A Very Low Calorie Diet

I started a very low calorie diet last Monday.  It's now Friday and I've lost 8 pounds!  So that's 8 pounds in 4 days.  I am thrilled, obviously.
However, the internet seems to be competely awash with people saying that these diets are dangerous and don't work long term.  Hmm.  I may eat my words, but I think I've found a way that my body is able to give up the loathsome fat that is weighing me down in body, mind and spirit.
So watch this space!

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2015 Review

Here are some of the highs and lows of 2015: not just the ups and downs of the weighing scales (mainly up, so I'll gloss over that...), but the times I want to remember (or forget)  - maybe some of them will have an echo in your life, dear reader.
Please note that I say reader and I have in mind that lovely person who just happens to have come across this blog and has decided to stay a little while.  I believe you're there - really!
I fully intend to get this blog back on its feet in 2016. So there we are and on we go!

January, February and March 2015
This was a beautiful late afternoon walk in early January 15 by the sea near Shoreham harbour.  I am so lucky to live in Brighton with the sea, the city and the countryside within a few minutes of my home.  Like a last taste of freedom, this photo was taken the day before I went back to work.
I'm ashamed to sayI haven't been in the sea in Brighton at all this year.  Must make sure I do better in 2016.

I did swim regularly in the pool at Falmer (sometimes outdoors, which I prefer) and I usually did around 1km a session.  So quite pleased with that, although I didn't swim quite as often as planned...
I spent quite a lot of time in January and February working on the Comenius project, preparing for our friends in Italy, Spain and Turkey to visit later in the year and holding healthy breakfast events at school.  I do believe that there maybe less students who breakfast on redbull and crisps now, but don't quote me on that.

 It's amazing to see how Sammi has grown! She's talking lots and enjoys singing and playing the piano - as does Tiggi!  Sammi plays piano

April 15
In April I went to Madeira with mum and Carrie.  It was lovely there, though too cold to swim for long in the sea!  We stayed at the Pestana Carlton Beach Club, which is beautifully situated on the seashore. The sea view was awesome from our apartments.  Lots of reading, sunbathing, eating and drinking was done by all of us.  A nice relaxing break!

May 2015

This was a busy month!  It was the final meeting of our Comenius project with people coming from Spain, Italy and Turkey to stay with us in Brighton. We had a great week cooking, eating, going on trips - Brighton Pavilion, Lewes and Harry Potter Studios - and generally making merry.  The weather was typically English (ie too much wind and rain) but we had some lovely sunny days too.  It was so much fun and I hope everyone who was involved loved it as much as I did!

After Comenius it was time for a change of scene, so Dave and I went to stay with Julie and John in Jersey for a really lovely week.

And of course there was Mel's 60th birthday party! So nice to see lots of old friends and Tom's catering on the morning after was magic too!

June and July
I spend so much time with the people I work with and they are brilliant.  We have so much in common - including a huge vocabulary of interesting descriptive words that are used each day...

During the summer I also spent quite a bit of time going to Mongeham to try and get the house sorted as a sale seemed imminent.  However, it didn't happen. I was a bit relieved to be honest as I wasn't ready to let go, but now - on Dec 31st, we have a new offer and I really hope this one goes through. It will be sad to see Ivyhouse go to a new family, but it is about time...

Summer holidays 15
This was our big family trip to Kalkan, Turkey.  I knew we were staying in a fabulous villa because I've stayed next to it before, but I hadn't realised just how fab it would be!

September and October
Back to work... but this will be my last year teaching at PH.
Once again I had the chance to organise a whole school trip to Glyndebourne . It was a beautiful day for it and although I can't quite remember the name of the opera it was very good and quite funny!

At the end of October I went to Exmouth with mum and Carrie.  Mum had been unwell since the end of August, including 2 weeks in hospital, but she was fine back on home ground in Exmouth - most of the time...  I'd also been ill since September with a virus I couldn't shake off, until the end of our week in Exmouth
We met up with Andy and Phoebe and Carrie and I had a lovely day cycling round the Exe. Great memories.

Meanwhile James had gone travelling in the USA.  What a tough life...

During November and early December I was taking an online course about film making run by Futurelearn and the NFTS.  I really enjoyed it and learnt loads - including realising how much I enjoy making films - from writing scripts to editing.  So I plan to go down this route when I retire.
In the meantime here is a short film I put sound effects too.  Not perfect (the growl sounds like something going down the plughole) but I'm proud of it!

Just because...

1st December today and it's been eventful. I've had a few revelations, a couple of exasperations and some celebrations. The last of these is because my baby girl has turned 21!  So my evening was spent laughing and feasting, it was fab.
Earlier I'd been for a 1 km swim ( outdoors, England, December - yeah). That followed a walk to @ from work. I'm trying to get back into the active groove but finding it hard going.
Illness seems to have been lurking since September - just hope it's done!
Work has its moments ... 100 days or so to go now!!!!

I'm excited about my birthday, even though it means I'm another year older... Today I'm looking forward to being rather spoilt and having a fun family celebration this evening. I will be eating well! At the moment I'm contemplating getting up and going for a cycle or a swim, but .... Maybe later! I do plan to get right back on track with my 5:2 fasting diet next week, and probably for the rest of the year. It's been much easier than I imagined and I've loved the weight loss and new energy it's given me. The other day I walked up a very long steep hill near me without any of the huffing and puffing that usually went with it. I think my weight loss is the best birthday prezzie to myself !!! I'd like to lose another 7 or 8 pounds before my holiday in a months time. Then, I hope to keep up the 2 semi-fasting days until I am slim! I'm not going to settle for being less fat - although I do love it- I'm going to go for the max. Meanwhile, it's time to get on with my birthday, woo hoo!

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I week down and I'm starting to lose the flab! 102 days left until Turkey time!