Turning back the clock

[Guzzi]

Now that my health seems to have stabilised and I've been back on the forum a reasonable length of time, I want to start a log of sorts to track my (any?) progress and hopefully my recovery.  Of course what I really want to do is turn back the clock.  I want to get back to where I was in 2014 before things all started going pear shaped.  I saw some pictures of myself last night on Colin's (my bf) phone from 2014 and it was a bit of a shock to the system.  I saw a young woman, full of life, smiling, and dare I say it - pretty.  Now - I feel like an old woman, I look haggard, unkempt.  I don't stride around with confidence and purpose, I shuffle around in pain and discomfort.  I spend a good portion of my day asleep and I rely on Colin to an huge degree.  When I look in the mirror I feel old and ugly.  I want to be the other Guzzi again so that's what I'm setting out to do.

 

 

 

My goal for 2017 is to try and get back to being the woman I was in these pictures.

 

 

 

My plan to accomplish this involves:

 

No. 1 - Post monthly progress pics

I'm going to use this as a kind of doodle pad for my thoughts.  There obviously won't be any workout logs but I plan to post my monthly weigh-in and progress pictures.  I gained around 10kg whilst I was ill so although I'm definitely not "dieting" I am trying to get back to eating better and cutting out the boredom eating, which should have an impact on my figure.  I will track these using the pictures rather than the scale number.  I'm deliberately weighing myself in kilos so that I can't get hung up on the number.  Kilos mean nothing to me.  

 

No. 2 - Post my food accomplishments

The last 2 years have been pretty poor in terms of diet and nutrition.  I couldn't cook because I was ill and Colin really couldn't cook because.... Well just because, apparently, so there has been a big reliance on food that goes from the freezer straight to the oven.  I plan to slowly work on getting back to eating better.  Of course this is totally dependant on my mobility and stamina so it's outwith my control to a certain extent but I'm hoping to see improvements in my health and mobility over the course of the year.  I plan to posting my food related accomplishments, whether that's sharing a recipe that I've managed to cook or just doing the usual "food porn" photos.  It's all about celebrating my successes in the kitchen and hopefully giving me the the confidence and incentive to cook again, when the mobility issues allow it.

 

No. 3 - Be active on the forum

I also want to feel young and carefree again.  Now there's not much I can do about this one other than hope things improve and try to shift my focus away from the pain and mobility issues.  Anything that helps me to do that is invaluable.  One of the things I think was fundamental to my state of mind back in 2014 was the community here on NF.  The members friends I made and the support I received had such an important role in shaping my mindset but more than that, their encouragement gave me real self confidence for the first time in my life.  I was able to be myself, something I don't think I'd ever really been able to do before.  That's the real reason I felt so carefree, because I was actually happy in myself for the first time.  The last two years have kinda sucked the life outta me so I plan to find my confidence again.  I can't really engage with people in the Real WorldTM because I'm fairly house bound and all my friends and family are hundreds of mile away, but I can be an active member of the forum again and help other people to improve their lives too.

 

No. 4 - Search out opportunities for fun

There's not a lot that I can take part in, I don't know from one day to the next what my mobility or ability is going to be so I need to try and make opportunities for fun as and when I can.  I will write about anything fun in here because I want to focus on the fun stuff and not the times when I can't do stuff.  "With out thoughts we make the world" is one of my favourite quotes and I truly believe it.  If I can keep my attention focused on the things that make me laugh or smile then my perception of myself will follow suit and I will start to feel like a happy, fun person again.  I already feel more optimistic just by writing this post.  Win!

 

I might also go waaaaaaay off topic and post some utter shite because, y'know, shits and giggles.    

[Guzzi]

January

 

I actually started taking progress pics back in august so there was already some improvement from my starting point. I took measurements at this point too but because I'm an idiot I forgot to weigh myself so I will just have to run with September's weight as my starting weight.

Here is my first set of pics and January's pics.

 

 

My stats in August were:

Calf 38cm

Thigh 63cm

Bum 107.5cm

Waist 80cm

Bust 94.5cm

U.Arm 33cm

Sept weight = 73.1kg

Jan weight = 69.7kg

 

[Guzzi]

February 2017. 

 

Here are my first set of progress pics since starting this log. January's pics were compared to August's and while I will still use those as my own benefit, for the purpose of this log I will compare each month's progress pic to January's photo. 

 

Weight

January = 69.7kg

February = 68.6kg

 

I don't think this is a true reflection because last month I was at the "wrong time of the month" and the scales were not my friend.   I have been fluctuating between 68.something and 68.something for a while and I've been pretty happy that the photos show things going in the right direction even when the scale says I've put on nearly a kilo. 

 

Progress Pictures

 

It's difficult to be sure because there's differences in the positions and lighting, but I think I can see some differences here, particularly in the back shot. Which I wasn't expecting if I'm honest. I thought there would be FUCK ALL difference in just a month considering I'm not able to do any exercise. 

 

This is is a nice surprise.  

 

 

[Guzzi]

Monthly progress pics - 1st of February to 1st of March

 

Front

 

Side

 

Back

 

February Weight 68.3kg

March Weight 68.3kg

 

There's no real difference between February and March, either in the actual weight or the photos but it's out there for everyone to see.  Accountability for the win!

[Guzzi]

April Update

 

No. 1 - Post monthly progress pics

I'm going to use this as a kind of doodle pad for my thoughts.  There obviously won't be any workout logs but I plan to post my monthly weigh-in and progress pictures.  I gained around 10kg whilst I was ill so although I'm definitely not "dieting" I am trying to get back to eating better and cutting out the boredom eating, which should have an impact on my figure.  I will track these using the pictures rather than the scale number.  I'm deliberately weighing myself in kilos so that I can't get hung up on the number.  Kilos mean nothing to me.  

 

March weight = 68.3Kg  Body fat = 25.7%

April weight = 66.4Kg  Body fat = 24.5%

 

 

 

[Guzzi]

May update. 

 

No. 1 - Post monthly progress pics

I've decided to switch to my bikini for my progress pics because I'm getting towards the point that any progress could be masked by the shorts and croptop combo I was using before.  There's been a drop of 2Kg over the last month (thanks mostly to food poisoning!) and there is a definite difference in the pics however, my posture is also seriously better in this month's pics and that has made a big difference too, especially in the side-on pic.  When you're holding your pelvis in the correct position using your lower abdominals then your stomach is automatically flatter.  That said, I can see a difference in my belly in the front-on pic too so there is definitely less belly than there was this time last month, yay!!!

 

April weight = 66.4Kg  Body fat = 24.5%

May weight = 64.3Kg  Body fat = 23.2%

 

 

 

And for some unknown reason Tapatalk won't let me upload the last pic. Grrr!

[Guzzi]

June

[Guzzi]

July

[Guzzi]

August

[Guzzi]

September

[Guzzi]

October

[Guzzi]

November

[Guzzi]

December

[FamilyBeer]

Guzzi, your goals are great but I haven't seen much improvement over the past 12 months. LOL, sorry, had to say it.

Glad you're better, I'll check-in to see how your doing.

Sent from my LG-D852 using Tapatalk

[FamilyBeer]

You're, not your, got it before the grammar nazi did

Sent from my LG-D852 using Tapatalk

[DyDy]

Food from the freezer isn't that bad - als long as it is a healthy pre- and home made meal. Freezer chili FTW!

Seriously, be kind to yourself and allow some slack. Stock up on healthy food that you pre-make so when you are having a bad day, you can get something out of the freezer that is good for you.

[Guzzi]

46 minutes ago, FamilyBeer said:

Guzzi, your goals are great but I haven't seen much improvement over the past 12 months. LOL, sorry, had to say it.

Glad you're better, I'll check-in to see how your doing.

Sent from my LG-D852 using Tapatalk

 

Oh yes, very funny.  NOT!    

 

Thank you very much for the check in, I really appreciate it.  I am feeling very optimistic, despite the problems I'm going through.  I can at least think straight (most of the time) nowadays so I want to make a concerted effort to change my mental self image.  I think I'm going to go back and read some of my old battle log, just so I can remember what that other was like.  I think it would be an eye-opener to me now, lol!

[Guzzi]

10 minutes ago, DyDy said:

Food from the freezer isn't that bad - als long as it is a healthy pre- and home made meal. Freezer chili FTW!

Seriously, be kind to yourself and allow some slack. Stock up on healthy food that you pre-make so when you are having a bad day, you can get something out of the freezer that is good for you.

 

Yes, I'm fully with you on this. Batch cooking for the win!

 

I've always tried to buy half decent frozen food (I shop online, otherwise God only knows what Colin would buy, lol!) but so much of the time it would end up being something-and-chips since it was easy for Colin to prepare.  Poor lad - he has joint custody of his three children (which he takes very seriously), he was my only carer, he had to look after all our animals, and he was working a full-time job as a manager in the local council. Food had to be fast and easy, and the man just does not realise that vegetables exist, but that's all in the past now.  I'm back walking again and most days I'm able to do something, some days I'm able to do a lot.  Food still isn't as good as it could be but it's now a work in progress.  

[DyDy]

@Guzzi, yes it is a work in progress. However, small changes are much better than a big one and then fail at it.

 

I'm also starting to create my own recipe book. If it's healthy (save for the baking I do for special occasions) and I like it, I add it. I don't know why, but I'm super excited about it.

[FamilyBeer]

55 minutes ago, DyDy said:

I'm also starting to create my own recipe book. If it's healthy (save for the baking I do for special occasions) and I like it, I add it. I don't know why, but I'm super excited about it.

That's a great idea

[Guzzi]

5 hours ago, FamilyBeer said:

Guzzi, your goals are great but I haven't seen much improvement over the past 12 months. LOL, sorry, had to say it.

Glad you're better, I'll check-in to see how your doing.

Sent from my LG-D852 using Tapatalk

 

There you go! January has been filled in. Feel better now?  

[FamilyBeer]

That's great. I too don't know my weight or height in metric but I can work in metric for everything else. I wonder about the next generation, I should ask my sons, they are almost 24 and 22.

Sent from my LG-D852 using Tapatalk

[Mr.Six]

On 1/30/2017 at 10:14 AM, Guzzi said:

 I plan to posting my food related accomplishments, whether that's sharing a recipe that I've managed to cook or just doing the usual "food porn" photos.

This is one of my 2017 goals too.  I get really excited about sharing healthier recipes...and food porn!!  I get a little overwhelmed by the recipe threads, but I'm all-in to follow your food adventures.

 

On 1/30/2017 at 10:14 AM, Guzzi said:

I can be an active member of the forum again and help other people to improve their lives too.

Thank you.  You were one of the first of the Rebellion to welcome me and that has definitely left an impression with me.

 

Go get it!

 

[Guzzi]

Wow, thanks @Mr.Six! That means a lot to me.  

 

I have updated February's post with my progress so far. 

 

On 30/01/2017 at 5:15 PM, Guzzi said:

February 2017. 

 

Here are my first set of progress pics since starting this log. January's pics were compared to August's and while I will still use those as my own benefit, for the purpose of this log I will compare each month's progress pic to January's photo. 

 

Weight

January = 69.7kg

February = 68.6kg

 

I don't think this is a true reflection because last month I was at the "wrong time of the month" and the scales were not my friend.   I have been fluctuating between 68.something and 68.something for a while and I've been pretty happy that the photos show things going in the right direction even when the scale says I've put on nearly a kilo. 

 

Progress Pictures

 

It's difficult to be sure because there's differences in the positions and lighting, but I think I can see some differences here, particularly in the back shot. Which I wasn't expecting if I'm honest. I thought there would be FUCK ALL difference in just a month considering I'm not able to do any exercise. 

 

This is is a nice surprise.  

 

 

 

I also have a food pic to share but I need to use the dreaded Tapatalk to do that.  

[Guzzi]

 

I haven't had much to brag about since starting this log, It's mostly been Colin who's cooked the dinner. I did however manage to salvage some some stuffed pasta and pesto from the depths of despair be adding a simple salad to the side. It was going to be past with bread and butter otherwise, and not that lovely multi seeded cob that the local shop bakes fresh each day either. Nope, this was regular sliced bread. With pasta. *facepalm*