Slimming World | Month Two - February

I really do not know how to feel about this month's progress following the Slimming World plan. Granted that there has been progress, I've not put anything on, but lost 2.5lbs for the month. That's not in a week, but throughout the whole month. And I'm angry at myself. Let me tell you why:

1. I seem to go over my syns, daily. Not by loads and loads like I'm having a binge, but by 0.5syns here or 3 syns there. I try to tell myself that I should compensate and have X fewer syns tomorrow but that doesn't happen and I've been stuck in this rut for a good 3 weeks now. 
2. I'm so, so, so close to my Club10...1 measly pound. And that makes me complacent, and it shouldn't because I should be striving to exceed that loss and actually get the certificate in my hand. 
3. Same can be said about my 2st certificate, I'm 2lbs away from that. Grrr. 
4. I haven't been to group much this month. Not through choice let me tell you, because I think that this is the biggest contributor to my lacklustre 2.5lb loss this month. See, I work shifts, and they're all over the place. I'm currently coming to the end of 10 days straight at work without a day off. As I type this I'm waiting for work to begin at 10PM so I can run the restaurant overnight. I'll finish at 7AM tomorrow morning, and have to be back in my 6PM the same night in order to work through to 1AM the next morning. Working these hours meant that I physically could not get to a group some weeks, I'd be working throughout all of the available group timings and I don't drive yet so I couldn't look for one further afield. I think that this has been the biggest contributor to me not putting as much effort in as I could have done with my weight loss this month. Staying to group, and most importantly my little group on a Tuesday, means the world to me and is so vital to me doing well. This is something that I've realised as February draws to a close. I can only hope that the schedule is kinder to me in March! 

These points are not my excuses this month, they're my wake up call. They're things I've realised that have contributed to my 2.5lb month loss (which is still a loss at the end of the day, and I'm ecstatic that it's not a gain!) and things I will be attempting to change in order to have a good month in March. I have an even bigger incentive now as my Mama's very generously paid for me to join her on an all inclusive jaunt to St Lucia in the Caribbean in September. I will not be setting foot on the plane the shape and size I am now! 

Here's to a better, healthier and more focused March, I pray that I have only good things to report in four weeks time :) 

In the meantime, if you'd like to support me, and in turn I can support you, then please follow my Instagram (@louisekwilliams) and I will most likely follow you back. 

A Birthday Wishlist

As it stands, there are 13 days exactly until my birthday (March 12th), upon which I will be turning 23 - eek, how exciting! I have nothing planned this year except a day trip to London with my mama the day before, and possibly a meal out with J and his family.

As I'm on a spending ban (more on that on Thursday), and as Cinderella once said about a clock 'well they can't order me to stop dreaming', I've composed a birthday wish list of gifts I'd love to receive or to buy with any spending money I may receive. I'm not saying I would (think, spending ban!) but even though I've stopped myself buying frivolous things, I still can't help but live up to the Wildfox mantra of 'shopping is my cardio' and give my fingers a work out whilst Internet shopping...

1) I've been completely lusting after all things LV at the moment, I have no idea why, but I've got my heart set on purchasing a LV Speedy 30 in Monogram print. It's a bag with a price tag, £545 as is stands, which, when thought about, is actually rather a good price for a high end designer bag even though that's approximately what I earn every fortnight. I've watched many reviews on YouTube and have fallen in love - I'm such a bag lady, ha! I also fell in love with the little LV wallet you see above, it's named the 'Louise Wallet' which is so fitting...nothing is ever named Louise! That's £375 though which does make me want to cry, and is not something I'll fork out for, but I'll lust after it anyway!

2) I recently upgraded my phone to an iPhone 5c and although I'm at war with whether or not to put an actual phone case on it because the backing is already coloured, I adore these two Disney inspired phone cases from eBay. Cinderella is my favourite of all the Disney Princesses and I love how there's a scene from the film inside a Cinderella silhouette on the case above left. I couldn't help but love the case below right either, Mr Disney had it all spot on in my eyes :)

3) Radley is a brand I've loved since I was about 14. My dad once offered to buy me an iPhone back when they were first released all those moons ago but I declined and cheekily mentioned that I'd like a Radley handbag instead...and that is what I got! This handbag is the Templeton Tote in black and it looks like such a lovely work bag and that it can fit an iPad and the rest of life inside it. If (all fingers crossed and multiple prayers spoken) I get the job tomorrow that I've applied for I'll definitely be buying this for work. I also couldn't help but lust after the Hibbert wash bag (below left) in yellow either, so cute!

4) My final two things are this gorgeous swimming costume from Topshop and Chanel's CC cream. I found out yesterday that my Mama's booked a trip to the Caribbean, namely, St Lucia for us this coming September and I've already filled my head with packing lists and essentials I need to buy. Both of these would be perfect for lazy days by the pool, and then a bit of face coverage should I need it in the sun! Only 195 days to go...

Seen anything that takes your fancy?

Forward Planning

Cheating on Slimming World and crafting with my Filofax :)

Hi, remember me? I wouldn't either - but sometimes a break from the virtual world is all you need to find your feet on Planet Earth once again.

Let me tell you where I've been:

1) Mostly trying to maintain my Slimming World momentum. We're 18 days into February and at home it says I've hit a 2st loss...but I haven't managed to get to group so I cannot confirm that.

2) Why haven't I been to group? Because of work. Damn you McDonald's for being open 24 hours a day, 264.5 days of the year. Damn you for making me work crazy shift patterns, making me work 10 or 12 days in a row before I can have a day off just because I booked off the weekend, and for making me sleepy all the time. Seriously, today's been my day off and I've not moved from the sofa except to go and purchase Creme Eggs. Which I ate, and now feel guilty for consuming due to my current battle with SW.

3) I've been apathetic about the internet of late, favouring books and endless list making. I've re-read Harry Potter 1-7, picked up a new library of literature to fall into and purchased a Filofax in which to plan my life.

But now I'm back and Confetti Letters will be benefitting from a fresh new wave of content over the coming weeks as I wave goodbye to 'feeling 22' and look forward to my birthday.

Thank-you for sticking with me.
And thank-you for embracing this rambling post.

<3

Laura Mercier Creme De Pistache Body Butter

Mmmm, how luxe does this body butter look and sound! Ever since I smelled Laura Mercier's Creme De Pistache Body Soufflé in John Lewis Exeter a while back I wanted it. I was captivated - how could something so nutty smell so amazing? I was sceptical about paying £40+ for some body cream though, however much I was lusting after it. Back in October time I made a cheeky Space NK order and saw a body butter of the same scent, for a significantly less, but still extravagant, £26.

The packaging is a sleek silver tube with a large screw top lid and pistachio green coloured label on the front. It's a weighty tube, 170g to be precise so this will definitely last me a while. A little does go a long way with this body butter though, the product itself is so thick but it spreads far, I managed to cover a whole arm with the tiniest amount. Surprisingly this body butter is super absorbent despite being so thick, it didn't take long for it to sink into my skin and leave the nicest nutty pistachio scent behind. Some may find the scent a little overbearing as it seemed to get stronger, and in fact as I type, about 5 hours after moisturising I can still smell it on my skin (definitely no perfume when moisturising with this body butter!).

This product is definitely one of the more luxurious skincare products that I own. In hindsight I might save it for after bath pampering of an evening rather than using it in the morning due to the strong scent, but it's still a delight to use none the less! It's also fabulously kind to your skin, as Space NK write, Laura Mercier Body Butters are 'packed with good-for-you ingredients including shea butter, illipe butter, grape seed oil and jojoba esters working to moisturize and hydrate the skin, while honey and aloe vera help to soothe', and in my opinion, definitely worth the money. 

Are you a Laura Mercier fan?
Whats you favourite body care scent?

Spending Ban Update #2 | We're Going Back To Florida!!

I can't believe another fortnight has gone by! This is my final payday in January and, unfortunately for me, this is the payday that all of the bills come out of. Luckily I've managed to accumulate some holiday pay from these past two weeks otherwise I'd be left with about £2 to see me through to the 13th of Feb!

My total spend of the last 14 days = £350.00 (£175 of it will be given back to me).

Why? I put down the £350 deposit and booked a holiday to Florida!! J and I will be going back in September 2015 for a fortnight of fun and frivolity down International Drive, stopping by 11 theme parks and hopefully making it to the mall this time! I literally cannot wait…only 83 weeks to go…!

That said I'm on a mega ban now! I'm actually enjoying not spending (sorry, what, who said that?). It's nice knowing that I've actually got money in the bank to pay all of the bills all at once without having to scrape by. Granted I've not managed to get any actual savings together yet but once I've sorted myself out and got out of the cycle that I'm currently in financially I am sure I'll manage to start putting back the £££ to turn into $$$.

Aside from the excitement of Florida, I've managed to pay off one of my store cards completely this pay period and that makes me so happy. I want nothing more than to have a zero balance on my credit card and Topshop card and I'm now one step closer to achieving that. I will be cutting up said store card and removing my account in due course. Hurrah!

Here's to the next fortnight, and here's a pic of my last trip to Orlando to get me motivated :)

"Feeling Triumphant" | Slimming World 2014, January

If you're a regular reader of Confetti Letters you may remember that in the early part of 2013 I joined Slimming World (SW) in a bid to shed the excess stones and pounds that had lumped themselves onto my body like little parasites. I think I touched upon how they got there: meeting J and dating in restaurants, getting (and swiftly removing) the contraceptive implant, beginning a 'temporary' job at McDonald's (4 years later I'm now part of the management team!) and then moving up to Durham for uni and piling on a lot more than the 'Freshman Fifteen'. Back at the start of my SW journey I was so motivated, I wanted that summer body, I wanted to look my best at my graduation, I wanted to feel good about myself being someone's girlfriend, and I certainly wanted to fit into the multitude of 'target' clothes I had amassed in my wardrobe. To put it bluntly I slacked off eating well and being motivated with SW towards the end of April 2013, and by May I had stopped going all together. I put more weight on, became more inwardly unhappy and bought more 'target' clothes to try and motivate myself - only to find I was getting upset because I couldn't fit into them.

I carried on eating the wrong things and the wrong amounts of food until January 1st 2014, and, just like so many years before now, my main New Year's resolution was to reincarnate myself as a brand new me: to grow my hair past boob length, and to shed my excess weight. I began with fierce determination and a surprisingly welcome amount of willpower and forced myself not be that person, you know, the one who gives up by day 10. And I'm proud to put finger to key now and say that I made it, and I'm 1st and 9lbs lighter (23lbs or 10.5kg) in 28 days. I simply cannot believe it.

Pulled pork with sweet potato wedges and coleslaw / Spaghetti bolognaise / Homemade pizza using a tortilla, peppers, cheese, chicken, ham and spinach / Roast dinner with sweet potato mash, broccoli cheese, stuffing, yorkies, chicken, carrots and cabbage / Chicken breast with roasted garlic, butternut squash, sweet potato, peppers and onions.

I don't want to sit here and tap out the ins and outs of how SW works (because I truly do not know how(!) and you can research that for yourself) but all I can say is that I must be doing something right and if you're having any weight wobbles yourself and are looking for a bit of support please just go. It's been the best thing I've ever done. It's not a diet. I am never hungry (I can have unlimited amounts of fruit/veg/pasta/potatoes/meat and then 5-15 'syns' a day for naughty things like extra cheese/chocolate/crisps etc), nor do I ever go without. For example one day last week my food diary was thus:

Breakfast: 2 Weetabix with semi-skimmed milk, Muller Light Cherry, Apple, Pear
Snack: Banana, Cadbury's Highlight hot chocolate
Lunch: Penne pasta, one can of tuna in spring water, cheddar cheese
Dinner: Chicken & noodle stir fry with stir fry veg (one of the packets from Tesco)
Pudding: Creme Egg
(Total syns: 13.5)

What diet?!

I'm learning so much about food and my body, and it's actually really refreshing. I've eaten so many new vegetables I would never dare try before (butternut squash, carrots, spinach, kale, sweet potatoes, broccoli, chilli, peppers, cabbage, radish, courgette to name but a few) and made so many meals from scratch I'm starting to feel like a proper little chef. I've learned that eggs in omelette, scrambled or quiche form do not agree with me, that you don't need flour and lots of fat and sugar to make brownies, that I don't need to be scared of chilli and spicy foods, and loads more.

I've started talking to some members of the group too, sharing recipe ideas and celebrating each other's weight loss. I love going and getting rewarded with certificates and stickers when I hit a milestone (and haven't had to buy fruit for 2 weeks now due to winning Slimmer of the Week twice and receiving the fruit basket!). I've finished off the month by being awarded Slimmer of the Month for January which has been a real boost to me, it's nice to put in hard work and reap rewards. I have noticed my clothes are looser around my middle already, I've also had to ask for a smaller work skirt for my uniform, and a couple of bras that couldn't do up round the back now fit comfortably.

And what's made all this work? I am finally doing it for me. No-one else but me. And that was just the little push that I needed. Onwards and downwards...!

Are you a Slimming World member?
Was weight loss one of your resolutions this year?

If you're on Instagram please come and follow me. I post a lot of my meals on there: louisekwilliams.