Birthday weekend and booty lifestyle 4 week Challenge

Hi everyone :) I hope that like me you had a fantastic weekend and are now feeling pumped and ready to start a brand new week! Since it was such a busy week last week at uni with tests and assignments, it was so nice just to have a celebratory weekend where I could just let loose with friends and have fun. I asked one of my good friends from Hobart to come up to Launceston for the weekend so that we could go out with some of my other friends for a birthday dinner on Saturday night. It didnt really feel like my birthday dinner as it was almost a week after my actual birthday but we still had a great time. 

On Saturday morning my boyfriend, my cousin and my friend from hobart all went to the christmas hills raspberry farm for brunch and it was delicious. I had full intentions of treating myself to something sweet like pancakes however when we arrived, I started craving something savoury so I ended up getting a fetta and leak tart with pumpkin salad and it was truly delicious. I also had a raspberry herbal tea and indulged in some chocolate coated raspberries for dessert. 

We then dropped my boyfriend back off at our place and us three girls headed into town to do some shopping. I as hoping to find something new to wear and eneded up getting a simple little jumpsuit which I planned to wear with some white heals. I then picked up two more friends and we all headed back to my place to have a few drinks and to socialise, before heading out for dinner. We arrived at the restaurant at about 7:45 where we met two more friends so there were 9 of us in total. I had never been to the restaurant we went to before but the food was incredible and it wasnt that expensive either. 

I had a dish called frenched chicken which was like a stuffed chicken that came served on a bed of sweet potato mash with steamed greens and a delicious sauce. It was one of the most delicious meals I have eaten for as long as I can rememeber and I scraped the plate clean. Luckily I still had just enough room for dessert so I had a banana split which came served with incredible caramel icecream as well as chocolate pieces and caramel popcorn. 

After dinner, we went out to a couple of bars where we danced and drank a little too, before heading home at about 1am. It was a great night and I had so much fun with all my closest friends! The following day I met two of the girls who had celebrated with me the night before and we went for a walk around the Cataract Gorge. It was really nice to get out in the fresh air and was a great way to end a wonderful weekend. I also spent some time doing a little study and preparing for the upcoming week at university.

Today I am starting a 4 week Herbalife Booty Lifestyle Wellness Challenge which I am quite excited about. Not only is the nutrition side of Herbalife incredible, but the community is amazing too. We all work together to motivate and inspire one another ti achieve our goals, no matter what they may be. For me, my goals are to continue improving my mindset, to nurture my body with the food, nutrition and exercise it deserves and to get stronger and gain muscle. 

I had to take some before pictures so that I can see the  physical progress I make over the next four weeks and when I compared them to the 'before picture' I took when I started my Herbalife program (almost 2 months ago) I was really surprised to see the transformation in my body. As well as gaining a kilogram I have become noticeaby stronger in my legs and arms and I am even starting to get a booty which I love! I am happy to post the progress pictures over the last two months if you like, just let me know!

I better leave this post here and go and get some study done. I have already been to the gym today so am feeling totally energetic and ready for the long day at uni I have ahea. I am also trying to take photos if everything I eat today so that I can do a photo food diary for the day xo stay tuned for that!:)

Best Birthday ever

I have had such a good birthday! I am feeling totally exhausted of course after my huge weekend, but I just wanted to let everyone know how my birthday went. My friend picked me up at about 11am yesterday morning and we had a lovely trip to the City. It took almost 2 hours however it didnt feel that long at all as we get along incredibely well so chatted constantly. As soon as we arrived in Hobart we headed straight to the honey badger cafe For lunch. I had the queen bee pancakes and they were so yummy! An old friend also met up with us for lunch who which was really nice.

After lunch we started looking for a dress for me to wear out. I was incredibely lucky as I found a gorgeous dress that I really loved in the first shop we went too. It was blue and white and not too expensive which was great. I also got a new pair of white heels which I really loved. We did a bit more shopping as well and I found some nice new clothes. When we finished shopping we grabbed a smoothie and headed to meet up with the other girl we were going out with that night.

We ended up being in a massive rush and had hardly any time to get ready but it didnt matter as everyone looked great anyway. We arrived at the restaurant where we had our dinner reservation and were seated at our tables. For tea I ordered baked kingfish with garlic gnocci in a neaopollatine sauce. We also ordered a bottle of sparkling pinot noir which was incredibely delicious. The wine was actually pale pink in colour and was infused with berry flavours. I havent really eaten out at nice restaurants before so I was amazed by how good the food was. It was possibly the nicest meal I habe ever had in my life.

After dinner we went straight to a night club where we had a few shots and did a bit of dancing. 
We stayed out drinking and dancing until about 2:00am when we headed back to where we were staying. Once we got there we just ate some snacks and chatted before going to bed. I was expecting to wake up feeling sick and hung over but luckily I didnt at all. Besides feeling a little tired, I felt great. We went out for brunch and I had a savoury chicken, pesto, capsicum and mushroom crepe which was delicious also. I have never really eaten that kind of food out before either so I really enjoyed it. We started the long drive back to Swansea at about 1pm were home again before we knew it.

When I got home I basically went straight up to my parents house so that I could visit my dad as it is fathers day today. I gave him his present which he was quite happy with and we sat and talked for a couple of hours, just the two of us which was really nice. I honestly believe that my dad is the most wonderful person in the world and I always love spending time with him so this was a great way to spent the afternoon. I didnt get home until quite late so I just cooked myself some tea and am now going to relax for the rest of the night. I will try and get a good nights sleep so that I am well rested for work in the morning after my huge weekend.

A lot can happen in a year..

Over the past year, everything has changed. I am proud to say that I have transformed my life and am now living and enjoying life. All I can say is that once you get to the other end of recovery, all the hard work and pain that is associated with recovery is DEFINITLY worth it.

I thought I would compare how I spent my last birthday to how I am going to spend this one, to show how far I have actuqlly come in the past 12 months.

5/9/2014
-I had just dropped out of uni and didn't have a job
-I had no Idea were my life was headed and was feeling miserable and depressed because of this
-Was living at home and fighting terribly with my mum
-Didnt have a single friend so stayed home all day alone
-family members came and visited but I wasnt very sociable
-didnt allow myself to eat anything nice, or special for my birthday
-was too frightened to eat any more then my usual calories and needed to know EXACTLY how many calories I ate
-my parents wouldnt have even suggested going out for a meal as I would have freaked out
-All I did was sit around  the house all day and go for my usual 10 kilometre walk around our farm
-my bmi was only 14 and I still hated my body


5/9/2015
-I work full time and do so healthily and happily
-I love my life and have finally realised what truly matters in life
-I am now living out on my own and have a great relationship with all my family members
-I have some great friends who I am going to celebrebrate with tonight
-had dinner with my wonderful  family last night and everyone had a fantastic time
-I have eaten and will continue to eat lots of delicious foods Whilst celebrating my birthday with minimal guilt and hardly any anorexic thoughts.
-have no idea how many calories I ate yesterday and how many I will eat today but I honestly dont care!
-had zero anxiety about going out for dinner last night and ordering exactly what I felt like. I am eating out for both lunch and tea again today and cant wait!
-I didnt go for a single walk yesterday and only plan to take Tess for a single walk today. I dont feel guilty for not exercising when life gets busy!
-My bmi is now 19 and I actually dont mind how I look. I am the happiest I have been with  my body in a very long time.

Feeling very lucky

After going out for tea tonight with my loved ones, I am feeling like a very lucky girl. There were only 10 of us there for tea, but I was so happy as all of the people there are such special people to me. My parents and sister were all there, as well as my gorgeous cousin who I am incredibly close too. Both of my grandmothers were there, as was my uncle and his partner and my god mother and her partner. The only people I really missed were my brothers as they both couldnt make it but I completeluy understood.

I have been completely spoilt rotten with beautiful cards, gifts and money From everyone. I am so glad that I got a chance to catch up with all my relatives and celebrate with them tonight. For tea I ate a huge And delicious meal. It was chicken schnitzel, chips and salad and I enjoyed it so much. Although I am ffeeling quite full now, I am not feeling guilty at all. I also had a really yummy cocktail that I really enjoyed also.

The photo frame Amy bought me <3

 The beautiful necklace My cousin bought me. :)

I am so excited about this weekend and I am also so glad that I have made these two wonderful friends who I can go out with. They have planned an amazing weekend for me and they will probably never realize just how special they have made this birthday for me. It isnt even actually my birthday yet but I have already enjoyed my birthday more then I have in many years.