More Swimming...

Back at the pool tonight, which is good as I've not done any other exercise since last Monday!  So tonight I did:

34 lengths

30 mins

Breast stroke again.  It was lovely as the pool was really quiet, so I got my lane to myself for the last 10 or so lengths.  Which meant that I also did 2 lengths of back stroke at the end, as a bonus (so really the total should be 36 lengths, 31/2 minutes).  Love doing back stroke, but it really knackers me out!  Probably because it's the only one I can do vaguely right!!  Still, great swim, feel good for it.  

I think it helps that when I go to the pool the Fiance comes down to meet me when I'm done to walk me home (ah...).  It's not a particularly nice walk home so it's nice having some company, particularly on these dark nights!

So I'm still at my X-1 stone and 2 some pounds.  Which is good.  It went up a little near the end of last week, but I think that was mostly water retention as I'm sure I didn't eat anything extra than I normally do that would be particularly bad.  All part of the fun of being a girl I suppose.  

And I managed to walk to work this morning, despite running a bit late.  I took the bus most days last week, which is dreadful, but I was very very bad at leaving the house on time!  Also had a bit of a walk on Saturday as we went into town to look at shops for Christmas presents.  Managed to get no Christmas presents, but buy myself a new handbag I didn't really need in the Debenhams sale.  Ah well...  Let's call that my reward for loosing a stone!!  Just to justify it...  

Actually doing quite well on the Christmas present front.  Have pretty much everything for the family (which is handy as we're off down to the parents this weekend) and pretty much everything for the Fiance.  Phew!  Also managed to make two more Christmas present for friends this weekend, which just leaves three to do there.  Very pleased with them all too.  Did have problems with the stitching on one piece that I'm still not sure about.  Could not work out what was going on.  I kept getting loops in the stitching on the back of the fabric.  I changed the tension down as low as it would go and it improved on the up side, but not on the back (it definitely needed to go down anyway, not very good at remembering to try it out on a piece of scrap first).  I think it must just be the fabric/my machine not getting on.  

So getting excited about Christmas - just looking forward to giving people the gifts that I've spent so much time on!  And really enjoying getting stuff for my secret Father Christmas stocking.  Will be going in to London while we're down south and hoping to finish it off then.  So impressed with my organisational skills this year!

Swimming...

Yes, I finally went to the pool tonight, after a couple of weeks away from it.  Was feeling very chirpy this afternoon (getting excited about Christmas, seeing friends etc), so figured it would be a shame to waste the energy.  So, to keep a record of what I did:

30 mins

34 lengths

It's a small local pool, 23 meters I think, so a total of around 782 meters in my half hour.  Good swim.  Actually overtook someone in the slow lane, which was secretly very satisfying!  Started off in the general melee of the main bit of the pool but was getting too annoyed at having to play slalom with other women (it's ladies only on a Monday) after 15 laps that I moved across to the slow lane, which had emptied down to just two other people.  Usually I swim in this lane, but it was quite busy when I got in to the pool at 5:45.  

Realised for the first time too that I swim faster if I actually use my legs properly.  I had been trying for weeks to work out how to make them work more effectively (mostly involving watching other people's legs under the water.)  So rather than the usual ineffective caressing of the water that they usually do, leaving my arms doing all the actual work, I actually kicked out properly with them, got knackered and felt great!!  I know this is a bit of a 'derr' situation, but breast stroke was never my stroke when I was younger (go backstroke!), and I don't think I've ever paid attention to how to do it properly.  Or least something approximating properly.  Any other advice is welcome...

Why I hate November...

Yup. November, my least favourite month. Not only is it so so hard to drag my backside out of bed when it is pitch black in the bedroom but you get days like today. Days where it is not likely to get light all day because of the grey clouds looming over head disgorging themselves of every drop of rain that they possibly can. And then some more. And I have to walk to work in this. Bleugh. And then even if it does brighten up as the day goes on it will be dark again when I'm on my way home. In fact, about half an hour before I'm even thinking about leaving work. Perhaps this is because I live in Scotland...

I did very well today though in that I did actually walk to work rather than getting the oh so tempting bus. It's just under 2 miles to my work and at my current walking-to-work speed I do the journey in around 30-35 mins (depending on the traffic). Whether I get the bus or not usually depends on how late I am running, rather than how wet it is outside, so I was pleased with myself at walking anyway despite being a bit late and it chucking it down out... Knowing I've done at least one, if not two good brisk walks a day makes me feel better when I don't find time or energy to do any other exercise.

But my most exciting news, the telling of which seems to have been dampened by all this rain, is that I have finally reached my second marker point on my weight loss quest. Yay! The first marker point was losing 10 pounds, which I managed to do in June. For this I was rewarded with shoes! Nice white shoes (no Essex girl jokes please) that are the most comfy shoes I own and now no longer white... My second marker point is having lost a stone. Yay! Which I did at the end of last week. I don’t have a reward for this yet, but do now owe the Fiancé dinner…

I now officially weigh X-1 stone 2 7/8. Which is just (minutely, but who cares about that) over a stone, down from X stone 3 way back in March. I'm particularly pleased because although I would have liked to have reached this marker point much sooner, I have at least attained it and in a sustainable way. As my doctor said: I'd rather you lost a small amount and kept it off than lost 2 stone and put one back on again.

As for what my other marker points are... well, they will reveal themselves as the come along I'm sure, but I think the next one shouldn't be too hard to achieve as I think it should be crossing over that stone marker threshold - getting down to X-2 stone and 13 pounds! The final marker point will be either achieving X-4 stone or being a size 14, hopefully two states of affairs that will coincide. I can't remember the last time I was a size 14, in fact I'm not sure I've ever been a size 14... ;o)

Mid-week update...

Well, I didn't get to the pool on Monday as my head managed to convince me that I was getting a cold. Turned out I wasn't and shouldn't have listened to it. I live in a state of perpetually 'almost getting a cold', so I really should ignore it until my throat actually swells up or my nose no longer works...

Have also just eaten 100 orange and lime tic-tacs, which is not so good for this week! Only meant to have one or two and then the whole pack was gone... Funny how that can happen sometimes. Other than that though, haven't been doing too bad on the food front.

But I had an exciting moment this morning when my scales told me that I had finally crossed over the stone marker (which is X stone and 3 pounds, by the way)! By 4 ounces (X-1 stone, 2 5/8), but still, over the stone marker. Then I stood on them again and they changed their minds, quite stoically, to being 1/2 pound over the magic number (X-1 stones, 3 1/2). Boo! And they refused to change back... Just goes to show I shouldn't stand on the scales more than once... But it maybe means I'm pretty close now... Woo hoo!

Worst blogger ever...

That's what I would appear to be...

Clearly I am not cut out for this blogging lark.

However, for anyone out there who may be interested (and for my own records, if such things exist), I have hit a new plateau. And boy it's an annoying one. I am now teetering on the brink of having lost a stone. So much so that a mere 10 ounces stand in my way. Why is it the little bits that seem hardest to shift?? I'm now annoyed that I have scales that give ounces!! On the bright side it means I don't have to buy dinner for the Fiancé yet (his treat at helping me out with the weight loss thing. We wont mention the stone and 3 oz that he has lost in the time it has taken me to lose less than that. Pah!).

But seeing as the Fiancé had friends over on Saturday who brought evil snacks with them (and left many of these evil snacks in our flat), I've done pretty well not to put a couple of pounds on over this weekend...

Will try and head to the pool tonight though, see if that can’t help shift those niggly ounces. Was lovely that last time I went one older lady (who did a length every 5 mins or so) said I was a fast swimmer. I nearly drowned laughing...

Thinking of the snacks, I think that keeping myself busy helped... I was at my sewing machine for most of yesterday and enjoyed myself immensely. Put some old Dr Who episodes on in the background and made not one but two Christmas Presents... Only 3-5 (depending on how many I intend to do altogether) to go... How many weeks is it now til Christmas?? Bugger...

Enjoying the sewing though. Will post up some of the pics once Christmas is over and done with (in case there are any interested sewers out there). Can't really do it before in case any of the friends find this thing and stray on to it! Would be rubbish for them to see their presents in advance. Not that I think anyone would bother with this pathetic excuse for a blog!

Needless to say I am learning all sorts of exciting new sewing techniques, including button holes, complicated things which involve proper patterns, and embroidery. Although I'm not sure I'm artistically talented enough for the latter... We'll see when I've finished (if I finish) the thing I started last night...