Dietbet works.

I got on the scales with some trepidation this morning. I knew I'd done pretty much everything I needed to lose some weight this week but past experience has left me dreading those scales.
I was totally surprised to see that I lost 6.2lbs this first week of dietbet, never ever have I lost that amount in one week before, I guess the thought of losing money is more of an incentive than I ever realised, if only I had found this out years ago!

Craving

So far today has been a bit of a struggle.
This mornings run turned into a walk with no running at all but it was my fault, I tried to rope an uninterested daughter in to stand in for my other daughter while she's at work (and who actually enjoys running). I needed the extra hand because I haven't yet got the hang of running with the Great Dane (he can't run in a straight line and is very easily distracted) let alone adding a GSD (who needs to lose weight as much as myself) into the mix. I tried to convince my daughter that she'd enjoy a 6.30am run but it was falling on deaf ears and by the time we'd made it out the door with both the dogs (7am) I had to accept that running was not this daughters forte.

With scenery like this to run along though I don't understand how you couldn't be enthused and motivated

Little Miss SG (who actually is slim) was happy to take a photo of myself and Huntly running though

That looks like a mighty uncomfortable running style doesn't it? It is! Even though it doesn't look like I'm going any faster than a walk there, I was, honest!

Here's my daughter with Atlas - future training buddy (the dog, certainly not the daughter).

The main struggle came today at lunch time. I made sure I had a suitable breakfast as soon as we got back from the fake run this morning but by lunch time I was literally craving chocolate, this is the first time since I started Dietbet that I've had this issue and I think it was triggered last night when Mr SG took me to the flix to watch 'Ironman 3' and I hadn't really prepared myself for coming face to face with the sweet stands.
Initially I just used tunnel vision, got our tickets, a small popcorn and a bottle of water but Mr SG forgot the 3d glasses from the car and by the time he got back I was glued to the chocolate.
It took everything I had but I walked away form it last night but I think it was still on my mind today and I confused hunger pangs with a need or craving for chocolate.
For a split second I was up for giving in on Dietbet, having Pizza with Mr SG and then stuffing chocolate down my gullet, thankfully though the urge for that passed and I quickly cooked this up instead

Salmon and mushroom grilled on the George Foreman, salad and Banana. Mr SG thought the Banana idea was yucky with a dinner but let me tell you. Salmon and Banana is my new favourite combination.
The chocolate craving has disappeared now and I am so relieved that I didn't tuck into that Pizza.

Tomorrow isn't a running day because today was supposed to be and I'll be doing a run on Sunday (possibly a trail run) but I think I'll have to either run alone or use the treadmill to make up for todays stroll.

Slow wins the race.

Day 3 of my 'dietbet' challenge and everything is going smoothly - at least I think it is but we'll have to see what the scales say on Monday morning.

I was out running again this morning at 7am with my daughter and her boyfriend, plus the dogs of course. My problem today was that I forgot my ipod and I hate, hate, hate hearing myself breathing while I'm running - it's kinda off putting because I breathe veeeery loudly.
We managed 3 miles walk/run again and I have to say that I'm suprised by how much I'm enjoying it despite not being anywhere near as good as I used to be. My pace is pretty slow at the moment but I know that will pick up soon enough so I'm not worried about it.
 It's this 'dietbet' challenge, it has me looking at food and exercise completely different. For example Mr SG just took me up to Tesco to get a few bits (healthy stuff of course) and I was not even tempted by the goodies I would normally get - you know, the 'bad' stuff.
I'm feeling pretty good as I sit here writing this post snacking on grapes. Grapes! Who'da thought it!

I've been tracking my daily calories on My Fitness Pal and I'm finding it difficult to use up all the calories that I'm allocated each day. Never in a million years would I have thought that I'd struggle to eat all those calories.
Fingers crossed I will see at least 2.2lb weightloss on Monday.

Day 1 - I can do this!

 “I would rather attempt something great and fail than attempt to do nothing and succeed.” ~Robert Schuller



Yesterday was the first day of healthy eating and I have to say it was much easier than I thought it was going to be, I had a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacked only on grapes. I find that if I drink water constantly throughout the day then it helps curb hunger pangs plus if I begin to waver I just have to remind myself that I bet money on this weight loss - it may only be 16 quid but I am determined not to lose that money.
I got up at 6am and was out running by 7am with my daughter, her boyfriend and 3 dogs - 3 miles walk/running, I am so glad we decided to take running back up and the three of us have even decided to enter the Baxters 10k at Inverness in September. My daughter and I signed up for it last year but we got lazy and ended up not even going, I don't want a repeat of that so we won't actually enter for another few weeks.

Dietbet is definitely motivating me to lose this weight. I have to lose 8.8lb in 4 weeks - completely doable and the pot in the dietbet challenge that I am part of is now standing at £28,950 - wowsa, I certainly want to win me a share of that!

Dietbet - are you in on it?

A month of no posting, needless to say I had no motivation. I don't know how it happened but I missed a couple of days of Insanity and it was all downhill from there, I just couldn't get motivated back into it. Of course that made me feel like a complete failure which in turn made me wallow which then led to me convincing myself "who wants to lose weight anyway! I am what I am".
I needed accountability!
Going back to a slimming club was no good because I only get weighed and then leave (I am not a joiner inner) so I wasn't really talking to anyone about how it was going.
Slimming in a family of skinny people is haaaard but there must be a million and one other people who manage it so what could I do to find that accountability?
Biggest loser is out the question and as I don't have any friends up here (my choice) I don't really have support that way. I was kind of resigned to the fact that it was hopeless and then good old FB came up with the goods, or more precisely FB page "Sunshines journey to 199". I've followed that page for a while now and I'm hoping I manage to get on one of the accountability groups but what has really got me excited is "Dietbet".
I followed a link after it was posted on Sunshines page that she had just started a new "Dietbet" challenge and I loved what I found - just the motivation I needed.
"Dietbet" is a challenge where you have 4 weeks to lose 4% of your start weight. There are various challenges ongoing but what makes this so much motivational is that you pay a stake fee (these range form $10 - $500) and as long as you lose at least the 4% then you will win a portion of what's in the pot for that challenge.
At the time of writing this the challenge I have joined has £17,875 in the pot. This will get shared out amongst those who manage to pass the challenge.
I will be weighing in first thing Monday April 22nd and I have to take a full length image of me on the scales and a photo of the scales showing my weight, plus Dietbet has given me a secret word to tag within the photo so that I can't use an image of weight from ages ago (cheat in other words) and then I will be told how much I need too lose.
What great motivation this is going to be because if there's one thing I hate it's spending money on myself so losing it is not an option.
I feel amazingly optimistic about this and cannot wait to get going.