What Have I Been Eating Lately?

Lately, my eating has been weird. Weird in a trial and error way. I'm trying to find what foods trigger certain stomach problems and so I am trying to be more mindful of what I eat and the effects of it. I can't really spot any patterns yet, since it's just early days. But I definitely want to figure it out over the summer months. Over the weekend I ate slightly more than usual. Towards the end of last week especially I've been struggling to get up, which means I am eating later in the day. For me that's not a good thing. I like to eat early. So that's my goal for this week get up earlier.

For those wondering what earlier is! It's 9am. Lately, I've been getting up around 11 am and it's zapping me energy wise. Don't know how that works? But the earlier I get the up, usually means the better I'll feel. Any ways, the point is that it's has a knock on effect with my food and not in a good way.

Now I feel like I'm babbling on, so here's what I've been eating:

Porridge with Nutella

Tea!

New Obsession. 

New Night tTme Favourite.

Wholewheat Crackers with Cottage Cheese.

Boiled Eggs with Black Pepper and Ketchup.

HoneyNut Crunchy Cereal with Sunflower Seeds and Milk.

Quorn Sausages, A roll with light cheddar, mushrooms and red onions with Ketchup.

Sunday Dinner: Beef Mince Meat Fajitas with all the toppings.

Happy WAIW : D

Hopefully my eating and sleeping form some kind of pattern now I'm no longer studying at Uni!

Happy Wednesday Everyone : D

Friend Makin Monday #12

Thanks to Kenlie for hosting : D

Summer Fun

1. What is your favourite summer fruit?

That's hard because I love fruit, especially in the summer. But I would probably have to say berries. Strawberries and Blackberries mostly. I got a punnet of both the other day, and the blackberries were huge and definitely a favourite.

2. Do you know how to swim?

Yes : D I love to go swimming. I was going regularly a few months a go and then deadlines happened. But I'll definitely be going in the summer months. 

3. Do you prefer sun or snow?

I am definitely a Sun person full stop. Although I have nothing against the snow as long as it comes in the winter months only! Not March like it did this year.

4.   What temperature do you like most inside your home? 

I have no idea! But at the moment there's no heating on in our house.

5. Is it humid where you live?

I'm in the UK so unfortunately not! But as I write this post the sun is shining : D

6. What is your favourite food to put on the grill?

There's so many, Chicken, Kebabs, Beef Burgers, Veggies... you get the idea. I like a bbq!

7. Do you prefer to wear a one-piece  or two-piece swim suit?

I prefer a two-piece, unless I am actually going swimming (so anything doesn't unloosen when it shouldn't). I don't know one pieces just look freaky on me. My bodies better broken up I guess.

8. What is your favourite summer drink?

Lager/Beer/Cider... There are many and surprisingly all alcoholic. My sober drink of choice would be orange juice. I love the stuff but the sugar hurts the roof of my mouth to keep drinking it on a regular basis.

9. Do you prefer the pool or the ocean? 

I love both. I guess I just like being in the water. It makes me feel light and alive!

10. What are you looking forward to most over the summer?

Paris for a week is most definitely going to be a highlight, but I'm sure there will be loads to post about all the way through summer!

Great questions!

Have a happy Monday : D

Marvellous In My Bank Holiday Monday

The weekend was chilled out, relaxing and a little sun was there to be enjoyed. For the first time all year I left the house with bare legs, no tights or leggings underneath my dress! It was glorious not be cold or shivering even though both my arms and legs were bare.

One of my favourite things to do is read in the sun : D Oh and drink alcohol. And that's exactly what I did yesterday. After finishing Uni for another year, it was time to dust off the books on my shelve that have been gathering dust for three semesters and see what I wanted to read first. I chose a book called 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett. It now has a movie but it's been on my "to read" shelve for so long, and I have a rule if I have brought the book I don't want to watch the movie until I have read it.

I have really got into this book and I only have 70+ pages left. I would definitely recommend this book if you haven't read it already. 

Thanks to Katie for hosting : D

Beautiful weather also meant being able to play cards in the sun, enjoy a beer (or two : D), and eat dinner outside.

The sun really does make everything feel better. I just hope it's here to stay for a while, especially since next Tuesday will be my birthday! A BBQ outside would be lovely to have.

On Friday a copy of this film was purchased.

We went to watch it when it first came out at the cinema back in January was it? Maybe February? Jeez, the months are really flying by. Any ways, it was brilliant the first time I watched it and it was brilliant when I watched it again over the weekend. Not only am I a fan of Quentin Tarantino, but it has a great story, a great cast and great humour that switches up the serious plot line. 

So that was my weekend in a nutshell (the highlights), and now on to a new week with hopefully more highlights!

Has anyone else read 'The Help'? What did you think?

And...

Has anyone seen the film adaptation? 

A Weighty Subject

As I am getting ready to go home for Summer I am struggling with all the things I want to get out of my Summer weight loss and fitness wise (improving). I haven't done a weight update in weeks, and when I weighed in this morning I saw 10.1 stone (and three quarters) flash before me. Which considering it's that time of the month and I haven't been eating my cleanest, it was amazing I lost anything at all let alone I didn't gain. So I've accepted the number on the scale for this week and I'm moving forward into a new week. Moving forward means last week has gone and is staying in the past. Where it should be.

But my thoughts this entire week have been going back and forth. How's Summer going to go? What about if it's not successful?  And all the rest of it. It's just pessimistic questions that I can't even answer for another few months, right? So, why am I letting them bother me?

This I have many answers for...

It's happened in the past. I've had high goals for summer, and I've actually ended up back peddling!

My outlook on life is to think about the worst thing that can happen first. Something that I've been improving on in recent months with the aid of therapy. It's a safety technique I developed in my early teens. That way whatever happens will be far better than previously imagined.

I have never trusted the process before. Something which I am getting better at.

The list could go on and on but you get the general idea. It's only until recently that my weight loss way of thinking has switched. When I was younger it was all about losing the most weight I could and being the skinniest I could. But I feel this year weight loss has taken a different turn mentally and physically, and it's time to put it into practice. To go for it and know if I fail I can always try again.







You get the idea.

Try, try again and if that doesn't work try some more. Journeys aren't meant to be a walk in the park. They are meant to challenge you, challenge your outlook  So, you come through the other side a better you, a you who you are proud of.

For me it's no longer about how much weight I can lose. It's about improving my fitness each day, each week and watching that side of me grow stronger. I want to be strong, not thin. I believe that that strength lies within me and that like any muscle in my body if I train and strengthen it it will grow. I was thinking about how much weight do I want to lose, and that's when I realised for me that although I want to maintain a certain weight, it's not the bee all and end all. That there's more to it. I'm 5ft7/5ft8 and I currently weight 10.1 (+0.75). And that number is fine with me. But to get the body I want I must maintain my current effort and then some. I need to exercise regularly, something that has made an appearance in my life every now and then  but never on a continuous basis. Something which I hope to have changed by the end of the year, but saying that I need to live in the now and focus on the coming week and stop worrying about the future.

I am still going to strive to make my diet as balanced with goodness as possible, but I don't want to become obsessed or annoyed if I have a "bad" day. Bad days are going to happen, but as long as the good outweigh the bad everything should balance out naturally.


I think this is what I'm aiming for and trying to say.



I'm finally doing it and "wanting" to do it the healthy way. It's took me months to lose 15 pounds so far but I want to make sure those pounds stay off. Like many I find maintenance harder than losing, which is why I am not trying to pay it too much attention. Or even refer to it as "maintenance". I'm just living the life I love, and that's enough for me.





Does anybody else struggle to "maintain"?

What's the part you struggle with the most when it comes to maintenance?

Have a great bank holiday weekend!

What I've Been Eating Lately

Lately, I've been trying to cook big batched meals and then live off them. That way I get lots of veg into my diet without too much thinking about it or hassle. But I've also been quite snacky s lately. So there's been lots of that : D

Thanks to Jenn Our Host : D

Here we go!

Pasta Sauce, Wholewheat Pasta, Red Onion and Mushrooms + Cheese.

Granary Toast + Crunchy PB

Jalfrezi Curry, Mixed Peppers, Red Onion, Mushrooms, Chicken + Poppadoms.

Chilli: Lean Steak Mince Meat, Mixed Peppers, Mushrooms, Red Onion, Jacket Potato + Cheese.

Jacket Pot + Baked Beans + Cheese + Light Mayo.

Friday Night Treat!

Anybody Else try this? I'm not a fan of the chocolate Ice Cream Side.

Strawberries + Praline Milk Choc.

Snack: Red and Green Grapes.

Toast + Margarine + Boiled Eggs + Ketchup.

Wholewheat Crackers + Light Cottage Cheese.

Nutella + Banana + Strawberries.

Late Night Snack: Pistachios + Milk.

Banana.

Anyone else feeling snacky lately?

Has anyone else tried the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream? What did you think?

Happy Wednesday Folks :D

Friend Makin Monday #11

Thanks to Kenlie Our Host : D

Getting To Know You (Me :D)

1.  Have you ever been skinny dipping?

No, but I like to swim. Although I'm not completely avert to the idea of swimming naked. The opportunity just has never cropped up ; D

2.  If you could choose an exotic vacation destination today, where would you go?

Italy, somewhere, anywhere, I'm not fussed!

3. Do you prefer to live in the city or the suburbs? 

Where I live at Uni is definitely a smaller town than what I am used to back home. But I'd say it's a pretty good size. Although I like both : D

4. If you could paint, draw or illustrate any masterpiece in the world, what would it be?

I'm a writer not an artist so my masterpiece would have to be a novel. But I'd set it in France so I could describe all the wonderful architecture and culture the country has to offer.

5. What is your favourite dish to cook when you’re cooking for one?

Wraps, both chicken or mince meat with all the different toppings. Salsa is  a favourite!

6. Who has recently influenced you in a spectacular way? 

Hmm... I'm not sure of the answer to this?!

7. Have you ever considered dating a person who’s younger than you?  If so, how young would you go?

I'm with Kenlie, it completely depends on the guy, but I tend to gravitate to men older than me.

8. What do you typically wear when you’re at home with no plans to go out? 

That ones easy. Pyjamas, a hoodie, no bra, scraped back messy hair and no make up!

9. Do you prefer a shower or a bath? 

I usually take showers. I love baths, but because I'm quite tall baths are always awkward for me and always hurt my neck because of the position I have to lie in.

10. When you meet strangers are you outgoing or more introverted?

It depends on how comfortable I am with the person. I'm definitely always friendly and smiley though.

That was a great bunch of questions again.

Happy Monday : D

Marvelous Because It's Monday

Can't believe we are more than half way through May! This week is hopefully going to be more relaxed than last weeks, but still productive. I find I get bored of the holidays quite quickly if I haven't got a schedule. But this year I'm trying to keep myself productive and busy. Which is why I sort of have a general plan for the week, and I will have a general plan going into each work. Structure is a tool I always use and each time I thrive. It's powerful and almost always gets to me to the place I want to go. Whether that's weight goals or academic goals, I use it for everything.

Thanks to Katie as always for being our host : D

Another use of my time has been used spending hours on Pinterest. Just coming up with random ideas for a tattoo that I want to get this Summer. Heres a few things I want to take inspiration from.

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These are just some that I've come across over the weekend and re-pinned. Don't know what the final outcome will be yet but I have a month or so to decide.

Me and my house mates, plus a few people from their course went out late Thursday night to a club. I knew what I was going to wear. A new playsuit sadly unpictured, but I couldn't decide on a nail polish so I chose 2. This is what I ended up with!

After Thursday night at the club and then a birthday meal out with one of my friends Friday lunch time, it's fair to say I was cream crackered and spent Saturday and Sunday doing nothing too straining. And I'm still really tired. 

Hopefully I'm revived throughout the week!

Happy Monday : D

Now What?

Now that I have officially finished my second year I have time. And it's solely up to me on how I choose to spend that time. I am someone who is a big fan of timetables and schedules. Schedules were made for me! I am a big fan and without them lethargy just sets in.

So to keep lethargy at bay I have decided to once a week (maybe Saturday or Sunday), to make a general plan of my week. This will include a general outline of all the things I want to work on over Summer.

And they go as follows:

1. Exercise.

Exercise is something I want to focus on over summer. I want to improve my fitness and set mini goals to hit and achieve every week. I have realised from previous attempts in the past, that I am someone who thrives off mini goals set frequently, rather than a goal set to be achieved three months from now.

2. Cooking and Baking.

Savoury and Sweet. Over Summer I want to try making new things, and with all the free time I'm using it as a    good chance to experiment : D So there will definitely be posts focused on the recipes I try out each week.

3. Dissertation.

Over Summer I wont be completely doing no work as I am going to start getting research done for my dissertation ready for the next Uni year. Every week I hope to allocate a couple hours to it (not including re-reading certain books I need).

4. Researching Internships and looking into Jobs for next year.

5. Finding casual work to do over Summer.

At the moment this is the general outline of things I want to focus my time on! I'm sure if I think of any more they will get added to the list.

So here's my plan for next week:

Monday: Do Three Times + Yoga Zone.



Tuesday: Beginner Workout x3.



Wednesday: Jillian Michaels Six Week Abs (Level 1) + Yoga Zone.

Thursday: Get Healthy Week 1.



Friday: A Jillian Michaels Dvd.

Saturday and Sunday: One Rest Day/Other Own Weights Workout.

So that's the general idea of my plan for the week. Short workouts I can fit around all the socialising : D