talkhealth Blog

Authority – I have a bit of an issue with the rules and regulations that come with it. It is not that I am a rebel, or particularly badly behaved enough to need them, it is just that as soon as someone tells me that I can’t do something it really annoys me! Why can’t I do it? What will happen? What will you do if I do it? Maybe I just need to grow up and learn to act my age as someone once said to me!

Obviously in some environments and circumstances there are rules and regulations for safety reasons, but when someone is just being a dick for the sake of it – or I can’t see the logic – I feel the rebel within me start to rise! For example, today I went to look at a potential grazing site for my horses over winter. It looked perfect. And it probably was if not for the ‘custodian’ (his word, not mine) of the land. He has power issues – and big ones from the sound of it.

I had parked tucked out of the way near the gate, but was told that I was blocking the lane – I was at the end of the lane which is a dead end! – and that I was not allowed to park there, but had to park in a car park up the road. That was his first rule he told me. So how on earth am I supposed to lug horse equipment to and from this field then…which wasn’t by the road, but through another small field. And how do I tell my farrier and horse dentist and vet etc that they have to lug their equipment along a road and through a field before actually reaching the field my horses will be in?!

His second rule was ‘no children’ – so there go the pony rides for my niece and goodness knows what my Mum will do with her foster placements. The third rule was that he doesn’t like hay and straw as it is messy…hmmm….horses are kind of synonymous with hay! I can keep a bit there as long as it is tidy though, but anyone who has ever had dealings with the stuff will know that it is not an easy product to keep tidy.

The fourth rule was that he doesn’t like the horses touching the fence…so that would have to be electrified, as would the area around his information signs for walkers in the field, and probably the big concrete bunker that is in the field too as it looks like it will fill with water a d has steep sides! So three lots of fencing means three energisers (£200 a pop) plus lots of fencing string and posts / fixings.

All of this I had been told about within the space of five minutes and my head was buzzing. The current lady we rent our yard from hasn’t been seen since we rented it a few years ago…bliss! This chap I feel would be forever waiting for me to break a rule just so that he could point it out. Which is not good for someone like me who either bottles it up and flips one day, or just makes an incredibly sarcastic comment.

I am awaiting an email from the custodian – love that word, reminds me of custard! – with his full list of rules and regulations…he used those words ‘rules and regulations’ with delight almost and proceeded to tell me that he is a stickler for them…uh oh! So watch this space…my horses will either have lots of grass and a grey-haired stressed out ‘mum’ or will be eating hay in a muddy field with happy people around them all winter.

My issue with rules and regulations extends to my weight loss. The more I get told that I can’t, the more I want to. So these fad diets that have huge lists of restrictions are like a red-rag to a bull for me. I just cannot help but question why. This is one of the reasons that I think Slimming World works for me. As long as you can exercise a little self-control and don’t push the ‘free’ and ‘unlimited’ foods to the extreme, there is so much freedom to just do what you want to.

Making healthy alternatives to greasy takeaways is so easy, as is rustling up a wonderful meal from stuff in the cupboards…it is not an incredibly prescriptive plan. Yes, you have to keep a track of things – and you have to measure your healthy extras and syns…but that’s it. Maybe this isn’t good for some. Maybe some need that prescriptive element to keep them on track – being told what to eat and when could be good for some. For me, I just can’t do that. I start to feel restrained and constricted and then I just blow!

I feel the same way about the consultants at the hospital that keep telling me that I can’t lose this weight without surgery. Bollocks – of course I can! I haven’t got a terminal illness and so my efforts can surely be part of the solution! What a silly thing to say to someone. I wondered if they were trying a bit of reverse psychology on me…sadly not, they genuinely believe that I can’t do it. A sad situation really when you think about it.

When I talk about having a positive mental attitude, imagine how it feels to have worked so hard, and to walk into an appointment feeling proud of your achievements…to be told that you can’t continue on your journey and reach your goal without surgery? It is almost devastating – a bit of a kick in the guts. Luckily I believe how strong I am and so I can brush it off and crack on. Yet what happens to someone who might not be feeling so big-headed?! This kind of response could send them off the rails.

Perhaps this is where my issues with rules and regulations come from. People who believe what they are told and go along with things without questioning them – there is nothing wrong with this really though. I just wonder how much further we could be if we challenged some of these crazy rules and regulations. I know where my horses will be though if I challenge on this occasion…right where they are tonight…in the same field all winter!

So then, the usuals…

Apart from meeting the custodian, today has been fairly normal. I got up when the alarm went off – yes, I set an alarm even at the weekend as I like to get up early enough to exercise! I exercised, had breakfast, headed to meet this chap, checked the horses, went to Asda and Sainsbury’s today for a change, headed to a pet store to buy two new dog beds…which the dog refuses to go near…and then went to try and get some adapter thing for the TV which hasn’t solved the problem. This afternoon has been spent preparing food and mooching on the Internet mostly! Tonight might involve a film.

Breakfast: Two Alpen light bars (1 x HEB) and a banana.

Lunch: Curried lamb soup and Ryvita (1 x HEB).

Dinner: Roast chicken dinner with cauliflower and broccoli cheese (2 x HEA) and gravy (3 syns).

Snacks: Two packets of Snack a Jacks (9 syns) and fruit salad with a Muller light.

A delicious food day today! My lunch was out of the Little Book of Soups – unfortunately I got mixed up with medium and hot curry powder and ended up with burnt lips – I looked like I had a trout-pout! It was still nice though – lean lamb leg steak cut up into small bits, garlic, ginger, tin of tomatoes, spinach, grated carrots, green pepper (my addition as it was lurking in the fridge!), onion, and stock. I just let it boil and them simmered for an hour…it was really nice. My dinner was also lush and a superfree feast! Chicken breast with roasted red onion, carrots, courgette and butternut squash. The broccoli and cauliflower was steamed and then topped with LowLow cheese melted in the microwave…a Slimming World version of cauliflower and broccoli cheese – gorgeous! My extra food today was the fruit and yogurt which was a treat from my other half…I think he felt guilty about his crisps, giant chocolate buttons and Caesar wrap at lunch.

Exercise: 1 x 60 minutes treadmill session, 1 x 15 minute BodyPump / Swiss ball session.

Today was a bit of a milestone. I got on the treadmill and decided to try and walk for an hour without a break…and I did it! I was dripping with sweat and my back was a bit sore, but I carried on and managed to do it…this time last year I couldn’t stand for more than a few seconds without being in pain…and my biggest treadmill session so far has been 30 minutes. I really smashed it today, but am probably not going to push it to that level every day…I might leave those sessions for the weekend.

Thank you for reading and I hope that you have a wonderful week!

Weight Loss Bitch xxx

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WeightLossBitch

On a health and fitness driven journey to lose over 32st / 448lbs / 203kgs – yes, it is a considerable amount – I am committed to losing my excess weight without the aid of weight loss surgery, diet pills, or quick fixes…as there aren’t any! Changing my eating habits and building up my fitness levels, along with addressing the ‘head issues’ will be crucial in order for me to achieve my goal. Living in England as a 31 year old super morbidly obese woman can be challenging to say the least. I have been shouted at in the street and verbally abused far too many times to mention; hence the name ‘Weight Loss Bitch’…the day I am just called a ‘bitch’ instead of a ‘fat bitch’ will be the day that I know I have cracked my weight loss! With many reasons to lose this weight I am documenting my journey for a number of reasons. Firstly, I would like to keep a record of the ups and downs, the highs and lows, and the challenges I face with such an enormous task to tackle. Secondly, I would also like to inspire and encourage other people who are in a similar situation and to show them that significant amounts of weight can be lost naturally…with a bit of motivation, hard work, dedication and will power. Thirdly, all of the blogging, Facebook-ing, Tweet-ing, Pinterest-ing and YouTube-ing keeps me occupied and keeps my fingers out of the fridge!