Friday 13 November 2015

Oh my gosh!


I woke up this morning and decided that I needed to blog. Not because I want to brag, but because there are so many good things going on in my life at the moment, I wanted to show everyone that yes - it does get better! Don't get me wrong, sometimes work sucks and sometimes I have days where I hate everything. But then there are days like today were everything is all good!

I opened my eyes this morning after snoozing my alarm for the gazillionth time and still felt tired. I'm not a morning person and never will be (except for my birthday and Christmas Day when I get up at 5am obviously). Getting up in the morning is something that takes me a while, but eventually I mustered up the energy to rise from my slumber. Feeling curious I thought I'd weigh myself. No real reason for it - I have been off the Exante diet for two weeks now and just eating healthily so I wasn't expecting any significant weight loss but thought I'd see where I was at. Well to my surprise I had lost another 2.5 lbs which brings me to the 2 stone weight loss mark! 2 whole stone gone! 28lbs!

When I say I was surprised I mean it. For the last two weekends I have had naughty Saturdays and eaten some unhealthy things and drank some alcoholic beverages. I think the term 'cheat meal' doesn't cover what happened on the Saturday just gone; Costa Gingerbread Latte for breakfast, a cupcake, bread, breaded chicken, two slices of pizza, Doritos and salsa, popcorn and a LOT of vodka with some Jagerbombs thrown in for good measure. Oh and Sunday morning I had a fried brekky at the café. Oops.

But adding all that into consideration, I've still lost 2.5lbs since I stopped doing Exante two weeks ago which isn't too shabby. Now I'm not saying that as long as you eat healthy Monday-Friday you can eat whatever you want on the weekends, trust me it doesn't work like that. That's how I gained all the weight in the beginning anyway. But everything I did have, I had in moderation. I would have eaten so much more before the diet, but I managed to control myself into having just one cupcake and just one piece of bread and just two (small I might add) slices of pizza. I may have gone a bit overboard with the vodka, and my head would have probably appreciated it if I'd controlled myself in that respect with the way I felt Sunday morning but you live and you learn. I've become a bit of a lightweight in my new 'lighter' form, so I'll have to watch how much I'm drinking more closely in the future. Yay for saving money on nights out!

So after I was finished jumping up and down with glee after learning about my new weight loss I was ready for the day ahead. It's Friday, it's payday and my lovely boyfriend is going to make me dinner tonight. Life is good.

At the beginning of 2015 I was insecure, unhappy with how I looked and felt and just plain fed up. I was in a job that I hated and getting no where fast with moving out into my own place. Well, look at me now. I've lost a bit of weight, feel more confident, I'm doing a job that I love and thanks to a very nice pay rise from my new employers my savings have rocketed. My point is, things do get better. When you're in all the crap and everything is going wrong it is hard to be optimistic, and the worst thing is when all everyone is telling you is that it will get better. How do they know? Are they psychic? No. But maybe they've been in a really crappy place too, and now they are on the other side of it. Maybe they can see the potential in you and that you will be able to get through whatever challenges come your way. And I bet you in a few months when you're through all the crap, you'll be saying exactly the same to someone else.

2015 has definitely been a year of positive changes for me, and I feel like it's been a long time overdue. Right now, I'm in a really good place in my life. It's just an added bonus that it's Autumn and fast approaching Christmas which is my favourite time of year! I'm not one of those crazy people who puts their Christmas tree up early - we put it up 12 days before Christmas and take it down 12 days after, just because that's how it's always been. However, I do get super excited and feel super festive SUPER early. I start buying my Christmas presents in October, and I've wrapped all my presents as well. Because why not? Anything to do with Christmas makes me feel 5 years old again and I want to jump up and down with joy! My Christmas baking sessions will begin soon, so I'll be adding some recipes and ideas onto my blog for you to try at home - including a massive gingerbread house!

I've rambled on for long enough now, but just a final message to everyone reading. You are beautiful, you are amazing, and whatever crap you are going through right now won't last forever. You are strong enough to make it through. I believe in you!


Sunday 8 November 2015

Things you need if you love Mermaids!

I admit it, I’m a little bit obsessed with mermaids. The Little Mermaid is one of my favourite Disney films, and since I learned that the woman who does Ariel’s voice is called Jodi (yes spelt the same way as my name!) I decided that I was obviously a mermaid too.

I’ve made a list of things that you will find yourself needing if you love mermaids; all of which I proudly own. Mermaid lovers unite and enjoy! 

An Ariel Funko Pop 
This little mermaid sits proudly on my bedside table, and makes me smile every morning. Just look at her little face! Aww. Available at various online stores.


Mean Girls meets Mermaids 
I spotted this t-shirt on ASOS a while back and had to have it! Us girls love Mean Girls, and the mermaid cross over is just fab.


Shell Yeah! 
Another ASOS purchase which makes me smile. Style with black ripped jeans and a leather jacket for a rock and roll I don’t give two hoots I’ve got legs mermaid look. Who doesn’t want holographic shells placed conveniently over their jubblies?


The Little Mermaid socks 
I LOVE these socks! They aren’t official Disney merchandise as far as I know, but there’s no denying that this little beauty is a ringer for Ariel. These socks can be found on Amazon or eBay (I got mine off of eBay for 99p!) The only downside is if your feet are bigger than a size 6, I’m not sure how well they will fit. Yes, I think these are designed for children. Do I care? No. No I don’t.


Mermaid PJs 
So er ASOS, we need to talk. I think we are spending too much time together… Okay yes this is another ASOS purchase. They seem to have a thing for mermaids at the moment and I’m loving it! This cute duo is still available on their website, and costs just £24! GO GO GO!


Another mermaid related top.. 
Again… because yes, the shells on the jubblies is totally 2015. I got this tshirt at Primark a few months ago so it’s probably not available anymore *sigh*. However Primark also stock quite a lot of Disney The Little Mermaid clothing, so keep an eye out!


Mermaid merch mermaid merch mermaid merch 
Try saying that three times fast. I got this little beauty at Comicon last weekend! It includes a few frames of film from The Little Mermaid and is a really cool addition to my mermaid collection.


A mermaid tattoo 
Not for everyone obviously, but as a tattooed girl I HAD to get a mermaid tattoo. It hurt like hell, took 10 hours to do but god damn I love it. Pretty much one of the ultimate commitments to mermaid love.


Thursday 5 November 2015

It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change


This is probably going to be my last 'diet' related post for a while. I've officially finished my journey with Exante and now I'm back on the healthy eating routine; and as the title of this blog post suggests it is a permanent lifestyle change not a diet.

I'm so happy to be eating actual food again, rather than shakes and bars. I've definitely missed my breakfast smoothies and my salads for lunch, so getting back to healthy eating has been heaven. I've made a few changes to my diet, ensuring my carbohydrate intake is still relatively low, and my protein and fat intake at the higher end of the scale.

I've started using My Fitness Pal again to track my calories and macros to ensure I'm on track. I used this app when I lost my 14lbs through healthy eating and exercise earlier this year, and it definitely helps me avoid bad food choices when I know I have to input them into my daily food diary!

My daily calorie intake is set at 1,200 which is the recommended intake to be able to lose roughly 1.5lbs per week. I've altered my macros to lower my carbohydrate intake as the 'default' that the app set my carb allowance at was too high for me at the moment.

My macros are currently set as:
  • 120g Protein - 40% daily intake
  • 40g Fat - 30% daily intake
  • 90g Carbohydrates - 30% daily intake

I'm going to keep my macros like this for 4 weeks and introduce exercise back into my routine. From there I will be able to assess my weight loss and see if anything needs altering. It's going to be pretty trial and error at the moment, so I will persevere and see how I go!

I have been off of Exante products officially for 6 days so far, and have managed to maintain my weight. I even had a 'cheat' on Halloween last weekend and ate some popcorn and Skittles! It's all about balance. 

I am relatively happy at the weight I am at the moment but would still like to lose another 14lbs. I'm going to keep going until I reach a comfortable weight, then will transfer over to maintainence. This part is going to be slow and steady, rather than the drastic weight loss that I experienced with Exante. My aim is to lose 7lbs by February 2016, then another 7lbs by May 2016. My target obviously may change depending on how I feel/look but as long as at the end I am happy, really that's all that matters.

On a side note, you've hopefully noticed that my blog design has changed quite a lot! I have been playing about with the template and design for the past couple of weeks (hence not writing any blog posts) but I'm happy with how it looks now so there will be a lot more posts from me in the near future. From now I will be posting more fashion hauls and beauty/make up review type posts, along with featuring some of my favourite healthy recipes for you to try. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!