Quiet Saturday? Finally.....

After the rushing around of the last few weeks, and the rushing around that will come in the next few weeks, this weekend is an oasis in the middle of chaos.

I've got plenty of work to do, of course, I always have lol, but I'm planning on doing it slowly and chilling my way through it.  All I have to do is "get on with what comes next in my day"  That's it.  Just do the next thing. (Thanks Trevor)

I tweeted with the Thinking Slimmer people yesterday, about an electronic version of their handbook.  Anyone who knows me will know that I am not a paper person.  I am just not.  I will lose it, crumple it, forget where it is, put it in a lovely folder and lose the folder, and so on.  I need an electronic thing.  Even I can't lose the entire internet.

I've made myself an evernote folder to start with, but to make sure I am accountable, I'm also going to put the targets on here.

1) I want to wear my black size 10 jeans comfortably.  Right now I can't get them past my hips.  If I get chance, I intend to take a photo to increase my awareness of how I'm doing.
2) I want to not rely on sugar to get through my day.  This is a change in attitude, in awareness of what I'm eating.  I've fallen into the working mother trap of grabbing stuff when I can, then doing a full meal in the evening for everyone, tasting whilst I do it (it's a necessity for a good meal!) and then eating too big a portion, then snacking in the evening.
3) I want to wear a summer dress and not look like material stretched over treetrunks.  I'm 37, I'm not in bad shape, but I am heading out of shape and I will not let that happen.  I won't.  My son is not having a fat mummy at sports day, or someone who can't play with him, or someone his friends laugh about.  No way.

It wants a time, I want to do this by the start of August.  Or be really on the way.  I want to feel like I can run on the beach with my boy without Jodrell Bank phoning up to say that I'm upsetting the telescope settings.  (Once again, I appreciate that I am not mega-massive, but since I've had my knee done I find it hard to run, and when I do, it's less of a run and more of a lumber.)

I also need to record 3 things I have noticed.

To be fair, the first day I didn't notice very much, because I had a busting headache.
Yesterday

1) I'm choosing to drink water - but I don't remember making that choice.
2) I'm eating sweets whilst the lads are flying, but less than usual, and I can hear Trevor telling me it's my choice. 
3) I've just realised I didn't eat my chocolate treat yesterday morning, but I did have a healthier snack at break time.

Yesterday I ate.....

2 slices toast with mashed banana on top - and I've just realised I didn't put sugar in.

oatcakes and honey (graze box)
Garden of England (graze box)

cheese and potato pie and salad

bag of bacon crisps

lamb rogan josh and rice, 1/2 naan bread, 1/2 popadum. - and I didn't eat all of it.

So there we go!

I've listened today, and we'll see how it goes.  I only get quiet time in the mornings, so that's when I listen.  I need to listen to the Chillpod as well, so I'll see when I can get that in.

Hiatus? and Slimpod

There's been a bloggy break for a couple of weeks, mainly due to the burglary at the shop and working every minute God sends to get things back on track.

In the last week or so, I've been listening to an audio download from thinkingslimmer.  The relax one, lovingly called by the compant a "Chillpod".  Partly, I downloaded this one because it was free, and partly because I can feel my stress levels rising as we get to the anniversary again.  I thought it was just me last year, and I don't really remember the year before that as the first year, but apparently not.  I also don't think it's all the anniversary, I think it has a lot to do with work levels in teaching at this time of year, with the way that life in general is going, with report writing, and so on.  Anyway, the net result is that I am Not A Happy Bunny as we change seasons. 

I was sceptical.  I'll grant that.  However, this is me, with my hat covered in salt and red sauce.  Somehow, I find it is helping, and that I am calmer.  Yesterday I missed a day, and I noticed it.

So yesterday I downloaded the next step.  The Drop 2 Jeans sizes slimpod.  Before anyone goes off on one that I am not fat, I completely agree with you.  I'm not.  This is me, without body dysmorphia or whatever they call it when you think you are a heifer and you aren't.  I am, however, still struggling with my knee.  It's been over a year.  The weight that I put on when I was heading towards the surgery and couldn't walk properly, added to the weight that I put on after the surgery, when I grumpily tried to go through getting better, is all adding up to the fact that I am getting bigger.

I refuse to get to a size 16 again.  I just won't.  Whilst I know that a lot of it isn't my fault, that a person *has* to eat something when they are recuperating or immobile, I'm faily sure that *something* doesn't involve whole packets of biscuits!

Then I got talking on twitter to @TheMoiderer , who is an utterly top bird, and she was saying how good it was and how it worked for her, and so I took a wander through her blog and was convinced that there could be hope!  I don't have time to diet and think about food and so on all the day.  I also don't want it all to go and then come back with all it's friends.  That happens.

Hence the Slimpod. Will it work? I don't know - but then I was sceptical about the Chillpod, and that appears to be working.

It advises not weighing (which is good as my scales are broken) and measuring instead. 

waist 31
stomach 40
each thigh 25
hips 43

My bust is around 36/38, depending on time of the month, and the stomach can expand to overfill a size14 when that happens as well!

The slimpod people don't know I've written this, so they aren't influencing me in any way, although I am following them on Twitter and they seem nice folk! (I will tell them I've written this though - I don't want to talk about them behind their backs!)

IN other news, I have started report writing.  Deep joy.