EA sports active - Wii

I just reset the 30 day challenge on  the Wii Active game.  I will now count today as day 1.  I had a pretty intensive workout on it and it said I burnt 140 calories.  Seems quite small, probably because I chose medium intensity.

I think tomorrow I will try doing it in the morning.

Anyway, it's really good fun, and a great addition to the Wii Fit.

Spoke to Mum this morning and she reminded me that the wedding in Ireland is in a few weeks, and am I detoxing???? .... I get the impression she would be mortified if I went there at my current weight/size, so I have to be good now, finally..... use all the self-discipline I have.....

If she was in the same country as me today, and I said "does my bum look big in this?".... she'd be the first to say YES!  I think if she'd stayed in the UK and not moved back to Ireland (in my final year of Uni)... I probably would never have got this big in the first place.

Bye for now, Liska x

Say no to fizzy drinks

My muffin in my previous post may have been "innocent", but fizzy drinks, in particular cola, are not!  Read this interesting blog post by Dr Robert O Young.

Drop those fizzy drinks from your life, and that of your children's. 

Say no to fizzy drinks!

Good morning,

Liska x

INNOCENT - chocolate muffin

Well Victor has now started the chocolate muffin debate, so I feel the need to defend myself. (See his comment on yesterday's post!).

So let's be like the press and call it "Muffin-gate!"

Carrie, from Finance, left an innocent muffin on my desk this morning.  Her way of saying, you may not sit with Finance anymore, but we still remember you (4 of us used to snack and drink tea together down there).  If you read about my desk move you will understand my nostalgia.....

So, I had already started the morning with healthy porridge with organic milk followed by (an hour or two later) a bowl of salad (mozzarella, basil, and cherry tomatoes) and a banana.

So it took me a while to notice the muffin's absence as I was not hungry.  Then, somehow I noticed and said "who stole my muffin" - I wasn't hungry but was perplexed as to its whereabouts.  I was convinced my MD ate it as she has a sweet tooth and is the "food police".  So I challenged her, and at first she denied all knowledge and then begrudgingly said: "if you are that desperate it is under the franking machine on the posting scales".  That belittled me sufficiently, that when I found it, I put it on HER desk - again relying on her sweet tooth (even though she is a fitness fanatic and a healthy eater).  Anyway, Victor saved the day and said OKAY I will eat it.

Unfortunately, during the minutes when I thought it was AWOL, I sent an email to the girl who gave it to me, and Cc:d my boss saying "My MD stole my muffin".  The girl who gave it to me responded by putting another on my desk.  She thought it would get one over on my boss for stealing it.

Then Victor thought what was the point in me taking it, if you are going to eat that one, so YES he did try to snatch it off me, and yes, I did wrestle him for it, but I thought it is not fair on Carrie, if she gives me TWO and I eat neither of them.

Anyway, the good thing is, I got the same foggy funny (sugar rush) feeling in my head that I got yesterday, when I ate the biscuits AND what Victor did not say, is that I once again had soup for lunch.

And TODAY IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!!!

Ingredients:

2 on the vine tomatoes.

1 stalk of celery

2 carrots

tablespoon of bouillon

1/4 bag of rocket

4 leaves of basil

1 spring onion

half a red pepper

a dash of tabasco

(I don't think I have forgotten anything).

So I am being much healthier than normal.

From Monday I will be no meat, no dairy and no wheat/yeast.

Victor and I exchanged some texts tonight about his mean blog comment and he has now said he will donate £10 to cancer research if I stick to my goal of a stone by the Ireland wedding.

He knows I am good at sticking to things if I am challenged or dared, so I said, he has laid down the gauntlet and I will accept the challenge.  

In my old job, people saw me drinking super greens EVERY day and regularly sticking to detoxes, yet in this job, people don't know I can stick to a detox.  I just need to prove them wrong and Victor knows that challenging me on that level is the one thing that might entice me to stick to it.

If it works... fair play to him......... Let the loss of a stone commence   :-)

Liska xxx

Day 01 - countdown to lose a stone by 17th July 2009

Well I am now on Prior Fat Girl's challenge, as recommended by Holly ALP at My Peace

Yesterday I moved desks at work, which takes me from being in the same room as the finance team, to being up a floor in the open plan office, just outside the MD's door.

So this morning on the way to work, it felt like a new day (new desk) so I went to Tesco on the way to work and bought all the ingredients for soup (I make raw soup in my Vita Mix which I permanently keep at work).  Anyway that was an achievement in itself as I have not used it in ages.  I also bought two lemons, so during the course of the morning I drunk mugs of hot water with lemon in it and it made me feel VERY good.  I also had my usual bowl of ready brek with Victor.

Anyway during the course of the morning Zoe said "cup of tea Lis?" and I said yeah.  So I had normal tea, with 2 biscuits and it gave me a cloggy groggy feeling an a fuzzy head, so I know what suits me......... (need to stay strict now).

Then at lunch I made the soup and ruined it (first time I have done that in 2 years).  Basically I put too many basil leaves in.  Too much avocado.  No ginger or garlic (forgot to buy it), no bouillon ... etc... etc... BUT I still ate 2 bowls of it (plus 2 slices of toast) and it did keep me full for hours.

After work, me and Magdalena went for 1 pint (and as I haven't drunk in weeks it went straight to my head).  The place we went to does really good food, so I had a thai vegetable curry and rice.  So I came home full full full and for once will have fully digested my food before bedtime.

So my achievements today were:

* drinking lots of water

* drinking mugs of lemon water

* having soup for lunch

* acknowledging that the biscuits made me feel like poo

* and just a general feeling that I have indeed started something.  The mental hurdles are as much a part of it with me!

I am going to try and have an early night tonight to follow My Peace's example..... so will sign  this off shortly.

Bye, Liska

xxx

Stress and Weight Gain

Hi

In the past I have given up coffee twice, each time for 8 months.  In the 3 years I have been in my current job I have been unable to.

In the past I used to do a minimum of 2 detoxes a year.  In the 3 years I have been in my current job, I have done 1, which was as recent as errrrrrr...... 2006! (Yep, shortly after joining).

When I started this job I was a size 14 in jeans - I am now a size 18 (although I like to think of myself as being a size 16, but 3 different fitting jeans confirm I am an 18).

Anyway, I know there is a link between stress and food, or at least in my case.  And I also confirm what the web says... i.e. that when stress is the cause of weight gain, the gain tends to be around the middle!  I used to be pear shaped and now I am a pear and an apple (as confirmed by this post).

BUT every year (for the last 3 years) I go to the Yoga Festival.  8 days of yogic food.  And yet I do not cheat... other people smuggle in nuts or biscuits and I never do.  I find it easy to do the yogic diet because I enjoy eating healthy food.  I could crunch on celery sticks or pieces of water melon all day every day, but in a work environment noooooooooooo!!!!!

So, given that I cannot be in a yoga festival environment all year round, I need to break this link between stress/work/food...

Tonight really brought it home.  Between 5 and 6.4o p.m. was quite stressful to say the least, and when I walked to the station, to get my train, the first thing I did was buy a baguette and a latte, even though I know caffeine makes sleeping difficult if I have it in the evening, and even though I am lactose intolerant (I think I like the warm internal fuzzy feeling a capuccino or latte gives me).

I find it incredibly easy to eat healthily on Saturday and Sunday..... but roll on Monday, and I have a problem......

I need to have a healthy JUNE as I am going to a wedding in Ireland on 17th July and I have to be trimmer then than I am now!

I am half a stone heavier now than I was on 1st Jan 2009.

Anyway, I just read this and I can relate to so so so much of it.......! 

Anyway, have a read (click on "this" above) and let me know what you think.  If you have beaten this battle and have words of wisdom for me, then please break the silence of yesterday and let me know...........

I am awaiting all of your advice and can't wait to hear your opinions on this.

Best wishes

Liska x

Silence

Diversity - winners of Britain's Got Talent 2009 - worthy winners!!!

I am so happy.  There is justice in the world.  The winner of Britain's Got Talent 2009 is Diversity and what worthy winners they are.

If you don't live in Britain you have to watch them on You Tube.  Watch (1) their audition (2) their semi-final performance and (3) their final performance of tonight which stole the show.

I have wanted them to win and I am so so so so happy right now.

Well done guys - you so so so so so deserve it - I wish you future success.

Liska xx

I feel cleansed and decluttered

I want to focus on the blog posts that I do regularly read and benefit from, so I have had a bit of a "blogs I am following" cleanse and feel detoxed :-)

I really felt like the list of blogs I had to read was endless, so I have done a bit of weeding, to suit my personal taste.

Anyway, I guess it just replicates my day.  I had friends coming around at 2 (they arrived at 3.30 due to train problems)... anyway, in readiness for them coming, I got up at 7.30 to do housework and have a declutter.  It made me feel cleansed.  Then I made the 3 of us a delicious lunch (HEALTHY don't worry) but I did then make a chocolate cake.

Anyway, it is the first day of full on Summer weather here in the UK; it was simply a gorgeous day - warm, with a clear blue sky.

So I guess I have now decluttered my blog as well as the flat, and I feel all the better for it.

So for the bloggers who remain with me, I will be able to dedicate my focus to you, without being side-tracked.  Thank you for keeping me company in blog world, and helping to justify my recent purchase of  a laptop :-)

Bye for now (watching the final of Britain's Got Talent)

Liska xxx

Modern versus history

This photo was taken by me on 17th February 2008 when I was in Newcastle.

It struck me that we have modern on the ground floor, and history above.

Look at how far we have come, or rather how backward we have become.

From the beautiful stained glass windows, you can see what the store used to be, and clearly in not removing that piece of history, someone else clearly likes it as much as I do.  Click on the image and make it full size and you will be able to see what the store used to sell.

But we seem to have turned into a plastic fantastic world.  We rave about recycling when all of our pop is in plastic bottles.  When I was little I didn't even know what recycling was, but all my pop was in glass bottles, which I could get money for returning.  My toaster was fixed rather than replaced, and my shoes were repaired rather than binned.

Anyway, look at my photo and see if it speaks to you, the way it spoke to me.  I wasn't even looking at the shops, and I definitely wasn't looking up at 1st floors, but it somehow grabbed me.  Maybe there was a story there, just waiting for the story-teller and the camera!

Sorry I know this is meant to be a weight loss blog but we all need a little light relief.  I could do with being "lighter".............

Since my New Year Resolution I have gained half a stone (yes my weight loss ticker is out of date).

I am now 13 stone and 13 pounds, which the scales tells me is 88.4 kg, so I am back to 88 (which in BINGO they say is "two fat ladies" - how very appropriate!)

I have been here before........ and if you click there, you will see it was 20th October 2008! yes, 2008................ I have put the weight ON and turned the clock BACK.

I really really really have to start sorting my life out......... (so I got back onto the subject of weight loss after all........... but alas, it is pontificating about it, rather than doing something about it!)

Liska Life off to bed.......... zzzzzzz. ...........xxxxxxx

Saladmaster - healthy cooking and eating - LOVE IT

This is my favourite piece of kitchen equipment.   (One of my Saladmaster pans).

They cook without fat, and without water.

Very healthy way of cooking and then eating.

This photo was taken by myself on 29th April 2008.  All those veg are cooked in that one pot, with lid on.  A vaccum is created and they cook in their own steam.

I have the full set, so can do salmon in another and potato in another etc...

What is even more amazing is the veg in this pot do not effect each other's flavour AND there is no smell.  So you can cook brocolli and cabbage etc... without fear of the sweaty feet smell.

You can even make a cake in one of them.

Oh and the set includes an electric skillet.

LOVE IT!!!

Liska x

Big Ben at Night

I keep looking at blogs with stunning photos so I just went through mine (taken by yours truly) and saw gorgeous Malta photos but decided to share this one with all of you, given that I live in London. 

Photo taken on 13th November 2008 - the night I went to the House of Commons.

Enjoy.  Liska xxx

Aegis Training | London Personal Trainers - Fitness News and Views: Take The Stairs, Get Leaner

Aegis Training | London Personal Trainers - Fitness News and Views: Take The Stairs, Get Leaner

When we start to find stairs difficult we think about doing exercises (well do we...? sometimes...!)

But why go to the gym to help you combat stairs, when you can tackle the stairs themselves.

Don't go round in circles, like this photo.  Turn the stairs into a piece of training equipment.  Click on the subject line of this blog post and it will take you to the fab Aegis you tube video...

Good sound practical advice from Aegis. 

Look at the video it is super, as is their blog.

Bye for now,

Liska x

New Laptop and Wii Active

Hi

Sorry I have been away for so long but I have been without a laptop so I bought one today and am on it now - very happy with it.  It is after midnight but it is Sunday (well... I haven't been to bed yet).  On Saturday, which I am classing as yesterday, I bought the new Wii Active and it is absolutely super.  Great 30 day challenge on there and some brilliant personal trainer style posture work like squats etc... Comes with a Physio Type resistance band, which really works.  Was on it for 30 minutes yesterday and it really brought me out in a full on sweat.

If you love Wii, please try it, you won't regret it.  I wanted to do the 30 day challenge as an every day thing but didn't get chance today.

Must go to bed in a minute so bye for now.

Liska x

Fatter, heavier, but alive and happy :-)

Here I am.......

I am on the Apple, in my Virgin Active gym.  When I swiped in, I asked the lovely person on the desk, "when was I last here?"..... he said 6th Feb........! At £110 a month THAT IS NOT GOOD.

When I used to come here really often (before Xmas) and used to blog a lot about it, it was all only swimming, jacuzzi, steam and sauna, but tonight Josephine, I did 20 minutes on tread mill, then kettle bell, then Swiss Ball, then rowing machine, then sauna.

I am now sitting in the cafe with a LARGE salad and a Cafe Mocha.

I plan on being super healthy over the next 4 days (the 4 day Easter Break from work).... I plan on doing loads of housework, loads of Wii Fit, digging out my Pilates Machine from the spare room, etc.... I am going to try and lose 4 pounds in 4 days :-)

Most of the New Year I have been 13 and a half stone but that is now 13.75 stone which is insane, given that a couple of months back, I lost a few pounds and I thought 12 stone something was within my sights, especially given that the Wii started to call me overweight rather than obese.  Well..... that was a couple of months ago, and I have been a pig and a slob since then, hence my enduring silence (sorry guys). 

My laptop at home was a work one, and due to 2 work laptops dying (not mine) they (I.T.) had to recall all spares to circulate them to people who needed them during the day, hence another reason for my silence...

Anyway, I am back and I'm proud... (remind you of a movie??? :-))

Even though I have not been here since  6th Feb, I have been circuit training every Wednesday for the last 3 weeks at my friend's gym, and did go on an active weekend to the Peak District (20th to 22nd March).  BOY WAS THAT EXERCISE.  WE CLIMBED MOUNTAINS, and it was so so so so active.  GOSH!!! I will share some photos at some point.

I must leave in a moment to catch my train.

I won't leave it as long again... sorry guys.....

Liska xxxxxxxxxx

Happy and THANK YOU my blogger friends x

I am so so happy. I had salad for lunch yesterday, and just ate salad just now for dinner. I did have lunch out today but it was just poached eggs and salad and hollandaise sauce.

I stayed away from the cappuccinos yesterday and today (yes, despite giving up for over a month I had been back on them last week - another reason for my deathly silence).

But I feel lighter and brighter and happier this evening.

Logging on just now and seeing the 4 lovely comments to my blog post below, just simply made my evening. For anyone reading this (silently) I have pleasure to inform you that not one of the below is a friend (from outside of cyberspace) i.e. they are not mates going on giving me support. They are REAL fellow bloggers, on the same path with similar weight loss goals. True fellow blogger friends, shining a light of support. That light that makes this cyber space a lovely homely place to touch base with.

The comment that we have to ignore unsuccessful weeks, or days or months is so so so true. Each moment passes as we take each breath, and another new moment is there to be savoured, and honoured. Each new minute and each new day is an opportunity to BE the person you want to be. For anyone out there needing a pep talk, just read those comments on the post below - they are SUPER.

Anyway, thanks so so so so much.

Liska xxxxxx

Onwards and Upwards

I haven't weighed myself in ages, and haven't been on the Wii Fit in ages. I am definitely NO slimmer and NO lighter than I was beginning of January, so we can safely say I was not on track Jan and Feb, and haven't achieved my biggest New Year's resolution, so now MARCH is my month. I won't say much, until I have something to say. I need to start saying what I have done, rather than what I set out to do; that's the plan.

I am really really sorry for the break in transmission. I know when a frequent blogger stops blogging I do worry. This last week I was in Birmingham Monday Tuesday and Wednesday, but that only explains 3 days. My husband kept saying why aren't you blogging, and I said because I have nothing to say, nothing to be proud of, and he said why don't you go on and say THAT, but I couldn't bring myself to, but I think I needed this low to bounce back out of, but again, I am not discussing plans. I need to start doing!

Anyway, I have read read read for the last couple of hours so am fully up to speed with where you all are. Let's do this guys.

Welcome back to me. I will stay in touch this week, with good news :-)

Liska Life xxxxxx

Determined

I have to counteract yesterday's bad news blog post with some good news.

Well I already started last night, as I wrote a comment below the other kind comments (thanks Guys) where I confirmed that I was able to rescue the salad stuff in the fridge, even though the cherry tomatoes were very ripe, as were the avocados. So yesterday evening I wrote myself the following comment:

I went to the fridge with trepidation. The romaine lettuce was eddible, as were
the very very ripe cherry tomatoes, the organic cellery was still crunchy and
perfect, the avocado (inside) just had to have a couple of brown bits cut off,
carrots (because they were in fridge) were still perfect so I shredded two.....
so I just made myself an enormous salad, added two teaspoons of pesto sauce and
drizzled it all in avocado oil. Was a big plateful and incredibly filling, and I
feel super now. I am so glad that even though I bought the stuff a week ago
today, that it was all still, luckily, okay.......There was a whole iceberg
lettuce in there that did tonight go in the bin, but I don't know when I bought
that..... it's a sin what we throw away.Anyway, thank you so so so so much for
the comments above. I promise you I will stay on track this week. I plan on
making lots of healthy soups for lunch in my Vita Mix so I really hope I pull
that off. Also plan on going to aqua aerobics twice this coming week, and drinking lots of water.

Today I have weighed myself again on the Wii Fit.

To recap:

on 7th Feb it said 13 stone 3 pounds,

8th Feb it said 13 st 6 pounds,

on 13th Feb it said 13 st 11 pounds,

on 14th Feb: 13 st 9 pounds and

now today 13 stone 8 pounds.

Considering that I started this journey on 2nd January, on a weight of 13 stone 7 pounds, it is like the calendar of time is moving while my weight stays still (well if you class couple of pounds Up down Up down Up down as standing still).

Not acceptable considering I know how to do this. I lost 3 stone in 2001 when I was getting ready for my wedding. I started then in 2001 in February and had lost it all by June. I know what to eat and I know what to give up. When I give up bread, sugar, etc........ the weight falls off. I just need to do it again.

I was sad yesterday when I read this blog, as this lady is doing exactly what I want to do, a steady weight loss of 2 or 3 pounds a week, meaning she is now 12 pounds lighter than how she started the year. I want to duplicate that.

Anyway, I am going to keep my head down and really get on with it this week. Drink lots of Super Greens, eat lots of fresh VITAL food, no sugar, no bread, no muffins, lots of exercise, lots of walking (I aim to walk in lunch breaks) and 2 sessions of Aqua Aerobics.

I aim to have good news by this time next week. I wish you all the same, my blog friends.

Oh and on my blog I have completely ignored Valentine's day which is naughty of me, given that hubby bought me a beautiful bouquet, gave me breakfast in bed, and a beautiful card.

Liska xx

Bad news

I am not going to hide the bad news by calling it anything other than just that: bad!

I went on the Wii Fit last night and it told me I hadn't been on it for 5 days........ (first alarm bell as from 1st to 8th Feb I had only missed one day, and had thought I would carry on like that).

Then it told me my weight was back up to being classified as OBESE, and that I had put on 6 pounds since it last saw me / weighed me.

I started my "time of the month" on Tuesday, and ate like an absolute pig every day. Yesterday I bought a 6 pack of Mr Kipling lemon slices and ate 4 of them.

It is crazy because when I eat rubbish I feel rubbish and I feel super when I eat healthy. Some people feel like a rabbit when they eat salad, but not me. I love fresh food, I love cellery, so why oh why oh why don't I eat more of it.......?

The way I was going (losing 5 pounds last week) I thought I would soon be 12 stone something rather than 13 stone something, but that right now seems like life-years away.

Crazy, as I went food shopping last Saturday and only bought healthy food, so I had a healthy lunch Saturday, followed by a healthy dinner and same again Sunday. It seemed to all go out the window on the weekdays (work days).

I am dredding going to look in the fridge now, as I am scared that there is healthy food in there that I have allowed to go off, uneaten. I know there are 4 avocados in there and I just pray they are still okay, because they were the ones that are ripe when you buy them (dearer for it too). I know I had a bag of rocket in there tooooooooooooooooooo.

I used to be so good at detoxing, I don't know what's wrong with me. Beginning of January, I thought I'd lose all the weight by April, and here I am now, nearly mid-February.

Well this week will have to be a good one - that's all I can say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bye for now, cross your fingers and toes for me. My favourite bloggers all seem to be doing very well, so I guess I just need to catch up with all of them, and be inspired, and BE the change I want to see :-)

Liska xxxxxxxxx

Victoria - prayers needed.

I have been following what is happening in Victoria, and it is devastating. If you read this times online article, the comments at the bottom have a heart beyond the mere article itself.

Victoria is nearly as large as the UK.

Please if you are reading, spare a thought for those people. I will not say anymore as words can't express how I feel right now.

Liska Life xxxxxxxxx

You just have to read it - trust me - no quick fix

This is just a post to recommend another post.

It is so good you just HAVE to read it.

Enough said!

Liska Life
x