2012 is the year I...

....take control of my body

....listen to my needs

....stop letting people walk over me

....speak my mind

....take control of my children
....make the right choices

....put myself first

....take control of my house

Not resolutions, but positive affirmations, looking forward to a new start. I hope 2012 brings you all you want it to. Happy New Year darlings!

Hx

Over for another year...

So, Christmas is over for another year. All the hype and then it passes in a heartbeat. All the planning and prep and, for me anyway, it was a bit of an anticlimax. We weren't spending it at home, and my sister in law has very different ideas on making things festive to what I do. Her house wasn't decorated for Christmas; she had one small white Christmas tree minimally decorated with white lights and silver decorations and that was it. There was no food or alcohol overload, in fact I spent the day feeling downright hungry (and by now I am used to that feeling!) and completely sober. Perhaps not a bad thing, but it didn't feel right! Also she is a clean FREAK (polar opposite to me) and the children were barely allowed to play with their toys before they were tidied away and cleaned up, which also resulted in things getting left behind. We weren't even allowed to watch any of the Christmas specials on the television - they were on but with the sound turned down, so even though everyone was talking about what was on the TV, we didn't know what was going on! Very odd! I definitely think we'll have Christmas at home next year in any case! Plus the children were out of their routine and the baby was poorly and grumpy, so I spent the whole holiday with a grumpy snotty toddler attached to my hip, or pushing him around unfamiliar streets on my own. Sorry to whinge, but I am glad it is over! I know we still have New Year celebrations to come, but I have no plans so back on the bandwagon for me.

I have made some awful food choices since my last weigh in on the 20th. We have had several take-away meals, I have eaten way too much bread (something I generally avoid) and not had very much water, preferring diet coke and coffee instead... So now I am 4 days away from weighing in and it's time to limit the damage. I took all the leftover food to my Mum's yesterday and I'm glad it's not hanging around my house anymore. I went for a run on the 28th (and it was HARD) and will be going again tonight, and Monday. In between I will Zumba, and I'm hoping to go for a family walk on New Years Day weather permitting. I might even persuade Mr FGS to take the kids swimming tomorrow, but it will take a lot of arm twisting. If he wont, I may go for a swim on my own, since he is off work until the 3rd.

Food wise, I've started the day by filling my litre water bottle, and will drink nothing else until that is empty. Then if I want a coke or a coffee I will have ONE and then refill the water bottle! I find when I am good with getting enough water it shows in my weight loss. Breakfast in a moment will be porridge made with water and a load of fruit, either soup or cottage cheese and an apple for lunch and something light for dinner. Hopefully this will go some way to minimising the damage I've undoubtedly done! Today will be difficult as Ollie has an appointment at the hearing clinic and we are going into town after to have a look around the shops, which will mean the kids and Mr FGS eating out, but I will go and get something healthy for me to take. And then on New years tomorrow I will share a few glasses of wine with Mr FGS, but cook a healthy meal and be sensible.

As for New years resolutions, I wont be making any. I have some goals in mind instead and I'm going to take some time and write them down today, to order them  in my mind. I've also signed up for Stormy's Spring Chick Challenge, and will post on that soon too!

Onwards and upwards!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are looking forward to the new year and SMASHING IT!

Hx

Merry Christmas!!!

I want to wish a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year to all my lovely followers! I hope you have some fun, indulge a bit and don't feel bad about it! We deserve it!

See you on the other side!

Helly x

Tuesday Treat - Looking after the tatas

Yeah it's Wednesday....oops

Apologies to my male followers, this post is one for the ladies! Well, there will be pictures of breasticles (not mine!) so you may want to keep reading...

One thing that doesn't seem to have shrunk like the rest of me are my boobs. When I last did my measurements around a month ago (I will be doing them again some time this week) the only place where I hadn't lost inches was around the bust. Although my back size is now smaller, and they need more support now...boobs are after all mostly just fat. I have always been, ahem, rather busty, and got my first proper bra at the tender age of 9. Yes, 9 ladies and gents, you can thank my Grandmother for that apparently. Before I started this weight loss journey I wore a bra around a 40F-FF, and now, realistically I'm about a 36-38E-F. Why so vague, Helly, I hear you cry. Well, because I desperately need to get the girls measured. I know that ALL of my current bras are the wrong size, the straps slide down, the wires dig in, the clasps are done up as tight as they'll go and things still aren't right. I also need a decent sports bra, as my current combination of normal bra plus super tight compression sports top isn't going to cut it much longer. So, with a boob in each hand (er, wut?) after Chrimbo I'll be marching down to a department store near you (or near me...) and getting these bad boys accounted for. Here are some of the over the shoulder boulder holders I've got my eye on...

Tango by Panache from Bravissimo £20, down from £25, 28-38 DD-H

Limited Edition Padded Spot Bra from Marks and Spencer £16, 30-36 DD-GG, Thong £6 Size 6-18

(Sorry about the teeny pic, click the link to see it better)

Showgirl Tempt Me Bra by Curvy Kate from Brastop.com £18.95 28-38 DD-GG

Tease me Bra by Curvy Kate from Brastop.com £14.20 28-38 DD-GG

Lola Luxe Basque from Bravissimo £50 28-38 DD-K

Rawr.

And a couple of sports bras. Your funbags need support while you're working out, or, in the words of Bangs and a Bun, they'll turn into sandbags. Click the link for an awesome post about sports bras!

Shock Absorber Max Support Level 4 Bra from Brastop.com £30 28-40 D-HH

Max Sports Bra Top by Shock Absorber from Bravissimo £24 down from £30 28-40 D-HH

All of the sites linked to ship internationally, and even better, have sales at the moment :) I can particularly recommend Bravissimo as they're just so helpful. Whenever I've asked them a question about absolutely anything, they've been really prompt with their answer, friendly and I just feel comfortable talking to them about my hooters.

So, will you be treating your tatas this Christmas? After all, they are your breast friends....

Hx

Weekly update - Smashing my goals!

Bonjour!

And it is indeed a good day as I have succeeded! Whoop! 3lbs off on the scales this morning, bringing me to  a total loss of 37 disgusting pounds of FAT! According to Eggface that's a pound more than a mid sized microwave! Can you imagine carrying around a microwave? Insane!

And the Christmas Cracker challenge, tied into the end of Operation Fit and Fabulous. I smashed this goal too! I had hoped to lose 7lbs between the 9th November and today, and I in fact lost 8 :) Only slight annoyance is that  could have maybe lost a few more if I hadn't slipped and gained for 2 weeks... Never mind! This also means that I got another silver 7 at WW this morning (you get a little sticker for every half stone/7lbs you lose) and including the 7lbs I lost before starting WW I have lost 44lbs. *Insert smug face*

How have you done today? Looking forward to Christmas? I am going to treat myself to a mince pie...

Hx

Coping with Christmas

Christmas is a difficult time of year for many people, not just diet and exercise wise, but emotionally and mentally too. I have certainly found my stress levels rising over the last few weeks, and we're not even hosting Christmas at our house this year. And, for me at least, when my stress levels rise, my food habits deteriorate into something less than desirable. I thought I would write a post on how I'm planning to stay in control this Christmas (and New Year!).

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My last Weight Watchers meeting is on Tuesday (20th), and we miss a week before going back on the 3rd of January. The temptation to just have 2 weeks "off" is [i]huge[/i], and I know two friends of mine are doing that, but I am going to try my hardest not to. Usually on a Tuesday after my weigh in I do allow myself an "off" day, where I wont count my points, perhaps have a meal out or cook a meal I wouldn't usually eat or a drink or two, and my worry is that I'll just continue this for two weeks! Especially as I have some baking to do and a Christmas Cake to ice. I will have my usual "treat" on Tuesday (perhaps a Christmassy themed one so I don't feel left out!), but am planning to go straight back into it on Wednesday with my porridge for breakfast, soup for lunch routine that works so well for me. I'll carry that on until Saturday, Christmas Eve, when we are travelling to Birmingham to spend the next 3 days with Mr FGS's family, and staying with my sister in law (stick thin, seems to live on tea and water. Grr.)

Now because we are not at home Christmas day itself there wont be lots of Christmas nibbles, leftovers, cheese etc there. So, as soon as we get back on the 26th I can get back into it. Realistically, it will be the 27th, meaning I'll only have 3 days "off". Plus, staying with the aforementioned SIL I can't imagine there'll be loads of snacks around, everyone knows I've been on a diet so wont be buying me chocolate so as long as I avoid the kids sweeties (there will be 5 children there) I shouldn't do too much damage. Unless she sends me back with loads of leftovers that is (I am worried she's going to send me home with 3/4 of the Christmas cake I've made as only me and the father in law like it and he lives in Spain so wont be taking it home with him).

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Alcohol, though, is a different matter. I don't drink much any more, in fact hardly anything. This year, I've only been 'drunk' twice. Once was at my best friend's wedding in May, and the other time was when a friend held a psychic evening and I was so nervous I had my reading last out of 12 people and got drunk first (and subsequently can barely remember a word he told me...). Mr FGS is a big drinker, and everyone in his family (apart from SIL) likes a drink. So, alcohol will be in abundance, no doubt. If I don't drink they will all think I'm pregnant again (for good reason, that's what happened 2 years ago...). For me, drinking leads to eating. If I have a hangover, I crave carbs and greasy food the whole day, I guess to level out my sugar levels. So, moderation for me. I don't like getting drunk and not being in control in front of other people (or eating a lot - another bonus) so as long as glass after glass isn't forced into my hands I should be able to stay in control.

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Then, I have almost a week before the New Year celebrations start. We don't have any plans yet, but whatever we do there will be food and alcohol involved. I hope on New years Eve to be able to stick to plan all day, then the damage done in the evening should be controllable. I am also going to limit my alcohol intake so I don't have another "hangover day" on New Years Day, and get straight back on plan on the 2nd.

To balance out the excesses, I'm going to up my exercise in the hopes I can limit the damage. Wednesday 21st and Friday 23rd I plan on going for a run, which hopefully will see me complete week 5 of C25K. I'm hoping I'll have time to fit in a Zumba sesh or two as well, although my evenings will be taken up with baking, wrapping, cake decorating and packing (and doing my nails, naturally). The week in between Christmas and New Year Mr FGS has off work, so I'm hoping to be able to fit in a family walk or two, and maybe a swim. I think I can sometimes lack energy around this time of year too, so getting plenty of exercise will help with that too.

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Now, while I don't think I can lose any weight over the Christmas period, I think if I can stick to this plan I'll manage to maintain my weight and not gain any. What do you think? Am I being realistic? Will the lure of the chocolate orange be too much to bear?

Whether it's stress, emotions, or just temptation that are threatening your good habits this year, how are you planning to cope with it? Are you going to have 2 weeks "off" completely, stick rigidly to your plan, or go with a bit of give and take like I am? I've come to realise I can have the things I want, I just can't have everything I want, and I'm happy with that. Please share your coping strategies!

Hx

Back on track

Whoop! After putting on a pound a week for the last 2 week, today I lost 2lbs. Relieved is not the word! So, I'm back at my lowest weight and I WILL NOT GO HIGHER! Ok, with Christmas coming I might go a wee bit higher, but I'm going to try my damnedest not to! I have one more weigh-in before the man in red's visit, one more pound to lose to reach 2 1/2 stone (35lbs) and also one more box in my weight watchers card before I need a new one. So this weeks goal will be to lose one pound. One tiny pound! Surely I can do that?!

How have you done this week?

Hx

Struggling...

Does your life get crazy around this time of the year? I don't have any social gatherings, Christmas parties, meals or anything like that to go to (apart from the kids ones!) but with shopping, wrapping, decorating and crafty things (along with a silly challenge I'm doing on my nail art blog and a story writing contest I stupidly entered) I'm afraid this blog has taken a back seat. I have so many recipes and articles floating around in my head, but no time to actually sit down, edit the photos and write them up. I promise I'll get a couple of posts up this week! Brownies honour!

In other news, the weight loss isn't going so well either. For the last 2 weeks I have gained a pound each time - meaning I am back up to 14st. Grrr. The week before last I knew why - it begins with a p and ends with izza. Bad Helly. But this week I have no idea why I gained, as I'd eaten really well, or so I thought. Maybe it was the week before still catching up on me, or maybe it was just a simple water imbalance or the monthly hormones coming into play (I have no idea, Aunt Flo seems to come and go as she pleases around here). I'm also struggling to fit the exercise in. I'm still loving running, but I'm limited to when I can do it. I would love to run in the mornings but my children also love to get me out of bed at 5.45am and I can't get up any earlier than that to run! Mr FGS generally gets home from work between 5 and 6, which is a crazy busy time in the house, when the kids need dinner, bath and bed for 7, so going then is practically impossible. So, the only time I can go for a run is at 7, providing Mr FGS is home from his first job, and not at his second. He works as a delivery driver a couple of evenings a week, which means I get to feed, bath and put the boys to bed on my own. The plan is to do Zumba or Wii Fit then, but truth be told by the time I've done everything all I want is to sit down with my dinner! And with the weather drawing in I think it's only going to get harder. I was going to run last night, but we had torrential rain and hurricane force winds. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind running in the rain, but I went to get something from the car and was soaked through to my underwear in 30 seconds, THROUGH my waterproof coat. Ridiculous! I am hoping that I can run tonight, although Mr FGS is working I want to go early...well, that's the plan...

So, I need a plan of action. This is what I'm doing to get myself back on track.

• Stay hydrated - water, lots of it. When your body is dehydrated it will hold onto every last drop of water it can, and this will show in your weight loss. I have quit Diet Coke (I'm seriously addicted) and am drinking at least 2l of water a day again. I've not quit caffeine (I get terrible headaches if I do) but am limiting my intake of that too.
• Exercise, exercise, exercise. Every day. If I don't run, I'll do Zumba. And crunches. Time for the jelly belly to go!
• Track. By logging everything I eat I know how much of my allowance I've used up, and it helps me make better choices. Instead of grabbing a biscuit because "it's only 2 points" I'm more likely to go for fruit or something better if I can see how it will affect my daily points allowance.
• Soup! It's the way forward. I've made a huge batch of vegetable soup (0PP value) and that is my lunch each day, either with a bagel or small roll. It fills me up, and if I get hungry again later in the afternoon I can have a mug of that and it staves of any hunger pangs.

 I need to lose a couple of pounds before Christmas so I have a buffer and don't go over the 14st (196lbs) mark, because that is a weight I don't want to go back to. I have 2 more weigh ins before a 2 week break. I'll write a separate post about my Christmas plans soon - I need a plan of action in order to minimise the damage for that too!

How is everyone? I'm afraid I've not had much time to read and comment on blogs either, I promise to try and be a better blogger!

Hx