Lifestyle: A new start

When I got back from Paris a couple of weeks ago, one of the very first things I did was get my photos off my camera and onto the iMac. I got some beautiful shots of the usual sights, however I was not happy at all with my appearance. Since last summer I've managed to put on two stone and the weight has gone straight to my belly and my legs. Obviously as it was scorching in France while I was there, I had my legs out and I've had to crop any photos that I've uploaded online to just below the waist.

So, since I've been back in England, I've been making a conscious effort to try and lose some weight and also tone up. The first thing I've been doing is counting calories and cutting out the crap. It's been killing me but I have been avoiding McDonalds (and strangely I haven't been craving it!) and Greggs and I've also not been snacking as often as I usually would. I used to eat a whole packet of biscuits for breakfast which is quite disgusting. To count my calories, I've been using an app called MyFitnessPal (if you want to add me as a friend, my username is xhjw) which has been a great help. I've had this app for a couple of years but I've only recently started to use it properly.

To help me to tone up, I've been doing a fair bit of exercise. I've been quite lazy since I got home from uni and I've not been doing much walking as town is a bus ride away. I've bought myself an exercise bike and if I'm honest, I haven't been using it as much as I should have been. I've also been taking the stairs whenever I can and walking more. When I went to London on Wednesday, I avoided taking the tube for most of the day and I got a lot of exercise from walking around the city with some really heavy bags. While that may have been good for my legs, my feet are not thanking me right now! Other exercises that I have been doing apart from walking and cycling are squats to tone my legs and bum and sit ups to tone my stomach. I've been thinking about trying out a different type of cardio, maybe zumba which is really popular and I could get the clothing for that from Move Dancewear. I've also been thinking about trying out something like pilates or yoga, I just need to find somewhere that does classes nearer me.

Since I started this new diet/exercise regime, I'ved managed to lose 3lbs which is a great start. Ideally, I want to lose a stone and get a bit more toned. I'm surprsied that I haven't been craving junk food, I thought it would be really hard but it's not!

What sort of exercise do you do? Do you have a good fitness regime?