Angel_Cake
Full Member
You must feel so proud. That is one amazing achievement. Well done!!
Weasey's Diary - The Journey to Size 10...
- Thread starter weasey
- Start date
weasey
Gold Member
06/03/12 - First Meal Out on Lite
Today is my husband's birthday and so we went out for a meal. Not a huge thing in the normal run of things... For my birthday a month ago we were away in London and we went out for a meal where I had fizzy water and coffee and he had a steak! However, the big difference now is that I've moved on to lite so I was able to partake!
I was on total for over 6 months and have been on lite for the last 3 weeks. So this is a big change for me and it was kind of wierd actually ordering some food! I didn't get a starter or pud but did order a main course of steak. And instead of the chips it came with I asked for a green salad with the dressing on the side. How good am I?! Thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Not only haven't I had a meal in a restaurant for over 7 months but I only recently decided to eat meat again, after being vegetarian for over 20 years. So this was my first steak (infact my first beef of any sort) in well over 20 years! Was so full afterwards too that I didn't want my last pack of the day. Still had it though because I'm a good girl!
My husband asked me if I was going to have wine (which is a bit odd as he is fully supportive of the diet and knows I can't drink). He also asked why I wasn't eating the fat on the steak. He said that he didn't want to assume that I was sticking to the diet today. Why wouldn't I?! I've stuck to it for the last 7 months! I have had one planned lapse (protein meal on Christmas day) apart from that I've stuck to it 100%. Men are just wierd - that's my well reasoned explaination!
[For those of you on Slim and Save please note that I am allowed steak on LL lite and also a small amount of salad dressing! On LL total it is 4 packs and no veggies, no milk, no protein.]
Today is my husband's birthday and so we went out for a meal. Not a huge thing in the normal run of things... For my birthday a month ago we were away in London and we went out for a meal where I had fizzy water and coffee and he had a steak! However, the big difference now is that I've moved on to lite so I was able to partake!
I was on total for over 6 months and have been on lite for the last 3 weeks. So this is a big change for me and it was kind of wierd actually ordering some food! I didn't get a starter or pud but did order a main course of steak. And instead of the chips it came with I asked for a green salad with the dressing on the side. How good am I?! Thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Not only haven't I had a meal in a restaurant for over 7 months but I only recently decided to eat meat again, after being vegetarian for over 20 years. So this was my first steak (infact my first beef of any sort) in well over 20 years! Was so full afterwards too that I didn't want my last pack of the day. Still had it though because I'm a good girl!
My husband asked me if I was going to have wine (which is a bit odd as he is fully supportive of the diet and knows I can't drink). He also asked why I wasn't eating the fat on the steak. He said that he didn't want to assume that I was sticking to the diet today. Why wouldn't I?! I've stuck to it for the last 7 months! I have had one planned lapse (protein meal on Christmas day) apart from that I've stuck to it 100%. Men are just wierd - that's my well reasoned explaination!
[For those of you on Slim and Save please note that I am allowed steak on LL lite and also a small amount of salad dressing! On LL total it is 4 packs and no veggies, no milk, no protein.]
BordersGirl
Feeling great in 2012!
That's very reserved of you Weasey but if it doesn't feel right to have something then don't. When I had my weekend off recently it was weird but I didn't really want a stack of bad things whereas over Xmas and New Year when I had a break I was quite prepared to have a stack of bad things! You're really doing great on this diet but do you worry about how to do maintenance? I worry that I'll never get the quantities right to stabilise my weight.
weasey
Gold Member
Up to roughly week 6 I worried about the diet. At that point I knew that I would get to goal on the diet (!) and started worrying about maintenance! I stopped worrying about maintenance just a week or two ago. I now know that I can maintain in the same way that I knew I could get to goal. I introduced food a little over 4 weeks ago (before that was on 4 packs, no veggies, no milk) and it is the way that I've handled the food which has pleased me and helped convince me that I can do it long term. Before that I was a little scared to come off purely packs to be honest. At the moment I don't even want the things which would put weight back on me. I've always loved my veggies and particularly salad - I don't know why I didn't eat very much of it! I have also stopped being a vegetarian, so it's easy to get protein without carbs or fat now. It also means that I'm eating very different foods than I did before - so it almost feels like a different activity.
I know that the re-feeding plan is going to be hard and that I'm going to need lots of support. From talking to returners this is the phase which most of them skip. The support can be from family, friends, minimins (also included in friends of course!) and my lighter life counsellor. The ony reason I have stayed with LL is because I want to do their structured re-feeding (will be happy to share once they tell me the details!) and also because I think I may well need the support of my counsellor, particularly during the phase when you reintroduce your trigger foods.
I am also developing 'rules' for me to live by during maintenance. I am really into commitment - if I tell someone that I will do something then I will do it no matter what. I am hoping to be able to use that aspect of my personality by developing a list of rules which I will make a commitment to myself to stick to. Funily enough I'm planning a diary entry later today on the rules so far.
I also have grand plans regarding exercise. I don't feel that a goal to maintain my weight is enough for me. I am used to seeing movement towards my weight loss goal on a regular basis and I feel like I need the same positive reinforcement. My hubby's personal trainer refuses to train with me whilst I'm on so few calories but as soon as my re-feeding programme takes me to 1200 calories I'll start training with him. Hubby and I are planning an activity holiday next Feb, which will include hiking, cycling, kyacking, white water rafting etc. So I'll be training up so that I can do those things without problem. I'll have fitness goals and be able to see my progress towards them. This will hopefully keep me motivated and help me to maintain. Hopefully it will also build muscle which will increase my metabolic rate! I'm also loving My Fitness Pal and I think it could become a mainstay of my maintenance regime - even though I only joined today!
Of course I may be wrong and put the weight back on. I know that. But I'm going to do everything I can to avoid that happening.
I know that the re-feeding plan is going to be hard and that I'm going to need lots of support. From talking to returners this is the phase which most of them skip. The support can be from family, friends, minimins (also included in friends of course!) and my lighter life counsellor. The ony reason I have stayed with LL is because I want to do their structured re-feeding (will be happy to share once they tell me the details!) and also because I think I may well need the support of my counsellor, particularly during the phase when you reintroduce your trigger foods.
I am also developing 'rules' for me to live by during maintenance. I am really into commitment - if I tell someone that I will do something then I will do it no matter what. I am hoping to be able to use that aspect of my personality by developing a list of rules which I will make a commitment to myself to stick to. Funily enough I'm planning a diary entry later today on the rules so far.
I also have grand plans regarding exercise. I don't feel that a goal to maintain my weight is enough for me. I am used to seeing movement towards my weight loss goal on a regular basis and I feel like I need the same positive reinforcement. My hubby's personal trainer refuses to train with me whilst I'm on so few calories but as soon as my re-feeding programme takes me to 1200 calories I'll start training with him. Hubby and I are planning an activity holiday next Feb, which will include hiking, cycling, kyacking, white water rafting etc. So I'll be training up so that I can do those things without problem. I'll have fitness goals and be able to see my progress towards them. This will hopefully keep me motivated and help me to maintain. Hopefully it will also build muscle which will increase my metabolic rate! I'm also loving My Fitness Pal and I think it could become a mainstay of my maintenance regime - even though I only joined today!
Of course I may be wrong and put the weight back on. I know that. But I'm going to do everything I can to avoid that happening.
BordersGirl
Feeling great in 2012!
Sounds like you have a really good plan. I don't have my maintenance plan yet and I think that's what worries me. I have a vague low GL plan but nothing concrete yet. I also know that (for me) alcohol is a problem. I love wine (could murder a glass now actually but I won't) but once I have a glass I can never just stop at 1, and then my resolve weakens and I hit the carbs. Am going to try to restrict myself to alcohol at weekends and allow myself more calories than during the week at weekends. Will try for around 1200 during the week and according to MFP that's 580 calories less than my daily burn rate so that will allow me some slack if I go over 1200 and some extra calories for some weekend treats. That's the theory anyway! I love MFP already too and I only really started using it today too. It's telling me that if I stick to 800 calories a day I should lose 2lbs a week which is exactly what I want. During the week I should be under that, but I have a few odd things at weekends that push up to around the 800 mark.
weasey
Gold Member
I think it's about understanding yourself and your personality type and coming up with a plan that works for you. My rules mean that I can still have the food which made me fat before - but in moderation and I have to make up for it straight away. If I say I can never have them again I will rebel - I have a very well developed rebellious streak! I also think that staying in touch with people, such as you, who have also lost a lot of weight and are maintaining will make all the difference. Having people to chat to about how you're handling it is really useful - and sometimes you can see things more clearly when you're advising someone else than when you're in the middle of it yourself!
weasey
Gold Member
10/03/2012 - Weasey's Maintenance Rules So Far...
Here are the rules I intend to live by once I'm in maintenance. They're still in development but I like to revisit them every now and again...
RULES SO FAR
1. If a certain food item is not healthy I can still eat it but I MUST compensate on the same day. Ideally I would compensate before eating the food (such as a light lunch before going out to dinner).
2. Every [frequency to be defined] I can have at most [number to be defined] meals containing food which is not healthy.
3. I will not have my trigger foods (bread and cheese) in the house unless we have visitors. I will be allowed them in moderation when out.
4. I will plan my meals in detail and shop for exactly what I need for those meals.
5. I will use My Fitness Pal (or similar tool) to help in planning my meals and tracking what I am having. I will be completely honest in detailing what I have ingested.
6. I will weigh myself once a week and weigh in front of someone else at least once a month.
7. I will have a maximum weight [yet to be determined]. If I reach that weight then action must be taken straight away. I will monitor and adjust in order to avoid reaching that weight.
8. I will keep an eye on my portion sizes and question whether I am eating to hunger.
9. I will have a personal trainer and will have fitness goals to achieve. [details to be specified later]
Here are the rules I intend to live by once I'm in maintenance. They're still in development but I like to revisit them every now and again...
RULES SO FAR
1. If a certain food item is not healthy I can still eat it but I MUST compensate on the same day. Ideally I would compensate before eating the food (such as a light lunch before going out to dinner).
2. Every [frequency to be defined] I can have at most [number to be defined] meals containing food which is not healthy.
3. I will not have my trigger foods (bread and cheese) in the house unless we have visitors. I will be allowed them in moderation when out.
4. I will plan my meals in detail and shop for exactly what I need for those meals.
5. I will use My Fitness Pal (or similar tool) to help in planning my meals and tracking what I am having. I will be completely honest in detailing what I have ingested.
6. I will weigh myself once a week and weigh in front of someone else at least once a month.
7. I will have a maximum weight [yet to be determined]. If I reach that weight then action must be taken straight away. I will monitor and adjust in order to avoid reaching that weight.
8. I will keep an eye on my portion sizes and question whether I am eating to hunger.
9. I will have a personal trainer and will have fitness goals to achieve. [details to be specified later]
weasey
Gold Member
12/03/2012 - Bad Side of Losing Weight?
I'm currently a size 12 or 14 and I started this journey at a size 26. I have been large throughout my adult life - probably never lower than a size 20 before now. Although the journey has been hugely positive and I would never change my mind about doing this there are a couple of unpleasent side affects which I never considered before... Yesterday I was meeting up with some friends and we were supposed to meet at Starbucks at 10am. It was shut (!) so hubby and I went in to the pub next door to get some coffees. At one of the tables in the pub was an older gentleman, who looked like he could do with a good wash and scrub up, who kept staring at my body. Not being the shy retiring type I gave him a look and raised my eyebrows and he was decent enough to look away. Then we went outside to drink our coffees in the sunshine (what a glorious sunny day it was!) and met our friends. Whilst we were chatting two drunk lads at the next table (young this time!) starting trying to chat me up rather loudly and kept interupting our conversation with inane and often sexual comments. Now I know that the type of people who are sitting in a pub drinking at 10am on a Sunday morning are not representative of humankind but honestly! I've never had to put up with this kind of thing before! What is wrong with these people? Are they really so shallow and inane? I was wearing jeans and a T shirt so hardly 'look at me' clothes!
I'm currently a size 12 or 14 and I started this journey at a size 26. I have been large throughout my adult life - probably never lower than a size 20 before now. Although the journey has been hugely positive and I would never change my mind about doing this there are a couple of unpleasent side affects which I never considered before... Yesterday I was meeting up with some friends and we were supposed to meet at Starbucks at 10am. It was shut (!) so hubby and I went in to the pub next door to get some coffees. At one of the tables in the pub was an older gentleman, who looked like he could do with a good wash and scrub up, who kept staring at my body. Not being the shy retiring type I gave him a look and raised my eyebrows and he was decent enough to look away. Then we went outside to drink our coffees in the sunshine (what a glorious sunny day it was!) and met our friends. Whilst we were chatting two drunk lads at the next table (young this time!) starting trying to chat me up rather loudly and kept interupting our conversation with inane and often sexual comments. Now I know that the type of people who are sitting in a pub drinking at 10am on a Sunday morning are not representative of humankind but honestly! I've never had to put up with this kind of thing before! What is wrong with these people? Are they really so shallow and inane? I was wearing jeans and a T shirt so hardly 'look at me' clothes!
like_a_feather
Thinking Thin!
Just catching up with your diary and I had to stop and say OH MY GOD at your progress pictures! You must have heard it a thousand times, but you are truly inspirational! Thanks for posting such an honest diary xxx
weasey
Gold Member
21/03/2012 - Reminders
I was at the hospital yesterday having my annual retinopothy scan (photos of the retinas in the back of my eyes to make sure that my diabetes is not affecting my vision) and I was reminded how much I have changed my life in the last year. The woman gathering my information at the beginning was asking all the normal questions which she asks every year. She asked me whether I was still on my diabetes medication, with a slightly resigned tone. When I said that I wasn't taking it anymore she seemed really surprised and pleased. When I think about it logically that seems like a reasonable reaction to me, but at the time it seemed strange because coming off my meds was such an early part of this programme that it's ancient history for me. Then she asked when it was that I came off the meds and I had to work it out - it was August! OMG - I've been off my meds for 7 months! Suddenly I was reminded what a huge achievement that is!
Isn't it strange how sometimes we need external people to remind us how great the things are that have come from this journey? I get lots of comments about my weight loss now as it's so visible but not about my health and so I'd forgotten quite how far that has come - even though it has always been my main focus. The mind is such a strange thing! I want to find a way to get myself to consider these things - perhaps on a monthly basis - during maintenance so that I never forget how far I have come and how much it means to me. I want to maintain the sharp focus I had in the beginning so that I don't forget and get complacent during maintenance...
I was at the hospital yesterday having my annual retinopothy scan (photos of the retinas in the back of my eyes to make sure that my diabetes is not affecting my vision) and I was reminded how much I have changed my life in the last year. The woman gathering my information at the beginning was asking all the normal questions which she asks every year. She asked me whether I was still on my diabetes medication, with a slightly resigned tone. When I said that I wasn't taking it anymore she seemed really surprised and pleased. When I think about it logically that seems like a reasonable reaction to me, but at the time it seemed strange because coming off my meds was such an early part of this programme that it's ancient history for me. Then she asked when it was that I came off the meds and I had to work it out - it was August! OMG - I've been off my meds for 7 months! Suddenly I was reminded what a huge achievement that is!
Isn't it strange how sometimes we need external people to remind us how great the things are that have come from this journey? I get lots of comments about my weight loss now as it's so visible but not about my health and so I'd forgotten quite how far that has come - even though it has always been my main focus. The mind is such a strange thing! I want to find a way to get myself to consider these things - perhaps on a monthly basis - during maintenance so that I never forget how far I have come and how much it means to me. I want to maintain the sharp focus I had in the beginning so that I don't forget and get complacent during maintenance...
