Eugh November, a time of Ill health but (some!) healthy comfort eating!

I have been battling a cold for two weeks now, as well as suffering earache-related headaches. I think I can blame my schizo lifestyle. From Monday to Thursday I tend to eat well (lots of healthy recipes and plenty of water) but come Thursday night it all goes out the window and the hard-partying Claire comes out to play. Cue lots of bacon, chocolate and beer! I'd say if I stuck to the unhealthiness I'd be better off to be honest! I think I'm shocking my body by suddenly changing from Cheetos and cheap cerveza to spinach, lentils and water on a regular basis!! But maybe my body will get used to the food aspect. I definitely need to cut down on the booze though. I have big plans in Barcelona this weekend but after that I'm gonna chill out a little and start focussing on my pre-Xmas healthiness (except for Saturdays obviously!).
Here are three recipes I've been enjoying recently. Personal fave is defo the chilli- shockingly low cal while being both filling and delicious. Also, a tip for the omlette- add bacon, pre-cooked and chopped up, at the end....yummm!! In fact I dont follow this recipe, more just use the ingredients and measurements as a guideline. I dont let the omlette set but, because I have a fear of gooey eggs, rather stir everything to make sure every piece gets equally well cooked. I also substitute cheddar for the parmesan, simply because I'm trying to finish up a block without resorting to cheese toasties!

Lentil and spinach soup:

White chilli

Potato and spinach omlette

What are your Winter warmer recipes

Hellooooo! So I thought I'd recommence with some photos. This is what I've been up to for the last year...

Black widow and Dorothy at my sister's Halloween party.

I took part in a Christmas pantomime in our town. It was fun to get involved in something frivolous and meet some new people. A bitta craic anyway!

Panto cast ready for our secret agents scene

Edel and I as Goldilocks and Red Riding Hood

 I moved back to Northern Spain in January. I'm back at my old school with new faces and I love it.

Co-teachers and mates before a crazy Spain night out!

Can you guess which are the teachers?! Ha!

It's not like this every night, I swear!

My sister came to visit me in June! :)

I'm just back after a Summer spent at home in Ireland as a lady of leisure where I got up to plenty of mischief!

Spent five days in Budapest with my sis in July!! Fantastico! I'll blog in more detail later.

 My Aussie friend Natalie who I met in Spain popped over from London for a few days and we hit the town.

 My cousin got married over August bank holiday weekend. It was so lovely to get all the relatives together!

My cousin Brendan on his wedding day with his Mum's side of the family (that's us!).

My lovely family and I.

 I turned 27 and made quite the weekend of it! I visited mates in Galway to eat, drink and watch amazing movies like Spiceworld...yes really!!- on Friday and then out on the town on the Saturday. We got a rickshaw ride to the pizza place for post-club eating...white jacket and drunk pizza eating=bad combo f.yi!

(Before the pizza!)

Then we all got the bus to my home town for Chinese food,wine and many many shots... and some dancing!

And then, before I knew it, Summer was over and I was back in Spain and back to work...oh and play ;)

I'm back

I've been on a bit of a blogging break, sparked mainly by not having internet for a while but also the fact I had feck all to write about. So after 8 months of neglect I'm gonna try and reclaim my blog. I'm hoping to get a half decent camera soon, at which point I'm sure I'll go blog-crazy. For now, though, here's a quick update!
I'm weighing in at under 11 stone. Though I'm not sure of the exact figure, I do know that I've been fluctuating in and around the 11 mark since January. The main reason for that has been lack of exercise. I moved back to Spain at the end of January and didn't join the gym there- I intended to but was putting it off again and again til it was kinda pointless. So between Christmas and Easter, I lost a couple of lbs, not fat mind you but muscle. However, between April and now I gained a couple and that was definitely not muscle!! I look the same but am really conscious of my arse- the lack of exercise has resulted in it virtually disappearing!
So now I'm home for the Summer and I joined the gym last week. I went four times and am feeling the difference already. Regaining my cardio fitness isn't as hard as I thought it'd be. Don't get me wrong, it's horrible but there's not much difference in my times and stuff.
A big motivation for getting back to the gym, saggy arse aside, is my cousin's upcoming wedding in...12 DAYS!! Healthy food and drink galore as well as 5/6 gym visits per week. I started today with an omlette (with ham, mushroom, pepper, potato and chilli) and juice and will be indulging in some mixed seed ricecakes with peanut butter and a chicken stirfry with brown rice, as well as 2+ litres of water and 40+ minutes of cardio along with some fitness ball and free-weight exercises.
As I said, I returned to Spain in January to my old job but with new people. I couldnt be happier. I have the Summer off but am looking forward to going back in September. I love the job, get along well with my bosses and two of my co-teachers are returning in September so that's nice. My main goal there is to learn some more Spanish. I'm quite rubbish- I have a good ear but I'm lazy as hell and get really embarassed, so that's something I need to work on.
Hmmm what else have I been up to?! Well I visited Amsterdam in November and Budapest earlier this month. In Spain, I visted Barcelona, Logrono and Haro as well as returning to Bilbao, Madrid and San Sebastian. I also finally visited the closest city to me, Vitoria- people were always shocked when I told them I'd only ever passed through, especially as it's like 20minutes away! Oops! :D When I go back I want to visit the North-West as well as revisiting the South.
In the meantime, it's Dark Knight Rises on Saturday, wedding the following Saturday, my birthday the week of the 18th, then a weekend in Galway, a night in Sligo and then back to Spain to apartment hunt and enjoy a local fiesta before returning to work!

The Christmas countdown begins and my diet is ever-improving!

So 9 weeks to Christmas eh?! Cue hysteria! I'm still unemployed so Christmas is total panic-stations with money! Luckily I don't have many presents to buy but the social aspect doesn't come cheap. It really doesn't help that two weeks beforehand I'm going to Holland for 5 days to visit my sister who's studying there! Do NOT have a clue how I'll do this. I've a grand total of €60 saved! Oh well- I'll do it somehow, I'm sure!

I've also got a Christmas panto to look forward to (in January for some reason)! I was badgered into auditioning for a singing part but really nervous about the thought of singing solo, though I love singing at home and when I'm drunk! I think it's a little different to the karaoke I'm used to from my Korea days! So while it'll be exciting if I get the part, it'll also reduce me to a nervous wreck! I'm enjoying being involved regardless!
As far as health goes, I have another cold this week! >:( I've a huge appetite when I'm sick and I comfort-eat like a mo-fo! I was under the illusion that exercising while ill was, ahem, ill-advised! :P However, a spot of googling has informed me this is not strictly true so I'll be hitting up the gym later and then making Jamie Oliver's Chicken Madras (with a few adaptions, such as adding potatoes- LOVE a spicy curry with potatoes)! This will probably be followed by an Aero mousse (new addiction and around 100calories each) or two!!
9 weeks to my deadline for the 10stone mark. I doubt I'll be there but just gonna keep plodding on. The goal-setting is really just to keep myself in the mindset. End goal is still 9stone 12 or maybe 10 but once I'm around 10 stone I'll be chuffed to bits. As it is I'm doing well. I'm getting into size 10s (sometimes).

The pictures are from a HILARIOUS Friday night out a couple of weeks back. I'm wearing a size 10 dress from ASOS with an ASOS belt that in hindsight did not fit right! Such a fun night- they were playing 'back in the day' tracks. The highlight was undoubtedly Eiffell 65 'Blue Dabadee'! Hilarity!
Also, hit up Hop House, Parnell St, Dublin last week and had some mad good Korean food and booze with a friend from my Korea days! Soju and Hite! Eating Korean again after making MAJOR diet changes was such a revelation. I was at the height of my unhealthiness back in Korea and I missed out on so much yummy food because I was ridiculously picky. That was why my weight just ballooned- 90% of the time I ate the Western food that was available which was mainly fried or cheesy or both!
I'm still a fussy eater but I've come so far- I'm much more adventurous with food now and I'm really pleased with myself for that. I spent a year in Korea and the smell alone of kimchi put me off. Last week I ignored that and tried it. I can't say I loved it but it was ok and I ate bits of it throughout the meal just because! Major progress!
I'm now at a stage where I'm introducing new foods to my diet all the time. For example, a year ago I hated onions in any shape or form and now I use onion in my cooking almost daily! I've a long way to go to being a true foodie but I cook more and am waaay more open to trying things. I'm not always overly concerned with the calorie content of foods because, I think, the true path to healthy-eating lies in variety and openness and that's what I'm striving for! Onwards and upwards! I know I'm a healthy weight now and goal is inevitable whether it be sooner or later. For now I'm embracing new, ever-expanding varied diet!

Diet Myths debunked

 I found an interesting piece on diet/fitness myths on Livestrong. To read it click here.

A to Z

A. Age: 26
B. Bed size: double
C. Chore you dislike: anything involving grease
D. Dogs: nope
E. Essential start to your day: something healthy
F. Favorite color: Purple
G. Gold or silver: both
H. Height: just a little under 5'6
I. Instruments you play(ed): I learned bits and pieces but never got any good at them and lost patience
J. Job title: currently none!
K. Kids: None
L. Live: West of Ireland
M. Mothers name: Helen
N. Nicknames: none that have stuck long term
O. Overnight hospital stays: Yeah- twice- when I'd my tonsils out and when the stitches burst a week later (was horrible)
P. Pet peeves: People who don't say please thank you or excuse me- simple words that are just common courtesy!
Q. Quote from a movie: none spring to mind.
R. Righty or lefty: Right
S. Siblings: 5 sisters
T. Time you wake up: usually 11pm-ish- gotta love not workin!
U. Underwear: I love french knickers and boy shorts. t-shirt/ plunge/ lace bras
V. Vegetables you don’t like: lettuce, turnip, parsnip and some other ones. I tend to like veg people like to cook eaten raw- eg raw carrots, raw mushrooms, raw broccoli. Think that's why I eat most my veg stirfried so it's just barely cooked.
W.What makes you run late: my total lack of organisation!
X. X-rays you’ve had: my broken front tooth and my busted ankle
Y. Yummy food you make: salt/chilli chicken, spag bol, butter chicken, chicken madras- yeah I like chicken-ha
Z. Zoo animal favorites: meh, dunno. elephants and monkeys are quite cool. havent been to a zoo in yeeeeeeears!

Moving the right way :)

Finn.x

Last weigh-in, on Thursday, I weighed 10stone11lbs! Woooo!!! Since then, however, I've been fairly relaxed about my healthy-eating and I'm away all week minding Finn which means I can't hit the gym and also means I will inevitably eat badly! Case in point= the last two nights I've had really bad indigestion which I attribute to white bread- which I dont even particulary like! So lets just see what the next weigh-in brings. Ten stone by Christmas- gonna aim for 9stone 12 but 2lbs out is acceptable! Ha! You always hear that the last stone is the hardest but think I've been doing really well of late (excluding the last couple of days obviously). Think I can do it?!!

Cheeeese

Hi hi! Weight/ fitness updates continue..

So I'm still firmly at 71kg. Not too pissed at that cos I know it takes a bit of a jolt to get stuff moving. I had a good week. I went to the gym 6 days out of the 7- Mon= cardio and legs, Tues= cardio and arms, Wed=cardio, Thurs= cardio, legs, Fri= cardio, arms, Sat= cardio. Also did various Swiss balls excercises throughout. I didnt restrict my food too much, though I was eating 'gym-aware' so had lots of protein, fresh veg and 'good carbs'. Sunday was a total BLOWOUT though! I've eaten pizza, Chinese, crisps, cake, jaffa cakes, Super Noodles, a big cookie and drank copious amounts of wine. :O
Normal services shall be resumed tomorrow!! I think I'm gonna get a bit strict on the food this week- wholesome dinners and  fuel for the day! Problem is the half-jar of Nutella in the cupboard! :(

September- where I'm at

I'm baaaack!!
Hi all! So here we go- time for an update! The weather is miserable out there but I'm taking it as a positive.... all these dark days mean it's coming up to Halloween aaaand.... Christmas!! So after the Summer that never was, I'm looking forward to Christmas and it's only mid- September!! Haha!! But, with Christmas, comes my goal weight.... or so I hope. Under 10 stone or broke dudes!!

Sooo... my weight at the moment is 11stone 2lbs. I've re-joined the gym and am gonna go hell for leather on that front, hopefully!! I'm pretty happy with how my body is looking most of the time but I'm jiggling more than I should be after my gym hiatus! I'm really enjoying cooking at the moment. I'm not bothering with calorie counting for the moment. I may get more strict with food in a couple of weeks but, for now I'm just gonna work on getting my fitness back and eating fairly healthy foods and then get tough with the diet side of things as needs be. I tend to eat better when I'm working out anyway, generally.

Photos show the reason for the lack of weight-loss!! Haha!! Pints through straws, Chinese takeaways and Italian food- gotta love Milano though!!
The starry dress and green velvet jacket from the first pic are oooold Primark. I've used a hair doughnut for the updo with a pearl bracelet wrapped around- shame you cant see but it looked very cute!
The polka-dot dress is also Primark. It's my mates and she bought it months ago!! Love it! My leather jacket is a hand-me down. The red striped top is, surprise surprise, Primark!! Pink sunnies too! Nail polish is Collection 2000 Hot Looks in 'Button Moon'.
I've been helping out with the five year olds at my local primary school and researching primary teaching postgrads here in Ireland. I'll have an interview in January. If I dont get a course I'm just going to do another English teaching course and continue the TEFL route.
So, yeah life is good. I hope to be updating my blog again soon with weightloss updates and maybe some recipes. We'll see what happens! ;)

Jane Russell Looking for Trouble

Love it! Love her! RIP Jane.

I suck on many fronts

I have totally been neglecting the ole blog- though, to be fair, I don't have much to report. I haven't been working out and my weight has plateaued at the 11stone mark. I haven't been trying at all and my only concern has been maintainance. But now it's time to get back to normal. I'm starting some fitness classes next week and going to start cooking good meals again! I want the last 16lbs gone by Christmas! I'd say Halloween but that may be a tad optimistic!




Aside from the weight update, I've been busy minding Finn- I went to Scotland for a week with him and his parents in July and this week and for the next two weeks I'm in Dublin playing nanny since his mum just went back to work. I also had friends visit from the US and UK for a mini Korea reunion so we did a lot of drinking that week!

Til next time peeps!

Red

Decided to go red. I loved being blonde but was too much upkeep and far too damaging. Some people can work the roots thing but, for me, it looked ungroomed or scuzzy or something. And my colour in daylight was kind of off. I missed having shiny hair too!

The red will fade like a mother but at least the roots will be less upkeep. I love it! I was apprehensive because I kept hearing/reading that everyone's going red and I'd hate to fall in with the trendy peeps but then I realised that, at least where I live, it isn't THAT popular. And besides, if I can work it then who cares?! So, yes, I like!

Body-wise, I've working on my stomach and loving the results. It's getting much more toned looking and I'm getting rid of the love handles! I've also started working on my arse as it seems to be slowly disappearing into a saggy/flat mess! :( So I've been encorporating bum exercises into my workouts-lunges with weights and squats with a fitness ball against a wall while holding weights. Buns of steel shall be mine!!! Weight is hovering around 11stone 1 or 2. I amn't so pushed now that I'm NO LONGER OVERWEIGHT! I'm focusing more on how I look and getting toned.

I miss checking out everyone's blogs! Throw me a comment or two guys!

So close

I now weigh 11stone 1 lb!! That's 13lb to goal! That's no longer overweight! I am now a healthy weight!! So pleased with myself!
So I've decided that goal is no longer 10stone 4lbs. I'm going to aim for 9stone 12lbs by my birthday in August. Bring it on! :D

Quickie

(Primark dress. I paid 15 euro a few weeks ago. It's now selling for 7! Grrr!)
I have been on antibiotics for the last week and ill for 4 days before that so it's been 2 weeks since I set foot in the gym. I'm away for a few days so will probably be Tuesday before I get back into my routine. Weight is the same if not a few lbs up. I have been eating like a mo-fo to make up for feeling like crap!
It's less than a month to my Irish exams and I'm screwed. There is so much to do!!
Loving my new apartment. So warm and cosy. Really missing the internet though! I miss blogging! I'm going to try and get photo up more often and get some proper blogs going again!
(Yes I'm aware there's a toilet behind. We thought it was funny. I'm trying to show off my hair but you can't see my lazy updo- I used a hair doughnut.)(This dress is really cute. Don't have a proper pic. I borrowed it from a friend. I love stripes!)

Been doing 'Take Me Out' nights at a local nightclub recently- so much fun and loadsa free drink! Nice!
Finn was christened at Easter. Was a great day. I loved my A-Wear dress. Such a cool colour! :D
(Me and the ladies of the family! I look like I need to pee! Could prob have found a better pic but computer is slooooow at uploading so can't be bothered.)

Ok so all updated! Talk soon!! x

11stone4lb

I have a stone to go!
No longer have internet at home so updates have been few and far between. My bad!
My nephew Finn's Christening was on Sunday and it was a lovely day. I reached my weight target (albeit at top end).
I'm still size 12-14. I'm feeling good and looking forward to getting the next 14lbs off and reassessing my weight/fitness goals as needs be. Hoping that will happen by my birthday in August. It seems like a lot of time but I'm not rushing things. I've definitely realised that forming sustainable habits is more important than reaching dramatic weight targets. That said- I've lost almost 3stone and 3 dress sizes since last Summer which is no mean feat!
With longterm weightloss in mind, I'm not being very strict on myself when it comes to food but just trying to keep the bad stuff to a reasonable volume. That's where I wanted to be all along- to have a lifestyle in which Iwould be just as likely to eat something healthy as unhealthy. I genuinely enjoy healthy food now- almost as much as the yummy unhealthy stuff!
Gym is going well on the days I get there! For example, yesterday I hadnt been in a week so I did 2 hours and a half hours between warm up/ cool-down, fitness ball, an hour of cardio and an hour of weights and then went for an hour-long walk afterwards. Then did an hour of cardio today. Will get there tomorrow for 2 hours and then will be off for the weekend's shenanigans and unhealthiness! Probably back on track Tuesday! That's the usual pattern anyway! As with the food, I really enjoy working out. Some days I can't be bothered but once I go I get red and sweaty and really challenge myself and ignore the pervy lads who like to look at my arse while I'm doing my cardio!
Anyway, there's your update! I have loads of photos coming when I get a chance. Promise!!
Bye for now!

I miss the internet

So we moved house! Yay! Our new place is pretty and homely. Problem is- no tv and no internet! :( It really sucks! To be fair, though I should be glad to have less distractions when it's a week til my Irish Oral Exam. Unfortunately, age has not improved my motivation or inclination to study. I'm not too worried though because I remember quite a bit, vocab-wise, so just need to review grammar and learn some phrases. It's less than 3 weeks till Finn's christening so I need to get a little more strict on what I'm eating. I'd originally aimed to be at 11stone-ish by then but that's just not happening! I don't mind though as I'm still seeing progress in the mirror! I lost a pound last week so will try to be good this week and hopefully lose another couple before Easter. Oh and food of the week- raspberry smoothies with peanut butter. Yum!

I had a very naughty weekend

Weighing myself tomorrow and hoping for a loss. However, after a fairly angelic week, my weekend was terrible. Lots of treats and alcohol! Trying to back to normal from today until the weekend rolls around again. We're moving house on Friday so hopefully I will be too busy for over-eating.
And now for a lot of photos:
Saturday night:

We went for a drive to the beach on Sunday but it was cold so we didnt go down walking. My maxi dress is Primark and I'd been wearing it the night before. For night I wore it with wedges, denim jacket (Primark), gold bangles (Forever 21), pewter clutch (primark I think) and a skinny belt (primark). The next day I wore with orange gladiatior sandals (primark), gold aviators(primark) and an orange cardi (Dunnes Stores).

The purple earrings are from a market in Spain.I love this dress. It's a hand-me-down from Dunnes Stores. My sister lost weight and it didnt fit her properly anymore. Lucky me!
I can really notice the weight loss recently. I have a collarbone and my legs are noticeably thinner! Yay!
MUFE HD foundation, lipstick is Maybelline Color Sensational in Midnight Plum, eyes are 88 matt palette and Guerlain Bronze Dore 481 quad, and I'm wearing Benefit Coralista blush.

We had quite the sing-along!
I'm wearing clothes. I just pulled my straps down for the picture! Haha!