div.titleArea div.container p.description,div.titleArea div.container h2{text-indent-9999px}Claires Weight Loss Blog

My first post:

I am feeling rather nervous about the weight loss in the new year. I will be on holiday in Australia and eating out more frequently than what I would do normally, however on a positive side I think I will be far more active as its their summer and I am planning to be out and about more as opposed to get up, sit on a tube to work, sit at my desk, sit on a tube to come home and then sit in front of the tv on the sofa! I think the first couple of weeks could go one way or the other.

I already know my weakness' and what makes me put on weight – alcohol, cheese and eating out! The one thing that I need to do in order to help control and monitor my weight loss will be to monitor how often I eat/do the above! Eating less cheese is easy and I can adapt to that, however with the alcohol and eating out, that is the thing I struggle with as that is a social activity that I enjoy. When I originally started Weight Watchers I removed myself from any eating out situation and after a month or two realised that I was missing out (mostly on the girlie gossip that happened on these occasions!) The one thing I need to educate myself more on and which is in line with the Weight Watchers programme is the fats that are in foods. This will be one of my first things to learn in preparation for the new year.

wish me luck!

Second post:

So, here I am down under and trying to start my weight loss! Since I arrived here on Christmas Eve, I think I have had some form of alcohol every day – not a good start to my weight loss, however now we are into 2010 I am determined to try harder.

So, New Year's Eve was spent down by Sydney Harbour Bridge watching the fireworks, and considering we got there at 11am to get a decent spot I actually did ok with regards to eating healthily as we had packed a massive picnic. This included cold meats, salads and fresh bread. The aussies are very healthy when it comes to eating fresh produce which is a great boost for me, however the wine added more calories to my daily intake that I would rather forget about!

So over the past couple of days a lot has happened. New Year's Day was spent at a music festival. This was a dieter's worst nightmare as they were a lot of fast food type places where festival-goers could get food. Having said that there were a couple of stalls that were selling fresh watermelon, however when you are dancing all day in the sun, you do feel like something more substantial.

With all the dancing over and done with, the following day I went to Palm Beach (where they film Home and Away) and had a great swim in the sea. Reflecting back on the past two days with all the dancing, swimming and walking to get to certain places I actually think I have done well with my exercise.

Over the next couple of days I am going to try hard to go back to what Weight Watchers has taught me and go back to keeping a food diary. If I can start to eat well again, reduce the alcohol consumption and continue with the exercise, fingers crossed I'll be back in the UK looking like a super fit aussie chick!!

Expert advice from Vicky Pennington:

You are right to go back to keeping a food diary. Eating well and continuing to exercise are the foundations of a successful long-term plan too. I encourage you to keep trying to cut down on the liquid calories in alcohol for weight and health reasons. A bottle of wine has the calories of an averaged size healthy meal but none of the nutritional benefits!

Third post:

Ok, so since my last blog I have cut down on my alcohol intake, but when we have been eating out, I have been snacking on things such as crisps before we go out, whereas back in the UK I would snack on carrots and cucumber with dips such as hummus. I definitely need to go back to eating these fresh foods!

This weekend we have a BBQ we are going to...I'm hoping there will be lots of fresh meats and salads to enjoy there. Where I would normally weigh myself every week at a Weight Watchers meeting I have not weighed myself for over three weeks so I am not looking forward to my first weigh in, although I am looking forward to getting back into a routine.

Expert advice from Vicky Pennington:

Healthy snacks will help reduce that temptation to overeat (simply because you are starving hungry) when you're going out for a meal. Snacking on veggies helps towards your 5-a-day too but beware of hummus. It's considered healthy but take a closer look at the fat and calorie count! A low fat yogurt or salsa based dip would be a better option.

Fourth post:

So, tonight has been my first healthy meal since I got here. I had a lovely bowl of fresh fruit and low fat yoghurt. I didn't eat too much whilst walking around the city today and treated myself with an ice cream this afternoon. One of the main things Weight Watchers has taught me is how to portion control and that is one of the most important things when it comes to weight loss as this allows you to know how your body works and how much food is sufficient at one meal sitting.

I now know that for me my weight tends to appear first around my tummy and I know that with daily walking for about 30 minutes this will help me to lose the weight, so this for me will be something that I try to do from tomorrow onwards. I think that I need to ensure I get the right balance of exercise to the amount of food that I eat. I've no doubt that this will help with my weight loss.

Let the journey continue!

Expert advice from Vicky Pennington:

Absolutely, energy balance is key to understanding weight loss and keeping your weight steady too. You actually need an energy deficit of around 500 calories a day to lose a pound a week and 1000 calories a day to lose two pounds a week. So, keep on watching your energy intake (calorie input) and burning more (calorie output) through daily walking and you should see the pounds steadily falling away.

Fifth post:

So now I have landed back in London and am back into the reality of cold weather and shorter days. I think my body is in for a shock! As soon as I got off the plane I was gasping of thirst so headed straight for Boots and got a Boots Shapers Apple and Raspberry Water which really hit the spot!

When I left Oz, I said to myself that I would start jogging when I got back to the UK. Now I am back, I have forgotten how cold it is outside and how early the nights draw in, so I have come up with a new short-term and long-term exercise plan to help with my weight loss. The short-term plan is to try and walk places I would normally drive to, and from when the days start to get longer (and warmer!) I will aim to jog two times a week and build this up to four times a week over the summer.

Expert advice from Vicky Pennington:

Great to see that you have made plans for keeping up exercise. Don't forget that you can keep on walking in the summertime too... eventually you won't think of this as 'exercise' as it will become part of your everyday life.

Sixth post:

So this is my penultimate blog and even though I am not yet back at work, I have found it easier to get back into a routine compared to when I was out of the country. I think I was definitely drawn into the fact there was so much food choice in Australia that was new to me and I wanted to try everything! I am now back to the normal boring foods that I eat everyday!!!

I did a big supermarket shop recently and bought loads of fresh foods and am going to make some low fat/low cal recipes this weekend and then freeze them so that when I am back at work and can't be bothered to cook if I get in late I will be able to get a pre-made healthy meal straight from the freezer.

Since I have been back the hardest part I need to work on is saying no to eating out as I know this is linked to my weight gain. However, this is easier said than done. I'm going to set myself a target of eating out only once a week if the invitation is there. Should I get two offers to eat out in a week, I am going to have to politely decline one or alternatively arrange it for the following week so I can still go!

Expert advice from Vicky Pennington:

You can eat out without ruining your diet. Here are my top tips:

• Watch out for the extras – butter, garlic bread, extra sauce, creamy dips, salad dressing, mayonnaise, cream, and ice cream can all add extra fat and calories
• Share a starter with a friend, especially if you know the portions are going to be generous
• Why not order two starter portions instead of a starter and main course
• Plain grilled or roast meat, chicken and fish have less fat and calories than fried and battered equivalents
• Go for a tomato or wine sauce rather than anything that sounds creamy or buttery
• Watch out for words like a la creme, au gratin, pastry, crispy, deep fried, pan fried or sauteed
• It can take around 20 minutes before your stomach knows that you are full. Have a break and then decide if you really want a dessert
• Sorbet, fruit salad (no cream of course) and fresh fruit all make light dessert options
• Remember that alcohol is liquid calories and too much can lead to the 'munchies' and affect your resolve to stick to your diet too

Seventh post:

So last night I had my first Weight Watchers weigh-in of 2010 and to my absolute surprise I have lost 2lbs. Ok, so considering I have been blogging for about month now I would have liked it to have been more. However, considering my long holiday, I think I have done well.

My first Weight Watchers meeting of 2010 went well and I found out that every January they have new editions of the eating out and shopping booklets that help you to look at what foods/meals contain certain points, so I was first in line to purchase these new books.

I have my friend's wedding in June which I am bridesmaid for and that is going to be my aim to get below my 10% weight loss. Realistically I am going to set myself a goal of getting below this target within 12 weeks. I already know this is going to be hard as I have some birthdays and engagement parties coming up. I think the trick here is not to drink wine and to stick to less calorific drinks.

I've found that each time I read my Weight Watchers books they give me inspiration, as you can make some lovely meals and they are all really healthy. In addition I found that talking to people at the Weight Watchers meeting really helped me, as it's a real motivator knowing that I'm not the only one trying to lose weight, and sharing stories is definitely a great way to keep my motivation up.

Expert advice from Vicky Pennington:

Well done... I think you have done so well not gaining weight while on holiday! I'm pleased to see that you've set yourself a realistic goal. Do keep a check on alcohol and eating out. I came across a great tool the other day that tells you your alcohol units for wine... take a look at the alcohol percentage and glass size. I was surprised to see how easy it is to consume 2 to 3 units in a single glass!

http://units.nhs.uk/unitCalculator.html