My spangly low carb odyssey

[Spanglymum]

Another morning. Stuck to it 100% again yesterday. Out for dinner this eve with my mum, which I'm looking forward to as we don't get much 1:1 time these days. So I'll be choosing low carb/paleoish options and giving the bread a body swerve this time!

 

[Spanglymum]

OMG! Weighed self and am 67.9kg this morning!! Wow!

 

[Spanglymum]

Thanks! Am expecting weight to go haywire in next few days after meal but will try to limit the damage by making sensible choices!

Have been in touch with a brilliant specialist piercing place - very friendly and highly regarded. Now just waiting to hear back from our H R dept whether a single small nose stud is permitted or not. (Thought I'd best check first as I'm head of a big department and need to toe the line!) Haven't said I'm asking for me in case they are appalled by even the suggestion lol (wimp). Hope they say it's ok! Very exciting!

Btw I'm with you on tattoos. I've seen very few attractive ones. Wouldn't mind playing with temporary ones one summer though for a laugh now that I'm prepared to bare a bit more skin than I used to. This summer was the first year I've ever bared my knees since I was a child. Can you believe I didn't know whether the skin would tan or go freckly like my face? Freckles. Hehe. My first-ever bit of sun on my knees. Crikey.

 

[Debbi8489]

Do you have some updating on your goals to do

I've had to google 67kgs so I know what you're talking about lol. So, a smiggen over 10 and a half stone? Brilliant!! Well done you Spangly, you gorgeous young thing. Btw, my OH is 8 years younger. I am a total craddle snatcher ha ha

 

[Spanglymum]

Hehe! Good for you!!!

Well I went out, had a lovely evening, and didn't even want wine or bread or dessert. I had salmon gravadlax with fennel to start and then steak, broccoli and spinach. Divine!!! Fingers crossed I'll still be on track.

 

[Spanglymum]

The reason I do it in kgs is that I had an eating disorder when I was 16/17 - in reaction to my sister's sudden unexpected death and continuing/worsening problems in my parents' relationship and the pressure of A levels. I took my mum's 'a woman must never be in double figures' (ie over ten stone) to heart and whittled myself down from my (eminently healthy) 'natural' weight of ten stone 4 (which i had been without effort ever since i reached my adult height) to six and a half.

I bounced back as soon as I left home. In my first year at university I ballooned to 13 stone and stayed there pretty much ever since until peaking at 16 stone after my four pregnancies (two daughters and two missed miscarriages around 12 weeks).

So stones and pounds come with a lot of baggage for me. When I started LL I was actually scared of 'getting anorexic' again even though it was over twenty years ago. So I made the choice to measure in kgs to keep this separate and mark it as my 'adult' weight loss journey.

 

[Phoenyx]

Hi spangly! Long time since ive visited (been hiding but had to come back eventually!) but I'm delighted to come back to find much more positive posts from you! Even given the tough dog situation.

You're doing so well!

Personal opinion time: never too old for a discreet nose stud - my gran had one at 80 (she had v short jet white hair which made it look funky!) providing your work agree, go for it!!!

I'm still losing but slowly. I was revisited by my eating disorder for a couple of weeks but am back on track now. Have upped my carbs a touch as I've upped my exercise (so porridge in the morning but that's about it) and am currently on day 4 of p90x which I'm loving!

Am now looking for a new place to put my diary...I'm sort of calorie counting so could go there, but I'm really doing my own thing now...

 

[moonlights]

That kg switch sounds wise and brave. You've done so incredibly well xx

 

[Spanglymum]

Thanks, both. And YAY to your gran, phoenyx! She sounds like a fab lady!

Well, bit low this morning. Didn't sleep very well, which never helps, and it's tipping it down. Weighed self and back up to 68.3kg. Mental! I know it's water but it's weird how much it dispirits me. It would be useful to work on not getting as affected by the scales. Someone on here recommended the 'true weight' app, which attempts to smooth out these kinds of fluctuations to give you a more realistic idea of your progress. I'm trying to remember to use that, and that the trend is definitely on the whole downwards!

Was originally planning to work from home today but lots came up on Friday that it would be easier for me to deal with face to face so I switched. There's something about the Basingstoke office that really gets me down. Possibly just the length of the commute (over an hour and a half each way). Anyway...

Back to the being affected by the scales thing. Of course I then put on some trousers I haven't worn in ages and instead of leaping round the house shouting 'they fit! They fit!' in triumph, I instead took one glance at my reflection and tutted at the fact my behind is bigger than it was last time I wore them so they don't hang right. Honestly! What am I like?!! So 'all or nothing' it's not true!

So this led to some pretty crooked thinking on the way in. I have stopped for a coffee but didn't buy anything to eat, despite loads of 'sod it' thoughts. Phew.

 

[Spanglymum]

Am definitely learning I think. Pulled off the motorway to stop and get a black coffee and take five minutes for me before starting my day. I was getting myself really frazzled and the day hadn't even started! Now feel more relaxed, and comforted, and better able to face whatever the day brings. And no carbs involved! I got my equilibrium back by making ME a priority and stopping and thinking what would best support me right now. Might not sound like much, but as one who has spent her life with the 'oughts' and 'shoulds' and battling on and feeling every day has to be a struggle, this is a good start to the week.

 

[Spanglymum]

Woohoo! HR are totally fine with the nose stud idea! Yay!!

 

[Kat1e]

Well done spending time on you in a way that works for you. And now you can go for your dream jewels too!

 

[moonlights]

Sleeping badly raises cortisol levels in the same way stress does and has been shown (for some ridiculous reason) to cause water retention. Am going through it myself right now, no fun. Hope you got some rest xx

 

[Spanglymum]

Woke up mega early again. (been awake for over an hour now). Interesting re water retention and sleep! Sorry to see you're not sleeping either. It's no fun!

 

[Spanglymum]

Got crazy stuff going on with my weight again today (step away from the scales already!!). Back up to 69.1 this morning, despite having stuck to the plan 100%. It really messes with my head! I'm trying to remind myself that this is normal for me, and a slight gain usually precedes a big drop (whoosh!) of three or four pounds, but this morning it was difficult to stay on track. I did though. Had all kinds of crooked thoughts because of (a) a very bad bad headache and (b) the scales. But have persevered. I know I'll be glad I did! (and yes, i am drinking enough water so I know the headache isn't dehydration.)

 

[Spanglymum]

68.4 today, so no big 'whoosh' as yet, although my clothes fit better and I feel slimmer. Patience is something I still struggle with, evidently!!

 

[Spanglymum]

To be fair, looking at my chart (I know, I know! ) my weekly losses have been moving along at a fair old clip so it's no wonder my body is stopping for a breather!

wk 1: 6.5lb
wk 2: 5lb
wk 3: 3lb
wk 4: 9.5lb

Amazing how impatience over-rides the enjoyment of what is in fact an amazing success! Blimey!

 

[moonlights]

9.5lb?? Okay lady you have no reason to fret! Fab losses, especially as you don't have much more to lose!

 

[Spanglymum]

I know! What am I like? I have to keep double-checking the figures but it was definitely a drop of 9.5lb. In a week! the human body is a mysterious thing...

 

[Spanglymum]

Having a mixed day today. Things got off to a disrupted start with congestion on the roads which meant I got to work very late. Then playing catch up all day with loads of stuff from yesterday (because yesterday was so busy I didn't finish everything I wanted to etc etc knock on effects). Feeling low today. Weight still hovering around 68kg. Not really sure what's going on there. Will try to be patient!