Food Diary

Breakfast
3 x Weetabix with skimmed milk
Cup of Tea made with skimmed milk
Lunch
Egg Salad (pictured)

A few(!) Quality Streets
Chocolate Ice Cream
Pint of Water
Dinner

Chicken Jambalaya (pictured)

Home-made Fairy Cake(s!)

Snacks

4 x Tea with skimmed milk
1.5 pints water

Exercise

45 minute walk

Stats for the day

Daily calorie allowance - 1595
Exercise calories earned - 122
Total calorie allowance - 1717
Calories consumed - 2263
Calories over quota - 546
Calories to maintain current weight - 2595
Fruit & Veg portions - 10

Thoughts on the day

Ok so there were chocolates, ice-cream, and cake. Not the most positive of days I'll admit but I tracked and I'm below my maintenence calories. It's still the awkward bit between Christmas and New Year where the naughty treats are still lurking about but they'll be gone by the new year (probably cuz I'll have eaten them - heh heh). Plus did a small amount of exercise!

On the job front, I had a telephone interview this morning for an insurance company. It sounds really interesting but is quite a bit less moolah then my previous job, and the lady who conducted the interview kept going back to that. I guess they worry that if they were to take me on I'd leave as soon as something better paid came along. But I guess that's a risk for anyone no? Anyway, fingers crossed she calls next week to say I'm through to a 'proper' interview stage.

100lbs to go

Wow. That looks like a lot. And it is.

I currently weigh 16 stone 2lbs, 226lbs or 102kg. Whichever way you look at it, it's a lot. My BMI is 37, when it should be between 20-25. My highest weight should be around 10 stone 13lbs, 153lbs or 69kg.

I'm using a website called Weightlossresources to help me calorie count my weigh to a healthier weight. I must admit it's one I've tried before (along with Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Cambridge, Lighter Life etc) but this time I've signed up for the year, and I plan on getting the most (loss!) out of my money!

I plan to break down my goals so that it's a bit more manageable (a bit like GCSE Bitesize!) - therefore my targets are as follows:

16/02/2012 - Reach 15 stone 2lbs/212lbs/96kg
05/04/2012 - Reach 14 stone 2lbs/198lbs/89kg
24/05/2012 - Reach 13 stone 2lbs/184lbs/83kg
12/07/2012 - Reach 12 stone 2lbs/170lbs/77kg
30/08/2012 - Reach 11 stone 2lbs/156lbs/70kg
18/10/2012 - Reach 10 stones 2lbs/142lbs/64kg
06/12/2012 - Reach 9 stone 2lbs/128/58kg

This is based on a rate of loss of 2lb per week. Less sugar, more fruit and veg, a more 'clean' style of eating combined with exercise 3 times a week should make this a manageable target.

At the moment my daily calorie allowance is 1595.

Wish me luck!

A weighty issue

My problems with food began at an early age as previously mentioned. As a child, my parents were pretty strict on what I consumed once they noticed I was getting 'tubby', but on a weekend I would stay at my nan's, who would allow me to have a limitless supply of biscuits and chocolate, so any progress made during the week went out of the window!

As I mentioned in my previous post, there is no-one to blame for my current weight but me. My parents tried their best to curb my eating, get me to exercise and at times headway was made. In 2001 I went on a school trip to Kenya and trained hard with my dad to be able to climb Mount Kenya, which I did. But I was still overweight.

In 2003 I started weight watchers and was quite successful, losing over 3 stone. But gradually since then I've never really been able to stick to anything, and it's almost embarrassing now to say I'm embarking on a new healthy regime, as most people have heard it all before.

There's an awful lot of hostility out there for those of us who carry a lot of junk in the trunk. To a certain extent I understand people's issues. The drain on the NHS being quite a valid concern. We're up there with smokers on that score for certain people. And the fashion industry does its utmost to get people, especially women, to conform to certain ideals. To a certain extent the ranges for plus size are getting better, ASOS being at the forefront I'd say, and there are an awful lot of bloggers out there putting pressure on the high street to up the ante on the fashion front, and to this I couldn't agree more. No-one should be made to feel like they aren't worth the effort. I only wish the ranges that are out there now had been available when I was a teenager! Nothing like feeling like an outsider in your wide legged black trousers and flowing pink top, whilst the rest of your friends are in short skirts and tight tops!

But for me, I want to journey to a healthier version of myself because I'm sick of the everyday stresses that I have with being fat.

I hate worrying that I'm squishing people when I'm travelling in a car when there are three of us in the back. I hate going on planes and being uncomfortable in the seats (what a fun flight back from Australia that was last week!). I hate lying down in bed and finding my breathing is more difficult. I hate that my knee starts to act up when going up and down stairs. I hate the anxiety that I've felt, particularly in the last year, when meeting new people, getting on boats, being a bridesmaid, having a leaving party, eating in front of people, going food shopping etc etc etc!!!

This is my own personal journey. It's not me getting on the fatbashing bandwagon, it's me realising that if my dad can have a heart attack when he's an active mountain biker, a healthy eater and a healthy weight, what could happen not so far down the line for me if I'm already experiencing health issues when I'm only 26?!

It's time to curb this once and for all. And this time, I do mean it.

Welcome!

My name is Trudie and I'll be blogging with you over the next 3 years and 8 months! 2012 is just around the corner and I've reached what I believe to be a crossroads in my life, though at this precise moment I'm not sure if it is even a crossroads...

I'm 26 and have just returned from 3 months travelling around South East Asia and Australia - you can read more about that adventure here: http://awaywego1985.wordpress.com/

In order to embark on the trip I left my stable, well paid (if not slightly dissatisfying) job with a major UK bank (boo, hiss!!!), packed up the small 'but we love it cuz it's ours' flat I shared with my boyfriend and got on a flight to Bangkok. The adventure that we thought would last 14 months ended after 3 due to various reasons such as a dwindling of funds, an inability to find a job in Australia (at least on my part!) and a feeling that we were just carrying on to save face.

Now we've been back for 5 days the reality of the situation is starting to sink in. We need to find work, but obviously in this current climate that's easier said than done. I guess this blog will document that search and how it progresses.

Another aspect of it will be my own journey to a healthier version of myself. Since around the age of 5 I've been overweight, the reasons for which I'd love to say are routed in some deep psychological problem or a bad childhood. Neither of these things would be true though. The fact is I eat too much, exercise to little and whilst I have a grim determination with certain aspects of my life, this is the one hurdle I continuously allow myself to fail on.

I would love to know how it feels to be thin. I'm sure that sounds vein but it's true. A big part (excuse the pun!) of me wants to lose weight so I can look better. But lately I've become more aware of the health issues concerned with being obese (as I am, unfortunately), and somethings got to give. Most likely my love of all things sweet! I'm seriously considering eliminating sugar from the diet in the new year, but this may have to be a gradual thing given my dependence!

So that's me. Well, the parts of me I'll be blogging about at least!

Nice to meet you, now let's crack on!