Time

 

There is a time and a place for everything.

It might be:

• time to get serious
• time to relax and unwind
• time to go for a walk
• time to meet a friend
• time to tidy up
• time to go to bed
• time to watch a film or read a book
• time to take a shower
• time to do some cooking
• time to ring or visit a family friend
• time to go to the gym
• time to go shopping
• time to make plans
• time to go on holidays
• time to reflect
• time to laugh
• time to cry
• time to pamper yourself 
• time to get through that to-do list 

I bet that nobody has binge eating at the top of their to-do list. So the next time you catch yourself finishing the cake or going on to your 7th or 8th, stop and think of the other things you could be doing with your time. We haven't enough time on this earth to waste it binge eating and feeling guilty afterwards.

I've learned that my perception of myself and how I look is completely different to the way other people see me. I am happy with what I see in the mirror so I am going to focus on that image and not the horrible photographs taken at awkward angles. I eat healthy, exercise and feel happy most of the TIME.

I also decided lately that everybody feels like a basket-case at some point in their lives. That's okay. Nobody is perfect. Don't expect perfection from yourself or anybody else.

Don't waste too much time reflecting on your youth either. The good times you remember probably only account for seven or eight days you enjoyed out of that whole year you are thinking about. I wouldn't take the struggles of my college years back (deadlines, presentations etc.) so I'm not going to yearn for the few mad parties I had either.
These are my nuggets of wisdom for what they're worth. Tomorrow I want you to wake up and find an optimistic way of looking at every problem you face throughout the day.

Sweet dreams

Surprise!

I am very motivated. I will reach the next goal. I had a small gain last week and I stayed the same this week. I wanted to pour out my frustrations to my leader. I wanted to hop up on the scale again. I wanted to make her believe I was good all week.

I will reach goal. I will indulge sometimes. I will relish the non scale victories. I will plan. I will stay in control. I will go on holidays. I will go to barbeques. I will have a healthy attitude with food. I will work hard and cope with disappointments.

I make teeny weeny adjustments every week I get bad news at the scales. This week I won't look at my phone, the telly or read while eating. I will sit down and look at my food. We'll see if being more mindful about eating prolongs the feelings of satisfaction.


There IS going to be a pleasant surprise for me on the scales one of these days. Its going to give me a feeling worth waiting for.

Yes to Love :)

Same sex marriage is now going to be legal in Ireland. I am delighted for all the homosexuals and heterosexuals getting married in the months to come. I am also slightly jealous. I am a heterosexual and I do like men, unfortunately I haven't been lucky enough to find a mutual attraction with any man. The men I fancy don't seem to fancy me back and vice versa. I want to lose weight so I can show off a fabulous figure. I want to ooze confidence and not let anything hold me back. I want to be able to look the fellas I fancy in the eye and openly flirt with them rather than putting my head down, fading into the background and feeling two foot tall.

 

Just fall back in love with yourself and you never know who might follow suit ;)

Weight issues, work issues.. Its all the same really!

So the career change is being well thought out now. I find that the people around me are the greatest asset at times in helping me get my act together. They are brilliant, until they're not. All of a sudden they're nosing into my life and trying to make sense of the decisions that I am making. They pass a comment that puts a bump in the road and it niggles away at me.
"I don't understand why you don't do teaching"
"Theres an ad in the paper here for childcare assistant, you should apply!" Gee thanks for giving me the heads up. Such a shame that that's the job I've been trying to get away from for the past two years.
Some people mean well. Others are being downright judgemental. Surround yourself with the people who support you. Continue to be optimistic and don't be disheartened. Learn to cope with the negative and pessimistic remarks without turning to food. I play the lotto now when someone annoys me about my work situation and I tell myself that that person would be sickened if I won a million euro. My luck will change some day and my work will no longer be a sore point to discuss with people. I might even win the lotto!

I am stubborn. I think risks out carefully and yes, I make mistakes. I learn from them. I don't let others tell me what I want to do with my life. I'm stronger now than I've been for years and I'll get through all this in tact.

For God's sake, please be careful with what you say to people. You do not know how vulnerable they are and the effect unkind words can have on them. We all know the difference between constructive criticism and being cruel.

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIiUqfxFttM -> That's Life by Frank Sinatra

Its one of THOSE weeks :)

Weight wise it is one of those weeks that has me grinning from ear to ear as I prepare for a weigh in tomorrow! I had a vomiting bug and I was disciplined with my weekly points.

Oh I'll step on those scales tomorrow thinking I'm cock of the walk.

 

How will I feel stepping off them?

 

Elated? Maybe. Disappointed? possibly. Devastated? NO. Proud. Proud, proud, proud. I may have to fight back a tear or two if the weight isn't down but I will keep the head up high and toddle into the talk ready for another week of weight watching and its sidekick/archnemesis: Life! ;)

 

Keep struggling and keep smiling :)

You Won't Know Unless You Try

You know when you're looking at outfits when you're out shopping and that one garment catches your eye. Its not always the price tag that convinces you to walk on by and head into Mcdonalds for a mcflurry!
"If only I was slimmer and that style would suit me". Its time we stopped with the "if onlys" and after a bit of hard work we could be saying "I can't believe how good this dress looks on me!"

I want to be buying a bikini for my holiday in August and feel comfortable wearing it. I want to wear a more varied range of dresses and dare to bare a bit more skin. Heres to discovering a new me this year! What will be the first item of clothing you'll run out to buy when you lose the weight? Hope to see ye in Penney's/ Primark very soon beaming from ear to ear!

This is my journey!

There are three types of eaters I have analysed in depth over the years!!

 

The Bear

I am among this group of savages. Every meal is a feast. I eat plenty of food until I'm full up and have stored a few pounds of fat for the hibernation that never occurs. I am now following the weight watchers filling and healthy plan. Its can be a slow laborious journey unfortunately. Its also a healthy tasty and satisfying way to eat. Diets and quick fixes never work for the bear long term. We know well why we have a weight problem.

 

The Vulture

 The vulture hoovers up whatever grub is around them. I have witnessed the vulture eat whatever food they choose and still maintain a healthy weight. Typically the vulture doesn't put too much thought into the specifics of their next meal. Anything will do. The vulture won't waste too much time checking out blogs like mine.

 

The Hamster

I had tea today with a hamster. I was starving and my friend only looked for a cupeen of tea at the cafe.  The hamsters I know are typically lighter than they look but aren't skinny either. Their metabolism doesn't seem to be the most efficient as they tend to forget to eat or don't eat enough! They are typically observed nibbling on bits of food such as half a bar of chocolate, deciding they're full and then putting the rest of it in storage. Such behaviour is completely alien to the bear who will have half of the bar devoured before the taste of chocolate registers in their brain. 

Thanks to weight watchers I have met with many fellow bears and discovered I am not alone on my journey. The habits of the hamster and the vultures are not something that i need to concern myself with any longer.

*all views expressed in this post are my own. No animals were harmed in the making of this post!