33 days, one stone lost :)

It's hard to believe I've left it so long again between posts - three weeks ago I finished the Forever Living Clean 9 cleanse. I had been drifting along oblivious to what I was consuming, and had allowed a stone to creep back on. The trouble with putting on weight is it kinda sneaks up on you. You get on the scales and think, ""ah well, it's only a few pounds." You then convince yourself that you NEEDED to put on a bit. You know, to be curvier, sexier, more "you". Then, after ignoring the scales for a few months because you know better, and subconsciously leaving the tighter-fitting clothes in the wardrobe, carry on with your life, eating takeaways, fast food, ready meals, crap, really. 

And then you take the plunge and get on the scales. The despair, shame and embarrassment when you realise that you've been lying to yourself for the past x months hits you so hard that you plummet somewhere dark for a few days. You don't want to be seen, you don't try to look good and you could allow this depression to consume you. You could. I did. For a few days/weeks. 

I am fortunate that my husband, Scott, has seen me at these moments and knows to be there for support initially, but then galvanises me into action. We saw a picture of a guy who had done the Clean9 and Scott said, "that's like me - I want to get rid of my tummy. Let's both try it!" Good call, Chalmers, as it made it less about me, more about US. 

To hear the full extent of the Clean 9 and how it worked for us, you only need to go back four blog posts. Today's post is not about that though - it's about what happened next.

Firstly, let me say that I have not had a single cup of normal tea or coffee since 3rd July. My colleagues at work will attest to the fact that I now only drink fruit teas (and I love them!) We have not had a takeaway, or fast food. We are very aware of our calorie intake because we are logging everything on My Fitness Pal, linked with Map My Run to track our activity. If we want to have a nice pudding, or a higher-calorie meal, we know we need to increase our exercise levels. We have celebrated our wedding anniversary with a meal, pudding and wine, and have continued with our normal lives but with a few slight modifications. For example, when we are at work, we both have a meal replacement shake for our lunch, and go for a half-hour brisk walk (that's around 165 calories earned each day!) 

Anyway, the point I'm making here is that I've got to my first goal today - one stone off! Today I weigh 12st 3, and the best part is I don't want to stop. Scott has lost over half a stone, and is going to the gym every week. His moobs have gone, his tummy is going, and he us achieving so much. He even enjoys going for an evening bike ride!

So, yes, something to be proud of. I'm happy that more and more size 14s are fitting me, and have cleared my wardrobe of a whole load of 16s and 18s ready for ebaying. 

Let's keep this going. More updates to come :)

Clean 9 Cleanse and beyond...

From despondency to delight in just a few days! 

In my last post I was feeling a bit lost, a bit fed up and a bit cheated. I have been back at work for three days and somehow this detox malarkey has become much easier. I had my shake for breakfast, but made double so that I could take a ready-blended one with me for lunch. I didn't feel hungry, and by lunchtime I had decided to go for a walk. 

I popped my trainers on, drank half a litre of water and headed out, up Shirley Avenue, along St James' Road, around St James' Park, then back to work through the estate. It took about 25-30 minutes and I bloody loved it. When I got back I drank my meal replacement shake and continued with my day, halo shining. 

Dinner has become much easier now that I am more comfortable with the idea of calorie counting. I have my iPad next to my scales while I cook, and have created some really delicious meals, including whole wheat pasta with chicken and broccoli in a light cheese sauce, plus last night, lamb chops with sweet potato wedges and veggies. Tonight we even had steak!

So, the good news is that this morning, the day after finishing the Clean 9, I weighed 12st 8.75lb, meaning I have lost a grand total of 8.75lbs. And I feel great! My measurements are amazing too, as I have lost inches all over:

Upper arms have gone from 35.5cm to 31cm

Waist has gone from 96cm to 90cm

Hips have gone from 109cm to 105cm

Top of my thighs have gone from 70cm to 65cm

So, to say I'm happy is an understatement! I am determined to maintain and improve upon this, so I am going to be continuing with my daily walk and will replace lunch with a shake when I'm at work. I'll never look at food without considering how many of my 1420 calories per day they are worth. If I don't feel they're worth it, I won't eat it! I'm actually enjoying fruit teas, and may be converted long-term.

Anyhoo, if you're at all interested in doing the Clean 9 for yourself, please contact my friend Dev at Forever Living. www.innerpure.myforever.biz/store

Clean 9 days 5-6

After the buzz of the first few days of this detox, I'm actually feeling a little deflated. Don't get me wrong, I feel slimmer, am less hungry, and have totally forgotten what a snack is! But my weight is staying the same... 

Having two shakes and a 600 calorie meal for my entire food intake must surely contribute to weight loss, mustn't it? I feel ENTITLED to lose weight - I've earned this, surely? It's hard to give myself any credit for feeling a bit better, when what I was hoping for was steady, continued weightloss. 

What is making me feel worse (much worse) is that Scott started the Clean 9 on Saturday and hasn't lost an ounce (or an inch!) and is feeling really dejected. Those first two days are so tough, with zero food, just one shake, and huge amounts of foul-tasting aloe that I feel really bad that he hasn't lost any weight. He has been doing the recommended daily exercise and isn't cheating, so I would have hoped for at least a few pounds off, purely because he's not drinking, not eating crap, and is missing two whole frickin meals a day! 

All I can hope is that when the nine days are up we can continue eating healthily, as the temptation will be to "reward" ourselves. I've downloaded "My Fitness Pal" to help calculate meal calories, and will continue to use that. I still have three days to go (Scott has 6) so we'll report back in a few days, but I could really do with a cup of tea and a cake. Fruit teas are not quite as exciting as a good glass of vino, but they'll have to do... For now...

Clean 9 days 3-4 - eating actual food!

So, days one and two went by fairly smoothly. Withdrawal headaches aside, I've noticed no side-effects other than needing to go to the loo more often, but with the amount of water I'm drinking, I'm not surprised! 

I weighed myself day one and my starting weight was a frighteningly high 13st3.5. I took measurements of my waist, wip, bust, thigh and upper arm, plus Scott took photos from front, side and back. I haven't seen the photos yet, but may share them if I'm feeling very brave on day 9/10. 

So yesterday was the start of phase two. For the remaining 7 days I have the same pattern each day - breakfast; 2 Garcinia tablets, 20 mins before 120ml of Aloe, lots of water and a chocolate milkshake meal replacement, made with 300ml skimmed milk and one scoop of chocolate Forever Ultra Light. Mid morning snack is two bee pollen tablets and more water. Lunch is the same as breakfast. Dinner is where it gets exciting (for me, anyway). I can have a 600calorie meal!!! Yes, actual food!!!

Dinner last night was halfway between a stir fry and a paella - brown rice, diced chicken, peppers, tender stem broccoli, spring onion and mushrooms with a little splash of olive oil and some chilli. Seriously, I don't think I've ever looked forward to brown rice so much! I even had some fresh cherries for pudding. I used "My fitness pal" for the calorie counting, and weighed everything. I was surprised at how full my bowl of food was, certainly not a small meal. 

My evening was plagued by another headache, and I didn't really get the amount of exercise I should have had, but I did take Flo to Frankie's Fun Factory in Romsey, avoiding the tempting coffees, snacks and meals, opting instead for bottled water. So all in all, a pretty successful day.

This morning, day four, Scott has started his Clean 9. I weighed myself today and I have lost 7.5lbs already. Incredible! I just hope I can maintain the healthy eating for us all once the programme finishes.

Anyway, there you have my first few days of detox. Let me know if you want any info :)

A year on... A stone on!! And a fresh start...

I've let things slide lately, and I am not proud of that fact. My weight has crept back to just over 13stone, and I've started to feel uncomfortable in some of my clothes. A telling sign is that I no longer wear button-up shirts. Ok, so not the cheeriest start to my blog post, but hey, things can improve, right?

A little over a week ago I was perusing the wonders of Facebook when a before and after pic caught my eye (and, perhaps more importantly, Scott's eye). It was of a young chap with, let's face it, a bit of a tummy. He was a similar build and shape to Scott, and, like Scott, had a gut. Not nice, but true. The "after" photo caught our attention, because the gut was noticeably smaller, and he looked far healthier. He had just gone through the "Clean 9" detox. An old school friend of mine is a distributor for the Forever Living company, suppliers of "Clean 9" so we asked for some prices for both of us. Now, it is not a cheap fix, easy-win solution, coming in at over £200 for the two of us, but we both felt very much as though we were stuck in a rut, with Scott going to the gym two or three times a week and me... not going to the gym at all. So we decided to give it a try. And at that price, we are not about to let each other fail.

Essentially, the "Clean 9" is a nine-day cleanse or detox, using a combination of Aloe Vera gel drinks, protein shakes and some supplements. Scott is at Sonisphere on Friday, so is starting his on Saturday, whereas I am off work for a week following our trip to Cornwall, so I have decided to start my cleanse today, so here it is...

Day One. Measurements have been recorded, "before" photos in a suitably matching underwear set have been taken, and instructions have been read through thoroughly. I have set myself some targets, most notably around some daily exercise. 

Flo has preschool today, so I have to get her ready before I start off my detox. First I take two Garcinia gel capsules. I really don't know what each thing specifically does, but these are duly swallowed with some chilled water. These are taken 20minutes before my first dose of Aloe Vera gel/juice, so I take Flo to preschool in the interim. I come home to drink 120ml of Aloe. Oh. My. Goodness! This stuff is vile! It is lumpy, gloopy and bitter-tasting, and after the third sip I am ready to throw it back up. Instead I gulp down half a litre of water until the foul stuff is gone. This had better be worth it. 

My mid-morning "snack" is a couple of "Bee Pollen" tablets. These are chewable, and taste like the worlds tiniest digestive, sweetened with honey rather than sugar. Not bad, but hardly a meal. 

Lunch is definitely the highlight of Day 1 as it involves a chocolate protein shake (Scott gets the vanilla). First I take two more Garcinia capsules, then another dose of Aloe. After that, the milkshake feels hard-earned, but is suitably tasty, if a little powdery. Could do with a dollop of ice cream ;)

I've yet to feel really hungry, so I head on through the afternoon with Flo, doing some crafty gem sticking, and make it through to her dinner time without any real hunger. I make some cheese and tomato pasta for her, resisting the urge to do a bit extra for me, and prepare for my penultimate shot of Aloe, this time with Garcinia before and Bee Pollen after.

I head out for a short bike ride, as daily exercise is part of the plan. Arguably, going from a largely sedentary lifestyle to one with some exercise is going to help my fitness even without the detox, but looking at the bigger picture here, if I can do this for nine days, it will feel more like a habit than a chore by the end, and should therefore be easier to maintain. 

One final shot of Aloe before bed sees the end of day one. I will confess to using some Robinsons Squash'd to make the last two doses of Aloe more palatable, but purely because the leaflet in the Forever Living box says it's ok to add cordial or fruit juice. The difference is remarkable, and I didn't even gag on the last one :) 

So here we are. I'm in bed at the end of day one with a bit of a headache, but a glass of water by my bedside rather than my usual squash. Tomorrow is going to be a good'un, I know it!

Day Two. Still a bit of a headache this morning, but I published day one of my blog to keep me motivated. Aloe Vera gel for breakfast, with another preschool drop-off set me up for the day. Much less inclined to "do stuff" today, so I finished watching Grimm on Netflix. Lazy, I know, but "me time" is a rarity. 

I was slightly daring today, and took my Aloe with me when I picked Flo up, as we were heading into Hythe to meet my brother Mike and his little girl Izzy. I decided to leave my shake until I got home... This ended up being 4pm! I still didn't feel particularly hungry, so my appetite must be changing.

One thing I've noticed with this programme is the effect on my attitude to food. I resent others eating, which is obviously not good. Scott made himself an omelette for dinner, and I loved hearing the sounds of good being prepared. I was very tempted by Flo's left-over pasta, more because I hate waste than because I actually wanted it. Thankfully Marmite stepped in and finished the lot, so temptation was gone.

This evening I have felt quite down. This is partly due to post-holiday blues, but largely down to missing the social side of eating. I'm so looking forward to sitting down for dinner with Flo tomorrow night. I will probably spend most of tomorrow planning my 600cal meal. 

Oh, and watching Masterchef is actually torture when you are on any diet, but more so when you are not eating at all!

I will end on some positives: weighed myself this morning, and have already lost 4lbs (and I know this is water, but water takes up space in my body, making clothes tighter, so I'm happy!). Still not hungry! Had a good walk around Hythe, feeling more energised. So excited about eating actual food tomorrow I might pee!

Eggs-ellent opportunity for a treat (or two)

Easter.

Not my favourite holiday of the year - way too much temptation around for my liking. With payday just before, a long weekend and a toddler in the house, there is a natural inclination to over-indulge. I had planned to decorate our spare room so that Flo could have the bigger bedroom. This is great from a weightwatchers perspective, as it involves lots of activity. Plus, with Mr C on shoots from Friday to Tuesday, I knew I'd be decorating alone. This suits me fine, as I am the world's worst control freak. If I had to watch Scott put up wallpaper, for example, I know that I would tut, criticise and ultimately take over, so it's probably best that he keeps away.

Flo is a funny child. She loves vegetables, meat, fruit, etc, but is really not interested in chocolate or sweets. Having four Easter eggs in the house in peril of going mouldy at any moment is a real test of my willpower. I am fine while they are in boxes, but once the egg is unwrapped I willingly and whole-heatedly succumb. I will hereby confess to having eaten about 2/3 of a cadbury's egg (ridiculous number of points due to the increased sugar content of Easter egg chocolate).

Another diet-wrecker I associate with DIY is the takeaway. Most weeks we have a takeaway after weight watchers (like tonight) but on a DIY Weekend (like on a fight night in a Vegas casino ) this can double or treble. So yes, I ordered takeaway pizza Friday night. One positive is that I only ordered a medium each for Scott and myself (old me would have ordered a large) and I ate 2/3 of the pizza, leaving the rest for a cold lunch the next day. Oh, and the good people at Dominos saved me a few calories by omitting the chicken, leaving me with a pepper, sweet chilli and mushroom pizza. Yum. Ish.

I guess what I'm really trying to say here is that I really deserved to put on weight this week. Oh, and did I mention mum's bank holiday Monday tea, with sandwiches, pizza, quiche, cake and nibbles. So, it is with a large amount of shock, glee and, dare I say, guilt, that I have lost another 1.5lbs. I know, ridiculous, eh?

So far my weightloss now stands at 34.5lb, nearly 2 and a half stone! I weighed in this evening at 12st 3.5lb. I served one of my former teaching assistants at work today, and she remarked at how much weight I've lost. I still can't really see it, but I enjoy the comments at least :)

That's it for another week. Thanks all! Night night!

15% off, and finding my weight loss mojo!

Sorry for the radio silence. I had a couple of weeks of "maintaining" which is a cop-out way of saying I didn't lose any weight. Somehow the sunshine and promise of spring have inspired me, spurred me on, whatever you want to call it, and my approach is way more positive now. This week I managed to lose another 2lbs, bringing my total weight loss to 2st 4.5lb, more than 15% of my original weight!

The past couple of weeks have seen some pretty harsh reality checks for friends and family. The one most relevant to my journey is that of a friend who had become slightly complacent with her diet. Without naming names, she has lost a huge amount of weight, and in the same way that I shrug and say "it won't hurt if I have this as long as I behave better tomorrow" she lost focus and put on weight. Seeing the pain and sorrow on her face last week at the meeting highlighted for me the fact that I will never be able to go back to my old habits.

Don't get me wrong, I don't WANT to be the first in the queue for the food at every party anymore, returning two or three times for refills. I don't NEED to drink the whole bottle of wine when a glass will do. And believe me, I don't want to look back in three years time and say, "do you remember when I lost all that weight?" I even justified putting weight back on saying I had looked "ill" when I was a perfectly healthy size 12, ignoring the fact that in the particular photo I look back at I was suffering a nasty flu bug and actually WAS ill. It had nothing to do with my size.

In other news, I have bought myself a skipping rope on the recommendation of one of the guys at work. It is great, because I can skip for free out in the garden. I will be getting the push bike back on the road in the coming weeks too, in an effort to tone up the wobbly bits.

Oh, and if any of you catch me lying to myself about looking ill, please feel free to reference this blog and wallop me one on my still healthy-sized, in no way ill-looking backside.