You Owe It To Your Loved Ones To Get Yourself Fit!

I'm tired of seeing parents who can't be bothered to get fit. These people have children who need and depend on them, yet they still complain that dieting is too hard, they don't want to give up their favorite foods, and they can't find the time to exercise.

Now, before one of these parents who can't be bothered gets up in arms about my saying this, I will state that I was one of those parents! I gained a bit more weight with each child and became so completely obese that it was a struggle to get off of my fat ass and do anything. Even worse, I have seven children who depend on me. And I like to think that my husband needs me too.

Yes, exercise is hard work. And resisting the opportunities to binge on sweets and junk food can be challenging. Losing weight and getting fit is definitely not easy! But it is worth it. I am doing this for myself, but I am also doing this for my family. Remaining fat and not doing anything about my deteriorating weight would just be selfish of me.

My kids did not choose to have me as their mom. They're stuck with me. I did, however, choose to have kids. So I owe it to them to make sure that I have energy to be an active parent for them and to keep myself healthy enough to stick around and be in their lives for a very long time.

And for older parents who's kids are grown, don't kid yourself into thinking that this doesn't apply to you. If you love your children, then remember this: There is never a time when your kids stop needing you to be there for them!

If you have anyone in your life who loves you, whether it's a brother, sister, spouse, child, parent, grandparent or a really close friend, you owe it to them to take care of yourself. So stop making excuses and do whatever it takes to make yourself as healthy as you can be.

Three More Pounds Lost!!!

I lost three pounds this week! I was so happy to see three pounds off on the scale!

I have now lost a total of 98.5 pounds. I hit another mini goal (losing 7 stone), and I am only 1.5 pounds away from my next one (losing 100 pounds).

I really hope I can reach it by my next weigh-in!

39 pounds left until target!

Robert lost half a pound this week and has now lost 49 pounds (3 1/2 stone) since joining Slimming World.

Needing A Break?

Ever feel like you need a break? Like, although you know this is a lifestyle change, and you have no intention of giving it up, you'd like just ONE WEEK when you could stop counting calories, eat what you like and not do any additional exercise?

Yah, I'm feeling that way. I know without a shadow of a doubt that if I give in to the urge, I'll gain some weight back. And right now at this point in my weight loss journey, I am having to work so hard for every pound lost that I cringe at the very thought of gaining even half a pound of it back.

I'm 4 1/2 pounds away from being able to say I've lost 100 pounds. Maybe when I get there, I'll give myself a 2-day vacation from my new lifestyle. I've always been able to recover from 2 days of bad choices in the past, so it shouldn't be too harmful if I don't go crazy with it and slip back into binge eating patterns during that time.

It's not so much the eating as the cardio I want a break from. I just want to take more than my one day a week to rest from having to do my cardio exercises. Maybe I feel this way because I have caught a cold that's making me feel rough and very tired. Or maybe I am feeling this way because I've been over-doing the cardio exercise lately.

Just musing out loud here.

What do you do when this feeling hits?

Weigh-In & Mississippi Mud Pie

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I was having computer issues.

I went for my weigh-in tonight and I've lost another 2 pounds. That puts me at 95.5 pounds lost and weighing 177 pounds. I haven't weighed this low since a couple of weeks after my third child was born. (She'll be ,15 in September, so it's been a long time since my weight has been this low.)

It was the Slimming World's Man Of The Year contest, and Robert was up for it along with one other guy. The other guy won. It was based on votes from the group. Unfortunately, a lot of the friends we've made in group who would probably have voted for Robert did not make it to the meeting last night.

However, the man who won, Ian, was very deserving of the win too, and Robert and I were both happy for him. He's lost a bit over 42 pounds (46, I think?), and he's been at Slimming World since 2007.

Robert lost 4.5 pounds this week, and his total weight lost is now at 48.5 pounds (3 stone 6.5 pounds). (He's actually lost a lot more than that, but that is the amount he has lost since joining Slimming World.) He won Slimmer Of The Week this week!

Tonight was another "Bring & Try" night. Robert made his Scotch Eggs and also made a second batch of them that had chopped up bacon mixed with the sausage coating. I made a Mississippi Mud Pie. There were some delicious food brought, from quiches to sausage stuffing, and from Toffee Cream Dessert to a strawberry trifle type of dessert. The Potato Cheese Pie that our Slimming World consultant Sharon made was particularly filling.



It was a fun evening, and even though Robert didn't win Man Of The Year, he'll always be my "Man of A Lifetime."

Down Another Three Pounds

Last week, I lost one pound. I was still very frustrated with only losing one pound a week. This week was better though. At my weigh-in last night, I lost two more pounds!

My total weight loss so far is 93.5 pounds. I've gone from weighing 272.5 pounds down to weighing 179 pounds.

Yesterday was Robert's birthday. I made him a healthy mandarin cheesecake for us to have at home. I also made two Banana Scan Bran cakes with chocolate "frosting" which we shared at the Slimming World meeting. Robert cooked our meal and made his favorite, Beef Madras. (Recipes will be added to my recipe blog later).)

Early in this weight loss journey, my husband lost his wedding ring due to losing so much weight. His birthday present from me was a new wedding ring. Despite him having gone into a jewelry store earlier in the week to find out his ring size, the ring was still too small. I returned it and am now waiting on the delivery of the new one.

I still wish we had found his original ring. It had a lot of sentimental value for us.

To top off his birthday fun, at his weigh-in, he found out he'd lost three pounds this week.