Skinny Blog

Devils Chair Stiperstones

The views up there are a real reward but the ringing ears leave a lot to be desired! Going to have to get over feeling like the "prat in the hat" all I can hear is the sea without the shell - or the sea!!

 I'm in desperate need of a new coat so I've just placed a bid on one on eBay - the one I'm wearing is my old coat - its 4 dress sizes too big so I nearly took off and flew over the top of the devils chair. Nice of him to have a rest up there and empty the stones out of his shoes.

Life is busy - I appreciate that and I also get the fact that every one needs some time out.  But its not really that simple for some folk to do this.  Have you ever been told to relax? Or told to have some "You" time. What is that?

If you have kids then "you" time has disappeared up its own ass till the youngest is about 7 and old enough to work the remote!!  Do your kids follow you into the bathroom or up the garden just to ask if its their turn for the TV now? Does your child walk past 1 or even 2 other adults to seek YOU out and ask you a question they could've asked the 1st person they past.

"You" time sounds good in principle but even if there are no other human - or animal distractions, how do you turn off your head? How do you stop the running commentary that's going on in your head about the jobs that still need to be done while your having your you time!  Or the the voice that questions why you are having the you time in the 1st place. 

Guilt is part of the problem, doing something for yourself can feel incredibly selfish but then the biting and chewing of heads can be seen this way too.  I for one just need 5 little minutes to myself a couple of times a day.  I'm trying to have one now with you but I'm currently being bothered by one of my children who is not even in the same house as me!  He is texting me as he needs to have an answer now!!  To a very important question!!  (in his mind only) and though I can turn my phone off I don't. 

I have given him my answer - he is happy - I'm one child free for the evening and about to go and shake the other 2 into shape and take them on a route march - thus tiring them out and giving me opportunities later for some further me time - which I will be taking in the form of Mr Darcy and Lizzy Bennett.

It is FREE to use and has an online community to chat too or compare training with and you can record your activity and your calorie intake (though this is not as easy as on the biggestloserclub website).  Their front page is very welcoming  "and the site changes every day to meet the needs of our growing community of runners, cyclists, swimmers, people who like knitting, people who just like a good moan, etc..."

fetcheveryone gives you a space to log your training or plan for an event or even find an event - they say the site is  "for runners, cyclists, swimmers, triathletes, and even for people who rarely do any of the above"

I've registered and intend to use it as a motivation tool and so have built my training log so I can keep track of where I've ran (you can plot your routes and it gives you the distance too), how far and how often. 

So today I have ran 4 miles and been on a short 2 mile walk.  I'm feeling good as I've lost another lb and shed more ill fitting clothes from the wardrobe.

I tried the spy thing today whilst waiting to collect DS1. There was a lady sat in her car opposite me cleaning her front teeth with her fingernail - nice. Next door was a gent texting and at the same time mouthing the words to the phone as if it could hear him.

Tooth scratcher was staring into the middle distance which was probably why she hadn't parked all of her car in the allocated parking bay - clearly marked with white lines. Lucky she wasn't in a town center car park I hear you cry,where she'd have been issued with a fine for misuse of the parking bays.

Ha - and you think I'm a saddo!! Least I know how to park and text with my mouth shut.

BB prepared/warmed tea up this evening and spoonerism'd it on to the plate. The "chicken Fricassee" was lovely!! I'm coming to the end of the meal replacement trial I've done with Jenny Craig - I think there is meant to be a small c in a circle somewhere here but I've not worked out how to do that!!

So, Jenny Craig - would you like to know more? Visit them at www.jennycraig.com  They can tell you more than I can.  What I will say is that this is my last week, this is no reflection on the company or the product. Its just that what I have achieved with them, I was achieving on my own, eating what I wanted, when I wanted but stopping once full and above all else - MOVING MORE

I think I've lost 5lb in total though there is another weigh in at the week end and a quick re measure. The meal plan has been very easy to follow and the support from Alexis has been top notch.  However, its just not for me.  I like to cook and I've missed that but mainly, I have set out to shift this weight my way. 

I had already lost over 25lb doing it my way over the last 6 months prior to the trial and I can't express how much that has surprised me (and others) - this is the person who has been there, joined it, bought it, tried it, lost it, gained it and more and always alwaysgiven up.  Finding a way that is right for me means I will own this achievement and not only that hopefully inspire others to own their weight loss.  I'm not saying weight loss programmes/fads/clubs are bad - it's just that this is MY time to do it and have to learn how to rely on me.

So hold my hand kid, soon we'll be walking this path alone again and believe me the view is wonderful.

Being an adult can be so boring sometimes. Went to see a medium the other day and she said I had to play like a child more. That always ended up in fights with my big brother so I could just cut out the middle man and punch him the next time I see him!!

So instead, I was thinking of having themed days - like a day trip but not so expensive and use the experience as motivation.  Maybe I could be a spy and people watch from the sofas in Bookas, pretend to be reading  but actually watch what transactions are really going on in the butchers over the road....

Or - Enchanted enhancement - this is going to be a day when I go around the shops and try on clothes.  I'll check out posh stuff I would never normally look at.  Maybe spend a day hidden in Gem Dress Agency, I'm dying to go in there and have a mooch - I still have the mentality of the person I was 3 or 4 sizes ago and think nothing is going to fit.

I don't know about you but as a big, non fashion aware person, clothes shopping was not my favorite hobby, not all retail therapy is lost on me though- I can stock a 6ft fridge in no time! Nothing in the nice shops (except the fridge) fitted, I'd sweat, huff and puff and generally get a weed on forcing dresses and tops on and throw a shoulder out of joint trying to do so.

I'd come back feeling fatter and frumpier than when I left and spend the rest of the week sulking, nursing "trying on injuries" and feeling a failure. Well now I'm going to embrace the clothes/retail therapy thing.

So, next week, I'm going to every clothes shop in our small town with a changing room and I'm going to try stuff on, starting with Gems!

I was reading the blog the other day and read this ".... I was still reeling from being told I’m a 42DD!........Gone are the days of 38C."  This was after a measuring session in July 09

Gone they maybe but not totally out of the equation after a remeasure and a new size of 36FF.  I was in the same changing room as last time and while the lady was out, I checked my 2nd set of (back) boobs - and I am happy to report they are gone!! I am even small enough to fit in one of the larger shock absorber bras - I'm a level 4.  I don't know what that means but I feel like I've passed a test, a milestone at least. 

I'm starting to think of myself as being thinner.  Although, I still find myself classing myself as plus size.  I went to an Ann Summers party over the week end and very nearly didn't go, what would they have to fit me? and how can you look sexy in a tent anyway?

However I went and I'm glad I did because we had such a laugh and thats what I would've missed out on.  We played games, did quizzes, sang a very rude song with questionable hand actions and generally had a right old giggle.  I didn't drink as I was driving so I had water in a wine glass, though people presumed it was white wine and I sat next to the pretzels which I knew I wouldn't eat.  Reflecting back I realized that I didn't want to go because of my size and when I think of all the other things I've not done, and places I've not been it makes me quite sad.  Things are changing and I need my mind and my perception of me to catch up.

I've set a new goal, when I'm 13 st, we as a family are going ice skating, something I used to do every weekend down Kensington Ice Rink when I was kid, I can only go in one direction but the fun we used to have - well its one of my goals and I'm on my way to achieving it.

Went out yesterday with the boys for the day - took them on a train trip then to the RAF museum, or the coleslaw museum as BB calls it (Cold War - well it made him laugh).  We took a couscous salad with us and ate it on the train - stuck the whole place out with the smell of onions and then the greens kicked in!!  Thought we where going to get kicked off.

The social history and displays where fascinating and considering the visit was FREE, they had some impressive items on show.  Shop was a bit on the expensive side though and they gave the boys a quiz to do and wanted to charge them £1 for the pen!

BB was bemoaning the hardware, as he puts it "once you've seen one, you've seen them all"  next minute he's gone from my side like a streak of lighting shouting "is that a V bomb?" and "where's the Vulcan?"

There where signs all over the place saying DO NOT TOUCH or DO NOT CROSS THE CURB.  However, whilst I was people watching, sorry minding the rucksack whilst the "boys" darted about looking at bombs, I saw several MEN, flouting these instructions.  In fact one guy looked like he was giving one of the planes an internal and near fell out the back as we walked past!!

Men do turn into little boys in places like this - pity they can't keep that mentality at certain times.  DS2 was talking about how most people my age have grey hair - as I do, I commented. But no!! He put me right then and there, He thinks I have brown hair with blond underneath!! Bless

Off now to the opticians, the model makers and the chemist!!

I go for the knotted hankie effect but with out the knots. Maybe you favor the diamond with a point touching the top of you nose - this irritates me. Or do you spread it flat over your unmentionables?

I only ask as I was in the bath last night and DS3 burst in on an urgent pee mission. I could tell it was urgent as he was doing the wee wee dance. I had my flannel on my head and one leg out of the bath resting on the wall and he asked why I was doing the leg thing and not why did I have a flannel on my head, not only that but he considered it weird. So I must have been wearing the flannel in the correct way!

Taking the gremlins out today on a train.  Was looking forward to it until DS2 had a personality transplant in the night and has woken up in a really bad mood!  He's currently ranting over the bran flakes and quite frankly if he doesn't shut up, he could end up the first person ever to had been drowned in a box of cereal.

I've been trialing a 28 day meal replacement for a company from the US. They provide the meals, snacks and support, my hard work has provided 5lb lost.  YAY!  My friend calls it "astronaut food" cos its pre-prepared and comes in pouches, but to be fair, it takes all the thinking out of weight loss!

How hard is it to pop open a pouch and warm it up on the hob? And another bonus is the fact that my menu for the week is already decided - one of my bug bears is trying to think of what to have for tea each day.  A thought that doesn't usually strike me until 10 to tea time, with 3 hungry kids growling whats for tea mum and a 30min slot between clubs and activity groups to not only prepare and cook it but to eat the pigging meal! 

Many a mouth has been burnt in this house and my kids can eat a full cooked meal on a plate in a moving car - a real life skill!!