Thursday 1 January 2015

What 2015 holds for me...

So welcome to 2015! I hope you all had a good evening last night and I'm sure quite a few of you are nursing hang overs this morning!

I have to admit that I have not been feeling my usual motivated self lately. I spent NYE at home, on the sofa, in my PJS and I had to drag myself out of bed this morning because laying down was making breathing difficult. As I sit and type this I am trying to battle a

cold that I've had for over a week now and I've allowed it to really dampen my motivation so much so that I haven't eaten clean since Christmas Eve. Shocking isn't it?!
I really didn't plan the Festive Season well, I only bought enough clean food to last me to Christmas Eve and aimed to go food shopping again on 27th but I've allowed this cold to dictate my eating habits this week and my motivation has disappeared. I know my work trousers and jeans still fit me though so that's probably why I haven't felt too bad about it (work trousers and jeans are always the go to measure of weight gain or loss aren't they?). I am dreading getting on the scales though and desperately need to do a meal plan and food shop ASAP and stock my fridge with salad, veggies and to fill my fruit bowl. I have not achieved anything on my 'To Do' list that I wanted to do whilst I had a few days off from work, preferring to stay on the sofa and feel sorry for myself. I'm rarely ill and I'm like a guy who has man flu when I do get struck down with something!




Next year I plan to make sure I've made several meals in advance and store them in the freezer so I don't have the same situation again. Not that I plan on getting ill again but at least I have no excuse of not having food in the house! I have definitely realised that I am no longer addicted to junk food anymore. The reason for choosing it time and time again was due to laziness, convenience, not being prepared and wanting to 'fit in' with what everyone else is eating. It is hard not to succumb to a takeaway when everyone else is having one but if you're planning on sticking to your healthy lifestyle then don't EVER be afraid to have something different on your plate. Your family and friends should respect your life choices and support you on your journey. Of course, if you're planning a cheat meal and have a takeaway then go right ahead, just don't allow 1 meal to throw you out for a whole week, or month! Please don't miss out on social gatherings because you're too scared to promote your healthier lifestyle in front of your friends and family. I do know how hard this is and in the past I've declined invitations to go places because I didn't want to be in a situation where I was tempted by unhealthy foods and alcohol. There are ways get around this though: offering to drive so you have a legitimate reason to avoid the booze, eat a healthy meal before you go so you won't eat later or opt for the healthiest option on the menu and don't be afraid to ask for dressings/sauces on the side or to substitute potatoes for a salad instead. 


Oops, went off on abit of a tangent there didn't I! Anyway... back to the point of this post and onto what I envision 2015 holds!

I appreciate that a lot of people see the start of a new year as an opportunity to make changes, fresh starts, review the previous year and think about what they want to achieve in the next 365 days. I bet even some people have put off making any changes until New Year? But you can start making changes towards your goals at anytime, you don't need to wait until 1st January to roll around! Even writing down steps, ideas, making plans or 'to do' lists is a step in the right direction. It does take time to figure out how you're going to get to where you want to be. Whether that is changing your career or learning to drive, you can start taking the steps towards reaching your goal whenever you want, no need to wait around for the next year to make positive changes to your life. 

I have quite a few things that I want to achieve and do this year, mostly geared around my health and well being. As most of you will know, I am focusing on losing weight and getting healthier and I am going to continue to do so. As much as I want to lose the weight as soon as possible, it has taken me years to realise that by doing it slowly and steadily is the best and healthiest way to go. By losing weight this way I can be less restrictive with my calorie intake and experiment with new recipes and foods which is something that I enjoy doing. When you start to take away things that you enjoy, you feel as though you're depriving yourself and you may become more likely to develop a desire to binge and eat unhealthy. Of course, this may not be the case for everyone but this happened before on the shake diet and purging and binging is not a cycle I want to get into again. It is extremely unhealthy for your body and is also toxic for your mindset and well being. So with this in mind here are the things I want to achieve/do over the next year:


*Reach goal weight - I aim to reach 10 stone by my birthday in July. Ideally I would like to aim for 9 stone 7lbs but will assess how I feel when I get to 10 stone. Between 5th Jan and my birthday is 28 weeks which when needing to lose 3 stone 6lbs is 1.71lbs a week so if I stick to 2lbs a week I should hopefully reach my goal. Although I haven't weighed myself since Christmas Day so there may be a few more pounds to lose!


*Toning and Strength - I really want to improve my core strength and to tone by body whilst losing weight to reduce the chance of having any excess skin. I also want to get into 2 class based activities to focus on these areas which are pilates and kick boxing. But I want to lose another 2.5 stone before I do that and maybe a buddy to go with as I find classes intimidating :( I also can not wait to get back into running as well as I really enjoy this exercise and it is a fantastic all over body workout.


*Cooking - I will continue to try new recipes that I find online and I want to try and create some of my own. Either by making meals clean or experimenting with different ingredients to create new dishes. 


*Blogging - I definitely will continue with Just Ems. I have loved every second of blogging and the community it has introduced me to. I have met some lovely girls in the blogging world and am lucky to have been given the opportunity to advertise with them too. My aim with Just Ems for the future is to be more involved with the meal plan and daily meal side of things to show what I am eating in order to lose weight and hopefully help others on their own journeys. I would love to help draft up meal plans for anyone who is interested in clean eating and help them in achieving their weight loss goals.


However 2015 isn't going to be all about my lifestyle, I do have some non weight loss related areas that I do want to focus on:


Family - My niece will be 3 this year and I have loved every minute that I have spent with her since she was born, aside from her tantrums or clearing up her mess, seriously that child leaves a path of destruction in her wake whenever she comes to my house! As you know my sister is due to have another baby in April and I am so excited for baby boy to be born! My niece is one of the most important people in my life and I want to spend as much time with my niece and nephew as possible.



Friends - The same applies to my friends as well. I really want to make more effort to see my friends more as whenever I've gained weight, I tend to not socialise much as alot of my friends have been me at my lowest weight several years ago. I find it so embarrassing to see them again after gaining it all back as it means I've failed. I didn't want to put myself in a socially awkward situation where I may get asked why I had gained weight. So it was easier not to make the effort to see anyone. BUT I recently caught up with some friends who I hadn't seen for years and it was so nice to see them, we had such a laugh together reminiscing our old work days together and no mention of my weight was brought up. Thank you girlies, you know who you are :) This has definitely given me the confidence to not only see them again but to get in touch with other friends that I've lost contact with over the years too. 


Acceptance - If you have read my previous post, then you'll know that 2013/2014 were not good times for me relationship wise and I allowed it to dictate my health and how I treated my body, gaining weight in the process. But the past 6 months have taught me that in order for me to move forward I have to come to terms with the choices that were made and accept what has happened. I have to put the past behind me once and for all and move on. Because if I don't then I'm only going to be stuck back where I was, in an unhappy unhealthy place, stuffing my face with takeaways and shutting myself out from the world and my friends. I know that my closest friends have said all of this a number of times but unless you work it out for yourself and accept that you can not change the past, you're not going to listen to anything anyone tells you. I am grateful that I have experienced the things that I have but now it is time to put it all behind me and let go of the bitterness, hate and anger that has been festering in me. So today, I'm going through my phone and my laptop and I am deleting emails, pictures, messages and phone numbers of the past so that I am no longer reminded of what happened. I have my memories and that's all I need to take to the future with me.


I think I'm going to get a board to put in my kitchen and put these on there so I can remind myself of my goals for the year. What do you think? What do you want to achieve in 2015? Leave a comment below, would love to know what everyone wants to do this year!

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and that 2015 brings you everything that you wish and work for.

On Sunday I will be featuring my meal plan for next week!

Until next time

Much Love

Just Ems

Start Date: 7th October 2014
Start Weight: 15 stone 8lbs
Current Weight: 13 Stone 6lbs
Total Weight Lost: 30lbs
Height 5'2



3 comments:

  1. I know how you feel about the not wanting to go to classes on your own, I feel/felt like that. I started spinning last year and that was scary enough. But great posts and I can't want to see how you get on :)

    Pams Stuff and Things

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  2. Aww thank you Pam. I am hoping to start a Pilates class with some girls from work in a few weeks time so I'll have some moral support! Never been to an exercise class before, it always seems so daunting! How did spinning go for you?
    Much Love, Just Ems x

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    1. Now that I am used to it spinning is great and now I just get on with it but I want to join a step class but I need to get the guts to do it first :P xx

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