Sunday 21 December 2014

Christmas Thoughts


The weekend before Christmas has nearly come to an end. Has everyone done their final dash to the shops? Or are you still planning on venturing out over the next three days to tie up loose ends? I'm definitely in the latter category, I think I've still got 4 presents to get! Luckily I have half days Tuesday and Wednesday to finish buying and wrapping presents, run errands and make a clean cranberry sauce for Christmas Day.

Some of you may be wondering

what I will be eating over the Festive holidays and I'll be more than happy to tell you... Whatever I want! I am only planning to have Christmas Day and Boxing Day 'off' so to speak although I'm trying to implement a few clean bits in (no white potatoes, only sweet potatoes, clean cranberry sauce and currently looking for the cleanest brown/wholemeal bread available in the supermarkets for Boxing Day sandwiches. A bread maker is on my 2015 wish list!). I'm not aiming to stuff my face full of junk food, I just want to enjoy what I eat and I'm hoping that my stomach has shrunk so I won't be able to eat as much as I used to. I'm also terrified of gaining too much weight and come 27th December, I'll probably be craving a salad! My meal plan is done for the next three days and I'm hoping there will be some turkey left over from Xmas day to put into some dishes next weekend.

By tomorrow I will have eaten clean for 11 weeks and aside from a few latte cravings and the cheesy chips craving on a night out, I haven't craved any junk food at all and I have no idea why! My food intake previously was filled with fast, cheap, convenience foods, lots of takeaways and my portions were huge. I ate copious amounts of chocolate and drank diet coke all the time. No wonder I was tired, sluggish, demotivated and overweight. How I'm not craving these foods when I lived on them for so long is beyond me but I can say that whilst eating clean, I have NEVER felt deprived of anything (except a latte here and there and the last two weeks on my friends food plan). I have tried different recipes and fallen in love with cooking again. Making time to meal plan, doing a weekly food shop and preparing my meals in advance has been a god send for me in the beginning and I can't stress how important it is to do this. Organisation is the key to eating healthy as it is so easy to reach for something unhealthy when you're hungry and don't have an healthy option to hand. 


I haven't really been very active this week having only made it to the gym twice this week. Social commitments, work and Christmas related activities have come up this week and to be honest, I really haven't felt the motivation to exercise lately. Which is sad as I've had the motivation for 11 weeks now so I'm not sure where this feeling has come from. I'm sure after Boxing Day I'll be pining to go for a run!


Recently I asked on social media for any feedback on my Blog and the only response I got was from my sister, requesting to put a picture of her on my Blog as apparently she wants to be 'famous' ;) This photo was taken a few weeks ago on her works Christmas party night. My sister is currently pregnant with Baby #2, due in April (can't wait!). Her dress is from Asos maternity range and it really suits her. My sister and I do not share the same fashion style, she's more into prints, stripes and polka dots whereas I tend to wear black all the time! So without further ado, a picture of my sister:




On a serious note, if anyone does have any feedback on my Blog I would love to hear it. Do you like the background picture? Is the pink text too much? Anything you want to see more or less of? Please feel free to comment below, or on Twitter or Facebook. I promise that as from next week I will be featuring more recipes as I'm trying two new ones over the next three days, can't wait!


On a final note you should all know my liking for motivational quotes, I just can't get enough of them! It's funny how a few words can change your perspective on things or give you motivation to carry on making positive changes to your life. Some things really do hit home with me and I came across a quote yesterday that is really poignant for this time of year. Especially when people who are trying to lose weight are nervous about the temptations surrounding Christmas and New Year and are worried about undoing all their hard work over a couple of days. But I can promise you that...


One unhealthy meal will not make you fat

Just as one healthy meal will not make you skinny

See how it makes sense turning it around? Saying 'Oh I'll have a salad and be healthy today' really isn't going to make much difference if you stuff your face with a takeaway later on that night. Being healthy is a lifestyle that takes dedication 100% of the time and you'll only get results if you are dedicated and motivated. Anyway, stepping off my soap box now and moving onto this quote I found yesterday! I added it to a picture I took at the beginning of my journey showing a weeks worth of food prep:




This really stuck with me as its completely true, what you eat for almost an entire year makes such a difference to your health, your body, your fitness and well-being as well as your confidence and how that projects into other aspects of your life.... love, career, friendships, family, hobbies and your overall happiness. 


Finally, just a quick 'Thank you' to everyone who reads my blog. Currently as I typed this I've had 722 views on my Blog since 23rd November and I appreciate each and every one. Thank you so much to everyone who has taken interest in this journey, I'm looking forward to the future of what this blog holds!



Until next time

Much Love

Just Ems

Start Date: 7th October 2014
Highest Weight - 16 stone 2lbs on 7th July 2014
Start Weight: 15 stone 8lbs
Current Weight: 13 Stone 10lbs
Total Weight Lost: 26lbs
Height 5'2

2 comments:

  1. Hi! I think the pink text is a little bright and kind of hurts my eyes a bit. But don't stress about readers. Tag and categorise and write about what you want to and slowly you'll build a following (I'm low on numbers but I enjoy my weekly rambles)
    Happy new year xxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Dawn

    Thank you so much for your feedback, I really appreciate it.

    I'm glad that you're on the same wave length as me! I was thinking the same about the pink writing, although pink is my favourite colour so I've kinda stuck with it for now.

    Eventually I want to have my own website and have a Blog template.... Bring on 2015!

    Have a great new year xxx

    ReplyDelete