Moodgym

I came across a particular website many years ago when I was once again fighting depression, until now I had forgotten all about it but it appeared in my recent google searches while looking for mind/thought help to combat all these negative feelings I have.
The site is called 'Moodgym'

"MoodGYM is an interactive program designed to help you:

• Identify whether you are having problems with emotions like anxiety and depression,
• Learn skills that can help you cope with these emotions.

MoodGYM is based on two programs which are successful in preventing and treating depression and anxiety. These are: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Interpersonal Therapy."

It's a free to use interactive site where you complete various assessments to assess your current state of thinking and helps you to understand the destructive impact it has on your day to day life, it then helps to teach you how to re-programme the brain into looking at situations differently and thinking differently thereby increasing positive thought while banishing the negative.
Again it's a slow process but I'm already enlightened after only a couple of exercises. I know that depression is a strong force in me and I'm usually able to recognise when the Black dog (depression) is snarling and when he's just assertively watching. To be honest I didn't think I was particularly depressed of late, that is until I started answering the interactive questions on Moodgym and now I can see that while I may not feel particularly weepy or sad right now, the feeling of nothing is another symptom of the Black dog and my interactive results really opened my eys to this.

My Moodgym result for the "Depression test"  was in the "High to very high range" and my results for the "Anxiety test" were in "The middle range" (basically no different to the average person).

Like I said I was surprised at the depression result, I didn't realise that some of the things I think were depressive symptoms though I can now see how negative they are.
I'm certainly looking forward to learning to cope with these thoughts and hopefully they will eventually help me to lose weight.

What's a couple of pounds........

Todays weigh in saw a gain of 2lbs. I kind of expected it because I've had a few days where I've had "the odd treat" and we all know where those odd treats lead.
I'm not worried though, I'm straight back on track and I now have 8 days to lose 2.2lbs to win my 'Dietbet' challenge - I can so do that!

I was back out running at 7am this morning with my daughter Leanne and her boyfriend Owen. Both Leanne and Owen have a naturally faster pace than me, probably due to their Penelope Pitstop type strides compared to my short choppy strides and usually we run in 2 groups (them and me basically lol), today though we all ran together because Owen has had a few issues with his calf muscles and I think it's because they go off too quick (we're only a few weeks into this 10k training) and don't stretch properly.
Despite running my granny pants off today we don't appear to making progress on times, though maybe Owens gimpy calf and my asthma making my breathing "sound like a Walrus" (according to Leanne) could have something to do with it.

Anyway I've just been scouring the net for inspiration and I found this old page from 3 years ago. It's the local running group page where I was a featured runner for the Castle of Mey 10k and I, along with a few others, had to give weekly progress reports. That was the first time I'd ever run as an adult and by week 5 this is what I had to say;

Report 5 - Week beginning 08/02/10

Have you stuck to the training programme? If not any reasons why?

So chuffed! I did the whole 6 miles in one day!!! Then hubby made me get out the car and run!
Excuse the wit but this weeks training has been pathetic from start to finish and humour is all I have left!

Have you done more or less than expected? Explain.

As much as what the training programme expected of me (just) but less than what I expected of me.

How did you feel during training this week? What were the highs and lows?

Lethargic & breathing difficulties.
Highs : - What are those!!!
Lows :- Every single training session this week.

Are you seeing improvements; in speed, distance, breathing?

I wish!

Where are you walking/running; gym, beach, roads, forests?

Twice on the treadmill, once on the road and once in the forest. Pathetic attempts all of them but the treadmill fared a tad better.

Are you training alone/with someone else/mixture? How does this affect your training?

A mix. Alone on the treadmill but have also been out with hubby and with my daughter Leanne. As much as I enjoy hubby coming with me it doesn't do my ego any good that he is so much more fitter than me, despite his dodgy foot and being a heavy smoker. Yep, I'm slower than a limping chimney!

Any injuries?

Mentally, heaps of them!

Are you feeling any benefits away from training as a result of the training; health, toning up, more energetic?

I still sleep better.....
I'm trying to think of more but I've got nothing.

Are you doing any other forms of exercise; swimming, cycling, yoga, pilates?

Cycling and strength training.

Any other observations?

My mental attitude this week has been appalling. I've concentrated more on what I haven't managed than what I have. My first attack of EIA has left me unable to push myself for fear of another attack!
Next week I will be getting a grip completely. No more negative thoughts and telling myself 'I can't' when I know I can.


Gave me a giggle, I remember it so well!

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!

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!

Foolproof weightloss tip......

Learn to say No!



Today was/is the day!
Today I tossed that fear aside (OK shoved it temporarily to one side) and faced the scales.
Originally I was going back to Slimming World but having consulted with Mr SG I came to the conclusion that as I know the diet pretty much inside out and because I literally dread the weekly weigh in I would try to do this on my own first. If I find it too difficult to motivate myself and/or feel I need to be accountable to a coach then I will go straight to Slimming World. For now though, I'm doing this on my own with the help of my family.
My first thought was that I need to set myself realistic goals and once I reach each of those goals I will recieve a treat to celebrate it. Mr SG came up with the idea of me getting a garden plant for every 7lbs I lose and me being the keen gardener I am agreed without hesitation, I'm even going to come up with some kind of theme.
7lbs seems most doable, I'm a happy girl.

I know I haven't exactly stated my actual weight yet, but here's the thing, I'm not quite ready to. I know, I know, it's a cop out and I really should be ok about pasting it on my own weightloss blog. The problem is that my family may read this blog and I'm not quite ready for them to know my weight - even Mr SG doesn't know it. I know it won't make any difference to how they feel about me, they love me unconditionally but I'm embarrassed about it and if I know they know then I'll start getting paranoid.
So for now my weightloss tracker (on the right) is tracking my weightloss as I lose weight toward my ideal total weightloss.
One day I'll be completely open and honest about it but for now......................

Basically I need to lose around 70lbs. I'm at the heaviest I've ever been and I'm completely uncomfortable on a daily basis. My knees hurt, my back hurts, my asthma is affected, I have heartburn most days and I'm tired all the time, while alot of those symptoms can be put down to medical problems there's also no denying the fact that my weight is probably also a major factor.


So as of today, this is me

With this motivation in mind

Sunday may be an issue as it's Mothers Day and it can be hard to resist those treats that the kids buy but look what is happening on Monday (widget on the left), yep Insanity is in the building!

All systems go.....................

It's all systems go on the healthy eating and exercise front!
Finally I am just about fully recovered from the flu and a chest infection - yay! Slimming World will see my return on Thursday (I am dreading the weigh in but need to face it) and I start my daily dose of Shaun T on Monday.
I am a full month behind where I wanted to start due to the illness but better late than never and I am slap my thigh, pee my pants excited!

“Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” ~Edward Stanley