How I lost over a stone

I haven't posted in a while.. but I wanted to pop back and make a few posts about things that are current in my life.

As I mentioned a bit in an Instagram post a while back, I have struggled with my mental health over the last year and a half (hence why I haven't been able to keep up with posting on here). In this time I put on a bit of weight (why is the yummiest and most comforting food the unhealthiest?!).

I wasn't overweight, but I wasn't healthy and wasn't happy with how I felt in my body. I also wasn't exercising which was causing me to have back problems (I have mild scoliosis and knees that like to put me in a lot of pain..a whole other story!).

To cut a long story short that I hope to share more about soon, one day after months of considering and wanting to start workout again but never doing it, I decided that enough was enough and I just needed to go for it. I put on my workout gear and went out for a run. It wasn't easy, but it felt AMAZING!!

After that first run, I decided it was time to start working out and eating better, as I knew this is something that has helped many others who have struggled with their mental health as well as it being a good thing to do for your overall health.

Now, there's a lot of crazy diets out there that a lot of people follow in order to loose weight quickly. However, I grew up with a mum who used to be a personal trainer and fitness instructor, and also had training in nutrition and all that jazz, so I know that crash diets like that, although they do what they say on the tin, don't help you loose weight in the long term, and just aren't healthy and sustainable. I wanted and needed something that I could keep up with hopefully for the rest of my life in order to stay healthy. I also knew I needed to be super careful, as I've had problems with body image in the past (I wrote a blog about it a while ago - worth a read if I do say so myself!) and so I knew I didn't want it to be something that would take over my whole life in a negative way.

I figured that the best way to do that was to start tracking my calories. I found an app called 'My Fitness Pal' (not sponsored.. I wish! But I would highly recommend!). It is absolutely great and has changed my life completely. You can put in your current weight, your goal weight, how much weight you want to loose or gain weekly as well as in total, and how active you are. It then calculates how many calories you need to consume each day to meet your goals, as well as the amount of different nutrients you need and the right balance of carbs/fat/protein. you can also upload progress photos if you want, and every time you weigh yourself and have lost weight, you can track it to see how close to your goal you are. (Please be careful if you use this app - it is very easy to become obsessed with tracking calories. It's important to find a good balance. If you ever find yourself becoming obsessive over your calorie intake please speak to a health professional and look after yourself)

Having this app has been great. Not only can I make sure I'm not over eating, I can also ensure I'm not under eating (which doesn't actually help you loose weight!). This wasn't the only thing I did though. I also started working out more. I aim to work out 3 times a week for around 30-60 minutes. I do a mix of different workouts so that I don't get bored. You Tube is great for this as there are loads of workout videos you can follow!

Having said all of this, it's important to say that I don't always stick to this. Sometimes I do overeat, and sometimes I don't meet my workout goals, but that's okay. Like I said, I want this to be something I can keep up as a lifestyle rather than just a crash diet for a few months that I then give up on. Something sustainable. And I've still been able to loose over a stone without missing out on yummy food!

Sometimes I manage to do all my workouts and sometimes I don't for various reasons. I make sure I don't put pressure on myself to work out if I'm very busy - uni and work are my priority's so if I'm too busy or need a rest then I'll leave it for another day. This works so well for me, as I know that this is something I could easily keep up for years, but it's still enough to keep me fit and healthy. If I'm going out for a meal, or it's a birthday or holiday, I'll still enjoy myself and eat plenty of yummy food, but I make sure that once that's over I get back to eating well and working out.

I know this may all sound pretty simple and that loosing weight surely isn't that easy, but if I'm honest it hasn't always been as easy as it sounds. Sticking to something like this can be hard. It's important to constantly remind yourself of why you're doing this. There's so much information on the NHS website about why it's important to stay fit and healthy - I find just reading that can be a good motivation! Also reminding yourself of how good it feels when you've completed a workout or eaten a healthy lunch is a great motivator. (Please be aware that for some loosing weight isn't easy due to health reasons so don't be disheartened by what the scales may say - it's all about what you're fuelling your body with and how you're treating it rather than seeing a certain number when you weigh yourself.)

I honestly feel so much better. I've seen massive changes in my body - I visibly look a lot different, and I feel sooooo much healthier and happier. I'm in no way saying that everyone needs to workout and eat differently, or that everyone needs to loose weight, and I really hope that's not what comes across here. I think it's so important to look after ourselves both mentally and physically, and doing this has helped me in both of these ways and may help many others too.


I'd love to hear from you! Have you found something that helps you stay fit and healthy? Let me know in the comments or over on Instagram of Facebook!

Struggles with Body Image: My Story

Body image: something that I'm sure most of us have or will struggle with at least once in our lives. It's such a horrible thing to struggle with, yet it's so common.

This blog is going to be slightly different to my last few. My focus is going to be on body image and the struggles I've faced as this is something that I feel very passionate about and believe needs to be shared.

                                                                      ***

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way saying that we should look a certain way, and I'm not saying that the size I am now or was before are bad - everyone is different and our body's work differently. I don't think that we need to be a certain weight to be healthy - I'm focusing more on the way we think about ourselves. I am going to be sharing honestly the mindset I have found myself in which I've found to be toxic. Lastly, if you think reading this and/or looking at the images may be a trigger for you then please look after yourself and don't read it, but feel free to message me on here or on Instagram to chat!

                                                                     ***

Over the past year or two I've found myself looking through old photos from 3-4 years ago when I was about 17/18 years old. At the time that most of the photos were taken I was size 8, and I'm now about size 12. I've often found myself wishing that I was the same weight now as I was then. I would look at the photos and think about how happy I must have been about being the weight I was and the way that I looked.

A few months ago or so I was thinking about this, and something clicked in my mind: the girl in those photos was not happy. 

This photo was taken when I was about 17

High School and Sixth Form were really tough times for me for numerous reasons, and this caused a lot of stress, and when I'm stressed my appetite often goes out of the window (I'm not the best at dealing with stress!). 

I also remember often thinking that I was overweight through high school. I would tell myself that I was the 'fat one' at school. Looking back, there was no way that I was overweight. My mum has always given me a healthy balanced diet (she used to be a personal trainer and fitness instructor so had lots of training in healthy eating stuff!) and I used to go to the hospital a couple of times a year for check ups for Coeliac disease where they monitored my weight among other things. 

Because of these thoughts, I would try to exercise and eat either healthily or not much when I was in Sixth form to try and lose weight. doing this on top of being stressed and not having much of an appetite anyway was a recipe for disaster. 

This is around 3 years later

I felt like I just needed to keep losing weight. I never saw myself as underweight: just that I needed to be smaller than I already was. One time I tried to work out everyday for as long as possible, and it got to the point where I almost fainted and had to stop (probably because I was working out loads and not eating enough to give myself energy). I was obsessed with my weight and would sometimes weigh myself multiple times through the day. My mum said to me a couple of times that I looked unhealthily thin and needed to put on weight, but I just thought it was one of those things mum's say to make you feel better about yourself that isn't really true.

I had never seen any of this as an issue. I never really told anyone how I was feeling as I didn't think there was a problem. I  had often thought that it was just part of growing up and my body changing, which it most likely was partly. But my mindset was definitely not good. I am very blessed in that this time has mostly passed, and although I do sometimes still struggle with these thoughts, I am now a healthy weight and am no longer focusing on how my body looks all the time. I am learning to be happy with the body I have as this is how I was made and it is perfect the way it is. I wish I could tell you exactly how I got to where I am today, but to be honest I wasn't even fully aware I was on this journey at the time. One thing I have done to help, however, is try to focus on taking care of my body as well as not weighing myself. I've found that changing my focus in this way has helped a lot. Sometimes I feel like I'm talking the talk but not walking the walk, but our words have so much power, and so telling yourself that your weight and the way you look is not important can have a massive impact.

What's the point in this blog?

I really want this blog to be helpful for anyone who may be going through what I did, or something similar, as well as to raise awareness of this issue. 

We are constantly surrounded by images on social media of the 'ideal' body. There are so many adverts out there for weight loss treatments and diets (That don't work in the long term by the way..) to loose weight that we don't need to loose. 

We need to rise above all of this and support each other. 

You are gorgeous the way you are. You don't need to change yourself in any way. Focus on your mind - your mental health is just as important as your physical health.

I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment below or message me on Instagram to share your thoughts or your own story.