talkhealth Blog

Winter prep for me doesn’t involve buying thick tights and a hooded coat…it’s all about the horses!

Today has been spent fixing electric fencing, topping up water buckets and replacing one that had sprung a leak, thoroughly cleaning out the stables and the barn and the tack room too! Although the horses will be living out all winter rather than coming in at night, I wanted to get the stables ready in case of an emergency. The barn was a bit messy and cluttered, so that was cleaned and reorganised ready for a hay delivery as and when we need some. The tack room needed shifting around and sweeping out and getting ready for the break it is going to have!

We normally use it daily, but as the horses have been moved we thought it would be good to remove anything that would attract unwanted visitors such as rats and the snakes we have that hibernate at our yard. The rubbish was packed into Freddie Freelander and then it was taken to the tip on the way home. It took a while to get it all sorted, but it was time spent with my lovely other half and Mum in the fresh (very fresh!) air, so it was wonderful. I am pleasantly tired now and looking forward to a nice relaxed sleep tonight.

My winter prep for the horses got me thinking about winter prep for my weight loss. What should I be doing to keep me on track over the cold and dark nights?

From a food perspective, winter for me is all about lovely comfort food – stews, mash, soups…stuff that warms you up and fills you up. So I don’t really have anything to worry about as all of this can still be enjoyed on Slimming World. I have even synned up dumpling mix as I am planning on making a gorgeous chicken stew and need a dumpling to go with it – they remind me of my childhood winter dinners! I can have sausage and mash, tagines, curries, soups…so in terms of meal ideas I am all sorted. The slow cooker will get used more, as will my huge crock pot that I have recently started using. I am expecting my house to smell of delicious cooking from now until the weather gets too hot!

Exercise will be an interesting activity this winter. I am planning on a decent walk each day…

The horses new field is quite hilly and so I am hoping to make walks around this regularly and see how my fitness improves.

Obviously I have just joined the gym too. I took some measurements on the first day and it will be interesting to see how many inches I can lose over the winter period. My main focus is just to keep moving. I want to work on the muscle toning, so weights are a firm feature. The cross trainer is going to be my favourite piece of equipment from a cardio perspective and I have plans of building up the time and intensity over the coming months. My new swimming costume is going to get some use too. I am hoping to get there this week and brave the pool…watch this space!

Of course there is then the mind. It doesn’t matter what weight loss plan or exercise class you do…if your mind isn’t in the right place and focused then nothing is going to work! So I am planning on continuing my mind work. I have ordered a couple of books, will continue with my coaching sessions, and will continue learning and practicing how to deal with my emotions without turning to food and hiding behind it to avoid facing up to things.

A busy and productive winter is on the cards! I might set myself a few goals for the coming months…I am off to think of some now and will share them with you once I have decided what they might be.

Other than the horsey stuff, I popped to Wickes for buckets, Halfords for a SatNav for my Dads birthday present, and Asda for food – so nothing out of the ordinary really. Although my other half said that this sheep in the field next to ours reminded him of me…I didn’t know whether to be concerned for the sheep or pleased that it was quite cute…and not a pig!

Last night I was a little upset! I finished watching the first series of Prison Break. If you haven’t watched it and plan on doing so, look away now…but for those who have seen it, I was very upset that the fat guy didn’t make it. I was willing him on through those tiny tunnels and holes! The fat guy rarely makes it…it reminded me of my loft lid. The hole was so small that my other half couldn’t fit through it, so we had to make it bigger…but I doubt I could get through it even now. Maybe that should be one of my goals! Although I would probably end up falling through the fecking ceiling knowing my luck, so I might give that goal a miss!

Breakfast: Bananas.

Lunch: Two turkey and salad rolls with fruit (2 x HEB).

Dinner: Curried veggies with chilli cheese roast peppers, tikka and tandoori chicken (2 x HEA).

Snacks: Crisps (12 syns).

A gorgeous food day today! I love turkey – and it’s a mood booster food too so I always get a weird (maybe placebo?) feel-good afterwards! I am not sure if it really does me any good or not, but it tastes lovely and it was great with the herb salad in the rolls I had. Dinner was a bit of a concoction. I really craved meat today and fancied takeaway food, so I went for some of the Asda tikka and tandoori chicken which is syn free. I then cooked some mushrooms, red onion and spinach with garlic, chilli, tomato purée and madras powder. I did my posh cheesy peppers too but put some chilli in with them. It was ready within 20 minutes and tasted great! I had forgotten how nice the Velvet Crunch crisps are…very moreish but at only 4 syns a bag they are a great option.

Exercise: Lifting, shifting and carrying…and my mini hill walk!

Thank you for reading,

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!