Grand Finale - 5 stone - 70 pounds (31.8kg)

My pursuit of happiness has finally completed its first chapter! In my final weigh in on the last week of the second part of the programme, I have reduced my weight by 5 stone! I was 64.8 pounds when I started the Route to Management programme, which is the final part of the process. Having had the last 3 months to reintroduce food I have reduce my weight by a further 5.2 pounds and am now fully back onto all foods including chocolates! I had lost 5 stone by week 3 on the RTM programme and over the last 9 weeks have put on a few and lost a few but mostly maintained my weight. I have lost a total of 28 inches from my whole body which is phenomenal! Gone from a size 22/24 to a size 16/14.

The pics on the left are on the day I started the Foundation programme on the 17th January 2007. The pics on the right are from the day I finished the RTM programme on the 24th July 2007. 188 days or just over 6 months in total with an average weight reduction of 2.6 pounds per week! Now I know a few people said when I started this programme that I shouldn't lose weight too quickly. 2.6 pounds a week isn't too quick - I think it is very reasonable. Admittedly most of it came off in the first 100 days. This I believe is why this programme has been so successful for me. Rapid weight reduction in the beginning to keep you focused and motivated and allow you opportunity of focusing on what the REAL course of the weight problem - MY THOUGHTS and EMOTIONS! The bad eating habits and choices were learnt over time through lack of knowledge and bad habits picked up my whole life.

The biggest challenge of all is the one in front of me now. I still would like to reduce my weight by another stone. My main reason for this is the fact that it will give me a buffer when I do fall and pick up the additional pounds which will inevitably happen. Also my BMI is still in the unhealthy range and I would like to get fitter and healthier. Therefore I will be having a one-to-one with my councillor tomorrow to discuss my next goal on how to achieve this without making any more drastic changes to my life. I am happy to take the next 5 months to achieve this and then this will be the 2nd chapter or my pursuit to happiness completed. The last and final chapter will be to keep my weight maintained at 13 stone or below for a year at least.

This is my last weekly blog as I will now update every 2-4 weeks on my progress and new things we will be learning in our weekly sessions. The great thing about Lighter Life is they are happy to continue giving you support (for no charge) as long as you feel you need it. I can go to the weekly sessions to get weighed, learn from the counselling sessions and keep my focus on my goal. They are an organisation that really understand weight problems and care enough to keep supporting one for as long as you need them too. I am eternally grateful for this programme and to the fantastic people I have met over the last 6 months. I have made great friends and learnt many new life changing processes. I am really looking forward to embracing my new found confidence, energy and enthusiasm and I hope you will continue the journey with me.

Thank you to my family, friends and colleagues who have all paid a very large part in this successful story of just one person's life who's entire existence has changed forever! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your constant encouragement, support and most of all faith and confidence in me, that I could achieve what I have done! Please continue sending your e-mails and checking back with me in the coming year as your comments and support mean the world! Here's to a fantastic year ahead! x x

Final Week of the Programme

Well what can I say - I can not believe that it has been over 6 months since I started this wonderful programme! Here is a reminder of what I looked like then -these are a little revealing so my apologies, but they are very real!......I will post my final picture next week end as we have our final weigh in and pictures done after 26 weeks on the programme.

I have reduced my weight by 75 pounds and been able to maintain it even now I am fully back to all conventional foods! But the real proof will be when I can post a picture of myself in a year's time and look even better!

This week is chocolate and refined sugar week and I am surprised to find out that I haven't really missed it as much as I thought I had. I still enjoy a peace of chocolate now and then but sweets have always been my soft spot. I am happy to report they are no longer my soft spot and I can enjoy a few and then I have had enough. Really trying to manage myself better even after putting on a pound again last week. Next week will be my final weekly post as I will now continue with the blog on a monthly basis.

Thank you for your sweet e-mails and postings and will catch you again here for the last weekly post.

Change - exciting or scarey?

Hello everyone! This is going to be a short and sweet log today. Reduced my weight a fraction last week.... it was only .8 of a pound but certainly going in the right direction again! Also learnt during our trigger weeks (weeks 8-12) we are not supposed to include the previous weeks trigger food. So now in week 11 I have now discovered this is what I was doing wrong. This week is BREAD week - oooooooooooh normally a big trigger for me but lately I have to say I haven't been craving it at all. Had a piece of toast yesterday and so far so good! But now I can't eat cereal, potatoes, rice, pasta or cheese the whole week!

The topic for the week was CHANGE and how people respond to it. It was interesting to note that all of us in the group in one way another seemed to have changed the way we respond to CHANGE having done the programme compared to the way we were before. Why you ask? Well it is a life changing experience when you have to face your everyday life without the crutch of 'food' to support you. You have to find something in yourself to deal with your emotions rather than turning to an outside source for encouragement, comfort and positiveness. Some of us embrace change and always have but others have struggled but now are will to take the risk and accept change and even enjoy it.

I think this issue is one for not only us but everyone in every day life as the world is changing so fast these days. Embrace change! Take risks! Live and keep moving forward in everything you do. When ever you are in a situation where change is necessary there can only be two results - either............

1 You don't succeed and therefore have to try again which means you will learn something new
2 You succeed and therefore learn something new

Both ways you are moving forward, learning something new and taking a risk. This is what makes life more exciting so embrace it.

When is right time?

Well as you can tell by me updating my blog today, I didn't have the laser eye surgery done on Wednesday. The main reason being that when I got home on Tuesday evening the house was full of dust. Our refurb has started and what a mess! I am not sure what I was expecting but I had no idea it would be so bad. Having said that the builders did try and clean up but such fine dust is difficult to clean. What the house used to look like...................

I was not feeling at all comfortable having my surgery done and then being in a dusty environment for my recovery. When it comes to eyes I think you really need to be very careful to give them the best opportunity to recover quickly and being in such a dusty environment is not recommended. So it has been rescheduled to the 15th of August. Whew! What is looks like now.................

Additionally I have had another trying week with so much going on and as I feared, it was reflected in my weigh in on Tuesday evening. I have gained 2.8 pounds! I have to say I wasn't surprised just very disappointed. With 2 nights of going out and not controlling my drinking or eating this is price I have to pay. At least I recognised what is causing it. I was encouraged to let it go, taking into account this phase of the programme is about maintaining weight and not about reducing it. I said it is also not about gaining it either. So I am trying not to beat myself up about it and get back on track. I am determined to lose it over the next few weeks and really start taking better control of my emotional eating habits. With some of the pressure off now as the building work has now started and not having the eye surgery, I can concentrate on managing myself a little more.

Disappointment is an interesting emotion to deal with ! You not only feel let down, angry but sad all at the same time. And the worst part is I have no one else to blame but MYSELF. I think this type of disappointment is even worse! But this is life - real life - as things are bound to come unstuck sometimes and mistakes will be made. I think the true test is to see how one handles these knocks in life. It is a minor thing but I could make it a huge issue but what would be the point. The truth of the matter is if I picked up 3 pounds a week for 2-4 weeks I would be worried. In the scheme of things reducing my weight by 5 stone and then gaining 2.8 pounds is not really so bad. It is not so much the weight which has affected me but more the fact I am still not in control of my eating habits! Welcome to the REAL world! You do sometimes think that because you have been through this whole process you problems and habits have been CURED or resolved. NOT SO! You just have the knowledge and the will power to manage them better - or so I hope. A bit of a wake up call me thinks! So today and for the last couple of days I have been back onto my food packs and limiting my intake of my triggers which are fruit, alcohol and going out! But I did spoil myself by buying 4 fantastic tops at a great sale and they fit beautifully - still a size 16! Really would like to work towards a size 14 but finding it much harder than I thought it would be! I may decide to go onto a 'development' (4 weeks of abstinence) session after my route to management programme finishes. Not sure if you are allowed to but if I can I think it will refocus me and give me the extra boost I need to get the last stone off!

Well that's it from me this week! I am now off to buy some radiators, doors, extractor fans and a whole load of other goodies for the house. Thank you for all your calls and e-mails of encouragement!

Getting on top of things!

I know, I know, I know! Apologies for not updating like I said I would. Life just sometimes gets the better of one.

Last week was a good week with me reducing my weight by 1.6 pounds only to find out I had actually put on 1.8 pounds the week previously and not a 1 pound. Give with one hand and take away with the other. So to date I have now put on .2 of a pound - I can certainly live with that. The session was interesting last week, a little more up beat and positively focused but I was feeling stressed and miserable. Why you ask...........LIFE! Time of the month does not help but just a lack of focus, enthusiasm etc. regarding the programme and in life generally. Not sure why but really not putting as much effort into this I was in the first 3-5 months. I think it has to do with getting back into normal life with normal eating and losing focus once again.

This past week has been a struggle!!!!!!!!!!!! I have had a lot on my plate with work and new projects beginning. My new business (consultancy and training for the hospitality industry www.kinxmanagement.co.uk) is taking off and I am panicking a little trying to fit it all in. Also with the refurbishment of our house starting TODAY (new show room downstairs, replacement of existing bathroom and new kitchen) my life is a little stressed. To add to this I have decided to have laser eye surgery this week! Not great planning but I unfortunately can not change the date. I am not scared of the operation but more of the recovery which should take around 5 days! No TV, no computers, basically sitting around for 5 days not being able to see properly or do anything! Additionally one organisation turned me down as I have "thin cornier"! Waiting for tomorrow when I see the surgeon at this other organisation who said that I could have it done, but they need to reconfirm before I have the op. A LITTLE NERVOUS!

I think I have picked up weight this week as feeling heavier and the scales say I have! Not much I don't think but haven't been particulary good. Went out on Thursday night with our LL group, then went to a BBQ on Friday night (ate a little too much red meat me thinks!), went out for breakfast on Satuday (recovering from too much alcohol - not over the limit but my body can't handle it anymore) and spent most of the rest of the day feeling sorry for myself. So we should see the results of uncontrolled eating and lack of focus on the scales this evening! Can't wait.......Well these things happen. I just need to pick myself up and focus again as this is what life and managing your weight is all about.

I will update my blog this evening as I won't be able to do so from tomorrow as my eyes will be in recovery for the next 5 days. Wish me luck!

Thank you to all my friends for your encouragement and support and for those new LL groupies, good luck, learn from my lessons and keep drinking your WATER!!!