Weight loss journey - week 1

Last week I posted about my restart of my weight loss journey. Since then I have kind of been going it alone, but have lost 2.2lbs in the progress! Today I've signed up to Tesco Diets, as I decided this was the best option for me, for now. They have many food plans to follow which you change at any time during your journey; for now, I've opted for the low GI plan as I know this will also help with controlling my PCOS symptoms and make it easier to lose the weight. 

The site gives you your meal plan for the week, but you can change it wherever you like. I like this idea, as I think it is structure and planning which I need, as I usually just grab whatever there is, or decide on what's for dinner right before I make it! I'm going to have to have a proper look through my dinner plan every week though, as I need something that I can make for all 3 of us as I don't really want to be making two seperate meals every day. 

The fact there are no physical meetings doesn't really bother me as I have online support from friends anyway, and I've managed to lose the weight I have so far without any kind of meeting. Though I suppose that would give me motivation, but I think to be really motivated you have to feel it for yourself. I've decided I'm going to print out pictures of how I looked before, and how I want to look again, and stick them to my cupboards and fridge, just as a little nudge and reminder when I want something naughty! 

I need to get back into some sort of exercise routine too, as at the minute I only really walk with little man and the pram. I've been thinking of starting up the 30 Day Shred again, but would have to do it during little man's waking hours as I just cannot exercise in the morning. I think he'd probably find it really funny and just giggle at me the whole way through! I completed it (on the 2nd attempt) before I was pregnant, and haven't done it since.. I hated it at first but ended up loving it. Though I have the case of 'I will start it tomorrow..' and just never get around to it! 

So my logged starting weight from now is 12st 4lbs, and my target weight is 9st 7lbs. I will re-evaluate when I get there though. Once I get to this final target weight, I will have lost around 5st in total; I've lost around 2st so far. My weekly target for the next week is to lose 1lb, and I WILL do it! 

I'm joining in with The Naked Mum's Wednesday linky.

Words

Recently little man is learning lots of new words; we're finding at least one a week, I think! It's so cute when he says a new word as he doesn't quite say it properly, but we can still tell what it is. He also says a couple of phrases! I've most likely forgotten the order in which he learned all his words but so far we have: 

• dada
• mama
• no (stemming from me constantly telling him off for pulling all the books off the shelf!)
• ta (thanks)
• 'narna (banana)
• nanna 
• who zat? (who's that? - whenever someone comes in the door, or when he puts things to his ear pretending it's a phone!)
• ba ba (bad boy - FIL says it to him in jest when he's being a monkey and doing things he shouldn't, and he repeats it!)
• brum brum (when he's playing with his cars, his new found love!)

He also knows what 'clap' is, as he claps when you say it, but he can't say it yet! And when you say 'kiss' to him, he pouts!

I always wonder what is going to be next, I'm so proud of him! He may not be walking yet, but his vocabulary is coming on in leaps and bounds!

"Kiss!"

#Skint - episode 2

So last night was the penultimate episode of Skint. After last weeks episode, I wasn't sure what to expect from this week, as it couldn't have made it look much worse than it did then. I was glad they decided to show other parts of Scunthorpe, and not just Westcliffe. Also like I said last week, it could have been filmed in practically any part of the country, but they obviously choose the bad parts for ratings, and once again the benefits saga was featured heavily. This post isn't going to be as much like last weeks, as like I said it was in other areas of the town so can't really comment on what happens up there. 

Let's start with Fergie and his arrest - that was literally right on my (old) doorstep. Well, right across from it, anyway! We used to live opposite him, and as we were in a top floor maisonette, we could see his bedroom from our living room. We saw everything (I'm not nosy in the slightest...) - drug smoking, weight lifting - which my mother in law also happened to take great joy in watching at my baby shower. Anyway... It was either just before, or just after little man arrived, and I was just getting us ready to leave the flat and I saw police in his front garden so obviously being the nosy person I am not, I rushed downstairs! I got down just in time to see him being led away handcuffed, with his friends and someone with a video camera following him. At the time I wondered what was going on, but now I know! I thought I hadn't seen him around for a while after that...

Then there was Jemelia, the 16 year old girl who was waiting to see if she could have her baby back. Everyone I spoke to at the time it was on, agreed that there was very little hope, and of course we were proved correct. Hopefully now she has a flat of her own though, she will sort herself out and be able to bring her back home. 

And then we have Hayley and her partner. Oh yes, they caused a lot of outrage. Many people suggested that we should give up work, have more children, and rely on the government to live. I admit I was one of these that said this. In particular, it was interesting that they were getting married up until some of their benefits were stopped, and then they got them back and lo & behold, the wedding was back on! I did read on someone's status though (a comment from someone who works at their reception venue, I think) that they actually got married and had their reception months before, and that this one was just a 'set up' for the cameras. Which goes to show, C4 (and other production companies I imagine) will twist & film things to their advantage, to make situations look different to what they actually are and put on a show... I also couldn't fail to notice all the gadgets in their house that taxpayers had effectively purchased for them - a very big TV, a PS3, smartphones - yet they couldn't afford to feed the children. 

Look out next week for my final post on the final episode.

My Race For Life

Yesterday was Race For Life Day! I'd been training for this for........ Oh wait, I didn't! BIG mistake. 

We signed up as a team of 3 - me, my friend (L) and her cousin (S). Well, it turns out those two are a hell of a lot fitter than I am! Me, L, hubby & Jacob turned up around an hour before the race started, parked up and then waited for S to arrive. It was so busy with a heck of a lot of people taking part and all their spectators. 96.9 Viking FM radio station were also there, spurring everyone on. When we got to the start line I was all pumped up, I thought "Yeah, I got this in the bag!". Erm... 

Me & L before the race

I race for...

We joined the jogging line, as we were determined we weren't walking all the way, but weren't going to run it either! Well, we started off walking until everyone in front of us got going, then got going at a nice pace, jogging. And then my lace came undone! So of course I stopped to tie that up, and went off jogging again. We were jogging then walking, jogging then walking, and just before we got to the 1k marker my other lace came undone, so I stopped to fasten that back up too. And then I started feeling ill - I felt so dizzy and faint, so I walked a little, but L & S wanted to be off jogging, but didn't want to leave me behind. I felt really awful about it at this point as I didn't want to feel like a failure or that I was letting them down by walking, so I told them to go off ahead and I'd catch them up, but they didn't, bless them. I got my breath back so started jogging with them again, and then I got a flaming stitch in my side so had to walk again! I told them again to go off ahead, that I'd be fine. This time they did. I honestly wasn't too bothered. I thought I'd be terrified of doing it by myself but it actually felt okay. I saw them jogging off into the distance and then they just disappeared! 

I carried on alternately walking & jogging, and then just before the 4k sign I jogged past hubby who shouted my name so it gave me some encouragement! I got to the 4k sign and thought to myself, "Right, I'm jogging this last 1k" - I was clearly kidding myself! So off I went walking again. Then I got to the last corner and saw the finish sign, and just went for it, I was determined I wasn't walking under that sign. I didn't jog though, I ran, I really did go for it! L & S were at the side cheering me on, like my own little fan club, so it spurred me on a bit more! I crossed the finish line at 47:30! And then went and collapsed in a heap on the grass...

L & S found me and told me they finished at 44 minutes, so I was actually quite proud of myself as I walked a lot more than they did but still only finished 3.5 minutes behind them. 

We did it! 

Thank you to all our sponsors, we managed to reach our target.

I'm doing it again next year, but I'm definitely going to train this time, and lose a lot more weight beforehand! 

Proud of my medal! 

#silentsunday