FIMOJ: Week 4

This is my 1 month anniversary for FIMOJ. Those of you who have followed this journey, you already know that I fit into my jeans. But I wanted to be able to feel great in my jeans rather than fit into them but only just. I have shed 4 kilos and my body feels much more tighter than before. I've been working out 4/5 times a week and I have been focusing on weights rather than cardio. My stomach is nearly flat again and my arms are solid and no longer have flab hanging off them.

I've been eating healthy BUT I have not deprived myself of eating my favourite foods such as chocolate (now and then). I made sure that if I privileged myself to such contiments I was able to work even harder to burn it off. I think if you can get a good balance between the foods you eat and exercise you'll be amazed at how you can really make a difference to your appearance AND you'll start feeling really good about yourself.

The added benefit of healthy eating and exercise would have to be the glow its added to my skin, since exercise increases circulation and gets the blood pumping.

I want to lose a further 4 kilos then I think I won't be aiming to FIMOJ but aiming to keep fit. Since a woman's bone density only increases till the age of 25- from then its only downhill. So I want to make sure my body is fit and I can maintain myself like that for the years to come!

Garden Salad with a Crepe'

Open Sandwich with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes

My treat- hazelnut and chocolate cake! mmmm

Keep smiling :)

Ps: I will be holding a giveaway very soon! Keep checking :)

FIMOJ: Day 10

Day 10 and I think I am going well. Still keeping up with a strict diet- no chocolate or chips! It's been hard, ive been tempted so many times to just pick up a packet in the shopping isles but luckily with the support of my good friend I was able to resist the temptation to buy such products.

I've posted some pics of the 'healthy' snacks I have been eating if I get a craving for chocolate. The first one are "chic NUTS' which are basically roasted chickpeas (you can get some flavoured ones or stick with lightly salted).

The second is walnuts! This is definitely something anyone should be eating, whether you are dieting or not. It is very high in omega-3, which helps in the growth of hair and nails. I have definitely noticed my hair is much thicker and grows healthier and shinier. I only have at most a cup of walnuts a day- do not over do it.

Water is a must- you should be drinking 2Ls of water a day to keep hydrated. You can notice when your skin is lacking water, because it will become dull. Another sign of dehydration is under your eyes, one of the key ways to remove under eye circles is drinking alot of water!So get to it!

Keep smiling :)

FIMOJ: Day 9

A quick update as to where I am with my FIMOJ. I was unable to gym for the past 3 days but I have kept a strict healthy diet. Hopefully I can get back to gym tomorrow but its been a busy few days with all the assignments and assessments.

I have definitely noticed a change in my energy levels after eating healthy for a week and a half now. I don't need as much sleep as I used to, which means I get more time to do things I enjoy. PLUS I already fit into my jeans :) which is a bonus! I was so happy but I still want to be able to 'properly' fit into them and not have to riggle/ jump up and down to get into them!

This was a very quick update on where I am, will post more recipes I have uncovered soon!

keep smiling :)

OOTD: Semi Formal

 I had a meeting I had to attend at the University but it wasn't as such a 'formal' evening, so I decided to wear my jeans (yes I was so happy I fit into them already!), a ruffle front top and a blazer with scrunched up sleeves. I love wearing ruffles especially if I am wearing a jumper or a jacket. I feel like it makes the outfit less 'boring' and a bit more done up. Sorry for the quality of the photo, still learning the setting on my camera!

The simple makeup look I did, using two elizabeth arden shadows; brown for lid, grey for outercorner, maybelline gel eyeliner, elizabeth arden mascara, stila concealer.I wanted to keep it very natural and simple.

Keep Smiling :)

FIMOJ: Day 5

Diet today:

• Breakfast
• Oats + Soy Milk
• Snack
• Some Roast Veggies
• Including: Sweet Potato, Carrot, Onion and Cherry Tomatoes
• Lunch
• Napolitana Homemade Pasta
• Snack
• Walnuts (good source of omega 3)
• Dinner
• Salad and Soy Sausages (TBC)

Exercise- Legs

So I have reached Day 5 of my FIMOJ and I have to say it's going well. I am seeing slight improvements now. Not only do I feel much healthier, my skin is the best it has been in months! Today especially I noticed that my face felt a bit more firmer. I think this is due to the extra circulation of blood because of me exercising regularly.

This was just a quick update, no pictures unfortunately but hopefully I can make some yummy 'healthy' recipes to show you!

Keep smiling :)

FIMOJ: Day 4

The vegetable roast I made for Lunch!

My Breakfast!

Replacement for Dairy

Sweet Potatoes! Yummm

My Lunch, Healthy Fried Rice

So today, I woke up at 6.30am had my breakfast which was oats and headed to the gym. I trained arms today (which was yesterdays training but I was so tired from University that I was unable to gym yesterday). I felt great after training, and was great starting my day like this.

I had a few errands to run today, and managed to find Soy Milk and Sweet Potatoes at the market. I no longer eat dairy, not because I want to lose weight but because I dont like the way the cows get treated when they have milk taken from them. I saw a footage, of cows cramped together, and they have tubes which take out all the milk, so much to the extent that it makes them bleed. Apparently, for every 1L of non organic milk, you're drinking a tablespoon of blood. I found these facts quite daunting and decided to make the switch.

For Lunch, I made a veggie bake with:

• sweet potato
• carrot
• onion
• cherry tomatoes
• garlic
• salt
• seasoning

I also had a plate of healthy fried rice which had veggies. I know you can tell I eat alot ( it wasnt all for me:) ) but I burn it off quite fast since Ive been working out.

Im going out for dinner, so hopefully its not very fatty/oily food. As you can see you dont need to be dieting excessively to get fit, you need to be eating regularly and make sure what you eat is not something which is high in fat/salt/sugar.

I feel great already, and may even fit into my jeans sooner than I think!

Keep smiling :)

FIMOJ: Fitting Into My Old Jeans

So summer is about to come to an end and I feel like ive gained weight. It's funny because normally during the summer people tend to lose weight to "look good". But because wearing dresses continuously, I didn't realise I was actually putting on some extra kilos. I went to try my fav pair of skinny legs this morning and had the sickening feeling in my stomach...i couldn't fit into them! Dont get me wrong, I am not someone who believes that being absolutely thin is great, I believe in being healthy and keeping fit. But not fitting into my size 10 (Australian sizing) jeans was a blow for me.

So i have devised a plan to FIMOJ- fit into my old jeans. This is Day 3 of my FIMOJ and I have to say its going great. Obviously there won't be noticeable changes until a few weeks.


Foods: I realised my diet consisted of alot of sugary food as well as snacks such as chips. I have cut back on these foods (but not eliminated). I think it is important to have a good balance, because what will happen otherwise, if you completely stop everything (ie carbs, sugars) you will become frustrated the actually resort to your old ways plus you may actually put on more weight then you had to begin with.

Exercise: I have gone back into a regular gymming routine. I do Yogas on Sundays, and I gym 5 times a week (no less!). You have to be strict with yourself and can't make excuses, especially "Im tired). I do weights to begin with so I can build muscle, to have a nice lean body then I will do cardio to get rid of the fat ive accumulated over this summer.

DAY 3

Breakfast- Oats with Honey

Snack- Roasted Chickpeas, lightly salted

Lunch- Indian Meal of rice,naan and curry (my treat for the day)

Snack- Fried Rice (not oily, with alot of vegetables)

Dinner- Salad and Soy Sausages

Snack- Oats with Honey

Exercise: Arms

Bicep Curls 12 sets x 6 reps

Tricep Machine

Dips



That's my day today, I will be updating my blog regularly to show my progress and hopefully I get to FIMOJ in 4 weeks!!

Keep Smiling :)