Friday 30 March 2012

My week in pictures...

I've been bang on with the walking, healthy eating, and drinking lottttsss of water...and I've lost 2lbs! Finally...a loss! I feel good and proud of myself for staying on track, and I plan to do lots of exercise this weekend, to counter-act the calorie-fuelled weekend we have planned! (Dinner party at my lovely friend Kerry's, and a trip to The Waffle House in St Albans with our friends Danni & Charlie...YUMMA!!!)

Excited that it's the last day of term today, holiday time!!! :-) Can't wait until 3:30pm!!!

Here's a few pics from this week... Some yummy granary bread that Liam made, some gorgeous olives I bought from Bedford market, a funny pic of my kitten at dinner time yesterday, and a mantra for my life at the moment!!

:-)

Let the holidays begin.....

Monday 26 March 2012

Must push things forward...

I'm thinking this morning about how I'm going to shift this 4th stone. What I need to do further to what I'm already doing & how I can improve the changes to my lifestyle I've already made.

I'm a firm believer that no matter what & no matter how hard you are trying there is ALWAYS room to improve or modify your own actions and behaviour.

So I've been looking at my food diary (through My Fitness Pal) and my exercise (through Nike+) and looking at what's slowing me down.

In the past 2-3 weeks I have maintained my 3 stone loss, but not lost any more. Which I've been frustrated about. When I looked at my Nike+ readings I saw that so far this month I've walked 85.29 miles, which I'm really pleased with, 87.77 miles is my record for a month, and I still have 6 days of March left to walk lots more & smash that target! So, in terms of exercise how do I step it up?

Firstly, I've now started a weekly Pilates class, which is extra exercise I wasn't doing before, is also great for helping ease my back, build up my core strength & help to tone. Positive.

Secondly, I need to try and work on my speed. At the moment I walk at an average pace, and although speed hurts my back after a while, I definitely need to build up to a much faster rate of walking, to really get my heart pumping & burn those calories!

Thirdly, I'm going to try cross training again, the physio had said I should avoid it, but that was a few weeks ago, and I think if I take it slowly, and stop if I encounter any pain, then I will be fine. I will only use it a couple of times a week (probably at the weekends) and I'll just see how I go!

It is still in the food department where I need some even stricter self control. I am so proud of what I've achieved up to this point, but I know in terms of choices I sometimes make and my calorie levels on some days that my grade is 'could do better'!

I'm realistic about my relationship with food. I love it. And that will never stop. But I'm also lucky because I love and enjoy ALL types of food, not just the high fat, high carb, high sugar stuff. So in terms of balance of all the food types and groups I think i do fine. What I still need to work on is portion control at times, because mostly I am doing fine on this now, but every so often I have a blow out & consume far too much at once. This I have to say is usually a take-away based slip up, or eating-out....and this is where my other problem with food is. My relationship with food is emotional. It always has been- I celebrate with nice food, I commiserate with it, it's a treat on special occasions and a pick-me-up on sad. And honestly, I don't think that will ever change. I don't think I'll ever see food just as fuel, but I also know I can control this emotional cycle better than I do at times.

I've accepted that I eat in an emotional way, so does my whole family, and Liam. And we will never stop enjoying that, but I do need to take that extra step back and say "do I need this?" "how much am I going to regret this?" before I dive in.

Don't get me wrong, I have been doing this. A lot. I have resisted bigger portions, and very tempting foods over even just the past couple of weeks, but there are a few things I haven't resisted that I just didn't need. A take away, a couple of chocolate digestives at work, a few cheeky spoonfuls of melted chocolate, and finished chocolates (when I've been making them as gifts!), a packet of walkers ready salted crisps (my absolute favourite!!), some of Liam's homemade bread ... I did thoroughly enjoy all of these treats, and I won't stop having some treats, but I just know that I can control myself even further. I can just stop for a few more seconds before I launch in & think harder about whether I really need it. It's actually the regret that I hate more than not shifting the weight. So if I resist it can only be a win:win situation. Then when I do have a proper treat (which is usually planned and part of our weekend plans) I can relax, enjoy it, go with it & not feel guilty.

My last area where I really want to push for change is my drinking. Not alcohol, as I don't drink alcoholic drinks barely at all (due to an allergy) but the fact that I don't drink nearly enough water. When I've looked back on my food diaries I've realised that some days I've just drunk 4 cups of tea & nothing else! This is so bad for me, I know. So in the past week I've made a really conscious effort to drink as much water as I can manage. I've been bringing a bottle to work and drinking all through the day, and I've proved to myself I can do it, and I'm hoping it will help speed up the weight loss, and generally improve my health, give me more energy etc!

That's the plan anyhow!

I just keep focussing on my goals...

•to feel happier and more confident with how I look on our wedding day

•to feel more confident and content with my body ready for our honeymoon to Cyprus.

•to be fit & healthy to help improve my chances of getting pregnant when the time comes for us to try starting a family.

•and eventually to be a fit and healthy mum, who can run around and play with my kids, and live a long time for them!

What more could I want for motivation?

:-)

I can do this!

Come on 4th stone, be gone!!!

Love

Luce xxx

Friday 23 March 2012

Craft-y Inspiration with PINTEREST

So...I now have a new addiction....the website and app Pinterest! For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, get yourself on there to have a glimpse! It's basically the biggest ever online pinboard. You sign up & make your own personal pinboard(s) and upload images, for example I have a board entitled 'Lucys Likes' for lots of general lovely images, then one for food and my baking, and one for wedding ideas. Then basically you can search through everyone else's picture pinboards, and similarly to Facebook you can 'like' their images, or 'repin' the image to one of your own boards, and so the picture-sharing begins! It's a great website for finding inspiration for all sorts of things, as you can search pinboards by keyword/topic. :-)

Here are some of the beautiful & inspiring images (all mainly craft & baking related!) I've found so far!!

Everyone please check out my Pinterest site, my user name is Lucy Moon. :-) Sign up for an invite yourself & get pinning!

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Liams Homemade Bread - take one

After buying him the Women's Institute book on bread making, Liam began his bread-making journey tonight, and made his first loaf!

Using the recipe for a simple brown loaf he created his first delicious masterpiece!! :-)

It's now 10:35pm and we've just had a warm buttery slice each & it was really nice! He's really fired up now to create more bread, to learn more about it, and gain lots of bread making skills (he fancies himself as a bit of a Paul Hollywood!) and who am I to quash his enthusiasm? If that means I HAVE to try lots and lots of delicious homemade bread, then I GUESS I can be persuaded :-)

Yumma!!

Here's his bread making in pictures.... (they might be in a funny order as I'm using my phone to blog, sowwy!!)

Night night xx

Monday 19 March 2012

My Walk Home in Flowers

So my walk home every night is a 2.5mile walk through Bedford town centre, and through a residential area of Bedford. I've been doing the walk since we moved in August last year, and I'm pretty used to it now, feel like I could walk it with my eyes closed (I won't though... That could be dangerous!!) Today, as I was walking home in the spring sunshine I started to notice all the beautiful spring flowers and blossom. So I decided to photograph my journey. I find that flowers cheer me up so much as they are so beautiful and on lovely sunny days like today I seem to see beauty everywhere!

I hope you like them as much as I did!

A few more pictures from Mothers Day...

We had a lovely day yesterday, really relaxed & chilled! Mum seemed to really enjoy it, and it was nice to spoil her.

I cooked (with some carrot peeling help from my sister) roast chicken, and roast honey-glazed gammon, with mashed potato, roast new potatoes, runner beans, carrots, stuffing and gravy. Followed by an M&S sticky toffee pudding, and chocolate fudge pudding and weightwatchers (haha) cream.

It was delish! And all part of the '4 dine for £15' Mother's Day deal at M&S, which I would highly recommend!!

While the dinner was cooking I dyed my stepdads hair for him. This is something he's been meaning to try for ages, as he has gone very grey, almost white in places recently, and used to have brown hair, so I bought him a Just For Men wash in dye to try.

We were really pleased with the results, it didn't look unnatural, it just took the edge off the grey, and darkened it slightly. :-) Will post a before and after picture below!

Also took a picture of all mums presents after she had opened them, and a pic of the lunch table, with some of mums very pretty flowers on. Her house looks like a florist at the moment with all the lovely flowers people have bought her since she had her stroke.

I am on the train to work now, it's a lovely fresh morning, the sun is nice and bright, so I just hope it's going to be a nice day. And a quick day! Cannot wait to get home tonight & relax with Liam!

Bye for now xxxxx

Sunday 18 March 2012

Happy Mothers Day xxxx

My Mumma is having a nice long lie in this morning, then when she gets up we're going to spoil her with her presents, and making her a mothers day lunch!

I can now post what I got up to in preparation for mothers day!

I made a batch of homemade chocolates ... Some milk chocolate glitter roses, and and some square ones with a hazelnut in the centre. (see pics below) I hope my mum & my lovely friend Alison (my surrogate mum in Bedford!) enjoy them.

I also made my mothers day cards, at WI on Thursday night's craft workshop! I learnt some great new skills... Paper quilling (to make flowers for my mums card, the pink one), and I learnt how to use this paper cutter/stamper to cut out cute cats for my friend Alisons card (the blue one which I covered on cats!! Her favourite!) and I also learnt how to emboss using powder and a heat gun (the flower stalk on my mums pink card is embossed). I made a nice yellow card for Liam's lovely mum, and combined my new skills, added some buttons, some cut paper & some quilling. So I really hope they all like them, and appreciate the personal touch.

I also bought my mum "Call the Midwife" the book, as she really enjoyed the series on BBC1. And I made her a dry felted hanging heart at a WI Stitch & Bitch session a few weeks ago. I'm looking forward to seeing her open them.

I've attached some awesome 50's Mother's Day images that I found on the net, love these images! :-)

Now I need to get my pinnie on & get cooking!! :-)

Lots of love to all wonderful Mum's out there!!!

I'm sitting here wondering when I'll be a mum... :-) Exciting thoughts!!

Lucy xxxx



Saturday in Surrey xxx

I've had a busy & tiring day in Surrey. I went to Redhill, our local town here in Surrey with my sister, we did some shopping, had a nice lunch in M&S (egg mayo & watercress sandwich, soooo yummy & some naughty crisps) & then I dragged her on a 5 mile walk (determined to burn some of our lunch time calories!!). Tonight I came home & cooked dinner for my mum & stepdad, since then I've just been chilling on the sofa, vegging out in front of the tv.

I'm cooking a mothers day lunch with my sister tomorrow (well, I say cook...I actually mean put an M&S meal deal in the oven!) but sure it'll be scrummy & hopefully not stressful!

Have been purchasing some lovely bits and pieces this weekend for the wedding....

First, I hit Next and found a few lovely little bits to decorate the barn...a few heart cream rose hanging decorations, a porcelain "you are my happy ending" heart, & a gorgeous wire 3 pot plant set. :-)

Then I also found a gorgeous multiple aperture photo frame to use to display a photo tribute to "absent friends" at the wedding, it was an absolute bargain at £5.99 in a new shop in my mums local town.

My sister treated me to a gorgeous new iPhone 4 case today, it's very 'me' and has the "Keep Calm and Carry On"
logo on it! Love it! Thank you Jojo!! Xxx

I have also ordered my wedding jewellery today, I love love love it! Simple, sparkly, and pearly! And a good price at £50.50p for the set. Hope it's as pretty when it arrives.

Aww Next have released their new season table lamp & I love love love it! It's a teapot! I have the teacups lamp from last season (I've posted pictures of it in the past!) which I'm so pleased with, I just wish I had somewhere suitable in my house to have the teapot, it's lush!

On the subject of teapots, saw this gorgeous idea using teapots in the garden, think its so sweet!!

I'm using the Blogger App for the first time with this post so I don't know of the images will post all in one block after the text, or as I intended them, spaced throughout the text!!

Hmmm let's post it & see!! :-)

Happy Mothers Day to all you lovely Mumma's out there!! (it's now 1:01am so is technically Mothering Sunday!)

Loads of love & sparkle

Lucy xxxx