Jo's Journey

in blogland.

I seem to only have updates from about 2 people lately, does that mean all the bloggers from our time have given up blogging or weight watching?

I guess i was guilty too but it's definitely not the British Summer that's kept us all busy, today i sorted out my wardrobes and made the decision to pack all my summer things in the loft to make some space, i can't believe i actually packed away things that had tags on still.

That certainly made me realise that we have really had quite a rubbish summer, something else i noted that we don't seem to have eaten our meals outside more than a few times this year, i find it all rather ironic, once upon a time i hated hot weather, now that i love it, we don't seem to have any!

On the ww front, i have had a good but very busy week, i haven't actually done any hard exercise but purely from work and catching up at home i have managed to clock up 30 bp's on my pedometer.

We went to a gig last night and i was 'reasonably' good, i decided to stick to malibu and diet coke rather than the 2.5p bottles of smirnoff ice and although not good healthy food, we did a detour to maccy d's and i had some chicken nuggets, but........far better than a grease filled cheese burger from the kebab shop!

So at the moment i have a deficit of -2, i can either walk that off or save them today or tomorrow, either way i am not going to stress about it, Tuesday will tell.

Well you already know the bit about the new job, and last time i posted i was 4 weeks away from our yearly festival in Blackpool, well that was 3 weeks ago now, how lax have i been.

Anyway, i bit the bullet and went back to class on the Wednesday after Blackpool, i always knew it was going to be bad, 6 days in a seaside resort, trying to find quick healthy food between bands is a task i can tell you!

The healthiest thing i had was a side salad with my sandwich, as for the drink, well suffice to say i have never drunk as much as i did this year, i wasn't steaming and i don't need to be referred to AA but at 2.5 points per drink, i probably consumed at least 25 points minimum a day, that's without the full English breakfast, ridiculous amounts of buttered toast, hot chocolate's (complete with cream and marshmallows)............i think i'll stop there!

And the result at the scales was a gain of 15.5 lbs, yes that is fifteen and not one and a half!

If there is a but, i was last weighed at class in May so that gain was over 12 weeks, hubby being the ever so laid back person as he is said 'Oh that's not too bad considering' but at that rate i could gain 4 stone in a year easily!

So anyway, work seems to have settled down, i am still putting in the hours but i think my body and mind have adjusted so i am getting back to normal, i have even started walking to work where as before i couldn't think of anything worse 'why walk when i live on a bus route?!' was my motto.

The last 2 weeks at class i have lost 2.5lbs so i am 5lbs lighter and 10.5 away from goal, but more importantly i am 5.5 away from going free again and seeing as ww has a price increase looming, i better get my backside in gear!

Sorry it's been such a long blog and i will try to update more often and next time i will even try to make it interesting!

but apologies for my lack of blogging, things have just been rather busy lately!

I was promoted at work and my hours have gone up, so i always seem to be at work or because i am doing longer hours, if i am not working i seem to be planning and preparing meals as i now have late finishes.
Having spent the whole time on my ww journey being home in the afternoons and able to cook good healthy meals to going to working lates i now have to be organised!
For example, last night when i was cooking the dinner i also cooked the dinners for today and tomorrow, that's a few hours in the kitchen but better than the 'sod it, we'll have a takeaway' alternative.
Other than work we have been doing the usual gigs, trips to London, and general socialising, therefore i am still over goal by about 5lbs but seeing as i haven't been able to get to a meeting for weeks i can't be sure of the exact gain! :o(

Trying hard to get back to goal at the moment as we have our annual punk festival in 4 weeks time and it's that time where the short skirts come out again!

So all in all, nothing exciting to report, other than the fact that maintenance is blooming hard but at least i am on top of things still and i wont be appearing on the ww boards anytime in the future to report i have gained loads and need to do it all over again.

I'm very happy today, not only did my disc arrive with the (300+!) pictures of the photo shoot, tomorrow is the 1st anniversary of getting to goal so at class this morning i got my little gold star to add to my keyring.
AND
I lost 2lb,which i am delighted with seeing as i went out at the weekend and drank a fair bit of Malibu.
I am now only 1.5lb over my goal weight so all in all, everything is good and i am back and focused!
And here are the pics as promised, i rather like the last one, it's as if i am saying 'ok, that's enough, can i go home now?'
Well as much as i thoroughly enjoyed the day, that was exactly how i felt at that point!

PS... The rubbish on the floor is a ripped up cigarette carton.

Well seeing as when i got on the scales at last WI i already had my excuse for next week, i thought it was about time i tried to get back to 'normal'

I knew i was out this weekend at a gig and my leader asked 'Well what would you have done before you got to goal?'

Of course, the answer was to plan, save some points and be prepared, so that is exactly what i have done, i did go out on Saturday night and i did stay in points food wise and i also drank Malibu (0.5 a shot) instead of my usual Smirnoff Ice (2.5 a bottle) Now i am not a huge drinker as in i drink every week but when i go out i can sink anything from 5- 15+ drinks, 2.5 points a bottle can obviously have a detrimental effect, the only downside is i forgot to ask for diet coke!
But i guess it's still better?

The really good news is that i avoided the late night visit to the kebab shop and instead cut a slice of French stick when i got home, no more than an inch thick, so that was better, right?

Anyway, the proof will be at the scales tomorrow, even if i get a sts i will be happy, at least i haven't done what i have done of late and seen a week totally gone to pot just because i am out one night.

I also have to admit i feel so much better for eating healthily, i wonder why i never remember that when i want to eat crap?

Well now the magazine is out i can tell you the reason/excuse why i have been a really useless weight watcher of late.

Early February i applied via the forums to take part in a 'changing habits' feature and was accepted. I wanted to quit my 29year smoking habit so i took on the challenge.

It's certainly not been the easiest thing in the world to do as i was a reasonably heavy smoker too but when all is said and done i have gained 6lb from the start so i am happy enough with that.

So all i have to do now is change my stats on here and on the boards and get my backside in gear to get that back off, especially as next week is my 1 year anniversary of being at goal!

Here is what's in the magazine, they are only scanned pics so not that great but i will of course add the proper ones when i receive the CD from WW :o)

Oh and i forgot to say, i got my 100th follower just this week so thank you and welcome, i will try to be more positive and regular!

It's been a while again, apologies!
Well since i last blogged i have only had 1 WI, i lost only 3 of the 9lb gain, not great but better than nothing?
That put me still at 2lb over goal but not at the paying stage.....yet!
Then....
It all went to pot again, another gig, lots of booze, you know the story by now?

So Sunday (18th) came round and i am back on the wagon, i haven't dared get on the scales to peek. I could say it's all going wonderfully well or i could tell the truth and say i am one hormonal, ridiculously tired woman that was also pre menstrual which meant i wanted to eat the entire kitchen :o(

I have just about got through the days in points since Sunday ( i have resorted to eating the odd bp which i don't really want to do) but i know the best i can hope for come next WI is a sts or tiny gain.

Oh well, summer is around the corner, more exercise, time to get the bicycle out again i think?

I am off to write my lines.....I MUST try harder!

OK, so i am about 3 weeks off being at goal for a year and just maybe my brain has finally caught up?

If you read my last post you will have seen my mammoth gain, yes i was shocked at the scales but i wasn't distraught, i think maybe 6 months ago i would have been?

Does this mean i am finally seeing myself as a slim person(although not as slim as last week! lol) and understanding that this is what 'normal' people do?

I am back to healthy eating and that's the main thing, isn't that more realistic than never having a treat, always feeling guilty to enjoy myself and feeling restricted?

so i found out yesterday when i went to weigh in.

Well i wasn't going to go as i had to work, then my boss decided it was really quiet and that i could go home at 11am and do my hours today when it was busier, so with that i decided to brave the scales.

Not overly sure what i expected, i knew it was going to be bad and bad it was, i gained 9lbs!

I must admit i was gobsmacked, although in my head i was prepared for a big gain it was still a stunner when i saw the scales.

On a more positive note i am still in range, had i put on half a lb more i wouldn't have been, i would also have had to start paying again, something i do NOT want to do!

Having said all this, i am back on plan, i had a fabulous 2 weeks, i don't do it every day and the important thing is i went back to class, faced it and can now do something about it.

I have no regrets as i know it can come off again, life has it's ups and downs and so will my weight and if nothing else, when i gain, it shows i am having fun, even if it's maybe too much! Lol

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, what with Sarah getting bitten and then the paper came round to take pics and do a story, generally getting ready for my weekend in London, then consequently getting home, sorting out, going to another 2 gigs (4 in total this week) to say i have been tired and busy is an understatement!

So here are a few pics of London and Bristol, Karl and I on a river cruise, Sarah, Carly and i at Bristol, Sarah and I with Tobe from the Street Dogs (just about the cutest, nicest guy i have ever met) and one of the crowd at London, just to give you an idea of the weird looking people we hang about with but they are also the nicest bunch of strange looking people you'd ever want to meet!
Never judge a book by it's cover :o)

Some of you may have seen my post on the ww board but this is basically how the story goes.....
Well i went out for a walk with the dogs about 6pm as i had had my allocated 18 (fast start) points for the day.
I didn't get in until 12 o'clock!
There we were walking our dogs along the canal path and being responsible dog owners, we put them on leads as soon as we see another dog.
Up comes a staffy,( i have nothing against staffy's, we have had 2 ourselves) has a sniff around my Beagle and then goes up to my huge Bull Mastiff and lunges at her and has its fangs in her face.
It then all went mental, the owner wasn't even coming to help so i was swearing at him to get over there, he finally comes and says.....
'get his collar'
Hello!
Like i'm gonna grab the collar of a dog that's got his teeth firmly locked onto my dogs face.I'm not ashamed to say i kicked the crap out of the staffy and i am a dog lover but god help us, what else are you meant to do in this situation?
It finally let go after about 2 minutes (seemed to go on forever) and then you know what the spineless twat did?
Ran away!
Luckily for Keira (dog) she stayed so still, that can only have helped in making her injuries minimal, maybe it's an in built instinct?
After the event we then realise it's also bitten my daughter Sarah, so we the spent the rest of the evening in A&E where she was x-rayed, given a tetanus, a course of anti biotics and bandaged up.
I can't believe the scumbag ran away, i'd be mortified if either of my dogs did this and yes i would probably be worried that the chance that they would be destroyed was high but i would stand and face the music.
What happens if it grabs a baby next time?
Anyway food was the same, same breakfast,same lunch but a lovely evening meal of Salmon, New Pots and Veg.
18,700 steps, 8.1 miles and 4.5bp's.
That's 30 bp's from walking alone, since Tuesday!

Shock horror, i had something different!I love rhubarb and as i said before it's so expensive but thanks to Dawn i am going to give the tinned a try, never even thought about it before, so thank you and i will let you know if it's a good substitute.

I am thinking of making this blog private, purely because i have been criticised so therefore if people really don't like me, (and i don't care if they don't) i can't see why they would want to see my blog.

Ok, so you get the idea, breakfast is not pictured and lunch is the salad and same desert so will cheat and use the same pictures, but the picture on the right was a rather tasty Pork loin Chop with new potatoes and loads of veg, topped with creamy mushroom sauce from the fast start leaflet.

Yep you guessed it, photo shoot over, pre shoot nerves that stopped me from eating too much in case i had a bloated tummy meant a license to eat, right?

and it was great!

Well that was me the Thursday before last, suffice to say that I was extremely pleased to go to WI last week and only gain 0.5lb

Admittedly i did try extra hard to make up for my total blip, i had walked over 60 miles again that week but trust me, the blip was a good one, i wanted to eat and nothing or no one would have talked any sense into me.
Saying that, surely as i have said before that's what 'normal' people do but are back on track the next day so it's just called living?

Anyway on a lighter note, i had a telephone call from the WW stylist this week, we discussed what i need to take with me, i have to take a favourite outfit.
I've decided my baggy size 14 jeans and a hoodie from one of my favourite bands is probably not a good look or what they mean so i am going to take this dress


I love it and hubby rather likes it too ;o)

I have been an angel this ww food wise, i'd love to be back in the 10's this week so wish me luck and even more luck for Thursday!

and it's next Thursday....eeek!
I hope the photographer is good because I hate my picture taken and do have a habit of making funny faces so let's hope he has a rapid shot camera! Lol

My total nightmare scenario would be that they dress me like a 43 yr old, now yes, I do realise that I am actually 43 but I'd like to think I am fairly modern when it comes to clothes (hubby would say I buy that many I must be up to date!)

The other one would be they dress me in something from Evans, now i know we have some nice stuff now but how ironic would that be?

Anyway, trying really hard to be good until then, I must stay focused!

WI today and i somehow lost 1.5lb, i must admit i wasn't angelic over the weekend so i fully expected a gain or at best a sts.
So i had better be good this week or it might bite me on the backside.
Looking forward to getting back into the 10's :o)

Well WI day came a day early this week as i have to work tomorrow.
I 'only' lost 0.5 lb
I was on holiday last week but to compensate (and keep busy) walked over 50 miles.

Ah well, it's off not on, right?
And anyway, what's the betting (sod's law) it might have been a whole lb had i weighed in tomorrow?

Time will tell.......

So there i was updating her identi chip records and noticed the name on there was 'Poppy'
I got very confused thinking i had the wrong papers (the lady bred beagles so had more than one)
So i called her Poppy and she came running!
Turns out she was named Willow the Wisp by her breeder and then the people that had her before us called her Poppy.
Seeing as she seems to prefer Poppy, that is her new name (funny how i wanted to call my daughter that but her dad wouldn't let me!)

arrived yesterday, my husband has been wanting one for a long time, i was never sure about it being right but somehow we managed to agree on this one, so yesterday we went out to get it, stopping off at the lovely Colleensj's house (from the 5+ forums) for a cuppa at the same time, and here it is......

i will be in it are looking up!

I have had an email this morning about doing a feature, it's not a success story as such but i am over the moon, can't tell you what it's about right now, sorry but i will let you know if and when i am featured.

I have heard of people doing photoshoots and the like and then never being entered so i will believe it when/if it goes to print!

so here goes.

Why does my mind boggle when i read the ww forum sometimes?

I left a post last night, just a general poll asking how many green diamonds people had eaten that day, my total was 18, now it was early evening, a busier time on the board, only 3 people replied, does that mean they are not interested or don't know what 'filling foods' are?

Maybe i am in a different mindset to other people but i thought it was a sort of inspirational poll to make people think, clearly not!?

Another thing, why is it that some people can post, sometimes many stones down the line and ask about kitchen scales 'should i buy some etc etc?'
Well pardon me for being thick but how can you have managed to get this far without weighing your food?

I don't know, maybe i am just being hard but i just don't get some people, continuously asking the points in takeaways, someone that was dumbfounded they didn't lose weight as they had walked 1/4 of a mile that week (yes that's a quarter and not 14) and that general 'oh draw that line and start again tomorrow'(not helpful advice to someone at 11am in the morning)

No, don't start again tomorrow, start again NOW!
Oh dear, ranting, can you tell i am firmly back on the wagon?

Well i went and had it done, finally!
The notes are the title words from my favourite song and of course the stars denote each stone i lost.
(sorry about the flash!)

Only yesterday i was thinking of doing a thread on the ww board for a bit of a challenge, anyway i took the necessary pictures yesterday but never got around to it.

Another good day under my belt, it's so funny how much nicer it feels to be back in the zone.

Nothing exciting but....

Well i'm not sure if anyone will understand this but last night i was so excited....

I lost, only 1lb but better than nothing.

Well i went to WI, the first for 3 weeks and i gained yet again :o(
fair enough it was 'only' a lb but added to all the others it means i am now over goal by 2.5lb

Having said that, i now have nothing planned, no big weekends away or parties etc until the end of March so i have no excuses and i am right on that wagon.

I have altered my tracker as i am still stuck indoors unable to do any exercise or walking so i have had to reduce the points by 2 to reflect the fact that i am doing nothing.

I NEVER thought i would see the day where i would be so frustrated about not being able to get out for a walk but i am, i just want my back to get better and be able to roam.

I really hope this goes away soon, if nothing else, there's only so much daytime tv i can take! Lol

Anyway, PMA in abundance and i WILL lose next week :o)

SP shows a loss of 5lb
Meeting is cancelled :o(

BUT

This is not an excuse to go off plan and start my weekend away early, i am determined that i will still have a good loss next week, if all goes well it might be the same or more, but we will see how i go at mums for the weekend.

I am taking a homemade chilli for friday nights dinner and all the family are going to a hungry horse pub for a meal on saturday night so i have already chosen my dinner, now all i have to do is resist a desert!

On the plus side of my meeting being cancelled my leader rang and asked me if i would kindly walk to the hall and put a note on the door for the others she couldn't contact so if nothing else i got an extra 2,500 bonus steps in :o)

so well!

I am having a good week, my head is back in the game and so much so that i have also decided to give today's WI a miss and go to one tomorrow.

My reason for this is that I am off home at the weekend so should that 'i am going away so let's start the eating fest early' mindset appear, i have at least one more day on plan.

The way i feel at the moment that is not going to happen and i really want to be controlled when i am there but never say never, i have to a realist, i know how easily i am swayed! :o(

SP is looking good, i hope it's as good tomorrow!

And i could be lambasted for this but those that really know me also know i speak my mind.

Over the last week or so the boards seem to be full of a lot of 'returners'
People that have lost a fair bit or even got to goal and let it slip and gain all and more.

We all know stats say that a certain % of people will regain all their weight and more and of course, having been there, done that i know that all too well.

So this time i am not going to do that (please god, fingers crossed, willpower willing etc etc)
I am going to have to think of the total embarrassment if i had to present myself at 18 st 7 or possibly more and admit that i lost control, yet again.

This may seem cruel and i am not having a dig at any particular person as i know this road is darn hard but i am going to have to fight this all the way.

I do not want to go back to 5+ with my tail between my legs and having to admit i am a failure!

As for this week, so far so good,the temptation to have something 'naughty' kicked in before dinner but i managed to resist and had creamy mushrooms on a jacket spud while dear hubby had a massive 6 egg omelette and a plate of chips!

Ps......At that rate he can be a in store Santa next year Lol

Oh well, it gets worse, i braved weigh in on Tuesday, or should i say i was dragged along kicking and screaming by Catcadbury from ww 5+ and i gained another 3lb.

So i have changed my ticker and you will see i am now 1.5lbs over goal again, that makes 8.5lb gain in 3 weeks but it was all deserved so i have no complaints and just maybe this has been the massive kick in the rear that i needed to sort myself out.

Saying that, all is not lost, i have still to date lost over 7 stone,i have been at goal for 7 months, i can still fit into my clothes and more importantly i have not given up and will carry on fighting this battle which i know and admit will stay with me for the rest of my life.

The most important thing i have done is keep going to class, yes i might gain one week, lose another and stay in that cycle more often than not. That is something i have to convince myself is now real life for me. I 'could' have walked out of class the day i got to goal and thought i had it sussed, and if i had, i wonder where i would be now, to be honest i KNOW i would be bigger than i am now.

I wish i could be one of these people that get to goal and say my habits have changed so much and i will never again eat crap but i know that's not me, there's no point lying to myself or to anyone else for that matter, i wouldn't have got to 18st 7 if i didn't have a problem with food would i?

I have changed in the respect that if i have a binge like i did the 3 weeks prior to Christmas i do actually get to the stage where i stop myself and need to eat healthy again, so that is a bonus.

So here we go again, i am back on the wagon, eating really well, hoping to drop some of that gain in weeks to come ....
BUT
I have the next 2 weekends away so it's not going to be easy but after that, i have no excuse!

Wish me luck and can someone stand by ready to give me a boot up the backside if they feel i am waivering?