The battles we have with our weight.....the first (and last?) day of my diet begins...

www.slimmingworld.com

So today friends, as some of you may know from my Twitter account...I have started the Slimming World diet.

During my adult life I haven't really tried out too many different types of diets as I've never really needed to. Smug bitch; you might say. But no, I've never been a super toned skinny minnie.....my usual weight is around nine and a half stone. If I'm dieting, I can get down to around nine stone and I look SKINNY then. This is an extreme rarity (is that how you spell it??!), though.

The last time I was this weight was 2 years ago to the month. BF was travelling in Australia. We had dated for around three months before he pissed off (I always knew he was going) and we agreed we would speak every now and again, probably just through Facebook, as friends. If both of us happened to be single when he came back (if he ever did) then we would give it a go. We ended up kind of falling for each other just before he went though, so the friends thing never did really happen; but that's another story!!

When we first started dating I was at my heaviest. Probably just under ten stone. I agree it's not very heavy at all and I'm not saying I was fat; but a stone heavier than my normal happy weight makes a dramatic difference to me at five foot four. At that weight I didn't feel confident or happy in my own skin or clothes for that matter. And I think that's what matters. The figures on the scales or the measuring tape don't matter; it's how you feel inside. I used to think to myself 'I bet he looks at me and thinks; she'd be a keeper if she was a bit slimmer and more confident'. Mad aren't I? I'm sure we've all been there though!!

Anyhoo, whilst he was there, we would speak on and off, I would see girls flirting with him on Facebook, see pictures of his nights out....and as every normal girl does; I got jealous. So I thought, right. I can't carry on like this. I am supposed to be going out and enjoying myself and trying to forget this stupid boy on the other side of the world. I need to get my confidence back and lose weight for me. Obviously on the sly I wanted to lose weight, look amazing, splash my new model-esque pictures all over Facebook and then he'd probably be on the next plane at Sydney Airport.

www.weightwatchers.co.uk

I joined Weight Watchers and was ready for action. I'd done this on other occasions over the years and found it to be really effective. The diet was so easy as you could literally eat whatever you wanted. You had to count points for each food and you were allocated so many points per day. My daily allowance was 18 points. I never ever stuck to that. I ever weighed anything. I just kind of stuck to around that . And the weight just dropped off. The first week I lost around 5lb and that just gave me the boost I needed to carry on. I would still go out drinking of a weekend, I would still have my stodgy fast food hangover food. It was amazing. I started running of an evening and weekend. I felt so good. Soon enough and I got down to nine stone three (ish) and I felt amazing. My face looked different, my hair felt different (it probably wasn't) and I could swan into any shop and choose any item of clothing I fancied. No more floaty smock tops and leggings for me! I went out on a few nights out, got a load of pictures taken and got them up on Facebook.

Hey Presto. The boy was bowled over. At the time we weren't speaking (there were plenty of fall outs) so I sneakily changed my profile picture ( I knew he'd look) and left the album of new pictures to public. He was like putty in my hands. Mwahahahahaha. Three months later and he cut his trip short by four months. His plan was to stay for at least a year to see out his Visa.

Six months later. BAM. Pregnant. Nine months after that? Four and a half stone of weight gain. Oh yes my friends. FOUR AND A HALF STONE. Thirteen and a half stone I weighed at term. Two of the buggers feel straight off me (probably water) upon giving birth; which took me down to eleven and a half. The next half a stone started to come off gradually. I was then at eleven stone and ready to get my body back.

I re-joined Weight Watchers and for the first time in my life stuck to it flawlessly. I even joined a programme called 'Bikini Body Bootcamp' and went there three times in my first week. I skipped excitedly into my first weigh in waiting to hear..' Oh my GOD! You've lost three stone!! I've never ever seen that happen before!! You are AMAZING at dieting!!'. Well ok, I was maybe hoping for...' well done Dolly, you've lost five pounds in your first week just like you did last time'.

One and a half pound I'd lost. I couldn't believe it. I'd been utterly convinced I'd lose I had a lot more water weight and it'd just drop off. But it never. I wasn't given the boost I needed to carry on and I fell into my old ways again. It was hard to embark on another diet now, cooking proper home cooked hearty meals for the BF made it increasingly difficult to survive on a diet of salad, chicken and brocolli. Staying home all day I'd feast on whatever available and out and about I couldn't stay away from the fast food.

Slowly but surely another half a stone has come off without dieting and in fact, actually eating like a pig. I ended up taking some supposedly herbal slimming tablets a few weeks ago, lost eight pounds in two days, and ended up in A and E due to chest pains, paraeasthesia and palps (yet again another tale) so they got flushed down the toilet and that eight pounds found it's way back to my arse.

Here I am. Roughly ten stone seven (give a take a few pounds- my scales are crap). I'm considering joining the Slimming World group weight in with my friend but see it as a bit of an expense; so I'll see how I go first.

I'm hoping to get down to nine and a half stone again. Not my  favourite weight; but it's a start and hey. I'm a Mother now.

Do any of you have any pregnancy weight slimming tales?? I'd love to hear about them! Why not write a post on your own blog and link back up here! Also anyone with any slimming world tips I'm allll ears.

I'm off to have my Weetabix with skimmed milk and sweetner. I promise to keep you all updated.....laters.