha! So, it's 50 calories, but only if you have so little you won't be able to taste it.<br />
<br />
Who makes a batch of something and then cuts into into such teeny portions that even a sparrow would ask for more?<br />
<br />
I then thought it would be fun to have a look at the calorific differences between 'diet' sweets and 'normal' sweets. You know what? If you only have half a Mars Bar, you'll not be far off the calories and <ahem> nutritional value of a Slim Fast chocolate and caramel bar.<br />
<br />
Mars Bars weigh twice what Slim Fast bars weigh, so by halving the Mars bar, you'll have eaten the same quantity as the Slim Fast bar and only 20 calories more. There's more fat and sugar in the Mars bar than the Slim Fast bar, but the Slim Fast bar has lots of scary 'bulking agents' and such.<br />
<br />
Then I had a look at yoghurts. They're nice and healthy, aren't they? In it's natural form, yoghurt is very sharp, so the commercially-produced yoghurts have lots of sugar pumped into them. Muller do a range of diet ones that look OK though.<br />
<br />
So tell me, do you have any genuinely low-calorie ideas for desserts? (Aside from actually eating a piece of fruit. I do that a lot anyway.) I'd love to see them and try them out. I'll keep looking and I'll see about injecting some 'interesting' things into my diet too.<br />
<br />
Here's how I'm doing today - check out the weight target! <beam><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>Menu</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Breakfast:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Yakult and a pink grapefruit.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Lunch:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Tried out toasted Weightwatchers bread. It's like eating dust and is not at all satisfying. I've not been hungry in ages, but I was after that, so I had an apple.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Dinner:</b> Baked salmon, spinach and... quinoa. Will report fully on this soon.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Snack:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink. </span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Drinks:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 1.5l of tap water</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">This little lot adds up to <b>770</b></span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> calories</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> according to FitBit. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>FitBit Stats From Yesterday</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Steps:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 15,352</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Distance:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 5.93 miles</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Active minutes:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 79</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>My Stats</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Current weight: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">11st 7.2lbs (Close enough! On the the next target...)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next weight target:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 11st 5lbs (I'll have lost exactly 3st at this weight.)</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">TOMORROW:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> </span>Moving Targets - Losing Weight Little By LittleAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-9023303183322663792015-08-01T13:52:00.001-07:002015-08-02T00:30:16.682-07:00Cutting Out The CackMy new 'healthy me' scheme involves cutting out a lot of cack. Not just from my diet, but from me too. I suspect we all do it. We say things like 'I'm perfectly happy like this...' or 'nothing I do shifts the pounds...' or how about 'I don't think I eat that badly...' It's all rubbish isn't it? Just trying to kid ourselves. As soon as you can cut that cack and recognise that you need a long term plan to get healthy, get happy and lose a bit of weight, the better. Well, it was for me anyway. And it's no good looking for a quick fix either if you have a lot of weight to lose.<br />
<br />
I've also cut a lot of cack from my diet. Mostly, I've cut out processed sugar - including sugary drinks because those really are empty calories and needless sugar, and I've cut out starchy foods like bread, pasta and potatoes. It was quite tough at first, but it's quite easy now. I just avoid them much of the time, but I'm no saint, I have cake at birthdays and I pinch some of my son's sweets sometimes. I just don't do it anywhere near as much as I used to.<br />
<br />
I bulk my food out with fresh vegetables and have discovered that I love fresh sweetcorn. Baked beans are quite good for making a meal filling too. I have yet to brave the packet of quinoa I have in the cupboard though...<br />
<br />
I feel so much better for eating better. I just feel more awake, more alert and more alive. It's great! Try it for a couple of days and you'll see too.<br />
<br />
My diet's been pretty boring though, which doesn't really bother me, but I'm going to start searching out tasty, healthy recipes (assuming such things exist <g>) to see how much fun I can make this diet.<br />
<br />
I've been working today and so my diet's been a bit hit and miss, but I've done OKish...<br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>Menu</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Breakfast:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Yakult (I was in a rush...)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Lunch:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Chicken and salad with mayo</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Dinner:</b> I might have had a slice of marble cake</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Snack:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink. </span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Drinks:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 1.5l of tap water</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Not entirely sure what this lot really adds up to because FitBit inexplicably doesn't have 'massive chunk of cake' listed. I reckon it's probably about <b>1,000</b></span></span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> calories</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> in total. Lucky I didn't eat the really big slice of cake eh? Happily though, I've spent much of my day on my feet, so hopefully that will have burned a few calories along with all the smiling and being nice to people that I've done. That takes a lot of effort too, so must burn calories :D</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>FitBit Stats From Yesterday</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Steps:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 15,264</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Distance:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 6.09 miles</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Active minutes:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 99</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>My Stats</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Current weight: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">11st 8.0lbs (How annoying is that!?! So tantalisingly close to being 11st 7-something)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next weight target:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 11st 7lbs (pre-holiday weight)</span><br />
<br />
<b>TOMORROW:</b> Do Low-Calorie Desserts Really Exist?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-38418506181098306242015-07-31T13:58:00.002-07:002015-07-31T13:58:39.497-07:00Avoiding Diet TemptationsOh how I'm laughing as I write this blog post. Another timely post...<br />
<br />
I've not not lost any weight today and I can't think why. It can't possibly have anything to do with the half packet of chocolate chip cookies I ate yesterday. Nope. Definitely not that.<br />
<br />
Temptation is EVERYWHERE when you're dieting. I succumbed yesterday which is very annoying because I was all set to regale you all with helpful hints about how to avoid buying cack when you go shopping. You know what though? I'm going to tell you anyway. Do as I say, not as I did. I was better today. Honest.<br />
<br />
I go to the supermarket everyday. So everyday, I am faced with aisle upon aisle filled with goodies. Well, baddies really, but nice tasting baddies. And everyday I am faced with the irony of the supermarket having Diabetes UK as its nominated charity when it peddles so much sugar and badness. But I digress. I have discovered two things that have really helped me to avoid temptation at the shop (except for yesterday).<br />
<br />
Firstly, I eat before I head out. If I'm hungry, I'm much more likely to buy cack than I am when I'm feeling full.<br />
<br />
Secondly, if I buy 'treats' for my son, I buy him things that I don't actually like so I'm not <i>forced</i> to eat them later. I try not to have anything that I should avoid in the house at all. That was the problem yesterday - I had bought biscuits because we have a visitor.<br />
<br />
Gah. I'm so cross with myself for eating those biscuits. I felt really yucky afterwards too. Pffft. I have eaten much better today though...<br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>Menu</u></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Breakfast:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Grapefruit and a Yakult (again)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Lunch:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Tuna mayo and salad. What?! I like mayo, OK? </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Dinner: </b>Omelette and a peach</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Snack:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Drinks:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 1.5l of tap water</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">This little lot adds up to about </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">528 calories</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> according to FitBit. Not a lot of calories is it? I don't feel hungry though, so all good. Fingers crossed that tomorrow's weigh in will be better than today's one was!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>FitBit Stats From Yesterday</u></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Steps:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 16,982</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Distance:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 6.88 miles</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Active minutes:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 99</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>My Stats</u></b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Current weight: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">11st 8.2lbs (Same as yesterday. Booooooo.)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next weight target:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 11st 7lbs (pre-holiday weight)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>TOMORROW:</b> Cutting Out The Cack</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-18673858753857444512015-07-30T09:09:00.001-07:002015-07-30T09:58:34.392-07:00Gym vs WalkingI have chosen my blog subject well today as I have lost a whole pound in 24 hours, which I think is mostly down to having walked 17,000 steps yesterday. I can't be entirely certain, but my calorie intake yesterday was about the same as it was the day before (when I only lost 0.2lbs), but the difference in the number of steps I did is quite large. I also made a conscious effort to walk quickly yesterday, which should burn off more calories. Perhaps only doing 6,000 steps a couple of days ago contributed to me not losing much weight yesterday.<br />
<br />
Obviously, this is in no way a scientific conclusion, but the fact is that I lost a pound in the last day, making 3.4lbs in just four days. I am eating less and eating better, and I am walking. Just walking. That's the only exercise I'm doing. I've been getting up and walking around the block a couple of times every couple of hours. <a href="http://fatbattofitbit.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/what-is-fitbit.html">FitBit</a> is great for reminding me that I have been far too sedentary (lazy) for far too long, and motivating me to get up and MOVE.<br />
<br />
I've been doing the walking thing for about six weeks now and have found that I can walk further and faster than I could to start with by quite some margin. We walk to the supermarket every day which has the added advantage of reducing our food wastage, although it does mean I'm faced with temptation every day. I try to walk everywhere locally and have reduced my fuel consumption by about £10/week. Excellent. I can put that into my <a href="http://fatbattofitbit.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/being-good-to-yourself.html">pampering fund</a> ;)<br />
<br />
I used to go to the gym. I was doing the same diet at the time and so I think it's safe to say, in my unscientific way, that I have found that I am losing weight just as quickly by walking as I did when I belonged to the gym.<br />
<br />
Walking is free. My favourite price to pay for anything.<br />
<br />
The gym was good as it had some variety. You could work out different parts of your body and it was great for toning too. The people in the gym were all nice and I know from talking to the operations manager there, that they are really keen to help people get fit regardless of your starting point.<br />
<br />
I may well go back to the gym if I want a new challenge, but for now, I will save the money and stick with walking further and faster to lose the pounds.<br />
<br />
Give it a go! Just have a 5-10 minute walk 2-3 times a day and see how much better you feel.<br />
<br />
Let's see how I'm doing...<br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>Menu</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Breakfast:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Grapefruit and a Yakult</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Lunch:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> erm... half a packet of chocolate chip cookies (that made me feel very lethargic)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Dinner: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Pork loin and lots of salad with some mayo.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Snack:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink. </span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Drinks:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 1.5l of tap water</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">This little lot adds up to about </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">900 calories</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> according to FitBit.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>FitBit Stats From Yesterday</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Steps:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 17,222 (following yesterday's debacle, I popped out and walked around the block every hour or so)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Distance:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 6.82 miles</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Active minutes:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 137 </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>My Stats</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Current weight: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">11st 8.2lbs (About 3.4lbs down in four days)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next weight target:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 11st 7lbs (pre-holiday weight)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>TOMORROW:</b> Avoiding Temptation</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-64826215461531552182015-07-29T13:02:00.000-07:002015-07-29T13:14:26.078-07:00Being Good To YourselfI've made a number of big changes in my life recently. Diet and exercise are two of them, but another change I've made in a bid to feel better about myself is to do a bit of self-indulgent pampering. As a working single mum, I rarely bother with doing anything for me, but actually it's very important for your inner well-being to take care of yourself. So I decided to try out a few little treats...<br />
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<b><u>Eyelashes</u></b><br />
By far my favourite is thanks to the lovely Stephanie. I bumped into Stef in the gym one day (Woohoo! Get me, bumping into people in a gym!!!) and she told me about her new business. She's doing fake eyelashes. Not just any old ones though, the lashes she uses are very realistic and she glues each one to individual lashes - avoiding the baby lashes - so no looking like letter box draught excluders like the TOWIE girls. I can't tell you how thrilled I am with them. They make my eyes look really big and open. Check it out...<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1PAgbNA5eTYX74m48sU_dASG5Ac0d8tXUZGpL7FOq3IhOACCQBmeQxi2GQHfX6BGdiaf0rcrs6m_BB77HTz_27uezmq0fqcKNw5Bm0LAhxKaaxN7V-Sykh-nuREeGfRXEnT3xQCT6DRI/s1600/Lashes1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1PAgbNA5eTYX74m48sU_dASG5Ac0d8tXUZGpL7FOq3IhOACCQBmeQxi2GQHfX6BGdiaf0rcrs6m_BB77HTz_27uezmq0fqcKNw5Bm0LAhxKaaxN7V-Sykh-nuREeGfRXEnT3xQCT6DRI/s1600/Lashes1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">See how crappy my natural eyelashes are?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHYuDO-DZgHmv6Q8H48XwYTesMZANzpFnINQME4Cr3kdhsRxlQb-q8WQBiVokJBXG6DoY5V83cQY2DQLM71HyJ1kgH4bCHbPGdLLJEkRhmbMU6JrAMDu7hfwDG-iTRHHeY2AhMTrNi6yr/s1600/Lashes2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHYuDO-DZgHmv6Q8H48XwYTesMZANzpFnINQME4Cr3kdhsRxlQb-q8WQBiVokJBXG6DoY5V83cQY2DQLM71HyJ1kgH4bCHbPGdLLJEkRhmbMU6JrAMDu7hfwDG-iTRHHeY2AhMTrNi6yr/s200/Lashes2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ta da! This is my eye afterwards</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Neat eh? I have no make up on at all in the second shot and I wake up with my eyes looking like that too. Shame no one gets to see that, but hey!<br />
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I have them topped up every fortnight. Well worth the money. EVERYONE notices how great my eyes look now. Check out Stef's site: <a href="http://www.minkblink.co.uk/">http://www.minkblink.co.uk/</a><br />
<br />
Cost: £85 (full set), £45 (top-up)<br />
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<b><u>Eyebrows</u></b><br />
I've been getting my eyebrows threaded (ouch!) and dyed too. I'm a red head, so my eyebrows (and lashes) are naturally fair. Getting my eyebrows shaped and dyed has been a revelation too, although the first time they were done, the dye was too dark and I looked like a child had taken to me with a black marker pen.<br />
<br />
Cost: £8 for threading and about £12 for both threading and dying.<br />
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<b><u>Nails</u></b><br />
I've had acrylics a few times because my nails have always been a bit flimsy, but since being on my diet, my nails are now quite strong and have grown of their own accord. Happy days! So, I have invested in five bottles of nail polish so I can spoil myself. I even had a pedicure.<br />
<br />
Cost: £4/bottle of nail polish.<br />
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<b><u>Hair</u></b><br />
The one thing I've always liked about myself is my hair, but I've never done anything with it. Because it's long and straight, I can get away with leaving it alone for years. Not any more though. I've been getting it trimmed every eight weeks recently and it looks and feels great.<br />
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Cost £38<br />
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OK, some of these thing are expensive and won't be within everyone's budget. I can only just scrape together enough money for it, but it really does make me feel good, so I think it's worth it. You can buy face packs for £1 and treat yourself like that, and buying a bottle of nail polish isn't too bad.<br />
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Take a bit of time and do something nice for yourself. It's a really important part of your well-being.<br />
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Now, let's see how the diet's going...<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>Menu plan</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Breakfast:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Grapefruit and a Yakult</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Lunch:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Salmon and green salad</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Dinner: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Omelette. (Massively busy still, but trying to keep eating fairly healthily)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Snack:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink. </span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Drinks:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 1.5l of tap water</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">This little lot adds up to about </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">820 calories</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> according to FitBit.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>FitBit Stats From Yesterday</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Steps:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 10,685 (following yesterday's debacle, I popped out and walked around the block every hour or so)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Distance:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 4.24 miles</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Active minutes:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 86 </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><u>My Stats</u></b><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Current weight: </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">11st 9.2lbs (About 2.5lbs down in three days)</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next weight target:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> 11st 7lbs (pre-holiday weight)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>TOMORROW:</b> Gym vs Walking</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-27039075106662279492015-07-28T07:47:00.001-07:002015-07-28T07:51:14.697-07:00What Is A FitBit?I love my FitBit. I got it from eBay for £45. It's just the basic 'Flex' one, but it has really helped me to realise how sedentary I am. (That's posh for 'lazy'). It's also made me think much more about what I eat.<br />
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Here's the thing, there's a very simple equation to weight loss (or gain!):<br />
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Calories In - Calories Out = Weight Gain/Loss<br />
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So, if you can get a handle on what you're eating and how many calories you're burning, you'll crack this equation. Calories in = what you eat/drink. Calories out = what you burn off through exercise and generally being alive. Simples.<br />
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My FitBit is synced to my phone and to my laptop and I have set it to losing 2lbs per week. I have plugged in my weight and I can list the food I eat so it can tell me how many calories I've consumed. It let's me know if that's more than I should have, or if I have some wiggle room. If you've over-done it with the food, you can move around more and watch the calories being worked off.<br />
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Because you wear your FitBit, it monitors the steps you take and it recognises when you're moving faster too. I've watched the steps as they register on my phone and I have to say that it's surprisingly accurate.<br />
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Even if it wasn't 100% accurate, it has made me see when I've not moved enough. My job involves me sitting at a desk. Some days, I sit here from dawn until... dawn actually. I've pulled numerous all-nighters to hit deadlines. This week is particularly busy for me and so I'm very conscious that I'm spending far too much time sitting on my backside. Yesterday, I spotted that I'd only done 700 steps all day and so I went marching around the block and got them up to 6,000. Not quite my target of 15,000 (!), but a lot better than it could have been. Today, I have forced myself to walk to the supermarket and have just returned from another brisk walk around the block. Bish bosh, that's 8,000 steps done on a day where I would otherwise not have done a tenth as much.<br />
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I even managed to lose some weight overnight - 0.6lbs gone. That's over 2lbs in 2 days. Bloomin' marvellous. The holiday weight will soon be gone.<br />
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You could do all of these things without a FitBit, or with another similar product, but I have truly found it to be a fab way of getting a handle on the weight loss equation.<br />
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Other cool functions on the FitBit are being able to challenge friends to walking duels, and being able to monitor your sleep patterns. It shows periods of restlessness and waking. I have 99% sleep efficiency which seems to mean that I slip into a coma at night, or just die. Either way, I sleep very well :)<br />
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There are other more expensive FitBits that show your step count on the wrist band and that measure your heartbeats. Mine doesn't. Mine is just the basic Flex one.<br />
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<b><u>Menu plan</u></b><br />
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<b>Breakfast:</b> Apple (I got up really early to work and missed brekkie, so just had an apple. Not ideal, but this is my real life.)<br />
<b>Lunch:</b> Missed. As above.<br />
<b>Dinner: </b>Will make sure I eat a decent sized salad with some salmon this evening and a grapefruit. I do love grapefruit.<br />
<b>Snack:</b> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink. Might have that now as a matter of fact.<br />
<b>Drinks:</b> 1.5l of tap water<br />
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This little lot adds up to about <b>420 calories</b> according to FitBit. Not really enough, but I don't feel hungry, so it'll have to suffice. Don't suppose I'll fade away. I will endeavour to do better tomorrow.<br />
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<b><u>FitBit Stats From Yesterday</u></b><br />
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<b>Steps:</b> 6,337 - pffft.<br />
<b>Distance:</b> 2.5 miles<br />
<b>Active minutes:</b> 47<br />
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<b><u>My Stats</u></b><br />
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<b>Current weight: </b>11st 9.4lbs<br />
<b>Next weight target:</b> 11st 7lbs (pre-holiday weight)<br />
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<b>TOMORROW: 'Being Good To Yourself'</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-58127750788601877392015-07-27T02:52:00.001-07:002015-07-27T02:52:22.934-07:00Losing 2lbs A WeekI have my FitBit set at losing 2lbs a week, which seems to be a sensible and achievable target. There's really no point in hoping you'll lose a stone a week because it just won't happen. Not without removing a limb or making yourself very ill at any rate.<br />
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Losing 2lbs a week is actually quite unlikely. In my experience, sometimes I lose more and sometimes I lose less, but that's my target. It's a good target because it gets you into a mind set that says 'I'm here for the long-haul' rather than 'I'm still holding out for a quick-fix', and it's fairly realistic if you average it out over a longer period of time.<br />
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Some good news though is that, when you first embark on your new 'HEALTHY YOU' regimen, you'll probably find that weight melts away quite quickly for the first few days, or even for the first couple of weeks. This will give you a happy little boost. All the reading I've done on this seems to suggest that much of this is down to losing water rather than fat, but I'll take that. All wins are good wins :D<br />
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I've seen lots of 'miracle' products claiming you'll lose half a stone in a fortnight thanks entirely to their products. Actually, you'll probably lose that kind of weight just by starting a sensible diet and exercise programme.<br />
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Yesterday, I re-embarked on my mission to lose weight and I can tell you that I stepped on the scales this morning and am down 1.6lbs. In your face, holiday baggage! I haven't taken any 'miracle' products. I have just eaten sensibly - reducing processed sugars and carbs - and chomping my way through fruit and veg instead. I also walked more than 15,000 steps. So, diet and exercise was all I needed.<br />
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I expect my weight loss will be relatively speedy for the next few days as my body suddenly has to do a re-think now that it's not getting any holiday fodder. This will slow down. It'll probably plateau at some point too. I'll talk about how frustrating this is when it happens in another post.<br />
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My diet today will be fairly tedious, but that's because I have a LOT of work to do and little time to think about making my food exciting. Oh, and my laptop has decided to be very flaky. How does technology know when you really need it to work well?!?<br />
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<b><u>Menu plan</u></b><br />
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<b>Breakfast:</b> Pink grapefruit<br />
<b>Lunch:</b> Half chicken breast with back bacon and lots of salad with some mayo<br />
<b>Dinner: </b>The rest of the chicken breast and bacon with baked beans<br />
<b>Snack:</b> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink - I might push the boat out and have a butterscotch one cos that's how I roll ;)<br />
<b>Drinks:</b> 1.5l of tap water<br />
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This little lot adds up to about <b>730 calories</b> according to FitBit.<br />
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<b><u>FitBit Stats From Yesterday</u></b><br />
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<b>Steps:</b> 15,935<br />
<b>Distance:</b> 6.29 miles<br />
<b>Active minutes:</b> 125<br />
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<b><u>My Stats</u></b><br />
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<b>Current weight: </b>11st 10lbs<br />
<b>Next weight target:</b> 11st 7lbs (pre-holiday weight)<br />
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<b>TOMORROW: 'What Is A FitBit?'</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-68803052044169848512015-07-26T03:00:00.001-07:002015-07-26T03:00:33.476-07:00Getting Shot Of The Holiday PoundsUh oh. I braved hopping on the scales to see what damage my three week trip around Europe has done. Let's just say that I didn't exactly stick to my diet. But who does when they're away? I don't want to be a complete diet bore. I ate better than I would have done before the diet started, but I still stuffed down ice-cream, pate and fresh bread. Not all together. That would be horrible.<br />
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According to the scales, I have managed to put on 4.5lbs. Actually, that's not as bad as I'd feared. Although I relaxed the old diet, I did do quite a bit of exercise. I made myself walk around, often in quite hot temperatures and carrying a rucksack, so that must burn more calories than just strolling around normally.<br />
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Today, I need to climb back on the wagon and eat better. I've been to the supermarket and bought 'sensible' food. I plan to have a bit of a boring day food-wise today to see what weight vanishes over night.<br />
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<b><u>Menu plan</u></b><br />
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<b>Breakfast: </b>Two egg omelette<br />
<b>Lunch:</b> Baked salmon and lots of salad with a blob of mayo - sorry, I can't eat salad without mayo<br />
<b>Dinner: </b>Grilled pork loin steak with veggies but no spuds and a pink grapefruit for pud<br />
<b>Snack:</b> Ovaltine Options hot choccie drink.<br />
<b>Drinks:</b> 1.5l of tap water<br />
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According to FitBit, this little lot adds up to about <b>722 calories</b>. If I get hungry during the day, I'll eat an apple or some other piece of fruit.<br />
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Lots of variety with essential fats from meats/eggs and lots of different vitamins and minerals too. You need to have plenty of variety, so you don't miss out on any essential nutrients. Water's really important too. My skin looks great through this diet and I suspect a lot of that is because of the amount of water I consume.<br />
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I'll also do <b>15,000 steps</b> today. Let's see if I can shift half a pound today. Will report back in the morning as I weigh myself at the same time every day.<br />
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The lesson I'll take from this is that I will probably have to watch my weight forever, but that's OK as long as I monitor it and deal with it quickly.<br />
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<b>Current weight:</b> 11st 11.6lbs<br />
<b>Next weight target:</b> 11st 7lbs (pre-holiday weight)<br />
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<b>TOMORROW: 'Losing 2lbs A Week'</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979744206065251113.post-84725170852406743532015-07-26T02:55:00.004-07:002015-07-26T02:55:52.961-07:00How To Lose Weight: From FatBat to FitBitHere's the thing about losing weight - you want it gone NOW, or by next Saturday at the latest. But that's just not going to happen, unless you're aiming to lose half a pound, in which case you might just be OK.<br />
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I was exactly the same, but as soon as I accepted that the weight had taken years to pile on and wasn't going to be in any rush to leave, I suddenly found that I could get on with it. And you know what? I haven't needed to lose the whole lot anyway to feel better in myself and about myself. In fact, after two stone, people started to notice and I could get into much smaller clothes again (I'm comfortably in a 16 now and can just about squeeze into 14 as long as I don't need to eat, sit or breathe <g> - down from a 22!!!). All good stuff!<br />
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If all you want is to look good in that little black dress again, you'll be searching for a quick fix - and they really don't exist. I've tried all kinds of things and none of them work, so save your dosh. If you look at losing weight as being a programme to get you HEALTHIER though, you'll tackle it very differently. So look to be healthy, which will happily also make you look gorgeous eventually.<br />
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There's a really simple formula to losing weight. Eat less than you burn off and you will lose weight. Simples. So, EAT LESS AND MOVE MORE. More specifically, eat less in quantity AND try to cut out the cack we all consume. I have ditched all the processed sugar and processed carbs. I'm eating lots of salad and fruit. I try to ensure that my diet is balanced, so I eat a lot of tuna, salmon, chicken and eggs to ensure I'm getting essential protein and fats. I also take a multi vitamin and an Actimel or Yakult, just to be certain that I'm not missing anything. I dumped cordials too and now drink a lot of water. And I drink Ovaltine Options. Those have been a real life-saver - they tick my sweet tooth box and they're quite filling too.<br />
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Yes, it's boring, but I feel so much better for it.<br />
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I'm finding the food side of things perfectly manageable and I haven't really felt hungry. If I do feel hungry, I go with it and get something healthy to eat. We've had two family birthdays this month and so I've had cake. That was fine. I got straight back on with the diet afterwards. No problem. In fact, once a week I eat a bit more because it's supposed to give the metabolism a bit of a kick.<br />
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I needed to lose five stone and so I embarked on my weight loss mission on 1 February 2015 - five months ago. I joined a gym and did lots of exercise, much of which I hated. I've managed to tear something or other that joins my sternum to my ribs while I did some weights, and I have no idea what I've done to a tendon in my thigh, but it bloody hurts. So, I cancelled the gym membership and invested in a FitBit and I have lost as much weight using this as I ever did at the gym.<br />
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There are lots of things out there like the FitBit, but that's the one I have and so it's the one I'll tell you about. Specifically, I have the FitBit Flex. The FitBit is a little bracelet you wear that monitors your movement. It counts the number of steps you do in a day and it's surprisingly addictive. I make sure I do at least 12,000 steps a day (10k is what's suggested). This is making me fitter, building muscle and helping me to lose the weight. It's GREAT and it's EASY to do. You can challenge your friends via FitBit too, so that's quite fun if, like me, you CANNOT lose... EVER :D<br />
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You can record the food you've consumed on FitBit too, so you can see when you've messed up and you can get out and do some extra walking. You'll often find me pounding the streets late at night desperately trying to burn off any excess calories. The neighbours must think I'm bonkers. Well OK, they already think that, this just confirms their suspicions.<br />
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I lost the first stone really quickly. It melted away in about three weeks. The second stone took longer and the third one has been a devil to shift, but I'm nearly there - just two pounds to go. I expect the fourth and fifth stones will be harder still, but I'm up for the challenge. It really helps that I am already feeling so much better about myself - and I look a LOT better too. You really don't need to lose all the weight to feel very much better about yourself, so it doesn't matter if it takes me another six months to lose the next two stone. I want to do it safely and in a way that I will be able to keep it off.<br />
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I set myself lots of little targets rather than focussing on the end game. In two pounds, I will have lost three stone. Five pounds after that, I will be 10-stone-something. OK, it'll be 10 stone 13lbs, but a win's a win, right? Three pounds after that, I'll have lost as much weight as my little boy weighs!!! You see? Lots of little targets.<br />
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Here are the obligatory then and now pics...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3N1ZFjXUrF7_FO6aHT5_k19LnzxHORTKrY9hY1AJ7Q7PqsdR_PqK8ZlHGBk-H0naSbow01qqPUxFAkG75Nt_-qITsqns9MrwdiZiSYfdbRfae5Enc9H-um1-7CpjxDncJ5VpGNCn6aSk/s1600/FatJane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3N1ZFjXUrF7_FO6aHT5_k19LnzxHORTKrY9hY1AJ7Q7PqsdR_PqK8ZlHGBk-H0naSbow01qqPUxFAkG75Nt_-qITsqns9MrwdiZiSYfdbRfae5Enc9H-um1-7CpjxDncJ5VpGNCn6aSk/s320/FatJane.jpg" width="111" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLn8qELjHWNbnvEah-xsDUWQ02jeDGq9A67k91V0TURIsV9whWvWG4DinSPd9H8ZfLKnPUQ3cLvA95SV9gePni8ha1o_sxfQl6gvZsvi6SpHd-bWnfTMCIu4_ikoMk-SD4aJD92DpY-smk/s1600/Jane2July2015smlrotated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLn8qELjHWNbnvEah-xsDUWQ02jeDGq9A67k91V0TURIsV9whWvWG4DinSPd9H8ZfLKnPUQ3cLvA95SV9gePni8ha1o_sxfQl6gvZsvi6SpHd-bWnfTMCIu4_ikoMk-SD4aJD92DpY-smk/s320/Jane2July2015smlrotated.jpg" width="152" /></a></div>
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Not perfect, but a hell of a lot better. I even have ankles!<br />
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So, just do it. Want to be HEALTHIER. Forget the quick fixes. Every step you take makes you a teeny bit fitter. Every pound you lose makes you a little bit healthier. A pound is actually quite a lot. Go and look at a bag of sugar. That'll weigh about two pounds. See? It's quite a lot, isn't it?<br />
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Go for it!<br />
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Jane x<br />
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PS. Just to be clear, I'm not in any way medically trained and nor am I a nutritionist. I'm just a FatBat who's hoping to become a FitBit ;)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00614468468901484601noreply@blogger.com0