Monday 18th June 2007

Weight - 10 st 2 lbs (142 lbs)
Loss - 1 lb

Gotta face the scales again. Maybe I'll just weigh myself once a month? It is so tiresome having to get on the scaless each week and same old thing - feeling yippeeee great if lbs lost and feeling crappy awful if stayed same or gained.

YEah - I lost another lb. This so makes it easier to to think about being 'good' this coming week, makes you feel much more motivated.

Tuesday 19th June

The exercise bike has arrived at last though a lead is missing an end so needs sorting out, also, well we have the CyberBike version which you plug into tv, I so not think I ordered this version, but still R will like it (if it works)

We have got to get another car ASAP. What a pain looking for another one (has to be a 2nd hand one). Neil got a lift in this morning. Bill (father in law) has to run me to work for the next whatever. I could walk, probably should walk or at least walk home. Think I will aim to walk home on Friday at least.
It's a bugger not having a car. I mean, well hubby not having a car (since I have never driven in my life, never even had a go, though Neil has nagged me on and off for years to go for it but I have just never been interested in learning to drive - besides which I don't think I'd be very good at it)

Fed up. 7pm, need kids to go to bed (though is too early), need to sit on couch, chill out to some vaguely interesting tv - no distractions. Annoyed that the bloody bike thing has yet to be sorted out and that I've got to go to work in the morning. Just plain fed up.

Wed 20th June 2007

Work ok. Went to see my friend and work colleague who is in hospital (she had severe pain and now has to have gallbladder removed). She is such a lovely person and it is even harder for her and her kids as she lost her hubby just 5 weeks ago (sudden heart attack). I am sure she will be fine, it's just that it's not fair to her and the kids.

Thank you Lins - am not so fed up today! And when I see how much pain and heartache my friend has to go through, I feel silly for moaning about being fed up.

Got to be good with my food (ie don't eat crap). Got to do some exercise daily, ok am going dancing tonight, that'll do...worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. What more can a person do to lose weight?

Still Wed 20th June

SAGA OF THE CHILDS EXERCISE BIKE - arghghghghg

Ok this is the tale -
Browsing internet for exercise ideas for daughter (R).
Found UK web site called GYMKIDS who do exercise stuff for kids (treadmills, airwalkers, bikes etc) which are very colourful and look like fun.
The Junior Exercise bike (for ages 7 to 11) is £123 plus postage and packing. The display on it tells you calories and miles and speed.
Ok I thought, I like that.
They also do a CyberBike (ages 7 to 11) at £99, this plugs into your tv and the child sees like a video game and pedals away. Looked fun but I thought NAH let's stick to the plain exercise bike. But first
Let's look elsewhere on internet to see if cheaper anywhere else.
Found SHOP.COM which had the Junior Exercise Bike for £99 (free postage and packing) as supplied by CheesyBug Toys (though bike is still from/by GYMKIDS)
Ok so far?
Web site said delivery 5 days. OK
Paid for Junior Bike (£99) on 3rd June
13th June - no sign of Bike so rang CheesyBug Toys, who rang GymKids who said problem with delivery people so Bike will be with us 15th June (luckily Neil working from home)
15th June - no sign of bike
Emailed CheesyBug Toys and they emailed back saying still problems with delivery - bike WILL be with us Monday 18th June. Luckily it is my day off so am in all day.
18th June - no sign of bike
19th June Bike arrives (box a bit bashed but ok).
On box it said Senior Bike but had pic and all details of Junior Bike, so J and I figured ok, it is the right one.
J put it together for me (I left him to it), no instructions in box also there seemed to be a loose piece of lead/wire with no end to it???????
Looked at bike and thought Hmmmmmmm??????? The display unit says CyberBike? Huh?
Looks like they've sent us the wrong bike.
Figured since we got it assembled we'd try it out.
It does not work properly.
Emailed CheesyBug toys straight away, they emailed back saying they'd contact GymKids to contact me.
Today GymKids phoned.
The bloke said "I hear you have a CyberBike that does not work"
I said yes. I then said, can I just check what my original order was with CheesyBug Toys (via SHOP.COM), because I am sure I ordered the Junior Bike not the CyberBike.
He checked. Yep I'm right, I did order a Junior Bike not a CyberBike, but he said the CyberBike was a far better product (aren't I lucky!)
(We had dis-assemvled it and put it back in box I said) Oh and by the way, he cannot take the CyberBike back and give us the Junior Bike because we have opened/assembled the CyberBike and that means they can no longer sell it on.
I said luckily my daughter likes the CyberBike but would like it to be working. SO he said can I please send on the console part (and leads) and they will test them (!) and hey, they will replace them free of charge.

What is it with fecking customer service in this country? Ok, they fot back to me, were very pleasant but why do I feel cheated and cross and well, am cheesed off by the comment that I cannot send CyberBike back and get what I ORDERED. Arghghghggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg.

Am going to send the bits off tomorrow/Friday and I had bloody well better get me the rights bits and them WORKING. I mean it feels awkward cos the order was through like 3 companies as it were - so who is answerable - GymKids I suppose. I am never never going to order from the internet in this way again.

Thursday 21st June

Went shopping tonight. Have decided to try and eat (buy) less processed foods and buy more natural foods. Not as convenient but healthier. Need to have a diet that is based on lots of fresh fruit and veggies, little red meat (already eat very little).
I bought some green tea (ok, have bought this in the past and not always carried on using it). I bought cous cous and lentils and quinoa.
Hmmmm ok, in all honesty the kids will not eat it. R does like the flavoured cous cous as does Neil. I got some 0% greek yogurts and grapes and bananas, apples and pears. I bought tons of orange and yellow peppers (I love them).
Plan for tomorrow - eat well (ie no crap), walk halfway to work (Neil will drop me halfway at 7.50am - then it takes me 15 mins to walk rest of way). Then walk home from work at 5pm (feet are usually throbbing at end of day but still...). This will take me say 30 to 45 mins to walk home (at varying speeds!).
Do 2 hours dancing at night (8 till 10 pm). PHEW.
Try to avoid several glasses of wine after dancing (at home)...can't promise on this one!
Well there you have it - another exciting day.

Sat 23rd June

R's little monkey in a plant by our front door!

Ok day in work yesterday, well to begin with at least. I was certainly glad when the end of the day came. Another member of staff snapped at me (I don't think I have ever been snapped at in such a scary way), she did kind of appologise later but it quite upset me really. Dumb I know.
Anway, went dancing last night for 2 hours and this was fun and relaxing.

I did manage to walk halfway to work yesterday but was NOT in the mood to walk home!

Warched Dr Who - Brill!!!!
Have I been good with my food? Well, sort of I guess. I did not stress eat last night, though did overdo the wine a bit after dance class. We had brekky out this morning (Sainsburys, very exciting...not) and I did not have lunch. I did buy some low fat ice-cream and had a bowl of that earlier...other than that, ok. I still feel as though I need to work that much harder to actually lose weight. When I did slimming world a few years ago I regularly lost 2 or 3 lbs at a time, this is a rarity now.