IN LOVING MEMORY OF ELIZABETH IRWIN

Wooop woooopp slimmer of the week award!!

2008-07-16T22:53:00.002+01:00

Feeling very pleased with myself this evening. Have just got back from class and not only did I receive my first half stone award, I was also this weeks' "Slimmer of the Week" which meant I won a huge basket of food goodies, a certificate, a shiny sticker and a fridge magnet!

I'm very happy with my 9.5 lbs off in 3 weeks, long may it continue *insert smiley happy face*!

Amazed!

2008-07-09T22:25:00.002+01:00

Just had weigh in and I have lost 2 lbs this week - am absolutely amazed as I have had a terrible week, have eating quite a bit of rubbish (amidst the good stuff obviously, but even so!) and it looks as though I got away with it - THIS TIME!!!!!

Very happy tonight!

Had a moment with a jar of Nutella..

2008-07-07T21:42:00.001+01:00

.. oh dear :-( Tis not going well today as I had a little dip into the jar of Nutella, then another dip then another (you see where this is going?!). I then decided that I had started badly so might as well finish badly, lets just say that today has been a right-off. AAARGH now I have to start all over again tomorrow AAARGH again..

.. onwards and upwards, am drawing a line under this blip!

An update

2008-07-06T12:13:00.006+01:00

Well I still haven't got any running shoes, haven't got the money to buy a new pair so I'm just using my old ones for now. Thing is that it's probably just the impact that is causing the ankle problem so I am going to try speed walking initially and build up from there. As always, I want too much too soon and expect myself to be able to run a marathon from day one.

I have been struggling to keep myself on track and have started doing silly bingeing again so I have joined Slimming World which I hope will keep me on the straight and narrow! Whilst I have always been a huge Weight Watchers fan, I have become quite lazy and so I needed something else to get me back on track and excited about eating the right food types again. And Slimming World seems to have done just that.

Anyway I have started my weight loss results from scratch as it was a bit of a non-starter before now. Weigh in's will of course be weekly too.

So week 1 - I lost 4.5 lbs wooopwooop!! Was very pleased with that result for the first week and am expecting 1-2 lbs per week from now on but I'll update this blog to show weigh-in's (weight loss is shown on the right hand side "Weight Loss Details").

Darned running shoes cost a fortune

2008-06-28T09:08:00.003+01:00

Well I've just found out that the trainers at the "proper" running shop cost in excess of £60 in the sale which are still out of my price range unfortunately. So I'm just going to have to go to JJB or JD Sports or whatever it's called and get some of their running shoes for now. I went for a run the other day in my old trainers but really hurt my ankle and could barely walk for 2 days so those ones are obviously only good for the bin! Thanks Kirky for the tip xx

A slight glitch

2008-06-17T09:59:00.003+01:00

I have reached a slight glitch in my quest to become "a runner". I have been a few times and whilst I absolutely love it my trainers are not in the best condition and I keep hurting my ankle as a consequence. I am waiting for the sale to start at the local running shop so I can actually start training seriously. I have high hopes to enter the Race for Life next year and perhaps even the Great North Run the year after!! The thought of ME becoming a runner is still rather hilarious but I'm going to give it a really good shot.. but I do need some decent running shoes before I can do it properly.

Slight change of plan

2008-06-17T09:57:00.002+01:00

After speaking to my lovely sis last night, I have decided to weigh myself once a month only. As my weight loss is going to be very gradual, it will be more motivating to see a larger figure once a month rather than a very small figure weekly.

Oh my!

2008-06-17T09:52:00.002+01:00

Sponsorship has just increased by a massive amount and the total amount is now an enormous £240!!!! WOWEEEEEEE!! I know I keep saying it but I want to say a huge thank you to all my sponsors, every single penny you are sponsoring is going to go to this fantastic cause and I want to thank you for your faith in me :-) xx

Oops sorry I haven't been posting

2008-06-12T18:38:00.003+01:00

Not sure if anyone is even reading this, but I should write on here for my own sake anyway!

Well I have been for 2 more runs since that first disasterous one below. They are still completely exhausting and utterly painful (my ankles aaaargh they hurt!) BUT I have taken medical advice and have been told that the pain is perfectly normal and just to take it very gently, which I'm doing. I am getting loads of fantastic advice from a running forum I have joined, the other runners are so supportive and helpful, many of them being marathon runners and people that were also once extremely overweight, so they know what they are talking about.

I was really pleased to lose 2 lbs last week. I'm not after huge weight losses like I was used to doing Lighterlife and Cambridge Diets, I now want slow and gradual progress through simply being healthy. And I seem to be achieving that so I'm very happy.

I have also astonished myself and am SO enjoying huge fruit salads topped with no-fat yoghurt and various seeds, cottage cheese salad - oh my, how much do I love cottage cheese!!!!

Anyway, sorry I am now waffling. I've gone from nothing to waffle haha sorry!

xx

Went for a run hahahaha!!

2008-06-06T11:15:00.003+01:00

Oh that was amusing! It was more of a fast walk than a run but hey, it's a start!! It didn't feel good, what with all the blubber blubbering about (as blubber does lol) but at least I've done some exercise today. You never know, I could get into this running lark!

Yippeee

2008-06-05T18:12:00.003+01:00

Thank you everyone for being so unbelievably generous, the sponsorship is now up to £180!!!!

4 June

2008-06-04T17:30:00.004+01:00

Gaaaagh slight blip today.. went to Starbucks on an urgent sandwich hunt (for Max I hasten to add) but I ended up having a panini too *ahem* and a cake. Ooooooooooooooooooooooops! Enormous kick up the backside for moi!
Oh.. but sponsorship has now gone up to £130 so it wasn't all bad!

3 June

2008-06-03T13:15:00.006+01:00

Well what kind people you all are! I have already been sponsored for £110 which I am absolutely delighted about. Diet-wise, well actually I am not calling it a "diet", I am calling it a lifestyle change as I want this to be permanent weight loss rather than a quick fix (like so many other so-called diets I have done in the past - you all know what I'm talking about!!). Anyway, I am pleased with my progress so far, I am certainly not starving myself but neither am I stuffing myself haha! So far so good.

YAY my first sponsor!

2008-05-31T23:25:00.003+01:00

Thank you to Kirky & Dan!

Interesting!

2008-05-31T17:52:00.003+01:00

Just found this on the net and found it quite interesting!

Link to MK Hospital Little Lives Appeal site

2008-05-31T17:35:00.003+01:00

I thought I would post a link to the official Little Lives Appeal details on the MK Hospital website. There is information there about where the money will go, etc. http://www.mkgeneral.nhs.uk/about/fundraising.asp

The reason for my blog

2008-05-31T17:21:00.004+01:00

Well I weighed myself this morning and was SHOCKED at what the scales were telling me.. in fact I had to weigh myself twice just to double check that it was correct!

Anyway, the scales do not lie and so I tentatively tell you that I weigh 17.2 stone. Shocked? Me too (and disgusted!)!

So.. 17.2 stone and a size 18-20. It's time to do something about this. I have tried diet after diet after diet but this time I am doing it a little differently. I am going to lose weight the healthy way - just by eating properly (less junk, more fresh stuff, more exercise). No faddy diets, no miracle cures, pills, powders or shakes.

But not only am I going to lose weight, I am going to do it with someone very very special in mind, little baby Elizabeth. I'm doing this to raise money for the Little Lives Appeal at the Neonatal Unit in Milton Keynes Hospital, where Elizabeth was born and cared for until she could no longer fight for her life.

Pleeeease sponsor me!