My dieting secretweapon - MyFitnessPal.

Since January 1st 2012 I have been depending on the aid of MyFitnessPal to help me lose weight, by calorie counting. Some may see this as an unhealthy way to lose weight, but it works for me and I can keep it up. I use the MFP app on my iPhone 4S as that way I can keep track of all my foods/drinks on the go.

You enter in your details, such as height, weight, age, gender, etc. and how active you are in your everyday life and it then calculates approx. how many calories you need to consume each day in order to lose weight. I am calculated to eat 1200 kcal per day and for the first year-ish that really worked for me. But after starting the gym earlier this year (that I am currently not doing, due to health reasons, but I'd like to go back soon), I have had to up my calorie intake to 1400 kcal per day, as 1200 just wasn't enough and it was making me ill.

Although this way of losing weight works, it can become seriously obsessive. Since starting using the app I have only ever missed about 20-30ish days (mainly my holidays abroad). I calorie count everything. My good days, my average days and my seriously bad, binge-eating days. I weigh myself once a week too to keep track of my progress (naked, every Friday morning and I place the scales on the same tile in the same room each time - I get paranoid if it's in any other place in case it's slightly inaccurate).

I'd recommend this to anyone trying to lose weight. But I wouldn't try it if you know you aren't going to commit 110% to counting all f your calories (even that one-off, sneaky chocolate biscuit you have with your cuppa). You must log everything in order for this calorie counting diet to work its magic.

I personally LOVE this app, and even though I sometimes have my off-days and bingey-days, I don't think I'm going to stop counting my calories for a looong while. I actually enjoy it and love seeing results!

If any of you have any views, success stories or experiences using this app, I'd love to hear them! :)

Before/after - baggy trousers!

Look at those trousers! I was rummaging through my wardrobe last week and came across my first pair of work trousers, from when I first started my job back in 2009. They are a size 16, and they use to fit me perfectly! And of course, I tried them on to see the difference between then and now, and just.. wow! Couldn't believe how big they were! They drop to my ankles if I don't hold them up myself. I am now size 8-10 (in the majority of shops). Just crazy. I thought I'd share this with you all! I love comparing my photos and clothes from before and now - you never quite realise how much different you look until it's in front of you.

If anyone has any before/after photos, I'd love to see them!

Race For Life 2012 - 5km.

On Sunday 1st of July, with the worst hangover ever and about 1 hours sleep, I did the 5km Race For Life (equivalent to 3 miles)! It was held at Hudson's Field in Salisbury. I was number 928. The message on my back was "I race for life for all those affected by cancer" - I have 1 or 2 people in my family that is affected by it personally, but I wanted to do it for everybody.

I signed up for this back when I decided to take up running/jogging back in April (blog post here). I have been a bit naughty and not trained overly much, but I decided to attempt jogging the whole thing anyway. The longest time I had ever jogged for before this, without stopping and dying in a heap on the floor, was 13 minutes. I have done the Race For Life a couple times actually, a few years back, but I always walked them - never jogged. My quickest time back then, that I remember, was just over 45 minutes, I think. I was just too big, unfit and self-concious to even think about jogging it. But look at me now!

Thousands of people turned up - it was like a sea of pink everywhere you looked! The only bit I don't like about the Race For Life is reading all the sweet messages on the back of people's tops.. I don't not like it because I don't think they should do it - of course they should, but it just gets me really upset. The sweetest, saddest message I read was on the back of a man's back. He had dressed up, jokingly, like a woman - wearing a pink wig, tights and skirt/shorts. His message said "I race for life for my wife, my friend, my soul mate. R.I.P". I'm so glad he didn't see me! I was almost in tears! I am far too over-emotional.

On completion of the race I was given a little goody bag, which had some coupons in and a mini box of Dorset cereals breakfast stuff in - which I'm sure I will eventually try. I was also given a Race For Life 2012 medal, which I can now add to all my others ones from previous years.










This years' medal I am way more proud of though. I probably raised a lot less money than I usually do (not many people would sponsor me because they sponsored me for the skydive I did in May) but I managed to jog the WHOLE race, non-stop - even up all the stupid amounts of hills they decided to include in the course!!! I started the race at 1 minute 33 secs (as joggers were in the middle so we had to wait for all the runners to go through the start first) and I crossed the finish line at 34 minutes 02 secs - which, if you do the math, is a total of 32 minutes 29 secs!! When I got there in the morning I was so convinced I was going to have to take a break every 5 minutes, but no. I did it all non-stop! I even managed to get the tiny amount of energy I had left to sprint across the finish line! 5km is such a massive distance for me compared to my usual 'jog to the park and back again'! I just can't believe I pushed myself to do it! I am actually so proud of myself!

I am definitely signing up for next years' Race For Life and I am going to be aiming to SMASH my personal best of 32 minutes 29 secs! I'd love to get it under half an hour if I can.. But we'll see. ;)

Well done to all the girlies all over the country that took part in the Race For Life this year and raised money for this brilliant cause! You should all be so proud of yourselves! :)

May 2011 vs. March 2012.

I hardly notice any change in my body since I started back in 2009, as I stare and pick at it every single day in the mirror. But it's when I compare old photos with recent photos, I can see how well I've actually done. It makes me really proud and happy seeing such a big difference, and I'm not just on about the tattoo!

Left photos: May 2011 (this is not at my heaviest).
Right photos: March 2012 (photos taken earlier today).