The Pink Elephant in the Room

Just to prove that I do sometimes brush my hair

I have been the incredibly fortunate recipient of some lovely compliments over the past months about my changing size and shape from a whole spectrum of friends, family and colleagues - from an old Finance Director colleague announcing I'd lost a tonne to all and sundry (not at all embarrassing!) to fellow SUPERchicks convincing me I've miniaturised and looking fab for it (much less embarrassing) and the whole multitude in between - THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for these kind(ly meant) words.

Admittedly I do not handle compliments very well and I know it drives people crazy that I brush their kind words aside. I absolutely do not mean to dismiss these compliments or be in anyway ungrateful, but it feels wrong to accept compliments when truthfully, I shouldn’t have let myself get so overweight in the first place. Plus I honestly still have a big distance to go (clothes hide a multitude of sins, bikinis hide NOTHING). I really must not get complacent or comfortable as I am now and falter before I arrive at my bikinilicious destination.

One Twenty Five - the WORLD's most AWESOME WEIGHT LOSS BLOGGER FYI -  remarks much more eloquently that I can, on the issues around receiving the “you’ve lost weight” compliments - check out for thoughts and her CRAZILY BRLLIANT blog which I stalk non-stop just 'cause I adore her and 'cause she knows how to style her hair!!

Anyway I wanted to do a bit of a visual progress check to see how the transformation is going and to prove to my lovely friends, who tell me that I must not lose any more weight, that unfortunately there is still a little more to lose. These pics have been on my laptop for about a week – but it has just taken me till now to find the nerve to put them up – I’ve looked worse, much worse admittedly but hopefully I’ll look even better in a few months time.

To recap this is me a year or so pre-mission attempting some sort of exercise with the Hare - weight unknown but around 12 stone 6 lbs I'm guessing, as I was that weight for years - I'm clearly having a rockingly good hair day as you can tell by my face!

Friends through thick and thin  - literally!!

THE UGLY TRUTH - I found this picture just tonight -and it completely MORTIFIES me - how could I have eaten this?? I am so ashamed. Well I did and most probably, VERY happily :-(( 

Weight a gazillion stone!!

This is me June 2010 at the Moonwalk, weight: 11 stone 10lbs – voila lovely pic of me numero trois, quatre, cinque: I remember at the time feeling so disappointed that I hadn't made much of a dent in reducing my tummy before having to bare my midrift for the Moonwalk, but ce la vie and at least I'm finally on the right track!

Breathing in BIG TIME baby for my "first haven't been photographed this naked" since I was a tot!!

Going gangsta on the Hare for some unknown but clearly hilarious reason - notice the girth

Way too knackered post 26.2 mile Moonwalk to remember to suck in the belly anymore.

Me last week, February 2011, weight 10 stone 4lbs (too much carb loading and sugar cannot be offset by any amount of running):

Never be photographed side on is my advice!!

Promise that isn't my electronic tag bracelet but rather my Nike Sportsband.

I hate to admit it but despite appearances I was probably breathing in BIG TIME here as well.

When I first saw these latest photos, my first and only thought was – eeek I REALLY need to get my hair done. It was strange realising that I have still completely trained myself not to see the blinding obvious – the literal pink elephant in the room that is my protruding tummy. Most probably this is how and why I got to where I was twelve months ago and was seriously overweight for about 5 years - such a waste of all those fun uni years. Sometimes seeing what’s right in front of you is the hardest thing in the world – sometimes you see it only to dismiss it because you just can't face dealing with what you see. Regardless I ended up with a big disconnect between my eyes, my thoughts. my mouth and my emotions – like the weight – this mindset is also proving far trickier to shift than I imagined.

But hopefully over the next few months I can sculpt and reduce:

1. Le TUMMY MASSIVELY


2. UPPER ARMS 


3. INNER THIGHS - just a smidgeon


4. DOUBLE CHIN - hmmm is it possible to train your jaw? - maybe I just need to chat more!!


5. Tone up le BOTTOM - it's getting a bit flat for my liking - but that could be just in comparison to my rather sizeble midrift?

And emerge from my pink elephant cocoon in time for bikini season looking like so:

CANNOT WAIT!!

But first things first – I’m off for an UBER URGENT hair appointment – one must always look their best for their LOVEheart debut - this Saturday!! xx

p.s. Today's 10km run is complete and I have REALLY sore knees, which I'm currently icing, to prove it - but more on the running tomorrow.