Plans

Where I'm at:
September:

Ok, so it's a bad picture but even with that you can see I have a belly, regardless of the angle.

November:I'm def getting more waist definition and less belly. SLOWLY getting there!

(Excuse the visible bra. Turns out I don't have many plain black bras. Silly pink ribbons! )

** First outfit is from New Look in size 16 but could have benefit from some Spanx-esque support!
** Second outfit: Top (14), jacket (14) and jewellry are Primark. Skirt (with belt) is from ASOS (16).

So yesterday and today I lowered my calorie intake significantly. Tomorrow will be a soup and smoothie day. May do it for Thursday too if I'm not too hungry.

I had put on a pound but I've lost it and am back at 12.12. I've decided I need to stop weighing myself so often and from now on it'll be on Mondays only. The next few Mondays are important!

Christmas kicks off for me on Saturday 18th when I'll visit my sexy bitch friend Charlene in Galway, two hours away. A night of hijinks will ensue no doubt seeing as that is the unofficial night of the 12 pubs of Christmas.

(The 12 pubs is a popular kick-off of the festivities. It's a big, messy pub crawl with rules. One drink per bar in a certain time frame with a certain amount of loo breaks and so on. Dirty Irish alcos, eh?! I don't know that I fully approve because I know me with 12 drinks and it ain't pretty but each to their own!)

Anyway, so I'm working towards Christmas size 14 and it will have to be achieved by the 18th which, as of now ( 2.40am 24th Nov), gives me 25 days. I don't know how many lbs this will take but if I can be losing 2 a week, I'll be well pleased!

Aaaaaand plateau

Time to go hardcore. Haven't lost anything in the last couple of weeks. I need to address this straight away. So pissed off! So I need to step up the gym, cut calories and cut down on the treats. I want to be in size 14 for Christmas.

Don't go changin'

Oh dear! I've been talking with lots of different people and been around a lot of people trying to lose weight. I have also become aware that a lot of people are out to prove things with their weight loss. I would like to think I'm losing the pounds because it will help ME in the long run, not impress other people. I let myself slide down the slippery slope; ignoring how big I was getting, burying my head in the sand and thinking that if I 'OWN' it, then it's fine (even if I was secretly deeeeeeeeeeeply unhappy). So now, every so often, I look in the mirror and feel good! I'm regaining control of my body. It is a JOURNEY and not an easy one but there is no need to be a dick just because you're on track.

I know a girl who has lost a lot of weight- who never even had MUCH to lose- and is seemingly determined to draw attention to how different she is now; not physically but in her lifestyle. It makes me sad because she seemed very much an 'OWN IT' type of girl. I get that you're proud of yourself but there's more to a person than their dress size.

Weightloss is only one part of your life but because weight and body image are so important to women it can really effect other aspects of life. I'm lucky because my housemate has joined Unislim so is very much on the wagon and we can talk about shared excitement when we drop a few pounds and are very supportive of each other. It's nice to cut through the bullshit and be honest. Weightloss is as simple as eat less, excercise more. There's no need to be a total psycho about it. It's not easy but it shouldnt rule your life either.

Pump IRON

I look good eh?!

So eating wise things are not quite ideal. But, on the other hand, exercise is going well. I've been at the gym 6 out of the last 7 days! Some days are more productive than others and I havent been swimming in weeks (which I miss but it's too cold and miserable to walk home from the gym with wet hair). Still, though, things are generally going well. I'm mixing cardio and weights and lots of stretching and messing around on the ball and with dumbbells. I also have the 15/20 minute walk to and from the gym which is usually brink because it's rainy as helllll these days!

It's less than 6 weeks to Chrstmas now so I really need to get back in the game. Diet is key!! When Kate Moss was quoted as saying "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." there was uproar with people saying she was encouraging anorexia etc.. Well, whatever about that, she has a point. You aren't going to look how you want to and eat all in sight. Balance is the key.

I'm struggling with my late evening snacking. I haven't even eaten anything too bad all week but I'm eating too much at night. I really want to get to goal by Summer and I won't if I don't kick my ass in gear! As it is, I definitely won't hit my Christmas goal. :( So that spells the end of my generous late night snacking.

That being said, I WILL still treat myself if I really want it but I DEFINITELY need to start questioning whether I do want it.

On that note, check out Suzi Storm's tips. I love her no bullshit attitude!

Feelin goooood

Weightloss is going well, though I weigh myself more than I should (at least twice a week). On Wednesday I had put on a pound but I lost it and another by today. So another pound down! :)

I only made it to the gym twice this week and probably won't make it Sunday so will only be 3 times and I have been aiming for 5. I'm not bothered though really. Going for quality over quantity and my two workouts this week have been great- sweaty and long and varied. (Haha that sounds really pervy!)

Also not beating myself up over diet. As long as I'm not overeating or existing on junk, I think it's healthier to eat plenty and not deprive myself and have a couple of unhealthy or calorific snacks if I really want them. I know what I'm like and if I went cold turkey on all the 'bad' foods, I'd end up binging and falling off the wagon or else I'd reach goal and then treat myself by pigging out and resuming bad habits. It makes a lot more sense to me to maintain an 80% success rate from week to week. As long as I'm losing weight, I'm doing something right!

Primark/ Penney's accessories

I'm really poor but can't resist the occassional trip to Penney's. I picked up a cute bag, €9

a little charm necklace €2 and so tackily cute!

and three cheap and cheerful rings. Loving the ironic cheap accessories like the floral knuckleduster €3 (the black patches are from my camera or computer)

and the oversized silver ring. €3

They'll be a fun contrast with my usual style of pencil skirts and streamlined shapes for nights out. This cameo is really cute too. I don't like to wear much jewellry so a statement ring is cute and simple.€3

I also got some kinda ugly boots to keep my feet warm and dry.

€8

Can't believe it's November

I've lost 3lbs more! I am now 12.13! Yay! Under 13 stone now and striving for 12ish by Christmas.
Gym is going really well. Back on track and I'm feeling great. I'm doing less cardio and more weights. A personal trainer I know (not MY personal trainer- I'm not that swank) advised me that high reps of low weights would do a lot better for me at this stage. Cardio after a few months kind of plateaus. So for the last two weeks I've been doing less cardio and doing it with weights when I do.
I'm still cheating a bit diet wise but I'm eating mostly healthy stuff. I'm allowing myself hangover days and treats though and having a takeaway once a week- swap the fried rice for boiled though. Saturday nights are for drinking still but it does seem that my resistance has gone down so it's hard to get the right balance between sober and hammered.
Keeping a food diary is hugely helpful. I'm addicted to peppermint tea at the moment and having something to drink helps me from eating myself out of house and home! Eat lots of protein and drink lots of water peeps!!

Pictures are from Halloween obviously!! I was a living doll!