50 facts about me

Seen a few people doing this so thought I'd join in. Might take me a while, if you get through the lot then well done!

1. My name is Heather, quite uncommon for my age and I'm kind of growing to like it.
2. When I was younger I used to cut up magazines and create my own mag out of all the cuttings.
3. I wanted to be a magazine editor but ended up being a full time eBay lady!
4. I have a degree in English and psychology
5. I didn't really enjoy further education and half wish I had gone straight into work.
6. I have a French a level but I'm rubbish at it.
7. I work with my boyfriend in a industrial unit, we have our good days!
8. I recently became a fiancée, I can't wait to be a bride.
9. We're hoping to get married within two years
10. The thought of shopping for a wedding dress makes me incredibly excited!
11. Decemeber is my favourite month of the year, we both have our birthdays and obviously Xmas!
12. I'm the easiest person to buy for, I send my mum and boyfriend an email of my wish list with links, price and sizes.
13. I love giving presents just as much
14. I love making people happy and doing things for people
15. Best trait, is probably being loyal to my word I don't like letting people down
16. I have a good friendship with my neighbour, she paints my nails and I cook her dinner.
17. I love the idea of growing old with my friends and reminiscing on old times.
18. I'd love to have children one day, hopefully before 30.
19. Nothing beats a fresh pair of pyjamas
20. I'm not into designer clothes, high street all the way!
21. Most expensive item of clothing I own is my M&S coat £85! It was painful
22. I have way too many clothes but I like a mixture and a choice
23. Zara is hands down my favourite shop, such unique and minimalist style.
24. I hate shoe shopping, I have wide feet and bunions
25. I used to dance, from 6-15 years. Ballet was my favourite!
26. I've never reached the bottom of my washing basket.
27. I hate house work and cleaning!
28. We recently bought a second house, we're hoping to rent it out in the new year
29. A lot of things annoy me! Mostly time wasters and girls who think they're it
30. I once got sent out an art lesson for burping
31. Besides this I was a good girl at school and kept myself out of trouble
32. I have a fear of whales. I couldn't walk through the national history museum knowing there was a full size one in there. Everyone thinks it's hillarious but I hate them. They're always on the TVs in John Lewis!
33. I hate the dentist; didn't go for about 8 years until a couple of years ago.
34. I've never had a brace but have one filling
35. Favourite perfume is from L'occitane, I like wearing something a bit different
36. Homeland and breaking bad are my favourite tv series
37. I spend way too much time on my iPhone
38. I don't have any piercings or tattoos. I had my ears pierced when I was sixteen but let them close up because it was just too painful!
39. I suffered with dermatitis around my chin and mouth when I was sixteen. I still get the odd flare up but have managed to control it. It was horrible.
40. I love a good bath, but it has to be hot! Lobster red hot!
41. I met one of my best friends through Instagram. We've known eachother for a year now and have only met once.
42. I normally hate New Year's Eve but I'm looking forward to this one. I'm excited for the next year!
43. I love wrapping presents and put it off for as long as possible so I have something to look forward to.
44. I love a good jigsaw puzzle, such a geek.
45. If pork pie, chips and pies were good for you I'd be so healthy!
46. We name everything in our house, all the teddies, Xmas decorations have names
47. I used to pretend I couldn't read the opticians board to get glasses, it never worked
48. I have a yearly shopping trip with my dad to buy mums Xmas presents!
49. I can't wait to have a big house and have all the family round for Christmas dinner
50. That was tough!

Lost my motivation

So I haven't blogged for a couple of months, It's not something I ever intended to keep adding a post to every week or so. There will be waves of several posts and sometimes you'll hear nothing from me. There's only so much creative content in my head and stuff that I feel I need to share with you that can't be done via my best friend Instagram.

So, this post... I've lost it. It's gone and I'm furious. I'm talking about motivation. As I've said before this is something that is either here in full force or completely disappeared. The past month or so I don't think I've had any losses. All maintains and a couple of weeks of plus 1lb. I want to be completely honest about this, I don't want to say 'Oh yeah I'm doing fine, the weight just keeps dropping off' - because let's face it, it's not. My lowest weight was 10st 13lbs and I felt amazing but I got stuck there for a while and now I'm back up to 11st 2lbs.

I know, I know.. that's not a massive difference. But it is for me, I started at around 11st 8/9lbs and it's taken me so long to get down to where I am now that the thought of creeping back up there terrifies me. I'm eating meals okay in the week, it's the chocolate and the biscuits that I'm struggling with. The meals out, the naughty weekends etc. Yes, they say you can adapt Slimming World to work around eating out and your lifestyle but when I'm out sat in the restaurant with the smell of chips wafting under my nose the idea of salad is long gone.

Just wanted to update this really. Just to let y'all know that I'm cracking on but not making progress and I know exactly why, I'm just struggling to stop the snacking. Might need to get my head back in my colouring book :)

Clothing haul

Heyyy! So I've been shopping a tiny little bit lately. I'm obsessed with fashion and clothes and I'm constantly making orders online (oops). Honestly though, I'm not made of money and all the clothes I buy are cheap, I'll always clear out stuff when I've bought new bits so what looks like a lot of purchases doesn't actually amount to that much in the end.

Here's a few bits I've bought the past couple of weeks...

 H&M (In store)

 

Stripe Dress (size small) £4

Picked up this super short little navy striped dress. I would never wear this without leggings or tights because it's super short! It's nice and thick and I love stripes!! 

 

Printed Dress (size medium) £5 

This feels a tiny bit big, I could have got away with a smaller size because It's so stretchy. I do love it and would be ideal for holiday!

 

Jersey Twist Dress (size 14) £5 

Love this one! It's like a sweatshirt fabric with a twist on the front. Planning on keeping it for winter with tights and booties! 

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NEW LOOK (online)

 

Printed Trousers (size 12) £6

Pink Cami Top (size 14) £5

Love these! Lightweight with elasticated waist (for food babies) perfect for summer! The top is a tiny bit big but I think it's fine tucked into some trousers.

 

Parisian Flares (size 14) £6

These are my favourite! I think flares are really flattering when you've got big hips :) They're ridiculously soft and really comfy.  

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BOOHOO (online)

 

Wide Leg Trousers (size 12) £5

These are really good quality for boohoo. They have a tie on the waist and like wrap around legs - hard to explain but would be perfect for holiday!

 

Aztec Flares (size 14) £7

Another pair of flares! Loving these too, mega comfy. Literally like wearing pyjamas - which is just ideal!

 

Printed Jumpsuit (size 14) £6

Soft, stretchy and super comfy. Love a good jumpsuit and this ticks all the boxes!

 

Split Backless Dress (size 12) £5

Can you believe this was £5??? Whaaat. I love it, no idea when or where I will wear it but I don't care haha.

So that's it apart from a few things. There is more on the way haha! What a joke I am.

Hope you've enjoyed this :) Have a good weekend!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The struggle is real

A none slimming world related blog post today. There is sometimes more life to than food (only sometimes). I've had a bit of a rubbish week. I haven't been on plan really and have consumed a Thai takeaway, fish and chips, wine and more. Sometimes life just gets in the way and the last thing you're bothered about is "how many syns?"

Nothing has particularly happened, you know when just being an adult can be too much in itself? I didn't imagine the stresses of life back when I was in my teens (way back when!) now I'm only 25 but myself and other half have done quite a lot in a short space of time. We've graduated from university, bought a house and now looking to move again. As well as starting and continuing to run a successful business. We work together (I can hear all the gasps) but it does work, it's hard but it works!! 

So sometimes things don't always go the way you want them to, you can't always plan things because they don't work out the way you want. Nobody tells that you being an adult is difficult. There's no book on how to survive it. I look at people around me who all seem to be flying through adulthood and sometimes feel like I've just lapsed. I'm exhausted and want to hibernate until next March. 

I have days where I don't want to go to work, I don't want to cook or even get out of bed and get dressed. I know there are thousands of you who feel this way and the struggle is real. 

Being an adult is hard work. I don't even have children yet, god help me!

Besides this, I'm fine. I'm maintaining my weight but don't expect to lose this week. I'm enjoying my colouring book, I've bought some nice clothes this week from the online sales (this happens every week though). I've cleaned the inside of my car (never happens). I'm a very normal person really. Behind the selfies and the food pictures is just me. Hoping people say nice things and like my clothes and food (genuinely). That makes me happy, little things. So be nice to people, be the reason that somebody breaks into a smile. 

Until next time .... 

How I stay motivated

Firstly I'd like to start off by saying that this all my personal opinion and what motivates me won't necessarily work for you, but if you're struggling then it's worth a try. 

Motivation is something I either have in full swing or it completely hides away and I can't find it for a week. There is no happy medium. I always remember as a teenager mum saying to me 'if you want to do something you'll do it because you have strong willpower'. I guess I do in a sense but when it comes to food I find it difficult. Food is up there with the top five loves in my life, maybe even top three if it really came to the crunch. I love it, I like eating, I like making food, I like going out for dinner, I like watching food on the TV, looking at food on Pinterest and Instagram. It's kind of an obsession. So, to follow slimming world and remain 'on plan' in order to shift the pounds... is no mean feat. 

I would say that a strong 85% of the time I do remain on plan. By 'on plan' I mean I stay within the 15 syns and follow things as they should be. 'Off plan' to me can mean anything from 20syns a day plus, to a full blown pizza feast with wine and the works (amazing). So when it comes to staying motivated, what do I do? Well, the biggest one for me is reminding myself how I'll feel if I do go off plan. If I eat rubbish for a day, my body feels it. I'm tired, lethargic and miserable. Besides the physical effects, I also go in to a state of disappointment and panic. I wonder how it will affect my loss, I weigh myself constantly to see if the damage is showing or not. I feel terrible basically. I have to remind myself, that yes you can enjoy a night off and not worry about counting syns but at the same time I feel awful the following day knowing that I've almost betrayed myself. I shouldn't feel like that because we're all normal but I think it's natural when you're trying to lose weight to be disappointed. So whenever I feel like caving in to a bowl full of chocolate, I put myself in that mind set and tell myself I'll regret it. Sometimes though, food still overrules. 

Something I get asked a lot is, "how do you stay on plan following slimming world at home?" Well, to be honest. I still set myself a weigh in day and the fear of seeing a plus on the scales is what keeps me going. I don't want to post an Instagram update with a '+' symbol ever apart from after holidays. As daft as it sounds, it's the fear of gaining weight that keeps me going. I actually never used to own a pair of scales, but it got to the point where I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere and wanted the scales to prove whether my weight was in fact going up or down.

Instagram keeps me motivated. Seeing everybody elses amazing achievements is a good way to give you a much needed kick up the arse sometimes. Take photos!!! Front, side and back at least once a week. You won't think it at the time, but scrolling back through your phone to a couple of months ago, you'll say to yourself "wow, I can see the difference". 

Do NOT compare yourself to anybody else. I'm guilty for this - always. We all do it. Thoughts such as "She's so pretty" or "She's got a better ass than me", 'Her stomach is flatter than mine", "We weigh the same but I still look fat" etc etc. It has to stop. It won't make you feel any better. We're all different and just remember as much as you're envying the next person there is somebody out there wishing they looked like you. 

You need to see it as a lifestyle change. Slimming World is not a diet. I don't feel like I'm dieting, I'm just eating differently to how I used to. I'll put my hands up, I used to think groups like Weight watchers and Slimming world were rubbish, stupid clubs that take you're money and you never lose weight. But I was wrong, I'll happily admit that.  You've got to be in this for the long run or else it's not worth your effort. But keep at it and make it work? Well that could just be the best decision you ever made.

 

Advice on doing it from home

Ironically the name of the blog 'slimming world from home', this is the way it works for me. I've actually never been to a group (although I'd like to), I've learnt the ropes from mostly Instagram and reading online and have found it a really helpful environment.

Initially, I didn't have a clue. I knew it worked because I'd seen the results with my very own eyes on other people, but to try and get my head around the programme of red days, green days, EE (whatever that was) and healthy extra's galore... it was overwhelming. I started with what was the Extra Easy plan, it seemed the easiest. One healthy extra option of each A & B and all normal foods were free and anything that was synned was synned. Simple. I began to follow each and every Instagram account that stated the syn values in their posts so I could build up a log of syn values for different foods (seems ridiculous) but I didn't have the access to the app or the books. I worked out the 1syn = 20cals for any foods that didn't contain 'free' food and the rest I either asked about or 'googled'. Slowly but surely things began piecing themselves together and I managed to gain a good insight into the plan.

I continued with EE for a long time, and didn't really make much progress to be honest. It was about this time when I read from a fellow "instagrammer" the words "If I ate carbs at both lunch and dinner then I would never lose any weight". I panicked. I was doing this most days! Pasta for lunch or bread and then potatoes at dinner then the same the next day and so on. I then began looking in to red days. I never thought my body would cope without the carbs but I had to try it. I sought some advice from the girls on Instagram and began doing a few red days a week. I now do about 5 red days a week and the weight is slowly dropping. Obviously everyone's body is different, but this seemed to work for me.

 

So my advice for following slimming world from home, well definitely use Instagram to your advantage. Screen shot is your best friend, any meals that you like the look of or syn values - take them and keep them in a file on your phone. 'Syns allowed' on Facebook was an amazing discovery and lists all syn values of practically any food you could think of. Also, if you're not sure on something then just ask! There are so many people out there including myself that love helping you and finding things out to ensure you're on the right track. Mostly, you must be motivated. If you need somebody each week to weigh you and keep you on top form then going it alone at home will be difficult. You need a supportive family and people around you that understand what it is you're trying to achieve. You'll be mocked, there will be people that don't understand why you can't have that extra slice of bread or why you want more vegetables but do it for you. It's your bloody body not theirs, if you have a bad day - well then pick yourself back up again. Finally, keep going and don't look back.

The weekly food shop

 I'll just put it out there... I don't like food shopping. For me, it's a pain in the ass. Effort and a life necessity unless you get it delivered but I'm too picky. So it's that time of week again where your fridge is looking like a sorry mess and the veg is limp, the fruit is not much better and you're eating beans on toast for your dinner. *Must go food shopping tomorrow*

Food shopping normally happens on Friday or Saturday for me and it's always Aldi. It used to be Asda but the difference in cost was just ridiculous. So I'm a loyal Aldi shopper. Once a week we meet, I take stuff from the shelves and in return it feeds me and my partner happily for a week.
I'm going to do a short post just on what I buy and what I use the products for (I get asked this quite regularly). I sometimes write a list, but the supermarket is so small that I rarely forget anything and tend to buy the same things each week with just small variations. All the food below lasts 5-6 dinners and 6-7 breakfast and lunches.

Here goes...

The 'naughty cupboard' and other dried food

 

Tomato Puree and Passata is a must for me. Adds instant flavour to anything, adds moisture to dry food and thickens sauces and syn free providing it contains no extra oil.  The biscuits and chocolate are mainly for the other half but I do have one now and then - none of them are higher than 3.5syns per biscuit. Bran flakes are my cereal of choice as you're allowed 40g for a hexb (bonus!). Benefit light bars allow you to have two for a hexb choice also. I buy pasta to have as a back up, I do mostly red days but if I'm craving carbs I love a bit of pasta. The teddy faces are basically a rip off of pom bears and they actually taste nicer! (They're 4.5 syns per bag.) Sweet chill sauce and light salad cream (yum). I've also bought some wholemeal sandwich thins this week to make a 'steak bake' (hello!) and fat free yoghurt to have with fruit in the evening. Mature cheddar (35g for hexa). You still with me?

 Tins glorious tins

 

Pretty straight forward, chopped tomatoes for making ratatouille, curry, chili, bolognese (basically everything). Corned beef because I love it (3.5syns per 100g). Stewed steak to make my steak bake is 4syns for the whole tin. New potatoes in the tin are a life saver - I pop them in the oven coated in herbs and they crisp up (thank me later). Strawberry conserve, to pop on my toast in the mornings. Tuna tins - free if in brine or water. I like to treat myself to one in sunflower oil every now and then, the taste is much much nicer and perfect for a salad.

 Meat, Fish and Meal Foods

 

Bacon, for the weekends or for wrapping round chicken (always cut the fat off). 5% fat mince - syn free. Perfect for batch cooking, makes good stuffed lettuce wraps, chilli and bolognese. I like to buy a whole chicken, nice and easy and perfect for sandwiches or salad the next day! Venison burgers are 5syns each but absolutely delicious (save a hexb for these so you can have a proper burger) I also love the spicy bean burgers (they're amazing)  5.5syns each (on an EE day)

The Holy Grail

 

If you're going to give slimming world a good go you have to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables. Before slimming world I didn't really eat fruit or much veg to be honest but now I eat it like it's going out of fashion and actually enjoy it. I buy a lot because I mostly do red days. So mixed within this lot is a few bags of salad for lunches at work. Kale - because I love it. So quick and easy and great accompaniment to any meal. The large flat mushrooms are great stuffed with cheese for your hexa. Fruit - lots of apples, peaches, kiwi and banana's. Butternut squash for a potato alternative, messy but delicious. Bag of peppers - very versatile. Dammit, just remembered I forgot to buy courgettes (sad face). Beetroot and celery are perfect salad additions, easy to prepare and full of flavour. 

So that's about it. Besides diet coke, paracetemol and a bottle of squash this is my weekly shop. Same time next week? - Blergh, don't mention it.

Body confidence

This is something I've been reading so much about lately, literally tons of women campaigning for people to feel comfortable in their own skin. But it's so hard - yes you can say 'you should feel body confident' or 'you should feel liberated' etc etc, but to actually feel that way I find quite impossible to be honest.

So here's my input. I'm not body confident, maybe 75% of me is, but there is that pesky 25% of my confidence that is hiding away and doesn't want to rear it's head. This is something I've always felt since I reached puberty, maybe even younger than that. Unfortunately I've inherited what my family refers to as the 'Shirley Legs'. Basically, chunky legs. They've been with me for as long as I can remember, and have always remained bigger in proportion to the rest of my body. Growing up I always remember disliking my legs and still do to this day. I danced for many years and was always 'bigger' than the skinnier girls, I always the 'boy' in the any dance that involved partners and when it came to skimpy costumes and hot pants ... I hated it. Throughout school my best friend was much thinner than me and I always felt like that 'fat friend' even though I knew I wasn't fat. Mum assured me that I was just 'big built' - that made me feel even worse.

I've never gotten upset about my weight, or cried over it at night. But it's just something that's made me feel very uncomfortable and wary of what I wear or how I stand or even sometimes walk. When I was about 15 I noticed I started to get stretch marks on the insides of my legs and cellulite. It's only recently that I've actually tried to lose some weight but the weight seems to drop off everywhere but my bloody legs. For the past few years I've hated my knee's also and have tried to cover them up whenever I'm going out (besides holiday). Which makes me question... why is it okay on holiday. My answer - well because I won't see the people on holiday again so I don't care. Which is stupid. Why do I care what people in the UK think to my wobbly legs if I go out in a pair of shorts?

It's hard to not care. It's hard to think that you look fine when in your head you don't and it's hard to see other girls looking fabulous in their shorts and skimpy skirts and you're just stuck in jeans. I actually posted a picture to Instagram last night of me showing my 'problem areas' aka - my Kim K butt. I tried a dress on and snapped photo's from the angles I don't like to see how it looked. Probably something we all do, I look okay from the front, but side on behind is not so nice for me.

The responses were really surprising and I guess I wanted to show people that I'm not happy with my all of my body and it's normal to show imperfections rather than taking every photo from my best angle all the time. People told me that they 'wish they had a body like that' and 'wow you look great'. I'm shocked, because that is NOT how I see myself. But maybe we should, maybe when you look in the mirror next - ask yourself is it really that bad? There is somebody out there wishing they looked like you and I think that's the best compliment ever considering I spend my life wishing I looked like somebody else. Well I don't, I look like me and maybe we should be thankful for what we've got.

Amen.

A day in Portsmouth

So on Wednesday this week me and the other half spent the day in Portsmouth. We've been once before and managed to tie a day out in with a work trip (result.) I love being near the sea, something very British and calming about it. Naturally, we had to look round the shops. Being so close to the Gunwharf Quays outlet shops was perfect. The words shop and outlet are like a match made in heaven. We had a mooch round and made a few purchases (obviously).

French Connection had an amazing sale on, lots of samples but sadly so many of the items weren't priced so you had to either risk falling in love with a dress that turns out to be £60 or just browse through the items that actually had the price on. I chose the latter. I only ended up buying one item, the dress pictured on the left - it's a little short but I think it'll be great later on in the year with some tights or leggings. It was also a heavenly £10!

I also tried this orange dress on the right - but it was a little tight round the arms so ended up leaving it. But I loved the length, it was perfect for summer! (Any excuse for another dress) This one was only £15. It was from Great Plains so not sure why it was in the French Connection shop. But definitely worth heading in if you live locally or are visiting.

I also went in Cath Kidston, I'm not a massive fan girl like a lot of people. I'm not really into the whole 'shabby chic' thing but appreciate the designs. I always look at the clothes they have because they have some really quirky and unique designs. I spotted a lovely dress with a London Bus print on but questioned whether I'd actually wear it ... hence it didn't come home with me.

Last stop after a delicious lunch at Loch Fyne (yum) was the Nike shop. I never ever go in to sports shops - just putting it out there. However, I was keen to invest in a pair of trainers to wear for work rather than wearing flimsy sandals on a concrete floor all day (not good). So dragged my arse over to the footwear and spotted these pink beauties. Yes I'm a trainer convert!! I feel like I've been walking on air bubbles for the past few days and for a mere £26 they were an absolute bargain if I may say so myself.


I was also looking at the gym clothing (obviously not to actually buy, because me and exercise are not friends). But the stuff looks amazing, like seriously pretty and comfortable. I stood there staring at it like I knew what I was looking at (clearly not). Ten different types of trousers - slim, flared, capri, low rise, mid rise, stretch fit - seriously. You know when you feel like the shopping assistants are watching you thinking 'this girl has clearly never worked out in her life', haha. One day I'll exercise and wear pretty work out gear - all the gear but no idea. But not today, not tomorrow or this year in fact.


So, overall we a had a lovely day. Grabbed a few bargains and headed back home in the same day. Very tiresome when it's a near five hour round trip! I think I'm still catching up on sleep.

Until next time... :)

Courgette 10 ways

Looks like a cucumber but most certainly isn't. The courgette is fast becoming a weekly regular in my shopping trolley. It's so versatile, tasty and importantly for me doesn't go soft and moldy after two days in the fridge (result). I'm going to make a bit of a series out of this, ways to use different speed foods in different ways, focusing on the speed foods rather than the free foods.

So this week, it's the courgette. Long, lean and bright green. Pretty cheap (expect to pay about £1 for three). They can be eaten raw in salads but are much tastier grilled and are super quick to cook.

So here's my top 10 slimming world friendly ways to prepare a courgette...

Source : Pinterest

1. Courgetti - really simple if you have a spiralizer. Perfect spaghetti alternative for EESP and Red
days.

2. Courgette soldiers - Cut into chip shapes and grill (perfect for dippy eggs) add some cheese to melt if you have a healthy extra a choice left.

3. Courgette pizza's - Really simple, cut in half and grill - add your toppings and return under the grill with a sprinkle of cheese. Perfect with tomatoes/mushrooms and red onion.

4. Courgette rolls - Using a peeler, make ribbons from the courgette. Pop under the grill laid flat, then roll up with some philadelphia and extra fillings of your choice. Perfect finger food.

5. Courgette crisps - Using a peeler or cut very finely. Lots of salt and pepper - fry light and pop in the oven till cripsy.

6. Ratatouille - We all know this one. Tin of tomatoes, chilli, mushroom and red onion (delicious)

7. Courgette salad - Lovely raw. Crunchy and tasty - mix with salad as a cucumber alternative or along side?

8. Courgette lasagne - Great alternative to pasta sheets. Peel into ribbons and layer up your lasagne (easy peasy)

9. Courgette frittata - Finely slice, add in to a chunky omelette or frittata and finish under the grill.

10. Courgette boats - Cut in half down the middle, scoop out the inside and stuff with anything you wish. Lovely with cripsy mince and chillies.

The beginning of blogging

So after following Slimming World (on and off) for a over a year now I thought I'd dip my toe in to the blogging world. I've written a fashion blog before but never had the time to keep it going, I feel like a food related one might be more my thing. After all... food is my biggest love. 

Most of you will be brought here via my Instagram page 'slimmingworldfromhome.' This is where my journey began really, a simple post of a muller yoghurt and suddenly I was addicted. My primary source for all knowledge on anything Slimming World based. I slowly began to gain followers and although that wasn't my main intention - it was a fantastic feeling. Now 3,500 followers later I feel like I've found my feet within the community that shines there. I honestly can't believe how nice people are, and yes you get the odd troll. But genuinely it's full of very lovely people who are encouraging, helpful and understanding. It's my happy place - it's contagious and I've made a couple of good friends amongst the thousands that share snippets of their lives with us. 

Slimming World for me was founded through a friend, I didn't understand how she was able to eat a whole 'SW friendly' black forest gateaux and still remain within her 'syn allowance' whatever the hell that was. I slowly began to research about it and with her help started following the extra easy plan. Except I wasn't really doing it properly. I wouldn't count the biscuits that I'd pinch out the cupboard (doesn't count if nobody's looking right?) well it does. I wasn't losing weight and kind of gave up with my efforts (albeit minimal). I carried on with it, half on plan and just enjoyed eating on and off healthily and learning more about the do's and dont's. It wasn't until January this year that I really decided to give it a proper go. By properly, I mean counting syns for those biscuits, weighing my cereal for my healthy extra B choice and eating on plan as much as I could. I bought my first pair of scales and 'officially' weighed myself in at 11stone 7lbs. 

So 6 months later and I've nearly lost half a stone. Yes it's taken me that long to lose that weight. Do I mind? - No. I go out, I eat off plan and enjoy myself and eat those chips like my life depends on it. But when I'm at home I do make good choices (most of the time) and stick to the plan because it does work. I've accepted that my journey is going to be snail paced, but I'm much healthier and if I can lose some weight in the process then that's fantastic. 

So this will be the start of my blog. I'll post at least once a week hopefully, a mixture of recipes, food diaries, weigh in's, general musings and more. 

Thanks for reading 

Heather