Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me): Week 10

I've managed to keep my resolve for a second week and I'm pleased to say that making a firm decision to concentrate solely on ProPoints and to forget how the old plan worked was the right one to make.  Reading through the Weight Watchers message boards it is evident that I'm not the only person who has stumbled with the change.  My advice for anyone in the same boat who is struggling making the change from the original Weight Watchers plan to the ProPoints is simply to forget everything you've been told so far.  Start ProPoints as if you are totally new to Weight Watchers at all.  Forget you ever had a relationship and don't compare the two but remember that WW are a big brand and aren't about to risk their reputation for something that hasn't been tried, tested and doesn't work.  It has to work.

This week I ate most of my points most days.  A couple of days I dipped into my weeklies but only half a dozen or so.  I just didn't need them this week.  I also earned twenty-something activity points, thanks to daily exercise on the Wii.

Fitting in the exercise is proving a bit of a challenge.  Early mornings are taken up with getting as many chores done as possible and getting the children breakfasted and ready for the day.  The rest of the mornings are spent on lessons while rotating laundry, fitting in other bits and pieces that can be done while lessons are being done and simultaneously bouncing a baby on my lap or carrying him around on my hip.  Then comes lunch time and then the afternoons are there for non workbook activities for the children and is also meant to be the time I ought to be doing the bulk of my chores that I can fit in while baby sleeps before beginning preparing and cooking the evening meal between 3.30-4pm in time for Mike to return home at 4.45pm.  This means that I have between about 1 and 3.30pm to fit everything in that I need to fit in, but this doesn't always work out and lately I'm getting frustrated that the jobs I need to get done aren't getting done.

Anyway, I was talking about fitting in exercise.  I find that if I finish sitting with Eddie and his lessons early enough, I can squeeze in a workout while the baby is still awake and the toddler is napping.  It does mean though, that I still have to be available if Cait and Harry need me as they'll still be working so often workouts can be interrupted to sign something off, to discuss something or simply to tell them to stop talking and get on with their work.  Another thing I've tried is to get up at 4am, rather than my usual 5am.  However, it's not something I think I can make a habit of doing!

Regardless, it's definitely something I want to keep at as I am enjoying it and do like seeing results.  I'm just going to have to find a way of better using my time during the day for the "need to do" things as well as the "want to do" things.

The night before weigh-ins is always stressful I find, because I'm wondering if I lost or not.  If I didn't after all the hard work I did putting in the exercise and sticking to the plan religiously, I would be extremely disheartened. My friend came up with the idea that WW should invent a set of scales that plug into your computer and if you haven't lost weight they'd blow the thing up.  She reckons everyone would make sure they lost weight.  Somehow I don't think WW would be asking her for the patent to that idea anytime soon.

If this were the case then my computer would be breathing a sigh of relief this week as the scales showed up a 3lb loss, giving me a total loss of 8lbs on my first two weeks on the ProPoints plan.  Not only that but my total loss so far since going back onto WW (original and ProPoints) over the last ten weeks is 1st 2lbs!  My next mini-goal is to lose a further 2½lbs, whereby I'll have lost 10% of my starting weight.  It would be so wonderful to hit that target next week.

My report for this week is as follows:

Starting weight: 13st 1 (or 183lbs)

Week 10 results: Lost 3 lbs

Current weight: 11st 13lbs (167lbs)

Total loss to date: 1st 2lbs  (or 16lbs)

Amount to lose before freeing Skinny Me: 3st 2lbs (or 44lbs)

Looking forward to lunch

It's a pretty poor photo taken with my phone and doesn't do the meal any justice at all but this is what I had for lunch yesterday.  It's what I'll be having today too.  Not only is it tasty and incredibly filling but best of all it is only 4 Weight Watchers ProPoints! 

I put 2 large flat mushrooms on a baking tray with a couple of chopped shallots.  I cut 50g of Apetina Light 10% feta cheese into slices (2 ProPoints) and placed them on top of the mushrooms, then put them in the oven until the cheese had melted (around 15-20 minutes).  In the meantime, I soaked 20g of bulgar wheat (2 ProPoints), then placed the lot on a lovely, fresh green salad.

It's eating stuff like this that makes me think, perhaps I can stick to it after all!

Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me): Week 9

I know I'm late reporting in again.  I apologise.

Well last week brought about quite a few eye opening occasions which gave me the much needed kick to get back onto the weight loss wagon.

Firstly was my mum's reassurance that the pyjama top she gave me should fit as "I bought the biggest size I could find."  Oh goodo.  That makes me feel great.

Then I had to face the fact that I'd gained almost 6lbs over the festive season.  Why does weight take longer to lose than it does to put on?

Then, I finally stopped kidding myself that I was a 14 (US size 12) and finally bought a new pair of jeans in a size 16.

They were small.

Finally, I measured myself.

Oh.  


My.


Goodness.


Gracious.


Me.


And a few other words I shall not repeat.  They were bad words.  Bad words.

Clearly I have a passion for torturing myself.  Some may say I'm facing up to things.  I say to them... bad words.  Why oh why did I feel the need to get the measuring tape out and count the very large numbers they showed?

I was devastated.  Completely and utterly devastated because I couldn't deny any longer what I've known for a long time.  I'm fat and I need to do something about it.  Seriously, I need to do something fast.

I had to acknowledge and accept that because I was faced with the stark realisation that one thigh now measured what my waist did when I married nine years ago.

You have no idea how sick it makes me feel to admit it publicly.  It was demoralising enough to admit it to myself.

I felt ugly, worthless and so very ashamed.

I had a choice to wallow in self-pity or to pledge to do something about it.

I decided that I was going to make no more excuses.  I was going to give it my all this time.  Now even though I was sceptical about Weight Watchers new ProPoints system I decided I would follow it to the letter.  I have gone back to basics, tracking everything that I eat and weighing my food.  I have an abundance of fruit and vegetables to eat and I haven't denied myself anything, even having a takeaway curry on Saturday evening using my weekly extra points.

I also dusted down the Wii Active and have embarked once again on the 30 day challenge.  I really do want to do it this time and have set myself a mini goal of losing a stone and a half (21lbs) by the time we go to Disneyland at the end of March.

Weigh-in was yesterday morning and....

I lost 5lbs!

Perhaps the ProPoints system does work after all!  Let's see what next week brings.  I'm going to stick to it.  I am!

My report for this week is as follows:

Starting weight: 13st 1 (or 183lbs)

Week 9 results: Lost 5 lbs

Current weight: 12st 2lbs (170lbs)

Total loss to date: 13lbs

Amount to lose before freeing Skinny Me: 47lbs

The quest to free Skinny-Me resumes

I took a break.

A looooong break that predictably brought bad results.

Bad results in the form of an almost 6lb gain.

Oh dear.

Still, I enjoyed Christmas, I have to admit! I think I've just about got the chocolate eating for breakfast thing out of my system for a few months. Well, maybe weeks.

I was given a sharp kick up the behind to get myself back on track. What was it, you want to know? My mother gave me some pyjamas, stating "They should fit. I got the biggest size I could find."


Ouch!

So I'm back on my quest with a new determination. I've dusted down the Wii Balance Board, dug out the Wii Fit and Wii Active and logged back into Weight Watchers Online. This time is it.

Who's with me?

My updated stats after my extended leave from my quest is as follows:

Starting weight: 13st 1 (or 183lbs)

The cost of skiving: +5½ lbs

Current weight: 12st 7lbs (175lbs)

Silence is golden

I'll bet you've enjoyed the peace from my lack of updates, haven't you?

Christmas came and went and seems like it was so long ago now. Not without its dramas but still, a nice Christmas nonetheless. Caitlin and Joseph did participate in the church nativity, in the roles of Mary and baby Jesus. We missed the previous week's (and the one and only rehearsal) due to the snow and so were told to turn up at the Church an hour before the service to get a last minute rehearsal in.

We loaded onto the minibus all ready to set on our way when... the engine wouldn't start. The battery needed replacing - so typical of our already expensive year thanks to the multitude of things which broke down or needed replacing. Plus the fact that a new car batter is not a possibility at 5pm on Christmas Eve.

We had to make the journey to Church in two lots. Mike going with the older kids first, then returning to collect me with the youngers. Thankfully some Church friends of ours offered to bring back half the family after the service which was a relief and for which we were everso grateful.

The mass was lovely though. Eddie and Harry joined in as shepherds with some top notch acting worthy of an Oscar or two. Before the mass, the Priest had asked me to hand Joseph (as baby Jesus) to Cait over in the chapel, so that she could walk carrying him onto the altar. Not being used to carrying and walking with the heavy lump that is Joseph she had been nervous.

So was I.

"Don't drop my baby!" I pleadingly whispered as I handed my precious bundle to her halfway through their Nativity performance.

"I'm NOT going to drop him. I've GOT him!" she growled back through gritted teeth. Most unlike Cait.

I pattered back to my seat whispering to Mike, "She snarled at me!"

The final few minutes were long with me praying really hard that Joseph wouldn't wake and start wriggling because then she'd be in trouble and let me tell you, that boy can wriggle!

He didn't. She didn't drop him and I was a very relieved mummy once I had him back in my arms.

"You snarled at me!" I told Cait, still stunned.

"Did I?" she asked.

Then she thought about it.

"I didn't snarl," she told me, "I was acting and smiling!".

Yeah, right.

Don't hold your breath for an Oscar any time soon because you're either a lousy actress or lousy liar. Then again, aren't they one and the same?