Weight Loss Week 18

Eeeeeee – the wedding is getting really close now! It’s just two days away and I have been incredibly busy with it all. I’d like to think I have been organised through the whole wedding planning process but of course, there are always some things that prove to be last minute stresses and that’s what I’m dealing with at the moment.

Despite the busy-ness, I have had a lovely week. As it was Easter I was off work for four days. I enjoyed my last single date night with future husband on Saturday. We went to a restaurant near where we live called The Farm and had a delicious feast of roast hake and potato dauphinoise, followed by waffle and ice cream and lots of cheese. accompanied by copious amounts of champagne. On Sunday, I went to church with my mum and had to gulp back the tears when I saw our names in the pew slip saying our wedding was on Friday. I also had my first (and second and third) bit of chocolate since Lent – and felt chuffed at my willpower to have lasted so long. Then on Monday I had my second hen do at Malvern Spa with my best friend, sister, my mum and my fiance’s mum. It was a very relaxing day and we were all thoroughly spoilt (with more champagne!). I had two treatments – a body scrub and a massage that left me feeling very blissed out and my skin sparkling.

Of course, such fun times to not easily lend themselves to dieting. I was pretty good in the week but the long weekend just threw me although I have lost another 0.8lbs this week, which makes me the slimmest I’ve been since starting this blog. I’ve got two days of being good now – lots of rest, relaxation, more beauty treatments, the final meeting with the wedding planner, the wedding rehearsal and then the big day will be here! I will try and squeeze in one more post before then.

Start weight: 133.2lbs (9st 7.2lbs)

Week 2 weight: 131.2lbs (9st 5.2lbs)

Week 3 weight: 131.8lbs (9st 5.8lbs)

Week 4 weight: 132.8lbs (9st 6.8lbs)

Week 5 weight: 135.4lbs (9st 9.4lbs)

Week 6 weight: 133.2lbs (9st 7.2lbs)

Week 7 weight: 132.4lbs (9st 6.4lb)

Week 8 weight: 131.6lbs (9st 5.6lbs)

Week 9 weight: 130.8lbs (9st 4.8lbs)

Week 10 weight: 131.4lbs (9st 5.4lbs)

week 11 weight: 130.4lbs (9st 4.4lbs)

week 13 weight: 128.2lbs (9st 2.2lbs)

Week 16 weight: 128.8lbs (9st 2.8lbs)

Week 17 weight: 128.4lbs (9st 2.4lbs)

Week 18 weight: 127.6lbs (9st 1.6lbs)

Weight loss this week: 0.8lbs

Weight Loss: Weeks 14,15 and 16

Uh oh, I haven’t blogged on the ol’ diet for a while and I have to say I’ve gone a bit off piste. I had my hen do, which was wonderful but very indulgent (see right), we’ve had quite a few takeaways and I’ve been out for lots of meals too. I always thought I would be so determined when I was dieting for my wedding but I think maybe I am just too happy and enjoying life too much!

I have done a bit of exercise, I’d say about three times a week, which is ok considering I’ve been very busy with my new job. The next couple of weeks is also very busy doing wedding jobs and seeing various people but I’m still hoping to fit some exercise in. I’d particularly like to tone up my arms so I feel good in my strapless dress.

Having said all that I’m still lower than I’ve been for a while and there are 2.5 weeks to the wedding, to maybe shift a few last pounds. I hope I can do it!

Start weight: 133.2lbs (9st 7.2lbs)

Week 2 weight: 131.2lbs (9st 5.2lbs)

Week 3 weight: 131.8lbs (9st 5.8lbs)

Week 4 weight: 132.8lbs (9st 6.8lbs)

Week 5 weight: 135.4lbs (9st 9.4lbs)

Week 6 weight: 133.2lbs (9st 7.2lbs)

Week 7 weight: 132.4lbs (9st 6.4lb)

Week 8 weight: 131.6lbs (9st 5.6lbs)

Week 9 weight: 130.8lbs (9st 4.8lbs)

Week 10 weight: 131.4lbs (9st 5.4lbs)

week 11 weight: 130.4lbs (9st 4.4lbs)

week 13 weight: 128.2lbs (9st 2.2lbs)

Week 16 weight: 128.8lbs (9st 2.8lbs)

Weight gain in three weeks: 0.6lbs gain (grrrrr)

Fake Bake Manual Tan at Heaven V Spa

To have a gorgeous and natural glow for the big day, I’m planning to have a fake tan. I wanted to test it out first so the night before my hen do I tried a Fake Bake Manual tan at my gym beauty salon, Heaven V Spa. First, I was given a body scrub which was both relaxing and invigorating. Then I showered it off, before the beauty therapist applied the fake tan.

It had a rather muddy look as it went on but I was assured it would wash off to a lighter colour in the morning. I had to go home in old tracksuit bottoms and one of future husband’s old t-shirts – not a great look – to avoid getting any tan on nice clothes.  As instructed I slept in the tan and then had a lukewarm shower in the morning.

In the morning I excitedly pulled back the covers to see if I’d been transformed into a bronzed goddess. Sadly, not. I would say I was marginally browner but only very marginally and my friends who I saw later that day couldn’t tell I’d had it. In fairness to the beauty therapist, she did say it produces a very natural look but all in all I was a bit disappointed. The idea of a test though is to try stuff so it’s good I found out before the day. I’m going to book in for a spray tan later this month as I’ve heard they come out slightly darker. I don’t want to be mistaken for a character from TOWIE but a little glow is definitely required.

Weight Loss Weeks 12 and 13

Last week I started my new job so I didn’t have time to blog, however that’s not to say I’ve fallen off the wagon. I’ve been good overall eating lots of lean protein, salad, vegetables and drinking tonnes of peppermint tea. However I’ve still enjoyed the occasional treats of fish and chips, a cream doughnut, New York cheesecake and wine.

Although I’ve only worked out a couple of times, I’ve been doing lots of walking which I think really helps and mostly I don’t even realise I am exercising. I also treated myself to a detoxifying body wrap at the Heaven V Spa at my gym, which I blogged about here, so it has been a pretty healthy couple of weeks.

I’m now down to 128.2lbs (9st 2.2lbs) which is the lowest I’ve been for a long time and means I’ve lost 7.2lbs since the beginning of the year. Next weekend is my hen do and I’m hoping to lose another pound or two by then. The following weekend is my final dress fitting and my aim by then is to be 125lbs so I just have a final two pounds to lose in the last three weeks before the wedding. I will let you know how I get on!

Start weight: 133.2lbs (9st 7.2lbs)

Week 2 weight: 131.2lbs (9st 5.2lbs)

Week 3 weight: 131.8lbs (9st 5.8lbs)

Week 4 weight: 132.8lbs (9st 6.8lbs)

Week 5 weight: 135.4lbs (9st 9.4lbs)

Week 6 weight: 133.2lbs (9st 7.2lbs)

Week 7 weight: 132.4lbs (9st 6.4lb)

Week 8 weight: 131.6lbs (9st 5.6lbs)

Week 9 weight: 130.8lbs (9st 4.8lbs)

Week 10 weight: 131.4lbs (9st 5.4lbs)

week 11 weight: 130.4lbs (9st 4.4lbs)

week 13 weight: 128.2lbs (9st 2.2lbs)

Weight loss this fortnight: 2.2lb 🙂

Weight Loss Week 11

The highlight of the week was my baptism yesterday. I’d been wanting to be baptised for a long time and it was important to me that I did it before I was married. It was a beautiful service and I felt like it had even more meaning for me because I’d made the decision as an adult. And of course a baptism calls for cake and a little glass of something!

In diet terms, this week has been a bit of a mixed bag. I’ve worked out three times which isn’t bad and I’ve eaten relatively healthily. But looking at my fitness pal app, I’ve alternated between having ‘good’ days and ‘naughty’ days, which is probably not a very good idea.

Tomorrow is my last day in my current job so tomorrow night I’m going out for a celebratory meal with my fiancé. I’ve got the rest of the week off which is nice and means I can take advantage of being at home and go to the gym as much as I can. I’m pleased to have lost 1lb this week and be at my lowest weight since starting this blog. I’ve just got to stick with it!

Start weight: 133.2lbs (9st 7.2lbs)

Week 2 weight: 131.2lbs (9st 5.2lbs)

Week 3 weight: 131.8lbs (9st 5.8lbs)

Week 4 weight: 132.8lbs (9st 6.8lbs)

Week 5 weight: 135.4lbs (9st 9.4lbs)

Week 6 weight: 133.2lbs (9st 7.2lbs)

Week 7 weight: 132.4lbs (9st 6.4lb)

Week 8 weight: 131.6lbs (9st 5.6lbs)

Week 9 weight: 130.8lbs (9st 4.8lbs)

Week 10 weight: 131.4lbs (9st 5.4lbs)

week 11 (current) weight: 130.4lbs (9st 4.4lbs)

Weight loss this week: 1lb

Beauty Review: Benefit Lip Shine

Once we’ve both said I do, my groom will ‘now kiss the bride’ and of course, I want our first kiss of married life to be wonderful and delicious. So the search for the perfect lip gloss has begun.

My future husband hates lip gloss – in fact he’s not wild about me wearing make up in any form (spoilsport). But what girl could face her big day without a little something to highlight her smile?

For Christmas, my future parents-in-law bought me Benefit’s Lip Shine in So Frisk Me, a beautiful, sparkly rose pink. I haven’t had a Benefit lip gloss before but I’m very impressed. It has a good applicator brush and the tube is a decent size so you can’t lose it in your handbag. I love how long the sparkle lasts. It is very close to my natural lip colour which is just the kind of effortless look I’m going for for the wedding.

The sticky-factor is the thing my fiance doesn’t like about glosses. When I puckered up wearing it this morning, he couldn’t be convinced so perhaps I’ll have to save this one for when he’s not around. The search for the perfect – and totally kissable – lip gloss continues.

 

Weight Loss Week 9

Ok, something spooky is happening. I’ve lost 0.8lbs for the last three weeks in a row. We-ird. But good we-ird. A phrase has been going around my head this week: ‘little by little a little becomes a lottle’ and since New Year I’ve lost 4.6lbs, which is pretty good. A couple more months like that and I’ll be there.

This week I had lunch out four days in a row, which was challenging. I haven’t eaten as clean as I would like and the junk food has been sneaking in. Part of it is that clean and lean is expensive and we’re nearing the end of January – the endless organic meat and fresh vegetables are far dearer than a packet of crisps or a bowl of cereal for tea. It’s always amazing to me how cheaply you can eat if you are prepared to eat crap.

One new clean dish I tried this week was chorizo, chick pea and red pepper stew; the recipe is in this month’s Red magazine. (Sadly the crusty bread and glass of Shiraz I had it with were not as clean.) Just the smell of it transported me to a Catalonian tapas bar. It was delish and there was enough for future husband to take a portion to work the next day.

In terms of exercise, I’ve been to the gym twice and done Jillian Michaels once. Not bad but not great.

I’ve got be super-duper good this week because on Saturday I’ll get to see my dress for the first time. The dress I tried on when I chose it was a different size and so the shop sent away my measurements to America for it to be made. I can’t lie, I’m a little nervous. I hope I still like it as much as I did when I chose it and that it fits. So I’m going to be practically perfect between now and then (promise).

Start weight: 133.2lbs (9st 7.2lbs)

Week 2 weight: 131.2lbs (9st 5.2lbs)

Week 3 weight: 131.8lbs (9st 5.8lbs)

Week 4 weight: 132.8lbs (9st 6.8lbs)

Week 5 weight: 135.4lbs (9st 9.4lbs)

Week 6 weight: 133.2lbs (9st 7.2lbs)

Week 7 weight: 132.4lbs (9st 6.4lb)

Week 8 weight: 131.6lbs (9st 5.6lbs)

Week 9 weight: 130.8lbs (9st 4.8lbs)

Weight loss this week: 0.8lbs

Target wedding weight: 123lbs

Weight Loss Week 8

This week I have strayed from the clean and lean path rather. I got all excited by the snow and as well as having pizza for my cheat meal on Friday night, I accompanied it with three not-small glasses of wine. Tut tut. I have also had (not together) toffee apple eve’s pudding, custard, French baguette, a fun size caramel bar and on and on…so that’s rather naughty of me.

However, looking back at MyFitnessPal food diary for the week, I’ve still eaten about 70% clean (lots of lean meat, fish, eggs, fruit and veggies). My average calories per day has been about 1500, which is still pretty good. I’ve also done pilates and body balance.

I missed my planned body attack class because of the snow, but instead I’ve done level three of Jillian Michael’s 30 day shred twice, and a fair bit  of walking so it’s not all bad. This is teeny space I’ve been exercising in at home. Picture the scene if you will: my fiancé lying in bed eyeing me quizzically, me panting and sweating and trying not to kick the bedroom furniture. Romantic; it was not.

I think the difficult thing about trying to lose weight is being patient and keeping going, especially if you’re losing it very slowly. So this week I’m going to focus on keeping on track and not letting myself get disheartened or distracted. I’ve lost 3.8lbs since the beginning of the year which feels like slow progress, but it is still progress.

Start weight: 133.2lbs (9st 7.2lbs)

Week 2 weight: 131.2lbs (9st 5.2lbs)

Week 3 weight: 131.8lbs (9st 5.8lbs)

Week 4 weight: 132.8lbs (9st 6.8lbs)

Week 5 weight: 135.4lbs (9st 9.4lbs)

Week 6 weight: 133.2lbs (9st 7.2lbs)

Week 7 weight: 132.4lbs

Week 8 (current) weight: 131.6lbs

Weight loss this week: 0.8lbs

Target wedding weight: 123lbs

Weight Loss Week 7

This week has flown by. It’s actually quite scary how fast time is going because it means our wedding will soon be upon us! It’s only two months and three weeks away and I still feel like I have so much to do.

I have been in my element planning the wedding, choosing all the beautiful little details and thinking about how I can make it as special day as possible for us and all our guests. Before it is here though there is the serious business of weight loss to contend with.

This week has gone quite well. Again I have stuck to Clean and Lean religiously and tracked my calories using   the MyFitnessPal app. I’ve been to the gym twice; one of which times was at 8am as snow was falling. Surely I should get a medal for that?!

I tried vegetable pasta for the first time. I shredded a courgette, blanched it and served it as you would pasta. It was really nice and I didn’t feel (too) envious of my fiancé tucking into real pasta.

I had bodyism pancakes a couple of mornings. If you haven’t tried these yet I would really recommend them. They are more like American style small pancakes than those that we’d have on Shrove Tuesday but all the yummier for it I think, especially served with strawberries. They are also recommended by Aussie model Ellie Gonsalves, who is my all time clean-eating and fitness inspiration.

For my cheat meal, I had steak, salad and chips, which isn’t actually that ‘un-clean’, (except for the chips and I weighed a 75g portion of those) especially as the steak was organic. It was so good and the thought of being able to have whatever I want for my cheat meal was a little boost when I needed it.

This week I’ve lost 0.8lbs which is another step in the right direction. Slow and steady wins the race right? 🙂

This week I’m going to try to do more exercise. My best friend has recommended a Body Attack class so I’m going to give that a go. I’m also going to try and drink more water because I slacked off on that a bit this week.

Start weight: 133.2lbs (9st 7.2lbs)

Week 2 weight: 131.2lbs (9st 5.2lbs)

Week 3 weight: 131.8lbs (9st 5.8lbs)

Week 4 weight: 132.8lbs (9st 6.8lbs)

Week 5 weight: 135.4lbs (9st 9.4lbs)

Week 6 weight: 133.2lbs (9st 7.2lbs)

Week 7 (current) weight: 132.4lbs

Weight loss this week: 0.8lbs

Target wedding weight: 123lbs

Review: Roc Retinox Wrinkle Correxion

This week’s beauty review is Roc Retinox Wrinkle Correxion, which Santa (or actually, my fiancé, after being given a very specific list) kindly gave me for Christmas.

I’d read about it in Red magazine as the thing that women in their 30s and 40s should use if they’re concerned about the signs of ageing. Now at *cough* 32, sadly I’m not going to be a (naturally) fresh-faced bride and I’m keen to do all I can to give nature a helping hand.

I’ve been using this night cream in conjunction with the MD Formulations Illuminating products that I’ve previously blogged about so it is a little hard to tell what is doing what and it’s not really a fair experiment.

However I would say that my experience so far is that is does leave my skin feeling nourished, moisturised (but not over greasy) and very soft. I’ve also been putting it on my hands – only a tiny smidge as it is terribly expensive for a small tube – and they feel lovely too. Compared to the MD Formulations kit, it feels much nicer as it goes on. It doesn’t make my skin tingle or feel sticky which the MD Formulations Vitamin A night cream does a little.

I kind of think with all these creams that we’ll never really know if they’re working but that if they feel nice and I enjoy using them then why not give them a go? And this one gets a big gold star from me. What are your favourite skincare products?