Hunger...

So, over the past couple of days I've been noticing my hunger. I'm working with a young person who suffers from pretty hardcore ruminations; where she has obsessive thoughts constantly whirring around her mind. I've asked her to *notice* if there are periods or times in the day where these specifically get worse. She had some difficulty in understanding what I meant, so I said if she was willing to undertake an experiement in the week before our next session, then so would I. Then we could each draw up a diary sheet and show each other. So since I am trying to lose weight I thought I would look at hunger, to see if there are certain periods or triggers in the day where I am hungry that I am not prepared for and how do I cope in these situations? I'm only 3 days into the week and already the results are interesting.

So, Monday, I got up really late because I has stayed up too late. I had also eaten waaaaaaay too much on Sunday evening, too late on. So I didnt have breakfast. I had a cup of tea. You know that feeling where you're so FULL still, the morning after a huge meal that you just can't face the thought of eating?? Well that was me Monday morning.

I usually have a mid-morning snack about 10:30am/11am to stave off the munchies until lunch. Because I hadn't had breakfast I noticed that I was suddenly ravenous around 9:30am/10am where ordinarily I wouldn't even think of eating until 10:30-ish. I realise that the direct link is that I didnt have brekky - but I seriously do not think I have ever paid such close attention to my hunger /eating patterns before - certainly not 'true' hunger - emotional hunger is another subject entirely. Thankfully this is not something that I am having a hard time with - at the moment....

Even after my usual yougurt and fruit fix at 10am, I was still hungry earlier and so ate lunch bang on 12, which meant that but the time I took my lunch half hour I was all munchied up and on the lookout for the dreaded salt and vinegar crisps. I succumbed to a pack of salt and vinegar M and S reduced fat - but nonetheless I wouldn't have given in if I had BLOODY WELL EATEN BREAKFAST! And then I was 'picky' - luckily I had oodles of carrotts and cherry tomatoes on which to snack in my work fridge, but a ww choc bar did creep in there too. Monday was mammoth workout day (see previous posts) and from 6pm until 8pm I was in that gym getting my money's worth! Once I got home I'd kinda gone past the point of hunger so had some porridge :) a weird dinner but I was so tired and not really hungry

Tueday I ate breakfast and was able to get through the morning much less munchily! For lunch I ate salmon with a load of roasted vegetable couscous which really filled me up until about six pm. Unfortunately I hadn't prepared anything for after 6pm - I work till 9pm Tuesdays and because there is such a tight turn around with clients, I dont get time to eat! Needless to say I was ravenous when I got home....and you know what I wanted? Cheesy Doritos and cheese on toast.

DEAR LORD WOMAN!!!!!

SO I had 2 points' worth of Doritos (leftover from the weekend which is why the demon idea popped into my tiny mind - otherwise they NEVER would set foot in my house!) and 2 slices of Roberts the Baker wholewheat bread (seriously British WW'ers, forget that ww danish loaf crap and get involved with Roberts the Baker - Asda, Tesco, Somerfield - proper big slices of normal bread for a point a slice!), and a slice of Kraft light cheese.

GOOD GRIEF!

I was craving the carby-ness of toast - and because I am PRACTISING listening to my body, I am becoming more attuned to it!

How cool is that? I am learning to listen to myself - I really feel like I learned something through this little experiment- and I will continue to do so!!

Just got in from the gym - did the exact same workout as Monday (yesterday I just did weights when I got in, in front of Jamie Oliver's America and Gareth Malone's The Choir) but I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally got in the running zone today - I didnt even look at the clock until 22 minutes in so was able to complete a 5k and run for 30 minutes. I have been trying and trying to break back through that barrier with my running, so hopefully I'm there. WOOP!!

Just eating a healthy dinner of stirfried veggies in a scechzuan tomato sauce, as I type! MMMMMMMMMMM!!

Thursday tomorrow, and the end of my working week (HALLELUJAH!) I've got drinks with the girls tomorrow night and then a PT session at 9am Friday morning - great, this will help me be GOOD with the ol' vino tomorrow night. And then Friday afternoon I am traipsing off to Liverpool One to shop for a birthday frock!

So, looking forward to the next few days, gotta just keep on keeping on. Sometimes I just don't believe that this weight will ever come off again. Gosh I hope it does.

Onwards and downwards (the scale, that is)

Lizzie aka BFP

xoxo

"Gym Jimminy, Gym Jimminy, Gym Gym Jeroooo"

Ok, so last night I hauled myself to the gym, kicking and screaming, protesting all the way, in a downright grump.

Then.

I got on the treadmill.

With a spring in my step.

With a spring in my step.

Odd.

I know.

This is me, remember?!

But you know what? I LOVED IT!

I loved it so much, that I did the following:

25 minutes running on an incline of 1% @ 9.5kph
15 minutes of fast cycling on hill programme with level 6 resistance
2000m rowing
200 sit ups : uppers, lowers and sides
3x full plank holding for 30 secs each
3x 15 pec fly with 4’s
3x20 DB chest press on bench with 5’s
3x15 hammer curls with 3’s
3x15 bicep curls with 3’s
3x15 right tricep raises
3x15 left tricep raises
3x20 lat pull downs at 25kg
3x20 pec deck machine at 20kg
6x20 front loaded squats/4 point lunges super set

Then I collapsed. Just kidding.

I felt energised, buzzing, healthy, and most importantly, for me at least, like I’d conquered my whiny inner demon ‘I don’t wannnnnnna workout’…for one day at least!!!

Obviously I can’t do that every day – that extent of a workout…can I? But the demon-conquering, THAT I work on beating every day!!!!

And having done good at the gym, I didn’t want to eat myself into a coma, so had some veggies and salmon and went to bed early.

Seriously. What’s wrong with me!!!????

I wish you all well in your pursuit of health: in both your individual and our collective journeys. May today be a day we CONQUER!!!!!!

loveloev BFP xoxo

I need to fit blogging and reading into my life again!!

Hi everyone! Man, it feel like yonks since I properly blogged! SO here is a quick catch up form the world of BigFatPie of late for your reading pleasure.

Life's a bit busy right now - always is as the new school year begins! Plus I have been moving offices and getting to grips with a slightly different role, which I unfortunately cannot talk about on the internet but suffice it to say it's challenging!

So here I am, armed with a cuppa, on Sunday morning ready to read all your blogs!




This is an extremely healthy (and, if I am honest REALLY BORING) salmon salad that I ate for dinner whilst my family were consuming their own body weight in fish and chips - see later pics! Honestly, I deserve some sort of award for exercising such retsraint!












This is very random but today my nails look like this......I am in an experimental phase....















This is a the ww lemon drizzle cake I made for dessert when we had dinenr at my parents' house last weekend....it was really nice actually and tasted like proper cake!













Ah here we are, remember when I told you I was going to my cousin's house for dinner to celebrate his Birthday? Well here we are....this is what you would call a 'chippy tea': mushy peas, sausage, white bread and butter, chips, ketchup and battered cod.....MMMMMMMMM!! I am salivating as I type! Soooo unhealthy but sooooo good!! This is my hubby's plate....










And here's hubby chowing down with the cousins....














In other food news, THIS is my new fave place! Las Iguanas, in Liverpool 1. It's a Latin American restaurant and is so fresh and lovely AND had completely healthy options on the menu!

This, por ejemplo, is a butternut squash, spinach and chickpea enchilada with low fat creme fraiche and crisped carrott shavings. TOTALLY WONDERFUL! We will definitely be visiting again...







And this, this I made for dinner and had the leftovers for 2 days running: chicken coriander with lots of veg, equally as delish cold as hot!















Erm....I dunno how that go there?! This might be a capirhina at aforementioned restaurant....











....and this may or may not be 2 slices of cake plus tea for me and whiskey for Rich that we had at the end of the evening out!!!












So my point to all this randomness is that I ate all this AND STILL LOST WEIGHT 2 weeks on the trot! I am proving to myself that I can still have a normal life and continue to lose. I am in such a happy place right now. I know there will be tough times and times when i won't be quite so 'on it' but that's when I'll be able to look back here and thinkg ' You CAN do it' - here's the proof!

So I am sorry if it seems a little self indulgent, but hey, it's my blog!!!

So that's all for now, more random ramblings tomorrow - I had a fab weekend and I wanan share the eats with you!!!

Right - the gym is calling me!!


hasta luegito!

BFP xoxo

Weekend Weigh In #2

Hello! Oh guys I have had SUCH a busy week!! Sorry for the lack of posting and commenting! I am in the middle of moving offices at work - all very sudden so I haven't been able to get online all week! I promise you a proper post tomorrow when I'll have time. Today I am cooking preparing a Chinese meal for my parents and husband tonight!

Just wanted to check in on the weight loss front, in keeping with the 'Fresh start for Sept theme'. So more on how week 2 went tomorrow- plus pics and everything! But for now, suffice it to say that.......

I had another successful week and lost 2.5lbs! That means I am 11,6.5 which is 160.5lbs! That is a total loss so far of 19lbs AND the lowest (and fittest!!) I have been since October 2006!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

So that's a loss 2 weeks in a row - and I am more determined than ever to keep it up for a 3rd week triumph! Thanks for all your support!!

Big massive love

(getting littler) BigFatPie xoxo

Weekend Weigh In and other stuff

DUDES! Hello!! Thanks so much for all your positive comments about my porky bod yesterday! You're all lovely. Deluded, but lovely :)


Well, anyhoo....just been to weigh in after the FRESH START FOR SEPTEMBER 1st first week of eating on plan and working out.

Starting post-summer weight 11,12 (166lbs)

First weigh-in.....11,9 (163 lbs) which means a loss of... *fanfare*


3 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!


WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am very happy with that for week One!


NOw I'm off to begin the day - decorating our old flat to sell and then dinner at Las Iguanas tonight with the lovely Chris and Anna and then cocktails at the Albert Dock with Han for her 27th birthday.

Happy days (and probably too mnay points so I better hit the gym too!!)

Had a post-summer PT session yesterday, and as a result cannot bloody well walk, sit, stand, move, reach etc etc today! Anyone ever used a suspension harness??!!

And with that somewhat ambiguous question, I will leave you! More tomorrow!

BIG LOVE

BFP (albeit 3lbs lighter)

xoxoxo

The dreaded 'FRESH START' pics!!!!!

Here you go folks! I told you I'd be brave (Thanks for your encouragement everyone!)Please excuse the mess in my apartment! Hahaha Just realised you can see our washing drying - how lovely! Also, please excuse how sweaty I am - I had just got in from last night's gym sesh. GOOD GRIEF running was tough! I could only do 20 minutes and then I felt like I was going to collapse! I know 20 mins is a good enough run, and it was at 9.5kph BUT even so, I was getting used to being able to do over 30 minutes and now I'm sooooo unfit again! GRRRRRR! But I did do some cycling and rowing and all my weights and core/resistance work on the programme soooooo I guess it's ok. I have that pleasant buzz this morning where you're aware of your body and muscles because you've worked them out! I also bit the bullet and texted Chris for an appointment so I have personal training tomorrow at 9am...on my day off. Glutton for punishment anyone?! It'll be worth it. I guess. No it will be. Positivity!

So there you have it, me in all my BigFatPie glory.....166lbs, 5'7" tall, aged (almost) 31 *sob*. Don't get used to seeing me like this! It won't be like this for long!!!!!! BYE BYE FAT!!!!!!!

Eating wise I was a SAINT yesterday. Day 2 = BIG SUCCESS! I got in from the gym and my calf muscles were caning me so I watched a few episodes of The Hills (I know, I know!) and did some of my fave pilates/yoga stretches to wind down. It was great. By this time, however, it was 9:30pm and I still had not eaten dinner. Could not be bothered with cooking or eating a large meal at such a late hour (I am old now, I cannot sleep if I eat too big a meal before bed!), so you know what I realised I was TOTALLY craving? (Bear in mind that as the clock struck midnight on August 31st, the UK apparently skipped Autumn altogether and went straight to bloody winter...it was blowing a gale and raining cats and dogs outside) PORRIDGE! That's what! Now, 30g of porridge oats is 1.5points but I was starvin like marvin so doubled up and had 60g for 3 points and skimmed milk all microwaved together with an apple. Nice dinner hey!! Still it filled me up and was most delicious!

So now onto Day 3. This evening is a RED ALERT as my cousin Andy has his Birthday and Rich and I are headed over to theirs for dinner, or 'Birthday Tea' as the invitation said. DANGER! DANGER! I cannot plan or control the point intake tonight so I need to stick to minimal pointage today so I can spare a few tonight. I have decided I will not have any alcohol - after my drunken antics on Sunday I need to give my body a rest, so strictly soft drinks for me! My family know about my WW following so they're usually pretty accommodating in that area, so I'm not too worried. I have had 40g branflakes for breakfast with skimmed milk so that's 2 points plus 1 for milk through the day, I've got grapes and a yoghurt for 11am and then lunch will be the leftover salad plus cherry tomatoes, carrotts and hummus and 2 crispbread for lunch. I also have an apple if I get desperate! So with the points I saved yesterday, plus those I earned exercising I should be ok. Also, it's Thursday which means the boys play football at 9pm which means we will be home by 8pm which means if I am organised I can get in a workout tonight- I'm thinking yoga - whch, again, is a good reason to say 'No thanks, I won't have cake because I've got a class in an hour and I dont want to vom in the studio!' Good hey!?

So that is the plan. I feel ok about my day. Now to start thinking ahead to tomorrow....no work=less structure but I HAVE got PT tomorrow early so I'll be up and won't waste the day, there's no bread in the house so I can't eat my own body weight in hot buttered toast, I will have paid £30 for my training session so won't want to 'undo' the good work by eating crap in the day AND I am gonna hang out with lovely Rachel, friend and WW leader and we;re going to do some organising and planning!

My focus this weekend is to PLAN TRACK EXERCISE. Weekends are soooooo easy to sack off, so I need to stick to it.

I WANT TO BE AT GOAL BY CHRISTMAS! Yikes!

That's all for now - get commenting my lovelies!!!!!

lovelove BFP xoxo

My all new fave TV obsession....oh and there's some stuff about food in here too!

Morning all! Happy Wednesday! I sat down this morning to write a post and couldn’t think of anything worth saying! But then I read some of your blogs and suddenly I am full of things to talk about…I love how that happens. But first things first let me get one extremely important thing out of the way..


Oh-emm-actual-gee….what the DICKENS is ‘The Real Housewives of New Jersey’ all about!!?? GOOD GRIEF!! Are those women REAL??!!! Bloody HELL! Total nutjobs!!!! Oh it was HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was the first episode here in the UK last night.

I got in late from counselling clients and made a weird but nice concoction of stir fried veggies in a thai green curry sauce, for 2 points, with 2 points of cous cous because it’s lower than rice and mixed it all together and halved it so I can have the rest for lunch today, shunned the bottle of wine that called to me from the fridge (yay me!) and instead made peppermint tea. At 10:35pm I couldn’t go to bed because I’d eaten so late and I couldn’t not eat because I wouldn’t have been able to sleep because I would have been famished, so there was nothing for it but to settle down and watch THE REAL HOUSEWIVES !! OMG I full on LOL’d all the way through. My friends and I were all in our respective houses watching it and facebooking all the way through which added to the enjoyment! My personal fave things are the way they say ‘bubbies’ instead of ‘boobs’ and how they all look so freakin’ PLASTIC!! It’s horrendous! Oh dear me how I LAUGHED! So that’s my new fave telly prog!! HILARIOUS!

Ahem.

Now onto more serious matters….

Didn’t make it to exercise land yesterday – started counselling straight after work so no time annoyingly. I guess I could have gone for a run at about 9:30pm but it’s dark and rainy and windy and generally being very ‘English’ outside en ce moment so I could not be arsed! Today will be different however. The kit is packed, and as you can see, is currently hanging out with my work bag and brolley for company until six pm whereupon I shall hightail it to the gym!!

Isn’t it weird how just one day of good eats can make you feel so much……healthier? Thinner? Better? I dunno, I just know that after my crazed weekend of excess, one day on plan makes me feel pretty damn good about myself. So often when I do a ‘fresh start’ I make a heinous error on the first day and then end up sacking the rest of it off! But yesterday I didn’t. Wanna know why? Because I felt like I was part of this massive posse in Blogland that was all gunning together to have a fresh start for Sept 1st…..so when I happened to think ‘ooh I could just eat some chocolate now’ and remembered that in the admin room there was a big mahoosive tin full of chocolate biscuits (and Jaffa Cakes, Jen!!), and actually went into their office and took the lid off the tin, a big waft of delicious smelling chocolate hit me but then I thought of my little blogalog friends and thought ‘No, I don’t want to do this’. So that lid went firmly back on and I walked away.

It’s mad how food plays with your mind….well, with mine anyways…. makes me behave like a crazy person....

I stuck to my 20 points yesterday, and will again today. Below are some of the yummy things I scoffed.

This salad I bought at lunch time from M&S, how yummy and massive does that look? And all for no points. Instead of dressing I added a dollop of low fat hummus and some salmon, I also had 2 crispbreads so I was perfectly full and satisfied throughout the afternoon.

Oh, I may have had a skinny latte from Nero too J Some things are worth the points! Here it is with my Tuesday ritual - lunch at my desk with Heat Magazine! I know, I am a saddo.

Today I have had branflakes and skim milk with a good cuppa (Cannot start the day without one - judge if you will!) and as I upload this I am consuming some red grapes with a strawberry WW yoghurt.

Also, check out this pic of my lovely hubby – awwwwwwww, all smart for his first day back at school…he doesn’t look too happy does he!? Mind you, neither would I if I’d had six weeks off and had to go back today!! HAHAHA. (Cute though !)

In other news, I’ve been reading the lovely Kerry’s blog (Skinny Me…Coming Soon…I still dunno how to do those linky things!!) and what she wrote about today really spoke to me. She posted a pic of herself today as she begins her FRESH START for September, in recognition of the fact that this is as far as she goes, from here on out down not up weight-wise! So I think I’ll do the same thing so I can start seeing the difference! (Sorry to nick your idea Kerry!!) My Saturday weigh in just gone was 166lbs. Not good. I don’t wanna go up instead of down. And I’ve been staying the same for a little while due to bugger all effort on my part, so NO MORE. It’s time to STEP IT UP!!!

So I’m feeling positive right now. I’ll be even happier once I’ve exercised. Got a bit in a rut with the running. I found I was caning it for 2 days flat out and then doing weights and resistance every day on top of running which is just knackering and means I spend more time having to rest because I have over done it. This is a pattern I recognise from the good ol’ obsessive days so I am being super strict with myself and only letting myself to day 1 and Day 2 of my training programme that Chris designed for me – that’s what I am bloody paying him for after all!!! Speaking of Mr Motivator himself, I think the Gods are sending me messages that I need to book a session because I keep bumping into him everywhere! Usually when I’m stuffing my face! Bugger!

Right dudes, have a great day and see you tomorrow.

Big love xoxo

Ah September, how I love thee……

Hello comrades! It’s ME!!! Back (again) from something of a summer hiatus! I really didn’t mean to skive off from blogging so much over the summer, but it just ended up happening that way, y’know?

But today is a new day, a new month, a new season. I blinking well LOVE Autumn! It is quite my favourite season. I love the whole vibe of it. The pace picks up, the weather gets a bit chillier, the nights start to draw in and, of course, the Christmas countdown begins. For me there’s something magical about this time of year. Partly, it’s that ‘back to school’ feeling, new shoes, new uniform, bag and pencil case vibes. Of course, I am no longer at school but for me this time of year retains that level of significance. The promise of new challenges on the horizon, a new routine, the lazy days of summer are over for another year and it’s time to knuckle down and get with the programme.

I feel as if I’ve been waiting for Sept 1st for a good while now…..in many areas of my life, but mostly that old chestnut of the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle (I’m not saying diet and exercise anymore…..)

To be honest, I’ve been ‘winging it’ for a while now, which has had its pitfalls as well as its successes. For example, I have been fitting exercise in here and there but not going all out, I have been counting points here and there but not massively paying attention. So today is of significance because I am cranking it up a notch…….one day at a time!! PLAN TRACK EXERCISE PLAN TRACK EXERCISE PLAN TRACK EXERCISE…….repeat ad infinitum!

Since Rich got back we have been eating out all over the show, and this past weekend was a non-stop whirl of social activity including a day spent in Liverpool at the Annual Mathew Street Festival, which is a big Beatles festival in the city,and also the Annual Food and Drink Festival at local Farm – both fab events but ones that centre around eating and drinking! Oops. We’ve had people over for dinner (takeaway and Articulate night), and got caught up with our ‘down south’ friends who were up over the weekend. And I just enjoyed myself, didn’t go too mad with the eats (though the alcohol is another story entirely - good GRIEF!) and now……..I’m done.

I’m done with messing about
I’m done with lack of routine
I’m done with being half-hearted

It’s time to get with the programme. Which of course, means blogging regularly and being accountable here. So keep me accountable, ok?!


It’s good to be back! Happy September 1st one and all!!

Lovelove xoxo