Plan Archives - Journeys Are My Diary

Summer is gone (if it was ever here) and that’s usually my most motivated time for getting fit and eating better. Anyone who follows my blog and has done for a while, will know that I’ve been trying to lose weight for quite some time now. I originally started in April of last year, my weight being around the 13 stone mark. My target was 10 stone by the time we visited Florida in April of this year, though ultimately it’s a long term goal as well. Sadly I didn’t make it to 10 stone, though I did make it to almost 11. I was pretty pleased with myself and the photographs were definitely better than if I’d been heavier!

However sadly I’ve completely lacked motivation ever since then and the weight has crept back on slowly. On weigh-in this weekend, I was 12 stone and 5.5 lb.

So when I saw that DW Fitness were looking for people to take part in a 12 week challenge, I definitely decided I needed to kick myself into trying. The process goes on from Monday just gone – right up until Christmas. These are the months I always struggle the most in, so I really hope this keeps me on track.

For the last few weeks I’ve tracked what I’ve eaten and then it was sent over to the boffs at DW Fitness. They gave me hints and tips on what to improve on, a plan so to speak. We were also given a break down of what would happen throughout the 12 weeks and to keep me motivated I’ve printed it all out and stuck in on my walls as a reminder!

So like I mentioned before, the plan started on Monday and the weigh in (above) was taken on Saturday just gone. I have my aims and my goals and while I won’t reach 10 stone in 12 weeks, I do hope to lose 2lb every week if I can manage it.

So far, so good. Monday I had loads of motivation and kept 100% on track. Tuesday I kept on track but I have to admit that cooking cheese burger and chips for the kids was a real test of willpower. Wednesday was fine too, though cooking a roast dinner for everyone and having to have a really small portion myself, was hard. I know I need to really try hard though, especially in these beginning weeks.

Keep your fingers crossed for me and I’ll update again in a couple of weeks!

Two of the delicious salads I’ve had this week!

I am always looking for spontaneous adventure! Next week is my birthday and I’ve looked at so many ideas from driving to Disneyland Paris, to hopping on a ferry to Ireland or Amsterdam. There are themeparks to visit, restaurants to eat at and shops to go shopping – all of these would require me driving there and I’m absolutely fine with that. I just love a last minute decision. Age UK (charity) recently posted these tips, but I wanted to share mine with you!

For the cheapest offers, plan in advance! I know I said spontaneous adventures are my favourite, but a couple of years ago we went to Disneyland Paris and planning in advance definitely saved us a heap of money. We got a cheap Travelodge on the way out, a cheap offer on the actual holiday and also planning meant we could save! Our Travelodge on the night out, was £30 compared to the last minute one on the way back (£80!). Our holiday was £1 for the Ferry travel and £400 for the holiday, compared to the usual cost of about £1000 on the Disneyland Paris website.

Break up the journey and takes lots of stops! As with above, road trips are all very well but to really enjoy it, breaking it up (and ultimately extending the holiday) can make it way more enjoyable. Travel a large part of your journey and then do an overnight stopover. Set off early the next day fresh and ready for another good long drive. Likewise on the way home, do a good chunk of the driving but stop and sleep before finishing your journey fresh in the morning. Everyone gets tired and for the passengers in the car, they can sleep anyway. However its important that the driver definitely catches a few Zzzzs.

Always pack food and drink for the trip. Of course its always good to stop for a coffee break or even McDonalds but ensuring you have food and drink for the journey is also a good tip. Kids get hungry and thirsty easily anyway but its always good to have something to keep you refreshed. No matter where you’re road tripping to, you’re always subject to traffic jams! You don’t want to get caught out in two hours of traffic with nothing to eat or drink!

Take a SatNav or smartphone capable of navigation. Okay so technology isn’t foolproof but in this day and age its definitely a lot easier to have some sort of navigation helping you. As a driver its impossible to concentrate on the road and read a map, and road signs aren’t always that useful. A good SatNav will keep you alert and listening, while also helping you to get where you’re going. It might not be the best route, the fastest route or even the most sensible, but chances are it will stop you getting lost – or if you get lost, help you get unlost!

Keep an eye on petrol and prices! Petrol is incredibly expensive and so if you’re taking a road trip the costs can add up. Try not to leave buying petrol to the last minute as the chances are you’ll pay through the nose for it. Petrol stations near to airports, docks etc are likely to be more expensive as they know people often need petrol before immediately going somewhere or immediately coming back. Fill the car whenever you find it somewhere cheap and make the most of the lower price. Also cars tend to run better on the top end of the tank than they do on the bottom end!

Change your plans if necessary. As with all the advice above, change your plans if necessary. We originally planned our road trip to Paris with an overnight stay beforehand but a drive straight through the night on the way home. However when we got back to Dover I realised I was too tired to drive us home and instead we checked into a Travelodge (the expensive one). It may well have cost us twice as much as the pre-booked Travelodge, but it possibly saved our lives if I’d have driven tired.

This weekend we’re traveling down to London and I can’t wait! We leave at 8pm Friday night (so a day time nap is on the cards) and we’re staying Friday night and Saturday in Travelodges. We’re going to MCM Comic Con and also to see Phantom of the Opera. This is my birthday treat and I can’t wait!