14 Weeks Completed

The Foundation part of LighterLife comes to an end on Tuesday and 14 weeks have delivered nearly three and a half stones weight loss. I’m over the moon and feel sooooo much better! It does go to show that you need some significant will power as only three of the group (originally 13) have got to the end of the 14 week programme.

I will now progress into another group who want to continue losing weight. I’ll probably stay in this group for 8-10 weeks before reintroducing food gradually.

And how has it been? Remarkably easy, but will power is required in abundance! Generally I’ve been fine during the working day, but business dinners and events have been particularly challenging…though not insurmountable. And now, as we approach Christmas, there are many events coming up including a number of Black Tie Dinners which revolve around a long and elaborate meal. These will be a challenge.

I estimate that my first ‘real food’ may be during Christmas week – not helpful at all the pre-Christmas events, but at least my New Year’s Resolution will be somewhat different for 2010!

And fitness…still not good, but this is now on the radar and after the first week of regular exercise, this will improve in time.

So would I recommend LighterLife? I think if you find it difficult to manage a normal diet or get frustrated with the pace of change, then certainly. What I can’t say yet is how easy it is to reintroduce normal food. Hopefully turkey is on the list of foods I can have in my first week of ‘real food’!

LighterLife…decisions

Well, I’m coming to the end of week 10 on LighterLife and can safely say, it works! Two and a half stone lighter and feel great, despite any comments in the media about the risks.

As a 14 week programme, I will have to decide in a few weeks time whether to finish there and move onto the Route to Management or continue for a while longer. I’m afraid it will be the latter but I’ll take it four weeks at a time and see how I get on.

For anyone considering the diet, it’s not easy unless you have cast iron will power! I haven’t faltered at all, which has posed its own challenges with numerous dinners and social events to contend with. But it is possible and the thing that makes it possible is that you really aren’t hungry. It is just a case of breaking old habits and not treating the food as something you look forward to…it is fuel.

I am down to only five items I can actually eat/drink which is a bit dull. Others on the programme really like some of the food packs…I haven’t personally developed an affinity for any of them, bar one which is actually quite nice. But it is worth it!

And the other piece of good news is that I topped £2,000 in sponsorship this week…10% of target, but we’re getting there!

The Booby Bird Ball

The date is set…the Booby Bird Ball will take place in Windsor on Saturday 20th March 2010 in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Colleagues, aquaintances, friends and family should all be in for a great night of food, wine and entertainment…and all for a great cause.

The fabulous Comedy Store Players have kindly agreed to provide the entertainment for the evening and there will, of course, be dancing until the early hours.

Tickets are available now at £85 each or £800 for a table of 10.
All of the proceeds from the evening will go to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

For further information about how you can get tickets and support the vital work of Breakthrough Breast Cancer, email me at janerowe2@btinternet.com.

A Week in Chocoholic Heaven

Well, I have survived a week in France and Belgium, sticking to LighterLife and drinking copious amounts of water and peppermint tea.

I have to say that one place in Brussells did excell themselves on the peppermint tea front, dishing up a superb fresh tea (worthy of a photograph!).

The Choco Story chocolate museum in Bruges was a bit of a test, particularly after the praline demonstration when everyone got a chocolate…handing it over to my son was certainly not natural!! And of course every other shop in Bruges appears to be a chocolate shop, which makes for added temptation…which I can safely say I resisted.

However, we did crack the 10,000 steps a day on a number of days. Though it was clear that it is virtually impossible to fit this into a working day without spending the whole evening walking. Thus we need to find an alternative exercise option for week days.

Just one of the forthcoming challenges!

Overall a good week, stuck rigidly to the plan, walked much more, lost weight and continued the planning for the Booby Birds Ball…more on this soon!

Cake Bake helps raise funds

Thanks to the Marketing & Merchandising Team at Spicers today for supporting a Charity Cake Bake which raised £27 for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Many both baked and bought a variety of cakes to support the cause.

Thanks to everyone involved.

A Charity Ball is on the Cards

It’s a little way off, but plans are forming for a Charity Ball which is likely to be held in Windsor on 20th March 2010. I’m organising what should be a great night.

I’ll be viewing possible hotels this week and I’m also on a mission to find a band and some great auction prizes to really deliver a great return for Breakthrough. So if anyone has any contacts or ideas, do let me know!

Once the hotel is booked, I’ll post all the details on the blog.

Do hope to get a really good turnout and any support would be much appreciated!

Industry Trade Mag Promotes the Jump

Dealer Support, one of the leading trade magazines in the office products industry, has today helped the cause by promoting the fundraising activities and skydive in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

The article, entitled ‘Rowe Jumps for Joy (and Charity)‘ outlines the objectives of the fundraising activity and the importance of the cause.

Thanks to Dealer Support for their coverage of my mission. I’m sure this will help raise awareness and support for the forthcoming event.

First £1,000 achieved

Today we smashed through the first £1,000 sponsorship hurdle. Thanks to many hugely generous people who have sponsored me.
In addition, Breakthrough Breast Cancer have launched a website specifically focused on the Booby Birds challenge. You can see the website by clicking here.

Fundraising and Mushroom Soup

The fundraising has commenced in earnest and this week I had my initial fundraising meeting with Breakthrough Breast Cancer. I have sent many emails out to friends, family and work colleagues seeking their support and donations are starting to mount with people being hugely generous.

It is a great motivator when the initial funds start to come in. It is also fabulous that people are so passionate about the cause and the work that Breakthrough Breast Cancer do.

So with over £800 already secured, what else is happening? The fundraising meeting revealed a whole host of ways to generate the funds. The key decision is choosing the right things to do, and doing them at a scale that will enable significant support to be generated. The list is currently endless, so next week I’ll be putting in a few calls to seasoned fundraisers for advice! With a busy work schedule I must focus on doing a few activities really well.

As I said in an earlier post, part of the challenge is weight loss. And that has kicked off too. After signing up to LighterLife back on 14th July, I have achieved a loss of nearly a stone in 2 weeks. It certainly works, though I’m not saying it is easy by any stretch of the imagination. And I’m convinced that afterwards I will never eat mushroom soup ever again – regardless of the packet or kitchen it emerges from! The four litres of water a day also makes me wonder how long it will be before we all develop gills in the Monday class!

The next challenge will be the week in France with the mushroom soup and my family, but before that, I need to hit the £1,000 donation barrier and the 1 stone weight loss. And that’s going to happen this week. It’s a shame I’m not as confident about me developing a secret craving for the mushroom soup!

Progress…

Yes, it’s kicking off…though I haven’t had the first fundraising meeting yet!

Quite a few positives this week which offer some great motivation to continue.

I’ve now completed the first week on LighterLife with the next week’s weigh in on Monday and whilst I can’t say I’m enjoying it, it is actually working and have still not strayed from the strict food regime. I am still hesitent that this loss will continue, though I’m assured it will. The first real challenge will be this weekend with a 40th Birthday party at a nice restaurant with a great wine cellar! I’m practicing the phrase ‘Just water for me, thanks’.

The volume of water I now consume is ridiculous and I’m still being told I’m dehydrated! As for improving fitness, I need to find a way…or more accurately, some time to get started. One step at a time (maybe that’s the problem!!!).

The fundraising has hit well over £390 so far in the first week since setting up the site. Huge thanks to everyone who has contributed. I need to achieve on average £2,000/month or £465/week over the 43 weeks to hit target. This now seems quite daunting!