Dreamlining Part 1 - A place to live

I've been considering this for the last 8 months or so; but had not done anything to pull the trigger.  I live in London, have done for 12 years, I used to love it, but now the cold and the wet and the dark are starting to get too much.  I thought long and hard about when I'm at my happiest - and it is when I'm on summer holiday. Each summer I head to the south of France for a week near the beach and the pool and with consideration, it's not just the holiday aspect that makes me feel so positive - it's in a large part due to the sun.  So part 1 of my dreamline is to channel summer holidays ... permanently (or for more than 1 week per year .... a girl can't live 51 weeks to enjoy just a single one).

The place I choose to live must have beach; must have good food - seafood and steaks and good happy salads; must be at least in part a bit cosmopolitan as I couldn't live without some good pubs and clubs nearby.  Not so expensive that I have to compromise and live a hike from the waves - I want to see them.  So I'm moving (back) to Australia.

This is what I want to wake up to:






or this....



And it's possible ... it just means that I have to gun for a promotion when I take my first job there.  When considering my options moving to the beach, I considered taking a sideways step careerwise, just to put my foot in the door ... and even a step backwards just to ensure I can get an income.  But NO, if I stayed in London I am ready for promotion and would be taking a new job any time soon (despite the economy) ... so I will insist on nothing less in this move.  Dreamlined. Costed. Possible.

And what's the worse that can happen? I might end up dossing in Mum's spare room until I can find suitable employment, but I don't think that will happen.  Positivity breeds success.  And I'm feeling great. 

I resigned.  I have a 12 week notice period to serve in London.

I have 46 days left before I fly out.  The countdown has begun.

(and for the 4HB followers - the lifestyle works - I have the beach body - now just need the beach -updates on the meal plans and exercise over the next few posts)

(and for the 4HWW followers - my plan is not yet 4H - but that's OK - I'm working on it)

Back!

I can't believe I haven't blogged since April.... I didn't stop the 4HB though.... That I still live by.

I'm back to give myself a little push and accountability over the next 7 weeks. The 4HB works so well for me, and now I'm going to put in some more of the 4hour strategies and blog my dreamlining path too. And I'm moving country to the sun as a start-that's a whole few posts in itself!

But, the weight first... I started out at 64kg back in February. Just before Christmas my weight was down as low as 54.5kg.. That's 10kg sustained loss.... Well sustained until I took a 7 day cheat over Xmas/new year, but that ends tomorrow when back to the straight and narrow again. But today I grant myself one last cheat day on the end of the 7 running.

New photos and measurements to post next week.... But for now dashing out for cheat lunch.

Friday cheat night ..... huh?

Sorry my poor blog - I've been neglecting you...

I've been taking you for granted but honestly it's just because I am so embedded within the 4HB that I haven't been feeling the need to post. I haven't found much to say apart from ... "ate beans, ate protein, ate veg, tossed around some kettlebells".

BUT today something extraordinary happened. The 4HB is not very social-friendly if you are sticking to it properly - but I threw that all to the wind last night and went clubbing. And decided to have a cheat night (or perhaps a cheat 24 hour period spanning Fri-Sat, the kind of thing that the new people post on the forums asking if it's OK .... for the exclusion of any doubt - NO - this is not part of the 4HB lifestyle)

Anyhoo - I took my measurements yesterday morning, partly as I wasn't sure I'd be able to drag my sorry butt out of bed this morning. Took the extra measurements and photos etc.

So this morning I have a ripper headache - recollections of eating a margerita pizza before going out, preceded by some grapefruit/lime cocktails (damage control) and then a big night on the tiles with vodka redbulls and champagne.  Laughing and having a ball until some ungodly hour. Heard the morning song of invisible birds when the taxi tipped me out - and the sun was about to rise ... maybe 5am or so? Anyway - by some act of god I am up at 10.30am, partly to take doses of paracetamol that should knock a horse off it's trotters - partly to knock down another bottle of water ... and just for giggles I got on the scales.

59.4 (130.7) .... A new all time low! bizarre! .... I could put it down to dehydration, but the scales show an all time high on body water ... and I'd just downed 500mls of water in the half hour prior. Imagine what it could have said if I'd got on before the water.


If this is what clubbing does to my body - I'm getting tickets for every weekend.


PS - felt amazing out .... slid into a dress that clung to my body in all the right ways.  Work it baby.


PPS - I may still be a little drunk.

Monday refocus

Had a lovely weekend ... but overindulged yesterday, drinking 3/4 of a bottle of red wine at the pub. Had a roast lunch, but skipped the potatoes (and boy did those roasties look tasty!), skipped the parsnips and skipped the yorkshire pudding (never really understood those anyway).

I failed to skip the red wine top ups. And I failed to drink the waters that should have been next to every glass of vino.

Hence I have a headache and an extra 600g this morning. Serves me right!

But, not to worry - currently tucking into my 30g protein breakfast, with two large bottles of water I'm hoping to have finished by lunch time.

A week without posting

Wow this week has flown by!

Things have been so busy at both home and work that I haven't sat down and updated my blog.... there will be a flurry of updates today!

I have still been noting down my daily weights, but nothing untowards has happened (phew). I've updated my charts and graphs and about to do the photos. I introduced a formal regime of exercise this week - and so am charting that as well now on it's own special page.

I think the results show that if you keep comparing week to week the differences can appear minor and can be a bit of a downer. I think you really need to collect information over an extended period, as even though my weights and pics don't look much different to last week's, they certainly look impressive next to week 1.

That's a tip for the beginners who get really angry that things aren't working in the first few weeks - you need to give it time ... it's not a miracle (though I'm convinced it works) so you won't see the dramatic "before and after" shots if you assess them too frequently.

Saying that - I'm going to post mine just for proof - my weights went up at the end of the week just before Going Wild Day ... but still the overall trend is still going down. Counter-intuitive to consider that when you are cursing the scales!

End of Week 5 - Going Wild Day Celebrations

It may have started off grumpy - but this was it in all it's fabulousness...

coffee and milk (several)	pancakes at Borough Markets	Bloody Mary - not an intuitive accompaniment to pancakes - but it worked
mojito - mine pilsner - not mine iPad - mine	mango and apricot icecream Leicester Square
1 cava 1 prosecco taste test to find preference	rib eye steak sandwich chips & salad (shared)	have decided I prefer prosecco to cava
1/2 nutrageous bar I ate the other half at dinner	Sailor Jerry and Ginger Ale
A half pint of Sierra Nevada	A couple of sips of Jim Beam Rye	Pizza and Chips

End Week 5 - the scales stall, the inches fall

Well it's the end of week 5, this week shows pretty much 0 net loss on the scales; but in all fairness I can't really be surprised (though that didn't stop me getting wild with anger and throwing some objects around the house after Sat morning weigh in).  It's funny what the mind will do - all the rationality in the world that I shouldn't lose this week (ate til bursting on Sunday night, sneaky piece of toast, major headache and dosed up on painkillers leading to 3 days of nasty constipation and a night off the SCD to recover with tomato soup) and yet still I was furious with the scales when they confirmed my suspicions.

And not even the tape measure showing me that I was nearly 2 inches down on last week (nearly 8 inches since the beginning - 10 inches with the bust thrown in) was enough to cheer me up.

But ..... after 20 minutes of wallowing and anger fuelled strop, I picked myself up, slapped myself in the face and got on with having one of my favourite Going Wild Days yet.

I'll post the pictures shortly.....

Here's a day 0 to end week 5 photo comparison: