At long last I am back to work and I am determined not to let my hard work from the past year be undone. I have tried my hardest while I have been on furlough to eat the best I can and shift my weight and it is working, that is why I am going to be cutting out going to the takeaway, sandwich shop and Tesco on my lunch and be better prepared. My eating habits have certainly got a lot better and I am set on improving them even more over the next few months but for now here is what a typical day of eating is like now I am back in the office... 

My breakfast really depends on what time I wake up and if I do a workout or not. If I am up early enough I will make my current favourite breakfast which is two fried eggs in a bagel, I have found that this fills me up a lot more than just a slice of toast and it is super easy to make. If I am in a bit of a rush though or can't be bothered cooking that morning I will just settle for some cereal, at the moment my favourite is a bowl of Weetabix protein and my diary free milk or I will pick Shreddies or Rice Krispies if I fancy something different. Sometimes the cereal will fill me up for the morning and other days it just doesn't cut it and I am hungry after a few hours so I am a bit hit and miss with it. A new addition these past few weeks has been a MyProtein Clear Whey protein shake alongside my breakfast which goes down easily and helps me get more protein into my diet. 

Lunch time is where I would go out and spend an absolute fortune on rubbish food but that has changed as I now try to prepare my food in advance and bring something with me daily which isn't only a healthier option but it is also a much more cost effective option which we have found. What I have for my lunch honestly depends on if I am in the mood to cook the night before or not. On the days where I am happy to cook I tend to go for a turkey taco mix which is turkey mince with taco seasoning and some peppers, I have found this is really filling and really tasty. If I fancy a cold lunch though I tend to go for a sandwich and these days I have Quorn vegan chicken in these as it is a lot nicer than I thought it would be, team it up with some Violife cheese and you are onto a winner. Someday's though I will just bring a ready meal with me that is a low calorie option from Tesco and Asda, these are my go to in the cold weather as they have some great warm meal options such as curry. 

I have definitely cut down on my snacks throughout the day however, when I do fancy a little extra to eat just to get me through the day I seem to always go for the same sort of thing. Of course I have a coffee whilst at my desk every day just to give me a bit more of an energy boost and keep me awake but I will also usually have a Fibre 90 cake bar which fills any chocolate craving and fills me back up a little bit or I will have a birthday cake Rice Krispie bar which is still low calorie but really nice. Some days though I will end up grabbing a protein bar as I am loving those at the moment especially the Snickers ones I have recently discovered, I actually prefer these over a normal Snickers bar. 

Once I am home from work we seem to tend to pick the same sort of meals for dinner, if we can't be bothered that day or if we fancy a treat we will order something in from our favourite takeaway but if not we tend to stick to meals that involve chicken or our favourite turkey burgers. We have have found that these sort of meals are just easier to make after we have both had long days at work, my favourite at the moment is Asda's hunters chicken it is absolutely gorgeous. 

What does a typical day of eating on a work day look like for you? 

One thing I love to watch on YouTube is people transitioning their wardrobes between seasons, not only does it give you ideas of items to add to your own wardrobe but it is also great to see the persons reaction when they find a piece of clothing they forgot they had. Even though I enjoy watching these videos is it something I would do myself? Well I have never actually done it before but I am currently trying to weigh up the pros and cons of actually transitioning my wardrobe for a change so who knows in 2021 I might give it a try to see if it works for me. 

Personally I think it would just feel like too much hassle having to go through my wardrobe before the end of each season to see what needed packing away or what could still be worn. At the moment our only storage space is in the loft so it would mean I would need to fit everything through the tiny loft hatch and then get it out every few month possibly, plus I know as soon as something went up there I would want to get it straight back out.  I would probably even struggle to put time to one side to go through my wardrobe as even decluttering my wardrobe is a task I usually give up on after around 20 minutes, if it isn't interesting I just drift off to something else. 

It would also just be my luck that I would put all my winter clothes away for the warmer weather and the weather turn bad a week later or vice versa. Especially where I live the weather is hardly the same as anywhere else in the UK so putting away my clothes season to season could definitely cause a bit of an issue. Plus when I look at it I don't really dress for specific seasons, any t-shirts I wear for summer I just layer up when it is cold with a hoodie or jacket and I wear hoodies basically all year round so for me to transition my wardrobe I would probably end up doing more damage than good because I would have to find pieces to suit the season or just cut back on a few pieces I already had which in that case I might as well leave the wardrobe as it is. I really just feel like transitioning would be a waste of time for me as I wouldn't wear bits as much as I currently do and it would take me time that to be honest lately I don't really have. 

I kind of like having plenty of choice in my wardrobe too as it makes getting ready quite fun as I could literally wear anything that day, if I was transition my wardrobe I would be taking away a section of those choices each day and I think I would easily get bored of my options and end up going out spending far too much on new pieces just to change it up from day to day. There is also the fact that my style actually changes from day to day, in fact no two days are every the same really. One day I could go for a super casual look and the next day I might end up wanting to dress a whole lot smarter. Some days I like to play around with layers and other days a t-shirt is a winner for me so I think by transitioning my wardrobe I would actually feel a bit deflated as options would be gone and I would be dressing the same over and over again. 

On the plus side though by transitioning my wardrobe I would create a lot more wardrobe space which is always needed. Me and Liam actually share a wardrobe and it isn't the biggest wardrobe in the first place, I definitely take up 3/4's of the space in the wardrobe so poor Liam barely has any space. If I was to transition my wardrobe though I would easily be able to create more space for if Liam wanted to buy any new clothing for himself for a change. Having some more space would definitely be great as it would look a lot less cluttered and it might stop the rail from looking like it is going snap at any moment. 

By transitioning my wardrobe I would also be making planning outfits much easier for myself too. If I put away the clothes that aren't seasonably suitable then I am making it easier for me to see what is suitable for the weather. If I am limited to seasonally appropriate outfits then the hunt for clothes will be reduced each day and I don't have to waste time getting changed multiple times. This definitely an area that I could use help in so who knows it could be really beneficial to actually begin to transition my wardrobe. 

A big positive is that it could actually save me money. If I am story pieces away until that specific season appears again I could end up rediscovering old favourites or even coming across an item I was going to splash the cash on as I forgot I had it. If going in the loft and bringing out the clothing I stored away gives me that feeling of having new clothes every couple of months then my bank account would definitely be happy for me to start transitioning my wardrobe. 

So far I am definitely still on the fence about actually trying to transition my wardrobe from season to season but I am planning on fully rebuilding my wardrobes contents when I have lost the weight I need to get to my goal size so who knows by the time that happens and with me starting a fresh already I might end up happily transitioning my wardrobe on a seasonable basis especially as I am already planning on making better choices when it comes to my clothing. Do you transition your wardrobe? 

After a year off work due to being furloughed my routine has been all thrown out of sync however, now I am back in work at long last I am having the chance to create a whole new routine that is going to fit my new lifestyle a whole lot better. Over the past year with me not being at work I have spent a lot of time working on myself and improving my fitness whilst losing weight, I didn't want to ruin my progress and I wanted to stay on track with my goals and continue making the weight loss progress and keep it off. I also feel more energised throughout the day these days so I wanted to keep aspects in even if it involved waking up a bit earlier to fit everything in. So here is my new work day morning routine now I am finally back. 

First stage is getting up and now I am back in work I am having to wake up a bit earlier so I set a few different alarms to make sure I am up and out of bed. I am currently aiming to be out of bed by 6.30am although I definitely want to make that 6am once my body gets used to the early starts again. 

Once I am up I throw on my workout clothes and get my workout done. These take me anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour and I find it such a good way to start my day. I have found if I start my day with a workout I am more energised throughout the whole day and mentally I just feel much better. 

When the workout is complete I jump straight into the shower and try not to spend too long in their as I don't have the time to waste so it is basically a case of straight in and straight out, I just hate going about my day after a workout if I haven't had a shower. Plus now my hair is back short it doesn't take 2 minutes to wash. Once I am out of the shower I do my new skincare routine before heading to the spare room to get ready. I tend to lay all my clothes for the week out on a Sunday now just to make getting ready easier each morning as it definitely speeds up the getting ready process. By the time I am dressed my hair is usually dry so I quickly style that how I want it (post coming soon) and head on to the next step in my routine. 

Once I am dressed it is time to head down and have some breakfast. For so long this has been something I have skipped but since having it daily I have noticed I am snacking a lot less and it is just a good way to start the day. I tend just to stick to eggs or cereal on a morning as I never know how much time I am going to have but I now make sure I am eating it daily no matter how small as it still makes a difference. 

Once breakfast is done I will go to get my backpack and make sure I have everything in there that I need. I always have my glasses in here and a few other bits including my laptop so I can do some blogging on a lunch time instead of sitting around. Once I know I have everything I will then add my lunch to my bag which is usually sorted the evening before and I will just add any extra snacks such as a protein cookie and some crisps and some drinks. 

When I have checked I have got everything I will then head out of the door and walk to work. For so long I would be lazy and get a lift to work but now I happily get my steps in to start my day. It feels good to get some extra fresh air and I actually get to work a whole lot quicker. 

So there you have it I am hoping this new routine is one I can stick to as it is definitely going to be very beneficial for me and I am still getting my workouts in instead of having to worry about fitting them in at the end of the day after a long day at work. No doubt this will be adapted a few times but for now it is great and I actually look forward to getting out of bed and getting ready for work as it isn't one big rush.

So here we go again, I have done two 90 day challenges so far and haven't got the results I wanted, mainly just slacking off or falling out of routine. I could have done so much better but it just didn't work out and honestly I felt deflated by that. However, now I am back in work and back into a consistent routine I am going to give this challenge another go and hopefully it will be third time lucky for me. 

I can go into this challenge knowing that I am now in a great routine thanks to being in the office five times a week and not going out and about now things have reopened. Since I have been back at work I have been really motivated and I am actually doing a lot better in my weight loss journey as I have that consistent routine that I thrive off. That is why I think this time around I am going to see the results I want to as I have the motivation and the time to put into this. If I don't take a lot of snacks to work I can't sit snacking everyday and I can't be fueling myself on junk food like I did when the first lockdown was lifted. Plus there are other things going on that are definitely going to help me on the journey and keep me on track unlike before. 

During these 90 days I will be taking part in a 'fitfans' initiative through Bradford City which is all about nutrition and exercise, this will be going on for 12 weeks and I honestly think I am going to end up learning a lot from this and I think it can also really help me drop some extra pounds. I am also starting a boxing fitness class once a week with my sister which I know is going to push me to my limits but should be fun at the same time as me and my sister don't do much just the two of us. I think doing the 'fit fans' and the boxing mixed in with my other workouts I am going to be heading in the right direction plus I am hoping the weather finally improves and I can finally get back walking with Liam on a weekend which would be nice for us both and I surprisingly like walking these days which is definitely a bit of a shock to me as I used to hate it. I am really looking forward to trying out some new exercises and I think something different is just what I need to get me dropping those pounds again and staying on the right track. I would love to go swimming at some point during these 90 days too but honestly I don't know how likely that is going to be, it would be great if it did happen though. 

One thing that let me down the previous two tries at this challenge is what I was eating. I was eating too much junk and it took its toll on me. So this time I am determined to eat much better. I am going to track my meals properly so I know that I am within my calories daily, when I have tracked previously I have done really well so I need to get back into this habit, plus by doing these I can see if there are any trends to when I eat good or bad. I know that with things reopening I am going to be having some days out but whilst I am out I am determined to make healthier choices rather than ordering the biggest burger like I normally would. I am also planning on having a lot less takeaways this time too, I rely on Liam cooking too much so I am hoping to help him out in the kitchen a lot more so that he doesn't just want  to order in as he is sick of cooking which is normally the case. By cooking some meals for myself too I can experiment with new foods which are going to help me with my weight loss and make different things as we do tend to repeat what we eat quite often which does get a bit boring. I am also going to try my best to limit the amount of alcohol I consume during these 90 days too as I have done this in the past and had fantastic results, I know that is more than possible to really limit this apart from a few days when I am hoping to go out with Liam or family, I just need to not go overboard on those days. 

This time around I am also hoping that having some incentives I am going to push myself and achieve my goal for the end of the 90 days. I am going to treat myself to a new pair of sneakers when I get to half a stone lost as I have my eyes on a few pairs lately but I want to earn them rather than just buy them. When I lose a stone I am going to treat myself to a new football shirt or two as I have my eye on a few and they are definitely a treat for working hard and losing such a big amount of weight in just 90 days. I am hoping that in the 90 days I can lose a total of 1 stone which is my main goal but if I do lose more than this then that will be a fantastic result I just think that 1 stone is a realistic goal for the amount of work I am planning on doing to achieve this. I just need to remember to keep on track with my measurements this time around too as I really slacked on that last time and I think I could end up seeing some big changes. 

So there we go I am going to be creating some great habits that I am going to stick to and work on throughout the 90 day challenge and beyond as I am determined to do much better than last time and keep up with any progress I made to continue my weight loss journey in the right direction. I have 90 days to make a huge difference on my journey and lets hope by the end of the 90 days on the 22nd August I am happy with how things I have gone and that my round up post is a very positive one.

At long last I am finally going to be tackling my wardrobe and giving it a really good declutter. I haven't done this for years but now is the time for me just to pull everything out and be completely ruthless with my decisions and stop clinging onto pieces for the sake of it, some of my clothing is about 5 years old and I am never going to wear it again so why am I allowing it to take up space? Simply for sentimental reasons that needs to stop. Me and Liam share a wardrobe and chest of drawers and thanks to the amount of clothing I have he barely has any space for his clothing which is just ridiculous. I also have things for all seasons out in my wardrobe when I could very easily save space by packing away items that wont be used for months, like having shorts out for winter it just isn't needed so much space could be saved and Liam could have more items of clothing for a change if he wished. I keep saying I am going to clear out my wardrobe and I will get rid of 1 piece and call it that but I just need to pull everything out and get rid if I haven't worn it lately. 

So here are some of the main reasons why I want to finally just go into the bedroom and have a really good clothing declutter...

Sick of hanging onto items for the sake of it

As I said at the start of the post I am just sick of holding onto an item for a silly sentimental reason, like old band t-shirts that I got just because I liked them at the time or clothing I wore in the early days of mine and Liam's relationship. They just take up space that could be used for other items that I am going to wear because the ones I am holding onto are from my teens and are never going to fit me again. 

Items No Longer Fit

I am currently absolutely sick of going into my wardrobe pulling something out to wear that day and it no longer fitting me. I have steadily been losing weight since 2020 so a lot of my clothing is now too big so I just need to go through try bits on and finally get rid of the items that are too big or that are too small and I am no longer going to wear. This will not only save space but will also save me having to get changed multiple times in a day. 

Items Are Old, Worn Out & Have Lost Shape

I have noticed when putting outfits together lately that some of my clothing is just really out of shape due to the amount of times it has been through the washer and drier, honestly I hate it when this happens as I feel like it just downgrades an outfit so I like to keep my items in top shape, that is why anything out of shape will be gone and I can start a fresh. I have also noticed a few of my black t-shirts have started fading too due to washes and sunlight so I need to stop clinging to them and get rid at last that way I can purchase some new ones and have them looking black again like they should be. 

My Style Has Changed Over The Years

My style has definitely evolved over recent years and to be honest I am still trying to work out my perfect style to this day. I have accumulated a lot of printed t-shirts over the years, some Disney, some gaming related and others are sports related but I barely wear them now. The only printed t-shirt I wear are sports ones or those from the athletic brands anything else is just sat in my wardrobe. I definitely prefer wearing more subtle and smarter clothing as I just feel so much better in it and it fits me much better. So I want to clear out all those bits that are unworn although the gaming related ones will be moved to drawers so I can wear them whilst having lounging gaming days. I would rather have a streamlined wardrobe while I find my style rather than just having an overflowing wardrobe full of bits I will never wear again. 

Want To Categories My Wardrobe 

Getting ready on  morning is a nightmare and so is planning outfits as there are just bits of clothing all over the place with no sort of order to it. This makes it so difficult to find things as bits get hid behind others or screwed up on the shelving at the bottom. I just know by clearing out my wardrobe and organising it that getting ready daily is going to be so much easier and that clothing items are going to be worn so much more as I know exactly where they are. This will also make getting ready for work much easier too as I can have a section just for work wear which will be very beneficial as I keep wearing jumpers that are for work on just a day to day basis then I have nothing to wear for work which is a nightmare. 

Save Money By Knowing What I Have

There has been so many times that I have searched my wardrobe and couldn't find the item I was looking for so gave up and just went and bought a new version which has cost me so much money in the long run. I need to stop doing this as it would save me an absolute fortune in the long run. I am hoping that decluttering my wardrobe and having categories stops this from happening anymore as I can easily see where everything is and what I do or don't need so no more wasted money and items being neglected. 

Lifestyle Has Changed

I have gone from being off work furloughed to being back in the office on weekdays so all the lounge wear and casual clothing is not needed half as much as before yet work clothing is becoming a priority so I need to declutter the wardrobe to make space for more suitable work clothing and also clothing suitable for other occasions when I go out for meals or shopping trips. There is no need for all my leisurewear and lounge wear to just be sat there anymore when the space could be used for something I would actually wear. 

I am actually quite looking forward to clearing out the wardrobe and basically starting a fresh, if I do need to replace items though I wont be going overboard as I am still aiming to lose a lot more weight this year. I will just purchase the essentials and I am determined not to hold on to items for ridiculous reasons like I previously have. Do you enjoy clearing out your wardrobe? 

Over the years I seem to have got a lot more into fragrances and I have experimented with different ones instead of sticking with the same ones year after year which is something I did a lot. Once I found a scent I liked I would end  up just repurchasing it over and over again which got boring in the end. Since trying different scents I have found new brands I enjoy and some that I will definitely avoid, I much prefer to buy men's fragrances as often the women's ones are too floral for my liking but sometimes women's fragrances do stand out and I will purchase them. Sometimes even the packaging could influence my decision over whether I am going to purchase a scent or not. Over the years I have definitely changed what I buy but here are the fragrances currently on my fragrance wish list...

The Moschino Toy Boy fragrance is one I actually only originally wanted due to the teddy bear bottle, I absolutely love the look of this black glass teddy bear bottle and it will look great on my dressing table due to the great bottle design. I actually managed to have a smell of this scent from a tester bottle recently and it smells like it is going to be right up my street and it could easily become my daily scent. 

CK One Summer

I am currently using CK One as my daily scent and I love it, as soon as it runs out I am going to repurchase a new bottle. When I was browsing the internet recently I came across the CK One Summer 2021 edition and it looks amazing. Not only is it in a bright summer themed bottle but it also has citrus notes which is fantastic for me as I love anything with citrus scents. I could easily end up picking this up soon.

Polo Ralph Lauren Big Pony 2

I used to own this fragrance and I used it as my daily fragrance for a long time as I loved it that much. I keep meaning to repurchase this fragrance however, there was always a different one that came along and I ended up opting for the new one rather than the Ralph Lauren one. Who knows 2021 could be the year I finally pick up one of my favourite fragrances again. 

Tom Ford - Undecided On Which One

I used to own the Tom Ford Black Orchid fragrance and I absolutely loved it, even people around me would compliment me due to the smell of this fragrance and it was overall just fantastic. I would love to purchase a new Tom Ford fragrance but I don't really know which one I want just yet but it could easily be the Black Orchid one again. The only problem for me is just how expensive the Tom Ford scents are, they are definitely a treat. 

Creed Aventus

This is probably the ultimate fragrance for me as it has been on my wish list for so long however, the price is really putting off as I just can't bring myself to pay over £100 for a bottle of something that is going to need replacing sooner rather than later, if I did get this and like it as much as I think I will it could end up very costly. I actually buy scents at the moment that are very similar but a lot cheaper so for now I will stick to purchasing them but who knows I might end up treating myself to a bottle of Creed one day. 

I definitely really enjoy buying fragrances now as there are so many great ones out there. I have a good little collection recently that I love wearing but who knows new bottles might be added soon. What is on your fragrance wish list? 

Well it is safe to say I have spent plenty of money in April, in fact I think I ended up going a bit overboard however, with the shops reopening I thought I would treat myself as I had saved a fair bit of money whilst they were shut. Plus I got the news at the start of April that I would be back working full time towards the end of the month so after trying on a lot of my work clothing I realised I needed to pick up some bits that actually fit me and that I also needed some bits for the changing weather. So here is what I picked up in April...

My auntie was looking around some local charity shops and she came across this Atletico Madrid shirt for just £4.99. She asked if I canted it getting and of course I wasn't going to say no. The tags have been removed from it but it does look pretty real to me and at £4.99 I can't complain. 

One thing I noticed I was missing when I was sorting through my clothes was a pair of denim shorts. Yeah I have one pair at the moment but I wanted a pair of denim shorts that looked a little different so when I saw these in Primark I wasn't leaving them behind. I bought these in a size below my usual and to be honest I still have a bit of weight to lose until they fit comfortably but I am determined to work hard and fit into them by summer. 

I also needed to get some new jersey shorts so I just picked up these grey ones from Poundland's clothing range for just £5. They have actually really surprised me how comfortable and good quality they are. I am definitely going to be wearing these a lot as the weather warms up and no doubt I will be purchasing more soon. 

I have wanted some navy blue chinos for a while so when I saw these in Matalan I knew I was going to purchase them. What sold me on these is that the back is actually elasticated so they provide a really good fit. I got these a size down from  my normal size and thanks to that elastic it gives them a really good fit. 

A few years ago I got some checked pants from Matalan but unfortunately they were getting a bit too big for me but I just couldn't get rid of them as I loved them so much. So when I saw them back in store I more or less ran over to them and got them in a size smaller than previously. I can't wait to be wearing these a whole lot more. 

I work in a really old building so it is cold all year round, which isn't great for planning work outfits because it could be the height of summer outside and the middle of winter in the office. So when I saw this jumper down to £3 in Primark I wasn't leaving it behind as it will be perfect for those colder office days as it is not too thick. Plus it will be perfect for those colder spring days.

I also managed to find this shirt in Primark for just £3 so I thought I would pick it up for work just to smarten myself up a little bit. This is a bit tight at the moment as I purchased a size down from my usual but I am determined for it to fit much better in the very near future. 

I am trying my best to stop wearing black all the time so I picked up some new plain t-shirts from Primark. At £2 these are perfect to experiment with so I don't feel like I have wasted too much money if the colours don't end up working for me. Primark have some great colours at the moment but for now I just picked up the navy blue, sandy, light blue and purple ones. 

Finally my dad actually found this shirt for himself but they didn't have his size but I actually ended up falling in love with the shirt and thought it would be perfect for me for the spring and summer months. This was just £10 and I know that I am going to be able to get plenty of wear out of this throughout the rest of the year.

So that is what I purchased throughout April, it was definitely a spendy one and I think that May might just be as bad as the purchases have already begun rolling in. What is your favourite purchase from April?