Fat Girl Slim - My Before & After Images!

2007 - possibly the only pictures of me that I've got at almost my heaviest. Below are images from Summer this year.

I used to be fat. Like 6 stone (almost) heavier. Mostly due to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, but still, nobody cares WHY you’re fat; they just see the large person stood in front of them. I was never happy being larger, since I’d always been a size 10-12 in the past. I lost interest in myself, didn’t see the point of trying to find too many nice clothes, since I felt horrific in anything I put on, I avoided cameras like a professional (hence why I’ve found it so difficult to find images of me whilst so heavy), and looking back at images from events and nights out I’d been to/on, it was like I barely existed at all.

• At my heaviest, I weighed 16 stone 2, possibly a couple of lbs more, I stopped weighing myself you see. I think I must have been a size 20-22 and I was miserable. Thankfully I lost 2.5 stone when I went on my medication for the PCOS (basically the reason I got large), with the weight coming off slowly but surely with that. However, this year, the rest of the weight (3 stone) dropped off me, kick started by the heartbreak diet after my fiancé of almost a decade had an affair and left in March, but continued (I think) by my active weekends in clubs, dancing off the flab.I now weigh between 9 stone 4lbs and 9 stone 6lbs. My aim is to get to 9 stone with the final bit of toning up I need/want to do.

Heavy August last year.

Me this year in the last 2 images.

Anyway, I’ve been asked a few times by people to put up before and after images and I was in 2 minds about whether to do so or not because I felt so hideous about myself in the before images, but then thought ‘why not?’ because I’ve actually achieved something pretty decent, and should be proud of this. So, this is a huge amount of images, apologies for this – as I’ve basically used all my fat photographs, and tried to find as many images as possible to contrast with them for you and show you what I look like throughout this year.

Even dresses that I squeezed into when I was larger, but not at my largest, I've been able to wear (just about) now I'm slimmer and I can't believe the massive difference in just a few dress sizes, as you can see above.

I obviously wouldn't recommend the heartbreak diet, but this wasn't in my control and I fully believe it shocked my body into dropping weight quicker than it had been on my medication alone. As mentioned above, I still want, and need to tone up, because after an almost 6 stone weight loss there is lose skin and still a small layer of fat but this is something I will be working on from now, until I achieve my goal.

I didn't even realise the difference, until I had to convince friends that I did actually weigh so much more by showing them my before pictures. Madness.

I still see myself as the larger girl for the most part, and when I buy my sized clothing, I look at it when it arrives and think 'I'm never going to fit into that'... but then I do, and I honestly can never believe it. This was especially the case with the 'Letto' dress above, by Forever Unique at Chic Boutique, which I've just noticed has been reduced in the sale from £110 to a bargainous £55, and well worth every penny as the dress is gorgeous and I always receive tonnes of compliments when I wear it - full review on this coming soon.

Have you lost weight yourself? Have you ever experienced this 'fat girl mentality' after weight loss? Do you want to lose weight? Tell me your stories. x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

My Essential Pre-Holiday Beauty Preparation!

I love holidays; I love everything about them (minus the packing and remembering of important things like passports etc, the paying for the holiday, and mostly the coming home); but I definitely love the excitement of looking forward to it, starting the holiday early at the airport - and yes I do mean boozing at wherever they'll put up with us in the departure lounge, boarding the plane, arriving (love it when that heat hits you as you step off the plane), and then of course the holiday itself.

However, before I go on holiday, there are definitely beauty chores that need tending to so that my holiday is as chore free as possible. I mean who wants to be shaving daily, or doing nail polish etc. when there's fun to be had?! Not me, that’s for sure! That's why I'm letting you know about my absolute essentials when it comes to my own holiday beauty preparation.

Hair Appointments:

The first chore to be tackled was my hair, because, other than the roots needing to be done, I wanted my hair colour as fresh and as vibrant as possible for the whole holiday; and with the potential for excessive fading due to the sun and swimming pool action, this was even more important for me. I stuck with the same colour combination I've been having recently, as I felt that a change (not in overall colour, just the tips) could mean that the colour build up that I had achieved so far with the orange-y tips could all be undone, thus there would be even more risk of fading.

I recommend having your hair colour done a few days before you fly if you're going for something slightly new/different, that way you have time to make alterations, should it not be to your liking. Otherwise, get it done as close to your departure time as possible for longevity.

Manicures and Pedicures:

Before gel nail polish existed, I would just go for a bog standard manicure before my holiday, in the hope that my nails would look nice for as long as possible; but then end up having to re-do or top up my nails myself throughout the holiday, since normal polish is extremely prone to fading and chipping very quickly, more so when in a holiday environment.

Nowadays, we have gel polish... thank god, and it has been an absolute godsend because it absolutely 100% lasts for my entire holiday (well unless I'm going on an extended break of more than 3 weeks - I wish!) without chipping, or fading. I had gel polish on both my finger and toe nails, which lasted for the entire holiday, and then some. In fact, the only reason it had to come off was due to regrowth. Although I actually have a post coming up soon about how to extend your gel polish a little longer, if only down to regrowth starting to show. I got my nails done the day before I went on holiday, which worked well for me as they lasted perfectly.

For your reference, I had my nails done at Blink Brow Bar at Selfridges in Manchester; and the colours I believe I had were Artistic Colour Gloss in shades Sexy (the coral-y pink shade on all but 'feature' ring finger), Sultry (the orange shade on my feature finger) and Halo (the sparkly top coat on my thumb and ring fingers)!

Hair Removal:

Well I've already written an article on hair removal recently, so I won't go into it in too much detail as you can read that here! However, when I go on holiday, I absolutely need to feel like I am hair free for the entire time. I mean nobody wants to be in a bikini with hairs that have escaped, or grown back poking out, do they (ew)?!

So, I tend to schedule in a bikini (Hollywood) and thigh wax as standard and then epilate the rest of my body (underarms and lower legs) as I can just about take the epilation pain there but then I keep on top of the fuzz with the epilator, if and when I need to whilst over there - which is rare, but I take it with me anyway! Now that I am doing some at home laser hair removal, I'm hoping that this will be a redundant step for future holidays though.

I also make sure my eyebrows are freshly threaded, as nobody likes a messy brow. ;-)

This isn't an eyelash perm image, it's an old image from a very old Max Factor False Lash Effect post.

Eyelashes:

I think this is another holiday essential if you want your eyelashes to look great whilst by the pool/on the beach during the day, but don't want to be putting makeup on for whatever reason. I personally don't wear makeup at all throughout the day whilst on holiday, unless going to a day time event/club - so having my eyelashes 'done' just makes me feel better about that.

I was actually due to have my eyelashes either permed or extended at Blink Brow Bar on the day that I left the country. However due to a mishap beyond my control, I was unable to make it there that day. I will be having these done on another occasion, so expect a separate review post on this soon.

Others:

Lots of people have fake tan applied before they jet off on their jollies, but I find this to be a total waste of time, since as soon as you hit the pool, the chlorine actually strips the tan straight off. If you're planning on staying poolside, this may not be such an issue, but I definitely like taking dips to cool down, at the very least. I do take a few short sunbed sessions to prepare my skin for the sun before I go, not necessarily the healthiest option, but I do find it helps to prevent overcooking my skin the moment I get there.

Weight loss - I always try to diet and tone up before a holiday. The fact that people will be seeing me in not much more than 'glorified underwear' through the day is a large factor in this. Obviously this is a personal thing, you may not need to lose any (lucky thing) but if you do, timing with this will depend on how much you need or want to lose.

Exfoliation is a key treatment to do both before and throughout your holiday if you're planning on tanning. The more you exfoliate, the better your tan will be, and the longer it will last. Dead, dry skin is not a good look at any time though. I tend to use a nice body scrub AND a scrubby mitt or sponge to slough away any dead cells.

So there you have it, my holiday preparation essentials. I would normally have posted this earlier in the year, however I obviously still had a lot going on then with my personal life (and then technical issues), so it's a case of better late than never and this will hopefully help those of you jetting off for some winter sun. You lucky things.

What holiday preparation do you do?

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

My Bikini/Beach Body Challenge!

Possibly the only 'before' picture I can bear to show, from being in the garden the other week.

Going on holiday is always something to look forward to, especially if you're going abroad... getting out in the sun with your nearest and dearest and partying the nights away is absolute perfection for me. However, there is ALWAYS one bugbear that I dread (and I'm sure many of you do too), and that's getting my body out in full view in a bikini.

I have lost over 5 stone in weight, which is great but I still have about 1 stone or so still to go, and also with plenty of wobbly bits to tone up before I'd feel 'happy' being so bare, especially in front of a lot of friends this time (including male friends)... now I am single and not jetting off with my ex.

So, I have made it my mission to get my body bikini ready by the time I go away at the beginning of September, which gives me approximately 11 weeks to get in shape and ready for public viewing (god help me). I'm looking to slim down, tone up and generally get my body (and my face for that matter) looking the absolute best they can, including my skin tone/texture, hair removal and suchlike. :-)

I'd love to be able to go and have the fat sucked right out of my problem areas (tummy, bingo wings, inner thighs, back fat and hips - to list a few, ha), but my budget would not run to that unfortunately. :-(

So, unless I have a lottery win, I'll just have to do it the hard way with diet and exercise. That being said, I will be trialing products in the run up to the holiday that claim to help with weight loss, firming and toning and generally getting my body and skin in shape. So, expect lots of beach body posts once I am back, letting you know how well I did, and how well I felt specific products worked.

I'll also be finishing off with a recap detailing my results, including the highs, lows and what I felt worked the most, for me.

Are any of you off on your jollies? If so, what have you done/are you doing to prep for them? x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

The Scoop On... Kettlebells, A Fantastic Way To Burn Fat!

I first became aware of kettlebells about 5 years ago after seeing them on The Biggest Loser UK; I found them really intriguing and was amazed by their weight loss results that I saw on the show. I knew that I just had to buy one, and so began my love of kettlebells. They’re kind of like a cannon ball with a handle and are available in a variety of weights, they’re becoming more and more popular and it seems that they’re now even being used by many celebrities (J’Lo, Katherine Heigl, Kim Cattrall, Jennifer Aniston, and Penelope Cruz to name but a few).

You’d normally associate weight lifting with men and building bulk, but this is not the case with kettlebells. They are fantastic for women and fat burning, burning up to 1500 calories per hour and they sculpt the body brilliantly in the process. Normally you’d need to do separate cardio and toning exercises, but with these, you get both – and at the same time too. This is because your whole body has to move to swing the bell around and stabilise it, giving your core a fantastic workout, now if that’s not good news then I don’t know what is.

I’m not going to say that using kettlebells is an easy option; they’re not a miracle treatment that requires no effort. You still need to eat well and work hard with them, they’re heavy and it’s tiring – well it is exercise, isn’t it; but they are worth it. The results you can get when you put the effort in are nothing short of awe inspiring. Take my mate Jodie Prenger for instance, the results she achieved by incorporating kettlebells into her healthy eating and exercise regime were gobsmacking and if you don’t believe me then you should take a look at this before and after photo:

Kettlebells come in all different colours and designs; you can get fully cast iron ones, cast iron ones with a vinyl base, acrylic handle bells with a vinyl or neoprene base, ones made from rubber, kettlebells that can be filled and adjustable ones too. Personally I would go for one with an acrylic or chrome handle as I find them to have less friction, which means less chance of getting any blisters on your hands from the friction; but it’s a personal choice as to which one you think works best for you!

For a female beginner I would suggest something around the 4-8kg mark as a starting kettlebell weight, as you’re not looking to build up muscle (although this is possible if this is what you are aiming for, as a male or female by using a heavier weight) probably building up to about 12kg as you get fitter. To look at the price of kettlebells, they vary greatly depending on what kind you get and also what weight (which is why I won’t go into costs as it would take forever), but if you compare them to gym memberships or other cardio and toning equipment for the home then you can see that they’re actually quite good value. Below are a few places that I’ve found online that would be worth a look on your kettlebell search.

http://www.jordanfreeweights.com/

http://www.physicalcompany.co.uk/

https://www.otiumlifestyle.com/

http://www.kettlebells.co.uk/

http://www.johnlewis.com/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/

If you’re a member of a gym then they may have kettlebell classes there, and you should definitely enquire because it’s obviously safer to have somebody there as you start learning how to use the bells both safely and effectively. However if they don’t do classes, or you’re not a member of a gym then don’t let that put you off as there are some good instructional DVDs available to purchase online such as:

Kettlebells, The Iron Core Way (3 Volumes available by drop down menu) - https://www.otiumlifestyle.com/IronCore

Kettleworx (You get a light weight kettlebell 2.25kg approx included in the price here) - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kettleworx-Ultra-DVD-Free-Kettlbell/

The Kettlebell Goddess Workout - http://www.dragondoor.com/dv040.html or http://www.kettlebells.co.uk/kettlebell_dvds_for_women.html

Power Body Kettlebell Bootcamp - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Body-Kettlebell-Bootcamp

PLEASE do NOT be tempted by this DVD (10 Minute Solution - Ultimate Kettleball Fat Burner - Andrea Ambandos), it has nothing to do with kettlebells other than the cover of the DVD, they don’t even use a kettlebell in the workout on there; and quite frankly, some of the exercises that they do with their DUMBELL would be very dangerous to do with a kettlebell.

The other alternative would be to hire a personal kettlebell trainer – and they can teach you, help you, keep you motivated and generally kick your bottom if you’re lagging; but they are much more expensive so I wouldn’t suggest this as your only option as I know that not everybody has the funds spare to do this. If you are looking for one to one training then you won’t go far wrong booking somebody like Angie Dowds, if she can fit you in and if you are in or can get to London. She is the queen of kettlebells and her website and contact details are here: http://www.angiedowds.com/

EDIT - 23rd November 2011 - I never ever thought I would have to edit this post for this tragic reason. Unfortunately Angie Dowds is no longer with us - I'm sure you'll have all read it in the papers or online, so I won't go into those details. Such a huge loss to the world, but it was a pleasure and an honour to have known and trained with her in the past! RIP Angie. xx

I really need to get back to using mine as I stopped because I was poorly, so doing this post has inspired me to dig out my bell and start using it again – even just a little bit, to ease myself into it again. This is the only downside with doing kettlebells at home; motivating yourself, but this happens with a lot of ‘at home’ exercise equipment, and a lot of the time even gym memberships away from the home go unused, so don’t let it put you off if you’re considering giving it a go.

Please note, I have no affiliation to any of the websites mentioned above. I have an Amazon search box that you are free to use, but none of my links or recommendations to them are connected to this.