Breakfast Bowls

The other morning, I glanced at the back of my granola packet, and was stopped short by the image on it.  It showed a bowl heaped high with cereal, and yet I'd just been thinking how quickly I got through the packet, and wondering exactly how much I was eating.  


So, I weighed it, and found I was eating more than twice the recommended "portion".  But it didn't look like I was eating that much…

Getting out my camera and my scales, here's how it goes…  Here's my regular breakfast bowl, with my regular amount of fruit:

And here is the smallest bowl I have in my cupboard, that I rarely use, because it's so small:

You can see their relative sizes:

And here is a "portion" of granola in the small bowl:

This is how much I actually tend to eat, and have done every day while I've lost 8 kilos (seventeen and a half pounds) over the course of 4 months:

So, this is how my actual breakfast looks!  

It's far more than a "portion", but I feel healthy and strong, slim and toned.  I work out every morning, and I'm breastfeeding.  Maybe at some point I will have to change how much I eat, but for the moment I feel kind of angry at the manufacturers.  Firstly, because of their extremely misleading packaging, and secondly because of their ridiculously small "portion" size.

Sweet Reminder

Last week, I had one evening where I ate about 9 dates after dinner, as well as some nuts.  I felt sick afterwards.  The next night, I probably ate about the same total weight of snacks, but it was mainly nuts with just 2 dates.  I felt fine.  A good reminder that sugar is nauseating in excess, even in this very natural form.

I'm using this as a reminder to myself - it's better to eat non-sweet things, even as treats.  Not just in terms of weight, but in terms of how I feel in myself!

It also emphasises for me why I don't want to follow cookbooks like Deliciously Ella.  She's still working on the basis of making yourself sweet treats and finding "substitutes" for unhealthy things.  I don't want to "allow myself" sweet treats if they're going to make me feel ill in the long run, and hide the fact that really I just shouldn't be overdoing the sugar, no matter what the source.  I mean, I just hopped over there, and she's touting a "healthy" version of salted vanilla almond butter cup chocolates!

Cravings!

Hotel Chocolat Salted Caramels, if you must know ;)

On Christmas Day, I decided to allow myself some biscuits and chocolate, after three and a half months without.  I quite enjoyed it, didn't eat a ridiculous amount, and overall felt good about the whole thing.  That is, until the cravings set in the next day!

Three days of sugar cravings!  I listened to the 'Craving Buster' meditation I have every day, which definitely helped.  Still, it was a real eye-opener to the addictive nature of sugar.  Probably, at the outset I had the power of enthusiasm and novelty on my side.  Certainly, I was surprised how hard it was to stay off sugar after just one day back on, and how long the cravings lasted.  In the meditation there's a line about 'the cravings will pass, and you can handle a little discomfort, can't you?'  Yes, I could, but three days is not my idea of fleeting!

By the fourth day, though, the cravings had abated, and it became easy again.  Before that, I'd even stopped using the hypnotherapy app on a daily basis, as I no longer felt the need.  And I think I may be able to do that again, now the cravings have been tamed.  Scary, though, how powerful sugar is!  And I shan't be dipping my toe back in the sugar pool so lightly again, that's for sure...

Perception

Yesterday, my MIL was over for a visit.  She's been pretty stressed out, and has put on some weight, so I told her about my weight loss through hypnotherapy.  I said I'm down to a size 10 (that's an American size 6) for the first time in over a decade.  She said something about hoping I wasn't planning to lose any more weight and looked concerned when I said I wouldn't mind losing a little more. 

Perception is a funny thing.  Looking at my belly while sat on the toilet this morning, I thought 'I really need to lose some more weight'.  I don't think I look slim, let alone skinny.  Then, I did a weigh in and I have dropped a bit more:

58.1k (128lbs)

When my MIL asked why I would want to lose more weight, I found it hard to put into words.  I think for the amount of exercise I do I still look rather flabby rather than defined.  And yet, I know I'm now just under my 'ideal weight' according to my general doctor, who I'm sure is happy to have someone within two kilos either side of that.  I'm going for a health check on Wednesday, in any case, so it'll be interesting to see what they say then.  I'm hoping to pass with flying colours :D

Second Weigh-In

Mythical Goddess Tarot

So, I normally try to separate out my weigh-ins a bit more.  Still, I felt a bit down after the last one, and given that I've eaten well the last few days, and that there may have been a hormonal component, I decided to give it another go today.  And I'm glad I did, as I'm back to the previous number.

Weight - 58.5k (approx.128.5 lbs)

I'm really glad my new plan seems to be working, I was feeling worried I'd start heading in the wrong direction, a sometimes slippery slope.  And especially disappointing as I've been working hard both physically and emotionally to get where I am.  In some ways, I'd be happy to stay at this weight, and in other ways I'd still like to lose another 3.5k (7.7lbs).  We'll see...

A New Plan (and New Jeans)

Yesterday, I did a weigh-in.  Once again, I wasn't feeling great about it, but I did it anyway.  And the results were... a little disappointing.  I'm up about half a kilo (one pound).

Weight - 59.2k (130lbs)

What I put this down to is the fact that I've been eating a lot of dried fruit and nuts after dinner.  I'd go so far as to call these binges.  Now, as I'm doing everything else fine (working out daily, with a range of different workouts: weights, step, static bike, pilates, yoga), it's not too dreadful.  Still, a pound every couple of weeks could quickly add up.

And I'm having no luck stopping these binges with the hypnotherapy apps that I've got.  I don't know if this is because there isn't an app specifically for bingeing, or if this is based on stuff that is too primal for hypnotherapy to reach (an idea another psychotherapist friend raised).  Either way, I realise I need a new plan to take this into account.

I don't want to stop eating and enjoying fruit and nuts (which I could probably manage with some of the craving buster apps).  So, what I'm going to try is to make up a plate with treats after dinner, and have just that plate.  That way, I have my treat, but have it in a controlled manner.  I tried this last night, and it worked, so fingers crossed.

On a more cheerful note, I went shopping for new jeans yesterday, a size down from the last ones I bought.  It feels good to be wearing jeans that fit me again, and knowing that they are a smaller size than I've worn for several years :)

How Deep Can I Go?

Crystal Visions Tarot

Did a weigh-in yesterday, and was pleased to see that I've dropped again, if only slightly:

58.5 k (128 lbs)

Overall, I've been incredibly happy with the positive changes I've achieved listening to these hypnotherapy apps.  The only thing I notice is that I still eat more than I'd like just before bed, even if now it's nuts and dried fruit rather than chocolate and biscuits.

Talking with a psychotherapist friend this morning, she said her ex had looked into hypnotherapy, but felt it couldn't deal with complex issues rooted in early childhood.  That may well be what's happening here.  My mother used to breastfeed me to get me to sleep as an infant, and perhaps it's that memory of something sweet and soothing as I drifted off to sleep that keeps this habit so tightly hooked in... Makes me worry about breastfeeding my baby to sleep :(

Nervous Weigh-In

I've been feeling a bit worried the last week or so.  For one thing, I've fallen asleep during my hypnotherapy sessions a few times, as the baby hasn't been letting me sleep all that well.  And my elder son's health problems probably haven't helped, either.  I thought it might not have been as effective, because of that, as well as not getting enough sleep being bad for weight loss.

Still, I have stayed away from chocolate, biscuits and cakes, though I've eaten rather more nuts and dried fruit than I'd like.  And I have exercised every day, alternating between static bike, step, weights, pilates and yoga.  Altogether, though, I was worried that my weight loss would have stalled, or that I might even be gaining weight again.

So, it was with some trepidation that I stepped on the scales this morning, and was very pleasantly surprised to see: 
58.9k (129.9 lbs)

Morale Booster

Courtesy of Onelifewell.com

Last week, I weighed myself but was only down 0.3k, which I figure is within the margin of error of a bathroom scale and the natural fluctuations of a body over the course of a day.  It felt a bit disappointing, which made me think about why I'm making the changes I am. 

A big part of it is for the health benefits, as I saw fat laying down around my belly - very unhealthy!  Another part is wanting to be a good role model for my children, as they say eating sugar is particularly bad for the developing brain.  And then there's the part where I'd like to look good naked, especially given how trim my partner is.

To help when chocolate cravings hit, as well as still listening to hypnotherapy meditations daily, I've been reminding myself that even if I don't loose a pound, it's still a great thing to not have eaten chocolate, biscuits or cake for nearly six weeks.  Still, it has been a bit tougher this week, perhaps because sweets are more omni-present in the run up to Halloween/Christmas.

It helped my morale when today's weigh in had me under 60k for the first time in years!

59.8k (131.8lbs)
BMI 21.7

I'm still not sure whether to try to avoid chocolate entirely over Christmas.  There's one part of me that enjoys this healthier eating, and another bit that thinks "But it's Christmas!"  We'll see...

Slow And Steady

Another week or so has gone by, and I decided to do another weigh-in.  I've still been using the hypnotherapy for weight loss apps every day.  And while I didn't feel I'd done as well with my eating, having eaten an awful lot of nuts a couple of evenings in a row when stressed and tired, I have at least stayed away from sugary stuff.  I also did yoga once, on top of my regular rotation of weights, cardio, static bike, step and cardiopilates.  So, I was hopeful when I got on the scales:

60.8k (130 lbs) 
BMI: 22.3

Mindifi + Weigh-In

Well, I've been listening to hypnotherapy apps every day, mostly the Mindifi one for Weight Loss (available for iPhone and Android), for about three weeks.  And for over two weeks of that, I've eaten no junk food!  When I've wanted a treat, I've eaten a couple of dates, and some nuts.  I've also been exercising daily still (well, that hardly ever changes).  So, today seemed a good time to do a weigh-in:

61.6k (135.8 lbs)

I feel really good about this.  Not only because I've lost weight, but more to the point because I'm eating healthily.  Already, three people have commented on me looking slimmer, and I notice that the fat around my stomach is starting to come off.  That was one of my main motivators to start eating better again.  My weight wasn't actually too bad, but I could see that a lot of it was round my middle, which they say is the least healthy kind of fat.

I have been tempted a few times, but I hope I can keep this up as a general way of life.  Will definitely keep listening to the hypnosis apps!

Hurray For Hypnosis Apps!

Been listening to hypnotherapy apps on my iPhone for about the last 10 days, and it's been really helpful.  I think it's like they say with exercise or meditation more generally: better to do 20 minutes a day than an hour once a week.  So, with that impetus, for the last 7 days I haven't eaten any chocolate or biscuits, for the first time in at least a year.  And the last time was just because I couldn't eat that stuff due to morning sickness.  The last time I truly quit sugar of my own accord was at least two years ago.

This morning, my DH said he thought he could see I'd lost weight, so I decided to jump on the scales.  And yes, I'm down to 62.1k (just under 137 lbs)!  I believe this will be maintainable long term, I sure hope so!

Yay for Tapping

I'm not sure whether tapping has actually had an effect on my weight.  However, as I wrote yesterday, I've been doing it more regularly this week, and it gave me the confidence to step on the scales for the first time in months.  Since before my son was born, in fact!  Not that I thought the number there would make me happy, but rather that I felt I'd be able to deal with it, whatever it was.

Imagine my surprise, then, when the scales showed 64.6k (142.4lbs)!  That's lower than my weight when I first started writing this blog, by just over two kilos (2.2lbs).

It's true I've been working out - generally at least three times a week, and most often daily.  Not as much as I used to, sometimes just 20 minutes rather than an hour, but at least I've been keeping moving.  And I've been mixing it up a lot.   For instance, this week I've been on my static bike, done weights, stepping, and this morning I did 16 minutes of yoga (before baby woke up).  Hope to do another short workout later.

It's also true that I'd still like to lose a couple of kilos, and that I notice a lot of that extra weight is on my stomach, which they say is the least healthy place to put on weight.  So, I'll keep tapping, and hope that it comes off...

Stepping Up

Friday - 62 minutes of stepping with Cathe Friedrich's Low Max.  After seeing an old friend on Thursday who pointed out that I've put on weight in the last year, I wanted to workout a bit harder.  After all, til that point I'd only done 74 minutes of exercise all week.  Admittedly, it was a particularly slack week mainly because I was travelling on business, but still...

However, I also know that the second part of the equation, what I eat, is probably even more important.  Have a few plans to help improve that, too.

Saturday - 41 minutes of cardio-sculpting with Alison Davis-McLean's Ultimate Fat Burning Workout. Rather interrupted, though, by the baby :(  Ate badly, but not dreadfully - couldn't put my plans into effect, as the baby wouldn't sleep at all from dinner time onward.

Back to Basics

Tuesday - didn't exercise at all, as I had a really full, busy day.  However, I didn't eat as badly on Monday or Tuesday, being away from home and my "comfort" zone, so that's one plus.

Wednesday - 36 minutes of cardio-sculpting with Allie del Rio's Hardcore Fusion.  Would have liked to do more, but between travelling, catching up on regular work, and taking the baby for his first immunisations, there just isn't time.

Blast, No Better Body

Saturday - 22 minutes of Jessica Smith's Better Body Blast - the arms section.  I had hoped to do both arms and legs for about 45 minutes of exercise, but the baby had other ideas :(  So, I stuck on a couple of minutes stretching at the end of the arms section, and that was that!

Sunday - 45 minutes of low impact step with Cathe - yay!

Monday - 18 minutes of yoga self-practice.  Didn't think I'd get to workout at all, so it was a bonus.  Plus, I was inspired by Carla to at least do a little :)  I also silently chanted to Yemaya while I practised.

Feeling fat and disappointed in myself, eating way too much chocolate.  Do have a plan, though, to start doing something to keep my hands occupied after dinner...

What Shall I Fuse?

Friday - 45 minutes of cardio-pilates with Ellen Barrett's Floor Fusion Workout.

I bought this shortly after it came out, earlier this year, but hadn't managed to do it yet because I suspected it would have too much stuff on the tummy for a pregnant body to handle.  Actually, there wasn't all that many exercises prone on the floor, and it was a better workout than I expected.  Didn't really raise my heart rate much, but it certainly challenged my muscles :)

I'm still not eating well, simply not tracking it.  I feel like I should be able to find the magic formula that will help me eat better.  A few years ago, going back onto meat helped me not eat chocolate or sugar for the better part of a year, first time in my life I'd managed that.  Now, it's been weeks since I even managed to avoid sugars until mid-afternoon.  I know that I'm tired and physically challenged by breast feeding, but bingeing on junk isn't the solution.  Just wish I knew what it is...

Too Blissed Out?

Wednesday - 53 minutes of Eoin Finn's Blissology Friday.  On the box, it said the full programme was 45 minutes, but actually it was 58 minutes.  However, that was a bit too long for the baby, and 53 minutes in, during Savasana, he kicked off.  So, I finished my relaxation feeding him in bed :)

The bad news is, today my knee has been hurting.  Despite what the GP said about it being better to do Pilates or Yoga, rather than aerobics, I think there's still too much relaxin flowing through my body for me to be as aware as I should be of what's happening when I stretch.

Thursday - 36 minutes of cardio-sculpting.  I started with Alison Davis-McLean's Calorie Explosion, but found it a bit too high intensity.  Instead, I swapped to Rebekah Sturkie's Total Body Time Crunch Express - just weights :)

Yoga, Day Off, and other Exercise

Catching up...

Friday - just 25 minutes of cardio-sculpting with Rebekah Sturkie's Total Body Time Crunch.

Saturday - 28 minutes of yoga self-practice.  I love that all I need is a yoga mat, wherever I am.

Sunday - day off!  We were travelling, and I just didn't manage it.  Instead, we watched "The Fox and the Hound", which none of us had seen before.  I'm still hormonal - almost cried at the bit where the old lady has to set the fox free.

Monday - 58 minutes of cardio-sculpting with Alison Davis-McLean's Dangerous Curves.  I have to admit, I find it a bit annoying the way she tries to get the workout title into her "patter".

Tuesday - 41 minutes of Allie del Rio's Time Crunch Cardio.  I had the baby, and wasn't sure how much I'd get to do.  With a couple of pauses to feed, I felt I'd had a fairly good workout.

Exercise Catch-Up

I've felt quite good about my exercise, even though I haven't always done very much in any one session.  I am happy about my consistency, and I've also enjoyed the variety.  I saw my doctor this week, and she suggested I should just stick to Pilates and yoga while I still have breast-feeding hormones flowing around my body.  Personally, I think that shows a lack of knowledge of exercise, as a low impact step workout is less stressful on the joints than an all-out astanga workout (unless you are super strong).  So, I'll carry on my way...

Saturday

I exercised:  51 minutes of step with Cathe Friedrich's Low Impact Circuit.

Sunday

I exercised:  43 minutes of yoga self-practice.  It was lovely to just listen to my breath and chant silently, and move.

Monday

I exercised:  31 minutes of cardio-sculpting with Alison Davis McLean's Calorie Explosion.  Didn't have time for more, as my MIL was coming over.

Tuesday

I exercised:  Kari Anderson's Hot Steps - just a quickie, 36 minutes.  Fun, but I do prefer when I don't have to modify down high impact moves, as the temptation is always there to just go for it...

Wednesday

I exercised:  45 minutes of cardio-pilates with Ellen Barrett's Firm and Burn Pilates, a Crunch video.  It was pretty fun, and I did work up a bit of a sweat :)

Thursday

I exercised:  41 minutes of cardio-sculpting with Alison Davis-McLean's Ultimate Fat-Burning Workout.