Day 25 - Saturday

Wow, can't believe I'm a quarter of the way through already! I'm so pleased actually, it hasn't been anywhere near the traumatic experience I thought it would be, and with the exception of those first few weeks of adjustment (and let's face it, it's only been odd days during those), the diet has been fine and I'm feeling great. It's also such a relief in a way not to feel like I'm putting crap into my body - I know the foodpacks aren't the greatest, but they are nutritionally what the body needs. I'm also not really missing anything, even the alcohol!

We'd got into a bit of a routine where if one of us came home from work after a bad day, we'd have a beer or open a bottle of wine to chill out & end up having a nice meal or takeaway with it. It's not that we'd drink loads & it wasn't all the time, but there really was no need for it, as I'm realizing now! I think it had just become a bit of a habit, and was definitely a good one to break!

Anyway, I woke up bright and early again today, looking forward to the weekend. I had an appointment for a facial at Clarins in B'ham (my first ever facial!) so we headed in around 10am after a quick Raspberry shake. I also made a bar into biscuits & took these in the car with me in case I felt hungry through the day. S was feeling a bit better this morning so decided to come with me into town as we had planned to go & look at wedding rings in the Jewellry Quarter afterwards.

The facial was fantastic actually, I'm not a particularly girly girl, so wasn't sure if I'd like it or just feel really awkward, but it was lovely & I was quite surprised how relaxing it is! Think this wedding is bringing a whole new & much more feminine side of me out which I never really knew existed! I've decided that I'm going to just enjoy the lead-up to the wedding, & not feel guilty about indulging myself a little!!

I also thought of it as my reward for losing my first stone, and have booked another for late April, hopefully in time for my 2nd stone! My skin felt so good afterwards too, am looking forward to the next one now (though can't afford to make this a regular habit!).

Left Clarins nicely relaxed & picked S up, we then headed for the famed Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. Was amazed by the number of Jewellers - there's a couple of streets just full of them! We had a look in about a dozen of them, we just wanted fairly simple bands, but easier said than done... Each shop has a slightly different take on the shape of the ring & some, where S liked the shape, didn't have them in the right size to try on, so it was very difficult to judge.

I thought mine would be much easier, I just wanted a plain band, but none of the ones I tried looked right with my engagement ring. Still, we got loads of quotes and also found out that they only take 2-3 weeks to make them, so we don't have to make a decision right away. Decided we'd pop back to the place that made my engagement ring next time we're staying in Bedford, and see if they can either give some suggestions or make a ring to complement it.

After that we headed over to John Lewis to pick things for our gift list - all very exciting! Actually, we're not putting too much on the list as we already have most things for the house, just a few bits to finish things off. Our main list is actually one we're doing ourselves as we're planning on buying a battered old boat later in the year which we will need to fix up & repair - a huge project (can't wait!!).

S was starting to feel a bit ropey in John Lewis so we headed back home (& he headed back to his duvet with some hot honey & lemon and paracetamol). Had veggie poppadoms for dinner, the rest of my biscuits, then my hot chocolate. Felt like a feast!

Oh, almost forgot, one of the best bits today was this morning when I was getting dressed, I realised my good pair of jeans are starting to look really scruffy. I've been avoiding buying anything new since Jan as I knew I was going to do the diet - I really want to avoid shopping for anything clothes-wise unless I absolutely need to, so I can save up and have a spree once I'm at my target!.

Anyway, I rooted around in my wardrobe and found a pair of jeans I've had for a few years but only wore once or twice before they got too tight for me. With a bit of trepidition, I gave them a go, and they fitted! In fact, they were gaping at the back, so I needed to add a belt too :-) It felt great, as this is the first real proof I've had that I am actually shrinking. I know that I'm seeing a loss each week on the scales, but when I look in the mirror I can't really seem to see much of a change - this was real proof that I am, & it felt absolutely fantastic!