ReSet 2017 - Day 2

One word... OUCH!!!

For anyone who has done a fitness session consisting of mainly squats, this picture will bring back memories for you!

This was me this morning, cue the hysterics from my children as I lowered my painful fat butt onto the toilet seat.  Worst thing about the whole thing is that it will be tomorrow when the pain is at it's worst! Yikes!

So today has been pretty similar to yesterday.  Have coped pretty well with eating, have managed to drink 1 litre of water whilst at work and have tried to take more steps where possible in my sedentary job.

The meals for today were:

Breakfast - Overnight oats with banana and vanilla

This was a bit easier to swallow, I used a bit more milk to make it less stodgy. Still not my favourite though.

Lunch - Mozzarella and tomato salad, mmmmmmm!

His and Hers 

Dinner - Sweet potato, spinach and bean stew

So the recipe was butter beans, but I wanted to add some variety, so I added butter beans, black eyed beans and chick peas.  I used my wonderful, amazing, super duper Instant Pot to cook this. Bunged all the ingredients in and cooked in 15 minutes!! I even cheated by using my mandolin slicer/cutter to prepare the vegetables, so was super quick to prepare too! Two out of 4 kids ate the lot, one ate half and the other point blank refused to touch it.  We enjoyed it though, was different, clean and filling. I am learning that with the help of my gadgets, there's no excuse not to have a healthy dinner, even when on a busy schedule.

Exercise - ReSet Home Workout 1(The Tester)

So I was to record how many of the following I could achieve in 1 minute. I decided to do some jump rope as a warm up, I was pretty much dead after this alone. But hey, I will compare this mornings results to my results at the end of the 4 weeks and see how much I have improved (if I'm not dead by then!)

Bodyweight squats - 19

Press ups (box) - 25

Bodyweight reverse lunges - 9 (these kill me every time. I could really feel the tightness in my leg muscles)

High knees - 22

Jump squats - 12 (also a killer for me)

Tricep dips - 13

Alternating side lunges - 16

Plank (forearm) 30 seconds!! (How rubbish is that?? My kids can do 8 minutes!!)

I have had a dull headache today, despite drinking all that water.  I'm guessing its my body's reaction to detoxing the refined junk out of it.  I've had a moment on the way home from work where my mind turned to chocolate, I kind of wanted some in that moment, but it was fleeting and I'm ok again.  I'm looking forward to my snack later, greek yoghurt and berries.

ReSet 2017 - Day 1

Day 1

So I set my alarm last night for 6:30am, with the intention of getting up and doing a Kettlebell workout on YouTube.  After only getting to sleep after 1:30am, I was not best pleased when said alarm was loudly ringing in my ear. I promptly switched it off and rolled over to go back to sleep for another hour. Five minutes later, I found myself getting up out my bed, threw my gym gear on and marched downstairs with determination that I was going to follow through with my plans. I have no idea where the change of heart came from, but I really enjoyed sweating it out as I followed the ripped guy on my TV screen.  Glass no.1 of water was consumed during this time 👍

Breakfast - Overnight oats with stewed apples and cinnamon

Well let's just say, for me, it tasted as good as it looks (in the pink cup!) Darren (my hubby) sent me an email that went like this: "Just eating my breakfast now. Wow!! If I have to eat this most days then I'll definitely lose weight."  At this point, I hadn't even touched it yet, but definitely wasn't looking forward to it at all.  I tried it cold, it wasn't going to go down. I heated it up in the microwave at work, it didn't really make it any better.  I did manage it though by 10am, only took about 30 minutes.  Not my favourite, but I would try it again.  It kept me full for 4 hours, thats pretty good going for me.

Lunch - Salad with tuna mayonnaise 

I was so looking forward to this and it was mega yummy!! When I was preparing it the night before, it really didn't seem much compared to what I would normally be looking for.  I actually struggled near the end to finish it as I was beginning to feel full.  So that was a good sign, but I forgot to drink *face palm*

Dinner - Sausages with sweet potato mash and vegetables

So we were advised to get sausages with the highest pork content we could afford.  The highest available in supermarkets appears to be 97%. These were chipolatas at only 90% as it is all Darren could find when doing the shopping.  We were also only meant to have 2, however I worked out that 3 of these is about the same as 2 sausages, so I'll take that.  We could have done better with the vegetables and substituted the peas for another variety, but there are some carrots and broccoli hidden under there too.  Now the last time I had sweet potato mash, I wasn't too keen on it. This time, combined with the onion gravy, it was super delicious so will definitely be doing that one again.  The kids really enjoyed this dinner too.

So I have a snack and 4 glasses of water to fit in this evening (I have drank one whilst typing this post) - we'll see how that goes.  Remember, this is a girl who normally only drinks 3-400mls per day, so I'm already doing better.  

And that's what this is about, making baby steps in the right direction to becoming healthier.  I was mega chuffed with myself for getting up earlier to exercise, it could have been so easy just to lay in bed.  It really set me up for the day. (Well in actual fact, my legs were pretty dead, I nearly fell down the stairs, but we'll not talk about that too much!)

All in all, I'd say its been a good day. Let's see what tomorrow brings...

** Update ** I have managed to drink 1300mls of water today!!! My kidneys won't know whats hit them.

Reset 2017

So that time of year has come around. You know, the time where you decide that this is going to be THE year, now is the time to eat healthy and get fit?  So I signed myself up for Reset 2017 by Susan at Run Well Fitness.  I have blogged before about my binge eating habits and my personal difficulties with food.  Reset is not going to be any easy feat for me.  The idea of 3 meals plus one healthy snack, clean eating, incorporating all food groups, drinking plenty water, choosing better options, good sleep habits and exercising 3 times per week sounds pretty reasonable, but when I compare it my normal habits, it's going to be tough going.

So at present, my meals aren't too bad.  My major downfalls are the high fat/high sugar snacks such as crisps, sweets and chocolate. I also only drink approximately 3-400mls of fluids per day, usually no added sugar diluting juice.  My husband wonders how I can function on such little fluid, but I guess I must get some from foods.  So trying to up this to 6 glasses of water per day is going to be tough.  I also live a pretty sedentary lifestyle, despite having 4 children.  At work I sit at a desk, I walk to my car, drive to clients homes, sit for around an hour, walk back to the car and then walk upstairs to my desk. In the evenings, I am normally taxiing my children to various clubs and music lessons in the car, reading books for homework, chatting to them about their day and then before I know it, it's time for bed. So this part of Reset will also be habit changing for me.

Right now, I'm looking forward to these personal challenges and turning bad habits into better lifestyle choices.  I have a buddy to help me too, a lovely mum from school but I will also be using my blog here to record my (honest) thoughts and feelings each day.

So here are my starting stats:

Weight 15st 10lbs
Height 5ft 6.25in
Waist 114cm
Hips 120cm

Basically clinically obese.  I know it. I see it. I feel it.

Here are my starting out pics.  At the end of the 4 weeks, I will post my after pics.

So here's to trying again 👍

  

A newly improved school year

So any parent can describe to you the goings on in the morning as everyone is preparing for school, work etc. For some it may be pretty, for others like myself, it can be rather traumatic.  I mean who enjoys listening to, "Have you done this? Have you got that? Why are you sitting with only pants and 1 sock on, we leave in 5 minutes!! Have you brushed your hair? Teeth? Arghhh you've got breakfast spilled all down you! I can only find one shoe! Has anyone seen my homework folder?" times this by 4! I'm exhausted just even thinking about it.

Welcome to our home for the last school year.  I decided I wasn't wanting a repeat this year.  I am often asked how I manage working full time, 4 kids, church responsibilities and everything else life throws at you.  Quite frankly, it can be stressful and often things don't get done.  I didn't want that anymore, so we sat down as a family and decided what we were going to do. Here are some of the ideas we came up with:

1. Daily routines chart

We made a daily routines chart that the children came up with (us adults guided them a little). I have found that my children, particularly my boys perform better when they know what is expected of them and can be reminded of it. So they each have the chart displayed in their bedrooms.  So far, it has worked a treat and they are reminding me at certain times what we should be doing next.  With 4 children and both parents working, there is a lot to fit in each day.  This has helped us all in being more constructive with our time.

2. Daily storage drawer

So we used this last year, it worked in as much that I was prepared with the washing and ironing.  The idea is that each school day has a drawer.  In the drawer, I would put underwear and school clothes in and any sports equipment they needed for that day. It works brilliantly when I am organised.  I don't know about anyone else, but doing laundry and ironing is fine, it's the putting away! I hate it, often I would encourage the children to put their clothes away after I've stood for 3-4 hours ironing, but it would end up crumpled anyway. Complete bug bear of mine. Asking the hubby to do it wasn't any better (he is brilliant at other household chores though so we don't give him too hard a time.) So each child has a set of plastic drawers like these:

3. Symbols

So like I said above, I hate putting the laundry away.  I am also one for having the children take responsibility and giving them some chores to do.  It's teaching life skills.  So I decided that we would label the drawers.  The children were on board with this completely.  They got to design and colour each garment and label it.  Once completed, I then allowed them to use the laminator (this is really exciting stuff for my kids! Who doesn't love laminating things?)  They then chose which drawers would be used for each item of clothing.  I loved doing this with them, encouraging their creativity, using problem solving skills and for my youngest child who has just started school, she is beginning to associate words to pictures (letter recognition skills). 

So I know I won't be alone in experiencing stress in the mornings, but I wanted to share what I have found to work (for the moment) in making it a more pleasant experience.  I know when my kids leave in the morning, I amen't full of regret wishing I had just been that bit more patient, or less vocal. It just takes a bit more organisation on my part to change the whole atmosphere of our home. I hope this gives someone some ideas to help make their home a happier place.

Any questions, fire away :-)

One step at a time...overcoming an eating disorder.

So this past week, both Darren and I started our goal to live healthier. Part of this is for us both to lose some weight, but for different reasons.

Darren loves his food and seems that he always has done.  When we first met, he thought I was anorexic because I was super skinny and would hardly eat anything (really I was just too nervous to eat in front of him) but I only really ate food to survive, I didn't do it for enjoyment.  Darren soon turned that round, he took me to nice restaurants and we enjoyed the high life for a while. Then the lbs started creeping on.

Darren was recently diagnosed with a condition called Ankylosing Spondylitis.  So living a healthier life and losing weight will definitely be of benefit to him.  This week he decided to cut out all refined sugar in his diet. He went cold turkey and found it REALLY hard for the first few days, however he felt better nearer the end of the week and even better when the scales said he lost 10lbs. Well done to him, although with it being Easter and we're on holiday, I'm not sure he'll be able to keep that up.

So for me, it's a bit of a different story.

I decided for work to do some reading into eating disorders, mainly anorexia and bulimia.  As I studied, the reality hit me that I had an eating disorder of a different kind. Now some may chuckle or snigger, but for me, this is a real illness.

My name is Gemma and I am a Compulsive Binge Eater.

The cycle of binge eating may look like this:

I've known for a long time that I've had an issue with eating.  Even Darren has been surprised by how much cake or chocolate I can consume, without even tasting it but will keep going until I feel sick.  I just don't seem to know how to stop myself.  Accepting that this was becoming a real issue, I needed help to change my whole mindset.  Most of you know that I am a spiritual and religious person, so I prayed to God that He would help me and help me He has.  I found the most amazing group to help me, however I will not speak of this publicly. If you wish to know more, message me.

With my main issue being that I overeat in the evening, my first goal to help me become healthier and lose weight was to eat 3 meals a day of whatever I wanted, but no snacking in between or after dinner.  I thought this would be really hard to do, but I have actually found it really empowering this week.  I haven't fallen off the wagon once, I was tempted a couple of times but I reminded myself of the reason why I was doing this. My thoughts have turned towards different things and stayed away from food, which is unusual for me. So this week I lost 4.5lbs. I'm delighted with that.

My next goal is to cut down on portion sizes during meals. Although I have only eaten 3 meals per day, my portion sizes have still been larger than what they should be. However, I'm taking this one step at a time. I have tried all the diets out there where you can eat as much of this and that, but not this. It doesn't work for me because all I do is think about all the food that I'm allowed and eat loads of it for the sake of it...and ultimately, I still feel rubbish even if the scales say I have lost weight.

Depending on how I get on with this, my next goal will be to cut down on the refined sugars. I do mean cut down and not cut out, as I want to still be able to participate in normal family celebrations. The difference will be my relationship with food and me being in control of it, rather than it controlling me. This is going to be a lifelong journey and I share this with you so you can help me. When you offer me something and I refuse, I really need you to support my decision and not coerce me into doing something I don't want. Remember for me, this is an illness. It's gonna be hard at times, but I know that I can do this with the help of those who love me :-)

Respectful politicians

So I lay in bed at 6am and decided to watch the Scottish Government morning Plenary on 16th March.  I had caught a glimpse of few of the departing speeches during the evening news and wanted to watch it for myself, as let's face it, you can't always trust the Biased Broadcasting Corperation.

I was moved to tears as I listened to Annabel Goldie, Duncan McNeil and Alex Salmond (as well as a few others) as they reflected upon their time as politicians, serving the people of Scotland with such passion and conviction. It was so refreshing to watch politicians recognise the achievements of one another, despite their differences in party politics. If you are interested in watching them, you can find it here. (They are mostly within the first half hour).

I cast my mind back to not too long ago where David Cameron ridiculed Jeremy Corbin for his attire during a debate in the Westminster parliament.  This attitude does not win me over. The ruthless, stuck up, snobbery repulses me and would be cause for me to disengage in politics.  I am fortunate that I have an alternative here in Scotland, as do all the people of Scotland. Regardless of which political party you agree with and vote for, there are politicians here that clearly have a love for their country and the people therein and will work together, to achieve the best outcome for our country. Now don't get me wrong, there are hardworking politicians in Westminster too, (although it seems that the closer you get to the front bench, the less they seem to understand the lives of normal working people).

Now I don't know if it's just maturity, my career choice or if there is another reason for my interest in politics, but it excites me! I firmly believe that my vote can and will make a difference for me and my family. I am also excited about the fact that my children also have an interest in Scottish politics. Of course, they don't fully understand it, but neither do I. However I am grateful they have good examples of local politicians who work hard, who appear trustworthy and reliable public figures.

I hope that this continues throughout their lives and that the Scottish Parliament will continue with their values of integrity, accessibility, respect, efficiency and agility. As I listened to the progress that has been made over the last 17 years in the Scottish Parliament, I am excited about the prospects of what the future brings for our country.

And to finish in the words of Alex Salmond - "It is goodbye from me - for now"

Dr Facebook, Dr Google, Dr Social Media

I don't know if it's just me, but I have become more concerned lately as I scroll through social media and read post after post of guff advice being dished out in relation to health. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong in seeking advice on something you are unsure about. I've done it myself, Dr Google and I have become well acquainted. However it worries me when I read potentially harmful advice being dished out by those with no medical qualifications or experience. 

The examples that get me the most are those relating to pregnancy or young children. I often see a response similar to, "Oh, I had that during my pregnancy, it's nothing to worry about." Actually, do you know the medical history of this person? Have you completed a midwifery degree and understand all the potential risks associated with that symptom? Just because it was ok for you doesn't mean it is ok for someone else. I'd be much happier to see a response like, "I had that too during my pregnancy, it turned out ok but maybe you should be checked out if you are concerned."

I get that people don't want to waste time contacting health professionals when the media constantly drum into us how overstretched the service is. However I'm sure health professionals would rather be busy treating and reassuring people who genuinely need medical assistance than treat the negative results of bad advice. So, what are reliable sources of medical advice?

Patient - is an extensive, up-to-date website for health advice. Many GP's use it to print off information leaflets for patients to take home after a consultation.

NHS 24 or NHS Choices are approved NHS websites that contain self help guides and signpost you to appropriate services.

There are some great apps out there for parents too!

Baby buddy is fab! Designed by Best Beginnings and endorsed by the majority of professional bodies in the medical field, it's well worth checking out!

Baby Check is a new app designed by The Lullaby Trust. It is pretty good in helping parents decide whether they need to seek advice from a doctor.

There is a place for peer support and reassurance from family and friends, societies have thrived on passing on hints and tips aka old wives tales that suited at the time. We are very fortunate to have a wealth of medical research and knowledge that will sometimes invalidate historical advice or practices, so please...

REMEMBER - if in doubt, seek appropriate medical advice 😊