I’m on a weight loss journey that started with a cup, well actually 3 cups, and I dont mean bra cups either, who knows if it had just been 1 cup I might have still been sat here the weight I was at Christmas.

Christmas Day this year started like many others, excited children, presents to open, relatives to welcome, nothing out of the norm, one of Misters gifts to me was a Krispy Kreme mug, and anyone who knows me well knows my weakness for Krispy Kreme donuts, I unwrapped it and accepted it with a smile and thought no more about it

Misters mum and dad arrived with gifts for all of us, as Mister & I unwrapped ours we both looked at each other and laughed, we each were unwrapping a Krispy Kreme mug, and I looked at Mister and laughed out loud and said ‘I guess this means you think we eat a lot of donuts then?’ and we all laughed about it, but it stuck in my head that this years Christmas would be represented by donuts mainly

In the following days I looked at these mugs and they seemed to represent something – my addiction to food and the wrong types of food, every time Mister brought me a mug of tea it made me feel a bit sick inside, though I didnt say anything to him, but I decided that this couldnt go on.

Now dont get me wrong – I’ve lost weight before – I’ve lost entire people in lb’s – its not the losing thats ever been the problem its the keeping it off thats the real issue. I tried the old milkshake Lipotrim diet that I last lost enormous amount of weight on, but I just couldnt keep them down, so looked to another old friend – Atkins. I know a lot of people have a lot to say about Atkins but for me its meant giving up wheat, bread, pasta and rice mainly, sugar and alcohol.

Alcohol is the biggie – I was easily drinking a bottle of wine a night, every night, and a lot more at the weekend - I dont think I understood how much I had come to rely on a glass of wine to ‘relax’ of an evening, from 5pm onwards I was thinking ‘is it time for a glass of wine yet?’ and counting down from there.

I read an article about Zoe Ball that really struck a chord with me – Zoe Ball – someone who I always felt an affinity to, similar age, children, marriage etc, anyways the article with her said she had stopped drinking, that she was relying on it too much and that she didnt like the person she became when she drank, so she stopped. I read it and so much resonated with me and my life too and I announced to Mister that I was stopping drinking -  this was greeted with howls of laughter, but goodness knows Im a stubborn cow and I did. Dont get me wrong I’m not anti social about it, if we are at a social occasion or a special reason I will happily have a drink or two, but I’m not drinking to get drunk, or relax or forget which are all the reasons I used to drink before.

So since giving up the evil drink, and starting the Atkins (my way) I have lost 4 stone 11lb to date and gone from a size 20 to a size 12/14. I’m now not far off my pre Oldest Miss weight – a weight I havent seen for over 13 years. I have had slips and bad days but I’ve kept on going and its so worth it right now. I spent a day in my daughters school this week and the reaction was legendary, people couldnt believe the difference – its taken years off me – literally. I’m getting so many compliments at the moment that for a girl with a pretty crappy body image its all abit overwhelming.

I’ve started uni now with a set of people who only know the ‘new’ me, and that feels pretty amazing too, they just see this average woman, not the big bird I used to be, its nice to feel normal again.

Im off on a big night out with some fantastic ladies on Saturday, and it feels amazing to have a choice of what to wear, not just what fits, I’m loving feeling so positive about myself for a change. I posted some pics of my dress options, and the response from friends was just astounding, and I feel pretty proud of myself I must say.

My fear is that I start to slip and keep slipping back to who I was, I cant tell you how much I dont want that, I hate hating myself like that. I’m going to post up here pics of me last summer and to be honest i cant believe I’m going to do that seeing as I HATE them so much – but its important to see where I have come from and got to – if anything as a reminder of what I WONT be going back to

I still keep my Krispy Kreme mugs and use them every day as a permanent reminder of what I’m doing and why, and it works, there isnt a brew I drink without thinking about the reasons I started, so all hail Krispy Kreme – well the mugs – not the donuts eh?

Tweet

If you like that you might LOVE this..