And the training starts again..

Hello! I know its been a while!

So I am back running and gyming it again and I already feel so much better and now it doesn't feel as much of a struggle to get my bum out of the door in the morning. I always feel great for going out.

I did the Gunpowder plod 5k! It was in 32mins 25secs.
I tried really hard so I am proud of that as it is a PB for me (plus the course was FULL of people which made it insanely hard to get past people since they let us go all at once rather in blocks of estimated finish time, but hey ho).

My weight is staying around 9st 10lb-11lb. Not great. I am hoping that the exercise will bring it down and the increased healthy eating will also help! I would like to lose some pounds for Christmas!

I have updated my Jillian Michaels' collection so have another 3 of her amazing DVDs arriving soon!

I have been thinking, I have always thought it would be brill to have awesome abs and all that but I don't know again its something my head wants but my body isn't really sure about that one!

Uni work is taking off at the mo, I have 2 essays and a dissertation proposal to do in the next 3 weeks plus doing just under full time work at my current placement. So I am feeling a little O_O. No motivation what.so.ever.

Commitment issues with food and weight loss

First of all I have stopped the vegan pledge, after just under 2 weeks of being vegan. I found myself stepping into old habits with food, such as eating crisps and biscuits that were vegan, mainly for the sake that they were vegan..I very rarely eat crisps or biscuits!
So yeah, stopped that and now I am back to plain old veggi. I say plain old but I have been veggie for so long that I am comfortable with what food I can cook that is healthy and yummy. I usually like planning my meals and looking for new interesting thing but with degree work and the lark my motivation has suffered with just about most things.

I have been thinking over the last few days about my stuggle to get under the 9st 7lb/8lb mark (133/134lb). I have come to the conclusion that 9st 7lb has been my dream weight since I can remember. I remember being 13st and dreaming about that weight, how I'd look and what clothes size I would be. Now I am here I am still getting used to the smaller me, the smaller tummy the thinner but muscley thighs. One thing I never dreamed about was the ability to be able to run for a whole 13.1 miles (current best of 2 hours 23 mins ;] ). So yeah I am currently needing that little extra motivation to get things back into gear and start losing again. Another 10lb until my BMI is slap bang in the middle of healthy. Now I know BMI is something that I shouldn't really worry about but I feel that I need to lose a little exta, I am not quite where I want to be yet. I know to get there I will need to alter my current eating habits a little.

I have some amazing converse waiting for me when I reach 9st 4lb (130lb), they should be motivation enough but I still have some work to do with my realtionship with food such as reaslising when I am bored rather than actually hungry etc. Drinking water is another thing, I just don't have enough!

In terms of the commitment side of things realtes to me getting past that 9st 7lb. Currently I seem to be able to keep goals up for a short while and then I either get bored of it or just eat too much and think 'Oh well..I will just start again tomorrow..' which I know isn't a good thing.

Running.
What is that again?
I kid. I did do a 5k run in just over 33mins the other day on the tredmil. I am aiming for faster but I did come off that tredmil a little woozy so I think that if I worked any harder I would have fainted. Never a good thing in the middle of the gym. I am doing night shifts next week so that will throw my routine up in the air but you gotta keep on going and manage issues along the way.

I'll update soon on progress and the lark. Hopefully I will get those converse soon! :)

Day 10 of vegan. Things could be better...

I need help!

Since going vegan I haven't lost any weight like I had expected to. In fact I have put a little on...

I know why. I wanted to try making vegan goodies like shortbread and scones to see what the vegan version is like...and yes they are yummy. Not really a good thing.

In my first week I had craving for crisps. I never eat crisps! But I did, I had some Kettle chips. Too many kettle chips if I am honest.

I do feel different...in a bad way. Currently I am buzzing off coffee and I have just come back from the gym so still buzzing from that too (which is why this post makes no sence).

I still want to lose weight, I think I still have around 10lb to go. But nothing really seems to be moving. But then again I read somewhere that you need to keep changing your eating habits as you go. Currently I am eating enough to maintain around 9st 7lb - 9st 10lb. My goal is 8st 10lb - 9st 2lb. I know that to do this I need to cut out the junk and eat for veg, however, when I do this a little bit of junk always leaves me wanting more. Darn additives....The only thing that this doesn't happen with is 70% dark chocolate. Which, by the way is amazing!

So yeah more veg. Less junk.

Started my first 3rd year nursing placement yesterday! Had my first vegan mishap. I asked for a coffee thinking I could have it black then I was given a one with milk...I can't say no to that! So I drank it, mainly to be polite but they know now about my vegan challenge.

Sorry that this has probably made no sence, but any advice or comments would be great! :)

Vegan Pledge Day 4

Day 4! Yey!

Going out for a friends birthday tomorrow so I will need to do a little research tonight to make sure I stick to vegan drinks and I plan to take a vegan pasty with me for those late night munchies, which will hopefully stop me form buying chips and other more fatty, icky things!

I hope that I have lost a little this week, after putting on 1.5lb last week I need to lose that again to remain on track to be 8st 13lb by Christmas!

Off to the gym tomorrow for the first time in ages, planning to do a speedy 5k run and some weights, I've missed the weights!

I had sent my engagement ring off to be re-sized a few days ago and got it back today, now down by 3.5 sizes it fits like a dream and it is soo shiny! Really happy to have it back on the correct finger again!

Today's food...well eaten 195 over. Doesn't sound too bad but I do like to keep to 1600 rather than 1800. Anyway with going out tomorrow I know I'll be going over with the drink I have. Fridays are weigh in days too, but I'll do that after tea and before I head out.

Breakfast
 Bran flakes and banana with soy milk

Snack
2 Small cookies

Lunch
Cous cous with avocado and carrot
apple

Snack
Eat Natural bar and 1 small cookie

Dinner
Linda Mcartney veggi pie with boiled potatoes, carrots and gravy
Green and blacks chocolate (1 row)

What let me down today was the extra calories from cookies and a slightly bigger lunch as I had no salad leaves left but it was yummy and kept me going for a good while!

Vegan Pledge Day 3

A full 3 days :)

Feeling great! I have even reduced my bread intake which I feel good about, although I did have one slice of toast with tea today. Anyway here is how my eats look for today:

Breakfast
Cranberry wheat's and soy milk

Snack
Berry delight nakd bar

Lunch
Salad, with baby leaves, carrot, 1 red pepper, 2 salad onions, 1 small avocado and 5 cherry tomato's. Pear

Snack
2 small home-made vegan cookies and vanilla redbush tea with soy milk

Dinner
Tofu and mushroom stir fry
Still hungry so had a slice of toast and spread.
Alpro soya chocolate pudding and another small vegan cookie.

Snack
Been having crisp cravings so having a bag of sea salt and balsamic vinegar Kettle chips tonight, along with another cup of vanilla red bush tea but without the soy. :)

Total calories today of 1500.


Happy days <3 b="b">

Vegan Pledge Day 2

A little healthier today though there is still work to be done!

First off I must thank the friends at uni for being supportive with my vegan pledge, it makes it so much easier for me so thank you!

I haven't really had any cravings today, apart from wanting a coffee at uni and only having the money to get one out of a machine that does not offer a soy alternative. Boo to that, but tbh it could be worse!

I got the wonderful partner of mine to pick me up some Green and Blacks 70% Dark Chocolate. Yum. I am aware of the tiny bit of milk that may be on the dark chocolate used in the same production line but Green and Blacks do a good job with their cocoa trading so I am willing to bypass that for now.

Got back with my old gym today! There was an offer of a free month of training so how could I resist! Paid £10 instead of £30. Result!

So todays food stuffs.

Breakfast
Branflakes with banana and soy milk

Snack
Cashew Cookie Nakd bar

Lunch
Veggi salad: Baby leaves, carrot, celery, 1/2 green pepper, red chilli, drizzled with lemon juice. YUM...but maybe reduce amount of chilli next time.
Vegan carrot cake from my uni. Amazing!
Orange

Snack
Trail mix (coconut, Brazil nuts, apricot, banana chips etc)

Dinner
Courgette and mushroom Jalfrezi with boiled rice
Rose wine (made sure it was vegan!)
Row and 1/2 of Green and blacks

Sounds like a lot but only 1743 kcal. Enough room for a pear later if I get hungry :)

Going to concentrate on protein and veggi/fruit intake

Protein: Prob not that much
Veg: 5 portions
Fruit: 2 portions (maybe 3 if I have that pear)

Looking forward for tomorrow!

Vegan Pledge Day 1

Well day one is almost over for the vegan pledge and I must say I have rather enjoyed it! My food makes me fuller quicker and I know that I am consuming things with no animal content, just makes me feel good about myself! I do have an issue though things that 'may contain traces of egg/milk', I just don't know what to do about them. I have read about the tiny amounts left behind, even after cleaning and I am not sure what to think about it. 

Anyway here's what I have had today:

Breakfast:
Porridge with half water/soy milk and dried fruit topping with a little agave nectar.

Snack:
Wot No Dairy? yogurt, looks odd but tastes nice!
Carrot

Lunch:
Rye bread (may take a little getting used to) with vegan garlic and herd spread 'cheese' (also make take a while) with some chopped veg.
Apple
Square of vegan milk chocolate (was O.K.)

Snack:
Pecan pie Nakd bar

Dinner:
Portobello mushroom burger with vegan bacon and vegan cheese slice with BBQ sauce (AMAZINGGGGG)
Homemade chips
Alpro soya chocolate dessert (Yummmy)

There may be a snack before bed, not sure what it will be yet though. Looking forward to day 2!

In other news:
Left the big fancy gym, going back to the small one I used to go to. More friendly.
Lacking on the exercise a little, sticking with a few workout DVDs but I need to get up and running again!

Feeling run down

I think it's due to not eating good meals for the past week, I have been feeling tired and unmotivated. I havn't done any exersize in a week, which may have something to do with it. Booked myself into a Spining class tomorrow after uni, just to give me the motivation to do more and get back into training for the 5k in November and another half marathon in Feb.

I have decided to start the Vegan 30 day pledge starting from the 15th, so I will be doing regular updats on how I am feeling and how I am finding the vegan lifestyle.

Lost 4lb on the first week of my fit for Christmas plan, (planning to get to 8st 12lb by 21st Dec) so I earned myself The Hunger Games dvd, it was very good, missed out a fair amount from the book but it was still enjoyable. Been eating too much this last week, or at least too much bad food.

Hopefully things will pick up, right now I'm too tired to think of anything to type.

I'll be back, a happier, healthy me soon.

Yoga and Aquafit

So after the half marathon on the 16th and the three peaks last weekend I thought I would try some light exercise for a change, Yoga and Aquafit.

Yoga

Yoga was very nice, felt very good to stretch and luckily I didn't feel too bad after a bottle of wine and too much food the night before. I didn't feel like breakfast so I chucked a 9bar in my bag and had a cup of green tea before I set off. The class was fairly small, around 6 or 7 people of all abilities, the instructor was also very friendly and brought a nice atmosphere to the group, 9am on a Wednesday morning. We started out with a few basic floor stretches and breathing exercises, and sun salutations before getting into the main workout and this week was focused on the shoulders. I was very nice to have a good stretch after all the running and walking. Some of the postures we did included the Locust, Warrior and Child’s pose (those are the ones I can remember the name of anyway). The session ended with a brief cool down and a few minuets of relaxation. It really was a lovely way to start the day and if I have more Wednesday mornings free I will defiantly be going back!

Next was Aquafit on this cloudy Friday morning.
Something I have wanted to do for ages but never had the courage to go alone.

I almost didn't go this morning, my tummy hurt and I was having a few 'I don't want to get changed in front of other people' moments. Anyway I had a whine to the boyfriend and he said 'Well what else are you going to do? You have to do something else instead' Bah! I was hoping he would let me off but he is now trying to help me lose weight rather than offer me hundreds of biscuits during the day. So anyway I did go in the end, just tried to ignore what was going on in my head and I told myself I would regret it if I didn't go. So on my bike for the 15min ride to the gym. At first there was only myself and another lady waiting for the class, another lady joined during the class so three in total, well, there was plenty of space to move around! At first I felt a bit of a boob jumping about in the pool with these special webbed gloves on that cause more resistance for the arms, mind you they worked! Can't remember the name of them but if I find out, I'll let you know. Halfway into the class we were given long foam tubes to use for some of the moves. All in all it was effective, I felt it working my arms, abs and legs, much more than I thought it would! I really enjoyed my first Aquafit experience and I don't think it will be my last!

I would recommend both these workouts for help with running or if you need lower impact exercises due to injury or joint pain.

Weight wise, I think I am getting back to normal slowly. I weighed myself last night ad I was 136.6lb. I usually weigh in the mornings but I was curious, I haven’t been counting calories, just more aware of what I am eating. I was planning to go to slimming world this Tuesday but I have already made an appointment to give blood, so it will have to wait until next week.

Getting into gear

Booked some clases at the gym this week, I have Yoga tomorrow and Aquafit on Friday morning. Looking forward to both of those, booking into classes also gives me the extra motivation to get out the house and to the gym! :)

Healthy eating is on my mind, and I am slowing getting back to it. But, here I am glass of white wine in hand after also have one and a hald muffins today. Bah. Eating healthier is soo much harder when I have time off, mainly because I don't have anything to do and it is all I can think about, food that is, even when looking at healthy eating options it makes me hungry. Darn. Something I'll have to tackle.

Re-joining Slimming world has crossed my mind, not sure if I could just follow the plan without the added pressure of the weigh-in. That's another £4.95 a week though, not sure if I can afford that at the mo with all the things I should be saving for like the holiday in March and the wedding in a few years time. Eeeek, so grown up!

I am also trying to get my head down this year for uni, with it being my final degree year I really need to push hard if I want a good grade. I am already going over my failed essay from second year and trying to improve it. It is not my favourite module but I know it will be a useful one.

Havn't weighed myself in a while, no doubt I will have put on a little, (136lb I think). It will come down again, I know it will! :D

Sorry that the posts have been a little all over the place! They will get better soon!

2012 is turning out to be an eventful year!

Great North Run completed in 2hours 23mins! I am soo pleased with that, even more so that at times it was so difficult to pass people that I had to drop the pace for a while so I know I have it in me to do better. My next half marathon is on the 17th Feb in Brighton again, a nice flat, less populated route so I am aiming for around 2hours 10mins. Scary, but I know I can do it!

After a week without exercise me and the other half went and did the Yorkshire 3 peaks challenge, a walk of 3 700m mountains in under 12 hours. Despite the huge bogs and sore feet we managed it in 11 hours 50 mins, so chuffed with that and proud of Nick for doing the whole thing :) I'll pop some pics in below.

Weight has crept up a bit since the GNR but that doesn't really bother me, now I can get back to normal healthy eating and start running again slowly. I also plan to get to the gym this week since I have a week off, maybe even a class or two, but nothing too strenuous.

I have signed up for the Gunpowder Plod on the 5th November. A 5k race and firework show in York. It has been a while since I have done a 5k race so some speed work is needed to get to my aim of 30min or under.

Everything  is done for my second year in Nursing. Eeeek! Third year begins soon and I become one of those people I looked up to when I first started Nursing, how scary is that?!

Tent was covered in ice!

Half way up the first peak, Pen-y-ghent

Boggy boots!

Half way point, going towards Whernside, the second peak.

Half way up Ingleborough, the final peak!

Only one mile to go! 23 miles done!

Lovely sunset looking towards Pen-y-ghent

Pushing through the barrier

Once again it has been AGES since my last post, and I apologise for that. So much has happened since the last post! This is where I am now:

• Holiday booked for 23rd March 2013 to Tenerife!
• Great North run is 4 days away, my longest run was 8 miles.
• I am weighed in at 135lb this morning = 9st 8lb a little more then before but I have gained muscle and I am back to working that off.
• Size 10 tops fit me!
• I would say my thighs are looking pretty good these days ;) 

So, holiday, meaning bikini body in 6 months. More then do-able I think. My ideal aim is still 8st 10lb-9st so plenty of time to get there and practise maintenance.

Food wise I seem to be struggling, I joined MFP over a month ago and my daily goal with no exercise is around 1400, low compared to what I am used to but it encourages you to eat back your exercise calories and I have no complaint with that!
I do still struggle with the difference with boredom and hungry when it comes to eating but I guess that just takes practise.

Day off from placement today and I feel so much better, it is amazing what an extra hour in bed can do for you!

I seem to have developed a pain in my left leg/groin area. I have an appointment with the nurse today and hopefully they can give me some advice, no doubt it will include don't run the half marathon, but I can't not do that. I NEED to run the whole thing or at least try my best to!

Rest over.

I have had a bit of a break with recording my eating, and it has resulted in gaining a few pounds. Todays I started using Myfittnesspal, a free service that allows you to track your calories and workout whilst getting support from other members.

5 mile run on Monday in just under an hour, so I am getting quicker, now I just need to up the distance. Got a heart rate monitor today, apparently I burned 380 doing Jillian Michaels ripped in 30 week one. Not bad if I do say so myself! Hopefully this will help in my training :)

Slowly coming back to the real world.

I have been in the new flat for about two weeks. I love it. I have had my mini holiday at Center Parcs, it is lovely there, very relaxing. During that time me and Nick have been out for a few meals for various reasons and as a result I put on about 2-3lb. Never mind though, what is done is done, and I enjoyed doing it. Now I am back to running, gym and Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. I had to stop twice during level 3, I just couldn't breath! Woke up the next morning and it felt like I had been punched in the ribs! Not quite sure how that happened, or what works that area but I felt good and toned the day after, from the tops of my hips down to mid thigh also felt the burn the day after!

The main reason that spurred me to write today was what I had for lunch. Plain old egg sandwich, good, dried apple rings, good, and 2 small avocado cookies, good. But then I am in the house alone so I thought I'd treat myself to monster munch and 4, yes 4, biscuits. My days! Binge much. Feeling bad about it now, and it is something I need to learn control. Nick is out at work and it is like food I don't normally have is now unwatched and nobody will know (I know everyone will know now but at least it might stop it happening again) so, confession over.

One last thing during 2 meals out I opted for the veggi burger and chips (treats for special occasions) but after both of these -in different weeks- I felt lightheaded and sick. Does anyone know what may cause this? They were on white buns and I usually have wholemeal, but apart from that its really just a fattier choice than normal.

All a little crazy

I havn't been good with posting recently, sorry for that. Still getting moved into the new flat and I have been cleaning the old house which has now ended, YEY. Getting into a new routine takes ages for me, I still havn't been for that long run, but I am doing other forms of exercise to keep me going (good thing as well as my eating has been all over the place and I havn't been counting, but that has returned now).

Weight is maintaining, hoping to lose a little more before heading to Center Parcs on Friday. I have been wondering whether to take the plunge and buy a bikini. I don't think I would look terrible in one I just don't really have the body confidence, but then again will I ever?

Moving

I know it has been ages since I posted but I am currently moving house and without Internet at my new flat! I have been to the gym twice in a row, very much needed after all the junk I have eaten in the process of moving! Weight remained stable though PHEW!

Training for the Great North Run will be in full force soon, had a quick speedy run on the treadmill today, next long distance run on Sunday, I think I will aim for around 7-8 miles.

So close!

9st 7lb and 1/4 this morning!! Almost there! We can do this!

Going to pick up THE dress tomorrow.

A question for everyone, what do you do about evening muchies?

Quick update

Got my lovely bursary today, so bought myself some Natural Hemp Protein Powder.

I have been thinking about buying some for a while but didn't know what brand to go for since many of them were really expensive. This one was much cheaper than the rest and it is dairy free unlike many of the others. Oh, and lower in calories. Win! I also treated myself to 2 different protein bars, some vegan mayo and Green Energy Tea. :)

I have really been thinking about going vegan lately, I use soya milk all the time now and vegan marg. The next steps are cheese and ridding the products that contain milk and eggs. I have no worries that I won't get enough nutrients, with flaxseeds, vitamins and fortified foods.

Food wise, well... kinda found out I had 888kcal just at lunch! Ooops. I had stopped calorie counting and started making healthy choices, though it seems that its not really working... Back to the calorie counting tomorrow but with lots of yummy healthy chocies.

Exersize has been good, I have managed something everyday since Monday. A mixture of running, gym and the 30 day shred (on level 2, it is still killing me!)

Hope everything is going well!

Bought this beauty

Size 10. I am currently size 12 on top and 10 on bottom. According to their size guide I'd need to lose around 1.5 inch off my waist.
 I usually don't buy clothes to small as an aim as it usually doesn't work but this dress is AMAZING and it was low in stock. Andddd.... I needed a dress for the other half's graduation,which is in just under 4 weeks.

So I have just under 4 weeks to drop a dress size Until 11th July to be exact. I say that's pretty doable. Lets do it!

On other news I have some new running stuff coming thanks to Nick.  Even more of an excuse to get outside and to the gym more.

My new love.

Well I didn't get the 2lb I was hoping for, it's all down to eating a little much on Saturday/Sunday/Monday. For many reasons, Nick has handed in his final stuff for his degree so I bought a cake to celebrate. Not my best idea. Maybe next time it will be a steak, so I am not tempted to help him eat it!  We also went out for a meal on Monday evening, I had felafel burger. I was soo full. Uncomfortably full. Not good.

I did have a sneaky weigh in on Sunday Morning though after a 6.7 mile run, 9st 6 and 3/4lb!! I was AMAZED! However, I ate a little more than I should have and on Monday morning after breakfast I was back to 9st 10lb. 3lb in 1 day. How?! Id had a little something before my run, yeah it wasn't muesli and tea but really 3lb?!?! I think a closer eye on what I am eating is needed this week!

So my new love, dried fruit. I used to hate it but thanks to graze I have found a new love for them! Graze are amazing, you get healthy snack boxes that are usually £3.49 each but you can get your first one free, or leave a comment and I will email you a code for a free box (yes, that means 2 free boxes!) The boxes can contain this like flapjack, superfoods, seeds, dried fruit, olives (if you like them, I'm not a fan). You can chose different types of boxes too, nibble box - a range of everything, light box - everything is between 50-150kcal and a nutrition box - full of superfoods. I am currently munching on an 'Apple Crumble' box for the light range. Dried apple, sultanas and cinnamon honey almonds. YUM. Best thing? No commitment, you can cancel your boxes at any time (usually weekly deliveries). So give 'em a go :).

So from this, I think dried fruit will certainly be on the weekly shopping list :)

Considering the Vegan Pledge. Being vegan for 30 days. I like a challenge.

Being Healthy

Over the past few days I have been a little too obsessive with my calorie counting. I would complain at myself if it went over 1600 and liked it around 1400. It became more of what food to have within those calories then what nutrients I need.

So my focus will be healthy. It doesn't matter as much if I go over calories occasionally, if it is all stuff that is good for you.

My attitude to exercise needs adjustment too. I love exercise, I love the 'worked out feeling', that is what my focus needs to be rather then it is to burn calories, because that just does not work.

When I think about someone who is losing weight by restricting calories I see lack of energy and motivation. I see disappointment when that 1lb didn't come off after a week of trying so hard.

But with being healthy I see someone who is bright, motivated and energised. That is the person I want to be. If I want to help others as a mental health nurse then I must be healthy. So I stay motivated and energised at work, even during the long shifts. If I want to help people with eating disorders I must be healthy to offer the best advice and help them with the struggles. I will become a good role model.

I will run not just for training for the half marathon but because I enjoy it, enjoy the freedom of running long distances. Then giving my body the right things it needs to recover.

I will eat good foods, so I will reduce the need for a sugar kick, resulting in a sugar low. I will recognise the difference between healthy hunger for weight loss and hunger that needs feeding. Being able to tell the difference between thirst, hunger and boredom too.

Thunder and lightning outside at the moment. I LOVE thunder and lightning.

Monday weigh in

I half expected to have put weight on this week, due to baking cookies and things for the other half. But nope! 9st 9lb, 1lb loss. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Aim for next week: Lets see if I can lose 2lb. I may even put up a sign on the food cupboard door as a gentle remainder to myself.

4 mile run this morning and..dare I say...it felt...nice? easy?

I'd really like to know how long these runs are, I usually forget to look at the clock on my way out. I have been thinking about getting a running watch for some time now. It will need some serious thought and saving but it would be awesome to have one, a little piece of motivation to work that little bit harder on my runs.

New favourite thing: Almond milk. Soo creamy! Only 48kcal for 200ml.

Looking back

Over the past few days I have been thinking back to my old frame of mind when I was 13 stone....

 I had decided that the weight gain was due to being on the pill and although I knew I was eating too much, it never stopped me from doing so. I have always been overweight, even at a young age I weighed more than my friends. I watched countless feel good shows such as Gok Wan's How To Look Good Naked, and other programs telling me that this was who I was and I just have to accept it and learn to love it. I did accept it for a short time but I knew deep down that I really was not happy. Episodes of feeling low due to my weight led me to comfort eating, I'd also eat what my boyfriend eats - he is skinny and can eat junk all the time...grumble. I saw some pictures of myself back in Summer 2010 and I knew I had to do something about it.

It all started when I went to Teesside uni, I bought biscuts and left them on my desk and inevitably much my way through them all. I was a very unsavvy vegetarian and lived on egg fried rice and 9p noodles. Oh yes.. and alcohol...lots of it. I was only there for 3 months (Sept 09 - Nov 09) but I still continued ot pile on the pounds.

I started York uni in October 2010 and after seeing the pictures from that Easter, being top end of 12 stone and 'Obese' I knew I had to do something about my weight. So December that yearI started the Couch to 5k. THE best thing I have ever done. I was determind to do it, my Sister was running half marathons and I wanted to be a runner too. So I bought the gear and set off on my journey. By April 2011 I had lost some weight and I felt thinner, again I was still trying to accept that this was me and I had to live with it. WRONG.

I continued to run longer distances and the weight began to slowly come off. The boy made me a calorie counting app on my phone, so I started to restrict my calories to 1800 and it worked and it was easy! (By this point I was eating meat again). July 2011 I ran my first 10k. There was a lot of walking but I did it. Then in Aug 2011 I ran the Jane Tomlinson 10k and jogged the whole way round, I was so pleased! I was still losing weight but still 'overweight'. I hadn't been the normal weight since my early teens and even then it was only for a few weeks when I dieted. Feb 2012 ran my first half marathon (very much not trained for!) and now I am 9st 10lb, 'normal' weight range for my height. I am so happy and it is taking me a while to realise that I am no where near as big as I was. Even though at times I still feel that way. My goal when I was overweight was to get to 9st 7lb mainly because I had never really seen that weight on the scales! Now I'd like to get to around 8st 10lb-9st as this would put my BMI at around 21-22, a nice healthy number.

So really how have I done this:

• Slowly. Some weight gains but mainly losses.
• Still eating chocolate, pizza, bread, takeaways but less of it
• Counting calories, it's not as complicated as it sounds.
• Increasing running and other exersize.
• Became veggi again in 2012 and having less dairy
• Trying to tell the difference between thirst and hunger and bordum and hunger (hard work)
• Drinking more water during the day
• Remain postive, even in the tough times, reading blogs really helps me.

Coming soon: Timeline in pictures

This morning up and out for a 6 mile run, it has been a while since I completed that distance but it felt goood :) Came back and had a glass of Milo and Almond milk and some brazil nuts.
Later rewarded with a Starbucks Skinny Chia Tea Latte. NOM.

 Weight on Monday was 9st 10lb. Did a cheeky weigh in this morning and it was 9st 8lb WOW. I think I will definatly say I have bypassed the 9st 13lb mark (that I wasn't removing until I was that weight on an evening). As if this is happening. Feeling a little O_O. Not used to seeing single figures on the scale yet!

Small note: trying almond milk for the first time, it is soo tasty! Only 48kcal for 200ml!

Feeling hot hot hot....

Oh.My.Days

It is warm here! It has been 25C inside just about all day, don't get me wrong I love the sunshine, but there is no air, no wind, no breeze. Nothing. Laying on the laminate floor is just about the coolest place to be at the mo. Phew.  However it does give me a change to wear my new size 10, oh yes, shorts :D.

By the way...we got the flat!!! :D Amazing!! Move in next month, I am so excited!

I moved onto level 2 of the 30 day shred last night, despite the heat. At one point she says 'I want you to feel like you are going to die!' and my god...I did. It is a fair step up from level one but I defiantly felt worked out! I have been loathed to exercise the last few days due to the heat and I can not condone going to a gym in this weather. Tomorrow morning though, I am going for a run, quite early so I don't get too warm. I really need to up this running, though now (I am sure I keep saying this) it will be easier to get back into a routine now I am back at uni. I think I might do a sort of lose plan this evening so I can get in some proper training before the Great North Run in September.


Today I tried making vegan muffins, I looked around for a good simple recipe on the web and found this one Basic vegan banana muffins though I must have done something wrong as I seemed to end up with too much flour and the mixture seemed really dry. I added some soy milk and water and popped them in the oven. To be honest I thought they would be really dry and taste awful (I also swapped sugar for sweetener to reduce the calories) but they weren't all that bad, a little dense but I can deal with that. Made some Vegan Chocolate Icing and overall they came to around 130kcal per muffin....so I had two. :)

Not looking bad!

With Icing -YUM

 Eurovision this evening, so cider is in the fridge! It seems to have gone down hill, there is less 'cheese'. I mean a slow, 'moving' isn't really going to get the votes now is it....

Still tracking calories though I have been going over (even above the 2000 mark eek) but my weight has maintained, well it has all been healthy stuff :) But that will be back on track again fairly soon.

All very exciting!

Very exciting last few days! Finished placement yesterday, I will miss it as it was a great experience and really pushed my towards becoming a nurse :).

On the way home I found £10 ek! So I was going to go to new look anyway so off I went... 'Shall I try on a size 10 in jeans and shorts?...I'll take a 12 just in case.'...OMG THEY FITTED! I haven't been able to fit into size 10 since my early teens! Now, I wont really say I am a size 10 until trousers with no stretch fit me, that is when I will really be convinced. But, it is still amazing, I am really starting to see changes in my body, it is brill!

Saw a £5 note when walking home from new look, didn't stop though, I thought that I had enough luck for one day and someone else can have the joy (or the person who lost it may come back and find it, even better!)

This morning went to view a flat, it is the perfect location so I really hoped that it would be nice...and it was. It is perfect for me and Nick. I rang the office to make an appointment this afternoon to put down a holding deposit at 4pm. I am really paranoid that someone will get in earlier as there was someone else looking around it at the same time as us. ARG. I really hope that doesn't happen. Worried much. On the other hand we did see 2 flats in the same building so if that one does go, we have the other for backup.

Weighed myself on Monday morning before breakfast. 9st 11lb. I haven't weighed myself since, I am being good!

Still continuing with the 30 day shred, though it is not getting done everyday due to work and gym etc. It feels much more effective with the hand weights I bought, using 1.5kg at the mo.

I'll update on flat news later. Wish me luck!!

Long days

Hello!

Sorry that it has been a while, last week I started doing long days 7:30am-8:30pm at placement so I could get all my required hours in and I haven't really had the time to do a lot else.

Since my last post..
Well I am on day 9 of the 30 day shred (few days missed due to lack of time/being too tired). I have decided that using two 500ml bottles of water just doesn't do it enough for the strength training, so I bought a set of weights this evening, 2 x 0.5kg, 2 x 1kg and 2 x 1.5kg. I will start off with using the 1kg and see if my little arms can take it. XD

I am drinking more soya milk and much less of cows milk. I went back to normal milk for day and felt ill, the other half says its because human adults are naturally lactose intolerant (he is a meat eater and milk drinker so no bias). I have tried soya a few years ago but couldn't get myself to like it but so far I've tried coconut milk, which was nice, alpro soya vanilla milk, which was amazing, now I am trying Morrisons own sweetened soya.

One of the down sides of losing weight is having to buy new clothes. Don't get me wrong I love buying new stuff but I don't have the money! Treated myself to a new sports bra today, even did the bounce test in the changing room.

I have good almost health food mad! Today (yeah today has been a shopping day) I bought some flaxseeds so I can sprinkle it on food and add it in cooking. It is full of good stuff such as omega-3, Iron, Protein, etc. Picked up some miso from the Chinese supermarket, it is used a lot in the recipes from the vegan books.

I think I may try either having at least one vegan meal a day or having at least 1 day a week vegan, to reduce the intake of saturated fat. I will have more of a think on that one and let you know.

Running again is at a bit of a stand still, but I will be going in the morning for a long-ish run. I am still going to the gym about once a week, this should increase when I get back to uni and have a little more free time (I say that now...) I might even get the chance to go swimming!

Weight loss wise...
I weigh myself far too much. Fact.
But I seem be hovering around the 9st 12lb - 10st mark.
I promise to not weigh myself until Monday morning. From then on Monday will be my weigh in day, more motivation to not overeat on a weekend like I usually do.
I do keep track of calories and I am aiming for around 1800 a day. Sometimes I go over. That's just life. :)

Hope you are all doing well and having a good time doing it! The scenic route of weight loss is a much better way!

OUCH!..Quick update

Day 2 of Jillian Micheal's 30 day shred and I hurt. A lot. My bum and thighs mainly. But hey it must be working!

Went for a run this morning too, only 1 mile due to forgetting to take inhaler out and got wheezy due to the cold. Frick. Then once I got in to get my inhaler, I couldn't be bothered to go back out.

Made nut roast for the first time today :) Very nice indeed!

Ordered 2 vegan cookbooks last night, so hopefully more vegan cooking soon.

Went to a Chinese supermarket today, I was in awe! Such amazing stuff. I got myself some Lipton ice tea instant power YUM and some Milo, a chocolate drink powder that is full of B vitamins! :) I used to have it when I was younger, but tesco stopped selling it a long time ago. Tofu is sooo cheap in there! When I need more I am defiantly going there for my next lot! 

Going good :)

I said that I would update on Thurs but as I am sure you all know, life typically gets in the way.

On Thursday I generally stuck to the plan but with some necessary bits added in. Here's how it went..

Breakfast: Carrot cake porridge. YUM Oh my, sooo amazing. (Porridge sprinkled with grated carrot, cinnamon, sweetener and sultanas.  243 kcal
Snack: Carrot and pepper sticks: 30 kcal
Lunch: Wholemeal Bagel with 2 extra light laughing cow triangles and spinach 265kcal
Snack Pre gym: Apple 45 kcal Post gym: Malt loaf x 2 240kcal
Dinner: Roast Veg and quinoa (very nice!) 250kcal
Snack: Fat free yogurt 100kcal

So adding up at the end of the day it came to 1213kcal in total. Now I want to lost weight but not with this amount of cals! So I set a lower limit of 1500 and a rough max of 1800. I had some crackers and low fat cheese to bring my intake up to 1498.

Yesterday wasn't so healthy since the other half wanted to make cake with some eggs we needed using (and ended up using ALL one and half blocks of butter O_O). I had a small bit but made sure that I at least over estimated calories. But I still stuck to my plan. I won't bore you too much with all the details. I'll do it once or twice a week :)

On the upside I made some Surprise Brownies. YUM. Made with mainly dates (which I am not keen on) and NO SUGAR! So I cut them into 121kcal slices. I will include the recipe on a separate page but they are available on the VegSoc website.

Today is going well, not only did the Wii tell me I am no longer overweight (10st 1). YEY!!!! I started my 30 day challenge this afternoon, with the Jillian Micheal's 30 day shred. AMAZING but hard! It comes in 3 levels and you do the first 10 days level 1 and so on and so forth... Looking forward to a months time to see any difference!

Making Malt loaf today. Will be cutting that into 114kcal slices. I LOVE malt loaf. Good for energy release. 
Home-made pizza for tea tonight. YUMMMM :D

It's my run day tomorrow. I am still to get running during the week but I am still going to the gym. So its not all bad.

Happy Healthy Eating :)

Woman with a plan (run..quick!)

I was on the vegetarian society website the other night and they are currently doing a 7 day meal plan for healthy eating. Find it HERE. I looks really nice! I am adapting a few bit otherwise my shopping this week would have been a little too expensive (currently waiting for tesco delivery. I love getting them..is that sad?).
I have even planned out my breakfast and lunch to attempt to keep me on track, hopefully it will all go well!
Here is what I have planned for tomorrow(and I will let you know if I stick to it!)
Breakfast: Carrot cake porridge - porridge with grated carrot and apple plus sprinkled cinnamon
Snack: Pepper cut into sticks
Lunch: Wholemeal bagel with extra light laughing cow (and possibly spinach)
Snack (Pre gym) : Banana
Dinner: Vegetable Quinoa
Evening snack if needed: Yogurt or some nuts

Sounds pretty good if I'm honest :) I have never tried quinoa, but I have seen some recipes using it, so I think I'll give it a go. If you have used it, and have recipe ideas then please let me know!

I have also got myself some coconut milk to try as a milk alternative. Not because I want to give it milk, but because when I tried becoming vegan in my teens I tried soya, sweetened soya and rice milk and to be honest I was never really fond of any of them, and I like my cereal in the morning! Toast can be too dry at times!

(Shopping arrived)

I love it when the cupboards are full of nice things again!

Right.. so... running....
I need to get back into the habit of going during the week as one long run on a Sunday probably isn't the best thing for my training.

Fitness:
Gym tomorrow :)
I have bought Jillian's 30 day shred, so this will be my next challenge to do it for 30days on the trot. Hopefully with good results since I have put on a pound or two (a weekend of apple crumble followed by a Monday of chocolate fudge cake. Ooops)

Slimming world:
I have decided that it may be time for me to leave, as I feel I may work better with allowing myself small amounts of the good stuff (peanut butter..good for protein) and learning to limit my portion size, something that slimming world doesn't teach you about. So I have gone back to what I was doing before, calorie counting. Not obsessively, just so I am aware of how much is going in and what I am using during the day from exercise.

Overall I am feeling good, much more relaxed with having no job (besides having no money =/) and more confident during my nursing placement. I will post tomorrow to let you know how the plan went.

Planning on making some healthy brownies this week, will try and include pics and recipe when I'm done so watch this space!

Brighter side

It is still all pretty mad at the mo, with my essay due tomorrow and still under half complete and full time placement hours, they are bot taking it out of me. I just can't wait to get this essay handed in so I can chill. Just for a little while. Before making a start on my next one. URG. But I am hoping to get it done by this afternoon/evening so I can chill for the rest of the day, and tomorrow since I booked it off placement incase I didn't get my work done by today. I am also off to the gym tomorrow, mainly because a friend of mine wants to join too so it will get me out, plus, I haven't been in ages!

Went for a run this morning ( I had two portions of crumble yesterday that I needed to run off!), I had a rough idea of a route in my head and as usual I ended up chaning it and making it slightly longer. It was 8.5km (just over 5miles) which was what I thought when id finished. I was hoping for go for 6 miles/10k but I got the good ole runner tummy and had to short cut home. Have any of you had to make shortcuts due pain/discomfort/needing the loo? It usually happens to me on a morning when everything hasn't had time to wake up. Lame. On the brighter side, it was fairly nice weather for running, chilly with a little drizzle of rain. Again, I went out without music, and it was really nice! I almost prefer it to having music as I am more able to concentrate on my breathing and running stride.
On return I treated myself to a huge cooked veggi breakfast, slimming world style. 2 Quorn sausages (1 syn each), mushrooms, eggs and 1 slice of fried bread (done in fry light so all free). 1 Slice of toast, to make up my healthy B and some beans. NOM! Very much full now.

Slimming world on Thursday was good I was officially 10st 2lb! WOOOP! Unfortunatly I don't have much money to buy myself some nice mascara so I'll have to do that later. Did a cheeky little weigh in this morning after my run and before breakfast 9st 12lb OMGOSH! Though it wont feel real until I weight that on an evening after food, but hopefully it wont be long until that is happening.

Centre Parcs July 2012, time away with my lovely fiance! I WILL be bikni ready. I am actually seriously excited! :D

Something I still need to work on this week is my fluid intake. I am not getting enough water in me. I have started to take a 750ml bottle of water to placement and I manage to drink one of those when I am there and have the odd cup of tea but when I get home I just about forget about drinking. I will work on increasing that this week :).

Changing attitudes...

During my run this morning, not only was I thinking about those running the London marathon this morning (you all have my full respect!) I was thinking about attitudes to food. I was feeling a little sluggish after a few days of going a little crazy with food, overeating and over drinking a little too much a lot. Thankfully I haven't put on any weight, phew! But I have spent most of the time feeling bad about eating so much, yes it is great at the time but afterwards I felt terrible. So as many people have said before, if you want an effective machine you need to keep it full of good stuff, if not it will get clogged up and not work as well as it could. Fill it with good stuff and it will run faster and for longer, and it is the same with our bodies. I'll admit on return I had a tiny bit of cake that I had made yesterday, (marble cake, turned out heavy, gutted!) but after a good stretch and shower I had weetabix and banana and a veggie sausage sandwich, nom!

Weighed myself before breakfast and after my run and I was 10st exactly! OMG. I know it won't be that now that I have eaten but it is always nice to know :) maybe I will see 9st 13lb on the scales this week (am more than pm). I shouldn't really be getting on the scales on a morning when my Slimming world is on an evening, because it make me feel as if I have put weight on, when really it's just later in the day so I actually have some food in me.

So my plan for this week is to think more about what I am putting in my mouth and eat SLOWER. I have really bad habit of just eating and not thinking about it and not tasting, just..well..eating.

Another thing I have noticed recently is that I could (probably) go without sweet things but as soon as I have something little I want more! It's bad! I think I will do some more reading on that and see if there is anything that gets me craving more than others. 

4 mile run done this morning in just under an hour, about typical for me since there is a small walk at the start to help me get warmed up. Might go to AquaFit later tonight but I still haven't made up my mind. :)

Slowing calming down :)

PHEW.

It really has been a tough 2 weeks since starting placement.

I am loving my placement so far and I am starting to feel like a proper nurse :) I am growing in confidence and I have a great amount of support not only from my mentor but all the staff there :). I love every shift! However, I do have a lot of uni work to get on with as well which is due in during my placement time, so it makes everything slightly more difficult. I had a HUGE stress about my last essay that was due in for the 16th. As the weekend before it was due I had the organised Yorkshire 3 Peaks walk on Sunday 15th. By the way it was AMAZING! I completed it in 10 hours and 50mins! I met some lovely people and I learnt I am not as unfit as I thought I was :P Only fell over once so I have a nice bruise developing on my arm, but thank god it was mainly mud I fell on and not rock....

But anyway, I managed to get my essay in on time, panic aside.
Unfortunately I had to leave my bar job today as I was getting too many hours and the unpredictable shifts were stressing me out when trying to plan placement. I think that I can manage on my bursary alone, if I need to I can always spend less on food and leave slimming world (it was either that or the gym and I figured that the gym would be better use of £20 a month than slimming world).  I was almost in tears on the phone to my manager but he was very nice and understanding and I am just so happy to finally have that sorted and have more freedom with my nurse training. I am thinking of looking for some volunteering opportunities for caring as this would give me the experience I need, and I love doing it! :)

Weight loss I seem to have hit a plateau. I seem to be sticking at around 10st 6lb. I am eating more junk food, mainly due to the stress and with it been Easter not so long ago, I am still getting through my eggs! I will hopefully be back on track soon and get down to under 10st. I actually can't wait to be into single figure weight! So that's my motivation to keep going.

Here are some pictures from the 3 peaks walk... 

Half way up Pen y ghent

Top of Pen y ghent

Top of Whernside

View of Ingelborough. The Final Peak

Top of Ingelborough. Finally!

Overwhelmed nursing student

It must be one of those days. A mid-week crash. I feel like I have no time for anything so I am going to make a plan, put it on here, and darn well stick to it!! :3
Right so Placement this week is a full 37.5 hours, my part time job is 14 hours (excluding breaks).

This week I need to:

• Pick up running again and keep it regular
• Finish my 1000 word essay and start on my next 3000 word essay
• Get my lazy bum to the gym
• Meet with some old friends
• Keep up with the weight loss

Due to working a late shift tomorrow I am going to end up missing Slimming World. I'm gutted, but I WILL keep it up and I will record my weight on-line. I will be going next Thursday and will hopefully be in the low 10st range.

So tomorrow:

• Run in the morning, before my tesco delivery is due
• Get tesco delivery - put it away
• Go to the bank
• Post some evidence to Student Bursaries - because they are a pain like that
• Get to work for 12:30
• Home for 9pm and chill.

Friday:

• Get to work for 730am
• Home for 4pm
• Do some essay work
• Do some form of exercise (maybe gym on the way home??)

I really need to get more comfortable on the roads with my bike. It would make it soo much easier, and quicker to get around.

Right, I am going to run myself a nice bubble bath and read a good magazine (because I wouldn't mind if it dropped in the bath!)

Sorry for the ramblings today, however I do feel slightly more relaxed. I will update soon.

p.s to myself...I must drink more water!!!

Those darn old cravings.....

They are here.

Every so often I just get this need to eat as much chocolate as humanly possible, and they won't stop until I have filled myself to the point of self loathing and guilt. BAH. I have already had my syns for the day. Probably more than I should be doing at the mo.

GrumbleGrumbleGrumble.

It usually comes on after a meal, as I feel I need something sweet to tell my body that my eating is done for another few hours.

Makes me grumpy too, either way. Don't have sweet food = Grumpy. Have sweet food = Feel grumpy at the fact that I have probably put on weight.

It also doesn't help that I have now started placement, (which is going really well) full time, and still working at a bar on weekends with 2 essays that need to be in this month. I am feeling a little O_O

My plan
I am going to stop taking a fun size amount of chocolate to work with me for after my lunch. So I can save syns, and start telling my body it does not need sweet food. Maybe I'll take an extra piece of fruit with  me.

But for now, I will go make banana and natural yogurt, which is free. I'll see if that helps.

Whinge over.  Thanks for reading! :D

'Easter' Holidays

My BEAUTIFUL Easter eggs!
Yes I have two!
( I WILL wait until Easter to open them!)

I say 'Easter' beacuse my Easter week typically comes before Easter, unlike 'normal' university students who get 5 weeks off at Easter. 5 weeks?! Sheesh!
Anyway, after finding out that I was only working Saturday this week, me and the other half decided to go over to his parents house in Carnforth, while they were away on their hols too. I love split second decisions! So after going to visit my next placement on Monday we went that afternoon and returned this afternoon, so I could make it to Slimming World (commitment ey?).

I honestly thought I would have put weight on this week since from last Thurs til Monday I have been going a little overboard with the 'syns'. These included a pizza hut pizza, which was BURNT! I was not a happy bunny since I rarely have pizza. Ate half of it and threw the rest away and made half a garlic baguette with cheese instead. Anyway that weekend me and the other half made a Chocolate Coca Cola Cake. It was amazing!!! Too nice to not have any after all that effort! On top of all that came the pic'n'mix from Wilkinsons. Again, AMAZING! Then the junk fest ended with another half a pizza on Monday night, since it was 10pm and needed something we could both put in the oven.

PHEW!

So after all that I was feeling pretty bad, it got to the stage where I was weighing myself twice a day to see if I had lost/put on weight. I ended up eating a tonne of veggies aswel so we did not have to carry any food home today.

However...
I did manage to lose 1.5lb at Slimming World! Woop! Bought myself a fancy new Green Plan cook book since it is full of vegetarian recipes that are all free! Yumm! So that's me at 10st 6.5lb. Only 3.5lb away from my 1.5st award!

On the up side of my few days away, we climbed a small mountain in the Lake District called Old Man Connistion. Very pretty! Well worth the climb, also helped me see where I am at in my 'training' for the Yorkshire 3 Peaks. I took some very pretty photo's too! Just a shame that it was soo misty that day.

 Half way up :)

 Half way up - at the Tarn

 The top!!

But the walk did not end there! :)

So after this week of trying out being vegetarian again I have decided to continue it thorugh this week, I just feel so much better in myself. Well...I say vegetarian, this just means I won't be eating MEAT. My Glucosamine supplements are made from shellfish. However I do look forward to more lunches like this....

 

 

Yumyumyum!

 

 

So it's back to normality, and the gym tomorrow. I have a good set of articles ready to start my essay og Leadership in nursing. Placement starts on Monday. I have a feeling this week is going to be a good week!

I wish you all good weeks too in whatever you are doing, be it weight loss, work, or anything else! :D

Too much thinking, not enough working!

Work and Play
I am almost halfway though my nurse training, and I need to get my act together! This is because I just cannot find the motivation to start/continue with the all the essays I have to write, two of which are due in April so I really need to kick my bum into gear if I am going to get a good degree.

My reasons..
Apart from the motivation issue, I just get soo distracted by other things. Like making meal plans or organising my time so it is balanced between my fiance, workouts, nursing (placements and theory) and part time working.

(A little off topic but...I have just seen my the first wasp of spring hitting my window. ARG! Is it that time already?!?)

Maybe if I actually sit down and make a proper plan of my time to include everything I might actually get round to getting some work done! However it is difficult to plan at the moment due to my bar work as I only find out what I am working during the week on the Monday. A little pain when it comes to trying to plan...anything. I usually only work some Wednesday evenings and Saturdays (can be all day!) but I can be put down for any evening. I am just scared of changing my availability in case my boss gets mad. Yes I am a wuss. This WILL change. Soon. Hopefully. It needs to be done if my stress levels are going to remain anywhere near normal. :)

Going Veggi...again
Yupp, it's that time of year again :P, haha! My reasons for giving up last time (some time last year) I started to get dizzy, possibly due to iron levels? I had my blood taken (but of course by the time this happened I had started eating meat again to be on the safe side) and it came back fine. So my iron level will be something to pay attention to this time round. I only plan to try it for a week, to see if it makes any difference to my weight loss at slimming world. I am doing a meal planner, so I don't buy what I don't need and so I make sure I good a good varied diet!

Slimming world
Lost 1 lb! YEY! I honestly didn't expect to lose any, in fact just before I went my Wii Fit told me I weighed the same as last week. The cheek of it! Anyway I am VERY pleased! That takes me to 10st 8lb! I am REALLY amazed! I also got my Club 10 award at slimming world (lost 10% of my body weight). New target of 9st 7lb. 9st 7lb?!?! It's a dream!! But an achievable one ;).

Exercise
I have had my gym induction this week, so I am clued up on how to use the weights! I even have my own weights plan for when I go to the gym. I am excited to see the results of this in a few weeks time! This week I have also done more zumba which I love! I'd like to go swimming sometime soon, just need to buy a new costume. The uni is on its Easter break at the mo for 5 weeks, (not for us nursing students tho! Our WEEK is next week) when they all come back I am thinking about joining Pole Exercise. I would love to try it, I just still don' have the nerve!

Oh.My.Gosh
I am very very very possibly going to see Bill Bailey in May. BILL BAILEY!!! I may have to restrain myself from wanting to get out of my seat and stroke him :P.


...that wasp is bothering my window again.....it's HUGE

A new challenge

As of yesterday evening I have given myself a challenge to drink at least 2L of water each day. I did the weekly food shop yesterday with the fiance and got myself a 1L bottle of water so all I need to do is drink two of them. Can't be that difficult.

So today I am on my second bottle, so doing well so far. I am really interested in seeing if 2L of water each day will actually make me feel any different. So I will keep you updated on that one!

This week my eating hasn't been soo great. Since my weigh in on Thurs I have since been to Nandos, had a takeout chicken burger and chips, more nibbles then usual thanks to my fiances' insistence to bake cookies! Oh and a little more alcohol than normal. Whoops!

But on the upside I have stared running again! On Friday I did a small 1.5 mile jog, just to make sure I didn't over do it too fast. Then on Monday I went out for a 4 mile jog with some little walks. Felt really good! My mp3 had run out of battery (hadn't charged it since the half marathon in Feb!) so ran 4 miles in the lovely sunshine, on a nice route. After a while I forgot I didn't have music, because usually I get bored and I tend to stop quicker due to focusing on the pain, but this time I managed to distract myself.

What do you think about running with or without music?

Good news!!

It was Slimming world weigh in today and...*drum roll*....


I lost 3lb! Woop! Which meant that not only did I get my stone award, I got slimmer of the week too! So I got a huge bag of fruit to take home. Saves me fruit shopping for a while! =D

I WILL start running again this week (maybe even tomorrow morning if I can motivate myself out of bed when I don't NEED to be ^_^)

Another aim for this week is to try and drink 2 litres of water each day, mainly to see if I really do feel a difference.

Uni wise, saw my personal supervisor today to get some advice on my essay writing, since I seem to be plodding on at 40% (pass mark), and I want to be 50% +. Especially since I plan to do the degree option of nursing rather than diploma. I really want to do well, all I need to do is stop waffling in my essays so I can get more relevant information in them. Video assessment next week of me assessing someone (actor). SCARED!

I think I am going to change my weight loss incentives, because I have been thinking of other tattoos and I am sure I can think of better things. They might change a few more times before I make my mind up. Because I am like that *grins*.

Since I am waiting...

I have an online delivery coming this morning, so I thought I'd do a quick update while I wait. Well as I said before the Great North Run is definate and as is the Yorkshire 3 peaks. I decided this weekend that I need a new pair of walking boots since mine are slightly too small making my toes rub together and cause blisters. Not nice. Especially for a 20 something mile trek during the peaks! I have seen a few pairs, mainly on sportsdirect.com but I think I really need to try stuff like this on, to get the best result, plus my budget isn't big at all so I want to get the best value for my money!

I maintained at Slimming Wold last week (10st 12lb) but really I wasn't suprised with it being my birthday and eating like a royal pig. =D
I am determind to lose the 2lb that would take me to 1 stone in weight loss!

Running hasn't returned yet, it will be hard to get back into it now that I have gym and my wii, but I do miss it so I am planning to get out sometime very soon! Off to the gym this afternoon then taking my friend to starbucks for her 21st birthday (I have a list of drinks and their syns that I am going to take with me).

Eating is going well(ish). Snacking really is my main problem. Grapes solved that for a while but being a skint student I can't really afford to spend £3 on two tubs of grapes each week (I should mention here I live with my fiance, also a student who is an 'all you can eat but never gain weight kinda guy'...grumble). Anyone have any ideas for super healthy snacking?

I have been thinking about becomming vegetarian again (for the third time!) but I need to think about it carefully in terms of food because last time I ended up getting dizzy spells. Not good. But I did it before for over 5 years and it was never really a problem for me, and Slimming world has a good plan for vegetarians, so we will have to see what happens.

My job is going well, I was back on the bar Saturday evening for 3 hours (after already doing 7.5 on the floor collecting glasses) it was alright, it did help me get back into it. I am working this Saturday 11-8 a nice short shift YEY!

I'll leave it their, hope you are having a nice day :)

I am still here

I know it has been a little while since I have posted, just havn't had the chance yet :) I will do a proper one very soon. Promise!

Smiles x

Oooh what an eventful evening!

This is what happens when I mull about on my laptop! I have...

• Signed up for the Great North Run 2012!! 
• Confirmed my place on an organised walk to do the Yorkshire 3 Peaks!

The Great North Run (13.1 miles) is on the 16th September and I am aiming to beat my first time of 2 hours 38mins. I am running it for Mind, a charity that supports those who have mental health problems, I have spent some time with them during my nurse training and they really do an amazing job! I have to raise £300, but I am not capping it at that, I'd love to raise as much as I can! Here comes the cheeky bit... If you wish to support me (which would be far greater than amazing) my donation page is http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/EmilyRichardson

The Yorkshire 3 Peaks has been organised by a charity at my university HYMS Marrow. Helps find bone marrow donors to help people with blood cancers. Again an amazing chartiy working hard. For this walk I have to raise £40 by April 14th. Shouldn't be too difficult. I have thought about becomming a marrow donor maybe I'll sign up soon. It is 24.5 miles over Pen-y-ghent (694 metres - 2,276 feet), Whernside (736 metres - 2,415 feet) and Ingleborough (723 metres  2,372 feet) all in one circular route ( info from http://www.3peakswalks.co.uk/) .

So there will have to be lots of training! Both running and walking! Wish me luck!

Oh, and today I made a slimming world half syn cake. Basically a cake with no flour, instead it is made from Quark, sweetener, vanilla essence and eggs. Sound horrid? Its actually nice. It is half a syn for the whole thing! Considering you can have 10 syns a day that is pretty good going! I made 2 with a fromage frias and strawberry filling (also both free on slimming wolrd!) So thats one syn in total, and I have only eaten half. Yummy!

Anyway thats enough rambling for now I think! :)

Smiles x

Wow...its been a long time!

So since November I have done sooo much!

• Joined Slimming World (So far lost 12lb!)
• Ran a Half Marathon
• Dropped a jeans size :)
• Turned 21
• Got a Wii and Wii fit 
• Joined a gym

Not bad if I do say so myself! But this is all a working progess, my goal weight is 9st 7lb, I am currently 10st 12lb, 1st 5lb to lose!
My BMI at the mo is 26.7, so I am classed as overweight, but hey considering I was (at my highest) a BMI of 32, again that is something else I am proud of!

I completed my first half marathon in Brighton on the 19th Feb in 2hr 38min! I really thought I'd be closer to the 3 hour mark due to complete lack of training before hand. I think the biggest distance I covered before the race was about 7miles! I havn't been running since, taking a nice long break (I still have a purple toe. ICK!) But I have been going to the gym about 3 times a week and since my birthday on friday I have been on my Wii and Wii fit. I LOVE the zumba, it is great fun :). I am hoping to get out running again soon!

I do have some new fitness goals that I would like to achive this year..

• Run the Great North Run 2012 (September)
• Another 10k or two
• Do the coast to coast walk (Summer time)
• Walk the Yorkshire 3 peaks in under 12 hours.
• Join pole exercise (optional).

Now to make it all happen! :D

The pole exercise thing is optional, mainly due to money and time but it is something I would love to get round to trying at some point!

I have found this blog called Running on Healthy, it is the main reason why I started up this blog again. But it has given me a good idea to set weight loss goals and incetives for when I get there. I will try and put this somewhere a little more permanent on my blog but I will pop it here for now....

☐ 10st 10lb (1 Stone loss) - Hair dye / Nice shower gel
☐ 10st 3lb - Paw prints tattoo
☐ 9st 13lb - Hair cut/ Try a Pole class
☐ 9st 10lb (2 Stone loss!) - New outfit
☐ 9st 7lb GOAL one :) - Weekend away with the Fiance <3

That will do for now, these may change, but it looks pretty good now now! They are quite small but the weight loss is quite slow and steadt at the mo so these should work out well :).

As for the nuring training... I am about half way through my second year and I love it! I am learning how to assess and my mock exam was today ek! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, though it does not help that I have a small fear of CCTV cameras (weird.. I know). Next placement is in April on an Elderly ward, I can't wait! I'd love to get on to the bank for HCA but so far I have had no luck due to the lack of experience I had before my nurse training (none!). At the moment I am working at a bar, which isn't great hours regarding the course but it gets me through the month abit easier!

Feel free to follow/join! It is always nice to know that there are others out there! ^_^

Smiles!