Asmaa and her 3 and me with J an R outside Bagley Museum (Batley Yorkshire).

We went to Leeds on SAturday and went to the Thackrey Medical Museum next to St James's University Hospital, this was a very impressive museum (a bit gory in parts for R), but it was well worth a visit. Then we went on to the travel lodge and stayed there for the night. This morning (Sunday) we went to Skopos Mill in Batley where we met Asmaa and her 3 (her hubby was working) and we went round the mill shops then onto the Bagley Museum which we all enjoyed. Then we went for a nice walk round the woods. It was very hot and sunny and it was really nice to see Asmaa and her her 3 children again. Asmaa is expecting her 4th in August. We are hoping to meet up again un July (she and her fanily are meant to be coming up this end of the country for a day to Chester Zoo).

The Bagley Museum (you can just see us all heading for the entrance.

Sitting in the woods by the museum (Neil took the picture). We had a lovely weekend away and the travel lodge only cost us £15 for the night (special offer). I must say though, food at the eating places attached to the travel lodge was very overpriced.

I have not eaten well this weekend really, kind of snacking on the go. But on the otherhand we have had a really nice time. The kids go back to school tomorrow. I have enjoyed them being at home, this Easter holdaisy have flown by. I think they have a half term off in May (not too sure).

R is going swimming with school tomorrow (1st time with school). I know she is very nervous about it (about what people might say about her size). I So hope it goes ok.

I am having a few glasses of wine tonight, because I feel like it.

Monday 16th April

 Will get weighed in the morning, avoided it this morning.
R came out of school and said swimming was FANTASTIC. I am so glad she enjoyed it. She said she felt nervous about getting changed in front of everyone (it was large changing room not cubicles) but she said everyone was nervous (all the girls). She said "Mummy I just took a deep breath and did it (got changed), I just went for it"
I know how this was causing her most concern. She was not happy about having to wear a swim cap but when she came ouy of school she said that was ok too. She has a red one.
I am so proud of her,

I hardly ever watch the news on tv and we don't get any newspapers except the local once weekly one. J told me about the Virginia shootings. How awful and so so sad, makes you want to hug your children.

My next book came, Bubbles Ablaze...I have read the 1st one and am in the middle of Bubbles In Trouble and have the 3rd one just came today. I have to get Bubbles A Broad, then Bubbles Betrothed and there is a new one Bubbles All The Way.

Watched a programme about 2 people (famous) who ate an Edwardian diet for a week (what the wealthy Edwardian would have eaten). WOW, what a massive amount of food and yuck, a lot of disgusting food I would never ever eat. Urghghghghghghg. Lots of animal innards and things like pigs trotters and ox's tongue and erghghghghghghghg, horrible. They only followed it for 1 week. The guy gained weight and his cholesterol went up as did other blood results. Quite an entertaining programme.

I have been good on diet today, mainly cos we have bugger all in again (gotta wait till Friday to do a big shop). I am going to weigh myself in the morning, not sure how I may have done? Somehow sods law says I have not lost the 3 lbs I gained on holiday!

Tuesday 17th April 2007

Weight - 10 st 8 lbs
(148 lbs)
Loss - 3 lbs

YEAH dunno how but I did manage to lose 3 lbs. I hopped on the scales at 7.30am this morning and yep, 3 lbs lost. PHEW. I am going to be soooooooooooooooooooooo good this week, I want to have a loss next week too. My first goal is to get under 10 st (under 140 lbs), so for this I have to lose 9 lbs.

Being a bit lazy again today. I should go for a walk after lunch, I know I should. I might walk up to the village maybe. R is in drama after school so no picking her up till 4.15pm.

I am aiming to have a healthy lunch (soup and a diet yogurt).

The worry of gaining more weight and going over 11 st (154 lbs) is so GREAT that it certainly helps me not eat too much. Also have not been very hungry lately, this also helps.

I have been very very good on diet today, yes I have. Can I keep this up? HHmmmm..........if I want to lose weight, I have to. I think my eating habits have changed and I most definately don't have big binges anymore (ok maybe the odd mini one). It's a sod though..just how hard you have to work to lose a tiny bit of weight. Oh but try to gain a few lbs, well that is SO SO easy. Couldn't be any easier.

I don't stuff my face every day, I don't eat TONS of chocolate (would I want to?!) I am reasonably active (some days!). I eat a fairly balanced diet (mostly). And yet...can I lose this weight? Not easily. It shouldn't be this hard should it.

I went to a diet club once (New You it was called, many years ago). And Molly (who ran it) said "Woman don't get fat through eating TOO much, through eating HUGE meals, no woman get fat by eating...
Typical nibbles in a day (that you forget about)
2 squares of chocolate - from kids
Handful of someone's crisps (fries)
That leftover piece of toast (only a small one)
Square of cheese while preparing hubbies lunch
1 broken biscuit (last one in the biscuit barrel)

See, now I would not call that overeating and I wouldn't think I'd overdone it for the day (assuming I ate healthy meals that day). But of course when trying to lose weight this sort of thing (done daily) stops you losing weight. And if you're like me...well the odd bottle of wine here and there (say 1 or 2 each weekend) also does not help weight loss. Damn I knew I was going wrong somewhere.

Wed 18th April 2007

I feel quite motivated and able to stick to a diet plan at the moment. Once again I am so concerned about gaining any mroe weight that it does literally stop me eating bad things (ha let's see how long this lasts).
I want the scales to show a little loss each week, just a 1 lb would do each and every week. I know some weeks I'll stay the same, some I may gain, but on the whole if I can slowly drop the lbs and get where I want to be..that would be great.

I am not going to get to worry about what I am eating/not eating. I'll just aim to stick to the SW plan each day (since this worked before)..................and if I keep sticking to it, well the weight#s got to come off hasn't it.

I've got to stop my 'weight' ruling my life though, I've got to stop worrying about how fat I look, or how people think I look, or how awful I look because I know I don't look that bad.

Ok, I might not want to buy bigger size clothing, but there's no point in trying to squeeze into smaller stuff and no point in not buying new clothes just because I feel fat, it's silly. There are some lovely clothes out there (don't have the ££££ for them at the moment) but when I do I am going to go to the shops and buy myself one nice thing to wear - and I am even going to try stuff on in the shop and not cry cos the size seems so big!!!

I have a great husband (who I sometimes neglect, sorry Neil) and 2 great kids and I want to feel happier - to enjoy my lfe more and not spend it wishing for this and that. and I know I get 'down' days but I am going to try to be more positive3 about myself/my life.

A selection of pics of me when I had lost my weight (all 47 lbs of it 2003/4). I still find it hard to believe that at this point I still felt fat at times and felt I needed to lose 10 more lbs taking me to 7 st 8 (106 lbs) or something like that

Thursday 19th April 2007

Brixham 2004

Doing well on diet so far today, though I did have to have 2 biscuits in the afternoon because I was hypo unfortunately. Never mind, I counted them in. I WANT to be slimmer SO SO SO much. I want to get back to the lwoer weight I was in previous years. It's not impossibel and I know it will take time. When I lost that 47 lbs, well it took me 18 months altogether. I have 28 lbs or so that I want to lose so realistically it will take me about say, 8 or 9 months..sooner if I can stick to it well perhaps.

I want to lose the weight for the summer hols. We are going to Brixham for 2 weeks. Last time we went to Brixham I was considerably slimmer and felt better for it.

Saturday 21st April

Slimmer Neil about 1995/6

R is not feeling well, sore throat and a temperature. We were going to go to mum and dads for the weekend but not now, we can go next weekend instead.

J was sent home frm school on Thur and off yesterday, he too is not feeling well.

No plans for today as such.

Neil has lost 6 lbs since we came back from holiday which is good. He has a lot to lose. I said we both need to aim for losing a stone (14 lbs) by our summer holiday, more is better but ket's aim for a smaller goal first. Neil is now 18 st 9 lbs (261 lbs) and is really aiming to lose about 42+ lbs. I really want us both to be slimmer and fitter. Part of neil's problem is he gets very little exercise (even less than me). He goes out to work at 7.30am and gets home at 7pm. Weekends are a good time to go for walks but it is not easy getting everyone to go for a walk! I know there's housework and fardening but often Neil just wants to relax at the weeksnds and read or write, basically do bugger all. But in truth, if we want to lose weight and keep it off this has to change. I'm not saying we have to run round exercising all weekend, but we have to move more....get burning off some calories.

We aren't going to be doing much this weekend with both the kids feeling sick but

Oh yes, we have lots of housework that needs doing (yes Neil, that thing that get's done magically - somehow!)!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To be fair, Neil does do stuff around the house, I just have to nag him a flippin lot to get him to do it!

Painted the kitchen this afternoon, it's kind of a lime colour )pale). Hopefully when we get new units etc it will look ok.

I think I am doing ok on my diet, I have been much better than previous weeks. I have no idea really how I will weigh tomorrow. I think when you have a very good week and do lots of exercise then you know you will almost certainly have lost weight. I have tried to be good

ok on diet almost every day - except yesterday I had some mints.
I have not exercised as such though have walked halfway to work 2 days and did a pile of painting yesterday. You do have to (or I seem to have to) put a lot of effort in to lose each and every week.