No idea what I'm writing

Today's weight: 14st 13lbs
Loss this week: 2½lbs
Total loss: 6lbs

It's not very often I'm speechless but I have no idea what I'm talking about today! I normally have my blog half written (in my head) by Tuesday, but I'm blank. So I'll just make it up as I go along.

Happy with my loss. Enjoying it and have settled into it now. I sometimes have spare calories at the end of the day (which of course) goes on chocolate. It's not ideal still eating chocolate but if that what it takes to stick to my plan I'll take it. Better to have a little each day than try to abstain...as we all know what that will lead to! That's my breakfast - frozen summer berries with fat free Greek yogurt, and toasted almond slithers. I don't usually have fat free dairy (preferring full fat) but Total Fage is good and at only 54 cal per 100g it's great! The almonds were a measly 5g BUT 32 calories! They made the pic look pretty but not sure I'll have them again lol.

My lovely dog is so clever and understands everything I say to her. But she can't speak human! Which means I don't always understand her. When she wants something she'll come and stand in front of me and just stare. So we head to the kitchen (tail wagging so good sign). Through to the utility - it gets harder from here. I open back door...no, she doesn't want to go in the garden. I'll put on my coat and boots...no, she doesn't want a walk. Her water bowl is full. She might want a treat because she always wants a treat. We then go back to the lounge and she sits down at my feet and sleeps!! We play this game a few times a day - if only  she could talk! When she wants her tea I get a very clear message. She climbs onto me, up round my head and curls round my neck like one of those travel cushions! She's a Labrador so not small. But she loves it. If I turn left I get her bum. And to the right is her face and I get a tongue (aka Libby kiss). I love my dog!!

Handle every situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, just pee on it and walk away!

It has began

This is last week's picture from Turin that I couldn't upload. Look at the beautiful blue sky!

Today's weight : 15st 1½lbs
This week's loss: 3½lbs

So I have eventually started my diet! And yes I am calling it a diet. Blimey it hurts my ears when you all shout at me!! But listen. Firstly, it is about me losing weight. And secondly, that's the correct term to describe someone's eating e.g. The diet of a giraffe is leaves! (And he's not trying to lose weight). So I'm on a diet! Now I know nowadays we like to say 'it's not a diet, it's a healthy eating plan - for life.' I will admit I've said the exact same thing here, on my blog. If you go on a diet it implies you come off a diet, and that's when it all goes wrong and the weight goes back on. Diets don't work! But of course they do, otherwise how the hell do we lose the weight. I know for a fact that hoping and praying and wishing and crying does NOT work!

So....I've changed my mind. (I'm allowed to, it's my blog). I think that actually we do need to 'diet' to lose weight! We need to do whatever works for us. Less calories, Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Atkins, eating only eggs etc. etc. It's the maintaining stage that is the healthy eating for life bit. Lose the weight then the hard bit begins. I don't think you should eat only eggs as you'd probably be poorly but you can diet and eat good nutritious (and delicious) food. But it isn't the way we will eat forever. Dieting can be hard, I agree. But I believe the 'after we have become slim' is when we knuckle down and work out how to eat good food with the odd birthday cake, chocolate bar, binge drink thrown in - that's the eating for life bit.

I've been sticking to 800 calories daily since Monday. I forgot to weigh myself on Monday morning so the above loss is just from Tuesday. Very happy. So far I've found it fine. I have to admit that some of the calories have come from chocolate - in fact today 300 calories came from a cheeseburger (free from McDonald's so I wasn't going to say no ha ha ha). I'm enjoying my food and sticking to an eating window of about 9 hours. Want to stay on this for 2 weeks then I'll introduce one day of no calorie counting.

I used to think I was indecisive but now I'm not sure.

Winter sun

So the rumour about my holiday was true. I've had a week skiing in Italy. Now when I say skiing I am exaggerating a little. I've not actually skied! Why? The truth? Well I didn't think my ski pants would fit and I'm so unbelievable unfit I knew it would be a disaster. To fall over, in snow, with great big planks on your feet, and getting up again? Never going to happen! It's impossible! But don't worry I have very much partaken in the apres-ski. And I certainly have not been without exercise! To walk from the apartment to the village is uphill. And when I say uphill I really mean a mountain climb. The road is pretty much vertical - like walk 3 steps and you're puffed out vertical!

My sister and I took the train to Turin on Wednesday. We walked the whole of Turin! I did 29550 steps and 15.6km... And I had a cold. Back in the hotel room my sister thought we should walk on the spot to get the steps up to 30000. I told her succinctly to piss off ha ha. Thursday was another walking day but it was more shopping than walking, much to my relief. To say my poor little body (ok, huge big body) is shagged is saying something! I want to go home for a rest.

Of course Italian food it awesome - pizza, pasta, ice cream, bread sticks etc etc. My last little indulgence. My new 800 calories eating plan will be starting on Monday and I am beyond excited! Let's hope I can stick with it until my target. No, scrub that, I have never been so determined to lose this weight than I am just now. It's now or never guys! Hold your breathe.

Young people can run faster but old people know where they are going!

Sorry it's late but I needed to find WiFi. And it's not fast enough to upload my pic! x

So much to say

So this is me! Not a pretty site but it is what it is. Is my nifty seasonal scarf just a ploy to cover up? Of course it bloody is.

Current weight : 15st 5lbs
BMI : 38.1
Obese? : extremely

So I might have only put on 1lb over Christmas but New Year was a different tale. I've reached a new high! (And no, I'm not boasting). I haven't quite started my new healthy regime but  I am NOT procrastinating. I am preparing and researching.

Preparing - firstly need to get rid of the festive food (get rid = eat). Not the chocolate as that lasts, but the litres of double cream, cheeses, pate, homemade Irish Cream Liqueur etc. Sorry but I can't just bin this stuff. That would be rude. Oh, and wasteful!

Researching - as you know I'm hot on the 5-2 plan but Mr (actually Dr) Michael Mosley has a new one. The Fast 800. So rather than restrict your calories to 800 for 2 days out of 7 you can do this daily (or 6 days or 5 days - whatever suits). This is a fast weight loss plan (like it says on the tin). Yes, it's a crash diet but that's ok. Crash diets have had a very bad rap but evidence shows that actually they are not bad. The faster you lose the excess weight the faster you benefit  from being less obese. The risk is all about putting the weight back on (and more) but this risk is real no matter how, or at what rate, you lose the pounds. It's all about planning and eating healthily to maintain your loss. So I  have decided to follow this plan. I've been buying the Daily Mail every day this week for the recipes, tips and advice. My plan is to restricted calories every day if I can but increasing my eating on days when I really need to. I'm excited! Can't wait to get stuck in. Are the rumours true that I'm going on holiday before I start? No comment lol.

Something else that's been in the papers this week - should obesity be classed as an illness rather than a lifestyle choice? it costs the NHS billions. But is it an illness? It maybe self inflicted but hardly by choice. I reckon if all fat people had a choice they'd pick thin. Just my opinion. If a fat person lost a pile of weight then that would be their choice - but of course it just isn't that simple.

And whilst I'm talking about the newspaper I read an article about being young and slim and wanting to attract the opposite sex (or same sex if that's how you swing). And when you get older you don't care about being attractive to others so let yourself go. I disagree!! I'm almost 50 and I want  other men to find new attractive, sorry if that offends. Equally I want other women to think I'm attractive too. Is that so wrong? To walk into a room and for people to think 'Ooh she looks nice/pretty/lovely etc'? If I didn't think that then I would just let myself go. So? All my lovely readers....I'm doing this for you!! So you have something nice to look at when you see me. Ha ha ha

Whether you tell yourself you can, or you can't, you are right!

New year. Same life. New story.

Happy new year to you all! Now I'm telling you - if you want to make changes, then 2019 is your year! You can absolutely do it! I can do it. We can do it!

I never intended for this blog to be a delivery of how easy it is to lose weight. You know? Eat this, don't eat that, exercise and hey! 6 stone lighter. It was always just my views of actually how difficult it can be for an ordinary person to lose weight. All my little trials and tribulations. The small facets of my life. Mostly funny bits but my sad side too. But my goodness - I was expecting to lose some weight! I must surely be the world's worst weight loser? How ironic? A weight loss blog - with not a single pound lost!! If it wasn't so tragic I'd laugh. If it wasn't so sad I'd cry. But come on guys. We must not dwell. If there is one thing I know - you can not change the past. No matter how badly you think you want to. And maybe you only think you want to. Because remember it's your past that got you to today. Things not so great today? Well, this might be true but if you could go back and change the past it's no guarantee today would be any better. In fact it could be worse. So embrace today  - let go of yesterday - and rejoice in the possibilities for tomorrow.

I'm going to pull my socks up, and slowly and steadily and maybe a few steps backwards will get me to a better forwards. Yay it's so exciting. Whatever you want you can do it. Don't listen to anyone but yourself. You are the most important decision maker in your life. Others with support you but you need to start the journey. I'll be continuing to write my babblings on a weekly basis. Sharing my ups and downs (hopefully downs - on the scales). I'll share my daft ideas, plans and opinions. And you are all invited to come along to share a tiny bit of my world. Cheers to 2019!!

Learn from the mistakes of others. You'll never live long enough to make them all yourself.