Day 13: Obligatory Diet Post

It's Saturday... the day of stress in this house.

Even before marriage and children I've never known what to do with myself on a Saturday. This is probably due to me always working on them during my formative years and well into my mid 20s.

To this day I find the whole process that is Saturday horrific.

The Brothers Thing always act up on Saturdays, Mr C is more often than not mardy and not in the mood to do things.

Overall I crave routine. This comes out, more often than not in my eating. I crave sweet things, stodgy things, simple carbohydrates - basically stuff wrapped in bread! (That's a throwback from my 15 years in the catering industry working in cafes, bars and restaurants up and down the country).

Instead I'm almost 2 weeks into 6 weeks of permanent Saturdays. Which right now is half making me want to hide at the moment of the biscuit tin or seeking solace in the company of Ben & Jerry.

My clothes don't like this however. So I have to be careful. I have lost and gained and lost again more weight than I am going to ever acknowledge. This year alone I have gone up and down within the same 18lb. I'm currently 7lb down again, another 11lb to my lowest weight this year, 28lb to my lightest in 2 years and 84lb to my lightest in 8 years. Even then I wasn't a skinny minny, I still had only just gotten into a size 18/20.

 Then to underline how bad I have gotten recently I went on a cub camp, we took a hike (on the hottest day of the year) I could barely make it up the hill and through a field. That is just plain embarrassing, when last summer I was running 5 and 10k races. I am so disappointed that I let myself go back to this size and the lack of fitness.

Right now my best friend is the website myfitnesspal.com. I wouldn't have said that yesterday when I forced myself on to the treadmill so I could eat my tea, mainly because I'd had a syrup waffle and salted peanut binge. Never a good idea. But at least I counted. That I have to look at as a positive. In the last 2 weeks I have lost 7lbs. Which is better than a kick in the teeth, but still it's just not enough.

I am planning to return to eating in the style of 5:2 next week, as I'm returning to the office twice a week - my school holidays are over, fast days on Wednesday and Thursdays. However, I've just been told about 16:8 which is where you only eat between 12noon and 8pm every day. This may be the best idea for the next few weeks of the summer holidays. It is though to have the same health benefits as fasting but I'm not so sure about the weight loss bit.

So it may occur that Saturday may turn into weight loss rant day.

Enjoy.

Day 2: It's also Mr Cs Birthday

Today is Mr C's 40th birthday... I'm officially a crappy wife. His present didn't arrive in time.

We spent today just down the road from Bumpkinsville in York. I took the Brothers Thing to the Castle Museum and the Jorvik Centre while Mr C got himself some new ink.

Still going strong on the calorie count but then it is only day 2.

After inputting some figures on MFP I appear to have walked off an entire days worth of a normal-sized person's calories this morning. That should have created a nice deficit for the end of the week, whether I get to any scales or not is another matter.

In more girly type news, my nails are finally looking something like being presentable again. It has been a long time. I'm coating them in 24k gold strength nail experts by Avon and used the gel strength base coat too (not to mention the Rimmel white tip and Disco Ball glitter varnish for a bit of sparkle).

Day 1: In the School Holiday House

So it's the first day of the Summer Holidays.

Mr C is home, the boys are home, I spent this morning attempting to stop one child imploding and the other from being bored.

We collected Mr C's new garden toy yesterday (a cylinder lawn mower), so a portion of the morning saw him attempting to tame the gazelle-filled jungle out there.

By the time I got back from doing my weekly Granny Chores and collecting the books in from my Avon Customers.

This week is a rare one here at BeeBee Towers, both myself and Mr C is off for a full week... with the kids, we usually plan it so much better than this!

Today we were due to go to York, alas Charlie Boy got there first, tomorrow we were going to Bridlington - guess what happening tomorrow? Yep Charlie and the wife are going there tomorrow. But who knows now that Kate is in labour. Not that it should be making all the headlines it has been for a few twinges.

So, what's a girl to do when she's surrounded by boys in meltdown... She paints her nails with sparkly glitter!

I can only hope that today is due to the weekend the Brothers Thing spent at the Outlaws mixed with a rough day calorie counting...

I have joined the masses in logging my day at myfitnesspal.com, I had been using it previously for logging my fast days, however in a fit of inspiration last night I decided that a fast day was never going to happen with the boys and Mr C all at home at the same time. For my size I get loads of calories to use, yet today I'm still starving. Must be the shock of cutting back again. Especially after falling off the chocolate wagon last night in a serious fashion.

Maybe it will be okay after a decent night's sleep.

A Time to Look Forward

I love the promises that each New Year brings. Its like a blank canvas ready for anything. The future is ready for you to shape it in anyway that you see fit. Anything seems possible on New Years Eve.

But why, on a whole, do we keep this feeling of optimism just for the beginning of a new year? It is a feeling we should be able to harness at anytime of year. We just need to believe.

Which is why I recently got myself inked again to remind me at all times to Believe. Things may get tough and difficult and times but everything can be survived and often we come out stronger at the other side, better for the experience but its believing that we can make it through the tough times that is the most difficult life skill. One that I am only just learning, and I hope it is a lesson I can instill in my children that EVERYTHING is possible. You can do ANYTHING that you put your mind to. The only thing standing in your way is YOURSELF.

Plans

What are your plans for this upcoming brand spanking new year? I used to make lots of Resolutions. This year I am making a to do list instead, as the year goes on I will be crossing off those things that I complete and add new things I want to do as well.

At the moment I stand with three main ones:

1. Get a social life - Since having my boys I don't go out as much as I used to, but I also tend to just stay in sofa bound with my husband. I want us all to socialise more next year. It will be good for us as a unit giving us new things to talk about and good for our children to see us and to learn how to act in a new environment.

2. Remember the birthdays of those I love - I tend to be really unorganised in this respect, and they sneak upon me. If this happened to me I wouldn't like it so why do I do it to other people.  I have diaries and calenders, it shouldn't be too difficult to do (you would think!)

3. Go to Nandos - Yes shallow, but hey I really want to go!

Yes there are other things I will want to do, and will do but for now those are the main things.

I will continue my weightloss journey, but this is not on my things to do as I accept myself as I am and I am simply just making myself the best me I can be. There is nothing about me I want to change.

Currently I stand just 3lbs off my 2 stone target. Then as ever I will set my next target from then.

Questions for you:

What are you looking forward to doing in the New Year?

Do you make Resolutions?