1 year and a fortnight.

On 1st August 2017, as followers of this blog might know, was the day I put my big girl pants on and nervously entered the realm of the unknown. Or, followed my friend meekly into the local church hall to the local Slimming World class.
I had a joining voucher and figured I had tried every other flipping diet under the sun with varying degrees of success over the years. The Scared Heart Hospital one I remember fondly.... I can't even remember who I got a copy of it from but it was a three day lose 15lbs kinda thing. I remember day one was eat just bananas and beef and tomatoes or something. I definitely remember day two started with a spoon of peanut butter.
Then I tried The Cambridge diet. Man alive, the hot soups were rank. I did Rosemary Conley's 28 day inch loss plan following the book. I made it to day 23. I went on Toning tables - they were actually ace! 6 tables that you strapped yourself onto in turn and then they moved you around and jiggled your bits! In what I called TGWL2013 ( The Great Weight Loss of 2013 ) I lost 7 stone by calorie counting. I counted every single calorie and logged it via apps on my phone. I kick started that with Slimfast for a month. One massive emotional catastrophe saw me chuck the calorie counting down the pan and then began the cycle of
Right, it's start again Monday...only to unravel any good intentions sometimes by Monday lunchtime. I just couldn't get going with it. One of my best friends had been telling me how good SW was anId seen how it had worked for her, but Inwas still fixated with calories and could not see my trying anything different. My other good friend confided in me that she had started SW and had lost over four stone.
I was fascinated by it and mulled it over and made the gargantuan decision to ask her if I could tag along one week, would she come with me. And that was that. Like a duck to water, I began food optimising.
By the way, I HAD to wear my big girl pants because they were the only ones I had that fit!
I've  posted a few milestones along the way including getting my five stone award on Boxing Day! That's how dedicated I've been - going to class on Boxing Day! It was actually pleasant to get out for the walk!
On the 14th August 2018 I got my Target certificate!

Anyhoo, as I posted on the Pinch Of Nom Facebook page I have chosen not to share my starting and current target weight because those numbers mean nothing to anyone else except me. I find people who ask over and over how much I have lost, or what I weigh now, really intrusive and even though I know it's mostly out of support and natural curiosity, I don't like it. Also when people have asked me, "How much have you lost now?"  I genuinely have to think hard about it because the only numbers I have been focussing on are the ones dealing with my weight loss the previous week. So in my brain I would be thinking - I lost two pounds last week and that is it. That 2lbs would be on my mind. I genuinely, week after week have been unable to predict what the scales would say and in actual fact, those weeks when I have felt slenderer, I've lost half to one pound! Every single week, bar two - weeks 49 and 53 where I maintained, I have lost weight. Losing 3lbs to get to ( and past ) my target.
So here I am, a Target member. It means I don't have to pay any more - though, genuinely, I have t thought about the money at all and I have a lovely new book to read about getting used to life  as a normaller sized human and maintaining my weight and not ending up back where I started plus a few pounds!
Wish me luck folks! I apologise for any typing errors - I am so puppy tired and have checked as much as I can with closing eyes!!
Sorry about the Bluebell photos on the last post. I’ll pop one in from today in a minute.
Til next time where I will be waxing lyrical about my top tips and what I’ve been doing and more importantly eating which in a nutshell, is EVERYTHING ( even nuts - though these are counted out ) and feel worked

Lots of love from

Rachel *total loss 9st 3.5lbs * Radiostar x

Experimental post

If you read the PS, if this works, I have written a post on my iPad notes app and it is a repeat of the Bluebell post because I have puppy brain and totally forgot I'd posted!!

Diary of a puppy bore

Well, We brought home our little bundle of floof home with us on Saturday 28th July. It was tipping it down and I'd taken an old towel with me which was a good thing. The puppies wee from a one off mating between two working pedigree Springer Spaniels and lived outside in spacious professional kennels. They'd been separated from the mother to give her a rest though lived next door! That sounds harsh reading it back - they were still with the mum but she had a separate kennel. Anyway, I was giddy beyond belief. The three remaining puppies were let out to frolic in the garden in the rain. I made sure I fussed the mum and the other older dogs he had and the puppies. I was wet and filthy as was Little Miss Bluebell Flowers to give her her full title. So we had a huge cardboard box on the back seat with a towel in and a little toy and she sat on my knee and I swaddled her in the towel. She was wet and trembly and terribly, terribly, terribly oh my eye watering stars, STINKY!!! After a while she fell asleep on my knee and we set off on the two hour drive home. But we arranged to meet Miss 24 and Freddie before we set off properly. Miss 24 was in love, Freddie was excited to see us and looked HUGE but was quite indifferent to the smaller version of himself. 

To be honest, I think it could have been the revolting smell that was putting him off. She stank to the highest of heavens!! 

We said our goodbyes and left to go home. I started taking the billions of photos of her that are clogging up my phone!! 

Once home, we took her straight into the garden and she did a wee and a poo. Then she came in and promptly killed two black socks that were a danger lying in wait outside the washing machine! Then sniffed everywhere that she could sniff and within half an hour it was like she'd never lived anywhere else. 

As I actually sit down to finish and publish this, she is 11 weeks old today and is fast asleep ( hooray for the respite )stretched out flat on her back, spotty tummy for all to see and one front paw pointing skywards! How this is comfortable I do not know! 

Anyway, her first night. The HG was off out and we had done a LOT of research on what to do. We bought a beautiful black crate, with a comfy sheepskin mat included for free. I'd been wearing one of my too big for me now jersey dresses ALL week and slept in it a few times. I had too flattened old pillows unwashed off our bed and as soon as we got back I changed into this dress and stuffed a big soft piggy toy down my bra so when I held her, her smell ( stench actually - eye watering - did I mention?? ) was intermingled with all the others!! I wrapped one of the pillows in the dress and put it at one side of the crate and put the towel she'd come home in at the other. Now some said to put the crate in your bedroom for the first night as  they needed to see you and then gradually move the crate downstairs. Well, our Victorian terrace isn't really helpful in accommodating a crate on the landing or stairs so we decided to start as we meant to go on. Crate in dining room, placed where she could see us. And in I popped her. Man alive she cried and sobbed such heart rending yelps my resolve was weakening. After 15 minutes ( as advised by the web ) Intook her calmly outside for a wee, which she did , and then popped her back in. She then yowled, cried, yelped, whimpered and me and Mr 21 didn't look at her or speak to her or anything and after 12 of the longest minutes of my entire life, she went to sleep! Every three hours I took her out for a wee and put her back. 

Night two - much less whimpering and crying and within 5 minutes she was asleep. Again I set my alarm and every three hours I got up and lifted her for a wee. Fast forward a week, I was stretching it to four hours and now she goes out at 10 and we get up at 6 to let her out. It's quite a good routine and although last night she yelled a bit about going in her crate ( we had let her fall asleep on lounge floor, our knee ) for a few nights, she did settle. 

Thought we'd cracked housetraining and almost had three dry days in the house - but no, we had four widdles - even though the back door was open. Sigh. We carry on today. No poops in house yet mind and we are not using puppy pads or newspaper as she is in her crate and will be when I'm at work. If an accident occurs I will simply wash her bedding. I had wondered about leaving her in the kitchen with her crate but for now, she's secure and I'll have peace of mind. Much as it will break my heart - she will be absolutely fine in the morning as she sleeps for most of it currently until I return at lunch. Quick walk and play and back in crate with toys and a Kong toy filled with treats to keep her occupied until one of us gets home. I also have a dog walker on stand by to go check she is ok. As the lad who we got her from said, the dog has to fit in with us and we are in charge. But look at this little face!!!! Staying in charge is hard!!! 

All the photos are from her first day with us, aged 8 weeks and two days . Little Miss Bluebell Flowers, we love you so much! 

Lots of love from 

Rachel *besotted* Radiostar xxx 

Ps. As I type this I'm not entirely sure I've not posted about her already! I'm trying out a prototype of typing and adding photos in my 'notes' app and I'm about to go copy and paste in Blogger!! A post about Slimming World should be posted later too..... here I go!