Slimming Saturday

So, now it's Monday the 23rd September! How did that happen? It was Monday 1st the last time I started writing. Well, I did what a lot of people do at some point in their lives and I gave up at the first hurdle. Well I'm only human. I got to work on that day and as it was a training day there were no kids in school (the best way for a school to be when you work there!) This meant that not only did we have lunch provided, which, unlike dinners when I was at school, are lush, but we also had cakes and scones on sale to raise money for a chosen charity. It would have been mean not to buy any wouldn't it?! Thing is, once you've been naughty and had one you may as well have another and so on and so on......!

Unfortunately this indulgence didn't just stop there; it was the same the next day and the next day and the next day.....etc etc. to be honest I went on a bit of a downer after the holiday. I missed the sunshine and that freedom a holiday brings from housework and the hum-drum of everyday life; that total relaxation and lack of the responsibilities you have at home. However, there comes a time when you have to "get back on the horse" so to speak or you'll end up with an ass as fat as the horse!

So, to the first meal of the day. It's important to have a breakfast even if you're not actually hungry in the morning as I'm often not. When you wake up you need something to fuel your body for the day. I used to be ravenous in the mornings but that's not always the case now. Even when I'm not hungry I eat something even if it's just a slice of toast of a piece of fruit. We always have some random cereal in the cupboard and breakfast on a healthy eating plan does not need to be anything special; no Rivita with a smidgin of goats cheese and 1 peach slice for me! Still having kids at home, even though 2 of them are young men, means an assortment of half-eaten boxes of cereal in the cupboard ranging from bran cereal and muesli to wheat biscuits and cornflakes to chocolate pillows and chocolate hoops. No food is forbidden as long as those high in fat and sugar are eaten in moderation and less frequently than less fatty and less sugary foods. Trying to get off to a good start today I have a medium sized bowl of muesli with semi-skimmed milk. I have always bought Alpen but there is a lovely, less expensive alternative at Aldi. I wouldn't recommend the "no added sugar" version though as it tastes like pencil shavings! Yuk! I also have 2 cups of coffee with semi-skimmed milk too. I always feel like I need coffee in the morning but although sometimes I have 2 or 3 cups during the day at work, the 2 in the morning is usually enough and it's very seldom that I drink coffee once home from work in the evenings. Not only would this affect my ability to sleep but it would also make me wake up during the night bursting for the loo. I drink ordinary coffee with caffeine but as I don't drink too much I don't worry about that. If you drink lots of coffee or tea then might be a good idea to try decaffeinated drinks. 

Once at work my day is always very busy which, I feel, helps me so much when trying not to snack or eat too much throughout the day. Some days are so busy I could easily miss lunch and only think about food when I sit down at my desk after the kids have all gone home. Again, however, I believe you should feed your body in order to fuel it; like a car, it can't run on empty! My Sunday dinner the day before had been roast chicken with vegetables, roast potatoes etc. with some of the chicken that was left over I made a medium sized chicken salad with a little dressing on the salad and a couple of boiled new potatoes. I also took in an orange in case I was still hungry after the salad. I didn't get chance to eat all of my salad at lunchtime so I put it on my desk and every time I sat down to do a job at my desk I picked at it until by about 3.30pm it was all finished. 

I finish work at 4.30pm (allegedly) though frequently I leave later than that due to the demands of the job. Sometimes it's 5pm when I leave and occasionally quite a bit later. As I have "nibbled" on my lunch until fairly late in the afternoon I am fortunately not "starving" when I get home but the kids are. That's not a problem though; make something that you can easily dish up and heat up on a plate later. However, I do like to sit with everybody and have dinner and fortunately by the time I have cooked tea I am hungry again. I made a lovely rich tomatoey spaghetti Bolognese (recipes to follow) and had a medium sized portion with a couple of small slices of garlic bread. I did buy the lower fat garlic bread as there is no taste difference. So I have been a little star today so far, but, this is the dangerous time of the day for me. In the evenings after tea is over and the kids have cleaned up the dishes and returned to their dark and dingy bedrooms, I want to sit down and relax but this is when I can get bored and when I'm bored I want to eat. The only way to combat that is to do something so I get up and get ready to take the dogs out for a walk for 40 minutes. Good exercise when you get pulled along by one of our 3 Huskies! Aren't I a good girl!

Sunderland university freshers fayre

Most universities every year hold a society/fresher fayre. Last year was my first ever one and I loved it so much I went again this year. 

The sports hall is huge and completely packed with people and stalls. I think that these fayre are so great for many reasons. 

1. Students get the chance to have a look at all the different societies and what they have to offer. I signed up for Dance, Cheerleading, gothic society and trampolining. And I'm excited to try out all the taster sessions. 

2. All local business' such as bars and takeaways all gather to hand out leaflets advertising all they have to offer. Not only does this mean you know where to go to enjoy a night but it means you also have the opportunity to check out all the local restaurants. This gives new students a feel for the area. 

3. Vouchers - being a student isn't easy and sometimes a night out is all you need but with a tight budget some find this a little difficult. Today I managed to get 2 free 8inch pizzas from Pizza Uno, wetherspoons money off vouchers and free entry into a lot of clubs. 

4. Finally freebies. At the fayre I managed to get a whole host of freebies like a free Nando's meal (after singing gangnam style extremely loud as a dare) cinema tickets, watches, popcorn and much more. I find these come in so handy. 

Here's my favourite picks from the freebies and vouchers I got. 

A free 8inch pizza, a domino pizza mug, stick on moustache, geek glasses, free Nando's meal, free shot of vodka and afree cinema  ticket. 

Tasha 

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Slimmer Saturday

Guys and girls I have a brand new segment coming your way. I was asked to help out a friend out with her healthy eating and exercise. (It helps her stick to the plan and it gives me a brand new segment.) 

 

So this is the lead up to next weeks piece. This is handwritten by my friend and hope this inspires you guys to eat healthier and exercise more often. 

On holiday at the moment in Lanzarote. I hadn't been taking care of myself before the holiday but have really let myself go this week, particularly with regards to alcohol. I have never been what people now would consider "fat" but my weight has peaked in the past at about 11st 4lbs; I suspect I am over that now after just 5 days of my holiday. All inclusive = eat loads, drink loads, swim a bit and generally slob-out. I am determined to change things when I get home. 

Every day of my life since at least my mid-teens I have thought about my weight, how I look, how fat I thought I was even when I was 5ft 4ins and weighed only 8st 7lbs. In my opinion this has mainly been brought about by the images of skinny, "beautiful" woman being thrown at us day after day in the media, making me and many other people I suspect, think that this is what we all should look like. 

At the age of 44 I have come to the conclusion that no normal person looks like these celebrities and we shouldn't beat ourselves up about it day after day! It is part of a celebrity's job to maintain an image of perfection and they probably spend a huge amount of time and effort making sure they look like they do, and many still need airbrushing to compliment all their hard work. But it is just that - an image. 

The average person, men and women with families and full time jobs and a home to run, do not have the time, or the means to follow the celebrity lifestyle. I now do not believe that we should aim to look or live the way society seems to think we should; like celebrities. 

However, I am not saying that we should not take care of our bodies and we should eat as much as we like, drink as much alcohol as we like and do very little or no physical activity whatsoever. After the last year of pretty much doing this I am not just back to being heavier than I really would like to be but I also feel like shit and I am determined to change this! It's not about being "slim" or "the right weight" but about feeling good and healthy and physically and mentally strong, fit and well. 

I hate the word "diet" with a vengeance. To me it conjures up pictures of a tiny, shrivelled up baked potato with a small dollop of tuna mixed with tasteless, "low-fat" mayonnaise and a side helping of "free" salad big enough and tasteless enough to make anyone run to the nearest MacDonald's. When I get home I will show that getting fitter, healthier and stronger is not a hard journey but should be a long one; it's not about throwing yourself into a stringent fitness regime or starving yourself day in and day out but it's about making lots of small changes which you can gradually build on, resulting in a slimmer, healthier and stronger you. You don't have to totally change what you eat, or eat things that take huge amounts of time to cook and prepare. Just eat simple things in smaller portions, increase your level of physical activity slowly but surely and try to stay away from the huge takeaways and processed foods which are probably the majority of people's downfall. Most things in moderation but nothing in excess! 

To demonstrate this I have agreed that after my return from Lanzarote I will be weighed and photographed in my current physical shape. I will keep a daily diary of what changes I make in my goal to feel fitter and healthier. I don't expect this to happen overnight but would like have a new me for New Year 2014 - that's approximately 6 months from now. I intend to lose around a stone in weight and also be more toned and fitter. I will also make other changes which will be intended to make myself feel better. I have never been one for having a "beauty regime" but should really spend at least a little time every day pampering myself and helping to keep myself looking in my early 40's rather than early 50's. 

Early menopause and resultant depression have helped to make me feel so much worse about myself in recent months. Because I feel bad and depressed I eat more and drink more and look and feel worse. It's a vicious circle that you can't seem to escape from. Eventually you either succeed in ridding yourself of the world and all your "worries" by doing something stupid, or you stand up and fight against it. The time has come for me to put up a fight!

So, how is this going to work? No crash diets, faddy eating regimes or even eating different foods from the rest of the family. Most of what I cook for the family is considered healthy, well balanced and nutritious food. It's when I can't be bothered to cook that I eat particularly unhealthily and recently this has become a far too regular occurrence. When I cook food I always try to cook in healthy ways, grilling or cooking meats in the oven, steaming vegetables and not adding tons of oil and other higher fat or sugary ingredients and drain any fat away that comes out of food as it cooks. 

 I will weigh myself tomorrow morning as I have already had 2 cups of coffee which will make a difference to my weight. I will eat healthily today though. I am starting off with big bowl of fruit. Now you might say to yourself "She said she wasn't going to eat 'diet food'!" We'll that's right - I'm not. Fruit is healthy, nutritious and can be very tasty. It can also be expensive for the more exotic, tastier fruits but buying fruit that is in season is more cost effective. This morning I am eating a huge bowl of fruit containing two types of melon, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries and pineapple.  I got this from the supermarket yesterday from the section of reduced food. Supermarkets reduce food that is going out of date and you can sometimes get a good bargain, but ensure you eat it the day you bought it or at least the next day. 

Tip - although fruit is considered to be good for you beware, some fruits can contain high levels of sugar and so contrary to popular belief you can't just munch on as much fruit as you like all day. 

Hope you enjoyed. 

Tasha

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We're all going on a summer holiday...

This year I wasn't able to go on holiday with my family as we decided to give it a miss. I was absolutely gutted to say the least who doesn't love a hot country and a new culture?

When my boyfriends family invited me to go with them I was so excited and happy. 1 week before hand we booked a late getaway to Lanzarote at the Corbeta hotel. On trip adviser it had mostly good reviews but some places completely slated every aspect of the hotel. I was a tiny bit worried about this but it was proven no need. 

We arrived at about 10 and were given some food and headed straight to the all inclusive bar. The place itself was beautiful and scenic it had 5 pools and many other things on site to do. The rooms were big enough for two and just lovely. 

23rd August.

Day one was pretty eventful. It was my birthday. The first away from my family so I was gutted about that but I did speak to them over FaceTime and had a good laugh confusing my dog as to where I was shouting him from. Anyway most of our party got drunk apart from two including myself. We were trying to do a three tiered shoulder carry in the water which was not going to plan. As can be imagined. By the night time only three of us were actually able to go out. Me and my friend Rachel decided we would have a go at the mini disco looking like crazy joining in with the kids. At the end of the disco I was sang happy birthday too and handed a certificate. Which was very embarrassing!! 

Opening my earings from my boyfriend. 

Attempting the three tier shoulder carry. 

24th August. 

We decided we would visit the local waterpark it cost us 20 euros each and there wasn't loads of slides but we still managed to have loads of fun. The night time we say together and had a drink in the bar there wasn't any entertainment on that night that was any good for us. 

25th August. 

During the day me and my boyfriend wandered for a little bit around the shops to but souvenirs for our loved ones. And I was surprised by the amount of over 18 content ready just to pick up off the counter to look at. Most of it was pretty funny but some of it was down right gross. Here are some funny photos of things we found. 

26th August 

So today we stayed by the pool side and me and my boyfriends mum Vicki played the cocktail game sadly I didn't win. On the night time us three girls secretly dressed up. Me as a belly dancer Rachel as a pirate. And Vicki as a hula girl. There was this amazing guy on the karoke and honest to god he was just fantastic. Sung killing me softly the way it's meant to be sung. I sung little mix wings and he proceeded to sing yeah yeah. Like a rapper the whole way through which was pretty awesome. 

27th August. 

This was a day just chilling by the pool and having a few drinks on the night time with a music quiz. We were one point off of winning gutting or what? 

28th August

Unfortunately missed my parents wedding anniversary but FaceTime every day made up for it 20 years go them. I got waaaay too drunk on the night time and the next day I felt awful. Went away before our journey back so that was fine by me. 

Hope you guys liked the pictures and the diary. 

Tasha 

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Posting soon

Hi everyone most of you may know that I'm on holiday and haven't been able to write. 

But as soon as I get back I intend to show you my holiday diary. In the hope to show you how amazing my time in the SUNNY Lanzarote is. Not only this but I have some fantastic new segments I intend to start. The first is a student diary of my ups and downs through university in my second year including cheap places to eat and good bargains to keep yourself feeling like a prince and not a pauper. These will start when I get back also as this will be the preparation to going back to university. I am also working on a super secret project that will be revealed when I get back to good old England. 

Tasha 

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A day at the beach

So the other day my boyfriend and I were talking our dogs out. Both are called domino weird I know. My Dom is a cocker spaniel and mad as muck and his Dom is very proud and a Siberian husky. They both are in love with the beach husky Dom loves the dunes and spaniel Dom loves for you to chuck his shark into the water. There isn't anything more i can really say other than we had so much fun and I'm sure the dogs did too. Here's a few picture from our adventure out. 

Last weeks faves

I've decided to create a few new segments so keep your eyes peeled on a Monday I'm gonna be giving a list of my favourite things from throughout the last week so here they are. 

Firstly I recently purchased another nail polish from Avon - Serene. On the page it looked fantastic and when I got it I was glad to learn that it looked even more fabulous in real life. The fact that the nail polish dries in sixty seconds flat is a bonus too. So if your wondering where or what to get for your next nail polish this is it. 

Avon - Serene £3

My next item I bought about 1 month ago from the fragrance shop. You simply take the perfume sprayer of your regular perfume and pump into the bottom of the  small bottle once it's full stick it in your handbag and you have a mini handy perfume for the night. At £6.99 I was a bit unsure but the prospect of a free bag as a gift swayed me and I made the purchase. Totally worth it. 

The fragrance shop - limited edition £6.99

At the beginning of last week I had seen the Herbel Essences bee strong advert a million times so decided to try some out unfortunately for me the place I tried was out of stock so I bought the ignite my colour rose and morrocan oil shampoo and conditioner. Now what will be will be and I have fallen in love with this set it leaves my hair feeling great, looking shiny and smelling fantastic! 

B and m - Herbal essences, ignite my colour £1.49 each

The final items are a dress and some wedges I bought for the purpose of my holiday. I think they look fantastic and the wedges I bought in the sale for an amazing ten pound. 

Primark - Dress £15

New look - Shoes £10

Tasha 

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Day seven - no makeup.

Less is ALWAYS more. 

Not the best photo of my ever but this is me with very little makeup. I am wearing the Estée Lauder foundation which is the same colour as my skin (review http://bewhoyouareinyourheart.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/estee-lauder-double-wear-foundation.html?m=1 ) 

I am wearing a lighter warm blush from MUA (Primrose). 

I recommend for those with littler eyes to put a neutral colour like brown on to draw attention to the eyes. I put eyeliner on still but only on the inside lid as you can look quite worn out otherwise and finally put a lengthing mascara with no dramatic effect. 

This isn't the longest of posts because its pretty simple and easy to do and understand. 

Tasha

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MUA fur effect nails!

Yesterday I went out into the main part of my town to get some false nails £26 pound later I had bought all sorts. 

Now after a recommendation that I try MUA powder I was in that area of SuperDrug when I spotted the new fur effects nails. At £3 I was a bit worried about whether it would 1. Look right and 2. Actually look fluffy. 

I got the Fluffy puff pink and the Boo Boo fluff blue. 

Fur effects nails- SuperDrug £3 each 

As instructed I shook the fluff into the lid and dipped it in. I found two problems with this. 

1. Not enough fluff was coming out and it was getting blocked in the shaker. 

2. Because of this it looked disgusting and patchy. 

Just as I was beginning to think that I'd wasted £6 I decided to remover the shaker and dip the nail into the pot itself which worked perfectly no patches and looked stunning. 

I love this product because the colours are fantastic, it seems that it will last a long time for a 3D type nail extra and it genuinely feels like a velvety fur. 

Another advantage when I'm wearing it on my own nails is I really don't want that fur in my mouth so I won't be biting them with it on allowing them to grow. 

Follow me on twitter - @tishtash4441994 on Instagram - tashiebashie444 and Facebook - Tasha Townsend

Tasha 

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Fave beauty trend - Day Six

Been a while since I've posted but here's my latest one. 

I've been thinking about this beauty trend for a while things like floral, pastels etc but I decided not to go with a trend as such but to go with a product that since I was a kid has just boomed. And that is nails. Now back when I was a wee one you could buy nail polish and stick on nails but they were all the same mundane colours that everyone else had seen over again, and the false nails hardly stayed on. 

But in recent years many new nail trends have began and I've been testing alot of them out. Granted my nails aren't the best but hey I'm working on it. Anyway my nail polish collection is pretty massive from all the birthdays and Christmas'.

Heres a look at it. 

Recently I've been trying to build up my Avon collection of nail polish because I find Avon polish to have a full range of colours and even types of nail polish. It also is great value for money ultra quick at drying (30seconds) and super quality. 

As you can see I'm a bit mad for the bright colours especially of late. 

So here are some of the best easy to do at home nail trends that have only recently became as we'll known as they are. 

Nail wraps

Who needs a manicurist when you can buy professionally looking nail wraps which are applied within minutes? These nail wraps although dont stay on as long as I'd like they are pretty and come in all sorts of styles and not only that but they are great to use on your toenails too. No hassle of stains to your quilt or clothes and you can buy them relatively cheap. 

Primark -£1 

Crackle nail polish

I absolutely love this product especially a dark crackle with a neon underlay it looks brilliant. Although what I will say is be careful on the brand and read reviews. I bought the Avon mosaic mica and it worked fantastic, but I have another two one works great but is very clumpy and messy to apply the other just doesn't crackle so recommend you read the reviews for the best buy.

Avon - mosaic mica £3

Magnetic nail polish 

These nail polishes I find very interesting and I really want to know the science behind how this actually works. With these you can create funky designs by holding the magnet over the slightly wet nail polish and Tada! Not only does it look fab but its an understated look that can be worn to work without your nails looking over the top. 

3D manicure balls

This trend has only been noticed by me recently and it seems everyone is raving about them I love the look try gie but find they are very bad at just falling of your nails. I've done a full review on this here. http://bewhoyouareinyourheart.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/academy-of-colour-3d-manicure.html?m=1

False nails 

Finally false nails I love the fact I can get longer looking nails and without the hassle of waiting for them to grow. Now more than ever they have better designs and last for much longer. However only caution the glues are really good so if they get anywhere it either takes forever to get of skin causing the skin to become hard and nasty or they permanently ruin clothing etc. 

Hope you've enjoyed this segment. Follow me on twitter tishtash4441994 or on Instagram tashiebashie444. 

Tasha

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Day five - me at my best

Like every girl who has ever dreamt of being a princess or hoped she would one day look half as beautiful as the Disney princess' my prom night was the prefect opportunity to feel like that. 

Now even though I didn't go with a prince I can hand on heart say I looked beautiful and I genuinely don't say that often. 

This is the best photo I can get o my dress and me and this was a free gift as part of my prom ticket. 

Alot of people go to prom in £800 dresses but I'm not someone who wants to pay that much money. So I headed to a few places and looked for a bargain. Near where I lived in Whitley bay there was a nice little bridal store doing a great deal on prom dresses. I first tried on a quilted red dress which being short I looked really chubby in. Then I trie on the dress I went to the prom with. I knew I wanted a big poofy princess dress and I knew I wanted it long. The fact that it was £100 just made my day. I bought some plain baby pink high heels that matched my dress from new look and of course a lush tiara. 

For my hair I curled it all bar the fringe and clipped it all back so that it was a bridal type look. I had my grandmas crystal necklace on because I wanted her to be a part of my night. 

I had smokey eyes and a plain lip gloss on and looking back I wasn't over done in the makeup department but I didn't care it was the happiest night id had and he prettiest I've looked even to this day. Hope you enjoyed. 

Tasha 

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Smokey eyes tutorial

So I've been absent for a few days due to a rush of busy bodiness but all is restored now. Here is my smokey eye tutorial. I am using the front cover makeup set that I got from Christmas don't worry if you don't have it just getting similar shades will do just fine. 

So firstly I added 'vanilla ice' to the base of my eye kid all the way up to the eyebrows and along to the corner of the eyes. 

I then added a black to half of my lid and made sure it was lighter the closer I got to the middle of the lid. 

I finished off by adding a silvery colour to the rest of the lid blending it in. 

Finally add eyeliner to the inside of the lid and to the outside of both the top and bottom lid. To make sure the mascara is in tune with the rest of the eyes add a drama effect mascara. 

Tomorrow I am going to carry on with my beauty challenge of me at my best and lucky you it's my prom look. 

Tasha

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