What difference can one year make??

A year - what difference can a year make ????

So another year has passed and  today is my birthday. Another year older so I thought i'd reflect on  whats changed ?? well  so much hasn't it I won't remember it all but lets just do a small reflection

I weighed around 17 stone 2 = this time last year. I had lost 9lb with Slimming world and was struggling. At this point I hadn't found the slimpods as didn't start them until the October. Today I don't know what I weigh but about 15 stone 5 as I chose not to weigh now until asked to 

I've been adding up inches lost since June 2 last year and its around 51-52 inches in total  that sounds mega doesn't it?? 

My waist was a very very unhealthy 46.5 inches  today it is 39 (well probably a bit less but I'm going on last lot of measurements )

Under my butt measured 56 - today its 43.5 

My tummy was a whopping 56 inches too - its now 48 


These are just examples  but blimey one year and all those inches 

I was a mouse. I was miserable. I was anxious 100% of the time. My ibs was awful (actually its flared up yesterday and today to be honest but first time in months ) I was a hermit. I was allergic to exercise. I made any excuse not to walk princess barky knickers. I felt fat and frumpy. I struggled to walk to town without being out of puff and looking like a beetroot. My asthma was bad. Pretty much a prisoner in my own home. No confidence pretty much at zero. Unhappy. very negative. I was a chocoholic, a binge eater, a grazer, I turned to food for every single emotion.,

I had a habit of sucking Jakemans cough sweets type of boiled sweet. Every single day several time a day. They helped me to cope with that nauseous feeling I had constantly from constantly being anxious - I just realised today I've not had any for over a week :)

I lived on revival or rescue remedy. I've not had any for a while now :)

This time last year I was a size 24-26 today I am pretty much a size 18 in most things 


so look at me now 

I am more or less a size 18  I've been wearing size 18s last 2 weeks top and bottom so although not all size 18's fit most do now 

I am happy , positive, confident, I exercise daily and love it. I walk princess barky knickers most days unless good reason not to. I wear nicer clothes and real shoes as my feet are no longer fat  I eat normally. I do not binge. I am no longer a chocoholic. I stop when full. I know the difference between hunger and thirst. I have no wagon to fall off as I'm not on one. I am such a positive person now and can turn any negative into a positive with ease. I am a nicer person to be around. I can talk to people I've never spoken to before.... not sure what else to say but pretty sure you get the picture 

  so any bets on how I'll be this time next year 

This time last year I'd had been obsessing about food all day. Cake, choccie, crisps, takeaways. Today is so different.  I've been so busy all morning. Its now 1.30pm and I am just sat down to eat a bowl of oatso simple with blueberries. Yep this is the first meal today and its what I fancied :) There is choccie birthday cake, muffins, carrot cake, crisps you name it in the house and this was literally what I fancied and I am enjoying it.  I don't even fancy the crisps the cake the choccie..... not interested.

This time last year I'd have been lazy all morning. This year I got up and did 3 Leslie Sansone boosted miles before the kids got up :)

So what difference does one year make ??  alot especially since I found slimpods :)  I've only been podding for 7 months but I can't wait to update when its been a year :) 

7 months in - how do I feel?

I don't do this very often but today I am sharing my diary entry as I feel it says so much about the 'new me' how I feel, how much slimpods have done for me :)


"Well I was thinking as I often do and realise so much has changed lately. I really no longer consider my journey a weightloss one how odd is that I've spent 25 years dieting, yoyoing, being unhappy, miserable, depressed and now life is so different. I feel its all about finding me Letting the real Jackie emerge slowly. Having no food issues. Its just such a lovely feeling. I never set out to be a size 10 or a certain weight. I always wanted to live longer (than my Dad ), make my Dad proud, be healthier, happier and more confident. All these things matter to me and always have far more than the scales. Its also fab that i've probably achieved all of those already

I love being normal with food too. I never think about what I am eating. I no longer spend hours obsessing about food. I don't spend ages contemplating what I should and shouldn't eat. I've learnt the difference between hunger and thirst, starving and craving. Even when I am hugely stressed I eat whatever I fancy, yep a couple of times its been crisps and biccies but I always stop when full and only eat when hungry, so even these episodes do no harm as I end up not hungry for my meal too. I cannot eat when not hungry as I don't even think to Normal people have days where they eat junk. Normal people eat biscuits and crisps sometimes. I love being normal

Then of course theres the exercise. This lady who was allergic to exercise as you all know Tilly and I joked constantly about it. There was never any form of exercise I liked not even walking. It was torture in our eyes Yet look now. I adore walking. I feel fit I feel healthy I feel slimmer

Today I had the confidence to walk up the school in my exercise gear didn't even hide behind a big cardie. No jacket just my exercise gear and got several comments on how good I look

Today I had a really confident smile on my face just walking up the school. It was a 'real smile' I realised I was happy with who I am OMG did I just put that?? where is that mouse?? where is Jackie ?? who am I??

I had a houseful of gas men yesterday. I'd normally be an anxious wreck. They were all nattering to me and joking with me. I just chatted and joked back Even when they said they needed to come in at 3pm and I was off up the school I calmly and happily explained they could not until I returned at 3pm. I said it assertively but politely and they were fine with me. They even came here early today to turn the gas off so as not to interupt my routine they even chatted to me as I walked Charlie to school who is this lady I am talking of

So much is changing I sometimes feel I can't keep up, but I love it. These pods have handed me back a life thats for living. Of course, I had a life. I've always had a lovely lovely family and lovely lovely friends but this is different. This has made me see life in a different light. Its made me value my family, value my true friends, love life

Sandra has done so much for me. Shes changes lives. I am proof of that

Ok ladies so some positives

Really they are all above aren't they? so all above

I am happy

I am more confident

I have a real smile

I love life

I enjoy exercise

I've managed 107 miles in May and today is not over yet

I don't think about food. Food is fuel thats it. I enjoy food but it doesn't worry me at all

My journey is not about weightloss anymore its about the real me. About living a longer, happier, healthier, positive, confident happy life

I am making my Dad proud

I stop eating as soon as full no matter what the food is

I've done 3 boosted miles this morning and could have done more but need to work but I feel amazing

I was asked what I wanted for my birthday from Matt. I am having a bright pink exercise vest

I have this lovely inner calm and acceptance

The scales no longer rule my life - I don't need them to judge me, to tell me how well I am doing, or how badly because they no longer matter to me, as I can feel how well I am doing, it comes from within "

Another goal reached!

Today has been such an amazing day :)  Firstly I tried on and got into my size 18 Next goal jeans. My goals were set 11th January.  They were

To get into size 20 Next Jeans end February - achieved 10th February
To get into size 18 Next Jeans end May - achieved 25th May
To get into size 16 Next Jeans end August
To get into size 14 Joe Browns Dress 21st November

I have reached all my goals on time so far :) even at times when I thought I would not I have been proved wrong :) This feels amazing. I set the goals back in January podded on and gradually reaching them all.  I set mini goals too and nearly achieved all of those too so will need to make some more mini ones.

my mini goals were
1) To meet a certain lovely person - achieved 25th May
2) To talk to someone I've not spoken to before (this is because I have a fear of this, or should I say had a fear of this. I used to get tongue tied, make a mess of it, so I did all I could to avoid doing this). This week I have achieved this twice !!
3) to continue to eat mindfully
4) No scalehopping other than once a month - may need to carry this one forward lol
5) To manage to walk 4 boosted miles to my Leslie Sansone Fat Burning DVD in one go. I thought this would take a while as they are fast and phew... but guess what! I achieved this this morning! What an achievement for a couch potato as phew it was hard but I achieved it! I am so so happy about this :)
6)To listen to my main pods awake daily ( I just like to do this sometimes)7) To get in my next goal jeans size 18 from NEXT - achieved 25th May!8) To get into my Debenhams tunic dress for 9th June

so not many left to achieve as I do number 3 daily :)

Think i'll have a think and make a new list scalehopping still needs to be one of them but I've learnt some valuable lessons this week and the scales no longer feel important. I mean they showed that gain yet I still got into my jeans so I do feel they have no relevance anymore in my journey and funnily enough that pull they give me doesn't seem to happen anymore they no longer call me and if they do I'm not hearing them!

I had a visitor yesterday. Normally I'd be climbing the walls with anxiety, or even cancel, but today I was calm, smiley and confident. Shows just how far I have come since finding the slimpods at the end of October. These pods are quite literally life changing.  I hadn't realised how clever I had become at finding excuses not to go out , to see people, to speak to people until the slimpods started to peel back the layers. I was an expert ROFL but now I am gradually emerging from my shell a much stronger, happier, positive, more confident person. This really is an amazing journey :)

a little update

So I had a bad day yesterday, just so that you all know I'm not always 100% :)  I scalehopped in the morning. Couldn't resist the urge despite my challenge of not weighing until 2nd June. Yep they said 1.5lb on :( I was gutted, yet the day before someone told me I looked stunning, so healthy, glowing, lost loads of weight, we were giggling about the fact I'd lost so many inches and dress sizes yet just 5lb. So what changed over night? The scales !!!!!!!

I let those pesky numbers affect my mood again and my eating. I fell into some crisps, a mini packet of biscuits and a choccie ice lolly. I did not however have any tea :) as I was full thank you very much.  In one of my pods Trevor says 'There is no failure only feedback' I love this quote. I did not fail yesterday I had a blip. What is my feedback = crisps, biccies and a choccie lolly do not equal a yummy tea, they made me feel miserable and they made me feel sick (giggles) I have moved on. why oh why oh why did I do it? because I could not understand why they had gone up 1.5lb when I felt and looked slimmer :( I was gutted.... but why?? Why does it matter so much what the scales say? Its crazy isn't it. Everyone measures success by pesky numbers. The world is figures crazy. Obsessed with figures.  So today to cheer myself up I thought I'd throw some different figures into the equation.  Since 11th January I've been measuring with a good old fashioned tape measure once a month.  I have lost a further 5.5 inches

So okay I am 1.5lb up but I've lost flab, feel better and look thinner.

So far I have lost

3.5 inches off my waist
2 inches off bust
3.5 inches off my underbust
6.5 inches of hips
7 inches off tummy
1.5 inches off calves
2.5 inches off thighs
3 inches above my knee

29.5 inches and more as I never did measure my arms. My wrists are 1/2 inch thinner too and my upper arms are 4 inches thinner so if you add that onto the above

I have totally changed. My confidence is returning daily, I exercise every single day and love it. I walked to school this morning and in my head I was working out how many Leslie Sansone boosted miles I could fit in before my phone call at 10am.  I decided I would do 2 miles as didn't want to be huffing and puffing down the phone. I got in the door changed into my kit and put on the dvd nice and loud. Within 2 mins I was smiling and loving it. I managed 3 miles but actually wanted to do more :eek: I love these DVDs and cannot recommend them enough. I do not have a gym membership, I do not want one, I love walking. I love walking outdoors and I love walking indoors. Its a fantastic free all round fitness and the DVDs are not expensive and they are multi muscle work outs.  The above proves it :)

I used to be such a couch potato. Any excuse not to walk anywhere. Now I don't exercise 2 or 3 times a week I exercise every single day :) why? Because I love love love it and it makes me feel so good :)