Weightloss Update

Or more truthfully, that should be a weight gain update.

I wasn't losing weight despite seeing my Personal Trainer twice a week, and then December hit.  That means watching every Christmas film on Netflix, and then attempting (and failing) to watch every Christmas film on My5.  In fact, I typed "christmas" into the My5 search, and was going through all the Christmas films in alphabetical order.  As they show a film every afternoon, the list was updating every day, and I purposely did not go back to watch the films that had been added after I passed that letter.  Even still, I only managed to get to the end of the letter C.  (There are sooooo many films that are called either "A Christmas in... " or "Christmas in... "!)  Added to that was possibly excessive mince pie consumption (can you blame me?! Mmmmmm.... Mince pies.....) my weight increased to the highest weight I've been ever.  Surprisingly, though, I did not gain much from Christmas and New Year's themselves, and I started January at a whopping 104.7kg.  Any my progress photos, which I won't scare you with, actually look worse than when I started with my PT back in April. Yikes. 

I did already have a plan for the new year to meal prep.  My husband and I had become aware that we had regressed into buying takeaways when we cba to cook or worse, we wanted to cook but had time constraints or we hadn't defrosted anything in time.  I already owned one meal prep book, but it didn't really teach how to do it, beyond being a recipe book, so I asked for a book for Christmas: Low Calorie Meal Prep Cookbook.

I started following the weekly meal guides - the first week was breakfast only, the second week was breakfasts and lunch, the third week (this week) is breakfast, lunch and dinner, and weeks 4, 5 and 6 all have breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack planned.  I have had to purchase some more containers for storage, and my fridges are now full at the start of each week.

The foods in the book are actually really tasty.  I have learned that supermarket fruit and veg don't actually last a week when prepped, which is a shame as it means I need to do a mid-week prep for the fresh food.  And it takes aaaaages on a Sunday afternoon, but as my PT pointed out to me, that I would be spending at least that much time during the week making breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.

Some examples of the meals I've been eating include Veggie Quiche Bento Boxes, Tuna and Hummus Wrap, Tropical Smoothie, and Chicken and White Bean Chilli.  Though my 3 favourite meals, so far, have been swiftly demolished before I've had a chance to take a photograph: Southwestern Black-bean Quesadilla, Chicken and Gnocchi Soup and Honey-Sriracha Chicken with Noodles. Yum.

I've also started using My Fitness Pal again, to record my calorie intake, and I've signed up to a 4-week bootcamp in February. Incredibly, I am seeing weightloss already!  I am weighing myself on a Monday morning (so I will restart the weekly updates) and over the first 2 weeks of eating these meals, I have lost 3 kilograms!  My PT said to challenge myself and aim for getting below 100kg by the end of January - and I thought that was a bit optimistic, tbh.  But, I seem to be on track at the moment! As expected, I lost more weight the first week, than in the second, and we have to wait until next Monday to see what this third week has done for me.  I have started drinking tea again (vanilla flavour rooibos - delicious) with a couple of drops of stevia, to satisfy my sweet tooth, and I've been having one of those 10calorie jellies as a dessert after dinner.  I haven't been depriving myself, and have actually had a takeaway every week in January, I've just tried to be sensible about it - eg choosing tandoori chicken with vegetable side dishes, rather than my usual tikka massala, pilau rice and peshwari naan.  And I've managed to have the odd glass of alcohol (red wine, or even a baileys) if it fits within my calorie allowance.  (My calorie allowance is currently 1500kcals in MFP because I have set it up to aim to lose 0.5kg/week.)

So, that's where we are. I was 101.7kg on Monday, and I hope I will continue to lose weight, get fitter and get healthier.

And another month goes by...

 I'm reminded of the song from Come From Away that sings "And then another, and then another, and then..."

TLDR: 

So this past month, we have had covid in the house, we have had a dance festival, we have had uncertainty around DD1's surgery, we have had exhaustion from school, we have had good days out over half term, we have eaten too much and not exercised enough, though I have exercised some.  I have watched a fair bit of TV and not read much (which tbh hasn't helped my MH much) because I know how far behind I am of the reviews of books that I have read over the summer, and I'm behind on my paid work too.  

Positives:

DD1 came 3rd in her Tap Solo at the dance festival.

DD1 & DD2 came 1st in their Caberet Group dance at the festival.

I have gone on some runs when I've not seen my PT, and am s...l...o...w...l...y increasing in speed.  Still nearly an hour to run (and walk) 5Km, but under an hour nonetheless.

I have watched my first Christmas film of the season.

Despite being fully booked and not advertising at all, I am still getting enquiries about maths tuition.

My house is slowly becoming more organised.

I am trying to catch up on reviews a couple at a time.

And another month goes by...

So, I'm still seeing my PT twice a week.  My weight was still going up, and I almost hit 100kilos, which I've never been before.  But, I am still decreasing my size, and have even dropped a bra size when I got measured recently.

As sexy as I look in a bra and a pair of shorts (not!), I am pleased that even *I* can see that my back-fat is going, and I now have a waist again.

Both my girls are now in school, as DD2 recently started year 7.  She does enjoy it, but is very tired.  Having gone from needing 10-12 hours sleep a night, to having to leave the house at 7.30am, return near 5, then rush straight to dance lessons and often doesn't get home aain until 9.30 or 10pm, is a bit of a shock for her.

As schools have gone back, I'm tutoring again now.  My days have changed this year, so I work Tuesday mornings, Wednesday mornings and Thursday afternoons.  I don't have much free time, though, as I'm still involved with Home Education locally, nationally and politically.  (Ok, I don't know if 'politically' makes any sense in that sentence, but the rhythm made me feel like it needed a third thing there.)

I am trying to read too, but that has slowed somewhat.  As I don't need to wait at dance in the evenings anymore, I don't have as much time to read.  Also, in the few gaps I've had during the day, I have had a bit of a TV binge, watching non-kids TV during the day! Very exciting.  I have recently watched Sex Eduction, Love on the Spectrum, Motherland, and I was getting into Making a Murderer, until my husband joined me one day, and now I'm 'not allowed' to watch it without him.  Yet, since then, we haven't watched it together at all, so if he's not careful I'm going to continue watching it and just not tell him, lol.

And yes, I am aware that I haven't caught up with the book reviews I said I would write a month ago.  Despite everything I've written here (and this feels like a lot to me), I've even more things going on.

DD1 has been having mini absence seizures/blackouts for a while, though she didn't tell me that they had become frequent until last October.  I told her to keep a diary in case it was related to what she had been eating or time of the month or anything like that, and we made an appointment to see the GP.  Fast forward to February, and we were referred to hospital to see a neurologist and to have an EEG.  As part of this, they gave DD1 a general health check and discovered she had a heart murmur.  Not a big surprise or concern as my husband had one when he was little, but they referred us for an ECG.  And another.  And an echo.  And a heart consultant who told use they would be bringing in the big-guns from a nearby city to look at her heart, because she has a hole in her heart.  As you can imagine, this was a bit of a shock, given she was 13yo at the time, fit as a fiddle, loads of dance, and zero symptoms (breathlessness, fatigue, palpatations or enlargement of the heart).

Anyway, we saw the big-gun heart consultant, who did another ECG and echo (which incidentally, is really interesting, as the computor automatically colours the blood blue and red depending on whether the blood has been oxygenised or not).  She confirmed that the hole in the heart is nothing to do with the mini blackouts DD1 had been having, and because the EEG was clear, they (the hospital) are not following that up at the moment.  However, DD1 does not have a hole in her heart - she has two plus a leaky valve! (It's a partial AVSD for anyone who wants to google it.) Due to where the holes are located, they cannot go up the leg/groin to close it, but she will need open heart surgery.  But, it isn't urgent, because she has no other symptoms, so don't worry about it too much.  It's a fairly straightforward procedure, etc etc, and just has to be done before she becomes an adult, as if left unfixed, it could cause massive problems when she's in her 20s and 30s.

Then over the summer we had a virtual consulatation with a surgeon, who said they expected surgery to be in October!  DD1 would have to be in hospital for at least a week, at least a month off school, at least 3 months off dancing.  All of a sudden this became very real!  Due to dance festivals finally starting up again (and the enxt one being in October) we have asked for the surgery to be postponed until the summer term, but we will follow the guidance of the consultant.  Meanwhile, DD1 has had even more hospital appointments, and had to wear a 24hr heart monitor, and been asked to participate in research before/after surgery, so my suspician is that it will be sooner, rather than later.

Oh, and we have got a second dog, Luna.

Where has the time gone???

I can't believe it's nearly a month since I last posted anything on this blog!  I've got lots to say, but want to post it all separately, so I'll give a quick overview now, and hopefully will find some time in the not-to-distant future to actually write properly.

This past month, it was my 16th wedding anniversary, (did I tell you in July that my hair is no longer purple?  It's red now), I went to Back To the 80s & 90s Festival by myself and had a fab time, I finished reading all the books on my A-Z Challenge list, plus the rest of the Ugly Girl series, I went to London twice with the family to see 2 different shows, I've started going out with friends again in an evening, DD2 had her 11th birthday yesterday, and today was her first day of Summer School (transition week) before starting secondary in September.  I am officially not home educating any more!  I have some new tutees and some old ones lined up for me to start tutoring again.  I am still involved in HE politics, despite it being the summer holidays.  And I'm still seeing my PT.  I know I didn't update you guys with my last set of progress photos (even I can see a difference now compared to how I looked when I started!), but I'm due to take my next set this coming weekend.  I'll also be taking new measurements, and will have a look to see if I am finally starting to lose weight.  Since I started with her in April, I have only put on weight, so it will be good to see if that finally starts to change!  And, as I finished my A-Z of fiction titles I need to set myself a new challenge (based on the books I already have on my kindle that I haven't read yet).  As, on my kindle, I can only sort by Recent, Title or Author, I suppose I'm going to go back to Fiction Authors.  Unlike last time, however, I will not be buying any books to fill-in the letters I'm missing.

Weekly Update - I've broken 2 minutes!

My PT came on Friday for the first time in a couple of weeks (due to a combination of illness, self-isolation and camping) and boy, did it hurt!  It was fun (in a masochistic way) - my PT had 5 A4 pages, which I had to select randomly.  Each one had a different set of exercises, that I had to repeat 4 times.  There was a mix of all the exercises that we had done so far, including boxing, slam balls, weight lifting, Russian twists, sit ups and more.  Afterwards, I ached.  Normally, I don't ache until the next day, but I ached Friday afternoon, all day Saturday, all day Sunday, and this morning my quads were still aching!

Incidentally, if you've been following my FB page (and if not, please CLICK HERE to like and follow me!), you'll know my husband completed Race To The Stones at the weekend.  Just because he covered 100 kilometres, does not mean that his legs ache more than mine after an hour in my garden, lol!

This morning, my PT returned and made me start off with a plank.  Because I am trying to push myself, I asked her not to tell me the time until 1min30secs had gone past, and then every 20 seconds after that.  Today I managed a whopping 2min 08secs in a plank! Beating my previous PB by 11 seconds, and I think I may have been able to go slightly longer had it not been pouring with rain, as my rain coat was much too warm as the hood fell over my head.

The rest of the session today was mainly arms, shoulders and abs.  I don't really ache right now, but know it'll hit me tomorrow.  At least my legs have stopped aching, so it no longer hurts when trying to go up or down stairs. 😃

Weekly Update

This past week I have done nearly zero exercise and have been eating crap. I haven't weighed myself, but I hope to get back to it this week  After a few days of not eating properly, I'm missing vegetables, so I'm looking forward to our veg box coming this Wed.

What I have been doing, is loads and loads of home ed stuff.  I have two different FOIs going on, and have been busy collating the information altogether.  I'm even drawing a pretty chart to display the info, which looks good, but wasn't as easy as I was hoping for!  DD2 missed her transition day for secondary school due to covid, but has been invited to a summer school.  I need to start getting her uniform together - I swear for DD1 I had it all by this point in the year, whereas for DD2, I've barely thought about it.

I have also been reading - hurray! - reading a lot and escaping into other worlds really does help my mental health. I am approximately 5 books/series behind on my book reviews, so instead of doing that (because that would be the obvious thing to do, wouldn't it!), I'm going to go back through all my previous book reviews and group them by genre, so that anyone who wants to find a specific type of book, will be able to find it easier.

Weekly Update

So, my weight is still going up. As of this morning, it is just one measly kilo below the highest weight I have ever been: a staggering 97.1kg.

However, I am not totally disheartened.  I am having non-scale victories, even though my weight is increasing.  I am still seeing my personal trainer twice a week.  She came this morning, and though I didn't quite beat my PB of a plank for 1m57s, I did reach 1m47s - which is amazing considering how tired I felt.

I am also starting to see a difference in what I look like.  Yesterday was my day to take my measurements and photo graphs again.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find my book with my previous measurements in, so I only know what I am, not whether I have gone up or down.  Fortunately, my phone has my previous photos, so I can make a comparison.

I can actually see a difference!  It's not huge, and I'm still fat, but I am making progress and that's the main thing.  My waist is getting smaller (and I no longer need the bra extender that I'm using in the top photo!), my stomach doesn't seem to protrude quite as much, and though the difference is slight, my shorts are slightly looser around the legs, compared to two months ago.

As embarrassing as these photos are - I am pleased with the difference!

Weekly Update

So, my weight is still going up. 😕
I had another session with my PT today, and she suggested I start considering a food diary to see what I'm actually eating.  I know with the 2B Mindset that I should be tracking what I'm eating, anyway, and that I'm resisting because deep down I know I'm not eating well.  
I have also paid for my next block booking of PT sessions and I realised that I think I'm still paying for my Body Groove subscription.  Ideally I would like to think I'll have more time to do that when DD2 starts school in September, but realistically, I can already see that I'm not going to be getting much more time to myself than I have now.  In comparison, the much more expensive 1:1 Personal Training sessions, she comes to my house, so I have no excuses.  Even in the rain, she'll turn up to my house - not switching on the TV or not going to the gym are nor options for me - which is good, because I clearly don't have any motivation by myself.

Weekly Update

Yes, yes, yes, it's been more than a week.  Tough titties - as we used to say when I was a teen, lol.  

Since my birthday my weight has sky-rocketed.  A combination of eating crap, eating some delicious Hotel Chocolat chocolates and self sabotage, means my weight has ballooned to nearly the highest it has ever been.

As of this morning, I am 95.6kilos which is incredibly high, even for me.  I was getting down to 92kg quite consistently, so am hoping that if I focus a little bit more on what I shove in my gob, hopefully I will start to get back down there again.

Warning: Fat person photos coming up, so turn back now.

On the positive side, I have been seeing my personal trainer for a month now, which has been a good commitment from me.  I am clearly not motivated to exercise on my own much, so this has been good to have someone come to the house and make me do it spur me on.

Warning: Seriously, look away now, before it's too late.

Before I started seeing my PT, she suggested that I take photos of myself and measure myself as I will likely see improvements in those areas before I notice a weightloss.  Given that I have gained weight, I was surprised to see that I have lost centimetres.

Final Warning: You only have yourself to blame now!

My stats over the past month:

Left arm +2cm Bust -1cm Under bust -6cm Waist +3cm Hips +0.5cm Left Thigh -1cm Left Calf -1cm My photos, however, haven't improved as much and I still look really fat, though my PT looked at them this morning and noticed some subtle differences that I hadn't seen, so I feel better about them. I'm only 1 month in, however, so shouldn't be too hard on myself. I have stuck to it, and next month my photos will look even better.

Weekly Update

My weight this morning was 93.1kg.  I have still been recording my weight, even when I haven't been posting here, and it has been bobbling around the 92-94kilo mark for weeks.  That probably explains some of my apathy for posting updates here, and the fact I've genuinely been really busy.

Recently on TV I watched Strong on Netflix and that inspired me to try focussing on fitness and strength rather than weight.  Then I watched Series 1 of The Biggest Loser (Australia) and I am lighter than all the women (and men, for that matter) at the start of the show, but they quickly dropped weight.  Now, I am not going to be spending 8+ hours each day training, but it has inspired me to start a new exercise routine.  I have even taken some new 'before' pics, but I won't share them (until I see a difference, lol).

I started last week, and aim to do an hour on a Monday and on a Friday.  So far, I have done my 3 sessions in my back garden!  Today I have woken up with an ache in my triceps and in my gluts, so I'm definitely doing something!  I don't know if it will translate into weight loss (especially as I'm not going to go on a strict diet) but it's a start, and I'll hopefully be fitter and healthier.  

It's been nearly a month!!!

My poor neglected blog!  I'm so sorry!  You wouldn't believe how busy I have been - actually, you would, given how sporadic my posting has been so far this year.  I'm hoping I'll have finally turned a corner now, but who knows?  I have been posting mildly more often direct on my facebook page, so if you don't follow it, you should do so now: https://www.facebook.com/MusingsMiddleagedMum .

The Education Select Committee's Inquiry into Home Education is still ongoing.  I have given further submissions, but that hasn't been published yet, nor my personal one.  I'm still involved in helping home educators locally and nationally know their rights, answer their questions, deal with their Local Authorities, etc.  I'm also talking at an upcoming HE conference, so I hope people will have plenty of questions as I'm not good at talking about nothing, lol.  I suppose I should find some FAQs and have them on standby so I can ask and answer my own questions if I need to.  Details of the conference: https://www.learnfree.org.uk/ 

Have I mentioned that DD2 got into the same school as DD1?  So from September, I'll no longer be a home educator! <sob>  I'll still be involved in the community and the politics, but will be stepping down from some of my adminning duties on FB as I don't think it's right that a non-home educator admins local groups.

Weightloss has been a bit up and down.  More up than down, but hopefully that has turned a corner now.  I've got a(nother) new exercise routine that I've paid for so will be sticking with for a while.  Had my first session on Monday, and boy, did I ache afterwards!!!  I hope to be doing this every Monday and Friday for the foreseeable, so hopefully that will have an impact on my weight.  I've also decided to try some monetary incentive.  From a starting weight of 94kilos, for every 1kg I can keep off for a solid 3 weeks, I will put a tenner to one side.  The Pros: If I get down to my dream weight, I'll have £300 to spend on new clothes. The Cons: My weight is up and down like a yoyo, so I could be averaging , for example, 75kilos, and then randomly have 1 day of 82kilos.  But, it's added incentive, so lets see if it works.

I haven't listened to my hypnotherapy CDs for a while either - I've not even had time to take 30min for myself at home.  But, now that the girls' dance classes are back in the studios, I've magically got more time for reading (because I am sat in my car waiting!) so hope to start writing reviews again.

So sorry, again, for the silent treatment.  I hope to be posting more regularly again soon xx

Weekly Update

 A weekly update that is turning into a monthly update. I'm busy - no surprise there!

I started another FutureLearn Course.  Only 3 weeks long, a few hours each week - I've managed 1 week so far, so need to catch up on that.

My work with Educational Freedom is ongoing, as people are always asking for support, as well as the behind the scenes stuff that needs to happen.  I've been contacted by a journalist this morning too, so I need to write a bit for her.

And my working as part of the EHE Alliance is ongoing.  Thankfully I'm part of a bigger team there, but I still need to give my input and am unable to cruise along.

Have I mentioned on this blog I get cysts? Well, I do.  Went to the docs years ago about it and was told "you're just a cystic lady".  Gee, thanks.  This week one burst in my groin, so I've been unable to do any walking (which is reflected in my weight) as I've had an open wound.  It's finally starting to heal today though, yey!, so hopefully won't be too long before I can walk my dog again.  On the positive side, the nurse suggested I may have a condition called Hidradenitis suppurativa or HS, and has arranged a phone appt with a different GP next week, so I can be referred to dermatology.  There actually isn't much they can do, but if I have a diagnosis I can keep antibiotics to hand, so I can treat myself when and as needed, rather than having to go through the rigmarole of making doctor/nurses appointments.  This is another condition that benefits if you are not overweight, so yet another reason why I need to lose weight.

I have finished a couple of books since I last posted too.  Reading really does destress me, so I need to get around to writing those reviews.  Unfortunately, my kindle is still in my car from when I went to the docs last week and I cba to get it out when it was cold and wet.  A sunny day here today, though, so no more excuses.

So back to my weekly update.  Here's my graph for the past 2 months.

Very up and down, but (apart from this past week) there's a definite downward trend.  Once I can start walking again, I need to make sure I go out every day (especially on busy days where I'm tutoring!).

I am feeling strangely motivated this morning though, despite not being able to walk.  Over the weekend I binge-watched Strong on Netflix.  It's about 10 personal trainers and 10 fairly ordinary women who compete to win $500,000 by getting physically and mentally strong.  I particularly liked the fact there was one contestant who was my weight at the start, and she did really well on the show.
So, this morning, I did 1 sit up, 1 push up and 1 Russian twist; tomorrow I will do 2 of each and I will continue as it.  I didn't want to start with 10 or 20 of each in case I found it demoralising - and that was a good call!  The Russian Twist, I could do.  The Push-up I went on my toes (usually I do them on my knees) and managed it.  The sit-up, though.... the one exercise that I could do comfortably... Well, I could do a crunch (I got halfway up), but I don't think it qualifies as a sit-up.  I tried again, getting a bit more momentum into it, and still only got halfway up.  As I said, it's a good thing I didn't try and start doing too many.  Tomorrow I will do two of each, and my strength will improve.

Weekly Update

Today: 93.8kg
Last Week: 94.4kg
Weekly Difference: 0.6kg loss
Starting: 94.2kg
Total Difference: 0.4kg loss

Going in the right direction this week!

This week has been busy again - when is it not - but I did manage to find some time for myself.  I finished one book, and read two more (that were a 2-book series) over the weekend that had me gripped.  I hadn't planned to stay up reading, but all of a sudden the book had finished and it was 2am this morning...

General HE stuff is still on going.  I chaired the meeting last week that I was worried about and it went well, so I won't be so nervous next time.  'Normal' helping people continues as it does every day.  And I said I would do some videos about Engineering for British Science week.  The organiser has started asking for info and resource lists etc, so has given me a kick up the backside to actually get around to doing them.  I've done my intro video, and planned what I'll say for the other 3 vids, and now I just need to get all the resources together and actually film them.  I also said I'd do a brief worskheet of the theory, so I need to put a few questions together about them too.  But I've started, and that's the main thing.

DD1 had her Spring school report today, and that was really good.

And DD2 made this cake at the weekend, so both girls are doing well.

Weekly Update

My weight has gone up this week.  Which is a bit annoying, as I've been getting better at eating mindfully and stopping before I'm too full.  Yesterday we had an Afternoon Tea for Valentine's Day and I was able to stop eating (though I could have eaten more) when satisfied, and then was able to eat the rest for tea.  I only needed a yoghurt to supplement it and I was done for the day.

However, I haven't been out for a walk as often as I should, and perhaps that is doing more than I thought.  We think our pup is in her first heat, so have kept her inside (and it's been soooooooo cold that I cba to go for a walk by myself).

I also had a lot of fried food on Friday.  DD1 was doing a project for French about Djibouti and wanted to make some food from there - sambusas (bit like less spicy samosas).  I don't deep fry very often, so was going to make the most of having my deep fat fryer out, so DD2 decided she wanted to make doughnuts.  So, Friday and Saturday ate lots of food that I don't normally, that didn't seem to have an impact on the individual days, rather made my weight jump up this morning.

Our veg box is due this week, so hopefully I'll start eating Veggies Most again.  I am doing well with the water.  I'm using my smaller 70oz/2litre bottle this week, and seem to be refilling it all the time.

Weekly Update

 

Over this past month, my weight is coming down!  I'm not dieting, just trying to track everything that I eat, and I try to listen to the hypnotherapy music M-F.  I'm rereading The Diet Trap Solution and trying to read my advantages list daily (ie. why I'm trying to lose weight in the first place) and when I am eating, I'm trying to eat mindfully: purposely putting down my cutlery and focus on the taste and texture of what I'm eating, slowing down, and listening to my body when it says it's full.

In life in general, I'm still really busy.  I am managing to carve out some time to read, though, so my mental health is better.  It just means I have less time to do everything else. I've made reminder post-its for myself, but they're not having much impact atm.

Can you believe it's half-term next week??!?  I hadn't realised until DD1 told me this morning.  Time is flying by, and I still feel like I have loads to do.  On which note, I best leave this here, as Monday is my day for my FutureLearn course and I missed it last week as I was so busy with HE stuff.

Have a good week, all xx

Weekly Update

Things are going well!  I have actually lost weight this week - half a kilo, but it all counts.  I'm not actively "dieting" at the moment, I am merely tracking what I eat, eating mindfully when I do, and I am meaning to keep up with the hypnotherapy (which I haven't for a few days...).  Being aware of what I'm eating, eating slowly and knowing that I need to write down and track whatever it is that I do eat, is helping me make wiser choices.

Exercise-wise, I'm going for a 3Km walk every other day.  This week there are free BodyGroove sessions lunchtime and evenings, that I haven't been able to join yet, but I do recommend them nonetheless (the link is on my FB page).

In other news, I am even more busy!  I have more people asking for maths tuition, and I'm having to turn them away, as working full days Wednesdays and Thursdays (plus the prep around them) is enough for me.  When DD2 goes to school, I'll try and spread them throughout the week, and so should be able to fit more people in (since 5 half days is more than 2 full days).

In the Home Ed world, I've been busy doing lots of admin stuff, as well as actually helping people with advice and support.  I know I'm a freak, but I don't mind admin.  It keeps everything organised and you get a sense of achievement when it's done.  It's a shame I don't feel the same way about tidying and cleaning my house!

I have also said I would host some sessions on Engineering for this year's HE Science Fair.  Last year I offered maths tuition, though only the people who I already tutored wanted any, lol.  This year, I've decided to go for a more hands-on demo, looking at what engineering is, and then 3 separate types of engineering.  I'm not a natural teacher (of a group, as opposed to a 1:1 tutor), so I will be pre-recording them, and the rest of each hour, they can do the activities themselves at home.  I have planned what I'm going to do, and what I'm going to talk about; I just need to write some decent notes (beyond my current "talk about engineering"!) and then get around to doing it before March.

And then there's my FutureLearn courses that I have been doing.  I got loads done over Christmas, so signed up to Unlimited, and since then finding the time to study is difficult.  I had planned to do it Monday afternoons, but then other things come along - like yesterday, I was sat at my computer 9am-7pm, including lunch, doing HE admin stuff that needs to be done because the government's HE Inquiry is still going on.

And to keep me sane, I need to find time to read.  We've had to take our pup to the vets a bit recently (D&V, though she's declared fit again now), so I've been able to use that time to read, as we're not allowed in the vets due to coronavirus.  A couple of times when I've tried to read during the day, I've fallen asleep, which isn't a good habit to get into as I have far too much stuff to do.

So, yeah, I've been busy, but that's life. 

Weekly Update

 (Ignoring that I seem to be doing them fortnightly atm.)

I weighed myself for the first time since December today and I was only* 94.2kg! (*only, compared to the weight I thought I was.) I am still reading The Diet Trap Solution, and have actually been doing the exercises.

I am also trying to be more mindful about what I am eating.  I am still keeping track of what I eat, but trying to remember to sit at the table and eat slowly.  (Not that I think there is anything wrong with eating not at a table, rather that I tend to do something else at the same time when I'm on the sofa, even if it's watching TV or playing on my phone whilst eating.)

Today I made miso and noodle soup for lunch, which was delicious.  I need to remind myself that taking an extra 5min to cook myself something proper, rather than just having toast and butter, is definitely worth it in terms of taste, calories and nutrition.

Recipe for 2 people (or 4 as starter):

• garlic clove
• shallot/onion
• ginger
• miso paste
• mirin
• tahini
• stock
• green veg
• 1 nest of rice noodles
• boiled egg

Blitz the first 6 ingredients together to form a paste.

Cook the paste for 2-3 min in a saucepan so it is fragrant but not burning.

Add the stock, green veg and noodles and cook for 5-10 min on a gentle simmer.

Dish up into bowls, and serve with a boiled egg on top.

Weekly Update

I have finally finished decorating my study!  Well, the big bits, anyway.  It is painted and has furniture, so though there are a few extra bits and pieces I'm waiting on, it is useable.  And I have been using it all morning, and it is fab!

I have been keeping up tracking my food and exercise. I'm still plowing through the chocolates that I was given for Christmas (I hope I have finished them now) so I've not been dieting as such, merely keeping a note of what I have been consuming.
I am not walking as much as I'd hope, either atm.  I really am quite busy during the day and when it's dark and dreary or wet I cba.  Hopefully the evenings will start to noticeably lighten soon, and that will change.

I have started (re)reading a new book - Diet Trap Solution by Beck and Beck.  I read it before a few years ago, and it's really good.  Very practical, so I need to actually find the time to do some of the exercises, rather than just reading them and moving on.

I have started doing some FutureLearn courses though.  These have been focussed on education, activism and my current course is all about propaganda and mythology.  I managed to do a few in a few days over the Christmas break, but now life is back to normal, I have set aside Monday afternoons to do a week's worth of study of one course (that's usually 2-6 hours, depending on the course).

I still have my book reviews to write, and I'm not reading at all enough compared to what I'd like.  The other half of my room now has a sofa bed in it, so I can hide away up here and read when I want.  The negative of my dog thinking I'm her mum is that she suffers with separation anxiety if she's away from me.  When I'm tutoring, I have her by my feet in this room (she's quieter that way) whereas right now, I have left her downstairs so I can try and build up her tolerance to me not being around ALL the time.  Working from home, I am around most the time, but I already have my own shadow, and I don't need another one, lol.

Weekly Update - Happy New Year!

Today is the first day back to work/school for many people and I'm feeling pleasantly optimistic.  I'm not entirely sure about what, exactly, but it feels good. 
Possibly because I woke up at a decent time this morning so feel like I have loads of time today? 
Possibly that I have nearly finished painting my new room (which will be my study) so I can soon buy some furniture to go in there (I'm using up paint from the house, so have one wall left, which I hope to paint today)? 
Possibly because, admittedly only 4 days in, I have managed to track my eating and exercise every day of the year so far?  I am still not weighing myself, but am trying to ensure that I track everything I consume.  I have also started rereading The Diet Trap Solution by Beck and Beck, as I find this book really practical.

Christmas decorations were taken down yesterday, and though they haven't been put away yet (they need to go into DD1's room, but she's doing pandemic schooling in there atm) the living room looks tidier and more spacious already; and it will look even bigger when the sofa bed is moved into my new room upstairs!

I also bought myself a new toy after Christmas (no, not that kind! Lift your mind from the gutter, lol) - an easy dryer 3000!  Actually, the real name is eezy dry 1300 or something like that, but I think 3000 sounds better, lol.  Our washing machine is a washer dryer, so that means in the winter months (when I can't hang washing outside) I can only wash and dry 1 load of washing each day.  Now, I am getting through a minimum of 2 a day (I may not have done any washing at all over the Christmas period, so have a lot to catch up on...) and there is the added benefit of the house smelling of clean washing.

So, happy 2021.  I pray this year is an improvement on the last one xx

Weekly Update - End of Year

I hope you have all had a good Christmas, despite the difficulties of not seeing friends and family because of Covid.

I had a nice relaxing time with my family and new pup.  We opened presents, ate a late lunch, and relaxed altogether.

Since then, I've started decorating my new room.  As we finished DD1's room, she has now moved up into the attic, and my room has been emptied.  So, I've painted one wall today, and I hope to paint the other three walls tomorrow.  I can then start buying furniture for it.  The biggest thing to go in there is a sofa bed, which we already have, but it'll be moved upstairs and I've got a new cover to go on it, so it will match the rest of the room.

I do need to do my Self-Assessment for my tutoring work.  I've never left it this late before.  I said the same last year, when I finally did it in October.  I just hope that next year, I don't leave it another 3+ months after the date I complete it this year (since the deadline is 31st January!).

After the New Year, I'll start reading up on the Home Ed stuff again, and fighting both locally and nationally.  Having my own work room will help me stay organised.

I still have one book review to write up, and ideally, I'd like to finish 3 of the books that I am currently reading, and write up reviews of those.  I'll then go through the whole year to give a complete list of the 70+books I have read this year.  Next year, I think I will lower the number of books I plan to read to about 50.  Not to say that I don't think I could read that many again, but if I am getting involved in other things, perhaps studying more too, I simply won't have time to read as much as I have done recently.  I am not sitting in the dance studios any more (due to covid) and haven't even finished the MosaiCraft portrait I bought for myself to do over Lockdown1.  Again, this is because I'm not sat waiting much anymore.  On a Tuesday, when I am waiting for an hour and a half, it is dark at the moment, and I have the pup with me, so it wouldn't be wise to do anything as fiddly as MosaiCraft.

I would like to start focussing on getting healthy again in the new year.  I am very aware that I need to get on the waiting list to have my mastectomy before I'm 40 (so I have 18months), and to have the reconstruction I really do want, I need to lose weight.  I have discovered that surgeons differ by how much weight I'd have to lose, so to know for sure, I will need to actually meet with one.  My mental state has enjoyed not weighing myself every day recently, but my clothes are aware that my weight is creeping up, as I expected it would (not least because it always does when I'm not weighing myself).  I find myself wondering if I can incidentally lose weight by focussing on a different area of my health?  What if I simply record what I am eating and how much exercise I am doing?  If I can get past the shame of recording every bite, will just knowing that I will be writing it later, help me focus my thoughts on healthy foods and the impacts that it will have on my health?  Maybe, just maybe.  And when it gets warmer, I do want to take my pup jogging (she likes it when I run with her now, but it isn't as fun for me when I'm wrapped in a big coat, scarf and boots, lol).

So, that's my quick update and vague plans for next year.

I pray that you can enjoy this festive period, and that your 2021 is better than this year has been xxx