Weight loss update, bra saga and new dresses!

I've been suffering with quite a bad cold this week, and I've been feeling quite fed up with it altogether. It's really slowed me down and my normal bounding energy has taken leave. I've hardly got anything done, I've barely been out of the house (and I'm going a bit stir crazy!) and I've hardly moved an inch.

What's that saying? Feed a cold and starve a fever? My appetite this week has been HUGE!! It's really taken me by surprise. I don't think I've felt actual hunger since I started losing weight but this week it's like I couldn't eat enough! Weird.

So, I've listened to my body (as I have throughout my weight loss) and ate more. Larger portions. Sometimes second helpings. I'm guessing as my body was fighting off germs it was asking for more vitamins/nutrients? Just my theory.

The result this week, weight loss wise, is I have put on 3lbs. To be honest, I was expecting it to be around 7lbs. Honestly. I haven't done any exercise and the most strenuous thing I did was take the rubbish out. How do I feel about putting on 3lbs? OK. I've been ill, these things happen.

I've still kept just under my goal weight. I'm happy here and with my maintenance overall, but just because I've reached goal it doesn't mean my weight loss journey has ended and I'll write more about that another time.

3lbs gain this week! Still under goal weight. Just!

I enjoyed a wonderful day out in Solihull with my Mum last week (pre illness).

I hate to say it but it made for a much nicer shopping experience compared to one I had in Birmingham in July when we had a day out. I came home from that day in a really bad mood. Why? Countless unhelpful and unfriendly shop staff.

It started off with my search for new bras for my new figure. I went to Marks and Spencer first, asked two members of staff for help with fitting, only to be told to come back later in the week as I had to make an appointment. I asked if I could just be quickly measured so I could get an idea of roughly the size I needed and was told no. I asked if I could just borrow a tape measure to measure myself in that case and a particularly grumpy member of staff begrudgingly whipped the tape around me and told me my size. I was the only person in the changing room with two members of staff, neither of which wanted to do anything to help. Some people just love to say 'no' and that was the case here. One of them could have spared a few minutes. Needless to say I left.

Then I went to House Of Fraser. Luckily a lady was happy to measure me and she provided me with a few bras, but it was busy so she could only help me for a little while. At least she tried to help in the time she had. I must have tried on about 15 bras. None of them looked or felt right.

I went to La Senza. Short staffed. 10 bras later, no joy.

I went to Debenhams. I almost begged for someone to help me at this point, but it was the same story as M&S. Two members of staff in the changing area, chatting away with each other, but both too busy to help me.

I came away empty handed despite trying on about 40 bras that day and can say that every member of shop staff I encountered was unhelpful and grumpy. The only person that was actually friendly was a lady at a food place in the Pallasades. I don't expect much when I go out shopping, just a bit of help without an attitude.

But back to Solihull! What a difference. The shop staff there were lovely in every shop! It made for a much nicer time altogether.

My mum had got a head start in the shops and had already bought me a present. This white jacket. I wouldn't ordinarily go for a white jacket, but I actually really like this one. Makes a change too.

New white jacket. Thanks Mum!

We ended up spending around 4 hours in House Of Fraser! There were so many bargains in the sale and I tried a ton of clothes on and had a break for a bite of lunch.

I found a new clothing line that really caught my eye. Yumi. They had such cute designs.




Rainbows and hearts! I didn't buy this one though


I think their range is aimed at a younger age, but I'm going to keep an eye on their site now (and they have some sales on there).

I picked up this dress.


Reduced from £50 to £15

Here's a better photo of it. 

And before we finally left HoF, I managed to get new bras!! And it was SO easy compared to my attempt in Birmingham. A lovely lady helped me straight away and within 15mins I had found the perfect fit in the Freya range. Happy! Whew.

On the look out for a red belt (I can't find one anywhere) I wandered into Oasis and a glimpse of red was calling me over. I'd wanted a dress like this for so long! And it was in the sale. I can't wait to wear it! It's so cute.

And I picked up this striking necklace in my colours.

Since losing weight I've noticed that I'm getting much more into clothes (and getting into them better too!). I don't think the novelty of being able to pick up a size 12 and it fitting has worn off. Okay, not every item fits, but there's a much better chance of something fitting me straight away than before I lost 50lbs. It really makes such a difference! 

And the best news is that RED is coming back into season again. Double whoop!

I'm going to be taking it easy for the rest of the weekend. I've had to cancel my planned night out which I am really disappointed about, but I don't feel qutie well enough. Mind you, I'm desperate to see some friends after a week being home along and ill! Hopefully soon.

Hope you are having a great weekend! :)

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!

Weekly Weight Loss Report Week 12 - adjusting to changes in my body

It's been 4 weeks since I've been able to record a loss in weight. Some might say that that is slow progress, and maybe it is, however as I've said before, I keep the 'bigger' picture in mind and remember how far I have come so far.

I think with a weight loss journey that extends past the initial keenness of the first week, you have to be prepared for weight gains and for some weeks to stay the same. My weight loss has been achieved over 7 months. I remember that during December I stayed the same (or maybe even put weight on) and March has proved to be the same.

So from my experience, when you are eating healthily, sensibly and not on some extreme diet, you can't 'force' your body to lose weight when it doesn't want to! You just have to keep doing what you know works, and your body will react accordingly and lose some more weight when it's good and ready!

This weeks weight loss - 3.2lbs

Total weight loss - 46.4lb 9 (3 stone 4.4lbs)

I'm really glad I have kept this weight loss chart updated from the beginning. Since last August I've been making a note of (more or less) my weekly weight. As you can see, there have been numerous times where I have put on a few lbs, but I've never used those increases as an excuse to give up.





As you can see in the bmi chart comparisons from Feb and today, I'm inching closer to being in a healthy weight range for my height (which I think is 5ft 3").


25th Feb bmi chart

26th March bmi chart

And now I am 4.4lb away from the new weight loss goal that I set myself when I reached my 40lb goal. Another 4.4lbs and I will have achieved a total weight loss of FIFTY POUNDS!

Now I want to write a bit about body image and accepting my 'new' body.

It's a bit hard to explain, but I'll give it a try.

The rational part of my brain knows I have lost almost 50lbs. And I can 'see' when I look in the mirror that I am slimmer than before I lost weight. My old clothes tell me that too.

But let's use my clothes shopping experience of yesterday as a good example...

I had a brilliant day out with my fantastic Mum in Stratford Upon Avon. We had a wander around the clothes shops, but with this seasons colours I didn't see much I liked. BUT after some perseverance, we did find some items and in the right colour AND they were in the sale. I've been holding off buying too many new clothes (but I have needed to just so I had something to wear on my slimmer body), or spending too much money, as my weight loss journey hasn't finished and I don't want a wardrobe of ill fitting clothes to have to replace.

Anyway, we found some sale items in styles and colours I liked. I one shop, I had amassed 16 items to try on! *gulp*

My personal shopper - my Mum ;)

As we were selecting the clothes to try on, I had to remind myself and my Mum that I'm not a size 16/18 anymore, or even a size 14.

But this is where my mind is having trouble catching up with my body. The items I selected to buy size 12, or size 10, or small.

We have all seen the clothes that only come in Small, Medium or Large. I remember earlier this year when I was delighted to fit into a large! Normally vaguely labeled 'large' items would be too small for me.

And now....I'm getting in to a size Small?

Obviously, I didn't buy all of the 16 items. When I tried them on, some weren't the right style, a few were too tight (or too short!), and there was one 'medium' that although I got it on, it was too clingy.




But what I did buy were sized either a 12, 10 or small.

Small £9 in sale




size 10 £6.99 in sale



size 12. though I didn't try a size 10 on. I LOVE this dress. My Mum has named it my Elizabeth Taylor dress. (RIP Elizabeth - what an interesting life she had!) £27 not in sale

Small - £7 in sale


Small - £7 in sale


Small. Julian McDonald - £9 in sale

And of course I had to get some bling !


Hair bands

Presents from my Mum. Thanks Mum!

But I digress (distracted by shiney bling!)

Slim people wear 10's, 12's and small. Does that mean I am slim now? Y'see, this is where I'm getting a bit confuddled. The 'facts' are there, but some part of me is having trouble understanding it.

Another thing I've become aware of is my BONES! lol. Sounds strange doesn't it? Well mine have been hiding under a layer of fat for ages, and now they aren't. I've got a collar bone now, and hip bones. I can feel my rib bones now too. Again, a new feeling.

I don't think is an unusual situation to be in. I've read that when people lose a good amount of weight they still get a surprise when they look in the mirror at their 'new' body. And why wouldn't they? For the last 4-5 years, I've got very accustomed to seeing the 'old' me. And now a 'new' me is staring back! Hello 'new' me! :)

I guess I'm just going through a natural adjustment period and the longer I am this new weight, the more normal it will feel and look. Maybe it's similar to getting a new hairstyle. When you get home from the hairdressers you can't stop looking at your new hair, and for the next few days it's the same and a week later it doesn't feel so new. Like that, only with a longer acceptance period!

A bit more about what I'm eating. I was writing my food shopping list yesterday, so thought I would share that with you as I've had a couple of food related questions.

So this is a typical week's food shopping. Of course, that's not only what my diet will consist of this week. I have other things already in stock, but this is what I wanted to get in for this week.

Baby potatoes

Avocado

Mango

Oranges

Peppers

Grapes

Melon

Butternut Squash

Pak Choi

Beansprouts

Cabbage

Sesame Snaps - a fast energy boost before or after a run

Dark Chocolate

After Eights

Crisps

Peanuts

Homous

Bacon - streaky

Pork

Duck

Spray cooking oil - Olive

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Diet Coke

Diet Lemonade

Orange Squash

Sports Drinks

I think that's it!

Time to get my trainers on for a run. I've managed to fit in some more exercise in the last week after my schedule getting too packed the previous week or two. I can't tell you how great it feels to exercising again. I missed it! And, I'll tell you what, I never thought I'd say that! :)

Weekly Weight Loss Report - Week 8 - Setting new weight loss goal

Put your sunglasses on - I am radiating proudness! ;)

Another loss this week. Which is great, but I wasn't expecting it.

I haven't changed what I've been eating (I've eaten no more or less than normal), but I've only been for one run (which I'm annoyed about, but more on that in another post). But then, it is possible to lose weight without exercise - I lost the first 30lbs without doing a thing exercise wise.

I guess, maybe, somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought that because I reached my original 40lbs weight loss goal last week, my progress would slow down, but my body doesn't know about my goal!

This week's weight loss - 2.6lbs

Total weight loss - 42.3lbs (3 stone 0.3lbs)


Which also means (I just realised this as I was doing the calculations!) I have lost 3 STONE!





I'm still keeping my weight loss chart stuck on my kitchen door and enjoying crossing off the pounds...





But now it's time to re-assess where I am going with losing weight and getting healthier and setting a new target.


Forty pounds was my original goal, and now I've met that.


By entering some basic figures into the NHS Healthy Weight calculator, it seems I am still in the 'overweight' category with a Body Mass Index (bmi) of 25.7.





And again, this chart below (where I have marked my starting weight and weight today) shows that I am still overweight too (even though I don't feel like it!)









Where to now? What's my next goal?



According to the charts I have quite a lot of room for maneuver at the moment. A healthy weight range for my height (5ft 3") would be between 7 stone 8lbs - 9 stone 13lbs.


I really can't imagine being 7 stone something, nor do I want to be. Or 8 stone something either. I can't imagine it suiting me and I do want to hold onto my curves too!

SO! I've had a little think and my next weight loss goal is 7lbs (half a stone).

This will take me (just!) into the healthy weight for my height range - 9 stone 12.5lb. Well, at that point I'm not going to quibble about half a pound!

So, my next aim is to get into the healthy weight range by losing 7lbs.

In my last post I asked you to let me know if you have any questions regarding my weight loss. The response was "HOW are you doing it?"

That's going to be a subject for a whole other post, and probably more, so I will address that soon!

But it'll come as no surprise (I hope!) that these delicious babies are my best friend more than ever now!

Excuse me while I just take a moment to say...

Another really pleasant clothes shopping experience was had today!



I'm off to Prague with bmibaby next weekend and so I thought that given the occasion, PLUS I wanted to celebrate reaching my 40lb goal, I would treat myself to a new dress.



I bought it in Quiz where I bought these two dresses late December. I remember on that occasion I was happy I could fit into a size large, given that this types of shop's size L was normally too small.



I've lost over 11lbs since that previous visit, and when I saw a dress I liked today I hesitated over which size to select so took a size 12 and 14 into the changing room. And the size 12 fitted perfectly! It is SO much easier to shop for clothes these days!




Look closely - closer - my collar bone is re-emerging! :D



Here is a better photo of the dress as that one above doesn't do it justice. I can't wait to wear it in Prague!













I'm glad I found a dress I liked. The flower can be interchanged with another (or none at all) so a splash of colour (red of course) can be added. Having a browse around the shops I must say I am not impressed with the spring colours on offer; orange, peach, pale green, cream, pale pink... I prefer bold colours and they suit me better.

I have been looking for the perfect business card holder for a long time now, and today I finally found one I like. AND it doubles a mirror so I can touch up my lipstick throughout the day haha.

I think that's all for now! I've got a lot of wedding photos to edit today and I'm pleased (and relieved) to say that at first scan, they have turned out really well!

Say hello on twitter :)

Weekly weight loss report - Week 6

Oooh, that 40lb weight loss mark is just out of reach! I must admit to hoping that today would be the day I would celebrate the number that I have been aiming for for the last 6 months. It is certainly a milestone to be pleased about, but at the same time, I realise I have come a long way, and was equally excited about 10lbs, 20lbs and 30lbs.

This week's weight loss - 0.4lb
Total weight loss - 39.2lbs (2st 11.2lbs)

When I do hit that 40lb mark, I shall be awarding myself with a big certificate! :D





But! I do have cause for another celebration. A couple of skirts caught my eye when I was in the city centre this afternoon. I started browsing through the sizes and paused to think about which sized to chose. Six month ago I would have been searching for a size 16 or 18. I hovered over the 14's, but decided upon trying size 12 out of curiosity. When I tried them on with ease I had a flipping-heck-size-12?-wow-what?-really?-yep-size 12! moment.

I've always like clothes and wearing what I think are nice items, but the actual shopping for them has been a different matter! I'd take deep breaths at the thought of going clothes shopping and the stress I knew would accompany it. Trying to find the item I wanted in a larger size for a start. Then the apprehension as I walked into the changing room. Then the getting in a grump when the zip wouldn't do all the way up, or the button was still an inch away from the button hole and then handing the lot back to the changing room assistant and leaving the shop in a bad mood!

I haven't bought too many new clothes, but I've bought the odd dress here and there and those were very stress free moments. I just tried them on and they fitted! What a change.

Here are the two skirts I got today which I thought would be nice for the spring time.

I am now a very proud owner of my first hula hoop! My hula hoop teacher Julia said she could customise it in my favourite colours. I picked it up last week and it was even prettier than I imagined! I couldn't wait to try it out. And it will match nearly all my clothes too lol.

I haven't got room in my flat to practice so I've been taking my hoop outside. It's already incurred it's first war wound by hitting the tarmac :( Still, it gives it some character haha.

I'm going to dash now as I want to fit in some hula hooping now before I settle down for the evening!