Well I thought now would be a good time to check in on my 2014 goals, which are here.
My main new year's resolution was Zumba. I decided to get fit and exercise so I started going to Zumba classes at my local leisure center. Since I've started I've been 3 times every week except for 4 weeks. the first week I gave myself off because I hurt my ankle. At the end of the week it was a lot better but still a bit sore. I went back for a week but it made it worse again so then I took 2 weeks off and I missed it! It was my own fault really as I was exercising in River Island fashion trainers which weren't designer for exercise at all but I've invested in some Nike ones now. And I missed 10 days when I was off work and celebrating my 30th birthday and went to Lancaster for a few days. I've done 27 hours of Zumba classes now which I think is good going.
Sticking to a good exercise routine is helping me keep on track with Weight Watchers. I've lost 7 lb so far and I'm really noticing that my clothes are fitting better and my face is looking slimmer. I've also enjoyed taking pictures of what I eat and sharing on Instagram. If you'd like to follow me on Instagram my profile is here.
I haven't been the best at updating this blog. I think I need to figure out a schedule. I've also started a new beauty blog Electric Glitter. Go check out my first entry Essie Splash of Grenadine which I have discovered a dupe for.
I think I'm making a better effort to see my friends. I still could see people more often but I'm doing my best.
I have been doing #100happydays on Facebook and on Instagram. It's been encouraging me to be positive and focus on the good things more. I have started to really like taking picutres. I started doing Project Life the week I turned 30. I have completed weeks 1 and 2. Weeks 3 and 4 still need to be done but I need to get some more ink for my printer.
As for the book count I've only read 12 so far this year so I need to get reading more or I'll struggle to reach my goal of 50 books. I've got a few books on the go at the moment though and I go through stages of reading lots then reading less so I think I'll catch up to where I ought to be soon.
Monday 21 April 2014
Sunday 9 March 2014
Simple Start Day 4
Hello everyone. I'm getting on really well with the Simple Start plan from weight watchers. I know it's best to only weigh yourself once a week but I couldn't resist a sneaky little peak this morning and I've lost 3.5lb already! I'm aiming for an excellent weight loss of 5lb or so this week to spur me on.
The Simple Start (SS) plan is similar to Filling & Healthy (F&H) in that you choose foods from the approved list and don't have to weigh or count anything, and you eat until you're comfortably satisfied. SS is different to F&H in that with SS you get a least of treats that you can have and you can have up to 2 per day.
I was supposed to be going out on Friday night so was going to have 2 vodkas with diet coke but I haven't been feeling too well so I stayed in. I'm feeling a bit better today and I'm off to my Zumba class this afternoon.
Thursday, day 1, I had shredded wheat with skimmed milk for breakfast. For lunch I made a tuna and new potato salad with spring onions, sweetcorn, lettuce and tomato. For tea I had some stir-fried vegetables with some kidney beans and sweetcorn served with whole wheat pasta and followed by some slices of melon. In between meals I snacked on 2 bananas, a boiled egg, some seafood sticks, a Starbucks tall, skinny cappuccino and for my treat I had a weight watchers rich toffee bar. They're available to buy in meetings and just 2 ProPoints (PP) each. I love them and I knew I had to buy a pack at my first meeting back! I go to Starbucks quite often and I'm glad I can have a skinny cappuccino or skinny latte on the SS plan.
Friday's breakfast was a sachet of the weight watchers porridge oats. They're also available from the meetings. I'd never tried them before and they were in a SS pack so I decided to give them a go. I had some blueberries with them. It was ok. Fast for when you're in a hurry and they're handy little things to stick in your bag if you end up staying out overnight. You don't even need to add skimmed milk as they've got skimmed milk powder in them so you just add water. I prefer the taste of porridge I cook myself from oats but these are very convenient and no doubt I'll buy some again.
Friday's lunch was a sandwich of boiled egg mashed up with low fast natural yogurt, some fresh chives and slat and pepper on weight watchers brown bread followed with a banana. For tea I had a salmon fillet, fried in Fry Light spray, with whole wheat cous cous and some tinned tomatoes, onion and red pepper. I snacked on a banana, blueberries, grapes, a boiled egg and my treat was a scoop of low fat vanilla ice cream.
Saturday's breakfast was the same as Thursday's, shredded wheat with blueberries and skimmed milk. Saturday morning I tried a cup of Twinings Caramelised Apple Green Tea. I'd seen it on Slice of Slim's blog. It sounded nice and it was!
For dinner (that's what us geordies call lunch) I made Succotash from the recipe in the SS book, which is also available on the weight watcher's website here, although I'm not sure if it can be viewed by non-subscribers. Here is a picture I took of it after I made it.
I didn't know Succotash was a dish. I thought it was just a made up word from Sylvester from Looney Toons saying "sufferin' succotash" but it is a dish made from sweetcorn and beans. I like to stick to a recipe as faithfully as I can the first time I make it then adapt it more after that so I followed the recipe as set out. I'm not a big fan of butter beans; I just don't like their texture, so I think next time I make it I'll use different beans. It was fun to make and really tasty so I'm sure I'll make it again. This version has bacon in but I could easily omit the bacon to make a vegan version and serve it as a side dish if I cook for my parents.
Saturday afternoon my Dad and I went to the balloon shop to sort out the balloons for my birthday party, then we called into Starbucks and I had a tall, skinny latte. My Mam wasn't feeling well still so didn't come with us. We got her a takeout soy latte and brought it home for her.
Saturday night I still wasn't feeling the best so I stayed in and watched Twilight and New Moon with my parents. I made Tzatziki from 0% fat Greek yogurt, grated cucumber and fresh mint and dipped vegetable sticks in it. For tea I had the other salmon fillet served with whole wheat pasta in a sauce I made from yogurt, garlic, onions and mushrooms. For my treats I had a small glass of dry white wine and a weight watcher toffee bar.
The Simple Start (SS) plan is similar to Filling & Healthy (F&H) in that you choose foods from the approved list and don't have to weigh or count anything, and you eat until you're comfortably satisfied. SS is different to F&H in that with SS you get a least of treats that you can have and you can have up to 2 per day.
I was supposed to be going out on Friday night so was going to have 2 vodkas with diet coke but I haven't been feeling too well so I stayed in. I'm feeling a bit better today and I'm off to my Zumba class this afternoon.
Thursday, day 1, I had shredded wheat with skimmed milk for breakfast. For lunch I made a tuna and new potato salad with spring onions, sweetcorn, lettuce and tomato. For tea I had some stir-fried vegetables with some kidney beans and sweetcorn served with whole wheat pasta and followed by some slices of melon. In between meals I snacked on 2 bananas, a boiled egg, some seafood sticks, a Starbucks tall, skinny cappuccino and for my treat I had a weight watchers rich toffee bar. They're available to buy in meetings and just 2 ProPoints (PP) each. I love them and I knew I had to buy a pack at my first meeting back! I go to Starbucks quite often and I'm glad I can have a skinny cappuccino or skinny latte on the SS plan.
Friday's breakfast was a sachet of the weight watchers porridge oats. They're also available from the meetings. I'd never tried them before and they were in a SS pack so I decided to give them a go. I had some blueberries with them. It was ok. Fast for when you're in a hurry and they're handy little things to stick in your bag if you end up staying out overnight. You don't even need to add skimmed milk as they've got skimmed milk powder in them so you just add water. I prefer the taste of porridge I cook myself from oats but these are very convenient and no doubt I'll buy some again.
Friday's lunch was a sandwich of boiled egg mashed up with low fast natural yogurt, some fresh chives and slat and pepper on weight watchers brown bread followed with a banana. For tea I had a salmon fillet, fried in Fry Light spray, with whole wheat cous cous and some tinned tomatoes, onion and red pepper. I snacked on a banana, blueberries, grapes, a boiled egg and my treat was a scoop of low fat vanilla ice cream.
Saturday's breakfast was the same as Thursday's, shredded wheat with blueberries and skimmed milk. Saturday morning I tried a cup of Twinings Caramelised Apple Green Tea. I'd seen it on Slice of Slim's blog. It sounded nice and it was!
For dinner (that's what us geordies call lunch) I made Succotash from the recipe in the SS book, which is also available on the weight watcher's website here, although I'm not sure if it can be viewed by non-subscribers. Here is a picture I took of it after I made it.
I didn't know Succotash was a dish. I thought it was just a made up word from Sylvester from Looney Toons saying "sufferin' succotash" but it is a dish made from sweetcorn and beans. I like to stick to a recipe as faithfully as I can the first time I make it then adapt it more after that so I followed the recipe as set out. I'm not a big fan of butter beans; I just don't like their texture, so I think next time I make it I'll use different beans. It was fun to make and really tasty so I'm sure I'll make it again. This version has bacon in but I could easily omit the bacon to make a vegan version and serve it as a side dish if I cook for my parents.
Saturday afternoon my Dad and I went to the balloon shop to sort out the balloons for my birthday party, then we called into Starbucks and I had a tall, skinny latte. My Mam wasn't feeling well still so didn't come with us. We got her a takeout soy latte and brought it home for her.
Saturday night I still wasn't feeling the best so I stayed in and watched Twilight and New Moon with my parents. I made Tzatziki from 0% fat Greek yogurt, grated cucumber and fresh mint and dipped vegetable sticks in it. For tea I had the other salmon fillet served with whole wheat pasta in a sauce I made from yogurt, garlic, onions and mushrooms. For my treats I had a small glass of dry white wine and a weight watcher toffee bar.
Tuesday 4 March 2014
Back to Weight Watchers, Day -1
Hello everyone, I'm sorry I've been slacking at updating my blog. I always seem to feel too busy or too tired, I just need to get into the habit of doing it. But Spring is definitely on it's way (in my opinion as I believe Spring starts on 21st March, but if you ask my Dad he'll say it started on 1st March!) and with the sunshine and lighter evenings I've found renewed energy and motivation!
So, I'm re-joining Weight Watchers again tomorrow evening. I'll be starting the plan on Thursday morning, so that will be "Day 1" so tomorrow will be "Day 0" which makes today "Day -1"! There's a new system you can follow in the beginning called Simple Start. It seems to be similar to the filling & healthy plan. I always lost the most when I did filling & healthy most days then had a few days doing pro points.
Zumba is going well. I really love it and have been to 12 classes so far. I hurt my ankle so stopped going for a week then I went back for a week which made my ankle hurt more so I gave myself a 2 week break from it and in my 2nd week of my break my ankle didn't hurt at all. I went back on Wednesday last week and then I did Monday night and my ankle hurt slightly yesterday. I was originally doing it in my fashion trainers from River Island which probably weren't supporting my feet that well but I've got some good, supportive Nike trainers now. I've only worn them the last 2 classes and they did make my toes feel funny but I think I may have had them laced too tight. I hope slackening them off means they will be more comfortable; it's too much money to spend on a pair of shoes I'll never wear, especially considering they're not even very pretty!
I've read 8 books this year so far so I'm making good progress at my 50 book target for the year. I was slightly behind but then I read all 3 books in The Hunger Games Trilogy in the last week. I really loved the series and couldn't put the books down, especially the last book because I had no idea what was coming, whereas I've seen the first two films. However, I did feel a bit disappointed with the final book, Mockingjay. I won't say too much in case you've not read it yet, but I think it felt a bit rushed and left a lot of things unanswered.
As for Project Life, I haven't even started it! I keep forgetting to take pictures! I think I'll start it with my birthday and then if I keep it up I can do one album for each year of my life from each birthday to the next, rather than one album for each calendar year.
So, I'm re-joining Weight Watchers again tomorrow evening. I'll be starting the plan on Thursday morning, so that will be "Day 1" so tomorrow will be "Day 0" which makes today "Day -1"! There's a new system you can follow in the beginning called Simple Start. It seems to be similar to the filling & healthy plan. I always lost the most when I did filling & healthy most days then had a few days doing pro points.
Zumba is going well. I really love it and have been to 12 classes so far. I hurt my ankle so stopped going for a week then I went back for a week which made my ankle hurt more so I gave myself a 2 week break from it and in my 2nd week of my break my ankle didn't hurt at all. I went back on Wednesday last week and then I did Monday night and my ankle hurt slightly yesterday. I was originally doing it in my fashion trainers from River Island which probably weren't supporting my feet that well but I've got some good, supportive Nike trainers now. I've only worn them the last 2 classes and they did make my toes feel funny but I think I may have had them laced too tight. I hope slackening them off means they will be more comfortable; it's too much money to spend on a pair of shoes I'll never wear, especially considering they're not even very pretty!
I've read 8 books this year so far so I'm making good progress at my 50 book target for the year. I was slightly behind but then I read all 3 books in The Hunger Games Trilogy in the last week. I really loved the series and couldn't put the books down, especially the last book because I had no idea what was coming, whereas I've seen the first two films. However, I did feel a bit disappointed with the final book, Mockingjay. I won't say too much in case you've not read it yet, but I think it felt a bit rushed and left a lot of things unanswered.
As for Project Life, I haven't even started it! I keep forgetting to take pictures! I think I'll start it with my birthday and then if I keep it up I can do one album for each year of my life from each birthday to the next, rather than one album for each calendar year.
Saturday 4 January 2014
2014 goals
I've been meaning to start a blog for years, but like many things I plan to do, I just haven't quite got round to it. Until now! I've been putting things off so much and I need to get my life under control. I'm turning 30 this year and I'm realising time is precious and not unlimited and so I'm vowing to get more done. I think this blog will be a great help because it will help me have somewhere to organise my thoughts and keep me accountable. It's also in itself, something I've been meaning to do for years so by keeping this blog I'll be doing something I'd been putting off.
My goals for 2014, in no particular order are:
1. Get things done - do more things and procrastinate less.
2. Be more healthy by eating better and exercising.
3. Be a better friend - see my local friends more regularly and stay in touch more with friends who live further away.
4. To start and maintain a blog.
5. To document my life with Project Life each week.
6. To read 50 books in 2014.
1. Today I've read a bit of What Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam. I'm going to start to schedule in activities for my weekends and try and get more things I have to do done during the week. One of my worst habits is coming home from work, sitting in front of the tv for a minute and not moving all night! I put off the things I need to do until the weekend, telling myself I'm tired. When the weekend comes around I want to spend it doing fun things, but I never seem to do good things with my free time. I watch a lot of tv and play a lot of games on my phone and don't do hobbies I enjoy and would get more fulfilment from, such as scrapbooking.
2. I was going to start my healthy eating plan on Monday but I decided on a whim to start today instead. I'm 183.1 lb this morning. (13 stone 1.1lb) which is only a 5 lb gain since the autumn; I was sure I had put on more than that over Christmas! I want to lose 30lb then re-evaluate and see if I want to go any lower. You can check up on my food and exercise trackers here at My Fitness Pal. You can also track your own weight loss journey there. If you have an account there be sure to send me a friend request.
3. I'm so rubbish at staying in touch with people! I need to unsubscribe from lots of junky emails I never read as I get so many I sometimes miss it if a friend emails me. When friends do email me I put off replying until later - until I have more time or have something better to say and then I forget or I add it to my to-do list and it becomes a chore. I'm going to start replying right away and being better at staying in touch. I also have two packages for friends that I've been meaning to send out but have been putting off.
4. Well, here it is!
5. I used to love scrapbooking when I first discovered it in 2007. I used to have so much fun creating layouts. I stopped when I split up with my ex and moved back home with my parents. I've been meaning to re-start and browse pictures online of other people's scrapbooks but my perfectionism holds me back. I think I can never create anything that beautiful so don't make anything at all. To try and get back into the swing of it I have taken up smashbooking. I've also bought myself some things for Project Life. It's an organised system so easier, faster and less daunting. I've been collecting Project Life inspirations on my Pinterest account for ages, since I first discovered Pinterest in 2011. I bought some Project Life supplies last year and was always waiting for the right time to start. I almost started one week after a particularly memorable weekend but never got around to it. Well a new year is a perfect time to start!
6. As a child I loved reading but stopped reading much in my late teens. I re-discovered my love of reading in 2006 and read a lot of books. In 2007 I set myself a challenge to read 50 books and almost made it but only got to 44. In 2008 I tried again and read 52, In 2009 I tried again but only managed 45. I started uni in October 2009 and needed to read lots for studying so I read less for pleasure and found other ways to relax. In 2010 I read 38 books, in 2011 I read 27. I graduated in 2012 and read 35 books that year. I wanted to read 50 books again in 2013 but only managed 27. I blame too much time wasted in front of the tv! I am going to reach 50 books this year in 2014! I track my reading here on Shelfari.
My goals for 2014, in no particular order are:
1. Get things done - do more things and procrastinate less.
2. Be more healthy by eating better and exercising.
3. Be a better friend - see my local friends more regularly and stay in touch more with friends who live further away.
4. To start and maintain a blog.
5. To document my life with Project Life each week.
6. To read 50 books in 2014.
1. Today I've read a bit of What Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam. I'm going to start to schedule in activities for my weekends and try and get more things I have to do done during the week. One of my worst habits is coming home from work, sitting in front of the tv for a minute and not moving all night! I put off the things I need to do until the weekend, telling myself I'm tired. When the weekend comes around I want to spend it doing fun things, but I never seem to do good things with my free time. I watch a lot of tv and play a lot of games on my phone and don't do hobbies I enjoy and would get more fulfilment from, such as scrapbooking.
2. I was going to start my healthy eating plan on Monday but I decided on a whim to start today instead. I'm 183.1 lb this morning. (13 stone 1.1lb) which is only a 5 lb gain since the autumn; I was sure I had put on more than that over Christmas! I want to lose 30lb then re-evaluate and see if I want to go any lower. You can check up on my food and exercise trackers here at My Fitness Pal. You can also track your own weight loss journey there. If you have an account there be sure to send me a friend request.
3. I'm so rubbish at staying in touch with people! I need to unsubscribe from lots of junky emails I never read as I get so many I sometimes miss it if a friend emails me. When friends do email me I put off replying until later - until I have more time or have something better to say and then I forget or I add it to my to-do list and it becomes a chore. I'm going to start replying right away and being better at staying in touch. I also have two packages for friends that I've been meaning to send out but have been putting off.
4. Well, here it is!
5. I used to love scrapbooking when I first discovered it in 2007. I used to have so much fun creating layouts. I stopped when I split up with my ex and moved back home with my parents. I've been meaning to re-start and browse pictures online of other people's scrapbooks but my perfectionism holds me back. I think I can never create anything that beautiful so don't make anything at all. To try and get back into the swing of it I have taken up smashbooking. I've also bought myself some things for Project Life. It's an organised system so easier, faster and less daunting. I've been collecting Project Life inspirations on my Pinterest account for ages, since I first discovered Pinterest in 2011. I bought some Project Life supplies last year and was always waiting for the right time to start. I almost started one week after a particularly memorable weekend but never got around to it. Well a new year is a perfect time to start!
6. As a child I loved reading but stopped reading much in my late teens. I re-discovered my love of reading in 2006 and read a lot of books. In 2007 I set myself a challenge to read 50 books and almost made it but only got to 44. In 2008 I tried again and read 52, In 2009 I tried again but only managed 45. I started uni in October 2009 and needed to read lots for studying so I read less for pleasure and found other ways to relax. In 2010 I read 38 books, in 2011 I read 27. I graduated in 2012 and read 35 books that year. I wanted to read 50 books again in 2013 but only managed 27. I blame too much time wasted in front of the tv! I am going to reach 50 books this year in 2014! I track my reading here on Shelfari.
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