Wednesday 24 November 2010

Definitely lighter...

A few weeks (well, a couple of months) of regular running has had an effect already, it seems. Weighed myself a few weeks ago and was around 15 stone 3lbs, which is 14 pounds less than I weighed when I did it at the doctor's seven or so weeks ago. Progress.

Days when I run go like this...

6am: Alarm goes off.
6:20am: Get out of bed, get running stuff on.
6:45am: Go for a run.
When I finish run: Have a quick bite to eat and a drink
8:20ish: Take dog for a walk
10:30ish: Come home from walk
10:31 to 3pm: Eat. A lot.

Today, for example, I did just over 6 miles. Went out to a very frosty -3ish at 6:40, got home, went to shop as we had nothing for breakfast, then took the dog out for a two-hour walk. So before I've had breakfast I've covered up to 12 miles already. Virtuous, moi?

I wouldn't say I am looking skinny or anything, but I'm looking healthier, and certainly relaxed. Muscle tone is excellent, and with the exercises my physio has given me my stomach is toning as a by-product.

In short, the weight is coming off as I can run regularly thanks to my physio and some hard work by me. Happy days. I'll weigh myself sometime soon and see if it's as good as it feels...

Tuesday 21 September 2010

I'm in!

The 2011 London Marathon, that is. So that means running, and cross training, and no excuses. Even work might have to take a back seat to this at some points. I only have a couple of international trips in the meantime too, so nothing should really interrupt the training.

Which of course, means I will be as a whippet in a few short months. Got my training mapped out in my head already, and it's started nicely. The added pressure of doing it for a wonderful local charity has had a very positive mental effect. The chap who phoned to tell me I'd got a place couldn't believe that I was pleased about it! Apparently a response like mine is unusual.

In other news, I am taking steps to become a best-selling author, so I can work a bit less. That'll help, too.

Tuesday 17 August 2010

I've been a bit lax...

...in every way. I haven't put any weight on (as far as I can tell), but I cancelled my gym membership because money is tight to say the least. I was running more, but work has knocked that on the head. I'm still walking the dog at least a couple of hours every day, but it doesn't quite get the heart pumping in the same way.

I have however applied for a golden bond place to run the London Marathon next year for our most wonderful local hospice. If ever there was an incentive to train, they are it. I needed that kind of push, so hopefully I'll get in and it'll be good for everyone involved.

I haven't gone unfit or nuffink, just not getting out regularly. Take today, for example. I thought I might get a lunchtime run in, as I had a dreadful night's sleep so I couldn't get one i this morning before walking Millie (she will run with me, but I prefer to do that with her away from roads and to get to places like that, you need to drive, and I don't/can't). I woke up an hour late, took the dog out, came home, had to go and take some photos for an article, then remembered we had a man coming to change the electricity meter. So no electricity, and no work getting done. Lunchtime run gone, as I had to stay in with him, and I ended up falling asleep. Might get the run in tonight, I honestly don't know yet. Probably not though. So I will do my knee exercises, and try it all again tomorrow, because running early works best for me.

I've been thinking about my health an awful lot lately, and my diet too. As I have a close relative of IBS affecting me (I foolishly ate a pear this lunchtime; it has already been evacuated, and it's only 2pm), I struggle to eat as healthily as I once did. I don't have a bad diet, but there's too much meat in it for one thing. It's partly essential though, as everything else seems to have me on the loo...

Too much information, I know, I'm sorry. But it plays such a big part in my life.

Both my parents have been in hospital recently, one having a kind of femoral bypass, the other finding out they need a double heart bypass and a valve replacement. Understandably, that had me thinking about diet, and how it's been thus far in life, and how it might need to change. But the barrier is a simple one - I eat anything green, and me and the toilet become best buds for a day.

Gah.

I've not given up though. Just letting you know. And if the golden bond application is accepted, I'll even be weighing myself regularly, just to see...

Friday 18 June 2010

Z does up her trousers. Breathing in.

You thought we'd given up, didn't you?  Well, in my case, the fact is that I haven't been dieting.  Sadly, back in the spring, I relaxed a bit and that has meant that I have put on weight.  I put on a skirt that I couldn't do up, yesterday.  Although it was always snug, this is the clincher in my awareness that I've put on a few pounds.

I can't bring myself to weigh myself.  And if I did, I wouldn't tell you.  Though I haven't - I mean, I'd say "I've weighed myself and I'm not telling you" or else I'd simply lie and deduct a few pounds.

Oh.  Wait.  Now I can't, because whatever I say, you'll assume I'm at least 5 pounds more.  Hmm.

I know, let's just assume I've put on 5 pounds.

Anyway, I'm still a size 10, because I bought a pair of trousers in that size only last week, and you may think that means there's not a lot to worry about, but I have a small frame and I should be a small 10 or even an 8.  I don't know if I've got the will to do anything about it - but I also know that if I don't, the odds are that my weight will creep up by a few pounds a year until I'm back to square Z.

Oh bother.  I think I need some encouragement.  But, since Badge and I never post, there's no one left to read who will give it.  Woe.

Sunday 7 March 2010

Badgerdaddy is a Good Influence

Assuming, that is, that running is some sort of Good Thing, which I have yet to be entirely convinced of.  As I mentioned on the other blog, I ran down the drive on Friday morning, because I was late.  Today, quite voluntarily and simply for the hell of it, I ran home down the drive.  That is, it was a gentle canter rather than a gallop.  I'm terribly out of condition.  Quite shocking that I can't possibly run more than 100 yards, and even that leaves me wheezing.

I have no aim or ambition in the running stakes.  Just that, having walked slower and slower over the past year or two, it's really quite exciting to move a bit faster under my own steam.  And I seem to make quite a bit of it.

Wednesday 24 February 2010

Getting to know me

It's interesting to read Badgerdaddy's post below, because of the couple of weeks I spent recently not drinking alcohol.  In total, I had a week on half rations, a fortnight off the sauce altogether and then another spare week on a glass of wine (a small one) per night.

I take his point entirely about "wanting a drink" meaning you're thirsty.  I found some time ago that, particularly in the summer when I come in of an evening wanting a glass of chilled white wine, it's best to start with a glass of water and, once the edge has been taken of my thirst, I'll enjoy the wine just as much but the first glassful will last more than a few minutes.  Indeed, I do try to remember to consider whether I want something to drink because I'm thirsty before I automatically reach for the wine bottle.

By the way, last summer, scouting around for something non-sweet to add to gin, I hit upon pink grapefruit  juice.  Excellently refreshing, much more so than sweet tonic water or similar fizzy mixers.

Anyway, about laying off booze.  I don't generally like sweet drinks - I like fruit juices all right, but they don't hit the spot with dinner in the evening when you're used to wine.  I don't care for squashes and, although lemonade or Coke once in a while is something I fancy, it's rare and always on a hot summer's day, usually when I'm suddenly tired and need a quick boost.  When thirsty, I usually drink water.  Or tea.

I drink tea without milk, so builder's tea isn't for me.  I drink a whole range of teas - at present in the kitchen there are about 8 black teas, a couple of green teas and several fruit and herb 'teas'.  They include Badgerdaddy's redbush tea.  Well, not his personal supply.  His need is greater than mine.  I buy my own.

In that month, I drank whole lots of tea.  To start with, as my pre-dinner drink, I was having tomato juice, which worked for a while but I couldn't face it any more when I came home from hospital.  But after a while, I couldn't face yet another cup of tea and I was fed up, if that's the word, with water.   I was very pleased to get back to lovely wine.

I'm still being fairly moderate - I am pleased, at any rate, to note that I didn't have a problem with limiting what I had or even with stopping altogether - but I'm enjoying a couple of bottles a week.  I'd crept up to about three - I think I was probably a bit sorry for myself and having an extra glassful because of it.  And a pint of beer would be enough.  But for me, tea is no substitute.  Not even redbush.

Sunday 21 February 2010

Living and learning

I had a revelation about a month ago, involving alcohol, and it's meant something of a change in attitude to drinking. I realised, weirdly, that when I think "I really want a beer" what I mean is I really want a drink. So I swapped beer for redbush tea, and as a result have been drinking far, far less.

I still have evenings where I go a bit mental, but much less of them now. Usually if I am away – for example, I got shitfaced in Munich a couple of weeks ago, and in London about 10 days before that. But I didn't enjoy either occasion particularly, and I know it came out of a kind of boredom both times.

So, what does this mean weight-wise? If I weigh myself in the morning, I'm around 96kg I think. That's a guess; in the evenings I'm around 98 or 99, which is not a guess. But it's steady, it's not really going up or down, and I feel good. Still dog walking a lot, but running has fallen by the weigh-side as I've just had my busiest time of the year work-wise. Still working on my knees, so to speak, and they're nice and strong; I've been dreaming about running too, and have verbally agreed to do a marathon in autumn, so cross your fingers. Gym work is progressing very well, since the enforced layoff due to work and travel.

But the change in attitude to drinking is the big change for me. Last night, I had seven bottles of beer. That's just over 3.5 pints. I didn't enjoy it especially, I just did it because I had decided I would. Daft as that sounds, I do that because next time I think it's a good idea, I'll remember the last time. And it will be a while before it seems a good idea, anyway, because it wasn't particularly enjoyable.

I bought a bottle of wine last week, just something cheap my boss had recommended, and it lasted three nights (third night I had none – WonderWife finished it!). I felt rather proud of myself. All change in habits here.

Still, as we're absolutely flat broke, drinking less is probably a very good idea...

In other news, our bag web shop is up and running; anybody wanna buy a one-off handbag or shoulder bag?? I can maybe do you a deal...

PS: I recently met one of my all-time heroes – that means of the three that are alive, I ony have to meet one now... I met Dame Kelly Holmes in Munich airport, and actually went up to her beaming and just said "You're my hero, you and Paula are the reason I started running!" She was absolutely lovely. So nice, but I was utterly starstruck – I forgot to even ask for a photo, or an autograph.

Bugger! moments like that make me want to blog again!

Sunday 24 January 2010

Better oot than in

If Mr Farty will excuse using the name of his blog for a title.

I shall be severely disappointed if I haven't lost a pound or two in hospital. I'm eating very light food but I still can't keep it all down. I'm supposing that all my energy is going into getting over the shock of an operation and there's not always enough left for digestion. "are you passing wind?" asked the nurse. I admitted that I'm not always nice to be near. This is a good sign, apparently because it demonstrates that at least my digestive system is working.

Yesterday, I had three half slices of toast and a little marmalade, a small glass of orange juice and a plain yoghurt for breakfast, pea soup, grilled plaice and vegetables for lunch and couldn't manage it all, a few wine gums in the afternoon and a baked potato with tuna, salad and fruit salad for dinner. This last proved more that I could deal with.
I suspect that the Sage is planning to give me lots of good red meat on my return home, to build up my strength. I may have to hold back for a few days. Not that it wouldn't do me good as my HB is down to 9 because of the blood I lost after the operation, but it seems I'll have to be patient.

Oh, right. I am a patient. It comes in the job description.

Tuesday 12 January 2010

Z resists temptation. Mostly.

This cold weather is quite trying for a dieter. It's terribly tempting to succumb to nicely warming fatty and carbohydratey things. I'm having to use reserves of willpower, normally kept for emergencies, not to eat biscuits. It's a bit like councils that are fast running out of grit. A few days ago, since I was going to spend a cold day shopkeeping, I added a little milk and a spoonful of muscovado sugar to my morning porridge.

Darlings, what a mistake. It was so much more delicious than my usual solemn brew that I've been wanting to repeat the experience ever since. Indeed, on the day, the Sage brought me a hot bacon roll from the caff and I couldn't manage it all, so whether harm was done is a moot point, but having only put on a few pounds a year to bring me to my sorry state of chubbiness, I don't want to risk going that way again.