I’m on a bit of a weight loss journey. I guess you could call it a lifestyle overhaul, as I’ve come to realise that is what it is.
I’m not obese, just carrying a few extra unwanted pounds.
It’s funny, I lost over half a stone in the year Sam and I became engaged, but I ended up putting it all back on in the lead up to our wedding last year. Thankfully I had an A-line dress so a bit of extra podge wasn’t going to show (I carry my weight on my tummy and thighs).
I did feel a bit chubby on our honeymoon though; when you’re in a bikini on the sun-drenched island of St Lucia you do become aware of your body hang ups even more. I don’t think I really noticed it until we got back though and I looked at some pictures and thought ‘Omg. I should have made more of an effort to get trim’.
In fact, it wasn’t until 2 months after our honeymoon that I realised I needed to do something about my creeping weight gain. We were having a long weekend in Paris with my family. It was 30+ degrees, but you can’t wear a bikini around town (I sound so British talking about the weather! Brits can’t help talking about it, moaning about it or rejoicing in the few days of sunshine we get each year!)
So I wore a summery skirt and vest top. Most of us wear slightly heavier clothing than our European counterparts in the summer; we are a nation of jeans-lovers. They hide a multitude of sins and wobbly bits! But I’d have passed out if I wore that in Paris. I couldn’t hide from my wobbly bits there. My skirt was too tight. It dug into my tummy, making my love handles protrude even more.
I know where my weight gain started. I can pin point it. Sure, I probably put on a few lbs at uni what with all the junk food and alcohol you get through as a student. But it really took hold once I graduated and got my first job. I was living in a studio flat on my own. It was a lovely flat, don’t get me wrong. But I was lonely. I’d put the telly on all the time for company and hated being in the kitchen cooking. I lived not far from my work, so I was home by 6pm most nights. I’d shower and wash my hair and by 6.30pm the evening seemed to stretch out before me endlessly. I quickly got into a bad routine of buying a pizza each night on my way home. I was lazy, but I didn’t think much of it at the time. My family started to notice the sheer amount of pizza boxes whenever they visited. I’d stack them near the fridge and would forget to hide/recycle them before my family arrived! I was getting through 4 or 5 a week and would probably only cook a proper meal on the Friday night if I had a visitor. I even had the same pizza topping most nights! No wonder why now I can’t stand eating the same thing two nights running!
I put on well over a stone in 11 months. Probably 1 ½ stone actually (my scales were on the blink).
That was 6 years ago… and not much has really changed. My weight still fluctuates by that amount in the course of any given year.
I’ve tried to analyse the reason behind my extra baggage. That’s what all those dietician experts do on the telly right? Well the only conclusion I’ve reached is that I simply enjoy eating. & I do it out of boredom more often than not too.
Convenience is an awful word – I hate it! But its so true. Convenience is everywhere and it only takes one bad thing to happen during the day for you to make bad food choices.
Sam and I try to eat healthily. I say this loosely because although our dinners contain lots of vegetables (usually, clearly not tonight ^), Sam can eat a whole packet of chocolate digestives in one sitting. I’ll come home from work and there’ll be a token biscuit left at the bottom. Charming. But WHOEVER said eating fruit was a healthy alternative was WRONG. According to my app, by having just 3 pieces of fruit I’ve had about 500 calories. Its ridiculous. Pears are the worst apparently.
I’ve come to the conclusion that as long as I’m aware of my weight, that’s a good thing. After all, if you’re aware then you can do something about it. It would be worse if I woke up one morning and realised I’d gained 5 stone as that is a much larger battle to face than a few pounds. So, like many other women, I’ll probably be on a diet for the rest of my life.
Ahem, not ‘diet’ – lifestyle choice.
(I’ll let you know how I get on with my new fandangled app soon!)
thoughtsovertea.com 