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

 

 

Unexpected Compliments

So as you know, after my tiny rant the other day that I’ve endeavoured to do some sort of physical activity everyday, well I’m continuing as I feel loads better for it, my skin looks better and my energy levels are up.

Like most women, I worry about what I look like in a swim suit, and being bigger I worry that people will comment on my choice of suit, the colour, the fact that I’m even going swimming and showing off so much wobbly bits!

Well last night after getting out of the water I nipped to the loo (I don’t know what it is about swimming but I always need the loo when I get out of the water!). After exciting the cubicle a woman in the toilets said, “I really love your swim suit, its such a lovely colour and really suits you” You have no idea what this did for me, as this suit is a blue floral pattern but its rather bright. I like it because it has a little skirt to try and hide wobbly bits.

We then proceeded to have a conversation about swim suits and where to buy the best ones from, and for me it was nice as I wasn’t expecting it at all.

 

A Bag of Bird Seed

Have you ever thought about how much weight you have lost? Well the other day while I was sat on the floor sorting out the bird food – I’m now feeding everything not just me- I noticed that the bag of bird seed weighed 12.6KG.

I’ve lost 11.3KG, so I’ve nearly lost a bag of bird seed.

That kinda gave me a shock…that bag is pretty heavy and its rather large, was a great visualisation as to what I’ve accomplished. Only down side to this is that it made me realise how much more I have to go. I personally try not to think about the weight I have to loose as this not only depresses me but I have a slight “oh f*** i’m never going to do that” moment and eat the bread.

So here is my idea, find something that weighs how much you’ve lost and share it, you might be shocked.

LMC

X

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

Checking In,

Sorry about the absence of late, I would like to say I have been busy but that’s not the case in the conventional sense of busy.   I’ve just been I dunno dithering. It took me a whole week to do the weekly clothes wash, that’s not me it’s usually done in a day. Same with the cleaning, I’m normally little miss house proud but lately I’d rather not be at home. There are reasons for this but at the moment I can’t face them.

Slimming world…well I’ve been trying to stick to the plan but to be honest I cant say that I’ve been 100% committed. I have lost 3lbs over the last 2 weeks, but I am not sure how? But have you guys seen the new magazine and the calendar that comes with it? I love slimming world calendars as they show lovely pictures of tempting food that is seasonal, they are recipes that you want to eat. I’ve made loads out of this years calendar let alone the magazines 🙂 and I am so excited  for next year to try the recipes in there. As for this months mag it is full of scrummy food that I cant wait to try. I cant say I have been totally adventurous in the kitchen the last couple of weeks, its kinda been the same food that I have cooked before.

I have gotten good and started to freeze leftover stew and soup so that on nights like tonight when I cant be bothered to cook, I can simply defrost a bag and have that for my tea. Tonight’s offering is Beef stew on a jacket potato – simple but full of free and super free foods so a good filling tea and no syns. They are also good when your busy because you dont have to worry about finding something to eat.

Oh I have found something cool to eat. Let me present the Walls Gingerbread Sandwich. I have worked these out to 8 1/2 sysn but they are rather big and they are lovely. I cant eat a lot of dairy so these for me are the right amount but they are not small and because they are so full of flavour you dont mind that they are not huge. The box cost me £2 for 4, and they where worth every penny.

I have also calculated out that I am currently 3lbs of my 1 & 1/2 stone award so I am trying, and I have my Christmas present to my self to consider, I’m 9lbs off it with 9 weigh ins left. So I need to give my head a wobble and get on track. Its now 11months to my graduation so unless I want that tent, I need to get a shift on.

Just Do It.

 

This is going to be my motto for the next week. We go away on Monday and I’m slightly bricking it, sorry for the crudeness but well there it is. My plan is to eat as much Slimming World friendly as possible which shouldnt be to hard considering we are staying in a caravan but once out of the comforts of home, away from the millions of herbs and spices, and my cook books that my resolve will just melt. It got me into a bit of a panic, worrying about what I would eat while we where away, because it could all go horribly wrong and I go do some serious damage to my weight loss.

I have decided to go to a meeting on the Thursday as per normal, the only difference is this may effect my weight. I am considering taking with me some premade chicken nugget coating, so that should the mood take me I have this ready to make as all I will have to do is add egg. I’m going to stay away from frozen chips, and will try to eat rice or boiled new potatoes and eat meats that are simply not coated in stuff. I may even try to stuff some Chinese Five Spice into my handbag before I leave the house (I have previously been told off for the amount I pack)

I am however packing both my swimming stuff and my jogging stuff, even if I just walk around the park a few times it will all help in the goal towards getting my Gold Body Magic Award.

Now I’m not normally a desserts kinda girl, but I’m trying to use up the food that is in the house, luckily most of it is free or super free! So last night I made dessert, so while the other half and gran tucked into ice cream with chocolate sauce and broken up Cadburys minirolls (these are 6syns! so not worth it) I had this bad boy :

Oh my gosh was it lovely and guess how many syns??? Go on???? 1 SYN! Yes ladies and gentlemen you read that correctly, 1 syn for the whole thing. I used 2 Muller Light Greek Style Yoghurt, that are 1/2 syn each (I used the mango and a honeyed peach one, and surprisingly it was gorgeous) chopped up some nectarine, banana and strawberries and YUM!

Now I know I could of eaten it out of a bowl, but I dont know about you but that gets awfully boring fast, this just makes me feel like I am having a dessert like everyone else. These glasses are plastic and can be picked up in most 99p shops along with the spoons and are just a fun way to eat your desserts. If you wanted to you can crush up your Weetabix allowance for the day and this gives it some crunch and is actually tasty. I know people in our group who grate a Freddo (5Syns) over the top of their desserts but I just don’t have the patience to do this.

Musical Motivation.

Tonight I would like to talk about Musical Motivation, we all have tracks out there that make us get up off our backsides and dance, that make us run the extra mile, feel a millions dollars.

I think we some times forget the impact that music can play on our mood, the way it can influence us. You can go from happy as Larry to down in the dumps with just that one song that reminds you of something sad and vice versa. But what effect can it have on our whole life journeys, what would be the sound track to your life?

So what makes you move, motivates you, I would love to listen to some different tracks that motivate people. Surprisingly the songs that motivate me are not even in the genre of music I normally listen to, which is probably why they have such a impact on me.

Personally I have different tracks for different occasions so to speak – but the one that I wanted to share with you all is this one:

This song reminds me of my mum and gran constantly pushing me to do better, they are the strongest women I know, and nothing has ever stopped them. I came across this song by accident while out with friends one day and ever since I heard it, it instantly reminded me of the love and support that I have had from my mum and gran, that I could do anything, be anything I wanted.  When I need a push to just get me through be it the day, the extra mile or even just my uni assignments this can be the song that will do it.

So what song/track motivates you? Is there a reason behind it?