Today has been immense! I am on a real high and feel absolutely fabulous! First of all, I got this…
After last weeks ‘stay the same’ I really had no idea what the scales had in store for me. My plan last week was to carry on as usual with my food but to keep up the gym work too. There was a bit of temptation just to skip the gym work…but it makes me feel so good that it was only a tiny bit tempting! 
So it was with a little trepidation that I stepped on the scales. I had already decided that I felt great and, regardless of the results, I was staying on track as I trust the process and the plan. When they told me it was 5.5lbs off I was thrilled! This means that I am now 17st 1.5lbs…or 239.5lbs…or 109kgs lighter than when I started in February last year! Whilst it has been hard, it is so worth the effort. I still have a long journey ahead of me – I want to lose another 15st 4lbs – but it is one that I am determined to complete. 
My loss this week also meant that I am still on track for my secret Christmas target, and on target for my not-so-secret target of 18st off in time for Santa’s visit. It also meant that my fellow group members were spared tears and tantrums from me. Bless them – they are a fabulous bunch.
We had a couple of ‘moments’ in group when I got quite passionate about ‘free’ food and the tweaks people use it for…making stuff like huge bowls of rice pudding, or making chickpea ‘peanuts’. It seems that the people in group who make this kind of thing don’t really get the losses they feel they deserve. They convince themselves that they have been on plan – as it’s ‘free’ food…which is unlimited they say. Actually, it isn’t unlimited…it is for consumption in moderation! So if you are having a decent breakfast, lunch and dinner, with some superfree fruit as snacks and your syns, why do you need to make a whole cake for a syn, or eat two bowls of rice pudding? Do so-called ‘normal’ people eat like this?
If you were calorie counting then you would be more mindful of what you eat. Slimming World have already done the calorie counting for you though…but this doesn’t really include bowls of chickpea peanuts or rice pudding! Anyway…I did say in group that I don’t really give a damn what people eat if they are losing weight…but I do give a damn when they say that the plan doesn’t work when in actual fact they are tweaking it to fit their eating instead of making positive and life-lasting changes.
One lady summed it up for me – she said that you are just replacing one food habit for another when you do this. She had a point…the focus actually needs to be changing your mind habits…as I keep harping on about! I only harp on because I do give a damn, despite what I might say at times!
Anyway…the weight loss today was just the beginning.
My really big massive news is that I went swimming! It is massive news for a number of reasons really. One – the pool is full of kids before the aquafit class starts…and kids have a habit of stating the obvious, so someone like me standing in a swimming costume next to the pool is top quality kid-fodder! Two – I was in a fecking swimming costume. My Mum laughed when she saw me in it…it flattens my boobs to non-existance and if I pull it up to try and prevent this then all of my below bits threaten to hang out! Three – I was absolutely petrified of getting stuck in the pool as it had a ladder to climb out instead of steps.
Point three was my biggest worry. Yes, I look quite a sight in a costume but I am not letting this stop me from going swimming and getting out and enjoying life. But the thought of not being able to get out of the pool has had me paralysed over the past couple of weeks. I drove to the pool with horrendous stomach pains and a fear…a real fear of having to be hauled out by lifeguards – although quite frankly they didn’t look as if they could lift a wet towel, let alone me! Anyway – my Mum and other half came with me…I had warned them that they might need to lend a shoulder each to stick under my bum cheeks…
So I arrived at the pool and got changed. I did wrap a towel around me but I stood at the side of the pool without it for a while and really didn’t care. I let the other ladies go in first, and my other half got in to catch me if my entrance went tits up – literally tits up! All was fine though. I managed to get through the class and really enjoyed it. I also managed to annoy a competitive octogenarian as I beat her in a water running race! I heard her muttering to her cronies that my water shoes gave me better grip.
It was then time to get out of the pool. I waited for everyone get out first and then made my attempt…and didn’t I feel like a dick for all of the fuss and worry I caused! It was perfect…a 10 out of 10 exit from the pool! None of the hauling and puffing and strained arms that I had anticipated. No need for shoulders pushing my cheeks out. And absolutely no need for lifeguard intervention.
After getting changed I made my way out to the reception area where the ladies were stood gossiping. I heard one of them asking what a new lady thought of the group and then I heard someone say, “Oh well, she is new and did well…but she is so young that it’s okay for her!”…referring to me…the words ‘red rag’ and ‘bull’ sprung to mind. So I went over and said something along the lines of, “I hope you enjoyed the class. I was so nervous about coming as I hadn’t been swimming for ages. In fact, this time last year I could hardly walk, but since losing 17st I am trying to be more active…so it was actually not that easy for me really.” The look on their faces was priceless…they looked like Goldfish with open mouths and kept saying, “You’ve lost 17st?”…I was pleased that I set them straight politely. I could have lacked confidence and a comment like that might have put me off going again…as it is, I feel amazing and nothing is going to stop me getting in that pool next week!
So there we have it – I went swimming. I am so proud of myself and I read an old blog post of mine…the difference a year makes is crazy…the difference a few months makes is crazy.
I just want to encourage anyone who is holding off trying something like that to just go for it. The feeling of achieving what I did today is amazing. I would hate to think of people putting stuff off…especially when it gives you such a self-esteem boost…so please, please, please go for it!
Tomorrow will be interesting as the instructor told me that you can really feel it the day after. I happen to think that the feeling of accomplishing that will far outweigh the achy feelings! It might not seem like a huge achievement to some reading this blog post…but for me this was like climbing Everest. I never imagined getting back into a pool again…and this, along with the gym, has boosted my confidence no end.
I went and told my niece that I had been swimming and she was so excited…she wants me to take her soon. Tonight is mostly being spent with a huge grin on my face…and that is due to the swimming and not the Prison Break episodes that I am watching.
Breakfast: Bananas.
Lunch: Burgers (2 x HEA, 2 x HEB and 4 syns).
Dinner: Baked crispy potatoes, Linda Mc sausages, and bean ratatouille (0.5 syns).
Snacks: Crisps! (24 syns).
A lovely food day. One banana pre-weigh in and one post-weigh in. Lunch was eaten after group – the Asda meat free burgers, with LowLow burger cheese and gherkins…delicious. A lack of superfree food really but I hadn’t been to the shops! Dinner was a new potato cooking trial. You slice onions and place them in the bottom of an oven-proof dish. Then you slice raw baking potatoes in half and put them cut side down on the onions. Make up some chicken stock and pour this over until it just reaches the top of the potatoes…and then bake until the water is absorbed. I also put some black pepper and Worcester sauce on mine too. It was delicious and I had mine with Linda Mc sausages and bean ratatouille. These potatoes will definitely be made again.
Exercise: Aquafit – 30 minutes.
I am so excited about being back in the pool. I really did feel weightless and found it a joy to be able to keep up with a fitness class for a change!
Thank you so much for reading, and for your ongoing support…it really does mean a lot!
Weight Loss Bitch xxx
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!
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