Big Breakfast

On Saturday we held a charity breakfast event to raise funds for The Friends of Bonou. The menu consisted of a full English breakfast with all the trimmings, cinnamon and raisin swirls, croissants, pain au chocolate, toast and fruit salad with Greek yoghurt! We were also selling home made cup cakes and marmalade. We raised £736 at the event, so it was certainly worth all the hard work and I was extremely good until about 12:00 pm when starvation took over and I tucked into the full English, followed by two cup cakes with butter cream icing and a bowl of fresh fruit salad with Greek yoghurt. (I have decided I am an all or nothing kinda girl!) I have not weighed myself for two weeks and was intending to do so on Monday morning (yesterday), but decided to leave it another week.

To de Lisi or not to de Lisi

I heard today that Ben de Lisi had design a hosptial gown that is not backless and preserves a patients modesty. However, this is not going to be available until next year. So now I have a dilemma - do I wait until 2011 to have my operation or do I just go for the white backless number and leave my dignity at the hospital entrance and pick it up again when I am discharged?

Orthodox Eating?

On Saturday I met a Moldovan who is a practising Orthodox and has given up meat, fish and dairy for lent. 40 days of effectively depriving yourself of protein, which is an essential part of our everyday diet. He mentioned that by the end of the 40 days he feels very tired and weak, confirming my view that we need to eat a well balanced diet. It seems to me that this practise is very "unorthodox" as well as being unhealthy.

Muffin Top!

....I hate that look! You see young girls wandering around with their "muffin tops" hanging over their trousers and it is not an attractive sight. But yesterday I could do up my lovely Paige jeans and was so pleased I spent the day wandering round the house with a "muffin top". At least I didn't subject friends and neighbours to this frightening sight. I am looking forward to being able to wear them out in public; just have to work on removing the muffin top!

Charitable Action

I went in to the office today. Big deal you may be thinking, but for me it is quite an event as I am home based and only go in maybe once or twice a month. Whilst making coffee I noticed a box on the work surface containing a variety of sweets. All the profits from the sale of the sweets go to Marie Curie Cancer Care. The curious me thought "I'll just have a look and see what's there." The piggy me thought "Oh! Chocolate peanuts - I love them!" It would have been very uncharitable of me not to buy a packet and enjoy everyone of those lovely chocolate covered nuts!

Cup Cake Heaven

This week I am making cup cakes. They are not for my consumption but are being frozen to sell at a charity breakfast. "Will Power" has been great: he has supported me through that moment when you bag them to put into the freezer and decide, "perhaps I'll try just one", in that misguided thought that you need to make sure they taste good. Its a recipe you have used many times before but somehow you need to convince yourself that you have not made a duff batch. The problem is that one is generally not enough for me - pig and trough come to mind.

I have made three batches now and have not eaten a single crumb. Thank you "Will Power", I appreciate your support...

"A Short Break"

I treated myself to a short break yesterday when I checked in to "Hotel Chocolat" for a few hours. I wasn't alone, I was joined by Keith (my husband) and Freya (my little granddaughter). It was my intention to maybe have one or two a day, but the chocolate is so good, it is impossible to do this. Even Freya - who is only two and four months - commented "I love this chocolate Nana, it delicious!" We checked out at about 9.00 pm...

Going... Going...

It hasn't gone yet but the "Elephant in the Room" is listed on eBay. I listed it yesterday and have four watchers but no bids yet...

"Sound" Advice

Last night I went to a sound therapy session with my daughter Rachel at the Christian Spiritual Church in Cowley - not that the venue has any relevance to the therapy, but in itself was an interesting experience. We started by balancing our chakras which was achieved by placing our hands over specific points in our body and using our voices to make sounds on our outward breath. This was followed by the therapist playing a gong. I had no idea a gong could make such a wonderful sound and my only experience of this in the past has been the introduction to Rank Films at the cinema in the '60's and being summoned to dinner.

The therapist then made sounds using a series of Himalayan metal and crystal bowls which was an amazing experience as the sound seemed to envelop and vibrate through you. She finished by singing two beautiful songs whilst playing the harp.

The result of this was total relaxation and a sense of well being. Emotional eating is caused by stress, depression, lack of confidence, insomnia, etc, etc, etc, all of which are often caused by an imbalance in our bodies. Sound therapy will apparently address the imbalances in our bodies and re-tune them to achieve the perfect balance. I will definitely be doing more of this. I may not lose weight through this method, but the sense of relaxation and well being is worth the time and money invested. For more information you may want to visit http://www.yoursound.org.uk/

Nighty, Night!

I love my bed. I am not someone who will have a long lie in, but once I am in my bed I don't want to get out again until the alarm clock goes off. It had never occurred to me that we can burn calories whilst we sleep. Sleep is restorative - it helps to repair the body, reduces stress, keeps our heart healthy, improves our memory and also helps us to burn calories and therefore lose weight. It must however be a good nights sleep. Most people need between 7 - 9 hours sleep per night, some can manage with less and some need more, but getting the right amount and quality of sleep is paramount in keeping us healthy and assisting weight loss.

I am not a good sleeper - I tend to wake up at least twice in the night and sometimes will read for an hour or two in the early hours of the morning as I can't get back to sleep. I am awake as soon as it gets light, so the amount of sleep I get in the spring/summer months, is a lot less than the sleep I get in the autumn/winter months. I always feel groggy in the morning when I have not had a good nights sleep and I now realise that my sleeping patterns, along with my eating patterns, have contributed to my weight gain.

So I am going to invest in a blackout blind for our bedroom window, try to go to bed at about the same time every night, develop a relaxing routine (mediating for 15 minutes before going to bed would be a good way to relax) and ensure noise levels are kept to a minimum.

A good nights sleep sounds like heaven to me... and I can't think of an easier or more pleasurable way of burning off calories.

Confession Number 2

"Will Power" deserted me at lunchtime. Where was he when I was offered a large bowl of plum crumble with custard? Lunching probably at a gastro pub, eating carb and fat fuelled food and quaffing large quantities of alcohol! Makes me feel better to think it...

BMI Baby

Wow - it's working and I am flying! I have been blogging for one week now and have been trying to put into practise sensible ways of losing weight without dieting and with minimum exercise. I have been eating the food I would normally eat but smaller portions, drinking lots of water, I have cut down on my intake of chocolate and given up drinking alcohol for Lent.

I am eating when I am hungry without cutting out fat or carbs or engaging in faddy eating plans: I eat what I want to eat, and will be having moussaka this evening - a dieter would recoil in horror at the thought of this.

So what is my BMI today? 25.4! This is a great start as I want to lose as much weight as I can before my operation on 29th March and I am feeling empowered!

Someone has been eating my porridge...

... and it's me and I am eating it all up. The amazing thing is that it really does sate my appetite and it got me through the whole day yesterday. I had a meeting in Shoreham-by-Sea at 1.30 pm and had to meet with colleagues in advance and just did not have time to eat. Normally, I would have been starving and would have had to eat something, (which is often a bar of chocolate and a bag of crisps when I am on the road), but I truly was not hungry and did not have any cravings.

I am not suggesting anyone should survive on a bowl of porridge until their evening meal, but this is a food I enjoy and it fills me up. It is particularly nice with sultanas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, the list goes on, so I can also include one of my five a day. The great thing is that "Oats So Simple" cooks in two minutes in the microwave and is ready by the time you have made a cup of tea!

We've Set The Date

Yes, the consultant and I have set the date. It is going to be 29th March. I will be wearing a backless white gown and he will be wearing his scrubs and rubber boots. We will be attended by an anesthetist and nurses who will be there to make sure everything goes smoothly. The venue is the Manor Hospital where we will stay for 2 - 3 days. In the meantime, there is so much to do. Being year end at work, I will be expected to bring in as much business as possible between now and the big day, I am at an exhibition on 16th March, we are hosting a charity breakfast on 20th March and helping our daughter to move into her new house next week. Stress, stress, stress = eat, eat, eat for me, but this time "Will Power" - my saviour - is going to get me through. I want to get my BMI to below 25 by 29th March and that is not impossible if I put into practise a sensible eating routine. So here we go....

P.S. I had a Homer Simpson moment yesterday, I said that I weighed more than I thought but I forgot that when I was weighed at the Manor Hospital I was fully clothed, whereas I normally weigh myself in the buff! Phew! I was running scared for a few hours...

Confession Number 1

I made some delicious cinnamon and raisin danish pastries yesterday. I was only going to have one but my will power was not working and I had four. They were mini sized so it only equals two normal sized pastries. I will beat myself with the remaining pastry as a penance (not!).

The Elephant in the Room

And no it is not me... the elephant in question is the cross trainer I bought three weeks ago. The first week I burnt off 1200 calories, the second week I burnt off 450 calories, the third week.... ummm, well we won't talk about that. It seems that my plan has worked in reverse as the intention was to increase the number of calories burnt on a week to week basis.

I decided to locate it in my sitting room with the television so that I could watch GMTV whilst working up a sweat. And there it has stayed for three weeks. The interesting thing is that Keith (my husband) has not mentioned it and neither have my daughter and her boyfriend (who moved in with us two weeks ago - temporarily I hasten to add). It is as thought the cross trainer is a taboo subject and by ignoring it the contraption will disappear. Unfortunately, it is too heavy for me to "relocate" and the subject will have to be addressed in the very near future. I may start using it again though as it appears my scales are not accurate and my BMI is higher than I thought - assuming the scales at the Manor Hospital are accurate of course. My operation is schedule for 29th March but more on that in a future post as I need to decide what to do about the elephant in the room.

Please sir, I want some more...

I think this lies at the heart of my problem, although I don't ask, I just help myself to more and more and more...

Portion control: I am working on this and having smaller portions. I am trying to eat at 25% of my normal speed - but not knowing what my normal speed is exactly, this is a guesstimate - as apparently your brain will tell you when you are full if you put this into practise. So having smaller portions should be easier. I don't think my brain has realised it is supposed to do this yet... I will let you know when it kicks in!

Lady, Will Power - It's Now or Never...

Willpower - noun: control of ones impulses and actions; self control. And I possess lots of will power. I have been described as driven, determined and focused, a starter finisher with a can do attitude. I am told I get things done and make a difference and this is an approach that I take to everything in life, with the exception of food. Food is my nemesis...

I have no will power when it comes to food. I love food - I don't eat to live, I live to eat. The odd thing is that on the whole I eat well. Fresh fruit, meat and vegetables (I love them all), I don't like sweet fizzy drinks and love water, I don't like fast food it's too greasy and rarely eat ready meals. But I "compliment" my diet with lots of chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.

My problem is portion control. If I like something I want more... and more... and more. I can't eat a square of chocolate, I have to eat the bar. I can't have a glass of wine, I have to have another.

So, I believe for my mission to be accomplished, I need to exercise will power and this is the only exercise I will be including in my mission.

Wish me luck - applying will power to changing the way I eat is going to be the hardest thing I have ever done...

P.S. I had a delicious low fat meal last night: you might want to try it http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipedisplay.aspx?id=3833

My name is Sandra and I am overweight!

There, I have done it. I have admitted to the world I am overweight. Apparently, that is the hard bit and I can now progress towards my recovery - or more precisely, fitting in to all the clothes I have in my wardrobe that groan with horror every time I go near them.

Actually, it was the easy bit! The hard bit is going to be finding a way of losing weight whilst I am unable to undertake physical exercise and will be bored out of my brain - not to mention driving my family insane - while I recover from surgery.

Over the coming months, I am going to explore ways of losing weight without the need for rigorous exercise or a strict diet. I want to take the best of all of the advice that is out there in cyberspace and make it work for me, the easiest way possible.