French Day and Epithany

Today in the Office we are having a French Day. The only reason being is because one of the girls is going to France next week on holiday and any excuse for a party! So we are having brioche and croissant for breakfast and pate, ham and cheese for lunch. All very yummy and all very bad for the waistline!



Yesterday I felt so ill. In England at the moment its very humid and sticky and I think it just made me go a bit crazy! Anyway I texted Biggy and he said he would do dinner, then I got a text saying as I was ill he had got me something special and he hoped I would like it..... it was Chinese, Cheesecake and Red wine.... all nice but really not good for me. I don't see this week as having much of a loss. But this is where reality hits. When I first started losing weight I lost a lot quite quickly but I guess that is because my eating habits were SO bad and I had SO much excess weight. I still have excess weight but I am starting to realise I am not going to lose 3lbs a week and if I can lose 1lbs a week that is still progress and I should be proud and happy with it.



I am very much a planning and targets person, I have a 5 year life plan and am always thinking right I will do this and then that which will allow me to do that e.t.c but recently life has thrown me a couple of curve balls and my plans have had to change quite drastically. So now I am trying to not plan so much and I think that's how I have to look at my weight loss. Yesterday I was in such a stress about what to do and so down that my weight had gone back up... I need to relax. Like I pointed out yesterday I am doing everything right... I do watch what I eat alot more I may have the occasional slips but that's life and I do alot more exercise than I ever have in a LONG time. If I lose 1lbs a week I am going to be happy with that. I am going to stop standing on the scales every day and I am going to trust myself and my body to shape up.

This is a journey and I should enjoy it...not race it.

To Weigh or Not To Weigh...That Is The Question

Everyday I stand on the scales and look at my weight....sometimes it's good sometimes it's bad. Today I got on and I was up 2lbs. I am now having a fat day and feel so despondent. Yesterday I really felt like I watched what I was eating, looked at the calories of things and had a healthy dinner in the evening. I just get so frustrated.

So my question is this...do I just look at the scales once a week and not monitor my progress or do I keep on looking and have fat days sometimes but at least know that I am going up..or down?

Now I know your weight can be affected by so many things, the type of food you have eaten, the amount of liquid you have drunk, your bathroom habits, what time of the month is it is ( ladies only!!) e.t.c I am just in such a pickle about what to do.

I do all my exercise, yesterday I did my 45 minutes of Zumba and 20 half pressups, this morning I did 30 minutes of toning exercise, tonight I am doing 25 minutes of resistance band work outs....so I am doing the exercise. I am watching what I eat but maybe I have to not look at just the calories and look at the capacity of food. Aghhhhhhhhhhhh who knows...... my mind is just going from one thing to another and all because I have gone up 2lbs.

I think this week and next I will not get on the scales until Monday. I know I am doing the right things to lose weight... I also know my body reflects weight very very quickly. Over Biggy's bday weekend (4 days long) I put on 10lbs....10lbs in 4 days. I weighed myself 2 days after and had gone down 5lbs..but still 5lbs in 4 days is huge...admittedly all we did was eat and eat and eat. But that’s how quickly my body reflects what I eat.

Anyway I am going to stop grumbling, focus and just get on with things...we will see what happens next week and reassess the situation then!

So Motivating

Yesterday I received the most touching and amazing text from a friend that I went to Uni with. Unfortunately we lost contact ( I was rubbish at keeping in contact with people, but not anymore) and she said the most touching things that really meant alot to me:

Hi Katherine, it's Aimee. How are you? I just followed your link from Facebook to check out your blog. I knew about it before now but couldn't face it as am not/haven't been in the right frame of mind to do anything about my own weight problems which are of course the same as they have always been... However I looked and you write with such candour and honesty that it was positive to read and made me think maybe I should deal with my own issues. So if that is part of your aim, to inspire other people - well then you have! I hope you're doing alright other than that.  Sorry if my text is a bit full-on! Just felt you might like to see that people ARE following your progress and ARE behind you in what you're doing xx

I am so glad that a) I am getting so much support from people and b) I am able to help others even a little bit. A few other people have said to me that they really enjoy reading my blog and it makes me really pleased. I know how many demons there are when you are trying to lose weight, how alone you can feel and how much of an idiot you can feel as well e.g today I am buying scales to measure out my portion sizes of cereal and food in the office...crazy but necessary I hope that if anyone else is reading this you are finding it helpful or taking anything you need from it and I know that we will succeed in being who we want to be the size we want to be!!!!

Cider, Cider, Cider

Would like to point out this is NOT me!!

On Friday night I went to a very good friend’s house for Dinner. I got so drunk. It was a mix of white wine, champagne and red wine. I always seem to do this and always with her. I hate it. I feel like an idiot and just generally know it’s not good for me or who I want to be. I look like a right idiot. So I was going to say right I am not drinking anymore for at least 4 weeks. But that is quite extreme, so I am going to try and drink Cider. It’s not so alcoholic, I really like it and coming into the summer (!) it’s the perfect drink to have. The trouble is I come from quite a drinking family (not alcoholics but there is wine with most evening meals or lunch) and so when you say no to something it turns into quite a big thing. I am going to try and sneak it in to daily life somehow....maybe not daily but you get my point! 

On another note... we might have solved our housing situation, we still can’t get a mortgage but my parents have come up with a genius plan that will enable us to have our own place, with a low rent and be able to save. They own a property that isnt being totally used, so we are going to develop part of the building to turn it into a nice size flat. Now it’s still a flat and I would have liked a house but we will be able to save money, have our own place and skip the first house stage. If we had bought a house we would have lived there for 2 or 3 years and then bought a bigger place and now we will just go into the bigger place as we will also be able to save ALOT for 3 years. It's still in the planning stages and is 70/20 being able to happen but there could be light at the end of the tunnel!!

Monday Weigh In - 25.06.12

Monday weigh in....I was a little anxious as I haven't really lost anything for the last few weeks but got on the scales this morning and I was down 3lbs. Whoop Whoop! Really pleased! It just goes to show if you really try you can achieve things! I even went out for dinner on Saturday night for a friends leaving do. We had a BBQ and there was soooo much yummy looking food but I limited myself to 2 small sausages, salad and veggie kebabs. I didn't have any bread or burgers or anything. Then on Sunday we had a roast and my father obviously offered me more and I said no to 2nds both on main and dessert and believe me my Mothers roasts are hard to say no to!

So next week I would hope to see 205lbs on the scale which WHEN I do will be AMAZING I just cant wait to be out of the 200lbs!

So scales...see you in a week!

Fat Secret vs Spark People

At the moment I use a website called FatSecret (www.fatsecret.com) to track all my food and weight loss etc but recently have wanted to change it as have FS for quite awhile and although since really starting it has served me very well I wanted to change to have a fresh start. Alot of people have talked about Spark People (www.sparkpeople.com) so decided to have a look and see what it was like. I have to say although they have alot of good things I am going to stay with Fat Secret.

FAT SECRET

V'S

SPARKPEOPLE

FAT SECRET PROS                                                             SPARKPEOPLE PROS

Very easy to use                                                                                                       Very fun interface

Simple Interface                                                                            Lots of quick information to hand

Give very clear nutritional info                                                                 Quick personal challenges

Iphone app is very good                                                   Quick set goals for weight  loss                  

Can scan barcodes with App                                                                                     App is very funky

Has a huge range of supermarket/restaurant/brand info                       Front page has live feed

Very easy to weigh in and track weight                                                                Can earn rewards

So easy to record food                                                                Tells you what to do and gives you

                                                                                      mini goals to hit your monthly/ yearly target

FAT SECRET CONS                                                                  SPARKPEOPLE CONS

Is a little boring looking                                                                              Hard to track food easily

The site lacks energy                                                                       Lacks in brand names for the UK

Can not personalise it allot                                                                        Way to much advertising

What you see is what you get                                                 Layout is sometimes a little too busy

Seems quite static                                                                                    Can not scan food barcodes

Daily information is not quick to hand                                      Really hard to edit nutrional info

FAT SECRET

V'S

SPARKPEOPLE

For anybody that is thinking of using an app I would highly recommend them. It is such a good way to track what you are eating especially when you are on a calorie controlled diet. It is also a really good way to track your weight. Most sites will show you in a graph or something and it is so good to see the line going down!!

Emotional Eating

Yesterday was such a horrendous day it was ridiculous. I ate so so so so so much and it was such obvious emotional eating. I quite literally stuffed my face all day even though I wasn't hungry and then in the evening Biggy suggested we have fish and chips to cheer our selves up I declined but I did have a curry (reduced fat..like there was any point!) and 2... yes 2 Nann Bread! Needless to say I stood on the scales this morning, just to see, the scales were most defiantly UP! However today I am having a very big cleansing day and having Slim Fast all day. I know it's not that great for you and it is not a solution long term but it will be good for today and tomorrow to get my weight back down. I can honestly say at the moment that I am not hungry in the least. I actually felt like my stomach was going to explode last night because of how much I ate.It is so unhealthy and not a good way to be at all.

The book I read "Just 10lbs" totally explains what kind of an eater you are and how to try and over come it e.g. if  you are stressed, why and how can you solve the issue. Food is never the answer as really it makes things worse as it's another thing for you to worry about and feel guilty about! Anyway as I said yesterday want to focus all my energy on getting fit and healthy for my birthday. I have 2 months to hit my goal, I would say I want to loose another 14lbs which would put me on a total of loosing just over 1.5lbs a week.... I know that that is totally do-able.

So here we go...this weeks aim - loose 1.5lbs

Buying A House ... NOT EASY

Oh the stresses of buying a house... or NOT buying a house as the case may be. Yesterday Biggy and I went to see a house ... it was AMAZING. I honestly fell in love with it so so so much. We currently have problems as we don't have a mortgage yet... its nothing bad but it's because we haven't been in our jobs for very long so we are to much of a risk. Last night after seeing the house we had a long conversation with my parents to see what the other options were. A) They could be guarantors or B) they could take out a mortgage and we in essence rent the house from them. Both situations are a no go. I am totally heartbroken. We have been looking for awhile and have been living with my parents now for a year to enable us to save money, and I am so tired of being in limbo. We can't make new friends as where we are living now isn't where we will buy and we can't join any gyms or anything as we don't know how long we are going to be here for.... I am so so ready to just get our lives started and move forward. We now just have to wait until we pass the 6 month period (currently at 4 months) before we have a chance of getting anything and even then we don't know!






 

Anyway on another note, weighed myself this morning and am 2lbs down to yesterday but cant change my official weigh in as Monday is the recording day and today isn't Monday... however I have eaten so much already today due to being anxious (Emotional Eating)when my parents had the meeting with our Mortgage man and then eating because I am so frustrated I am sure that it will go back up tomorrow. I guess what it does mean is that I can put all my energy into loosing weight. My birthday is in August and my goal is to look damn sexy for it!

Monday Weigh In 18.06.12

So so so gutted. Weigh in and NO CHANGE... I just don't understand it, as yesterday I weighed myself and I was 1 lbs down. And throughout the week it was looking good...then when it actually comes to weighing in ...I am the same as I was last week. This has now been 1 month that I have stayed the same and it is really really frustrating me. I am doing more exercise (I will admit that I am still not totally keeping to me schedule yet) and trying to be healthy but I am obviously doing something wrong.

WALL OF SHAME

Monday: Lots of wine

Tuesday: Didn't do Zumba and had Dominos'

Wednesday:  NA

Thursday: Out for celebration dinner with Biggy, No Zumba

Friday: 2x Chocolate croissant

Saturday: NA

Sunday: NA

Anyway having a really fat day and feeling really down in the dumps.

London Baby....Yeah

Yesterday I went up to London as one of my best friends had a wedding dress fitting. It is so weird me going with my friends for all this wedding stuff. 10 years ago we were talking about the kind of men we would marry and the BIG DAY.... And now it's happening! So bizarre!!!!!

In the past I have not been a huge fan of London. It's so big and busy and sooooo many people. But that's why people like it, for me this time it was better and I can see myself liking it more later but I have a few things to deal with first.

We went to Selfridges after and it was packed with so many a) wealthy people b) fashionable people. I know we were in Selfridges so it's going to have a certain kind of person but it made me feel a bit crap to be honest. This always happens in London, I always feel like such a country bumpkin and feel like I am dressed really shabbily and I also FEEL REALLY REALLY FAT. I think because there always seem to be thin fashionable people around who have the whole London confidence thing going on and although I am confident I always just want to melt into the floor and disappear. I know it's because I am out of my comfort zone and I know not everybody is looking at me and thinking "what an idiot... She is so fat and trying so hard" but that's what I think is going on.... How crazy is that. But I am totally looking at things in a positive manner as in a few months I will be one of those thin fashionable people. Maybe not so much on the rich side of things but defo thinner and better dressed.

So 2 things to take away from London: It has motivated me to keep pushing and keep working...and re-iterates the fact that I want to dress alot better and not buy cheap things (this will be easier once I have lost weight)

On a side note I hope to have a good loss this week. So far everything is on track so just have to make sure I don't go over board on things today!

See you on the flip side for weigh in!!

Resistance Band Work Out

So yesterday I did my resistance band work out and I found this video on YouTube from Spark People. I have never heard of them before but feel that quite alot of people have... anyway I watched the video first to see if it would be any good and it looked ok so thought I would give it ago.... OMG at the time I was thinking this is so easy and it probably isn't doing much... how wrong was I?My muscles are killing me, I can feel my abs, my legs, my arse.. all over... its GREAT!

Tonight Biggy and I are going out for a special dinner which I am really looking forward to. Its a lovely hotel with fantastic food...... LOVE

Support from Loved Ones

Biggy

So obviously when you are overweight and the ones around you aren't.. it's obviously really hard to get them to understand just how important this is to you. Biggy is not overweight in the slightest and I know you will all think I am over exaggerating when I say he doesn't do any sport AT ALL and has does not have an ounce of fat on him as well as a six pack... but its true. I talk ALOT about loosing weight and food and calories, I could quite happily write a book on it and I know it is annoying to him. But sometimes he doesn't get how I really have to be dedicated to this way of life. Last night he asked me if I wanted a Dominos and after we had viewed two of the most horrendous houses I said yes. To be fair he later did say that he would cook something instead but it was too late... I had given in to the fat and it was too late to turn back! (It wasn't really, I just don't have any will power and I knew I was letting myself down). Then I was supposed to rest this morning but as I didn't do my Zumba last night I fitted in my resistance band work out this morning so I can do my Zumba tonight, just before I was about to get up .... (I know what you think I am going to say but no) he asked me to not do my workout and help him take out the rubbish instead. I firmly said No and he got all stroppy with me as though I am just mucking around, it hurt a bit as he has to realise that these workouts are really important to me ...unlike others I really have to work at trying to loose weight.

I feel really bad when I say to him I want to do Zumba in the evening and don't spend time with him even though its just for an hour at the beginning of the evening, I am with him by 7.30pm but I still feel like I am abandoning him. I think it stems from when we were in Hospitality and we literally only got to spend 2 evenings a week together. It's so hard when people put you in front of temptation

 "Baby don't do your workout this evening lets just have a romantic evening together" 

OR 

"Go on just have a little bit more... so you don't like my cooking?!"

OR

"Forget the workout let's have a glass of wine instead"

What do you do????

LOVE Wine ...Tuesday Morning Work Out

OMG, so last night I really needed a glass of wine and ended up having quite alot. We then watched Greys Anatomy which is normally quite emotional but these ones were MEGA emotional (death, premature babies, love, marriage proposals) ... guess what happened... I turned into a blubbering emotional mess and then was texting my friends saying such rubbish.....EMBARRASSING. I hate it when I do that as then I just spend the next day thinking what an idiot I am and my friends must think I am so annoying and a bit of a prat! I do find that at the moment I am always worried what people think of me and that people talk about me behind my back. I think it is because in the beginning of the year I had alot of changes and alot disappointments from people that I thought I was close to, it has actually made me quite insecure in other peoples feelings towards me. 

Anyway

As a counter-affect of all the wine, I did have a very healthy dinner of Turkey breast, leek, mushrooms and pepper all baked together in the oven with lots of yummy herbs. I won't drink again this week apart from on Thursday as Biggy and I are going out for a  special dinner. My drinking is something I really need to get under control, I am not an alcoholic or anything but I do drink alot and I LOVE wine. Biggy and I used to work in hospitality and I think it steams from there as we really did drink a HUGE amount in those days. My problem is that once I have one glass I can have 10, I just want more and more and more....OK I do sound like an alcoholic ....do need to get that under control... I just LOVE wine...

This morning  I did my work out, woke up bright and breezy apart from some very puffy eyes. I did the Bikini Workout but I didn't really enjoy it and found it quite confusing so I think I am going to search for another one. Tonight I am supposed to be doing Zumba but Biggy and I are viewing a house, if I don't do it tonight I will get up early tomorrow do my resistance band workout in the morning and my Zumba in the evening. Determined to get everything in this week... I was looking at my weight chart and on the 14th of June it will have been a month since I got to my lightest weight in May. I am 2lbs heavier now than a month ago so my aim is to loose 2lbs this week and then it will mean that I am at the same weight I was four weeks ago.

Monday Weigh In 11.06.12

So weighed in today.....I have lost 1lbs. Its not great as I gained 2lbs so I really see it as gaining 1lbs. However 1lbs down is still 1lbs down. If I lost 1lbs a week in the whole year I would loose a massive 52lbs which is still really good....POSITIVE THINKING

How ever I am going to do a little wall of shame for myself of REASONS WHY I DIDN'T LOOSE MORE:

Monday- Ate cake

Tuesday - Ate very very cheesy pasta

Wednesday - Ate left over cheesy pasta and pringles

Thursday- Ate chocolate cake and drank alot of wine

Friday - Ate HUGE slice of chocolate cake

Saturday - Ate a Burger King and a chocolate bar

Sunday - Went for lunch and had Battered Mushrooms and Fish and Chips

So it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out why I didn't loose weight. There is nothing to blame it on apart from me, I am in control of the decisions I make and I could have always said NO.

 HOWEVER



We are now back to the normal week and Jubilee celebrations are officially over. I started my morning this morning with the right workout routine and plan to continue for the rest of the week no excuses. Next Monday I want to see a bigger drop and will eat ALOT better (let's face it it's not hard compared to last week)

HAVE A GOOD WEEK PEEPS!

Killer 5k Saturday

So this morning I followed through with my workout routine (yay me) and went for a 5k run! OMG it was so so hard. I am actually doing the Race For Life on July 15th and signed up 15 weeks ago. When I signed up I was being so good and going for runs 3 times a week but then it rained and rained and RAINED and I got out of the habit. But today I did it, it was hard but finished in under 40 minutes. I am really lucky as the route I run is gorgeous, right by the river, and loads of trees and nature. I have 5 more runs I can get in before my Race For Life...it will be fine....!!

On another note, went to see the mortgage man as Biggy and I are buying our first house. The meeting went really well and fingers crossed we should have everything finalised by Monday, which is good as we are viewing a house on Tuesday!

Tomorrow I am doing some yoga in the morning which I'm a little nervous about as have never done yoga before but I downloaded some great apps for my iPhone, hoping it won't be a workout and will be relaxing and totally "Zen"... How much of a prat do I sound, but hey that's what it's all about right!

Also have something to admit. So not looking forward to weigh in on Monday as today we had a Burger King. We were coming back from Southampton and were starving. Biggy really likes them and I liked the idea of them but the idea was a lot tastier than the actual burger. I can't even remember when I last had fast food and it is totally not worth the lbs I will have gained.

Anyway... Have a good Sunday and catch up with you on "Weigh In" day.

Frigging Friday

OMG...what a day. Yet again I didn't make it up in time to do my work out or have a shower. I don't know why but both Biggy and I are knackered. It's not even that I am lazy...last night I did my Zumba (45 minutes) and really pushed myself. My mother even joined in with me for a bit, I want to try and get her to join me twice a week.

I had a really stressful day today as yesterday afternoon I almost broke my work computer...I was soooooooooo worried about it, I had bad dreams and was panicked I was going to be fired but luckily one of the girls in the office worked her magic and fixed it... BIG PHEW. But it meant that the start of the day was one of those days where everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Never mind, it is now 5.30pm and going home time!

This weekend will be a busy one but tonight I have the house to myself as Biggy is working in the bar tonight. I think an early night with the Kardashians and some wine is in order. Tomorrow I will go for a run (5k) and then have to clear out my car for our day trip down to Southampton to see our Mortgage Man, a little scary but exciting at the same time.  On the Sunday we have a family day in Brighton which will be fun.

Anyway going to keep it short and sweet today... need my bed and the Kardashians.

Healthy Ice Lollies - Home Made

So... I have come across this ice lolly recipe which I really want to try out. I love Ice Lollies/ Ice Creams and now we are in the Summer (in the UK it only lasts about 3 days) it is the prime time to eat them. When I was shopping the other day I was looking for ones that weren't so high in calories and the best ones were a Solero (90kcals) or the Skinny Cow (90kcals). I was looking on .... guess where.. that's right Women's Health Magazine website and came across this great article. There are lots of different flavours but these two are probably my favourite, I will try and make them at the weekend!

Pomegranate Swirl

These pleasingly tart frozen treats manage to pack three whole grams of protein into a 50-calorie serving. Plus, yogurt is full of bone-building calcium.

 

8 oz pomegranate juice

1/2 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt

 

Fill two-thirds of each ice-pop mold with pomegranate juice. Add enough yogurt to fill the molds to the top, about 2 tablespoons per mold. Slide a knife or chopstick into each mold and swirl until a pattern forms. Insert sticks and freeze for about 8 hours.

 

Per serving: 50 cal, 1 g fat (0 g sat), 10 g carbs, 15 mg sodium, 0 g fiber, 3 g protein

Blood Orange & Cream

This artisanal spin on the ice-cream-truck classic delivers both fiber and protein, thanks to the fruit-and-dairy combo.

 

1 small blood orange, peeled and segmented

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup 1% milk

 

Cut orange slices lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Boil sugar and water in saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to simmer, add orange pieces, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Combine blood orange–sugar syrup (including orange slices), orange juice, and milk in a bowl. Pour mixture into ice-pop molds, insert sticks, and freeze for about 8 hours.

 

Per serving: 100 cal, 0 g fat, 23 g carbs, 10 mg sodium, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein

Visit: Women's Health - Healthy Lollipops 

Bed Is Such A Warm Place To Be

So after putting together my workout yesterday I was so excited to start this morning bright and early, but do you think I could get out of bed... Could I hell!! Now I am not one of those people that are in a really bad mood in the morning or that needs a coffee before even looking at anyone. I just couldn't get out of bed. I went to bed quite early the night before, we actually got into bed at 8pm and watched Greys Anatomy (Love It!) till 11pm. My alarm goes off at 6am and then I snooze for 15minutes before getting up at 6.20am which should leave me 40 minutes in the morning to do my workouts before my shower and walking out the door at 7.45ish feeling good and AWAKE! It just didn't happen this morning, I even skipped my shower which I hate doing, however once I was up and in the car I actually felt good. This evening I am doing my Zumba so will have to make up for it.

Tonight the other half is cooking and we are having "mushroom risotto with pan-fried seabass fillet", sounds yummy, however without sounding like a spoilt brat a little voice in my head is going...fried, fried FRIED nooooooooooooooooo. Its really hard when you are eating with other people and you want to eat differently. Part of me think a little oil won't hurt but then I know it's all the little things that add up! The other half is really good and cooks regularly for me and always try’s to do something healthy especially when he has no need to, he is so slim and fit, it's unfair!

I weighed myself this morning and my weight has crept up 2lbs which I am not happy about. So I really need to up my game, I think the last week with all the cake eating and sandwiches I am not surprised, but it also means that I have gone up and down 2lbs for the last 4 weeks. I have had reasons why (Weddings, Jubilee, Girls Night) but let's face it there are always reasons why...so really got to get into watching what I eat again. With the exercise combined the change will start to happen faster.... yes?!

Work Out Routine

So I have just put together a work out routine that I want to try for the next 8 weeks. I am heavily relying on Womens Health Magazine website to find the right work outs for me. If you sign up to them you can print out all the work outs or save them to your computer. It is so handy. I am currently using a work out from WHM UK edition that has recently come out over here. I am splitting my work outs to mornings and evenings and the morning workouts can be done inside or outside depending on the weather!

As you can see I have also put some thinspiration pictures on there to make sure I don't ever forget the reasons why I am doing my work out!!

All the workouts use minimal equipment and give you a range of different toning and stretching. I have a set of dumbbells, a kettlebell, resistance bands and a exercise mat. There are loads of routines you can do without having to buy lots of expensive things......

BRING ON THE BURN 

Monday Weigh In

So I was so anxious about weighing in .... All I have done is eat and eat and eat. I even had a dream that I weighed in and I had a 5lbs gain, I was really nervous. I got on the scales and slowly opened my eyes and didn't faint. MY WEIGHT STAYED THE SAME. Now I know the aim is for a loss but after eating so much cake I was really expecting a gain... So I am pleased about that!

I officially weigh in every Monday and always first thing in the morning just before my shower. I try not to get on the scales during the week but most days get on the scales at some point. I have heard such different thoughts on this but for me it's almost a habit and I can see how I am doing in the week!

As long as your doing what makes you successful and healthy that's all that matters!

Khloe Kardashian - Thinspiration

So I defo use Khloe as my Thinspiration. I have only recently got into the phenomenon that is the Kardashians and although I know that so much of it is staged Khloe really stands out for me. She always seems to get lots of stick from the press and so called "fans" for being overweight. I think if you look at her she is actually in fantastic shape. The problem is is that her sisters are really short so next to them she does look alot bigger.... she is 5ft9 an her sisters are around 5ft.

Out of all the sisters I think Khloe has her head screwed on the most. I love that she really concentrates on her husband and still has independence from her family that if she wants to do something then she will do it. Khloe seems quite down to earth and doesn't take any s**t from her family or friends, I find it crazy to think that she is the same age as me.

In fashion sense I do really like her style. I especially like the dress she is wearing in the picture "Thinspiration". Some of her things are a little out there but I am not a fashionista...not yet at least!! I was having a debate with a freind recently about Gok wan v's the Kardashians and she was saying how Gok really helps you dress for your shape and I totally agree but my argument was that you can get lots of inspiration from other things that are around you and recently I have definitely been channelling a Khloe look or at least being influenced by her style!

I have to say, I do totally girl crush on her and could talk about her alot.

Weekend Fun - Overeating

So this weekend is an extra long weekend....party time!!! It has been really fun. So on Friday I went to Oxford to see my friend and we had a very healthy meal but lots of pimms. We also watched Dirty Dancing, OMG, what a film. It was hilarious as we knew all the words to the film and music. The next day we just chilled. It was weird being back in Oxford as my life has moved on so much from my old life!

Sunday we had ANOTHER high tea with some amazing home made cakes made by my mother and we were babysitting my nieces (2 and 5) I think i burnt off all the cake by running around after them so much!!! We were supposed to be having a BBQ in the evening but the weather was so awful we ended up having a Chinese! I have eaten so much I was dreading my weigh in on Monday!!!

I had a friend over for lunch on Monday and cooked a really good meal:

Lightly fried turkey

Sweet pepper stuffed with mashed sweet potato and feta

Green leaf salad

It was so good catching up with my school friend and it is so weird to think we have been friends since we were 11.

In the evening it was back to Oxford for another dinner out, we went I this great Tapas restaurant and the food was delish! My outfit for the night was cute as well and I channelled a little bit of Khloe. The friends we were seeing we haven't seen for awhile and I was complimented on my trimmer figure which was so good to hear as nobody has really said anything to me and I don't feel like I have lost weight although I know I have. But with all this toning workouts I will defo start to be able to see a difference..... I hope......

Today is going to be a pampering day... I will do my workout and some ZUMBA and then will relax and have a inhouse maddi-peddi. I think it's really important to have one day or evening where you concentrate on you. I am not really a girly girl but since starting to work out more I have wanted to take better care of all aspects of ME! I think it makes you be prouder of you and your body so you are always thinking and focusing on what you want to be and become. This journey can't be all hard work otherwise people wouldn't do it!!!!

Friday Fun

TFIF....today is the start of our 4 day weekend! Yay. This morning I started off the day with my work out and really felt powered after. It was surprisingly enjoyable and those planks are getting a little easier, but only a little!! I think I am already noticing a difference however this could just be wishful thinking. But if it makes me feel good that is still a health benefit in my eyes!


I did weigh myself this morning and have gone up 1lbs, however it is not surprising at all as I ate quite alot of cakes yesterday and was not planning on eating anything in the evening to even things out... however I got home to find the table set, a candle lit and red wine poured. So I had a very nice steak and vegetable's last night as well!

Tonight I am kicking off the weekend by visiting one of my best friends in Oxford. My friend is also always trying to loose weight although she really doesn't need to (she cycles everywhere and has killer legs) so it means that we are having a healthy meal tonight. She has just bought Gok Wans new Chinese cooking book... This is our meal:

Starters - Grilled squid

Mains - Sechuan Chicken

Dessert - Brownies and strawberries

Drinks - Pimms and DIET lemonade ( Not part of Gok Wans Book!)

It sounds great, the only trouble is although we both are always trying to loose weight we also both like a drink or five. We used to see each other once a week at least when I lived around the corner so now when we see each other the vino really does flow.

I am staying the night tonight so I won't get the chance to do my routine tomorrow morning, nor do I think I will be in much of a state to do it so want to try and do some Zumba when I get home. Due to the celebrations we are having I will really have to watch my intake as there are BBQ's, cream teas and smoked salmon ahead of me! My official weigh in is Monday so just have to be really good. Like somebody said the easiest way to keep of the lbs is just so say "No thank you" when offered extra servings.