Another Girlie Supper!

Ready for Girlie Supper - blouse from Next, leggings from Gok at Sainsbury's and boots from Stylist Picks

On Friday night I went to a Girlie Supper at my friend Paola's house.  It was a supper with a difference for us.  Whoever hosts a Girlie Supper normally does all the cooking but at this supper we shared out the courses.  Sarah brought nibbles, Annita and I provided the starter, Paola did the main course, Jane and Heather each did a dessert and Claire did the cheese board.  It worked really well.  We had an amazing meal and drank loads of champagne.

Hopefully Paola didn't feel too stressed as she only had to do one course.  It can be quite stressful cooking all three courses.  We always say at our Girlie Suppers that no one should feel under pressure.  We would be quite happy with beans on toast because it's all about spending time with our friends rather than having a sophisticated menu.  In saying that though I don't think we have had a bad meal.  In fact quite the reverse.  Whoever hosts always makes a real effort and we are thoroughly spoilt with delicious food and lots of wine.

We are trying something new on Wednesday.  I'm hosting a Wine Tasting and Pizza evening.  Hopefully it will be fun.  I will update you on how it goes!

I'm back on my diet today.  I had a bad week last week with lots going on and I've strangely decided to become a Domestic Goddess recently - which is so not me! - and I've been trying out lots of new recipes.  We have been eating far too well.  Rich and my son seem to like it but it's not so good for the diet!

My friend, Jane, has persuaded me to join her in giving up chocolate for the month of February!  We are both chocoholics so it's not going to be easy!!!  We can't have chocolate in any form - no chocolate biscuits or cakes or anything at all with chocolate in it or on it!!!!  Arrrggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

This is us at Paola's with her gorgeous Dalmatian - Crash

The Diet goes on . . .

I've now been dieting for two weeks.  It's been quite a roller coaster ride what with crazy diets and loads of exercise!!!  I weighed on Monday - twelve days in to my diet and I'd lost a total of 9 pounds.  I was really happy with this!!!  Woop woop!!!!!

I haven't found the eating too bad so far but the last two evenings I've given in and had a glass of wine with dinner.  It's really really hard to stop at one.  A lovely cold glass of Makutu Bay!  Who can resist!

 I'm still tracking my calories on my phone. I'm allowed 1155 calories a day.  It's not too hard.  I have cereals for breakfast, egg on toast or tomato soup and a bit of crusty bread for lunch and then whatever I want for dinner with either vanilla yogurt and fruit or jelly for desert.  I snack on apples, tangerines and Rich Tea biscuits.

I am exercising lots though!  This week I've already done loads.  I feel really tired tonight.  My back aches and my left hip is sore but I feel good too.  On Monday evening I ran with my lovely running buddy, Heather.  We ran 4.32 miles.

On Tuesday morning Rich and I did an early gym session.  I did interval training on the bike, resistance work on my legs and bingo wings, core stability/abs work and walking lunges and squats with weights.  Then I swam 30 lengths.

At lunchtime I walked with my good friend Jane and our dogs for about an hour on snowy Cleeve Hill.

Last night I ran again with Heather.  We ran 4.56 miles.  We ran for 50 minutes without stopping.  I track our run on my phone now!  We started running in April 2012.  When we first started we ran 20 steps, walked 20 steps.  I did a ten week beginners course with Cleeve Ladies Running Club.  We never imagined we would be able to run for 50 minutes without stopping.  There have been times when we have thought we would never get any better.  We have hit a plateau and just not been able to move on.  But we have persevered and we are so proud of our progress.

Today, once again, Rich and I did an early gym session.  I didn't want to do any aerobic exercise in the gym because of all the running I had done already this week.  I felt I needed to give my joints a rest so I did more resistance work and abs/lunges/squats, etc.  Then I swam 40 lengths.

This afternoon I walked my dogs for an hour.  When I walk I don't dawdle I walk really quite fast.  Thankfully though, tonight was a no running night.  Chilling in front of the TV watching Gok!!!

Tomorrow evening Heather and I will do a shorter run - about 3 miles.  And on Friday I will probably go to the gym and walk the dogs.  So quite a bit of exercise!  I do rest at the weekend though.  The only thing I might do is walk the dogs.

I have an exciting weekend coming up!!!  Girlie supper at our friend Cath's house on Saturday evening and then a really posh spa day on Sunday.  More details to follow . . .

Officially OLD today!!!

Today - 7th January 2013 - my youngest child turned 18!!!  All of my offspring are now adults.  I must be very OLD!!!  I've tried to convince Rich that in order to deal with the trauma of being so old and childless I should be allowed another dog, but he's having none of it!!!!  

His presents all ready for him!

Me ready to go out to lunch with Rich, my son and his two best mates.

We had a lovely - if not enormous! - lunch out at The Plough at Ford.  I wore my Forever 21 blouse and my Gok skinny jeans and M&S boots.  

Today was also weigh-in day.  I was really pleased as my diet only started last Wednesday so I've only had 5 days of dieting and I've lost 4 and three quarter pounds!  Yayyyyy!!!!  Rich has lost 8 pounds in the same time period!!!  Whoop whoop!!!

Tomorrow is day one of Dr Gundry's diet for me!  I think I'm going to struggle.  It's also our gym induction so it's all systems go.  I will keep you posted!

The Diet Update

I've done three full days of dieting and frankly I'm not thin yet!  I've set up the app on my phone and input all my details.  It has then worked out that in order to lose two pounds a week I can consume 1216 calories a day.  It wouldn't allow me to lose more than two pounds a week.

So far it's not been difficult but it is early days!  I ran with my friend Heather on Wednesday and Thursday evening.  Friday was rest day.  I'm going to try to sort gym membership for a couple of months today.  Then the plan is to run three times a week and gym twice a week.  I intend to use the treadmill for a bit of interval training at the gym and also do strength training and swimming.

In my running magazine it says that losing weight is one thing but maintaining it is quite another which we all know to be true.  It offers three tips to keeping the weight off:

1.  Keep exercise levels high
2.  Weigh yourself at least once a week
3.  Be accountable - either by exercising with a friend or join a club or make your goals known to all   your friends

My friend Paola suggested a plan where for 5 days a week you eat whatever you like and for 2 days a week you fast.  Women should only consume between 400 and 500 calories on these two days and men can have 500 to 600 calories.  Lots of people follow this regime but it must be tough on the two days when you fast.

My husband, Rich, is also dieting.  He follows Dr Gundry's Diet.  He did it last year and lost loads of weight very quickly and did maintain it for quite a long time.  Then he got naughty and put weight back on but he's still not as heavy as he was before he started with Dr Gundry.

On Thursday I put the Livestrong app on his phone and we tracked his food for the day.  He ate over 1400 calories.  The app had calculated he should consume 1350 calories but he just continued to follow the rules of Dr Gundry's diet.  He did no exercise.

I on the other hand I consumed 994 calories.  I also burned through exercising  (running and riding) 861 calories.  So my net calories consumed were only 133 calories.

On Thursday morning - just 48 hours into our diet - Rich decided to weigh himself.  He had lost five and a half pounds!  I couldn't believe it.  I didn't expect to have lost anything in two days and he'd lost so much.  I remember this also happened the first time he followed this diet.  The first two weeks are strict and it's meant to kick start your weight loss.

I decided to also weigh myself.  I'd lost one and a quarter pounds.  More than I expected but in comparison to Rich it was kind of insignificant!  I'd eaten less than him and exercised but he'd lost more weight than me.  How unfair is that!!!!

I had resisted Dr Gundry because I know it won't really suit me.  Most of my diet is made up of carbs and that's a no no with Dr G.  I did think that may be I can do the two week "Tear Down Phase" to kick start my weight loss.  I've been reading Dr G's book and the science behind what he's saying is very powerful.  It makes you feel stupid to not follow it but it does banish just about everything I love!!!  Chocolate, cake, white wine, pasta, etc.  I can have gin but no tonic!!!  And that's forever on Dr G's diet!

On Tuesday I am going to start the two week phase.  I'm not sure if I will complete it but I'm going to give it a go!  I can't start on Monday because it's my son's 18th Birthday and we are going out to supper.  I have to have a palm size portion of protein for breakfast, lunch and dinner with leafy green vegetables.  I have to have two snacks of seeds and nuts.  I have to drink 8 - 10 glasses of water a day.  I'm allowed one glass of red wine a day.

The allowed proteins that I like are:

Beef - inc steak, mince, etc.
Pork tenderloin
Bacon
Chicken
Salmon
Shellfish
Whitefish
Tuna

Dairy:

Eggs
Yogurt - plain and unsweetened

Vegetables:

Lettuce
Spinach
Watercress
Bean Sprouts
Beans
Broccoli
Carrot - raw only
Cucumber
Garlic
Herbs
Mushrooms
Onions
Peppers
Sugar Snap peas - not shelled peas

Beverages:

Coffee
Tea - black, green, white or herbal
Red wine
Water


I am going to find this really hard!  I'm not one of those people who loves eating their greens.  Rich happily tucks into spinach and poached egg for breakfast but it's my worst nightmare!  And note, no fruit allowed.  No bread. Not even a Rich Tea biscuit.  Hell!!!!!  If I don't lose half a stone I will be gutted.

Diet and Fitness

Like a lot of you I am beginning my diet and fitness regime today.  I am fed up of eating rubbish and feeling fat!  Although I won't be feeling like this in a week or so and will be craving chocolate!!!

I've weighed myself but I do find that the scales are not always a friend to me.  They never say what I want to hear.  People will tell me I've lost weight but the scales don't necessarily agree.  I think I build muscle fairly quickly and as we all know muscle weighs heavier than fat but takes up less space.  With this in mind I have also taken my measurements: bust, waist, hips, thigh, calf and upper arm.  Hopefully this will give me a truer reflection of what's going on.

I'm not completely ready for my new regime as I haven't yet cleaned out the fridge and cupboards to get rid of all temptations.  I haven't been to the supermarket to do a healthy shop.  I haven't signed up to a gym.  But I do intend to eat sensibly and to exercise and within the next few days address all the above tasks.

I bought a running magazine which gives you an exercise plan to lose body fat.  I have thought for some time that running - even three or four times a week - is not enough if you always run at the same pace.  The plan supports this.  Sometimes its ok to do this but sometimes you need to do quick sprints for short bursts and then recover and do it again and again . . .  Also you need to do strength training.

I'm adapting this plan to work for me.  I want to use the strength training to tighten my core (which should give me a flatter stomach), bum and arms.  I also want to do some swimming because that works well on the stomach.  Alongside this I intend to ride a couple of times a week and walk the dog 4 times a week.

I'm not going on one of these diets where you only eat nutritious shakes and lettuce leaves or cabbage soup.  I have an app on my phone called Livestrong where you can track everything you eat.  I find it's the best way.  Otherwise you conveniently forget that mid morning cereal bar you had, etc.  If you create a profile where you input your age, sex, height, weight and how many pounds you want to lose a week it works out how many calories you are allowed each day.  So you just have to enter everything you eat and it tells you how many calories you have used and how many you have left.  You can also track your exercise and how many calories you have burned.

I think it's important to allow yourself the odd day off from your diet too.  So, for example, if I'm going to a girlie supper I will have pudding and wine but then the next day get straight back to being good again.  That way it's not so hard.  You don't feel like you are denying yourself all your favourite things.  The hardest thing is when Rich has wine with dinner.  Nothing looks as good as a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc!!!


I hope to reach my target weight by the end of February.

Over indulgence!!!

Well Christmas is that time when we all over indulge - in spending, socialising, eating and drinking and under indulge in exercise and fitness!  I have to say I can't wait to start my healthy eating and exercise plan.  I feel so lethargic and fat compared to how I feel when I'm watching what I eat and running regularly!

I missed my evening runs with my running buddy, Heather.  And I've hated feeling so full.  It hasn't stopped me eating though.  We still have loads of chocolate which I feel obliged to eat before 2nd January as that's when I will start my diet!  Also drinking so much wine leaves me feeling not so good.  Not hung over but not as fresh and alert as usual.  I feel like not drinking any more but I know I will!  Especially as we are out on New Year's Eve.  I probably won't even last until then!

Also Ive been haphazard with my beauty regime!  Usually I cleanse, tone and moisturise morning and evening.  I also exfoliate twice a week and put on a face pack once a week.  A lot of that has not been happening over Christmas.  I think it's really important to do that at my age!!!  Lack of beauty regime, unhealthy diet and no exercise is not an ideal combination!  It doesn't make for glowing, youthful skin!

I've been giving my New Year's resolutions some thought and definitely my main one will revolve around diet and exercise.  Heather and I have already resolved to do three 10k races in 2013.  Running is great but it doesn't tone up your bingo wings or your stomach so I need to do something else too.  I was doing Kettlercise earlier in the year which is fabulous but I injured my shoulder and am reluctant to put it under pressure as it was so painful for so long.

I'm on the look out for a cheap gym membership for a couple of months.  I don't want to sign up for a year just to give myself a boost to start the New Year.  Once the nights get lighter and the weather improves (if it ever does!!!) I tend to run more, ride more, walk the dogs more so I don't need on- going gym membership.

It's interesting though looking back at the photos I've posted during the course of this blog.  On some I look reasonably slim and on some I look positively chunky!

AVERAGE

FAT

SLIM

SLIM

SLIM

AVERAGE

FAT

FAT

SLIM

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

AVERAGE

DO YOU AGREE???????????

Saturday Night Supper

Last night I went to my friend Jane's for supper along with three other friends.  We had a fab evening, lush food, lots of wine and even more laughs!  I wore my burgundy/wine coloured Gok straight jeans - again - and my Joules hunting shirt.  Doing this blog has made me realise that the saying "you wear 20% of your wardrobe 80% of the time" is true.  I'm very aware now that I wear the same things on a regular basis.

I looked through my wardrobe last night and tried a few things on that I hadn't worn for a while but ended up going back to my favourites!

At supper Heather - who also usually avoids dresses - was telling us that she had seen a dress in Monsoon that she had coverted for weeks and finally went to buy it only to find it didn't fit her.  She was gutted because she loved the dress.  I know that feeling.  I saw Myleene Klass in the newspaper wearing a dress from her own range and just thought - that's so me - only to find that it's sold out in all sizes except size 20.  Gutted!!!

This is said dress.  I just love it.  Anyway in order to be more interesting with my wardrobe I have ventured into the loft and returned with four dresses.  My dresses live in the loft due to lack of use.  So they are currently hanging in my bedroom and I am determined to wear one next Saturday for supper at Claire's.  Now I've said that I guess I'm actually going to have to do it.  I'm feeling uncomfortable already.  I will try them on tomorrow and see if that makes me feel any better???!!!

I have to say the Myleene Klass range of dresses is really nice but others must agree as most of them are out of stock.  I like the following ones too:

I've had such a naughty week of eating and drinking this week so from tomorrow I'm off the wine, on the diet and out there running.  Wish me luck!!!

Running Goddesses!

Feeling tired after a busy weekend.  Yesterday had a lovely lunch with two friends at the Wine Bar in Winchcombe.  Super venue, excellent food - as always - and even better company.  I wore tan Top Shop skinnies, knee high flat brown and black Top Shop boots, beige cardigan with elbow patches from Primark and my tweed jacket.

Yesterday afternoon I went for a run with my friend Heather.  Even though it was a couple of hours since I'd eaten lunch it wasn't very comfortable running but we did it!

Last night Rich and I went to see the Spanish Riding School at the NIA in Birmingham.  I have to say I don't like the NIA its such a pain to get to, so busy, and even more of a pain to get out of.  The Spanish Riding School was OK but I'd probably rather have been at home watching X Factor.  It took an hour to get out of the car park.  Rich slept though the second half of the show and most of the way back down the motorway.  I was driving I hasten to add!!!!!

Today has been catching up on stuff at home and grocery shopping as well as another run with Heather.  We started running back in April.  I joined Cleeve Ladies 10 week beginner course.  The idea was you can run 3 miles by the end of 10 weeks.  In fact I'd done it by week 5 or 6.  Heather couldn't join the group but did all the practising with me between sessions.  We have tried to keep it up since then.  We have had the odd few weeks where life has got in the way but we haven't given up. 

This week we have run four times and each time about three and a half miles so about 14 miles in total.  We are going to up some of our runs to four miles next week.  I have done a few five and a half mile runs but it's time consuming and hard on your joints.  We very often don't feel like going out on dark winter nights but once we have done it we feel so good about ourselves!

In the summer we were also doing Kettlercise.  We really enjoyed it but I injured my shoulder and was advised by my physio to rest it.  I'd like to get back to it but there's only so many evenings you can be out exercising!

We were debating the benefits of joining a gym.  Especially one with a pool.  I think it would need to be somewhere that you didn't have to sign up for an annual contract.  I figure there may be lots of offers on in January.  I hate being tied in though because we all start with the best of intentions and a few months down the line those intentions have fallen by the wayside.  Usually in there place is a beautifully chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and a bag of Galaxy Counters!

Obviously if you like clothes staying slim (ish) is important. Especially if you are like me and constantly beating yourself up about being fat.  I know it's crazy.  I have friends who wear a bigger dress size than me and they look fab.  Our friend Claire always looks amazing!!  I think she just knows how to dress for her shape.  And she is always immaculate!

I'm constantly on and off diets.  I hate that feeling when you go to your wardrobe and wear the same few outfits all the time because you're scared if you try something else on it might be too tight!  I hate the scales too.  I weigh heavier than people imagine so it can be soul destroying when the scales flash up some mammoth figure at me!

Running is really good exercise but it doesn't tone up your flabby, wobbly bits!  I think in January I'm going to have to address this!  I'm a size 12.  I tend to be a size 12 whether I'm feeling fat or thin!  I very rarely get into a size 10 and don't that often have to upgrade to a size 14.  But I do get those horrible rolls of fat that bulge out from every place where there's an escape route.  I have no idea where they come from.  It can't be the amount of Sauvignon Blanc I drink and surely has nothing to do with Galaxy Counters, Giant Buttons, Ripples, Milky Bars or my love of deserts.  It must be those greens Rich is always banging on about!