Boobies bobbing and belly blubber floating!

It seems Operation Bikini Belly is off to a flying start. Gosh! What an image and exactly what the good people on Znjan got today. As this last day of 2021 was gloriously sunny and the sea like a mirror, I wanted the tingly goodness of icy water on my skin. Boobies bobbing and belly blubber floating!

Not to mention that 30 second swim must have burned 1000 calories. I felt very alive!

As this remains a contrary diet, I neither managed a run nor yoga yesterday. Turns out, still not big on planning or even executing planned plans. This is what I did instead:

We walked a total of 5000 steps up to some great viewing points! It was a day of steep hills, incredible beaches, scented forests and open skies. Sometimes it’s not about the exercise, we all need days-out like this simply to enjoy and re-energise. I must note that snacks would have been a good idea, as I was hangry by the time we got back at 5pm!

But I avoided the junk food and energy drinks and stuck to the cream of cauliflower soup, followed by mackerel with cabbage that I’d got ready the day before. The reheated creamy soup was frankly the best I’d ever tasted; it’s funny I’ve forgotten what it is like to really appreciate what hunger does to taste.

Today has again just been about enjoying the moment. An early start meant a coffee on the beach and a wander round Lidl. I picked up baked beans cos yummy, and somebody else chose tiramisu and popcorn. As he says, he will lose weight in his own sweet (very sweet) way.

Before Christmas I ordered some jumpers as I was totally depressed by my ancient and worn out collection. In the sale, I got a glorious fluffy red one, two striped ones (*sigh* no clue how I got two of the same), and some sexy thermals. But being rather down on myself I also ordered some pyjamas in XL.

Dearest reader, they are huge.

Huge. HUGE!

As a result, my man now has some fetching berry coloured pjs with a pattern of happy leopards leaping all over them. I’m grateful that they hang on me because at least that means I’m not extra large!

My brunch of poached eggs on avocado and bread was smashing. Must say, it’s one of my favourites. This evening I’ve considered boiling rice for sushi, prepping celeriac for soup…. Or simply bread and cheese! And in the end, I opted for apple and celeriac soup, whizzed up with some cream.

Later, there will be fizzy wine and cocktails as it is New Year!! Let’s peace out, relax and make merry.

My jeans don't fit like they used to; Or, I'm now a fat bottomed girl!

I did the unthinkable just after Christmas. 

I read a tweet about "which is more frightening: a lateral flow test or getting on the weighing scales". Fuck corona, I'm far more worried about my weight. Anyway, I did the ultimate test and found out I was 77kg and that was horrible. I didn't have to  know the actual numbers, I know I am bigger than I was, simply because my jeans don't fit. With this in mind, what should I do next?

First off. Don't panic! 

I'm already running 5km once a week and have no ill effects from my intermittently naughty achilles tendon. I've also double checked my local hotel gym and I am happy to invest some money and time in that. I can live with sauna heat and swimming in winter. 

Secondly. Think positive 

Let's take some sensible baby steps and make some changes for the next 6 weeks. Scrap that, let's just take the first week. I've already done one day, and this is the second day - so only 5 days of this week left to go. I have a plan and I've been shopping for nice food things.

Thirdly. Get support

My man is also positive about Operation Bikini Belly because he has also weighed himself and had a mild panic attack. He has sworn off sausages for the next few weeks, which is epic for him! 

Fourthly. Why this extra weight has gone on?

When I said to the man I need to be more disciplined when it comes to food and exercise, he replied that our comfortable and relaxed life has made us fatter! I've never been happier in a relationship and there is no pressure to be a certain way. This enjoyment of roast lunches, cheesy burek, garlicky soparnik, and lots of meat has certainly contributed to my heaviness.

Sitting at a desk for a million hours a week is also an issue. My energy levels have dropped off a cliff and on certain days I can go from bed to desk and back to bed with a film without a blink. It's a disaster for the belly. With more exercise, I'm hoping that I can raise my stamina and energy!

Bloody hormones. They are the bane of my life - when I first went on HRT, the weight fell off and I felt incredible. 10 years later, I'm back to square one and my metabolic rate has dropped again which means my arse has expanded and expanded. 

Enough excuses, it is what it is and if I don't want to feel uncomfortable in my favourite jeans, then I have to do some thing.

The Plan

This is my plan for the rest of the week. It seems a bit keen to get cracking on this over Christmas but it's nice to do exercise whilst not at work!

Monday 

I had a wonderful walk into town and decided to go up into Marjan forest for the first time in ages. It was muddy, glorious, and the perfect temperature for walking. Food-wise, it wasn't perfect but after 20,000 steps and burning of 2500 calories, I decided it didn't matter that much. Two poached eggs for breakfast, a small beer whilst waiting for my mate, and a convivial dirty Chinese takeaway of noodles and duck in the evening! We even managed to limit the festive G&T's which was remarkable. This was the only start to a contrary diet!

Tuesday

Weigh-in day - 77kg. Started off with a walk around town with my mate and we got up to 15,000 steps. I was left to my own devices in the afternoon and headed to the aforementioned gym for an hour - cycling, weights, HIIT. Then an hour in the swimming pool and spa. For food, I had toast, yogurt and a pizza slice for lunch. What can I say, we were in town and hungry! Evening snack of a banana and a mince pie - once they are gone, they are gone!

Wednesday

This is the day that I'm committing the plan to paper. It's also a day of relative rest as I've recently  rediscovered some muscles. Just a stroll to get to 10,000 steps - the walk to the supermarket means I've stocked the fridge with healthy stuff, and bunny got some greens when I went for a walk to the beach! Yoga to ease the stiffness later. I enjoyed avocado and crab sticks on bread for brunch, and will have veggie soup for dinner.

Thursday

Tomorrow I am due to run again. I mentioned earlier that I was running sporadically and I am proud to think that I will finish December on a high - I will beat July's total and will finish just behind April with about 30km ran in a month. This nowhere near my old statistics but is better than nothing. #BeKind. I aim for 40km a month as I head into Spring. There will be a HIIT workout to cool down later. Fruit smoothie for breakfast and I believe there is mackerel for lunch!

Friday

New Year's Eve! Let's aim for 10,000 steps min walking, some yoga, and a HIIT. 

Saturday/Sunday

I am hoping to go on a sunny day trip with my beloved on Saturday. I'm even hoping to get into the sea this weekend because the forecast is looking great. Let's stay flexible, eat sensibly, and be loving and positive. 

The Wednesday Shopping

I always know when I'm healthy food shopping as my basket weighs a ton. Yogurt, frozen fruits, fruit juice, a cauliflower, tins of beans, tuna and tomatoes, oats, avocados, onions - this is all lovely stuff for easy tasty food for this week. 

Right, I'm off. I'm hungry now and fancy some cauliflower and bean soup! See you tomorrow for a mood update.