Welcome

Hello and welcome to my blog. I've been getting some thoughts & feelings, exasperations and the odd happy moment down on the blog which helps my sanity and, I hope, provides a little entertaining read for you for a couple of minutes!

Right now I am mostly concentrating on getting through a rocky financial patch which I really hope will be cleared (all being well) by the end of Summer 2013. In the meantime I need to concentrate on continuing to do well in my "new" job (actually got it in Sept 2011 but it still feels new!) and living my life as frugally as possible.

Thanks for stopping by and if you leave me an encouraging comment, it'll make my day. :-)

Sunday 22 April 2012

I Go Away For a Week and Look What Happens!

Hi there!  Well, lookie here....Blogger's got a whole new look!  At least it has on my input screen, I presume it has on yours too?  Not sure what I think about it to be honest but I guess I will just have to get used to it won't I?

So how are you all today?  Dodging the showers out there hopefully!  Hi to new followers and thanks for the recent comments as well.

So, going back to work was awful as you would expect but once I got into the swing of things again I guess it wasn't soooo bad.  I really detest getting up early though so having a long week off where things are a little more leisurely makes it even worse when things get back to normal!  I asked a friend of mine once, who is a very very early riser, how she did it when the alarm went off at such ungodly hours (in my opinion anyway!) and the answer was pretty simple.  "Well we all have to get up at some point so I just get on with it!".  Can't argue with that and I do try and keep that in the forefront of my mind on the days when I am tempted to hit snooze for that bit of extra zzz time...a slippery slope that is!

As you can probably imagine, I was happy for the weekend to arrive but I haven't really done anything exciting with it....but to be honest that is fine by me!  I had a massive basket of washing to sort out as well as the sheets & towels as ever, a frugal meal plan to, errr, plan, dinner to cook last night, chores to be done around the house and some Wii fit exercise to be carried out!

The Wii fit exercise was crowbarred into my day last Monday after a shocking revelation on some scales recently (pre-holiday time).  Although to look at me you wouldn't say I am overweight, three pairs of scales and numerous body charts all tell a very different story.  By about a stone and a half apparently!  Now, I am 5' 7" (67cm to those of you who work with sensible measuring systems) and weighed in at 12st 13 (181 pounds or just over 82kg)  on a pair of hospital clinic scales.  This is H-E -A-V-Y for a 41 year old female.  However everyone whom I have dared to confide in, bar none, have all said "No!  Really?  You don't look it!" when I made the big reveal.  So I think muscles and big old bone density (yep that old chestnut) really must play a part in this??  Or am I in denial?

I fit into tops that range from a size 8 to a size 12 and trousers which range from a size 12 to a size 14 depending on the make/brand.  (All sizes UK sizes obviously.)  So from that, assume what you will but I would hope you would assume I am not a contender for "A Year To Save My Life - Obese Special".

Anyway the scales scared the bejesus out of me because fairly slim or not fairly slim, nearly 13st is pretty bl00dy heavy and I need to do something about it.  So this week I decided to take action!  So I have signed up to an online calorie logging site (available at Everydayhealth.com if interested) and set a sensible calorie limit which incorporates a 500 calorie drop (per day) to try and lose a pound a week.  I also decided that although when the weather is good I do cycle to work, it's too inconsistent so I need to incorporate more exercise.  So that's why the Wii and the Wii Fit board have been dug back out!

I bought the Wii stuff a few years ago when I got a bonus from a better paid job and although I used it for the first year or so, it then got put away...like so much in life sadly.  But!  Happily I realised this can be a very useful tool in my war on weight so out it came again along with Wii Fit and my Just Dance discs.  I have used it 4 times since last Monday (inclusive).  I weighed myself last night and I am down to 12st 8!  So 5 pounds gone since I weighed myself just before my long week off. 

I am pleased with that and I am really enjoying the extra activities I am doing.  I love the 'step' activity on Wii Fit (though was never interested in it, in real life strangely!), love the jogging (but again you wouldn't catch me outside jogging on the mean streets!), the rhythm boxing is fun as is "Kung Fu Moves" and if you want a real laugh, try the hula hooping!  (I don't do that for too long....you do feel like a plum!)

As for Just Dance, that was made for me.  I absolutely love it.  Some are definitely harder than others but some are easy to follow but give you a great work out.  I love dancing, I always have had dance in my life in one format or another but now I can't get out dancing for real due to lack of funds or facilities (or just feeling too old to even think about going to a club for that sort of dancing!) this helps fill a gap.  I recommend it for some fun movement if you need a bit of activity injected into your day.  I have Just Dance 1, 2 & 3 and I still go back to quite a few on the first disc. 

So, that's what I am up to at the moment, trying to shed a bit of excess baggage!  Wish me luck and if you have any pearls of wisdom to offer....feel free!

Bye for now.

x






6 comments:

  1. Glad you got back to work ok!
    Good luck with the weight loss programme.We both need to lose weight but I'm afraid we have no willpower at the mo.Hols for us soon, no baring our flab though we will holiday here in this country so we cant even use that as our incentive.I wish you luck with yours and look forward to seeing how you progress.

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    1. Thanks Anne! Good luck to you too. It is not easy is it? So much temptation around. Just try & be strong and I always think it is unrealistic to never ever have the odd treat.

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  2. You can go back to your old bloggy interface, a tip I got from Frugal in Norfolk. On the top right hand corner is a cog (wheel) click on it and a drop down menu gives you the option of changing it back. Maybe if everyone does this they will realise we don't like the new one.

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  3. Oh thank you Meanqueen, appreciate that.

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  4. I changed back to the old blog interface as the new one wouldn't work on my computer at work and was a reall pain on the ipad. I just hope that they don't insist that we have the new one once the end of April gets here. Well done on making it through your first week back at work! I am trying to lose weight too, so that I look like a glamorous mother of the groom in July, so good luck xxx

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    1. Thanks Fran. Good luck too with your weight loss & I am sure the wedding will be an awesome inspiration. Enjoy choosing your outfit....in that smaller size no doubt :)

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