ABC; Easy As...

Thought I'd jump on the old ABC bandwagon with some 'interesting' facts about moi:

A) Age: officially 39, but I've been going backwards for the last few years so I'm also 34...
(B) Bed Size: Superking, best piece of furniture we ever bought!
(C) Chore You Hate: all of them, that's why we have cleaners (yes, we're a little bit la di dah, aren't we?!)
(D) Dogs? No; too much like hard work
(E) Essential Start Your Day Item: toothbrush, coffee
(F) Favorite Color: Green
(G) Gold or Silver? Silver; or platinum would be better...
(H) Height: 5' 5"
(I) Instruments You Play: played the recorder when I was at junior school - does that count?
(J) Job Title: Indexer
(K) Kids: One little tinker, male, aged nearly 2
(L) Live: Reading, UK; but very soon to be a little village in Somerset...
(M) Mom's Name: Mum, with a 'u'! Actual name = Joan
(N) Nicknames: wifey, Jus
(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? when I had my tonsils out when I was about 7; two nights when I gave birth to darling child; one night for WLS
(P) Pet Peeve: rude/ill-mannered people; bad spelling/grammar
(Q) Quote from a Movie: You had me at 'Hello'; Run, Forrest, Run
(R) Right or Left Handed? Right
(S) Siblings: Nope; I'm a 'lonely only'
(T) Time You Wake Up? Whenever darling child awakes, unless it's a nursery day in which case it's 7.15am in order to get him out the door and over there for opening time
(U) Underwear: big, black and comfy; if they hold my tummy in too, all the better
(V) Vegetable You Dislike: radish, lettuce, cucumber, almost everything that makes a salad
(W) What Makes You Run Late: constantly thinking that everything I need to do before I have to be somewhere takes less time that it actually does, and getting sidetracked into doing unnecessary things; I'm almost always late
(X) X-Rays You've Had Done: ankle; broke it at a nightclub when VERY drunk
(Y) Yummy Food You Make: Victoria Sponge; that's about it, I am a TERRIBLE cook, hubby is the chef in our house
(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: Penguin

A New Low

Yesterday I reached my new lowest weight

14st 0lbs - 196lbs - BMI 32.6

(a total loss so far of 66lbs; 28lbs to go)

I'm liking this lovely round (no pun intended) number of 14st dead. Not only that, it leaves me with exactly 2st (28lbs) to lose to get to my goal weight of 12st. The last time I weighed 12st (and at times actually 11st and some lbs) was in 1997 - that's 14 years ago, ouch!

However, at my current weightloss rate of approx 3lbs a month, I'm still some way off reaching my goal (10 months, in fact.)

Yes, I know I could no doubt ramp up the rate of weightloss but I'm so very pleased with where I am right now that I've slid into the (insert Twilight Zone music here)

COMPLACENT ZONE

In fact, I was shocked to see that I'd even got down to 14st. It's not that I'm eating lots, because my band still won't allow me to do that, but I'm not exactly eating healthily or eating in such a way that would make me feel I deserve to be losing. I am going to the gym three times a week, so I'm pretty sure that's helping, plus food doesn't have the same hold over me that it used to, so maybe I'm being a little harsh on myself.

But I'm so pleased to be able to go into most regular clothes shops and know that something (most things) will fit me (I'm now wearing UK size 18 [sometimes even 16] clothes - that's a US 12-14); I feel much happier, healthier and more confident; lots of people have noticed and commented upon my weightloss; things are good. I'm not saying I'll be happy to stay at this weight for always but at the moment, I'm very grateful to have got to where I am.

Fat Stats

Thought it was about time I put my vital statistics down on the page, if only for my own record and not because they are particularly rivetting!

Now, whilst weighing is a pretty much daily event round these parts, I've found getting the tape measure out to record the centimetres lost (I prefer to work in inches to tell the truth, but the only tape measure I could find at home when I first measured was a centimetre one) somewhat more of a chore. In fact, I've only measured myself five times in a year. Still, at least it means the loss is more noticeable!

The first set of measurements are from 3rd January 2010, just before I started my pre-op diet; the measurements after the :: are from 5th February 2011

Neck: 37cm :: 35
Upper arm right: 40cm :: 33.5
Upper arm left: 39cm :: 33.5
Wrist right: 17cm :: 16
Wrist left: 17cm :: 15.5
Bust: 121.5cm :: 107
Below bust: 106cm :: 92
Waist: 114cm :: 97.5
Hips: 135cm :: 118
Thighs: 132cm :: 114
Knee right:44cm :: 38.5
Knee left: 46cm :: 39
Calf right: 44cm :: 41
Calf left: 46cm :: 40.5
Ankle right: 26.5cm :: 24
Ankle left: 27.5cm :: 24

A total loss of 123.5cm - that's about the height of an average seven year old...

My weightloss month-by-month so far looks a little like this:
January 2010: 15lbs
February: 6lbs
March: 6lbs
April: 1lb
May: 1lb
June: 3lbs
July: 5lbs
August: 10lbs
September: 3lbs
October: 3lbs
November: 3lbs
December: 5lbs
January 2011: 3lbs

From a starting weight of 262lbs, to my current weight of 197lbs that's a total of 65lbs so far (inc. what I've lost in Feb) - that's the weight of an average nine year old...

Thus transforming me from:
to:
Onwards and downwards!

New Clothes, and an Award!

Firstly, the award. I've only just noticed that Tina very kindly nominated me for the Stylish Blogger Award; Tina, thank you very much and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to realise! Now I have to tell you 7 obscure things about myself. Crikey; could take me all night to think of seven vaguely interesting things about myself.

1) I used to have seven piercings - my tongue, my nose, three in one ear and four in the other. I took my tongue stud out the day my little boy was born (so that's nearly two years ago - time flies) because I had to go into theatre to have a forceps delivery and there was a chance it could turn into a c-section, so no jewellery was allowed. After that I didn't think a tongue stud was the sort of thing a mummy should have! Not long ago I lost the earring that was in the top of my ear when my hairdresser accidentally knocked it out while washing my hair and it went down the sink; I haven't been bothered to put another one back in. I'm now debating whether a 39-year-old should have a nose stud. I may take it out on the eve of my 40th birthday.

2) I'm an only child. Never really bothered me. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a sibling to talk to, but I've seen enough families where siblings don't get on to realise being a "lonely only" isn't so bad after all!

3) I went to a private, all-girls secondary school and loved pretty much every minute of it. I'm still in touch with several of my very close friends from the time. I wouldn't hesitate to send my little boy to a single-sex, private school (finances premitting, of course!)

4) I studied Latin and Greek at school - that's the sort of thing that a private school enables you to do that a comprehensive usually doesn't. I'm pretty sure that learning both of these languages is what has given me such an interest in words, grammar, spelling, etc. It's amazing how may words in the English language have a root in Latin or Greek.

5) I love to cross-stitch and knit, when I have the time and the inclination. I have a pattern and I have the wool to make Arthur a jumper; now I just have to put the two together.

6) I love to read. There are currently 140+ unread books on my bookshelf. At an average of 18 books a year (which is the number I've read for the past two years), that's about 9 years worth of books. And still I can't stop buying more. Obessession is the word that springs to mind. However, now that I've worked out how to balance a book on the treadmill when I go to the gym, my yearly average should be going up!

7) My first job when I was still at school was in a greengrocer's, every Saturday. In the winter it was absolutely freeeeeezing - no heating allowed as it would make the fruit & veg sad and wrinkly; but at least I know the difference between a swede and a turnip, I can wrap 5lbs of potatoes in a sheet of newspaper (that's how we did it!) and I can roughly work out how much a quarter of mushrooms is without needing the scales. What a grounding in life!

I now need to nominate 15 bloggers for this award, but I figure since it has clearly been going round for a while and I took so long to realise, most of you already have it. If you don't, consider yourselves nominated by me!

And now for my new clothes. Hubby & the small boy are up in Wigan visiting Grandma and Grandad this weekend so I've had plenty of time to myself for popping into town. This afternoon I picked up two long jersey tops in M&S (reduced from £19.50 to £12); when I went to the changing room to try them on I took an 18 and a 20 - the 18 (that's a US14, I think) fitted! Yay! Doesn't look anything special in the photos, but they'll be great, easy tops to pull on. And it just goes to show that there's really no need to avoid horizontal stripes (or 'hoops' as hubby insists on saying).

Then an even bigger and better bargain caught my eye in John Lewis (on the 'East' concession stand) - a lovely wrap dress reduced from £75 to £25, and again in a size 18. Now, I'll definitely need the Spanx pants on when I wear this, but I'm so chuffed to have a dress that will do for any vaguely 'tidy' events. Excuse gormless expression, I just can't figure out how to photograph myself in the mirror.

A New Low and Two New Highs

Firstly, my new low:

14st 1lbs - 197lbs - BMI 32.8
(a total loss so far of 65lbs; 29lbs to go)

Wow, 65lbs gone! And just 2lbs from being in a whole new stone - that is making me very excited!

The day before I got to this new low I was having a lot of trouble getting food and even liquids to go down; the band was mega-tight and I was not a happy bunny. I like to eat. I like to drink. And knowing that I can only eat small amounts as it is, when I can't even eat those amounts I get frustrated. It was hubby who pointed out to me that perhaps it was TOTM-related. It hadn't even crossed my mind, but he was right. Next day, lo and behold TOM arrived and the eating went back to normal. Isn't it funny how the band can be affected by such things? Anyway, the tightness/lack of eating got me to my new low, so all was good in the end.

And now for my two new highs.

Tee hee!

Sorry, I hope I haven't scared you all with a photo of my under garments, but I wanted you to see the difference between my new bra (above) and the old one I've been slogging around in for quite some time now (below).Sandy Lee wrote a post recently about the traumas of shopping for new bras. It was quite a coincidence as I had just made myself an appointment at trusty old M&S to have a bra fitting. I've been needing to go for a while but when I was in there the other day I saw they had a promotion whereby you got a £5 lingerie voucher if you made an appointment to have a bra fitting - ever the bargain-hunter, I was there like a shot. I can't remember the last time I was properly measured. I think I got put off by the time I went and was told I was an 'A' cup, when quite clearly this was very wrong. After that I didn't really have much faith in the ladies and their tape measures so continued along the path of shoving myself into a 38B and getting on with things. That all worked out ok until I fell pregnant; then it was maternity bra time, and then breastfeeding bra time; and then I was at my heaviest and felt no inclination to let anyone near me with a tape measure; then I had surgery and started shrinking and couldn't see the point of buying new underwear/outerwear/anywear until things started levelling out, so I just rummaged around in the underwear drawer and wore whatever felt vaguely comfortable. But not anymore!

I'm rather pleased with my new bra. I had been wearing size 38B (sometimes 40B, sometimes 40C); apparently I'm a 38D, which I like very much! The new 'uplifting-ness' has given me a better shape, not just in the boob department, but also in elongating my body and defining my waist a bit more. So, my lesson has been learned. From now on, I won't be scared of the lady and her tape measure.