Anyone seen my motivation??

Posted on by Lisa G

I’ve been thinking the last week or two about getting back in the blogging saddle but I can’t seem to find my motivation. Anyone seen it. Please send me a message so I can track it down haha!!!

I’ve good news though I’m starting a new job in February so my commuting will be halved and I’ve one less city to drive to a week and I get to sleep in my own bed every night woo hoo!!

The girls are planning our trip to Ibiza in June, waiting for Aer Lingus  to post their flights so we can get booking. A week in the sun with my friends can’t wait.

2016 is gonna be Epic!!!

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DAY 134 – CHRISTMAS TIME!!!

Posted on by Lisa G

Well who would have thought that 134 days later I would still be rabbiting on about my quest – to a galaxy far far away, sorry there is so much Stars Wars hype I could not resist  – to lose a stone. Well I did it and I’ve manage to keep it off (for now anyway), we had celebrations for breakfast in work today!!

I’m still a bit sick with this fecking cold/sore throat which I can’t seem to shake and ya’d think with all the bleeding vegetables I’ve been putting in my body I’d have a super human immune system 🙂 I’m blaming the crappy weather and getting my feet soaked on a regular basis walking into work – I’ve taken to wearing my wellies to work most days – total bogger!!!

Come this afternoon I’m done with work and I’m heading to Dublin for a few days and then back to Limerick and then Dublin for Aunty Ann’s Christmas Dinner yum yum can’t wait!!! So I packed up the cork house this morning and I’m ready for road. I even decided to pack the stepper thingy as I figured I might try and do a bit over the holidays – I’m thinking 10 steps for every roast potato I eat on the 25th but I might have to push it to 15 steps per party food delight and with my penchant for Party Food – chicken bits dipped in satay sauce, duck spring rolls, goats cheese bruschetta, chicken moneybags, mini pizzas, sausage rolls, mini pies, onion bhaji  “hommer drool”  –   I’II be on that thing all Christmas 🙂

Stepped up on the scales this morning and this is the final weigh in until the New Year, now I might have a sneaky one or two but I will keep them to myself 🙂

scales

So since I started back in the summer that is a total lost of 17.6 lbs or 1 stone 3.6lbs woo hoo!!!!

I’m afraid to write this now but as we all know this is the only way I will stick to my guns. For the new year I’m hoping to tone up which means proper exercising and maybe have a six pack for IBIZA in June and no not the desperado kind!!! Let’s see how we get on. If anyone has any exercises they would like to share with me please feel free.  I did the plank once for about 10 seconds so maybe that is what I will try to master first 🙂

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR YA’LL xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

SICK!!!!!

Posted on by Lisa G

Party was great fun last week, we ate, we drank and were very merry. A few sore heads on Friday but we got through it. It’s good to let your hair down with your work mates.

On Sunday the sore throat reared its ugly head again by Monday evening it was an early nite with Lemsip. Tuesday morning a visit to the chemist for a cough bottle – which fell out of my bag the following morning and smashed all over the ground, que tears and shouting like a crazy women in the rain – by Wednesday I was told not to come back to work on Thursday.

So I decided to drive home to Limerick to be minded in my sick state. Due to the vast amount of crumpled up snotty tissues on the dash I never saw the flashing “you’re about to run out of petrol” light, so, you guessed it my car ran out of petrol on the side of a dark road in, let me quote the Irish forecasters “the worst rain we’ve had in two decades” with 6% battery on my phone.

Chris received a panicked phone call and got into his car to come and find me but he was an hour away. About 15 mins later a kind man stopped to see if I was OK and he brought me to the nearest petrol station – I did think twice about getting in his van but as I got to the passenger side there was a baby car seat so that made me feel OK to get in – we got petrol he made sure the car started, all in the LASHING rain and I got on my way. I never even got his name. I tried to give him a few quid but he wouldn’t take it as he said “he would never leave someone stuck in the rain” what a lovely man – que more tears as I drove off. Chris had the heating on and lemsip ready when I came through the door.

I’m in bed and plan to be here for the next 24 hours so no weigh in this week and just as well because as the old wives tale goes “feed a fever, starve a cold” and I’ve most definitely been feeding it 🙂

Keep warm everyone.

Day 119 – Christmas Party tonight!!!

Posted on by Lisa G

CP day is upon us and you’d think that I would have been extra good. Lets’ just say that the military operation is at a standstill for the moment. In fairness to me the commitment to do it was there but the putting it into practise was seriously lacking due to location location location (that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.)

I had to drive to Dublin on Friday from Cork and I even packed up Ann’s juicer with a bunch of nearly gone off veg in the boot as I was determined to juice in Dublin. I got home bragged about how great the juicer was to my Dad and how great I was doing blah blah blah, but it wasn’t until Monday when I was leaving Dublin after saying my goodbyes that my Dad with a little lilt in his voice said “Are ya forgetting something” I mentally ticked off everything and he looked at me and said “The Juicer.” Oh yeah it had been left in the corner all weekend and ignored, like a wallflower at the local GAA disco. As I drove back to Limerick that afternoon I said I’d stop and get everything for juicing as the wilted stalks of celery in the boot were past giving goodness to anyone, but all I could muster in the shop was a bag of kale and a mango – and that a juice does not make.

The long and short of it is there was no juicing done this week and I may have been spotted in a few lifts around Cork city. I kinda watched what I ate  but was not in the least bit surprised when I stood on the scales this morning as saw this…..scales 2.4lbs up.  I’m kinda ragging as I stood on the scales yesterday and was only 168.4lb but didn’t take a picture. I really didn’t think that the Pizza and Caesar Salad I had last night at 9.30pm before going to bed would have made that much of a difference – I’m being sarcastic just in case ya did not catch that!!

But as I got off the stepper later after doing my 150 steps – I’ve been building it up-  I convinced myself that I’d put on muscle from all the stepping – but then again would 500 steps since last weigh in really make a difference – but it’s good to try and fool yourself every now and again, they do say exercising puts on muscle so it’s not that far of a reach 🙂

Before I forget I tried on the 80’s throw back dress at the weekend that I wanted to wear to the CP and it fitted – woo hoo – but it seriously needs to be thrown back to the 80’s and left there, so I’m wearing my ode to Strictly Come Dancing dress. It’s black, its sparkly and has fringes WOO-HOO!!!

Next week I will take up my juicing again as Christmas is coming and I’m hoping to keep my title of “most roast potatoes eaten in one sitting” so need to be slim and trim for that 🙂

 

 

DAY 112 – UH OH!! They’ve brought the Xmas party forward!!

Posted on by Lisa G

Just found out the Christmas Party is next week and I’ve yet to get my hands on the dress for the occasion and try it on. My new goal was to fit into it and wear to the Christmas party as I’ve never worn it and loved it when I bought it all those years ago – I will look like some 80’s throw back – but then again I love the 80’s and once I get to throw a few shapes on the dance floor to Tainted Love I’II be laughing. I gave myself 45 days to do it and it’s only been 28 days but we are doing a OK!!

Juicing was a bit harder this week. Monday was all right. I did my shopping on Sunday in the new Aldi that opened near us  – the joy – as I do enjoy a spot of  Aldi shopping:). I made Monday’s juices on Sunday and got them in the freezer – I did say committing to this is like a military operation – off I headed on Monday morning to sit in road works on the N21  with my bags weighed down with healthy goodness – the taste of the crispy chicken wings drenched in Franks hot sauce and homemade chips of Saturday a distant memory.

Wednesday was much harder and as it my busiest day in work I barely get time to sit down and with college that night, grabbing something on the go like a juice suits me on a Wednesday, problem was I was too mean – juicing can be pricey-  to buy raw beetroot’s as I only needed the one and the bunch was massive and €3.50 so I got cooked ones instead and lashed them all into the 1pm juice, big mistake, huge!! (name that movie). I did my best to drink it but it was horrible so I fecked half of it down the sink. So I struggled a bit but I was so surprised by my will power as I wouldn’t have the best willpower in the world- I’m an ok lets do it full on determined and then 10 mins later say ah feck it and give in kinda person but I stuck it out.

So up I jumped this morning – I’ve moved the weigh in to a Thursday – and was delighted with the results, that is a further 3lb pound loss on last week.

scale           WTF!!! I’m bleeding fading away NOT !!

Next week is already proving difficult as I’m going to Dublin for the weekend and I’ve no juicer there, so I will have to give Monday a miss or maybe Ann will let me take hers for a jaunt to Dublin 🙂 first world problems what!!

7 days to the Christmas Party 🙂

PS: Very proud of this but since starting the blog 112 days ago I’ve lost 19lbs 🙂

 

 

DAY 104 -Juicing works (well for this week anyway )

Posted on by Lisa G

Well I said last week that I was going to have a very quiet weekend and start Jason Vale’s 5:2 juice diet, well one out of two ain’t bad 🙂

On my journey home through the stormy country side on Friday night I decided to stop for some treats. I’m a sucker for anything savoury so the 12 packet of variety tayto and salted peanuts where top of the list. In case you’re wondering my order for the variety pack is Smokey Bacon, Salt and Vinegar and then Cheese and Onion yummy!!! I heard that a handful of peanuts is equivalent to a fillet steak in calories, let’s just say I had half a cow’s worth on Friday night 🙂 plus the the few tipples that were left over from our guests visiting and then the impromptu trip to the pub for last call made for a fun night. Friday’s ROCK!!!!

Saturday – pasta, pizza and strictly!!!

On Sunday I ventured out in the search of fresh fruit and veg as I’d decided that Monday & Tuesday were to be my juicing days. I went to FOUR shops and one of them twice to get all the ingredients. I was ready to rock. I had the chopping board, the knife, the juicer, the book – crap what was I going to put all the fecking juice into!!! Back to the car and it was a scramble under seats and in the boot for any empty water bottles I could find, thankfully I hadn’t cleaned out my car for ages so I was laughing.

I did the first day’s worth and even used the pears from our tree!! They were all bottled up and ready to go.

You have one 9am, 1pm, 4pm & 7pm.

Monday morning I was sipping away on my “Power Plant” juice, telling everyone who would listen I’d committed  & I wasn’t worried about being hungry sure aren’t the juices full of great stuff. Come one o’clock I’d a new plan, drink the juice slowly and savour it, that  seemed to worked. I missed 4 o’clock as I was mad busy but caught up pretty quickly. I decided there and then that I was not juicing the next day as I felt two days in a row was a bit much, so I would change it to Wednesday. I really missed chewing something!!.  To distract my self from wanting to eat I went to shops  –  reverse psychology- on the way home to get my lunch for the next day , I got smoked ham, avocado & caramelised onion hummus and was very excited to go to bed and wake up to eating 🙂 I had my last juice as my roomie tucked into her burger and chips  – that was hard to watch.  I was even jealous of the eating trial on I’m a celeb that night 🙂 I made all the juices for Wednesday and took to the bed so I could not be tempted any more.

Tuesday was a good day I had some weirdo bread made with oats and yoghurt smothered in real butter, corn cakes with smoked ham, avocado & hummus and my version of pork fried rice with brown rice and the left over veg from juicing. I didn’t know you could stir fry courgette!!!

Wednesday weigh in – I was excited to get on the scales this morning to see if the juicing made much of a difference – YES IT DID

SCALES 222

That’s a 3lb loss 🙂  woo hoo!!!

I juiced today as well and it was grand. I managed OK but I will be honest I could wolf down the  left over pork fried rice that is whispering my name from the fridge right now but I will save  it till tomorrow –  years ago I was in South Korea, we’d gone to watch Ireland play Spain in the World Cup and we used to have fried rice for our breakfast. That trip was so much fun as we got hang out with the Irish football team after they lost but that is a whole other story 🙂 – but the original point of that story  is to justify my thinking about having the fried rice for brekkie!  Also I’m so tempted to get up on the scales in the morning but I will resist!!!

So that is my 2 days of juicing done for the week and according to the premise of the 5:2 you can eat anything  on the 5 days once you limit your calories to 500 on the 2 days. If I can do it anyone can. Give it go and you might surprise yourself

Chris slags me when I ask while eating my breakfast what we are having for dinner so he’ll be delighted to hear the weekend feast planning has already begun!!!

 

 

 

Day 98 – Has it really been two weeks!?!?

Posted on by Lisa G

Two weeks ago I set my self a new goal as I’ve learnt that I need something to work towards if I’m going to motivate myself – now that’s not rocket science but saying you are going to do something and actually doing it is something I’m guilty of.  Writing this blog was the best thing I ever did to keep me on track as I promised myself I would be honest about my goings on but let me give you an example of my latest saying V’s doing.

SAYING  – The day after I set my new goal I woke up and reached for Jason Vale’s 5:2 juice diet book.  I’d gotten a gift of it as I like juicing and have been known to try and make people in work taste my celery,apple, carrot, beetroot, ginger, whatever else was to hand concoction stating “it’s really lovely. Why are you making that face?”  but it’s been a while – one of the many wagons I’ve fallen off but I can see this one in the distant and it’s slowing down.

Jason says that you have to read the book before starting because it’s important to get you in the frame of mind to do it right. I went from deciding to make up my own diet by committing to one juice every morning  – as how could you survive on only juice two days a week –  to nearly signing up for the Super Juice Me 28 day juice diet but I quickly regained my senses, but, if all the people in Jason’s book are to be believed it does work. I’m not sure I’d have the willpower to do it (just yet!) so I decided I’d give the 5:2 a go.

Off I went to work with vegetable shopping lists floating around in my head, thoughts about the best two days to do it, plus I need to plan it all out, as I’ve realised eating healthy is like a military operation if you are not organised the first whiff of a chipper/kebab/pizza joint and you are a gonner as I found out later the evening 😦

DOING  – It was Thursday and as is tradition in work we head out for a tipple after work. I was driving (or so I thought) so I had two non alcohol beers. We were sitting outside in the cool dudes area and they had this funky take out van shack serving gourmet burgers; smothered home cut fires; sauces with stuff; corn with garlic butter the list went on. FIRST MISTAKE – to sit facing the chalk board menu  SECOND MISTAKE – tasting someone else’s home cut fries yummy!! THIRD MISTAKE – memorising the smothered fries combinations – well I was facing it for about 45 mins!!

I couldn’t resist any longer I just had to have the smothered fried with chipotle beef chilli. I approached with caution hoping “think of the dress” would stop me, not a hope!!! I placed my order and to my utter disgust was told “We don’t have them tonight”.  I was devo but secretly I was delighted. As I went to turn and walk away dejected he said ” What about the ones smothered in burnt beef brisket ends”  He had me at burnt!!  I tried to share but no-one wanted any, I think the booze was kicking in at that point. I told myself at least I was not having cider on top of it plus I didn’t eat them all. It was time for me to go so I bid my farewells and off I toddled to the car park only to realise on the way that I was suppose to pick my car up from the garage and it was long closed at this point.

I had two options  A. figure out the bus route home or B. head back to the pub. I stood there for all of five seconds before I turned on my heel and headed back to the pub. We toasted my stupidity with cider and laughed about how I forgot about my car. They were well on at this point so by my third drink we were ready to head home and that suited me fine.  We toddled off to get a cab and if only we took the other street because as we rounded the corner of our chosen route the waft of pizza hit my nostrils and I was like a zombie walking towards my prey. So, on top of everything I finished of the night with a hot slice of pepperoni OH THE JOY!!! The highs and lows of 24 hrs in my world:)

The one thing I have remained doing though the last two weeks as I was dodging wagons left right and centre is to keep moving – taking the stairs, walking briskly etc plus after falling over the stepper thing I’d rescued from the top of the wardrobe and banging my toes on it for the last 6 weeks I’ve finally started to use it – let’s just say I’m building up my stepping power (I did 70 this morning)

So I was delighted with the scales this morning as I’m not as bad as I thought, kinda on trackish!!scales

Next week begins the 5:2 juicing diet.

SAYING –  Buy all the ingredients for week one on Sunday and pick my two days, I’m thinking Monday & Tuesday.

DOING  – well  you will have to find out how I get on next week!!!

Thanks for sticking to the end of this post sometimes I ramble but as I’m not out this weekend I predict next weeks blog will read  –  Did nothing, started juicing, am skinny – Yeah right!!! You all know me better than that by now!!!

Have a great week 🙂