Here I Go Again

Merry Christmas everyone. Have a really good one and don't eat and drink too much.

Got a few quiet minutes to blog while everyones out, so this will probably be my last blog before Christmas.

I've watched "The Biggest Loser" for a few years, both the English and the American ones, and I've always watched with envy, wishing I could be them. This year as I watched the final I turned to my husband and said "Oh my God I did it. I am like them. This year I'm not wishing I was them. I've done it" and in that moment it suddenly hit me how much weight I've lost over the last few months. I'm so happy and healthy now I could understand everything they were saying and how the weight loss had changed their lives. There were two men in the final and one woman. I always thought she was gorgeous from the beginning, but at the final she looked absolutely amazing. I told my husband that whatever weight she weighed in at I was having for my new goal weight. That weight was 9 stone 9lbs. So for now I'm seriously thinking about that target. I still want to hit my original target of 12 stone first, so I'm not changing my tracker just yet

Most of my clothes now are size 16 or 14 (yes 14!!!!). Even with the loose skin on my arms (I'll explain about that in another blog) I can still get into 16's easily. I'm still driving my husband mad though because I still keep picking up size 18's. I convincd myself that the size 16 etc (or whatever smaller size I'm in) is wrongly sized and is really a size bigger!!! I went to the market yesterday and was so tempted to buy a size 18 jeans (everyone says market sizes are smaller) but I forced myself to buy a 16 and they looked very small. Even when I was pulling them up my legs I thought "they're never going to fit", but they did, EASILY and with room to spare

So that's going to keep me on the straight and narrow over Christmas. My counsellor said to me last night "do this, do that etc. don't go too mad" then she looked at me and said "I know you won't will you. I don't know why I'm telling you"

I'm having a day off Christmas day. I'm planning on having a small glass of Baileys (not the large bottle I usually drink), a full Christmas dinner with all the trimmings and a rum truffle (yes just the one). I've warned hubby not to let me stretch out the one day for another day etc. I've always had a problem with moderation

Anyway hope you all have a good one. See you after Christmas.

p.s. I lost 7lbs last night, so I'm way under 14 stone for Christmas

Sorry for neglecting my blog and not commenting on yours. I've just been so busy lately. It's my last week at work. I've got a very big family and just don't seem to have time to do anything at the moment.

I am thinking about you all though.

Only lost a pound on Friday (that reminds me to update my ticker) and was very disappointed with that, especially after being so good at the Christmas meal. I decided to have no Cambridge Bars this week to see if that would give my body a kick start. I really wanted to be under 14 stone for Christmas so keep your fingers crossed for me.

Hopefully blogging will be back to normal when everything quietens down.

byeeeeeee xxxxxxxxx

Lots of people have been asking me recently if I'm going to have Christmas lunch this year.

Too bloody right I am We go to my Mums every year and I'm really really looking forward to it this year. Although she says I can only have a teaspoon of everything

A lot of people on various forums are being very good and staying on sole source, BUT I will have been on sole source for 8 months by Christmas, which is a very long time. Most people only have about 4 stone to lose (which should take around 4 months), and if I'd only been doing it for that short amount of time I probably would sole source too.

I'm just having one day off and I promise you I definitely won't be going mad!! I know that I will be straight back onto sole source on Boxing Day, so hopefully I won't do too much damage. Last year when I went back to WW after Christmas I'd put on 8lbs so definitely don't want to do that this year

First of all I forgot to let you know that I lost NOTHING on Friday but I can live with that after last weeks weight loss

Remember a couple of months ago I was stressing over whether to go to my husbands works christmas party?? Well I did eventually accept and I went on Saturday (first one EVER!!!)

The hotel was beautiful (The Devere Belfry in Birmingham), but we were over the bloody kitchen, so at 5am in the morning we were kept awake by all manner of banging, clanging and slamming of doors!!!!

Anyway back to the party. It was a 1920’s “Gangsters and Flappers” party held in a giant marquee by JD Parties. I went as a gangster and so did my husband. I wore black pinstriped trousers, a white shirt, black tie and a pinstriped trilby. I was a bit disappointed when we met the rest of our party to find that we were the only ones in “fancy dress” and felt a bit of a pillock. I also felt a bit left out of it because all the women knew each other and I felt like a bit of an outsider, although they were all nice to me. Obviously I spent most of the night talking to men (as usual), but I’m not complaining.

Got to the marquee and suddenly I didn’t feel so much of a pillock because almost everyone had made an effort and were dressed in 1920’s clothes. When we got to our tables there were trilby’s for the men and headdresses with feathers for the ladies, and our party were soon quick to put them on.

I was quite worried about the meal as I didn’t want anyone to notice I wasn’t eating. My counsellor told me to do “add-a-meal” this week and just be careful. When the food came I needn’t have worried about not eating as there wasn’t a lot of it in the first place. Starter was “salmon terrine” which consisted of a tiny 1.5”by 1.5” piece of terrine, 1 prawn and a roll of smoked salmon. I mashed the terrine up a bit, ate my prawn and my husbands and gave him my salmon. Main course was turkey. I whispered to the gentleman serving that I only wanted veg. Unfortunately the veg was all mixed together and consisted of green beans, sprouts, parsnips and swede. As I can only eat green veg I ate 2 green beans and 1 sprout!! Didn’t like the stuffing in the turkey so ate a bit of turkey and picked the stuffing out of the middle. Dessert was a white chocolate torte. Ate two teeny bites and it was delicious. Told hubby I was going to the toilet and to finish mine while I was gone (he was very upset having to eat 2!!). So there you go, I managed to hardly eat and no-one noticed.

Got back to the hotel around 2am and everyone was hungry so the boss ordered chips, trays of toasted sandwiches and BLT’s and loads of drinks. I did eat 2 chips and had a couple of sips of wine, as I felt more conspicuous not eating in the full light of the hotel bar.

All in all we had a good night and that’s another couple of fears conquered
a – going out and b- meeting my husbands work colleagues.

I’m not counting Saturday as cheating even though I didn’t just stick to Cambridge. I’ve known about it for months and I planned everything out and think I did just fine and am very pleased with myself.

First of all I forgot to let you know that I lost NOTHING on Friday but I can live with that after last weeks weight loss

Remember a couple of months ago I was stressing over whether to go to my husbands works christmas party?? Well I did eventually accept and I went on Saturday (first one EVER!!!)

The hotel was beautiful (The Devere Belfry in Birmingham), but we were over the bloody kitchen, so at 5am in the morning we were kept awake by all manner of banging, clanging and slamming of doors!!!!

Anyway back to the party. It was a 1920’s “Gangsters and Flappers” party held in a giant marquee by JD Parties. I went as a gangster and so did my husband. I wore black pinstriped trousers, a white shirt, black tie and a pinstriped trilby. I was a bit disappointed when we met the rest of our party to find that we were the only ones in “fancy dress” and felt a bit of a pillock. I also felt a bit left out of it because all the women knew each other and I felt like a bit of an outsider, although they were all nice to me. Obviously I spent most of the night talking to men (as usual), but I’m not complaining.

Got to the marquee and suddenly I didn’t feel so much of a pillock because almost everyone had made an effort and were dressed in 1920’s clothes. When we got to our tables there were trilby’s for the men and headdresses with feathers for the ladies, and our party were soon quick to put them on.

I was quite worried about the meal as I didn’t want anyone to notice I wasn’t eating. My counsellor told me to do “add-a-meal” this week and just be careful. When the food came I needn’t have worried about not eating as there wasn’t a lot of it in the first place. Starter was “salmon terrine” which consisted of a tiny 1.5”by 1.5” piece of terrine, 1 prawn and a roll of smoked salmon. I mashed the terrine up a bit, ate my prawn and my husbands and gave him my salmon. Main course was turkey. I whispered to the gentleman serving that I only wanted veg. Unfortunately the veg was all mixed together and consisted of green beans, sprouts, parsnips and swede. As I can only eat green veg I ate 2 green beans and 1 sprout!! Didn’t like the stuffing in the turkey so ate a bit of turkey and picked the stuffing out of the middle. Dessert was a white chocolate torte. Ate two teeny bites and it was delicious. Told hubby I was going to the toilet and to finish mine while I was gone (he was very upset having to eat 2!!). So there you go, I managed to hardly eat and no-one noticed.

Got back to the hotel around 2am and everyone was hungry so the boss ordered chips, trays of toasted sandwiches and BLT’s and loads of drinks. I did eat 2 chips and had a couple of sips of wine, as I felt more conspicuous not eating in the full light of the hotel bar.

All in all we had a good night and that’s another couple of fears conquered
a – going out and b- meeting my husbands work colleagues.

I’m not counting Saturday as cheating even though I didn’t just stick to Cambridge. I’ve known about it for months and I planned everything out and think I did just fine and am very pleased with myself.

For any Cambridge dieters out there, I sampled this on Saturday and it's absolutely lovely. Very creamy.

Think it's going to be my new favourite flavour

Every year I take my niece to see Santa (we have to have an excuse now that our boys are 13 and 15).

This year Santa asked me to sit on his lap to have my photo taken

I'm quite positive he wouldn't have asked me to do that this time last year

New photos for anyone who doesn't want to trawl through the whole blog
Although I was a bit worried when uploading the first picture, didn't know whether I should really tick the box that confirmed that the picture wasnt offensive or illegal (it should be really!!)

BEFORE

FRIDAY NIGHT

One of the patients made me laugh today. She came in looked at me and said

"f*king hell. What have you done?? Have you been in the jungle as well. You look so thin"

If only I'd had rice to live on I think they should have been very grateful

Thought I would say thank you to everyone that supported me and encouraged me to enter the Cambridge Slimmer of the Year. I'm glad I did and I was very pleased to get down to the final 10. Especially as I am still a few stones away from my target.

So once again a big heartfelt thank you to all of you. Your support really keeps me motivated.

{{{{{{{{{{{{hugggggggggggggsssssssss}}}}}}}}}} to you all.

Sarah

Had a fabulous day at the Cambridge Conference. Met loads of nice people.

Didn't win but I was one of the 10 finalists.

So I got a beautful bouquet of flowers, champagne, an orchid and two certificates - one for semi-finalist and one for finalist.

Well I lost 7lbs last night and surpassed my 11 stone target for the Slimmer of the Year Finals today.

Off in a bit. Let you know how I get on. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

xxx