Lets Get Physical

Hello again,

In exactly 92 days (not that I’m counting) Mr B and I are going to Las Vegas for a strictly parents-only trip. 5 days of eating, drinking, buffets, brunches, cocktails, pool side lounging…calories, weight. So from this point onwards, I am taking action!

I have built a plan. Yep, all good changes start with a plan.

I have done so many different diets in the past. I have done slimming world (about 10 times), calorie counting, cutting out fat, cutting out carbs, cutting out sugar, upping my fitness game, training for a 10k….just many, many different ways to remove all the junk hidden (not so well) in my trunk.

Some have worked. Some have not. The ones that have, all the weight just comes back. Usually with some additional timber for good measure.

I think realistically, I need to make a change to the way I view food and exercise overall. A lifestyle change.

I also think that I have to be ready for this change. It’s not just something I can do half-heartedly.

I KNOW that I am never going to be one of these Kale eating, smoothie drinking, marathon running women who loves yoga and detox cleanses. I just like carbs. I love the way that I get a chemical joy from a good slab of Dairy Milk. I like sitting on my sofa. I sometimes flinch when the cold outside air touches my face. I feel like shin splints could be the death of me. I don’t want my toenails to fall off because I’ve ran too much.

So, where does this leave me?

Well, I decided the biggest thing I needed to decide was how much I wanted to loose. Yes, I know, I know. It’s a life style change, it shouldn’t be about losing weight. Well I’ll be damned if I’m not going to stuff my face with Doritos and dip on a daily basis and not lose any weight. In the interim, I need to lose some timber, and the Vegas holiday is a great goal.

I’m guessing it helps to have a goal.

So, 92 days until my goal. (Got to remind myself that I've got the visit from good old Saint Nic in the middle and a fair few Xmas and NY parties to attend).

92 days - 13 weeks and 1 day.

A stone and a half? 21lbs?

About 1.5lbs a week? Seems fair enough. I imagine with the sheer colossal size of me, in the first week, I will lose about 17lbs.  So only 4lbs to go!

Joking aside, I think it is realistic.

So, I’ve got a goal. The next step is to evaluate where I am now.

My friend kindly (?!) suggested I should work out how many calories I eat on a daily basis now. I told her I thought my problem was probably how many snacks I am eating.

Well, that certainly shocked me into action as it turns out I eat about 1,000 calories worth of snacks a day. I asked her to stop her calculations at this point.

CLEARLY, if I stop eating as many snacks, I should lose some weight. It’s just basic maths. Isn’t it?!

So I’ve devised a meal plan. I won’t bore you with its details but be rest assured the snack intake is significantly reduced. Drawing on my previous knowledge of My Fitness Pal, I know to loose this much a week, I should be eating 1,200 - 1,500 calories a day.

I’ve also set myself some rules – no eating after 8pm, to have a day off a week and to go to the gym at least 3 times a week.

I think it’s so important to have a day off. A day to not go completely mental but to hunker down a good ol’ takeaway and sip a glass of chilled wine.

I mentioned the dreaded ‘G’ word there and I've gotta get serious about that part.

Mr B and I joined a local ‘leisure centre’ in August and I bloody love it there. It’s cool and relaxing and sleek and inspiring and I just love it. I feel like ‘someone’ when I’m there; someone in the know.

They made me a big fitness plan during induction so I'm all set and ready to go on that front. Well, I will be. When I actually get there.

So there we have it.

Goal. Target. Food. Gym. Day off.

I’ll keep you updated as I go.

I have snapped a quick ‘before’ pic (don’t worry I’m not in my underwear) which I may use as a comparison later on if I can bear to put my actually body on the actually internet.

Wish me luck.

Speak soon,

L xx