Loving life

A lot has happened since last time I posted but I can honestly say I am currently happy and healthy and making the most of my recovered life! Just before Christmas last year my boyfriend of two years and I broke up. It was so hard  losing Nathan as he  was my best friend and the person I honestly thought I would spend the rest of my life with however it became evident that we wanted different things in life and unfortunately he just wasn’t capable of loving me as much as I loved him. So I accepted the fact that we needed to part ways and although it was incredibly difficult at the time, I can now see that it was the best thing for me! I moved home to Swansea with my dad and sister which was good timing really as my parents had separated not long before so I basically stepped up and took on the mother  role for my little sister. I also got a job waitressing at the local pub and made a plan to continue my university course from home in Swansea when classes commenced in 2018.

Everybody was so frightened that I would get sick again when I broke up with my boyfriend but I was determined to prove everyone wrong and made sure I continued eating well whether I felt like it or not. It took me months to stop feeling really sad everyday as I missed Nathan so much but it honestly has got so much easier! I have made some amazing friends here in Swansea which made the main difference  and love being home with my dad and sister. I have even mended me and my mums broken relationship and  have myself a new guy friend that I spend a fair bit of time with and care for a lot which has also helped me to move on from Nathan! It seriously would have been so easy to just fall back into bad habits when I was miserable and missing Nathan but I never skipped a meal no matter how terrible I felt and simply didn’t let my anorexia take advantage of my vulnerability. I new I needed to stay healthy and strong so that I could go on to live the life I deserved one day.

I am currently really happy with the relationship I have with food and have even gained a few kilo since moving home which has been good for me (probably due to all the socializing I have been doing which typically involves drinking alcohol and eating out with friends at restaurants)! I have also become relaxed enough around food just to graze on things that are laying around the house without worrying about the calories they contain or how much I have eaten each day. I no longer go to a gym which is something I was doing a lot of before I moved back home to Swansea but I can honestly say I like my body more now then I did before I gained these last few kilos! I feel more womanly and confident in my own body and still manage to stay active between walking my dog around Swansea and also waitrssing which is surprisingly an incredibly active job! I have been managing to balance my home,work, social and uni lives pretty well. 

I did find myself feeling quite rundown and exhausted over the last couple of weeks and I was suffering from quite heavy nose bleeds and headaches. I went to the doctor and had some blood tests which revealed I had become iron deficient and anemic so I had an iron transfusion a couple of days ago and am already starting to feel better! From now on I just need to make more of an effort to eat more red meat and monitor my iron levels to make sure they don’t fall low again. As well as everything else I am already juggling I have just bought a horse and joined a netball team so I am about to be even busier if that is even possible, so I can’t afford to be feeling drained or unwell! I am hoping to wake up tomorrow feeling strong and positive as I have a bit of uni to catch up on during the day and then have to work tomorrow night. Anyway so better go to sleep now and I just want to remind everyone that no matter how hard recovery may seem, I promise it is worth it! 

Stay strong and keep fighting, 

Karly XX

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!:)

My weekend

After watching my little sister at her dancing lesson yesterday, I headed to my best friends place. I had never been to her place before or met any of her family so she showed me around their farm and itroduced me to her family which was great. We helped Jozzy's brother move some irrigation pipes and I also got covered in dust whilst riding on the back of the four wheeler motor bike so I needed to have a quick shower before I could get ready for the party.

I felt a bit nervous going to the party as I hadn't actually officially been invited. Only Jozzy and her brother had been invited but theyy were sure that the guy whose party it was wouldnt mind at all. I was really happy when I got there as the Guy could remember meeting me at another party and didn't mind that I was there at all.

After just drinking and chatting for a little while, we all had some tea. There was barbeque meat as well as lots of different salads which I enjoyed. We headed out by the fire when it got dark which was nice and warm and we just had fun for the rest of the night. We listened to music, danced and continued drinking until the early hours of the morning. I met lots of really nice people who I hope I get to see again one day and overall had a great time.

After getting almost no sleep, I woke up with a head ache and feeling really tired. I said goodbye to Jozzy and everybody else and began the long drive back home. I got subwway on the way home which was nice however I regretted ating it as it made me feel really sick. I struggled to keep my eyes open all the way home and was so happy when I finally did arrive. Aftergreeting Tess I went straight to bed and slept for almost 3 hourd. When I woke up I felt much better so got ready and took Tess for a nice long walk.

Since getting back from my walk I have just rested and made myself some tea. I had chicken nuggets with BBq sauce with mashed potato and pumpkin and boiled vegetables. I read a few chapters of 'The Rousabout' which is the book I am currently reading and just plan to relax and watch tv for the rest of the night. Luckily I left my house in a clean state on Saturday morning so there isn't too much for me to do tonight. I really only need to have a shower and anything else that needs to be done can wait until tomorrow.

I hope that everyone has had a great weekend :)

Another eventful weekend

My little sister came and stayed with me last night which was fun and this morning I have to take her to her dance lesson in Orford, before I head to my friends house. We are going to a party together tonight which should be fun so I am headig to her ouse before hand. I have never met My friends family before or been to her house so I am quite looking forward to meeting them all. If they are anything like Jocelyn, they will all be lovely people!

Jocelyns house is in the middle of no where so Ireally hope I am able to find it ok. She has given me pretty detailed directions on her place although I am a little worried as there will be no phone reception so if I get lost, I will not be able to call her and get anymore help. Luckily I got my sence of direction from my dad though (as my mum is hopeless at following directions of finding new places) so I am sure Iwill get there eventually!

It is currently 5:20am and I feel as though I have so muuch to do before I take Amy to her dance lesson at 9:30. I was really hungry so ate breakfast as soon as I woke up. I had a bowl of cheerios as well as 2 slices of toast topped with a mashed banana. If you haven't ever tried mashed banana on toast, I highly reccommnd you try it as it is deicious. Make sure the banana iss quite ripe though as otherwise it wont mash up very well and it wont be as sweet.

I still have to get dressed and ready, pack my bag, walk Tess, get my sister Amy ready, hopefully schedule some posts and also just try and clean my house up a little so that it isn't in too much of a mess when I get home on Sunday night.

What I need to take with me:

• Swag
• Hair straightener
• clothes
• makeup
• deoderant
• medication
• purse/money
• My drivers licence for ID (to buy alcohol as no one ever believes I am 18)
• phone and charger

This is the third weekend in a row that I am going out drinking wih friends but I guess that is just normal when you are young and enjoying life (in Australia it is the norm anyway!) Although I would never drink alcohol on my own, I do enjoy going out and having a few drinks with friends but I am obviously still a bit weary of alcohol because my mum has been an alcoholic for as long as I can remember.

I hope that everyone has a fanntastic weekend... Enjoy! :)

Being with Friends

One of the worst things about my illness was that I grew apart from my old friends. When I was sick, I just didn't have the time or energy to socialise with anyone and I felt as though I was completely alone. I know that a art of the reason why I am so happy and enjoying life so much now that I am so much better is because I have made some truly wonderful friends and am able to socialise again. I have also started talking to a few of my old friends again and am incredibely grateful to have them back in my life.

Since becoming well again, I have grown incredibly close to my gorgeous cousin who I have always known, but have not always been great friends with. Jemma is without a doubt one of my best friends and I really o feel as though I would be completely lost without her. It really makes no difference at all that she is 5 years younger than me as I really couldn't be any closer to her than I already am. I hae always been really youndg at heart anyway and I really do feel as though I am still 16 anyway.

And then there is my other best friend, who I have only known for about two months. Jozzy is one of the most wonderful people I have ever met and I feel as though she is here for me no matter what. We actually met because she was seeing my brother for a little while and even though it is unfortunate that things didn't work out between her and my brother, I am still incredibly grateful as I wouldnt have gotten to know her so well otherwise. When we are together, we never run out of things to talk about. She sent me the following cute picture the other day;

Life is so much better now that  I have these wondderful people in my life and I know that I would not have been able to develop such strong friendships with these girls if I was still sick. Throughout my recovery I really have started living again and it feels as though these two wonderful friends as well as the other people I have deveoped good friendships with) are just another of the many positive things that have come out of me getting better.

 

Jemma sent this to me the other day which although a bit cheesy, sums up our friendship perfectly :)

My weekend plans

I am expecting my good friend Jozzy to arrive sometime over the next half an hour so I am really happy. I haven't seen Jozzy for over a month so I am really looking forward to spending the weekend with her. I am going to try my hardest to write atleast a couple of posts every day this weekend but if you notice that I dont write as much as usual, it is only because I am busy and dont want to seem unsociable by spending to much time writing posts.

Tomorrow we are going to go for a drive to bicheno which is a seaside town half an out away (also the town where my bank job is). We are going to go and help my brother in his butcher shop for a while as he has just opened up his own shop which is exciting. If it is warm we will probably also go for a swim and some nice walks. There are also some greay surf shops in Bicheno that we will be able look in which will be fun. We will most likely go out to the tavern tomorrow night for drinks and tea which should be nice too.

I hope every one has a fantastic weekend :) x

Awesome afternoon at the river

Today it was really hot so when my cousin Jemma finished school, I took her and another girl to the nearby swimming hole to go swimming. After being a sook and taking ages to actually get in the water, eventually I got right in and the water was beautiful. 

I felt good being in my bikinis and didnt care that I didnt look skinny. I just kept reminding myself that I am happy and healthy and that is all that matters. We all had a great time and agreed that we should do it again, really soon.

I went and had a BBQ tea with Jemma and her family tonight too which was really nice. I get along with Jemmas family all really well, even her brother so I love visiting them. Jemma is really more like a sister to me then a cousin so I kind of think of her family as mine too. 

Although I am not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow,  I am looking forward to tomorrow night as that is when my best friend Jozzy is arriving. I havent seen her for about a month so we have lots to catch up on.