Hi Everyone,

I hope you’re all well; loving life and the beautiful British summer that we seem to be having at the moment. I know I am. Although as I type this the sun has gone behind a very omnious looking black cloud. I think a few spots of rain may be on its way…

I wanted to provide you gorgeous lot with an update on what’s been happening in my life since I last posted way back in June, and I’m pleased to say that on the whole it has been really positive, and I am hoping to post more regularly:

I achieved my 1 stone lost award at Slimming World.

It took me 13 weeks on the Slimming World diet to lose my stone but I got there a couple of weeks ago now. Unfortunately I have been ill with a virus this last week so I haven’t been able to make it to group. I’m gutted but trying to keep my motivation up so that I can have a loss when I go back next week. The week I won my stone award I also won Slimmer of the Week and to say I am over the moon at this double achievement would be an understatement. Two weeks on and I am still chuffed to bits.

{Me proud as punch with my stone award and Slimmer of the Week awards}

I am on better medication for my depression.

I switched from Duloxetine to Venlalic (which is a branded type of Venlafaxine). Both Duloxetine and Venlafaxine are SNRI’s. Basically they’re both antidepressants of the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) class. They are prescribed to people like me who suffer from major depressive disorders. Unfortunately Duloxetine made me very nauseous and I felt quite heavily drugged whilst taking this medication. I decided to go back and see my GP in late June to see if I could move to something else, and she asked me if I would be willing to try another SNRI. I said yes, although I was sceptical. I mean how different could it be from Duloxetine? She prescribed me a 37.5mg dose of Venlalic – this is a super baby dose – it is half of minimum dose that is usually prescribed, but I am pleased to say that it works for me. My mood has lifted and I am less tempted to binge eat. After the first couple of weeks the side effects lifted completely – the standard light headedness and nausea. I think this medication will always be part of my life as I would class myself as someone with chronic unhappiness and low mood even when life is good. I cry a lot when I am suffering. Depression is a flaw in chemistry, not character and I just need a little extra help. I will hopefully be ready to work at some point in the near future, but the focus is on getting well, and not running before I can walk.

I am exercising 5 times a week.

As I am not well enough to work at the moment (I am recovering from a lengthy breakdown) I have been making a concerted effort to incorporate exercise into my daily routine. At the moment I am doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD 5 days a week and I am pleased to say that I have completed all levels (1,2 and 3). It’s an excellent all over body workout, and I feel so pleased when I complete it everyday. Although it does have me crawling to the shower afterward, drenched in sweat

I’m loving life and rebuilding my confidence.

Due to the above points, as well as my supportive husband, family and friends I am getting my joie de vivre back. This has been helped also by a couple of furry friends, as Chris and I also added to our family…no we didn’t get pregnant – not yet anyway, but we did adopt a beautiful tortoise-shell cat called Honey, who had been given up by her last owners. She’s 16 years old, friendly, vocal and very loving. She’s a pleasure to have in our family, and Penny seems to have taken to the new addition admirably well.

{Me and the hubs outside a friends wedding ceremony last Saturday}

So now lovelies, I hope you are all having an equally lovely summer, and always I would love to hear your feedback on Slimming World, depression, life or anything that you feel is appropriate.

Much “joie de vivre” love