February 2017 update

I feel like I missed February!

So those of you that follow me in Instagram or snap chat will know that my tummy bug turned into Viral Gastro & low blood pressure…

2 visits to the doctor…..

I was contagious for 10 full days, then had to stay home for a further 48 hours to make sure it was gone!!! There was nothing I could take for it as I had to let it “run its course!”

I was weak as water, and on orders to eat little and often and REST (which meant naps &  a LOT of tv!!)

When I went back to the gym and my instructor did not want to weigh me, as he said it wouldn’t count after 2 weeks of sickness and loss of muscle mass.. but I wanted to weigh in, so that I could be accountable….. (I was up 1.3kgs/ 2.8lbs)

It couldn’t be helped and it definitely could have been a lot worse! But to be honest I didn’t care that night, I knew where I stood and was ready to get back to life……

I was just so happy to be back at work and the gym, and out of the house…

So last week was just me and my body readjusting to real life and routine after 2 weeks of naps and repeats of Say yes to the Dress

Tuesday 28^th Feb  was the only weigh in that officially counts for this month…..  I was down 1kg / 2 lbs

And THAT is why I feel like I missed February!

I have 4 weeks left in my personal training programme and I really need to make them count… my fitness levels are great, but my scales results are not….

My goal for March – lose 10lbs to get out of current stone bracket

What I've learned this month

 I need to stay positive

A setback does not mean a failure

THE SCALES THIS MONTH

2017	KGS	UP/DOWN / LBS
WEEK 5	SICK	0
WEEK 6	SICK	0
WEEK 7	+1.3	+3
WEEK 8	-0.9	-2

My blog views have just this week went over the 200,000 mark.. so a HUGE thank you to those that are sticking with me and reading.... much appreciated 

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***Photos from Google Images***

January 2017 update

January is finally over …. Anyone else feel like the month was endless!

So it’s over and now that everyone has been paid, the holidays are being booked, plans for dinner & drinks are being made and people are falling off the wagon and deciding to eat out for lunch once again!!!

The month of everyone being “ broke and in the same boat” is over, on the plus side it might mean that there will be spaces available in exercise classes once again (Does anyone ever get off the waiting list? I know I never have!) And there’ll be room to move / breath in the gym… Hurrah…

This month, I’ve had 4 weigh in’s, 12 x 30 minute PT’s, a few walks and the scales are moving downwards… 

I’ve also had withdrawals, headaches, dizzy spells, bad moods, constipation, body ache, the shakes and I was walking around like John Wayne… but no one said that this was all going to be sunshine and lollipops

What I ‘ve learned this month

·         I get better results when I food prep in advance

·         I need to plan ahead and stay organised

·         A positive attitude is key

·         Once I believed in myself, I worked a little harder and reaped the rewards

·         I can do this, once I stay focused

WHAT THE SCALES SAID THIS MONTH

2017	KGS	UP/DOWN / LBS
WEEK 1	START	START
WEEK 2	-2	-4.4
WEEK 3	-1.5	-3
WEEK 4	0	0

I’m going mad that I didn’t take my measurements on 1^st January!! But I plan to take them today and go from there…

February is my “try on all the white dresses” month.. so if standing in front of a stranger in my undies  isn’t motivation to keep going , then I don’t know what will be…

Week 4 weigh in I missed my goal of losing 3lbs (that’s my aim for every week..)  So instead of being down 9lbs this month, I am down 7lbs  (still delighted with that..)

So I will work hard in the next few weeks, so make sure I hit my mini goal every week


Anybody else out there in the Wedding Planning bubble / on the wedding dress hunt?

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***Photos from Google Images***

1st weigh in of the New Year 2017

Happy New Year! 

So I went back to the gym on Tuesday to face the scales and chat about the coming year, my aims and goals etc...

Its scary that I was “careful & aware” with what I was eating and still had a gain of 6lbs, that was over 2 weeks and to be honest I enjoyed everything I ate and all the exercise I didn’t do, I was a lazy mare and took the time to just chill out and relax.. 

So the scales didn’t upset me, its life, I’ve had bigger gains in previous years which have rolled into the latter months, this time its stopping because Christmas is OVER…

I have found this week tough in every way, my sleeping pattern is all out of sync, work has been busy but the days endless, I had 2 personal training sessions and I found that I was tired after 5 minutes and I have been hungry in the evenings! So I haven’t been too tough on myself this week, I know what I have to do and I am prepared to work towards it, but this week, I’ve just been taking it one day at a time and doing what I’ve had too to get through the day. I will be stricter (and more organised) in the coming weeks

So my plan….. I’ve signed up for a new 10 week programme

I will be doing 3 x 30 minute personal training sessions per week,  weigh in will be Monday evenings and I will be eating as clean as I possibly can ( this for me means cooking from scratch and getting plenty of green veg into me)  3 liters of water and 3 cups of tea per day

So this isn’t a “new year, new me” type of a post.. nor is it full of new year resolutions….

My goal remains the same… loose the weight, feel comfortable in my skin and look AMAZING in my wedding dress

Which I need to buy soon!! Eeeeeeeeeeekkkkk

But in the next 10 weeks I will aim to loose 3lbs per week   

I might even blog weekly updates, to keep me accountable.. but I do post everything I eat daily on Instagram & snapchat  (links below)

You can find me on the following:

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***Photos from Google Images***

Slimming World - WEEK 17 - Apr 2016

Not my best week its fair to say!! After an off plan weekend followed by a 3 day stomach bug..

My body doesn’t know if it’s coming or going!! I’m missing fruit and veg and can’t look at a bar of chocolate without my stomach heaving!! WHO AM I

Not going to post any food photos because everything was either off plan or very brown and bland (and mostly toast) But I did still keep tabs on what I ate regardless,,,,,, 

Fri 22^nd Apr 2016 – Day 109

Breakfast & Lunch will be on plan because dinner is in my mums and a ‘syn mystery’

Breakfast: 1 x Weetabix & skimmed milk

Lunch: 2 x egg muffins with beans

Dinner: OFF PLAN – 2 x slices of pizza & chips with light mayo

2 Litres of Water & ?? syns

Sat 23^rd  Apr 2016 – Day 110

Its gonna be a mad day and probably off plan, so Spinning class at 10am to try and counter act!

Breakfast:  Yogurt & raspberries

Lunch:  2 x sausages (2) bacon medallions, egg & mushrooms, tea (HEA) 3 x bread (HEB) syns for ketchup & butter (3)

Dinner: off plan - chinese

Minding my sisters 3 smallies, so from 3.30pm onwards I was off plan

2 Litres of Water & ?? syns

Sun 24^th   Apr 2016 – Day 111

Really bad day food wise, you don’t want to know what I ate!!!

But I did do a 5k school walk, so I wasn’t just sitting around eating, I was on the go from 8am this morning on 3 hours sleep!

2 Litres of Water!!

Mon 25^th Apr 2016 – Day 112

Very tired and achey today, so I cancelled spinning!

Breakfast: 2 x egg muffins with beans

Lunch: Fruit & yogurt with tea & 2 x hifi bars (HEB) ((I forgot my lunch))

Dinner: SW Chips with salad & mince

My burgers didn’t work out (they fell apart) so I mixed in my mushrooms & passatta & twas grand

2 Litres of Water & 8 syns

Tues 26^th  Apr 2016 – Day 113

Still extremely tired!

Breakfast: 1 x Weetabix & skimmed milk

Lunch: 2 x egg muffins, beans & salad

Dinner: 2 x toast with butter (8)

Not feeling great, really bad headaches, crazy tired and my stomach sounds like a tractor!

1 Litre of Water

Weds 27^th   Apr 2016 – Day 114

Feel horrible and can’t keep anything down, but staying home wasn’t an option. .so I avoided eating as much as possible! Not ideal, but needs must!!

Breakfast: 2 x toast with butter (3 syns)

Lunch: chicken toastie (3.5 syns)

Dinner: half portion of chicken fried rice (6 syns)

It was my sister birthday, so Chinese for dinner, I passed on the cake tho!!

1.5 Litres of Water

Thurs 28^th Apr 2016 – Day 115

Still not feeling right and still not keeping any food in my belly.. BUT today I’m hungry.. Not sure what the scales will show later on!!

Breakfast: 2 x toast with butter (3 syns) & tea

Lunch: Turkey Salad toastie (3.5 syns)

Weigh in at 5.30… I was down 1lb (didnt stay for the meeting because I didnt think I could cope with the food talk)

Dinner: cheese on toast at 10pm.. does that count as dinner?

1.5 Litres of Water

Weight lost to date: Week 17:  -7lbs
Onwards and Downwards, the Slimming World way :)

Bit of Motivation for the coming week..

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Weight Loss (my story so far)

I’ve always been a “big boned girl” “large lady” “pretty face, shame about the rest” where the comments associated with me. I remember at age 16 my jeans being a size 16, and when those started to get tight, I knew I was in trouble, because the shops that my friends shopped in didn’t go any higher! I’d cry to my mum and she’d say “well, you know what you have to do” But I didn’t and when a few hours later my mum would offer me a cake or something sweet, and I’d accept.

Back then I really didn’t have the knowledge, support or information to help myself that I do now. It was a particular photo of myself around Christmas 2008 that truly was the last straw for me.


Before that I hid in baggy clothes, avoided nights out whenever possible and didn’t go shopping unless I really had too! I had tried a few diets that never lasted more than a few weeks and the weight watchers lady loved telling the whole queue if you were up, down or time of the month!! ((Cringing for my 20 year old self!))

As I write this I’m trying to think back to over the last few years. And the money I’ve spent on trying to buy myself thin!! I could have had all the fat sucked out of me!!!

I think when I was younger I always thought I was a lot bigger than what I was, but at the same time I was taller and wider than all my friends!

2005 -I remember for my 21^st party I wore jeans and a top because I couldn’t find a dress to fit me.

2006 - It was a year after this that my mother joined Motivation weight loss clinic with me because she could see that I was struggling and that I needed help. I did loose a stone and felt great. It was a real confidence.

2007 - My best friend asked me to be bridesmaid for her wedding, I was thrilled. The 3 of us (my other best friend and the bride) all joined weightwatchers, it was a weekly outing for us and we were also walking when we weren’t counting our points.
Around the same time I booked a 12 month working holiday to Australia and had visions of myself going off to Oz being slim and gorgeous!
But sadly once we got our dresses and they fitted, I fell back into my old eating habits.
The wedding day came around and the dress fitted.. only just! Its terrible to look at your best friends gorgeous wedding album and only see yourself in a negative way!

Off I went to Thailand and OZ and diets and eating well were the last thing on my mind. It didn’t help I guess that I went with two boys and was happy and well able to eat and drink as much as they did!! (not a good thing, as I now know) but I was on my holidays!! I want to burn every single photo of me from this trip!

2008 - I came home and I’d gained all the weight I’d lost the year previous and then some!! I was settling into a new job and the weight piled on. It was a weekend away in December and THAT PHOTO that made me realize that I had a serious problem that needed to be dealt with or else rather than it being for vanity (which it is for me at the moment) it would be a health issue in later life.

January 2009 – Salsa Slims – this was a 10 week dance class, you were weighed in week one and week ten and the biggest loser won money. They gave you a food diary and the dance class was for one hour every Monday. The rest was up to you. But I guess it brought out the competitive streak in people to win the cash. I lost nothing.

March - 2009 - My friend joined the weight loss clinic that I had been with previously and was doing really well on it. I decided that this is what I would do too.. I joined up, but because I was obese, they put me on a different program to her, which was over seen by a doctor and lasted for 20 weeks. Her program cost her 600e in total, mine was closer to 2,500! We both lost 2.5stone, which is good. For her this was all the weight she needed to loose and she looked amazing. A new woman with a new wardrobe. I was so happy for her, but envious also.

July + 2009 - I joined weight watchers after the 20weeks was up in an effort to keep the weight off me for my approaching holidays

But once the holidays were over, I slipped back into my old habits and the weight crept back on slowly!! (doesn’t it creep up on you sometimes? Or is that the denial speaking!!) 2 stone of it!

Jan 2010 - I was feeling very low, I heard a competition on the radio to win a 12 week program in a personal training gym. I entered the competition. Got to the final 20 and was interviewed. I didn’t win the placement but the gym offered me a discount on joining.

March 2010 – I joined Key to a New You. This was different is everything else I had tried. I had a food plan and diary and weekly weigh in’s but I also had to do 3 x 30min personal training sessions aswell as 2 spinning/ core or circuit classes a week. It was very time consuming. But the results were great. I lost over 2 stone

July 2010 - I was in a bad car accident, I had 5 fractured, so I was out of action for 10 weeks, I managed to maintain my weight for those few weeks. But I found training very difficult and slow afterwards. I left there around Nov 2010.

January 2011 – I knew that after the Christmas break I would need a push, so Christmas week I rang and made my appointment to start with a new private weight loss clinic in January.

The Diet is easy and straight forward. The exercise is 20 minute walk daily. There are no supplements or pills. It’s a lifestyle change, but a realistic one.

I lost 1 stone in the first month of joining. It then took me 6 months to loose the next stone.

Jan - April 2012 I took a break form weekly weigh in's thinking that I could loose weight by myself! But sadly I can't!

April 2012 I went back to my weekly weigh in's and was back to square one weight wise. I had 3 weddings in May/June, so I had to get back to it. Lost just under a stone.

July - October 2012 - I put my back out squating incorrectly! I was out of action for 10 weeks! But 2 phyio sessions and 15 adjustments with a chiropractor has got me back to being able to power walk on the flat!! and 11.5lbs were lost for my holidays.

November 2012 I am still with the same clinic as above. My post holiday weigh in had me up 6lbs.

I like the private weigh in’s and advise. I like how your listened too and your food diary is checked and your given tips and help.

Admittedly I have lost and gained the same stone almost 3 times this year! (sad but true) My body shape has changed with every loss and gain. But I refuse to give up on myself!

I weigh the same today as I did in January 2011, But that’s still 3 stone lighter than what I weighed in March 2009.

I am a repeat offender but I’m also a fighter and I refuse to give up.

I will reveal my numbers on the scale but not just yet.

TODAY:

I’m 28 years old,

Height 5ft 8”

Dress size 18

**I will post some photos also.. I’m in the middle of digging out pic’s of me at all the above times. I think it’ll make it easier if I can provide a visual.

***I also have kept all of my old food diaries and weigh in slips. So I hope to be able to put numbers out there at some stage

Weight Loss (my thoughts)

Before I started this blog, I used to (and still do) read and follow a lot of others, mainly beauty and nail art ones. But if a blog topic catches my eye, then I tend to be drawn back for more.

((I find the subscribe by email option dead handy, as when I check my emails I can see at a glance what the topics of the day are. This is handy when your checking emails on your phoneJ ))

When I was searching through blogs I was looking for blogs about weight loss. It’s a personal issue of mine and one that I’ve been struggling and trying to deal with for the last few years (well all my life if I’m honest) I didn’t find many Irish bloggers to be discussing the topic ( I found 2, if you know of any I’d love to check them out.)

I found A LOT of American weight loss blogs and read a few but found that I couldn’t relate to them in the way that I had hoped. I was looking for someone of similar age, situation and with a connection that I felt I could relate too. I do like a story, although not a sob story!! (Xfactor can keep those.)

I was looking for some one I could encourage and egg on, check out their progress and think “if they can do it, so can I” It might sound a little silly, but I thought that there would be more people talking about this topic online or blogging about it.

I love in January when Operation Transformation goes live, these are real people publically battling with their demons, you’ve got to respect someone that will stand on a scales in front of the whole country. I think the Biggest Loser is amazing (UK,US and Oz ones) how they loose so much weight so quickly!! But I guess in that house all they do is exercise and calorie count.

Fat Families is another that I used to watch. It really highlights that children mirror their parents so when the parents say they don’t like vegetable, the children assume that they don’t either!!

"You are what you eat" was another that I used to tune in regularly for, (bar the poo dialysis)

Anything weight related on the TV and you can be sure that my sky box is set to record and on series link. You get to know these people and you can feel the emotions on weigh in days for them. I find them really motivating and addictive.

I just had a google of “Irish weight loss blogs” and beside finding one blog which stops mid 2011 and belong to an American lady who put Irish in her blog name! All that comes up are gimmicky diet suggestions, weight loss clinics who guarantee you’ll loose 5stone in 5 weeks and it’ll only cost you a kidney or articles from Irish newspapers with the breaking news that the majority of the country is overweight!

I must admit tho that I have been a sucker in the past for trying the latest thing with regards to weight loss.


You name it, I’ve probably tried it. Pills, patches, milkshakes, supplements, tea, gyms, personal trainers, point counting, salsa dancing, step aerobics, spinning. Well everything except The Cabbage Soup Diet because even the smell of cabbage makes me queasy!! YUK

But yes, My name is Vicki and I'm a  yo-yo dieter. Now its out there and I can't take it back.

What I’ve learned (the long and hard route was taken to this) is that “Eat less, Move more” is the key to success.

No body can do it for you, unfortunately. But when you work hard and see the results its worth it.

Nothing taste as good as slim feels.

Yes I’m talking in clichés, but that doesn’t make any of the above less true.

So I’ve decided that I’m going to be the person to blog about this and keep you posted on my efforts as I continue on my journey to loose weight and get out of the obese category.

I just want to be comfortable in my own skin, I don’t think that that’s a bad thing?

If any of you have tips, suggestions or know of inspiring blogs that I can check out, leave a comment or email me on happybubblegal@gmail.com