"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!).