Friday 28 January 2011
Moving...
If your wondering why my posts have been so sparse lately... my email account was hacked by some 'lovely' person I'm sure. If you would still like to follow my blog I have moved to http://www.electrawfa.blogspot.com/ or here
Saturday 18 December 2010
*Kicking my addiction - health warnings!*
Hello, my name is Roo and I'm a diet soda addict. Yes, that's right. It seems pretty sad that I have an addiction to diet soda but I've recently come to terms with my addiction and I have finally conquered it.
It started around the age of 13 when I was even more obsessed by my weight than I had been previously. I was always the 'fat kid' and a couple of people went out of their way to make sure I knew it, not that I didn't already I mean I see myself everyday. When I initially started calorie counting I found the 'wonders' of diet soda. A immediate burst of energy, sweetness and filling for around 2kcal a glass, I remember thinking to myself this was even freaking better than meal replacement shakes! So for breakfast I would drink a glass of diet soda, at break time would follow another diet soda, lunch time would be a diet soda with some form of food, dinner would consist of a diet soda and another other form of fluid intake would be a diet soda. Are you getting where I'm going? Literally everything I drank was diet soda and I often replaced my meals with it too. Thinking about it now this is really disgusting but even up to a few weeks ago I was doing the same. I got to a point where I was drinking diet soda and nothing else. No other form of liquid passed my lips, that's right people, NO WATER!
At this point I would be shouting "well just stop drinking it, what the hell?" But it was far too late, it had become an addiction. The more I drank then more I wanted. I was suffering from violent head aches, mood swings and bloating but I just couldn't seem to stop drinking it. It got to a point where I was drinking at least £25 worth of diet soda a week.
Then one day it just twigged. I had to kick this habit. I was enduring so many negative responses from the diet soda that I just couldn't understand why I drank it. I have tried cutting down on the amount I consumed hundreds of times and so I knew the only way I was going to kick it was by going cold turkey. The first few days were the worst as I was literally having withdrawal systems but I stuck with it knowing it was for the best. Its been a couple of weeks since my cold turkey days and I have since drank four cans of diet soda (not all in one day) and to be honest I can't understand what the fuss was all about. I now much prefer to drink ice cold water.
I'm still in shock over my sudden transformation from diet soda addict to the occasional drinker and I can definitely feel and see a lot of benefits of my new love for water. My skin is much clearer, I am not bloated, I don't have my diet soda fueled mood swings and I definitely have saved a few pounds in my pocket.
If your like me and know you have an addiction to diet soda or you know that you drink a lot of it check out this website I found regarding diet soda addiction. http://www.dietdrinkaddiction.com/diet-coke-side-effects/
Although I wouldn't suggest swapping one drink to another the site does show that diet soda can be an addiction for some people.
Some of the comments on this side I can relate to which imprints it into my head even more that diet soda is not the way. Here are a few:
It started around the age of 13 when I was even more obsessed by my weight than I had been previously. I was always the 'fat kid' and a couple of people went out of their way to make sure I knew it, not that I didn't already I mean I see myself everyday. When I initially started calorie counting I found the 'wonders' of diet soda. A immediate burst of energy, sweetness and filling for around 2kcal a glass, I remember thinking to myself this was even freaking better than meal replacement shakes! So for breakfast I would drink a glass of diet soda, at break time would follow another diet soda, lunch time would be a diet soda with some form of food, dinner would consist of a diet soda and another other form of fluid intake would be a diet soda. Are you getting where I'm going? Literally everything I drank was diet soda and I often replaced my meals with it too. Thinking about it now this is really disgusting but even up to a few weeks ago I was doing the same. I got to a point where I was drinking diet soda and nothing else. No other form of liquid passed my lips, that's right people, NO WATER!
At this point I would be shouting "well just stop drinking it, what the hell?" But it was far too late, it had become an addiction. The more I drank then more I wanted. I was suffering from violent head aches, mood swings and bloating but I just couldn't seem to stop drinking it. It got to a point where I was drinking at least £25 worth of diet soda a week.
Then one day it just twigged. I had to kick this habit. I was enduring so many negative responses from the diet soda that I just couldn't understand why I drank it. I have tried cutting down on the amount I consumed hundreds of times and so I knew the only way I was going to kick it was by going cold turkey. The first few days were the worst as I was literally having withdrawal systems but I stuck with it knowing it was for the best. Its been a couple of weeks since my cold turkey days and I have since drank four cans of diet soda (not all in one day) and to be honest I can't understand what the fuss was all about. I now much prefer to drink ice cold water.
I'm still in shock over my sudden transformation from diet soda addict to the occasional drinker and I can definitely feel and see a lot of benefits of my new love for water. My skin is much clearer, I am not bloated, I don't have my diet soda fueled mood swings and I definitely have saved a few pounds in my pocket.
If your like me and know you have an addiction to diet soda or you know that you drink a lot of it check out this website I found regarding diet soda addiction. http://www.dietdrinkaddiction.com/diet-coke-side-effects/
Although I wouldn't suggest swapping one drink to another the site does show that diet soda can be an addiction for some people.
Some of the comments on this side I can relate to which imprints it into my head even more that diet soda is not the way. Here are a few:
- Mood swings
- Hair loss
- Lack of concentration
- Fatigue
- Change in taste buds
- Migraines
Thursday 16 December 2010
*A day on track*
I get asked a lot by my friends who also use the Weightwatchers plan what I eat from day to day. So as I haven't done 'a day on track' post for a while I thought that I would share one of my days on plan with you.
This was this Tuesday's menu (weigh-in day).
Breakfast:
Banana 0pp
Shredded wheat 4pp
Soya milk 1pp
Lunch:
Tortilla wrap 3pp
Quorn fillets 2pp
Cucumber 0pp
Lettuce 0pp
Yellow pepper 0 pp
Strawberries 0 pp
Grapes 0 pp
Dinner: (I forgot to take a photo of mine so took a photo of the Grease Monkey's instead, I had Quorn fillets rather than Quorn nuggets)
Quorn fillets 2pp
Lettuce 0 pp
Cucumber 0pp
Variation of jewelled couscous 13pp
Further snacks:
Sharon fruit/persimmon/kaki 0pp
Apple 0 pp
Activia yogurt 3pp
WW crisps (I had these in my meeting and so didn't get a chance to take a photo) 2pp
Chocolate 11pp (I didn't get a photo of the wrapper either)
Total consumed: 38/42pp
So here is a typical day on track for me using the new propoints plan and so far its working on the scale.
I have a few posts that I'm working on and I hope to have up soon.
Have a fabulous week guys.
Wednesday 15 December 2010
*Weekly Meeting - Planning for Christmas*
Around this time of year I seem to find that a lot of people I know begin to panic about Christmas and not just for finding gifts. Even people who are not following any kind of eating plan have a negative outlook on Christmas stating that they 'can't be bothered' as they 'know they are going to put on at least half a stone' over the Christmas period. Out of all the years that I have been on and off the Weightwatchers plan I can't remember ever dreading the festive season because of food. Although my weight has fluctuated over the past few years I know I cope best when I remember my tools learned by following the plan and as this weeks topic was planning for Christmas (I'm pretty sure next weeks topic will be the same too) what better time to start planning and using the tools suggested.
In the meeting we spoke mainly about the propoints values of 'normal' Christmas day food as this is the first Christmas all of us are having on the new plan it helps to be prepared. I guess I'm lucky in the sense that I don't eat meat and so the majority of buffet style foods that are reasonably high in pp values don't float my boat but boy oh boy do I find it hard to turn away the sweets and chocolates. Chocolate is easily my biggest downfall but cutting it out just doesn't work for me right now so I know that I will have to incorporate the consumption of chocolate into the day. Did you see what I just wrote there? Day? Yes, Christmas is just one day and so it should be treated that way or at least state Christmas will be 'christmas day and boxing day only', the more you mentally and psychically prepare for it the more successful your likely to be.
Apart from knowing the propoints values of the food your likely to consume and allocating a set day/days of celebration (and I don't mean a whole week here, I have easily gained more in a week than what I have lost in a month so keep that in mind) prepare a plan of what your going to eat and when. If you have decided to 'take the day off' on Christmas day I find it easier to state that I will eat 1 chocolate at say 2pm then I have to wait until 4pm until I can have another one. I look forward to that chocolate more than anything and when I do finally have it I'm super proud that I waited and had the will power to succeed in the small task I set myself. By doing that I am constantly praising myself with congratulations for my strength and will power, I get to eat something I love and it means I will consume less.
Another great idea is after the celebrations have ended get rid of any trigger foods that may call to you, for me that is chocolate. Give them away to friends or family, take them to a soup kitchen or take them to work. Although as I live with three other people and my sister and niece spend most of their time here too getting rid of food is out of the question so I have to constantly remind myself that unless I am willing to incorporate those said items into my daily/weekly allowance I am not to touch them, maybe just smell them.
Also don't forget that if you are following the new propoints plan you have a weekly allocation of 49 extra pp in which if you saved them could be used over your set day/days making sticking to the plan that much easier. As well as this don't forget that you can gain extra pp by doing some activity.
So there we have it. I have discussed:
In the meeting we spoke mainly about the propoints values of 'normal' Christmas day food as this is the first Christmas all of us are having on the new plan it helps to be prepared. I guess I'm lucky in the sense that I don't eat meat and so the majority of buffet style foods that are reasonably high in pp values don't float my boat but boy oh boy do I find it hard to turn away the sweets and chocolates. Chocolate is easily my biggest downfall but cutting it out just doesn't work for me right now so I know that I will have to incorporate the consumption of chocolate into the day. Did you see what I just wrote there? Day? Yes, Christmas is just one day and so it should be treated that way or at least state Christmas will be 'christmas day and boxing day only', the more you mentally and psychically prepare for it the more successful your likely to be.
Apart from knowing the propoints values of the food your likely to consume and allocating a set day/days of celebration (and I don't mean a whole week here, I have easily gained more in a week than what I have lost in a month so keep that in mind) prepare a plan of what your going to eat and when. If you have decided to 'take the day off' on Christmas day I find it easier to state that I will eat 1 chocolate at say 2pm then I have to wait until 4pm until I can have another one. I look forward to that chocolate more than anything and when I do finally have it I'm super proud that I waited and had the will power to succeed in the small task I set myself. By doing that I am constantly praising myself with congratulations for my strength and will power, I get to eat something I love and it means I will consume less.
Another great idea is after the celebrations have ended get rid of any trigger foods that may call to you, for me that is chocolate. Give them away to friends or family, take them to a soup kitchen or take them to work. Although as I live with three other people and my sister and niece spend most of their time here too getting rid of food is out of the question so I have to constantly remind myself that unless I am willing to incorporate those said items into my daily/weekly allowance I am not to touch them, maybe just smell them.
Also don't forget that if you are following the new propoints plan you have a weekly allocation of 49 extra pp in which if you saved them could be used over your set day/days making sticking to the plan that much easier. As well as this don't forget that you can gain extra pp by doing some activity.
So there we have it. I have discussed:
- Allocating a set day/days to your celebrations - whether you plan to go off plan or not
- Allocating time slots for when you will consume your favourite things - by doing this I normally eat much, much less than I would if I decided to have a free for all.
- Plan meals for that day/days
- Save your weekly allowance for the said day/days
- Get rid of any trigger foods
- If your not going to point it don't eat it
- Earn some extra activity points
- Know your points values
Now some of you may remember that it is my birthday soon after Christmas, in fact its new years day and I have been invited to my friends new years eve party and a birthday birthday a few days later. As I have a few days of celebrating myself I purchased a cute dress from ASOS and thought as I hadn't attached a photo for a while what better time to show you guys my new dress.
And just because it always makes me laugh, this is a little quote the grease monkey learned during his ten years in the army 'prior planning and preparation prevents piss-poor performance'. I always remind myself of this quote when I know I need to plan for something and it always seems to bring a smile to my face.
Monday 13 December 2010
*A long awaited update*
If you follow me on twitter you will know that for the past four weeks I've had what my friends and I call a 'end of semester break down', this is where I go into total panic, rage and cry like a baby for weeks over my university work being hand-in. Thankfully that's now over until February so I have extra time to concentrate on me. Firstly I haven't neglected the propoints plan all together over the past four weeks, it just wasn't my concern at the time, my sanity was. So now I have finally finished this semester I can put 100% of me into the plan which is when I like everyone else see the best results. I read a lot of blogs and this quote always sticks in my head 'persistence, not perfection' and I think this couldn't be more true than right now. I haven't been on plan 100% but my determination and persistence of returning to the plan is better than giving up altogether.
As I have been away for a short while I do have a few things I would like to share and will do so in a number of posts over the next week. So watch this space.
I haven't done my goals since my last post so I thought now would be as better time than ever.
My goals this week:
As I have been away for a short while I do have a few things I would like to share and will do so in a number of posts over the next week. So watch this space.
I haven't done my goals since my last post so I thought now would be as better time than ever.
My goals this week:
- To pre-track my entire week - I like to pre-track so I have an idea of what to have that day but I sometimes change some items from day to day to suite my needs.
- Tweet my daily points consumed and allowance - I know a number of members from my Thursday class do this and they find it really helps. So with the mindset of tracking 100% I though this would give me a little bit more of an incentive to stay on track.
- Burn 3500kcal - Using the "Winning by Losing" theory of 3500kcal=1lb I have decided to set myself the task of burning this amount of the next week. Also I have neglected my HRM over the past month and I miss the number totting up on my wrist.
Tuesday 30 November 2010
*Weekly Meeting Update - Activity*
As a mentioned in my previous post and via Twitter I finally realised after several weeks up taking and putting on the same few pounds I needed the discipline and support of my weekly meetings. Of course I knew whose meeting I wanted to go back to... my lovely leader Dawn. She is absolutely lovely and so helpful so if your in my area she runs a Tuesday class from 6:00pm at Goodmayes Primary School in Ilford or alternatively she runs two Thursday classes from 5:15 and 6:30pm at Old Dagenham Methodist Church.
So after changing my membership from online to weekly pass I am now officially attending weekly weigh-in's and meetings.
Now I just want to mention to those who may be hesitant as to whether they want to go back to classes or not, when I weighed in on Thursday at my meeting I was a whole 9lb heavier than I was when I weighed myself before I left for meeting. I'm honestly not upset that I weigh 9lb more than I thought because I know that I have already lost 10lb (I did this over the past month or so) so if I hadn't had lost that 10lb prior to my weigh-in I would have been 19lb heavier! I'm so happy that I decided to go back to my meetings and I know this really does work. So don't put it off, face the music and go to that meeting as you will be thankful you went.
So moving on to our meeting topic. As propoints is still rather new the group mainly focused on the daily and weekly allowance and the propoint values of food, however we did briefly get to talk about activity. This is my favourite topic to discuss because I get to add something new to my growing list of activities I like and enjoy to share with you and it makes me focus on my psychical and mental changes.
In the meeting we discussed how food collated to certain exercises and to be honest it was rather scary. It does make you question the types of food you pick and the amount of exercise that is required to work it off, is it worth it? In most cases I'm sure its not but that doesn't always change our decision to consume it. So my current weekly activities include:
As its getting colder and darker a lot earlier I haven't used my bike for a while now so I think she may retire until spring now - unless I feel incredibly brave.
Accomplishments this week:
Roo xoxo
So after changing my membership from online to weekly pass I am now officially attending weekly weigh-in's and meetings.
Now I just want to mention to those who may be hesitant as to whether they want to go back to classes or not, when I weighed in on Thursday at my meeting I was a whole 9lb heavier than I was when I weighed myself before I left for meeting. I'm honestly not upset that I weigh 9lb more than I thought because I know that I have already lost 10lb (I did this over the past month or so) so if I hadn't had lost that 10lb prior to my weigh-in I would have been 19lb heavier! I'm so happy that I decided to go back to my meetings and I know this really does work. So don't put it off, face the music and go to that meeting as you will be thankful you went.
So moving on to our meeting topic. As propoints is still rather new the group mainly focused on the daily and weekly allowance and the propoint values of food, however we did briefly get to talk about activity. This is my favourite topic to discuss because I get to add something new to my growing list of activities I like and enjoy to share with you and it makes me focus on my psychical and mental changes.
In the meeting we discussed how food collated to certain exercises and to be honest it was rather scary. It does make you question the types of food you pick and the amount of exercise that is required to work it off, is it worth it? In most cases I'm sure its not but that doesn't always change our decision to consume it. So my current weekly activities include:
- Aerobics, strength and stretch- I attend this class every Monday (Although I missed this weeks class due to being unwell) and I love every second of it. Its run by a woman named Chris in her 60's or 70's who is amazingly toned and lean. The class is an hour long and consists of aerobics, weight work, floor work, stretching and yoga poses. Its so much fun and can be a giggle especially if your like me and on the spot you cant tell the difference between left and right.
- Swimming - I have been enjoying my twice weekly swim since August now and I really do look forward to it. Its an excellent low impact exercise.
- Wii - I hadn't used my Wii for some time but now I'm needing a daily stress release this has proven perfect for it and burns calories at the same time. I use a range of games from; just dance, just dance 2, biggest loser, wii sports and wii fit plus.
As its getting colder and darker a lot earlier I haven't used my bike for a while now so I think she may retire until spring now - unless I feel incredibly brave.
Accomplishments this week:
- I went back to my meeting - Although I knew I was going to go back to my weekly meetings it was still a big step to do so especially during hand-in time and so close to Christmas and my birthday.
- Activity - I have worked out a few days over the past week which has really helped me de-stress and burn calories.
- Attend my Monday class - Like I noted previously I didn't attend this Mondays class as I have been )and still are) unwell. I know I will go back because the class is so much fun and it makes me feel incredibly strong.
- Attend my weekly weigh-in - I know that I may not be able to stay for this Thursday's meeting but I will definitely be getting weigh-in (unless its closed due to the snow)
- Resistance bands - I reviewed these a few months ago and I loved them but after more back problems I stopped using them. I really want to put these back into my weekly routine.
Roo xoxo
Friday 26 November 2010
*Where it all began*
I wrote a few months ago how after reading Jillian Michaels "Winning by Losing" I had come to believe that I needed to stop dwelling on the past - past experiences, past events, past me. I still believe this to be right however I'm not sure I ever got to the real root of the reasons for my issues with weight. I wrote down some ideas of the reasons I felt I could be overweight but no exceptional light bulb experiences.
If your a regular reader of my blog you will know that I have been 'attempting' to stick to the Weightwatchers plan on my own using the online services. I really do believe that this works, no rephrase that, "it really does work" but after losing and gaining a few pounds I knew it was time for me to start attending classes - after all I personally do much better at class and I love the weekly meetings. However I know that I have 'been back to class' ample amounts of time so I was going to have to do something different this time.
So this time round I have decided to attend my weekly classes, and continue my exercise classes but also get to the real reason to my weight issues. I found "Winning by Losing" a real eye-opener and got me to understand some of the science behind it but I know I need something else to help me understand and confront my inner demons. As I enjoyed reading Jillian Michaels book I decided to try another. So this time around I have purchased and am currently reading "How to Lose Weight Without Dieting: Be the size you want to be for life" by Jessica Robbins.
Now I haven't read this book from cover to cover yet, but the introduction jumps straight into Robbins past and I could identify with so much of it. I never realised that half of what I heard I actually internalised and it affected me. Just reading a few pages I began to get teary eyed, things that I didn't think actually mattered did matter because now I was feeling a flood of overwhelming emotion. There are two main points that stuck out for me and Ill explain why here.
"You'll never be thin" this always ended with "because you have big bones", "because your just a big girl" or "because you have my genes". I never really realised how much this actually affected me. Just typing it has resulted in a huge lump in throat. I'm not advocating that the people who said this were being spiteful as they wasn't, I know what its like to be bullied, I guess it was a more of a 'gentle let down' as so I wouldn't get up set if I didn't lose any weight. But in actual fact saying this just made me believe that no matter what I'm always going to failing, I'm never going to be a healthy weight because i)I have big bones, ii) I'm just meant to be big and iii) my genetic make-up means I'm forever doomed to be overweight.
"He only has to look at bread and he puts weight on", insert what you will rather than bread, it could be anything but this was and still is something that is constantly said in my household and outside. Obviously its partly meant as a joke but if you constantly internalise this it has to be harmful in some way or another. I like many others I'm sure see food as 'evil', food is the reason why I'm fat and just looking at it makes me gain weight. This doesn't really create a healthy relationship with food.
Like it pin-points within the book, its all about self-esteem. If you lose the weight but don't face 'your demons' or your own personal reasons for gaining weight in the first case you are still going to be roughly the same person and for me its my self esteem, mine was low even at my thinnest because I hadn't tackled the issue.
So like I said previously this time around I'm going to attend my classes, continue my exercise and tackle my demons.
Have a fabulous week and for those who celebrated Thanksgiving - Happy Thanksgiving!
Roo
On a side note: I know I've been a little slack when it comes blogging recently but I have a few ideas of what I want to post I just need the time to sit down and write it.
If your a regular reader of my blog you will know that I have been 'attempting' to stick to the Weightwatchers plan on my own using the online services. I really do believe that this works, no rephrase that, "it really does work" but after losing and gaining a few pounds I knew it was time for me to start attending classes - after all I personally do much better at class and I love the weekly meetings. However I know that I have 'been back to class' ample amounts of time so I was going to have to do something different this time.
So this time round I have decided to attend my weekly classes, and continue my exercise classes but also get to the real reason to my weight issues. I found "Winning by Losing" a real eye-opener and got me to understand some of the science behind it but I know I need something else to help me understand and confront my inner demons. As I enjoyed reading Jillian Michaels book I decided to try another. So this time around I have purchased and am currently reading "How to Lose Weight Without Dieting: Be the size you want to be for life" by Jessica Robbins.
Now I haven't read this book from cover to cover yet, but the introduction jumps straight into Robbins past and I could identify with so much of it. I never realised that half of what I heard I actually internalised and it affected me. Just reading a few pages I began to get teary eyed, things that I didn't think actually mattered did matter because now I was feeling a flood of overwhelming emotion. There are two main points that stuck out for me and Ill explain why here.
"You'll never be thin" this always ended with "because you have big bones", "because your just a big girl" or "because you have my genes". I never really realised how much this actually affected me. Just typing it has resulted in a huge lump in throat. I'm not advocating that the people who said this were being spiteful as they wasn't, I know what its like to be bullied, I guess it was a more of a 'gentle let down' as so I wouldn't get up set if I didn't lose any weight. But in actual fact saying this just made me believe that no matter what I'm always going to failing, I'm never going to be a healthy weight because i)I have big bones, ii) I'm just meant to be big and iii) my genetic make-up means I'm forever doomed to be overweight.
"He only has to look at bread and he puts weight on", insert what you will rather than bread, it could be anything but this was and still is something that is constantly said in my household and outside. Obviously its partly meant as a joke but if you constantly internalise this it has to be harmful in some way or another. I like many others I'm sure see food as 'evil', food is the reason why I'm fat and just looking at it makes me gain weight. This doesn't really create a healthy relationship with food.
Like it pin-points within the book, its all about self-esteem. If you lose the weight but don't face 'your demons' or your own personal reasons for gaining weight in the first case you are still going to be roughly the same person and for me its my self esteem, mine was low even at my thinnest because I hadn't tackled the issue.
So like I said previously this time around I'm going to attend my classes, continue my exercise and tackle my demons.
Have a fabulous week and for those who celebrated Thanksgiving - Happy Thanksgiving!
Roo
On a side note: I know I've been a little slack when it comes blogging recently but I have a few ideas of what I want to post I just need the time to sit down and write it.
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