Wednesday 13 February 2013

Hurrah! No longer "obese"!

There are several ways of monitoring weight, health etc. One that you hear mentioned often is BMI, or Body Mass Index. While not 100% accurate in terms of assessing fitness etc, it is a good guide to healthy weight. When I started on my weightloss journey my BMI was around 33, or Stage 1 Obesity. Not good. Having lost another 3lbs this week I thought I'd look at my journey so far in terms of BMI, weight and measurement.

Ok, so here are the figures. My BMI has gone from 33 down to 28.8, so now in the "overweight" rather than "obese" band. My weight has gone from 14st 10lb down to 12st 7.5lb, a whopping 30.5lbs off! Now for the really weird bit; my measurements. My arms are 6cm smaller on the bicep. My thighs are 7cm smaller. My bust is 8cm smaller (the one bit I'd happily have maintained given a choice!). My hips are 10cm smaller, so 4inches. Finally, and most shockingly of all, my waist is 18cm smaller! That's more than 7inches!

I'm not going to say any more, other than thank you all for reading this. It helps keep me motivated when you all comment and chivvy me along, and your support means so much to me. Thank you all x

Thursday 7 February 2013

Two stones lighter!

It's official! I have now lost two whole stone! Yes, now I am at 12st 10.5lb. I still have another stone or so to lose, but bloody hell, I'm proud of myself! I've been back to making healthy soups, which are a life saver on cold days. Flo even asked to take some to nanny's this week for her lunch, so they must taste good too!

Center Parcs last week could have been disastrous for my weight as there are lots of lovely places to eat and drink. Somehow with all the walking, swimming and spa time I managed to stay motivated enough to make healthier choices. One evening I even shared a pudding with my husband (trust me, this is not something the old me would have contemplated; it would have been more of a "are you finished with that?" before swiping a half-finished pud from him after already finishing my own).

Shopping news now, and this week sees the purchase of a pair of size 14 jeggings from M&S. think leggings crossed with jeans. I went for the tougher, standard fly-fastening sort rather than the tempting but potentially problematic elasticated waist ones. I worry that I would happily munch my way through a Henry VIII size banquet in my too-comfortable waistband and not realise that I had put on the whole two stone in the course of one meal! Lol! So fixed waistbands are a must.

I've also been more adventurous with my footwear, and have been seen teetering about on some rather gorgeous 4" heels with my skinny jeans. Can I just use that word again? Skinny. Ooh, I love it! I know I'm not even close to being skinny, but the fact that an item of clothing which had heretofore been a definite no-no in my clothing repertoire is now not only accessible, but actually pretty comfy too, is flipping brilliant.

In true Jeanie style, I am of course going to celebrate my milestone with a yummy curry. We have kept takeaways as part of our diet because I don't want to live feeling I can't enjoy something naughty occasionally, and certainly don't want to reach my goal weight, eat a curry and put on half a stone. That is not going to be me. In the meantime, I'm off to put on my elasticated trousers for an evening of gluttony, DVDs and perhaps a teensy glass of vino.

Saturday 2 February 2013

Some very rare time off...

Sorry for the lack of recent posts; I've simply been far too busy and important, lol! Weight wise I put on a pound and a half over the past couple of weeks, but still seem to be getting smaller, so I'm not complaining. Currently weighing around 12st 12lb, so still 22.5lb lighter than in September.

The reasons for posting on a Saturday rather than my customary Wednesday are three-fold... 1, we've been away for a few days at Center Parcs, 2, I was lucky enough to go to Joe Black's House of Burlesque at the Kings Theatre, Southsea yesterday, and 3, Flo stayed at her nanny's last night so I am able to type unhindered prior to collecting her at 12.

So, a midweek break at Center Parcs in January may not sound like much, but it is a holiday I look forward to every year. This year we stayed in a 3-bedroom executive lodge with Mike, Tammy and Izzy, my brother, sister-in-law and niece, and had a wonderfully relaxing time. The rain didn't stop us enjoying ourselves, and we even managed a morning at the Aqua Sana spa while Flo went to a colourful creations class. We ate lots, walked loads, and laughed till we cried (if you haven't played "Cards against humanity" and have a sick/twisted nature, I suggest you put it on your shopping list!)

On our final afternoon at CP we took Flo for a splash about at the sub tropical swimming paradise, where she usually clings to one or other of our necks in spite of wearing a float suit, refuses to go on the toddler splash slide and generally gets cold rapidly and asks to leave. I'm not sure what happened to change this now-accepted state of affairs, but while we were in the indoor wave pool, Scott took a chance and managed to prise Flo's fingers from his neck, and let her go, knowing she would sort of float but would need to work a bit to do so. And Flo? She kicked her legs underwater, treading water brilliantly. She added some paddle hands and managed to propel herself, albeit slowly, to me! She continued to go from one of us to the other for at least twenty minutes, going farther each time. As a nervous swimmer myself I have to confess to shedding a tear or two (mercifully disguised by an over-enthusiastic splash by a passing child) as Flo even went back into the water for another go while the waves were in motion. Her confidence has really stunned me! A superb end to a holiday, I'm sure you'll agree.

Yesterday we returned home after the customary frantic morning of packing and eating left-overs. This was only a very fleeting visit, as we had planned for Flo to stay with mum for the day and overnight as we were off out again. This time, Scott and I would be heading to sunny Southsea for the spectacle known as The House of Burlesque. As most of you know, Scott is a photographer (and a mighty fine one too, I might add). Usually he shoots alone as he doesn't need an assistant, so I am pretty much redundant, and only get involved in the admin side of his work. Yesterday however I was very lucky and was allowed to tag along and arrived at the theatre before many of the performers. I headed into Southsea for a bit of a mooch, hoping to find the perfect skirt to go with my steampunk outfit for the evening. Turns out Southsea has precisely ONE charity shop, accompanied by perhaps half a dozen "vintage" outfitters. Basically the same skirt in the latter will cost £30 and still smell like your gran. I returned empty-handed.

I spent a fair amount of time in the Theatre kitchen meeting very friendly and heretofore unnamed performers and their partners whilst drinking coffee. Some people are effortlessly elegant and graceful, but never have I seen such a beautiful, pocket-sized bundle of energy as graceful as Rio. She is a belly dancer who combines this immensely watchable art form with burlesque, to stunning effect. I saw her perform five times during the day; twice in the technical rehearsal, twice more in the show itself, and once more in the curry house after the show!

Other incredibly funny, friendly and welcoming performers I met include Kitty Ribbons (a very naughty ballerina automaton), Heidi Bang Tidy and Crystal Tips (face-achingly funny burlesque double act), Kitty Klaw (who does things with the Union Jack that would make your mother blush), Josephine Shaker (with an amazing light-up tap dancing costume and shoes), Piff the Magic Dragon, Alfie Ordinary, Arran Shurvington (the kindest, most loveable young man in high heels ever!) and of course Joe Black, who was more relaxed than I've seen him before a show.

Needless to say, I had an amazing evening, made some wonderful new friends and had a few very kind compliments thrown my way by people who've not seen me in a while. My small corset fitted perfectly, I had to take 6 inches of fabric out of my steampunk coat I first wore in June, and my bosoms remained firmly ensconced in their steel-boned contraption. It was awesome to see Vie, Tyrone, Ruby, Daniel, Paula and Darren too. (We won't mention me falling off my 5-inch platform heels onto my considerably less-padded arse whilst trying to kick Darren up the bum). All in all a superb evening with fabulous people, topped up with probably the worst curry of my life with the best company (thank you Kirsty and James). Oh, and a lie-in today!