It's a 10 From Me

Another pound gone this week and if I’m honest I was a little bit disappointed because I’ve worked really hard and not a drop of alcohol has passed my lips since New years Day! Still a pound off is better than a pound on, I think sometimes I have to remind myself that my Slinky mission will be a long one and that nothing good ever came easy!

   Lucy and I set ourselves the challenge of not drinking till our mid month jaunt to York. To be honest it’s not been as bad as I thought, but then we have filled our weekends with trips to the cinema. So far we’ve seen “Last Vegas” (very funny) “Mandela; Long Walk to Freedom” (generally brilliant and it stars Idris Elba, who I love  and it made me shed a tear) and “Delivery Man” (just a story really, but a chance to perv at Vince Vaughan) 

  We also went to see “Peter Pan” with the Hoff, which was brilliant, apart from the slightly weird child who sat in front of me. She reminded me of the girl from “The Exorcist” maybe because she kept spinning her head round! She seemed more interested in me than the Hoff, she spent so much time staring at me, I almost felt obliged to sing her a song so her parents at least got some of their money’s worth!

  I also watched “Pretty Woman” for the first time in ages too. I love this film! I remember going to the Regent cinema in Kirkby with my Mum to watch it, because she loved Richard Gere. The Regent had cinema tickets that still said a shilling on them, even though it was 1990 and a bucket in the middle of the aisle to catch the water that leaked from the ceiling, but the building looked as though it belonged in a Hollywood film!

  “Pretty Woman” is one of those films that has gone down in history for many reasons, firstly there’s the shopping scene “big mistake…huge”

There’s that amazing red dress

And of course the fact it has a happy ending!

  Watching the film yesterday, when Julia Roberts does find a shop assistant that will be nice to her, she says “oh you’re a size 6” (UK size 10) and lets face it, she’s pretty perfect. Julia Roberts has a new film coming out soon, “August: Osage County” and she still looks exactly the same.

  Last night when I got home, I was flicking through a magazine and their front cover was full of pictures of really skinny stars and the headline “A Detox Too Far” the article inside was all about certain Hollywood stars and how they were living on diets that consisted of 300 calories a day or only drinking juices and exercising for up to 10 hours a day. Whenever I read articles like these, I always like to see how tall they are, so I can put it into context compared with my height and weight.  

  I’m 5ft 6 and when I originally got down to my goal weight I was 9 stone 10, for a few reasons I ended up dropping a few extra pounds and for a while I looked like a lollipop head (my head was FAR too big for my body) and I knew I didn’t look healthy or very good.

   Although I have a way to go on my slinky mission, I reckon my goal weight will be 10 stone 7, at this weight I know I’ll keep my curves and yet look healthy, I’ll also be a size 10 / 12, and I will be over the moon with that!

  Some of the actresses in this article were the same height as me, and the experts were speculating that they weighed anywhere from 6 to 7 stone. The images were such a stark contrast to Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman” who looked glossy and healthy.  I started to think about celebrities who's style and bodies  I did admire and the thing they all had in common were a few curves! 

  For me, however much I want to lose weight, I'd rather do it a pound a week and stay healthy, than live on 300 calories a day, I know it would give me massive food mood and after a day (if I lasted that long) I'd just end up stuffing my face with chocolate!

  

This Time Next Year.....

I’ve really upped my efforts this week and have tried to be good, whilst extending my culinary skills. I think it’s fair to say that my 2-½ pounds weight loss this week was more successful than the meringues I tried to make (low fat ones I might add). After 2 attempts and a gooey mess that looked like vomit, I’ve decided that shop bought is probably the way to go for me! However I did have success with some lemon chilli chicken and a chorizo pasta dish.

It's meant to be a meringue! Clearly not a successful one!

  I feel like I’ve got my focus back, I’ve unpacked a lot of stuff in my new house now, my dining table is up (thanks Dad) and apart from the occasional row with Pudding (my cat) about the fact he can’t go out yet till he knows where he lives, life is finally settling down a bit.

Pudding

  In our meeting this week, one member got a certificate for losing a total of 50 pounds, I respond well to treats, so I like the idea of getting key rings and certificates along the way. This lady is a pound off her goal weight and looks fantastic. She was saying why she wanted to lose weight and it came down to the fact that her joints had started to hurt and she’d just become a Grandma for the first time and in her words she didn’t want to be a “fat nana”.

  I think there’s always some trigger that kicks you into weight loss action. I can remember for one friend of mine it was that she got stuck in a bath in a hotel room and was so embarrassed by it she promptly joined weight watchers on her return. For others it’s not being able to fit in their clothes or a health scare. For me I think I’d had enough of feeling rubbish about myself and allowing others to make me feel bad. For me it was a gradual licking of wounds and starting to deal with my issues, which meant I could then start a diet and stick to it. There’d been many failed attempts along the way – a cottage cheese and meat eating plan and a distaerous boot camp!

  I used to think that once I’d lost all my weight my life would suddenly become perfect, I’d meet the man of my dreams (Matt Goss, Jon Bon Jovi, Idris Elba) I’d be happier at work and I’d receive a huge windfall and a holiday home in Hawaii. I used to blame the fact I was fat for everything not being perfect. Turns out that was an excuse, a way to stop me putting what was really wrong right. I can’t change some of the stuff that has happened to me, but I can face it and acknowledge that sometimes horrible stuff happens and you have to deal with it and move on. I’m not saying I’m over the death of my Mum and my friends Matt and Lawrie, because the truth is I will never get over them, but I can celebrate what they were to me and the love we had along with the amazing times we shared and what they taught me. I refuse to let my stalker take up any more of my time and after some pretty intense counselling sessions I can live with what happened.

Me, Mum & Lucy

Me, Lucy & Matt

  There’s some stuff I’ve been able to change myself, my last job made me thoroughly miserable and I put up with some situations I really shouldn’t have. Making the decision to leave and set up a business with my sister was tough and my Dad was great in saying “nothing that makes you cry every single day is worth this” I love seeing the business grow and it challenges me everyday. I remember telling some of my old colleagues what I was planning and one of them said “when you f**k it up, I’ll look for you in the dole queue” I know we’re not a multi-million pound corporation (yet) but his comments just made me more determined to succeed just so I can raise 2 fingers to him as I drive by in my Aston Martin on my way to the airport to board my private jet to fly off to my holiday home in Hawaii.

  It’s all these changes that have made me happier and as a result I think that’s triggered my weight loss, it’s not an easy journey to reach my slinky goal, but I’m getting there and I’m happier and as lovely as a date with Matt Goss, Jon Bon Jovi, Idris Elba would be, that’s pretty much all I’m looking for at the moment.

  What I’m trying to say is that don’t waste time thinking that when you’re slim, you’re life will be perfect, because it probably wont be. Put right what’s wrong now and let the rest fall into place in it's own time.

DISCLAIMER: Should Matt Goss, Jon Bon Jovi or Idris Elba want to take me on a date I am fully available!