In a new weekly feature, Her.ie newbie Liz is going to share her weight loss journey. She’ll be filling you in on fighting temptation, her willpower struggles with the cocktail menu and taking painfully slow steps towards regular exercise. All in the name of a dress. _____________________________________ Hanging on the wall at the end of my bed is the constant reminder I plan on shedding nearly two stone this year. I also plan on marking the trials and tribulations of ‘trying to be good’ – the favourite saying we all tout, and quickly replace when a cake is put in front of us. Week 42: Doing the footwork… I refused to let a week in the sun undo all my hard work. I knew I was facing a challenge this week. I was fooling myself if I didn’t think I’d have to start playing catch-up. And by playing catch-up I of course mean starting to exercise for the first time in weeks. I was sent a pretty beautiful pair of pink runners by Under Armour. They’re super light, and it was all with the aim of making me faster. Giving me speed. (Any speed would be welcome at this stage…) I was quite happy to take any little help I could get.

A photo posted by Liz (@lizmcq) on Feb 5, 2015 at 3:10pm PST

Pink to make the boys wink, my granny always said. But somehow I doubted that they’d be winking at a girl wearing a luminous yellow jacket who was puffing for air after 5mins. I was out of shape and it hurt. A lot. And because you can’t keep a woman down, I was back in the swing of dance rehearsals for a show. I was determined to make this work. I was NOT having two weeks of gains. I also did a food shop. I stripped my fridge bare and started again from scratch. Somehow a jar of Nutella, cheese and sausages had crept their way onto my shelf. I plead complete ignorance… once I’d wiped the chocolate ring from the corners of my mouth. Packing up what could be re-donated to willing roommates, I dumped the expired wilted salad leaves and set off for the shops. Then I realised I’d picked up a bad habit. I was now shopping when I was hungry. And I was all about the snacks. Realising lent was coming, I decided to indulge my sweet tooth one last time, and bought a bag of marshmallows. The intention was to share it… with me, myself and I. After packing a trolley full with fish, steaks, chicken, bacon and more fruit and veg then I could manage to stock in the basket, I don’t know why I was so shocked when my bill came to €70. But as the motto goes, I’d rather pay the grocer than the doctor. It also meant I was DEFINITELY prepping all my food for the week. So after a shaky start, I did two more runs. I probably wouldn’t have moved except in fairness my feet looked pretty and the soles were cushioned with what felt like tiny pillows. (Yes, I wore matching socks and no you can't judge me. I was going to be profusely red in the face... it was a minor win) I could only complain about having to physically move my body. And to be honest, I hadn’t done enough of that in a long time to make a valid argument. Putting one foot in front of the other I wiggled, jiggled and jogged down Griffith Avenue, a loop around Drumcondra and Killester and back into my apartment. Where yes, I lay on the couch sucking on a bottle of water for dear life. So did it pay off on the scales? Last week I put up eight pounds. I told myself no matter what happened, I had to have had a loss. So I was going to be happy with whatever it said on the scales. Even if it was half a pound, I’d force a smile. I’m doing this the right way, and the right way isn’t a quick fix or overnight sensation. It’s hard work, planning meals and regularly exercising. Taking a deep breath, I kicked off my runners, popped on some slippers and stepped onto the weighing scales. I watched the loading bar gently load and to my delight a new figure popped up on screen. I was down 3.5lbs. I might have *definitely did* fist pump the air before realising I was in public and taking a seat. I had a class to attend. And it had my full attention. Just like this new lease of motivation. This week’s stats look a little something like this… Height: 5ft 8 Starting Weight: 174 lbs Current Weight: 165 lbs Weight Loss To Date: 12 lb Goal: 148 lbs Feeling: Determined The Dress in Question… NOW FITS!!