Dieting Deja-Vu and How I Plan to Get Fit in 2013!

I simply can't bring myself to do it!  There is no way anyone could make me get anywhere near a pair of scales right now.  Christmas has been a time of excess.  Excessive take aways from my favourite Indian restaurant, stacks of indulgent festive treats and Ferrero Rocher for breakfast have taken their toll on my body.  Where there was once a waistline, there is flab.  My thighs have become dimply and are threatening to merge with my cankles to produce a pair of tree trunks that any Oak forest would be proud of.  Getting on the scales will be absolute proof that I have taken the very slippery slope back to Chubbsville.  It is time that I take action.  Denial is seriously not an option.  Just because I became a grandmother over the Christmas holidays, it is not an excuse for me to become a complacently plump old Nana.  In fact since becoming a grandparent to baby Ted I am even more aware of the importance of staying fit and healthy for as long as possible.  I want to be a proper Glamorous Granny, so it's time to once again take action and wage war against the cellulite, flab and wobbly bits!

As with all great ideas, a plan of action is called for!  So here is my 2013 Get Fit, Feel Epic post.

1:  Cut the crap!  The first step is simple.  I just need to stop eating the sweets, crisps, cakes, chocolates and biscuits that have become my staple diet over Christmas.  In January I usually get into a completely bonkers mindset where I decide to binge my way through all the leftover selection boxes, tins of Heroes and packets of biccies.  My reasoning is, once they are gone I can start eating healthy again.  How mad is that!?  As I gorge myself on a 400g of Dairy Milk Whole Nut I feel justification because when it's gone it's gone.  Stuffing it all in one go is for the greater good, I tell myself as I force in the next four squares in one mouthful. I neglect to think about the thousands upon thousands of calories I'm pouring into myself.  I eat enough calories in one sitting to feed a whole family for 24 hours! So, this year to get rid of all the leftovers, I've packed Ian off to work with a hamper of cake, mince pies, chocolate bars and crisps to share with his work colleagues.  They get to share the calories between them and I don't need to become a human dustbin to satisfy my mad desire to rid my house of temptation via my mouth.  Sorted!

2:  Save Pennies, Lose Pounds.  The frequency with which we grab the take out menus from the kitchen drawer has becoming so regular that the Indian restaurant knows us by name and never forgets that I like a boiled egg on my calorie rich mushroom biryani.  I do love the treat of not having to cook, but when ordering food in becomes such a habit, it loses its appeal.  If I add up the money we have spent buying Paneer Tikka Massala and Tarka Dal over the last few months, we could have bought ourselves a new TV!  I want getting a take-away to become something we do for a special occasion, not an easy option because I've lost my cooking mojo somewhere between the Quality Street overdose and the cheese laden Smörgåsbords that have replaced healthy eating.  Cooking healthy meals from scratch will prove to be my salvation in the battle of the bulge, and the money saved will be greatly received into my bank account!

3:  Meal Plans.  As a vegetarian I always feel envious of dieting carnivores who get to eat steamed fish and grilled chicken.  Such easy options for low calorie meals with lots of options for variety.  For me, a microwaved Quorn fillet day in, day out soon loses its appeal, plus they are so low in calories I begin to starve myself into a malnourished ball of misery.  So I'm going to get inventive with lots of veggie stews, chillis, bologneses, curries and bakes incorporating lentils, pulses and Quorn products alongside fresh vegetables.  As long as I go light on the carb side of the meal I should be able to eat my fill, get all the nutrients I need and not get bored of the food I eat.  Plus I won't have to make something different for the rest of the family.  Variety is after all the spice of life!

4:  The 'E' Word.  This is the one that scares me the most...exercise.  I'm rubbish as exercise.  I've tried the gym, pilates, yoga, holistic toning and the Mu-Tu system.  The one over-riding factor of all these exercise programmes is that I have put my back out doing them all.  I have scoliosis in my spine.  It's not noticeable and as long as I don't do any twisting, jolting or stretching, it is OK and I am pain free. Sadly, these are the exact movements required to exercise!  As soon as I try anything it goes 'ping' and I'm in agony for a few days. So, this year we are going to do more walking together as a family.  This is not too strenuous in the short term and will be enjoyable incorporating it into day's out. The kids can go on for hours so keeping up with them will improve my stamina, fitness levels and burn off some calories.  When Freddy starts school I will be able to walk him there and back.  This was the main reasoning behind choosing this school for him so I will definitely be clocking up my miles come September!

5:  Change my Mindset.  For me, once I commit to something I become very resolute in seeing it through.  That is until the first hurdle comes along to crash through my wall of confidence, leaving me floundering in self-doubt and self-loathing.  So I need to be kind to myself.  If I have a bad day and find myself scouring the kitchen cupboards for those sachets of sugar you pick up in cafes everytime you buy a coffee, just in case you might one day have a sugar emergency, I will not hail myself an utter failure.  Instead I will look at the reasons why the sugar craving killed my resolve, see it as a one off and pick up from where I left off.  This isn't planning for failure, but it is being realistic in advance so that one mishap will not sabotage my efforts.  Losing weight and getting fit is a long haul effort and as long as the good days outnumber the bad, the over all efforts are never in vain.  We can be too hard on ourselves and this is never a good way to succeed and come out feeling good and positive about our achievements.

6:  Buy Clothes That Fit Me.  I struggle terribly with the psychology of clothes shopping.  Even when I'm a size 12 I find it really difficult to buy size 12 clothes.  I always see myself as a size 18 and feel more comfortable buying big stuff even though it is unflattering and clearly doesn't fit properly.  I'm sure psychiatrists will have a field day telling me why I like to hide myself in man's size XL jumpers.  This year, I promise myself that I will get some good fitting clothes that flatter rather than hide the figure.  I want to look good and feel good about myself.  I am at least finally wearing the right size bra.  For years I wore a 38B when it turned out I was actually a 36D which sounds far more buxom!  So by totally revamping my wardrobe, I'm sure I'd feel so much better about myself.  I think it would also be an incentive to keep the weight off if I had nice things to wear once I'm back at my target weight.

So that's my plan.  Hopefully I won't be treading over this same old ground again this time next year.  Perhaps one day I'll not put on a stone and a half over Christmas by getting back into my bad gluttonous eating habits.  Hopefully this dieting deja-vu will one day be over forever!

Here is a 'Before' shot taken after a particularly heavy family meal (it was good though!!) with my beautiful daughter Megan.  Hopefully by my 44th birthday in April I will be rocking a slimmer body and better fitting clothes!

This is my entry into the Get Fit, Feel Epic competition from Moneysupermarket.com.

Ja-NEW-ary Thinkings

It's the time when thoughts turn to resolutions, plans and hopes for the new year. Whether we are hoping to get slimmer, richer, fitter or more successful, the internet is awash with people's dreams for the 2013.  To be honest, up until now I haven't really involved myself with the concept of change this year.  I've been doing OK so why fix what ain't broken?!  But on closer inspection, my life could do with a bit of a makeover and the setting of achievable targets never hurts in motivating oneself to get off one's arse!

As an avid list maker, I have taken my virtual pen to virtual paper to jot down my '2013 To Do' list.  It includes people to see, places to visit and a few personal goals thrown in for good measure.

• This year will see a huge change for me as my baby boy Freddy will be starting school.  As a summer baby, he will be just 4 years and 2 months old as he joins Reception class. I've applied for a place at our local school.  He has his pre-school jabs next week, which makes it feel very real!  It breaks my heart just to think about it!  However I intend to spend the months up until September preparing my son to be ready for school.  We will do reading and writing and counting and crafts together. His fabulous nursery has made him so much more confident around other kids and will stand him in good stead for the hugest step in his little life to date.  For me, I will have much more free time.  I pledge not to become a couch potato glued to Jeremy Kyle and This Morning.  I will blog, I will volunteer, I will get fit and I will do more domestic goddess style cooking (I'm loving my slow cooker!) I will be productive!

• My blog is now over two years old.  It started with no expectations.  It grew quickly.  For a moment I thought I could make it something special and find a niche that would fit.  Then I was seduced by opportunities and PR contacts.  It evolved into something else.  It took on a life of its own.  In 2013 I want to reclaim my blog and steer it in a direction where I can be really proud of it.  I am not precious.  I am realistic.  I am happy to work with brands.  I enjoy doing blogger competitions.  I will never be dictated to nor will I lose my integrity.  I just want to find a bit more structure and balance.  As long as I enjoy it, Inside the Wendy House will continue. (I even bought my domain name - but am too scared to use it!)

• This year I really want to see the people who I care about that I haven't seen for a while.  Last year flew by and I neglected some of the relationships which matter most to me.  I have some amazing friends out there that I need to catch up with. This personal housekeeping is long overdue!  I also want to try to nurture relationships with other relatives.  I hardly know Ian's side of the family, and I'd love to rectify this in 2013! 

• As I am now a granny, I will make sure that I do as good a job as possible getting to know the adorable little boy who is my grandson.  It is an amazing feeling seeing the new generation of our family emerge and observing as the changing relationships develop.

• Last year I was lucky enough to give my family lots of amazing experiences through blogging and comping.    I hope that 2013 gives us as many brilliant opportunities.  I love watching Freddy's face as he witnesses something new and the girls love family days out.  We have our Merlin Annual Passes too plus we have our Butlins and Centre Parcs holidays booked up.  I want to fill the calendar with as many events as I can to punctuate our year.  I want Freddy to visit Warwick Castle this year.  He loves historical places and is so interested in castles and towers.  He is an old soul at heart!

• I intend to celebrate milestones and special days as memorably as I can.  We are beginning 'Operation Reclaim The Dining Room' and hope to enjoy many sit down meals together now Freddy is more open to the idea of sitting at a table for more than 5 minutes at a time.  In reclaiming our dining room, we will also be re-doing our living room, donating a load of stuff to charity shops and sorting out the chaos that is just beginning to subside now Fred is getting older and is less of a whirling dervish of destruction.

• Following on from celebrating special days, I intend to experiment more in the kitchen.  So for Burn's Night, homemade vegetarian Haggis will be on the menu.  Celebratory pies will be invented (my New Year's Day pie was pretty good!) and baking will ensue (themed gingerbread houses anyone??)  I plan to add a few more dishes to my repertoire.  I will be posting recipes on my blog to share my love of veggie food and grouping them on a 'Food For Thought' tab on my homepage.

• Lastly, I want to take photographs to document everything and preserve special memories.  I won't be doing any official Project 365/52 entries this year, but I will be taking pics everyday.  If I decide to post any I will.  Simple as that!  Oh the freedom :)

Add to the list: drop a dress size, buy some jeans that fit me, revamp my underwear drawer and go on some quality dates with my husband and I'm pretty much set to make 2013 as good as I can.  I hope that this year our highs will outnumber our lows.  I hope that we grow stronger in light of our inevitable challenges.  I intend to take stock of my blessings regularly and hold my loved ones close.

2012 Resolutions, Hopes and Fears

So here it is, 2012!  I saw the new year in dancing with Freddy and Kizzy whilst watching the amazing London  fireworks display on TV to officially launch the Olympic Year.  I felt really positive and excited about a brand new year...I must have been swept away on group euphoria!  I don't drink, so I can't blame the alcohol for my warm, fuzzy glow.

This year is going to be quite momentous for us McD's.

We are waiting for Ian's hospital appointment for the surgery that should fix all the problems that came to light last year when he had a health scare.  After numerous tests they have finally found a blockage that can be lasered away.  Fingers crossed it won't be too awful...but I'll be in my best nurse mode to help him get back on his feet (after all who'll be the housework if he's incapacitated hehe!!)

Freddy, who is the king of developmental procrastination, will have to potty train and self wean this year.  Then we can start thinking about getting him into his own bedroom and sleeping through the night!  EEK!!  He'll also need to get his first haircut *sobs* I love his curly, blonde locks but he does look a bit like a girl!

Ella has her GCSE's and will be applying to attend a new Sixth Form College in a larger town 15 miles away.  That will be a big change, and for someone who isn't the quickest at getting ready in the morning it will be quite a challenge!

Megan graduates this year and is already trying to find a post-graduate scheme for September.  It's exciting to think that my little girl is in her final year of university.  Where did the time go?  She'll be moving on to pastures new, getting a flat of her own and making her own living.

Joe is getting his pay rise this month and will hopefully stop borrowing from the Bank of Mum and Dad.  We might actually get to spend some cash on ourselves soon!  That'll be a first.  I only saw my son on about a dozen occasions last year.  This realisation shocked me a bit.  So I'll make the most of every moment that I see my beautiful boy in 2012.

Kizzy's resolution this year is to learn to swim!  I blame myself for her lack of water skills, I hate swimming pools and getting changed after swimming.  So she rarely gets to go. But this Christmas I got her to swim six widths of the fun pool at Ribby Hall!  She is so close we need to take her more often to consolidate her new found ability.

For me, I want to get to grips with the health and weightloss which has been my focus for a while now.  I need to step it up.  My Cyber resolution will be to take part in the 366 Project.  Not sure if I'll be able to do it  or not, but I'll do my best!  If I don't manage to post everyday, I'll do it when I can.

The only blot on the 2012 landscape is those darned Mayans and their prediction of Armageddon!  Damn their calendar that finishes with the Apocalypse on the 22nd December this year.  Just in case they are right, I fully intend to live everyday of this year to the fullest of my ability.  I intend to have fun.  Smile a lot.  Spend quality time with my family who I adore.  Cherish my husband.  Enjoy having my parents in my life.  Enjoy every minute...because you never get the time back once it's gone.

Happy New Year to you all!

2011 Resolutions

Waking up to a whole new year of possibilities is an exciting prospect!  An opportunity to focus your thoughts, your hopes and dreams and come up with a list of pledges to yourself that if fulfilled will serve to better your life!  Ususally, I'd come up with these resolutions and let them slip within days.  This year however, things are different...my resolutions will be recorded here on my blog.  This will force me into staying true to my written word.  There will be evidence that can be sited to force me back on the straight and narrow if I rescind on my promises to myself.  I wonder, will these resolutions therefore work better than last years?!

1:  I don't drink, I don't smoke and I'm vegetarian...so there is no work to be done in those areas.  However, I am pretty greedy!  My yo-yo-ing dieting continues to be the bane of my life.  In November I started using a self-hypnosis programme from Thinking Slimmer which was initially very successful.  However, despite losing 7 lbs in the first 2 weeks and feeling pretty good about myself, the onset of Christmas over-indulgence defeated my changed mindset and I've put the weight back on :(  So, resolution number one is to resume my hypnosis and shift the weight and keep it off.  I want to lose a stone.

2: My housewifery is sometimes a bit lacking...all this social media is distracting!  So I promise to be the ultimate domestic goddess at least once a week!  I'll make sure we have at least one weekly sit down family meal with no laptops, mobile phones or TV on!  Our year will be punctuated with tasty, newly discovered vegetarian meals...I'll rekindle my joy of cooking!

3: Now Freddy is walking, we will start exploring our local area by foot!  I bought a book of family friendly walks in Cheshire.  This year I'll use it!!

4: My final promise is an easy one.  I started this blog in September and have been amazed at how quickly I have immersed myself into this virtual world.  This year, I will continue to explore the potential of this amazing media.  I look forward to seeing where this new hobby will take me in 2011!

Happy New Year and good luck with your resolutions!