"Free Skinny Me!" - Week 3

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After last week's terrible result I was left feeling a little disheartened.  I really do want to lose this weight yet to have hit such a stumbling block so early on in the quest has made me feel really pessimistic about continuing.

This didn't help when I ended up tracking barely anything at all last week.  I know that the problem there is that I don't track as I go, tending to go back in the evening or the next morning to update.  The issue is that the Weight Watchers tracker does not save the information if you go back and complete it the following day.  Is this just an issue with my computer or does this affect everybody?  I then get frustrated at having spent time adding a days worth of foods, the info for which cannot be saved to the system and so tracking doesn't work anyway.  This then leaves me feeling unhappy about paying out my money for something I am not using.

Rather than pointing everything and making different meals for myself to everyone else in the family, which isn't always cost effective to do given that we have a budget we need to try and stick to, I am sticking to having a bowl of fruit for breakfast and a huge salad for lunch. I will then eat anything the rest of the family are having for dinner without any guilt or worry, knowing that most of my points have remained intact.

Now the days are getting colder I am settling down with a mug of low calorie hot chocolate once the children have gone to bed.  I have even added some low fat squirty cream to the top as a treat.

Anyway, to summarise, I managed to lose the weight I gained last week plus an extra half a pound so I'm happier!  I have now lost a huge 2lbs from my original starting weight.  Ok, so not fantastic considering I am on week three now but I would rather be 2lbs under my starting weight than half a pound above it, so I'll take the successes where I can.

Here are my results:

Week 3's result: Lost 4½lbs

Current weight: 12st 6lbs (174lbs)

Mini goal: To lose 19lbs by week 18

Starting weight: 12st 8lbs

Goal weight: 8st 11lbs (123lbs)

Total to lose: 51lbs

Total lost to date: 2lbs

Are any of you joining in?  How are you doing?

If you are trying to lose weight too why not join the quest to "Free Skinny Me!"? You don't need to be following Weight Watchers to do so and your weigh in day doesn't have to be a Monday. Just grab the button at the top of this post or in the right sidebar of this blog (the code to copy and paste on your blog is in the text box under the button) and put it on your blog, then come back each Monday to report each week's weigh in result. You can also write a post on your own blog and leave a link back to it in the comments below so we can visit and leave a message of encouragement or support. You can choose how much or little info to disclose.

You can follow my quest to "Free Skinny Me!" by subscribing to a full feed in your reader.  You can also chat with me throughout the week on Twitter  (click here or search for the handle "@largerfamily" and let me know if you are doing the quest so I can follow you back) and become a Facebook friend too.   Don't forget that we now have our very own Healthy Living board in our new LFL Family Forums.


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Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me): Weeks 17 & 18

Oh dear.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

There was no "Skinny Me" update last week as went went on holiday to Disneyland Paris. Yes, we had a great time, but oh dear.

Obviously, holidays and diets don't mix.

I gained 4½lbs.

I was hoping that I'd have kept the damage to a minimum what with all the walking we did every day. I dread to think what the scales would have read if it had been a lazing around on the beach type holiday. Which, of course, is highly unlikely when you have a bunch of small people.

I should be back in the saddle now, but I'm finding it hard. I can't exercise at the moment so it all relies on me eating healthily. I am so annoyed with myself.

Grrr...

I must, I must, I must get back to it.

My report for this week is as follows:

Starting weight: 13st 1 (or 183lbs)

Week 16 results: Gained 4½ lbs

Current weight: 11st 10lbs (164lbs)

Total loss to date: 1st 5lbs (or 19lbs)

Amount to lose before freeing Skinny Me: 2st 13lbs (or 41lbs)

Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me): Week 16

I didn't get back to tracking properly last week, rather keeping a mental note of what I was eating as it seems I've done it so long I know the points of the foods I eat regularly.  I know that I should make a real effort to get back to it.  There are no excuses.

Several members of the household have been ill this last week and I wasn't able to avoid the bug either.  I did exercise every week day although I did step it down a gear, doing just one or two workouts a day.  I really didn't want to stop completely, thinking that as long as I was able to exercise, then I would.  If I were so ill that I couldn't then I wouldn't.  I think it's so easy to find excuses to stop completely but then I find it difficult to get back into.  I'd rather try to persevere.  Knowing that I'll be taking a break soon when we go away gave me the incentive to do what I can now to try and minimise the damage that will no doubt be done.  I'm bracing myself.  I'm still wondering what to do when I've completed the Wii Active More 60 Day Challenge.  I feel like I need something a little different but don't know what is recommended.

Even though I wasn't feeling too good I did still manage to get a little physical at least down on the allotment on Saturday.  A fair bit of digging managed to get the lungs working, until I finally had to concede that I just couldn't do any more.  I hate feeling unwell.

Consequently this is the first week I've failed to lose anything at all.  I don't know if it's a plateau that I've hit.  If it is it isn't likely to last long, as I'm planning on taking a few days off when we go on our holiday.  I'll get straight back to it when we return though!

My report for this week is as follows:

Starting weight: 13st 1 (or 183lbs)

Week 16 results: Stayed the same

Current weight: 11st 5½lbs (159.5lbs)

Total loss to date: 1st 9½lbs (or 23½lbs)

Amount to lose before freeing Skinny Me: 2st 8½lbs (or 36½lbs)

You can follow my progress each week by subscribing to the Larger Family Life blog feed.  It's a full feed so you don't even have to visit the blog but can keep up with the latest through your reader.

Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me): Week 15

Nothing new to report this week.  I'm still following Weight Watchers Online but confess that I haven't tracked as well as I should have for the last week.  I know that once that happens things tend to start slipping as I conveniently "forget" things that I've eaten and my brain thinks I've consumed far more than my hips are telling it I actually have.  I must get back into the habit of tracking everything especially since I seem to be going a little overboard with meringues lately.


I am also sticking to the exercise routines but I have to admit that I'm beginning to get a little bored of the step routine now.  I've been doing it five or six days for the last few weeks and it is starting to get a little repetative. I do wish Nintendo would bring out a workout which is exclusively made up of various step routines.  I enjoy the workout and I do work up a sweat but I'd like a little more variety.  So, Nintendo, if you have something like that in the pipeline you'd like me to review do let me know ;-).

Is anyone else reading this trying to lose weight?  How are you doing?  What are you doing?  Do you have any tips to share?  I'd love to know.

My report for this week is as follows:

Starting weight: 13st 1 (or 183lbs)

Week 15 results: Lost 2 lbs

Current weight: 11st 5½lbs (159.5lbs)

Total loss to date: 1st 9½lbs (or 23½lbs)

Amount to lose before freeing Skinny Me: 2st 8½lbs (or 36½lbs)

You can follow my progress each week by subscribing to the Larger Family Life blog feed.  It's a full feed so you don't even have to visit the blog but can keep up with the latest through your reader.

Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me): Week 14

Since last week I've kept up with the workouts.  I managed six days out of the last seven and did between two and four different workouts on each day.  The two main workouts are still the 60 Day Challenge and half an hour of Step, both of which are on EA Sports Active: More Workouts on the Wii.  If you already have EA Sports Active: Personal Trainer you should already have the leg strap and the exercise band and the follow up Sports Active: More Workouts is such a fantastically reasonable price that it's well worth the minimal investment.  It's far, far cheaper than a gym membership plus you can do it in the comfort of your own home whenever you can best fit it in (preferably with the curtains shut so inquisitive passers by don't see you huffing and puffing your way to Skinnyville).

Quite honestly, I don't always feel motivated to exercise.  I've been so tempted on some days to think "Sod it!", and not to bother but then it would only be myself I'm letting down.  Nobody else really cares whether I do exercise or not, or whether I stuff my face silly with rubbish.  I think of the progress I've made so far and on the days I'm completely unmotivated, tell myself to just get through today's workout.  The funny thing is that other days I'm raring to go.

Weight Watchers wise, I kept within my ProPoints limits too last week.  This was no mean feat considering my friend Amanda and her son came over and I had made Choc'n'Baileys Brownies, Butterscotch Tart and a couple of Chocolate Pies in honour of their visit.  It really was in honour of their visit, despite the fact that I ate more than anyone else, glutton that I am.

Keeping this in mind, I decided to up the workouts for the rest of the week plus fit in an extra three on Saturday, whereas I normally take the weekends off.

All in all it has been another successful week with another one pound loss, taking me over the stone and a half mark.  This week's weigh-in was done at the usual time yesterday but I didn't get around to updating on the blog as we've been busy preparing for my father-in-law's funeral tomorrow, hence the delayed update today.

My report for this week is as follows:

Starting weight: 13st 1 (or 183lbs)

Week 14 results: Lost 1 lbs again

Current weight: 11st 7½lbs (161.5lbs)

Total loss to date: 1st 7½lbs (or 21½lbs)

Amount to lose before freeing Skinny Me: 2st 10½lbs (or 38½lbs)

You can follow my progress each week by subscribing to the Larger Family Life blog feed.  It's a full feed so you don't even have to visit the blog but can keep up with the latest through your reader.

Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me): Week 12

Despite a not-good-at-all-week that would normally have me reaching for the chocolates (then again, I don't need much of an excuse to reach for the chocolates), I've had yet another fairly good week.


I continued with the workouts every day, even though I wasn't in the mood to start them at all.  I didn't allow myself the break though, thinking that it would be harder to get my motivation back if I took a break than it would if I just continued.  As it stands I only have another four days of my Wii Active 30 Day Challenge left. Next week I'll be measuring myself as well as weighing. It will have been four weeks since I took my measurements and realised just how big I was.   


I can see a difference in myself now.  My lumps are becoming smaller and I do notice a little more definition in my thighs than there was a month ago.  Best of all were the words, "You are losing weight!  You can see you are!" from Mike.  That made me very happy :-)  Especially since they were unprompted by me and came completely out of the blue.  


My report for this week is as follows:

Starting weight: 13st 1 (or 183lbs)

Week 12 results: Lost 2½ lbs 

Current weight: 11st 9½lbs (163.5lbs)

Total loss to date: 1st 5½lbs  (or 19½lbs)

Amount to lose before freeing Skinny Me: 2st 12½lbs (or 40½lbs)


And so on to next week with the battle cry,  "Onwards and inwards!"

Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me): Week 11

I have stuck to the plan well again this week.  I haven't found it difficult, especially after discovering an evening  treat saved for after all the kids are in bed, of a couple of meringue nests topped with a spoonful of 0% fat greek yoghurt and a handful of grapes. Mmmm, now that is something to look forward to of a daytime!  And all for just 1 ProPoint each.

I've been continuing with the exercising too having worked out six of the last seven days.  I'm over halfway through the Wii Active 30 day challenge now, and also do a fast, high intensity step workout for 30 minutes a day too.  I've now introduced a 3 times a week abdominal workout and let me tell you, after three caesareans, it's not easy trying to find those abs again.  I remember the days they were strong and firm.  Long, long ago...

Despite my efforts I was expecting little difference this week, if any at all, thanks to the dreaded TOTM.  I have noticed that weight loss slows down considerably, often staying the same or even showing a gain during this blessed time.  Water retention has a lot to answer for.  The good news, and something I do try to remember, is that it is only temporary, and as long as I continue positively following the ProPoints plan and stubbornly endure the exercises each day, I am pretty certain that next week will make up for the slowness of this week. 

My final results this week then showed a 1lb loss.  At first it doesn't seem like much of a difference but come back here tomorrow for something that may surprise you.  Once you see it, you'll think differently about "only" losing a pound at a time.  Now I need to lose another 1½ lbs to have lost 10% of my starting weight.  Hopefully next week I'll hit it, or even better, surpass it.

My report for this week is as follows:

Starting weight: 13st 1 (or 183lbs)

Week 11 results: Lost 1 lbs 

Current weight: 11st 12lbs (166lbs)

Total loss to date: 1st 3lbs  (or 17lbs)

Amount to lose before freeing Skinny Me: 3st 1lbs (or 43lbs)

Remember, you can join in or just follow my efforts each week.  Sign up to the full feed here so you can catch up with my efforts through your reader each week.

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)

Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me!) - Week 8

I was so disheartened this week that I even gave up on weighing myself obsessively every morning.  Knowing that today was the official weigh-in day only paved the way for more sulking and muttering to myself.  I was planning today's post in my head, aware that both my readers  all my many readers would be checking in to see my progress, or lack of.  I was planning on giving up/throwing in the towel/taking a break - call it what you will.  At least until after Christmas.  After all, if you can't enjoy brie and cranberry jelly on crackers during a Christmas when you're not pregnant, when can you?

*Drool*

Was I surprised when I forced myself on the scales.

I lost a pound and a half!

Ok, it's not a huge amount, I grant you but it's a loss, albeit still half a pound short of losing my first stone. But hopefully next week, right?

So, perhaps I won't be giving up/throwing in the towel/taking a break just yet.  Perhaps I may keep going for another week.  Perhaps I ought to just take it one week at a time.

And stay away from the brie.

My report for this week is as follows:

Starting weight: 13st 1 (or 183lbs)

Week 8 results: Lost l½ lbs

Current weight: 12st 1½lbs (169½lbs)

Total loss to date: 13½lbs

Amount to lose before freeing Skinny Me: 46½lbs

Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me!) - Week 6

Remember how last week I was waiting for Weight Watchers to get back to me regarding a problem with their online planner saving my info?  Or rather, not saving my info.   And you remember how I was hoping that I would make it down below the 12 stone mark?

Well, how can I put this? 

I'm still waiting. 

For both.

Weight Watchers did finally get in touch with me with a bog standard response about clearing my cookies.  They obviously hadn't read my email properly.  I hate it when places do that.  So I still have the problem with their online planner not saving my info.  It's usually ok if I'm saving for the day of the week I'm on but if, for example, I go to add something I ate last night the little "Save" button flashes and flashes and flashes and flashes... (you get the idea) and doesn't actually save anything.  I end up leaving it for ages going through the motions as if it's trying really hard to save the extra information I've given it but nothing actually comes of it and I end up losing every change I've made.  I'm getting fed up with it.  More so when I think that it's costing me £10 a month for something that doesn't work properly.

Despite not being able to go back and add the previous night's pack of Snack a Jacks or whatever, I'm pretty sure that I stayed within my ProPoints allowances during the week.  Even when you account for the packet of fig rolls on Saturday night and the dumplings in my vegetable casserole yesterday.  I got excited during the week when my serial weighing showed me drop another pound.  The joy was short lived when I got on the scales this morning and was faced with the reality.

I stayed the same.

No progress at all. 

I'd have been happy with even a half a pound loss.  Actually, knowing me, I probably wouldn't have been.  I really wanted to get down to a round 12 stone number, or preferably 11 stone 13 ½ would have been nicer. 
I'm hoping now that I don't take this very minor setback to heart and think "Oh, what the..." and eat a tub of ice-cream in one sitting.  (Although, as the weather is chillier, I'm less inclined to feast on the cold stuff).  I'm trying to keep my focus and am trying to convince myself that next week I'll have a super big loss to make up for this week.

Focus.

My report for this week is as follows:

Starting weight: 13st 1 (or 183lbs)

Week 6 results: Lost 0 lbs

Current weight: 12st 2½lbs (170½lbs)

Total loss to date: 12½lbs

Amount to lose before freeing Skinny Me: 47½lbs (still).

Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me!) - Week 5

 

I was hoping to be able to provide feedback on Weight Watchers new and supposedly improved weight loss system, ProPoints.  I can't.  Unfortunately the online planner you are meant to use to calculate your ProPoints  and track your consumption hasn't been working or saving my changes.  It has also become apparent that the Weight Watchers automated email's promise of aiming to get back to my query within 24 hours is optimistic to say the least.  It's been five days so far and I've yet to receive a response.  While I'm quite sure that the ProPoints system does work, after all, I doubt WW would jeopardise their name for something that didn't have proven results after extensive research, I'm not too pleased to be paying out money for something I can't use.  Hopefully, someone from the customer service team might, perhaps, be of some service and reply. 

I've been trying to track in my head as I've gone along under the old weight loss system given that I'm familiar with the approximate points for most of the things I've been eating.  Well, apart from the odd biscuit or several which were efficiently consumed on Saturday.  I blame my friend Amanda's visit for that lapse.

So despite an online weight loss system I couldn't make use of, a selective  failing memory when trying to remember points values of foods I've been scoffing and a momentary loss of self control over several digestives and chocolate chip cookies, I've still managed to weigh in with a 2½lb loss this week. 

Yay me!

Five weeks after starting and I'm a pound and a half away from losing a whole stone in weight, averaging a loss of approximately 2½ per week.  I hope I can continue at this rate as I'm quite happy with it and I can see some noticable changes taking place.  I'm hoping I can get down under the 12 stone mark during this next week.

My report for this week is as follows:

Starting weight: 13st 1 (or 183lbs)

Week 5 results: Lost 2½ lbs (*cheer!*)

Current weight: 12st 2½lbs (170½lbs)

Total loss to date: 12½lbs

Amount to lose before freeing Skinny Me: 47½lbs

Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me!) - Week 4

This week went well until yesterday when I had a blow-out on mince pies.  Having said that, I had been everso good the rest of the week and didn't use up my entire points allowance on any day, so I'm hoping I had enough carried over to allocate to the mince pies (which were delicious).

I use the word "hoping" because I've been terrible at logging everything I've eaten this week.  Or, to use the correct Weight Watchers term, I've been terrible at "tracking".  Call it what you will, I haven't done much of it. 

My excuse is that having followed Weight Watchers not long ago, and having got to memorise the points for the foods I eat or recipes I make, I can pretty much keep track of the points in my head.  I must get back into the habit of recording everything though, because I forsee that this will be where I stumble in the future. 

I suppose that now it's neither here nor there as Weight Watchers have today launced a new program.  They've bid farewell the the points system they've had since, well I'm not sure since when but you understand me when I say "since forever" and have replaced it with the new ProPoints plan.

To explain it in a nutshell, the folk at WW have taken the developing scientific research into how our bodies process the food we eat.  Foods are given points according to how full they keep you.   To better explain this I'm going to use this example from the Weight Watchers website.  One croissant with 2 teaspoons of butter comes to 300 calories but would be 8 ProPoints.  However, 2 eggs and 3 slices of lean bacon, although coming in at 300 calories also, only have 6 ProPoints.  This is because you're likely to be fuller for longer on the latter than you would on a medium croissant. 

As before you have a certain number of ProPoints allowance per day (it's different to the old points system, so the allowance will differ to that you'd have had under the old system).  Unlike the old system, you can't carry points over to the next day.  If you don't use them up each day you lose them. 

However, you do have an extra 49 points per week for extras, be they toward a daily treat such as a glass of wine or, in my case, ice cream, or a weekly blow out if you just can't go without a takeaway or you know you have a party to attend.

It seems pretty straightforward, and at least it'll make me track my eating again as I don't have a clue any more about what my foods are worth under the new points system.  I had a bit of a shock as my muesli which was previously 3 points under the old system is now calculated at 8 points! That didn't seem too good even though I keep telling myself that I should really forget about comparing and just get on with following the new system.

No matter, all I hope is that it works!

My report for this week is as follows:


Starting weight: 13st 1 (or 183lbs)

Week 4 results: Lost 4½ lbs (*cheer!*)

Current weight: 12st 5lbs (173lbs)

Total loss to date: 10lbs

Amount to lose before freeing Skinny Me: 50lbs

Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me!) - Week 2

Skinny Me is not going to be happy in there.

Dad and Steph visited on Friday. We had a roast. And chocolate brownie cake made by Cait. And they brought a big tin of chocolates. Plus it was my birthday yesterday. I got chocolates. And finished off the brownie cake.

Despite being wonderfully good the rest of the week, the weekend undid my hard work and then some.

I gained 4 and a half pounds.

!!!!!!!!!

Not good.

Skinny Me must be sobbing and screaming at me in there.

Luckily for me there are innumerable layers of fat between us which means I can't hear her. There had to be a bright side somewhere, didn't there?

My report for this week is as follows:

Starting weight: 13st 1 (or 183lbs)

Week 2 results: Gained 4.5lbs (*shame*!)

Current weight: 12st 11.5 (179.5lbs)

Amount to lose before freeing Skinny Me: 56.5lbs

Not good.

Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me!) - Week 1

Week 1, as last year, has got off to an excellent start.  However, as last year, I'm under no illusions about it.  I know that much of it is water rather than fat hence the relatively large weight loss that the scales report.  But you know what?  I'll take it.  It's encouraging and goodness knows, I like to be encouraged.  Don't we all? 

Due to Joseph only being three weeks old and delivering him by caesarean, I'm as yet unable to exercise at all.  That's a good excuse as any eh?  It's true though.  Exercising is the last thing on my mind at the moment.  I'm just thankful to be back to walking normally.  Well, as normally as I have been in the last three weeks.  Maybe I'll dust the Wii Fit off in another few weeks.  Or perhaps I'll have thought of another excuse not to by then.  Who knows?

My report for this week is as follows:

Starting weight:    13st 1  (or 183lbs)

Week 1 results:    Lost 8lbs (*cheer*!)

Current weight:    12st 7 (175lbs)

Amount to lose before freeing Skinny Me: 52lbs

Is anyone out there joining in? 

(Shouldn't the question be simply, "Is anyone out there?!")

Skinny me - here I come... again!

After the birth of Oliver last year I was determined to lose the weight that had been increasing further with each pregnancy since 2003. With six babies in those seven years I've ended up with a whole lot of excess lumps, bumps and wobbly bits.

I joined up with Weightwatchers Online, which I found convenient and much more preferable to my reclusive nature than the real life meetings. In 36 weeks I managed to lose about 42lbs. That's if I remember correctly. Which I probably don't as if something isn't written on my calendar it tends to get forgotten pretty quickly. I didn't get to goal as I stopped watching my weight when I found out I was pregnant again.

Me, being me, made the most of being pregnant and not watching my weight and gorged on plenty of chocolate and ice cream. I told you the baby liked ice cream. He was our heaviest so far at 8lb 9oz when he was born, quite a difference from our normal 6 or 7 pound something babies. That 8lb 9oz didn't make much of a dent in the rest of the weight I'd gained though so it's time to get back on the weight loss saddle and start shrinking.

Like last time I'll be doing my weekly weigh-in on a Monday and I'll be reporting back here.

Hopefully I'll be reporting good news.

Every single week.

For all the two weeks it takes for me to lose the 60lbs I'm aiming to lose.

If only.

I'd be very grateful for encouragement or a kick when I need it. And if anyone there wants to join in with me (you don't necessarily have to be following WW) it'd be good to have the company. You can link up your blog reporting your progress (or plateaus, the evil things) with mine on a Monday. So that this second round of Monday Weigh-Ins don't get mixed up with the first lot from last year they'll be under the title Monday Weigh-In (Free Skinny Me).

Because I have no shame I'll once again share my starting weight here with you.

Starting weight: 13st 1lb
Goal weight: 8st 11lb
Overall weight loss goal: 60lbs

So there you go. Just reading that makes me feel like I've eaten Skinny Me, and she resides somewhere under the cellulite and flabby bits.

Skinny Me, I'm going to try and get you out of there, I promise!