Weight Loss: Week 3

Weight: Gargantuan
Weight lost this week: 4.8 lbs
Total weight lost: 13.4 lbs

I am attributing most of this week's loss to a lack of water in my body at weigh-in this morning. Craig and I finally flopped onto the couch about 9.30pm last night to watch House of Cards and I cracked open a bottle of wine and chugged it back like it was Christmas. But I am not going to feel bad about that because I've been good all week.

I feel better already but I do wish my belly would shrink. If I had the money I would seriously get a tummy tuck. But alas, I do not, so I'll have to do it the hard way and invest in some spandex knickers.

19th Anniversary at 30 James Street

When we are in England I am whisking Craig away for a night to a hotel in Liverpool called 30 James Street, for our 19th wedding anniversary. The hotel was originally the home of The White Star Line HQ, the company that built the Titanic. Bruce Ismay's office was in one of the turrets and the Titanic captain and crew would have gotten their orders there.  We are staying in the Liver (pronounced lyver, not liver) suite with balcony that overlooks the 3 Graces. There's also a rooftop bar that overlooks the city.

If I get any more excited about this trip I might just explode, or wee, or both.

30 James Street

Homeward Bound

Grange-over-Sands, Leanne's home

Booked our flights home to England last night. That's right, I said home, because I can't wait to see family and friends. Can't wait to meet my grand nieces and nephews, to see Leanne and eat a cheese pasty. To see my best friend Sue and wee myself laughing while we drink cider and hey-nonny-non on the beach at Arnside.

There's a family reunion in a pub to look forward to where I'll see one of my favourite cousins for the first time in years.  And I am setting up a romantic night away in Liverpool for me and Craig for our anniversary while my mum babysits. Oh, and we are staying a few days  in a caravan in the Lake District with friends and will get to visit Leanne in Grange-over-Sands.

I'm beginning to realise that we may not make it to London since we have so much to do in the North West of England. But I'm also thinking it's a good thing with Danny only being 6 and him being an Olympic gold medallist at legging off. I yearn to take them to the Tower of London  to see all the history and the crown jewels but I also have this picture in my head of me cursing the kids and having to tie Daniel to my waistband while he kicks and screams. So yeah, maybe we'll stick close to home this time.

I can't concentrate on anything at all I'm so excited, so how on earth will I get through the next 6 months? I need the 6 months to drop weight but I also need to be on the plane NOW, headed to my beloved Old Blighty.

Weight Loss: Week 2

Current weight: Still too fat for a roller coaster seat
Weight lost this week: 4.4 lbs
Total weight loss: 8.6 lbs

Last night was hard. I went out with 3 friends for dinner and watched as they guzzled beers, potato chips and other greasy things while I ate fish & vegetables and drank water with lemon. Of course the 3 women I went out with are slim and gorgeous and one night of indulgence is not a problem for them, but knowing I had to weigh in this morning gave me motivation.

I laughed so much my cheeks ached. During a particularly entertaining story when one of the ladies said (rather loudly) "I heard he has a huge cock!" The lady sitting next to us, having a romantic meal with her husband, burst out laughing and joined in. Ohhh, it was such a good night.

And so onwards and upwards. Will I reach my target of 10 lbs lost in February?  I hope so.

Weight Loss: Week 1

This was me in 2008, looking much slimmer than I do now. If I tried really hard I might be able to squeeze my leg into that blue top.

So I've got a long way to go but I am back on Weight Watchers (WW) again and I'm determined. To that end, I'm going to track my progress on here and hope it motivates me! Let the weight loss begin. . .


Week 1
Weight: Comparable to a WWE wrestler
Weight lost: 4.2 lbs

The weight I have lost has not gone from my stomach, since my jeans are still threatening to end my life prematurely. I was also horrified to see my enormous bingo wings this morning. Once you decide to get slim it's amazing how much fat you see isn't it.  Our WW leader said, rather too brightly, this morning "This is not supposed to be painful. If I said that you could lose weight immediately but it would be boring and painful you wouldn't do it, would you?" and I thought "Are you mad woman? Too bloody right I would!"

January: 1 Second a Day

A Hike, a Margarita & WWE

Finally the ice melted enough for us to venture outside and do a small hike. It felt so good to get some air in my lungs and get out of the house.

Cedar Cliff Falls

Mud, glorious mud

Me & Maureen. God I look big. Good job I joined Weight Watchers AGAIN

Bonky Ben

Craig organized a babysitter behind my back and took me for a meal. Just the two of us. It's been ages since we did this and it felt so good. I need to do this more. Why don't we???

Mexican food & a margarita

Last night we took the boys to WWE Raw. Actually I'd be lying if I said I didn't love it too. My cheeks were aching from laughing so much and I did some cheering and shouting along with the best of them. The boys were enthralled for 4 hours. FOUR HOURS.  My boys haven't been enthralled about anything for 4 hours before in their lives.

Rey Mysterio & Kane

Reading, Listening & Watching Stuff

Rachel Joyce is the author of the fiction book "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" which was one of the best books I read last year. I just finished another of hers called "Perfect" and I'm on a waiting list at the library for her new one "The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy". Actually I did "Perfect" as an audio book and I'm glad I did because it was heavy at times but the narrator was great. He was  a very English, theatrical man who I looked forward to listening to each day. Perfect follows a boy, Byron, and a man ,Jim, and each of their stories keep you intrigued. When I was on the last disk and nearly at my house I actually pulled into a school parking and sat listening till the end. I really enjoyed it.

My new audio book is "A Long Way Home" by Saroo Brierley. It's a true story of a 5-year old Indian boy who got lost, ended up on a train to Calcutta and then lived on the streets until he was found and adopted by an Australian couple. He finds his Indian family after 25 years and goes back to meet them. It's already got me hooked and I'm trying not to watch too many YouTube videos about his story until I've finished. I definitely see a movie coming with this story.

I love Oscar season and try to watch as many films as I can. This year there's a few I have no desire to watch : The Grant Budapest Hotel and Birdman to name two, but so far I've watched:
Theory of Everything
The Imitation Game
American Sniper
I thought American Sniper was great and I liked his character. There's a lot of negative and quite nasty stuff about him and the film on the Internet right now, mainly by people disgusted in the Iraq war and his part in it. I didn't agree with the war either and certainly wouldn't want my boys to be in the military. But the film didn't glorify the war or gloss over the nastiness of it. It dealt with the horror and then the way veterans feel when they come home.  So I liked the film and I actually watched some interviews on YouTube with Chris and his wife and brother and feel like Clint Eastwood did a good job of making the film authentic. I did have some discussion with a friend who is totally against the film and that's ok. Each to their own.