The 'Battle for Weight Loss' commences as I prepare for India!
I know, I know, you've heard it time and time again. In the past my attempts at a diet have been pitiful... lasting 2 weeks if I'm lucky! But this time at least I have the incentive of wanting to look nice in India (and maybe less body fat will keep me cooler?). I have to admit, losing weight is really easy for me when I travel, partly because I'm not thinking about food out of boredom because I'm never bored when I'm in other countries and partly because it's a lot easier to drink a lot of water and eat fresh fruits and salads when in a hot climate. In dreary (and this winter, blizardy!) Britain I simply do not thirst for a nice long drink of cold water and cold foods. Give me endless coffee and cooked meals and I'm fine, but my waistline is not.
So the answer seems straightforward enough... If I permanently live in a hot climate, I'll permanently be skinny! Sorted. Only, that's not going to happen, not any time soon (if ever!).
As the spring and summer approaches I have the dreaded 'bikini months' to look forward to and I am determined not to go on holiday this year having packed my trusty 'cover-all sarong'. I want to be confident and bare all (well maybe not ALL) on the beach and be a happy, carefree twenty-something again.
You know how some people say they could never be skinny because they're just not built that way, they're 'big-boned'? Well I can't even use that excuse for myself because even though I have always struggled with keeping my weight down, when I lost a lot of weight for my cousin's wedding when I was 18 I was extremely happy with my slim, yet curvaceous, frame. Looking back at those photos, with my tiny waist and toned tum... urgh makes me depressed ha!
Anyway, it can be done! I'm determined.
I've decided not to follow a specific diet, I always end up craving things I cut out completely... and then bingeing on them and undoing all the hard work! So I intend significantly lowering my carbs (but not cut them out completely) because I eat way too much pasta, rice, potatoes, bread etc. and also to be careful not to eat between meals and obviously reduce the obvious offenders such as biscuits/crisps/cake and all the other yummy things :-( *Sigh* It'll be worth it in the end (I tell myself).
I'm also cutting down on the coffee intake and replacing my fluids with more herbal teas, maybe I'm naiive but I believe the nice people in the health shops when they tell me than ginseing and chamomile and other oddly named plants will work miracles for my skin/hair/eyes/weight/nails/immune system/general well being. Although I'm not so naiive to still wonder why, if the above is true, everyone in the entire world doesn't drink these yucky drinks just for the desired effects. Maybe it doesn't work on everyone... but it will on me, the nice lady told me so.
Ok, so I've had a head start... I'm not only just starting this diet. It's been a week and a half already and I've lost 5lbs. Not as much as I had hoped because the first week is usually the best for the biggest 'drop' in weight. Maybe it had something to do with the Chinese meal I had on Saturday night? Oops! Did I just tell you that? Ok I cheated, but I deserved that takeaway for being so good all week. I'll keep you posted on my progress. In the meantime... I'm off to have a glass of water :-) Ciao!


























































By this point and during the total eclipse, the rest of the moon was a deep red colour, but my stupid camera couldn't even pick that up. Grrrrr!!!