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

Plus Sized Wars- My Thoughts!

I have been so excited to watch Plus Sized Wars on Channel 4, ever since I saw Georgina Horne from fullerfigurefullerbust promoting it on her facebook. I was intrigued to see what spin channel 4 would take on the plus size market.
On the most part I think it showed that women of all sizes deserve beautiful clothing, but I do feel that some things need addressing.
The interviewer question about Tess Holliday- 'Do you think she is sexy?' Do you ask that about every woman he books? No, because you don't book a model as to whether you would want to have sex with them or not. His personal preferance is his. I found it insulting, because it was implied that because she isn't the 'norm' that it isn't normal to find her sexy either.
The typical 'are you promoting obesity/unhealthy lifestyle' question. No. It is not promoting obesity. Do you know what IS promoting obesity? Supermarkets having whole aisles dedicated to sweets, biscuits, chocolate, cake, takeaways, alcohol and cigarettes, with special offers left right and centre. Now let me get something straight. I am a strong believer that you can eat everything to be healthy, however it is about how much you eat, and the exercise that you put in as well. For people to believe that they can judge someone straight away purely by what they look like is a bit stupid.
If you wrote down what I ate, and then what some of my friends ate, and got people to guess who had which diet, you can bet your life they would chose my body for the worse diet. Most of the time it isn't the case at all. Some people just seem to be able to eat crap and 'get away with it'. They never get questioned on their life choices though! Why? Because their body fits the type that society has decided.
I think frankly what you do with your body is up to you. No one truly knows your health apart from you and your doctor.
Whatever size you are, you deserve to feel good about yourself, and deserve to have gorgeous clothes. Also, if you do so happen to want to lose the weight, then actually someone body shaming makes it less likely that you will lose that weight. This question is basically just subtle body shaming, implying you don't deserve nice clothes until you are smaller.
I noticed that they didn't air them asking the bloggers those questions. They would have been smacked down quicker than you can say 'obesity epidemic'.
The last thing, which I think is a travesty is that they did not mention Velvet D'Amour or Volup2 magazine! This woman has paved the way for plus size fashion and acceptance, with walking on JPG at Paris Fashion Week. Paris. One of the fashion centres of the world. Volup2 prides itself in acceptance for all!
She wasn't even introduced at all for who she is. I think that shows total disrespect for what she has done for us all.
I think on the most part though, I'm glad that the bloggers were shown for being fabulous as they are, and I think it also showed how fickle the modelling industry is. $_$

New Gluten Free Surprises!

I have had a few fabulous finds gluten free wise, and must share it with you ;)
As you might know it was Good Friday yesterday, and hot cross buns are a must in my family! I found a great 4 pack of hot cross buns from Asda's gluten free section, and they are quite big as well!
They are very sticky, which was the only downside, but otherwise a fab alternative to the regular hot cross buns.
My other find was after work today. I came out of work originally looking for an easter present for my Grampa, and came across a gluten free farmer's market stall, selling homemade pies, cakes, breads, and other treats!
I resisted the cakes and treats, but got myself a pork, leek and apple pie, granola and a loaf of bread. I would say that they were very reasonable prices considering you are paying for gluten free.
I had the pie for my lunch, just the right size and fills you up nicely. I have been trying different gluten free products, and this would have to be the nearest to 'normal' pastry I have tasted. I haven't tried the bread or granola yet, but the lady that served me was very knowledgeable about the products, being able to advise me on how to keep them fresh. Knowing it is homemade puts me at ease, knowing that I don't need to worry about cross contamination, and the people selling knowing exactly what is in there is such a bonus.
I will be buying from them again, and look forward to trying new things! They have a fab website where you can order their foods from the internet, or see when they are next in the area http://hampshireglutenfreecompany.co.uk/ .
Let me know what you think, and Happy Easter to you all! x

Pump it Louder!

I know I haven't been blogging for a bit, sorry, unfortunately it has been rather stressful, so have found getting to the computer hard.
Because of this, I did have a gain when I went to see Katie last. I think when things get stressful I eat more, not helpful when you are trying to be healthy. A very hard habit to break, but I am just trying to treat myself in different ways. Basically any old excuse to buy myself a lush bath bomb ;)

Workout Selfie!

This morning I went to my first BodyPump class, which is a strength class using weights. I was welcomed into the class by a wonderful lady who saw I was new, and helped me through everything.
She hadn't long started herself, and could empathise. It is a bit daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it, you are off! Definitely a fun way to do weight training, with the music banging out, an instructor to show you how to do it, and everyone else doing it with you. A class you take at your own pace, I intend to go back to it this Saturday coming before concert rehearsals.
I have the bug!
Also after feeling a bit low this morning, it is so true that exercise really does lift your spirits. I was soaring when I got out of the class, full of pride.
The instructor said she was pleasantly surprised at my body awareness on my first class, which was a real bonus, knowing that I was doing the moves correctly, much more important than the weights you put on.
The fighting spirit is back, here I go!