Week 9: an extra weigh-in as I can’t help myself!

Hey folks

When I shared the results of my weekly weigh-in on Monday and told you that I was just 10lbs away from no longer being morbidly obese, I suspected that I had some water retention (time of the month and all that!) Anyway, I weighed myself this morning and I’ve lost another 3lbs since then which means:

I’m now under the 270 marks (as I’m 269)
I’m 7lbs from no longer being morbidly obese
My BMI is now under 41
I’m 5lbs from being able to do the longest zip wire in the UK (weight limit 264)
…..and so much more!

If you’re new to my blog, please do check out the ‘When I lose weight, I will…..’ page as it has all the things I want to do as I get smaller and lighter.

I’ve done 15 minutes running tonight (Couch to 5K week 3 run 1) and I’m just buzzing. I honestly couldn’t walk 200 metres back in February without being in pain.

And I just wanted to share a couple of items of clothing I’ve bought to slim into. They’re both UK size 14 (US size 10, I think?) but they’re 3/4 length trousers which I’ve never worn and a Superdry hoodie. I’ve a long way to go but I’m I’m visualising how I’m likely to feel wearing these and I’m sure I’ll reach my goal.

Anyway, Friday night, I’ll update you about the food I’m eating but have a great couple of days

Love Erika xx

Week 9 weigh-in: 10lbs to go until no longer morbidly obese!

Little goals. Day at a time!

Yes, I’m SO excited that the point of no longer falling into the morbidly obese range is within reach! You see, it can be very easy to focus on those long term goals such as fitting into those skinny jeans or being light enough to wingwalk on a plane but a long weight loss journey is about celebrating the short term goals too. Now that I’m 19 stone 6 (272 lbs), that 20 stone mark feels far enough way to change my mindset as I slowly but surely continue until I’m considered a healthy weight..

So, I’ve lost 3lbs this week through a combination of healthy eating and working out! Yay! I’ve got ‘Week 4, Run 3’ of Couch to 5K tonight. I was tempted to do it last night and not give myself a rest days as advised but rest is important! The body has to repair itself in between runs and I do have to be particularly careful knowing that I’m doing this fitness programme whilst carrying extra weight.

Inches are being lost

You may find sometimes that the scales aren’t budging but you can feel as if some change in your body is happening. When I started changing my eating habits back in February (prior to starting my blog and 2 months before I was brave enough to weigh myself), I measured my bust, waist, belly, hips and left calf. I have no idea why I measured just one calf!! Since then, I’ve added some more measurements as shown in the table below. I have to admit that I’m a bit embarrassed about sharing these stats with you as they’re like my personal secret that I hide under clothing which drapes to the floor but I promised when I started this blog that I’d be very open. So, here goes!

Body part	20.02.20	07.05.20	Today	Loss
Bust	52.5″	–	-50.5″	– 2″
Waist	45″	–	40.5″	– 4.5″
Belly (spare tyre!)	58″	–	52″	– 6″
Hips	59″	–	53″	– 6″
Left arm	–	16.5″	14.5″	– 2″
Right arm	–	18″	15.75″	– 2.25″
Left calf	24″	–	22.5	– 1.5″
Right calf	–	22.5″	22.25″	– 0.25

And whilst the numbers are going down (look at the belly and hips stats!!), body mass is definitely being lost elsewhere too like around my shoulders, my thighs, my lower arms, my ankles, etc. ’tis all good. Won’t be long until none of my measurements is over 50″!

Next time

Later on this week, I’m going to tell you about what I’m eating just to give you some insight. I meant to say, please feel free to share my blog if you think it could inspire others. I’m just a regular 40-something year old who’s making changes and really getting there. I don’t have a magic wand but I’ve bags and bags of positivity!

Have a great week everyone and catch up next time.

Love Erika xx

Total recordable weight loss:	Still to lose:	Current weight:	BMI:
41lbs	109 lbs	267 lbs	40.6

Get me! Exercising at 2am!!

Hey folks

Couch to 5K

I can’t stress enough that just 4 months ago, I was the person who’d choose to catch the next bus rather than run to catch the one about to leave! I’d be the person circling the car park to get the nearest space to the shop and would come back another day if need be! I’d be the person who thought Couch to 5K (C25K) was for the ultra fit…..well, I was out exercising last night!

Yes, I did ‘Week 4, run 1’ of C25K in the middle of the night and this particular run (which I’ve got to repeat twice more before progressing to week 5) meant I spent more time running than I did walking. My running is more of a jog but I’m actually getting fitter and my runs this week involve 2 x 3 minutes and 2 x 5 minutes along with some brief walking episodes in between. And it felt really doable! Plus it was way cooler after the intense heat during the day. I also feel like the inches are falling off more quickly and I’ll talk about this more on Monday where I’ll share my ‘then’ stats and my current stats of my waist, hips, belly, etc.

So desperate to no longer be morbidly obese

I can’t tell you how driven I am to get out of the morbidly obese category and I really feel that I’m going to achieve this in the next 3-4 weeks. I think the more I connect with my body, the more aware I am of the need to get fitter because of all the linked risks. Of course, I still have some way to go until I’m in the healthy range but I’ll get there! I can visualise how much easier things will be in terms of how I move, what I’ll wear, what I’ll do, etc.

What’s coming in my next few blog posts?

As well as my weekly weigh-in on Mondays, I’ll share with you more about what and when I’m eating, I’ll show you the ‘inspiration clothes’ I’ve bought which I hope to wear by the end of the year and lots of other things about how my mind works! You see, I’ve tried to do this new lifestyle change before and it hasn’t worked but something feels very different this time.

Have a super weekend everyone

Love Erika xx

Week 7 weigh-in: claiming two scale victories today!

Hey folks

I love my scales…right now!

Sometimes, we can tell that we’ve lost a bit of weight by the way our clothes feel, the way we move more easily or because we just feel ‘different’. People might start to notice although this typically happens after we see the first signs. But, of course, the figures on those scary scales can tell us too. I have to admit that I’ve become a bit obsessed with the scales this week as I’ve been weighing myself more than once a day but more about that in a moment.

First, I can’t wait to share with you my two scale victories after losing 4lbs this week.

I’m under 20 stone! As I blogged about recently, us Brits often talk about our weight in terms of ‘stones’ where 1 stone is equivalent to 14lbs. So, at 19 stone 11, I’m now in the teens. I can’t tell you how good that feels!
I’ve lost more than 10% of my recordable weight loss. Now, although I’ve lost 31lbs so far, this is only in the past 7 weeks since I started blogging. However, I estimate I’d probably lost about 21lbs before I was brave enough to get on the scales judging by inch loss. When someone’s very overweight or obese, the initial guidance is usually aiming for 10% weight loss to help with blood pressure, etc. so I’m super pleased.

But I feel as if I need to scale back on the weighing (no pun intended!). The scales seem to have a power where they can almost dictate whether this is going to be a good or bad day so I’m making this commitment here and now that I won’t weigh myself again until next Monday. There are going to be weeks where I might lose a single pound, not lose weight or even gain temporarily due to water retention but my eyes must be on the long term goal to create a healthy relationship with my scales.

Next time…

Later this week, I’m going to blog about my battle with anorexic behaviour 9 years ago. In fact, I was going to blog about it last week but the scales were teetering on that 20 stone precipice for a couple of days and I was holding off so that I could share that victory with you. But look out for my next blog on Thursday/Friday as I think it’s important that I don’t slip back into that obsessive way of thinking which, even being very overweight, can still be extremely dangerous.

And, yes, I’m still doing Couch to 5K. I’m doing week 2 run 2 tomorrow and I’m loving it. Get me….I’m running!!!!!!

Anyway, have a super week, everyone

Love Erika xx

Total weight lost:	Still to lose:	Current weight:	BMI:
33 lbs	117 lbs	275 lbs	41.8

Week 6 weigh-in: I’ve started C25K!

Hey folks

Too fat to run? No!

I’m SO excited to tell you that I’ve started the running programme C25K (Couch to 5K). Yes, I know that I started some jogging on the spot a few weeks ago and injured myself but I made the mistake of not having any rest days. However, this time, I’m following C25K to the letter which means exercising 3 times a week, slowly increasing the amount of running. The aim is to do this over 9 weeks whilst following the app but you can repeat weeks if you need to slow down the pace.

I did wonder whether I’m too fat to run. I mean, we have to take care of our bodies but I’ve read lots of accounts from others who’ve done this when heavier than me….and I can’t tell you how great I feel. The music I talked about last week is now on my exercise playlist and it did just the job. This might sound really silly but I do like the idea of rewards to keep me going. I’ve found a website called Virtual Racing UK where you pay to enter a wide range of races including C25K. They give you a virtual bib number and then you submit evidence of achieving your goal in order to claim your actual-real-life-doesn’t-that-feel-good medal! Yes, if I meet this goal, I’ll have an actual medal sent to me which I can then share with you on here. So, I’ll keep you posted.

Clothes to inspire

I ordered some clothes the other day that I won’t be able to fit into for months and months as they’re UK size 14. It might seem a little premature but it was just a jumper, hoodie and some 3/4 length trousers (which I’ve never had the confidence to wear). Once they arrive, I’ll take a photo to show you and then I’ll hang them on my bedroom door so that I see them every morning.

And finally…..the scales!

So, I’ve lost another 3lbs! I’ve been drinking so much water this week which, despite sounding rather counterintuitive, helps deal with water retention. You know, my body is feeling very different. Yes, I have a long way to go but I’m moving more easily and clothes are feeling much looser. Happy times!

Have a great week everyone

Love Erika xx

Total weight lost:	Still to lose:	Current weight:	BMI:
33 lbs	117 lbs	275 lbs	41.8

lbs or kgs? No, us Brits talk about weight in stones!

What are stones?

At least historically, the people of the UK and Ireland have talked about their weight in stones and I’ve only just found out that very few countries to do this. In fact, when I started this blog a few weeks ago, my challenge was to lose 10 stone and you may be thinking, Erika, what on earth are stones? That’s a good question!

Well, 1 stone equals 14lbs so rather than say how we weigh 280lbs, we would usually say how we weigh 20 stone. However, I see on Facebook groups that the universal language of weight loss appears to be lbs so that’s why my blog name changed. I thought that losing 150lbs felt like a more round number than aiming to lose 140lbs!

Anyway, there’s a reason why I’m telling you about this. You see, at my weekly weigh-in on Monday, I was at 283lbs. And when I get to see 279lbs on the scales, this is going to be SUCH a momentous weigh-in as it’ll mean that I’m under 20 stone! I’ll be 19 stone 13lbs and well on my way to success.

What music gets you up dancing?

In Monday’s blog, I asked what music gets you up dancing and burning away those calories. As promised, here’s my list of the songs that get me up but these are 10 of many:

Wake Me Up Before You Go Go (Wham)
1999 (Prince)
I’m Still Standing (Elton John)
I’m So Excited (The Pointer Sisters)…….I LOVE this!
Fame (Irena Cara)
Footloose theme tune
Shake It Off (Taylor Swift)
(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher (Jackie Wilson)
9 to 5 (Dolly Parton)
Reach (S Club 7)

And finally, eating disorders

My blog tagline is about not falling into the traps of eating disorder behaviour which can be hard when embarking on a weight loss journey. Now that we’re getting to know each other a bit more, over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be telling you about my struggles with bulimia in my 20s (which ended up with 6 weeks spent in an eating disorder unit as an inpatient) and then being very ill with anorexic behaviour 9 years ago in my late 30s that lead to very serious heart problems. But it won’t be all doom and gloom. You see, I’m celebrating right now as I’m losing weight healthily for the first time free of my ED history which I hope helps at least one person out there. There is hope!

Okay guys, next blog will be my weigh-in on Monday…..although I might sneak in an extra one over the weekend!

Love Erika xx

Week 5 weigh-in: Anyone else dance like no one’s watching?!

Feeling the beat!

If none of my family is around and music comes on the radio or TV that gets my feet moving, there’s nothing better than jumping up, dancing around my living room without a single care in the world and knowing that calories are being burned. Can I dance? No, not really! But it does the power of good for mood and, as the weight comes off, I’ve far more energy to do this. After being on crutches for 5 days and my leg feeling so much better, I’m going to introduce dancing into my daily workout and that’s got me thinking. Which are the top songs that you like to dance to? I’m going to compile my top 10 songs for dancing and I’ll share these with you later this week.

Today’s result on the scales

On Thursday, I shared with you that I did a sneaky mid-week weigh in and was SO pleased to have lost 3lbs in 3 days! And today, the scales are exactly the same as then. However, whilst part of me is a tad bit disappointed, I must tell myself two things:

3lbs is still great and in fact more than the 1-2lbs suggested. I think the weight’s currently coming off quicker as I have so much to lose. So, be kind to yourself, Erika!
I’m experiencing water retention with my period now due. And girls, this is where it’s important that we try to not let ourselves be affected by our monthly cycles. Try to fight any cravings, keep an eye on those calories and still do some exercise because once that water retention goes, those pounds are going to fall away!

Setting my June target

Rather than set a weight loss target (I know I’m focused on the pounds dropping anyway), my target is to drink water and unsweetened black tea every day. I drink way too much Diet Coke – I almost live on it – but let’s see if I can improve what I choose to drink for the whole month.

Love Erika xx

Total weight lost:	Still to lose:	Current weight:	BMI:
33 lbs	117 lbs	275 lbs	41.8

Lockdown and weight…I’ve won!

If you’d told me on New Year’s Day that we’d be under lockdown and asked what that would happen to my weight, I would have told you that it would pile on. With my business on hold, none of the usual volunteering sessions to do and none of my travels happening, I’m sure that the weight would have crept on whilst reaching out for yet another biscuit! Back in January, I knew I was big but, feeling disconnected to my body, I didn’t know how big I truly was.

February

And then something clicked in my mind in February when I knew I had to cut out the snacks and restrict my intake. And so healthy eating was happening and I estimate that I probably lost about 20lbs judging by the inch loss. But for me, diets then stop after 3 weeks. I get bored! I yearn for a toffee-cream Éclair!

Lockdown comes

However, by that 3 week point, we were very much seeing COVID-19 cases increase and then boom. Lockdown! Suddenly, we had to plan our meals. We couldn’t walk into shops as easily. I had so much time on my hands that could have lead to boredom and eating. But in fact hearing about the high percentage of overweight and obese people succumbing to the virus made me see that I could use this time to focus on me. What a precious gift that is! And so I started to blog, I started to create a daily workout, I finally got on the scales without hauling that huge chair with me and my weight is going down! Lockdown 0 – Me 1!

I’m back to work on Tuesday and part of me is a bit concerned about will I be able to maintain this journey? Well, yes! Okay, so my leg is injured AT THE MOMENT and I’m on crutches AT THE MOMENT but I’m still working out and watching everything I eat. So, if I want weight loss badly enough, I will make it work. I have had so many hits on this blog by people in the US (hello!) and I’ve been watching lots of US weight loss programmes like Fit to Fat to Fit and My 3000lb Family. These have been invaluable to watch…as I exercise of course!

A final note

And, yes, Monday is my next weigh-in. A note here for you girls because it’s almost the time of the month and perhaps I’ll gain a few pounds temporarily but I can still be good, still look after me and then see the weight loss afterwards. But bearing in mind that my periods have only just come back due to my weight loss (yes, I was so heavy that they stopped for 10 years), that’s a small price to pay for better health!

Have a great weekend everyone and I’ll be back on Monday

Love Erika xx

On crutches…but I will still exercise!

Hey folks

So, do you remember my last post when I was SO excited to tell you that I could now jog on the spot for 10 minutes on top of my 40 minutes of daily walking? Mmm, I suspect now that jogging every day wasn’t such a good idea after all, especially when I still have so much weight to lose. On Monday, I could feel some discomfort in my leg which has worsened each day since. I may have pulled something or, worse case scenario, could it be a stress fracture? If I have done any damage to the bone, it may be that I wasn’t spacing out the exercise enough and not giving the bone the chance to heal itself. So, I thought I’d chat with you about what I still plan to do exercise-wise but also why I’m reluctant to go to the doctors.

Exercises I’ll still do

First, I am still exercising although, for the past few days, it’s been just the upper body exercises that I can do whilst sitting down which have taken more than 2.5 inches from each upper arm! These usually take me about 10-15 minutes to do. But I’m going to build in some squats that don’t put pressure on my left leg – well, as much of a squat as I can achieve!!! I’m also going to do some half sit-ups to work on my tummy area. From someone who couldn’t walk 50 metres without getting puffed out 3 months ago, I’m missing the walking already!

Too embarrassed to see a medic

It’s actually embarrassing to tell you this but I do anything to avoid going to the doctor. Yes, I don’t know what I’ve done to my leg but I still have crutches from a bad fall I had 2 years ago. You see, my legs are huge which is why I wear maxi skirts every day as I can then hide them. They are big, lumpy and truly hideous to the point I can’t wear boots of any kind (including ankle boots). The thought of showing them to a doctor terrifies me. I suspect that when I had the previous fall that I was heavier and it was horrible showing the doctor and radiologist in A&E but I really couldn’t walk on the leg. But I’m hoping that by taking it easy, my leg will heal. If it starts to get serious, I will seek help….. but only if it gets much worse.

But a bit of good news to end on…

I did a mid-week weigh-in this morning and I’ve lost 3lbs since Monday! I’ll include this in my official weekly weigh-in next Monday but at least that’s put a smile on my face. Even if I don’t lose any more in the next few days, I’m happy. Yes I’m in discomfort, yes I can’t walk easily but I can still watch my calorie intake and do what I can on the exercise front. Being injured in no excuse, Erika!

Love Erika xx