Breaking processed food addiction

In this weight loss update I talk about braking the addiction of processed food and how my weight loss journey is going so far! If you'd like to see what I'm eating, check out What Karen Ate, where I update (almost!) daily :)

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The time I ended up in an eating disorders unit

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, I found myself admitted to an eating disorder unit... This video tells that story.

 

So, I've documented my weight loss journey before on this blog but I felt like sharing a bit more about it and giving you a bit more background via this video.  

I'm kicking things off again, and I invite you to JOIN ME!

I'm starting a friendly, private group for anyone who wants some accountability whilst on their journey to a happy, healthy body. I'm not giving specific 'what to eat/do' advice, but I will be sharing with you what worked for me when I previously lost 50lbs.

This group is for support, accountability, motivation, with a bit of butt kicking in between. I know I'll need it! :D

Join the Happy Healthy Body group here.

Karen  x

PS If you'd like to follow what I'm eating to loose fat and get healthy; it's mainly 90% unprocessed food and about 50% (or more!) fruit & veg. I'm documenting what I eat over here if you are interested! :) 

Weight loss update for August

Hello!

As promised to myself, and you, here's my monthly weight loss update:

In the month of August I lost 9lbs.

However! I spent pretty much the whole of August being ill, being in hospital, or getting better!

I spent one week in hospital and in that week I lost 6 or 7lbs, so I can't really all the credit for the weight loss this month!

Losing weight in the last month hasn't been my priority; the unexpected illness took up all my mental and physical energy and since coming out of hospital I've been concentrating on eating very well (as I would do to lose weight anyway), but it wasn't with the same mindset or awareness that I would have when losing weight. It was more about building my strength up and recovery, and I haven't had the energy to do any exercise either.

Since being diagnosed with a few tiny gallstones (so small, yet so much pain!), I have been told that I can't have fat. Fat can aggravate the condition. So, no/very low fat food and cooking for me right now. But what I have noticed since cutting out fat is that I am developing a sweet tooth for the first time! Whereas, for most of my life I'd be generally more inclined to go for salty food, now I actually want sugar. Perhaps it's all to do with getting a 'quick' energy fix. Neither fat (well the bad fats anyway) or sugar are good for you, but both provide energy. I've become a little too keen on lemon meringue pie!

But it's soooo good! ;) 

The good news is I'm starting to feel much, much better and my energy levels are returning and I feel like I'm getting back to 'me' again. Hurrah! At last! I can start looking at introducing exercise in the next week. It'll only be a little bit at a time and I need to build up my confidence as it was only a few weeks ago that I couldn't even get out of bed without a huge amount of effort. A bit at a time, but I'll get there!

After my last blog post a few peeps said they would be getting on track again too. I hope you are all doing well! I meant to drop you a line, but then stupid gallstones attacked, but I hope to catch up with you soon by twitter/email/etc.

It's over and out for me for now. I've already been out and stocked up on fruit and veg for the week ahead.

A very happy fridge. Yes, that's a lemon meringue pie in the naughty corner ;)

And now I'm going to attempt to catch up on work from the month of August. It's just me and my to-do list today, and I'm going to conquer it!

Say hello on twiter: @karenstrunks

Here I go again!

What happened, Karen?

Thanks for asking! ;)

THIS has happened!

Ta da! Amazing eh?

Well, of course, this weight gain didn't just happen. I actively MADE it happen. Like Oprah tell us to - I'm 'owning' this one ;)

Of course this wasn't a deliberate sabotage effort, and I really didn't think I would be in this position again; not after all my work, effort and commitment of getting to my goal weight.

Looking at the chart above, I spent 9 months losing 50 lbs. I stayed at/under my goal weight for 4 months and have spent about 10 months putting it on 40lbs.

I stopped tracking by not weighing myself - I can't do this weight loss thing instinctively. It needs facts and figures.

I introduced processed/junk food, bit by bit, ('Oh, this little bite won't hurt'), and it was enough to get my taste buds accustomed to those flavours again, whereas previously I had lost any cravings for processed food.

Why am I blogging out it again?

I guess you could say the 4th 'secret' to my weight loss was this blog. I dedicated a post about how this blog has helped support my weight loss goals and how I helped a few people along the way.

I know that there are people who are trying really, really hard to lose weight. When I wrote about my weight loss it resonated with a lot of people who were in a similar position.

My goal is to get to where I was before - under 140lbs. This blog and my readers and twitter friends and followers supported that goal, and so that's what I'm going to do again. You use the tools that you know will work and get the job done. I know writing about it helped other people and there was some behind the scenes mutual support going on too, and that's something I really appreciated.

Getting to goal and staying there isn't something I'm going to give up on. I'm not a quitter! I will not be defeated.

Reaching my goal weight didn't happen overnight, and neither did putting on weight either. I'm not sure why I allowed this to happen. There's nothing I can (nor would) blame for it, and I'm not going to spend too much time dwelling on it. I just want to get back on track again and feel the benefits of being free of extra weight again! I deserve it. I did it before and I can do it again!

My weight loss journey didn't finish when I got to goal. It's continues with maintaining, and actually never finishes! With whatever goals we all have, there will be things that go astray, things that might change our mindset, things that can get in our way. That's life I guess! We've just got to keep on doing our best.

I want to live the best life that I can. If that means swerving off course, but getting back on track 100 times, then that's what I've got to do.

What was the 'secret' to my weight loss success? 

There are 3 things that were key to my weight loss:

• I cut out processed/junk food - roughly 90% of my food intake was from non-processed food.

• I introduced TONS of fruit and veg - each meal would consist of at least 50% fruit and/or veg. 

• Eventually I introduced exercise. And of course blogged about that and sometimes the struggles over mind and body!

Why do I want to get back to my goal weight?

Health - diabetes is enough to scare me on it's own. Not to mention all the other health risks; high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

It felt great! I had so much more energy (you don't realise it until you lose it, how much extra weight physically weighs you down). I had an great sense of achievement and personal pride that stayed with me and not only that, carried through to other areas of my life and my work. I had big boost to my confidence levels. Oh, and I loved how much easier it was to shop for clothes and rock new frocks!

What am I going to do now?

I've made a start by writing about it today, and I will update this blog with my weight loss at least once a month (that's manageable and of course there's lots of other things I like to write about!).

My fridge is well stocked with these colourful beauties that are essential to my weight loss.

Last week I picked up the exercise again and walked 5 miles, and did various workouts with my dumb bells (after I had dusted them off!).

Join me!

If you are ready for your weight loss challenge, then I would welcome your company! Feel free to send me a tweet or an email, or leave a comment. Let's start, now! :)

Spring review of my 2012 goals

Hi everyone!

Well, yesterday was such an exciting day for me. I finally got an iPad!!!

Ta da!

My friend Sas updated hers, and we struck a deal and now an iPad is mine. ALL MINE! ;D

And I'll just say now, I'm in love with it! I'm already looking disdainfully at my poor iphone and it's smallness which was once a feature. But my iPad is shiny and new and BIG! haha. I'll calm down soon I'm sure.

What with yesterday being the first day of spring, and I achieved one of my goals of getting an iPad, I thought this would be a good opportunity to review my goals for this year.

The observant may have noticed that I have a page dedicated to my goals on this blog.

So...let's see how it's going....!

Okay we'll have a look at my health goals which are maintain weight loss, exercise regularly, continue eating well, and take Sundays off.

I'm afraid to say I'm not doing very well in these areas. And Sundays are meant to be Me Days, but I have ended up letting other things overflow into those days. That's my own fault and I simply need to be stricter with myself as I really enjoy a day to chill out, get all beautified and watch films.

I think the biggest mistake I may have made is to stop blogging about my weight loss and my exercise goals because apart from having an injury from running late last year, and taking a break from running all those miles, I have slipped into bad eating habits again.

As a consequence I have put weight on and I'm not doing as much exercise as I would like. So I'm now going to address these areas and get back on track again because that's the only way to go. I felt much better and had more energy when I was eating very healthily and working out regularly. There are so many benefits, it would be madness to undo all my great work.

Let's have a look at my work goals. Continue developing social media skills. Yes, well I'm always keeping up to date with as much as I can with what's new in social media and it's something I'm very passionate about. I use social media that every aspect of my life including work and play and projects and social arrangements.

Launch wedding photography services. Yes I am happy to say that I can tick this one off the list. I launched my wedding photography services in January. I'm only going to take on about three or four wedding photography bookings this year. That's due to my other work commitments. I don't want to take on too much, because it's important that I keep balance just right.

Website make-over on karenstrunks.com Yes I've done this too! It's a one-stop-Karen-Strunks-site. It is quite a basic and simple design, and I will probably play around with a bit more, but it's something that I've been meaning to do for a long time and I'm very happy with it. The benefit of having everything under one roof is that people know what I actually do. The problem I had in the last year or two was that some people only knew me for my photography work, some people knew me from talk about local, some people knew me from the Birmingham Social Media Cafe, or the 4am Project. So now when somebody visits my site they can see all the areas that I'm involved in.

Oh, and I've moved my photography site from karenstrunks.com to karenstrunksphotography.com. Don't ask me how I managed to do it! That was one big learn-as-I-go challenge.

Next goal. Get sponsorship and funding for the 4am Project. This goal is still outstanding. Now there are two parts to this. One is to gain sponsorship, the other part is to gain funding. I've had a few approaches with regards to sponsorship but they haven't been right fit, and it's very important to me that if I find a sponsor they match 4am Project and it's ethos.

The second part to this goal is to secure funding of the 4am Project. Obviously this requires me to apply for the funding from some organisation or other. As you may be aware I received funding from Channel 4 and Screen West Midlands couple of years ago. I'm keeping that option open and I may apply for some funding, but whether I get sponsorship or funding for the 4am Project, it will continue for as long as I want it to. I've been running it since 2009, and it will naturally come to an end at some point. It would be nice to get more sponsorship/funding, and I know that I will have to do actively go out and do that if I that's what I want. So I'm leaving this goal in the air at the moment. There's lots of things to consider, so we shall see!

Things I want to buy. I have put here that I want an iPad (check! See above!), an iMac, and a 10 mm lens. Okay, well I've got my iPad! I don't have an iMac but in the meantime I do have my MacBook pro, and I think I'm not too bothered about 10 mm lens now. If one happens to pass my way, that would be great. But if not that's okay too.

Now to the big one! My life goal. To live and work in new York city. Well, let's say that I haven't achieved that goal. Yet! However, as you can see it's a pretty big goal. And apart from my health goal, and to generally be very happy in life,  this is one that's the most important to me.

Times Square

I find it quite hard to actually talk about this goal. I could a blog post everyday about my passion for New York City and how much it means to me, and how much it would mean if (when!) I achieve my goal to work there. Because it's such a big goal and it's so important to me sometimes I find it quite hard to talk about as I'm so emotionally attached to it. If there is anything in life that keeps me going, it is this goal. I'll say no more about it now, other than whether it takes one year or five years or 10 years, it's one that I intend to achieve. Unless! I change my mind! lol.

So there we are! This is a quarterly review of my goals and I'm pleased to say that 2012 is going really well.  I'm really happy, I'm loving my work and the people I get to work with and meet. I love being kept busy and it's all good so far.

I've decided to make the month of May a month for me. I have a week off to spend on myself. I think it's really important to have that balance. And I'm still upset that I was ill with a cold on my Christmas holidays lol. I am saying no to a lot of things for May (unless it's a trip to NYC!). I'm concentrating on myself and I think that's perfectly okay. If I'm not happy then I can't help other people and be at my best.

And as for the rest of the year bring it on!

How's 2012 treating you so far? What's been the highlights? Are you going to change your goals and review them throughout the year?

I hope 2012 is going well for you! There's never a wrong time to have a quick review of the goals that you have set yourself for the year and never too late to get back on track, and don't forget that you can always change your mind about things too!

  Subcribed to my blog 


Say Hello on twitter :)

Weight gain: The Good, the bad and the plan

I'm not happy about writing this post at all. In fact, to be honest, I'd rather avoid it, but I'm making myself.

Here's what has happened. I have put on SEVEN pounds since I last tracked my weight properly 3 weeks ago.

On 3rd September I weighed 133.8lbs
Today I weigh 140.8lbs

7lbs - that's quite some going in 3 weeks!


Okay, that's the 'bad' bit out of the way.

The good bits to be taken out of this are:

I know exactly why it's happened. Plus, I'm 'only' 2lbs above my goal weight.

The strange thing is, I can 'feel' this extra weight more so than I did the extra 50lbs. Weird eh? It's a bit hard to explain, but I am more aware of this extra 7lbs, even if I put on 2 or 3lbs I can feel that too.

So what happened?

I've had a crazy busy 3 weeks. They have been filled with really great and interesting things, but I have been totally out of my routine. For most of that time I've been out and about, even going abroad for 4 days. I've had to eat out a LOT, and to be quite frank, I haven't had the choices of food I would like available, and there have been occasions where the only option wasn't a good option, but I had to eat something.

Whilst being so busy I have also missed meals and let myself get to the point of being really hungry, and reached for a quick fix that would boost my energy fast. Or I've eaten too much at certain meal times, not knowing when I'd get a chance to eat again.

I've written before about portion sizes and what I am eating to lose weight. Suffice to say, it's no surprise that although I have tried, I haven't been able to do that in the last few weeks, and I realise that eating out on a regular basis is hard! There simply aren't the perfect choices available.

And I've been missing out on these!! It's been 3 weeks since I have shopped for my fruit and veg haul. If there's a 'secret' to my weight loss success, it's these beauties. LOTS of them. I'm pleased to say I'm all stocked up again!

So, what's the plan?

Simply to get back into a bit more of routine again. The last 3 weeks were probably the busiest I've had this year, and were an exceptional period. I'll see this weight gain as a blip and move on and get back to goal. Or just under. I feel quite happy at around the 135lb mark.

Also, I haven't had much time to fit in much exercise recently, I usually fit in a bit of exercising such as hula hooping, biking, stepping, or bounding. Today I put on my running shoes for the first time in a long time. I've missed it! I stopped when I got a leg injury and my running got pushed to one side. Today I went for a gentle 2 mile walk/run and actually did better than I thought. As with a lot of things, taking the first step can be the most daunting, but once you do it, momentum follows.

2 mile walk/run route

I might have more blips along the way. After all, if I want to keep the 50lbs off for the rest of my life, I'm going to have to work at it, but I enjoy feeling better and looking slimmer too much to undo all my hard work!

And now I'm off to make a mega veggie and chicken curry! Low fat of course ;)

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! :)

Answering a weight loss question: Has blogging about it made a difference?

Yesterday morning I asked if anyone had a weight loss question.  

Helga Henry asked a great one:

I guess I want to ask what you think blogging about it did that may have helped and if you've tried to lose weight in the past without blogging about it - was blogging the thing that made the difference?

I had to give it some thought. The short answer was yes, blogging about losing weight has made a difference, but to expand...


I began this blog in January this year as I wanted an online space for things that didn't fit into my other online areas, hence the title a bit more of Karen.

The benefits of blogging about my weight loss

Perhaps initially on a more subconscious I made myself accountable. I'm a great believer in the notion that if you write things down you get things done. This was a place to publicly write my goals down, and then 'tick' them off as I achieved them.

I think that by blogging on a fairly frequent basis has made me more mindful in what I am doing. When I write about losing weight, or tweet about it, I'm making myself aware of it and it provides me with a reminder and keeps it at the forefront of my mind.

It also gives me a record of my success in losing weight. With such a lot keeping me busy in life it would be easy to forget what I've done, how far I have come and what I've said I'm going to do. And although I started losing weight in August 2010* I didn't start giving my weight loss a public voice, so to speak,  until January.

I credit this blog for helping me stay on track. That, and also all the support I've received from my friends and followers online. A virtual high-five and a 'well done' really goes a long way to add encouragement.

About 4 years ago I lost weight and stayed at my (then) goal of 10st 4lbs for a month or two, then let it all slip and my achievement was soon a distant memory as old habits took over. I didn't blog about it then. I didn't really speak to friends or family about it. I just did it on my own. This time I'm sharing my weight loss story of the ups and downs and what I am learning along the way. Right now this is my fourth month of maintaining my weight loss and that's a huge improvement time-wise compared my last attempt.

By blogging about my journey, I know that as well as me keeping an eye on my progress, other people are too. How would I feel if I went back to square one after all the "I did it! This feels great!" that I've said, and go "Sod it, I'm going back to the way things were". I'd feel pretty disappointed in myself!! I don't want to go back now I've experienced how much better I feel (and I think I look) since liberating myself of 50lbs. I feel I would be letting myself down.

This blog has allowed me to see the bigger picture and record all the new habits that have been forming. I've kept repeating healthy eating behaviour and through that daily repetition that habit seems to have now stuck.

I get to help a few people along the way too, which is a bonus! Whilst I've been documenting my weight loss I've received emails and tweets asking questions, mainly about motivation. It's great a great compliment to be asked for help, or a kick up the butt (from one reader!), and be able pass on things that I have learnt. I'm by no means an expert and can only share things from my experience and perspective but I'm happy it's been a help to some.

Another side benefit to blogging and putting my weight loss 'out there' so to speak is that some unexpected (but fab!) opportunities have come along. For example I was approached with the view of getting involved with a rather big clothing line. It isn't going ahead now, but it was great to be considered. I doubt that would have happened if I hadn't been blogging about losing weight and talking about my new image.

Thanks for the question Helga! :)**

*Wow, that's a whole year ago!! Although I've said a lot of times that I started to lose weight last August, it's only this minute dawned on me that I've stuck at this for a WHOLE YEAR! When I started losing weight, I really wasn't thinking this far ahead. I was just taking it one small goal at at time. I'm going to continue writing about weight loss. Just because I've reached my goal it doesn't mean I put my feet up. Entering the maintenance phase is very much an going process and needs just as much dedication as losing weight.

138lbs-188lbs

**Actually Helga answered one of my questions that I had received via an email recently about being publicly active and blogging and getting over online inhibitions. I put the question out there in a tweet, and Helga and Nicky Getgood both gave some good advice, so that'll be an upcoming blog post in the next couple of weeks.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Say hello on twitter: @karenstrunks

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!

Weight loss update: balanced diet & portion sizes

The good news is I'm still maintaining my 50lb weight loss. In fact, I've lost a few more lbs in the last few weeks and I'm now 4lbs under my original goal of getting to 138.8lbs (9stone 12.8lbs).

I'm happier to be a few lbs under my goal than over it.

 

As I mentioned before, I'm trying to figure out the balance between eating more. Having lost another 4lbs I have more of a buffer zone. And if I'm still losing weight, albeit at a much slower weight, I could eat more, but (and I NEVER thought I would have this problem!) sometimes I just feel I can't eat any more! I feel full with what I'm eating, and satisfied. Since I've changed my eating habits to much healthier ones, there seems to be a limit on my appetite.

I'm putting this down to the types of food I'm fuelling my body with now. Pre weight loss I ate a lot more processed foods and my body was probably craving nutrients and thus my appetite was saying 'Feed Me' in the hope that I would eat something healthy and nutrient packed. Instead I would just grab whatever I fancied and it was usually the wrong choice.

NOW I'm eating a much more balanced diet that consists of TONS of fruit and vegetables. I reckon that because I'm giving my body what it needs to do it's work, it's more satisfied and happy and thus my appetite doesn't scream at me anymore.

That's my theory!

Goodbye Food Pyramid, hello Food Plate!

Somewhere browsing around online this week I saw an announcement that the USA has done away with the food pyramid.....

..and introduced the food Plate. They have called it Choose My Plate. Now, doesn't the plate make for much easier understanding about portions and food groups. I never had a clue how to interpret the food pyramid really. I love this new graphic. So clear and simple!

And our UK NHS has the Eat Well Plate. It's still better than the food pyramid, but I prefer the simplicity of the USA plate in design.

But what all the graphics show is that WE NEED A BALANCED DIET. It's the best thing we can do for ourselves. None of this cutting out fruit or carbs, or any other food group. As much as fad diets might produce fast results, they aren't the way to go in the long term, and you have your whole life ahead of you. Think about how you want to eat for life! I would much rather include as many food groups as possible, that's for sure!

A few of the changes that I've made to my diet since I started losing weight:

• I pack my diet with LOTS of fruit and veg. I don't place any restrictions on the amount I consume. They fill me up and they provide nutritional goodness.
• I cook my own meals instead of grabbing a microwave meal or a take away. Yes, this is a little more time consuming but I counter this by cooking once-eating twice or thrice! That saves time. And I decide what goes into my food and what I leave out: e-numbers, additives, preservatives, fat, salt, sugar.

If the notion strikes, I snap I pic on my phone. Here's small selection of examples of what I'm eating. Please note the amazingly organised fridge!

Train picnic

Mini choc bar

Fresh cream with banana and mango

Picnic (shared with my Mum)

Tofu

Suffice to say, I'm loving how I feel now I've lost weight. More energy, more vibrant, (even) more confident! It's all good! One of the best decisions I have made for myself.

Say hello on Twitter: @karenstrunks