Doing it my way - Dolittle Style

Here I go again, its like a bad case of deja vu, always starting over, the cliche new year, new me. 

I have spent a while now wondering what approach to take to losing weight, I have been there and bought the T Shirt with most methods and I am forever telling myself "I know what I need to do"  but still not doing it.   Counting points, not counting points, Green days / red days, fasting days, shakes, you name it I have tried and last year I was sick of trying, sick of always thinking about food, the next meal, then the guilt if I went off track.  I am sick of the roller coaster journey the life of a constant dieter was taking me on, hence not doing very well last year, but over all not gaining either.

Personally, I believe in the law of attraction, which would mean if I am constantly thinking about food, about losing weight but failing at it, then as the law of attraction works, just like a magnet I am bringing more of the same to me.  If my whole thought process is consumed with losing weight, or in my case not losing it, then I am never going to get there.

So 2016 is about finding my positive mojo again, to start focusing on what I can do and not so much of what I can't.  It is about believing in myself and knowing that I will reach my goal if i focus on the end result and not how it will happen.

In December I was chatting to a good friend who knows all about losing weight and how to approach it and she said something that stuck with me, she asked me if I had ever thought about not following a plan and that whatever I decided to do it had to suit me.   This got me thinking about what would work for me, what did I want and how could I get it.  

Well overall I want to be slim, I want to be healthy and most importantly I want to be happy with who I am.  But i dont want food and diets to consume my every thought, I want the freedom to choose and eat what i enjoy but without the guilt that can easily come with it.  

So my way is going to be to eat what I want but less of it, in the quantities that are normal and not giant portions like I am used to.  I am going to move more, but at my own pace and only what I enjoy.  I am going to be guilt free and if I have a bad day that's ok because the next day can be a good one. 

I am going into 2016 with a new bucket list, with dreams to follow and a positive attitude, mixed together is simply a recipe for success.

Shaking it up

Time for a change, but just a little one.  Been back on track for a few weeks now with some good weeks, some not so good weeks and a week where it was good but didnt show on the scales.  It's proving that the ups and downs are the norm in the world of losing weight and I don't know if I will ever get used to the emotions that come with it.  

Well, plodding on, as I do, I have decided to shake it about a bit for a few weeks.  I am going to do the 5:2 diet along side by side with weight watchers.  2 days fasting and 5 days sensible weight watchers.  

Why ??  Because it gives me something to focus on, stops me getting bored and because I like to try new things.   I am finding I am getting bored with the same foods already, and have cooked lots of meals but I am now looking for something different.  So instead of going off the rails I am going to focus on the 2 fasting days and keep myself on track the other 5.  

What is the 5:2 Fast Diet?

It’s a different flexible way of dieting , you are not committing yourself to minimum calories every day, missing out on normal every day food, not being able to eat what you want when going out for dinner, this is may be why some people on a diet fail.

On the 5:2 Fast Diet you chose any 2 days of the week to fast consuming 500 calories a day for a woman or 600 calories a day for a man.

You choose (within reason) what you want to eat on the other 5 days; you can still go out for dinner with your partner or friends and eat the same as your family. For some people this may make dieting easier for you as you are not always thinking about being on a diet. You can simply choose not to indulge in that dessert to help you along the way.

I did originally think that it sounded easy until i realised how many calories are in the foods I eat on weight watchers.  89 calories in a banana, anything between 100 - 200 for a cereal bar.  Maybe it will turn into a valuable lesson in the calorie count of foods, something I have never paid much attention too as the points value was what i followed.

Hopefully it will give me a boost into the Christmas challenge I have joined in with on the Weight Watchers Support Group, either way it has got me raring to go for another week.

Little black dress season is in the near future so I have to try something.

Life Begins Now

November 2012 something got to me and my determination to re-join ww and lose the weight was at a high.  I went on to hit goals, both on the scales and off throughout 2013. Sadly, since then, all the weight has gone back on, the confidence has dwindled and the motivation has had more ups, downs and curves that a roller coaster. 

BUT . . . . . It's back

I don't know if its hitting a low again, where my weight is dragging me down and enough is enough.  Is it I have switched off from other peoples problems, I cannot fix anyone else's problems as only they can do that so now it's time to focus on me.   Or is it turning 39, I have no issues with my age, not afraid of getting older, but I don't want my whole life to be about being over weight, so maybe this is my motivation.  Whatever the reason, i am back in the driving seat and I am putting the foot to the floor and going to get to the finish line.

The big 40 is next summer so I am going to use that as a motivator, they say life begins at 40, so I aiming for my new life to do just that.  The slimmer, healthier, happier me.

I have found my mojo, my belief and my positive attitude, all things that would seem to have been lost for the last year.  I have set myself some mini goals for the next 12 months, challenges to push myself and dreams to reward myself.  My own mini bucket list before I am 40.

Now to focus on the end result, believe I can, and achieve the results.  I am dreaming big, and I can do this, just watch this space.

Diet ...... What Diet

My week in pictures, proof you can eat normally and lose weight.  All planned, pointed and tracked and I am 4.5lb lighter for my efforts.

Carb Cravings or Mind Games

I am a little frustrated with myself today.  After a few good weeks I have had a few iffy days, today being the worst.

Every now and again I have a week where all I want is toast, cereal, pasta and the easier the better as I seem to lose my desire to cook.  I have, in the past, always told myself I must be craving carbs and I must need them or it must be hormonal and that it is just the way it is.  But is it, or is it just me using it as an excuse to eat more ??

The disappointment today was giving in to the vending machine, I didn't even think about it, I just ate both crisps and sweets for no reason other than greed.  Because I had no plan today I also ate a baguette and cream cake for lunch.  I say ate but maybe inhaled is a better description. The food went in that fast I cannot even remember if it tasted good.  To say I am not happy about it is an understatement.

I then sat at my desk this afternoon, feeling full, bloated, slightly sick and very fat.  The difference one day can make to your mood is unbelievable, the low it brings should be enough to stop me doing it again, doubt it will but it should.  I still have the memory of how good I felt at the beginning of the week so it was easy to compare how the bad food had made me feel today, and it hit home quite hard.

Me being me, to find out if  body craves carbs I googled it and found this :

• Following a diet that's extremely low in carbs and calories can trigger cravings for carbohydrate-rich foods. Restricting your carbohydrate intake reduces serotonin production in your brain. Adequate serotonin helps to keep your carbohydrate cravings reined in, psychologist Judith Wurtman writes in "The Serotonin Power Diet." Conversely, inadequate serotonin can make you feel low and moody, eager to reach for the foods you've been trying to avoid. If you suspect that your serotonin levels are low, try eating a piece of dark chocolate, a banana, eggs, salmon or whey protein to lift your mood.

Now I may just want to believe this but it makes sense to my moods and how I feel.  So just to be sure I googled again and found this:

Why Do Carbohydrate Cravings Occur?

There are several theories for why carbohydrate cravings occur:

• We’re hungry. Our bodies run on carbohydrate, so when we get hungry, it may be the body’s wisdom telling us that it needs fuel – especially when we get too hungry. Carbohydrates are digested faster than protein or fat, so energy gets to the body faster. Can you think of any behavior that sets you up for carbohydrate cravings? If you said, calorie counting, you’re right. How many of us walk around feeling truly satisfied when we were watching every calorie we eat?
• We’re deprived. It’s obvious that when we’re cutting out carbohydrate foods, we might feel a little deprived and want them more. For someone who’s never dieted, this may be an easy thing to overcome. But for the diet-weary, it’s a big hurdle to overcome. Diet deprivation not only sets up carbohydrate cravings, it generally causes us to eat more than we really need to feel satisfied.
• We’re carbohydrate-deficient. Technically, the body can make carbohydrate from protein and fat. But it takes longer. Ask an athlete who has tried to limit carbs – energy levels are dramatically decreased.
• We’re insulin resistant and making the wrong choices. This reason still needs to be elucidated, but it does appear that some people crave carbs because their bodies don’t handle the types they eat well. Note the emphasis on type. It’s not the whole grains, fruits and starchy vegetables that set us up in this instance; it’s the very sweet and/or low-fiber sources eaten in excess.

Answer to my original question is, Yes, I can be craving carbs and it is not just in my head.  At least I am not going mad but I am determined to get this under control before I work my way through a whole loaf of bread.

Thanks to the Ladies on the WW Support group for helping put things into perspective.

21 Day Challenge Day 21

Day 21

Food

Breakfast - Slice of toast with low fat Spread

Lunch - Turkey Dinner

Tea - Scrambled Egg & Toast

Snacks - Piece of Homemade Cake

Steps - 17834

Mood - Fantastic

Reached day 21 and I am pleased with how I am doing, a little bit of me wants to keep going with daily updates to keep me focused.  

I have looked back at my original post to see what I set out to do and see if the habits have changed.  

Earlier mornings - currently I drag my slightly over-sized rear out of bed at the latest possible moment then rush around like a nutter getting everything ready to get out the door for 8am.

I have not managed the earlier mornings, well not as early as I aimed to do but I am awake and up earlier than I used to be so this one I will class as "in progress but could try harder".

No Diet drinks after 9pm (unless I am out) - sounds a weird one but I struggle to fall asleep at night and I believe a good amount of this is due to the huge amounts of caffeine I am drinking through the day.  Then the tiredness kicks in as the week goes on and then I eat more and don't have any energy

Well this didn't happen LOL, (my addiction to Pepsi Max is greater than I thought). I did cut down on how many cans of Pepsi Max I have been drinking through the day, trying alternative diet drinks to try and change the habit of taste, and swapping for more water. On an evening it all depends on what I am doing, if I am busy I don't drink as much, I find drinking diet drinks is my substitute for snacking on an evening.  On a plus I am going to bed earlier and sleeping better so the overall outcome is a positive one but needs a little more work.

Hit my daily steps targets - currently set at 8k on my Fitbit, to increase to 9k next week and 10k the week after.  

This is the one I have enjoyed the most, I have hit my daily steps and more.  I am really enjoying the walking and would happily do more given the time, but I am adding in as much as I can around work and home life.  Today was a sign of my new enjoyment when I set off for a small walk and 4 1/2 miles later returned feeling amazing (the sunshine helped of course).  I am sticking to 10k a day as I find this achievable but still need to put in extra to reach it.

Put myself first - realising I am worth it is a hard one the get my head around, realising that sometimes being a little selfish is ok.  This is going to be the hardest one for me but I am going to try.

Putting myself first is always going to be tricky, my family are the centre of my world so they always come first but making the time everyday for my walks has been a good start.  I have also been sticking to my food choices and not changing my plans for others, this sometimes is testing as it means making different meals but that bit I don't mind.

One habit that I have broken is the vending machine curse, I have found myself at the machine, money in hand, and talk myself out of it and walking away.  I have found I am not thinking about snacking through the day like I used to and have started eating fruit instead.  I don't think the fruit will last as I don't like many fruits but I am trying while the desire is there.

I don't know if admitting "talking to myself" is a good thing, but that is what I am finding myself doing.  Standing in a supermarket telling myself I don't need things I would normally buy, telling myself I don't need a cream cake when everyone else is, refusing the chocolate biscuits being handed around at work because I don't need them.

I have found in the last 21 days that I do have Willpower, after years of telling myself I didn't, Success in my eyes

Weigh in this week was another 3lb gone, so I am guessing my new approach is working and I am one happy Dolittle x

21 Day Challenge day 20

Day 20

Food
Breakfast - Crunchy Nut Cornflakes
Lunch - Subway Chicken Tikka Flatbread with Light Mayo
Tea - Childs portion of Cod Bites & Chips ( didnt manage them all which was a huge shock to me)
Snacks - a few quavers

Steps - 8578

Mood - Proud

Feeling pretty pleased with myself today.  This may seem a little strange to anyone reading this as I havent had the healthiest of meals of walked as many steps as usual but I have still been in control.

The steps are lower as I stayed in bed half a day, it's Saturday and I was not feeling to great this morning so why not.

Food wise I chose the best available option for lunch, the alternative was Gregg's Pasties and cream cakes.  Even when everyone else was having chocolate eclairs and fresh cream strawberry tarts I stuck with my Chicken tikka flatbread & bottle of water.  I didn't give in to chocolate when in the shop buying drinks and snacks for others, actually talked myself out of it while in the queue.

Then when we decided for an impromptu trip to the park this evening we called for tea and I didn't just choose a child's portion of cod bites and chips, I actually left most of the chips being comfortably full. This in itself is a new experience for me and is a positive step in the right direction.

Best bit - No guilt