Monday Weigh In After Holidays

WARNING - LONG POST

OMG...13st7lbs...189lbs....I am still a little bit in shock and to be honest don't think it will last but am of course really happy. Its all due really to my holiday! We went off to Cameroon for 2 weeks where I have (as the scales show) sweated my arse off!! Most of the time it was between 30' to 35's all the time...even at 11pm at night!! My appetite diminished and not because I didn't like the food at all just mainly due to the heat! I would have breakfast and then maybe not eat until dinner and even then only have one portion before feeling incredibly full! It was great, I wasn't even thinking about food most of the time! Apart from the weight loss I did have a really good holiday full for meeting people and family, Biggy hasn't been home in 6 years so there were LOTS of people to go and see! I had quite a few fat moments while on holiday but I think that's because I was hot and sweaty and makeup was running off within seconds, my hair was in a tight bun for almost 2 weeks and I was wearing clothes that were cool and relaxed and to wear once or twice a week make you feel good but worn every day make you feel unshapely and like a bit like a trekker, not to mention the swelling of hands and feet...all of this is quite ironic really as I have never had so many compliments... in the 2 weeks I was told virtually every day how pretty I was or what a great figure I had from family to strangers... unfortunately it went straight over my head!

Now I am back I really want to keep the momentum going and seeing how I am only 7lbs away from hitting my first major goal I am determined to continue the weight loss. However I am also now scared of eating too much and going back to being up to the 196 mark again which I really don't want to happen. But I am also not going to panic if I put on a pound or two as in the UK I am not going to be sweating half as much and my appetite will come back... it's come back a bit already..but more on that later...

So like I said before I went away I am looking at this as a new quarter and have a few things I really want to focus on... the holiday gave me time to really think and decide what I want to do especially as I found the first few months of the year quite tough in some aspects....

1) First thing is to really break off from wine... while away we still had some wine but nothing major as its really expensive in Cameroon so I feel like this is really achievable. Biggy is away from Tuesday all the way through to late Sunday evening so it will be a really good time to make me used to not drinking while being at home. I plan to not drink Mon, Tues, and Thurs, allow myself a drink on Wednesday but only if I really want one and then drink over the weekend. However I will also be really limiting myself to 1 or 2 glasses a night and only 2 on Friday and Saturday. The reason being is that every time I have more than I realistically need I regret it. I think after 2 glasses max 3 you don't appreciate the taste of the wine anymore and you just drink because it's there and the effect it gives...I don't want that anymore and I don't want the empty calories wine brings with it...

2) I really want to go back to the Gym, before I went on holiday I hadn't been for over a month which is of course really bad. So I want to come up with a routine that is realistic and I will be able to stick to. I also really want to go to the gym with Biggy on Saturday's  but more for a relaxing time and use the spa facilities. One thing that should really push me into this is the fact that in June I am taking part in the Zest Challenge which is a 5k assault course.

3) Honestly stick to my 1500 limit,again for the last few months I don't think there was one day where I actually kept to the 1500 limit mainly due to wine taking me way over my allowance but being away has proven to me that you can lose weight by eating less (duh)  but all the times I was saying omg...I have only lost 0.5lbs or 0lbs what am I doing wrong... it's obviously what I am eating and the amounts I am eating.. I lost 7lbs in 14 days... so it can be done... I don't expect or want to lose that amount every 2 weeks but it is possible to have a 1-2lbs loss a week. BUT ONLY IF I STICK TO MY ALLOWANCE

4) I will be shaking up my diet - I have mentioned this before but being in Cameroon has definitely made me want to do it more - I have no need for bread I really noticed while away that when I ate bread (about 3 times in 2 weeks ) I felt full, bloated and heavy. So I really want to cut it out. I know sometimes it might crop up occasionally and thats fine but no more Garlic Bread or baguettes or toast or sandwiches etc...I also will be eating less red meat and more fish during the week, we ate alot of fish in Cameroon and Biggy never once complained about the lack of red meat. We also didn't eat pasta or rice once and that was also really good, I will still be eating pasta and rice and potatoes but won't be making them a stable part of our weekly meal plans. Instead I want to incorporate alot more veg to replace the pasta and rice that we normally have with every meal..

5) And finally - I want to start my Nutrition course - my first day back at work and I was hungry at 10.30am - I was thinking about it during the day and trying to figure out why - although I like my job and I am happy here I don't feel that it is a job that really fullfills me - I enjoy it but I am not in love with it - I make good money from it but I am not doing anything that has an impact - I was thinking today how nice would it be to spend my time helping other people, helping others better their lives and deal with the problems that I deal with now. I am 26 and am only just figuring out my diet and slowly learning to get rid of all the self hate. How amazing would it be to help people before they get to where I was at 231lbs..and how much of a fulfilling day would it be. When I am doing something I happy with and 100% enjoying food is far away from my thoughts and I don't look at the time, I want that every day not just on weekends...life is too short. I feel that if I started doing my first course it would make me more fulfilled and as though I am on the path to giving me the life I want.