My face, after today

I'm so happy!!

Nearly 2 stone down!

Yeah so I'm still nowhere near...but...it's happening!! I'm on my way!
Lost 3.5lb this week which brings my total, in 11 weeks, up to 27.5lbs. That's 2.5lb a week, exactly. Hoping, somewhat, that it was more. But right now, I'm on track and this weight loss is healthy and slow, yet achievable in the long run.

This week, nearer the end of the week, I decided to cut out all of my syns altogether, by substituting them with other things. Replaced olives (4 pitted = 1 syn) for extra green pepper in my stir-fries, replaced hot chocolate (2 syns per portion) with yet more tea! They are the main offenders, so everything else right now is pretty much cut out subconsciously. Have cut out Mugshots altogether this week, I'm only going to go back onto them once I'm in Spain and needing either something different, or if I've run out of money (inevitable) or in school lunch breaks.

So, this week, I stayed at the group. It's now my penultimate session, so it's now wise to stay for the last couple and our consultant brought up the idea of 'Success Express', which I am currently researching before I start it (probably) tomorrow.

Success Express

• 3 meals a day
• Each meal must consist of: 2/3 plate = superfree foods (fruit/vegetables) 1/3 - free foods (egg, lean meat, seafood)
• choose 1 or 2 healthy extra a, and 2 healthy extra b (which can be used as part of the meal)
• SNACK ONLY on superfree (e.g. fruit, syn free yoghurt)
• can have 5-15 syns a day, must count the higher syn value

I would say this is similar to the plan I was following near the end of the week - I have no syns, a bowl of cereal every day. The only thing I'd say I've not got in huge amounts is the superfree, although a substantial amount of my diet includes superfree. Now I know where to snack, at least, anyway...I think I need to split some of my bigger meals into a smaller meal + snack, I think this would be best. So I'm going to kick that off tomorrow when I have more time...

So what did we learn at group today: Christmas is in 14 weeks. What!? I thought Mince Pies had only been available for a couple of months???!
We were reminded of christmas in group today - shocker - while we were handed little christmas trees so that we could colour in a bauble whenever we lost a pound (...I'll stick to my welsh pound for £ money box please. But thanks for the encouragement.)
Anyway, through this whole weight loss thing that I've been doing for about eleven weeks, my average loss per week has been 2.5lb per week. Everyone in the slimming world community is saying, both online and even overheard at my local group, 'well, lose a pound a week for the next 14 weeks, and you've lost a stone'. You can see where I'm going with this.

I'm already way ahead of you, fella. And probably ahead of myself, but it's a little harmless prediction that may spur me on...

I'm currently losing about 5lb per fortnight.

2 weeks = 5lb

14 weeks = 35lb..?

So if I keep this up, that'll be another 2.5st off by christmas. What do we reck, is this possible? I'm just hoping now that I won't hit a lull where I keep maintaining each week just due to the fact my body is changing.

How much is lipo in Spain anyway? (Joking, JOKING. I did not come this far to cheat my way to be thin(ner))

If all goes to plan with that, I'll have lost 62.5 which is around 2 thirds towards my target. And by then I imagine I'll look like I've lost a lot of timber (well, one can hope..) This is probably unimaginable by this point, end of december, but I'll be so happy if I can get even near enough to that - being even halfway there would be a massive achievement, and probably shocking to the friends of mine which I've not yet told about this escapade..

So then came weigh-in. 3.5lb off. I'm not saying I'm disappointed but...well..it's 0.5lb off my 2 stone award. WHY does this always happen?! All the same, I got slimmer of the week, which meant I took home all sorts of goodies - namely apples, potatoes and some kind individual added 10 calorie/portion jelly (THANK YOU, I send you good tidings and love whoever you are.) And a brand new shiny sticker on the back of my book, my third in three weeks.

This is now my SECOND slimmer of the week award too! So I've been buzzing quite a lot this evening. Let's hope I can keep it up for next week so that I can buy my charm bracelet (see "upcoming goals on the right) and go away to Spain 2+stone lighter than I thought I would be!!

Slimming World Achievements thus far...(1/2st, 1st, 1.5st,
Slimmer of the week x2, Club 10)

Hate(d) Something, Change(d) Something, Made Something Better.

This week has dragged, I have to say. The weather's been hotter, the house dysfunctional, and I've got details about my upcoming job coming out of my ears (the main cause for my very delayed blogging, sorry). Genuinely, it's taken all I can not to imagine gin-ing myself to death, or to five-finger-pick food in the fridge. I avoid this by drinking so much tea, which cannot be good in the long run. I've neither had alcohol or face-planted the fridge but I feel more inclined to eat now even when I'm not hungry - and it's terrible, it feels as if it's taking its toll. What's worse is I've reached my most recent reward and can't afford it - it's been depressing. I've managed to motivate myself to cross-train enough, but I've not felt right. I've wondered about how to speed this up and although I've not found the anaswer to that, however I've finally found the answer to motivate myself, and I'm going to share this with you.

Everyone hits a lull, I suppose, and I think that ten weeks into this, that isn't too bad (it is suggested that it takes a person 6 weeks to get into a habit so now that I'm where I am, I know that I can't falter for a very long time now especially with this ecletic mix of happiness pounding in my ears)

So, to get out of this, I went looking for a goal-date predictor which I found on a forum (if anyone wants this, to motivate yourself, then forward me your email in a comment or get in touch via my twitter (@flelafel ) and I'll send you this graph. It is an absolutely EXCELLENT graph. You simply enter your details and from that you're told your BMI, BMR, percentages lost and all sorts. You can see it on a chart. Main thing too, is that it shows you when you're predicted to reach your goal. It records your transformation and progress over the course of a year with not too much difficulty. Here's an image (you enter your details in the yellow boxes and then the red arrow signifies where you can opt to see your progress in graph form. If someone like me who can't even format pictures properly can use it, then anyone can!)

From this, I've been able to see my progress in table form and it's put in perspective how much has changed. I'm looking at it differently now because yes, it's gradual and I want it to go faster, but if it's done at a healthy rate, I feel the effects will be more long-lasting.

MY STATS AFTER TEN WEEKS

• I have lost 22.5 lbs/10.21 kg
• I have lost 3.49 from my BMI
• I have lost 98.69 from my BMR
• I've lost roughly 0.3 pounds per day and roughly 2.5 pounds per week
• I've lost 24.19% of my target loss (22.5/93)
• My estimated goal date: March 19th 2013

Seeing your progress on a chart, with very little effort involved except data entry, has made it realise how far I've come, but it's not just the figures that can prove how much I've changed my lifestyle around. A few months ago, I'd get out of puff walking up any incline. I'd laze around in uni eating probably ritz crackers or some equivalent and we'd watch TV vacantly. A friend of mine and I ate whole tubs of Ben and Jerry's to ourselves during our exams in May, now I won't even touch a carbohydrate without thinking twice. It really hit me the other day - when I was packing up my stuff from uni, I couldn't even lift my huge suitcase (hid it in the garage and avoided packing it - sneaky student through and through, and yesterday I carried it up the stairs with no great difficulty. I'm sprinting on the cross trainer. I paid, yes, paid for a couch to 5k app and I'm in my second week, having avoided running for most of my life! Rather than just sneaking in from nights out, I'd be going out to swim at 6am. I'd drink pints and gin in the daytime - I haven't touched even a drop of alcohol since graduation two and a half months ago (that's not such a great achievement, but for me it's a huge adjustment!) Post-exams I used to fuck around like a inebriated troglodyte, and now my heart is set on my diet and fitness, and of course, moving to Spain. My mind and thinking finally feels healthier and adjusted, my body - cleaner, fitter, and like I'm finally testing what it's capable of doing.

I've gone from being this beery lazy gin-soaked loser to...well, less of the alcohol and laziness. And I feel like I've achieved something.  I'm not fully transformed but I'm here, I'm writing this health kick blog, and I'm trying. I'm transforming, slowly but surely...

Still, I'm going out tonight. No drinks, just unadulterated fun. We'll see how that goes, in this tiny town! Have a great friday 

Xxx

PS To motivate myself moreso, I've also bought this bad boy. Currently holding £22.50, £1 is put in every time I lose a pound. See how that goes, eh?

Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad...