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So today's post is a bit of a catch up seeing as I worked another late one yesterday. I'm so tired today from it, bring on the weekend!

Thursday morning started with Davina. I'm enjoying working those arms, and I definitely think they are becoming more defined. Breakfast was a tub of 0% greek yoghurt (my last for a little while as they are too expensive!) mixed with a scoop of chocolate whey and topped with some oats, grape nuts and mixed berries.


Yummy mess! Lunch was a chicken salad dressed with lemon juice and plenty of black pepper followed by an apple.


Mid afternoon I snacked on a pot of cottage cheese with walnuts and cinnamon.


This was lovely and tasty and the 20g + of protein kept me nice and full. I also snacked on an apple before my meeting.


When I got home from my meeting it was too late for a decent dinner so I ate a bowl of my Lemon Tofu Pudding (which was oh so good!) and then I had what seemed like a billion kallo savory rice cakes and another (!) apple.


I finished it all off with a glass of hazelnut and almond rice milk.


This morning I was up bright and early for my weigh in. It was good news, I've lost 3lbs since last week! That puts me back at my happy weight of 10st (140lbs). Just like the holiday to Majorca, I would like to lose a few more pounds to give me a 'cushion' for my next holiday to Brighton which is in two weeks.

I popped to the gym for my cardio / free weights workout. I did 10 minutes of intervals on the cross trainer and 10 minutes of intervals on the step machine. I then did my weights routine from my training plan. To save time I joined up my tricep kickback and row into one move. It was a great workout, I'm definitely expecting some DOMS tomorrow!

Breakfast was a bowl of porridge made with jumbo porridge oats, quinoa flakes and water with a scoop of vanilla whey and some blueberries mixed in, then topped off with some pumpkin and sunflower seeds.


Lunch was a turkey salad with 5 slices of turkey, mixed salad leaves, carrot, cucumber and a big dollop of hummus on the side. I followed that with a pink lady apple.


I managed to head straight home after an afternoon meeting, very happy for the slightly earlier start to the weekend! I snacked on a bowl of low fat fromage frais with honey when I got home.


I've been looking at alternatives to my favourite expensive Fage 0% greek yoghurt. I tried some greek style yoghurt last week which was ok but did not contain loads of protein and had a few too many calories. I then saw the tub of low fat fromage frais and checked the label. Much better protein content and lower sugar, although not as good as the Fage, its much more affordable!

For dinner I made my Chilli, Lime, Ginger Chicken Stir Fry with Cashews. I used a pre packed stir fry as when I was last at the shops the shelves were a bit empty. The veggies included tender stem brocolli, chinese cabbage, sugar snap peas, red cabbage, spring onion and some fresh red chilli and corridander.


It really tasted amazing! Desert was a hot apple (chopped apple mircowaved with a tablespoon of water for 2 minutes) topped with couple of tablespoons of fromage frais, agave syrup and some Tropical Bear Granola.


I am so happy that the weekend is here, I don't know what it is but I'm so ready for it this week. I've been spending the afternoon looking through my cookbooks, snapping pics on my phone and uploading them to my Evernote account. I can then tag them with breakfast, lunch, dinner etc, then when I want some inspiration I can just look them straight up. Check out Evernote, its free and is a fantasic organisational tool.

So what does everyone have planned for the weekend? I'm out for a 4 mile run in the morning (fingers crossed my knee holds out) then I think I might pop into town and see what cheap fruit and veg I can get from the market before heading home (I will not be looking in any high street shops!) to give my wardrobe a good sort out. Thanks to the fantasic comments from you guys on my last post I'm going to have a good look at how to go on with ebay and see if I can make some money selling old clothes! I'm also planning some tasty eats. Can't wait! x

Thanks for all your lovely comments to my last post! I am still walking around with a huge smile on my face thinking of all the great things we’ll be doing in NYC! I really can not wait to go :-)

As I was working late last night I decided to fit in a workout first thing Thursday morning, thank goodness for DVD’s! To replace my planned upper body weights / interval session I did Davina Fit Top Fit section followed by my MTV Yoga DVD. I had a great workout! For breakfast I really fancied some muesli but didn’t want to open a carton of milk. Instead I made some of my instant coconut milk with added vanilla hemp protein powder (to help with muscle repair after my workout), a mix of Dorset Cereals nutty and high fibre muesli and 2 small chopped jazz apples:

This was delicious and just what I had been craving!

Lunch was leftover sweet potato and black beans with veggies from Wednesday evenings dinner and spinach plus an orange and another amazing persimmon. I snacked on veggies, another couple of apples and an almond honey snack bar before my meeting. When I got home I made myself green smoothie no 7:

Raspberry Carob Green Smoothie (makes one large serving)

• 3 cups of spring greens with stems removed
• 1 cup of frozen raspberries
• 3 clemintines
• 1 tbsp of toasted carob powder (could also use cocoa powder)
• 1 tbsp of agave syrup
• 1 tsp maca (optional)
• 1 tsp mesquite (optional)
• Water / milk – to desired consistency
• xanthan and guar gums (optional but adds thickness)

Toppings:

• Carob flakes
• Granola
• Flaked almonds

This was yummy – I really like carob. Those carob flakes are so addictive too, I was snacking away on them while I was making the smoothie – so good.

Thankfully after my late meetings this week I’ve been able to work from home today to catch up, this meant I could fit in a longer than usual gym session. I had a great 1hr15 minute workout including intervals on the cross trainer, step machine, rowing machine and bike followed by my abs and core. Although I had completed my 7 days 7 smoothies challenge I had an idea for a really delicious combo so I decided to have one more:

‘Bounty’ (chocolate coconut) Green Smoothie (makes one large serving)

• 3 cups of romaine lettuce and spinach (or whatever greens take your fancy)
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup of frozen peach slices
• 1 small can (160ml) of reduced fat coconut milk (nom!)
• 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (I used sun warrior)
• 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder (could use more if not using protein powder)
• 1 tsp of maca (optional)
• 1 tsp of mesquite (optional)
• 1 tbsp of desiccated coconut
• Water / milk – to desired consistency
• Xanthan / guar gums (optional but add thickness)

Toppings

• Coconut flour paste
• Cacao nibs
• Desiccated coconut

This was an awesome smoothie! The addition of the coconut milk, even though it was reduced fat added a delicious creaminess. This also kept me full for ages!

For once I didn’t actually have a plan for my meals today. Usually I love my meal planning but I just decided to go with the flow and see what I was craving / what was on offer at the supermarket / what showed up in my organic veg box. As it had been a whole week since I’d had hummus I decided to indulge my addiction and go for a regular favourite for lunch – a giant hummus topped salad:

This contained sweet pea shoots, romaine, carrot, beets, sugar snaps, red onion, alfalfa sprouts and a large serving of my high protein hummus made with added olives and broccoli (great combo!) I also had an orange and two passion fruit.

Mid afternoon I continued to go with my cravings and made myself a big green juice with apple, celery, broccoli stalks, romaine and lemon. I also ended up snacking on several pink lady apples, not because I hadn’t eaten enough, just because they taste bloody lush ;-)

I had lots of veggies available so for dinner I went with a massive veggie filled stir fry containing shredded brussel sprouts, spring greens, courgette, carrot, mushrooms, ginger and baked teriyaki tofu with gomasio and shoyu:

I love defrosted and baked tofu, it gets such a lovely texture. Its been nice to just go with the flow and follow my cravings – I love that I can still meal plan (for saving money and being organised) but incorporate some flexibility to eat what I fancy! What have you been craving recently?

March review and aims for April

I’ve had an amazing March!

• Put on weight! (I’ll explain why I see this as an achievement in a mo)
• Ran outdoors each week and vastly improved my average pace (total outdoor mileage this month 30 miles, fastest average pace 8.54)
• Got my maximum plank hold time up to 2 minutes 10 seconds (full plank) and 50 seconds (side planks)
• Started to meditate each morning and do more yoga
• Did my green smoothie challenge ;-)
• Made the decision to eat an almost completely vegan diet – but not getting overly hung up on labelling myself

Most of these are in line with the goals that I set for myself at the start of the month. In case any of you are new readers I have recently been having problems maintaining my weight (I’ve actually been losing more weight and getting close to the underweight BMI – see the posts I’ve linked to here – particularly the finding balance post). This month I have gained a pound! It may not seem like much but after 6 months of consistently losing weight it shows that I am on the right track. I also didn’t freak out about the gain as I was worried I would, I think my mind set is really starting to improve. I feel like I may not even need to weigh myself anymore – before I got on the scales I asked myself – am I happy with my body? Yes - I am happy with my body at the moment, I feel great and very healthy so what difference should a number on the scale make?

In terms of next months training I’m looking at pretty much the same as last month, although I’ll be continuing to take a flexible approach, changing up workouts due to the bank holidays / work commitments etc:

• Monday – gym workout: 30 min HIITs, 30 min spin, abs and core
• Tuesday – AM – Yoga Podcast (20 min), PM - Body Pump 50 min
• Wednesday – gym workout: 30 min speed work on treadmill, 30 min HIITs, abs and core
• Thursday – AM – Yoga flow from Slim, Calm, Sexy Yoga (20 min), PM gym upper body dumbbell workout, 20 minutes HIITs
• Friday – AM – gym workout 30 min HIITs, abs and core
• Weekend – Long outdoor run – working up from current 8 miles to 10 miles, one week to run 10k to see what pace is like for my 10k race /optional yoga DVD workout / REST DAY

I don’t want to add in other run quite yet – I need to sort out some new running shoes before I significantly increase my weekly mileage (don’t want to risk injury). I did get Run Less Run Faster from the library and I plan on taking some tips from this to improve my treadmill speed intervals for this month and then eventually a proper half marathon training plan to start in May. Although the structure of my training is staying the same I’m going to change up my interval sessions at the gym (perhaps moving from 1 minute intervals to 30 sec intervals) and the exercises I do for my abs and core to keep my body guessing. Now that I have reached my plank goal I will try out some variations on the plank exercise such as adding in an arm / leg raise. I also need to get back to trying to achieve a full push up!

Aims for April

• Continue to work on having a healthy attitude to fuelling myself properly / focusing on health over weight or size
• Continue to work towards my overall 2011 goals (I think I’m on the way to meeting the travel goal with our trip to NYC!)
• Re focus on my push up aim
• Keep up the running – in particular making progress on my speed
• Make good progress on my Diet and Nutrition Advisor Course
• Keep up the yoga and meditation
• Get ready for NYC in May!

How was March for you? Have you set yourself any goals for April?

Hi Everyone! Hope your having a great Saturday!

This morning I was up and out again for my Saturday run. I wasn’t that hungry when I woke up so I went out on an empty stomach. I did 6.5 miles in 60 minutes and was really happy with my time. It was a beautiful autumn morning, but my hands were freezing again. I made sure to pick up some gloves today! When I got home I made myself this lovely smoothie:

Butternut Squash Smoothie (based on Gena’s recipe)

• 1/2 cup of roast butternut squash
• 4 ice cubes
• 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
• 1 cup of soy milk
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger

Blend all ingredients and serve. I topped mine with a tablespoon of muesli and a good drizzle of maple syrup.

When Gena said this smoothie was to die for she wasn’t kidding. This was delicious! The cinnamon and ginger flavours with the sweet butternut tasted wonderful.

I spent the rest of the morning in Newcastle. I few days ago I bought a mug and loose leaf tea infuser on sale in Sainsbury’s for just £3, so I went to my favourite Deli and picked up some Amaretto loose leaf tea. This smells amazing! While I was there I got the most yummy almond chai mocha skinny latte. Officially my new favourite hot drink! I also went to a couple of shops in the market. I got more loose leaf tea, this time some Japanese Cherry Sencha Green tea. I also got some olives and a chipotle Chile Ketchup which should taste great with bean burgers.

After town I popped to my best friends for a cuppa. She had made me a jar of green tomato chutney, I can’t wait to try it!

While I was in Newcastle I also hit TK Maxx and H&M and had a bit of a naughty spending spree! I’ll post what I got tomorrow as I found loads of things, although I probably shouldn’t have spent so much I’m really chuffed with what I got!

September Review and October Plans

What I achieved in September:

• Completed the Great North Run!
• Ditched the scales
• Did my first spinning class
• Signed up for my first yoga class
• Lost 5lbs (more on this in a mo)
• Lost 1.5 inches from my waist and bust

Wow, this has been one hell of an eventful month!

A month ago I blogged about how I would be ditching the scales and not weighing myself every week. I did say I would weigh in once a month until I was confident I was balancing things out. I was shocked when I got weighed to see that I had dropped that much weight without even trying. Before I jumped on the scales I had said to myself that it didn’t really matter what number came up as I was feeling ok about myself and my body, my clothes have been fitting well etc. I was certainly not expecting a 5lb loss. On one hand this is ok as it gives me room for any eating out / over eating related weight gain that may come up, but at the same time I really don’t want to get any smaller. I think I need to see how I go next month, as due to the half marathon training, this month was always going to be a bit of an odd one.

I’m also really happy that I’ve continued running. I was a bit worried that after completing the GNR I wouldn’t have the motivation to continue to run but I’m glad to say that I still really enjoy it!

Now that the GNR is all done and dusted (for this year at least) I have a new set of goals and a new training plan:

Goals:

• Continue running – at least 15k (cause 15k sounds more than 9 miles ;-) a week either outdoors or on the treadmill
• Improve my strength and flexibility with my new yoga class
• Continue to attend spinning class once a week
• Think about other measures of ‘healthy’ rather than just weight / size

Current Stats:

• Weight – 9st 9lbs
• Hips –35 inches
• Waist – 27 inches
• Bust – 35.5 inches

My outline weekly plan will be:

• Monday – Gym – 30 mins high intensity intervals, 30 mins spin class, abs and core exercises
• Tuesday – DVD including strength work – for this month the 30 Day Shred Levels 1 and 2 back to back
• Wednesday – 3k run on the treadmill at gym followed by abs and core exercises
• Thursday – DVD including strength work – 30 Day Shred Level 3, Yoga Class
• Friday – Gym – 45 mins high intensity intervals, 15 minutes of strength and core exercises
• Sat / Sun – 10k outdoor or treadmill run / Rest Day

I also want to think about other ways I can measure health rather than just by weight or size. Here’s my first thoughts:

• How am I feeling in myself? Am I feeling tired / rundown / depressed or my usual cheerful self? :-)
• What’s my skin, hair and nails like? Is my skin blemish free? Are my nails strong and is my hair shiny?
• What’s my energy levels like?
• Do I have any aches and pains?

As I am looking to move away from focusing on weight and size as an indication of health I think I will find looking at these other things useful. What other indicators of health could I add to my list?

Well today has been a mad day! I was up bright and early for my weigh in and to get myself organised before hitting the gym for a quick workout. I weighed in and I have lost 2lbs since last week putting me at 9st 11 (137lbs) so I'm well chuffed! Thats only 1lb away from a total loss of 5 stone since I started this weight loss journey! Considering everything I stuffed at the EAT Festival and lunch at my parents last weekend I think I've done well! I know I'm likely to gain over the next week and come back up to my 'happy weight' of around 10st (I'm 5'6). 10st seems to be the weight that I can maintain while eating flexibly and exercising moderately, and since this puts me at a UK size 10 - 12 thats fine with me!

At the gym I did 20 mins of intervals on the cross trainer and step machine followed by the strength routine detailed in my June training plan. I love this routine as it focuses on my upper body and abs and it really feels like my muscles are working hard. I came home had a quick shower then made this amazing smoothie in a bowl. I wanted something super filling and full of goodness to set me up for my busy day.

I may not be pretty, but I'm tasty - super good for you smoothie in a bowl

2 handfuls of spinach
1 Frozen banana
Frozen mango chunks
Frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons of goji berries soaked in water for an hour
1 large tablespoon of smooth peanut butter
Skimmed milk
Water to blend

Pop all ingredients in a blender and wizz. Serve in a bowl with more goji berries on top. Its a bit of an unattractive colour but it tastes really good and contains so much goodness!


For lunch everyone at work decided to head down to our local cafe. I had a turkey salad containing deli turkey slices, shredded lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red onion, yellow pepper and sweetcorn ...


...followed by a latte.


I figured the caffeine would be needed! I didn't eat the little biccie, saving my sugar intake for later! Then when I got back to the office I snacked on a some carrot and cucumber that had needed to be eaten.


I left the apple and orange as I wasn't that hungry and ate them later once I got home.

I got finished up at work and headed home to start packing!

Check out all this stuff!


Reading material - I'm in charge of the healthy lifestyle mags and my Sis is getting the glossy weeklies! Plus I love Terry Pratchett and Bill Bryson books.


Healthy snacks - 9 Bars, Definity Bar, Fruit and Oat bites bars, green tea, decaf tea.


Holiday make up and toiletries


I've gone for make up that can be used for a 'dewy' look - so I have a cream eye shadow, a brilliant cream blusher and two eye crayons from the new Topshop range, a waterproof eye liner and some water proof mascara. I've been using loads of little zip lock plastic bags to keep me organised and protect against any spills.

I had a long shower and did all my primping and preening including using a face mask, full hair removal routine, exfoliation, deep condition of hair and moisturising with a good layer of coconut scented body butter. I have to say that with all of that, plus having my nails all perfectly painted (I hope Neenie approves!)-


- and my weight loss I feel very goddess like for a change! My Summer Confidence Challenge has really worked, I've managed to stick to most of the principles I set out for myself and it has paid off.

Mid afternoon I snacked on this Chocolate Protein Bar which was free with Body Fit magazine.


It contains a zillion artifical ingredients which put me off a bit, but it tasted gorgeous! Its 20g of protein and 188 cals for a bar.

And now I'm finishing off this post before we head through to my parents to watch the footy where I suspect beer may be drank and some pizza may be eaten! I'm taking a couple of my snackies through with me - more carrot and cucumber that needs to be eaten up, an apple for later, some of my favorite Green and Blacks Dark Chocolate as a treat and a lemon so I can make my usual hot lemon drink to get me going in the morning.


Then we shall be up early in the morning and off to the airport. I'm looking forward to hitting the duty free for some make up and perfume!

So I will be saying 'Hasta luego' my blog friends! (Google has assured me that means 'see you later' in Spanish) I'll be back to my usual daily posts on my return, hope you all have a brilliant week! x

Well it has been exactly 31 days since I started my January Kick Start Plan. I haven’t drank coffee or caffeinated tea (except green tea), I haven’t ate heavily processed foods, refined sugars, soy milk, dairy, eggs, or any other animal products and I have ate a shed load of fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds and lovely fresh juices.

And I’m feeling awesome! I also apologise in advance for the long winded post but I feel I have loads to talk about!

I know some people would have been pretty put off by the ‘detox’ word, and I guess you could describe what I have done as a kind of detox, but it hasn’t really felt that restrictive. The focus for me has been on filling up on amazing healthy foods which have left me feeling vibrant, allowed me to sleep better than I have in a long time and improved my skin.

Some of the delicious foods I have been eating include:

Green smoothies and fruit smoothies

  Blended quinoa porridge

Cashew cream with fruit and granola

Nori wraps with cashew ginger pate

Cabbage wraps with home made broccoli, courgette and olive hummus

Salad beasts

Moroccan butternut squash and chickpea tagine

Soya bean and veggie thai green curry

Raw chocolate!

Even though I hadn’t drank a lot of coffee or ate buckets of sugar I still experienced a ‘detox’ headache in the first few days. In the middle of the month my energy levels dipped – although I think this was mostly due to improper fueling than the plan itself, but now I’m feeling really good and brimming with energy.

The plan I have followed has also meant that for the last month I have been vegan.

source

I went vegetarian last year after doing some reading and coming to the conclusion that it was the right path for me. I really wasn’t sure how I would deal with the vegan element of the plan, especially as I wasn’t eating processed foods or lots of soy products. I was actually amazed at how well I did. I can honestly say I have not missed animal products one bit. This leaves me in a difficult position. Do I continue to remain vegan or do I go back to being a veggie?

At the moment I feel more comfortable being a vegetarian that eats vegan most of the time. I think that allowing myself the flexibility to occasionally eat free range eggs and dairy (organic as often as possible) is right for me at the moment, plus I have a fridge full of feta and veggie parmesan cheese that needs using up! However, I really do think I’ll end up eating a mostly vegan diet overall, and I’m really happy with that.

What I have missed is coffee!

I love my flavoured coffees a couple of times a week, I feel like I’m having myself a little treat and I have really missed that. Detox tea just doesn’t cut it! I’ve also missed being able to eat more tofu and my spiru-tein protein powder (I’ve left these out as they are heavily processed and contain processed soy). 

So, at the beginning of the month I was carrying 4lbs ‘Christmas’ weight which came off pretty easily and on top of that I have lost an additional 5lbs, which I did not need or want to lose. I know I have some issues around fueling properly and eating enough when working late to figure out, but that’s for another post, and believe me I have a few thoughts I need to get out of my head on that! My new training plan has also gone very well – I wanted to focus on improving my plank hold time, work towards doing a full press up and work on my abs and general muscle tone. I’m really happy with the tone I have in my arms, especially my shoulders and my back. My stomach is definitely looking more defined too!

I last took my measurements at the end of November and since then I have lost an inch from my waist and hips and 5lbs. Current stats: height 5’6, weight 8st 11lbs, bust 35.5 inches, waist 26.5 inches, hips 33 inches.

All in all I feel I’ve had very successful January, but I still need to suss out how I can eat better to maintain my weight and not lose anymore. In fact I’d feel more comfortable gaining a few pounds but as I said, I could write a full post on this so will save my thoughts for then.

There’s also a few things I’ve done during the plan that I will continue to do:

• Make my own hummus rather than shop bought
• Drink freshly made juices
• Make my own almond milk
• Eat more raw foods
• Enjoy home made salad dressings full of good fats
• Eat lots of yummy raw chocolate!
• Take a vegan multi vit every day
• Add spirulina to my smoothies (gotta love that green!)

How has January gone for you? Have you started any new habits that you will continue on with into the rest of the year?

Before I go here’s a few pics of yesterday’s eats including a yummy new recipe! Before going to the gym I had a slice of sprouted wheat bread with apple pear spread and a detox tea:

I ran 5 miles in 45 minutes doing speed intervals on the tread mill and was chuffed to stick it out longer than my usual 30 minutes! I then did 15 minutes on the step machine, bike and cross trainer at a steady state for a total 1hr 30 minute cardio workout.

When I got home I made a fabulous big green smoothie containing spring greens, two nectarines, small frozen banana, pineapple coconut water, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, spirulina, matcha and maca. I topped it with half a pack of Bear Coco Cherry Pie Granola and goji berries:

So good! A little later I had a fresh green juice made with two apples, a pear, cos lettuce, celery, cucumber, ginger and lemon:

For a late lunch / early dinner I had a Beetroot, lentil and sunflower seed pattie on top of a huge super salad:

The salad contained lettuce, carrot, red onion, red pepper, cucumber, sprouts, herbamare seasoning, braggs and some cool oil. As I had lots of beetroot to use up I thought I’d try making up a new recipe based on the roast veggie and sunflower seed patties I made a while ago.

Beetroot, Lentil and Sunflower Seed Patties (makes 4 large patties)

• 3 medium beetroots, roasted until tender
• 1 tin of green lentils, drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons of sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon of ground flax
• 1 tablespoon of water

Add the roasted beets and lentils to a food processor and blend until the mixture starts to come together but still has a little texture. Add the ground flax and water and lightly blend again. Put the mixture into a bowl and add the sunflower seeds, mixing well. Form into 4 large patties. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least on hour before cooking (can also be frozen). I coated mine in a little spelt flour and fried on a medium high heat in coconut oil for 10 minutes a side. The flour coating just makes them a little crisper. These don’t hold together amazingly well so you have to take care when flipping them!  These are so good, love the nutty little sunflower seeds!

I followed this with some blueberries and pomegranate seeds:

Then I was up and out for James work leaving do. It wasn’t a big  night out, just a few drinks after work. I always drink soda water with ice and lemon when I’m driving. When we got home I had a cocoa orange nakd bar, 4 chopped apples (two shown here) and a cup of sleepytime tea:

As I’m off work this week we are having today as a bit of a chill day. I’ve been trying to re organise the kitchen a bit and have made my first attempt at Socca which is a pancake / flatbread type dish made with chickpea flour, I know its going to be a big favourite of mine from now on! I’m also going to make some cookie dough balls! I’ll share pics and recipes tomorrow. Hope all your weeks have got off to a great start!