I've been working away at some things (in amongst having a kidney infection and gallivanting around the country with visiting friends) so I thought I'd revisit my list of bigger projects. Apologies for the two posts in one day - I promise not to have a dearth of posts I need to make up for again (unless I get another kidney infection, in which case all bets are off).

Unframing all my signed convention pictures. Done, and half the frames are now off to the charity shop (they're heavy!). I need to sort out my newer pictures now, too - they're waiting in a little project "to do" pile that I can do in front of the T.V..

Going through the stuff in the bottom of the spare room closet Half done - it's all out the cupboard and that's now resorted to how it will be, and I've got a box with a couple of things I still need to find homes for (I think the homes will end up being in places I haven't yet sorted out).


Going through my present drawer
Done, ish. I'm going to make a real effort to use the things in there and re-visit it again after Christmas


Removing Aged paperwork
Not started. I can do this one incrementally, but it feels like an enormous and slightly annoying job to start so I haven't.

Re-clearing my wardrobe
Done. I do, however, need to do it again because my shape's totally changed and I need to take that into better account - I've had rather too many encounters with things I've tried on and thought were good that then proved annoying when I was actually wearing them (when I have run across clothes like that I wash them and add them to the getting-rid pile so it is incrementally improving, however I really need to Gok myself and avoid having that kind of mild irritation in my day altogether).

Cataloguing the contents of my freezer
Sort-of done. I've certainly emptied it a lot more, which makes it easier to have a running total of what's in there.

Computer related decluttering
I need to have a real think about what I need to do and list it out.

So, not bad, all in all, enough that I feel that I've achieved something (and I've also improved my bookshelf organisation a bit whilst I've been at it) and some things that I can just pick up and go with when I want to do more but don't want to think about it.

Well, I'm at work so it's patently not actually perfect but it's gorgeous and sunny and bright but with a little cold bite to the wind that says summer's going and autumn's on its way. I love this time of year, I suspect because I was in formal education for so long (about twenty two years from starting nursery school to leaving university) - I associate autumn with new starts and the exciting prospect of things being different and I love this kind of weather the best (it's easy to dress for in light layers and scarves and not having to worry about the rain).

I make resolutions and plans at new year (I'm a Scot, Hogmanay is a big deal) - and in fact the weight loss journey I'm on at the moment started in January - but somehow this time of year seems even more like an opportunity to renew that I shouldn't miss. It's something about the smell of slightly damp, slightly warm, privet hedge harking back to first days at school, I think. Anyway, I'm currently feeling very motivated and very up and I intend to make the most of it which means projects (I am, infact, rubbing my hands together in the style of a Blue Peter presenter, except with less sticky backed plastic).

Bigger projects (things that will take at least an hour to make an appreciable dint in):

Unframing all my signed convention pictures.

I have a billion of these from a different point in my life (a very happy point, but one I'm no longer at) and the pictures are languishing in their clip frames in a box. If I unframe them and put them in individual poly pockets in a folder they'll take up substantially less space and they'll be much easier for me to look at and enjoy when I'm in the mood to do so. The frames can go to charity or friends who want them.

Going through the stuff in the bottom of the spare room closet

I have NO CLUE what some of that is. I know my graduation picture (which I loathe) is there and I suspect my degree certificate is, too, but other than that? clueless.

Going through my present drawer

I have a billion and six wee things in there, most of which I'm never going to give to anyone. I need to sort out what I wouldn't be embarrassed to give and donate the rest. And I need to move the gifts to a smaller drawer so I don't end up with a lot of junk again.

Removing Aged paperwork

I don't need mobile bills from 5 years ago or bank statements from 10 years ago. My paperwork's mostly consolidated by type into individual folders so I just need to go through them one at a time and cull (and then stick the papers in another box until I can borrow the good shredder from my parents!). If the folders are not over full then it'll be a lot easier to keep on top of filing the new stuff as it comes in.

Re-clearing my wardrobe

I did this about 3 months ago and it's come time to do it again (what a terrible shame!). I've already removed the Kriss Kross jeans but I know there are other things there that should also go and I may now be into some of the things that were too small the last time. This takes ages and is exhausting, but it's also a lot of fun so I think this may be sunday's job.

Cataloguing the contents of my freezer

I know vaguely what's in there, but I could really do with a list so I can meal-plan better.

I also have a bunch of computer-related projects I need to do (improving the design here not being the least of these, but mostly continuing on with the decluttering I started in my email and bookmarks and moving on to do the same with my files and photographs) but I'm feeling kind of energetic at the moment and that's a very sitty-downy kind of thing, so they'll hold for the moment (I have a working back up, it'll do).

My general every-day goals are doing pretty well at the moment:


1.Drink more water.
I'm calling this one so good I'm taking it off the list - it's habit now so I don't need to keep monitoring it.


2.Drink less diet coke.
Success, eventually, after a bit of fiddling around to see what works best for me. Swapping cokes for coffees (which, because I drink lattes, have some nutrional value) and barring it after 1 except in company (I usually don't have lunch until 1, so with the latte in the morning I'm just not having it at all) means that it's I'm definitely losing the habit for it and because I allow myself to have it in company I don't have any associated guilt (which would tend to make me rebel and drink more). I may revisit in future to see if I can cut it down even further but it's no longer a physiological habit and it's not a daily psychological habit either. It's coming off the list for now as a success.


3.Excercise more.
3.1.Unless it is pouring I will walk my 30minute lunchbreak around the river. It is pretty.
Repeated epic fail. I got out of the habit when I went on vacation and I just cannot get my head back in the game. My headphones are a bit broken, so that gives me a constant excuse (a rotten excuse, but still an excuse) not to do it, and I'm trying to avoid the shops right now, but still, it's all excuses and I need to work out a better way to self-motivate to do something at lunchtime.


3.2.Unless it there is a specific reason why not, I will get the train home to the further away station and walk up the hill.
This is a success, definitely. I get home faster and often on a nicer train (and I pass a half-decent supermarket on the way so I can pick up last-minute things at a reasonable price if I need to). Taking it off the list as I've got this one in the bag

3.3.Get the train into work from the further away station. Not a hope (unless I'm late and miss my regular train) - I know how long it takes me and I have an up to date timetable, I'm just in a lazy headspace about it because I know how hot and knackered it used to make me. I need to get better about it. Perhaps designating one day a week and working up might help.

3.4.Investigate "bingo wing busters" on the internet.
I'm so unmotivated to do these. I'm not sure if I need to completely reevaluate this goal.

4.Continue with SW
4.1.As I am - keep mixing it up, keep sticking to it.
Done. Successfully - meal planning is helping me keep it in balance and more economical (no more last minute bagged salads!) and, really, the eating is just a way of life now. I'm going to take this one off as a success but I'll change it up for a new eating goal - maintaining menu planning or upping veggie intake, something positive.



More ephemeral goals
More groomed.
I'm good with the jewelry (thank you decluttered dressing table) and scarf (because I have an addiction to them anyway) and my skin has never looked better but I'm still rotten at putting on makeup and I still tend to whack my hair up in a bun about half the week. I need to call this goal a good 'un but develop some new ones regarding hair and makeup in particular.

Better body skin
I have almost got rid of my allergy, and actually my upper arms have been benefitting from me regularly moisturising them with the aloe I've been using to counter the allergy in my armpits. I'm going to continue on what I'm doing there and revisit properly when the allergy's completely clear (probably September).

House keeping routine.
Having so many visitors in such a small amount of time's totalyl thrown this for a loop. The house is okay - not spotless, but I could have my Mum turn up at the door and not be ashamed of it - but I feel like it's only a step away from chaos. The only thing I feel that I've got under control is my laundry.

stop wasting all weekend sleeping and slothing.
I'm calling this good and taking it off the list. Having people to stay's not helped me with this but my mind-set is different; the time I feel it's reasonable to get up (rather than look at the clock and roll back over) is earlier and I have a lot more energy than I used to so I'm just automatically less likely to sloth (I can't just sit the same way that I used to. I'm going to change this up for a goal about better sleeping habits altogether.


Wow. That's a bit of a long post... I'll be revisiting it in sections, but I thought I'd better take advantage of the weather-induced headspace whilst I could.

Juice. Pronunciation:/dʒuːs/
noun Scottish informal: Any non-alcoholic beverage, most often carbonated beverages.

I've been continuously trying to give up Diet Coke since the turn of the year, because it's full of things that are bad for me (acid, excessive caffiene, aspartimine) and doesn't have any nutritional plusses to balance them out. It is hard; I've tried cutting it out for Lent (failed, but I did manage my secondary promise of cutting it down), I've tried adding in replacements (I've successfully added a litre of plain water to my daily intake. In addition to the diet coke...) and I've wished really hard that I didn't like it (which was about as successful as the wishing for the lottery win sans ticket).

I've not been addicted since birth - far from it in fact, I didn't like any kind of drink with bubbles in it until I was ten (when we got a Sodastream and I could control the bubble level) and spent my childhood drinking slightly warm milk in various tearooms with my grandmama - but I built up a fairly solid habit in secondary (high) school (thanks to it being the only diet juice available with any regularity) and then on into university and now I just reach for it automatically. I'm incredibly jealous of those amongst my friends who automatically order water when we're out for an evening or for dinner - that's a great habit to have.

Anyway, I've learnt a fair bit about myself and how I'm motivated in the past few months and I'm working a plan that - at the moment - seems to be working. I've barred diet coke after 1pm unless I'm in company (and my work colleagues at work don't count) and I'm regularly treating myself to a nice skinny latte from the in-house concession at work.

Now, there are still some holes in that plan:

• If I'm out for an evening, or if I have friends over, I'm still liable to have a gallon or six (way too late in the day) and then my sleep quality is badly affected.
  
• I have friends over a lot.
  
• Lattes have caffiene in them.
  
• I'm spending a small fortune on lattes.
  

But it's still a lot better than where I was - I've found that the latte means I'm significantly less likely to even think about getting up and buying a diet coke, and I'll bypass the shop in the morning on the way into work knowing that I'll have that coffee later. The latte does have some nutrional value, no fake sweetness (which, quite apart from the dubious chemicals in the sweetner, tends to make me utterly ravenous later on so it's nice not to have that fake appetite) and I also usually have it early enough in the course of the day that it doesn't have such an obvious impact on my sleep cycles (it somehow feels like a morning thing to do and the concession closes at three anyway).

Obviously I still need to do some tweaking, but it's Thursday and I've not had any diet coke since monday (when I had visitors) so I'm counting a little victory right there.

...with my pretty pale pink nails mostly, so Thursday is the Treat Day that keeps on giving this week.

I've been decluttering my home like a demon recently (my mother visited a couple of weeks ago and proclaimed that she didn't know what I'd done with her daughter...it really wasn't that messy before, honestly) and I'm really enjoying the peacefulness that having less stuff lying around, and having a place for things to go, is bringing me. I still have a list of projects - small spaces that need going through, boxes that I've put away for the time being, things that need taken to the tip or charity shop - but all my remaining clutter is at least contained and out of sight and I know that I can work on it in short bursts as time and mood allow without it taking back over (does anyone else get those hormonal peaks and troughs of what is probably a mild form of nesting? Just me? They can be very useful for bigger projects or deep cleaning). The extra energy that I have because I'm eating better and carrying less weight is having a huge, unforseen, affect on my life - I haven't exactly turned into a paragon of virtue or anything, but it's easier to be this organised person than it used to be.

Anyway, I was catching up on some of my internet sites on Monday night and one of the main ones I use was inaccessible so I found myself with a couple of hours blocked off for internet use and only about thirty minutes of catching up to do (I had visitors who were catching up on a show that they watch and I don't, I was sociably sitting in the same room on my netbook) and I came to the realisation that my virtual life is more cluttered than my real life ever was. I get a bunch of emails every day that aren't spam but that I always delete unread, my bookmarks are all over the place and I can't find anything when I want it and my twitter feed's full of people I skip over without a thought.

What a waste of my time.

Photo by Michelle Meiklejohn

So, I spent the remaining hour and a bit of internet time I had on sunday night organising my bookmarks (deleting things that were no longer relevant, making more comprehensible folders for those that were - I keep a lot of links for tech support purposes) and syncing them all up (I use Xmarks to backup my bookmarks and keep them straight between my netbook and desktop). I suspect I still need to purge a fair number but at least I can now find things without just giving up, googling for it and then realising I already have it when I try to bookmark it again. If I ever have another spare hour when I want to sit on my rear end and do very little I'll have another go over them but much like my contained real life clutter, things are at a stage now where they're not significantly impinging on my life.

I'm handling the email issue a little bit differently - not least because I don't know what I need to unsubscribe from until I receive it - I'm going little by little; clicking unsubscribe links from legitimate email newsletters (and ignoring the ones I need to email for now - 1 click's my limit), clicking "spam" on the unsolicited ones (the unsubscribe button on those is sometimes a phishing exercise so it's better to train the spam filter) and checking the accounts of anything that has an email-for-points type deal (I used to do a LOT of those in a previous tech support job as there was often significant downtime between calls. Now I'm too busy so they need to go). I discovered I had enough points to apply for a £10 M&S voucher on one of those accounts which was a nice surprise and I've gone through the rest I've received (so far) and made the decision to either totally delete my account or merely unsub from the email and keep an account and a bookmark to the site based on how many points I have there already and if there's a time limit on them. I've been doing this for three days and I'm already seeing a difference in the volume of pointless email I'm getting.

My next step with email is to set up auto filtering so that emails I want to read, but not RIGHT now bypass the inbox and go into their own folder so I can read them at a time that's more convienent to me (rather than during the 5 minute dash I have first thing in the morning). I already do this with the majority of emails pertaining to my voluntary job and the difference it makes is incredible. I don't need to see Jillian Michael's latest tip right away, but I do want to read it and see if it's something that I can apply to me, so I think this will work - I just need to decide if they need a folder per subject or just a "read it later" tag (and if any of the emails just stack up in there, then that's a reasonable indication that they need purged, too).

I haven't yet decided what to do with my Twitter feed. I'm considering lists for some of the accounts, or following from a secondary account, but I haven't worked out what will work best for me. I'll get there, this decluttering malarkey's an ongoing journey.

I'm linking up this post at A Slob Comes Clean's Decluttering Roundup for July because it's the only decluttering I've actually blogged about...

Despite the title I haven't really lost my way (despite being on holiday and having people to stay which is often enough to totally throw me for a loop) - I'm still eating all of the right things and a very controlled (and allowed) quantity of the wrong ones, and I've developed a number of new habits that slot right into my life no matter how crazy it is, but I have lost a bit of focus and I'm not terribly excited by my new life right now.

Now, a lot of that's connected to the fact that everyday habits aren't very exciting - by their very nature they're background noise and really that's where I want a lot of my regular choices to be, in the background. That said, I'm only a wee way down this path, so I'm a long way from having the majority of my natural choices be the right ones for me, so. Refocusing.

I'm also looking to refocus the blog a little, too - in case any of my imaginary readers are concerned I will still be blogging about SW and exercise and recipies and my slimming "journey" in general, but I'm going to add some more to it, too. A lot of my thinking recently has been about revaluing myself a bit and that's not just all about diet, exercise and skincare - there are elements of housework and decluttering and taking care of my environment, of personal growth and support and other personal goals that I might not have uncovered yet (and yes, if you - the imaginary reader ;)- have read my previous goals, some of that stuff's already slipped in).


I am, currently, a little disconsolate - imagine Eeyore, but with slightly more propensity to kick things (does that count to body magic?) and swap the thistles for grapes - which is definitely to do with the fact that I've been kicking around in the same couple of pounds for the last few weeks (1 gain from a holiday, 1 gain last night from what seems like dodgy scales - from the whole class only 3 people lost at ALL) so I'm hoping that going over where I want to be and breaking down the steps I can find my inner Tigger again and kick this 2.5lbs in the behind and finally get my 4 stone gone. I'll kick off my focus setting with a review of the goals I've set so far:

1.Drink more water.

1.1.Fill my 1 lt bottle every day and drink at least that at my desk (also use at weekends, just for measuring purposes).
This is totally a habit during my working week now and, while I'm not so good over weekends (especially when I'm out of my routine), I am much better at being aware of my hydration levels.


2.Drink less diet coke.

2.1.I feel that I need the caffiene and/or the flavour over just the plain water sometimes (although the caffiene is psycosomatic) so experiment with various fridge teas (rather than aspartamine filled NAS squash) and try hot green teas until I find one I like.
I've been very successful indeed with this - I've instituted a new rule of no Diet coke after 1pm unless in company and I often replace my morning diet coke with an unsweetened latte (syns counted) instead. I've been drinking plain water more than anything else because it's been so warm, but I've worked out what I like for the colder weather when it comes.

3.Excercise more.

3.1.Unless it is pouring I will walk my 30minute lunchbreak around the river. It is pretty.
Epic Fail. I have moved more or less every lunchtime (other than the day I had to shift 12 large monitors, because I was knackered!) but I've not been out for the full 30 minutes in some time, I've just meandered to the shops and back. I am therefore better than I was (not moving at all) but not as good as I was when I was focussed on it.

3.2.Unless it there is a specific reason why not, I will get the train home to the further away station and walk up the hill.
This is becoming more of a natural habit, and with the way the trains run I generally get in either at the same time as I would, or a few minutes earlier. I do need to refocus on it though, so it's a totally natural habit by the time the weather turns (I'm going home, it's not like it matters if I'm soggy when I get there).

3.3.I will find out the times of the trains at the further away station in the morning and time how long it takes me to get there so I can see when I'd need to leave to use that instead. I have it timed and I have a timetable. I'm just not likely to go there unless I miss my regular train.


3.4.Investigate "bingo wing busters" on the internet.
I've found something that looks like it should work. I just need to try it.

4.Continue with SW

4.1.As I am - keep mixing it up, keep sticking to it.
Done but I need to look at the mixing it up bit more. Meal planning seems to be the way forward there.



More ephemeral goals

More groomed.
Hrm, yeah, well. I've decluttered my jewelry so I'm much more likely to wear some, but on work days I'm still slather-on-moisturiser-sling-up-hair and run. I need to add makeup into that more regularly.

Better body skin - if I'm going to wear sleeveless tops and shorts, etc, I need to have skin that's fit for humans.
I've currently got horrible excema in my armpits due to a deoderant allergy so I've been completely focused on healing that and nothing else.

House keeping routine.
Getting there. Slowly. I've bought a new hoover that actually sucks stuff up (which is useful) and I've decided to hoover my carpets and rugs on a tuesday evening before my SW class (because it won't annoy my downstairs neighbour) and I'll revisit it over the weekend if it needs it (if I've had visitors, usually, I'm not very dirty). Bedlinen is a saturday morning job (if I strip the bed and bung it in the machine when I get up I can get it hung up before I go out. The only time that's an issue is if I've someone in my spare room on a friday night as that's where I dry stuff) as is the bathroom (so I can have a clean me, from my clean bathroom, in my clean bedding). My kitchen I mostly just keep going every day so that it doesn't need much in the way of deep cleaning but I need to work out a good time for hard floor sweeping, dusting and straightening up the sitting room every week. Any thing else is really more deep cleaning, so I'll get to it when I get to it.

stop wasting all weekend sleeping and slothing.
Success. I've been up by 10am at the latest (and that was with a 2am bedtime the night before, thanks to visitors) for weeks - and usually by half past 9 or earlier. Any time after 9am doesn't feel "too early" any more (this is very much helped by the long days right now, but I'm hoping it'll be an ingrained enough habit by the time the clocks change) and I'm getting a lot more done as a result. I've also lost the ability to sit still in front of the tv/computer for long periods, so I've cut some of the TV shows I watch (and I dust/sort/declutter whilst others are on now). I think with a slightly more structured housework routine that this can only get better, too.




So, next I need to re-evaluate my goals and make some specifics to aim for - I like lists, so I'm going to get some longer-term project things in there, too and I'm going to keep on measuring my performance against them.

I set my self some goals a couple of weeks ago, so I thought it was time to check in on them.

I've been away for a long weekend on there and that always has the affect of throwing me off track, so there'll be notes...

1.Drink more water.

1.1.Fill my 1 lt bottle every day and drink at least that at my desk (also use at weekends, just for measuring purposes). I didn't take my bottle away with me and then forgot to fill it for my first day back at work, but other than that I'm on this one really well. I've been bringing my lunch in with me since I started this journey, so adding a bottle to it's not been a huge change, and if it's there I'll drink it more or less without thinking. Mindlessness, finally used to my advantage!

2.Drink less diet coke.

2.1.I feel that I need the caffiene and/or the flavour over just the plain water sometimes (although the caffiene is psycosomatic) so experiment with various fridge teas (rather than aspartamine filled NAS squash) and try hot green teas until I find one I like. This is DIFFICULT and I'm failing fairly badly at it. I think I need to re-examine what I'm doing and how and maybe approach it a different way. I gave up drinking it before noon for lent, so possibly a time-exclusion is the way to go. Thinking about it, the caffiene definitely affects my sleep, so banning it completely after 1pm is the way to re-approach this.


3.Excercise more.

3.1.Unless it is pouring I will walk my 30minute lunchbreak around the river. It is pretty. I'm doing well with this one (and even went out in the rain one day!). I find I'm more awake in the afternoons because of it and it's sneakily adding in exercise without having an impact on anything else I'm doing.

3.2.Unless it there is a specific reason why not, I will get the train home to the further away station and walk up the hill. I'm doing well with this one, too. I argue in my head about it a lot but I'm fairly consistent in getting the other train. As it's faster and leaves 3-5minutes earlier I get home at much the same time and the hill isn't nearly as daunting as it used to be.

3.3.I will find out the times of the trains at the further away station in the morning and time how long it takes me to get there so I can see when I'd need to leave to use that instead. I've failed miserably at this. I am the antithesis of a morning person and I'm working long days at the moment which means an early start, so the thought of it's exhausting. That said, I have similar mental excuses for the return journey and I manage that fine so I do need to work on this. I will make the trip from my house to the station over the weekend and time how long it takes me.

3.4.Investigate "bingo wing busters" on the internet. Done, but they're all things that really need to be combined into a bigger over-all routine - therefore I'm focusing more on doing the 30-day shred, and less on spot-work.

4.Continue with SW

4.1.As I am - keep mixing it up, keep sticking to it. Same old, same old. I wasn't stellar when I was away (nor was I dreadful, but I haven't yet got the hang of eating out in difficult places). I am very focussed this week and looking into varying my HExBs and Green Days which keeps me well on track.



More ephemeral goals

More groomed. I'm getting there. The foundations aren't bad, but I need to work up to a morning routine to put pretty on top.

Better body skin - if I'm going to wear sleeveless tops and shorts, etc, I need to have skin that's fit for humans. I'm getting much better at slathering on lotion after I've bathed and I'm enjoying the results from that. I'm all soft!

House keeping routine. Ha! Weekend away = routine out the window. That said, all my de-cluttering has made it easier to maintain anyway and I'm pushing towards working into a more organic routine. My house is currently company-ready.

stop wasting all weekend sleeping and slothing. I haven't slept past 9.30 since I started this (and was one of the first up when we were away, too); because I'm exercising more and getting up more consistently I'm sleeping better at night so that helps. That said, I need to keep focussed on this one because it's an irregular, non-routine thing by its very nature. Having a list of things I want to achieve over a weekend is useful to keep me focussed.

I read a lot about weight loss and fitness - I find it helps focus me and gives me ideas to work towards - and one of the things I've been researching is loose skin. I think anyone with a significant amount of weight to loose is probably at least a little concerned about it (we've all seen those magazine and TV shots of people who've lost 100+ pounds with gastric banding or somesuch and are now left with yards of hanging skin) - and certainly as I shrink I'm beginning to notice looser bits in my flabbiness.

The bottom line is I'd rather not have loose skin, but I'll live with it if I have to because it's much better than filling it with fat! I know the chances are that I'll have areas that won't spring back to lithe and slim (I expanded at a rate that means my upper arms, stomach and chest are covered in stretch marks. That means that the integrity of my skin there is shot) but, according to my research, there are things I can do to minimise it.

Look after my skin like I do the stuff on my face

This means using a scrub or body brush once a week and moisturising after every bath or shower (I've been doing this for a while already and it physically feels nice and emotionally feels good to pamper myself)

Ensure I'm reducing my body fat, not just my body weight

This is a biggie. Quick weight loss almost always indicates that there's a lean muscle loss going on, too, and any weight loss can change up the balance of lean tissue to body fat in a negative way. To avoid it I'm realistically looking at 1-2 lbs a week loss (which I've been doing) and doing muscle building exercise as well as cardio.

Tighten up my shape underneath the skin

This ties into the previous point, because it's all about muscle building exercise - even loose skin will somewhat reflect the shape of what's underneath.

Drink lots of water

It's good for everything, including the condition of one's skin.

There are probably some other things I should be looking at, like healthy fats, but this is where I am with my research at the moment.


I'm not a gym bunny (I can't justify the expense, amongst other things) and a lot of exercise DVDs or classes focus more or less exclusively on cardio - and my favourite activity of walking is also a cardio exercise - so I'm re-committing to the one DVD I know focusses on both, Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred. It is hard, hard work, but it's quick and it definitely works. When I can move my arms above my head again I'll start looking for further options to explore...

I'm two days into trying to achieve a bunch of new goals, so I thought I'd share how I'm doing.

1.Drink more water. I've taken my litre bottle to work and finished both days
2.Drink less diet coke.. I'm working on substitutes (ice tea, green tea) and I don't hate them. Still on two cans a day though
3.Excercise more. Despite the rain yesterday lunch time, I've yomped around the river both days, walked home from the further station last night AND went for a walk after dinner last night. I still haven't investigated bingo wing busters, but I'm pretty happy with myself.
4.Continue with SW. As always, and I'm the poster child for chicken salad, too.

So far, so good then - SW's a habit now, the water bottle thing is definitely heading towards a habit (I brown bag my lunch every day anyway, so adding the water to that's not been a huge change), but unfortunately the diet coke is also a habit and I'm not sure how to break it. I'm not claiming the exercise to at all be a habit yet, I'll see how I go next week after the routine break of the weekend (and I'll see if I manage to get much in over the weekend - I've big cleaning goals so I suspect there'll be some involved in that, if nothing else!).

I haven't renewed my FLABeLOS subscription (it expired yesterday) and I'm probably not going to - or not yet, anyway - I'm still too big for incremental tightening of the muscles underneath the fat to look any different and I developed a really sore back that I can't help feeling was connected as I didn't go last night and it hasn't been sore. I might give it a whirl again when I've lost a bit more and when the weather's not so good for long walks.

I've been thinking a lot recently about what bits of me and my life I'm not delighted with, and given I'm having such success with the weight loss part of improving things (another pound off this week, which totals me at 51.5pounds less than Christmas) I've decided to actively work on other areas, too.

Specifically what I want to achieve:

• Clearer skin so I look better with no makeup on.


• Better sleep so I'm not tired all the time and not lying in bed tossing and turning and getting frustrated.


• Be able to wear sleevless tops without shame.

Steps I'm going to take:
More water, less diet coke, more exercise, continue with SW.

What the steps actually mean:

1.Drink more water.

1.1.Fill my 1 lt bottle every day and drink at least that at my desk (also use at weekends, just for measuring purposes).

2.Drink less diet coke.

2.1.I feel that I need the caffiene and/or the flavour over just the plain water sometimes (although the caffiene is psycosomatic) so experiment with various fridge teas (rather than aspartamine filled NAS squash) and try hot green teas until I find one I like.

3.Excercise more.

3.1.Unless it is pouring I will walk my 30minute lunchbreak around the river. It is pretty.

3.2.Unless it there is a specific reason why not, I will get the train home to the further away station and walk up the hill.

3.3.I will find out the times of the trains at the further away station in the morning and time how long it takes me to get there so I can see when I'd need to leave to use that instead.

3.4.Investigate "bingo wing busters" on the internet.

4.Continue with SW

4.1.As I am - keep mixing it up, keep sticking to it.

More ephemeral goals that I need to think about and develop more to break down into specific goals and actions in future:

• More groomed.


• Better body skin - if I'm going to wear sleeveless tops and shorts, etc, I need to have skin that's fit for humans.


• House keeping routine.


• stop wasting all weekend sleeping and slothing.