Halloween Nail Art

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE

I had loadsa ideas for nail art for this year.. but I left it too late :(

Here are links to a few I done last year.. Here and Here

And here is what i'm wearing on my nails today :)

What do you think? I like them.. they were easy to do and look kinda spooky..
I love the peeping eyes in the dark, I had them last year too, but I also wanted to try something new that a friend suggested :) Thanks Anna...



Wanna see lots more photos? Of course you do :) lol

Halloween Nail Art

A close up 

Halloween Nail Art

Close up of my thumb

Halloween Nail Art

Halloween Nail Art

Did you do any Halloween nail art? I'd love to see it, leave your link below and I'll check it out.

WHAT I USED 

Weekly weigh in - week 5 of 14x14challenge

Hey Guys,

I was down 1lb this week, it was a good result considering I was out last Friday night (hen party) and Saturday night (Dublin for our 2 year anniversary) I ate out in nice restaurants and fed my hangover.
I was good food wise Mon - Thurs and went to Spinning and Fat Furnace (like circuits but harder)

I got weighed on Friday morning (a whole day early) and then flew to Edinburgh for 3 days for a Hen Party :)

So its been a busy few days for me, with work and recovery. I went to a spinning class last night and I'm back on track food wise today, made my home made soup for the week and that's it really. Its on-wards and upwards from here....

You can see a pattern forming here of how I'm good on the week days but the weekend truly ENDS me. But for the moment this is how its got to be. I've loads on but I find I'm making better food choices when I am eating out (not saintly, but better), which I'm sure will stand to me in the long run.


Hope your all keeping well xx

Source = Google Images

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail

I know your probably sick of me taking about my latest plans etc and perhaps they same a bit samey to you after a while!

And a lot of the time they are! I’m sorry but for me there is no glamour or magic trick to loosing weight. Nope, there’s no big secret unfortunately!

For me its all about list making, pre-planning meals, pre-booking classes and keeping my food & exercise diary. Basically making the time and not excuses so that I can succeed

I know the saying "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” is said a lot in films and gyms and by people who are “in the zone” BUT its sooooo true and not planning has been my down fall in the past! Coming home from work hungry and tired, realising that I forgot to take out a chicken fillet that morning and deciding to throw a pizza in the oven instead because its easier than running back out to the supermarket/ butchers (both are less than a 5 min drive from my house) I get lazy and think “feck it, I’ll have a good dinner tomorrow” It’s a vicious circle with me. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with having a pizza if you get caught short in the evening and are in need of a quick feed. But for me its downhill spiral. The pizza won’t fill me for my dinner (it never does) So I’ll be hungry later that evening and looking for something else, this could be a toastie, a biscuit or whatever ever else I’m “hungry” for after my crappy dinner! **Funny how I’m never hungry for fruit or my soup**

So I now take my chicken fillets out before bed and leave them to defrost in the fridge. Its amazing how one tiny little habit can make such a difference to me and my day! Its all a mental mind game and when I take my chicken out (yes, its nearly always chicken) then I feel like I’m winning. I feel more organised and prepared. Its all those little things that turn into good habits that keep me on the right road.

That’s me news/ new/not new plan of action, I feel excited now and a little bit more positive in myself. I KNOW that I can loose weight, I KNOW that I’m capable of exercising and eating right. I KNOW that when my head is in the right place that I see the results and its these results that I crave and want, so I need to remember this feeling when I’m having a speed wobble and eyeing up the cake fridge in the shops!!

As yer well aware (and probably sick of me mentioning at this stage) I’m a bridesmaid in 6 weeks, I’m looking forward to this wedding so so much that I want to enjoy every second of it and for me, this means being comfortable on the day in my dress and more importantly in my own skin..

So even tho I've A LOT of wedding related partying to do over the next 6 weeks that shouldn't mean that I cant do a lot of wedding prep work for myself, and that’s what I plan to do, up my exercise routine, eat cleaner if that’s possible, make soup to keep me filled up, drink lots and lots of water to cleanse and detox my body and skin. All this combined should equal a trimmer and healthy looking me in 6 weeks. I’m aiming to be down 14 pounds (including the 10 I've gained) BUT I hope that it will look like more because of the toning that I plan to have done from mixing up my exercise regime.

I think I’m being clever with this little plan in my pocket…I realise that’s there’s nothing at all new to my plan except my new re-found positive attitude, but sometimes that’s what you need, that little kick up the bum that make you get up off the couch and put on your runners and get out for 20 minutes.

I’m without a camera at the moment to take a photo for you but I will take one as soon as my camera comes back from the camera hospital.

Its been a while since I posted a photo of me in all my lycra glory!!

Any of ye have any little tips that help ye along or help get ye organised.

Yer comments have been lovely over the last few weeks and have given me the booster I’ve need to get back on the wagon.

So thanks to all my lovely commenters : ) xxx

Weekly weigh in week 4 of 14x14challenge

I feel like I’m living in  “not enough hours in the day” mode at the moment!! Where did the last 7 days go!! I know I've been busy and sick!! But seriously! Its Monday again!! It just keeps turning up doesn't it!!

MY WEEK

My week started well, the sugar withdrawal symptoms didn't appear this time (I was surprised given the few weeks I had) I made my home made veggie soup to go with my lunches for the week, I upped my water intake to 3 litres, I was feeling good, I got back to the gym for a circuits class.

But my body wasn't done with me being sick and my fake sounding, throat tearing cough decided to act up! I was coughing like a crazy woman, couldn't catch my breath and only thing that was stopping the cough was  when my stomach turned itself from the coughing! nice, right!
I couldn't sleep and this fits went on for hours on end!
It was horrible, it was exhausting and I spent 2 full days at home sick!!
I drank shed loads of water but my food wasn't great!! I crave sugary things more when I'm sick.
I went to another circuit class towards the end of the week and coughed my way through it, but I think it helped me and my breathing a little bit (sounds mad I know!)

I was out Friday night at a hen party, I avoided all the lovely finger food and stuck to the voddy J I enjoyed myself and dodged the post drinks trip to McDonald's. But danced like a looney and enjoyed my night out with the girls. 

MY RESULT

I faced the scales on Saturday morning after my boozey night out and I was down 2lbs, she said it probably would have been more but with all the alcohol in my system its hard to tell!

SO I’m hoping that I've got another pound off for next weeks weigh in before I even start my new week.

All in all, not a bad result considering I was still a bit sick!! I’m glad that I forced myself to attend 2 circuit classes, I really think that they helped me to get back on track. If I could be down 2-3lbs every week for the next few weeks then I’d be doing very well


MY NEXT CHALLENGE

I must tell you all that I’m once again taking part in The Skinny Doll’s latest challenge 14 x 14 Challenge. It’s a another great challenge and the number of people taking part is motivation in itself. Losing 1lb a week means being down 14 pounds by the end of the year, that a stone and possibly a dress size for some people.. nothing shabby about that at all I must admit.

     

So because of my bad start to the Doll’s challenge, I will be aiming for 2-3lbs weekly to catch up with everyone else, who are doing great by the way J

How was your week? I hope your doing well and starting to see and feel the results.

**Photos sources from Google images**

NOTD: The Sun is Out :)

The sun was out when I done this mani, I forgot to post it at the time!! Oops So I thought I'd show you it now. Better late than never eh :)

I started with 2 coats of yellow, followed by a top coat..

I then used a ring enforcer and striping tape to do my accent nail, I was going for rays of sunshine....

I liked this look and decided that I did indeed have the patience to do all fingers the same..
Except the thumb, I messed that up, so I just turned it blue :)

These lights at the Corona Gig back in the Marquee in June were my inspiration for this nail art, aswell as the sunshine of course :)

THE CORONAS

What do you think?

WHAT I USED 

• (Base Coat) Essence Studio Nails - Ultra strong nail hardener 
• YELLOW - NYC 294 Lexington Avenue 
• BLUE - Catrice - 400 Blue Cara Ciao
• (Top Coat) SECHE VITE
• Ring Enforcers
• Striping Tape
• Tweezers

Greedy Pig goes on Holidays‏ - The Post Mortem!

I've been putting off writing this post for over a week now! Why you may wonder? Well its because I knew that by writing to you lot and updating ye on my “progress” or lack of progress than I would have to stand up and take responsibility for my poor choices in the food department and explain the almost pregnant like pouch that has appeared on the top of my stomach. I look like a bloated over-sized whale and don’t feel much better for it. But I knew that by coming clean to you guys I would also have to admit to myself that I can’t eat whatever I like whenever I like and to be honest I probably never will be able to eat like that!! But most of the time I don’t feel the need to eat cake everyday on top of all the other crap I could stuff in if I tried!

I've gotten lazy with myself and have left the None Scale Victories go to my head and because of that the scales started to tip in the wrong direction and I turned a blind eye, cuz my jeans were new and a size smaller!!

I realize that we are all guilty of this and I have done this on many a weekend and just ate for 2 days solid but then pulled it back in and copped on.

HOWEVER this bought of lazy couldn't have come at a worse time for me and panic is the word I’d use today as to how I’m feeling about it all!!

23 days is my count at the moment of how many days I've been off plan and being a greedy pig!! I think it’s the longest consecutive  time that I've done this in AGES!

I think I need to back track to explain myself a little better.  As you all know I was suffering from total exhaustion and was burnt out completely and not feeling great. In my last post I told you  all that I was going on a well needed holiday to recharge my batteries and come back ready to face the world and get another stone off ASAP. That was the plan.

What actually happened was after a fantastic hen weekend in Galway, I never went back to being good, yes I went to my 2 gym classes but I was snacking that week and allowing myself to go into “holiday mode” before I ever set foot in the airport. The morning that I was due to fly out on my holidays I faced the scales to assess the hen and snacking damage and I was up 4lbs.

Up 4lbs before I even got on the plane or had to put on a bikini!!! NOT GOOD!

But I decided not to let it upset me, I was after all going on my holidays… For those 7 days I enjoyed the 34degree heat and ate out twice a day, everyday. I can honestly say I ate and drank my way through the week… But it was my holidays and these 7 days I was denying myself nothing.

I came back from holidays with the intentions of going back to the gym on the Monday evening and getting back to good and trying to do a little bit of post holiday damage control before facing the scales on the following Saturday. BUT myself and plane’s aren't friends and come Monday morning I was feeling like a head cold and flu was coming my way! And after a busy first day back at work I was shattered by 5pm and decided that going to the gym would be a bad idea. I don’t regret that decision. By Wednesday I had full on man flu and was feeling very sorry for myself. I worked through the whole week because I felt like I couldn't ask for time off after only coming back form my holidays, so all my effort went into focusing at work and getting thru the day. And of course this involved trips to the shop for coke and Wispa’s and biscuits to get me through. I had no taste and less of a smell than usual so I was craving sugar and hot food!!

You can see where I’m going with this? So the week at work had me eating crap and feeling rotten because of it but feeling too sorry for myself to stop myself or “care” about what I was doing!!

I was DREADING my post holiday weigh in, especially when I reckon I done more damage at work during the week then I had during my whole holiday!!! I was so close to cancelling my appointment and when I got there she told me Id be waiting 20 minutes, I almost ran out the door  BUT I didn't, I knew that I was getting out of control and that I had to be reined in and also that I had to take the control back and stop blaming me being sick!!! I get head colds ALL the time and don’t behave like a starved drama queen!! I was feeling verrry sorry for myself and ice cream was my only friend!!

So I hit the scales, up 6 lbs **gulp**sigh** Got a new food diary, had a stern talking to myself (Am I the only one that does this?) Made a shopping list and a food plan for the week and also made a batch of homemade veggie soup as a filler in-case the sugar withdrawal headaches are as awful as I remember!

So 23 days of gluttony have come to an end. This post is a week late! I could have stopped this madness 7 days ago but I didn't! and because of that I have gained 10lbs in 23 days!!!

Its gonna take me a tad longer than 23 days to get rid of those 10lbs I’m guessing!

Here’s my issues with the timing (that’s that there’s ever a good time to gain 10 pounds)

• ·         I have something on every weekend for the next 7 weeks
• ·         I have a dress fitting for my Bridesmaids dress NEXT WEEK
• ·         The Wedding is in 6 WEEKS
• ·         I feel horrible and bloated and gross
• ·         My Jeans no longer need a belt!
• ·         This is all my own doing

But none of the above are an excuse. For me this is the kick up the arse that I need at the moment. I need to get back to clean eating and moving a LOT more! I know what to do at this stage! Hell we all do!! I’m preaching to the choir at this stage.. So that’s it for now. I’m planning to blog a little more regularly over the next few weeks to get me back on track.. I’m aiming for a loss of 2-3lbs a week for the next few weeks, I need to get these 10lbs off as quickly as they went on and then I’ll deal with the rest…

***Images sourced from Google***