Update with a photo II.

It has almost been 2 months, since I last posted a picture about my progress. Funny enough, my weight hasn't changed much since then ( I lost 18.4 kg since I started, it is only like 3 kilos since the last picture), but now you can really see, how muscles weigh more than fat, because the pictures speak for themselves. 

23rd of July on the right

30th of September

13th of November 

I wear size 16 jeans now, the jumper I am wearing on the last photo is a size Medium from H&M, and I just bought a dress, which was a size 12. This one surprised me, as I am pretty sure it is not sized properly, but now I can shop anywhere I want, as everyone has size 16. :)) 

I still have a long road to go, but I am halfway down, which makes me really happy and proud. Also yoga makes me happy and confident, so please everyone try it out, it is brilliant, really!

Namaste

As I mentioned in a previous post, I started practicing yoga. I always wanted to try it, and there is a really promising studio on our street, which eventually I am going to try out, I just wanted to make sure at home, that I like it, I enjoy it, and I can benefit from it. I know it sounds silly, because literally millions of people practice yoga and they swear by it, but that doesn't necessary mean, that it is for me. Anyway, I was on a hunt for a good yoga youtuber. I tried out quite a few, but I always had the same problem with them. Way too fast for me, difficult poses, weird explanations. I wanted something understandable, I wanted someone who can explain stuff easily, but they don't take themselves too seriously. I never take myself seriously, and I like quirky people. 

I am happy to say, that I found the perfect yoga youtuber. :) Some of you, who are into yoga might already know her, because she is quite popular, I think. Let me introduce you to Adriene. 

The first practice I did with her was her 20 minutes beginners yoga. and I actually enjoyed it so much, that I was very sad, that it ended. I felt great, she explained everything just the way I needed it. And I love her way of thinking about yoga, she keeps emphasizing, that yoga is different for everyone, and just because her, or someone you saw practicing yoga before looks like this or that during a pose, it doesn't necessary mean, that you have to look the exact same. Our bodies are different, some of us have long legs, some have short arms, we won't look the same doing a similar pose. Do what feels nice, while trying to do it the way it should be. If it makes sense. I love this, and this is what I do during my practice. I started noticing a difference now, in my balance, and I am a wee bit more flexible. 

I find yoga a very good counter workout for running. Running is still a kind of meditation for me, as I run alone and I just completely focus on myself, but practicing yoga is a different kind of awareness. I like how I connect with the ground, how I literally feel my organs starting to work and do what they should do. I did a couple of her videos already, and I am going to keep exploring her channel, because I enjoy all of her videos so much. Now that the weather is getting more and more rainy, I am glad that I still can do something with my body, when the conditions are not good for running. I don't mind the cold or the wind on a run, but when it is pouring down, I just can't go out for a run. But then I am happy, because there is still yoga to do!

I actually enjoy it so much, that even tho today was a lovely day, and I went for an hour long run, I still did one of her practices later in the evening, just because I wanted to do yoga as well. I love it, that she makes me want to come back and practice some more and more. This is how I imagine a great trainer. Go, check her out! She is amazing.

Update with a photo :)

It has been 2 months since I last posted a comparing picture about my progress, so I decided to update you guys on this. If you follow me on instagram you might have seen it already, but anyway. :) I don't have a picture from the day I started changing my diet, so I am using a selfie from last year, which was taken literally a year ago yesterday. 

This is the picture from the 23rd of July

And this is yesterday, 30th of September

-15.1 kg so far. I would like to lose 25 more, at least. So I am almost halfway through, which feels kinda nice. :) The past couple of weeks I started doing 2 runs a week (almost 8 kilometers each time!), and 1 yoga. At home just now, just started to get the hang of it. I will tell you guys later who I found on youtube who is finally not expecting a full beginner to do the craziest shit on the first try. :D The weather treats me, I can still run outside, and don't even need to have warm gear on, but I am going to need to look into more warmer running clothes for the winter, so if you have any recommendations where to look for them, I would be more than happy.

My diet is still the same, lots of fruits and veggies, trying to eat the whole wheat version of everything, and no sugar. I have the occasional wee cake or a slice of pizza, but everyone needs to treat themselves every once in a while, right? I still write in my food journal daily, so I can check what my body likes or dislikes, how my weight reacts to the food I ate the previous day. It is almost full now, so there is an other reason to go to Paperchase again, yay!

I will try to post more I promise, I just lost the inspiration to write, but that didn't mean I stopped doing what I started, as you see it in the pictures. :)

Why do I enjoy running?

Earlier, even this year, I honestly thought, that people who run are crazy. The only experience I had with running, were the high school PE lessons, when everyone had to run around the school like a mad man, and no one cared if you had asthma, or a sore knee, or you just hated running. So making the decision that I am going to start running was quite hard. And the first couple of times I went out were even harder. Dundee is a giant pile of hills, so you can rarely find a land for running, where you don't have to battle up the hill. This is I think the only reason, why I am still not able to run for a long period of time without walking, because every 10 minutes I reach a point, where I have to climb up again, and I am not strong enough yet to run up the hill. But I will get there.

Anyway, back to the topic. I think it took like 3-4 weeks, but after that I said to myself, ok, I like this. Not because of the feeling during running. I just started liking that like 3 weeks ago. My main motivator is the feeling I have after I finish. When I get home, sweating like a dog, trying to catch my breath, and then I look at my app, and see the kilometers I just ran, and I feel like wonder woman. And after my shower, when I drink my green tea, I have this healthy feeling, which I can't really explain, but I feel like my body is happy and is working as it should. 

And it is true what they say, that a lot of things will get easier and better, just because you work out. I feel generally happier, my mood is better than before. My skin is better, don't really have spots any more. It is great for digestion and the bowels as well. 

What I also like about running: the other runners. Everyone smiles at me. Such a great motivator, it is like a secret club, when you see the other, and you don't have to say a word, you just look at each other, and know what the other is thinking, and you just run away smiling.

This is might be a local thing, but it is not just the runners, who look and smile at you. I run next to a hospital, and a lot of the staff comes out to the park to have their lunch (and a cigarette, which I hate personally, but it is their choice). Everyone smiles, sometimes they even say hello, or well done. I remember, when my husband and I started running years ago back in Hungary, we always went late in the afternoon, night even, just to avoid as many people as we could, as it was quite common to hear "run fatty", or laughing when we passed. It is just a different environment here altogether, which I adore.

I know, that running is not for everyone, it can be quite hard on the joints, and some people just can't get breath during it, so I am not trying to force everyone into running. But if you are looking for a workout, running is free (well almost, you need proper shoes), and it might be something you will enjoy, so it does worth a try. :)

How to compliment someone who is losing weight

So since my weight loss became quite visible (-14 kilos so far), I get a lot of compliments, and it does feel good. But sometimes even if I don't show it, it surprises me what people say. I never say anything rude back, because they obviously are trying to be nice and compliment me, but if they just thought for a second, they would realise it is not really the nicest thing to say what they just did. Let me give you an example. This is what I heard the other day: 

Well done you, you have a shape now, look at your waist! 

Cheers, are you saying that 4 months ago I looked like a brick? Because it is not true at all, I always had a waist, I always had an hourglass figure, I am just getting smaller, but not any prettier. I know she was just trying to be nice, so I just sad a polite thank you, but honestly I felt a bit offended. 

If someone around you is losing weight, do compliment them, because it feels nice and it will boost their mood and determination. But make sure, you do NOT bash their previous body. Don't say oh, look, you are so gorgeous now! Look how pretty you became! 

Instead try to say: well done, you! You look healthy! You are losing weight, congrats, keep it up! Try to say something nice without implying, that they were ugly, fat and not pleasant to look at beforehand. There is the same person inside the different body. 

DIY Body scrub

When it comes to body scrubs, I always think twice before spending money. The reason is quite simple, I don't think an expensive scrub would do anything, that regular sugar can't. I do love to smell The Body Shop scrubs for example, I tried the raspberry one and it smelled divine, but I still think it is too expensive. 

Most of the time I am too lazy to DIY my own body products, but the body scrub is an exception. Here is how I make mine. 

Ingredients

1 cup of regular sugar 

3 tablespoons of coconut oil

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Method

There is no trick really, if you live in a cold climate like myself, melt your coconut oil before mixing it in to make it easier, but if it is melted already, you just mix everything together in a jar, and voilà, you have your own body scrub. Takes literally a minute. You can use brown sugar if you want to, but the thing we need here is the particles, and regular sugar is way cheaper than brown, so why waste money. 

I like this scrub, because sometimes store bought scrubs contain plastic exfoliating beads, and they don't dissolve in water, therefore they end up in the ocean, birds/fish eat it and they can die from it. Not nice. This only contains natural stuff, and makes your skin super soft. :)

A little trick I used on my wedding day: Shave first, then exfoliate with this body scrub, then shave again! This way you can cut the hairs closer to their roots, and the silky smooth feeling will lasts longer. 

The oils and the sugar can separate a bit, so make sure you stir it up with your fingers before using. :) 

The "Under 100 Club"

Speaking about weight is a dodgy thing. Most people gets offended when it is brought up. Even in medical situations, when I worked as a midwife trainee and asked women their weight, they felt attacked. But of course it was the most important to know, as if there was any emergency, you need to know the doses of the drugs for her. Anyway. 

I hated scales for a long period of time. They made me face the reality, and I didn't like it. I knew, it would show me a number that would have made me upset, so I just ignored it. Now since I started this lifestyle change, of course I own a scale, and use it regularly. Every time I step on it, I still have that feeling, that I need to get away from it, but it gets less and less intense every day.

Today was the first time, I had a genuine big smile on my face, looking at the screen of the scale. It said 99,5 kg. I can't tell you, when was the last time I was under a 100 kilos, but I am sure it was almost a decade ago. I felt so happy, I just can't even describe it. Gave me such a motivation boost, I just galloped to the kitchen to prepare my fruit bowl for lunch. I know it is still a lot (bare in mind, I am 1.75 meters tall), but I am under a 100! I reached an other milestone, and it just gave me a big boost to go harder and be more motivated.

Update about my running: I reached week 9 with my app, so I am finishing the training this week. Now I run for 30 minutes (still need a 50 meters walk in the middle - gonna write an other post about it, because it annoys me), and I reached 5 kilometres, going for almost 6 now. :) I am also thinking about starting yoga, there is a studio on our street, so it is quite convenient. It is so nice that I actually want to do these things, not just forcing myself into them. Change is really an amazing thing. 

Spinach in a smoothie?!

So when I got into smoothies I researched a lot about recipes, what can I put in it, etc. I heard from youtubers before, that they put greens in their smoothies, but never really crossed my mind to try it. But then I saw a bag of baby spinach in the shop the other day, and I felt like I need to make a smoothie with it. This is my first attempt, but won't be my last. :)

Ingredients

one handful of strawberries

one handful of pineapple pieces

one handful of spinach leaves 

fresh apple juice

The spinach leaves make the smoothie quite creamy and rich, I love it. You can hardly tell by the taste, that there is something "weird" in it, so it is definitely a way to put some green leaves into a picky child who wouldn't eat it otherwise. The colour of the smoothie is a wee bit greener, but nothing major, so this is a good trick. 

The other benefit of this smoothie is, that you get extra fibres, so it makes you full for a longer period of time. And of course you get the benefits of the spinach. :) I will definitely try more greens in my smoothies in the near future. 

Whole wheat apple pie

I live in the country of savoury pies, but to be honest, pies will always be sweet to me. I tried a lot of different fillings, but I always go back to the basics: apple. This is my recipe, it is made from whole wheat flour only, and just a wee drop of brown sugar, so it is perfect, if you want to bake something impressive, but still want to stick to your diet. 

Ingredients

Dough:

500 g whole wheat flour

250 g butter or baking margarine

pinch of salt

ice cold water

Filling:

1 kg of apples

2 tablespoons of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

3 tablespoons of oats

Method

Cut your butter/margarine up to small cubes. We need it cold and hard, so this way it is going to be easier to crumble it together with the flour. Mix the salt in with the flour, then add the butter cubes, and work them together, till you can only see crumbles of the butter. Then add the water, small amounts at a time. Try to be as quick as possible, so the butter won't melt from the heat of your palms. Once it is done, throw the dough in the fridge, while you are preparing your apples. 

Peal the apples, then cut them up. I like to leave them quite chunky, the more rustic the better the pie. :) Sprinkle them with the cinnamon and the brown sugar, and put them aside. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (Celsius). Make two balls from your pie dough. Roll one of them flat, measure it to your pie dish (I use this from IKEA). It has to be bigger than your dish, so your filling won't come out of it. Once it is big enough, roll the dough on your rolling pin, then put it in your pie dish. The dough breaks easily, but this way you have your best chances. :) Sprinkle your oats at the base of your pie, it will absorb all the yummy apple juice that comes out during baking. Then add your apples. For the top layer of dough you can just roll an other sheet of dough, and put it over the fruits. Just make sure you poke some holes in the dough with a fork, so the steam can come out. Or you can do what I did. It takes longer, but it is sooo pretty it worth the time. Just cut 1 cm thick strips from your dough, then start putting them on your pie, and weave them together. 

When you are finished, go around your pie and cut the excess dough off, then push the bottom and the top layer together with a fork. To make sure the outer edge of your pie won't burn, protect it with a strip of tinfoil like this. Now it is time for baking. Halfway through (when you can see the top getting a bit brown), take your tinfoil off. The pie should be in the oven for 25-30 minutes. 

After removing from the oven, let it cool down, because it can easily fall apart when you cut in it while still hot. Try to be patient, I know it smells like heaven. :) 

Let me know if you try this recipe out, I would love to see photos as well! 

You look great! What is your secret?

I changed my lifestyle 3 months ago now, so of course people started noticing the difference. I am going to be honest with you, it feels quite nice when people notice and compliment. What is funny, when they start asking about my secret. Everyone in the world wants magic. Not the Harry Potter type (of course I want that as well tho!), but the Jabberwocky type. Which will revolutionize the way we do business weighloss. (Let me know in the comments below if you understood the reference. Virtual high five.) Everything seems easier, when there is a secret ingredient you never heard of. That is why you never managed before, because you didn't try the thing. Wether if it is losing weight, or starting your own business, or moving to a different country, there has to be a secret. There has to be something, which makes it easier, and since you don't have that secret, it is not your fault that you never managed before. There has to be a pill, a prayer, a ritual or something. 

(source)

 Well I am sorry to say, there is no spoon secret. If you want to change, and you want your results to last, you just have to work for it. You just have to start eating right, start walking, running, cycling, and believing in yourself. There are some pills and powders and stuff that might work for a short period of time, and can make you feel that you still can eat a large pizza from Dominos and lose weight at the same time, but trust me, they are not good for you. Eating right and working out is good for you. And you will see it in the long run, that it was the right choice. When you eat right and don't make your system do crazy things, your body will transform at its own pace, and it is less likely that you end up with loose skin all over, and you won't look sick during the process. Sometimes, when people do silly things to lose weight (either taking pills or just starving themselves for a couple of weeks), you can see dark circles under their eyes, they don't look healthy at all. I don't feel or look sick. I am comfident even without make up. 

You know what? I might have a secret. My secret is me. And you have yours as well. You just have to find it. It is there, I am sure. Just look for it.

Cottage cheese and blueberry cookies

Anyone who ever tried to eat healthy will understand me: it is pretty hard to find something that helps with your sweet cravings, but it won't ruin your diet. Fruits usually do the trick for me, but I still need a cookie kind of thing for my cup of tea every now and then. So I was on a hunt for a healthy and tasty recipe. I don't really like paleo diet, but I have to admit you can steal some recipes from them, of course with modifications. :) So this is what I did. The source is a Hungarian paleo blogger, gonna link her blog anyway, I know I have Hungarian readers. :)

What I love about this recipe: it is a small portion, you won't end up with 2 dozens of cookies you feel like you have to eat, so you won't waste food. 

Ingredients

150 g cottage cheese (I use this, it is more like the Hungarian version, drier, perfect for baking)

1 egg

70 g oat flour 

1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice

brown sugar or a wee drop of honey

a handful of berries 

I don't know about here in the UK, but back in Hungary it was pretty expensive to buy any type of flour that is not the typical white one. But porridge oats are pretty cheap, and with my new blender I easily made flour from it in literally 10 seconds. So I was pretty happy about it. :) Back to the recipe: mix all ingredients except the berries well together, then add the berries, but try not to crush them. Preheat the oven for 180 Celsius (160 if it's an air circulation oven). 

Cover a baking tray with baking paper, then form little cookies from the dough. It is going to be pretty sticky. :) Bake for 15-20 minutes, check on them every once in a while, just to make sure they won't burn. 

They are a bit ugly, but trust me, they are delicious. Even Panda begged for it, when I was taking the pictures. (Yes, she begs for everything, but still, she is a cutiepie.)

My favourite breakfast smoothie

Last week we bought a pretty handy blender, but I mainly use it for smoothies. Haven't tried out the other 2 parts of it yet, but once I studied it inside out, I can update you guys about it, if you are interested. 

Anyway, so I always loved smoothies, and I honestly thought stick blenders are perfect for it. But as I wanted to add more ingredients, ice, etc, my blender just gave up. My friend bought this exact Kenwood set a couple of weeks ago, and raved about it, so I really wanted to try it out. Since I have it, I drink a smoothie at least once a day. Sometimes it is for breakfast, sometimes lunch, or just my mid afternoon snack. I love it. 

First I wanted to share my favourite breakfast smoothie recipe, tasty, filling, perfect way to start your day. 

Ingredients

1 ripe banana

3 tablespoons of porridge oats

150 ml of milk

hint of cinnamon

Usually I am not too keen on milk in my smoothies, I prefer making them with fresh juice, but for this breakfast smoothie it is pretty lovely. I use regular cow milk, but if you are on a special diet, or just want to try something else, you can make it with almond milk, coconut milk, whatever milk you would like. You can leave the cinnamon out, but personally I love it. :) 

I am planning on sharing my favourite smoothie recipes, and would love to hear your ideas of the perfect smoothie!

OMG I am running!

As I said earlier, I started running in June. This is something I always hated as a kid. I honestly think, that people need to thing this whole PE thing over again, because that was my most feared class ever. We were never judged individually, they expected me, the chubby, asthmatic girl to run as much as quick as the gazelle of the class. Never happened. So for most of my life running meant, that I can't breath, people are making fun of me, and I feel a weird taste of blood in my mouth (yay for my asthma). 

However growing up I realised, it was not the running I hated, but the fact that I was made to do it, and no one told me, that I should not just try and run as quickly as I can, but there is a way to get into running. This is why I love the Couch to 5K app I mentioned earlier, because it tells you when to run, when to walk, and I like the Laura, the voice of the app keeps you posted about how many minutes you have left and stuff. Great app, really. :) 

Anyway, back to the running. I was terrified of yesterday's run, for one reason. All it said in the description: begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then 20 minutes running, with no walking. At the beginning of each week I always check, what do they have for me for the following 3 runs, and reading this just really scared me. Thanks to this app I was able to run for 8 minutes before, but never in my life I have ran for 20 minutes. But I was positive. Freaking out, but positive. And you know what? I DID IT. I had to plan my route before going for the run, because here in Dundee everything is on a hill, and I am still not strong and good enough to be able to run up a hill for more then 1 minute. Or even less. So I planned my route in the park next to us, and just went for it. I kept telling myself you can do it, of course you can do it. They always say, that progress is more like a mental challenge than a physical, and I found it very true, as earlier I literally panicked myself into an "omg I can't breath" situation, where I had to stop and use my inhaler. Nothing was sore, my legs were fine, my lungs were fine, it was just my brain freaking out about the fact that I was running. So since then I always tell myself, that everything is ok, and I never experienced any pain or soreness. It is just my brain trying to sabotage me. Need to kick it's arse, that's all. 

So back to my 20 minutes. When I reached the end of the run, I almost started crying. If you told me 2 months ago, that I am going to run for 20 minutes without stopping and having no problems with it, I would have probably laughed at you and told you, you were an absolute idiot. But still here I am, writing this, and I cannot wait for my next run tomorrow. :) This is the first time I feel like I am actually a runner. Not just someone who is trying too hard and just tortures herself in the park, but I actually enjoy it, I look forward for the next one, and I started google-ing about races. Because I want to have this as a proper hobby. And I love the benefits, love to see the results, love the feeling when I get home, and I just throw my clothes on the floor and I jump in the shower and I am just so proud of myself. 

I will keep you guys posted, I hope I am going to stay this motivated. :)

Take pictures!!!

So my electric toothbrush's charger died today, and I didn't remember what model was it. What I remembered, that I took a picture of the box when I bought it (perks of instagraming everything, amirite?). So I started looking through my old pictures on dropbox. Of course I never found the one I was looking for, however I found an old selfie of mine, from the end of last September, the day we moved in to our flat. And my jaw just dropped. I quickly ran and took an other selfie, same mirror, just a different me. 

What a difference! And the strange thing is, I don't even remember being like this. I mean obviously I saw the picture when I took it, but it is just crazy how you can ignore problems you don't want to face. I am not starting to bash my old self, because it was still me, and I was happy and confident, but still it is just amazing to see the results of my hard work. Especially because I feel like I don't always see myself like this, and I need to be reminded, that what I am doing is working indeed. 

So this was a reminder, that taking pictures is very very important! And I am happy I took this selfie last September, because now I can see the results. And I will keep taking pictures like this every month, so I can be an outsider for a second and see, not just look. 

If you are trying to change yourself, do yourself a favour and take a picture now! And try to find one from the past. And then keep taking pictures. I can't even tell you how motivating this is. 

Review: Footner exfoliating socks

So it is summer, and even though the weather is not treating us here in Scotland, I like to get my sandals out. Just so I can still pretend it is warm. :) I always struggled with dry and hard skin on my feet, since I spend 98% of my working hours standing and walking. I never really liked foot graters, I have a filer, but I don't find it very effective. I was thinking about buying that School electric pedi thing, but first I wanted to try this sock out, as I liked the reviews. 

Now I am a lazy person when it comes to exfoliating feet. I don't like to balance over the bath so the dead skins don't fly everywhere. And it is hard work to exfoliate for minutes (says the runner, haha, but still). These socks promised results without scrubbing, so I gave it a go. The way it works is quite interesting, there is some kind of chemical in it, which will make your dead and dry skin peel off in 10 days. I find it quite pricey, it was £19.99 in Boots, but since I only read good things about it, I wanted to try it. 

It says, you have to wear the socks for 1 hour. It is basically a weird plastic slipper, filled with liquid, that you put on your feet for an hour. You should put on a pair of your own socks as well, to keep it in place, then they said it was perfectly fine to walk in them around the house. Now I didn't have the courage to do it, I didn't feel it safe, so I just sat for an hour watching Netflix. It was also advised to put some vaseline on top of your feet, so your skin will not peel there. After an hour I removed the socks and washed my feet with warm water as I was told. And then I waited for the wonder. 

I did the treatment on Thursday, and there was nothing weird for 3 days. I started to think that I just wasted 20 quid on nothing, and started getting annoyed, but then on Sunday, after a long day of shopping, when I arrived home I noticed that on my heels I had some huge blister-looking dry skin patches. So it begins I thought. And I was right. From that day I felt like a lizard. I read that some people found it disgusting, but to be honest it kinda amused me, that without any pain or discomfort my dry skin just fell off and I had babysoft skin underneath. It is Wednesday today, 13 days after the application,  and I just stopped shedding. :D The vaseline didn't work a 100%, the top of my foot still dried out a bit, but I just applied some cream and it was all jolly good. I had an area on my right heel with some really stubborn dry skin which sadly didn't go away, but my other foot and everything else is like brand new. 

Overall I am very happy with this purchase, it is a bit pricey, but I think it is great. They say the result will last for 3 months, now I am interested in that, I think it is quite a long period, but I'll see how it goes. I am still thinking about buying that electric pedi thingy, but I will wait a couple of weeks for sure. 

Even if you just want to do this treatment once a year before summer starts, it is a great way to refresh your skin on your feet. Just make sure you do it well in advance before any events, because your feet won't look pretty for almost a fortnight. You cannot wear sandals during the shedding period. Other than that, this is brilliant. :)

I want to lose weight! - Where to start

A lot of people say, that making the decision is the hardest part of the changing process. I don't really agree with it, I remember deciding several times, that I am going to change my lifestyle, but after a couple of weeks I always gave up. Making the decision is still there tho, when you finally start the changes. So here is my list, what helps you to stick with your decision, and get you started.

1. Buy a scale

Yes, weight is not everything, and your body still can transform without losing (or even gaining) any weight. But still, when you have quite a few pounds to lose, it is nice to track your progress. I never owned a scale before, just bought my first one at the age of 27. But hey, gotta start somewhere. I bought a digital one, which shows not just the kilograms but the decimals as well, because you won't really lose a whole kg a day. Also...

2. Weight yourself every day

This is an other thing, that fitness magazines tell you not to do. Because there can be oedema somewhere in your body, yada yada yada. But it helps me, because I can track the effects of my meals from the previous day. And you can discover things, like: if you don't sleep or drink enough, no matter how healthy you ate the previous day, your body won't be able to lose weight properly. I work 12 hour shifts, and when I am working 4 days in a row, I still eat healthy, I bring food in with me, but just because I am on my feet all day and can't drink enough (not to mention the 6 hours of sleep instead of the 9 I usually need), I just don't lose weight as I would expect it. The second I have my day off and have a proper sleep, I see the difference on the scale in the morning. Oh yes, of course, weight yourself the same time every day. I keep my scale in the bathroom, and every morning, right after getting up and running for a pee, I stand on it. Also, make sure you don't have heavy clothes on. I usually just have my underwear on, because your jammies can trick you and make you think you didn't lose any weight, but in fairness you are just wearing your big fluffy heavy Christmas onesie in the middle of June which weighs a ton (happened to a friend, not me of course). 

3. Buy a pretty journal

You can use one of your many unused notebooks if you want to, but it always motivates me, when I buy new stationary. 

I bought mine in Paperchase, and I love it. Every day I record my morning weight, and the meals I have. Even the smallest bites of anything. I also add whether I worked or not, and the workouts as well. I mark those days of the month as well, since your body works differently during your period. In my case I can just grab this journal and bring it to the doctor when I am having an appointment, so I can show her my progress. 

I know, that there are many apps, that you can use instead of writing, but I prefer having this little thing, it is prettier to look at, and I quite enjoy writing, so it works for me. :)

4. Get rid of all the non-healthy food

It is quite a logical saying: if you don't have bad food in your house, you won't eat bad food. Get rid of the chocolate stash, the sugary drinks, everything that you consider not good for your diet. You don't have to bin them, you can give them to a chocolate lover friend, or if you have a lots of ingredients, you can donate them. 

5. Set a reasonable (!) goal

If you have a long way ahead of you, don't start putting pictures up on your inspirational board of models and skinny minnies. Yes, you might end up there at the end of the road, but you should focus on something that is going to come sooner, not in 2 years. It is too far away, won't be motivational enough. Set a goal with your weight, for example: I want to be under 100 kilos by the end of June/winter/whatever. I want to buy size 16 trousers in August. I want to be able to run for 3 minutes straight in 5 weeks. Something you can reach, and you can celebrate soon. Celebrate every good day (not with cake!), if you did well. Pat your shoulders, and keep on doing it. Don't think it as like a long period of torture. You are getting better and better at it day by day, and if you are being consistent, you will reach your goals. All of them.

6. Use social media

Nowadays it is in our everyday life. Why not use it to find motivation? I mostly use instagram for this purpose, I don't like spamming on facebook, but I am happy to post pictures of my meals, and look at others for inspiration, motivation and ideas. Also, Pinterest! That is heaven for everything. honestly. 

7. Take a picture of yourself 

You don't have to show it to anyone, if you feel embarrassed. But weeks later you will think: oh, I wish I had one, so I can see the progress. It is going to feel amazing to see the results of your hard work. 

Two more important things you should keep in mind: Do not bash your bigger self. I hate when I see people posting pictures about themselves, saying: I am such a fat pig, disgusting. It is still you. You have feelings. Don't hurt yourself. Yes, you are healthier and fitter than you used to be, but you still should respect yourself. Also. You are not getting prettier and more beautiful. You are pretty and beautiful. You are just getting healthier. Keep this in mind. Very important.

Same me, new habits

I do apologize for the looong break. I did not really have the motivation to write posts, and I didn't want to start blabbering about random stupid things. :) But now I feel like I am motivated again, and I am going to try and post regularly.

The following part might seem like a bit TMI, but I always used to be like this, I don't mind speaking about topics others might find inappropriate. 2 months ago I was diagnosed with PCOS. For those who don't know what it is: my ovaries are basically not functioning properly, every time it is time for an ovulation, it won't happen, and they end up having dozens of cysts in them. This condition is not curable at the moment, but one can try and make it better. The happy news is, that I don't have insulin resistance, which commonly walks hand in hand with the cysts. The main thing is, that I needed to change a lot in my life. We would like to start a family in the next 2 years, and the most important thing is for that is to have functioning ovaries of course. 

So after a couple of very emotional days I came out of my puddle of depression and tears, and decided to take action and be positive about it. I always procrastinated healthy eating and working out. At first I always said, oh I am getting into shape when I am preparing for my wedding, but I felt good in my skin anyway, and didn't want to make extreme changes for the big day. I think my problem was, that my weight never really stopped me from doing anything I wanted, so I was just relaxed and fine, there was no motivation for the big change. Now I know, that if I want to have kids in the future, I HAVE TO change. This was a kick up my ass, and got me motivated. I have a pretty good reason to change. So here it goes. 

I started eating healthy about 2 months ago. And by healthy I do not mean that I became a health freak idiot, who hates all processed food and everyone who goes in to McDonald's every month or so. I do think, that if you want to change your whole way of living, you cannot just exclude everything that is considered bad. I am a hedonist, I like my food, and I am not going to give up chocolate, or the occasional pudding. So what I do, I just think twice before eating. I eat a bit of a chocolate once a month or so, if I feel like I need it. I am not going to say no to ice cream, I am just having one scoop, not 3. I am eating hamburgers, but I try and make it bunless, or choose the healthiest option. I do go to Burger King once or twice a month, but I order a salad or the veggie wrap. I add salad as a side next to everything. I always reach for my small plates, so every meal my plate looks full, tricking my mind I have a full big meal, but I have half of the portion I used to eat earlier. Pizza is fine, 2 slices, with a massive amount of salad. Yada yada yada, I could go on for ages, but hopefully you get what I mean. 

Oh and also, I started running 2 weeks ago. I did home exercises before, but I never really liked jumping up and down like an idiot in front of the telly, and the dog always tried to hump me while I was on the ground. :D I tried running years ago, before our wedding, but I just jumped at it, without thinking, an of course it was a failure. Now I started running with the NHS app Couch to 5K, which tells you when to run and walk, so you slowly, week by week run a bit more, and walk a bit less, reaching your goal without pushing too hard. I can say that I started enjoying running, tho it is still not my favourite, but I prefer it over the home jumping. 

So yes, this is happening now, and I am going to try and post regularly, about my progress, recipes maybe, motivation and stuff. Tell me if there is a topic you want me to write more about, and I'll try my best to deliver. :)

Butterbeer cupcake

I always thought, that cupcakes are prettier than tasty, but I guess this was because I only encountered not too good ones in the past. :) I never made cupcakes before this one, but I have the confidence when it comes to cooking or baking, so I was not worried about making them for a party without trying them out first. I am happy to say, that it was a success, and I am going to try and make some more in the future. 

I had to change a couple of ingredients from the original recipe, as it is from an American blog, and we don't have the same things here in Scotland, but it turned out fantastic anyway, so I am going to share my version with you.

Ingredients

Cupcake:

2 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 cup of soft butter

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 cup of brown sugar

3 large eggs

1,5 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1/2 cup of buttermilk

1/2 cup of cream soda

Filling:

1/2 cup of butterscotch sauce

1 cup of extra thick cream

Icing:

1/2 cup of soft butter

1/3 cup of the filling you made

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

pinch of salt

450 g icing sugar (or the amount you need to reach the desired consistency)

Preheat the oven to 170 °C. Combine the flour, the baking powder and salt. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla flavouring, the buttermilk, and the cream soda. If you can't buy buttermilk, mix regular milk with a teaspoon of lemon juice, and tadaa! :) Add dry ingredients, mix well. Bake for 15-17 minutes, check with a knife to see whether they are ready. This cupcake "dough" was enough for 20 cupcakes.

For the filling, just mix the butterscotch sauce with the cream. Wait for the cupcakes to cool down, then insert the filling to the centres of each cupcake with a cupcake filler (or a big syringe). Don't worry if it comes out a bit. :) 

For the icing, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add the filling you saved earlier, the vanilla extract, and the salt. Beat in icing sugar, one cup at a time, until desired consistency. 

After I decorated my cupcakes with the icing, I used the remaining butterscotch sauce on top. to make it more prettier and tastier. :) Also, it is easier to eat, if you use silicone cupcake/muffin cases. Once the cupcakes cooled down, I removed them from the silicone ones, then used paper cases to make them pretty (and colour coordinated them for the four Hogwarts houses). This way it is easy to eat them, you won't waste half of the cupcake, because it won't be stuck on the paper. But they are still pretty and cupcake looking. 

I hope you will try the recipe out. It takes some time to make them, but it well worth the effort, and it is not hard at all, just time-consuming. 

Our Harry Potter Marathon Party

So as I mentioned in my previous post, I kinda have an obsession with Harry Potter. We also had a party 2 weeks ago, where we watched all the Harry Potter films, and had some fun. I thought (and you guys requested it as well) I am going to tell you about the party. :) 

I love hosting dinner parties, I love having friend over, cooking for them, and stuff. I had many gatherings like this before, but this party was my first themed one. Not the last though, loved all the preparations and brainstorming around it, so we will definitely have an other marathon/themed party in the future. Since there are 8 films, and all together they are almost 20 hours long, I figured it should be a whole weekend, and we broke it into 2 parts, first 4 films on Saturday, the other 4 on Sunday. Finding a weekend which was good for everyone was the hardest bit, since even though we are wand-waving toddlers inside, outside we tend to be adults, who work. After the date was set, we had time to brainstorm and have fun while doing the preparations. 

The first thing I was sure of: we need wands. I know you can buy wands on-line, and they sell it in the Harry Potter studios, but I really like to DIY, and there is nothing really cheaper than that. So I asked my old friend for advice (Pinterest), and she did not disappoint. 

Making the wands was fun and absolutely easy. If you want me to do a tutorial on them let me know, I still have all the ingredients needed, so I can make step-by-step pictures as well. It is quite straight forward though, all you need is chopsticks, a hot glue gun, some beads and paint. And your imagination of course. 

I like to cook and bake, so I also made some butterbeer (was not too keen on it thought, too sweet for my taste) and butterbeer cupcakes. Now these were ah-ma-zing, I will share the recipe with you for sure! This was my first try with cupcakes, they are a bit complicated, but not hard at all, and they tasted like heaven. I also made some cinnamon scones, and for a bit of savoury, I made witches hats from puff pastry, some garlicy tomato sauce and cheese. And we needed to have jelly beans of course. 

Since we like to go full out, we dressed Panda as Dobby. She didn't really mind her pillow case outfit. No socks though, she is still our elf. :)

Our friends brought some food as well, we had lovely jalapeño burgers for dinner, and when we got hungry later on, we went to the nearby 24 hour bakery for some goodies. :)

And of course, the most important, the films. I loved, that everyone had their wand with them for the entire weekend, and when Professor Flitwick was teaching the little guys Wingardium Leviosa, all of us did the movements. And we also sent Lumos up for Dumbledore at the end of the 6th film. I love my friends, it is so nice to be nerdy with them. :) I loved all the conversations throughout the films, about the mistakes (it was always better in the books!), the fun facts, and everything.

It was a really nice and fun weekend, and I literally felt depressed when it was over. We planned it so much, and it was so good to be together and watch all the films, that I never wanted it to be over. 

If you would like to have any of the recipes, or want me to do a tutorial on the wands, let me know! :) Also, if you have any suggestions for marathons like this, feel free to recommend!

My first tattoo

If you follow me on Instagram, you might already know, that I had my first tattoo done last Wednesday. Also you might noticed, that I have a slight obsession with Harry Potter (prepare for some Harry Potter related posts in the following days). Yep, these two are related, my tattoo is the sign of the Deathly Hallows. 

People always say, that you need to think a lot, before deciding on a tattoo, because it is going to stay there for the rest of your life. I agree with this, what I don't like is, when they say you should not get one done, because you are going to look stupid when you grow old. I am going to look stupid anyway, so who cares about the extra ink on my skin. Anyway, I was debating a lot about the placement of the tattoo. I really like them on the wrist and arm, but since I would like to work for NHS, I didn't want to make it unhideable. I decided on my back, even though I can't see it there, it is still a place which I can show without being totally inappropriate, and I can hide it with a uniform if I need to.

I got it done at the Rock 'N' Roll Studio in Dundee. I researched for quite a while, because I didn't want to end up at a crappy place. This stays on me forever, and wanted to make sure, that I am going to be in the best hands possible. I booked my appointment almost 3 weeks prior the session, and the place was really nice and welcoming, I didn't freak out even for a second. So yeah, I recommend it to everyone, they explained everything and answered all my stupid questions. :)

My artist was Piotr, and I am very glad I got him. I felt a bit weird when entering the studio, because I was freaking out a little, didn't know what to expect, but I felt silly at the same time, because I went in for a small tattoo, and the other two guys who were already there under the needle, had so much bigger things painted on them. The guy next to me was really nice, when we started he reached his hand out for me to hold onto it. :) I liked how welcoming even the clients were. 

It only took about 30 minutes, and I was really surprised, it didn't hurt at all. Ok I am lying now, it was a bit sore, but nothing major, kinda like a mosquito bite. It was louder than sore, really. 

2 minutes after it was done, still in the studio.

They explained everything about the aftercare, what should and shouldn't I do with it. I am not going into details about this, because every artist swears on different methods, and you are doing the best if you are listening to the one you got your tattoo with. But yeah, my baby is a week old now, and it was not red or sore or anything abnormal at all. I am applying the cream on it every couple of hours, and it is getting smooth now. Bit dry, but no scabs, no sore bits. I am really pleased with the result. 

1 day old. 

Sorry about the crappy pictures by the way, we had a busy weekend and didn't take pictures of it with our proper camera. 

And what they say is totally true, now that I have one I am hooked, already thinking about the next one, argh, it is addictive. :)

Do you have any tattoos? Are you thinking about getting one?

Collection Eyes Uncovered: Nude Palette

I wanted to buy a good everyday nude palette for a while now. I was always eyeing the Urban Decay Naked palette, especially since there are a lot of versions out, but I never really went to the UD counter and tried them. I just don't really want to spend a lot of money on a palette. Maybe later. :) Anyway, nude is really in now, so thank goodness everyone is trying to come out with a palette, so there are plenty of brands to choose from. 

This palette is not my first purchase from Collection, I love the lasting perfection concealer. They are totally affordable, and have good quality. This palette is a bargain for £3.99, and they have 3 versions: nude, nude grey, and nude bronze. I went for the plain nude, as it looked like suits my skin colour the most. 

The packaging is quite light, and small enough to fit in a make-up bag, if you are on the go. It is easy to open, thanks to the magnets, I hate when palettes are so hard to open they actually mess up your nails. This won't do it. :)

The colours are perfect for an everyday nude make-up, most of them are quite pale, they are brilliant for my skin tone, but if you are a bit darker, look for the other two options. All colours but the darkest have shimmer in them, but it is more like a sheen than a glitter, so it is not too much at all. They are quite creamy for a cheap palette, they don't make a mess under your eye area, and easy to blend.

I am very impressed with this palette, the darkest colour can even be used as a brow powder. I don't like to hoard, so I am not planning on buying the other 2 versions of the line, but I will definitely check them out the next time I am in Superdrug. Just to see the colours. :)

What is your favourite nude palette?

Fleur De Force: The Glam Guide - Review

I watch Fleur's Youtube channel for quite a while now. She is one of the few, who I am still subscribed to, since most of the gurus I watched previously had become annoying, dishonest, or just simply not fun to watch. I can relate to her in many ways, and even though she is very popular now, she still managed to stay the same girl she was, when she first started Youtube. 

Anyhow, I was very excited, when she announced her upcoming book last year. My sister is a blogger herself, who happened to write her first book in 2013, so I know exactly, how much work and excitement it is. 

I really loved, that Fleur asked her audience about the book, even considered minor changes, while it was still in progress. She vlogged throughout the writing, and listened to criticism. First, I wanted to pre-order the book, but then I realized, that I love going to book stores, so I decided to wait for the release, and buy and smell it myself. :)

The Glam Guide came out on the 12th of February, and I binged myself through it in 2 days. First, it is lovely to look at it. I like the colours, the font, the whole design of it. If you watch Fleur, you know, that it screams her name, which is always handy, when you happen to have a book. :) Second, I really like the structure. She discusses several topics, from make-up to recipes, workout tips, fashion ideas, and even some relationship and blogger/youtube tips. She starts from the beginning, explaining everything, but also keeps mentioning, that not everything is set in stone, you can do whatever you feel like doing. 

The book is basically a mix of her videos in print, I almost heard her voice, while I was reading it. As I mentioned, I watch her videos for years now, and it was really nice to notice, that almost all of the pictures were taken at their house, I recognized outfits from her previous haul videos, you can see her puppies, her husband on the pictures, everything mentioned or photographed is real, hers, not just some stock something. 

The drawings in the book are fantastic, I loved every page, and the watercolour accents are really cute too. 

What I think is important to say, that this book is not a bible, it won't really change your life, if you already are into fashion and make-up, but it definitely is a lovely read, and Fleur didn't really promise anything life-changing anyway. She just made her life and videos into a book, and it turned out to be fantastic. Congratulations to her. :) 

Have you read it? Are you planning on buying it?

The Body Shop: Aloe skincare products

I never really had a proper skincare routine, I always used the one moisturiser, that was on sale, or the face wash I read good things about. Every time I ran out of something, I tried a different one, which I liked at that point. 

I always wanted to try TBS products, but back in Hungary they were not really affordable, so I just wished for them. Since we live here I like to pop in to the store every once in a while. The membership card gives you waaay more discount here, and the offers are brilliant. 

My skin is quite interesting nowadays. It used to be quite normal, with the occasional spots and breakouts, but in the past couple of months it just went crazy. My skin was always sensitive, prone to eczema, so I reached for the aloe range, just to be sure. I use tee tree oil for spot treatment, and every once in a while the tea tree toner as well (only on my T-zone), but for every day use I prefer the soothing aloe. My routine not just includes these products, but the others are still changing here and there, so I decided to show the ones I use for a while now.

The Aloe Soothing Moisture Lotion SPF 15 was my first purchase from the range. I wanted to have a daily cream with spf in it, because I am quite pale, and I don't really want to have premature wrinkles just because of the sunlight. I know, I live in Scotland, so talking about the sun is kinda funny, but still, better to be safe than sorry. And I am not just worried about the wrinkles of course, cancer is even worse, so I like to protect my skin, when I am out and about. 

The texture of this cream is like a typical moisturiser, bit on the watery side. I like the tube, easy and hygienic. I am almost out of it, but will repurchase for sure. Lasted for a good 6 months, with every day use. Not bad. 

The Aloe Protective Serum is a bit of an extra pampering, I don't really think, that serum is a must have in skincare. I used to use it morning and night, but I just use it before bed now, under my night cream. I love the pump, works perfectly, usually 1 full pump is enough for my face. Some days when it is exceptionally windy I use more, because it moisturises really well, and my skin just absorbs it straight away. 

The Aloe Soothing Night Cream is a repurchase. It has a great creamy texture, not sticky, hydrates well. I use it after the serum every night, can't complain. The only thing, that I don't really like, is to stick my fingers in the cream, but I am too lazy to use a spoon just for it, so I do it anyway. :D Would prefer it in a different container, but hey, whatever. :)

The Aloe Eye Defence is my favourite of all the products mentioned. Same pump as the serum, really easy to get the right amount. I used to have little wrinkles around my eyes (too much smiling), but they are gone now. I still smile as much, so it must be this. :) No smell, just like the other aloe products, very gentle on the skin, doesn't sting at all. I use it only at night. Haven't noticed any difference on my circles, but I don't really have them anyway, I am lucky, even when I don't sleep well I am not suffering from dark circles. 

Overall I highly recommend these products, if you have sensitive skin, and looking for something that doesn't hurt your skin, give them a try. I am definitely keeping them in my routine. 

The Valentine's Day madness

This Saturday is Valentine's Day, and everyone is talking about it. Either they state it out loud, that they think it was stupid, or they love love love it. What I don't understand, when people are really hostile about it (mostly single women of course), saying that couples are stupid, and it should not be celebrated when they are all single and miserable. I have never seen someone with a dead mother cursing and swearing on Facebook, on the week of Mother's Day. I don't think it is any different from other Someone's Days anyway. Yes, you should love your mother all year long, yes, you should tell your partner more than once a year, that you care about them, but why hating, when there is designated date for it?

In my experience, it can be useful to be reminded to these little things. When you are in a relationship for years, decades, and the fact that your partner is on your side is default, you can forget, that you need to appreciate it. I doubt that those people who hate on Valentine's Day would throw a bouquet on their other half, when he/she arrives home with one. 

I don't say, that you need to buy a 32nd cheesy teddy bear holding a heart, but just a simple note, a card, some post-its on the door can do the trick. You don't even have to spend money if you don't want to/can't afford it. The thought that counts. 

I don't even say, that buying expensive gifts is crazy. It is, when you can't afford it, and still think you need to do it (even worse, when it is expected!), but if you want to show your love this way, go on, who is stopping you? Just make sure, it is personal. Don't buy perfume to someone who is allergic to most scents, don't buy flowers to the girl, who thinks fresh flowers are murder (yes, there are people like this). 

In my home country, Valentine's Day is all about the couples, but I love, that here in the UK it is more about general love. I don't mind celebrating only with my husband, but the thought, that I can say 'Happy Valentine's Day' to everyone I love is just even a better idea. I feel like nowadays people either throw I love you like it was confetti, or they don't say it enough. You just gotta mean it. This week I am going to try and let everyone I love know, that I love them, I care about them, and I am happy to have them in my life. 

What do you think about Valentine's Day? Do you celebrate it? 

Hello

Hello there, fellow internet user, nice to see you. 

I was thinking about starting - restarting? - a blog for a long time now. Restarting I say, because I used to write a blog for a couple of years back in the day. I was still in Hungary at the time, and a lot of things were different, so before graduating, and before the big move, I just decided to stop writing. 

I bet I am confusing now, should have started with introducing myself first. So hello, my name is Bogca, but most of the people call me Buttercup here. By here I mean Scotland, where I moved with my husband and my pet pug in July, 2014. We were born and raised in Hungary, but we decided to make a big change, so here we are now. On a short note, we both love it here, and even though my mother's tongue is Hungarian, I am going to blog in English, just for the challenge. Sorry, if I make any mistakes, or I am not entirely correct, feel free to educated me. I won't bite your head off. 

So yeah, about my previous blog. I blogged in Hungarian of course, and I think I am going to make this blog my old one's small sister. Same things, same topics, different language, a bit different style. I wrote some make-up posts, lifestyle, recipes, ramblings, so this is what I plan to do here as well. Just whatever I feel like I would like to share with you. We recently bought our first DSLR camera, so you might see some of our random trips in pictures. Oh yeah, because we also recently bought our first car ever, so after 6 months of not seeing anything about Scotland, we can finally have adventures and explore this beautiful country. 

Like I said, I ramble and talk a lot - hence the blog's name. Hopefully I make sense most of the times. :) I am married for almost 2 years now, been with my husband since 2004. I was quite young at the time, we started dating in high school. Long story, I might tell it later on. :) We adopted Panda, our pet pug in 2011, and moved with her to Scotland. She is our baby, our only child so far. 

Panda and myself

I am a qualified midwife, working in a nursing home at the moment, but my goal is to go back to midwifery this year. 

I think this will do for the first post, hopefully you don't have to wait for too long for the next one. 

You can also find me on:

Twitter (writing mostly in Hungarian though)

Tumblr

Instagram

Facebook