The results are in....

I have been really bad in letting you know the situation at the moment, sorry guys!
I had my blood test a couple of weeks ago- a complete drama as per usual, but got enough blood in the end- and found out I am not coeliac. However, I have worked out from the 6 weeks of gluten that I believe I have IBS, with certain foods setting it off. I have been experimenting with food a lot more to see what would upset me, and how it physically affects my body.
I am starting to get a better understanding of my body and what affects it.
It has been quite hard to get back in to the swing of things, with getting used to eating gluten free again, and being quite stressed out at the moment. Combined with Sarah and I's zumba class not being on over the summer, and now zumba not being on for two weeks (understandably, we all need a break) I have lost some of my motivation at the moment.
This morning though, I decided to treat myself to new workout trainers, and some new sports bras, ready for September.
I also went to see Katie again today. I stayed the same weight, which I was very pleased about, and booked another appointment a month from now; to give me a chance to get back into the swing of things again.
Time to get the motivation back and move on up! x

My first vintage outing

I know it has been a little while since I did any posts, but with holidays and feeling crap (having to eat gluten...blood test soon thank goodness!) I fell off the wheel a bit.

I did promise that I would show my ebay purchases in a previous blog post, and have been so excited to show you!

I have been waiting for a chance to show off the dress, and had one last weekend. I love vintage, as I find it gives me a great shape, so was determined to get a vintage style dress. I was lucky enough to buy some heated rollers on ebay for a good price as well, so win win situation!

I'm not normally a green person, but this colour was stunning!

I got so many compliments that evening, and got some about my weight loss as well, so was a very happy bunny.

I was lucky enough hairwise to have the help of youtube videos for vintage hair, and the lovely Laura for doing my hair- I honestly would have looked like a hot mess without her!

I still haven't quite worked out how to do the vintage makeup, but if anyone has some tips I would be eternally grateful. 

All in all I would recommend getting some purchases from fashion house (fashion house ebay link) and would recommend buying from ebay. So many plus size brands charge a lot for their products, so I'm always on the look out for a bargain. Ebay has its downfalls as we all know, but on the most part you get some brilliant stuff on there. I think as long as you are prepared to have a proper look on there the diamond in the rough is there.

Well happy shopping, and let me know if you find any good bargains yourself :D

The other side of weight loss

Loved my Bravissimo haul once again! 

I always love going to Bravissimo Brighton, because they make me feel comfortable in my own skin. With helpful and understanding staff, who are like your friends, giving their trusted opinion. I went there yesterday, as my bras have felt uncomfortable and not right. When I last went in I was a 36K. I thought I might have gone down a cup size, but got measured and I am now 36HH! A complete shock to me, as I wasn't expecting that much of a change. I was looking at myself in the mirror, and my boobs do look smaller in these bras as well. 

One the one hand, this has opened up so many fashion choices, as now I can fit into more bras, including the pinnacle which is the strapless bra. On the other hand it has been playing on my mind, because I am known purely for my boobs, and was proud to be big. Whilst this is still a larger cup size, I haven't been this small in years.  I have been feeling as if I am losing my femininity, which in turn makes me feel like I am losing my identity.

I suppose I have been living in blissful ignorance of the fact my cup size would lower. 

Whilst I am being told I am losing the pounds and the inches, I can't see the difference in my body so much, I suppose because I see myself every day.

It made me truly question whether I want to carry on. I rung Katie, and she said its my body and my decision to make. My body shape will stay the same, but on a smaller scale.

I think it goes to show that I didn't altogether hate my body when I started this journey. You always expect someone who is trying to lose weight to hate their bigger bodies, that there was nothing good about them.

I think there is another misconception, that suddenly you will be more confident and feel better in your body after losing weight. That suddenly a switch will flip and everything will change. It doesn't. It's a slow process that takes a lot of time. I have been starting to feel more confident in my body. I am much fitter, and I feel so much stronger. I just need to give myself more time to love the outside of my body.

If anyone has any tips to help with this, please let me know! x

Rawsome goodies!

This week I had my weigh in, and stayed the same. Considering I have been away on holiday and it has been my birthday, I think it is an achievement to not gain.
It has given me great motivation ready for my upcoming holiday to be good, as my next goal is to feel comfortable in a tankini.
I did decide to pop in to the Southsea Coffee Co though as Katie has recommended me to go in and try some of their gluten free goodies. I have been desperate to try some of their food, and had high expectations.

I had a hot chocolate and their carrot cake, which is gluten free, wheat free, dairy free, refined sugar free and soya free. Basically the premise is that you can enjoy delicious food but as nature intended, rather than any processed foods.
It did feel slightly strange at first, because it doesn't have the consistency of a normal cake, but you had all the same flavours as you would a conventional carrot cake. It is nice to know that if I want a sweet treat that I can go here and not feel so bad about it.
Once I got past the fact it isn't like a normal cake, I really enjoyed it, and would definitely recommend trying it.
Let me know what you think!

Adventures of this week

Well this week I went to Riga with my bestie, and it was my birthday yesterday! 

I would definitely recommend a visit to Riga, with its beautiful buildings, great museums, and fab restaurants. The people were absolutely wonderful, always helping us out when we needed it. Felt a bit sorry for this poor woman in the orthodox church, me trying to ask if I could buy incense, with the weirdest hand gestures, at least she saw the funny side!

We were lucky enough to be there during Riga Restaurant week, being able to have fab three course dinners for 15-20 euros!

I also let the hotel know in advance that I was gluten free. I got given rice cakes to replace the bread, which helped a lot.

Have to say on the most part ate pretty healthy out there, as salad and soup is big on the menus. I haven't eaten as well this week as I could have, but I know I will work extra hard next week. I am just grateful I did zumba at least once ;)

My birthday was yesterday, and was lovely to have a nice relaxed day, seeing all my family at some point in the day. I decided this year being my first gluten free year, I would make my own birthday cake. My poor poor friend having to deal with me asking constant questions, as I was determined to get this right. 

I used a spin off recipe from a new blog I found called hungry hinny- Recipe here. I decided to change the recipe slightly, as I am not a fan of coffee, and wanted to use up some cranberries. I also didn't have a food processor to hand, so had to improvise. All good fun!

I also make the rookie mistake of trying to whisk the icing sugar straight away. The mess I made...

I think the end result was fab if I say so myself, and was proud it was light and fluffy- something I found difficult with gluten free flour.

I have some improvements to make in the future, but right now I am happy I had a cake I could eat and everyone else enjoy as well!

I am sure I will get better at it in the future, mainly so I don't have to bug people with inane questions. Obviously I won't be doing much practicing, as I'm trying to be good. At least I know I have this cake in the repertoire, which will definitely come out in the future.

Would love to hear about more gluten free recipes, and try some out if you have any :D

Fashion Surprises!

Maybe it is just me, but I am someone who is a fiend for a bargain. Whilst I have some outfits that costed a fair bit of money, most of my clothes are from the sales. 

I just don't see why I should spend so much money on outfits, especially at this point where I am losing weight, and clothes might not fit me at some point soon. 

I didn't go out today to buy clothes at all, if anything I am having a clear out, but I couldn't let these go amiss. Black jeggings are my staple as an apple shape. As fellow apple shapers know, jeans will swamp your legs, whilst jeggings will show off what you have.

I came across this pair from none other than Lidl! Yes, Lidl! and at £4.99 I could not resist.

They are slightly tight at the top, but that will just be a little incentive for me to carry on with my weight loss journey.

So it just goes to show, you don't always need to go to the expensive shops to be able to buy nice clothes. 

Trying new brands + becoming an ebayer!

After watching Plus Sized Wars, I seemed to be going nuts for clothes, starting my own instagram (fluffy_rach) and decided to try yours clothing and see what is there.
Being a sale fiend, I decided to try a couple of belts and some patterned harem trousers. I found the sale stuff very reasonable. In comparison to what you can spend on plus size clothing, most things were a reasonable price.
The order came through pretty quickly, in time for a night out with my work friends.
My only worry was that all my weight is around my tummy. I wore a waist nipper just to flatten the area, so the material skimmed over.
I got no complaints of me looking awful, so I assumed I looked fine ;)
I felt so confident, and would definitely recommend a pair.
Having free returns now is also helpful. As for the belts, I would need to go up a size.
I used to get quite upset if things didn't fit me in my 'usual' size, but really sizes don't mean anything. As long as you are happy with what you see in the mirror, that is all that matters.

I have a couple more purchases in the pipeline, including a fabulous dress I bought off ebay, but I musn't show that one off yet! Definitely inspired by Georgina Horne of Fullerfigurefullerbust. That is all I will say.
After starting a major fashion clear out, I have decided to start ebaying some of my stuff. I certainly work in the right place, so am having fun watching my items get bid on!
Just so happy that these pieces will go to a home that will truly enjoy them.
Hopefully I won't buy too much with the money I get :p x