Holiday is in sight....

I am having to post short and sweet blogs at the moment due to my damaged hand so here is a quick update before my travels:

I am finishing work today for 11 days :-D i have nothing major planned other than my annual trip to Guildford which starts today.  I'm going to visit my lovely cousin and we are going to Thorpe Park for the day tomorrow.  we have done it 3 times now and regardless of weather or temperature we have had an AMAZING time!!  We take a pack-a-mac for the wet rides (and rain!!) and just have an awesome time.  I'm very excited and hopefully as its forecasting rain it will be nice and quiet so we can go on the Saw ride 8 times in a row (just to get a good video!!)

Then when I get back i'm going to enjoy some time out, resting, going the cinema, sleeping and putting the final touches to dads party!!

I will be back to update after Guildford :-D

TTFN

Celebrity spotting and aches and pains!!

Well what a week!! It turns out I was insane after all... 2 days of insanity (one of which being the fit test!!) and I was done in... Everything ached!! My stomach hurt, my legs hurt (to the point I couldn't walk properly!), my arms hurt even my face hurt and I didn't even use that!! As I thought I was going to do myself an injury if I carried on I decided to take a break, which has lasted until today...Tuesday!! Not much of a success story and I hope to provide some better news next week but I'm not sure how likely that is!!

Anyway, other than that its been an amazing week!! I did an event at the NEC and met Henry Winkler AKA The Fonz!!! I have never been sooo excited and it was the first time I had the guts to talk to a celebrity - therefore crossing another item off my 30/30 list (30 things to do before I'm 30)

Followed this with a photo on a broomstick playing Quiddich in The Education Show (shall post the photo another time!!) and Movie night at Alison's made for an all in all good week!! We watched Gangster Squad which I would argue is really good, it had me gripped all the way through and the additionally eye candy of Ryan Gosling and Josh Brolin (carried of crush from the first time I saw The Goonies!!!)... Definitely worth a watch and if those two don't do it for you, Emma Stone is in it, need I say more!!

The weekend started off well, found the most amazing shoes for my Dad's party from Iron Fist they are beautiful and so different from what I would normally buy!! Thoughts?

Then it took a turn for the worst, went Go Karting for my Uncles birthday and got clattered into a wall and seriously injured my finger... It really hurt therefore I cried like a girl and made the man drive me off the track and into the pits!! Once there I shouted at him to get my helmet off (I was already feeling pretty claustrophobic in there anyway) which he did and dragged myself out of the car... Wandered aimlessly back into the crowd of family and friends and proceeded to sob again like a little girl!! My hand swelled up like the Nutty Professors and ended up like this:

Soooo, I spent Sunday in A&E getting my hand X-rayed and what not, no broken/fractured bones but damaged ligament in my knuckle which will take 4 weeks to heal!!! Therefore now my hand looks like this:

Which makes work quite difficult:

Insane??

Attempt 2 at completing Insanity. 

In case you don't know Insanity is a 60 day programme designed to tone and burn fat - I think I have mentioned it before in my blog but i have only ever made it to 30 days!!! So this time I am determined and with the help of my cousins (and our very secret weight loss facebook group) pushing me on I really hope to be able to do the full 60 days and get to the fitness level i was at when I did 30!!  Its soo tough to do but you feel great after a week and everything starts to tone up and you feel like you can acheive anything!!

Today I have done the fit test (which in itself is TOUGH!!) and here are my numbers before I have started any kind of training:

 

I will be tracking my measurements every week, but rather than post them on here I post inch losses (i'm not fully comfortable with my weight/measurements being public knowledge yet!!

However, in July when I (hopefully) reach my ideal weight and size I will post before and after pictures!

Tomorrow: Plyometric Cardio Circuits :-/

Mother's Day 2013

Well, this weekend was different.  It was Mother's day which is usually quite a sad day for me anyway but this year it fell on 10th March.  That being the day that I lost my mom 14 years ago.  I thought Sunday would be sad for me but on Friday I found out three young children had lost their mother to cancer, 2 days before Mother's day and my heart went out to them.  Honestly, I don't really remember the days afer my moms death, I think it was all a bit of a blur but I know Mother's day was only a few days after.  What i do remember was finding the Mother's day card that I had brought for her but never written, that was a sad moment.  So, I don't know how these lovely children or their dad would be feeling this weekend just gone but I made sure to have a special moment to think of them and what they are going through. 

One thing I do know is that I am very lucky to have the family and friends I do have in my life who are willing to drop everything to go on travels with me to distract me on days like Sunday.  This Mother's day we took my Nanny Doris to Stratford on the train - it has become apparent to me that entertaining a 91 year old is the same as entertaining and 3 year old.  She was very excited about the train and her day out so i was glad we went ahead even though it was freezing cold and snowing.  So me, my dad, my cousin and 2 aunts took Nanny on her travels and for lunch at the oldest pub in Stratford.  My good friend Lou and her husband Steve joined us for lunch and it was so lovely to see them and her ever growing bump - i am pleased to say that Bow (the bump) kicked/elbowed/shouldered me finally...I have been waiting a long time to feel that little monkey move!!

Highlights of Mothers day:

• My 91 year old Nan announcing she is pregnant, she thinks and William Shakespeare is the father!
• Food swapping, started by Nan refusing to leave food she doesn't want on her plate
• Giant cheesecake in Patisserie Valerie
• Sending my Aunt's into a mirror maze and waiting 2 minutes for them to freak out
• Louise, rather epicly, zipping her entire top into her coat zip:

I was also a very luck girl to receive a present from Lou and Steve which is a beautiful new addition to my Thomas Sabo bracelet which I recently started wearing again - it took me a while as alot of the memories i had of the bracelet/charms we're with friends that are no longer in my life.  However, I came to realise that just because they aren't in my life anymore doesn't mean the memories didn't happen - they just took longer to think of them in a happy way rather than a 'I don't have them anymore' way!

Food wise, I was pretty naughty over the weekend, but I think I had a valid excuse?! ok maybe there is no excuse but I had steak, chips, chocolate tart and lemon cheesecake - luckily I can't make it to weigh in this week due to a family birthday doh!!  Never mind, back on it next week to ensure a good few weeks loss before the surprise party!! I'm still struggling with body issues, especially next to my cousin, Steph who I have been doing Weight Watchers with.  She is doing really well and hasn't actually lost that much more than me, but it is MUCH more noticeable on her and I am extremely jealous!  Although, I am very proud of her for her weight loss and she has quit smoking for nearly 4 weeks so thats an amazing acheivement!!

Speaking of not doing so well, I went out with my oldest (by how long we have been friends not her age!!!) friend on Friday night, usually we will have Diet Coke and maybe a packet of crisps/nuts if we're feeling daring!!  But we decided we needed a drink, so 2 bottles of White Zinfandel later and we are laughing like hyenias at god knows what or who - cue 11.20 and I am in bed with a bowl of Alpen - not quite so hardcore anymore!! Plus the rotten hangover that kept me in bed until 2pm on Saturday didn't feel too clever either!!!

So that was my weekend, how was yours??

TTFN

Lazy blogger.....

Well, it's been waaay too long since I last posted.  I have just read the first post in my cousin Amy's new blog and it has motivated me to catch back up!!  So where have I been you ask.......Well!!

First off, my friends baby shower, I have been completely and utterly engrossed in the organisation of it - to the point where I may have been borderline obsessed!  However, it seems all the effort and stressing paid off because the shower was a complete success, no hiccups, no disasters and most of all Lou loved it.  She did however introduce me to everyone as 'the shouty one with scary eyes' which was only a little bit accurate!  These are the amazing cupcakes we had on the day.  I am hoping for some more photos from the day but we are waiting for the professional photographer to say they are ready.  Unfortunately, (for me not for weight watchers) I didn't get one :( never mind maybe next time!

I can't wait to post the rest of the photos :-)

Operation Skinny - became operation miserable!!  I went to weigh in on 27th Feb after being really good all week and I had stayed the same.  I was so disheartened I pretty much gave up last week.  I was 1lb off a stone and I stayed the same grrrrr!  So last week I didn't track my points, didn't even think about points. I ate exactly what I wanted (still mostly avoided junk food mind!) and I went to weigh in this Wednesday only to find I had lost 1.5lb WTF!!! This makes no sense to me whatsoever....Either way I was pleased as I have finally lost a stone and i'm noticing the difference everyday :-) It looks like not having that cupcake was worthwhile.

I've caught up on some films recently, John Carter which is ok nothing to write home (or a blog) about but it was entertaining to watch even with the poor acting and bad CGI.  I watched Battleship and The Darkest Hour which again were both entertaining but I wouldn't shout about them from the rooftops - It seems I have taken a liking to action films with limited substance.  So to even it out I went to the cinema to see Safe Haven, as a die hard Nicholas Sparks fan I usually love his movie adaptation but this one was a little flat, it was missing something and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.  The book in this case was definitely better the film just moved a bit too slow and didn't put across the emotions the way the book did.  I reminded myself that I do love Nicholas Sparks films by watching The Lucky One again, which after The Notebook is one of my favourites.  I also watched Like Crazy as it was recommended by IMDB if you liked The Perks of being a Wallflower which I loved.  Like Crazy was good but a bit depressing, it reminded me of Blue Valentine, you want to watch to the end to find out what happens but when you do you are disappointed, you want the big fluffy happy ending (even if you said you didn't!) - Anywho that is two weeks worth of films there would have been more but I have had an essay to write.....

.....Open University the worst and best part of my life, exhausting, draining, tiring but will be worth every moment when I graduate later this year.  I have just started a new course based on Innovation and Sustainability.  It is really out of my comfort zone as all my previous courses have been business related and this is a complete 180 but I am enjoying learning something new.  However, I have found the essays a lot harder as I haven't got 4 years of business courses to back up my arguments, its all very new.  But I like a challenge and that is what this is, my last challenge before I graduate.

Well that's me for today, hopefully I won't leave it as long next time.....

TTFN

Operation Skinny - Week 7

Sooooo, losing weight it seems is not as hard as I once thought.  It seems over the last 7 weeks since I started weight watchers, I have significantly changed the way I think about food.  I no longer crave McDonalds, KFC or Burger King, nor do I feel the need to eat for the sake of it.  For example, if someone offers me a cake at work, this used to be an excuse to eat a cake...not anymore.  If i'm not hungry I politely decline and now I have found that even if I am a bit peckish (which is rare as I keep myself full on fruit and veg) I will still choose not to have it.  However, the difference in it this time is I don't feel as though I am missing out on anything.  I think going to 7 weeks without much of certain foods such as coke, chocolate, fast food and full fat coke has curbed my 'addiction' to them.  It's a huge success for me because I have always found dieting to be a chore and a hassle, now my lifestyle is changing and I happen to be losing weight because of it.

This week is the first week I have actually felt like I have lost.  I feel different, my clothes feel loose, my skin and hair are healthier and I feel smaller.  I'm getting my good curves back, my waist is back!  I still have a belly on me but it is definitely shrinking and it will only keep doing so.

My ultimate target is 20th July, my friends wedding.  I want to look and feel fabulous and the only way I was going to do that was to lose weight.  However, I have found myself setting mini targets, for example, my Dad's surprise birthday party in April, I have 5 weeks until then and I want to be in a size 12 dress by then.  If I keep having weeks like this week then that is definitley possible and this week has just pushed and motivated me to keep it up and keep losing! This week I thought I had lost around 2lb which is a nice steady loss, I ate so well all week and because I didn't have any birthdays or drinking events I didn't use any of my weekly points.  I was surprised at weigh in because I actually lost 3.5lb and I was so proud of myself :-)

So what have I been eating this week.  I have found a really easy dinner that I am loving at the moment.  I fry 120g of chicken (4 ww points) with chopped onions, mushrooms, peppers or any other left over veg until its all cooked through and then mix in a teaspoon of basil pesto (1 ww point) and I serve it with my frozen roasted veg which are really easy to bung in the oven to roast for 20 minutes.  It's such a nice dinner and only 5 points overall :-)  I think this has really helped me this week as I usually use around 10-12 points for my dinner so this is a massive reduction and I think the reason why I haven't touched my weekly points.  I have been drinking more sugar free squash instead of tea and fizzy diet drinks which I also think is helping.  I am going to follow the same system this week and see if it has the same effects 2 weeks in a row.

Fingers crossed......

Jenna's guide to cinema etiquette

This is an odd post, I will grant you that but it is something I am VERY passionate about!!  I go to the cinema ALOT, I love it.  It's my happy place :-)  I have a card that I pay £15 a month for that allows me to go as many times as I want and I get 25% off food - this makes me very happy :-)

However, one thing that can really rile in me in the cinema is a lack of what I call 'cinema etiquette', rules that I think should be posted all over the cinema for everyones benefit but they aren't.  I consider the following to be the worst cases:

1.  The screen tells you before the film starts to turn off your phone and I understand that no one does this anymore, I don't even do this in case there is an emergency.  However, just because your phone is on does NOT constiute checking it every 30 seconds for a message or having and long text conversation throughout the film.  Does no one understand that the light from a phone is as annoying as a ring tone.  Plus why are you texting if you are supposed to be watching a film?  Surely you can't really be enjoying it if you are texting 'Hows u?' to joe bloggs throughout it!  The worst case of this I have seen was a teenage girl in the cinema watching The Impossible, what I consider to be one of the most poignant and emotional films I have seen and I thought it was gripping from beginning to end.  However, the young girl in front of me apparently thought different and at the *SPOILER ALERT* key scene where they children see their brother and dad and run towards them in such an emotionally charged scene I had to restrain the urge to cry out loud, she decided to check her Facebook account, you know to see what's going on in the world - my dear this film is whats going on in the world!!

2.  Kicking the seat in front, putting your feet up on the back of someone chair and tapping your foot on the floor making the whole row of seats shake!  Irritating at the best of times and worse when you highlight to said person that it is irritating or stare in their direction for a while but they just continue, why?  Do you have a nervous twitch?  if so I can let you off but most of the time it's rebellion or boredom in which case, piss off home and put your feet up on the back of a chair there or kick the back of your sofa, oh thats right you would feel no need to do that at home, so why at the cinema? why when there are 90 other people around trying to watch a film and not be rocked to sleep by your incessent twitching.  A young man in teh cinema while seein Les Mis reminded me how bad this can be, he clearly did not what to see the film but had been dragged along so he twtiched his leg for the first hour, finally i started glaring at him to let him know that it was irritating me.  To which he smiled at me and contiued through the entire 3 and a bit hour film.  He did it because he knew it was annoying me and it he had nothing better to do because he didn't want to watch the film, then don't go to the cinema and ruin the experience for everyone else!

3.  Popcorn diving!!  This drives me up the wall.  People who insist of digging and diving through their giant bag of popcorn to get the popcorn at the bottom of the bag...why?  why?  The popcorn at the top is the same as the popcorn at the bottom, it has all come from the same machine.  In fact if anythign the popcorn at the bottom is worse because the kernals that haven't popped are heavier therefore drop to the bottom - ready in waiting to break your teeth when you have run out of good popcorn!!  So WHY would you dig to the bottom to get that, is it just to make the noise?  Also when offering your friend some popcorn, you can gently tap them and lean tha bag towards them, common sense states that they will understand and take some if they want some or silently wave it awa if they dont.  Oh no there are the lovely people who persistantly shake the popcorn at their friends 'do you want some' shake it again, and again.  They silently wve the popcorn away suggesting their don't want any but no 'persistant man' must insist that you have some - therefore continute to shake it in their face for the remainder of the movie...that little gem ruined Life of Pi for me!!

4.  Talking!!!!! I have put this last because it is my biggest issue with cinema goers!!  Why go to the cinema and talk through the film, go to the pub if you want to talk - you are in the wrong place!!  Worse still people who talk through the trailers and when you ask them to be quiet they say 'why the films not on yet!' i don't know about anyone else but I go to the cinema not just to see the film but for the whole experience, that my friend, includes the trailers - which I might add are my favourite part of the whole experience! I want to know what i'm coming to see next, I do not want to know what so and so said about so and so on Facebook and how this effects the people sitting behind/in front/near me in the cinema! Nor do I to hear whether you have figured out what film that actor was in before this or if that is in fact the monkey from friends in The Hangover Part 2 - what I want to do is watch the film in the quiet and then maybe go for a drink afterwards and discuss the parts you didn't get or who that actor was...I do NOT want to hear this throughout the film - whether you're my friend or not!!  In fact if you are my friend it's worse because at this point I am embarrased to be sitting with you and also trying to tell you to shut up without talking myself and being the person I hate.  It's a tough call but I have established the best plan, I no longer go to the cinema with any of my friends who are guilty of disasterous cinema etiquette, therefore avoid the awkward situation entirely.

The reason I was prompted to share this little rant of mine was this:  As a premium member of my cinema club with my dad we get advanced screenings of certain films before they come out on general release.  Therefore everyone in that screening are also card holders, so I foolishly thought, these people are all regular cinema goers and will be the creme de la creme of cinema etiquette.  Oh how wrong I was, in fact this group of people were the worst I have ever come across collectively in one screening - everything I have mentioned above was present as well as chomping, fools who came late so had to sit apart so had to shout various requests 'pass the popcorn' 'do you have the water' across the 2 rows and 6 chairs and late arrivals!!

Well, thats my rant done for today :-) Maybe i'll do more of these ranty blogs they seem to get written much quicker, however my keyboard has taken a bit of a beating!