discodoris

Yesterday went well. I was still not feeling 100%, but I walked to work and walked home for lunch.  For breakfast I had a wholemeal muffin (English muffin, not an overgrown fairy cake) with a little butter and the inevitable mug of coffee.  I was definitely feeling nibbly and in need of snacks, but the punnet of grapes on my desk did the job and I stuck to eating those.  Lunch was four wholegrain crackerbreads, spread with low fat houmous, followed by a probiotic yogurt, an orange and an apple, plus of course the coffee.  I should point out that I do drink water through the day as well – not all my refreshment is in the form of coffee.  In fact, I tend to drink low sugar squash more often, in the evening.

Activity wise, I mowed the lawns, which were both looking desperately shaggy, since they’d been neglected for weeks.  I also cleaned the kitchen and tidied and vacuumed my bedroom.  I’m not kidding myself that this was a mad amount of calorie burning, but it was definitely more activity than I have been accustomed to recently. After all that housework, I made myself some sandwiches, similar to Monday night, with the other half of the pack of prawns that I’d opened.  Having a really sharp knife helps enormously, in that I can slice a loaf of bread thinly.  I’ve noticed that it’s nigh on impossible to get thin sliced bread any longer and that supermarket offerings actually default to thick slices in most breads – so the amount that I use for one sandwich, would actually be one slice of ready-sliced.

I felt really tired and my back ached after the housework – another sign of my lacking fitness, I’d say.  All in all through the day, I had five cigarettes. One walking to work, one walking home at lunchtime, one when I got in, in the evening, one during a break from the housework and one before going to sleep.  I allowed myself to turn the computer on and the television at around 8.30, after doing the chores.

I had more to do this morning though – there was washing up to be accomplished, tidying and vacuuming of the other two bedrooms and the lounge needed tidying, dusting and vacuuming.  I accomplished the former two tasks before work and had the last of the wholemeal muffins toasted, spread with a little butter and a mug of coffee. I wish I’d had time for a full shower, but contended myself with a decent wash instead. My hair needs a wash really – well, it actually needs a cut, but I’ve yet to schedule that. I must call and see if I can get a lunchtime appointment soon.

I walked to work again and back at lunchtime, to complete the tidying and vacuuming. It all looks great – I wonder whether I’ll manage to keep it that way, or whether it will degenerate to a tip again in the absence of any visitors to motivate me. I had more wholegrain crackerbreads – five this time, as that was all that was left in the packet, with another pot of low fat houmous. I’ve opened the white seedless grapes today, as I have been eating red seedless. I read somewhere that the supposedly beneficial components of red wine (on top of light alcohol consumption) may also be available in red/black grape skins, so I try to have red/black grapes as often as white. I did have one hiccup – there was a meeting at lunchtime and a plate of sandwiches and snacks appeared in the office – I’ve had one small ham salad sandwich and a savoury cheese in flaky pastry roll. I didn’t even think about it, which is a bit sad, I realise now. Oh well – a habit that needs to be broken. 

I also realised during the morning, that I was a lot less congested and at long last am breathing normally through my nose, rather than through my mouth. I was still unpleasantly hot and my back ached after the housework at lunchtime. Still – again – a little bit of exertion at a time. I’m looking forward to this evening – I have a close female friend visiting and we have every intention of a gossipy evening. I’m cooking us both dinner, a chicken stirfry, I think.   
 

I created this journal about a week ago and have been debating how to use it.  I've finally decided that I won't replace my LiveJournal with it and will continue to post there about my life trials and tribulations.  Instead, I'm going to use this as a place to document my journey back to health.  For this, I'll need to post a bit of history, my aims, some pictures, progress along the way and my feelings along the way.

To start - currently I'm recovering from a cold that's laid me out for a week.  I'm 41 years old, female and in full-time employment, with no children.  I'm about to embark on getting a no-fault divorce after two years of seperation from my husband, subsequent to fifteen years of marriage.  We had problems which we tried to work through, but sadly, we moved away from a partnership relationship and less sadly into a friendship.  I've moved away from the county where I grew up and where he still resides, to live alone in a county where my closest proper friends (rather than lovely colleagues) are at least 15 miles away.  I have a partner, also seperated and not yet divorced, but he lives 60 miles away and has the complication of three daughters, aged 10, 14 and 18. 

I'm overweight, teetering towards obese, I think.  Actually, I'll work out my body mass index right now.  I was somewhat downcast to find that it was 13 stone and 7 pounds when I got on my scales on Saturday evening (no clothes involved), but not really surprised.  So, 189 pounds in total - so thats 85.75 kilos.  I'm 5 feet and 6.5 inches tall, or 169cm in metric.  So, that gives me a BMI of 30.4 (you divide your weight by the square of your height - I used kilos and metres).  Eek! I've teetered out from overweight, where I've been residing for a good many years, into obese.  I knew that the news wasn't going to be good, when a pair of size 14 trousers that I only bought this time last year were uncomfortably tight.  I'm not sure on my body measurements right now, but will duly measure properly for a subsequent post.

I also smoke and have done on and off since I was 15.  A bad habit, started on the school bus.  But I've always enjoyed the taste of smoke and the smell of fresh smoke.  Not the smell of ashtrays however, stale smoke is bleah and I don't smoke inside at my own house because of it - sometimes I'll lean out of my bedroom window, but that's normally the closest I get to smoking indoors there.

Finally - I'm hideously unfit.  The most exercise that I regularly do is either a ten minute walk to or from work, or walking round the shops.  That's it.  I sit in front of a computer at work for eight hours per day, I go home, turn the computer on and do the same for another six hours, before going to sleep.

So - I have several aims:
To cut down on my smoking.  My partner smokes and I'm not sure that I'm mentally prepared or signed up for quitting
To do more exercise.  I NEED to do this - being so sedentary is ridiculous.
To lose weight. I don't want to do this for the sake of looks, although my vanity is telling me that there's a huge wardrobe of clothes that I own, much of which I'll be able to wear again once I've got rid of 20 pounds, most of which I'll be able to wear again once I've got rid of 35 pounds and all of which I'd look great in if I manage to lose 45 pounds.  More importantly, I'd improve my health, particularly by observing sensible diet guidelines, such as eating more portions of fruit and vegetables and less of junk food and processed food.

My word though, 45 pounds loss is a long way away.  Aiming at a pound a week, nearly a year away.  Although, experience tells me that I can lose more than that over the first couple of months.  And I'm conscious that I've got a holiday coming up in mid-September, eighteen weeks away.  If I managed to lose 12lb in the first six weeks, 9lb in the second six weeks and 6lb in the third six weeks, that's a total of 27lb.  Just a shade under two stone.  12.25 kilogrammes.  A BMI of 26, which would be in the low overweight category.

If I eat well, following a sensible moderate diet and gradually up my exercise - that should be easy!  It's time to get cracking.

Ok, inspired by 

darkmoon

ldy