So, it’s been two weeks since I posted my ”Confession is good for the soul” post about my battle with weight loss.  I can’t say I’d have predicted the out-pour of feedback I got from it, or the number of hits the post would received.

I guess, even now, the subjects of weight issues, diet, healthy eating etc are all still somewhat taboo subjects, so when someone addresses the issue, people realise that there are other people out there with similar skeletons in their closets, they are not alone.

Following that blog post, I received a few messages, thanking me for my frank writing about my own issues…

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Hey Las,

Just wanted to drop a wee msg to say ‘thanks’ for your blog on your weight-loss challenge.

It was a real eye-opener for me.  I have been struggling with my weight for more years than I can count and still I can’t seem to manage to get motivation to make the change.
Your frank and honest detailing made me sit up and realise I’m not alone.

I can’t say I’m going to swap every meal for fruit starting this second but it made me feel a bit more human and to stop being so hard on myself.

Thanks 🙂

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I am so proud of you. Your story is inspiring me get by booty moving again. You are an amazing, beautiful person and you will achieve your goals. Thank you very much for writing that piece.

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Feel every word of it with you xx

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I love reading your blogs Las, you will get to all of your goals, I believe you will, you’re an amazing person x

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I’m still eating as well as I can, trying to make the right food and exercise choices daily.  It’s a struggle.  I still have my treats, I still bake and I still eat out – as I say every time I get back on the wagon – I refuse to put myself through hell and rabbit food, just to lose weight.

Ok, I don’t like myself, ok I’m not happy with how I look, however, I love food.  If I get hit by a bus tomorrow, I don’t want to have ‘suffered’ and stopped myself from eating things I love to eat.

If I want cheese, I’ll eat cheese, if I want crisps I eat crisps.

Everything in moderation – otherwise it’s not maintainable for me.

If I cut out ‘bad’ things permanently, it won’t be permanent.

In a few weeks, a month, maybe even a few months (if I’m lucky to last that long!) I’ll crave something I love and cave.

It’s then a fast, downward spiral from there.

If I still indulge in the things I love, I find that I am a LOT more likely to stick at it.

It’s not a diet.  It’s a life change.

I have changed from eating a block of cheese, to being satisfied with a slice or two.

I have changed from eating a 6 pack of crisps (ok, maybe not all 6 at once! but come on ladies, admit it, you’ve done this before too!), to being satisfied with one packet every now and then.

I have changed from eating out five or more times a week, to once, maybe twice if there’s a lunch with friends – and being more aware of what I order when I DO eat out.

If I do pick something unhealthy, I just compensate over the course of that day, or the following few days, to make up for my indulgence.

I track (or, at least used to, I admit I’ve gotten lax with my tracking lately!) everything I eat on myfitnesspal (I’m icemaiden013 on there if you want to add me!).

For the most part, I’ve gotten my water consumption up to an average ~3lrs/day but aim for 3.5lrs/day.

I’m attending at least two Body Attack classes per week (am in the process of trying to kick that up to three, or adding a Body Step class in to the mix – even in spite of my busted calf which still hasn’t healed from Iowa and is slowing me down a bit!)

For those of you who don’t know what Body Attack is, check it out here.

I can’t say it’s been easy.  Sunday, for example, Magz and Sam were down and it was hard to leave to go workout with friends around to hang out.  But I did it and both Col and Magz gave me props for doing so – and I felt better when I’d finished.

I have downloaded the ‘Couch to 5K’ ap for my ‘droid and am procrastinating daily.  Haven’t yet started it, in spite of it only taking up 30 mintues 3 times a week.  Oy!

Two weeks on since my post and I still haven’t stepped on the scales or picked up a tape measure (I’ve not weighed-in since I started exercising).

This has probably been the hardest part for me.

I’m used to 2 weigh-ins a week (one mid-week on Monday, to show me how I’m doing and whether I’m on track for a 1-2lb loss and as a result, whether I need to work harder! And the other one on Thursday as my weekly weigh-in).

Magz has outlawed weigh-ins (as with exercising, the scale isn’t always reflective of the changes), she’s also said no to measuring myself.  As a result, it’s hard to track any progress I’m making (she says to use an old T-shirt that doesn’t fit, but will end up fitting).

The only thing I have to go by, is my friend Crystal, who hasn’t seen me in a month, said to me yesterday that she can see a difference and I’m looking good.

That was a big moment for me!

At the moment, I’m putting faith in science and the experts, regular exercise, eating healthily, combined with a huge dose of will-power, self belief and some fantastic support at home from Col and from my friends and hope that it’ll be enough – not to lose weight, but to get healthy.

I think that’s the biggest lesson I’m trying to learn, because until now, it’s always been about the numbers…

However, it’s not about the numbers on the scale, it’s about being unhealthy – and right now, I’m trying to keep that goal in mind, every single day!