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. 

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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 31: A New Checkpoint

This week was hard. Really hard. I may as well have thrown the scales out the window. It would have been less damaging in the long run.

I spent last weekend in Berlin, with two amazing friends, and some pretty delicious food and drink. As with any major reunion, the holiday feeling took over and the points and counting went out the window.

I convinced myself that one walking tour + energetic dancing in a nightclub = 3 days of eating and drinking like it was my last supper. (Yes, I know I’m awful at maths)

Everything was going great. Until Monday. When I decided to weigh myself to see the damage I had done.

I was up 4 pounds. 4!

I wanted to cry and comfort eat a sausage roll at the same time.

The next two days those 4 pounds were on my brain. Every time I zipped up my jeans, I checked to see if there was a thicker waist. I kept my arms covered. And I wasn’t on speaking terms with the mirror. It was making my bum look big.

Then I woke up on Wednesday and made a decision. This week I was going AWOL.

AWOL so far as I had no intention of looking at the scales until my next weigh in (Saturday week.)

I kept following the plan and I made a conscious effort to eat right and limit the treats. I wasn’t letting one more day of this week sit with a hanging, niggly self-doubt in my head that I’d never actually reach goal.

Rome wasn’t built in a day – and I wouldn’t be slinky in one either.

So instead of looking at scales, I took out a cook book.

Despite what you think, when you’re trying to lose weight, food is your friend. You just need to know how to eat and what to eat.

Yes, porridge is a great breakfast staple, but if you eat it every morning your tastebuds get bored (which means you might reach for a snack) and your body gets used to it.

So I went wild and had scrambled eggs one morning and then when I woke up with a scratchy throat I figured Thursday I’d eat a sausage sandwich. It’s ok, I had a salad for lunch.

I can’t turn around and give a witty anecdote about how I realised I’d lose weight or that, by some miracle, my skinny jeans suddenly zipped up. Unfortunately that didn’t happen for me this week.

If it did I can guarantee you I’d eat a sausage sandwich for breakfast every morning.

What I did do was stop giving out to myself. Stopped obsessing over a number. Ok 4 pounds isn’t ideal, but what I’ve learnt from this plan is that if I put it on, I will lose it again too.

Also, this whole mission started with a dress. It didn’t start with a number on the scales – that was a side issue.

So I’m stripping it back to basics.

This week, numbers were not my friend. Next week, I’ll hope for the best, keep eating right, and ok, I’ll do my best to add some exercise to the routine.

I know diet can only take you so far (and realistically that’s when you stick to it), so with roughly 7 weeks ‘til Christmas, I have the chance to lose a stone if I do it steadily at 2 pounds per month.

Wouldn’t that be a nice Christmas present to myself?

If you need me, I’m off marking my calendar.

Height: 5ft 8

Starting Weight: 174 lbs

Current Weight: 161.5 lbs

Weight Loss To Date: 12.5 lb

Goal: 148 lbs

Feeling: Very disheartened

The Dress in Question… NOW FITS!!