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 39: Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows all around me… I’m very excited. I’ve booked a sun holiday. I haven’t talked about it, I haven’t dreamt whimsical of far-off lands. I’ve booked it. In two weeks I’m going to feel the heat of real-life sunshine beating down on my shoulders. And for this adventure… I need a bikini *gulps* I’m more a fan of the billowy, non-tight fitting clothes. And I happen to like my style. My style tends to be all about the full-skirts and off-the shoulder tops. I’m more comfortable that way. Also you’ve more chance of me winning an All-Ireland that slipping into a bodycon dress. So it’s with a somewhat horrified realisation that I’ve started preparing myself for bikini shopping. And wearing a pair of shorts. In public. I also tried something different this week – I binned the scales. I decided to take a week off from looking at figures and go by my clothes. Just my clothes. I kept eating measured, healthy options, cooking meals from scratch and having the occasional treat in-between. And I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I was nervous. What if I overate and then next week I’m checking the scales to a gain? I caught myself limiting food for the first day or so but then it hit me. What was I doing? When did food become more important than my overall health? I’ll let you in on a secret. It hadn’t. I was totally misplacing my focus. I think it’s really easy for women to judge their bodies by their weight. We think a certain number is the ‘perfect target’, that we need to attain a clothes size to feel skinny and that counting our calories is the answer to staying slim. We rarely ask ourselves how we’re feeling, if our overall appearance is getting better, are we less tired? How is our fitness? This week I noticed that my skin had cleared up. The little mountain of acne that had gathered between hormones and a chocolate time-of-the-month binge had been flushed clear by the litres of water I drank this week. I’m also sleeping for more than five hours each night. For anyone else who has suffered insomnia, you’ll know this is a big deal. I also thankfully get to retire my black-ringed eye look courtesy of The Ring. I also ran 3km, the same as last week, but in less time. I even jogged half the way home. If someone had told me I’d manage that a week ago, I would’ve been giving them my crazy-eyes while mentally working out how to pump myself up for a new run. (And probably with a snack in hand) And this week, one pair of jeans needed a belt. A belt! I didn’t even have one – I had to go off and buy a nice vintage one, with an engraved buckle. I have big fashion plans for that baby. And hey, it might even end up on a few holiday snaps in Tenerife. Along with a bikini, that I will rock. This week’s stats look a little something like this… Height: 5ft 8 Starting Weight: 174 lbs Current Weight: 160.5 lbs Weight Loss To Date: 16.5 lb (But the scales will tell all next week) Goal: 148 lbs Feeling: Positive! The Dress in Question… NOW FITS!! Brought to you by Avonmore Slimline milk. Avonmore Slimline milk is fat free, giving you all the goodness of regular milk, with the added benefits of vitamins A and D, perfect for giving you that extra get up and go.