Weight Loss Journals - petecohen.tv

Well, I've lost a couple of kilos in the last week or so - but since that involved a bout of food poisoning to help me on my way, I'm not sure that counts! I have also been very good about exercise, and I think that definitely helps.

But today, I am starting the programme again after a little gap - it's the first day of school and I just need to refresh my understanding of the tools and how to get into the swing of things so that as school routines start up, I don't take up all the old bad habits like coffee and croissants at breaktime. Fortunately, my timetable is likely to help there as it is either full on or leaves me some time for planning and preparation which I can do in places other than school.

I know there are other teachers out there - all the best for the coming school year.

No, I haven't lost any weight - I've been on a plateau for about 6 weeks now, but at least I haven't put on any weight, and what with cinnamon buns, chinese dumplings and pink champagne, that feels a bit miraculous!

But I have finished and posted my dissertation, so I am returning to the real world, and to celebrate, we went to Oslo for the weekend to visit friends, which is where I found the cinnamon buns. the friends are Chinese and they cook fabulous food, so that's where the dumplings come in, and then it was the DH's birthday when we got back, hence pink champagne. Oslo was gorgeous, beautiful weather, so we did lots of walking and boat trips and museums, and the hotel had a gym which I did put to good use, so I'm hoping that all my naughtiness won't come back and bite me!

Now it's time to refocus on the start of the new term. I'm taking this week off, but come Sept. 1st, I'll start the programme again full on, just to make sure that during the school routine, I don't slip up, and this week, I'm going to give the wine a rest and cut out those sugary things that have been creeping back in...I've upped my exercise recently, and what with that and finishing the dissertation, I am feeling very positive and cheerful.

I haven't checked out any blogs recently, but I hope you guys are all doing well and that knees and other problems are calming down. Best wishes to all. And by the way, if you are feeling a bit gloomy about weather, I bet you anything that it will magically perk up come Sept 1st when we are all heading back to school;-).

I'm trying to battle through writing my dissertation, but it is all a bit more difficult than I anticipated. In a way a good thing - food is not my focus just now! But long hours sitting at the computer do make me very nibbly...trying to set myself targets and make sure I take regular breaks from the keyboard.

First of all, just coming out of TTOTM, and am ravenous....second, am doing a lot of writing and thinking and that makes me ravenous....and I can't help thinking as I sit here reading up academic papers and trying to write my own....about biscuits and chocolate and how they might help. I am taking a sip of water every time I think of cookies (or what I really want now which is toast slathered in butter with marmite), but I am finding it so hard to concentrate on what I should be doing.

I have tried using the hunger scale...I'm about 6/7, I suppose, and the hunger scale does help to distract. But I think I might go for a walk, refresh the brain and run a little errand or two.

In the meantime, it's back to thinking about management and globalisation in schools. I have a target of writing 2500 words by the end of today... let's see how I go...

Hope everyone else is thriving away. I really enjoyed the video on blogging - and it reminded me to give it a go, especially now as I am sitting here longing to eat...

Yesterday I caught up with a friend I hadn't seen for over a month - she was impressed by how fit I looked, and I got a real buzz out of her compliments. She asked how much I'd lost (13k now), She asked me how much more I planned to lose, and I hemmed and hawed - I'm just over a quarter of the way through my goal to lose 40k by next Easter. Inside, I felt a bit glum to be honest. Sometimes, it is hard to contemplate the long haul, because I am working very hard to lose weight at the moment - 40 mins of aerobics/strength or cardio every day, plus walking and of course being careful about what I eat just as everyone else is downing the ice creams.

I know that slow and steady is the way to go, but sometimes, I wish the weight could just evaporate and I'd have a healthy BMI. I think to myself, well it took me over 12 years to pack on all this weight, getting rid of it in 12 months is pretty ambitious...The rational side of me is working hard at telling myself I'm doing fine, but the crazy irrational person is saying, go on, just a bit of chocolate to cheer yourself up. A crisp or two won't hurt. I need a little extra help with telling that duck to shut up!

Have had several days of wonky internet, so finally back on track. Hope everyone has been well.

Just started using two new DVDs - David Kirsch Boot Camp (45 mins of combined cardio intervals and strength moves) and the Biggest Loser DVD based on the exercise routines used on the tv show and led by the two trainers from the show. There are 5 combined workouts, all fast-paced and challenging. The Kirsch DVD is set on a beach, Kirsch himself is a bit irritating, but the exercise routine is excellent (though definitely for people with plenty of experience and a fair bit of strength - there are a lot of push-ups).

After being on holiday, it's great to get back to high intensity aerobics and strength training. I did a lot of walking while away (60-100 mins a day) using MBT trainers and my abs and thighs certainly felt it, but I missed working up a decent sweat and also working out on upper body, especially shoulders and arms.

My big resolution is to cut down on alcohol - consumption has been creeping up during the holidays, so that's an easy target to hit.

It's just over a fortnight since we left on holiday. We've seen dolphins in the Moray Firth, salmon leaping Rogie Falls and a fair bit of rain, but we did not see the Loch Ness monster. Minion number 1 has conducted an extensive survey in his attempt to find the finest sticky toffee pudding in northern Britain, and we made it to John O'Groats. Which was touristy, but nearby were Duncansby Head and Dunnet Head, which were absolutely beautiful, and we did have dinner at a fabulous restaurant called The Captain's Galley, at Scrabster. I had lobster and it was amazing. I've also managed to lose a kilo and keep to overall a pretty healthy eating plan, although it was difficult to fit in enough fruit and veg.

Am looking forward to the 9 week challenge - sounds just my cup of tea, and I have plans: I want to lose 9 kilos in that time, and that will take me to half way to my overall weight loss target - I will aim to have lost a total of 21kilos since I restarted the programme in April - around 3 stone.

I also want to carry on working so that the changes I've made over the past 3.5 months are embedded and I don't have any opportunity to backslide in terms of eating healthily and sensibly. And of course keeping up the exercise is another key. I've bought a couple of new DVDs and I hope that that will keep me motivated and physically engaged. I'll be starting the programme again on Monday morning and am really looking forward to it. Hope everyone else has been having a good July.

Good luck to y'all over the next 3 weeks or so - I'll be away from computers until the end of the month. But I'd just like to say a big thank you for all the support and the great blogs that go up - it is so much easier, even when it is really hard work, when you know that there are other people going through the same ups and downs and highs and lows. There are so many really great people on the blog and people are doing so well that it is a perpetual encouragement even when I feel I'm drowning in sludge and no weight is shifting at all.

Looking forward to starting the programme again in August. In the meantime, good luck with the next part of the challenge and take care, and keeping that duck quiet.

giving yourself credit* 8/10 - but also credit to fellow bloggers and family

shutting the duck up* 9/10 - I think there've been a couple of times I wanted to give in and succumb to urges, but mostly resisted! The negative voice is really maddening, and sometimes it's hard to ignore, but mostly, with support, it is ignored!

eating slowly * 6/10 - could do better.

being very patient.* 6/10 - could definitely do better - I want to see weight loss all the time, but of course, we aren't made like that and we plateau and I get frustrated...

being positive.* 9/10 - on the whole, I haven't been this positive and upbeat in a while, and I am loving my new energy levels.

thinking before you eat.* 10 - this is an area where I really work at making sure that I'm eating the right things - again helped with support in the family - a really encouraging husband who is very supportive.

using the Hunger Scale. 7/10 - I could use this one more.

thinking before you buy.* 10 - we plan meals carefully well in advance, and we are lucky in having excellent fresh food available.

eating a balanced diet.* 10 - really miles better. Actually it isn't that balanced - tons of fruit and veg, and definitely better quality carbs.

focusing on your goal.* 8/10 - mostly I am very focused - every now and then motivation slips, but with a relaxation session, I can get back on track.

drinking plenty of water.* 10/10 - no problems. Love water and always need it.

eating more nutritious foods. 10 - again, no problems.

I have always known - ever since I had a big fitness and nutrition kick in my 20s that I am one of those people who needs a lot of exercise and a very healthy diet to stay trim. If I lapse, it shows pretty quickly, and the lapses came thick and fast after I was pregnant with number 1. I've basically piled pounds on and eaten very unhealthily because it was easy and I was so often stressed with work and family balancing acts. It's been 12+ years since no. 1 was born, and it's been 6+ years since no. 2 - I can't use that as an excuse any more...;-)

But also, I want to be fit for them. I want to be able to run around in the park without turning puce and huffing and puffing. And that is a big big incentive. Still, it is sometimes to accept that what took 12 years to accumulate is going to take around 12 months to shed!! But put like that, perhaps it's not that long after all.

Hope everyone else has had a great 3 weeks - I'm looking forward to the next 3 weeks, tho they will be a challenge as I'll be on holiday and away from the computer. I'm hoping though, that it will be like our shorter break in May, and I'll cope and come back lighter as well. Here's hoping and best of luck to all of you keeping up with the challenge.

I can't believe that it is nearly nine weeks since I started blogging here - this is my third time of going through the 21 day programme since Easter. I joined at the start of the year, but it took 3.5 months for me to face up to all the thiings that Pete mentions in today's video - getting myself really read for change, gathering resolution - shutting the duck up.

But to be honest, it was all really subconscious. My NY resolution was to make a serious effort to lose weight, but then I sort of sidelined that. I wasn't ready. I went through the programme, but I wasn't committed to taking the essential steps to change things in my life to make sure that I would lose weight. So I kept up with eating less healthily than I should, I kept on eating sugary and processed foods and I kept eating too fast and too much.

I suppose it takes time to accept the changes one has to make to achieve one's goals. I know I can set and achieve goals in so many areas of my life, but this whole issue of food was difficult for me, mainly, I think because of sub-conscious barriers to do with a whole host of issues. Finally, at Easter, I was in the right frame of mind - I knew for my own health it was essential to get my weight down, I'd frightened myself senseless with chest pains and dizzy spells. And what happened was that I was able at last to break the link between stress and food.

I keep repeating the programme now as a mechanism to make sure that I keep the resolve and the discipline and the determination going. I am not ready to launch out totally on my own - well, having lost 1 stone, I've got 5 more stone to lose before my BMI reaches a totally sensible and healthy weight...I have to take responsibility for getting myself into this shape and I have to take responsibility to get myself out of it. It's a really exciting progress to feel so optimistic about this process.

I've had a lovely reason for not checking in for the couple of days - one of my best friends from school was visiting from the US - we had 48 hours of chat, showing her round Brussels, ambling about in lovely weather and catching up on the past 19 years since we last saw each other face to face. She'll be checking in for her flight back to NY as I write and I wish we'd had longer. Sigh.

Social pressure is really tough - I know there are underminers out there, who the minute you admit to being on a diet try their best to get you eating things that are just not good for you. Knowing this, I have been keeping the changes I've made to the way I eat and exercise to myself...but now it's really beginning to show. The good thing is that for every underminer, I've had two or three really supportive comments and I kind of keep them in mind when anyone tries to pressure me - I remember the really impressed tone of voice and the positive feedback about how good I look, and that gives me the strength to smile politely and say, I'm sorry, I'm just not hungry right now. The tools have really helped as well, especially the hunger scale and eating slowly. That's the way I was able to taste some fabulous puddings at a party the other day and then put my plate down after a bite of each and not pick it up again. I knew I was full.

The big trigger for me is getting home from work...that is such a trigger period. The next one is preparing supper/cooking in general. When you are in the kitchen it is so easy to snack....But the strategy there is to have a healthy snack to hand - radishes, red peppers, carrots, cucumber. Also, another rule I've imposed is not to eat when standing up. So if I really want to snack, I have to sit at the table and focus only on what I'm eating. And that has cut down my snacking considerably.

Displacement:

Reading - either for pleasure or for work
Writing - I've got a lot of writing on at the moment - a dissertation to be done by end August and a novel to be finished by end November...plus there is always planning for school...
playing with kids - either joining eldest son for a quick kickabout in the garden or tickling the smaller one.
glossy magazines...
sorting laundry - there is always some waiting to be folded or put in the machine or taken upstairs
going for a walk
phoning a friend.
dancing along to the iPod - this one really helps when cooking and I'm all set to have a nibble or a lickie.

The biggest challenge I've had is dissassociating reading and eating. For years I have eaten while reading, and quite often that has been the stuff that is bad for me...chocolate, biscuits/cookies, on the up side, apples, but still lots of apples...I think at last, I have broken the pattern.

A good day - went to a retirement party for a friend, and it was so good to see her looking so positive and optimistic about life - she's been a teacher all her working life and is planning to be in Venice on the first day of term, thinking of the rest of us heading back into the usual round of meetings and admin - oh and a little teaching too. Can't see myself being able to afford to retire at 60 (or 70!) but it's lovely when someone can take a well-earned break from a demanding job.

I also managed to withstand all the tempting little canapes and evil temptations like chocolate covered strawberries, so double good feeling. Now I'm off to cook a well-earned supper! oh, yes, and some water.

Hurray, we have filled in our tax return! Although the Belgian process is actually pretty straightforward, I can tell you that trying to work out what information they want based on the little booklets they give you in French is mind-bendingly nerve-wracking! The deadline is Wednesday, so now I can relax. A little.

That's because I have a dissertation to write, and I have to do some preliminary drafting for that extremely quickly. Sigh sigh. But that won't stop me getting out for a brisk walk in about an hour, since I'm feeling quite inspired by the Pete Day 13 message. I think my body deserves a bit of a break though, as I've done some pretty hefty cardio and weights sessions this week and certain parts of my anatomy (thighs and bum in particular) are squeaking a bit. But the good bit was stepping on the scales this morning and discovering I'd lost 1.5k. I've nearly lost 10k since April - my target is to lose another 2k over the next fortnight if possible, but I've decided I won't get on the scales again until 9 July just before we go on holiday. And then I won't weigh myself while away until we get back...but I am determined to do at least my 30 mins walk every day while away and am taking proper hiking shoes as we are headed north to Scotland for about 10 days and then the rest of the time in and around London catching up with friends and family.

Thanks to all the helpful messages - it really was encouraging and I feel less blah than yesterday - perhaps something to do with getting the last marking and reports of the school year out of the way ;-).

One of the aspects of the programme that I really do like is the encouragement to eat good stuff - the really good stuff, things that are crunchy and zingy and full of flavour. I've noticed a big change in my taste buds over the past couple of months - I don't crave the sugary stuff any more, and when I do reach for snacks, it's for things with texture and taste - 20-30 g of mixed unsalted nuts (I blend brazils, almonds, pecans and cashews) for a quick energy hit, my total favourite breakfast food, which is stewed rhubarb with low fat plain yoghurt, fish with salsa verde (garlic, coriander, basil, mint, capers, mustard, lemon juice and olive oil whizzed together), anchovies with lamb or fish, and my favourite foods of all - berries and cherries. Raspberries, strawberries, cherries yum yum yum. We've also been able to get hold of some good melons and figs recently and those are delicious with prosciutto.

The interesting thing is that I see that my husband and our two boys are also eating much less stuff that they shouldn't - even if there are biscuits in the house, they will happily forget that they are there and end up snacking on apples or nuts or (ahem, expensive taste) smoked salmon.

The thing that I always have known, but rather deliberately ignored for years was that good food tastes and feels great to eat - and all the stuff that is processed and manufactured and full of trans-fats and other rubbish - well, it is ephemeral and actually doesn't taste that good.

Last night, we were talking with friends about the kitchen gadgets you never use, and someone mentioned ice cream makers. In fact, we do use our ice cream maker a couple of times a year - and my husband makes fantastic ice creams (prunes and armagnac or mascarpone, frex) using fresh, home-made custard and fresh ingredients. And when I think of ice cream, it's his really wonderful ice cream I think back to, not Ben and Jerry's or Haagen Daz. So rather than buying ice cream, I'm going to encourage the chef to take the ice cream maker out, prep his annual batch of something delicious, enjoy it and then forget about ice cream for another few months.