Showing posts with label walking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label walking. Show all posts
21:44

Walking, Lattes and Staying on Track!

Last night I thought it would be a good idea to go for a long walk on Sunday, but I wasn't sure where to or how far I would walk.  When I got up this morning I thought I would walk for half an hour and then just turn back.  I changed into my exercise gear, leashed up Molly and hit the pavement!  

I walked, and then I walked, and then I walked some more!  When I first set out, I felt lethargic, and my legs felt really heavy.  It was hot out today (for a change!) and the sun was shining so I just kept thinking to myself "just put one foot in front of the other".  

I ended up walking almost 6 miles to Partick, which is in the West End of Glasgow.  Partick has a great mix of pubs, cafes, second hand shops and restaurants!  I kept walking until I reached a lovely little cafe and decided to sit outside (well I had to since I had Molly with me!) and enjoy a well earned Latte!  The cafe was on the shady side of the street, which I think was just as well since we had walked for well over an hour in the blazing sun.  I did stop a few times before this to let Molly drink some water, her tongue was hanging out!




Molly is thinking something...... not quite sure what....!


As I sat here enjoying my Latte, I looked at the road up ahead to see probably one of the steepest hills in Glasgow!  And I thought to myself  "I'm going to walk up that hill!"

After I finished my Latte, I went inside to pay for it.  I managed to catch my bag on the corner of one of the chairs inside the cafe and it crashed to the floor!  Oooops!  I was slightly embarrassed at first and then I thought "hey, sh*t happens!'

I headed out to tackle this hill that loomed towards me.  

OMG!  That hill was a bastard!  I am not even kidding - I felt like I was climbing a vertical street!  I would even say this street rivals those in San Francisco!  I love SF!!  One of my fave places in the world!  Well, that and Orlando......


I hope they turned their wheels to the kerb!

Can you tell how steep this street is from this picture?!?  It looks tame here!!

I walked back down the hill, and headed home again.  A few points along the way I really wanted to phone Kenny to come get me, but I kept going.  My legs were sore, my hips were sore, but I kept going!
Poor wee Molly's legs were wiped too - she has been sleeping ever since we got back home =)

All in all, I had a fabulous workout!  I burned almost 1200 calories and walked almost 12 miles, and earned 15 WW activity points!!  

I hope to have a great weigh in on Wednesday - I'll see y'all back here then!  

Until then, have a happy and safe July 4th!!!!!  


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21:22

A step in the right direction

After a few weeks of being off the wagon and basically eating everything and anything that I wanted, I am now back in that place where I feel ready to start a healthy diet plan, exercise and generally taking care of myself.  I want to thank everyone of you that left me a comment on my last post.  It really meant the world to me that you understand what I'm going through and that you continue to support me through the good times and bad!  I feel that the last few weeks have been all bad, which is when I stop blogging.  But I need to realise that blogging through the bad times will be good for me - even if some people hate blogs with people that moan all the time!  I like to read about positivity and success also, but it also helps me to read some of your blogs where you are having a hard time too.  We are all in this together!!

On that note, I have decided to go back to Weight Watchers.  I have poured over all different diets, jumping from The Dukan Diet one minute, to Slimming World and every other diet out there!!  The problem with most of the other diets out there is that it restricts one food group or another and that just sets me up for failure.  I can go a few weeks on a diet, eating low-carb, and the BAM, I feel like I deserve a treat and before you know it, I've been on a month long binge with no end in sight!!

So, tomorrow, I'm joining a class not far from home.  This time, I am going to a few classes and see what one I feel most comfortable in.  I think that a good leader is key for Weight Watchers!  You want someone who you want to make proud each week and someone that will motivate you to do better when you fall down.


Over the last few days, I have been getting in some activity - at long last!  I went for a 9 mile cycle on Friday after work - it was a really nice afternoon, which has been very rare in Scotland this summer!  I've also been walking about 5 miles every day with Molly, and just enjoying being out in the fresh air, whether it's raining or not!  In fact, I quite like walking in the rain - it's generally quiet outside and I like that feeling of solitude sometimes!  Here are a couple of photos from the past few days!



Glasgow Harbour with Govan Shipbuilders on the right

Looking over towards Govan, Southside of Glasgow

Can you spot Scooby???
This is an old classic car advertising a scrap yard for cars!

Not a place you would want to sunbathe!

A nice secluded road - no traffic - I was worried I could get murdered here and no-one would find me!! lol

Some pretty weeds!!

And last but not least....wee Molly!!  Do you like her pink collar?? 

I have also been taking better care of myself the last week or so.  I have treated myself to a month of spray tans and I went for my second one tonight.  It's the VersaSpa, and so easy and much less embarrassing than getting someone to do it for you!  Yikes!  

Tomorrow, I will post my official WW weigh in - and just use those weigh ins each week!  Oh, and hopefully I will be able to post some "before" photos and measurements.

I am starting over, and feeling great about it!!!

Thank you all once again for your support - you are all awesome!!!!



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21:14

Couch to 5k update

Hey guys!  Thanks for your comments about my wee nephew!  Isn't he the cutest?! =)

Anyway - I'm so proud to say I made it to the gym again today for another session of Couch to 5k.
This was Week 1 - Day 2!  And it felt TOUGH!  It seemed tougher than Sunday's session and it was exactly the same workout.  Maybe cos I've been at work all day, maybe a bit more tired?  Dunno, but 10 minutes in I really wanted to quit.  I was sweating buckets after just my first bout of running.  But I persevered and after 20 minutes, I started to feel good.  I liked that sweat was dripping from my forehead!  Ha ha!

Todays workout:


Treadmill - 35 minutes - Incline 2% - Couch to 5k - Week 1 - Day 2

Calories Burned:   400



I have been eating my fruits and veggies (At least 5 servings a day), drinking my water (and some diet soda - I really need to give it up (again!)) and trying to get to bed earlier.  I have also been out during my lunch break for a quick half hour of brisk walking!  I haven't done so well in getting up early to get to work though - I just feel exhausted in the morning.  I even bought one of those lamps that wake you up with gradual light and birdsong! The birds drive me crazy in the morning! lol  - I think it's helping me a bit in getting up in the morning since its like hazy morning sunshine in my bedroom in the morning!  Here is the wake up light  I bought:-


It's still a struggle for me to get up in the morning but this has helped me tremendously!  I would certainly recommend it if you find it difficult to get up in the morning.  The light comes on gradually and begins about half an hour before your actual alarm time is set.  But don't have the sound too loud - the birds will sound like they are in your room!  lol

Is anyone else doing the Couch to 5k?  How are you finding it??

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21:52

Maple Syrup Pancakes, Walking and Pro Points explained.

I am so rubbish at coming up with a good title for my posts!

Anywhoo, back to Weight Watchers.  The new Pro Points!  As I said in my last post - I totally love it!  I weighed in on Thursday at 192 lbs =(  That is my highest weight ever.  And a little too close to 200lbs for comfort!  I am so glad I feel this confident about the new plan, otherwise I'm sure I would be full of despair about my weight.

I won't post a "before"photo yet.  I feel that's all I ever do!  I really need to get moving on making the "after" photo.  I have loads of Florida photos that will make for a good "before" picture anyway!  I will only be brave enough to show them when I see a significant difference in how I look.

How the Pro Points system works:

The new PP system works completely differently from the old Points system.  PP are now worked out by how much protein, carbs, fat and fibre a food has.  Before it was by calories and saturated fat.

Each person will be allocated a personal Pro Points allowance for each day, and everyone gets a Pro Points weekly allowance of 49.  (That is my favorite thing about this new plan!)

You cannot save any Pro Points for another day - so if you don't use 'em, you lose 'em!  And if you go over your daily allowance, fret not!  You just dip into your weekly allowance!   You could have more points each day, or save your allowance for a night out, drinks or just a fabulous meal!

You can still earn Activity Pro Points too.  You can choose to "eat" them, or just use them to help you get to your goal faster =)

Oh and I almost forgot!  Fruit also has a Pro Points value of 0!  Yes, ZERO, ZILCH, NADA!  This also makes me want to reach for fruit a lot of the time also!

But even though you can eat as much fruit as you like, WW advise that you use your common sense and don't eat past the point of fullness.  Just eat until you feel comfortably full, and then STOP.


My allowance for each day is 29.   Tonight, I had a Chinese Takeaway.  Now normally if I have something like that, I would go for fried rice and eat the whole thing!  But I weighed out my BOILED rice (no point in wasting Pro Points now is there?!) and I had half of the Beef and Mushroom dish I had ordered.  And I had a lot more mushrooms than beef!  It was yummy!  And all still within my weekly allowance.

And this was for my lunch yesterday!  Dieting has never been so much fun!
Carrot and Ginger Soup with a Ham, Tomato and Basil Toasted Sandwich with side salad.

For brunch today I made a recipe from my WW Pack we all received when the new system came out.

I added a sprinkle of cinnamon - yummy!

Maple Syrup Pancakes & Pears   - 7 Pro Points per serving (3 pancakes per serving) Serves 4.


125g Self Raising Flour
2 Medium Eggs - beaten
175ml Skimmed Milk
6 Tblsp Maple Syrup
1tsp low fat spread (suitable for cooking)   - I would just miss this out if you have a non-stick pan!
2 x 400g tins of pear halves in natural juice, drained




Place the flour into a large bowl.  Make a well in the centre, add the eggs, milk, and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.  Whisk together until completely smooth.


Warm a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.  When hot, add the spread and leave to melt.  Add the batter in large spoonfuls to make little pancakes about 8cm across.  Cook for about 1 minute until bubbles start bursting on the surface, then flip over and cook for a further 30 seconds until both sides are golden.  Continue with the remaining mixture until all 12 pancakes are cooked.  Set aside in a warm place.


Increase the heat and warm the empty pan.  Add the pears and remaining maple syrup and cook for 2-3 minutes until hot through and starting to caramelise a little.  Serve a stack of 3 pancakes with the syrupy pears on the side.  





Because the pears are zero points, you can have as much as you like - just don't overeat past the point of fullness.

ENJOY!!  You can also freeze the pancakes - but don't freeze the pears!

This was delicious!!  The pancakes weren't too sweet, but with the pears they were just right!

I also went to the park with Molly today and walked 2 miles (around the park twice!)  It was a lovely brisk cold day and it felt good to get out in the fresh air!  I took some photos, but the light wasn't very good - the sun was disappearing quickly!

Molly loves just jumping around the leaves!
Molly wanted to get to those swans so bad!





















Lesley, thanks for your support too!  We can do this =)

I'm going to go have an Options Hot Chocolate with a Galaxy Bubbles bar and watch Keeping up with the Kardashians!!  

If you want to know anything else about the plan, just ask!

Here's to a great week!!!

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22:19

Another GREAT day!!

Hey everyone!  How is your weekend going?  Mine has been pretty good, but quiet!  Yesterday I had lunch with my dad.  But I had a cake after it........ and it was delicious!  But that was the only bad thing I had yesterday.  Usually if I eat something like that I just think I've blown it, I might as well eat 10 bars of chocolate, more cakes and lots of bread!  I wasn't even that hungry come dinner time so I just had a wrap with sliced roast chicken and salad.  I have to remember that healthy food tastes even better than crap food!

Today, was a GREAT day.  It started off, where I slept til 12 (SHOCK!  I couldn't sleep very well last night so I got up and watched episodes of the Waltons til 3!)  I felt like I had wasted most of the day.  Kenny was heading off to the gym and I just wanted to curl up on the couch and watch rubbish telly but he convinced me to get out for a long walk with Molly.  So I got changed, strapped my heart rate monitor on, grabbed my iPhone, put on my fabulous new playlist, and did Couch to 5K.  Now I have done this before, got to the 2nd week and feel like I can run for 30 mins without stopping.  I found it so hard just to run for 1 minute.  But it was a glorious day, the sun was shining, and although it was quite cold, I kept going until I completed my 30 minutes, and then continued for a further 30 minutes of walking with a bit of random jogging!  Molly loved it too!  I took a few photos while I was out - what a beautiful day it was!





My favorite pup!!

562 Calories TORCHED BABY!!!

When I got home, I started work on making my Tomato and Basil soup!  It was so simple.  A tin of Plum tomatoes, frozen diced onion, frozen baby carrots, fresh basil chopped, and vegetable stock!

My freshly chopped basil!  Looks like a professional photo eh!

Soup a simmerin'

Frozen diced onions and baby carrots!

Basil - just in case you couldn't tell!

Instructions!

"Fry" onions and carrots until soft.
Add tin of tomatoes and stock,
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Add in handful of chopped basil.
Blend roughly in blender.

SERVE!!

Simple even for me!!  Ha ha!!

I bought a food flask yesterday too, so I can heat my soup in the morning, put in ma flask, and take it to work!!  EASY!

And before I go - my starting weight...............DUN DUN DUN!!!!


187.8lbs  -  I think thats about the same weight I was when I started this blog!!  But no point in crying over put on fat!  It's time to be positive.  Time to get this fat off once and for all.  No matter how long it takes.

I will post my measurements tomorrow.  I did take some during the week, but I can't seem to find my notebook :-(    I do remember it being bad though!

And before I go, I thought I would show you all the flowers I bought myself yesterday!  They sure do brighten up the coffee table =)




Goodnight wonderful bloggers!
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19:42

I'm Back!!

Hey everyone! I feel it has been forever since my last post!!

So last Monday was the Toby Keith gig - it was freaking amazing!! I love his deep American accent! The queue to get in was ridiculous - it was wrapped round the building and about half a mile up the road! And we waited about 45 mins to get in. Just was well it wasn't raining, but it was pretty cold! I was worried we were going to miss the "warm up" act, but we didn't. Mica Roberts was his opening act - a country singer on Toby Keith's record label. She was amazing - great voice! I had goosebumps!
I got this T-Shirt - it doesn't fit me just now - in fact I can't even get it over my shoulders! But I wanted a smaller size in the hopes I will be able to wear it in Florida next year! Yay!

Isn't it cute?!

So my weight watchers journey is going well so far! The times I find most difficult are the weekends - and I have been going a bit overboard with eating! My weight is down to 171 pounds!! I am so happy I am finally losing weight again! I'm hoping to get into the 160's by this weekend!! 169.9 would do fine!! lol I haven't been to the gym (broken record!) but I did buy this!

I started it yesterday and it was HARD!! It had running, squats, side lunges (and I HATE lunges!), shoulder raises, bicep curls, boxing! I was sweating! I thought it was going to be easy! I did another workout tonight - yet more lunges, tennis drills, shoulder presses, and leg raises for the abs - this felt even harder, my legs are already sore! Hopefully I can keep this up and get back into some sort of fitness routine. I have also been parking even further from work so I am doing a bit more walking in my daily routine.

Has anyone ever watched Ruby? I started watching it last Tuesday - I love it! I kept crying - I'm such a sap. I cry every week at the Biggest Loser!

Time for me to hit the shower! I hope to get back to regular blogging - I feel better when I blog, I was starting to feel guilty for not blogging and not catching up on my blog reading. I need to get back into my regular routine :-)




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