Addicted...again!

Reading my blog from May I feel I must write an update on that status and formally thank Jill Brearley and Karen Firth for their part in my shedding the excess pounds. We have been regular members at Rosemary Conley classes in Elland and Coley since the beginning of May and together Janet and I have lost over 6 stones! We feel so much better and we are so much fitter. There is, however, a downside for Janet - she literally has nothing to wear as her trousers are all so loose on her that she can put them on and take them off without opening the fastenings and her skirts just fall down! But as downsides go this is pretty good!!
I, on the other hand, have kept all my 'skinny' clothes from several years ago when Rosemary Conley worked for me before. I couldn't bear to part with them and am now so happy to be able to wear them again. The downside for me is that I have at least 7 bulging bin bags of 'big' clothes so we are contemplating having a market stall to sell our big stuff!
Reading this you may be thinking, 'well you lost it before and regained it all and more besides so what makes it different this time?' I know what makes it different, last time I did it on my own, under my own steam at home with my own DVD exercise programmes and my own willpower, making sensible food choices and I lost 3 stones. This time I'm going to class, with a friend and feel there is more accountability. I am encouraged and I don't want to slip and stray away from the healthy plan as I know I will be facing the results each week on the scales at class. 
These classes are GOOD! I have made new friends and am inspired and encouraged by the class leaders and the aerobic exercise and the Zumba classes are so much fun. It has become a way of life now and a good life it is too! I have lost at least a pound every week except for two occasions, once putting two pounds on and once maintaining. The slow, gradual weight loss is the best - you are hungry at the beginning as you relearn what it actually feels like to be hungry and take control over your body rather than letting it control you. Then the upward spiral starts - you lose a few pounds, you have it recorded and you feel good so you continue and next time you lose a bit more...and so it continues. The recipes are really lovely too - Duncan eats what I eat and he enjoys everything, he just has a larger portion! (Portion control is something else I had to get to grips with!)
The other thing which is such an encouragement is the 'Magic measure'. We measure our bust, waist, hips, arms, widest part, thighs and knees at the start and regularly after that and record the inch loss. To date I have lost 55 pounds and, at the last measure, 50 inches!!
I cannot recommend the classes more highly. If you are unhappy with your weight then go online and check out where your nearest classes are. Then GO! Find a friend to go with you if possible and that will keep you committed through the long, cold, dark winter nights. Curling up on the sofa in front of the fire is SO much more enjoyable after you've exercised and got up a sweat!!