Weight loss and many new frocks to rock!

I took a trip down Weight Loss Lane at the weekend, and I still can't believe how far I've come.

Since I began to lose weight at the start of August 2010 I kept a weekly record of my losses and gains.

Ignore the green line

My original goal was to lose 40lbs, but I had to break that down, 7lbs, 10lbs, 1 stone, 20lbs etc. Forty pounds seemed like such a lot!

But I did it, pound by pound. Some weeks I lost, some weeks I gained, some I stayed the same. But looking back I never swayed. I didn't go off track even once. After resisting losing weight for so long, I really enjoyed the challenge once I got started!

Once I had lost 40lbs I was able to set a new goal of 50lbs and I achieved that at end April this year.

I'm still keeping a track on my weight every week. Here's my chart since April. I've managed to maintain my weight loss and even dropped to around 133lbs (9st 7lbs) recently, albeit briefly!




I'm half considering setting myself a new goal of staying around 133lbs, making a total weight loss goal of 55lbs.

I can't tell you how much better I feel being unburdened of every one of those 50lbs! I'm still feeling the benefits and adjusting to the change.

When I saw this photo that was taken at the Nokia Pitch & Win day I was like, "Wow, is that me?!" I still have trouble recognising my new figure!

 

50lbs weight loss!

For comparison, this photo was taken in June last year, about two months before I began losing weight at around 188lbs (13 stone 6lbs)

Photo by Winnie Manwende

I've mentioned before how much easier it is to buy new clothes and enjoy shopping again. That novelty hasn't worn off!

I thought when I got to my goal I would go on a made shopping spree for a new wardrobe, but that hasn't really happened. I've just bought the odd few dresses here and there.

Last Friday I picked these cuties up.

 

But the Saturday before that I rediscovered Ebay!

And I had myself an Ebay night!

And got very carried away.

What a buzz!

I did try and formulate a plan though, and decided I didn't want to spend more than £5 per dress and that had to include postage and packing too.

And after a few tips from my twitter friends, I only placed my bid in the very last few seconds. This worked really well and I won about 90% of the dresses I bid on. There's a tip for you!

One Saturday night and about £126 later and I had 'won' erm......26 dresses!! Which makes the average cost of a dress £4.84 (inc p&p). I figured even if only half the dresses were a good fit, I would still be doing well in fitting out my wardrobe!

And of course, the excitement didn't end there. All last week my letter box was flowing with parcels!

Here are a few of the dresses I bid on. Many were new with the labels still on them. Out of the 26 dresses, 5 were too small. I ordered a size 12 in everything and hoped for the best.

I love my new wardrobe! I've still kept the best of my too-big clothes with the intention of one day getting them taken in.

I also received my first piece of mail addressed to @karenstrunks! This amused me greatly.

It was from Cougar Drinks who sent me a few samples of their energy drink to try out.

They say, "Cougar is the world's first  Well Being Energy Drink exclusively for women. Designed to complement a busy lifestyle - giving a boost during a hectic day."

I'm a woman. I have a busy lifestyle. I need a boost during hectic days! Let's give these a try!

The black bottles are a double shot and the white bottle is the original. I cracked the black bottle open on Saturday morning. It was a very dull, grey, rainy day and I was feeling pretty lethargic. All I can say is this drink packs a punch! I didn't even drink the whole bottle! Just a few sips. I was soon raring to go after a lazy start to the day.

They come in Berry flavour and are very sweet and have ingredients such as blueberry, cranberry, green tea, caffeine, aloe vera and noni (which I hadn't heard of before). If you like energy drinks, I'd give them a try.

In other news, I've not been feeling quite my usual positive self in the last few days. The cause? Toothache! :(

I've been suffering (not in silence, if you see my twitter stream) and after a visit to the dentist, I have been told I have an abscess. I'm now taking antibiotics. I don't do being ill very well at all. I hate anything that slows me down. I love being super productive all the time. My super sharp focus has gone a bit blunt. With not enough doing, I've had too much time to think about life, the universe and all that stuff ;)

I know in a few days I'll be back on full form again, and I can't wait!