Friday 22 January 2010

Thanks and threads

Ladies, I feel overwhelmed by your messages!!!! Thank you so much for your kind words, your much needed advice and encouragement. I feel so much more positive about things. You're really brilliant. What I mean is that, sometimes, it's difficult to mention certain things to even your closest of friends, due to various circumstances. Here, I know that I'll get honest opinions, and I value that very much. So thanks again for taking the time to read this little blog of mine and sharing your views with me, I'm really grateful.

Felix, I'd love to receive some tips on snacking etc, please please send them over!! I'd considered joining WW at the end of last year, but counting just isn't for me! It would drive me insane! I need to change my entire behaviour, and more importantly need to enforce some serious portion control!


So, actions for this weekend include:
  1. go to my Saturday gym class tomorrow morning - first time back since way before Christmas, I know I'll be panting like a horse at the end, it's not going to be pretty!
  2. update my CV so it's all ready to send out to potential employers
  3. fill the fridge and cupboards with healthy snacks
  4. go for (what should become) my regular Sunday run

Bring it on!!! Hahaha!! Right, before I go mental and collapse in front of this mountain of self expectations, I'm going to show you what I've been doing on the crafty side of things the last few evenings. I've put my big knitting needles aside and picked a somewhat smaller one... Yes, I've been doing some cross stitching! To Boyfriend, it's all "knitting" but you know better! What happened was, a while back, I'd picked up these two kits from a shop. One I completed a little while ago, but the other has been taking up floor space. I actually started it last year, around November time I guess. It even nearly made it as my nan's Christmas present, but that obviously didn't happen! (It's ok though, she loved the shawl!!).

So there, I'm determined to see this all done fairly soon! Only because I'm organised like that, and I'm itching to start something else that I've actually designed myself!! I'm so excited to tell you about it, but I'll have to keep it secret for a little longer! Oh, and apologies for the rubbish photos, I haven't quite mastered my new camera yet, hence the funky mid-field focus...!

Have a lovely Friday xx

9 comments:

The Girl said...

I've got a cross stitch I need to finish before I can start anything else. I've been working on the blasted thing for over a year now! But I know I just need to pull my finger out and get on with it.

I'm the same as you though, there are things I want to start but know that I mustn't do that. One project at a time!!

Good luck in Saturday's gym class. another week has gone past and it's been another week of me finding excuses not to go to the gym. This must stop!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like your at a bit of a crossroads. Stressful, but also exciting! Just think, you can do anything you want, then, trust your intuition and you will make the right decision. I also really believe that feeling good inside your skin is a great start. I have lost weight at WW and kept it off for a number of years, and just know that it's worth the effort in the end, to feel comfortable about how I look, and then I can focus on a sense of purpose in life. Your lovely creative work could lead you to the answer(s). Good luck and my best wishes with whatever you decide!

Jennifer said...

Beautiful cross stitching. Good luck with the exercising. Making sure you have only good snacks, and no rubbish in the house is really the way to go. If there is nothing bad to eat, then you won't eat it. I always have lots of veggies washed, and cut up ready to eat, so then you can just grab some out of the fridge and start eating. No prep necessary. The black bean salsa I posted yesterday is also fantastic and nutritious. Very filling too.

Unknown said...

Sometimes, smaller like this is better. Looking good.

Have a great weekend,
Hugs,
The Garden Bell - Kate

Liz said...

Good luck with the run on Sunday. My advice is to do it as early as possible in the day, then you spend the rest of the day feeling really good about it, rather than it hanging over you like a chore.

PinkCat said...

I was at a crossroads for what seemed like most of last year. It's only know that things seem to be getting better. Just take small steps and you'll soon be back on track.

BTW, have you tried Rosemary Conley diets? I find that they work for me as you don't have to count everything just be sensible and you won't feel deprived either.

Take care. x

Diane said...

Just catching up with you and this really struck a chord with me. When I was at school, I wanted to nursing, but my parents were not prepared to support me doing this, and they wanted me to get a "job" at 16 years old. The only thing I really didnt ever want to do was work in an office - and guess what I have done all my working life - yes, office work! I got a really well paid job in an accounts office first of all, then evenyually got into training IT when that was well paid (and a company car) so it was really hard to give up the good salary. After I had kids, I just did any office work that fitted in and meant that I didnt have to have childminders (working ridiculous late hours into the early morning for a bank). Now I find myself age 50, totally uninspired by office life, but not really trained to do anything else. Keep your eye open for something that grabs your attention - do it whilst you are young - you could always supplement your income by giving private french tuition. xxxx

Felix said...

I am planning a big post about my WW adventures in coming days but in the meantime, my tips for snacking are:

1. Buy a teeny tupperware container and a bag of marks and spencers snack well dry roasted edamame soy beans. 30g of these in the small tupperware container satisfies the lust for crunchy, salty goodness...
2. If you like pickles, fill up your fridge with them and snack on them whenever you like. There are very few calories in pickles but they satisfy a certain desire for salt.
3. Olives. 30g of olives in brine is also a good snack and feels a bit more decadent and fun than fruit!
4. Grapes are a fantastic snack to have around...
5. If you buy fry-light spray oil and butternut squash, you can make chips by slow-roasting the squash and then this is also a very low-fat, high-satisfaction snack and is much better than chips or anything made from potatoes.
6. I buy those options light hot chocolate sachets and always have a selection on hand in case I lust for chocolate; it takes a lot longer to drink a mug of hot chocolate than it does to eat chocolate, so it satisfies for longer than chocolate does. I personally cannot have actual chocolate in the house, as I will eat it all in a single sitting and have no discipline around rationing it. The same goes for powdered drinks; I will literally eat horlicks out of the jar if I have it sitting around, so the sachets save me from this!
7. Jelly sweets like winegums are better to snack on than chocolatey sweets.
8. It's a slightly higher-calorie snack but if you spray oil onto wraps and then bake them in the oven with a little salt, you can serve them with guacamole and they are lush, and much better for you than crisps.
Those are my snacking tips; I have lost 9lbs so far on WW and am really enjoying it...
9. slim-a-soup or other, low-calorie soups are a godsend for filling the gap between getting in from work and having dinner.

It sounds like you have some fantastic January resolve at the moment and are really moving things along well; do enjoy the running when you do it and go easy on the lists and the rules... I find that when I want to change things in my life - job, exercise, eating patterns etc. - encouragement is the way forward.

Good luck with it all! x

jane said...

Those are so pretty! Can't wait to find out about the new project, sounds very exciting!
Hope the gym class was good yesterday and the run today if you managed it - I used to find classes were a really good way to incorporate exercise into my life, it was almost as if the fact that the class was scheduled to happen at a particular time made me feel as if I had to go just because it was a fixed point in time. Psychologically I'm not sure of the sense, but it definitely worked for me!
Hope you manage to find some snacks which work for you - I"m a terrible grazer so also have to try and make sure I've always got something healthy to hand! At the moment I am enjoying satsumas, frozen grapes (they're so good!) and muesli Ryvitas.