Week 11 weigh in: Mind blown

I still can't believe what the scales said this morning. Neither could my consultant, which is why I got weighed twice, just to make sure that the number was correct. In week eleven, when the rate of weight loss should be slowing down a little, I lost eight pounds.

Eight freakin pounds! I still feel like jumping up and down I'm so happy. It looks like the extra effort in the gym, combined with the slimming world eating plan paid off this week. I've now lost eighty one pounds since I restarted this quest to get healthy. I've lost over ten inches off my waist and dropped four shirt sizes.

This week saw my book gain an extra sticker, my five and a half stone award. I don't know about slimmer of the week though. Although I stayed to group, I had to leave five minutes early for an appointment. So I don't know if I won that, or even if I qualify because of leaving early. Will find out next Wednesday.

 This week has been the first week where I feel thinner. I know I've posted previously about feeling better, fitter and happy that clothes are getting big. But this week I found that I could look in the mirror and see who I used to be starting to emerge, rather than the ugly lump of lard I couldn't face in the mirror. I know I still have a long way to go, with another 160lbs to lose, but now I just look like a large bloke, not the poster guy for triple bypass surgery.

For my self imposed challenge of losing 100lbs in 100 days, I have just 19lbs to go in the next 22 days. Still a tall order, but if it was easy it wouldn't be such an incentive when I'm at the gym or fighting the bad eating habits. It does seem silly that I'm working so hard, for a t-shirt that I've designed myself. But it is working for me, its a goal with a non food related reward at the end. I know that to make my goal, I can't have a single bad day. I have to exercise or be active almost every day. I know I cannot sustain this level for ever, but for the last 78 days, I've been breaking old habits and making new ones. On the 3rd of October, when my challenge ends, I will be thinner and fitter and hopefully free of a lot of my bad eating habits.

A couple of days ago, I found myself thinking about what I was going to eat, once I could relax my eating plan on day 101, but I couldn't think of anything more decadent than a cheese and ham sandwich. Fast food, sweets and chocolate all seemed to turn my stomach. So I didn't start to obsess about the sandwich, I made a Slimming World friendly version. Bread roll from my healthy extra, cheese from my A choice, 3 syns of low fat mayo with lettuce, spring onion and lean ham, all free on a red day. It was delicious. It looks like I might be able to sustain this lifestyle long term, which is really what I'm after. I'm starting to see my new lifestyle emerge from this 'diet'.