Time to Shift Those Christmas Pounds...

Today, the healthy living & weight shifting begins again!

This year, I decided to have a calorie-counting break over the Christmas holidays - and throughly enjoyed every sinful mouthful. :-) 

I think it is important to be realistic with weight-loss, and knowing how much I love my food and how much pleasure I get from cooking, baking and eating, it seemed silly to put a dampener on Christmas by calorie counting the whole time. Instead, I pretty much ate what ever I wanted, but I also found that I have naturally started making different choices even when not counting the calories...

I pretty much avoided alcohol all over Christmas, I had a few drinks here and there, but nothing major - as I've learnt that I really resent drinking my calories. I also avoided the huge tins on Celebrations, Roses and Quality Street - knowing how many calories is in each sweet (around 50) and knowing how many I could usually put away (I reckon about 10 in an average sitting!) I have learnt that its just not worth it - I do not enjoy the sweets enough to warrant that amount of calories. Instead, I shared a SCRUMMY Hotel Chocolat chocolate Festive Wreath with my hubby - and every time we fancied some choccie we broke of yummy slabs of it. It lasted the whole of Christmas, and enjoyed every delicious mouthful, much more than I would have any box of sweets. Yes, it was still full of calories, but it was calories I didn't regret as it tasted so good. 

The type of calories I hate are the ones you regret because you didn't even enjoy the food that much - that is one of my aims this year - I will not WASTE calories on food I do not want/do not enjoy - I will try hard to avoid mindless eating - and I will not put up with bog-standard or rubbish food when eating out. I had a disgusting meal in Nando's last year, which really sticks in my mind, it was at least 800 calories for the meal, and it was horrible - cold chips, plastic-tasting coleslaw and a wrap with no flavour or excitement - I am still mad with myself for not complaining and sending it back - I wasted those 800 calories, and the money I paid for the meal. No more. 

Back to Christmas, so my holiday was FILLED with delicious treat foods, and yes, I've undoubtedly put on weight - BUT - I know I can quickly shift the damage, and will soon be on my way to shifting that last bit of baby weight before the next phase of my weight loss plan begins. 

MY TREAT-FILLED CHRISTMAS...

Here's a few glimpses of some of the scrummy things that have passed my lips this Christmas...

"Epic" hot chocolate - Jamie Oliver Stylee (recipe to follow shortly)

"Epic" hot chocolate with homemade griddle pan waffles (recipe coming soon)

Homemade caramel popcorn, made with our new popcorn maker, a fab Xmas gift from my best friend

Giant Christmas roast! Yum yum! 

Hotel Chocolat Festive Wreath

HELLO CALORIE COUNTING...

And so, I'm back on the bandwagon today - I'm using the My Fitness Pal app as usual, and have a calorie limit of 1550 calories per day. 

How I intend to shift the weight:

-stick to my calorie limit each day

-drink one large glass of water with each meal as a minimum (try to drink more in between meals too)

-use skimmed milk / Lurpak lightest / sweeteners / low fat condiments / half fat dairy products / Hovis wholemeal bread

-get out for a walk with the buggy every day

-avoid alcohol

-limit my portion sizes

-try and be as sensible as possible when eating out (also really enjoy the odd treat every now and again, I'm only human!) 

-try and cook fresh as much as possible

My weight loss aims for 2014:

By 31st March 2014 - I want to have shifted my Christmas & last bit of baby weight (around 1 stone)

By 30th July 2014 - Another 1 stone loss

By 6th December 2014 - Another 1 stone loss

That's a 3 stone loss in total in 2014. 

Hopefully do-able! 

I've done it before so I know I can do it again - I lost 4 stone from September 2011-August 2012 (for my wedding), and since then put 3 back on in pregnancy (boo! but he is SO worth it), I shifted 2 of my pregnancy stones between August 22nd - Now, and now have this final baby stone to lose before I am at my slimmest, and can start shifting extra stones until I reach my goal weight. 

What are your weight loss aims for this year? Do you always start a diet / health-kick / fitness regime in January? Do you stick to it? 

Here's to a happy & healthy 2014!

Mrs B

xxx

State of Mind: Plus Size Sports Brand Review...

As my readers will know I gave birth to my first child, a little boy, Albert, 7 weeks ago. Before my pregnancy I'd just achieved a 4 stone weight loss, and was feeling very positive about my achievement. I'm pretty sure that it was losing the weight which aided the conception of little Bert, and I was relieved to be going into the pregnancy a much healthier weight that I'd been in a long time. Now, 7 weeks post-delivery I'm back on the calorie counting regime, and trying to get as much exercise as possible in order to help shift some of my baby weight. 

Anyone who has had children will understand what I mean when I say I couldn't wait to see the back of my few staple maternity clothing items - I was so fed up with my limited wardrobe, and was eager to get back into my old clothes, and to finally be able to clothes shop in 'normal' shops once again. 

Once Bert had arrived I tried squeezing into some pre-baby clothes with not much success, only my loosest items fitted, and anything with any form of structure wouldn't do up over my tummy! :-(

I also had a new problem - what is suitable clothing for a new mum? I need to wear things that are comfy and practical - clothes that allow me to sit on the floor to change Bert's bum, as well as being suitable for long walks with the buggy. They also need to make me feel good, flatter my shape, and I need to be happy to wear them out and about, as well as at home with my little man. That's quite a big ask! I didn't know where to look, and then I saw a post on one of my favourite fashion blogs The Ramblings of Mrs Bebe all about a new plus size luxury sports brand for women called State of Mind who make clothes in the UK (rare these days!) in sizes 14-26.

"We created State of Mind to give women  the clothes they need to get out and feel confident. Sometimes, every woman needs to be in the right ‘state of mind’ to get something done – be it walking the dog, challenging a new exercise or just relaxing at home wearing something comfy and attractive. In effect - “wear everywhere clothing”. " (State of Mind website)

 Their clothes really did seem to be just what I was looking for! 

I approached the lovely people at State of Mind, and they kindly sent me some items to try out. I'm glad to say that I am so pleasantly surprised by the clothes they sent. 

I cannot adequately describe just how high-quality their clothes are - they use heavy 'performance' fabrics which basically suck the moisture from your skin while working out! The weight of this special fabric means the clothes hang so well on larger frames, flattering your lumps and bumps while being incredibly comfortable to wear. The quality of the finish on the clothes is impeccable. It's not often I even notice the quality of the clothes I wear, until that is, I find myself wearing something awesome, and then it puts all my other clothes to shame. 

my gorgeously wrapped State of Mind package :-)

The first items I tried post-birth were the All Wrapped Up top, and the Wishful Shrinking kick flare bottoms, both of which were unbelievably comfy! Unlike other joggers and sports tops I've tried before, they fitted me perfectly (usually a sports size 16 is really tight, and above a 16 is impossible to find), and flattered my baby belly, rather than showing it off! Because of the weight and quality of the fabric I didn't feel like I was dressed just for sports, and so I happily wore the outfit out to lunch with friends, as well as for long walks with Bert in his buggy. 

All Wrapped Up & Wishful Shrinking - a few days post-birth. 

A few weeks after Bert arrived I decided to try a slightly more 'fitted' look - and, truth be told, I just couldn't wait to try on this awesome Pirouette Wrap Around Ballet top. I think nostalgia kicked in with this item as I remembered fondly the pink wrap around tops and cardigans I used to wear when I was small and did ballet classes! 

proof that I did ballet!! ;-)

The Pirouette top can be worn in a variety of ways, with the material wrapping in different combinations in order to achieve a different look. What I love about this is that it will still fit me well (and probably just keep looking better) the more weight I shift, so it won't be sat in the back of my wardrobe once I've lost my baby-weight. I'm a huge fan of wrap-style clothing as I think it's a very flattering look for anyone who is busty and has a bit of a tum! 

Pirouette Ballet Top - a few weeks post-birth

one of my favourite items from State of Mind

I wore the Pirouette top over another item from State of Mind called the All Ruched Up cami top. I must admit when browsing the website I saw the price tag on this vest top (£28) and I was gob smacked - I'm used to paying a few pounds for vests from Primark or some similarly cheap shop. But once the top arrived I knew instantly why it was a higher price than I usually pay. I will literally never need to buy another vest again. This one is such amazing quality that I know it will last years. It's not flimsy and misshapen like its Primark contemporaries, it has hidden support for your breasts as well as extra-strong adjustable straps which feel secure and don't fall down every 10 seconds like other vests I've tried. It really is made to flatter with its ruched up sides, perfect for helping to hide your lumps and bumps! 

All Ruched Up Cami top with my very round post-bubba tum! 

Ruched bits and plum design logo

Finally, six-weeks after Bert's arrival, and once I was physically healed up from the birth, I started my weekly swimming session. This gave me the chance to wear State of Mind's swimming costume and wrap set. 'Skinny Dipper' is made up of a black all-in-one swimming costume, and a flattering patterned tie at the front cover up/wrap. 

The costume has a tie/bow at the front over the breasts which gave me an awesome cleavage, while still managing to support my ample bosom! The cover up was just perfect for me as I always feel self conscious in swim wear, especially at the moment with my changed mummy-figure. It's water proof too, so I could keep it on in the water, or simply leave it at the side of the pool or on the sun lounger if I wore it on holiday. I was so pleased with the swimwear that I'm even willing to share a picture of me wearing it! 

Skinny Dipper swimming costume and cover up

I have washed all the items multiple times on a standard 40 degree wash, and they have all air dried without the need of an iron (massive bonus!). The quality of the products haven't been compromised with washing, and they still feel like-new despite having worn them loads already. They've been subjected to baby sick and poo, (sorry!) and I've walked miles in the joggers and they haven't bobbled at the crotch like others I've worn in the past. 

Without a doubt I'll be purchasing from State of Mind in the future, and I know I'll be wearing and re-wearing the items I've already got! 

Now is a really good time to shop on their website as they have a brilliant sale on, and some clearance items! Grab a bargain today, you won't regret it! 

You can also find them on Twitter at:

@stateofmind101 

Or, on Facebook at 'State of Mind'

I will leave you with some 'feel-good' ethos from their Facebook page earlier today....

Amen to that!

Mrs B

xxx

Disclaimer: I was sent the clothes mentioned in this post free of charge from State of Mind for the purpose of this review. All words and images are my own, except the final 4 inspirational pictures, which are sourced from the State of Mind Facebook page. 

The Diary of a Greedy Blogger...

I absolutely love food. I always have. When I was younger I was embarrassed by my love of food, and tried to hide it, to act nonchalantly in regards to food, and only showed how much I enjoyed my grub to my family. I thought if people didn't see my greediness that somehow they wouldn't see my fat. As I grew up I learned that no matter how much I hid my appetite, and my laziness, people could still see my size. Hiding the food I ate and the lack of exercise I did wouldn't make me any thinner.

I've pretty much always been over weight - certainly from around 9-10 years old - I don't remember ever buying children's sized clothes (although I obviously did!) and remember having to buy a size 14-16 at around age 14.

Cue embarrassing childhood photos of me...

Don't you just love my fashion sense (lack of) and glasses!!

Over the years I piled on the pounds, until I reached my heaviest (dress size 20) 2 years ago. Enough was enough. I was so unhappy about my weight, and was eating in order to comfort myself - I'm sure lots of people can relate to that nasty cycle! I had recently got engaged and was determined to be a lighter and happier bride.

It was hard work - I had to try to change the way I thought about food - I had to educate myself about calories in, calories burned, Body Mass Index, and Basal Metabolic Rates. My friend Charlie and I would sit and talk for ages all about how best to lose weight, and keep it off long-term, how its all a scientific equation, a balancing act ... burn more calories than you consume and you WILL lose weight.

I used the calorie counting App on my iPhone My Fitness Pal - I really can't recommend this app enough - you input your height, weight, gender, activity level and the amount of weight you'd like to lose each week, and the app calculates how many calories you should consume each day to achieve that loss. You can then input what you eat each day using a barcode scanner or the apps extensive food lists, and then pop in any exercise you do - and it will calculate your day for you. It's a fab way to educate yourself on how calorific foods are, and will soon have you making healthy choices by default.

Finally, it clicked for me, and I began to see the results in the mirror and on the scales. I dropped 4 stones in 11 months - just in time for my wedding day- and went from a large size 20, to a size 16.

A year and two months on, having just given birth to my first child 6 weeks ago, here I am again with weight to lose, and a new determination to achieve my weight loss goals. I wrote here about how I intend to lose the weight, and wanted to write an update, with hopefully some nuggets of advice for anyone trying to achieve weight loss (post-baby, or not).

I have been calorie counting religiously this week and here is how my week has looked....

Under my calorie goal each day - plenty of walking, one swimming session, and healthier food choices - still with some lovely treats though!

Beginning to get the balance right... only a few adjustments to make - 11% more carbs needed and 6% less fat, 5% less protein over the week. Not bad. 

I think the things that are helping me stay on track the most are:

a) the fact that my husband is calorie counting too and so we are supporting/encouraging each other, and there are no bad foods in the house to tempt us.

b) I look every day at inspiring images of women with figures I aspire to have, and images of clothes I'd love to wear but don't have the confidence to yet. 

c) I play the 'what I would have eaten' game - this is where I look back over my day and identify the things I would have eaten if I hadn't have been calorie counting/the 'temptations' I resisted...this not only helps me realise where I go wrong when not calorie counting, but also encourages me and spurs me on because I realise how well I'm doing, and how much I am resisting. 

For instance...

On Thursday this week:

Breakfast: 

• I weighed out my toast toppings instead of slathering on the jam/peanut butter or whatever I would usually choose - it made me realise that ordinarily I'd put two or three times more on my toast. 

Lunch:

• I went to Pizza Express for lunch and chose a bruschetta to start, and a superfood salad with chicken for my main course - both of which were thoroughly delicious, and not too calorific. Ordinarily I'd have chosen dough balls with garlic butter, pollo pesto pasta, and a pudding - which would have been triple the calories of what I ate this time. 

Pizza Express Bruschetta

Pizza Express Leggero Superfood Salad with Chicken

Dinner:

• I used a Jamie Oliver 30-minute-meal recipe to make Macaroni and Cauliflower cheese using low fat creme fraiche, low fat cheddar and half the pasta I'd usually use (due to the cauliflower providing 'bulk') - it was so scrummy & you'd never have known it was a 'lower fat' version. 

Snacks:

• I genuinely didn't feel the need to snack at all. I drank 4 cups of tea, with sweetener and a dairy free milk alternative (Alpro Coconut) which is 10 calories less per 100ml than skimmed milk. 

What did I resist?

• Getting a lift into town and back - I walked instead, burning 480 calories. 
• Sweets - I was offered chocolate buttons (milk and white) and refused, as well as not being tempted by a big bag of sweets offered to me - I genuinely didn't want them because I knew just how many calories they'd be and how they'd undo all my hard work. 
• Prosecco - we had a voucher for a free bottle of prosecco at Pizza Express, but instead swapped the voucher for free soft drinks instead, so I drank diet cokes (3 calories in total) rather than 2 glasses of Prosecco which would have been 200 calories. 

Evaluating my days like this really really helps, and keeping a food diary using My Fitness Pal definitely keeps me more on-track. 

The thing I love most about calorie counting....I really can eat whatever I want. I just have to make sure I balance it all out. Luckily for me, I love all sorts of foods, not just the 'bad' stuff, so I don't find it too horrendous to balance out my days with fruit and veg, some lean meats and healthy whole wheat carbs. The key for me as a greedy eater is to do more so I can eat more - the more exercise I do the bigger dinner I can have - thats the way I look at it! 

Here are some of the foods I've eaten this week:

• garlic bread
• hula hoops
• halloumi cheese
• pizza
• macaroni cheese
• peanut butter
• jam
• bread
• Bruschetta at Pizza Express
• Eggs
• a cheese scone with real butter and onion chutney
• a Costco cottage pie
• a bacon sarnie

Not your typical 'diet' foods, huh? 

The truth is they were all within my calorie count, as I did plenty of exercise and ate proper portions rather than the gigantic ones I would eat if not paying attention. So no matter what your favourite foods, you can achieve weight loss, you can become a healthier you ... I'm not saying it is easy, but it really isn't impossible...just be prepared to put the work in, and you'll see the results. 

As an adult, and with every fad-diet under my belt, I am finally able to embrace my love of food, and not hide it. I find myself married to a man just as passionate about eating as me, and I have friends who enjoy food just as much as I do. As a greedy woman, I'm clearly drawn to people who I can level with - who won't judge me when I eat a big piece of cake or slice of pie, but who similarly will understand when I decline, or make a healthier choice. Are you surrounding yourself with the right people? Do your family and friends have a positive influence over your food and exercise choices? It's definitely something to think about. 

Last week I lost 4lbs. 

It's weigh-in day tomorrow...I wonder how I will have done? 

Bye for now

Mrs B 

xxx

I'd better shape up...

It's now 3 weeks and 3 days since our little bundle arrived. Bert is a wonderful baby and has already bought Liam and I so much happiness. He's settled well into his new life, and Liam and I are both adjusting well to our new roles as Mummy & Daddy. 

Now that the dust has settled (so to speak) and I'm beginning to heal physically from the birth (mentally is a whole other story!) I feel it's now a good time to start thinking about how I intend on getting back into shape post-baby. 

Everyone tells you not to rush into crash diets & crazy exercise regimes and I totally and whole heartedly agree. Now is not the time to be working yourself into the ground, now is the time to be enjoying your new baby & adjusting to your new life. And I also know from my previous weight loss journey (I lost 4 stones before my wedding last year) that there are no quick fixes when it comes to losing weight and shaping up. Therefore, I'm being very realistic: I don't expect to "bounce back" straight away, and in fact I don't expect my body to ever be as it was, a few extra stretch marks and a softer tummy and boobs are part of me now, they're my war wounds...proof physically that I'm a mummy, and that I grew my little man safely for 9 months-I'm proud of that, and so am proud of my new body.

But, for my own sanity, for my own happiness and for my health I do want to shift the weight I put on during pregnancy, and I want eventually to work past my pre-pregnancy weight and achieve a new lower weight that will put me in the healthy BMI category (finally!). For the past 3.5 weeks since Albert arrived I haven't been worrying about what I'm eating - in fact I've probably eaten more cakes, biscuits and treats in the past few weeks than I ever have before (think 40+ visitors to ply with tea & cakes, quick snacks, and sugar-fuelled feasts to keep me awake!) Now the visitors have died down, and I'm more settled into life as a Mum I feel like there are no more excuses to eat myself into a sugar-coma! 

So, I am setting myself some achievable goals ...

•By Xmas (14 weeks) I want to have lost the 1 stone 7lbs extra weight I'm carrying to get me back to my pre-pregnancy weight. 

•By Albert's FIRST birthday on 22nd Aug 2014 I want to have lost a further 34lbs (a loss of 1lb per week each week from Christmas)

•By 6th Dec 2014(my best friends' wedding!) I'd like to have achieved a further 8lb loss and have maintained that loss! 

This will total a 4 and a half stone loss in total. Over a period of 15 months. I know this is do-able for me.

How? 

I'm not planning a crash diet & I'm not banning any foods at all. I love food & cooking. Always have, always will. And the thought of banning things from my diet scares the crap out of me quite frankly! So, I'm going to do what I know works....everything in moderation. Basically a calorie controlled diet & lots of exercise. It worked for me before, and I know it can work again.

So here's my basic plan... 

•eat lots of fruit & veg

•brown bread, pasta and rice products (only occasional white flour)

•drink plenty of water

•mostly replace skimmed milk with almond milk 

•LOTS and LOTS of walking with the buggy. 

•a once weekly evening swim (starting once my stitches have properly healed in a couple of weeks) 

•a once weekly 30 min session on the cross trainer, building up to twice and possibly 3 times a week as my stitches heal & fitness improves. 
•keep treat foods to a minimum 

•keep alcohol consumption to a minimum. 

•lots of freshly prepared meals rather than processed foods. 

•black coffee with sweetener

•tea with sweetener and almond milk

•three meals a day and sensible snacks
•try not to drink my calories, stick to water and very low calorie/low sugar drinks
•try the things I bake but then give out the rest to friends/family/Liam's workmates/neighbours
•try on the whole to make sensible choices when eating out, or at least try to choose just 2 courses instead of 3. 

The idea of these 'rules' is not that I'll stick to them for a set period of time and then go back to eating what I want, when I want, in whatever quantities I feel like - I plan to stick to them long term, so that they become ingrained, and become the way I eat and exercise all the time. These rules allow for treats, meals out, alcohol, and all the foods and things I love, just in moderation. 

What are my motivations?

-My gorgeous little boy - what bigger motivation do I need to be my healthiest, and fittest? I want to be able to run around with him, and be a mum full of energy. I also want him to be a healthy child at a healthy weight, I need to be a good role model to my son. 

-My vanity - I can't deny this. I am vain, I want to look my best and feel my best FOR ME. Not for what other people think, not to impress my husband - but to impress myself. 

-My health - This is a big motivation... Two years ago I was falling down a slippery slope of weight gain, and heading towards a life of weight-related health problems. I decided to turn this around and when I lost the weight I noticed a huge increase in my levels of fitness, my energy and my mental well-being, I reduced my BMI by 7 points and was so proud of my achievement - I so badly want to continue on this journey now that I've had the baby and no longer have to refrain from calorie counting etc. 

-Future children - Liam and I plan to have another baby in the future. I want to be at my absolute fittest before I put my body through pregnancy again. I don't want to fall down the oh-so-common slippery slope of not getting a chance to lose baby-weight before falling pregnant again, and gaining even more weight! 

-Fashion - I absolutely adore clothes and fashion - especially vintage inspired clothes - I don't get to indulge in this passion as much as I would like mainly due to my lack of self-esteem due to my weight, and because I don't feel I can 'pull off' wearing some of the clothes I aspire to wear. Also, you can't always source the clothes in the size I need (16/18).

On the days where I'm struggling or feeling deflated and tempted to pig-out I will read back over my motivations and hope this will encourage me to stay on track.

Another motivational technique I find really helpful is looking at inspirational images of women with figures I feel might realistically be attainable for me eventually...I call these my thinspiration...

stunning ladies with really stunning curves! who wants to be skinny when you could look like this? :-)

 Photo's of me so I can chart my progress visually...

a work photo of me at my biggest 2 years ago (*ashamed face*)

mine and liam's engagement - feb 2011 - at my heaviest :-(

3 pictures of me at my slimmest after 4 stones weight loss pre-wedding last year! 

Me at 40 weeks pregnant! 4 weeks ago

me post-pregnancy - 1 week after the birth - a little curvier than I'd like - but I have just pushed a baby out! ;-)

So, I hope to chart my progress on the blog, and would appreciate any advice and support from fellow mummies - how did you shift the baby weight? How long did it take? What inspires you? I'd love you guys to get in touch - any fellow bloggers who want to join me in my quest for weight loss I'd love to hear from you.

Onwards and upwards! 

Mrs B

xxx

hehehe ;-)

Miss BBW 2012

Earlier this month I was invited to be a blog reporter for a plus size beauty event called Miss BBW 2012. The event was the final of a plus sized International beauty pageant, and celebrated the notion that big can be beautiful too. I was excited to be invited and jumped at the chance to celebrate curvy women and share it with all my lovely blog readers. :-)

The organisers say:

"Miss BBW International is a groundbreaking plus size beauty pageant open to big, beautiful women throughout the world.

Miss BBW International is a competition where plus size women and their admirers can come together to celebrate the beauty of size in a non judgemental environment and show that some of us do actually appreciate our curves! Most importantly, we show that we are comfortable in our own skin and not intimidated by the continuous pressure from the media to fit into a certain size label to be deemed acceptable in society. We proudly recognise that a great many plus size women do hold down high powered jobs and lead perfectly normal and happy lives. Not everyone wants to be a size zero and we are here to prove that there is life after a size 18!

Larger women are often rejected by other beauty pageants and we are here to change the perception of the world; which is that you can only be beautiful if you are slim. We need to let the world know that it is possible to be plus size, intelligent, and beautiful.

We at Miss BBW International do not encourage obesity, we purely provide a platform for the plus size women of the world to showcase their beauty on the catwalk that has previously been reserved for our slimmer sisters!"

Being a plus size lady myself I think its vital that we understand that just because you're a bigger lady, it doesn't mean that you can't be 'beautiful', or don't deserve to be beautiful. I have worn size 20, 18 and after my more recent slimming a size 16, and have battled a long time with body issues, food and eating disorders, and have travelled a lengthy journey to achieve a healthier body image. So it was refreshing to be a present at such a ground-breaking event.

I truly applaud all of the contestants for being confident enough to show off their curves with pride, and it was lovely to see how well most of the women dressed. The pageant showcased casual clothing, swimwear, and finally the beautiful dresses pageant-stylie! The girls were asked why they wanted to be crowned Miss BBW 2012, and talked about their own journeys of self-acceptance and confidence in their own skins. 

The Finalists in their swimwear. Image from 'The Sun' newspaper.  

The audience were treated to performances from the awesome plus-size Diva Dolls, four beautiful singers from Ireland who had bags of talent as well as bags of style! There was also a funny comedian called Junior Simpson, who coincidentally was from Bedfordshire (my neck of the woods), and gave us in the audience a lot of laughs! The whole event was hosted by the lovely Alison Hammond, (from Big Brother and presenter on ITV's This Morning). Alison is known for being honest, upfront and celebratory of her plus size figure, so she was the perfect woman for the job! Her lively and bubbly personality shone through and she really put the girls nerves at ease when interviewing them on stage. 

Alison Hammond - Copyright BECCABARRMANAGEMENT

The pageant judges had a tough job on their hands, but they eventually crowned the lovely Gemma Cruickshank as Miss BBW 2012, and a worthy winner she was. She was elegant throughout the pageant, she showed her body-confidence and spoke earnestly about her own struggles with her body-image over the years. I'm sure she'll be a fantastic ambassador for Miss BBW, and hope she helps to encourage more plus-size women to embrace their curves and celebrate their beauty, no matter what clothes size you wear. 

Gemma Cruickshank, Miss BBW 2012

The 19 finalists! 

My only criticism of the pageant, would be that as a plus-sized woman myself, I would have liked to have come away from the event feeling truly inspired by the outfits the women wore, and with a nice list of shops, stockists, designers or online stores who provide beautiful plus size fashion. This didn't happen. 

I did think some of the women didn't dress in an overly inspiring way, and some of the outfits did not encourage me to flaunt my curves, but instead made we wince a little! I must say that some of the contestants were dressed beautifully but I felt like the organisers didn't concentrate as much on what the contestants wore as perhaps they should have done. Maybe this was down to budget? Or maybe they need in future to secure some big clothing sponsors so we, the audience can see where the clothes are from and where we can buy the items for ourselves. 

I did however meet an inspiring plus-size clothing designer in the audience at the event called Syreeta Badu. She had designed and made a dress worn by one of the organisers of Miss BBW which I absolutely adored. Emma Walker who wore the dress is a plus size lady herself and looked absolutely breathtaking in the dress. I believe it should be designers and clothing lines like this one who should be on board with Miss BBW, and provide future outfits for these plus size beauties. 

C for Chickah dress by Syreeta Badu, very flattering dress, this picture doesn't do it justice! 

It is time to break down boundaries and promote plus size women as beautiful too, and I'm well and truly on this band wagon! Size 16 is the UK's average clothes size, and we need to 'get real' in the media and promote healthier images for young people to aspire to. Yes, being obese isn't 'healthy', but neither is being an underweight size '0'. We need to find some middle-ground, and personally I'd like to see the media full of curvy size  12, 14, 16, 18 women, instead of being inundated with unrealistic body images. Miss BBW is leading the way, and with some ironed out creases will continue to be a wonderful platform for plus size women around the world. 

And please watch the documentary filmed at Miss BBW 2012 'PLUS SIZE BEAUTY PAGEANT' - on TOMORROW Wednesday 28th November on BBC3 at 9pm. 

Weightloss Update

Well, I'm now 8 and a half months into my weight loss, and am pleased to say I dropped another 3lbs this week, leaving me at a total weightloss of 3 stones and 12 pounds, 2 pounds to go until I've lose 4 stones. I'm so happy with that and really proud of myself. It has by no means been easy, but it's not as complicated and hard as I had it mapped out in my head.
Here is the secret...

Eat in moderation.

Write down everything you eat (I really recommend My Fitness Pal for iPhone or on PC)

Do more.

That's it! It really is that simple!

So although I don't look like the image below, I am at least nearly 4 stones lighter than I was, and well on my way to being much happier in my own skin.

Lots of Love

Lucy xxx

Thin-spiration!

It is when I see stunning dresses like the one I'm posting below that I am truly inspired to continue on my weight-loss journey; to push on harder - to keep up the exercise, to keep down the calories, and only have treats few and far between.

There's been a lot of treats this holiday what with Rome, meals out & yesterdays Dacquoise cake. Still, I have not gone overboard (as I would have done in the past), and I've tried hard to counter-act the calories with exercise too. 

Back to work next week - and back to a much stricter regime, lots and lots of walking, at least two cross training sessions and back to Pilates.

The weeks are now slipping away and before I know it the wedding will be here...I have exactly 11 weeks until my final dress fitting. So 11 weeks left to lose as much as I can before I have to maintain my weight to ensure my dress fits perfectly. Im determined to at least get down to my 4th stone off -  9 lbs left to go! I know if I put my mind to it & try really hard I can achieve more than that - but that's a healthy and achievable amount to aim for - any more will be a bonus! :-) 

Dresses  as stunning as this one which I found on my friend Liz's Pinterest Page are absolutely the sorts of things that spur me on & make me even more determined. I would kill to wear a dress like this & feel happy & confident in it. Stunning, just stunning!