DIET BLOG

No, sozzles. I'm not going to start a separate diet blog. I'm just going to write about it here. This is a posting about diets. I don't only write about diets, but I am now. If you don't like talking about or reading about diets, I'd skip along... There - You have been warned.

I started Weight Watchers (AGAIN) on Tuesday 19th January. If you've been following this blog a while you will know that Sprogs and I tried WW last year. Sprogs really took to it and did very well. I did not!

So I went back. Shame faced and tail between my legs...Do you want to know my weight? OK then, but I'll whisper it and please don't tell anyone. I weighed 11 stone 2lbs. I know I was full on shockerooed too. Well not that shocked, but I had hoped my bathroom scales had been a bit more out of kilter than they might be.

Here are a list of things I haven't eaten since 19th January.

Chocolate

Cake

Crisps

Chips

(loads of good stuff beginning with C in fact...)

Take Away

Sweets other than WW sugar free or low sugar sweets.

Any pudding really apart from low fat yogurt.

You can include all of the above on a WW plan. There is nothing you can't have. As long as you stay within your daily points allowance. Most of the above will make that a bit more difficult to do, so I just haven't been eating them.

I have continued to drink alcohol. What? You want me to stop breathing too?

I am tracking my points online and trying to stick to the plan as best I can, which has meant, as it happens, lowering my alcohol in take. *gasps* I am replacing some, but not all of my beer with vodka and diet coke and generally drinking less and behaving more soberly. It is quite strange, but once I get used to it, I might quite like it!? Last night was the first night I went on stage without my beer in a long time. I think I coped ok.

You see, I am determined to get thin. Well, I'm determined to become much slimmer than I am right now. I'm aiming at something in the region of 9 stones, 9lbs, but when I get there, that may or may not be enough. We shall see. At least then I'll be in what the Health Nerds like to call 'Healthy Weight Range'. We are all different and perhaps the Health Nerds should get a life, but anyway that is what I'm aiming for.

At my second weigh in, this Tuesday. I was 11 stones. Yes, that is 2lbs off. My current diet buddy Lucy lost 3.5lbs in her first week, so 2lbs was good, but a tiny bit disappointing. I'm not too disappointed. I want to carry on with the plan and see if I can go all the way to a slim new me.

In my first week, I didn't do a lot of activity, so I'm trying to walk more places this week. I've done two walks so far, of an hour each. So, I'm hoping that will help this week's loss too.

I've cooked from scratch twice too. A big vat of soup and a big vat of pasta sauce, which are a very similar recipe, so I may need to change the soup next time to not get bored. Both of those contain loads of fresh veg and are very low in points.

Lucy went to get her hair cut last night. I asked her how it looks. She said "much better, but it would look even better if I were thin." Ha, funny how us dieters think things will be better once we are 'thin'. My response, quite randomly, was: "When I'm thin, I'm going to be a right slag." Yes, I said that. *ahem, Hello Mum, who gave you my blog address?* No, I don't think my Mum has my blog address. I bloody hope not.

I guess to clarify. Your size decreases and your confidence increases. (This isn't the case for everyone. Go Big Sexy Girls. Good luck to you. It isn't what I want for myself and I don't feel sexy right now.) When your confidence increases, that in itself is attractive to the boys and Hello Boys... Here I come. Ha ha. I won't be a total slag. It is just nice when you get a little bit of attention hey? No? Just me then.

What do you think of one posting, one topic? It is a new approach. Revolutionary. I have other topics up my sleeve... Comedy (of course) Knitting (but I'll keep that brief) Smoking (I'll probably keep that brief too, just in case Mum is on to me) Politics. (No, just kidding ;-)) More later, I'd best crack back on with some work. Cheers for now x

Gymmage Update

So, I went to see Fitness First on Monday and it was really grim in there. I hope that isn't libelous or anything, but it was really dingy and cramped. My gym Buddy Niamh agreed with me as well, she said it made her feel claustrophobic!

Not to mention they tried to tell us it was 51 quid a month, when I don't know anyone that pays more than 40 quid for FF membership. So, there we have it - it wasn't just me being silly after all. (Apologies to any FF users for being nasty, perhaps it is just the City Road one that is so wholly unpleasant.)

Re the comments from before. Virgin is spitting distance from work. It is 2 minutes away. FF is 4 minutes away, so I'm definitely at the right one! Hoorah... I do go at luncthimes occassionally, but even though it is close and even though I only work-out for around 40-50 minutes, I can't get there, get changed and work-out and get showered and changed again and back to work in less than 1 hour, 30 mins. Often if I faff around, and I'm infamous for my faffing, it takes me two hours. My manager might tolerate that, but when you consider the time I roll up to this joint, (yes, blogging on the Council's time again.) well, it could appear that I'm never here. *gasps-shock horror* So it is better really for me to go after work and sometimes by the end of the day I really don't feel like it.

So the thing is... I said I was pondering option 1, (to stick with Virgin and go to the gym more regularly) and seeing the FF grimpit really made me realise what side my bread was buttered - or should I say reduced fat spreaded? Well, whatever your spread of choice, I know which side mine is on...Get this....

I have been to the gym Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday...Tuesday: I went for a swim out of celebration at the wonders that are the lovely Virgin Active facilities. I am feeling much better about it already.

I don't know tons of people who use the gym, but I had a few lonely boring visits lately, where I went without Niamh and didn't see any of the staff I know and like to say Hi to. Maybe that took the fun out of it for me.

This week, Niamh and I have been across to the gym twice together and I've seen Nicole (the ex-PT) twice and all three days I've seen Roman (the ex-sometimes-stand-in-for-Nicole-PT). That man is so ridiculously hot. Well, I think so anyway. Either way, it seems to make it a lot more jolly if there are friendly faces and I get that extra bit of encouragement.

I had my WW weigh-in last night. The outcome - I had stayed the same weight as the week before. This is a good result really - as my overall approach to WW has been to eat salad slightly more often , but otherwise carry on with my normal unhealthy ways, while hoping for the best. I got myself a points calculator. It makes tracking points a piece of piss. So, maybe that will help me stick to the plan a bit more. Watch this space.

After WW, I went to the pub and got bladdered on five or six pints of premium lager. Points? what points? While at the pub, I got told of a fabulous way to lose weight called "Pig to Twig." Apparently, I absolutely must read this book!!! It is simple and easy and the weight just falls off. I am beside myself with excitement. I wonder if I can Pig to Twig while WWing. It could all get too much if I'm not careful.

The same friends (Sue and Lucy*) who told me about the book, also said I didn't really need to lose weight (women always say that to other women.) Women, hear this - I am above my healthy weight range, as was told to me what I must weigh by the government and I won't rest until I get back in range. Or something like that.

They, Sue and Lucy, proceeded to tell me I was an incredibly attractive woman and intelligent too. I will be seeing a lot more of these friends from now on. I don't know where they had got the impression that my self esteem needed that kind of boost. Moi - doubt myself? Pah, the very thought!! Of course, they were very drunk, but still - what lovely things to say.

*Sue and Lucy are real people. It is purely co-incidence that one is named after my cat. When I start taking diet advice and compliments from the kitties, please lock me up and throw away the key.