A Good Hair Day

This is how I imagine my hair looks on a good hair day:

Image from http://hairstylesweekly.com/ombre-hair-color-idea-brown-to-golden-blonde-wavy-dip-dye-cascade/

but it doesn't. Not that there's anything wrong with how it looks, imho:

Yes, I am standing outside the TARDIS

Though I fancy a change. My hair is dark brown naturally, darker than it looks in the above photo. My hair was last dyed nearly two years ago, with purple highlights. Those have long since faded, and even the faded colour is growing out now, so I've been looking at dip-dyeing to cover up the faded ends.

I love the multi-coloured looks I've been seeing on Pinterest:

Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/uggoff/7411578158/

Though I'm going for a single colour, a bit like these:

Image from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ5_gAZTFCs

Image from http://rebloggy.com/post/photography-pretty-hair-girl-curls-purple-curly-hair-quality-ombre-dip-dye-marin/47170665831

Appropriately enough, the colour I've bought is called Very Violet. I'll let you know how it turns out ...

I am aware that this is supposed to be a weight loss blog and the last two posts have been style-related. Truth is, I've put on 11lbs this year, due to health worries, and just being sick of having been on a diet for the best part of four years, so there's not a great deal to say weight loss wise. This blog was always meant to be about more than dieting though.

Autumn Style

It's this time of year I start looking forward to Autumn, or at least Autumn clothes. I imagine all these snuggly but stylish outfits, then when the colder weather comes I forget what I was looking foward to wearing. So, because I tend to forget all these fabulous outfit ideas, I thought that this year I'd record them all somewhere.

As Autumn is the season of the boot, these outfits will of course involve my new boots:

Behold.

For outfits to wear with the boots, I rather like this Utility Chic look that appeared in an an email New Look sent me a few weeks ago:

I like a 90s check shirt, and I'm enjoying fashion's current 90s nostalgia. I already have a khaki skirt and check shirt in similar tones, so I'm all ready for this look.

Continuing the 90s theme, I love anything floaty-girlie with seriously clompy boots. Contrast is good.

Gaultier. Image from http://sweetpeapath.tumblr.com/post/62969404936

I recently bought a folk style dress similar to this one (though mine was a charity shop bargain, yay):

Image from http://lolobu.com/set/45732

I'll have to give this one a few Autumnal outings, with leggings and the aforementioned clompy boots.

I tend to look forward to Autumn as a time to wear some gorgeous little jackets (then end up wearing the same parka most of the season) so here's a reminder to myself of my favourite velvet jacket:

That's me wearing it on my wedding day, nearly two years ago. I've hardly worn it since - I should! Velvet is pretty.

Talking of jackets, I bought a khaki jacket a few years ago because I'd watched Scott Pilgrim and was having a little style crush on Ramona Flowers:

Image from http://www.teletoonatnight.com/shes-too-good-for-you-ramona-flowers/

Now I fancy wearing it Clara Oswald style with a dark red dress and, of course, the boots:

Image from http://companionclothes.tumblr.com/post/46715140213

 

 I do already have the dress (which looks pinkish here but is more maroon irl):

Image from http://www.clothingattesco.com

Which would also look cute worn in this earthy sort of country style:

Image from http://lookbook.nu/look/4369194-the-hobbit-and-the-rabbit

It reminds me of the Japanese 'Mori Girl' (forest girl) style, which is rather lovely too:

Image from http://item.rakuten.co.jp/favorite-one/5239

Autumn is a time for lots of knitwear, and I like this way of both glamming up a grey jumper and toning down the glam of a sparkly skirt:

I'll be trying it with a grey sweatshirt and a black glittery skirt of my own.

I bought a black maxi dress this summer, and would like to keep it wearable for the cooler weather by layering it up.

My as-yet-unworn Florence top seems a good place to start.

Girliness, velvet and nostalgia toughened up with some seriously clompy boots. Should be a stylish season.

Images mostly collected in my Style board on Pinterest. There's so many pretties on there that I thought I'd edit it down a bit with this post.

Eat yourself happy?

So I didn't get to my Valentine's Day goal of 10st. Never mind. I've been doing this long enough to know I shouldn't set myself those kinds of deadlines. The human body doesn't work like that. Well, mine doesn't anyway!

This month's WW Magazine has an article on how to lose "that pesky last half stone". What about that pesky last stone and a half? There are some good tips on stepping it up that apply to someone like me who has been doing this forever (well, 4 years) though. Some of which I already do, like continuing to weigh most things I eat, some of which I could start doing, like increasing my activity level.

There's also an article on how to "Eat yourself happy", which seems to be what I try to do. Though not in the healthy nuts-eggs-and-veggies way they suggest. In the chocolate-biscuits-and-crisps way. On the weekend, I tend not to be Willpower Girl like I am on weekdays, and feel the need to consume all the foods, or rather all the volume of unhealthy food, that I denied myself in the week.

Image by Hyperbole and a Half

As long as I track I can control it though; use my 49 weeklies for weekend treats and then stick to my 26 dailies in the week, and it's fine. Last weekend however, I used up all my 49 by the end of Saturday. Instead of having a sensible Sunday, I just ate what I felt like. So I ended up not having as big a loss as I'd hoped for. I still lost half a pound though, and every loss is good. I just need to control myself a bit more if I want to have bigger losses.

I am, however, doing some things right. One of my favourite weekend breakfasts is two slices of toast, one with Marmite and one cut into soldiers, with a soft-boiled egg for 7PPs. Which, according to this from WW Magazine, seems pretty good.

I also walked 4.87 miles yesterday (thank you trusty pedometer) and my feet keep reminding me of that.

I need to do that getting out of the house thing more, but winter (and the joy of depression) makes me want to hibernate.

From my art journal

I am doing better than I was this time last year. I was doing the hibernating thing and the binge eating every day thing. I gained some weight. I'm not in that place now though (yay Prozac). I just need to keep trying, and stay positive. It'll be spring soon!

Also from my art journal

Hello January

So after the inevitable 'review of the year' post came the inevitable Christmas weight gain. I was aiming to be 10st on my last weigh-in before Christmas, and I was 10st 1lb so that's good enough for me. I planned to eat (and drink) what I wanted over the two weeks after that, which of course I did, so I expected a gain and the 4lbs I put on was not too disastrous.

I've lost 2lbs of those 4, so I think I can get to 10st for Valentine's Day. Four weeks to lose 3lbs is definitely achievable.

Last year's Valentine's chocolates. Om nom nom.

I had a look back at what I weighed early last year, and I'm 10lbs lighter than I was this time last year. 1st 1lb lighter than I was in March, in fact. Which is nice. Well, the compulsion to overeat wasn't nice but I have that under control now. I relax a bit and use my 49 ProPoints for takeaways and treats at the weekend, then stick to my daily 26PPs on weekdays. Which gives a nice balance of indulgence and control which seems to work for me.

Talking of indulgence, it's Friday and I've just been weighed, so I'm off to eat things!

The inevitable 'review of the year' post

Being New Year's Eve, I had to write the inevitable 'review of the year' post really.

Towards the end of 2012, it was pretty good as we'd just got married. However, spoiling our honeymoon period a little, I lost my job last December. This led to my depression going from mild to moderate/severe, which (of course) led to compulsive overeating. I gained back almost all of the stone I'd lost in 2012 (a 12lb gain, to be exact) over about 3 months.

So I was feeling pretty useless last winter, but thankfully an opportunity to do some admin for a carers' charity came up. This helped me to feel rather less useless, gave me some good work experience and (most importantly) helped them out for a few months.

In feeling better about myself I was able to start losing some weight again. As summer rolled round, the work at the charity dried up, but by then I was back on the Fluoxetine (an antidepressant) so I was able to continue feeling better.

In July, I did a course in employability and computer skills - something else to boost my self-esteem. That was months ago and I'm still not in work, but the ECDL qualification should help me to get something eventually.

Talking of self-esteem, perhaps the best thing for my mental health this year has been the Self-Esteem group  I've attended (run by the NHS). Knowing that other people feel a similar way to me, and having a structured course and good advice from the ladies who ran it on how to work on not feeling like that, has been very helpful. The course was largely based on a book called Overcoming Low Self-Esteem. I made some good friends on that course, who I hope to continue seeing.

I can't say I'm fixed quite yet, but I'm getting there! My new year's resolutions are about working towards getting better, and getting my life back on track.

The main life-back-on-track resolution is to get a job. Rather more easily said than done, but essential for my mental health and my husband's.

I also want to lose at least a stone, perhaps even a stone and a half (21lbs) to get to my goal weight. To get to a size 12 in 2014 would be a nice achievement.

Another resolution is to continue to work on my mental health. To be kinder yet firmer with myself in working towards improving my life.

I'd also like to be more creative in 2014, so I've started a new art journal. Not in a diary like previous years, so no pressure to record every day. I intend to draw/write something as often as I can though, whether it is a positive affirmation, an emotional rant or just a doodle.

At my heaviest this year, I weighed 11st 4lbs (in March I think), and at my last weigh-in of the year (20th Dec) I weighed 10st 1lb - a loss of 1st 3lbs (17lbs) in 2013. If I can have a similar loss in 2014, I'll be very close to my goal! Dread to to think what I weigh after the Christmas eating and drinking though ...

Happy New Year to anyone who might be reading this. We'll be spending it with Big Bang Theory and wine. Here's to a 2014 full of possibilities! 

Our Geeky Hallowedding

Just over 13 months ago, I got married! So of course, I was super organised about blogging about it. Yeah ...

It was the best day, and very us. We chose a date near the end of October so we could have a Halloween-themed wedding. We had a little of that:

Best cake ever.

but, as with most things we do, the geekiness took over:

 

 

Sonicing the cake.

 

 

 

 

♥

Thanks to everyone who helped make it such a great day!

Nearly halfway there!

So, after a couple of months of ups and downs, I've got down to the lowest weight I've been since I started Weight Watchers. I lost 1/2lb this week, taking me down to 10st 9.5lb, which is a loss of 26lbs (1st 11.5lb) so far, woo. I have just 2.5lbs to go until I'm halfway there, and will have lost 2st of the 4 I decided to lose when I started in February 2010. I should be able to lose those 2.5lbs in a couple of weeks - fingers crossed!

Want these shoes for my wedding!

I've bought my wedding dress (well, my Mum has anyway!) since I last posted, in a size smaller than I currently am. I'd love to be a size 12 (1st 2.5lbs (16.5lbs) to go) for my wedding day in the Autumn, though I'd still be happy with being on the slim end of size 14. I think size 14 is a more realistic goal! I'd have to have my dress taken in if I get any slimmer than that - not that that would be a bad thing at all :) Now I just need to get my shoes, jewellery, hair accessories ...

Image from Elle

I will have to treat myself to something nice once I reach that size 14 milestone. The shops are starting to get their Autumn ranges in, so it would be good to get me some new season clothes. Disappointing British summers tend to make me want to just skip this season altogether and go straight to Autumn. Fashion magazines start talking about A/W trends about now, and I get impatient to start wearing new things - nice jackets and such. Looks like there will be some decent military/utility jackets around this season - I do like this one from Burberry Prorsum, and their little bow belts - perfect for showing off the tiny little waist that I will have! I do like a bit of velvet too, which looks like it's coming back for A/W - a good incentive for slimming back into my size 14 velvet dresses. Though I'll probably end up going geek chic in a big knit like I usually do. At least I'll be on-trend!

A little treat

A half a pound weight loss this week, and 2.5lbs off last week, means that I now only have 3.5lbs to go until I'm 10st 7lb, halfway to goal, and a size 14. I've been planning for a while that I would treat myself to a few new clothes once I got to size 14, and this week I couldn't wait. I like to give myself some little non-food treats sometimes when I've lost weight, and Friday just happened to be payday. So I went to New Look straight after my meeting, saw some purple skinnies and tried them on. Size 14, and they zipped right up. So I had to have them.

I've been wearing a few 14s lately anyway - I wear a size 14 skirt to work most days. Won't be long til I've lost the 3.5lbs and I'm 'officially' a size 14! The jeans will fit better then, lol. It took me about 6 months to drop my first dress size, but that was nearly two years ago, so I've been waiting a long time for this! I have the wedding to motivate me now though, so I will get there, and beyond to size 12.

I have 1st 3.5lbs (17.5lbs) to go until I'm 9st 7lb, and a size 12. If I want to be there for the wedding, I have 17.5lbs to lose in 24 weeks. I can do it!

Wedding Weight Loss

Something borrowed, something blue, something old and a slim new you.

Nicked that from a Slimming World ad. Cheesy, but I quite like it :)

So we finally have a venue for our wedding, and therefore a definite date. I was thinking that knowing the date meant that, if I want to be at goal for the wedding, I'd have to lose 33lbs in 29 weeks. Which might be doable, but I don't think I need to lose that much to be a size 12 bride. If a stone is a dress size, I would only need to lose about 20lbs to get there (at about 9st 7lb) in time. Which I can definitely do.

I've lost a few more pounds since I last posted, taking me down to 10st 12lb at my last weigh-in on the 6th of April. Great to be back under 11st, although Easter and then visiting the family last Saturday mean that I haven't lost since then. Time off is fun sometimes though :) Next challenge is my 30th birthday next weekend ...

Inch Loss

So, in the past eight weeks, I have lost 2" from my waist, 1.5" from my hips, and 2" from my thigh. Gained half an inch on my upper arm though, randomly. Maybe I've gained muscle at the gym? An error in measurements is more likely though, and it is only half an inch after all!

I've lost on average half a pound a week since I restarted Weight Watchers. It's not a vast amount, but 4.5lbs (down from 11st 6lb to 11st 1.5lb) is enough of a loss to see a difference, so I'm happy. If I can lose 8.5lbs in the next 6 weeks I'll be a size 14 for my 30th birthday (29th April), which would be great, but I'll be happy to get there by the summer. The main goal for this year is to be a size 12 for our wedding, which will hopefully be at the end of October (even though we haven't got anything booked yet!), so fingers crossed (and eyes crossed so I can't see cakes) for that.

Progress

1.5lbs off last week, and half a pound off today, so now I've lost a third of the dreaded 9lbs that I'd put on between July and January. Lose a pound a week for the next six weeks, and I will have got rid of the dreaded 9lbs, lost more than half a stone, and be getting more of the aforementioned vouchers. Losing half a stone before the end of the month sounds good to me. Keep losing at the same rate, and I might even finally get to size 14 for my 30th birthday!

Back on it

Just been for my fourth meeting since I've restarted Weight Watchers, and I've lost a pound so far. Had lost 1/2 lb the second week, then put it back on (oops - naughty chips), and lost 1 lb this week. Feeling optimistic that I can keep it up :)

Hoping to lose a stone by the summer - I need to dig out a summery size 14 dress for inspiration :D

Bad news and good

Ugh. I have put on 9lbs since July, when I last went to Weight Watchers. Nine pounds. A few of those can be blamed on Christmas, but it's still pretty bad. I weighed that much 18 months ago.

I hadn't been to meetings because I was unable to get more vouchers, due to not having lost enough weight. I get vouchers to go to WW for free via my GP, as I have PCOS and my BMI is over 30. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, is an illness that is partly caused by being overweight, and also causes sufferers to put on weight. Treatments for it include weight loss, hence the free vouchers. I get 12 week's worth of vouchers at a time, and they generally recommend that I lose about half a stone during that 12-week period. I didn't lose anything this time round though, so no vouchers for me.

Good news is that, after a "6 month cooling off period" (not sure who is supposed to be cooling off) I have been able to apply for more vouchers and should be getting them soon. So the weight can start to come back off again, and I can stop feeling like I'm letting myself down.

I am making some effort though - I joined a gym, and have been going 2-3 times a week since early November. I hadn't lost any weight with that, though muscle does weigh more than fat (not just an excuse - the personal trainer said so!). So I may be fatter, but at least I'm getting fitter. My limbs feel more toned, and my stamina is steadily improving. I'm finding that I enjoy it too, which is quite a surprise! Me enjoying exercise. That's just wrong XD

Emotional Eating

A page I follow on Facebook (the page of a local gym I have yet to join, in fact) posted an interesting article on emotional eating today. For quite a while I'd assumed I was an emotional eater, and I sometimes can be, but I have realised that am more of a boredom eater. And an I-really-like-crisps-and-choklit-and-sweets-and-biscuits eater.

The aforementioned article says all the usual things about emotional/comfort eating, such as observing how you are feeling when you have unhealthy snacks. Through observations like that, I've realised why I sometimes binge, but that hasn't yet solved the problem. I used to be so in control of it, so I know I can control myself. Is control the issue though? Shouldn't I be dealing with the root of why I want these things, rather than just stopping myself from having them?



What really struck a chord with me is something the article also mentions about setting yourself a routine, including a little bit of everything - exercise, work, fun and socializing - in that routine. I think that's what I lack; a bit of variety and fun.

The work part of that equation is at least taken care of. Regular readers (if I have any) may have noticed that I haven't posted for a while. Well, after over 3 years (ack!) of unemployment, I have a job, which I started in June. Having a job is great, but it means less free time to blog (and play Cityville, not that that's relevant)! Working selling nuts, dried fruit and sweets is not terribly diet-friendly. Also, my WW vouchers ran out, and I hadn't lost enough weight to get any more, so I haven't been to meetings for a few weeks. There's also the issue of having gotten rather bored of weight watching, and therefore falling backing into old bad habits. All in all, there's not been any weight loss to blog about.

I've started to miss losing weight though, and I'm pretty sick of being a size 16. I need to get back on it! I'm not entirely sure how to proceed though - it looks like I'm not getting any more vouchers, and monthly pass looks prohibitively expensive (nearly £240 a year!). Hopefully I can go it alone ...