Time to get back on the fitness wagon

A new year and I thought it was about time I get back on this blog. I know I know, I always say that and don’t worry I’m not going to start claiming my new year resolution is to blog more.

I am, however, going to be extremely stereotypical and announce how the Christmas break is over (well it is for me as I was back at work today) and that I am now aiming to get in shape. Bore. Yawn. I know I know could I be more cliché ‘new year, new me’ and all that…

However, after the vast amounts of food and drink consumed this past fortnight, something needed to be done. Well, I say past 2 weeks, what I really mean is since we moved into our house – takeaways galore and very little exercise for 3 months…

I reached that well known point we all get to after the festive indulgence, I was actually craving healthy food.

As a brand new year started yesterday I jumped on the scales when I eventually got up (after a rather late and drunken New Year’s Eve party) to survey the damage. I have to admit it wasn’t good, but it was definitely a lot better than anticipated.

Just over 7lbs put on in 3 months, bearing in mind I’ve eaten healthily for a few days out of that and only went to the gym once I’m relieved it wasn’t a lot more. I certainly feel like I’ve gained about 2 stone!!

I’m bridesmaid to one of my oldest and best friends this year too and we’re going to a wedding show at the end of the month so I really need to try and shift some of this excess fat before then – right now I don’t think any form of dress would suit me!

I have to admit (it is in all likelihood simply post-Christmas effect only and will be short-lived) I felt great yesterday. Although I was a tad hungover (mostly tired), I had healthy food and was only just over my suggested calorie allowance.

Fish, vegetables and sweet potato for dinner with a glass of water really did feel great! No fat, no booze, no junk. Lovely!

I’ve also stocked up on some more fruit and veg and low fat goodies so I plan to try and stick to this for as long as I can now.

I’d suggested a Dry January again like I did previously, however the social calendar is already against me – a team drinks thing next Wednesday and ballet (and no doubt a meal and drinks) on the Thursday! Therefore, my plan is instead to not drink alcohol unless it’s for a social occasion, I think that’s fair enough and a tad more realistic.

I’m also hoping to go to my first spinning class of 2015 tomorrow morning too to get myself back into it. I’ve already looked up the studio timetable for my gym so I can start planning visits too. I will shed this weight and more if it kills me.

A friend of mine has been dieting and exercising for a good few months now and she’s done so well she’s really inspired me. I can’t wait to be rid of this tired and bloated feeling – and also start enjoying looking good in clothes again and not wearing what’s comfortable or what I don’t look too fat in!

One, nearly two days down, and many more to go…

Weight loss worries

This morning I've woken up and I'm feeling a little disheartened if I'm honest. This is a theme that's been present most of this week so I've been trying to tell myself to 'stop moping and just get on with it'.

As I do each week I woke up this morning to weigh myself for my weekly weigh in. Most Saturdays, plans permitting, I also get ready to go to a spin class at my local gym.

Today I've woken up super achey from last nights cardio workout. Great, I thought, I must've worked hard if I'm feeling like this. Admittedly that also made me hopeful for something positive on the scales.

I already was a bit disappointed as I really am too achey to go spinning and I've been reminded by people before to let my body rest and recovery is important too.

Anyway off I hop onto the scales. What do I see? I've put on. Yes super minimal 0.4 of a pound, but as I typically round my weight up when logging on the likes of MyFitnessPal it effectively says I've put on 1lb. 

There are two schools of thought here, some people say 1lb is nothing and not to worry if you put it on. Others show images of just how much a pound of fat is to illustrate just how much fat you've lost when you lose 1lb. So who is right?

If I don't weigh myself weekly, something others have suggested, I lose the feeling of accountability and tend to find I get lax and don't feel a sense of achievement or progress.

I've felt the last few weeks my body feels heavy and bloated and normally when I've exercised I do feel lighter. I'm not feeling that lately (and in fact have been worrying now I'm in my 30s that maybe I'm experiencing that as-you-grow-older problem people talk about where your body just clings to fat). Who knows.

So I'd purposely started to mix it up this week. In fact, including last Thursday I've made seven gym visits. That's seven times over ten days. That to me is pretty good. 

Of those seven, three have been spinning, 45/50 minute classes. The other four have been cardio. 

Each of those cardio I've tried to mix up, different machines, sometimes using weights, trying different modules on machines, different orders of using machines and times/levels. I've been feeling it each time and aching the next day most times and sweating non stop during the sessions.

Typically my fitness 'week' starts on a Saturday so if you look at it that way I've exercised five days out of seven. Two rest days. 

The only 'cheat' day I've had was on Wednesday for my Mum's birthday when we ate and drank out. 

And so after actively watching what I eat (bar one day) and made a conscious effort to push myself in exercise, I just don't understand why my weight loss is not showing an impact. 

My fiancé feels I'm stressed out and worked up about certain things (primarily our house buying/flat selling fiasco that feels like it's pretty much taken up our year and has been ongoing since March). He thinks maybe our bodies are just exhausted from it all and not working as optimally as they would typically. 

When I went through a really stressful time last year - and didn't resort to my typical comfort eating approach - I really dropped in weight (and in turn reached my lowest). I therefore don't understand why this tricky time my body is reacting differently? 

I thought why not post on social media and blog about it, in a bid to see if anyone out there has tips and can advise. 

I'm not at my ideal weight or at my lowest, I'm currently 10lbs heavier than the lowest I've preciously managed to achieve. 

As you can probably tell I truly am baffled and a tad fed up. So it's over to you. 

Please comment away and tell me what you think or what you've found works for you. I'm at a total loss and unfortunately it's not weight loss! 

My 'progress' over the last 6 months (the yellow line is the 'trend line', the average/underlying weight taking out fluctuations). 

Bookworm: Big Brother by Lionel Shriver

As you may have picked up from my tweets and blog posts I'm kind of into the whole weight/diet/exercise topic. Something very close to my heart and an area I've been more interested in for the last few years or so as I've looked into my own weight and fitness. 

So when searching the Kindle store for ideas for my latest read and coming across Shriver's latest offering I thought what a perfect combination - fiction by a strong writer and the topic of weight/diet. 

Big Brother gives an insight into what it's like to find a member of your family morph from a successful, popular, confident and healthy individual into an unhappy, disappointed, obese human being.

From a family with links to the entertainment industry now instead in a newly formed setup surrounded by health and strict regime, Pandora is faced with a dilemma when her brother comes to stay and arrives as a completely different person to who she once knew.  

I loved how this book tackled opinions and thoughts people go through when faced with the issue of weight and diet. All the complexities involved with eating, our own personal journeys and our prejudged views on those we come across who are different weight wise - whether that be severely obese or extremely emaciated.

In addition Shriver explores relationships in families and how much should you be expected to do for your fellow siblings and family members - who should take priority? 

Admittedly I found the book a tad slow to staff with and was wary I'd made a bad judgment in my selection. 

However once I got into it I didn't want to put the book down and found it impacting on my own health journey and dietary decisions. It has definitely made me over think my current exercise and eating routine over the last week (if that's possible as we all know how I like to over analyse as it is! 

Good points

Tackles current issues

Gripping story

Not what you think (not saying anymore as I don't want to spoil it)

Great descriptions 

Not so great

Slow starter

Sometimes I found the style a bit hard to keep track of but this typical of the author's approach 

Might not leave you feeling super positive

At time it made me feel hungry (not good when you're trying to cut calories and be healthier!) 

All in all definitely a recommended read. 

Control freak

Those that know me well will not be surprised to hear me label myself as a bit of a control freak.

I love to be in control, whether in my personal life or at work.

This often causes me problems.

I get very frustrated and down when I don't have control and things are out of my control and can't be fixed quickly or within a reasonable time.

I am one of those To Do list people, but I want to tick off that list every day and not have long term items that I have to rely on others for. Not a fan. 

Therefore of late I have been a tad down, frustrated, angry etc because lots of things I want to control but can't. 

In turn I've been 'letting my hair down' a tad too much and have let my healthy eating and exercise slip.

Last week I had loads of junk food - burgers, a Chinese, chocolate, cakes etc and I had just one day where I exercised. Topped up with lots of booze. 

The result? Over the last few weeks I've put on weight and am now feeling flabby, tired and a failure. 

So on Sunday night I decided enough is enough and I have to start taking control.

And where is the true area I can do this?

With my diet and exercise of course.

Hence I am now being strict with my food and drink intake, now on Day 4 (Thursday) and I am ensuring I regularly exercise.

Knowing I was on the 'late shift' this week (7pm finish) I knew I needed to be realistic. I also knew that I needed to do something different with my exercise as my spinning routine was becoming exactly that - too routine and the same thing.

My body needed a shock.

So although I wanted to do Insanity, I knew my downstairs neighbours would not be so keen with all the jumping etc. And so I am where I am now.

Doing the 30 Day Shred Jillian Michaels DVD. I've blogged about this before and how good the workout is for such a short (20 minutes) DVD to do at home.

I've never done it for the whole 30 days though and have always used it as an exercise to do when I miss spin or can't be bothered with the gym or the weather outside is no good for a run.

I'm currently on day four (technically I did it on Sunday and it's day five, but I ate bad so am not counting it!) 

I am finding it hard to stick to the healthy eating as the sun is making me crave ice cream and barbecues! The exercise has been a pain once I get in from work past 830pm and am starving for my dinner.

However I find if I push myself I feel better for it after.

I've also decided to try blog about it on here to try and share my thoughts, progress and hopefully results. 

Here's to getting shredded! 

As Jillian says Don't Give Up Unless You're Puking Fainting or Dying.

Here's goes...

Time out!

Oh dear I was doing so well at regularly blogging...

So I am back (well for now)! Things have been a tad hectic of late - whether through work or personal life, a rollercoaster whirlwind few weeks have just whizzed past and I for one need a rest.

And that is exactly what I've got!

Isn't it funny that as soon as you get an inkling of some sort of upcoming positive event you start to immediately relax?

We obviously have the bank holiday weekend fast approaching us and I've rather last minute made a spur of the moment decision (not typical of little miss organised me at all!) to go away for a few days with my Auntie.

Just for a few days we're off to Majorca to (hopefully) catch some rays, drink some sangria, enjoy some good food and company and well just bloody well relax and chill out! 

Then when I get back I've got the rest of the week off work to allow me to go to a family wedding and allow myself some me time. Bliss! I cannot wait! 

Literally as soon as my boss signed it off this morning a weight lifted off my shoulders (although randomly I've now got a banging headache)! 

Yes I am still manically busy and my current personal woes are still there but there's a bit of respite and that means a hell of a lot.

I consider myself a relatively strong person who can deal with quite a bit before I break and I admit I am kind of proud I've made it to this point and survived! Sounds dramatic I know but believe me it has felt that way and I don't want to divulge all my personal life on the Internet so I won't go into too much more detail... 

On another positive point, for those who've been following my fitness and weight journey, I am now at my lowest weight. I managed to break the next barrier I wanted (granted I will put it all back on over the next week or so) but I've got there and now I know I can do it.

I've also found I don't need to go quite so mad on the exercise front and go to classes/exercise every single day. I CAN have a life and do social things too and then I find (surprise surprise) I'm truly doing exercise because I want to and enjoy it and not as some form of punishment to my body! 

I'm a bit rundown right now (hence the needed break) and so far this week l'm holding off on exercise - I went on the weekend and it did me no favours. I have to admit it's killing me though to think I won't be able to go to spinning so long!! 

So for now I will battle through until Thursday night and then it's time to hit 'reset' and allow myself some time for me. I can't wait!

And typical me but I also can't wait to be fully refreshed again so that after this time off I'm raring and ready to go, work and fitness wise! Well I can't relax for too long, I'll get bored!... 

One of my fave ways to try unwind on my break at work is a nice skinny mocha and my Kindle :)

A new challenge

So I'm at the lowest weight I've been for many years (and I'm now over 3 stones lighter and 2-3 dress sizes smaller than I was when I first started addressing my weight a few years back). 

I feel like I'm on a good wavelength now and am well into the habit of eating healthily and regularly exercising. 

However, we all know personal trainers and the like always say you need to shock your body and not keep doing the same thing.

Plus I really want to break the next fitness/weight barrier, something which feels like it's at a bit of a standstill right now.

I often do my workout DVD or boxercise at home to change things about a bit and stop my body getting comfortable with the same old routines. 

Over the last few weeks I've seen a few images on Pinterest, status updates on Facebook and tweets on Twitter. What are they talking about? 

The 30 Day Squat Challenge. 

This latest fitness fad assures us ladies if we stick to it for 30 days (with rests every 4 days) then we'll get more toned quads and glutes (aka thighs and bum). 

I'm not one to follow the latest new craze to be honest, in fact I've never been a person to follow what everyone else is doing. I wouldn't follow the Atkins diet or some fad about eating non stop vegetables and nothing else. 

Yet this doesn't seem quite like that, after all it's pretty common knowledge that squats are good for you.

So I think I'm going to give it a go. Think I'm mad and being drawn in to what's trending? Or should I try to follow this plan to give my body a bit of a shock? 

I'll let you know how it goes...

Time for a change

Friday night and I'm sat on my sofa in my PJs and watching the Da Vinci Code film on TV.

You know what? It's lovely! After four days of food, drink, family and friends I'm well and truly ready for relaxing on my own and taking a break from excess.

I've been to the gym after a four day break and run a 5k and I've drunk water non stop all day to try and get me rehydrated again. Plus food wise I've had one weetabix for breakfast, an omelette for lunch and white fish, veg and mash for dinner. Oh and an after dinner snack with a low fat chocolate yoghurt.

As a result earlier on today I finally signed up to something I had been debating over for a couple of weeks. We all know in the first month of a new year people typically go on a detox of sorts. Well this time round I'm going to follow the crowd and do the same.

However I'm doing it for charity as part of Alcohol Concern's Dry January (check out www.dryjanuary.org)

Yes for the month of January not a sip of alcohol will pass my lips. The challenge begins from 9am on Tuesday 1st January so I can still enjoy a drink on New Years Eve!

It's funny how times change and how something simple can cause you to think about things.

I first started thinking about dry January after talking to a friend at work and it launched a discussion about how much we all drink and how we get into patterns.

I finally a few weeks ago got into a pattern of exercising and eating healthily. A good pattern. One which I am determined to maintain moving forwards. I may have put on two pounds last week - and will no doubt put on weight after Christmas excess - but I'm planning to get back in shape and lose even more weight as we start to move into 2013.

However, like many people my age I am very much in a pattern of drinking too. I like a nice glass of wine to relax of an evening on occasion, I go for client lunches at work and consume alcohol, I go out with work colleagues after work for drinks and I enjoy nights out with friends where yet again yes I would drink.

Now don't get me wrong I wouldn't say I drink to excess constantly but like many people in my age bracket I do consume alcohol pretty regularly and it features a lot in my social and working life.

When talking this through and debating whether to do 'Dry January' we ended up laughing. How shocking is it people want to be sponsored for simply not having alcohol, how mad we need so long to decide if we can make it just one month without alcohol?!

You go for a meal you drink wine with it, you go out with friends you drink, you toast a special occasion you drink. Funnily enough the conversation also turned to hobbies and what we do in our spare time.

As has become apparent this year my primary hobbies of late are spinning, reading and writing my blog. I also enjoy the theatre (typically musicals nothing too heavy), attending music gigs, watching films at the cinema and travelling/going on holiday.

However I want to try more, I want to see new things and not just spend spare time going out drinking.

One of my friends at work agreed, but cringed as she insisted on taking me to an art gallery (can you believe I've never been?!) and realised one of the great things at her favourite one was their rooftop bar!

The more you think through things, the more these things become apparent.

So far so good though, I went to see a play a few weeks back (and have a selection booked up for 2013), I'm currently reading one of the classics by Charles Dicken, I've signed up for Dry January and I've just booked up to go to the ballet (my first ever time) next week. Let's see what other new experiences I can have...

It's time for a change.

It's Christmas Eve!!

So the inevitable happened. I put on weight.

Two pounds to be exact.

At first I was really upset and disappointed but after going back to sleep in a nice warm cosy bed I've come to just accept it. It's Christmas after all and it would have been pretty incredible to lose weight after consuming all that fattening food and alcohol!

The fact still remains, over a five week period I lost 13lbs which is not something to completely disregard I know.

So now I'm about to get ready to go meet friends for Christmas drinks and then head to my boyfriend's to enjoy food and fun with his family tonight. I've just had a lovely breakfast of choc au pain and eaten my last advent calendar chocolate.

It is Christmas after all!

Okay okay, so I'm not THAT relaxed, I've written off the next four days to festive food and drink. However I have drawn up a new planner for me to track my eating and exercise afterwards. It's all about the balance apparently...

Final festive figures

Well here we are, Christmas Eve Eve and also the eve of my final weigh in before Christmas. The end of my six weeks of eating healthily and exercising.

In just six weeks I really feel I've changed my mindset considerably. Whether that be participating in more exercise and genuinely missing it when I am unable to go. Or how conscious I am now of exactly what I'm putting into my mouth.

Some may say I should have stopped at five weeks since I've had a busy week of eating and drinking for work related festivities. This week has included two big client lunches out, a lunch out, our work Christmas party and a personal Christmas meal and party. A total of four days of bad eating and alcohol and only three days in the gym - one 5k and two lots of spinning.

Admittedly I am dreading tomorrow morning and getting on those scales! I know losing 13lbs is a great achievement, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to lose more tomorrow for my final pre-Christmas weight.

The worst thing will be putting on weight. I really really hope that won't be the case.

Regardless, of course tomorrow is Christmas Eve and is the start of the true festivities with family and friends so I will be sure to enjoy myself.

I've found over the last few days I've been finding myself super full quickly from eating lots of food, so it'll be fun to see how much I can actually manage over the next few days. I'll give it a good go!

I'll be sure to update you either way, before or after my Christmas drinks with friends and the get together with my boyfriend's family.

One things for certain, this isn't a pre-Christmas fad and I will be working on getting my weight down and exercise levels up after the festive fun and as we move into 2013. Wish me luck...

Booze and bad food 1 fitness and weight loss 0

I'm worried. Winter is here and I've unfortunately gone into hibernation mode - preferring to stay indoors snuggled in the warm, snacking on junk and sipping wine with dinner.

What concerns me most about this is how I'm feeling - confidence is getting low again, my clothes are getting tighter and I'm constantly tired.

I managed to up my activity last month when I was conscious of fitting into a bikini for my holiday in Turkey, but I did find it pretty tough.

Now since we've been back I have got so lazy and I feel it.

As you all know (and probably got sick of!) I discovered spinning in June and got pretty addicted. Yes it was tough but I loved it, I felt good for going and enjoyed pushing myself in class.

However, as surprised as I am to say this in the few times I've been recently I feel like I'm starting to get bored.

No, my classes aren't involving much harder routines, the instructors aren't getting worse, the people attending aren't dull. No, I know why I'm feeling this way, the classes are just so difficult and unpleasant at the moment.

Why? Because my fitness has dropped. My legs won't seem to move as quick as they need to, I'm getting more sweaty and find I need longer recovery times. Therefore rather than pounding the pedals to the beat and smiling as another great track comes on, I'm getting fed up that I'm struggling so much.

Thankfully I forced myself to try the gym today and attempt another 5k on the treadmill. I did it (and surprisingly at my shortest time I achieved before our holiday). It was so so hard though, I felt completely shattered when I finished (not great when I've got a late shift at work ahead of me!)

My legs were in agony, I was dripping with sweat and feeling fed up. I moaned to my boyfriend about how hard I'm finding things lately and thank goodness he just gave me the truth.

I'm eating and drinking badly - I'm not consuming enough water, I'm in fact indulging in too much alcohol. I'm not sticking to a healthy diet and trying the few odd treats, instead I'm wolfing down chocolate and junk and eating out lots.

Okay so there you go I admit it, I know what's wrong. First step I imagine, like they say to alcoholics.

I've got a fridge full of healthy foods, have been the gym twice this week and have more visits planned. What I need though is a way to snap out of this lull.

I know what I'm doing wrong and I'm not happy with my change in body shape and energy as a result. Yet, I'll admit, I also am finding it hard to sort myself out and fix it.

How do I get my motivation, energy and enthusiasm back?

That right now is the million dollar question it seems. So Help! Any tips or ideas you can share would be great, right now I need all the help I can get!!

Balancing Act

Here we are, week five into my plan to get fit and trim...Funnily enough a friend told me of a study they'd seen a week or two ago which stated females trying to lose weight and who write about it are more successful in their weight loss. I was so pleased as I was doing both.

Yet over this week that has changed. I've not written this blog and my route on the path to fitness has gone a little skew-whiff.

This week, so far we are in day number five. Out of those five days I have exercised one day. I have kept to my healthy eating on three days. For this week in total I will only be keeping to my healthy eating for three days out of seven and am expecting exercise to be two days out of seven. Not quite the same reports I've been listing previously.

I was also proud of the fact I had only consumed one glass of wine since I began my plan. That figure now stands at, well I can't really count an exact amount, but let's say definitely in double figures after this week.

I'll admit today I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself as I'm hungover - something I wasn't expecting until Sunday morning after my planned girl's night out. However I am a mix of emotions about this 'falling off' the fitness wagon. Part of me is disappointed in myself and annoyed I will have prolonged my weight loss journey. I can't even bear to think of the fact the scales will likely show a gain on Monday morning...

On the other hand I feel good, yes this week I've eaten the likes of chicken katsu curry, a chocolate cupcake and McDonalds (and consumed goodness knows how much alcohol in the form of wine and champagne). BUT I have also this week caught up with an old friend, enjoyed myself, laughed so much, had great fun with friends and colleagues at work and helped people celebrate special occasions.

This week I've said goodbye to a work colleague, celebrated a friend's birthday, laughed in hysterics with a friend, got closer with work friends, met a new life in the world, seen a family member (well my boyfriend's family) who hasn't been in the UK for over 30 years and is from Canada, discovered a new version of one of my favourite dishes and made some new plans to look forward to. In short I have thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I AM absolutely shattered from going to bed gone 1am for three days in a row this week and I know I'm going to consume far too many calories this weekend - but I'm going to enjoy dancing and laughing them off with two very close friends.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've realised I need to be mindful of keeping a balance. Yes I want to lose weight and be happy in my body, I want to improve my fitness and future health. Moreover I also want to live my life, enjoy myself, discover new things and act my age (or arguably a lot younger!!)

It really is all about balance - in what types of food you eat, in how you approach fitness, in the way you manage your weight and in combining work and play.

Now when I weigh myself on Monday it could be a whole new more negative opinion from me and making sure I don't tilt the balance in the favour of fun will be hard. Overall though I feel I HAVE achieved this week as I've learnt a valuable lesson and the idea of balance finally seems to be sinking in...

Fat girl within

Memories of a baby cute as can be
Old photos show a little one, cuddly and chubby

A young child, tall for her age
Seen with a flat tummy, long spindly legs, always wanting to be centre stage

Images of a teen, slim but not comfortable in her own skin
Too shy to reveal what she's really like within

As she ages she starts to come out of her shell
But then in turn her body starts to gradually swell

Uni and a troublesome partner see plenty of booze and takeaways
Soon the weight starts to pile on over those weeks and days

Starting work, too ambitious to notice
Drunken nights out with colleagues, more calories get added to the list

Meeting a new partner, falling in love, this time for real
Getting comfortable with someone new, often out for drinks or a meal

Unhappiness at work, pressures lead her to comfort eat
Embarrassment on trains, being offered a seat

Nasty comments made with a vicious tongue
New friends seem so slim and pretty, each and every one

She starts to feel like the fat friend in the group
Her clothes aren't so small or nice, she feels out of the loop

She compares herself every time she's out
To those beautiful, slim figured girls and her friends, her appearance is without

Photos soon highlight how big those arms are
How rounded the face and those chunky legs stand out in a bar

Those who love her argue she's perfect as she is
But to her she can't believe it, she knows it's just politeness

She decides something really needs to be done
And cherishes the pounds falling off, each and every one

But then life pressures and events lead her to go back to her old ways
She doesn't want to feel like that again and those miserable days

She'll try again and give it all of her effort
To get back in shape and show she can be different

For now she'll take it one day at a time, it's healthy eating not some kind of famine
A mix of exercise too to get healthy, and hope to send back that fat girl within

Whinging and weight loss

Well weigh in arrived this morning and I've managed to lose 4lbs! I truly am so pleased, I really feel that hard work and effort has paid off this week.

So as I've got rid of four unwanted pounds of fat, I thought I'd share four other things in life I'd rather be without...

1. Rude commuters
What is it with people on the way to and from work that makes them think they've got this God-given right to act so selfishly? If it's not coughing or sneezing in your face, it's pushing into you or using your head/shoulders/back as a leaning post for themselves or their luggage! I want to get to work on time too and get home quickly to enjoy my evening, but I don't feel the need to knock people over in my bid to do it. I feel so so sorry for myself when I'm ill and mope around looking sad-faced, but I've never felt the urge to inflict my pain on a carriage-full of passengers.

2. Jobsworths
Why oh why do we have to encounter these people seemingly everyday in life. Whether it's at work or when trying to solve your own personal queries, you always meet Little Miss Inflexible or Mr Must-work-to-rule. As someone who likes to help others and in work make life as easy as possible for my clients it really drives me mad when people can't use common sense and see past their bullet point list of agreed rules/steps. Then you find you do work hard or make an effort for friends and then you become Little Miss Put Apon.

3. London Transport
Why do we have to put up with a service that the majority of the time doesn't run on time, has rude staff (252 drivers I'm referring to you here!) and yet increases in cost every year? We're trapped because we have to use the service to get to work or visit key places in our capital and so nothing changes.

4. Fair-weather friends
You know the ones I mean, only get in touch when they want something, need attention or want to show off how amazing their life is. They get stuck for cash, need someone to go on a night out because others have let them down or always lean on you but never offer their support. Why do we let them do it?

Ah...and breathe. That little rant just helped a bit and also made my train journey home pass a bit quicker. Now just need to deal with these annoying friends and jobsworths and we're sorted!

Weigh-in Worries

Yet again the weekend has sped by and Monday is fast approaching already. This also means something else is in sight. Weigh in day. Yes tomorrow is my second weigh in after my second week of healthy eating and exercise.

I've calculated I've notched up 4 hours 30 minutes worth of exercise over the last seven days, with some form of exercise taking place on each of those said days. There have been four days of workout DVDs, one day of walking and Wii Fit and two days of gyming it.

I've eaten healthy food every day of those seven and consumed zero alcohol (an achievement in itself for me). So I'm hoping the scales might be kind this week and help me out on the weight loss front.

I'm making sure I weigh myself first thing when I get up and continue to do so each Monday morning, since last week I waited until the evening (hey, anything to help my weight loss result when I jump on those scales!)

I'm still feeling pretty motivated and eager to keep going (for now, I've not seen the scales yet...) I have a number of reasons to stick at this too, which I guess helps - general health and fitness, fitting into my Maid of Honour dress, supporting my man in his weight loss and marathon training and so on.

For now my eyes are drooping and I am gradually falling asleep, so before I actually fall asleep and hit myself in the face with my phone, I'm going to go.

Wish me luck for my weigh in tomorrow morning...I'll update you on how it goes.

Scary scales

Today is Monday, if it's not bad enough to think the weekend is over already I also woke up to this - today is my first weigh in day.

(Un)Fortunately I got up too late this morning to have time to weigh myself, check my body fat and BMI. Now when I get home not only does a workout DVD await me, but also the dreaded weigh in.

To make matters worse my boyfriend - who is also trying to sort out his weight - managed to jump on the scales and has achieved a 4lb weight loss in just a week! I am obviously really pleased for him, but like those partners on The Biggest Loser, just know mine will not match it. What worries me even more is that I won't have lost anything.

Over the week I have followed a healthy diet for 6 of the 7 days, I've exercised for those 6 days too (gym x 3, Boxercise, Wii Fit and a run). I've been roughly using Weight Watcher points and my Food Diary and have been under on points everyday (not on purpose), bar the 1 day. All in all I have been trying pretty darn hard!

However, I woke this morning feeling really bloated and my trousers feel so tight today, making me feel like my hard work has made no difference. Don't get me wrong I appreciate I won't see massive results in just a week, but I want/need to see something!

I've tried to mention this weigh in on here and via Twitter, Facebook etc as I think by telling people of my progress it will keep me accountable/on track. We shall see.

I already dealt with one hurdle today, my office always has somebody bringing in some form of sweet treat. Last week was okay as not everyone was back, but this week they are and luxury chocolates were on offer. This was announced via email so I couldn't avoid it and I sit right next to the kitchen. I was strong though and avoided temptation.

Also adding to my issues were of course the dress fitting at the weekend, of course it didn't fit. What didn't help were the two and three sizes too small offerings the assistants kept handing me. Way to shoot down a girl's self esteem!

Our final fitting is now set for early May, not the end of May, so this also means two or three weeks less to get in shape.

One of my friends wasn't feeling too great today either about her weight though, so I guess I should really take my own advice I dished out.

I'm going to eat my fruit snacks this afternoon, get home and weigh myself and then get on with today's exercise.

After all regardless of what digital numbers appear on that screen and flash in front of me later I need them to go down at some point and doing nothing/moping about certainly isn't going to achieve any goals.