A Stitch in Time Saves...?

So you all know my trials and tribulations with my weight (when will they ever stop?!) and I know many of you are facing your own battles.  Many of you share those battles with me which is great as it's comforting to know I'm not alone.  One of my friends from work, Gaynor,  has been kind enough to let me share her story with you all so here it is:

Gaynor - the story so far

Gaynor's "before" pic

"After having my son, having 4 operations since his birth where I have not been able to even lift a kettle, I finally admitted defeat. 

I've tried to lose weight over the years but will totally admit that it was always half-hearted. Don't know what made me change my mind but I began to HATE what I saw when I looked in a mirror, I would either avoid them or go and cook a pizza cos of the image staring back at me. Probably the same image i'd been looking at for a long time but something made me look different. It also changed my personality as well, I no longer looked forward to going out, not only to pubs but even to peoples houses. The though of going to a big party like the O2 Awards had me in a blind panic as some of my friends well know.

My friend had had an acupuncture stitch a few weeks before, she told me that no food was off-limits and it seemed to be working so I thought I would try that. I rang Morningside Acupuncture Clinic in Hebden Bridge and got an appointment for a couple of weeks later. I was very apprehensive about it, was I wasting my money (£120 is not cheap but its 6 months Weightwatchers or Slimming World), would it hurt, would it actually work or was I just fooling myself again.

I was very surprised to find out that it didn't hurt at all, it was a very sharp shock but not painful. There are a few rules that you have to follow, Dr Landale explained them all very clearly:

1. you must rub the stitch for 30 seconds between five and 45 minutes before eating, the longer you leave it, the better

2. You need to reduce today's meal by the amount you left yesterday but you must always leave a little on the plate. Basically you eat until you feel comfortable, not stuffed but content that you have had enough

3. Take 3oz protein and one multi-vitamin with minerals each day

As I left, I was still a little apprehensive, could I follow all these rules, would I remember to rub the stitch before I ate and did I really have the willpower to actually leave food. No time to think, I couldn't start with the stitch until the next day so it was off home to pig out, eat what I wanted and to drink some cider for the last time!! (you can drink cider and lager but its advised not to as it won't work as well due to the sugar content)

I was surprised at how easy it actually was though, I weighed myself as soon as I got up the following day (Thursday) and rubbed my stitch whilst doing that. After I had had a shower and got dressed, it was 40 minutes before I was able to eat my breakfast and I was surprised at how little I could eat. This carried on with every meal. On an average day, I now have 3 small meals, porridge for breakfast, soup only for lunch and usually chicken with potatos for my evening meal. I'm not hungry enough to snack between meals. I used to take a punnet of strawberries to work every day but the tubs got smaller and smaller to the point that I have now stopped taking them.

I did start off by carrying around a little bottle of washing up liquid and occasionally squirt my food as soon as I had finished eating so that I couldn't pick!!

I now find it so so easy, i'm really surprised and really happy with the results. I weigh myself as soon as I get up on a Thursday morning (naked so there is no excuse that my clothes this week are heavier etc)

I'm pleasantly surprised with the results. So far I have lost 17lbs in 5 weeks. I still make homemade pizzas on a Saturday night (my bases have just got a lot smaller ha ha) I still go out for meals and I still have a glass of wine when I want one. My confidence seems to be a lot better and I actually feel better about myself.

I've still got a long way to go but hopefully I will carry on the way i'm going. I know that if I didn't go out for a meal, always ate healthy food only and didn't drink, I would lose weight a lot quicker but i'm only human and I now have a life again so i'm gonna live it!!"

I'm sure you're all with me when I wish Gaynor tons of luck and can't wait to check in again in a few months time.  The acupuncture stitch is by far one of the more unusual methods of weight loss and I'm really pleased it's working for her.  I may even save up for one myself!

Groundhog Day, C210K and Loser Calendars.

Well it's been a little while since I've blogged, mainly because I've been doing absolutely nothing diet and fitness related.  I mean nothing.  I'm the biggest I've ever been and not amazingly bothered which is worrying!  I do need to do something as the scales now shout at me.  I'm out of the 14s though which has been an ambition for a while, sadly it's the wrong side of the 14s.  I didn't think having a goal of getting back into the 14s would exist!  Alas, the scales read...

15st 3lbs

I've signed up for the Great Manchester Run next May and whilst I say this every year, I'm determined to actually run it this time.  So where does a girl with excess baggage, boobs and a bad knee start with training for such an event?  Well I've come across this little app (oh yes, I'm an iPhone girl now) called Couch to 10K which looks like the perfect starting point for me.  It breaks you into running gently and builds you up.  It's a 13 week programme which seems like a lot but the thought of running 50 minutes constantly seems like the impossible!


Have a look at the schedule, you may want to use something similar yourself if you fancy getting fit, or even training for a run like me...I like the first week personally, 30 seconds running is just fine for me thanks!

Schedule

Week	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
1	Run :30, walk 4:30, 7 times.	Run :30, walk 4:30, 8 times.	Run :30, walk 4:30, 8 times.
2	Run 1:00, walk 4:00, 9 times.	Run 1:00, walk 4:00, 8 times.	Run 1:00, walk 4:00, 8 times.
3	Run 1:30, walk 3:30, 10 times.	Run 1:30, walk 3:30, 8 times.	Run 1:30, walk 3:30, 10 times.
4	Run 2:00, walk 3:00, 11 times.	Run 2:00, walk 3:00, 9 times.	Run 2:00, walk 3:00, 10 times.
5	Run 2:30, walk 2:30, 12 times.	Run 2:30, walk 2:30, 10 times.	Run 2:30, walk 2:30, 10 times.
6	Run 3:00, walk 2:00, 13 times.	Run 3:00, walk 2:00, 10 times.	Run 3:00, walk 2:00, 11 times.
7	Run 4:00, walk 2:00, 10 times.	Run 4:00, walk 2:00, 9 times.	Run 4:00, walk 2:00, 9 times.
8	Run 5:00, walk 1:00, 10 times.	Run 5:00, walk 1:00, 8 times.	Run 5:00, walk 1:00, 9 times.
9	Run 7:00, walk 2:00, 7 times.	Run 7:00, walk 2:00, 6 times.	Run 8:00, walk 2:00, 5 times.
10	Run 10:00, walk 1:00, 4 times.	Run 20:00, walk 1:00, run 20:00.	Run 22:00, walk 1:00, run 22:00.
11	Run 25:00, walk 1:00, run 25:00.	Run 30:00, walk 1:00, run 25:00.	Run 40:00, walk 1:00, run 10:00.
12	Run 45:00, walk 1:00, run 20:00.	Run 50:00, walk 1:00, run 15:00.	Run 44:00.
13	Run 50:00.	Run 40:00.	10K Run.

The great thing about this app is that you can play your music and a little voice interrupts and says "run now" when you need to run and "walk now" when you need to walk.   No more clock watching (that was why I've given up before, I just couldn't bear seeing how much running I had left to do)

screenshot of C210K app

So the app looks like the above on your iPhone, and the best part is, you get to play your own music!  Usually these things involve listening to some awful dancy type music with bleeps when you're supposed to change your speed.  With this you can train along to whatever you fancy.  Metallica, Paramore and Foo Fighters make up the majority of my C210K playlist.


I've been paying for the gym now for 2 months and I've been once.  Appalling.  I sat and thought about why I don't go and various reasons came up such as "I'm tired", "I don't have the time" etc.  Yet I have the time to sit and watch garbage telly.  I have the motivation to go to the MacDonalds Drive Thru.  Therefore these are not reasons at all, just excuses.  In a desperate attempt to force myself to go, I've started scheduling it into my calendar, the same way I operate at work.  Geekiness rules.

My geeky calendar!

Wish me luck folks.  Again.