Does theme parking count as a work out?

I certainly look the part right? And I get very hot and sweaty running around them all day.
I know I am eating much less than last year but it is a LOT. Too much. I have not been sticking to my 20 minute eating time but the goal of this holiday was to have fun and make special memories with my mummy. The diet can start again on Sunday when I get home.
In other news, I have been savaged by a vicious local creature. Although it feels like an alligator has taken a chunk out if my leg, first aid man thinks it was an ant! (cue any British readers rolling on the floor in hysterics) I feel like a total drama queen but the bite blistered badly and was about the size of a 50p!! They gave me anti biotic cream and anti itch cream and I am now spraying myself with insect repellent that smells like old man sweat. I can understand why they don't want to come near me. Ha ha. Xx

Questions from a Stateside Brit

Errrrr ... Who can read but doesn't know how to wash their hands? I don't get it.

Also, I don't get Anti politician adverts. I have no opinion about US politicians verses any other but I've seen one several times about Romney and hands in people's pockets. It looks like its been filmed by some dodgy bloke on a camera phone. Seriously I am sure they can stretch to a real actors hand not a plastic one? Lol!

Having a blast here but miss you all loads! Xx

Flying

Ok maybe still some way before I can cross my legs in my seat but I'll take it.

Ten things Thursday ...

Thanks to our very own Katy Perry lookalike Laura we have our day of randomness known as 10 things Thursday.

1)    I go on holiday tomorrow. I am excited to see how tight the seat belt is on the plane. Will there be any room left?

2)   I love Disney. It is the big kid in me probably but my mum is just the same. It makes me more sad than I can describe that this may be our last holiday but I know I am very lucky to have this opportunity to spend time together and make special memories.

3)   We have some incredible reservations including breakfast/brunch at Cinderella's Royal Table in the castle. I follow this blog which is all about food. I have no plans to stay on track while I am away. I know my band will stop me from doing huge amounts of damage if I follow the rest of the bandster rules.

4)   I've had semi permanent mascara put on for my holiday. It cost quite a bit because I had to have my lashes curled and tinted. From a distance (5 feet) my eyes look great. Up close it looks like I have used some cheap nasty clumpy mascara. I don't like clumpy mascara. I may have a word when I am in tomorrow. I took a before picture but because I am not completely happy, no after picture. I know I need to suck it up.

5)   Pedicure tomorrow!!!!! I need sexy sandal ready feet and because Britain has had rubbish weather from June onwards this year, I am well over due. She'll also touch up my nails and wax my eyebrows while I am there so I am all ready to go. Now if she can just fix this clumpy mascara, I'll be one happy girly.

6)   I did 3 exercise classes in the space of 24 hours!!!! Body conditioning (yes that one with steps and weights that make me want to die!) pilates (straight after body conditioning with the same sadistic instructor) and zumba this morning. That is it until after the holiday though. This trip is about quality time with my mummy.

7)   My friend was supposed to get married today. Her fiancee called off the wedding 12 weeks ago. She is devastated understandably. I have been thinking of her all day.

8)   So a certain friend of mine, who works in a local aquatics shop was supposed to be coming over tonight. See here for the back history. He was coming to help me put up my new kitchen blind. I bought the damned thing in April, collected it in May and can't get it up by myself. He couldn't make it :o( He posted something odd on facebook last week and I've been worried about him so when we were texting today, he was saying how stressed he was so I said not to worry if he couldn't make it, he's got lots on his plate and it is only a blind. He said he was going to get it all sorted once and for all.

9)   Is it very wrong to be hopeful that the thing he had to get sorted was breaking up with his girlfriend?

10)   This will probably be my last blog until after Disney although if I can work out the blogger ap I may appear briefly. I shall miss you all very much and be thinking of you as I tuck into my ribs, burgers, hot dogs, corn bread, clam chowder and cinnamon rolls. To get your own back you can think of me PBing in the bathroom of Cinderella's Castle.

Look who I bumped into ...

Me and Beth outside St Paul's Cathedral

Beth is in London for the Olympics and invited me to meet up with her on Tuesday. We met in the morning for breakfast and coffee before taking a tour of St Paul's Cathedral which I hadn't done since I was a little girl. Apparently BOOBs meet ups require some physical exercise so we climbed up the 257 steps to the Whispering Gallery at the bottom of the dome. This is an incredible architectural phenomena where if you whisper into the wall, the sound carries around. However it paled in comparison to the fact that I made it up those 257 steps without stopping!!!!! Unfortunately if photography is not permitted, jumping around and screaming I made it, I made it while high fiving a friend definitely would be so after a brief rest and admiring the whispering walls, we climbed the next 271 steps to the top. Narrower corridors and steps meant for slower going but again we made it to the top without stopping.

Me at the top of the dome.

The monument from above. It's actually 61 m (202 ft) tall. Looks tiny from up here though.

The London eye and the jubilee giant royal photograph.

Tower Bridge and the Olympic Rings.

It was an incredible morning. I loved taking the tour and seeing the views from the top. From there we had coffee and went for lunch in Covent Garden. We shared a pizza and still didn't manage to eat the whole thing whilst chatting and watching one of the many street entertainers do his circus skills act.

Covent Garden Mandeville

Covent Garden Wenlock

It was a really lovely day but Beth dashed off to see some diving and I raced the commuters home.

Beth, I had a wonderful time. Thank you so much for inviting me to gate crash your holiday. Hopefully we can do it again one day.

So who's coming to meet me next?

In other news, guess who is coming over tomorrow ...

Diet coke.

Since my dietician said two weeks ago that fizzy drinks are ok, I refrained, scared maybe, from trying. Tonight I have had half a glass. The good fizzy stuff. My teeth are tingling and I have been gurgling away ever since. It's very odd. It was good but I don't love it anymore. It's been at least 9 1/2 months since my last carbonated soft drink and although I missed them and the convenience, I am not sure I'll be rushing back.
So you soda drinkers out there, what is it about these drinks that gets your juices going? Do you get this gurgling feeling too?

Another new low and an NSV

I'm still enjoying the Olympics and am incredibly proud of Team GB. Being currently third on the medal table with many medal hopes still to compete, we are immensely proud of every one of their achievements.

In other news, I am in a big big push to lose a few more pounds before I leave for my holiday next week so I was thrilled to wake up to a new low.

In stones

In pounds

 

 

In kilos

Also this morning I woke up to a massive NSV. I am thrilled and felt the need to make a little video about it.

Fingers crossed it works because, at times, I can be technologically challenged.

More new numbers and the value of criticism

Firstly ... whoop whoop!

In stones

In pounds

In kilos

That's a loss of another pound and a half. Only 8 days before I leave for Disney. How much more do you think I can get off before then?

Something has changed in blogland of late. Fellow bandsters have been criticised for their deviations from diet plans and at times lack of motivation. This drives me CRAZY!!!!!! What right does anybody have to chastise others on their journey. We are human beings, adults, capable of making our own decisions. Sometimes they may not be the right ones but nobody else along the way has the right to be critical to the point of nastiness. We need to support each other. Mocking, shouting, stamping feet and throwing a wobbly because someone does not follow your perceived notion of the rules does not count as support. At least not in my book.

I wrote to one of the culprits, in defense of a fellow blogger and tried to explain kindly (as I am of the you catch more wasps with honey camp) that unkindness does not make people more motivated. As a part of this I congratulated him on his own massive weight loss and asked him if his journey had been easy. I tried to make the point that understanding where people come from is important and you cannot make huge sweeping judgements. In his response he tried to imply that their decisions were akin to taking illegal class A drugs. I'm guessing he isn't a big believer in no food is bad for you if you eat it in moderation. HEROIN? SERIOUSLY? No friend of mine takes drugs of that level in any quantities and if they did, I wouldn't just say something, I would do something. However pizza, cookies, ice cream, alcohol even cigarettes are not illegal even if you think they should be. Someone slipping and eating or drinking some of these foods does not constitute a crime and I maintain that they need encouragement to keep trying and fighting tomorrow. I shall provide that. I shall tell my friends and fellow bloggers that yes they slipped, but get up and try again before it gets worse. I shall say that I love them and care about them, pray and cross my fingers for them to do better from now on. I shall remind them of how far they have come and the challenges they have faced because I have actually read about their battles and know what it takes for them to do this. None of us are perfect! Catherine has described her food and alcohol choices. Amy W. frequently tells us of the slips she has had and the battle to stay at her goal. Even Lap Band Gal told us how she ate chocolate peanut butter pie last weekend. I myself have detailed more than one battle with my own internal cookie monster. We (or at least I) chose the band in part so that I could choose to eat a little of these foods from time to time. I did not want to be made physically ill by a particular type of food. I have not read about his journey so I shall not make assumptions but he told me it was not easy and he still has a way to go. I would therefore like to refer him (if he is reading this) and you to the main point I made in my original message to him.
People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones!

Team GB Dive Squad Training Session

Well sort of. I was reminded of this video in conversation about the Olympics tonight and I thought I would share it with those of you who like a little eye candy to brighten your day. Laura I am mostly thinking of you. xx

The last few days in pictures

At 7 am outside Eton Dorney.

I am not going to write a blog about my day at the Olympic rowing. It was fantastic as I am sure you can imagine and totally worth getting up at 4 am  but I am going to share a few photos to make you really jealous. xx

Competing nation flags along the top of a grandstand.

8 am. Me, my friend Louise and Wenlock. Check out the clear blue sky.

Sitting in the rings. We did some very British queuing for our chance to do this.

Official flags near the start line

Team GB girls smashing Women's Double Sculls race

Australia winning their Men's Coxless Four Heat

Team GB Men's Coxless Fours - look at that lead!!!!!!

Post races practising

Team USA - see I still thought of you all when I was being all patriotic.

Canada - I didn't forget you either

Me and Louise at the finish line.

 And after all the walking (I must have done a good 10K) a new low ...

In stones and pounds

In pounds

In kilos

Comment responses resolved!!!!

So I posted last Friday that I was having issues with blogger not allowing people to email me back when I comment on their blogs. (Email address comes up as noreply@blogger or something similar) I know this is something that blogger does allow because I email people back from my blog and have proper conversations with them!

Thank you for all your suggestions. I tried so many different things under the settings and my account and NOTHING worked. Finally I went into my profile (to edit my age of all things) and there was a little check box that said 'Show my email address' ... I have never seen anyone else with their actual email address on their profile so I thought just maybe and checked it. I did make sure my email wasn't just showing on my profile page before getting all optimistic. It wasn't. There was just a email button which I had on the main page anyway. Within half an hour, Barbie had emailed me a response to a comment on her blog. Yay for comment responses!