Hello New Life

Well well well... back again!

The last couple of months I have had a few ups and downs on the weight loss & healthy lifestyle front... Admittedly I was finding it hard to keep up with my healthy eating plans, and doing it alone really was not working. I am my own worst enemy and found it very easy to cheat on my diet and give up!

However I am delighted to tell you all that over the last month my life has been changed for the better, and I only have the guys at MiDiet and MiFitness in Ballincollig to thank! My journey began with Conor and his crew on the 3rd of April and I am delighted to say I have lost 11.5 pounds so far... in just 3 weeks!!! Crazy I know and I couldn't have done it without them! I have another weigh in on Friday, and I'm kinda hoping that I'll have reached a stone in weight loss by then. I have been working extra hard so far this week so fingers Crossed!

Wanna know what I've been doing? Keep reading!

I got weighed, measured and calipered on week one to see where I stood in the beginning, and as I suspected my weight had gotten out of control, I was a whopping 11 st. 13lbs! Needless to say I was in need of a good kick up the back side and some serious help. I got a diet plan from Conor which set out my meals every day and it was specifically tailored to suit ME. When I initially got the diet plan I thought "this is going to take a lot of organisation" as I knew with having a busy lifestyle between work and college I would have to prepare all my meals in advance. But... in just three and a half weeks I've become so used to the organisation that I can't really see any other way of living!

Of course a diet plan is not the only way to loose the weight- this my friends is a fact that a lot of people get wrong. Healthy eating AND exercise together is the key! So I got a personally tailored gym plan and have been doing lots of classes each week with the MiFitness ladies gym, as well as exercising on my own. I am lucky enough to be in a college with an amazing running track, so I have been running on the track a few times a week too. I even find myself doing squats at the oven while cooking haha!! I was one of the laziest people ever for the last 3-4 years and the thought of going for a walk or jog made me gag, so this is a huge change for me.

I am amazed that after just 3 weeks I feel this fantastic. I have more energy, I'm happier and more enthusiastic about lot's of aspects in life now. I can't see myself going back to the way I was before. Thinking back my life was horrible and disgusting. I felt awful about myself 99% of the time, seeing jeans after jeans going to waste because they were becoming too small. That has all changed now and I am 100% delighted. I still have a good bit to go and 6 weeks left with MiDiet but if things keep going this way I think there will be a lot less of Lisa ;)

Finally, I couldn't have done this without the love and support of my incredible boyfriend. He joined MiDiet with me and has been there every step of the way. He is also doing amazingly and I am so proud of him. He has completely changed and looks incredible! I think doing it with him made it easier for me, because we both had the same focus and determination. The unwavering support that we're getting from one another has made it much easier for both of us!

If you are interested in MiDiet or the MiFitness ladies gym, don't hesitate to pop onto their Facebook page, I've left the link below for anyone interested! I 100% recommend going, it is a life changing program and you will be truly delighted with the incredible and professional service they provide!

I will keep you posted on my progress and put in a few tips and tricks of what I have learned along the way!

Lots'a Love,
Lisa xx

https://www.facebook.com/mi.diet

What I Ate - 04 January 2015

Hello there again everyone! Here's a quick post about what I ate today:

I didn't weigh myself today, as I'm leaving a week between each weigh in, which will be every Friday for me.

Breakfast: This morning I had another delicious smoothie to set me up for the day. I added Strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, pear and peaches, 2 spoons of natural low fat strawberry yogurt and half a cup of orange juice, then blitzed it all up with some crushed ice in the blender! It was so delicious!

Lunch: Todays lunch was a plain and simple ham sandwich on a Pat the Baker Slimbo. I love these because I am quite the devil for bread, so with these I don't feel like I am deprived of my beloved sandwiches. They are only 98 calories and high in fiber, which is extremely important for a healthy and balanced diet, and will help with weight loss also. I paired my sandwich with some homemade tomato soup, which I will be including in a "My Favourite Recipe's" post very soon.

Dinner: I've become fond of the "small plate diet" because its a great way of tricking the mind into thinking that you've got a huge portion of food. Today I had a delicious salad with roasted sweet potato, red onion and red peppers (I've become addicted to these), along with chicken breasts, marinated and roasted with honey and whole grain mustard. It was truly scrumptious. It doesn't look as nice in the picture as it did in real life though.

Snack time: Again being the devil with the sweet tooth that cannot stay away from chocolate, I decided to have a light evening snack. I had crackers with a scraping of Nutella and some chopped strawberries. This is such a light and tasty snack. The crackers are from Tesco and are called French Toasts, and I have put in a picture of the package below. They taste kinda sugary, I'm not sure how to describe it but all I know is that each one is only 37 calories full of deliciousness! I also had a clementine and some Barry's Very Berry Herbal Tea in a very inspirational cup ;) haha.

There ya have it! If I had any tip it would definitely be to enjoy what your eating and if you can, make it exciting. Healthy doesn't have to be boring, but if you make it easy and delicious for yourself you will be able to stick to for the long haul!

Did you enjoy what you ate today?

Lots'a Love,
Lisa xx

My New Bible!

As I'm sure a lot of you know, Zoe Sugg, aka Zoella brought out her very first novel before Christmas and it was so successful that Girl Online, has become the fastest-selling book of 2014 after selling over 78,000 copies in its first week, as well as the fastest selling debut novel ever!! Crazy I know. Now I am already a fan of Zoella, from reading her blog posts and watching her youtube videos regularly. So when the book came out I was very eager to get it. Fortunately my  dear sister bought it for me for Christmas. I must sound like a loser getting so excited about books, but I find it such a relaxing past time. 

I think this book is amazing to read, especially at the start of a new year. I started it on the 27th of December and could barely put it down, finishing it on New Years Eve. It gave me such a feeling of happiness and an enthusiasm to make so many aspects of my life better. It is such a feel good novel and stays true to what I believe, that true happiness comes from yourself. If you can learn to love who you are and be happy with what you have, everything will slot into place and life becomes one hell of a great journey.

The novel follows the life of Penny, a 15 year old anonymous blogger who is clumsy,accident prone and suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. After one too many accidents in school, she takes a life changing trip to New York where her life begins to change so much that she feels like a different person. She has the time of her life and begins to see herself as the beautiful woman she is. Her confidence grows and she becomes happier in herself.

I won't give away the story, that would be cruel. But what I will say is that this book is so empowering and amazing that it will make you want to be just like Penny!! It gave me such encouragement to do something great with my New Year. I would recommend giving it a read... it truly is inspiring!

Give it a read and let me know what you thought :) 

Lot'sa Love,
Lisa xx 

New Year, New You

It's a new year and my life has finally gotten back to normal. Exams are finished for a few months and I have a full 6 weeks off for Christmas holidays- the perfect amount of time to focus on myself and properly start living a healthy lifestyle and get into a good routine and good habits. after the hectic few weeks I've had in college, along with the binge Christmas eating, I have never been so ready to begin a new year and become a new woman! And I want you to do it with me.

So to start it off with a bang, here is what I ate on the first day of the new year!

January 1st 2015

Weight: 11st 2 lb. (given Christmas and exams I thought it would be worse)

Todays Diet:
Breakfast- this morning I kept it simple, with scrambled eggs (2 eggs) and a weight watchers toast. I always find this a handy breakfast because its quick to make and fills me up for a long time.

Lunch- My brother got a Bosch smootie/juice maker for Christmas so today I tried it out and I absolutely love it!! It is sooo simple to use and a very easy way of getting your much needed 5 a day. And I was surprised by how long it was before I got hungry again. Its such a great investment in my opinion due to the convenience and also how easy it is to clean. Best present ever in my opinion and I didn't even get it :D

Dinner-  I was working at dinner time today, however I'm fortunate to have a job in a hotel where I can order whatever I want from the kitchen for my break. So today I ordered a chicken and Caesar salad with the dressing on the side. It was beautiful, with lot's of parmesan cheese and bacon bits and grilled chicken, I was truly licking my lips after.

My Plan would be to ideally do 2 fitness classes per week as well as a half hour walk every day. I also would like to do a lot of toning once I have dropped a few pounds and increased my fitness levels which are currently at zero! As I said in my first blog post my aim is to become a healthy weight and tone, all the while trying to keep my curves. So its out with the wobbles and in with the muscles.

Thanks for reading guys and look outs for extremely regular updates from now on! Also to help me along on my mission, it would be really cool if you told me all about yours! So comment below!

What are you doing to get healthy this new year?

Lots'a Love,
Lisa xx