Weightloss Wednesday- Body Fat

Hi lovelies

Hope you're all well! So if you read my blog you will know that it was my mission to lose weight after gaining 2 stone and get a more healthy lifestyle. After some hard work I am finally getting there but after getting a personal trainer and learning more about health and fitness I have learnt not to be sooo obsessed with what the scales say.

So recently it got me thinking that maybe I did think too much about what the scales were saying when really what I should have been basing my success on were my body fat results. Now my reason for thinking this is I've always wanted to get back to 8 stone which I was when I was 16 but looking back there was still parts of my body that weren't toned and I wasn't 100% happy with my body. So why was this my goal?! 

I would be happy with my body when I'm toned (especially my tummy!) and have some definition- this doesn't necessarily mean being 8 stone! So how do you measure something like this?

Obviously those with toned tummies have a low body fat which is what my main goal over the next few months will be. To get the results I want it means having a lower body fat. 

For those who maybe don't know how body fat is measured, it's measured by percentage and there is a few different ways of measuring it. Some scales measure it by sending a small electrical current through your body but with these it is debated how accurate they are. Another way is a manual way where different sections of your body are pinched by some clippers and then the results are added and out comes your percentage.

When I first got this done I was dreading my results and thought I would be off the chart haha! However I was pleasantly surprised with the result. It came out at 27% which is considered healthy. Now I'm not by any means saying this is the best result it was just better than I first thought. Since then it has dropped to 25%.

Now obviously these are just numbers to some people so I found this photo below to indicate what different body fat percentages look like. I'm not saying the photo is 1 million percent accurate but it's a good start. Obviously the percentages look different based on whether you are a man or woman as women naturally carry more fat on their body.

So my goal is to drop to around about 19% over the next couple of months. Depending on what my body looks like when I get there I will either work to maintain it or try and lower it by a percent or two. Personally I think this is a better way to measure success as now that I've lost a bit of weight it's all about tightening everything up! To do this I will be aiming to do at least 3 cardio sessions a week plus weight training at least 4 times a week.

I hope some of you found this interesting and maybe learnt something new :).

Lucy x

Holiday Blues

Hi lovelies,

Hope you're all well. So recently there have been no posts and not just because I haven't been able to fit in them in or whatever other excuse, it's because I have been on holiday!

I went to the beautiful Greek island Corfu and I fell in love with it. It was such a beautiful place with lovely people and such a relaxed atmosphere. I have to say it was one of the best holidays I've been on ... Ever! So obviously I had an amazing time, but now that I've been back a few days, the holiday blues have definitely arrived!

Now on one hand I'm feeling so sad and down because I had an amazing time and I wish I was still sat at the beach on my sunlounger or on a lilo in the pool but then on the other hand I hate feeling like I'm being ungrateful because some people don't even have the chance to go on holiday!

So I know I'm lucky that I have had this amazing experience but lets face it though when you have had an amazing holiday or break away, most of us do get the holiday blues. So I decided to look online to see what tips and tricks people have posted to getting over the holiday blues. I've picked my favourites and these are what I will be doing to get over mine. So if you want to know keep reading :).

1) Do Things You Love

Obviously you will need to go back to work or school but make sure you make time to do things you love to do too. This should make you feel more positive and therefore more happy. Writing this is helping me as it's making me realise how much I do love blogging. I'll also be getting myself to the gym as I really enjoy the gym now and can't wait to get back into the routine!

2) Have Something To Look Forward To

This for me is looking for my next holiday. Yes I know that I've only just came back but to beat these blues I need something to look forward to and what better than another holiday! Thomas Cook is a tab which is currently permanently open on my phone. If anyone has any suggestions of good holiday resorts let me know!

3) Positive Thinking

This is probably the hardest when all you want to do is be back in the sun but try and think about all the good things that are happening and all of the good memories you have which you made on holiday! Try and turn those negative feelings around! Sounds cliche but can definitely help. For example, I wish I was back on holiday can be turned around to I had such an amazing time on holiday can't wait for my next one!

4) Eat Well

You get out of your body what you put into it so by making sure you eat well should affect your mood positively and help avoid you feeling sluggish and tired. Although I have loved every minute of stuffing my face on holiday I am looking forward to eating healthily again as it makes me have more energy and will help me achieve the body I want! Like I've said before to get results it's meant to be 70% nutrition, 30% working out.

5) Share Your Memories

Don't just pretend it didn't happen as it might make it easier, talk to family and friends about it! Share your amazing memories with them, whether that's stories, photos, videos, share them all! I took loads of photos and normally I would just keep them on my phone but I'm going to get them printed off and put them in an album. Something people might see as not necessary but something I'm looking forward to!

So that's what I'm going to be doing to get rid of these holiday blues. Hope you've found this interesting and if you have any more tips share them below! 

Lucy x

PhD Diet Whey Review

Hi lovelies,

So as you all know as part of my plan to lose weight I've had to change my diet to include more protein. At first this was a real struggle for me as I'm not a massive meat eater, I've always ate meat but it isn't my favourite thing to eat! So one way I've managed to get more protein into me is by taking protein powder.

I've tried a couple of brands but by far I've found the best tasting/ nicest texture is the PhD Diet Whey. Some others I've tried have been really watery and bit-y if that makes sense but this one is quite thick like a milk shake, I've actually started enjoying them. Another reason I get this one is that it's low carbs and high protein. Exactly what I'm needing :). 

So the flavours I've tried are:

-chocolate peanut

-white chocolate

-chocolate orange

These are literally the easiest things to make. All you need is a shaker bottle, water and the powder itself. Another great thing about these protein powders is that you can mix them in with porridge and with yogurt. Also on the packaging it tells you all the measurements for making the shakes which I found so useful in the beginning (even though you can't go far wrong haha).

I will say the only con that I found was it was a bit hard getting used to the taste at first but that passed quick and like I said above I actually quite enjoy them now!

The way I mix mine is I use 300ml of water, a couple of ice cubes and 50g protein powder and then you shake it all up.

I hope this helps some of you or at least you found it interesting!

Lucy x

My Mac Wishlist

Hi lovelies,

Seeing as I go on holiday in less than a week (yayy!!!!!) I'm trying to be 'good' with my money but I keep finding myself on the Mac website. So easy to do right! So I've made a mental note of what items I need (definitely not a need haha) to add to my collection once I've been on my hols!! 

So these are what I need ;)

1) Mac Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade

So I'm kinda getting into looking dewy (never thought I would say that!) obvs soft and gentle has a lot of hype over it but seeing as I'm super pale I think this shade might suit me more.

2) and 3) Mac Lipliner and Lipstick in Stone

This colour.... Just amazing!

4) Mac Fix+

Since I'm after that dewy effect this seems like an essential :).

5) Mac Pro Sculpting Powder in Shadowy

Once again as Im so pale I feel when contouring I need something that is more grey toned as opposed to bronze. After searching high and low this looks like it might do the job!

Let me know what's on your makeup  wishlist :).

Lucy x

Weightloss Wednesday

Hi lovelies,

So one of my main goals this summer was to complete the Race for Life which raises money for Cancer Research UK. And I let you know all about this in one of my earlier posts and why I was doing it but I haven't blogged since doing it! One of the reasons to do this was I thought it would help me lose weight.

So I raised just over my target of £150 which I think is pretty good for one person! I started training 6 weeks before and I used the training plan below which I got off the Race for Life website. Anyway my goal was to complete the race in under 40 minutes and to not stop running throughout the whole race. As it got to the last week of training I was struggling slightly at pushing myself but I knew it was for a good cause.

So on the actual day it was really warm which is always a positive and I have to say everyone was really supportive of one another and it just felt like a nice vibe. There were 3 categories that you could go in either running, jogging or walking. So I didn't want to overestimate what I could do if that makes sense so I went with the joggers. Looking back now I feel like I could have went with the runners as I did catch some of them up during the race. 

Even though I did train for it, it definitely wasn't the easiest thing I have done. I didn't stop though and I think because everyone around was so supportive that definitely helped. Although there was a point at around the last 200m that I thought my legs were going to fall off haha but I powered through! So I managed to finish the 5k in 28 minutes! I'm so proud of myself considering 6 weeks earlier I couldn't even run for one minute! 

I would definitely say if you are thinking about doing it next year, go for it!

About 2 weeks into training I got myself a personal trainer and I have to say it's one of the best things I've done. Now I know it can be expensive but my body is changing so much week on week, I would say it's definitely worth it! So training for the run and training with him helped me lose 6.3 pounds after just 8 sessions with him and I have 2 a week. However, you can't just go to the gym and then eat whatever you want if you want to see results (I wish haha). So I've been clean eating every week and having one cheat day... which I live for haha! So I guess the saying 'eat clean, train dirty' is true!

I feel like I have loads more to talk about but to stop this from being massive I will keep the rest for next week!

Lucy x

Long time... No blogging?

Hi lovelies,

So yes I've taken a little break from blogging lately not for any particular reason just my bad time keeping and organisation... or lack of! So I'm back and I've tried to work out a schedule which should allow me to post every Monday, Wednesday and Friday so let's see if I can stick to it! 

So much has happened since I last blogged like the Race for Life and I've been practically living at the gym haha but I'll save all of that stuff for Wednesday and ease back in with a nice little review :).

I'm pretty sure last year I did a review on the Beauty Blender and before that, I really didn't like using a sponge to apply my foundation but that one changed my opinion. I love my Beauty Blender, I think it applies foundation amazing and gives a great finish so much so that I never use a brush ever now. 

However, to be totally honest I really do need a new one now and although they are easy enough to order online I would prefer to just pick one up in a shop rather than wait for it to be delivered. I know it wouldn't take much longer, I'm just quite impatient! So anyways im rambling, last time I was in Boots I decided to pick up the Real Techniques Miracle Sponge and give it a try, it's also a good thing to make a post about...thinking ahead haha. So here's my thoughts on it :).

Like the Beauty Blender this grows when you dampen it. I dunno if it's because it's a different shape or because it's a different brand maybe, but this one felt a lot more firmer than the original Beauty Blender which at first I really didn't like. It didn't feel as soft on my skin or didn't blend out the foundation as easy. The more I'm using it though the softer it is becoming so I am liking it more.

Also as im a creature of habit it took me a while to get use to the different shape, I know that probably sounds ridiculous but I just wasn't comfortable using it at first haha. Again though the more I've used it the more I've gotten used to it!

One of the really good things about the Real Techniques sponge is that it has three different sides (I guess) that you can use. So it has the rounded edge like the Beauty Blender, it also has a tip again similar to the Beauty Blender but it also has a flat edge too. I would normally use the tip to blend out concealer as it's nice and precise but the flat edge does blend out concealer quite well too... Bonus! 

On the packaging it also states you can use this either wet or dry and I'm not sure if you can do that with the beauty blender... Maybe you can. I think this is a plus because some people might not want to use it damp and at least this way you get the best of both worlds. I haven't tried using it dry as I really like the finish it gives when it's damp. If you use it dry comment below let me know what it's like :).

Anyway to wrap this up I do really like both and I am currently using the Real 

Techniques sponge on a daily basis but if I'm being one million per cent honest I do prefer the Beauty Blender just a little bit more. Obviously, I did use that a lot longer so this might change in the future! If you are impatient like me though I would suggest picking up the Real Techniques sponge and trying it out as it does give a lovely finish to your foundation.

Let me know below which you prefer and why :).

I will deffos be back on Wednesday with another post (I've already started writing it, organised haha).

Until then,

Lucy x

Weightloss Wednesday

Hi lovelies 

So haven't posted one of these for a while but it is still going! Last time I spoke to you I had joined a new gym but hadn't been to it yet and was thinking about getting a personal trainer.

So I have been and I love the gym, it's really modern and has quite a lot of space so no waiting around for machines- I can't fault it! I love it haha never thought I would say that about a gym.

I also did get a personal trainer and I would definitely say he has helped me and would recommend anyone who may be struggling to give a personal trainer a go.

So today I'm going to talk about my new diet. 

In the past I have tried eating healthier but not really understood what was in the food and probably making bad decisions. Now that I'm learning about foods and what's in them and seeing results I definitely believe that 70/30 rule. Basically to see results it's meant to be 70% diet and 30% exercise- yes I believe this is true haha!!!

So I'm on a high protein/high fat low carb diet. This was quite hard for me at first as I love carbs and you don't actually realise how much food has carbs in and the amount they have in. I feel like I'm getting re-educated with food but I'm loving it. I'm feeling better for it I have no bloating at all. Anyone who knows me will know I'm not the biggest meat eater but I have really been trying and increasing my meat intake to ensure I hit my protein goal for the day. But I have also been having protein shakes to help as well. This was a diet plan my personal trainer came up with for me and I feel like it is working. Not going to lie there are hard days when you're sitting with chicken and a salad and there are people sitting around with pasta or potatoes I do feel a bit jealous but then I try and think positively and think about what this food will help me achieve. I think positive thinking is definitely key. I am allowed one cheat day which I do look forward to but I don't binge- what would be the point after all that hard work!

So here are a few photos of my myfitnesspal logged meals to give you an idea of what I've been eating.

Hope you've enjoyed this post and maybe learnt something or been motivated!

Lucy x