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[peony]

Hi ladies
Back from hols - wow how cold is it here! 2.30am at Manchester Airport waiting for a coach to the carpark was a bit of a shock to the system after a week of hot sunshine.

Had a great holiday but I really really underestimated how hard abstinence would be. I assumed that as I was so into it it would be a doddle but it really wasn't. The cues to eat and drink delicious stuff on holiday are in your face the whole time. I have to admit that it did take the edge of my enjoyment slightly. OH was a love and cooked for him and our daughter every day instead of eating out and so shared my pain about 5%. But how I missed eating out on holiday, I felt bereft! I did it though, I am really proud of myself. I lost 5lb the week I was away, and have now lost 7 stones! wooooo hoooooo! Really happy about that. Also now know that Christmas abstinence will also be harder than I thought, at least I can mentally prepare myself for it though.

Mel, I hope you are feeling a bit better about things. I am sorry about the stress with your cars - a similar thing happened this time last year to us with my husband's cam belt snapping and smashing his engine 3 hours from home, and then having problems with my car. Cost us thousands to sort, just what you need around this time of year. Still you have a new car to look forward to and also a new year with a new figure. I agree it is getting really hard - I too look in the mirror clothed and think hey! I look normal and nice now, I have lost 7 stone, that's amazing, I have not eaten real food for almost 6 months, surely I must be done now?! And then I get in a swimsuit to go on the beach and see the reality in the mirror that I am still over 13 stone and it hits me that I still have months to go. It's hard, but we have to gather all the strength we have and see it through to the end. If it is any consolation, I too am finding it very hard. From the start I fantasised about healthy salad and grilled fish and meat but on the long flight home from Lanzarote I couldn't stop images of incredibly bad takeway type food coming into my head and imagining the taste and texture of it. Thought I was losing my marbles lol. Getting on the scales the next day really helped though as I saw a reward for the hard work. We can do it honey. Just keep slogging away. A couple more months in the scheme of our lifetime is miniscule, this will all be a distant memory in our slim healthy years to come.
xxxx

 

[melarnz]

Hey Peony - Well Done you!!!!! I am so proud!!

More bad news for me today. My company is closing down and I am being made redundant. Im gutted, I have been there 8 yrs and I am never going to find a job part time that pays as much!!

The thing is we dont know when it is going to happen either. I work for a sub prime lender, so we are still collecting back the money we have lent out. We have stopped lending now, but they think it will take a couple of yrs to wind down the business. No one knows when and how the redundancies will happen.

I have had a chat with the OH and decided when it happens i will go back to school and study to become a primary school teacher. it will mean we will be on the bread line for a few years or more, but in the long run it will be great for me!!

We will just have to take one thing at a time!!

 

[Foxtrot]

Way to go Peony!!!!

Sorry to hear that Melz! I hope it hangs out for as long as possible though. My ex sister in law studied to be a teacher when she was in her 40's and never regretted it! Start studying as soon as possible. Best of luck, I'm sure you will cope admirably and come out the other end.

 

[peony]

sh*t Mel - never a good time to hear such a thing but to find out the week before Christmas. It's one thing after another! It's good that you will be employed for a while longer but the uncertainty of not knowing when the axe will fall is going to be tough going. Hugs. The idea of going tito teaching is a good one tho - yes it will be a couple of years hards slog but you will so reap the rewards - teaching fits so well with being a mum. I know you'll make a fab teacher honey.

xxx

 

[melarnz]

Hi Guys - I lost 3lb tonight. I REALLY want to lose another 7lb by 2nd January. It is do-able but I only have 2 official weigh ins left. I will have to go by my scales on the morning of the 2nd!!

Its my friends 30th birthday party. I will be seeing people I havent seen in ages. One of my other friends has lent me 2 dresses. A plain black 50's style dress which i would wear with red satin peep hole shoes and a thin red belt round my waist (this is perfect for me as i have an hour glass figure) and a strapless satin white and black dress.

As its her 1st ever party, i dont want to steel her thunder by turning up all skinny (ish) in a flash dress, but it is beautiful. I might go for the classic understated look and let my weight loss do the talking. What do u guys think?

(she has put on a lot of weight recently, and when i started losing weight, said she couldnt ever be my fat friend, and now she is bigger than me)

 

[Foxtrot]

Melz!!!

Oh I know, go put lots of weight back on so your friend is happy!!!:copon:

The only time you have to NOT upstage is when there is a bride involved. You go and dress up and look and feel fab!!!! It is the party season after all.

 

[peony]

Agree 100% with foxtrot.
Wear what you look and feel great in - and you know that's the foxy one.

Good luck with the 7lb target. Stick to the straight an narrow (and if you stray, just stay off the carbs and absolute minimum of alcohol)and that target will be yours. xxx

 

[Jezebella]

Ladies, I promise to do a proper mail over the next few days when I have some proper time to write to you. Hang in there chicken lickens and great news on the weight losses, you can do it!! Mel, so sorry to hear about the job, but sometimes these things are weirdly blessings in disguise.

Peony glad the holiday went well and you are a star for sticking with it!!

You are both in my thoughts

Jez
xx

 

[slendablenda]

Go for it Mel. Shout it from the roof tops, flaunt it, wear the sassy dress and the red belt and the shoes. Show off your new hour glass figure and your new hair do.
Be proud of what you have achieved.
You look great. Enjoy the party.

 

[melarnz]

Its already hard....and its not even xmas yet!!!

I have just had to prepare a full buffet for our works christmas lunch. Everyone bought in loads of food and I had to set it all out. All of my favourite foods. The worse thing was that there was still LOADS left. I hate seeing food go to waste. I may even have nightmares about it tonight lol.

To be honest, I cant wait for xmas to be over so I can go back to 'normal' abstinence (instead of having to fight with myself everyday)

 

[daisydoll]

- you know i am actually envious of you being abstinent.
every day i am fighting and losing, i'm putting on weight and feel crap.
look on the good side - in a few days you will be feeling so good about yourself, you will be thinner and you will realise you can still have a good time without food. on the other hand i will be fatter, feeling depressed and uncomfortable! ( and yet i still don't do anything about it :-(

stay strong and enjoy the other joys of christmas, you are doing fab!

- and keep thinking about that dress!!

daisy x

 

[melarnz]

ooohh Daisy, you sound so down!!! I remember reading a post of yours that said how chuffed you were about a shop assistant calling you tiny! Try and keep that in your mind and remember how you felt!

Thank goodness xmas only comes once a year!! And its nearly here now!! I hope you get back in the zone soon. Enjoy your xmas and then worry about it after. How much damage can you do in 2 weeks!! (actually, dont answer that!!)

 

[peony]

Sorry to hear you are feeling so down daisy. Like Mel says, try not to worry too much now, and in the new year grab control with both hands. You can always go back on packs for a month to help you regain control - it's not failing you know, it's just another tool in the armoury.

4lb off this week, hurray - also have launched myself into the land of the gym, figuring I work for myself so hell if anyone can take the occasional hour at lunch to go I should be able to. Pilates yesterday lunchtime, Aqua today and have another Pilates class booked tomorrow too. It is so nice to be able to exercise without lugging an extra 7 stone 4lb around with me!

good luck with your loss this week Mel.

xxx

 

[melarnz]

Sadly, I dont think it will be great Peony. I have been really good at avoiding the big bad things, like the works xmas buffet (twice! as there was do much food left over they had another one the next day), but in my head, because I have decided i am eating xmas day and boxing day, i slipped back into my old habits of a mouthful here and there (and there and there) :-(

If I am lucky, I may lose 1lb. I am trying really hard not to pig out. If I can get through xmas without going crazy and breaking even, then I will be happy(ish). I would never have done that before!!

Its still all secret eating though. In a way its a good thing, otherwise I may be even worse. I just really hope I can get to grips with it in the new year and lose this last 3 1/2 stone. It will take no time at all once im back to full abstenence!!

Well done you though Peony, you are definately an inspiration to me!!! I would love to start back at the gym. However, with work and 2 kids and hubby working nights, its impossible to find the time to go.

I should just say to myself, thats it until xmas day, but i know i wont be able to do it. So instead, Im going to feed up the kids and hubby with all the nice food and cakes and stay around people as much as possible. Try and keep in mind how great i have done already and keep determined. I also need to stay away from the scales!!! As when I weigh myself and I have done well, i think woohoo then when the next temptation comes along its in the back of my mind that i have done well. then when i can see it creeping on, i think sod it!!! ive done it now!

Well hopefully, everyones support I can get back on the fast track, instead of the scenic route im on at the moment!!

 

[peony]

Don't worry about it Mel and don't let it spoil your christmas. If you don't go completely mad - which it doesn't sound as though you are - you will be fine, compare it to say last year when if you were anything like me, you had a great old time eating anything and everything filled with fat and calories. You'll soon be able to focus again in the new year - and everyone else will be watching their weight then too so less temptation everywhere!

Well anyway lovely, have a wonderful christmas if I don't get chance to get on here over the next few days, be very merry and enjoy a christmas over 6 stone lighter than last year's.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[melarnz]

Hi Girlies.....Thats it!! Xmas is over now as far as I am concerned and I am back to the packs. I still have a few social events to attend over the next few weeks, but I am ready to go full pelt into the new year and my target is in sight!!!

I could do this in 3 months and then by the Summer be super slinky and able to wear cool funky clothes in the warm weather. It will be crazy to think that for my birthday last year I was a size 30 and this year I will be at least a 12.

WELL DONE Peony for staying on track over xmas!! and i hope everyone else did what they planned and had a great time too.

xxxxxxxxxxx

 

[melarnz]

I have really not done well over xmas!! I have put on a few pounds, had a great time, played some games and spent time with family.

This morning, its time to organise. I did my girls room yesterday and 'disposed' of a few things and it is now less cluttered and looks lovely. So i decided to do the same in my room and got rid of 5 bags of clothes. some still fit, but i thought they are not the look i want anymore so got rid of them.

I am going back to the blog, and start to de-clutter my life of things i dont need. i think i will start with birthday cards to people who i dont ever see!! lol.

wouldnt it be nice if i could cut out my job!!! lol

hope all are well xxx

 

[peony]

Hiya honey
I wouldn't worry about a few pounds on, you had a great time, and they could be gone plus some by this time next week. De-cluttering is lovely, I could do with going through my wardrobe again as am shrinking rapidly. Most has already been dispatched, but I really need new gym stuff, the size 18 bottoms I bought 5 months ago that seemed so tiny are now far too big! Gutted that Next have sold out of the size I need as they are well comfy and a lovely cut. I nearly fell over yesterday, I was at my friend's and the zip broke off my coat so she has given me a couple to borrow. One is ......a size 10! - it is a little too tight when zipped up, but probably a month off looking perfect when zipped up. It is just astounding me how much my body has changed. My brain seems to be catching up a bit finally as I am finally starting to see a slimmer person when I look in the mirror.

Like you say Mel, reckon another 3 months nose to grindstone is all I need to get to target. Roll on those funky summer clothes. For one of my pressies Hubby has been into House of Fraser to meet one of their personal shoppers to make sure I will like her and organised a personal shopping session with £££ vouchers to spend for when I am at target. CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Getting really excited now, really feel like I am on the home stretch!

Oh 3lb off this week- happy with that but think the diet faries could have given me 7 to make up for abstaining through xmas and new years eve lol!

 

[melarnz]

Im so pleased for you. I wish I had half of your strength!! I think I would be skinny by now if i did lol

 

[peony]

You are amazingly strong Mel, you just can't see how strong. To be able to go back onto the packs after being off them briefly is to my mind quite some feat - it also shows that you are training yourself to manage food when abstinence is over proper - that side of things may be hairier for me when I finish as I haven't had any 'practices' with food.