I'm a mathematician so do all sorts of 'sad' things like work out what fraction or percentage I've done so far.

Recently I have been doing 4 x 50m lengths in 5 mins so I can use the clock to work out how many I've done. They ought to have chalk boards at the end so you can tally your lengths!! In the Swimathon they have someone there to count. Won't let hubby do it in case he takes some off for me to swim extra!!

I don't know about anyone else but I can't remember what I did in school maths, not that I was much good at it.



You could always get him to join you.

... can't you get a waterproof iPod, Jaki? Or just wear your iPod under one of these fetching rubber hats with pink flowers on it?

well done emily - thats fab!! and making it to the gyn twice despite starting new job is really good!
the only reason i have time to exercise as much as i want this week is because im on school easter hols. once i go back to work can only ever go to gym twice a week.
keep up the good work, hope your enjoying your new job

Well, I hope one day I can run for as long as you Catherine!!
I'm assuming you're a teacher, what do you teach?

I am swimming's biggest fan and mascot but I agree, the prospect of me doing...i think it works out as 400 lengths, does bring me out in a rash! I know I can swim that far, but the boredom is going to be a big factor.
What I'm going to do is break the swim up to something like this...
400 swim, 400 drill, 400 swim, 400 drill, 400 swim (2km)
500 free, 500 back (twice - 4km)
1000 free
1000 back (6km)
500 free, 500 back (twice - 8km)
400 swim, 400 drill, 400 swim, 400 drill, 400 swim (taking me up to 10km!)
This way I encorporate my warm up and swim down into the whole 10km, and it makes it slightly more interesting. For the drills i do 50 pull (only arms) and then 50 kick and just repeat that for the different strokes.

I think the trick is to break it up, that way you only have to concentrate on counting to a maximum of 40 lengths, and you have little goals rather than thinking...christ i've done 4 lengths which is onle 1% of the overall swim!
I also play music in my head, which sounds a bit weird but over my 21 years of swimming i've created an ability to hear a song and play it back to myself when I'm swimming. I also get into a rythm and don't have to think about my stroke and turns so i can let my mind wander to other stuff.

O also, when it comes to counting lengths, i'm just going to bring in a permanent marker and tally off each km on my arm when i finish. which is not so chic but i expect it'll feel really good to see my arm filling up with black marks!

Hi all, have lost 2 stone since January. People at work starting to notice now. xx

Nicola - that's fantastic! No wonder your colleagues have noticed. Have you bought any new clothes yet? I was commenting somewhere else that it's probably a good idea just to buiy things in sales at this stage, as you'll soon be too small for them!

I teach 4 year olds, no wonder I am always shattered! love them really.

Hi Lisa, thanks so much for your reply, much inspired by it! Hope you keep posting so I can quiz you. Swimming is my fave sport too though I've never been very sporty. I got back into it in January to lose weight as I can't just do it on diet alone. We are really lucky to have the Wales National Pool less than a mile away so have a choice of 25m or 50m pools I've broken my swim into trying to do 4 (50m lengths) every 5 mins so it's just 12 of those plus the 2. I'll prob start with the 2 as a 'warm up' and then groups of 4. I've just got new goggles and they keep leaking, really annoying. I tightened them and finally got them right and then got out with big red rings round my eyes!!

Can't remember who mentioned weight bearing exericse but I'm trying to do 3 x 2 mile brisk walks a week so that's probably good. Well, half the walk is brisk, as it's the school run (or rather walk) and the other is a snail's pace.

Oo I'm excited that I inpsired you! My head's going to inflate now!

Yea, I'm lucky that I'm at university in Loughborough so I can swim in the fantastic 50m pool there. It's also so inspirational/depressing to see the british triathletes and swimming team training there as well. Many of the swimmers appearing at the World Champs in Manchester this week come from Loughborough.

What sort of goggles do you have? do you have moulded ones or ones with an adjustable nose strap? I've found the best ones by far for me are the moulded ones by speedo like these...

http://www.swimshop.co.uk/product.asp?src=adswimsh op&pf_id=FUTICESNR&name=speedo+goggles&sfile=1&jum p=8

The tightness of the goggles shouldn't influence too much whether they leak or not, it's to do with the fit of the actual eye piece. A good test is to get them out and stick them to your face without putting the straps over your head, if they suck on to your face and don't fall off straight away then they're not going to let any water in. You can look like a bit of a plank doing this but it's worth it and a good pair of goggles can last you for years.

Also, a little tip if your goggles mist up as you swim...don't buy the anti fog solution cos it just wears off and isn't very good to begin with. This sounds rank but if you spit in your goggles and rub it around the lense it will not fog up and will stay chrystal clear for your entire swim as long as you don't get normal pool water on it. Try it once, trust me it works! I swear by it.

Hope that's helpful and if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask, it's nice to feel useful haha

Thanks Lisa,

I've got the moulded Speedo ones but they're not as good as my last pair of Speedos! One of the children I teach told me to spit in my goggles as well!!!

Have had a manic weekend and therefore no swimming since last Wednesday night! Really have to get a grip ready for Friday night (7pm). When are you doing your swimathon? I'm so chuffed at the amount of sponsorship I'm getting in from my friends, family and my church. Nearly got the £100 for the tshirt!!

Well, off to get some much needed sleep now ready for a good long swim tomorrow afternoon.

Hi

I'm not losing any weight! I'm on salads and water daily, i don't eat breakfast as i put in my progress report. i went swimming with my support worker on friday and didn't lose any weight. i'm getting very frustrated by it all. and very angry I walk almost everywhere and don't drink alcohol any more. what am i doing wrong? Today i've got a salad and no sauces not even low fat or teso's healthy living! and a bottle of water? I've gained 2LBS!

Well set myself a goal way back in Jan as a newbie, to be 10stone by valentines day - It's 2moths late but I've done it!
Felt amazing, but its benn b****y hard work! Still, not resting on my laurels, 3lbs to go for the MCD and i wont let any of you down
Also, want to say a big thankyou to everyone for your support and motivational posts, its truly made all the difference.
Catherine x
:up

well done Catherine! Am counting down to 10st too! Hovering around 10.10 at the mo which is frustrating when the end is in sight! Will probably take another 2 months.....

Lisa, keep going, you will get there

.... that's great - I didn't realise you were so LIGHT! I don't think I'll ever be 10 stone again - in fact not even sure when I was last 10 stone - probably when I was 12 or something

Success is

'when your mother says you look thinner'!

When your jeans feel loose

When you feel you have loads of energy

When you have lost inches!

When you can run for 30 mins! next goal 45!

Congrats to all who have lost!

Pippa

When people at work start to notice that you've been loosing weight.

While reading through this thread I read the following
"[i]I'm sure that the maintenance stage will be tougher still though."
I am two pounds off my target and beginning to worry about maintaining my weight without yo-yoing.
Have just bought a pain of jeans in a size I have never ever bought before and they fit. This will keep up my motivation, I hope, because I don't ever want to buy a bigger size again.

Well done to all you achievers but any tips to keep the weight off

Nona

Noticing small changes early, help you ajust of the bigger changes that may be around the corner.

The more important it is to you, the more you want to hold onto it.

have just bought a size 16 dress fantastic

having dropped at least one dress size

Hey Pippa, well done! It really does give you a boost when you go down a size.

You're in a similar situation to me. I lost loads of weight after having youngest child (now 7) but put it all back on again and more. Now I'm working hard to get down to my desired weight - nearly there now so it's doable. Worse though is keeping it off. I think it's best to have a healthy lifestyle change and not go on a diet so the weight will always stay off. It's hard though at times.

was 2lb off target, went away for 3 days and have come back 5lb heavier, how can that happen????? that's 15,000 excess calories i must have consumed in 3 days. ok, i relaxed my v strict regime a bit, but 5 bloody pounds!
am now feeling utterly demotivated and that am going to have to be on starvation rations all my life.
or never go on holiday
or enjoy food ever again

on the other hand, those levis that i started off this thread with are now way too big and have just bought a pair of size 12s (£5.95- ebay!!)

so i guess that i just need a bit of a talking to and will get back in the saddle again

Hi Joanne

Can't believe 3 days could do sooo much damage. I find my weight fluctuates through the month anyway so maybe it will right itself without too much effort. Size 12 - I can only dream of. Not been there since I was in my 20s (too many years ago to mention!). Hang on in there !

Was that enough of a talking to ?

Alison

Hi Jaki
Wish I had a 7 year old my youngest is now 15 so no excuses. I agree a healthy life style is better so good luck to you also. I find exercise helps.

Joanne I agree with Alison
Just put the 3 days behind you and start again. I felt the same after a 10 day hols in Morocco when I had put on 7lbs in April but you can get back into it I am sure.

Joanne don't worry - it's probably a fluke. Just be sensible for a week and weigh again and you'll probably have lost most of it. I managed to put on 3lbs over a long weekend!


That's amazing - well done. When I was at my "thinnest" about 3 years ago I could get into size 12 trousers too - all gone to the charity shop now!

thanks all.... feel better knowing you are "out there...." have been for a run and motivation returning!

Hi Joanne, I put on 3lb this week (Monday) as well after 2 days of binge eating (loads of bread and cheese, huge Indian takeaway...). I managed to lose 0.6lb today and am now back 'on the wagon' so to speak. Have eaten sensibly again today and went for a 50 minute swim. As long as I keep being good I'm optimistic it'll all be back off by next Monday. I'm on holiday this week (teacher) so must try hard to be good!!

I'm sure you'll lose it too. Re the trousers, I got myself a pair of size 12 jeans from Next a few weeks ago and need a belt now. Yesterday after weigh in the belt was on notch 1 but I'm back to notch 2 again now.

Well done Pippa!



I completely understand, I went away for 5 days and knowingly consumed an indecent amount of calories, weighed in +3lb on Sunday and only been good for two days but just weighed myself and have gone -4lb!!

So I'm sure it's probably a bit inaccurate and you'll be down on target soon, your stats look so impressive!! And great about the jeans, what a wonderful feeling that must be.