Challenge yourself? Big News!

I like to think I live by the mantra “If it scares you – do it!”

In the past this has been running 10km, flying to Amsterdam to meet a friend on my own, going back to university at 25, so with that I would like to introduce you to my new challenge :

Swimming 22 Miles – The length of the English Channel- for Aspire the Spinal Injuries Charity, as every eight hours someone is paralysed by a Spinal Cord Injury and there is currently no cure.

I have 12 weeks in which to complete the challenge, but I’m aiming to do it in 10 with 2 weeks as a contingency plan. Here’s the scary bit – it is 1686 lengths of the pool and that works out to 168 lengths per week.

So I am a real life Dory – Just keep swimming. I start on the 12th of September and I am so excited to start, just to prove to myself that I can complete this challenge.

If you fancy sponsoring me – I have included the just giving link below just press the button, any amount no matter how big or small would be brilliant. Thank you in advance.

 

I will of course keep you updated with the progress

 

 

Missing in Action

Hi….

So I’ve not been around much lately, the weather has been lovely and I’ve wanted to be out and doing things. And then on the rainy days well….some one has to do the house work and unfortunately that person is me!

I’ve been in both my garden and my mums as much as possible. We started my mums before I had wrist surgery and progress stopped because she was looking after me and my gran, so now that I am better I wanted to continue. We had to re-dig borders that we put in for the little fencing and then I decided that slate was the way forward – slate is only the way forward if you have to put down one bag and not over 30 in 2 days.

We put the little edging fence in and then decided to dig over the “wild” bit and my mum loves butterflies and bees and general garden wild life, so we went round loads of garden centres choosing plants of the RHS list that will attract them. They have not even been in a week and they are coming in by the bucket load.

My mum had heard about this amazing garden centre up near Gateshead and we went on Friday, well it really was lovely but it was on a really steep hill and they had kinda cut levels in to it for the plants and other areas, so you basically got a work out looking for your pansy’s. We chose a gorgeous little seat, but it weighed a ton and came in three parts…each weighing about the same as 10 yr old and guess which silly bugger got to lift them?? go on?? ME!

The whole slimming world has not being going so great, I got my 2st award and I don’t think I went crazy but I ate crap. I’m due to see the nurse tomorrow about my weight and continuing with the orlistat tablets (if i have gained weight they wont continue them) but I’m considering asking if I can have a month off if I have lost weight. I have had stomach ache for just about all of the time I have been taking them, and they  seem to have little effect.

I have some really exiting news to share with you all but I’m going to save that for my next post as this one is already HUGE!

 

Just Remove Me From The Picture.

So although I stay at my Grans to provide care, I actually live with my mum and dad,  my room is still there with all my stuff and I stay there occasionally if I’m not staying with my partner.

The issue of this post though is that for the last few months my brother has being pestering me to swap rooms because I have the bigger room. I finally gave up and said OK, so my lovely dad measured up for shelves and a wardrobe, as mine would be left behind because it is huge.

I went to my mums on Tuesday to begin to sort out my room and my mum was helping as and when she could (she was dealing with my gran and cleaning) well by the time my dad had come in at 3pm I was in tears. Not only had I sorted through 2 cupboards but I couldn’t face moving room. I was being forced by my brother to chuck out things that are special and sentimental to me so that he could move room. The really annoying thing is that until he got a girl friend he didn’t even want my room! I honestly felt like I was being chucked out of my own home, at which point my parents said that I was staying put.

While sorting through any amounts of junk, I found a size 14 top….yes i used to be that small at one point. I also found some old jeans that are tiny and its hard to believe that I used to be that small. And photos…lots of photos, me with a flat stomach and showing my arms freely- let alone being photographed, I know where I started to gain weight, about 19/20 ish and these are before then, and I’m happy smiling and clearly loving life. There is even one of me in a bikini top, couldn’t believe that one! I will find the photos again and post some of them.

Lethargy

I seem to be a great suffer of this at the moment.

Add to it a unhealthy dose of procrastination and you have a recipe for disaster.

I’ve quit slimming world, I did not mean to do this, it was not a concious plan – and I know that excuses are not healthy but I had Uni work which I have always prioritised over everything as I get a one shot at my education. So I missed a couple of weeks, I was keeping a eye on my weight and what I was eating but the late nights working on assignments was killing me and there is only so much fruit a girl can eat. I then had issues with actually getting to group as the times changed. My group was prefect because it started at 1pm, which meant that when I woke up at 11am-12pm after working nights  I could get there.

But the group was moved to 9am, and 10:30 both of which are just not feasible, I do have to sleep! I’ve looked at other groups but they are when I am at uni or work. Its kinda a catch 22.

So I’ve kinda stumbled into a new healthy lifestyle plan which I will discuss in another post, I’ve also decided to take up yoga, Im not sure about this as with dyspraxia I have no balance so it could end up with a trip to A+E.

I’ve took up a new hobby, my boyfriend and parents bought me a DSLR camera for xmas, but this means I’ve been getting out and about taking photos and walking. I love walking- dont love hills much, but so far we’ve been to York, Hull, Scarborough,  and various locations around where I live. I cant wait for the weather to improve to be out more.

Hope to hear from some of you soon,

LMC

XX

7lbs

It has been yet another long while since I have posted. Not because I am not following slimming world, or not wanting to write, there has been so much I could have wrote about but life just repeatedly gets in the way.

So thought I would give you a bit of a update on my journey:

I am currently 1&1/2 stone lighter having got my award this week. I am really pleased with my self, for continuing my journey but I expected that it would be quicker. that I would be at least 3 stone lighter by now. The only person I can “blame” for my lack of weight loss is my self, but I’m not going to do that because we weeks where I have had a gain there have always been a reason for it. Not just because I sat and gorged my face. The thing is I am getting there, when I started this journey I was heavier, unhappier, and every lb off is a good thing, an amazing thing.

Me and my partner have been together a year, we celebrated it this weekend, we had a lovely Slimming world Chicken Tikka curry, and Steak and Jacket potatoes to celebrate. We did go out for food during the course of the weekend but all my choices where good choices and ate lots of fruit during the weekend, this is different to other weekend where I struggle when we are out and about to eat my superfree. I am happy, which means my weight loss is working well. I cant wait to see what the next year brings for us as a couple and I am really looking forward to Christmas this year, last year we didnt give each other gifts as we hadn’t been together very long, but this year we are going Christmas crazy.

I also bought myself a Christmas present, in the black Friday weekend sales (BTW those things are just stupid, people getting injured for a cheap telly, give ya head a shake!)  but I had been considering getting a new fitness tracker as the necklace to my shine keeps breaking, and pushing a wheel chair it doesn’t record my activity on my wrist. So a bit of research later and a chat with the nice lady in the Apple shop, I had purchased a JAWBONE UP24 from boots for £50, which is half price and I have to say that I am really impressed with it. Not sure about sleeping with it on, but then I cant sleep with a necklace on so its nothing really different. I will give you a update once I have worn it for a little bit. Its safe to say that I am going for my 2ST award before Christmas, I want that baby. Its 7lbs and i’ve got 3 weigh ins. So lets go!

LMC

XXX

Choices.

We all have choices, we make them everyday. Left or Right? Dress or Trousers? Trainers or Boots? Cake or No Cake?

Do we own up to ourselves just how much crap we have been eating or not? Well I decided to own up to myself about how much crap I have been eating. AND here is the verdict. Apart from today I’ve not been eating as much as I thought. Today I have managed to go over my syns, but it was a concious choice. I have purposefully been trying to give myself a upset stomach and its not working – typical – so  I have been eating cream and dairy ect(There is a reasoning behind this, I’m not losing the plot). All I seem to have managed to do is give myself a even greater stomach ache.

I have also noticed that I am not eating enough, the pain killers that I am on leave me feeling sick, to the point where I don’t want to eat so I am eating meals with lots of free foods but not a lot of super-free in them and then bits of fruit in between. So this coming week I am going to work on trying to eat more and take less pain medication. I dont like the sick feeling nor the dizzy confusion so its now a weigh up time of are they worth it. Choices.

Always Choices. The thing about making a choice is to make a informed decision, take all the information you can and weigh it up, before you decide to act.