So after one week since rejoining Waist a-weigh I had my weigh- in this morning!! It has been a good yet tough week, and it showed on the scales this morning, I am down two pounds and I reached my first 1/2 stone loss since starting this program two months ago. As some of you know I have always struggled with my weight, from the time I was a little girl. I have tried EVERY weight loss plan and diet out there!! The last time I lost weight successfully and kept it off for roughly a year was in 2011 when I joined Weight Watchers. I never reached my goal on the scales but I comfortably fit into a size 10 for the first time since I can remember. Between college, night's out and comfort eating when I felt down, I piled the weight back on and found more pounds to add to the load on the way! I tried going back to Weight Watchers but this time I didn't see the results. I don't know why, maybe I wasn't as motivated as I was the first time but it was really getting me down. I tried slim fast diets and other 'quick fixes', but nothing seemed to work. I am one of those people who try to kid themselves that they are still a size ten when their size 12 jeans are struggling to make it up past my legs! So after I left work in March/April I decided to tackle my weight at home. At first I felt like I was doing very well with exercising and eating but the new medication I had been prescribed by my GP did not help my weight loss hopes as one of the side affects was that your body may swell up slightly. I felt like a balloon, one morning I woke up and I had just swelled up. All of my clothes were way too tight, which made me feel even worse about myself! I headed back to my GP and we agreed to try something else, which so far has been the perfect match for me! Once the swelling eased down I decided to join Waist A-Weigh in Clondalkin Village. Some of you have probably heard of this new plan. It was devised by a woman named Blanche. Blanche was a leader in Slimming World and from there, she set up the Waist A-Weigh Weight Loss group on 7th of January 2015. The plan is based on Healthy eating, calorie control and a little bit of measuring and weighing out some foods. The plan is divided into 4 Steps:
At first I really got into the plan but I was still fighting a lot of battles in counselling and I just could not find the energy to go back to class. I joined the plan with my mam, and the four weeks I missed the meetings mam had stuck to the plan and had dropped a dress size during that time! Beside her I felt huge and it made me so jealous! I am so proud of her success but I was envious! I was so disgusted at myself for not dragging myself to the meetings even when I felt low so I decided to head back last week. I decided on the Sunday that I was going back so the three days before the meeting on Thursday I worked out like crazy and followed the plan. I was so nervous going back to class but my Weight Loss adviser Andrea welcomed me back with open arms and told me the amazing news that I had not put on weight since I haven't been to class! There were no judgmental faces or any questions asked, I was simply welcomed back. This week two pounds down, I am delighted I went back. My head is back in the game and I am so determined to stick to the plan. I am never hungry on the plan and I love going to the meetings. There is a complete mix of people who are in the group, people ranging from late teens to seniors. I love the group chats we all get into and poor Andrea finds it hard to stop everyone talking fondly about our love of food! No one judges you and everyone is so supportive. We all share our recipes and new ideas on how to change up our dinners and how to use our 200 calories for treats wisely! I am really enjoying the eating plan. Although I will admit I really wanted to order a large pizza or a large 3 in 1 from the Chinese take away the other night, the plan is quite flexible that I actually enjoy it! I can have my treats and still see results on the scales. As I keep on saying, your mental Health and your physical Health go hand in hand. I am already looking forward to next week's meeting, I feel like I am finally doing something for me and I am determined this is the LAST weight loss plan I am ever going to follow! So I will keep you all updated on my journey and share my tips and tricks for staying on plan but still enjoying food and days out! If you think the plan if something that may suit you, come down and learn more about the plan.Classes with Blanche are on a Wednesday in the Maldron Hotel Newland's Cross, Naas Road, Dublin 22 and classes are on with Andrea on a Thursday at 9:30, 15:30, 17:30 and 19:30 in the Scout's Den Watery Lane, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. It is €12 to join and €7.50 each week after that! So come down for a chat and a cup of tea and start your weight loss journey! Watch this space for weekly update on how I am getting on and fee free to comment below with any questions you may have about the classes and I will get back to you! Em X
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So as promised I am finally giving you an update on my attempt to practice Yoga at home, however this is probably not the update you guys were expecting.
At the minute I am extremely busy and I am focusing a lot on my jogging and on practicing Mindfulness techniques. I have tried to fit some yoga here and there but the truth be told, I am not 100% motivated to really give it ago. I am finding that I have a lot of energy lately, which is such an improvement as just a month ago I had zero energy and took more naps during the day than my two (adorable) dogs! I am using this energy wisely, I am walking a lot, attempting to jog, sticking to a cardio and weights regime at home, meeting up with friends and relatives and throwing myself into the TEFL Course. At the moment, with all of this new found energy I am enjoying every minute of exercising which is giving me that sense of peace, escape and happiness that I was hoping to find by practicing yoga. Not only is my body getting a workout (and hopefully dropping a dress size in the process) but my head is too! During my exercise, my mind is able to take a break from all of the stress and over thinking that I usually let take over my mind. I am learning to live in the moment and just enjoy what is happening in that exact moment. I am slowly getting into a little routine which I think is helping me to focus on what makes me happy and also on living a normal(what ever that is) life instead of constantly worrying about or focusing on my mental health issues. I am finally realising that yes these issues are very much apart of me, but it does not have to be a big part of my life and these issues certainly do not define me as a person. So back to the yoga, I feel like what I am doing now is really working for me and allowing me to find peace. So for those of you who haven't found a way of escaping please feel free to ask and I can hopefully point you in the right direction! For those of you how have found something that works for you, keep on doing what you are doing, there is no better feeling than regaining confidence in yourself and enjoying something like exercise because for some of us, it has been a very long time since we enjoyed something! If any of you guys have practiced Yoga, I would love to hear from you! How do you find it? How did you get into it? How do you recommend I start? I can't wait to hear from you all! Em x |
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This is where I share parts of lifestyle which I feel help or hinder my mental health. Archives
January 2018
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