My 40 KG Weight Loss and Reward!

The beginning and now, the changes are huge!

 It still blows my mind!  I can't believe the transformation, not only in my face, my body, my clothes, how I am physically, but also emotionally and mentally.  EVERYTHING has changed for the better.  I didn't expect this much to change, I didn't expect me to change so much internally. 

I almost don't recognise the face in the first photo or the person.  I used to be so down on myself, I had no self respect and I hated myself.  Now, I'm like my own personal cheerleader and I can honestly say, without cringing, that I love and respect myself.  I'm still a work in progress and I have my bad days, but there are definitely a lot less bad days.

Getting there! :)

If the weight loss progress ticker above is anything to go by, I am just over half way.  Now, I'm not sure what my "ultimate" weight is, I'll let you know when I get there.  But, if it's going to continue to be as awesome as it was losing the last 40 kgs, I say BRING IT ON!  

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your love and support during this.  I couldn't have done it without you! xxoxx

My precious!

You know that I have to have a weight loss reward and it's probably more than likely going to be makeup related! Surprise, it is! ;)

Now, I may be a little embarrassed of the size of my makeup "collection" and I definitely don't need any more!  So, I decided that an artist is only as good as her tools.  If you're going to get some high quality makeup brushes, you can't go past Hakuhodo brushes.  What makes them so great? They are created from real animal hair (cruelty free).  The brush hairs aren't cut, which makes them extremely soft and they blend like a dream.

I have a Hakuhodo face brush that I bought at IMATS a few years ago (I believe it's the B103BkSL Powder Blush Brush Pointed, but they didn't use to print the numbers on them) and it is my favourite brush, ever.  I purchased the B J142 for blending eyeshadow in the crease and the J005 for applying gel eyeliners and smudging out liner/shadow for smokey eyeshadow looks. 

I can't wait to try them out on my more defined face. :)

As of today, I am now only 6.8 kgs away from a 50 kg loss! :O  I can't believe it! I want to do something really special for this, as this was my first big goal!  I need suggestions please!!! 

My Thirty Kilo Weightloss! - What A Difference A Year Makes!

Starting Weight: 148.8 kg Current Weight: 113.5 kg Total Loss: 35.3 kg

What A Difference A Year Makes!

 When you look at your progress day to day it doesn't seem like much but when you take a step back and look how far you've come over a year, you can really see the impact.  When I started this blog and my weightloss journey, I was a completely different person and not just physically.  Reading my first entry (here), I realised just how much I've changed (look how unhappy I was in the first photo).  I just want to give past Mel a big hug and let her know it's all going to be okay.  I was in a really bad place when I started this blog and I am never going to feel like that again!

I was almost 150kgs! It was uncomfortable doing ANYTHING, even walking a few steps.  I was so low and self conscious about my weight I let it stop me from living and I was so afraid of ridicule and judgement that it stopped me walking out the front door!  I hated clothes shopping and would shop online to avoid embarrassment if the clothes didn't fit.  Now, I try to get outside and walk whenever I can!  I love being outside, even when I'm not well and I don't have a fear of the outside world and I no longer care what other people think of me, if they don't like me, f#$% em!  I've realised that it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, it's all about how you feel about yourself on the inside.  It sounds cliché I know, but it's completely true and I never truly understood it until I went through it myself.  I love trying clothes on now as I can see how far I've come and I no longer have "chair anxiety" LOL.

Even after losing 35 kgs, I still have issues medically, even though I was told losing 6 kgs would be beneficial.  It's not going to stop me losing weight, I still have a long way to go.  When I started I was on Lite n' Easy but then specialists recommended I try gluten free, dairy free and now the Paleo diet.  My nutritionist/dietitian is now saying that I don't get enough calcium and I need to eat more carbs.  I've been told so many different things about my health, my diet and pulled in so many different directions that in the end I just have to decide what is best for me and what works.  I may be trying an elimination diet in the future, but for now I'll be sticking to Paleo and cutting out processed carbohydrates. 

I'd like to thank all of you that have joined me on this journey so far, for all your support and encouragement especially during the tough times.  If it wasn't for all your support, I would not be where I am today.  I look forward to smashing more goals with you next year!  

All the best for 2015! Love Mel xxoxx

Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette

It wouldn't be a weightloss progress post without a weightloss reward right?  Every 10 kgs I make sure to reward myself with something that isn't food.  When I started out, these rewards were incentives and they still are, but the weightloss is really it's own reward.  I still think it's important to celebrate the milestones in some form.

My reward is the Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette (it's currently 40% off) which is a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette.  I was wanting the Urban Decay one but considering how many palettes I have, I just couldn't bring myself to pay $80+ on eyeshadow, it just seems crazy to me now.  The Coastal Scents palette has similar colours and I don't have any other colours like them in my "collection".  The quality of the eyeshadows and the pigmentation is great, if you're considering this over the Urban Decay, I say do it! 

I know it's a little while away yet but I'm trying to think of something for my 50 kg loss!  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated everyone!