Welcome to the weekly weigh in...

14.2 - 5lb loss

There is only one thing worse than weighing yourself for the first time before embarking on a diet, and that is weighing yourself after your first week of dieting.

What if I haven't lost any weight? Even worse, what if I have put on weight? A failure in week one...

I approach the scales in Boots with eve more fear than the week before.

I step on and part me with my 50p coin.

Once again very loud, very posh woman goes through the same spiel.

I actually close my eyes, start to plan my grovelling blog to explain how maybe this was all a silly idea....

Suddenly my weight appears. I realise I've been holding my breath.

Not quite believing what I'd just seen, I jump off as the receipt is printed.

I grab it and stare.

14.2

I'd lost five whole pounds in just one week!

Even my BMI was looking in better shape.

With a spring in my step I leave the store.

The lack of cheesecake in my life suddenly doesn't matter. I've lost 5lbs! I don't even need cheesecake!

As I walk into Pret to pick up my morning porridge I actually see the little box of cheesecake nestled amongst the sinful carrot cake and gooey chocolate brownie.

Instead of staring at it longingly and thinking see you at lunchtime I smugly turn away and pick up a banana.

That's right. A banana. That's the type of snacking I do now. The type of snacking that enables me to lose 5lbs.

As I fail to keep the smile of my face I bask in the the joy of telling everyone round me. Even Shannon, a freelancer in work whom I'd just met, learnt that I'd lost 5lbs before she even found out my name.

Congratulations me! Sweating it out at Bikram yoga sure seems worth it.

Until next time....

Oh and did I tell you I lost 5lbs?

Sweat the pounds away...

Everyone knows for long term weight loss dieting and exercise are the key. So I knew it didn't matter how many mini cheesecakes from Pret I cut out eventually I would have to get up and actually do something.

Now I'm not a huge fan of exercise but I'm serious about losing three stone so it has to be done.

'Have you thought about Bikram yoga?' my desk buddy Becky said one afternoon as I fought the urge to run to the vending machine and grab a packet of crisps as an afternoon snack.

'It's meant to be really good for you,' Dominique pipes up from the other side of the desk.

Actually I had thought about it as my flatmate Rachael had mentioned it only a week before.

'Must be the latest thing to do, let's give it a whirl,' I said, not actually realising what I was letting myself in for.

With that we committed to a Sunday morning class. Who needs lie ins when you've got exercise in your life, eh?

For those who are not familiar with Bikram yoga it is commonly known as hot yoga. A 90 minute class incorporates 26 postures and is practised in a room of 40 degree heat.

Basically you sweat a lot and lose weight. Sounds just the ticket....

On Sunday morning I was up and raring to go. Even managed a few stretches on the balcony much to Rachael's amusement. And probably the neighbours as well.

We decided to walk to Bikram. I say we when actually Rachael decided, I had no idea actually how far it was.

So we walked. The whole three and a half miles. A work out in itself especially when you are running late and have to get a bit of a sprint on. By the time we arrived I was already sweating. Not the best of starts.

'Your aim is to just stay in the room,' the receptionist said.

Panicked? Er, a little. Why had I sign up for this again?

We head into the studio. Ever stepped off a plane into a a country with high humidity? Thailand, India? It's like that. But worse. A hell of a lot worse.

Becky and Dom sensibly placed their mats at the back of the class so we placed ours just in front.
Becky looked scared and a little bewildered. She's probably feeling how I am, a little nervous, I thought. Though later I found she'd been out the night before and had only had six hours sleep. Brave girl.

Right then, enter Nina, the 40-something yoga teacher.

'Good morning yogis,' she says.

I suppressed a snigger but looking round everyone else had serious expressions.

There is no messing around as she explains that we shall do the 26 yoga postures. Twice.

Right then. Off we go.

Already I was sweating. And we were only at the warm up stage. Warm up being ridiculous as everyone round is sweating buckets already. Surely we are warm enough already Nina? Already I was sweating in places I didn't realise you could sweat.

Nina flows effortlessly through the postures. The people on the front row gracefully touching their toes.... I however could barely touch my knees. What more do you want though? It was a miracle I was even there.

I caught sight off the clock thinking we must be at least half way through. But the clock suggested we'd only been in the room for 20 minutes. Eek. Did I tell you I was sweating already?

As I concentrated hard on the postures I was forgetting to breathe, then would remember and start panting. Combined with the sweat this was most definitely not a good look.

As Dom and Rachael fell easily into a crab like posture I barely managed to lean back at all. Hmmm, I knew my flexibility was bad but actually yoga confirmed it's non-existent.

With 20 minutes left of the lesson I really needed a wee. I put it to the back of my mind, concentrated on the postures. Must not think about it.

Now more floor work.

'Pull your legs into you,' Nina says. That wasn't a problem until I realised I was pressing my bladder into the floor making me need the toilet even more.

'Relax your mind,empty it of thoughts,' Nina said.

I couldn't though. Relaxing my mind would also mean relaxing bladder and Dom and Becky being directly behind wouldn't be too happy about that...

Now I know what you're all thinking right now, just go tot the toilet, right? Put yourself out of your misery.

But I couldn't! The only task was to stay in the room. I didn't want to fail. I'd already proved that I couldn't touch my toes. I didn't want to be the girl that couldn't touch her toes and runs out the room due to bladder weakness.

15 minutes left. I tried to tune my mind into positive thinking. I could wait.

Actually I couldn't. With every posture I felt like I was about to burst. The heat became really uncomfortable and I felt like I was about to pass out.

I threw my hand up in the air. 'Toilet,' I mouthed at Nina. I didn't wait to see her response as I was already leaping over sweaty bodies in interesting positions,

Oh the relief...

The rest of the class is pretty much fine mainly because it consists of the Śavāsana posture also known as the Corpse Pose which basically means lying down and breathing. Even I could do that easily....

Even though it was slight torture we all left feeling pretty positive and it gave me bags of energy for the rest of the day. I'll definitely go again. And I felt pounds lighter...

But did it actually do the trick and enable me to lose weight, pushing me on my way towards my goal?

Only the scales will tell....

Public Enemy Number One - THE SCALES

(Still) 14st 7lb

Nobody likes weighing themselves.

But when we do pluck up the courage to jump on the scales we make sure we take off every item of clothing possible because obviously taking your shoes off is going to make at least 3lbs difference.

When the scales flicker we'll hold our breath, because that'll help us lose half a stone in a split second, and maybe if we're really honest with ourselves sometimes we stand on our tip toes. You may be laughing right now but we've all done it...

And then when faced with our weight we like to make excuses, 'I had a big lunch', 'I should have gone for a wee first', 'I'm due on my period'. Point taken but maybe add 'I shouldn't have ate a packet of crisps, a chocolate bar and a doughnut everyday last week ' to your list of excuses.

Personally I hate owning weighing scales. I feel they mock me every time I walk into the bathroom and quite frankly I could do without that.

Plus on too many occasions I've done some form of exercise and thought 'Ooh I'll quickly just weigh myself, I must have lost at least 5lbs from that 45 minute aerobic class,' only to discover I'm exactly the same weight as that morning. That usually throws me into a depression which then leads me to eat a packet of crisps, or a bar of chocolate. Or maybe both....

So I decided the scales in Boots where they print your weight on a receipt was the way forward. That way I wouldn't be able to look at my weight, conveniently take off a stone and convince myself I wasn't heavy at all. Oh no. The receipt would stay in my purse and every time I opened it up to buy crisps/chocolate/mini cheesecakes from Pret my weight would be staring at me.

So I popped along Camden High Street into the local Boots and was relieved to find the scales at the back of the store.

'Phew,' I thought to myself. 'Will be able to do this quickly without anyone noticing.'

Slipping off my jacket I slid my 50p into the slot. (Just going off the point slightly, doesn't 50p seem a lot of money to be told by the scales 'we can confirm your worst fears. You are overweight, fatty bum bum.' Brilliant news, thanks. And I've just parted with my cash to be told that...

Anyway. So the money slid in and next thing I know the scales light up. Bright orange lights started flashing and a very posh spice voice starts barking orders at me. A very LOUD very posh voice.

'Stand up straight,' very loud, very posh woman barks at me.

Now the people who will milling around not taking any notice of me what so ever were now very much so taking notice of me. Great.

'Weighing you now,' still very loud, still very posh woman says.

Now my palms are sweaty, I'm convinced she is about to announce my weight to the store. Like this isn't humiliating enough.

The only thing worse than finding out your overweight is finding out at the same time as all the customers in a busy shop.

I hold my breath and say a little prayer to the scales, promising not to eat cheesecake ever again.

Somewhere, someone is listening as the loud, posh voice announces 'your receipt will be printed off now.'

I slowly exhale, jump off, grab the ticket, my bag and jacket and head for the door, head bowed.

I look at the small piece of paper with my weight on and take a deep breath. I go to make the excuse 'I've just ate my lunch, I should have weighed myself first thing,' but I stop myself. NO MORE EXCUSES.

Excuses won't help me to lose that three stone will they? No they won't. Dieting and exercise will. Woo hoo! Why have I never thought this before, eh?

I'm hoping over the coming months I'm going to start enjoying jumping on the scales and (hopefully) watch my weight come down. Maybe I'll get to the point where I'll love weighing myself in Boots and request the customers to stand round as my audience.

Then again maybe not.....

See you for weigh in on Monday!

Hello diet – is it me you're looking for?

14st 7lb

Today I decided that I will lose three stone.

This wasn't a decision taken on a whim. Between interviews I didn't just say 'I'm going to lose three stone.... and are you making a brew?' I guess this has been something I've, well needed, to do for a while but have been putting off. Why?

Simple. I love food far too much to entertain dieting.

Diet. Ewww. Even the word makes me shudder, never mind the actual of reality of it. Be rest assured though I'm not one of those girls. You know the type I mean. The ones always on diets and boring everyone around them with the 'I'm on a diet' chat. Snooze a thon. Diet club girls make sick, I'll never be one of those that's for sure.

But I need to shed the pounds and what better way to do it than in a blog from? That's how 2010 I am.

I'll blog my dieting, each week placing my new weight at the top. I'm hoping that entering my weight in the World Wide Web will shame me into actually losing weight.

I hope if you're reading this now you'll come back again and see how I am getting on. I need you, you see. I need you to contact me if I haven't put an entry up for a while and simply say 'Eh, fatty! Fallen off the wagon?' Or maybe some simple nice words of encouragement will do.

So there it is. My weight. For all to see at the top. I know you're all gasping as you see it. 'Wow, that is heavy,' you will be saying. And quite frankly, you're not wrong. But there is no time to dwell on it, oh no. I have a diet plan to prepare.

So wish me and the ever increasing double chin luck. I've got a feeling I may need it....