The return of the blogger and a weight update

Wow I can't believe my last post was the 29th April - just where has the time gone.  For me it's just whizzed by and has encompassed so much.

I am going through lots of journeys at the moment and one of them is my day job.  People have been made redundant and we are going through a massive restructure.  Believe it or not I am a part qualified accountant (story as to why I am only part qualified will be shared another time) but suffice to say it's a far cry from being creative.  So by the time I get home from commuting into London, I can be pretty much done in.  Which has been the pattern of late.  So much so that I was completely and utterly exhausted and came down with a throat infection.  A week at home sleeping and because I can never get away from it at the moment, working in between sleeps, has helped me get back to normal.  It's a pattern of mine that I need to break.  I exhaust myself which in turn forces me to rest.

I have lots of other things going on right now that are taking up my creative time, and I won't bore you with them, but instead I wanted to share something positive.  I am not sure if you recall this post whereby I declared my intention to lose weight.  Well I am delighted to say that since Christmas I have lost 2 stone!!!  YUP!  28lbs of me has gone and boy am I feeling so much better.  And I have decided to be brave and share a picture that was taken of me just before Christmas.  It's hideous and really made me want to lose weight.  And when I look at it, it spurs me on to keep going.

And here is me now, taken with me being 2 stone lighter!  Look, I have a chin and a jawline! Amazing.....I knew it was in there somewhere!

I still want to lose more weight and will keep on this journey.  The good news is that I am cooking up some really tasty dishes which I promise to share.  I will be the guinea pig and if I think they are good I will share them.

Well thank you for stopping by and not giving up on me.  I am not going to beat myself up for the lack of blogging and creativity, but instead do what I can to rectify it.

Have a lovely Wednesday and I will leave you with this quote that I have just found.....enjoy xx

Love is what makes two people sit in the middle of a bench when there is plenty of room at both ends - Anon

A weight update

I posted a while ago about my need to lose weight. How I need to feel better about myself and improve my health. Every Friday is my weigh-in day and I am proud/pleased/delighted/relieved to have now lost a stone....14lbs.....6.35kg......or approx 7 bags of sugar! Imagine being asked to carry around 7 bags of sugar every day. No wonder I was tired.

I still have a long way to go but I am on the journey. My life at the moment has a lots of journeys taking place and each one bringing their own set of challenges.......but when they all finish the end place will be just where I want to be.

Happy HAPPY Friday to you all. Enjoy the sunshine and have a wonderful weekend! xx

The journey continues

I am still trudging* along with my healthy eating and so far so good. It's not always easy especially as yesterday I just wanted to eat all the bad things. But I was good for most of the time and I must remember to take it day by day.

I cooked a really nice healthy chicken pie recipe yesterday which was from the Weight Watchers website. I was amazed that a healthy pie existed but it did. Jim loved it and we both felt we had some comfort food without all the fat and calories. I will cook it again and next time share the recipe with some photo's.

The good news is that I am trying new recipes and wanting to experiment more. I have found a lovely low fat recipe for vegetable curry which I can't get enough of and I really want to cook more of the recipes I have found and I promise to share the successful ones with you.

If you have any tasty, low fat recipes then please feel free to share the love!

Happy Tuesday xx

*walk with purpose :o)

And so the journey begins....

In two weeks I have lost 5 lbs.....4 lbs in the first week and a solitary 1 lb this week. I had hoped for two pounds this week but hey as long as I am losing then that is all that matters. I am pleased and already my clothes feel a little less tight.

This weekend I need to do some painting....I say need to as my soul is crying out for some creative time. I have opened my sketchbook again and started doodling as even if I can just do this it helps. In the meantime I will continue to cook healthy meals, stay positive and feel extremely grateful for everything and everyone I have in my life.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Helen xx

Much love

Thank you so much yesterday for all your encouraging comments regarding my weight loss. Your support is so valuable and thank you for sharing your stories too. Blogland is full of amazing and inspiring people.

So far I am staying on track and yesterday I turned down a Pain au Chocolat (which I adore) and a Krispy Kreme donut/doughnut. They were doing the rounds at work and there was enough for everyone to have one of each, but I declined. And whilst everyone else felt a bit stuffed at the end of the day, I felt fine and didn't even feel like I had missed out.

I know some weeks it won't be easy but the long term goal will be well worth it.

Thanks again all you wonderful people and have a brilliant, healthy and happy day!

Helen xx

ps....I didn't fall off the wagon with this cake, it was taken a while ago and if I remember rightly, it tasted lovely too! (my colleagues mum made it!)

Time for a change....

A younger, slimmer me!

I’m going through a bit of a change personally right now. I am dead happy with who I am and my life as a whole, although I do wish to change some aspects to it but that will be another post for another time. But generally, all is great. However, it’s my health that I need to address and how I feel about myself. I am overweight. And this does not make me happy, give me any sort of confidence in public situations and therefore I don’t feel good about myself. I don’t shy away from going out but when I do I am just really self conscious that I am not looking my best. I have been slimmer and healthier in the past and have to get back there again.

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis which can be painful at times and I know that being overweight isn’t helping the situation. I have some clothes in my wardrobe which I love but cannot fit into which is frustrating. And it ends up a vicious circle, I am not happy with my weight so I comfort eat, and the more I comfort eat the more weight I put on. Some of you may know where I am coming from.

So last week I did something about it. I signed up to Weight Watchers online and have started my healthy eating plan. I have my wedding this year and want to feel good about myself in my wedding dress. To be able to look back at the photo’s and not hate the roundness of my face, or the chubby arms and let’s not talk about the derriere!

I also want to make myself some dresses this year so I have another incentive – to make myself a dress like this one once I have slimmed down. Maybe take myself off to an evening dressmaking class and learn the right way of doing it.

I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve reached 40, but I am yearning for a new look. A change in hairstyle, whether it’s the colour or cut, change my wardrobe by buying some classic pieces and ones that I feel great in. And above all to feel healthy and fit. It can be done and I am lucky to have the support of my lovely Jim as he is also on a health and fitness quest (and is doing really well too!).

I know I am not the only person in the world to feel like this and I wanted to share this with you as this blog is not just about my art, but about me too.

Wish me luck!