One problem with any health kick I embark on is my tendency to congratulate myself too early on in the process, believing that I will never eat too much, drink too much or be lazy ever EVER again. Sometimes I reach this conclusion after just a day or two, even when any physical evidence of such virtuosity is entirely absent.
This way of thinking can be a stumbling block and the key is to keep your eye on the goal, not get bogged down with day to day weigh-ins, however hard they are to resist. And if your long term goal is to fit into your size 12 jeans, then for goodness sake don't try them on after just one day - it will only lead to despair. Easier said than done of course - I've already attempted to wrestle myself into my new red party dress which, to date, has never fitted.
And so, predictably I woke this morning fully convinced that when I ran my hand over my stomach it would be flat, smooth and bikini-ready. This was with good reasoning - I had after all done a 20-minute work out yesterday afternoon and then gone for a long, sweaty walk with DH in the evening. Not a drop of Sauvignon Blanc had crossed my lips and I was in bed with my new book '911: The New Pearl Harbor' before 10 pm. I felt positively virginal.
However, the reality was less reassuring - my hand was met with what could only be described as blancmange rather than the ironing board I had anticipated - and I had to remind myself that one day of being healthy wasn't going to transform me into a Gwyneth look-a-like over night.
This is a bit like the day after you give birth for the first time. I recall with clarity, in the moments following the birth of the 12-year-old, feeling empty and light for the first time in nine months - I was alone in my body again. 'I'm back to normal!' I yelled inwardly as I stared down at this remarkable creature I had just made.
Hours later, as I shakily disrobed in the hospital bathroom for my first post-natal shower, I studied my new, empty body in the bathroom mirror and was horrified to see that it showed little evidence of having given birth at all! It still bore all the signs of a women advancing into her sixth month of pregnancy. All those hours of agony and all I had to show for it was a new human girl! Oh cruel world!
Anyway, this woman below gives me enormous hope about what can be achieved. Clare Nasir is a British weather girl who embarked on an exercise and diet regime back in 2011 to lose the baby-weight. The results speak for themselves, and yes, she was over 40! I think the publication of the 'before' picture (which is inexplicably on the right side) helped push her to her limits.
Sometimes I pull up these photos on the laptop just to remind myself of what is possible - she really is an inspiration although I have no such hopes of reaching such tiny proportions; 'not fat' would do.
This way of thinking can be a stumbling block and the key is to keep your eye on the goal, not get bogged down with day to day weigh-ins, however hard they are to resist. And if your long term goal is to fit into your size 12 jeans, then for goodness sake don't try them on after just one day - it will only lead to despair. Easier said than done of course - I've already attempted to wrestle myself into my new red party dress which, to date, has never fitted.
And so, predictably I woke this morning fully convinced that when I ran my hand over my stomach it would be flat, smooth and bikini-ready. This was with good reasoning - I had after all done a 20-minute work out yesterday afternoon and then gone for a long, sweaty walk with DH in the evening. Not a drop of Sauvignon Blanc had crossed my lips and I was in bed with my new book '911: The New Pearl Harbor' before 10 pm. I felt positively virginal.
However, the reality was less reassuring - my hand was met with what could only be described as blancmange rather than the ironing board I had anticipated - and I had to remind myself that one day of being healthy wasn't going to transform me into a Gwyneth look-a-like over night.
This is a bit like the day after you give birth for the first time. I recall with clarity, in the moments following the birth of the 12-year-old, feeling empty and light for the first time in nine months - I was alone in my body again. 'I'm back to normal!' I yelled inwardly as I stared down at this remarkable creature I had just made.
Hours later, as I shakily disrobed in the hospital bathroom for my first post-natal shower, I studied my new, empty body in the bathroom mirror and was horrified to see that it showed little evidence of having given birth at all! It still bore all the signs of a women advancing into her sixth month of pregnancy. All those hours of agony and all I had to show for it was a new human girl! Oh cruel world!
Anyway, this woman below gives me enormous hope about what can be achieved. Clare Nasir is a British weather girl who embarked on an exercise and diet regime back in 2011 to lose the baby-weight. The results speak for themselves, and yes, she was over 40! I think the publication of the 'before' picture (which is inexplicably on the right side) helped push her to her limits.
Sometimes I pull up these photos on the laptop just to remind myself of what is possible - she really is an inspiration although I have no such hopes of reaching such tiny proportions; 'not fat' would do.
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