wedding year- it's now or...er. . now!

It's 2nd January and by the end of September, I 'll be married to my lovely man- that much I know. The question is will I spend the big day holding my breath due to camera paranoia or will I be at a weight where that's not the big black storm cloud of doom? And it's a good question.
So, here I go again. But this time I'm going to keep this diary. I''ve lurked on the site for a while and there really is so much support on here that I would love to have.
Wish me luck, more info soon

Good luck with your Weight loss hun.x :girlpower:

Good luck! How much do you have to lose, and how are you doing it?? You can do it!! Just fast forward to the big day

here's a bit of background about me, it might help explain any future rants/meltdowns in the future.

i already lost a fair bit of weight- i started at 18.5st and lost about 5st. this was around 2009 and 2010. i did it by major calorie restriction and hit n miss exercise. since then, i've changed the way i eat and do atkins, paleo, general clean LC or a mixture of all three. the crucial point is that IF i had not fallen off the wagon every time i have a life event- you know, something significant like a long weekend!!, then i would be done, finished, slim. but i'm not. i'm still messing around the 13 - 13.5st mark. i've lost count of the number of times i have regained the 13 to 14 stone stone, but its at least 5. even my basic grasp of maths can work out that 13.5 - 5= 8.5! and i have no desire whatsoever to be 8.5 stone.... 10.5 would be indescribably fantastic. so, i suppose thats the answer, 10.5 stone. call it 3 stone to lose- i haven't weighed myself since xmas and i dont intend to until the end of jan.

but i doubt i can or should try to lose 3 stone in 9 months, i'd be happy with anything over 2. 11st it is then!

i'm going to stick to something LC, stop eating my emotions (especially anxiety), figure out how to exercise without piling into extra food because i think i'm entitled to it and i'm going to get all my mental rubbish out by using this diary?!... good plan.

Target for January Challenge is 14lbs

Great read Best of luck to you on your journey, You can do it, and 3st in 9 months is completely achievable too xx

ok where am i? i feel a bit funny starting this diary without actually having weighed myself but i think the fear of whatever i might have gained at xmas is motivating me better than the psuedo-depression i would feel if i actually knew how much it was.

so, i'm giving the festive season a 7 lb advantage. i'm guessing this with reference to last xmas- i reckon i gained 2st last year in about a month! i remember going to my work's christmas lunch on dec 16th (2011) and breaking my LCarb eating by having christmas pudding for dessert and that was it!!! forward to 5th Jan when i go back to work and i honestly think i got rolled accross the carpark.

my problem was that i kept trying to get back on the wagon- so i'd start the day by eating high-fat-low-carb and end up succumbing to ice cream or high carb takeaway or alcohol at night. so basically, i ended up eating high-fat-figh-carb.... it was never going to end well. i also know that it took till around May last year to lose it.

coming in to this xmas, i realised that (with wedding approaching) i just could not afford for the same thing to happen again and i switched to counting calories- i knew i would have sweets and chocolate and drinks but i thought i could minimise the damage by eating low fat the rest of the time. i'm happy to say i think i worked- my work trousers still fit me for my first day and i just dont feel as huge as i did at the start of last year.

so, i'm guessing i've put on 7lbs. i really hope that when i can stop myself weighing in until the end of Jan!! (oh and the other thing, every time i get to 13st 1lb or 13st, i do something to sabotage myself) i just want there to be a 12!!!! i really think i'll do ok if i can get over this massive barrier i've made in my mind.

You can get over this barrier - this is your time!!! Losing that pound to take you into the 12s is no harder than any other pound...maybe set yourself a non food reward for when you do it - think of something you really, really want...or something you would like for the wedding? work towards it...keep it in mind, you managed to keep yourself going this xmas so I am sure you can break these mental barriers

I just wanted to wish you luck! I am getting married next April and really worried about looking like a whale in the pictures. You can do this, just stay determined and focused on the weight loss

Thanks guys! Your support really helps and I'm going to think about a reward I really want... really want!
This is my first weekend- dont know if everybody is like me and struggles most at weekends- I have had some wine but I haven't fallen into extra munching! I count this as a victory. And, I'm still recording my food... another victory- normally as soon as I have a drink or do something else that is "off diet" I hide and stop logging the details. Onward!

more blinkin wine last night! doh!! had waaaay too many calories yesterday:sigh:.... but i still logged it in my app thing, so at least i'm sticking to that bit of the plan. next weekend will the toughy: no drinkiepoos allowed!

i'm back to work properly tomorrow and have finally gotten over my head-cold so i'll start back at the gym tomorrow lunchtime. x-trainer and some free weights i think. grrrrr!

hooray- first proper day back at work over and done!

was in a rush this morning- that 10mins extra in bed is a killer- so forgot my lunch (lovely mum-homemade-soup) but didnt go to pieces, just got some eggs at the shop. also went to the gym at lunch: 300 cals on the x-trainer. nice and steady, blethered to my friend all the way through so it wasnt a toil. dont want to get too bogged down in the exercise thing. i heard on the radio this morning that weight loss is 80% what you eat and 20% exercise... and that kinda rings true for me- does anyone else feel the same?


i was just posting on another thread about how often i weigh in: i am NOT going to weigh in until the end of January. (i weigh in at Boots (though other stores are available)). i dont know why i've decided this apart from that i'm hoping to see a 12 .... but at the same time i'm terrified that i'll have gained more than the 7 lbs that i'm guessing for xmas and i end up disappointed.

i just cant bring myself to get scales in the house- i'll end up weighing in every day and become an emotional bouncy ball.

MINI GOAL 1: NO ALCOHOL THIS WEEKEND
MINI GOAL 2: Magic Number 12!

Hi feet face

Reading your diary made me chuckle- really hit home it was so familiar. I'm doing slimming world so my loss will be slower but I'm always full. I've signed up to stuff to keep me motivated c25k, 100% for 100 days and no booze for at least jan!! First w.i tomorrow - I weigh once a week like to see how it's going but when I used to weigh only every now and again I was miles lighter. Don't be too hard on yourself ... You've lost loads altogether!

Hi feetface!

RawrGirl understands the whole weekend thing. She is doing a low-calorie version of Atkins. Basically, she eats low carb but still keeps her calories down (800 Mon-Thurs, 1500 on Fri and Sat, 1200 on Sun). One weekend a month she goes out of Ketosis and eats carbs (and doesn't count calories at all). And, very important, she lifts weights (10 pound dumbbells) 6x a week (upperbody one day, lower body the next). This has worked very well for her as she has lost around 30 pounds since September (up a bit from Christmas though).

So if weekends are harder for you too, you could work them into your diet, cutting a little more during the week so that you have the extra on the weekends.

Also, RawrGirl drinks every weekend (vodka and diet soda), as the hard stuff won't knock her out of Ketosis (most wines have sugars). What RawrGirl loves about Atkins/low carb is that she always finding something to eat when she goes out. On Sunday, she attended an event and ate sausage with onion/peppers (everyone else ate them on a roll), pepperoni and cheese (skipped the crackers), and veggies and sour cream dip. If she were just counting calories, she'd barely been able to eat anything, and probably would have gave in. Knowing she was still in Ketosis made all the difference mentally, as she knew today's exercise was burning pure fat rather than needing 3 days just to use up all the carbs stored in her muscles.

And great idea to only weigh yourself once a month! RawrGirl was a daily weigher until Prince Charming (hubby) got tired of her crying and hid the scales this past Spring. Now he only gives it to her once a month (the Friday morning before her carb/treat weekend). She gets to weigh in, update her stats with her loss, post pics in a new outfit (or the same jeans showing them looser and looser), and then enjoys her weekend. Monday morning, she jumps right back into diet because she's still so excited about her loss (and motivated for next month's), she got to have her treats so she doesn't feel deprived, and knows that after the first 3 days she is back in Ketosis again for the rest of the month.

Hope some/any of that helps!

thanks folks! malamobile- i'm secretly aiming for no booze for all of january but i'm only working on this first weekend for now- i am not ruling out just clubbing myself over the head at about 7pm on friday night when i get in from work... my logic is if you're unconscious, you're not quaffing pinot!

yeah rawrgirl, i eat low carb/paleo and i used to do crossfit- which is intense full body weights workouts, which i loved but was reeaaallllly expensive. i have to say, i hadn't thought of cutting my energy intake through the week and now that you say it, i think all this bloody dieting must have killed some brain cells- if i was on a primarily calorie controlled diet, thats exactly what i would have done!
i think i'll get the rest of this week in just sticking to my current levels- still headachy and rubbish from de-carbing- and then reduce a bit mon-thu. sounds good. i'll be stepping up the workouts in the next few weeks too- how do you get on with managing your minerals and salts while you're working out hard in ketosis? all advice welcome cause i just hate the headaches.
another half decent day, 300 cals on the x trainer and badminton at night.
had BF's special cheesy eggs for brekkie, which usually keeps me full till lunch, but found myself a bit hungry come 11am, so had maybe 30/40g cheese as a snack. now i wonder.... i had stomach cramp (the monthly sort) this morning, which always ****warning*** makes me run to the loo lots: could this be why i got hungry earlier than usual? hhm.

feetface said:

how do you get on with managing your minerals and salts while you're working out hard in ketosis? all advice welcome cause i just hate the headaches.

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RawrGirl takes a multivitamin/mineral supplement, plus calcium, potassium, fish oil, etc. This way she gets everything she needs. Not quite sure what you mean by salts. It's very doubtful you need sodium...there's tons of sodium in most food. I believe the body only needs about 500 milligrams and most people get tons more than that. But what you do need is potassium...for the heart...esp while on low-cal diet.


And while she lifts heavy, she does very little cardio (not sure what you meant by "working out hard in ketosis") -- only about 6 minutes a day broken into three 2 minute session (at high intensity). You never want to do normal cardio in ketosis...either a normal walk/stroll or short bursts of very intense as neither of that type use carbs (aerobic). Weights, slow walk, and high intensity cardio are anaerobic and mostly use fat to fuel. Aerobic (like a jog, or speed walking, or step DVD) need carbs to fuel, and if your body doesn't have carbs, it will break down muscle and turn it into carbs. That is quite bad as it will lower your metabolism, making it harder to both lose weight and maintain any weight loss.

Yes unconsciousness does help reduce the need for wine-or wine induces it!!!I always make sure I have yummy soft drinks in. Sugar free squashes, fizzy. Even 0% Bavaria fake beer ! Not sure what you can have the way you are dieting though...

I've just lost all interest as the feeling of being a total weebly heifer is upon me and I know the devils elixir is empty calories & makes me eat as my defences crumble!!!

Good luck this weekend!!

Sorry rawrgirl, was talkin about atkins flu at the same time as the exercise thing. No wonder I confused ya!
I did a fast this morning and for the first time ever, I havent overeaten yet because of it...yay! ! No gym today because I didnt have breakfast.

Saw this idea on another post and it got me thinking; what have I survived today? (Mental pat on the back time)

Today I survived my colleague, who is, I believe the only person who hasn't sickened herself with chocolate over xmas. Every time I turned round there was a huge tin of Roses!!!..... but not for me. Good girl.

What did u survive?

Malamobile I think we share a brain! I went down the yummy soft drinks route last Friday. .. sugar free ginger beer, ribena, lime juice... to make me and the OH soft cocktails.
Then I promptly got bullied by my mum into a real cocktail- I honestly did resist for a bit- and then, oh look at that! ? I've accidently got loads of nice ingredients in the fridge! You can guess the rest.

Yep, tryin again on friday.

Its this whole "I've been good all week" mentality.... must learn: Monday to friday teatime is NOT all week!!

Whats your diary thread called btw?

feetface said:

Malamobile I think we share a brain! I went down the yummy soft drinks route last Friday. .. sugar free ginger beer, ribena, lime juice... to make me and the OH soft cocktails.
Then I promptly got bullied by my mum into a real cocktail- I honestly did resist for a bit- and then, oh look at that! ? I've accidently got loads of nice ingredients in the fridge! You can guess the rest.

Yep, tryin again on friday.

Its this whole "I've been good all week" mentality.... must learn: Monday to friday teatime is NOT all week!!

Whats your diary thread called btw?

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ah yes great minds think alike. i love elderflower with fizzy water but you can't get it sugar free (booo). my mum is terrible for leading me astray. when i was stressed at uni she would call me up and say she'd put a tenner into my account for me to spend in the pub??! ah the road to ruin!

my diary is called - ahhh i can't remember - something like foxy 42 by 2014 - want to join me?.. lots of me just talking tomyself (but i do that anyway worryingly). i survived some very sad news today. also survived my boring job. went to the gym which i was well chuffed about! yes, i am doing ok after all!!! 100% for 9 days now. it might even be a record. keep on going ff and we will make it!x