Day 13 - Lost 10lbs now!

Day 13 - I have now lost 10lb in less than 2 weeks!

I am starting to notice clothes are loose! I have even had a couple of people comment on it! I am starting to get addicted to losing weight! I am amazed at the rate i'm losing fat, even though it has slowed slightly, I was expecting this!

My BMI is now 30.42! YEY me!

Day 10 - Lost 8lbs in weight.

Firstly apologies for not posting in several days. My 20 month old son needed to be admitted to hospital, so my priorities have obviously been with him. At one point I was extremely worried for him, but luckily he is now on the road to recovery.

I have been working exceptionally hard to stick to my low carb diet. I have been doing well with the exception of "Carb Day", when I ate a high carb Ginsters steak slice. I decided to have 1 day a week where I would consume a normal quantity of carbohydrates, I call the day "carb day". I am finding not eating carb quite hard at times, as most foods I enjoy contain a high carb content, Pasta, Pizza, Rice, Potato etc.

I have noticed some psychological affects since starting my diet. I felt an overwelming feeling of guilt on my carb day, to the point where I didn't finish the meal. I was very anxious and thought that I would put weight on from eating the carbs.

My fears were unneccessary as I have now lost 8lbs in 10 days, which I am extremely pleased about. My BMI is now 30.72.

Day 7 - Lost 6lbs, Low carb works!

I have lost 6lbs, in 7 days! I have been sticking to my low carb diet. I have already had far more success with this low carb diet than any other diet I have tried.

Although I am expecting my weight loss to start slowing down soon, If i continue to loss weight at this rate I will be at my goal weight by the beginning of March!

Hopefully the speedy weight loss will continue. My BMI is 31.

Day 5 - 4lb in 5 days!

This Low carb diet seems to be working. I've lost 4lb in 5 Days and I feel great.

I have mainly been eating salad, vegetables, tinned tuna, a little cheese, chicken and salmon. NO POTATO, PASTA or BREAD!

I guess you could not be as strict and just minimise the Starchy foods, but I want to drop the weight quickly. I'm not recommending you lose weight too fast, I believe it is recommended 2lb a week. Although you should consult a doctor before undertaking any weight loss program or diet. I know that I don't have much will power, so I want to try and lose as much as possible while I have the strong motivation. 

I have also been making sure I drink at least 4 pints of water in a day. I don't drink Tea, coffee etc, so for me this has been quite easy.

I have been feeling a bit hungry between meals and in the evening. I have just been snacking on celery and drinking water. I is amazing how many times I confuse the feeling of hunger with the feeling of thirst!

Yey me! My BMI has dropped to 31 and I weigh 220lb!

Here is a useful tool for calculating BMI - NHS BMI tool.

Cycling to loss weight

I was googling different forms of exercise to loss weight, when I come across this article and it has inspired me to give cycling a go. Frank Kinlan was 21st when one day he woke up and decided he wasn't happy with he's weight. He was concerned about the about the health risks connected with being over weight, so at 49 years old Frank decided to get a health assessment. This confirmed to Frank that he officially morbidly obese with 46-48 inch waist and a BMI of 42. Frank's doctor put him on a initial 12 week weight loss course, which used guidelines from the British Heart Foundation. In the first 12 weeks Frank lost an impressive 2st!

Read Franks Blog here - http://frank.kinlan.co.uk/
Read the full article her - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7953197.stm

If you want to give cycling a try why not raise some money too. Go to the British Heart Foundation's website to see Cycling events (and other) in you area - http://www.bhf.org.uk/get-involved/events/bike-rides.aspx

Writing a resume.

You CV is probably the first impression an employer is going to get of you, so you need to insure it makes a big impact. A CV should be a summary of your life history, employment history, achievements and skills. It should project a true picture of you to you prospective employer. Here are some useful resources.

• kent.ac.uk - great.
• jobsite.co.uk
• bytestart.co.uk - IT specific.
• technojobs.co.uk - IT specific.

CV templates.

• cvtips.com
• MS word templates here and here.

If you would prefer you could go to a CV writing service. These can be found here or in your local telephone directory.

Strategies for developing confidence

I found this online and thought it was useful for building confidence.

• Emphasize Strengths - Give yourself credit for everything you try. By focusing on what you can do, you applaud yourself for efforts rather than emphasizing end products. Starting from a base of what you should do helps you live within the bounds of your inevitable limitations.
• Take Risks - Approach new experiences as opportunities to learn rather than occasions to win or lose. Doing so opens you up to new possibilities and can increase your sense of self-acceptance. Not doing so turns every possibility into an opportunity for failure, and inhibits personal growth.
• Use Self-Talk - Use self-talk as an opportunity to counter harmful assumptions. Then, tell yourself to "stop" and substitute more reasonable assumptions. For example, when you catch yourself expecting perfection, remind yourself that you can't do everything perfectly, that it's only possible to try to do things and to try to do them well. This allows you to accept yourself while still striving to improve.
• Self-Evaluate - Learn to evaluate yourself independently. Doing so allows you to avoid the constant sense of turmoil that comes from relying exclusively on the opinions of others. Focusing internally on how you feel about your own behavior, work, etc. will give you a stronger sense of self and will prevent you from giving your personal power away to others.

Read the full article here - http://psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Self_confidence