Only 17 Days to go

I am so excited! In 17 days I will be trotting up the aisle for one of my bestest friends in all the land and I cannot bloody wait.  Got my bridesmaid dress yesterday and I love it. Would really like to just wear it forever and ever. Hair trial is booked. Tan trial is occurring on Friday evening. My eyebrows currently look like two caterpillars walking across my face in order to meet one another because I am 'growing them out' for a threading. That should be fun (assuming I don't loose the nerve and pluck the be-jaysus outta these bad boys before then).

I am walking and running and even trotting up and down the stairs on a regular basis in order to look tanned, lean and toned for her big day. I will definitely look tanned, spanx will sort out the lean look - I guess two out of three isn't bad?!!

So two days back into the WW way of things. I have my googlie eyes stuck to my WW card giving me evils every time I try to eat something I shouldn't. But the good thing about the card is I can whack it in my wallet and just ignore it and carry on enjoying whatever I am eating that I shouldn't be... Ah no. In fairness I have been very good. Tracking like goodie-o and I even turned down a bar of Galaxy Bubbles that Himself bought me last night for a cuppa. I was going to eat it, but decided to leave it be. Incredibly proud of that! But then it is only day 2 of being back on the wagon...

So here's to saying No to sweeties and such for the next 17 days.... go team go!

Weigh day... The result!

It's weigh day and I've just hopped up on TSC.. And I need not have feared!

My fearless leader informs me that it's been 8 weeks since she last clapped eyes on me. Trotting up to that scales I got the warmest welcome back - which instantly riddled me with guilt! My fearless leader also took my number so she could send me "get your ass here " texts if I go missing again!

Anyway! As I said I need not have feared! TSC was kind today! I am the exact same weight as I was 8 weeks ago! Which is great cause I've done a lot of eating and drinking the last 8 weeks and not a lot of moving! I must be doing something right!

So I am back and I am on a mission!

The goal; 7lb by 30 June! Let's do this thing!

Tail between my legs....

Hi there! Remember me? I'm the girl that's trying to loose a million stone before her wedding and meant to use this as a tool to keep her focused!

So I'm back. With aforementioned tail between my legs because lads, the last couple of weeks I've been on a food and drink and lack of control / exercise bender that should have me in AA / EA (eaters anyomous)....

In three weeks I am a bridesmaid and I am so excited! Got our dresses today and lets just say they are pretty darn fabulous! So in the spirit of being three weeks away from brideslavery (I jest having a ball with it) I've taken to running again...

Me hips! Their bleedin killing me! Apart from the fact I thought my heart was going to explode all over the coast road and ruin the lovely trot from malahide to portmarnock, now me bloody hips are aching like a woman of 110 years!

Rejoining WW Tomorrow. I shall once again come face to face with TSC (the soul crusher) aka my other nemesis (the original nemesis being exercise in any make shape or form)...

Wish me luck with this! Need to sort my crap out cause I'm back on the hunt for "the one" ... My wedding dress

That's another story which I shall save till tomorrow

Forbidden from Facebook, Wedding Gown Bliss and wonderful company

That there title pretty much sums up the bones of my very very long weekend - four days that have left me excluded, exhausted and exhilarated!

Ok so first up is the Forbidden From Facebook... I am 5 days into the FFF with 25 days to go. Himself maintains that I have an addiction to the social media site so I am challenged not to go on to the website, updated a status or like a photo for 30 days. The only thing I can do is post my blog because I don't actually go on to facebook in doing that. How am I getting on? Well, it's a challenge to break the habit, but not as hard as I thought. I thought it would be harder because I have constant access with my iPhone. I have deleted the app and it means I don't have such instant access but I have noticed that when I'm bored I flick about on my phone doing nothing, which is clearly the habit I have of going on to FB when I have a quiet second. I have also noticed that in my time off and away from FB, I have gotten a lot more done. Washing machine has been used twice and emptied (I'm a great one for putting on a wash and forgetting about it, Himself would tell you!), Dinners were cooked, breakfasts were made, conversations, like real, face-to-face conversations, were had and a bit of a book was read. Also it's saving me money. I swear to go my iPhone battery lasts so much longer!

Second up is the wonderful company.. I am going to be leaving the best bit till last!

I had a wonderful Friday night where by myself and H2B were invited for dinner in my Aunt's house with herself and her hubby. It was lovely food, fantastic laughs and too much wine! Totally enjoyed it and slept like a log after my 3.30am finish up! Then on Saturday night we headed off to celebrate a 21st with the In-Laws To Be (here-on-in referred to as IL2B until the big day of course). Great night had by all. Many Koronas were consumed and I danced the night away in my skyhigh heels and for the first time in a long time I didn't have to take them off because for once, my shoes were not forged in the fire of hell by Satan himself.

On Sunday my wonderful and loving and amazing mother came down to the big smoke from the hills of Donegal. Where the only traffic jams she ever meets are the ones caused by the sheep on the middle of the road. She came down because this weekend was wedding dress shopping weekend - which leads me nicely to....

Wedding dresses. Oh! Jesus Mary and the Carpenter was I taken by surprise. I did not expect to get so excited about wedding dresses, but I did. The excitement crept up and up and up until I literally could not hold it in and I was squealing with delight! A wonderful and  talented girl came to my home on Monday evening. She provides a Wedding Dress Party service where she comes to the house with her lovely designs and you try them on and stand staring at yourself in the mirror thinking your amazing and all your loved ones that you have invited over can look at you, drink wine and tell you your amazing... It was overload for my ego!!! She is http://www.wedding-dressparty.ie/

I was trying on dress after dress, each more lovely than the last, when it happened! As I clambered into the gown I started to get really really excited. When she was lacing me up, I was getting goosebumps. As she put the veil on  and pinned some bits and pieces down I was shaking! I never understood what people meant by "the one"! But man oh man I do now....

It's beautiful. It's got..... Can't tell you cause it's a surprise but I can tell you one thing. I am going to be one hell of a ridey princess on my wedding day and every time you see me after the 5 April 2013, every event I attend, every time you ask me to go for lunch/dinner/coffee/shopping/get out of bed I will be wearing that dress and veil. In fact, I am fairly sure that before you see me on the 5 April there's a large possibility I'll have a net curtain hanging from my hair bobbin.....

Uh oh... damn chocolate fail

I was ever so good yesterday morning.. I had All bran for my breakie. I had a home made chicken curry (recipe to be posted later) and rice for my lunch and for my tea I had a parma ham and melon salad with a balsamic and lemon dressing.

As I was working late last night I had my tea at 5.30pm in the kitchen in work. And that's where it was. Sitting there. Taunting me. Looking like a lovely tasty bit of heaven. A chocolate sponge cake with a butter icing topping and chunks of chocolate on top of it.

I ignored it.

I sat down and had my lovely tasty salad.  I followed that with a fresh ripe banana. I followed that with a slice of the lovely tasty bit of heaven. There was no ignoring it. It was like I was in the midst of an outer body experience. There was an devil on my right shoulder whispering 'get some cake get some cake'. There was an angel on my left shoulder saying 'get some cake, listen to the devil, he's making a lot of sense, get some cake'... So I got a slice of cake. And it was everything it promised it would be.

The only problem was, once the slice of cake was gone that bloody Devil and Angel sat on each shoulder, arms crossed, eyes rolled, tutting at me and saying, "sure have you no will power? If we jumped off a cliff would you follow?"

Where oh where is Rachel.... There she is

I have been so very bold. I haven't been updating my blog and I haven't been to a weight watchers class is three weeks. I am terrified of what the scales is going to tell me when I climb up on there with a knot the size of a basketball in my stomach - which I can hopefully blame for any weight gain!

I have been relatively ok. I did a good bit if exercising last week. Actually that motivation of mine paid a wee visit from Monday to about Wednesday and it resulted in awaking at 545 three mornings on the trot to squat, lunge and jog my way into the day! Also went for a wee jog and a walk so was feeling great.

On the flip side to this story of goodness, dedication and motivation I ate quite a few packs of Trebel crunch, had a boost, slice of carrot cake, Thai takeaway and a bottle and half of wine over the weekend. I didn't track and quite frankly, I could be blanking the vast majority of what i ate out of memory!!!

You would think that because my deadlines are getting closer I would be working harder! Alas, that is not the case! My foot is well and truly off the pedal and my finger is firmly placed on that bloody self destruct button I have mentioned in the past!

I'll be a bridesmaid in 8 weeks. I will be standing on an altar with three of most lovely sticks you ever laid eyes on! So you would think I'd be trying to run, lunge and squat my way into stickiness!

Then my deadline for dress shopping is upon me. It's this weekend. I'm not going to lie, I am very excited about it! But I haven't made enough effort and haven't achieved the goals that I wanted to by now! So I am a hit disappointed in myself.

Today I was going to go back to my WW class. I decided against going. 10% of that was fear of how bad things may be. 80% because I knew if I stayed at home i would be able to cook meals for the week and have lunch and dinner prepared and ready to go, no excuses for crap eating and not being able to exercise. And the final 10% because I wanted to go running and i wouldn't have been able to do all of those things going to the class.

I will go to my class this week at lunchtime.

So here's to regaining some momentum, putting the foot to the floor and making my ass boney in 8 weeks time!!!

News bulletin: B2B Motivation sighted in Malahide

Yes that's right My Motivation was sighted briefly in Malahide this evening. There is a flicker of hope she will return to me, but My Motivation is a fickle mistress and never there when I need her!

I need her to return to me pronto. In less than one week I am being fitted for a bridesmaid dress.

I am bridesmaid in less than 10 weeks!!!!

Should you see My Motivation tell her I'll meet her at the Baggot street bridge at 1pm tomorrow for a lunchtime run...

Lost, Have you seen this Bride to Be's Motivation?

Lost, Have you seen this Bride to Be's Motivation?

B2B's motivation was last seen somewhere between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It is missing presumed hungover and it is essential it is found ASAP.

B2B's motivation was meant to meet B2B in malahide for a run and a date with Davina McCall super fit DVD.

If you have any information on the whereabouts of B2B's motivation please contact "Wedding is less than 50 weeks away, get off your arse, PO BOX, 0504"

It's weigh day... Damn that Chocolate Celebrating Bank Holiday Weekeend

So! It's weigh day. It's Tuesday. I've just had a four day weekend. I'm not entirely sure how this weigh in is gonna go! Here's hoping the 1 and 1/2 hours of squatting I took part in and the 3 hour round of golf will pay off and help me out. Because the 10 hour larger session on Saturday night is definitely not going to help me out, at all, whatsoever!

In 365 days I'll be.....

In exactly 365 days I will be completely deflated and dancing my first ever dance as Mrs McCarthy... I am so excited. I didn't think that I would be this excited with a year to go. I literally have butterflies in my stomach and every now and then I want to just squeak with delight.. imagine the state of me when there's no days to go!!! I'll be utterly unbearble!!! And, rather improtantnly, I'll need to change the name of my blog to 'Diary of a Deflated Mrs!!'

I woke up this morning and I was just smiling. Hopefully the next 365 days fly by in a whirl of exercise, healthy foods and MASSIVE losses (of the lb kind). I want people to look at me and say, "Jesus your fading away on us".. ideally the word "waif" will be thrown around willie nilly! I am not looking for much. I know that deep inside me there is a size 6 just waiting to get out and show off her boney bones in a healthy and toned manner that makes others envious.

At my waif like size six, I will not stand like a spaced out Moran having an internal argument with myself every time someone offers me a chocolate / biscuit / cake. I will automatically say, "No thank you, I enjoy crudites and hummus". Exercise will not be something I have to bribe myself into doing. I will leap from my bed at 5am and go for a run exclaiming "I just can't start my day without a run. If I don't go running my day is a mess"...

Clearly, in my mind, should I ever reach a size six, I will have no personality and be boring as hell... but the word waif will be used... a lot so maybe it's worth it.......

Thought of the day

Spot the difference

Eh I have a question! What genius named acne "teenage pimples"? Because who ever it was I'd like to meet them and give them a toe in the backside for telling blatant lies!

Here I am the wrong side of 29 and still getting the blasted things! For some peculiar reason this week has seen a wonderful break out which I can only assume is from the virtuous weekend I had (i.e. only one glass of wine, no take aways etc). I think it's all the badness from the drinking and eating out I've been doing for the last number of weeks making any appearance. My skin has gone into shock and decided to "cleanse" itself hence my teenage looking visage..

I can only assume the term teenage pimple was used in order to give hope to spotty faced youths that it wouldn't last forever. If only they knew!!

The Plan for Easter week

There's a HUGE bank holiday fast approaching me and I am working out a way of dealing with it. Staying to meeting today was a big help! Seeing what I could have for the "price" of one easter egg made me realise it's just not worth sinking into a chocolate induced coma!

Apparently the small Easter egg is 23 pro points, without the bars you get! Sure I could have a lovely big take away for that price! Or a crunchie, jellies, ice cream and McCoys flame grilled steak flavoured crisps!

Although when it comes to it, I'll probably have the egg! I do love my chocolate! (hence the need for deflation some might say).

So the plan is a simple one!

Eat 26 ProPoints a day
Earn 7 activity points per day
Save my 49 weekly points

That means at least half hour a day of moving my ass and eating LOADS of free foods!

I also have a massive motivation! My wonderful Bride to be (that isn't me) has set a date for ordering our bridesmaid dresses and I am excited! Yep! You heard me. I am actually excited to be trying on bridesmaid dresses! Not just because I'm expected to be excited! But because I can't wait to try them on!

Here's to losing 2lb this week!!

The weekly verdict

So here we are, another weigh in another half pound lighter! Oh yeah! I am down a total of 10lb and am offically fabulous at 5%!

I'm delighted considering the week I have had and the massive fall from the Lenten wagon! Obviously my thigh busting squat-tastic workouts with miss McCall helped a lot with that!

So all in all not a bad week!

Thought of the day

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”
― Marilyn Monroe

Its weigh day

I can't believe we are back to weigh day again! The weeks are flying in!

As I may have mentioned, I wasnt exactly the exercise bunny I had intended to be since my last weigh in! Nor was I as well behaved! Barely tracked and I didn't just break lent, I smashed it like a kiddie raiding their piggy bank for money to buy sweets!

So I tried to make up for lost ground over the weekend! I was very well behaved- only one glass of vino all weekend! And I exercised for 3 hours over Saturday and Sunday.

I ran and squatted all my lack of commitment and control away! So much so that it hurts when I breathe, walk, lie on my stomach when I am sleeping, try to sit down and then, inevitably, try to stand up!

Here's hoping all this pain will mean a gain of a loss, if ya get me!

Autism Awareness Week Begins

Autism awareness week begins this week. It's a week where we can learn more about what Autism is and show our support for the people and families that live with it.

Perhaps we could all find out one fact about Autism and share it with one person.

Measurements

Since January I have lost the following inches...

waist lost 1 inch
hips lost 2 inches
bust lost 1.5 inches
arm Lost 0.5 inches
leg lost 1.5 inches

Woohoo!!!

I'm not being very good this week

It's official people. When my time comes I will be going to hell. I broke lent. I had done so well but then it all went terribly wrong and I had chocolate AND crisps. I have officially woken the Chocy-crisp beast that lives within me and now it's all I crave! Damn it!

It's been a bit of a mental and all over the place week. I think I may still be in recovery from the wedding celebrations at the weekend and also the sad passing of a really wonderful gent.

I have not been tracking the last couple of days and when I sat down this morning to fill in the tracker using hind sight, well, lets just say it didn't tell a happy story! My goodness did I do some eating!  That damn Chocy-crisp beast is going to be the death of me!

I haven't been out exercising at all this week. I really feel it, I'm not as cheerful or focused. Yesterday was the first bit of exercise that I have done since last Thursday. And to me it felt like a marathon! I was looking after my wonderful little nephew-in-law. He's 2. He's gorgeous (but I am incredibly biased) and he is, without a doubt, the funniest little person on the planet. You couldn't possibly be in bad form with him.  He can say loads of things like 'Oh Jesus' and 'Up-a-dasiy'. He also puts his hand up to his face and says 'Listen' so he can hear something. He's a tonic. Really lifts your spirits. How his mother and father have the energy for him I will never know. He literally does not stop moving while he's awake. He's always running and dancing and talking. So as he ran and danced and talked I was trotting after him. I honestly feel like it was a workout and a half. I had to have a little nap when I was off duty!

So this weekend is approaching and I am looking forward to it. Nothing to do but sit and relax and watch all the programmes I have missed out on, do a bit of running, maybe a bit of golfing and not have a drop of alcohol or enter into a pub or night club. I cannot wait!

All I have to do is figure out a way to silence that Chocy-crisp beast and I'll be laughing!

Thought of the day