tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20243677085569726102024-02-19T11:29:34.444+02:00Men, Chocolate and MeThe ramblings of a woman in search of love and happiness.Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-6352154172896218522012-01-29T14:50:00.002+02:002012-01-29T15:04:25.236+02:00It's the end of JanuaryI've managed to hold my 5 days of VLCD this month, ended yesterday. The last day was really difficult. I kept fantasizing about food, my neighbors cooked something that smelled really delicious and I felt annoyed. But it's done now, began my day today by eating porridge, had some wok for lunch and am now planning on going to town with my laptop, eat a salad and write some.<div><br /></div><div>I've been really busy this December and January with a project I made with my friends. We did a video parody of soap operas mixed with some Film Noir style. It was so much fun to do, and I'm really proud of the end result, but it sure did take a lot of energy to do it. Fortunately there were two of us who took charge of the thing, so I didn't have to do all by myself, but still, I was the director and the editor, so the majority of the work did land on my shoulders.</div><div><br /></div><div>January was a hard month for me, harder than I expected. Nothing overwhelming, but I did find it harder to monitor my eating, when so many thing seemed to go wrong / stress me out. For instance, I got a wedding invitation, which in itself would have been nice, but the groom is my ex-boyfriend and the bride used to be one of my closest friends. They started dating 2 weeks after we broke up, and the interest was clear while we were dating. It was actually one of the reasons I dumped him, because I realized they were interested in each other. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's been... 6 years, but I still find it hard to forgive her. With my ex, we talked it out back then and we're fine, but my friend never apologized to me or showed any kind of remorse for making me feel miserable and worthless. So when I got the invitation I contemplated for a while, feeling some kind of morbid fascination to see the whole shebang, but thanks to my mom, soon realized I'd only be ripping open old wounds and make myself miserable. So I'm not going. </div><div><br /></div><div>On top of all that fun, I've been sick, over stressed and tired. So I had all the chances to spiral into a bingeing craze, but fortunately I didn't. So as of this morning, my weight is at a reasonable 121 kg's. Hope that next month I can tell you it's under 120.</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-44384212987694879092012-01-04T12:44:00.003+02:002012-01-04T12:55:06.844+02:00New Year's ResolutionWell, this is not really a New Year's Resolution since I made it in late November, but it's close enough I suppose!<div><br /></div><div>What I'm going to try this year is the following: 5-10 days / month I'm going to do the VLCD -diet (Very Low Calorie Diet) so that I'll have 800 kcal / day. The rest of the month I'm going to try to eat healthy enough to keep the weight off. (Well, most of it, VLCD gets your fluids going so that there's probably going to be about 1 kg's gain after every VLCD batch).</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm hoping that this will make me lose about 10-15 kg's in 2012. (My weight this morning was 122,4 kg's, so that would mean I'd get to about 110 kg's before next Christmas.) </div><div><br /></div><div>But more importantly, I'm not going to be too fixated on the grams on my scale, my resolution is to try this method for a year, if it works wonderful, if it doesn't, well too bad. The only thing I'm fairly certain of is that it can't make me GAIN weight...</div><div><br /></div><div>If I make it, and can go the whole year, I'm going to reward myself with a pair of shoes from <a href="http://www.shoesofprey.com/">www.shoesofprey.com</a>, where you can custom make shoes to your own liking. They're quite expensive (180 € for a medium heel), but it's something I want and I've been thinking about getting something like these <a href="http://www.shoesofprey.com/shoe/Nyu7">zebra shoes</a> I designed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyways, I'll try to keep you posted on a monthly bases on how it goes. Hopefully well!</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-41251825848244973022011-07-10T10:30:00.002+03:002011-07-10T10:40:57.115+03:00Slow And Steady Wins The Race..or at least that's what I'm hoping for. I've been doing my exercises lately and eating more healthy, and it's payed off rather nicely, I've lost 2,6kg's (that's around 5,5 lbs) in 5 weeks. Not particularly impressive, I admit, but considering that I was ill for a week and we had our midsummer celebrations in the cabin (3 days of lovely food and little exercise), I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself!<div><br /></div><div>This week I've gotten back to my 10 min morning exercises, and it has felt great! I've decided that on the weekdays I do 10 min every morning, and on weekends 20 min. I'm such a sleepy head, that I can't fit 20 min into a morning where I have to be at work by 8 a.m. I wish I could, but I know myself. Not gonna happen.</div><div><br /></div><div>So now I'm just trying to remind myself that even if the progress is slow, it's still progress. I want to amp up my exercises next week; I'm going swimming on Monday and bowling on Thursday. Hopefully this'll push me along so that I'll get under 125 kg's next Sunday. My goal is to get under 120 kg's before my vacation in Thailand in September, and I'm feeling optimistic that I might be able to do it. </div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-47786641423607769532011-06-09T10:45:00.005+03:002011-06-09T11:06:50.022+03:00Trying to get back on trackI've been a good girl this week, after about 6 months of naughtiness. I've woken up early each day to start with a 10 minute excersice, and I have to say it's made me feel great! Since last autumn I've gained about 10kg's, and I'm not happy. My scale this morning said 127.9kg's and it's not good.<br /><br />So I have finally decided to do something about it. This week I'm focusing on doing my workouts, as I said I've done 10 minute workouts every morning using a DVD called 10 Minute Solution: Dance Your Body Thin. My favourite workout on it is called Slow And Sexy Moves, mainly because in the mornign, I'm rather slow, if not sexy... :D<br /><br />In addition I've been taking some short walks, going out bowling and danced by myself this week. I've been trying to remind myself, that no matter how small the exersice, it's still worth doing it, it's still better than nothing!<br /><br />My goal is to keep this routine up for the next 11 weeks, before I head of to Thailand. I would like to get back to under 120 kg's before the trip, but it might not be possible, after all it's summer, and with it comes ice cream, cold cider and other temptations. But as long as I keep up with working out, I'm sure I can at least be healthier and toner before I go the Thailand and it's beautiful beaches!<br /><br />Oh, and if I manage to get that 8kg's off before my vacation, I'm going to reward myself with a new travel make-up brush set from Sigma! I love their brushes! <a href="http://www.sigmabeauty.com/">http://www.sigmabeauty.com/</a><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 335px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.sigmabeauty.com/v/vspfiles/photos/TK003-2T.jpg" />Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-89266875351270458892011-05-04T09:19:00.002+03:002011-05-04T09:43:55.156+03:00Shopping in WarsawI spent last weekend with my sister in Warsaw, and it was awesome! It's a beautiful, beautiful city, a little run down and ruged, but I think that just added to its charms. You could see the history, the damage the war and communism had done to the city, but still it wasn't depressing or falling down.<br /><br />Unfortunately the weather wasn't the best during our stay, so we spent most of our time shopping in Zlote Tarasy shopping center <a href="http://www.zlotetarasy.pl/en">www.zlotetarasy.pl/en</a>, and we had a lot of fun! It's a modern, beautiful shopping mall, with an easy to get around floor plan.<br /><br />Our initial idea was to shop for luxury make-up (M.A.C., Dior, Chanel), but as it turns out, they're cheaper in Finland than they are in Poland! Who knew? I mean, they're really expensive in Finland, but even more so in Poland!<br /><br />So, it was a bit of a let down, but fortunately we decided to check out Inglot <a href="http://www.inglotcosmetics.com/">www.inglotcosmetics.com</a>, thinking that it being a Polish brand, they might be cheaper there, and so they were! A 5 pan freedom palette* cost about 15€, in Finland you'd pay for it about 28€. So, we went a bit nuts... I bought two 5 pan palettes (sure I could have bought a 10 pan palette, but I like the 5 pan ones better), two gel eyeliners, one nail polish, one lip gloss and one loose eyeshadow. All these together were about 60€, which in Finland would have got me just the palettes.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">*In case you don't know what a freedom palette is, it's this genious system, where you can pick out any eye shadow, lip colour, concealer, blush, face powder or eyebrow wax and combine them into a palette. So you get to choose the perfect colours for you! I absolutely love these, I have now four palettes with eye shadows, and they're awesome! Highly pigmented and I'd claim they're really close to M.A.C. in their quality!</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br />So to all who are thinking about going to Warsaw, I can warmly recomend it! It's a beautiful city with cheap taxi's, hotels and restaurants. Our stay at Sheraton Hotel (five stars) was around 250€ for three nights per room, the taxi from airport was 50PLN, so around 15€ and from our hotel to the shopping center about 10PLN, so around 3€...<br /><br />Oh, by the way, it is advisable to make sure before you get into a taxi that it is a safe one, they have different companies, and some may screw you over, or so we were told. The ones we used were Ele, Sawa Taxi, MPT Radio Taxi and Merc Taxi.Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-2069479553000627422011-03-18T09:38:00.003+02:002011-03-18T10:12:48.109+02:0010 things to do before I'm 40As I mentioned in the last post, I just turned 30. A day before my birthday, one of my friends asked if I'd completed my list of 10 things to do before I'm 30. Since I hadn't made such a list, my answer was no. So I decided to make a list to do before I'm 40! I've got a whole decade to accomplish these in, so I hope I'll make it!<br /><br /><ol><li>Rent a house / apartment for a month in Italy or Spain, and spend it exploring the country and writing</li><li>Visit Venice</li><li>Visit Egypt</li><li>Visit Paris in the spring time</li><li>Visit Jane Austen's home and spend time in the UK visiting the scenery where Pride And Prejudice (1995) was filmed</li><li>Write a book, that is both funny and meaningful, light and deep at the same time. </li><li>Get a publisher interested in said book I've written</li><li>Write a script for a full length movie</li><li>Get paid to do more than answering phones</li><li>Fall in love</li></ol><p>So there are the things I wish to do before I'm 40. For most part I think it's rather doable, but for the last point. And this is due to the fact that I've never been in love. Therefore it seems to me the one that might not be accomplished... But, time will tell! :o)</p><p> </p>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-34509163039413586142011-03-11T09:37:00.003+02:002011-03-11T10:19:14.884+02:00Thirty And Awesome!I turned 30 a couple of days ago, and I must say I'm a little disappointed how this week has gone so far. Hopefully tomorrow will be infinetly better, since I'm having my big 30th Birthday party then.<br /><br />So what has been going wrong? Well it all started when I went on a first date on my last day as a 29-year-old. I walk up to the guy, and he's a spitting image of my uncle! I don't mean there was something familiar about him, or that he slightly resembled my uncle, no I've seen pictures of my uncle when he was 30-35-years old, and I swear, he was standing right in front of me!<br /><br />But as it turns out, he was a really nice guy (unlike my uncle, actually), and since I felt absolutely no attraction to him, the evening was quite relaxed and nice. Until it came time for goodbyes, and I realised he wanted to kiss me. As you can imagine, I wasn't up for it. So I sneakily ran into the bus just waving goodbye instead. I hardly need to add, there will be no second date.<br /><br />Then came my birthday. I had taken a day off work, decided to relax and enjoy turning 30, which I did by watching Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back and eating chocolate when that magical moment came. Nerdy, and I loved it!<br /><br />So on my actual birthday I had a job interview. Not ideal, but what can you do. I'm not actively looking for a job, but when I saw the position open, I felt like I had to apply for it. So instead of the day I had planned for my 30th (which included a lazy brunch at an empty café, reading bad romance novels and going for dinner with my parents) changed rather drastically, since I had to switch on my professional mode. Anyway, I went for the interview, and although I did not get the job, I thought it went rather well. The dinner with my parents went absolutely great, we went to a Finnish restaurant, and for the first time in my life I ate some bear salami, had home brew beer and Sisu-icecream. It was all heavenly and delicious!<br /><br />On my way home I slipped and scraped my knee. Next morning I slipped and twisted my ankle. The next day I slit a deep cut on my left thumb. So being 30 has come with some injuries!<br /><br />And to top all this off, a guy I thought I was completely over told me he can't come to my birthday party, and the depression spiral it sent me on was a slight indication, that I may not be as indifferent as I thought I was...<br /><br />So, I'm 30, stuck in the same job, without a boyfriend and eating chocolate like there's no tomorrow. Hmm...<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">PS. Oh, I had some Fazer Blueberry Pie chocolate yesterday while I watched The Sure Thing (starring John Cusack), and it was SOOO good. Maybe I don't need men, maybe all I need is chocolate, a good movie and my lovely soft sofa!</span>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-5135613580296401912010-05-24T19:01:00.003+03:002010-05-24T19:08:29.017+03:00The Sound Of SilenceThis is too brutal! I've been commanded to be quiet for the next three days! THREE DAYS! Pah, doctors, what do they know...<div><br /></div><div>So here I am, otherwise completely healthy, just without a voice. I saw this as a chance to try the Nutrilett VLCD (very low calorie diet). I thought that since I'm not going anywhere or seeing anyone for three days, I might as well give it a go. So I started today with regular LCD (meaning my intake was about 1000 kcal) and tomorrow I'm gonna try to survive on VLCD (with only 500 kcal). We'll see how it goes... At least I shouldn't have any temptations distracting me, unless I end up eating an expired bottle of ketchup that's been sitting in my fridge since I moved...</div><div><br /></div><div>My decision to try this was prompted by the fact that I was completely out of control last week. I just couldn't get enough of food. So I gained 1,2 kg's. And now I'm hoping this will rid me of those. (Also, the VLCD pack was on sale at Stockmann's, so...) Wish me luck!</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">* * * </div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-14781670627256355052010-05-18T10:01:00.002+03:002010-05-18T10:27:24.229+03:00To Smile Or Not To Smile......That is the question. Now this question is not prompted by depression, but by my friends, who are trying to get me to open up to men more.<br /><br />So here's my problem: I haven't had a real crush on a real guy since I was in High School. So that was... Umm... A decade ago! God, now I feel old... Anyways, I've met plenty of men since then, I've even dated one guy for 3 years, but I just never met anyone, who would make my hands shake, my knees weak and my throat clench up.<br /><br />Now I've been informed by my nearest and dearest that it's due to the fact, that I'm too closed up. I don't let guys know that it's okay to approach me. Now, I know that in most cultures men just see a woman they like and go hit on her. In Finland it's a bit different.<br /><br />Here women are so dominant, that I think men are rather afraid of us. So instead of marching up to a girl and giving her some cheesy line, most Finnish men just scope the room, try to find someone who's most likely not to laugh at them and then make the approach.<br /><br />Aparently I look like a laugher. And to be fair, I probably am too sarcastic and hard to impress, but that's the way I'm wired. I know that to change my current situation, I have to make some changes in myself, but I really don't want to change who I am. I have high standards. So sue me.<br /><br />So now I'm trying to learn to be more easily approachable. I have a goal that I'd smile at least once a day to an attractive man. Maybe if I start noticing men, they'll start noticing me. It's at least worth a shot!<br /><br /><div align="center">* * *</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-55222349435161342402010-05-14T10:38:00.004+03:002010-05-14T10:52:46.683+03:00Back again!Sorry. I've been away for a reeeeaaally long time, but I've got excuses! Not reasons though, just excuses... ;o)<br /><br />My whole year up until now has been crazy hectic, and now I've just been too tired and lazy to update my blog. And on top of it all, I had my heart bruised, so I've been a little down. My heart isn't broken, just a little bruised. Basically I wasn interested in someone I thought was interested in me, but as it turns out, he wasn't. Or at least not enough so. And I ain't about to beg anyone to like me. So if he's not that into me, he's just not.<br /><br />That being said, it does sting. The rejection, it always stings. Even when it's a guy you're not really that into, it stings. And this was a guy I really thought we had a connection with. Anyhoo, it didn't work out.<br /><br />So as to my weight-loss, amazingly enough, even though I've been kind of down and feeling blue lately, I've finally dragged myself back to -30kg's! And it feels great! So I'm not that devastated!<br /><br />What I've been doing lately is just cut bread and all obvious carbs from my diet. So I've had one slice of whole wheat rhye bread a day with my lunch salad, but other than that, I've had no bread. Also still avoiding pasta, rice and sugar. So far so good!<br /><br />So I hope all of you out there are still doing great! I'm feeling better and getting over my bruised heart. I'm just trying to remember, that like a Finnish band called Don Huonot says it (now this is a loose translation):<br /><em>"No-one has yet invented a bullet-proof heart,</em><br /><em>So there's no point in fearing the shot,</em><br /><em>'Cos lonelyness will slowly dig out that same hole."</em><br /><em></em><br />So I try to remember that if you don't get your heart bruised every now and again, you will break it eventually anyway. You can't find love if you're not willing to take the chance of being hurt.<br /><br /><div align="center">* * * </div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-12551598126733023272010-04-07T10:13:00.003+03:002010-04-07T10:26:08.387+03:00The real TruthinessMy truthiness:<br /><strong>A) I speak four languages fluently</strong> - <em>this is not true. I speak two languaged fluently (Finnish and English), one language rather well (Swedish) and one really, really poorly (French).</em><br /><br /><strong>B) I'm very remotely related to both the Danish and the Swedish royal families</strong> <em>- this is true. I am very remotely related to both royal families, but we're talking about something around the 18th century. So my claim to the throne is really rather slim!</em><br /><br /><strong>C) I've had a pet hamster named Mimi</strong> -<em> nope, I've never had any furry pets due to allergies, only fish, and even they ate each other, since I forgot to feed them...</em><br /><br /><strong>D) My favourite book in the whole wide world is Charles Dickens's Great Expectations</strong> - <em>No way, I hated that book! Can't help it, but Dickens just isn't my cup of tea!</em><br /><br /><strong>E) I love skiing</strong> - <em>Nope, and unfortunately skiing is a mandatory part of the Finnish currilicum for sports. But the last time I skied was back in Junior High, and boy was it blood and tears!</em><br /><br /><strong>F) I think that cleanliness is next to godliness</strong> - <em>No, I think that as long as the place is sanitary, a little mess never hurt anyone. I live in perpetual chaos, since cleaning up is not amongst my favourite things to do, but my apartment is not dirty. Just messy.</em><br /><br /><strong>G) I've once slept through an earthquake</strong> - <em>This is true. When I lived in Belgium I once slept through a minor earthquake. It was minor, but it managed to make a small crack into the wall, and it woke the rest of the family up. I probably just switched sides and wondered when I'd gotten a vibrating bed... ;o)</em><br /><br />So there, those are the truths and lies!Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-88423411717188387592010-03-29T13:38:00.002+03:002010-03-29T14:06:19.440+03:00Truthiness<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgme-VD6EW6GXclluHQjkfIkBVoV4DIE9Ettn6mmPJIRUXv7VxqBUt9KR-kP4nbmZjrPWlub1jTrV8PO4FB2_gWzZzupxo28n6XX4ddFF-uA8o498DehA9eTmSq6sQOpI72-aDgQHbz7Ao/s1600/111.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454010361999055506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgme-VD6EW6GXclluHQjkfIkBVoV4DIE9Ettn6mmPJIRUXv7VxqBUt9KR-kP4nbmZjrPWlub1jTrV8PO4FB2_gWzZzupxo28n6XX4ddFF-uA8o498DehA9eTmSq6sQOpI72-aDgQHbz7Ao/s320/111.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The rules are:</div><br /><div>1. Thank the person who gave this to you.</div><div>2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.</div><div>3. Link to the person who nominated you.</div><div>4. Tell up to 6 outrageous lies about yourself, and at least one outrageous truth.</div><div>5. Nominate 7 "creative writers" who might have fun coming up with outrageous lies.</div><div>6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.</div><div>7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Thank you very much to Buttercup from <a href="http://asyouws.blogspot.com/">http://asyouws.blogspot.com/</a> for nominating me! :o)</div><br /><div></div><div>My truthiness: </div><br /><div>A) I speak four languages fluently</div><div>B) I'm very remotely related to both the Danish and the Swedish royal families.</div><div>C) I've had a pet hamster named Mimi</div><div>D) My favourite book in the whole wide world is Charles Dickens's Great Expectations</div><div>E) I love skiing</div><div>F) I think that cleanliness is next to godliness </div><div>G) I've once slept through an earthquake</div><br /><div></div><div>The bloggers that I would like to nominate are:</div><br /><div>Unfortunately all the bloggers I've been following have been nominated for this already... :o) </div><br /><div></div><div>Let me know which one you think is the truth! :o)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div align="center">* * *</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-67692465903464623922010-03-29T13:21:00.006+03:002010-03-29T13:36:54.931+03:005th Week of Low Carb...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF8dNxudVkHg5xf4ztR4sJYnRiz6CZ3kAIwMmZtoucDVoD9gxgFZNuvyDobrLEhzRPYs5fu3tGml2qMpNm1Z1EQWfkHGkKRB2rwNok9qqo6JD1PDKGJjJWmEz3NgwHwOR3JlAIH2rpsc/s1600/1135249589937.jpg"></a><div>And it's going better now! I lost 1,1kg's this week, so YEY! I'm still working at getting back to 113, but it definetly looks better! </div><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTiXZtNDo36DLVV53EdreGq4ipR6ikYabPrJNKZijoZbwYyM5xvVp74lGQ2kxP7x5LFSV1mBoDmQSOliB2_rV_rmeIkXHLPZXgN0vF3HzAnrreMljxS7w3YWjszcGDY0jpUhsWmEZh7w/s1600/1135249589937.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454001210678980034" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 146px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFTiXZtNDo36DLVV53EdreGq4ipR6ikYabPrJNKZijoZbwYyM5xvVp74lGQ2kxP7x5LFSV1mBoDmQSOliB2_rV_rmeIkXHLPZXgN0vF3HzAnrreMljxS7w3YWjszcGDY0jpUhsWmEZh7w/s320/1135249589937.jpg" border="0" /></a>This week I've been struggling with the question <em>"why am I doing this?"</em> I've been feeling a bit lost and frustrated. The thing about losing weight is that, although it does make me feel better, it doesn't fix everything. I still have my insecurities and I still want to suffocate all the stress and frustration I feel in my life with a 500g bar of Fazerin sininen chocolate or a pint of Ben & Jerry's. <em>Oh, the chocolate, oh the ice cream...</em></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />The problem is that eating is the closest I've gotten to falling in love. I know it sounds silly, but it's true. Eating to me was like being in love! The indulgance, the comfort, the sheer thrill of it. And now I've willingly given it up. For what? A life without sugar? A life without<em> chocolate?!?!</em></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />Well, I got over my doubts without succumbing to chocolate. But still, I wonder, will I ever find someone who'll make me feel as good as Mr. Karl Fazer and his delicious chocolate...</div><div></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">* * *</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-32249914478436988022010-03-23T13:00:00.003+02:002010-03-23T13:10:22.877+02:00No Loss This Week...<div>I'm a bit disappointed by that, but not ready to give up on the low carb diet just yet. I'll see what the results are this Sunday, and make my decision based on that. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I do wish that the weightloss would get back on track again. It's frustrating to feel like no matter what I do, nothing happens. Although (time for a confession) I've been way too relaxed about exercise. I know I should just make myself get out there and MOVE! It just ain't that simple! I just don't seem to find the time to actually do something about it.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>On a positive note, I spent the weekend on a cruise with both of my sisters and my two-year-old niece, and it was fun, fun, FUN! We went from Helsinki to Stockholm, and did a little shopping while there. I got a new gorgeous <em>Too Faced Beautiful and Bronzed<strong> </strong></em>palette that has three little bronzers on it. I love it! I'm really pale, so normally bronzers just make me look like I've forgotten to wash my clay mask off... But not this one! It gives a nice healthy glow! And just look at the box, how cute is that?</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451784934955286898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQeOnNudKsWuWXnBmA2oOFYudGhp2H02rSGXVZoF-G0BWz32Z7Zru6_xU5ygsVt_l5y_8CNZVRSZFjQaFHQoYwRBJRKwPsFpSrptw0nSbQ8hR4YEJu9UMoQOy-NjRRtlt_jINY17MlCrY/s320/365948.jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><p> </p><p align="center">* * *</p>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-52229722814401216222010-03-15T16:13:00.003+02:002010-03-15T16:16:38.578+02:00Bummer...So I gained 1,7kg's this week. I'm not surprised, but I am rather bummed out. I spent the whole week trying to recover from the damage I did on my birthday, but aparently it wasn't enough. But I will rally on! Don't you worry! I hope this week to get rid of the 1,7 kg's I aquired and then I'll be able to move on with a clear conscience! :o)<br /><br /><div align="center">* * *</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-27058536292162219862010-03-08T09:52:00.005+02:002010-03-08T10:08:27.537+02:00Week 3 on Low Carb Diet!Okay, so another loss of 1,5 kg's (3,3 lbs) on Sunday! I'm so happy, although I know that this week won't be so great, as I will be punished for my freebie day. But I don't care! It was my birthday, I enjoyed it, I enjoyed the food and especially the carbs! ;o)<br /><br />That's what I think is most important about a freebie day: you can't feel guilty about it. I had lots of stuff I shouldn't, but I also kept my head cool, I didn't go over board with the food! And how could I regret it, the cake was<strong> AMAZING</strong>! ;o)<br /><br />The most important thing was that on Sunday, when I woke up with a hang-over, I took a bin bag and walked around my apartment throwing away all the high-carb goodness that was left over. Except for the chocolate. I just couldn't throw a practically full box of After Eights into the bin! So I took them to work for my work mates to enjoy. I know, its a bit risky to have them in the same room with me, <strong>but</strong> I just couldn't throw them away! I guess this'll just show me if I can make it!<br /><br />So since I did have a freebie day, my goal for this week is to maintain the weight I lost last week or to lose up to 0,5 kg's (~1 lbs). So my expectations are not that high this week, since I tend to get depressed when my expectations are not met.<br /><br />So I had my birthday last Saturday, and it was a whole lotta fun! My apartment was filled to the rim with my friends and family, everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves and I got some really cool gifts! What more can a girl ask for? Well, a lot, but I'm very pleased with what I got. :o)<br /><br /><br /><div align="center">* * *</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-26342259638409383892010-03-06T10:56:00.004+02:002010-03-06T16:53:47.680+02:00I FIT INTO MY SKINNY JEANS!<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>It's absolutely fabulous! I got the <b>BEST</b> reward ever today! Today's my birthday party (although the actual birthday is tomorrow), and I fit into my skinny jeans! Sure in my case skinny jeans is EU 50 (US 20), but I don't care! I haven't been able to use these for something like 8 months, but now I'm back in them! Loving it! Tonight is gonna <b>ROCK</b>! :o)<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>So I'm getting ready for my party tonight. I've bought a lot of low carb food to snack on like nuts, veggies, guacamole etc. I've also bought stuff that is mainly for my friends, not me, the four evil C-words: crisps, cookies, candy and cake. But I'm pretty confident I'll stay reasonable, although tonight is my freebie-day, meaning I can eat what ever I want!</div><div><br /></div><div>I love my make-up for tonight, I did a version of the Helena Bonham Carter inspired make-up I showed you guys earlier, but glammed it up with some really cool eyeliner and glittery false lashes! I'll post some pictures of it later on!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Okay, I gotto run now, need to do some preparations for tonight! Wish me luck! :o)</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Oh, here's the super-cool cardigan my Mom knitted for me as a birthday present! I love it! Oh, and note the SKINNY JEANS! ;o)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumKt6XbBbGPgJakics7XD9MFA2lvJbr1Z2JVdMdKkLXFWrKKkSlu-9WRJgYDbMr2F3uz61ogrJ-m0EkBH_cpJ1PEsqSt4uUujKYWVA__zk4LglyOdF2qOLamC8utlmoVgxdsKvZl_Q34/s320/b-day+cardigan.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445533907576387282" /></div><div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-61801290319766283602010-03-04T08:42:00.006+02:002010-03-04T09:00:59.981+02:00Craving Chocolate...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc8O_dM_V8ov5VYBOhyVHdtsIGOxVOXUueGp8k9R1KDEPPhjig7iMViD5yThr7mu2YqWop8ymWuhMqRrTCVWoWPQ3jFM8PWRjhHeva2BatBMSqcWllYj6DIW5bY5cEtrrWaS0wkQ413o/s1600-h/chocolates.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444667065769501186" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 205px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRc8O_dM_V8ov5VYBOhyVHdtsIGOxVOXUueGp8k9R1KDEPPhjig7iMViD5yThr7mu2YqWop8ymWuhMqRrTCVWoWPQ3jFM8PWRjhHeva2BatBMSqcWllYj6DIW5bY5cEtrrWaS0wkQ413o/s320/chocolates.jpg" border="0" /></a>It's funny, as long as I'm relaxed and happy, I have no actual need for chocolate. Would I like some? Sure! Do I need it? No.<br /><br />But when ever things start going a bit sour, I feel the need rising. Like last night, I was really tired and angry at myself for not realising how much (or little) money I have left to spend. So I sat on my sofa, wondering how bad it would really be, if I opened that box of chocolates my friend gave me as a Valentine's Day gift...<br /><br />I resisted the temptation, thankfully, but it came close. And I think that's the real problem for most of us: Food gives us comfort!<br /><br />Now the thing with me is that I'm always processing something, always trying to analyse the situation, my situation, my friends situations, etc. My brain just keeps on going, and it gets tireing. I don't want to think all the time, I just want to be and relax, but my brain won't let me. So I found a way to shut up my brain: <strong>eating.</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />When I eat, I go into almost a meditative state. My mind goes blank and the only thing that matters is the taste sensation in my mouth. And that's why I eat. I think that's partially why this Low Carb thing works for me: I get to eat as much as I want, as long as it's low carb! I don't have to stop before I'm ready!<br /><br />I still feel that the ultimate comfort food for me would be chocolate. I still want it, I just know I don't have to have it. That I can survive and have a happy life even if I don't get a daily dosage of it.<br /><br />Having said that, I'm never gonna give up chocolate completely. I love it, but I've learned to have just a little of it every now and again, not a whole 500g box of it in one sitting.<br /><br /><div align="center">* * *</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-10199488830360965902010-03-01T09:56:00.003+02:002010-03-01T10:12:19.865+02:00A New GoalI'm turning 29 this Sunday, and the thought of that made me set a new goal for myself: by my 30th birthday I want to weigh 85kg's (187 lbs), which would make my BMI 29.1 and thus I would be overweight, not obese!<br /><br />I have no intention of ever getting down to under 7o kg's (which would make me normal weight), since I don't believe that would be comfortable nor abtainable for me, so I've decided I just want to get out of the danger zone and into a moderate weight. I've talked about this with my doctor, and she agrees that 85 kg's is a good goal to have.<br /><br />So I have 53 weeks to complete this goal, which is great, because acording to the weight loss site I use, my goal should be attainable in 43. <strong>BUT</strong> I know anything can happen, so I don't want to set my goal too high or too strickt. I mean I'll be turning 30, I think that's enough to deal with without feeling like a complete failure because of unrealistic goals! ;o)<br /><br />My weight is now 115,2 kg's (253,9 lbs), so to reach my goal I'll have to lose 30 kg's (66 lbs). I'll have smaller goals before that, everytime I lose 5kg's I get something nice for myself. My next reward will be when I reach 113 kg's (I count these losses from my original highest weight of 143,3 kg's). I get a new charm for my charm bracelet, which represents how much I've lost weight!<br /><br />Do you have any special reward systems?<br /><br /><div align="center">* * *</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-35960545779408206172010-02-28T09:28:00.004+02:002010-02-28T09:41:03.807+02:00Week 2 on Low Carb DietLast week was filled with both anxiety and happiness. At one point it seemed like nothing was happening, that I wasn't losing any weight, that in fact I was gaining some, but as always, patience is a virtue! Today I stood on the scale and saw 115,2 kg's on the screen, which means<b> a loss of 1,2 kg's (2,6 lbs)!</b> I'm so happy! My 29th birthday is next week, and I hope to be around 114 by that time!<div><br /></div><div>Last week was definitely about finding the right diet and the right amount of carbs for me. I was very moody in the middle of it, but now I feel great. Don't really know what changed, but something did. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm definitely going to keep up with this new diet, since it's working so well! At least for now... If I've learned anything in these past 3,5 years of losing weight, its that there is an element of surprise and unpredictability to it, and that means that when things start going wrong, you have to come up with something new and different to get things back on track.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-25108128255689021322010-02-24T10:20:00.005+02:002010-02-24T12:23:23.037+02:00Missing my past...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0T8LYAJS5crL39Xx31BHYO5dvNWUzXgOCjPhJWg3P48RFAzyyJacMUYtNh7u3GQQmvYPutAvXc1dSIytfI_p_8-8qHnrIMmz6w1o9Y2XaumXLTHEVBM0F4WA0rxpmu7AT1KUkWhrBFlc/s1600-h/chocolate_drizzle.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441727091359458834" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 215px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0T8LYAJS5crL39Xx31BHYO5dvNWUzXgOCjPhJWg3P48RFAzyyJacMUYtNh7u3GQQmvYPutAvXc1dSIytfI_p_8-8qHnrIMmz6w1o9Y2XaumXLTHEVBM0F4WA0rxpmu7AT1KUkWhrBFlc/s320/chocolate_drizzle.jpg" border="0" /></a>The thing about losing weight is that it means giving something up. As much as I'd like to tell you that I'm disgusted by the way I used to eat, its not true. If I could, I would eat just as I did 4 years ago.<br /><br />I've never been in love, so my most intense passions up to date have been for chocolate, pasta and Jared Leto as Jordan Catalano in <em>My So-Called Life</em>. Although you could replace Jordan with for instance Mr. Darcy from <em>Pride and Prejudice</em> or Spike from <em>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</em>, or any other dreamy, hunky leading man, who is head over heals in love with the somewhat controversial and excentric leading lady.<br /><br />But to get back to my original point, my main love affair to date has been with food. I love it. I love to eat it, I love thinking about it, I love planning to do it, I even occasionally love making it. And I hate the fact that my love for food has turned me into this. I find it incredibly unfair that while some people can eat what ever they want and not gain a gram, I can't eat anything without gaining weight.<br /><br />The truth is that its not solely my eating habits that have made me obese, although I grant you it's about 85% of the reason for it. But the other reason is that I've got the most energy efficient body in the whole freaking universe! Okay, that may not be entirely true, but trust me, if we were living in the stone ages, I would have outlived about 90% of the population in times of starvation! Somehow that thought really isn't very comforting now that I'm living in 2010 with plenty of food around me...<br /><br />But the main thing is that I know I have no choise about this. Well, I do, but the other choise is to eat myself to death, so I think I'll pass on that one. So I stick to my diet and try to accept the fact, that I'll never have the luxury of eating what I want when I want without any thought for consequences.<br /><br />So now I've been one week on this new Low Carb diet. So far so good, although I guess I went a little over board with protein in the morning, and it made me feel nauseaus. But now I've corrected it with adding more fruits to my breakfast, and I'm feeling great again!<br /><br /><div align="center">* * *</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-67106241738497647402010-02-23T09:38:00.006+02:002010-02-23T14:16:14.361+02:00Losing Weight And MenMy feelings about dating and losing weight are somewhat conflicted. On one hand I know it'll be easier to find a man when I get more attractive and thin, but on the other hand I wonder if it means I'll end up with a guy who's too superficial to appreciate me as I am.<br /><br />Like Elizabeth Bennet in <em>Pride & Prejudice</em> <em>(BBC, 1995)</em> said: "If I could love a man who would love me enough to take me for a mere £50 a year, I should be very well pleased. But such a man could hardly be sensible, and I could never love man who was out of his wits!" I feel exactly the same way about my weight. I'd want to find a man who'd love me for who I am, no matter how much I weigh, but at the same time I feel that such a man would be somehow weird or deficient.<br /><br />What I fear most is that I'm waiting for something that doesn't exist for me. That I'm trying to grasp at straws that aren't there!<br /><br />Now I've heard more than once that I've watched too many romantic movies and that's why my expectations of men are <em>waaaay</em> too high. Now the truth is that my expectations of men have nothing to do with romantic movies (although I do enjoy the brief flight in a care-free fantasy world they offer me).<br /><br />My reason for having high expectations is this: my parents have been married for 44 years, and are still happy together. My eldest brother has been married for 22 years, my sister for 13 years and my other brother for 12 years, and all of them are happy together. (Just to clarify, I'm the youngest of the family and my siblings are 8-16 years older than me).<br /><br />So I've seen first hand that marriage can work, that you can find someone you truly love and live happily together with that person! I'm not saying that these marriage's don't have their own problems, but still the problems are small enough for the marriage to work. So I'm not expecting a fairytale romance, I'm just looking for someone who I can fall in love with and who'll love me back. So simple, yet so hard to find!<br /><br /><div align="center">* * *</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-15089343149930598222010-02-21T10:04:00.007+02:002010-03-01T10:11:26.036+02:00First weigh-in after starting Low Carb diet!<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div>Okay, so I've lost 1,5 kg (3,3 lbs) in 5 days! I'm so excited! I'm trying to keep my head cool though, so that when the weight loss starts to wain down, I won't be too bitterly disappointed!<br /><br />So I got Artifact and Blackground paint pots, and I'm really happy with them! I bought them because I wanted to try out this look by Pixiwoo from YouTube, unfortunately I forgot that she used Quite Natural instead of Artifact. But it still came out really cool, so I really don't mind! <b>And</b> I've got a great excuse to buy another paint pot... ;o)<br /><br /><br />Here's the tutorial I used:<br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:10;"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NcNiGJ91avU&hl=" fs="1&" width="560" height="340" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></span></span></div>And here's my rendition of it:<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440628191080259890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWZpGO930oxR0PjI8p8bAjtcGKKY0dUfb0Oy7ByqbyBQkaxCNNgqel7REMqNA1x_NFYvo6NRMJ9C5WEBvxjnlyRhshYTGjASKl2HzfY10Qy5bpaw7ZET1grKU7_u0J6oHR_3T85Q8oTs/s320/helena-inspired.jpg" border="0" /><br />Today my Mom's coming over, and I promised to tell her about this LC diet as well, she wants to try it out. In her case she'll have other challenges though, since she has celiac disease, which prevents her from using the normal wheat based products anyway.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">* * * </div><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13;"><br /></span></span>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-34698794315032363482010-02-20T09:34:00.003+02:002010-02-20T09:42:56.187+02:00Still going strong!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRXNc6XQaiPlGsppM8FpiZw5JKXh2WzadLxmPumMadLbhHhSXiTDeA9ydp4U042367gNdqCBQngOzTDLQyQLKodgQVGuZnHR_5_VuQIarIOf4zMvPzmephJaTeVdtwTyeLADS2eMfRuA/s1600-h/dinner.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRXNc6XQaiPlGsppM8FpiZw5JKXh2WzadLxmPumMadLbhHhSXiTDeA9ydp4U042367gNdqCBQngOzTDLQyQLKodgQVGuZnHR_5_VuQIarIOf4zMvPzmephJaTeVdtwTyeLADS2eMfRuA/s320/dinner.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440227759906106562" /></a><br />Last night I had a lovely dinner (made by me for me) of a chicken goat cheese salad. It was absolutely delicious, and I really enjoy the fact that after 4 years of guilt while eating cheese, I can finally have it without any pangs! I'm not eating tons of cheese, but still clearly a lot more than before! <div><br /></div><div>Today I'm going to go shopping for MAC paint pots, I might go nuts and buy both Blackground and Artifact, not sure, will have to see about that. I'm going shopping with my cousin, who's been dieting alongside with me from the beginning, and now its time for a reward for the both of us. Afterwards we're going to the movies to see Valentine's Day, so this'll be a truly girly day!</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, got to run now, I wish all of you a fun filled Saturday! </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">* * *</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024367708556972610.post-12200072776699875932010-02-19T12:35:00.008+02:002010-02-19T13:05:03.778+02:00Day 3 of Low Carb diet...I woke up this morning feeling fresh and excited! Which I never do. Not at 6 a.m., at least. But today I did! I got up, had a shower, dressed, ate my breakfast and danced around while putting on my make-up. I tell ya, it's hard to do a good make-up look while dancing!<br /><br />Anyways, the morning was full of hope, I rushed off to work and still felt marvelous! I did begin to feel tired as the day went on, but I'm still amazed at how cheerful and energetic I was so early in the morning! I even thought about doing a little work out, but decided not to, since I didn't want to be late for work.<br /><br />My food diary for today is rather similar as before, so I won't bother putting it on here, but my nutritional spectre is as follows: 25% protein, 54% fat and 21% carbs.<br /><br />The site where I keep my food diary has these four balls that tell you whether you've<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YWIvHGsyk0m9Ph3S86gJRQqPv9g0B9HU5NeRnZhc5smKbfExiniq2VibAw3zThbnaitOYfDS5QJYnE0KY-iZEDMEzbwPo-e18Jwh_m4wf66JT6n9WBT_-KSKVp4G7VYeMAbOSqjjFKA/s1600-h/pallerot.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439906151992965922" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 126px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YWIvHGsyk0m9Ph3S86gJRQqPv9g0B9HU5NeRnZhc5smKbfExiniq2VibAw3zThbnaitOYfDS5QJYnE0KY-iZEDMEzbwPo-e18Jwh_m4wf66JT6n9WBT_-KSKVp4G7VYeMAbOSqjjFKA/s320/pallerot.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><br /><ol><br /><li>had enough of vegetables</li><li>if your energy intake is okay</li><li>if you'd have too many sweets and </li><li>if you've had enough fibers</li></ol>I'm glad to say that since I've started eating low carb food I've noticed that getting these balls green is really easy! Before I had to struggle, especially with the fiber ball. Now, it's no struggle, I usually get all the balls to turn green by my lunch time!<br /><br />The reason I've resisted doing this before was that I was afraid that eating low carb would mean eating only animal fats and giving up veggies. Now I realise that it actually means eating MORE veggies and just giving up sugar, bread and starch. I feel great and I intend to keep on with this to see if I'd be able to fit into that size 46 EU (18 UK, 16 US) dress by this summer!<br /><br />Oh, and here's the dress I want to wear at my friends wedding this summer (in purple though), and it's from Halens:<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://halens.fi/ProductPage.aspx?pid=048395&tm=95" target="_blank"><img src="http://halens.scene7.com/is/image/Halens/126407880101156482?$halens-product-featured$" /></a><br /><br /><div align="center">* * *</div>Anouckahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17186020283222882246noreply@blogger.com2