Getting your head in the game

So my last post was all "I'm back from my holiday, time to get back on the healthy train"  Did I do it? Nope. I will let you all in on a little secret, it is H A R D to get your head back in the game after completely letting go for a few weeks.

A problem I am having is one I know other people who have lost weight struggle with. It's the one when you think to yourself I've lost 25/50/100 lbs (delete as appropriate) and I feel good. I have worked hard and dropped dress sizes, I have received positive comments and feel better about myself than I have in along time, so I give up. I know I'm still over weight and I know I don't want to gain the weight I've lost but I just keep thinking at least I'm 23 lbs better than I was.  That is not how I want to feel. I need that passion and fire back, the motivation that got me to this point in the first place. I need to remember my goals were not just to be a bit over weight, they were to become the best version of myself I possibly can. I want to be an athlete, I want muscle and body definition, I want to lower my body fat to a healthy level. I am happy at how much I have achieved but I want more and I am going to have to work my ass off to get it.

So all that aside it's time to devise a plan. I have been walking the boys to school and back but not much else. I am becoming a pro at maintaining but I need to step it up a notch and start dropping pounds again. It's Thursday though and my automatic response to working out is why not wait until Monday, get the weekend over with first. NO NO NO Mrs F that is NOT the right attitude at all. If I work out today I can get FOUR workouts in by Monday. It won't magically transport me to my goal but it's four steps closer than if I do nothing at all! So after dropping the boys at school I will drop Oscar at my parent's, come home and workout. I'm not sure what yet but I know I want to wake up tomorrow feeling sore so I expect Jillian Michaels will feature somewhere along the way!

I am linking up with

  

and my NSV for today will be to get back to working out

After my workout I am going to attempt to do my own acrylic nails for the 3rd time. The first two attempts were not bad even if I do say so myself and I am getting better.

First attempt

 Second attempt

I will be back tomorrow to report which workout I chose and how I got on

And so I'm back - from outer space

Hi everyone, I'm back!

I have had a fantastic few weeks in France with my family and feel very content and rested. I ate EVERYTHING I wanted too, when in France you have to have copius amounts of fresh croissants, sample all the cheeses and drink plenty of good wine. I may have gained a pound or two but nothing drastic.

The main thing is how good I felt about myself while we were there. Just before I left I wrote  this post explaining how I never felt I had done enough to feel good on vacation and how I felt Mr F deserved better. I ended that post hoping I had some pictures I wouldn't be ashamed to keep and remember the fun times.  I am so pleased I made the decision to get fit and healthier when I did. It was worth every run, every aching muscle, even every frustrated tear to be told by my mother in law how strong my legs look and how I must have worked so hard to lose the weight. I felt proud of myself and I truly did feel like I was worthy of the love of my Husband. 



Me & my Princess

On a Velorail (kind of a 5 seater bike that runs on a train track)

 In the pool at night

I may have had one wine too many and was actually balancing ON the pool table

 

I have sooo many more pictures but I haven't been back long and the unpacking is a huge task.

 

I have enjoyed my break from healthy eating but I know I still have a way to go and I will not let myself pile on the pounds again. Healthy eating starts today and I am planning my new workout routine to start very soon.

 

I hope everyone else is still pushing one step closer to their goals.

It's a long, long road

Ok so today I will link up with weigh in Wednesday because I always do but there is nothing interesting to report.

 

After yesterdays post (you can find it here) I have realised just how far I have come but also that I am not done yet. I don't want to set goals for fast losses only to pile the weight back on again after I meet said goal. This HAS to be slow, steady & sustainable. So my goal of 160 by my birthday probably wont happen BUT it will happen some time on the future. As long as I keep working towards being a fitter, healthier person, everything else will come when it comes.

 

Great words of wisdom there, I'm not even sure I understand what I mean. So let's get to it

Start weight - 188 lb
Last week's weight - 165 lb
This weeks weight - 165 lb

I am so looking forward to my trip but I also can't wait to get back so I can really focus on getting my food and fitness back on track.

I am determined to reach a healthy weight, when it will happen I don't know, but as long as I get there that's fine by me.

 

Photo Phobia

Something sad occurred to me today. This is the lightest I've weighed when taking a holiday with my Husband since we got together 9 years ago.

Me in 2004 in Fuerteventura -  the holiday where we made it official!

I know that should make me happy and of course in one sense it does, I just feel like he deserved better over the years.

Florida 2005 - Our wedding - 5 months pregnant with Bailey

 I know he loves me 100% unconditionally. Seriously when they were dishing out soul mates, I hit the jack pot! 

 

Dominican Republic 2006

He has never commented on my weight and even at my heaviest he would tell me a hundred times a day how beautiful I was.

Lanzarote 2007 - 30 weeks pregnant with Jake

I have honestly never felt pressure from him to lose weight, maybe that's one of the reasons it's taken me until now to really get serious about it. Looking back, I am devastated I ruined so many family photos with my size. I was never comfortable around the camera and we have a lot less photos than I would have liked now.

Florida 2008

I just feel like he deserves to have the girl he fell in love with on the outside match the girl he knows on the inside.

 

Great Yarmouth 2009

As much as I want this for me, I want it for him, for the father of my children and the best friend I have ever had in the world

July 2010 - 38 weeks pregnant with Oscar at my brothers wedding on the beach

I am thankful he has never given me any reason to doubt myself and my appearance but I am even more thankful that I am on my way to being that girl again, for a man that truly does deserve making the effort for.

France - Bordeaux - 2011

So this is why I wont stop now, why I wont give up again. I don't just owe it to me to be that fit happy girl I once was, I owe it to the man who has stuck by me through it all.

 

I hope to come back from this holiday with some photos I feel worthy of and that I feel proud to put them on here, not ashamed

 

Egypt 2012 - This is it, the one photo out of hundreds that made me stop and decide to change my life

Okay enough of the mushy crap, back to reality. This week I am in full on holiday planning mode. Anyone with children will understand what a military operation getting ready to take them on holiday is. Washing, cleaning, packing, organising, shopping - it never ends.

So you know what's coming right? I have totally sucked at getting my workouts in. I have not been IN-active but I have not run or met Jillian for beating over the last few days. Food has been up and down but my weight is stable so I am ok with that. I am getting in the holiday spirit a little early and have been drinking wine most evenings so I really need to get my ass moving again. I also have my virtual 5K on Saturday EEEK - better get off the net and on the treadmill!

 

 Remember to Keep Pushing, Vicki x x

Smaller Size NSV

It's Thursday & that means linking up with KTJ for

 

 

 

If you are on a weight loss journey like me, you may be familiar with the in-between size syndrome I suffer from. That annoying feeling when one size is clearly too large but the next size down clearly should not be worn in public!

 

For what feels like forever, I have been wearing a UK 16 (US 14 - I think) In all honestly I probably should have been in an 18 when I was 23lbs heavier, but I was stubbornly squeezing myself into the 16's - not a good look. Lately though the 16's have been hanging off, but after trying on some 14's at Christmas I knew there was no way I'm ready to move down to that size officially.

 

This weekend we stopped by New Look & they were having a fantastic sale. They had 2 pairs of really great shorts, super cheap. Problem was they were both a size 14 and I was pushed for time so I bought them.

 

Got home and rushed upstairs then did the little eyes squinted shut, breath held move I usually use when trying on something I'm pretty sure won't fit. And would you believe they slid right up and buttoned nicely.

 

The grin on my face must have said it all as Mr F said "what's so funny?"

 

So I suppose I am now officially a size 14.

 

I know that was a really long winded NSV but I'm sure some of you can relate to that feeling of dread when trying on something new. No matter how hard we workout, how well we stick to the plan, sometimes we don't truly believe changes are happening. That is why I love this link up, my clothes are telling a whole different story than the scale and that is what matters.

 

It is important to find every other way you are changing your life for the better and use that scale number as a last resort. It is just one piece in a huge puzzle and is not the be all and end all of your journey.

I got another run in this morning (at 11 am instead of 5.30 am - I had stomach pains keeping me up in the night & I was NOT getting up to run after that!) I did just over 3K again. I did a few walk/sprint splits for variety and my legs are feeling it now!

Today's food is pretty similar to yesterday's - once I find something I like and it works, I just tend to keep having it.

 Breakfast - Ham, boiled eggs (mashed up with extra light mayo) & cucumber

Lunch - Chicken, roasted veg & fruit

And a picture of last night's chilli & white cabbage with roasted leeks and peppers

(excuse crappy lighting pic)

And....... a picture of Ruby looking really guilty about something

I will probably discover what she did later x o x o

Weigh in Wednesday

It's that time of the week again so I'm linking up with Heather for

The link up has been taken over by new hosts so make sure you head over to check them out :)

So after last weeks 3lb GAIN due to high salt, processed crap consumed while I was ill, I am pleased to announce I am back down 2 of those pesky pounds.

Start weight - 188 lb
Last week's weight - 167 lb
Today's weight - 165 lb

Just over 2 weeks until my holiday and my 32nd birthday and I'm still hanging on to that 160 lb goal.

I ran this morning and managed just over 3K which is ok considering I haven't done much at all for over a week. I still have my virtual 5K to complete which I will be doing on the 7th or 8th of June so I need to get more training in. I have decided that for the next 2 weeks, I am going to get up and get a run in at 5.30 am. That way Mr F is still home to watch the boys (if they're up, they really shouldn't be, nobody should be up at that time of day unless they have too!) I am going to try for everyday but we will see how my body takes it.

I must remember to set out my workout clothes and set up the treadmill tonight before I go to bed so I'm not rushing around like an idiot in the morning. I hope I have some morning motivating sunshine to greet me and make my run more pleasant

The view from my treadmill with the patio doors open :)

I will try to throw a few Body Revolution days in there too or at least an arm and back workout with my weights.

Today's Breakfast was more enjoyable than yesterdays - Ham, 2 boiled eggs & cucumber (no pic - sorry)

For lunch I had my pre-prepared chicken and vegetables with a grapefruit

Dinner tonight will be lean beef mince with roasted vegetables and white cabbage.

Early night for me tonight I think, having the 3 boys home on school holidays is wearing me out (and testing my patience)

Take care x x

Margate Meltdown!

I have been an absent blogger over the last few days but it was a long weekend and I wanted to spend some quality time with my family.

We had a lovely few days, on Saturday we went to a local restaurant for lunch, just the 5 of us.

Sunday we got up and out of the house by 8.30 to wander round a couple of boot fairs. It was a pleasant morning and we picked up a few good bargains. After lunch I took on the mammoth task of cutting the grass in the back garden. We have a petrol mower that moves forward on it's own so I spent the afternoon being dragged around the garden squealing!

On Monday we went to the Margate Meltdown which is a Harley Davidson Rally. Fish & chips, lots of bikes and live music and we even got to play on the sandy beach.

Fish & chips on the packed sea front

 

 

Some crazy Harley designs 

 

After that we came home and sat in the garden, enjoying the sunshine.

 

My Mum & Me

My 9 year old niece



 

Me & My Dad 

So a weekend full of family & fun - but no fitness! Today is the first day of my lower carb meal plan and hopefully my 2 - a - day workouts.

I started off today with 2 boiled eggs over spinach, mushrooms and onions.

 

I didn't enjoy this that much, too many onions. I need to think of some other ways to get in a low carb breakfast.

I am taking the boys to the cinema to see Oz the great and powerful this morning and I am struggling to think of a healthy snack to take. I may just stick to a diet coke.

 

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend too x x