New House; New Low

I haven't blogged for about ten days because, quite frankly, nothing was happening on the weightloss front. I was boinging around between a couple of pounds: 15st 8, 15st 9, 15st 8, 15st 9, etc, etc, you get the picture and, really, what can I say about it that hasn't been said before?

However, after two days of not being able to weigh myself because WE WERE IN SOMERSET AT OUR NEW HOUSE (excited, moi?), I've come back to find that the Somerset air/food/who knows what clearly agreed with me. If only we could get the building work done immediately and move down there a bit sooner! Today the scales presented me with the glorious news that I am

15st 5lb - 215bs - BMI 35.8

(a total loss so far of 47lbs)

I was totally amazed and had to get back on the scale to double check, which is something I don't normally do as it tends to only lead to disappointment! But even the second time, the same figure flashed back at me. I didn't even get to see 15st 7 or 15 st 6 (although I expect to see at least one of them in the next few days when the old 'rubber ball' effect comes back with a vengeance, as it always does with me.)

So what does 15st 5lb/215lbs mean?

1) I am closer to 15st than 16st and therefore can think of myself as being 'just over 15st'!

2) My BMI has fallen into the 35s

3) I'm only 1lb away from losing half of the 96lbs I want to lose in total

4) I'm only 3lbs away from losing 50lbs

5) I'm only 3lbs away from having lost 3.5 stone

6) I'm only 5lbs away from being 'Class I Obese'

I think the one point out of the above six that really hits home is the fact that I have lost nearly 50lbs. To me, that is a HUGE amount of weight. I'm not saying that in a 'blowing my own trumpet' kind of way, I'm saying it in a '50lbs is a lot of weight' in the sense that if you heard of a man catching a 50lb fish you might think 'crikey, that's a big fish' kind of way. Does that make sense?!

Anyway, in other (non-weightloss) news: we finally completed on the house in Somerset on Friday and drove down on Saturday to pick up the keys. We then 'camped out' there for two nights with a very basic amount of furniture: garden table and chairs, inflatable mattress, microwave, met some of our soon-to-be neighbours, met an architect to discuss what can be done to make the house more appealing/suitable, picked tons of apples from the five trees in the garden, and generally had a lovely time. On Sunday we spent most of the day gadding about, firstly in Bridport where we were lucky enough to coincide with the monthly 'vintage' market, and then on to see our lovely friends R&G at their new gallery Lazyhill in Abbotsbury. Below is the chapel in Abbotsbury where R&G will be getting married in less than two weeks time; quite a location, don't you think?

Just a quicky

To say: another pound disappeared into the ether (or possibly the mattress, for who knows where the weight goes when it's no longer stuck to our frames?) overnight, taking me to

15st 8lb - 218lbs - BMI 36.3

(a total loss so far of 44lbs)

And after yesterday's blog about how I like to wear my saggy old, baggy old, comfort blanket clothes, well I was taking off a very old favourite shirt of mine just now and it ripped under the arm where the material has worn so thin you probably couldn't even blow your nose in it without it tearing. Maybe my old clothes are trying to tell me something?

Finally! And a bit about shopping.

At last! Another pound gone. Quite honestly, I was getting a little bit frustrated since TOMT was preventing me from eating more than a couple of mouthfuls at any meal and I thought the weight would be falling off. But no, it was hanging around like a bad smell until this morning when, at long, long last, the scales rewarded me and my teeny-tiny mouse-sized tummy with a loss - the first for 10 days.

15st 9lb - 219lbs - BMI 36.4
(a total loss so far of 43lbs)

This is a nice loss as it takes me into a new 'decade' in the pounds - I'm in the teens! And I'm also just 5lbs away from losing half of the weight that I want to lose to get to goal (which is a weight I just plucked randomly from the air.)

Moving on.

My clothes are really starting to look big, baggy and sack-like now, but I am loathe to go out and replace everything (much as I really, really want to) for two reasons:

1) I can't afford it

2) I don't know how long the new clothes will fit me and it seems such a waste to buy things that I might only wear for a few weeks/months when usually clothes stay in my wardrobe til they fall apart.

And actually, maybe there's a third reason:

3) My old clothes are almost like comfort blankets, I know I can pull them on and they will fit, they will cover me up and it's just easy.

I have bought a couple of new tops from eBay and one in the sale, but I'm finding it really hard to go into a shop and consider paying full price for something (except for the dress I bought for the wedding in September, but that's different) when I know (or at least hope!) I won't be wearing it for long. Isn't that odd? You'd think, wouldn't you, that going shopping for new clothes would be one of the most exciting parts about losing weight. And, it's not like I'll be able to wear my current clothes for much longer anyway, without risk of exposing myself in public when my trousers fall down, or else just looking like a bag lady with no sense of style/self worth.

The other issue I'm having with clothes (and I'm sure this is going to get worse before it gets better), is that I really have no idea what size I am. As an example, this morning I went to Fat Face and tried on two tops in size 18 which were a little too snug; then over the road to M&Co where I tried two tops in size 16 which fitted fine (but I didn't like them) and a dress in size 20 (fitted well at the bottom, but too big up top); then this afternoon I popped into Evans where I tried on a pair of jeans in size 20 which it would have been indecent for me to wear due to the snugness, and a pair in size 22, also a bit on the tight side. Then I tried on a cardigan in size 20 which was too big and the same in a 16 which was slightly too tight (they didn't have an 18.)

Before I started losing weight I kind of knew where I was - basically I could shop in a handful of shops and know that in one of them (Evans) I was bound to find something that would fit (although not necessarily something I would like) since they go up to at least a size 30; then there would be a few other shops - M&S, Monsoon - in which I could find something that would fit depending on the style/cut. But now? More and more shops are opening up their doors to me and it's SCARY because I don't know what size to pick up, and going into the changing rooms clutching a 16, and 18 and 20 is a bit weird. It's also a bit annoying to be a 16 in one shop, an 18 in another and then find you can't even squeeeeeze into a 20 in another.

Anyhoo, that's enough of my moaning for today, I know I should be grateful I'm getting into smaller clothes but, by golly, it's hard work!

TOMT

Bah.

This is my first TOM since the fill that has given me proper restriction. This is also the first time that I have experienced TOMT. It sucks. Nothing seems to be going down well at the moment, even things with which I normally have no issue. And those things that I can eat, but which need a little thought and a little extra chew-chew? Forget it.

Usually for breakfast I will have a thin slice of toast or a toasted crumpet. Tried it yesterday, didn't work. Tried it again today, still no good. Yesterday went out for lunch with a friend; had eggs benedict. Thought the poached eggs wouldn't be an issue. Wrong. Ended up making two trips to the toilet, the second in a bit of a hurry. (Sorry if TMI!) Decided to tell my friend at that point what the issue was (she was thinking I was pregnant); at least if I go out eating with her again I won't have to worry about making excuses if I need to make numerous trips to the loo.

Dinner = fish. Nope.
Dessert = ice cream. Yes. Thank you Mr Ben and Mr Jerry.

Woke up this morning thinking that the lack of food yesterday would have done the world of good for my weight. Wrong again. 1lb up. Did I say 'Bah'?

Dress. Likey or No Likey?

I'm off to a wedding in September and thought I'd better start looking for something to wear seeing as my one 'tidy' dress is now too big. Luckily the first shop I tried, Monsoon, seems to have come up trumps even though it's an odd time of year in the clothes shops - a sort of 'in-betweeny' season when they appear not to know what to stock - too late for the summery items, too early for the winter stuff.


Anyhoozle, here are a few snaps of the dress which I have bought (but not yet removed labels from - I have 28 days to make up my mind...) I was v pleased to be able to try on (and fit into) a size 20 as I am used to trying on a 22 in this particular shop (the largest size they do) and sometimes (previously!) finding that even the 22 didn't fit. Not any more! It's a maxi-dress, so it's possible that I may even be a little bit 'on trend', although perhaps that trend has come and gone in the time it's taken me to notice it was happening? The photos don't really do the colours any justice - they look a little washed out but are much brighter peach and orange shades on a black background.


Even better, I then went to the shop next door (East) and bought a size 16 (!!) top in the sale, reduced from £59 to £17. Got to love a bargain!

Three Stone Lost & New Photos!

Whoop whoop! Today the scales were VERY kind to me and reported another 1lb loss, which makes a grand total of 42lbs. Or three stone as we say over here in the UK. I've just Googled 'stone' in an attempt to find out why we use it as a means of expressing our weight, instead of kilos (urgh, so Continental!) or merely pounds. I haven't found the answer, but apparently a stone was used for weighing agricultural commodities and the number of pounds in a stone could differ depending on the commodity or even the place in which it was being sold (but of course, why make anything simple?!)

Anyway, enough of today's history lesson, lets get back to business. I'm so chuffed to have lost three stone!

15st 10lb - 220lbs - BMI 36.6

(a total loss so far of 42lbs)

And I'm even more pleased that I can now present the latest set of comparison photos for your delight and delecation. Drum roll please...... Although, before I begin, please, please, PLEASE, ignore the gormless expression that I have managed to affix to my face in every single photo (except perhaps the back shot where I probably looked serene and gorgeous.)Compared to 42lbs ago....

Another comparison shot. UGGGHH.

Here I've used the old 'peg trick' to tighten the t-shirt at the back to give some indication that I do actually have a waist...

Just one other thing. I went out on Friday evening with a group of friends I hadn't seen for a while and only one of them noticed I'd lost weight. Ho hum.

Even I'm Getting Bored Of Me

So goodness only knows what you all must be thinking. Here she goes again, yada, yada, yada, another day, another pound, blah, blah blah.

Yes folks, it's true; a new day, a new weight:

15st 11lb - 221lbs - BMI 36.8
(a total loss so far of 41lbs)

I'm liking this new number I've slipped into on the old BMI chart - "36.something". I'm still in the range of Class II Obese, but I'm no longer morbidly obese and only another 11lbs til I'm into the Class I Obese range.

I think that this latest fill might have done the trick...

Sorry it's taken me a while, but I have to thank Sam for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award - thank you, Sam!

Apparently I now have to tell you seven things you didn't know about me (although some of you probably do know some/all of these things, sorry.) OK, here goes:

1) I'm an only child. Which, of course, makes me a spoilt, selfish, good-for-nothing little brat. Or maybe it doesn't. Depends which day of the week it is and who's playing with my toys.

2) I have an MA in Ancient Social and Cultural History.

3) Hubby & I got married in New York.

4) I used to have my tongue pierced but took it (the piercing, not my tongue) out the day small boy was born as I thought I should probably be a bit more grown up now I'm a mummy.

5) When I was young I wished my name was Frances (or is it Francis? I can never remember which is the female version); don't ask me why, I was young and foolish.

6) When I was young (and sometimes now, too) I was sure I was going to marry John Taylor from Duran Duran. Apparently he's now married to the woman who founded Juicey Couture which makes me think he must have dubious taste (and also accounts for why he married Amanda de Cadenent), hence why he never came knocking on my door.

7) I read The Times newspaper (Business section) for a living. It's not as glamorous as it sounds; actually, it doesn't even sound glamorous. But it keeps my brain ticking over (occasionally) and pays a paltry wage that keeps the treat cupboard stocked to the brim (don't tell the Diet Police) and my bookshelves overflowing.

And I now I have to nominate 15 bloggers to receive the award.

I'm going to do that bit tomorrow...

The Big 4-0!

Crikey, is there any possibility that I may have caught a flesh-eating virus? Another day, another pound gone, having miraculoulsy melted away into the ether.

15st 12lb - 222lbs - BMI 36.9

(a total loss so far of 40lbs)

I've hit the 40lbs down mark!

YEEEEHAAAAW!

From now on people I don't even know will be stopping me in the street to ask if I've lost weight. Do you know why? Because I have read on countless bandster blogs, that 40lbs is the amount of weight you have to lose before people actually start to notice that you are quite literally disappearing before their very eyes!!

Up until now only one person who doesn't know about the band has commented on my weightloss; lots of people have said 'You're looking well', which I think is the catch-all comment that people make when they can't quite put their finger on why you might be looking a bit different/healthier. Alternatively, it's the thing they say when they don't want to say 'Have you lost weight?' because that means they are drawing attention to the fact that they think you need to lose weight and, obviously, that would be rude!

So, now I am just 2lbs away from having lost 3stone, 2lbs away from a new set of comparison photos and 3lbs away from a new weightloss decade - the 210s.

A Whole New World!

Today the scales registered...wait for it....

15st 13lb - 223lbs - BMI 37.1
(a total loss so far of 39lbs)

Yahooooooooooooooo! This is a brilliant thing for two reasons:

1) It's a whole new stone - I can now think to myself 'I weigh 15 stone-something'

2) I am officially no longer the heaviest member of the household! That title can now be passed on to hubby. When I told him this morning he said I still had a little way to go before I became the lightest member. Yep, that's true enough, but at the rate the small boy is going, it mightn't be too long...

Go on, eat the cake, eat the cake....

(What sort of a mother does that make me, trying to encourage my darling boy to eat chocolate cake just so I can be the teeniest tiniest member of Family W?! Quick, someone call the authorities.)

Another New Low and an SV

Yesterday the scale gods smiled on me yet again with my latest all time low of

16st 0lb - 224lbs - BMI 37.3

(a total loss so far of 38lbs)

One of the great things about this is that I now weigh the same as hubby. Fair enough, that's not the sort of thing most people would be bragging about, when you've been used to weighing a heck of a lot more than your darling other half, it makes a very pleasant change to know that from here on in he and I will be level pegging and soon, very soon, I will weigh less than him!

I'm very excited to be on the cusp of a new stone - being in the 15 stone bracket is not a place I've been for a very long time. I really wish I could remember when I last weighed what I do now, but I can't (need to check back through some old diaries, if I can find them.) It must have been quite some years ago as I tried on a dress on Saturday that I had bought back in 2007 (I think) and it's now too big (which is great, but also not so great as it was my only 'tidy' dress and now I'll need to go and buy a new one should we venture out to any 'tidy' events!)

Mum, hubby, small boy & I took a trip to lovely Marylebone High Street in London yesterday. We stopped for lunch in EAT, which was ironic really as it turned out that was pretty much the only thing I couldn't do. This latest fill really has me struggling with a lot of food stuffs at the moment, and my portion sizes are severely limited (but with the weight dropping off, I'm not complaining. Yet.) I tried to make a sensible choice and opted for the hummus and taboulleh salad; I think I managed a few mouthfuls of the hummus, about 4 olives, a couple of mouthfuls of taboulleh and a small slice of marinated pepper before I was done for and actually got a bit stuck. This probably sounds like quite a lot of food to the experienced bandsters out there who have been at good restriction for a while, but for me it seems like a REALLY small amount! I've been used to being able to eat a lot more than this, but then that's probably why my weightloss has been slow, if not stagnant! This is a photo of the salad after I'd finished (apologies for reflection), but you can probably see that the box is still pretty much full (a bit like my tummy.)Since the small boy was sleeping as we enjoyed our lunch and was still sleeping as we left we decided to head for Starbucks to make the most of the quiet time. With Tina in mind I decided to try a peppermint mocha. But the food-obsessesed side of me thought 'Hey, I've eaten so little today I probably could do with the calories so when they ask me if I want cream on top, I'll say yes.' And that's what I did. And I had a Rocky Road cake too. And guess what? They both went down with absolutely no problems at all. It seems I may have to live on Rocky Road and Peppermint Mochas....

Unnecessary photo of small boy!