January Blues? No Thanks!!

Hello Everyone, 

So January is almost over, today is the 26th- the 26th of January, today I actually can not believe it!! It seems like only yesterday was New Years Day.. 

Some of ye may be aware that I re-joined my class on Wednesday the 7th of January and I am so happy that after two weeks I have lost 7 pounds!! 

I feel really determined right now however so many times I have achieved the half a stone award and then all of a sudden the self-sabotage button in my brain goes off and I'm back to square one again!! 

So this time I need to stay focused and so I have decided that I am going to aim to lose 10% of my weight now I know that when I first heard 10% I said to myself "well 10% isn't an awful lot I won't need to lose that much weight to get 10 %" but then I sat down and did the maths and well I was shocked by just how much weight I needed to lose to get to that 10%. Some of you may be asking "why just pick 10%", the reason is very simple- it is proven by doctors that if a person loses 10% of their weight it reduces all our health risks by 50%!!! That's cutting our health risks in half, when the doctor told me I have to be honest I sat there in a state of shock, I think it took a few minutes for it to sink in what they were saying, but when I did actually realize what they were saying I was determined to get the that 10% mark and cut all those risks in half!!!

I had an appointment at a dietician a while back and she gave me a handout regarding self-control techniques for people with eating problems. I'm going to just go through what it said and maybe add in a bit of how I deal with certain scenarios! As you read them yourself just think about what it's saying and see can you make any changes to your lifestyle, you never know it might help you lose a few extra pounds!!! 

1. Limit the amount of bingeable food in the house- Always put the food in the press and keep it out of sight! 

If your anything like me I think its important to keep all the yummy treats just out of the way or don't buy them at all!, as the saying goes "out of sight, out of mind". 
We're human, we're not made of steel so if we see something nice on the table or right in front of us when we open the press we're going to want to eat it and if you don't well you should write a book or make a potion with all your secrets you'd make millions! 
So make wise choices, it will be of benefit to the whole house and the feeling of control when you make that choice will give you a boost in terms of motivation and dedication you'll feel on top of the world and feeling like you can win the battle with the bulge (and you can, I believe in you and so many around you do too, now it's up to you to jump on the bandwagon)

2. Use Foods that require preparation time prior to eating rather than food that can be eaten immediately 

Convenience foods are not good for us- they are usually full of sugar, salt, additives and other things that do not sit well with our bodies, they are handy and I'm not saying never buy convenience foods ever again because sometimes life can be so busy and we do anything to just keep up with the hustle and bustle but maybe try to start introducing more home made meals from scratch. I know one of my new years aims was to cook more, I have started, I'm not going to lie and make myself out to be a Nigella Lawson because I'm far from it, in fact sometimes I get so disheartened with myself because it takes so long to make a dinner but I persisted and I think it has paid off because I am getting quicker at chopping vegetables! Plus I think that when I prepare my food I enjoy it much more.

3. Write a shopping list and stick to it!

This one speaks for itself really. Its so easy to go into the supermarket with the list memorized in our mind and then see the special offers and bam the shopping list is thrown to the side and the trolley is full of special offers, and sometimes these special offers are not the best choices for us if our goal is to lose weight! So write a list on a piece of paper and stick to it. I have started doing this and I find it really helps to tick off the stuff as I go along but I have to admit its very hard to pass by the chocolate on offer but I'm doing well so far!!

4. Avoid Shopping on an empty stomach 

Too many times I was caught with this one, I'd go shopping starving, get stuff I didn't want, stuff I certainly didn't need usually it would be chocolate or the cookies from lidl or Tesco (God they were like little drops of heaven!!), they wouldn't even make it to the house because I would eat the lot on the way home! (I'm not proud of it but I can't change it now) whereas now I make sure I eat before going and if I feel like I want something I get grapes or something that I can have to keep me going!

5. Do not engage in any other activity while eating such as watching TV or reading.

Once again I am guilty of both of these!! I always have the television one when eating, it's very rare that I wouldn't so my goal for February is to turn off the tv when eating and focus entirely on the food in front of me

6. Confine eating to a specified place in the house

Everyone will have a different place, it doesn't matter where it is just make sure that you choose one place and try to eat there all the time.

7. Practice leaving a small amount of food on your plate

I find this very hard I have to say, I grew up in an environment where I was always told to eat everything on my plate and when I didn't it was nearly a sin so now I have to reverse that mentality and realise that it's ok to leave something on my plate- I am trying to do it and it's something I aim to work on!

8. Eat slowly, put your knife and fork down between mouthfuls.

This, like leaving something on the plate is something I struggle with, I do not eat slow, if there was a gold medal for eating fast I think I would win, but since going back to class and getting back on track I have tried eating slower- to be fully hones its not going spectacularly well, I'm fine the first few mouthfuls and then I forget myself, I look down at the empty plate and think "s**t I forgot to put down the knife and fork" but it's too late at that stage so I just try again at my next meal, often resulting in the same scenario happening ha ha!

9.Prepare a list of alternative activities incompatible with eating for times when you know that you are going to be at greatest risk.

I have done this, there is one part of the evening when my appetite increases so much it's usually around the 7.30 pm mark so now I read a book, I find reading a great distraction and now anytime I feel the munchies ready to attack I get my book and focus on that and soon my cravings are gone, reading isn't for everyone so maybe think of something else it could be painting, phoning a friend, going for a walk, taking a bath, knitting, meditating (something I want to start) whatever it may be just have it on hand for when the cravings kick in!!

10. Remind yourself of what can happen if you eat too much. Think of the long-term effects rather than the short-term pleasures.

This is so easy to do in theory but when tempted with nice foods it's hard to think beyond the food in front of you, I have started just thinking of the green dress I got on New Years Eve (I talk about it in the previous blog) and it seems to work I'm very surprised because I know for a fact a few months ago that would not of sopped me from eating the sweets so I do actually believe my mindset has changed! 

Now I'm not saying you should try to do all of the above at once, we have to remember we are only human, we cannot do everything together but I hope that at least one of the points on the list strike a cord with you and I hope you can incorporate it into your weight loss journey. I know when I got the list it took me a while to get my head around it all, I've heard it so many times but still to see it all written down something clicked with me and I knew that if I wanted to make a change in my life I'd have to change my lifestyle and the above points are helping  me so far anyway! 

I hope ye found this helpful and I just want ye to know that if at anytime ye feel ye're motivation dipping or just want to rant about a bad week or ask anything I'm here, now I might not be any good but I will honestly try my very best, we are all on the same journey, our paths might take us on different routes but we're ultimately all aiming for the one destination so never feel you are on your own.

(e-mail: littlemisssunshineisshrinking@gmail.com)

I hope ye are all getting on well in ye're weight loss journey.

A thought for the day: "Believe in yourself and you will be unstoppable"

Stay Strong,
Take it one step at a time,
Little Miss Sunshine
xxxx

First Weigh-in after Christmas!!

Hi Everyone,

This week I went back to class after nearly 6 weeks of being off! And everyone knows the longer your off the harder it is to go back!

I dreaded going back, several times on the Wednesday I was thinking "Will I or Won't I?!", I was coming up with ways of prolonging the agony i was all day convincing myself that the weather was too bad to be going anywhere (it wasn't that bad but when you know there's a scales waiting to take your weight the weather suddenly turns into a major red alert storm!)

Class was at 5.30 so I just bit the bullet and went for it, I had not been at this specific class in nearly nine months because I had to change classes to suit my work etc but I love this specific class, it's fun, everyone is so supportive and there's a lovely atmosphere at the meeting, I was nervous but when I went in people were welcoming me back and I felt so comfortable, it was this time last year I joined that particular class and I remember saying "this time next year I will be so different" well it's this time now when I should be so different but I haven't changed a bit in terms of weight but I know in terms of me mentally and emotionally I have come on leaps and bounds so I think that's a positive- I worked so hard over the past year to get to the stage I am at, I know I didn't achieve my goal weight but that's ok 2016 is my year to focus on that!

I was pleasantly surprised as I stayed the same weight over Christmas, I was so happy with that because on Instagram I saw people with various gains ranging from half a pound up to 15 pound and to be honest I thought I would be the one to have 10 or 12 pounds up after Christmas so I was so happy with my maintain and looking back I was eating more but I was certainly more aware of what I was eating and the amount of food I was eating, I also exercised so I think all this worked in my favour!

The maintain gave me a little confidence boost and I felt such a sense of optimism about my weight loss, I am determined and even if I go off track my new mantra is "It's ok, what's done is done, I'm going to start from my next meal", I find this great because usually if I went off track I would say I would start the next day which would never happen and I would go off track for a few days but now I start again at my next meal!

My last blog post was about the things I want to achieve during 2016 and they're never too far from my mind, I have to say this is the first year that I seem to really be determined to achieve these goals so I am happy about that!

My aim this year is to change my whole outlook regarding the way I look at food, I am an emotional eater for sure- I eat when I'm happy, when I'm sad, tired, nervous, excited- my whole world just revolves around food and what I'm going to eat next so that has to change- yes we need food to survive and to be healthy and well but we need the right foods and we certainly don't need to be thinking of food 24/7!! I want to change my whole relationship with food, I am going to change my relationship with food. It will take time but that's ok this is a whole lifestyle change, it's not going to happen over night! even though I must say I am guilty of wanting everything to be done in an instant, with very little effort it would be my dream to wake up tomorrow morning and fit into size 12 jeans but I know it doesn't happen like that (if only!!!!!)

It is important to eat healthy and make wise decisions, we are not on a diet, I repeat this is not a diet, diets are often very strict and this makes them very hard to follow in the long term, they're grand for a few weeks because everything is new and the weight is flying off  and its all great, but after a few weeks the novelty wears off, the weight loss slows down and the will-power decreases.
I know this because too many time I have fallen into this trap, you name it I've done it- shakes, meal substitutes, no card, low fat, tablets- everything!, with each of these diets it meant I was restricting myself of something whether it be bread, pasta, sweets, or food altogether, it didn't work, when I'm told I can't have something it's the very time I want it more than anything so this time I am going to eat healthy and have everything in moderation, I've tried everything else so I might as well give this a shot now!

I'm aware that there may be people reading this who are just feeling a little "blah" after the Christmas and the last thing they want to do is go back but please think of what a difference it would make to you, I saw something recently and I think it was lovely:

Never think you can't do anything- you can, it might not be as quick as others but that's ok chip away at it one bit at a time and you will achieve great things. Remember "ships don't sink because of the water around them, ships sink because the water gets in them, don't let whats happening around you get inside you and weigh you down" This is your journey, no one elses, so do what's best for you and only you, you will thank yourself wen you achieve your dreams and goals!!

Remember if you do go off plan "It's ok, what's done is done, I'm going to start from my next meal"

Have a good week everyone! 

Take it one step at a time,

Little Miss Sunshine xxx

2016...The Year of the Green Dress...

Hi Everyone!

Wow the last time I wrote a blog was the 23rd of August! Four months ago I can't believe just how quick the time is going! I do hope each and every single person who is reading this had a lovely Christmas and that it was all ye had hoped for and more....

I also hope that ye have had success at the scales since I was talking to ye last! 

So, the last time I wrote a blog I was doing very well on my weight loss journey, I was planning my meals, tracking everything I ate, exercising, drinking water, I had lost nine pounds in a matter of weeks, I was like a model weight loss student- I was blissfully happy with my progress and very optimistic about my future... fast forward two weeks on from the 23rd of August, my journey took a bit of a detour...

I had been undergoing tests for a few weeks regarding my thyroid as it is under active and even with medication I can not seem to get it under control, I had tests to check for certain hormones in the body, one evening the doctor rang and said that the tests came back and the level of Cortisol in my body was quite high and I would have to undergo more tests to determine just how serious the situation was,

I got off the phone from the consultant and that is when I pressed pause on my weight loss, I lost focus immediately and thought "what's the point?" I was quite naive as I didn't think about the hormone until I met with the consultant again and when I did I was completely overwhelmed by all the information I was given the next few months involved a series of tests, scans, and consultations but thankfully everything came back ok and although I have a few minor tests to still undertake in the new year the major tests have been carried out and rule out anything serious! 

Over the past few months I have had serious time for reflection.. the call from the doctor frightened me into seriously assessing what exactly it is I want out of my life and when I ask myself that question my initial response is to "be healthy and fit" and currently I am neither of them so I had to make some serious life changes and one was to give up my job. Making a big life change is very scary but do you know I believe that regret is even scarier so I just knew I had to take the risk and move on.....

Anyone that knows me knows that I feel very passionate about my job and career, I loved working as a childcare practitioner but I was five years working in the setting and I had become very comfortable and content in my surroundings, which is great but I knew that if I didn't take charge now that I would keep putting on weight and I would never get the chance to have the life that I so desperately crave. 

It was an emotional few months in the run up to me leaving work and there were times when I was seriously reconsidering but I kept thinking of the ultimate goal and I knew that it was the right time. 

I finished work on the 23rd of December and on that day I was such an emotional wreck. I will miss my work, each child that has been in my care over the past five years has taught me something, they've inspired me, motivated me, gave me confidence when nobody else did and they provided unconditional love each and every day, I have made memories that will remain with me for ever  but I am a firm believer in fate and I know that when one door closes another one opens and the day I sat in my car after finishing work, I drove home in floods of tears but when I got home I felt a sense of excitement- excitement at the thought of what lies ahead for me in the future!

Christmas came and went in a haze, it was lovely and peaceful, new years eve also came and went, it a night that I personally find very emotional so I don't make a big deal about it, I let it come and go then after midnight I watched the fireworks light up the streets from around the globe, they're so bright and beautiful and they made me feel very optimistic about what 2016 has in store for me..

Now I know that with the new year comes the new years resolutions, this year I am just writing a list of things that I hope to achieve for 2016, I plan to take a few months off so I can fully focus on my weight loss, I have no excuse now so its full steam ahead!!!

The things I hope to achieve this year are:

• I want to blog more, I had promised to do it a few months back but life just got too hectic so I'm hoping that with my time off it will give me the time to blog, I want to share every detail of my journey with you, the good, the bad and the ugly!!

• I have an Instagram account ( littlemisssunshineisshrinking- feel free to follow me!) I want to put photos up of my daily meals and post inspiring quotes daily

•  I want to plan my meals and keep a food diary each and every day, I want to drink more water and eat more fruit as I'm not really a lover of fruit

• I want to use my Fit Bit and track my progress and add that to my Instagram account, my aim is to walk 10,000 steps each day so hopefully I get that everyday!

• I want to do at least 30 minutes of the treadmill everyday as well as doing weights and doing one of my exercise DVD's

• I want to complete the couch to 5k plan as well as doing a 10k in June (I will get fit in 2016!!)

• I want to travel more, go to more concerts, go to the cinema more and just in general do things that people my own age do!

• I want to read more books- reading is something I used to love and enjoy immensely however I never seemed to have the time so reading is something I really want to do more of.

• I want to write a set of goals at the beginning of each new month and I want to stick to the goals and achieve each of them whatever they may be!

• My ultimate goal is to fit into a dress I bought on New Years Eve, it was a dress I was looking at for months and when I saw it on sale I just had to buy it! There is a catch though- it's about five sizes too small for me so my aim is to wear that green dress next New Years Eve and I will wear it!!

The above are only a few of the things I want to achieve in 2016 and I believe that this year is my year to do all this, it will take a lot of hard work and  I'm sure there will be tears involved as well as sweat and the occasional curse word thrown in for good measure! But I know that when I achieve my goal weight I will have achieved something that I have wanted my whole life and I will get there. 

2016 is not just another year, it is a new beginning, a new opportunity, a chance to leave the past in the past, its a new opportunity for us all to become who we want to be, a time for us to achieve our dreams and aspirations, leave behind all the negative energy in our lives and embrace all things that are positive... 

Each and Everyone of us right now have a choice- Do we want to become the best possible person we can be or do we want yet another year of just existing and not living the life we want and deserve?? The choice is yours and yours alone.. your present circumstances don't determine where you go they merely determine where it is that you start so take the risk today, lets all embark on this journey together and lets make 2016 a year that we will never forget

We can do this one pound at a time...

One Step at a Time...

Stay Strong...

Little Miss Sunshine

xxxx