Transformation Tuesday - Throwback!

The size difference still amazes me! 

Every time I look back at my before pictures I can't help but feel embarrassed that I ever looked like that - but at the same time those pictures serve as my motivation.

The left hand side was July 2012, right hand side August 2014. 2 years, 32 kgs weightloss!

I'm so glad I begun my journey to weightloss and am now beginning my new journey to muscles  it's never easy, and it will never be handed to you on a silver platter - you have to get up and have the willpower to say "I can do this" and do it every day!

You may not notice changes in the beginning but slowly you will start to see your life change for the better.  

Remember it's a lifestyle not a diet 🍏

Happier, healthier & fitter

Love,

Milly x

VOGEL'S Cafe-Style Light Almond & Ancient Grains - Review

I really really enjoyed this cereal, not only is it healthy and light but it tastes great. Your not compromising taste for healthier options here. I would have no hesitation at all in recommending this for your breakfast cereal. I'm not a huge cereal eater myself but this one I could eat in the morning, maybe not every morning but a few days a week.

The taste of the grains and the seeds is really pleasant and mixes together well. I was a little hesitant to try it at the start because it didn't look like it would taste the greatest - but don't let it fool you, it tastes amazing and I felt really good after eating it. No bloating, or feeling hungry plus it got me through the whole morning until lunch.

I'll give credit to Vogel's as they have a great 'Compare Products' page which allows for you to compare the nutritional value of all the Vogel's Cereal Range (great for those wanting to compare the sugar, fat, protein values etc)

I've done a review on the Vogel's Peanut Butter Clusters which you can read - Click Here

If you haven't already don't forget to jump over to my Facebook Page and give it a like - I reached over 100 last week so keep an eye out for a giveaway!

Happier, healthier & fitter

Love,

Milly x

VOGEL’s Crunchy Peanut Butter Clusters - Review

So I had the privilege of winning a Vogel's Cereal Pack from In Rhi's Pantry and it arrived on Friday!

Needless to say the girls and I were excited to try out the flavours - naturally I couldn't resist picking up the Vogel's Crunchy Peanut Butter Clusters <3

I am in love and anyone who loves peanut butter will love this cereal too. I'm not a huge cereal fan - but this one takes the cake for being nutritional as well as tasting great! This isn't something I would eat every morning for breakfast but once or twice a week - again perfect for that peanut butter lover! 

I'll give credit to Vogel's as they have a great 'Compare Products' page which allows for you to compare the nutritional value of all the Vogel's Cereal Range (great for those wanting to compare the sugar, fat, protein values etc)

I also tried out the Cranberry, Cashew & Pistachio Luxury Blend Cereal - you can read the review for that cereal on my blog also.

If you haven't already don't forget to jump over to my Facebook Page and give it a like - I reached over 100 last week so keep an eye out for a giveaway!

Happier, healthier & fitter

Love,

Milly x

Goal Setting - For Weightloss!

Setting goals for yourself can be hard and lets be honest we don't always reach our goals. But when I was looking at my pictures from a few years ago I remembered that goal setting was what I did as encouragement for myself to go further and to achieve what I had set out to do - become fitter, healthier and happier and ultimately lose weight.

Instead of setting myself goal weights that I needed to get down to or be I instead opted for a few different goals and set these up along my journey to ensure I kept on top of the weight loss. Below are a few different goals that I set for myself along my weight loss journey and how they can help you with yours. Having set goal weights in my opinion can be some what daunting - especially when you keep stepping onto the scales and not seeing a difference (baring in mind that scales lie - you may be losing fat and gaining muscle but still seeing no difference on the scales)

If you haven't already - don't forget to head over to my Facebook Page so you can follow me. Plus I'll be doing a giveaway at '100' likes! 

Like Milly's Journey to Muscles

My Goal Outfit
I have this amazing ball dress that I wore to my Year 13 ball, it is also a size 10. After my year 13 ball was when I began putting on weight (became size 14) and upon trying on my dress only 6 months later and finding I couldn't fit it was rather disappointing - however I made this one of my goals. My goal was to fit back into my ball dress. It made my goal a little less daunting and more of a fun challenge. I suggest that everyone who is on a weightloss challenge - especially a large one finds that one outfit/dress/bikini whatever it is that you want to shine in and make that your goal outfit. 

This was something I was able to achieve 4 months ago - this was a very happy moment for me because it represented all the hard work I had put into losing the weight. Not to mention that when I finally tried it on it zipped up perfect with even a little bit of room - BONUS! :)

My Goal Exercises
It's no secret in my family that I could not do a 'man push up' or 'pull up' to save myself. Yes if you are wondering I am one of those people who sporadically thrashed around trying to pull myself up on the bar - and it never happens, it just doesn't. Well not until recently that is, one of my overall goals was to become fitter so I set a few personal goals for myself in regards to doing a push up and pull up - something I knew I could not do yet wanted to achieve. I set an exercise goal of being able to do at least 20 man push ups and 20 pull ups - I would definitely like to progress from there but so far I can only pump out one or two of each - but for me this is a big achievement and for my family a little less entertainment as I no longer thrash around trying to pull myself up the bar or tremble as I tried to finish a push up. The weak me is no more and the fitter me is taking over - I love it!

My Goal Look
Looking at all the stars and celebs and seeing how slim they are is seriously unfair - but how about taking what they have and using it as motivation. Do you have a specific look you are going for or a look that you like? When I first began my journey to weightloss I found a picture of Jessica Alba - there is no denying that she is a babe - I used this picture to then become my motivation. I printed off the picture and stuck it up around home in places I knew I would see it (i.e. the bathroom mirror, bedroom mirror, front of the fridge, on the door of your snacks cupboard etc) By sticking it up it is a constant reminder of what you are striving to achieve. The one thing I did do was crop her lovely head off the body as I knew that if I kept seeing Jessica staring at me the idea of working towards her body would of been a bit scary. Here are the pics I used below (this is the look I was heading for - but by no means does that mean it has to be yours. Feel free to pick whoever you want, it may not even be a celeb. The choice is totally yours)

I admit seeing the numbers on the scale dropping is an amazing feeling - but don't forget those scales can lie and at times make you feel worse about the progress you've made than better. I still check my weight every so often to monitor where I am at - but I believe real progress can be felt, seen and even heard (from others - its a great feeling to have other people compliment you on your weightloss or how amazing you are looking) Don't forget to take these compliments, you deserve them!

These are just a few of the different methods that I used while on my weight loss journey and I still use them now - I also have a few others that I used so keep an eye out for those in my upcoming blog posts. So what are you goal outfits, exercises, looks? Do you have any different methods other than jumping on the scale? Would love to hear from you guys.

Healthier, happier and fitter

Lots of love,

Milly x

Kayla Itsines - BBG + Workout Clothes

So this kind of happened.! I printed and bound these babies so I can have a hard copy and have it with me to work from.

I'm so excited to begin using the Kayla Itsines BBG. Even better since it's just under 12 weeks till summer, I'll be bikini ready in now time but more importantly fitter, healthier and happier. I've also got the help guide with some awesome meal plans and promotes healthy eating and has a great lifestyle plan to promote overall health. 

The healthy eating shouldn't be so much of a problem for me as I've already made the change to being a cleaner eater and although I'm not worried about the exercises they do look like I'm going to feel the burn, but a good kind of burn.

I've seen so many amazing transformations so I'm hoping by doing this and my added extra fitness that my journey to muscles won't be too far away. I'm also hoping that it will encourage a healthier lifestyle at my house, I live with 6 friends and id really love to incorporate the healthy eating/lifestyle into our menu at home.

I also picked me up a whole outfit from Kmart they have a really awesome range and it's really affordable this outfit below cost me $20. The cute galaxy shorts were $12 and they have under shorts so when your are working out no one can see up - kind of a necessity in my opinion. The sports crop was $8 and is quite comfy. They also had a seamless version but I'm a matching kind of girl and had to get the right colour. 

Excuse my paleness I've always been a bit of a Casper - I look hilarious my legs are so much darker than everywhere else.! Tan needed here - 12 weeks and it'll be summer so bring on that tan and bring on that bod.!

Has anyone else done the Kayla Itsines 12 week BBG? Are there any tips or things I should know that might help? 

I'm super excited and will be giving you updates along the way.! If your doing the Kayla Itsines 12 week BBG too I'd really like to follow your journey so feel free to leave your blog in the comments below or if you have a journey on Instagram follow me @millysjourneytomuscles and I'll follow you back :)

Happier, healthier and fitter! 

Lots of love,

Milly x

Living with PCOS - Awareness Month!

So you may or may not be aware that this month is PCOS awareness month. Your probably looking at your screen right now wondering what PCOS is - Poly Cystic Ovaries Syndrome or more commonly known as PCOS is a condition that affects 1 in 10 women around the world. Because symptoms can vary from woman to woman it can sometimes be hard to pick up and is most often missed. PCOS can cause women to be overweight, infertile, hirsutism, increased acne etc. It's not easy living with PCOS and there are many women who are still left undiagnosed. 

For those of you who would like to read more on PCOS or find out what its all about you can click below:  

To read more about PCOS - Click Here

I'm writing this post because PCOS is something that affects myself and my family (it can be carried through genetics). It hasn't been easy the tests, weight issues, bad skin, mood swings etc it all adds up over time.

I was placed on the pill to 'regulate' myself and found it still didn't work or wasn't making much of a difference, so I came off the pill and have been doing a lot better since (I have been pill free for a year now). I have got myself into a good routine of healthy eating and exercise and I can say that I believe the cleaner eating and fitter me finds it has been easier tackling the issues I once had with PCOS than it was previously. The weight started to drop off me once I came off my pill, began eating cleaner, exercised more and became more positive.

I stopped looking at PCOS like it was a chore and started making it work more for me, I definitely am not over the moon about having PCOS. But figured I have it, its not going anywhere so I need to start finding a way to fit it into my life without it becoming a burden. 

Below is my picture showing how I lost 30 kilos - I did it with PCOS, without a gym and over a time period as I realised if I tried to fast track it, it could end up causing my PCOS to play up rather than control it.

For any ladies dealing with PCOS who would like to talk - I'm here and so are a bunch of amazing women just like you! See below for a few Facebook Pages for PCOS, they are all lovely ladies, super helpful and all the information on the pages is great for new women being diagnosed with PCOS. We really need to pump the awareness for PCOS because what we do now is what will set the platform the next generation of young girls to come through and lets make sure they get the help and support that they need and that many of us were without. 

Please feel free to spread the awareness around!

Facebook Pages/Groups for PCOS:

PCOS Group

PCOS Group Help

The PCOS Foundation NZ

PCOS - Auckland (For any ladies living in Auckland, NZ)

I have found an amazing group of ladies in each of these groups who are kind, helpful, caring, have tons of information, there for a boost of confidence - you name it these ladies are all amazing and are all PCOS sufferers or supporters

I know this is not like my normal posts, however PCOS affected my inital weight gain and still affects me now as I am working towards muscles. I hope you enjoyed the read.

Lots of Love,

Milly x

PROGRESS Update!!

Progress Update!!! 

I thought I would do a progress update with pictures so you can see the transformation so far this year.

Don't forget if you haven't read my first post about my 30 kilo weight loss journey then you can read it here: http://millysjourneytomuscles.blogspot.co.nz/2014/07/my-two-year-journey-lost-30-kilos.html

Here is my picture from February 2014

and this is my picture from August 2014

I can see a change so far and am happy with the progress I have made, but with the 1st of September going past I'm on a 12 week countdown till Summer and need to step up my game a bit if I want to be ready for then.

These comparison pics help to show the exact change below: 

For those of you wondering I followed a 80% Cleaner Eating, 20% More Exercise regime. I looked at my eating and cut out the crap (the takeaway, munchies, cravings etc) and moved more towards wholefoods to help sustain the energy I was eating. When I was eating takeaways and fast food I would eat the meal and feel full for all of 20 minutes only to be hungry again. When I changed my diet I found I could eat a lot less but still retain the energy I needed to get through the day. Most women complain about not being able to exercise due to time constraints however I believe that the changes I made in my diet contributed to over 70% of my success, the latter 20/30% was exercise and nothing drastic. I really would like to help any girls who are wanting to begin their own journey so feel free to pop me a comment or send me a message at my Facebook Page which can be found here:

Milly's Journey to Muscles Facebook Page

Is anyone else here on their own journey and have their own blog/page I should follow? What have you got in store to get your body fit and ready for summer? I would love to see your stories and pics too. Comment below :)

Lots of love,

Milly x

12 Week Countdown - Hello Spring!

Hello Spring! That's right it's the 1st of September so officially its spring! (For those of you not currently living in little ol' New Zealand you will find it indeed is not spring in which case its whichever season it should be in your country).

Which also means 12 more weeks till summer and I can't wait! 12 weeks can fly by super fast so make sure you have a plan in place if your wanting that bikini bod by summer 

You may not want that bikini body, or the box gap thighs for summer - maybe your looking at losing some weight so you feel more confident. Or maybe you've fallen off the bandwagon a few to many times and need that extra boost of confidence to keep going and take the bull by the horns and finally make the commitment to stick to your training.

Imagine the amazing benefits you could gain in the mean time - A) A banging body (any body is banging - not just a 'skinny' one) B) It takes 4 weeks for you to begin noticing a change, 8 weeks for your friends and family and 12 weeks for the rest of the world - this 12 week countdown could be your challenge as well as your reward. C) Your eating habits/training habits will change over the next 12 weeks getting you into a flow where training and eating doesn't have to be hard and can be more of a project rather than a chore - not to mention Christmas isn't too far away after this 12 week countdown. D) If Christmas is only approximately 3 weeks after this 12 week countdown your body will already be in 'beast' mode and be able to jump back into training after your Christmas/New Years temptations - saying that it will also be easier to say 'no' to the naughty foods you once said 'yes' to.

Does anyone have a 12 week plan to get them ready for summer? If so what is it? And what are you doing to keep yourself motivated for the next 12 weeks?

Happier, healthier & fitter

Lots of love

Milly x