Style Re-Vamp

So I am getting quite excited as next weekend (9th) I am having a wardrobe re-vamp! Whoop whoop. I am meeting with one of my best friends and we are hitting the shops to give me a re-vamp. As we all know I am so tired of all my clothes and am desperate to change my style...instead of waiting for 6 months when I have lost all the weight I want I am having a mini revamp now. I am only buying 10 items or so but they will be core items that I am happy in. All of them will be from cheap-ish shops so I don't panic when they become to big. I have asked my friend to come along as that way she can advise me and stop me from buying clothes that are my old style or don't really suit me. The aim will be to buy things that will go with all the other items so I can literally put anything on and feel good and look good. I would rather have just 10 times in my whole wardrobe but love each one of them than have 30-40 (like I do now) and feel like I have nothing to wear. My first job will be to start going through my wardrobe and having another sort out, charity shops here I come! The shops we will be hitting will be places like:

Matalan  www.matalan.co.uk

I actually really love this shop. It's a bit like a treasure trove, sometimes you go in and you don't find that much and other times I just want to buy the whole shop. I think they do quite a smart preppy look and are always following the catwalk which is good for me! The other thing I like is that they do their normal line and then a  Et-Vous line which is slightly more expensive but really nice. The one bad thing is that they don't do my shoe size (8) in store which is a right pain as they do quite nice shoes!

H&M http://www.hm.com/gb/

I really like H&M, compared to the rest of the high street I think they do really good basics that are fashionable, bright and fresh. My burgundy pumps were from H&M and I am totally in love with them. The one thing I would say is that you do have to have a route around as some things are a little wacky but in general I love it, cheap prices, good quality and good image. The one negative thing is that they don't do my trouser size (at the moment) although I am a size 16 now their 16 is too small for me. 

New Look  http://www.newlook.com/

Now I think New Look have their ups and downs. sometimes I go in and I think everything looks a bit crap and has a bit of a teenage style but other times ( like at the moment) you can go in and find lots of things. My new skinny jeans are from there and they are my new favorite item, especially as they come with a fantastic price tag! They have some really nice jumpers in their at the moment as well as some great little shoes I want to buy. I also find that New Look cater for all different shapes and sizes which is good for me however the quality isn't always the best. I bought a long black dress from them a week or so ago and already the stitching is coming out... it was £15 though so what can you expect.

WeighIn, Disney, Update

Omg...what a long long day...So I got up at 3am and didn't get home until 12.15am! Crazy! I was actually fine for most of the day it was only when I got in the car on the way back and my legs decided to start to cramp up did I start to feel the pain of it all! Disney was really fun and it was a great day with my god-daughter BUT omg it snowed all day. I totally wasn't expecting that so my nice new ballet shoes got taken off once they had got a soaking and were replaced by a pair of Mickey Mouse Wellies (Disneyland up £35, Street Cred down 35!) It snowed all day, luckily it wasn't settling but it was constant and quite thick! Food wise I was ok yesterday apart from not drinking enough water and the massive 4 cheese pizza I ate in the evening. To be honest I was quite full after half of it and would have happily left it but I wasn't paying for the meal and I was dammed if I was going to waste a £20 pizza so I did eat it all. The thing I had in my favor was that we did do alot of walking yesterday so I am sure I had burnt off alot of calories during the day!

I did manage to do a quick weigh in at 3am yesterday and saw 195lbs I am pleased with it but am not taking it 100% due to my old style scales. I have done a lot of looking and am sure I am no longer bang on 14stone and I am 99% sure it says 195lbs. Either way I have had a loss this week and that's all that matters! I't think don't think I will truly be able to say until I have lost 3-4 lbs and am away from the Big numbers written on the scale.

In regards to a photo of my jazzy outfit yesterday I just didn't have time to take one but I have put together a nice little outfit for today. You can see how my shoes are looking a little bit battered but still look cute. Normally with skinnies I would wear these brown-mid calf boots that I have but I have just realised that actually they are really ugly and really don't suit me.I actually have quite short legs and because they are the chunkiest part of me wearing the mid-calf boots don't help as they make me look shorter and dumpier. Anyway I took few photos of my outfit today - what do you think? Can't wait to buy a new wardrobe in a few weeks and really think about what I am buying. This outfit took me about 30 minutes and lots of changes to actually decide on!!! I am wearing blue skinnies, a blue striped shirt, with navy cardigan and of course burgandy  ballet pumps. Figure wise it's nice to see my backside is getting smaller but still want to work on the lower part of my stomach (pouch area)...I am doing exercises for that in the gym but as we all know results don't happen over night! 

Trip to Disneland

I am going to Disneyland on Monday for my god-daughters birthday! I am looking forward to it but OMG... it is going to be a LONG day as I am literally going just for the day. I have a taxi coming to pick me up form my home at 3.30am....yes that's right..3.30am to take me to London to St Pancreases so I can get the 5.30am train. I want to arrive at 4.30 as I need to print my tickets etc...anyway then I arrive in Paris and have to get the metro to Disneyland. I have to admit that I am quite nervous about doing this all by myself as all though I used to speak quite good french I have forgotten it all!!! Then will follow a fab day in Disneyland dinner and then me rushing back to Gare Du Nord to get the last Eurostar back...I am petrified that I am going to miss the train and be stuck in Paris for the night!!! I won't be back in the UK until around 10.30 and then Biggy is coming to pick me up from London. #Love

I have been thinking about to wear for the day as although I want to look on trend enough not to embarrass myself on the french rue's  I also need to wear something that is suitable for all day running around after a very excited 6 year old!  So I had a little look around the shops today and have put my outifit together.. I am going to be starting with some lovely burgundy pumps that I found in H&M and matching it with some black straight leg jeans I already have. I was then thinking about what to wear on top as the weather at the moment is freezing but I know we will be going in and out of places so don't want to wrap up too much. So I found this really nice simple vneck t-shirt also in a burgundy which I am going to wear under a already purchased long sleeve cream jumper that is slightly see through so you will be able to see the burgundy t-shirt underneath. I am going to finish it all off with some gold accessorise....I have this great gold chunky necklace that sits perfectly on my collarbone and will wear just some simple gold studs. Then a nice big winter coat and I will be ready to go! Now just to wake up at 3am and get ready!

30 Things About Me

Oh my goodness...I think this is actually going to be quite hard to do...but here it goes:

1) I am 5ft 7

2) I have been described as Posh but I don't actually think I am

3) I absolutely love the era of Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Munroe etc for films

4) I would love to be one of those sexy Italian or Spanish women

5) I love the fact that I have curves (even though I am working on making the curves smaller)

6) I have been appalling with money in the past and it is only since being with Biggy that I have got under control

7) I love shopping and find it very hard to go for 2 weeks without buying something

8) I have a brother that I don't get on with very well as much as I try

9) Before I went to Venezuela for a month I was very Pro Britain and didn't realise the joy other cultures can bring

10) I have never had a British boyfriend

11) I LOVE Latin music and can think I can dance Salsa, Merengue, Bachata and shake my booty to Reggeaton

 

12) I have a tattoo which I had done at the age of 16 - it was supposed to be a 5yr tattoo but hasn't gone in the slightest

13) I over think about things far to much and then worry about them

14) I have two sides one who is super confident and nothing can harm me and the other side that is not confident and worries what other people think. The super confident side always wins.

15) I never wore skirts or dresses as an adult until I was 26

16) I have some grey hair

17) I worked in hospitality as a career for about 2 years and had the best time of my life until I realised that the career was impossible

18) I am very self assured and know that I will have a good life with all the materialistic things I want

19) I am quite materialistic(!) but not in a showy way

 

20) I believe I have quite a good sense of humour

21) As I lose weight I become more and more into fashion

22) I believe that you can change who you are and am not afraid to do it

23) I have to stop myself correcting people who don't put T's on the end of the word or say "ache" instead of "H"

24) I don't like time wasters or people that dither

25) I am a traditional Leo and will be very protective and loyal if you are a friend

24) I have been let down by "friends" so much right up until 5 months ago and now will no longer stand for it

25) I am very quick to make decisions and follow through with them and don't like to hang about

26) I am not good at being told I am wrong or being given advice that I don't initially agree with but will consider it in my own time and if I agree will admit that I was wrong

27) I am actually quite shy but won't show it

28) I can never decide on what to wear and have cancelled a night out because I don't feel good in anything I wear.

29)I would love to be a chic housewife who is the ultimate hostess in a giant house

30) Blogging has allowed me for the first time to successfully lose weight and keep it off

Sneaky Peak

 Morning everybody! I am in a very good mood today. I just seem to be really in control and in the zone at the moment which is a really nice feeling! I had a sneaky peak at the scales this morning and think I am in to the 13 stone range if just... it's hard to tell exactly as I am still using my old scales as I refuse to use the WW ones...but it means that it's hard to see the lbs sign clearly when you are around a stone mark as the numbers are so big. Let's just say I'm the 13 stone side of the numbers 14 on the scale! 

I went to the gym on Monday and Tuesday and had a really good workout... to the extent that I was actually really enjoying it! I have been doing 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer followed by some core toning exercises. I am loving the fact that at the moment I am enjoying the gym and enjoying the workout. It makes such a difference compared to dreading going! I am pushing myself harder at the moment as well, the last few weeks when I had been doing the elliptical I was sweating but wasn't to out of breath by the end  of it. I was doing 30 mins on level 5/6 and am now doing level 9/10 and doing 45/40 minutes...I am definitely sweating more and am out of breath a lot more by the end of it!   

Food wise I have done really well over the last 2 days...when I put in my stats onto MFP I said that I wanted to lose 1.5lbs a week so it put me onto a calorie limit of 1330 a day... I was fine with this until I watched "Supersize v's Superskinny" last night (love it) Dr Christian was talking to this guy who ate on average 1300 calories a day and the Dr said how that it was the same amount as a 6 year old boy... so I decided to up my calorie limit to 1500 a day which should allow me to lose just over a 1lb a week. Also had a bit of an empowering moment today ... I  picked up some Ryvita to go with my lunch and loved the fact that I could look at all the packets and straight away compare calories. It made me feel a lot more in control rather than just hoping they will be low in points. It was a very good feeling! 

Also I am thinking of shaking up my blog a little...traditionally this has been a blog about weight loss and I want to continue that theme but I also want to include a bit more about the other passions in my life and talk more in general about me (how narcissistic does that sound!) I think it's very easy to let weight loss consume you and I know it is a topic I talk about alot to my friends. It's almost like I have replaced a food addiction to a weight loss addiction! So be prepared to find out more about me....

Big Announcement

I was talking to one of my colleagues yesterday who is a WW follower, she is a gold member and still sub-consciously thinks about points and adds them all up in her head... we we were talking about WW and I asked "Do you think you will do WW forever?" and this got me to thinking.. .I really like WW and have been doing it properly... I lost 10lbs with it and although I have gone up and down a few lbs in January and February that was because of over eating rather than WW not working....BUT I realised that in the big scale of things (ironic) I am no further ahead of understanding food than I was previously. I realised that WW and the points system although does work and shows you how some foods are better than others for you due to how they are broken down and used by the body... if I was abandoned in a foreign city I would  have no idea about food by looking at the packaging and trying to figure out the points... basically what I am trying to say is that in the long run and "forever" style of things I think it is better to count calories and fats etc rather than working to the points system. I lost 16lbs by counting calories and today I am alot more educated and dedicated than I was at the beginning of this journey. So I came to the decision to cancel my WW membership and return to the popular "My Fitness Pal". I think in the every day situations ...FOR ME... it is going to be more feasible. 

At the moment when I go shopping although I try and plan in advance what we are eating and try to work out points or at least estimate them I never work out points on the spot ..this is mainly because I don't want to get my calculator out and do all the workings out in the middle of a shop... by counting calories and recording all the other health aspects you already have that information straight to hand and so I won't end up making uneducated decisions. Also at the weekend I hardly ever record points... something that is my own fault granted... but mainly because of the hassle of having to work out points there and then. My Fitness Pal does also have a few other benefits .. it's free for a start and although I only paid £12 a month to WW £12 is still £12. On the app the best thing is the bar code scanner which works amazingly well and is something I did really miss on the WW app. I was just doing WW on line and can get all the same support and information that I got from WW from  MFP. The other thing that I really really do like weather it is true or not is that at the end of the day you "Complete" the entry..once you have pressed the button it then come up saying "If every day was like today you would weigh ---lbs in 5 weeks" and this really keeps me motivated or kicks my arse into gear...

I know that I can always return to WW if I want to but I want to see how I go with MFP... exciting times.... 

Monday WI: 18.02.13

Ok so back to 196... all good apart form the fact that this is now the 8th week that I have been going up and down and haven't got any further than 196lbs. Never mind... moving on and moving on to better things. Currently feeling really good and really in control. On Saturday I went to the gym and did a hefty workout of 60mins on the cross trainer where I burnt over 900kcals and did over 9k. Then followed this up by doing lots of toning exercises mainly focusing on my core....which is now killing me (no pain no gain!!) Sunday was a glorious day and so instead of going to the gym I went out for a brisk 30 minute walk in the sunshine. 

I will admit I had a small disaster yesterday but have realised my mistake and won't be making it again... Biggy asked me to make a cake. Which I did but I have a love of raw cake mixture (given to me by my family when allowing me to lick out the bowl and in the past would make a 1 egg cake mix and then just eat the whole thing raw...) anyway I made a very nice cake, I made the mistake of ignoring the good voice in my head shouting at me saying it wasn't worth it and think of WI tomorrow and instead ate a couple of spoonfuls.. I soon regretted it however as within 5 minutes I was feeling a bit ill as could feel the heavy raw cake mixture starting to expand in my stomach ...I had also baked bread which was a bit stupid as I didn't really want to eat it just wanted to bake something... anyway I cooked it and when I thought it was cooked sliced some off to give it a go .. I saw it was looking a bit stodgy inside but tried it anyway.. it was nice but hadn't cooked properly all the way thorough. I still ate the slice wedge I had cut and so then had added slightly under cooked bread to the mix of raw cake mixture that was already sitting heavily in my stomach. The worse thing is that Biggy and I were having a roast that evening and I knew that at the time of eating all the stupid food. So when it came to the roast I wasn't hungry but didn't want to not eat as that was our evening meal together. Instead  I did have the smallest slice of chicken and just veg with no potatoes or parsnips. Anyway the lesson for me is to really think about the value of food I am going to eat and to try and avoid situations where I am going to be tempted. 

I know I say this every week but I am really confident that this week I will break the 14 stone barrier and get into the 13 stone bracket... I have planned all my meals for the week and so far there is nothing that can throw me off my plan. I am going to the gym 4 times this week and am actually looking forward to it..and am drinking my prune juice (obsessed with it)...My focus for this week is going to be self love through eating healthy and respecting my body internally (how much of an idiot do I sound!) 

Where Is Everybody?

I have noticed over the past week that the blogging world seems fairly quiet at the moment... not that many people are posting or and don't seem to be around much...?! Where is everyone? Can anyone recommended any other good blogs for me to start following? Have a good weekend everybody... mine will be mainly spent in the gym after our 4 course Valentines meal last night!