Sam on August 10th, 2008

*Looks around*

Cor. What pigpogm lacks in real world decorating skills he more than makes up for around these parts. I am loving this new layout, and it’s really nice to be back with Wordpress. In making the decision as to where to take the site next, Michael contemplated many different options, but [...]

Continue reading about O HAI

Sam on July 23rd, 2008

Inspired by this post from Chris Brogan today, I want to take a moment to give much love and gratitude to the people who are helping me through this. As you may have gathered from the lack of posts about my journey recently, things aren’t going so well, but I’m fortunate enough to have people to reach out to for help.

Continue reading about Giving Love to my Support Team

Sam on June 22nd, 2008

Week four in my new Thursday night group, and I’m already feeling the benefits of Katrina’s full-tilt, gung-ho, I’m gonna get you to target if it kills me, you and wipes out half of Tiverton spirit. Some Consultants take the comforting, gentle approach which works well with nervous newbies (me, last year). Katrina however, bless her heart, gives it so much passion and welly that you can’t help but run out of her group screaming…

Grrrrarrrr! I’m gonna take over the world!

And it’s that all-guns-blazing spirit that’s going to take me to my target weight of… er… um… haven’t quite decided that one yet.

Anyway, on Thursday night I was fired up once more by a 3 and a half pound weight loss, taking my total weight loss back over 10 stone and seeing off almost all of the amount I gained around my birthday. So when Katrina asked who was up for a challenge, my response was…

Grrrrarrrr! Bring it ON!

Continue reading about Slimming World - 20th June 2008

…hubster and myself took a long, long drive up to Manchester. It was a hot, sticky day and I think Michael would much rather have stayed home and shaved his head with a cheese grater. But because he’s my husband, and my best friend and has the patience of several saints, he drove me the 200+ miles up the M5 and M6 for one very special reason. To see this man do what he does best:

Continue reading about Slimming in Public Week 4 - One Year Ago Today…

Greetings Sports Racers. Sorry, hubster and I are currently working our way through one year of the show with zefrank and it’s kind of rubbing off. We’ve been spending the weekend discovering each other’s power moves, which was just as much fun as it it sounds.

Anyway, yes, that diet thing. As you may have guessed from the Take-That-Covered-By-Lolcats title, my enthusiasm for Food Optimising is back with bells on. Really hit my stride last week, but sadly not soon enough to avoid a 3lb weight gain. Bugger. Having decided to take the gain as the ass-kicking I desperately needed, I’ve been able to stay on plan ever since.

So, armed with a 5lb weight loss target for the week I’ve been Optimising like a good ‘un, and walking further than I have ever walked in my entire lazy life. A total of 10 miles over three days probably doesn’t sound like much to real sports racers, but it’s a major achievement for me.

Continue reading about Slimming in Public Week 4 - Re-light mah fi-yah!

Sam on June 2nd, 2008

Well here I go again with yet another attempt at a full week on plan. Fell waist deep in a bucket of wine and chinese food on Thursday night after group and didn’t manage to winch myself out and back onto plan until yesterday. But I’m back in business now, yesterday was a green day and contained my favourites - potato wedges for lunch, and noodles and mushy peas for dinner. All free on green, and all lovely and comfort food-y.

Today, then, is original (or red). I find I get the best results when I stick to a red/green cycle throughout the week. Mixing it up sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t. And as Katrina, my new consultant, said at group last week:

Don’t play with the Plan, because the Plan will play with you.

Continue reading about Slimming in Public Week 3 - note to self…

Sam on May 27th, 2008

Kicking off another week where I intend to stay on plan 100% no matter what. Now, nobody die, dump me, fire me or do anything else to me that’s likely to take me off course, ‘k? Ta.

Sunday and Monday saw me backsliding again. Although Monday was really just a Green day with an assload more syns. Today’s excuse was that I was considering how Slimming World fits into my life and what I could do to shake things up a bit.

Firstly, I decided to join another group. Katrina runs a class on a Thursday evening that I can get to straight from work, it’s a nice walk, and it’s over and done with in enough time for me and the fella to still have an evening together. Also, believing strongly that variety is key to the success of this thing, I think the change would do me good. We shall see.

Continue reading about Slimming in Public Week 2 Day 1

…and on the seventh day, I rested.

Not the spectacular excursion off-plan as done in previous weeks, but off enough for me to enjoy a drink at the aforementioned ditty, a panini at teapots, and a pasty at home.

This week has been an interesting experiment, and one I will continue. It’s kept me thinking about my weight-loss mission, food and my lifestyle and for the most part I’m happy with how things are going, but I think it’s time for one or two things to change. So for this coming week I’m going to be working on those changes and making the most of what I already know works a treat.

More adventures to be had next week then. But for now, it’s time for a break. We’ll be right back.

Continue reading about Slimming in Public Day 7 - and on the seventh day…

Sam on May 24th, 2008

If it wasn’t for the heroics of my husband, putting his foot down with a firm “You cannot has takeaway”, I would now be wallowing in guilt and prawn crackers. But he pulled me through a particularly murky moment and again I managed to stay on plan all day.

It’s how it goes every time. I’m tired, feeling a bit grumpy, and there’s a huge great yak in the kitchen demanding some Gillette action before we can get to any food*. There have been many, many times in the past where we would have left the hairy bugger to entertain himself and headed out to the chinese chippy pizza kebab shop.

But Michael stepped in and saved the day. Here’s my food diary:

BRUNCH - The legendary Mad Hatter’s Brunch which consisted of - eggs, bacon, mushroom, tomatoes, beans (B) and 2 slices of white toast (8 syns).

The brunch saw us through the morning and our 3 mile walk around town. I didn’t feel a single hunger pang until about 5ish when I had…

Continue reading about Slimming in Public Day 6 - *So* Close

Well here we are. Friday night. The mother of all ‘let your hair down and be excessive’ times. Work’s done for the week and there’s a lot of winding down to be done. In the flat right now there is beer, cider, wine and whisky, and I’m kicking back with a refreshing pint or two of…

…sugar free appleade.

Yep. I’m sticking to my plan this time. No booze. Only used 8 and a half syns today. The only thing left to consume on my menu is tea. Here’s my food diary for today’s delicious green day:

BREAKFAST: 2 nimble toast (B), beans, tomatoes, salad leaves (yes, salad for breakfast. Why not?), banana.

LUNCH: Cous Cous and Noodles. I needed a carb boost so I made the most of the foods available on the Free list.

DINNER: Fishcake (4 and a half syns), veggie crispbake (4 syns), potato wedges, mushy peas, salad, cucumber, tomato, celery.

SNACKS: Peaches and 2 Alpen Light bars (B)

Continue reading about Slimming in Public Day 5 - Un-bloody-BREAKABLE!