Weight Watchers - A New Chapter for Me

Hello and welcome back to my blog and another post. If you are one of my regular readers then you will know that for the past 2.5 years I have been following Weight Watchers and that during that time I have managed to lose just over 2 stone (28lbs). I have posted about my journey several times so if you want to have a read just click on the weight watchers or weight loss journey labels over on the right hand side and it will take you to those posts.

Mostly, apart from holidays, special occasions and the odd blip I have pretty much managed to keep all that weight off which for me is an achievement in its self. I have lost weight in the past by following silly fads etc but its always gone back on within a matter of months so I am extremely proud of me for the achievement I made in getting the weight off but for also keeping it off. When I first started going to WW the class I went to was a local one and had a group 'therapy' session after weigh-in where everyone would talk about their week, how the plan worked for them and share hints and tips. After about 6 months of steady weight loss I hit a wall and just couldn't seem to shift the lbs despite religiously sticking to the plan. The other group members were very supportive but the attitude of my group leader was awful, she didn't offer me any advice or guidance whatsoever and I started to wonder was it all worth it, I just felt like I was basically paying to be weighed each week and that was it (and that's not what WW is about). I didn't go to class for almost a month and during that time I didn't follow the plan at all. I began to slip back into old ways and habits and I could feel the weight starting to creep back on. It was at this point I knew that I needed to take back control or give up on all my hard work. I found a new class closer to work, bit the bullet and went in to be weighed. Of course there was a gain, that was only to be expected but with the support of my new group leader I was soon back on track and those gained pounds were gone.

So fast forward to this week where I made the decision to stop going to WW, not because I am giving up but because I now feel like I don't need them to support me, I can do it myself. My attitude towards food has completely changed and I now regularly meal plan using filling and healthy ingredient's rather than relying on junk and convenience foods. Don't get me wrong I still enjoy a bar of chocolate, a take away or a nice big blow out but these are few and far between now and are balanced with regular exercise and a proper healthy diet. In addition to this I have a wonderful husband and a very supportive family and circle of friends around me who I know will be there to cheer me on and keep me going.

 I can honestly say I am the happiest I have ever been about the way I look. There is no way I am going back to being the old me, I have come too far now to chuck it and all the new clothes away. I don't expect it to be plain sailing, I know that there will still be weeks where I have a gain but I now have the knowledge and willpower to deal with that the right way. I still plan to post on here how I am doing, being able to read back on my blog is for me is another source of motivation so the good and the bad will still be shared with you all.

As always thanks for stopping by and reading.

Jane

Goodbye April

Hello and welcome to another chapter in my little life.

Can you believe that it will be May next week? Is it me or has this month flown by, it really doesn't seem five minutes since Easter and the beginning of April and here we are now almost into a new month. Thankfully May brings a couple of Bank Holidays which is always good news - doesn't everyone love a long weekend? Hopefully the warmer weather will make a re-appearance too.

I haven't done a weight watchers update for a while now so I thought I would use this post to share how the past few weeks/months have been going. I have been for a weigh in this morning and I am happy to report that today I had a loss of -2lbs which I am feeling pretty chuffed with. I have struggled a bit over the last few months, I have still been going to class but my losses had dropped to just .5lbs per week. It seemed that no matter what I did the weight just wasn't coming away as much as I wanted it to. We then had Toms birthday and our weekend away which resulted in a gain of 2.5lbs which was to be expected after a few days of eating and drinking whatever I wanted. Once we were home I got myself straight back on plan and menu planned for the following couple of weeks and I even went back to using my app to track my points. Last week I didn't lose anything but I didn't gain either, which I wasn't entirely happy with but these weeks happen from time to time (I think Mother Nature may have had a helping hand there). Anyway this week I have been making better choices and have upped my fruit, veg and water intake and voila, its paid off. I am now 10 stone 1 pound and my next target is to get back in the 9's. My goal weight for our holiday is now only 8-10lbs away and I have six and a half months to get there. There will be plenty more highs and lows along the way as life happens and I wont be starving or denying myself anything but I wont give up, I refuse to go back to being that chubby/tubby/overweight/unhappy person that I was before. I feel so much happier now and I know that I am healthier and fitter than I ever was.

Image from Google search

Last weekend I met my friend Nathalie for a girly day out, we went to Wimbledon for a little shopping trip and then headed to the village for some more shopping and lunch. I treated myself to a new Cath Kidston menu planner, a very pretty summer scarf and a glass tray from TK Maxx which I am using to display my perfumes on. I have been wanting to add one of these to my dresser for ages now and I am really pleased with the way it looks. I might have to pop back to get a couple more for my other bits and pieces - at only £7.99 it was a total bargain!

We also paid a visit to the Neom Organics shop which was an absolute joy, it smelt amazing and was a little oasis of calm and tranquility. Now I am fairly new to the wonderful world of Neom and only have a couple of their Scent to Sleep products so this was the perfect chance to take a look at the other ranges and treat myself. In the end I opted for the mini Scent to De-Stress kit as I thought this would be perfect to keep in my handbag for all those fraught and frazzled on the go and at work moments. I have a load more things on my wish list to try out, they do a set of mini travel products which I think I will treat myself to for our holiday later this year.

Thanks for stopping by and reading, 

Love and hugs, Jane x

My 2018 Goals/To Do List - Part 1

I know that we are already a month down but I thought I would make a start on a to-do list for this year. Its really just a list of things I want to do, get done or just achieve in the coming 11 months. Don't worry, I am not setting myself any unrealistic goals, I certainly don't have plans to be running marathons or climbing mountains. Most of this is just everyday stuff with a few new challenges chucked in for good measure.

1. Complete Project Life - This is now underway am so far I am up to date although we are only 4 weeks in. I am determined to keep it up this year and have a wonderful album full of memories to look back on when its finished.

2. Read More - I love to read and my Kindle is full of books, a lot of which are read but quite a few of which are not. My plan is to try and read one new book a month, the Kindle is now fully charged so I have no excuses. Any suggestions for a good read will be gratefully received.

3. Keep on Track with Weight Watchers - As many of you will know I joined WW a just over 2 years ago and I successfully managed to lose 2 stone. A little of that has gone back on (around 4/5 pounds at present) but I know that if I don't take 'control' of my eating a whole lot more will go back on too and that is something I am not going to let happen. I have started menu planning again which definitely helps with staying on track. I really want to get back to a weight that I am happy with and hopefully with a little bit more willpower and work I may even get to my golden goal!

4. Be Kinder to Me -  This one is really all about self care, its something I have read an awful lot about recently and its something I really want to focus on. My main goal is to learn to say no, whether its to a certain someone or to situations and events. I am not a particularly strong person and I always like to make other people happy. Because of this I have a tendency to say yes when I really want to say no and I quite often allow my self to be bullied/pressured into things that I don't really want to do. This year I am going to take control and stand up for myself, I know there are a few people that probably wont like it but they are just going to have to suck it up. Its my life and I will live it how I want to.

5. Photography - I love taking photos, I always have and probably always will. Yes, I am that annoying family member/friend that always has a camera and wants to snap pics of everyone!! Photos are so important to me as they are such precious memories of our lives, they are also a very essential part of my scrapbooking. I have had various cameras over the years, none of which I have taken the time to find out how to use on any mode other than auto. As I am planning on buying a 'big camera' later this year I will be doing my research on courses and on-line tutorials that will help me push myself out of the auto safety zone and into something a little more creative.

6. Video Editing - Tom and I have quite often taken a camcorder on holiday with us, especially when we have gone to the US. We have a whole load of footage that we watch back but some of it is a little messy in parts and it could do with being made nicer to watch. As we have gotton more and more into vlog watching I have realized that with the right software there is so much that can be done to make your footage look and sound a little more professional. I am going to buy some Adobe Photoshop software and getting playing to see what I can do. With all our Vegas footage and this years holiday in Nov I am certainly going to have my work cut out but its a task that I am really looking forward to undertaking. Like the photography point above I will be looking for on-line tutorial's to guide me though this whole process, I am actually really looking forward to getting stuck
into this one and learning more.

As the year progresses I am sure I will add a few more things to my list, I will keep you updated on how I get on with all of the above as well as any new things I add.

What are your goals for 2018, have you set yourself any challenges or resolutions?

Love and hugs - Jane x

Blogmas 2017 Day Twenty - The Final Weigh In of the Year.

Wednesday 20th December 2017.

This week is going so slowly, honestly why isn't it Friday yet?? The sooner this week is over the better, I am ready now for some down time and to just stay home and chill out.

Today I went for my final weight watchers weigh in of 2017 and the verdict was that I maintained this week. I am not too bothered by that as I haven't particularly been that good over the last few days so I am actually surprised that there wasn't a small gain. I have set myself a max gain of 4lbs over the Christmas break although ideally I would like it to be less than that. I don't plan to restrict myself, if I want something I will have it but at the same time I am not going to go mad and eat everything in sight. Next class is Jan 4th 2018 and I will be there to face the damage and get myself back on track and to where I want to be.

Day 19 of my advent calendar was a Leighton Denny nail polish is a lovely sparkly silver shade called Stardust. This is a really pretty polish that just gives your nails a hint of colour and sparkle, its one of those shades that will be perfect for when your nails are in less than great shape or if you don't want something bold and bright.

Day 20 was a lip-gloss by Pixi in a shade called Honey Sheen. It has a lovely minty smell and I think its one of those glosses that has a slight plumping effect when used. Looking forward to trying it out over the coming days.

I hope you are all well and are now nearly ready for Christmas, only 5 more sleeps till the big day!

Love and festive hugs, Jane x

Blogmas 2017 Day Fourteen - Weekly Weigh In Results

Thursday 14th December 2017.

Well here I am over half way through Blogmas 2017, I have to say I have surprised myself in managing keeping this up. I am so glad that I did as in years to come I will have these posts to look back on and remember what I was doing, where I was going etc, etc. Its been a real challenge but its one that I have been happy to undertake. I think I may set myself a few more blogging goals in 2018, if you have any suggestions please let me know.

Today I went for my weekly Weight Watchers weigh in and I can happily report that I lost another 1lb! I am really happy with that, especially as looking back I think I am probably a couple of pounds lighter than I was this time last year. One more weigh in to go before Christmas and then I can relax and ease off for a few days. I know that when I go back to class in January there will most likely be a gain but I am more than happy to face that as I know that as soon as I get myself back on track the weight will come off again. I really want to make 2018 the year that I get to my goal weight, I have less than a stone left to lose to achieve this and I know that the closer I get to it the harder it will be but I am so determined to do it. This weight loss journey hasn't been always been easy, but for me its been so worth it. I am healthier, fitter and ultimately I am happier with how I look and how I feel about myself which is the whole reason I joined WW in the first place. This was never about me wanting to conform to what society deems to be ok, nor did I set out to be a certain size, I just wanted to get to a place where I was happy and content in my own skin and in my clothes. The icing on the cake (and yes I do still eat cake) will be getting my hands on that gold card you get when you reach your goal weight.

Day 14 of my advent calendar was a pot of Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm. This is a brand I haven't tried before but its one I have heard fab reviews of so I am really looking forward to trying this one out. I do love a cleansing balm too, I find that they gently remove every last trace of make up but leave your skin silky soft. I have a feeling this one will be a full size buy. At £39.00 for a pot its not exactly cheap but its not extortionate either.

Tomorrow is the work Christmas party so my Blogmas Day post wont be up until sometime on Saturday.

Love and festive hugs, Jane xx

Blogmas 2017 Day Six - Weight Watchers Update

Wednesday 6th December 2017.

I went for my weekly weigh in today rather my usual day of Thursday and can happily report that I had a lose of one pound (1lb) this week. It just goes to show that properly tracking, counting points and staying on plan really does work. Occasionally I can get away with winging it but for me and for the plan to work and be effective I really need to stick to it. Its helped that I have menu planned this week and been quite mindful of what I have been eating and drinking. I will allow myself a little freedom from the plan over Christmas and New Year but I don't want to stray too far as that will undo all my recent good work. I am determined to stick with it and get where I want to be weight wise and I am hoping that 2018 is the year I can get to my goal. Whatever happens I know that I am a lot happier and healthier than I was when I first walked through the WW doors in 2016 and I am very proud of myself for sticking with it and for keeping the weight off.

I got my haircut tonight although I went to a local salon rather than my usual one. To be honest my hairdresser John did such a good job at my last appointment that it really only needed a little trim at the bottom and on the fringe this time. I do love going to see John but he works limited days and is based over in Islington so its not always convenient for me to get to him. Luckily I have a local place that I trust who does a pretty good job when I need a tidy up. At least now I can see where I am going and I no longer resemble Cousin It from the Addams Family!

Yesterday for Day 5 of my beauty advent calendar I got a Rodial Dragons Blood Sculpting Gel - very fancy sounding! This is another product for the face and this one claims to be a revolutionary anti-aging gel that volumises and defines the facial contours by plumping sagging skin. The unique dragons blood complex is sap from the Croton Lechleri tree which is supposed to reduce inflammation and redness and is ideal for tired or stressed skin. I plan to try this out this week, who knows with all these wonderful new products to try I could be a totally different woman in 2018!!

Day 6 was a Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick by Stila. Its a pretty nude colour called Perla however I am not sure the totally matt look suits me. Maybe its will look better with a light gloss over the top, will pop it in my bag and give it a try.

See you again tomorrow for another Blogmas post,

Love and festive hugs, Jane x

August Catch Up

Hello all, firstly I am sorry for the lack of posts/updates......the cold that was brewing just after my birthday turned a tad nasty and ended up as a upper respiratory tract infection. Unfortunately there was nothing the doctor could give me so I just had to rely on Nurofen and Piriton (at the docs suggestion). I had a really rough couple of days where I didn't get much sleep at all as I was constantly coughing during the night, a lack of sleep certainly didn't help my recovery that's for sure, I honestly hadn't felt this rough in ages but thankfully I am now feeling much better. Luckily my week was fairly quiet plus I had a half day on Thursday as I wanted to spend some time with Lucy before she and Katie headed off to Europe. Tom and I met them at Tower Bridge where we all went to do the Tower Bridge Exhibition. This is the bit at the top of the bridge that links the two towers and its somewhere I have wanted to go for quite a while. It was a fun thing to do, especially as it has a glass floor you can walk along. The views are pretty cool although they are somewhat obscured. Afterwards we went to the local Wetherspoons for dinner before we said our goodbyes. It was lovely to see Lucy and to meet Katie, I am so pleased that they decided to spend some time in London before they started their tour.

I went for weigh in at Weight Watchers and was pleased to have a loss of 2lbs, a step back in the right direction. I really need to try and stay on track now and focus on getting to goal. For me the key to this is to menu plan and make use of the WW app. Time to get the cookbooks out and start planning again.

Tom worked Friday and Saturday night so it was a very quiet weekend for me, which is just what I needed. On Saturday I didn't do very much at all apart from potter about and bake a batch of chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel frosting (hmmmm they are not very WW friendly!!lol).

Sunday was pretty much the same although instead of baking I spent some time in my craft room and did a couple more pages for the holiday album. I am still working on the Disney section which I have to say I am loving scrapping. Pics of the layouts will follow in a later post. Sunday evening was spent chilling out on the sofa and watching the final Harry Potter film - the perfect way to end the weekend.

I hope you are all well and that you all had a good weekend, did you do anything exciting?

As always thanks for stopping by for a read, love and hugs - Jane xx

August Week 2

Here we are Monday again and we are now halfway through August I know! I keep saying it but this year is flying by for me. Anyway I have to say that I was pretty glad to see the back of last week, it wasn't one of this years better weeks. The cold eventually came out and although it wasn't too bad this time around it was still pretty yucky - its still lingering now but I think its finally beginning to dry up (fingers crossed). The awful weather last week didn't help much either, I honestly don't know how I didn't switch the heating on a couple of nights. Wednesday was the worst day, it was cold and it just didn't stop raining all day. I honestly thought I was going to have to call Noah and ask him for a lift home!! Despite having a brolly by the time I did get home I was soaked, cold and pretty miserable. A long soak in a hot bath with a Lush bath bomb followed by a night curled up on the sofa went someway to making me feel a bit better.

On Thursday I went for a Weight Watchers weight in. Its the first one I have been in 5 weeks and I knew that it wasn't going to be pretty but I also knew it was time to face up to it and deal with it. I had a gain of 4lbs which I actually didn't think was too bad as I really hadn't tracked at all during the weeks I didn't go to weight in or class. I think for a while I just lost motivation and couldn't be bothered with it, I went back to old ways of snacking and picking at the wrong things. If I am honest I didn't want to go back because I didn't want to face the fact that there would be a gain but I also knew that if I didn't take back control I would end up on the slippery slope of putting back on all the weight I have lost. I spoke to my leader and we have re-evaluated my target weight to make my goal a little more achievable. I am determined to get a lose this week, even if its just a pound I will be happy as its a step back in the right direction.

Tom worked on Friday night so I had the evening to myself. I didn't do anything exciting, I just chilled out and did a little crochet before having an early night. Saturday morning saw me meet my friend Joan and her daughter Sarah for a coffee. We spent a lovely couple of hours catching up and chatting and as Orlando veterans they gave me tons of tips for our trip next year. By the time I got home my head was bursting with information...will need to see them again so I can write it all down! We spent Saturday night at Toms sisters house where they were holding a BBQ to celebrate her birthday. It was a lovely evening and although it was a little chilly it was nice enough to sit outside. Anyway we didn't get home till around 1.30am a sure sign of a good night.

This is the latest crochet project. When its finished it will be a big chunky C2C (corner to corner) blanket.

Yesterday was spent at my Mums as we have a relative over from Australia. Lucy is my Mums cousins daughter and she is stopping over for a week with a friend before they go on a month long European tour. We had a nice afternoon sitting in the garden enjoying the sunshine and then Mum cooked a wonderful roast dinner which both the Aussie girls enjoyed. By the time we got home last night we were both shattered so pretty much headed straight to bed, we are such light weights these days!!

Thanks for stopping by, as always any comments are very gratefully received.

Love and hugs, Jane xx

Weight Watchers Update

So today I went for my last weekly weigh in before holiday and it was a good one - another 2lbs off! I didn't quite make the pre-holiday mini goal I had set myself but I am more than happy with where I am right now. I have lost a total of 29.5lbs since I started Weight Watchers and probably a little more than that since I last went to Vegas.

Prior to joining WW I was pretty much always on a 'diet' and my weight was something that I shied away from and tried to pretend wasn't what it actually was because in reality that would be admitting to myself that I was overweight. What a lot of people don't know is that as a younger girl I was bullied for being over weight and those words stuck with me from my teens right through to my adult life and are probably one of the major factors of my lack of confidence in how I looked and felt no matter what other people told me. Ultimately the more I re-run the bullying in my head the more I went on a diet but because deep down I felt a failure for having to diet I really didn't care so the diets failed. It was a vicious circle that was constantly rewarded with the wrong types of food and lack of caring about me.

So in Jan 2016 I bit the bullet and I joined WW, something I had always said I didn't need to do as I was in control and because I didn't believe that it would actually work for me. My mindset soon changed and as I started to lose weight I quickly realized that diets on the whole don't work, they are just quick fixes - what I actually needed was a healthier lifestyle and that is what WW was offering me. With the aid of my Weight Watchers app and the support and encouragement of my group I started menu planning and thinking about what I was eating rather than just reaching for what was quick and convenient. My love for cooking was re-ignited and I started to scour cookbooks and the internet to find new and tasty things to eat. My mentality towards food and fitness totally changed too, I now seem to automatically opt for the healthier options and I get fuller a lot more quickly from eating a lot less. I walk more than I ever did and now I can walk faster and further without getting out of breath and being a hot, sweaty, achy mess after just 15 mins! To say that my life has changed for losing the weight seems a little dramatic but I can honestly say I have never felt as healthy and happy as I do now. Shopping for clothes is now an absolute delight although I do have to constantly remind myself that I am not the size I used to be - its funny how I still seem to reach for things in the size I was and not what I am now. People that haven't seen me for a while notice and comment, and while that may sound vain its those words of 'oh wow you look good' or 'you have lost so much weight' that have helped to keep me motivated and on track. Losing weight and keeping it off is a mental thing as well as a physical thing and the support networks we build around ourselves are a great help in this. I know that I am very lucky to be blessed with a very supportive family and friends as well as a great group.

Its not always been easy and all been plain sailing though, there have been weeks where I have maintained even though I have stayed on track and there have been weeks where I have had a gain too. But this is all part of the journey, life happens and life is to be lived, its far to short to say no! If I want a piece of cake, or to enjoy a party/birthday/holiday then I will but its now a short lived experience rather than an every day one. So I am off to the USA on my hols this coming weekend and I am looking forward to a little break from point counting and tracking. I know I wont be good and probably wont make the most sensible of choices where food is concerned however there will be plenty of walking done and I will try to stay in control as much as I can without being a food bore! As soon as I am home I will head for class for a weigh in and to face the damage because I know that as soon as I do I can take control again and get back to where I want to be.

This post is certainly not a preach to say that everyone above a certain weight should go join a slimming club. Your weight is your own business and no-one else's, as long as you are happy with the way you look is the most important thing. I didn't like how I looked or felt which is why I made the decision to join WW. Be your own self and be happy with who you are.

Thanks for stopping by and reading. Feel free to leave me a comment and a link to your blog if you have one.

Love and hugs,

Jane

A Week in Review - Feb 6th 2017

This week I though I would take inspiration from a couple of other blogs I follow to start doing a 'what I am doing now/this week' kind of post. My plan is that the posts will sometimes be based around the coming week and sometimes it will be about the week just gone......and sometimes it will just be a bit of a ramble! So here goes with post number 1, although so far this has been a fairly normal week with nothing much to report, its been so ruddy cold and damp that its not been that nice to be anywhere other than at home.

Last weekend I finally finished the blanket I have crocheted for my great nephew who was born at the end of last year. I am still fairly new to crochet so its a very basic blanket and I know there are a few 'errors' in it but I really, really  enjoyed making it. I am looking forward to handing the blanket over and I cant wait to see him now all snuggled up in it. I have a couple more crochet projects on the go but I will share more about those as they are completed. Once they are done I am going to push myself to learn some different stitches so I can do more than just granny squares and blankets. I have found a really good You Tube channel so that should help, fingers crossed and all that!

I had a good weigh in at weight watchers this week, sticking to plan and a bit of extra walking is starting to pay off as I had a loss of l.5lbs this week. Its onwards and upwards from here I am determined to keep at it and eventually get to where I want to be.

My first Scentsy order of 2017 arrived this week and in with all the customer orders were the tester pots for the new Spring/Summer fragrances. Oh boy there are some really nice ones coming out, cant wait for the bars to go on sale so I can buy some and start testing them out at home. There is also a new catalog due to go live on March 1st and as well as the new scents there are some gorgeous looking new warmers coming out. I cant share anything with you just yet as we are in the middle of our February sale, but as soon as that is over I will be bringing you some images of the new products.

So today is Friday - yay its the weekend!! Tonight I have a 'date' with my hairdresser although I am only going for a trim so its only a quick visit. I love wearing my hair longer and with a fringe but the downside to that means I need to go and see the lovely John Foster on a much more regular basis now, I am not complaining though as seeing John is always a fun time. Tom is working tomorrow night so I am heading to the cinema with a friend to see the new Fifty Shades film. I still cant quite get used to Jamie Dornan being Christian Grey, for me he just doesn't have that 'edge' that I got from the character in the books but I enjoyed the first film, hoping this one doesn't disappoint.

I am planning a early walk on Sunday followed by a relaxing and chilled out day at home. I really want to get in my craft room and start scrapping again.....watch this space!

Hope you have all had a good week. I would love to hear what you have been up to?

Thanks for stopping by, love and hugs - Jane xx

Weight Watchers - One Year On

Well its now been a year since I started my regime to become fitter, healthier and and ultimately slimmer. It has gone so fast, certainly doesn't feel like its been a year but what a year its been.

I started with Weight Watchers after a routine health check up with the nurse up at my GP's practice. I knew that they would tell me I was a little overweight and I was prepared for that, what I wasn't prepared for was the way I was actually spoken to by the nurse. She basically called me fat, lazy and unhealthy and I left the practice totally disgusted with myself. By the time I arrived at my office I was in tears (not the best situation when you work with an all male team who's idea of cheering me up was to suggest having a biscuit!!) and I was feeling totally down in the dumps - what a great way to start the new year. After sniffling and weeping my way through most of the morning a wave of determination came over me and I started thinking of ways I could lose some weight. I looked at various slimming aids and faddy diets but I soon realized that the best way to tackle this was by being sensible about what I was eating and making a bit more effort to be more active and that's when I thought I would give a Slimming Club a try. Luckily for me there was a Weight Watchers a class just a short walk from home so that seemed like the perfect choice, plus I had a friend had joined the week before who I could buddy up with. The first meeting was fantastic and I came away so motivated and inspired, this was not a 'fad' diet plan that would be difficult to maintain, this was a healthier lifestyle that would allow me to eat what I wanted as long as I stayed within my daily/weekly points allowance. Wow a diet that still let me have a few glasses of wine at the weekend - whats not to love!!

The first week I lost 4.5lbs and I was over the moon with that, after that things ticked along nicely and I continued to lose weight at a steady pace. I did have a few weeks where I didn't lose anything and I also had a few weeks where I had a gain but usually there would a reason for that like holidays, special occasions etc. I used my Weight Watchers app to track and record what I was eating and drinking and I was constantly scanning bar codes to see how many points there were in foods. I started menu planning and sticking to that and slowly but surely as the weight came off I started to feel the benefits. I was walking every day and going a lot further and faster without getting sweaty and out of breath, my back didn't ache after walking and my clothes were loose. For the first time in my life I started to look in the mirror and like what I was seeing - plus people were telling me that I looked good and that they could see I had lost weight. Shopping for clothes was no longer a nightmare experience, and by the Summer I had dropped 2 dress sizes - that was and still is a wonderful feeling. I even bought a red fitted dress for the work Christmas party, something the old larger me never would have done!

So here I am a year down and line and I am now 2 stone lighter than I was this time last year. I had a small gain of 1.5lbs over Christmas but despite getting back on track and being on plan I only managed to maintain rather than lose for the next few weeks. Last week was a bad week as I went to weigh in expecting a loss but when I got another maintain I fell apart and burst into tears. I started questioning WW and debating why was I bothering etc, etc but after a long hard look at how far I had come and what I had achieved I picked myself up and re-focused. I am happy to report that at this mornings weigh in I had a small loss of .5lb, its not much I know but its a step in the right direction and has fired me up once again to get to my goal weight. I want to lose one more stone and if that takes another year then so be it, I know I can do it and I will do it! I have a wonderful husband and network of family and friends around me who will kick my butt when needed but who also inspire and support me on every step of this journey. If it wasn't for Weight Watchers I know I wouldn't have got this far without falling off a diet wagon and for that I will be eternally grateful, the members of the group I go to support each other no matter what kind of week you have had and there is always someone on hand who will help and inspire you to continue.

I can and I will achieve my goal because this girl can!

Thanks for stopping by to read my little blog, please leave me a comment and a link back to your blog if you have one.

Love and hugs, Jane x

Crafting Again

Well that's the first full weekend of 2017 over with.....for us it was a nice relaxed one at home. We have both been a little under with weather with various coughs, colds and sinus problems so it was nice to stay home in the warm and just chill out.

Last week one of the guys I work with asked me to make him a birthday card and exploding/photo box for his girlfriend so this weekend was the perfect time for me to play in my craft room and produce the goods. The theme was pretty and girly and I think I achieved that on both the card and the box. As yet there are no pictures in the box, I will add these at a later date as my colleague wants to let his good lady pick which photos to put in. I am looking forward to hearing what she thinks about it although I am pretty sure she will love it as I know she likes all thinks pretty, girly and sparkly. The flowers that are on the lid are all from Wild Orchid crafts and the two large pink flowers in the box are Prima.

The card is 8x8 and I used a Lilli of the Valley pre coloured card as the image, I layered up some cardstock and paper and then added some ribbon, gems, metal corners and a die cut sentiment to finish it off. I used to have quite a collection of ready made cards but my stash is almost depleted now so I think I may spend the next couple of weekends making some more so that I always have a stock of cards ready to go. If you are a card maker do you make yours as you need them or do you keep a stock that you can dip in to as needed?

I also started trying to organize a travel planner for our USA holiday. I bought a leather binder from the sale in Paperchase and then I bought and downloaded some travel pages from Etsy. The plan yesterday was to sit down and get it all printed, trimmed to size and punched so I could start filling it
in. I managed to print and trim however the portable Filofax A5 hole punch I bought was worse than useless - it only punches one page at a time and because you have to really squeeze the two sides of it together to make it punch it scrunches up your paper around the holes leaving it looking a ragged mess. Thankfully I found a better quality one on Amazon that is currently winging its way to me so hopefully next weekend I can get going again. Feeling frustrated by not being able to set up my planner I plonked myself on the sofa with a cuppa and the laptop and did a little craft shopping with Paper Maze. They had a little sale on so I snapped up some lovely scrapping papers and Heidi Swapp planner bits, looking forward to those arriving now, been a long time since Mr Postie bought me a pizza box.

I went to Weight Watchers last Thursday for the post Christmas and New Year weigh in, I knew there would be a gain which I was expecting to be around 4-5lbs. I was rather pleased and surprised when I found out that it was only 1.5lbs! Am back on track now so that should soon come off and then I can get on with the task of losing that last stone to get me to my goal weight.

Thanks for stopping by my little blog. Leave me a little comment below and a link to your blog and I will pop over, have a read and return the compliment.

Love and hugs, Jane x

Happy New Year

Wow, its now 2017 and I haven't blogged since April of 2016! Boy oh boy, my plan to keep up to date on here completely fell by the wayside! To be honest I debated on whether I should ever post again and I am kind of stuck on where to start after so long but I thought I would give it another go and so to get me going I will do a little update on 2016 as well as share some of my plans for 2017.

If you were following me last year you will know that in January I joined Weight Watchers with the intention of shedding some weight along with getting a little fitter. Well I am happy to report that I succeeded on both counts....I managed to lose 2 stone (that's 28lbs for those that count that way). A little of that has gone back on over the last couple of weeks but I am back on track now and am heading for my first weigh in of the year on Thursday. So many people have commented on the weight I have lost and tell me that I am looking very well, that makes me feel so good because for the first time in my life I am actually feeling good about how I look. I am two/three dress sizes smaller than I was this time last year and I feel a whole lot fitter and healthier too. I walk more, ache less and generally have a fair bit more get up and go. I am determined that I will get to my goal weight this year, hopefully that will happen before our holiday in May (more about that later in this post). I wouldn't/couldn't have done this without Weight Watchers, sure I may have gone and lost a little weight alone but I know that I wouldn't have got this far without the support of my group leader and friends.

We had two holidays last year, a week in Portugal in July and then two weeks in Spain in September. Both were fabulous, filled with lots of sunshine, good food and wine and great company. We spent the week in Portugal with our friends from Scotland although we had our own apartment just a stones throw from the villa they had rented. We both love Portugal, we stayed in an area called Cerro Grande which is just a short walk from the main town center of Albufeira. Its a great place for couples and families alike as there is something for everyone including beautiful sandy beaches with water sports plus there are shops, bars and restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. In September we returned to the Costa del Sol in Southern Spain, we stayed in the same apartment that we had when we were last there in 2014, located between San Pedro and Estepona in Benavista. We had a few days on our own and then our friends Cath and Martin came to join us for the duration of the holiday. We spent a lot of time just chilling out and relaxing which is what we all needed. Gosh it seems so long ago, I could really do with a dose of that sunshine right now!

In early December I signed up as a consultant for Scentsy.....for those of you that are not familiar with the brand you can find out more by clicking the link below which will take you to my consultant page or you can see the link to my Glowing Star Facebook page over on the right hand side of this blog. I also plan to do a separate post about it all in the very near future.

Glowing Star Independent Scentsy Consultant.

After the holidays the months whizzed by and before I knew it we were celebrating Christmas, I have to say that the older I get the faster the years seem to go by. Christmas this year was a fairly low key affair for us this year. We spent the big day at my Mums and then we went to see Toms family in the evening. The rest of the time was mostly spent at home watching film, going out when we felt like it and relaxing - it was just perfect. As usual we spent NYE at home, we are very lucky in that we can partially see the London fireworks from the top of our block so aside from an early dinner out that was the only place we went. To be honest it was quite nice just to stay at home this year and do what we wanted to do, to be honest we didn't do much at all, mostly we watched lots of films, did a bit of sale shopping and went for a couple of walks.

So here we are in 2017, this is a year that has a lot in store for us. In April Tom will be 50 so there will be a few celebrations for that. At the end of May we are off on our hols, we are flying to LA where we will stay for 4 nights before we drive to Las Vegas for another 6 nights. As yet we haven't booked a hotel for the LA part of the holiday but we are hoping to get that sorted soon, we are currently looking at staying in or around either Santa Monica or Marina del Rey. For Vegas we are going to split our stay and will spend 3 nights in the Encore and 3 nights in the Cosmopolitan. We are both really looking forward to this holiday, and if you have followed me before you will know just how much we both love Vegas. the holiday is partly for Toms birthday but also for our 15th wedding anniversary which we will be celebrating in June so this is a big one for us. I have already started planning and making lists and a itinerary, its going to be a blast.

So that's about it for now, I hope that you have all had a great Christmas and New Year. Thank you for stopping by my little blog, please feel free to leave me a comment - its nice to know that there are people out there reading.

Something to Smile About

Thought I would pop by and do a quick post tonight to share my latest Weight Watchers weigh in.

The previous week wasn't brilliant as far as I was concerned as despite sticking to plan religiously I only lost half a pound. Now I know that is still good as it was a loss but I was a little disappointed as I had hoped for more. In hindsight I know that I probably hadn't eaten enough, I hadn't eaten all my daily points and I had barely touched my weeklies plus I had upped the amount I walk each day so I guess my calories in vs calories out was quite unbalanced. Anyway this week I was determined that my loss would be more, so I made sure that I was having all my dailies as well as having some of my weeklies. I even had a naughty slice of cake at my Mums on Mothers Day and a lovely home cooked roast dinner. I was keeping everything crossed for the WW scales tonight and am happy to report that my loss was a fab two and a half pounds which brings me to a total loss of thirteen and a half pounds!! I am so pleased with that result, this week my goal is to get at least half a pound to reach my first stone and get another silver 7 sticker for my weight loss chart.

I am so happy and totally motivated to carry on and get where I want to be. I can't believe how easy Weight Watchers is, I really love the whole ethos of the plan. Its not just about losing weight, its about achieving a healthier lifestyle and having a more positive outlook on life. Tonight's after class talk was all about positivity, we were encouraged to feel good about ourselves no matter how big or small our weight loss has been. We were also told that we should try and take at least 5 minutes each day to focus on something good and do something for yourself that makes you smile and feel good. It doesn't have to be anything big or fancy, just the simple things in life like finding an outfit that didn't fit but now does, hearing your favorite song on the radio or just getting 5 mins peace and quite to sit and have a cuppa.

So whats making me smile right now you might ask? Well the answer to that is Thursday is the new Friday for me this week as I am taking a days annual leave to go shopping and have lunch with my fab friend (and WW buddy) Cathy. When we started the plan we decided that we would set little goals and that when we reached them we would 'treat' ourselves. My first goal was to get below 11 stone which I finally achieved last night. So hurry up Friday and bring on the shopping and prosecco!!

Hope you are all having a good week.......and please try to make sure that you find a little something in every day that makes you smile. Time is precious and life is far too short to focus on the negative stuff.

Love and hugs, Jane xx

More for Mothers Day

Evening all...

Yay its Thursday night which means tomorrow is Friday, woo hoo the weekend is almost here!

Thought I would pop by with a quick post tonight to share with you a few more cards that I was asked to make for Mothers Day. These have all been made to order for the guys I work with. I have to say working with an all male team certainly has its benefits as like most men none of them are organized when it comes to birthdays and occasions so the fact that I make cards in turn makes life easier for them.....happy days all round. One of them even said his wife was so pleased with her Valentines card that she now expects her Birthday, Anniversary and Christmas card to be hand made!!

Anyway here are the pics, they are all easel cards and the images on the front are all pre-coloured from Lili of the Valley. I really enjoyed making these cards, think I will start to incorporate this style of design into some birthday and wedding cards.

Its been a good week here, I started a major clean up of my craft room in order to make the most of the area I have to craft in. I have boxed up my Cricut Imagine as it doesn't get used very much and it takes up quite a large chunk of space on my work surface, space that could be much better used. I have also gone through my stamps and dies and I now have a box full of stuff that will be offered to friends before being listed on Ebay. I am already loving how much more room I have, it still needs a little tweaking but I am nearly there. Once its all done I will take some pictures to share with you all.

Last night was weigh in night and I was happy to find that I had lost another pound and a half. I also found out that I have now lost five percent of my starting weight. I am so pleased with my progress so far, I still have a long way to go but its not about how far I have left but how far I have come.

I am hoping that as Tom isn't working this weekend that we can pay a visit to Barleylands in Billericay. The farmers market is on there this Saturday and himself likes the Indian spices we get from the Spice Queen so the deal is if we go then I get to pay a visit to the craft shop and he gets a curry for his dinner that night!

As always thanks for stopping by, love and hugs,

Jane xx

Another Weekend

Morning, and a very happy Saturday to you all.

Thought I would pop by with a quick post to share with you pictures of two layouts I have completed this month. The first one is based on a sketch that I saw on my friend Sarahs blog and its a Stuck!? Sketch (there is a link on Sarah's page to more of these sketches if you are ever in need of a little inspiration). The papers and embellishments are are left over from an old Basic Grey kit, if I remember rightly this one was called 'Out of Print' or something like that. I sprayed the card stock with a little Tattered Angels glimmer mist in Creme de Cocoa before using the Stampin Up Gorgeous Grunge set to add the lines at the top and bottom of the page. I still need to add my journalling and possibly a title but I need to rack my brains for something a little original - any suggestions would be greatly received. The picture is of my hubby Tom and our hire car whilst we were in Vegas last year.

The second layout I have to show you is based on Sues February Sketch (link to Sue's blog is here). For this layout I used papers from the Authentique Classique Beauty collection. The title is American Crafts Thickers and the journalling card (which again still needs to be completed) is from one of my Project Life kits. The picture is again of Tom while we were in Vegas last year, this picture was snapped inside the New York, New York hotel where there was a restaurant and bar called Toms Urban!

Its been a good week here for us. After last weeks rather de-motivating half a pound gain at Weight Watchers I managed to lose a pound and a half this week. Not sure what caused the gain as I had stuck to the plan, guess it was just one of those blips that I am going to encounter along the way. Still I am now up to a total of nine pounds lost which I am very happy with.

Tom is in work again this weekend so once again I am left to my own devices. Once this post is up I am going to get dressed and head out for a walk along the river and down to Borough Market. Am planning to spend the rest of the weekend in my craft room as I have several orders for Mothers Day cards to complete. Hope you all have a nice weekend planned whether it be a busy one or a nice chilled out one at home.

Thanks for stopping by, watch out for another post from me soon.

Love and hugs, Jane

Thursday Ramblings

Hello lovely people,

Thought I would pop by and do a quick update and share a couple more of the layouts I created at the weekend.

The layouts I have to share both feature my nephew George, I seriously cant believe this gorgeous boy will be 21 this year. Where did my oh so cute and cheeky little nephew go?? As you will see from the bottom right of the pictures I have invested in an app called Watermark which allows me to add my own name to the photos, just a little added security in case someone decided that they wanted to pinch them and upload them as their own. Both layouts were complete using up the ends of some of my Basic Grey Kits.

Last night I had my Weight Watchers weigh in and I am happy to report that I achieved a loss of 3lbs, last week, that's a total of 7lbs now which I am over the moon with. I am now starting to see little signs of the loss, I feel less bloated and some of my clothes are now a little less 'snug'. Its such a good feeling and it certainly inspiring me to keep motivated and on track.

One of the things I have been debating recently is siging up to a new scrapbook kit. In the past I have have subscribed to Studio Calico and My Creative Scrapbook, both of which were very good (although in the end I gave up SC as the papers were just too same-y each month and just not to my taste or style). I liked the MCS ones very much and I did think about starting that again but in the end I opted for a Cocoa Daisy subscription. A couple of my friends also get them and having seen their pictures I am now very excited for my first kit to arrive although I do know that wont be until sometime next month, especially as I have to allow for shipping from the US. One of my big loves in scrapbooking has always been Basic Grey. I love their papers and over the years have bought so many of the collection packs, I also had the Page of the Month kit for about 3 or 4 years which I adored. It came as a real shock last night to hear that they have decided to withdraw from the scrapbook market and that the collections that are out now are to be their last. I think over the coming weeks I can forsee a little frenzied shopping as people go on a BG spree!!

Hope you have all had a great week so far, Thanks for stopping by...

Love and hugs, Jane xx

My Week

Afternoon all...

Well its been a fairly good week here, I have managed to keep on track with Weight Watchers and on Wednesday I had my first weigh in and I am very happy to report that I lost 4lbs! I had planned to have a night off after weigh in but I was so pleased with my result that I came home and stayed on track, didn't even look at that Wispa Gold that's in the fridge!! Have tried out a few more WW recipes this week too, last night we had Tandoori chicken which was delicious and today we are having a cottage pie with carrot and sweet potato mash instead of the usual potato one. I am going to use less mince in it and bulk it out with extra veggies.

On Friday I went to have an eye test, something that was long overdue and as was expected my prescription has changed which means I need new glasses. Luckily David Clulow had a sale on which meant I got one pair half price and the second pair were totally free.....still wasn't cheap though but I guess that's what I get for picking designer frames. Cant wait to go and collect them now and get rid of the cheap and cheerful ones I have been wearing since my old ones broke.

Saturday saw us head over to Ikea in Lakeside for a new Raskog cart. I already have a teal coloured one in the kitchen but I wanted to move that into the craft room and have a dark grey one for the kitchen. Anyway as is usual in Ikea we came out with a little more than we went for, a few candles, a new toothbrush holder and a couple of other kitchen bits as well as the cart. Next stop was TK Maxx where I got a lovely canvas basket to hold my planner, notebook and WW books, I also picked up a clock for the craft room. some kitchen storage jars and a really cute little lunch bag complete with insulated containers that I will use for work. A pretty good haul and a nice little trip out. The teal cart is now in my room and has already been loaded up with crafting stash...am sure over the coming weeks and months it will be subject to a certain amount of re-arranging and change! Presently the top tray contains my punches, Selphy and label maker, the middle tray has all my embossing powers and heat guns and the bottom tray contains paints.

So to today. After making some soup, breakfast and doing a couple of loads of washing I sat down to finish a double layout I started last weekend. The pictures are of my niece when we went for a riverside walk last year, she was so excited to see all the Shaun the Sheep along by More London.

Left hand side.

Right hand side.

The papers are all from an old Basic Grey range called Sweet Threads. Just need to add a little bit of journalling and then it will be ready for her album.

I have managed a few single layouts today, once I have photographed them I will get them uploaded to share with you. I am currently working on finishing off my nephews album(s) as he will be 21 in October of this year and I want to give them to him as a present. It was only when I looked through what I have already done that I realized I haven't added anything to his latest album in over a year. So I am now uploading pics to Photobox ready to do an order.

I hope that you have all had a lovely weekend, a big thank you to all the new people who have visited my blog and left me comments - it really brings a smile to my face.

Love and hugs, Jane xx

Weekend Round-Up

Well its been a fairly chilled out and relaxed weekend here with us, just the way we like it to be honest. Friday evening was spent at home, after a nice healthy and smart point friendly dinner of cod fillets in a tomato and olive sauce with veggies we curled up in front of the TV to watch a film. Our choice of viewing this time round was The Heist which stars Robert De Niro, it was a really good film, action packed and with a great twist at the end - highly recommended by us both!

I also sat and menu planned Friday evening which meant a visit to the local supermarket on Saturday morning for supplies, I had great fun using my Weight Watchers app to check the smart points in certain things before I bought them, mind you I did get one or two funny looks! We came home and straight away I started cooking dinner which I had planned for us to have early so we could go out for a few hours in the evening. I chose a Hairy Dieters recipe for Paprika Chicken which I tweaked so it would be WW friendly and I have to say is was very nice indeed, I made more than we could eat so a batch duly went into the freezer for a quick no-cook meal when needed.

So off into town we went, all wrapped up warm against the cold. We were heading in to see the Lumiere London light show and our first point of call was Regent Street. The lights were fabulous but the crowds were horrendous, in parts it was an absolute crush and you had no choice but to keep moving. The pic's below are of the installation that was above Oxford Circus/Regent Street.

Further down Regent Street were these strange looking fish-y things. They were floating about, bobbing around and changing colour as you walked past.

By the time we got down to Piccadilly Circus the crowds were so heavy we were almost at a standstill, there were people coming and going in all directions and I have to say I really didn't like it at all. It was at that point we decided we'd had enough and we would start our journey home. We walked through Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden before jumping on a bus. Once home we had a nice bowl of home-made butternut squash, carrot and cumin soup to warm us up - it was so tasty and delicious and totally point free so that's something else that will become a regular lunch/supper item.

I started today by making a big pot of vegetable soup for Tom to have for his lunch during the week and I also made another Hairy Dieters dish for our lunch. This time I chose their Lamb Hotpot and I have to say it was far, far nicer than I had expected. It was totally delicious and we shall be having that again in the not to distant future (especially while the weather is so cold).

We popped out for an hour or so his morning to have a walk and we we took our usual route along the river with one or two diversions to make it a little longer. It was cold but it wasn't raining or snowing so it was nice, plus it meant we were both upp'ing our FitBit steps which usually at the weekend are pretty low. The rest of the day has been spent pottering about the flat but I did manage some time in my craft room, I finished one double layout using a Basic Grey Page of the Month kit and I currently have another double layout 'in progress' on my desk.  Pics below of both sides of the completed layout and feature a few pics from last years Vegas holiday.

I am now halfway though my first week on WW and I have to say so far I have found it pretty easy, yes I need to think a little more and make better choices about what we eat but on the whole I/we haven't been hungry at all and on the up-side we have still managed to have a few drinks over the weekend!

Hope you have all had a good weekend, and that the coming week is kind to you. As always thanks for stopping by and having a read. Please feel free to leave a comment, I love to read them and I promise to return the favour and stop by your blog too.

Love and hugs, Jane xx

Here I Go

Its official, I am now a Weight Watcher!!

Last night I joined my local group and I now have my daily and weekly allowance of SmartPoints so my journey to lose weight and be healthier is well and truly under way. I am feeling so motivated and positive about it all, and I am really excited at the prospect of my first weigh in. I have registered on-line so I can track what I eat and drink each day and check the points value of any food that isn't listed in my book. There is also a handy little app for when I am out and about and need to check something. One of the big plus points of the app is that it connects to my FitBit and logs my daily exercise and activity. The more active you are the more Fitpoint's you earn and the more points you have the more you can eat/drink. I have recorded my measurements as they are now and I will check these again each month to see if I am losing inches as well as pounds. I also took a photo of myself in just leggings and a vest to show my lumps and bumps in all their glory, this will go in my journal and will be my 'point of no return'!

In preparation for the coming weeks I have searched through my cook books for some inspiration and I have found a load of recipes that I can adapt to be low in points and Weight Watcher friendly. So I will be menu planning each week to ensure that we have a variety of tasty, healthy and filling meals. I am even thinking about buying a spiralizer, if any of you have one I would love to know what you think of it.

Thanks for stopping by and reading....

Love and hugs, Jane xx