Good evening sister chicks, how are you all?

I’ve had a good day!  My friend and I went for a long walk from Dundee to Broughty Ferry, had a diet coke, then walked back.  It was lovely and sunny, and it was really nice to socialise and get some exercise at the same time.

I had my second Weight Watchers meeting today.  I was pretty nervous; last night DP and I had a (small) spat and I made the bad decision to over-indulge.  But I lost a pound and a half!  I was so over-excited, it was almost like getting my exam results again!  It incentivised me to keep going, stay dedicated and move forward on it.  Goal is a pound a half closer and I can almost taste it!  One happy girly.

I’ve one more meeting before we’re off to France, but today I bought the exec kit that has plenty of supplies in it; 3 month tracker, shop and restaurant points (so now I know exactly how many calories are in everything from Starbucks!) a points calculator and a tape measure.  I took my measurements last week, and I’ll take them every month - in this case just when I get back from holiday on the 2nd or 3rd of August and I’ll post them then.  Still totally psyched over it!

My writing book is arriving tomorrow - happy about that too! :D  I have written short stories for years but this time I’m going for a full book.  I’ve had an idea brewing for a fortnight but I am a fussy writer - I need the perfect book to write in, it should be here tomorrow and I can start writing!  Yey

I hope you’re all having great Thursdays!

Mango x

Hey guys!

Sorry I’ve not been around for a while, I’ve been at my parents for a couple of days and working.  How are you all?

I had a very productive shopping day yesterday - £180 in total for me and DP’s clothes.  I had a great time though!  How unreal is that?  It’s the first shopping trip in years that I haven’t burst into tears.  We tried everything on before we bought and I felt really good in everything I’ve bought, which is a feeling I’d have paid twice as much for.

But, today I am a little hormone-fuelled.  Every 12 weeks I get depo provera, which is a hormonal contraceptive injection (I was at stroke risk on the pill).  This however, means that every 12 weeks I go very low on hormones then get filled up with them, so for about a week I’m all over the place.  Unfortunately, DP does sometimes get the brunt of this but mostly it just leaves me over-reacting to most things.  For example, one of my friends can’t make it to my leaving party because he got tickets to T in the Park (a famous Scottish music festival weekend) for his birthday.  I totally understand - tickets are like £200 and it’s a great weekend, but I got totally bummed.  Then my new shoes cut the back of my feet and I actually cried.  Then got even more annoyed because I was crying!  Lol.  I am laughing now because it is so ridiculous but god, I hate hormones.

Other than that, things are ok.  I’m still on track with my points.  I’m so glad the meeting was about al fresco eating because we had a BBQ at my parent’s and I was able to plan ahead and really enjoy it without going out of my point limit.  All the other things I wouldn’t have thought of before, like the burger in a bun with spread, cheese, relish, ketchup, salad…  But I had a plain roll and just the burger and it was only 5 and a half points.  Then I made kebabs from my portion of chicken and chunks of pepper.  I got two kebabs for 2 and a half points!  To top it off I had a skinny cow chocolate ice cream (1.5 points) so I felt really full and proud because I was in my points!  I’m hoping fo a loss this week, but I’m not going to get all freaked out if I don’t - as Betty said, it’s a tried and tested method - all I have to do is follow the plan, get exercise in and I’m there.

Looking over my cleaning analogy, food is all green now it’s just exercise I need to pick up on.  I love earning activity points!

Mango x

So I am feeling a lot better today

I got up early after a good sleep and went off to Boots (high-street beauty/pharmacy etc kind of place).  I got the rest of my skin care products which begin with my new WW regimen tomorrow :)  Boots have an amazing own-brand line called No.7 and I won’t use anything else.  Their make up and skin care products are quite expensive, but they’re the only kind that really work with my combination skin and don’t give me an allergic reaction.  I have weird oily to combination skin and pretty much all moisturisers make me either more oily or make my skin tacky but I heart No.7 which is just perfect!  So all in all, I’ve spent close to £80 on skin care alone!  And that’s only for cleanser, toner, lip care, eye gel, day sorbet (moisturiser) and night sorbet.  They’re huge fat pots though.  I kind of balk at the money, but I was getting that for holiday anyway and hey, beautiful skin makes me feel gorgeous.

Work was another long day (the temperature’s gone up yet again!)  I wasn’t meant to be working today but one of my workmates is moving house so I covered his shift.  It works out ok though as he’s buying my drinks for my leaving party! :)  Both the managers were in pissy moods but hey, it’s done now and I’ve got tomorrow off.  Back on Saturday, but let’s not think about that!

SO on to my very first Weight Watcher’s meeting!

It was really, really good.  My friend turned up and we went in and got our books and got weighed.  It’s a big meeting and about 40 people go in but only 5 (including me) stayed for the actual meeting.  A lot of people apparently just go in to get weighed and that’s it, which I wasn’t aware of.  That’s what my friend did.  She kind of scoffed a bit then left.  I do love her, but she’s one of the incredibly intelligent people who thinks they know the answers to every single one of life’s dilemmas and does have a tendency to look down her nose at some things.  That worried me a bit and I felt quite apprehensive, but I was happier once she left.  I also found another friend of mine goes, which I didn’t know about and she’s lovely.  She stayed for the meeting too.

My leader is absolutely lovely!  She remembers everyone’s name and their weaknesses and she spent quite a bit of time with me after going over everything with me.  I explained I’d had so many false starts and was quite apprehensive but she was very encouraging and I did feel really welcome there.  I’m feeling really motivated and I’m looking forward to going next week!  I don’t know if my friend will go back, but I will.  I’m aiming for 1lb a week.  I’m starting at 11st 5lbs, so there’s a way to go.  But I feel I can get there

Mango x

I’m exhausted.  Like, properly exhausted.  I had a full work day today with another tomorrow, and the temperature is pushing high twenties (degrees C).  For some of you, that probably doesn’t sound too hot, but for us Scots a hot day is 21 degrees C and this is just the start of it.  It’s meant to just get hotter and hotter.  There government is at the highest warning level for heat so the NHS and care homes etc. can prepare - there’s already been lots of people passing out on public transport because of the heat and the elderly are especially at risk.  On top of that, our power supplies are at risk too because they’re not designed to cope with the heat we’ve been getting so there’s been a lot of power cuts (but more in England than here).

Crazy!

I’m going to my first ever weight watchers meeting tomorrow with one of my good friends.  I’ve only ever done online before and I think I really need the personal support and the more face-to-face accountability.  I don’t know how long my friend will stick with it, but I’m going to do my very best.  However, I’ve had the strangest feeling the last few days that I’m self-sabotaging (over eating, under exercising) though I’ve no idea why.  I just really feel I need someone to step in and just take control for me, tell my what I need to be eating etc. hence the WW.

I just want it to start!  Wish the meeting was tonight.

Working again today so I’m feeling pretty worn down, but I’ve got a nice week coming up!

I am visiting my new Brownies tomorrow!  And this isn’t the chocolate variety.  Brownie Guides are like young girl scouts, in the UK we have Rainbows (5-7 years), Brownies (7-10 years), Guides (10-14 years) and Senior Section (14-25 years).  I’m nearly finished my leadership qualification and I will be taking over the Brownie pack in August, where I am going to be Brown Owl, which I’m totally psyched about!  Brownies love to do badges and are much easier to deal with than the pre-pubescent Guides I work with at the moment.  I’ve already worked up a provisional program, which I can shape up once I know the school term dates (because Brownies only runs during the school term) and how this pack likes to do something.  If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer, or just to understand what on earth I’m talking about, check out the Girlguiding UK website.

I’m also going to stay with my parents for a few days, and I am looking forward to seeing them.  They’ve been so good to both me and DP, and helped us out of more than our fair share of financial problems recently.  It’s also nice to spend time just the three of us (I’m an only child) without DP.  While they’re at work I can play my computer or the Xbox and I’m also taking readings to work on for my dissertation project and some Brownie stuff.  And exercise of course!  I’m meeting them at the train station on Tuesday then we’re heading out for a meal and to see Angels and Demons, which my dad’s been dying to see for ages.  My parents are great, and I’m glad I can spend some time with them.

Weight is back to 154lbs.  It’s officially been 2 weeks now, and I’m 1lb down.  It’s not brilliant progress, but it’s better than going no where.  I need to keep pushing hard, probably try to push more than 64 oz of water a day and do as much exercise as I can.  Because, as DP keeps reminding me, while the scales might not show a difference, the exercise can’t be making things worse and if I can trim off some body fat, it’s all good.

Hope you all had a good weekend!  And P.S. I am waaay excited about being joint fifth in W8C at the moment (until everyone else updates tonight!!!)  DP hasn’t heard the end of it!

Also - I thought I’d share this, Lolcatz get me through the sad times