Stop saying no to CHO!

I am tired of hearing about all these fad diets. One in particular that bugs me is "paleo" or "low carb"!

Why would you do this to yourself? Why can people  not understand that we need carbohydrates, they are our body's main source of fuel!

Ideally, at least 50% of our diet should be carbs. This same feeling is reflected to low fat too. I know there has been a little resurgence lately and more people are understanding that not all fat is bad but it is not enough.

I still have to speak with people daily who choose low fat things that are caked in sugar.

We need to find a balance. Yes, you may see the odd low fat product which isn't a con and if you're looking to reduce calorie intake, I would recommend it due to fat's high calorie content. A great example is Fage Total 0% Yogurt. It is actually genuinely good for you. High in protein and calcium, no fat and more importantly, no added sugar! It is creamy and delicious and you can flavour it how you like. That is the key, that way you know exactly what is going into your food and your body. Skyr is also a good brand FYI.

But this post is not about fat it is about carbohydrates.

Your body turns carbs into glucose or blood sugar which enters your cells, tissues and organs to provide energy. The key is to aim for starchy and fibre based carbs to keep you full and stay away from simple carbs - which is a term I am sure most people have heard of by now.

My other half recently spoke with a friend who told him he did two to three days per week low carb - we're talking 100grams per day max - to help him shred and look more defined and so Matt insisted we did it too. I caved and agreed, more than anything to prove a point. We were both starving all day and all we could think about was naughty foods such as pizza. The next day, carbs were reintroduced, and despite eating what we normally would, it wasn't enough, again we were hungry all day and couldn't be satisfied. Because our stores had been depleted. We had no energy in the gym either. The key thing to remember here is, we are both usually very active. All we wanted to do was sit on the sofa and eat food. I felt this little experiment proved my point.

Here are some top tips for consuming a healthy balanced diet with carbs.

Choose wholegrain (not brown bread, wholegrain!) and start your day with some slow releasing carbs like oats. If you don't fancy hot oats try my Overnight oats

Replace your usual sandwich casing with a wholegrain bread, wrap or pitta alternative. Check the ingredients list to make sure something wholegrain based is the first ingredient. Or move away from the traditional sandwich all together and make a tasty salad using brown rice, quinoa, bulgar wheat or whatever takes your fancy.

Eat whole fruit over fruit juice, less sugar, more fibre and certainly more filling.

Eat more beans and legumes for a good dose of slow releasing carbs and protein.

Don't be afraid of carbs, embrace them and learn which are good and bad. Obviously, we all know cakes, biscuits, chocolate etc.. are "bad" carbs so just limit the amount you eat. Don't cut them out though! Why should you, we all deserve to enjoy something a bit naughty once in a while. It stops us bingeing if we don't restrict ourselves too much. Just learn moderation. Eat well most of the time and exercise. I think I have said before but the 80/20 rule is the best thing I have heard. Eat well 80% of the time, enjoy whatever you want to eat the other 20%. Happiness is the real key to good health!

A healthy mind makes for a healthy body

About 18 months ago, I wrote a blog raving about a calorie counting app that I swore by.

This blog is actually going to contradict that a little bit as I am going to talk about why I will not use it, or any other cal counting app, anymore.

I absolutely agree with counting calories when you need to lose a significant amount of weight, I mean at least more than half a stone - which at one point, I did and the app helped. But once you're at a healthy weight I believe Kcal counting may be a little unhealthy, and I am talking from first hand experience here.

I inputted my food and drink intake as well as my exercise routine religiously every single day. This worked for me at first as this app in particular (I can't speak about any others) was great at showing me how many calories I was consuming. Not only that but it showed me my macro intake. With this app I could see the balance between carbohydrate intake, fat intake and protein intake and it helped me find a balance.

But, after a year or so, maybe even less, I had taught myself the basics to good nutrition and I had a rough idea of what foods were high in calories, as well as carbs, fat and protein, so I had a good idea of what I was eating and putting into my body.

I firmly believe that once you are at this point you have already achieved success, whether you are looking to lose weight or gain more energy. By then you should be in a habit that will keep fueling you with the right type and amount of food you need without having numbers staring you in the face.

There may come a point when your body needs more than 1,200 calories (based on my needs not everyone else's) because you have more lean mass, and you can up your intake using the right foods without gaining weight.

However, if at this stage you are still calorie counting, chances are you haven't revisited your ideal calorie and macro nutrient intake. This is where the problem lies.

I was feeling hungry a lot, so when I was updating my daily diary I was beginning to see I had gone over my "requirement" according to the app.

This led to a vicious circle of self loathing, punishment through starvation and then binging due to stress and angry feelings.

I was beginning to feel very negative about myself, believing I was greedy and out of control.

In the end I told myself to stop counting the calories because I didn't need to see those numbers every day they just made me feel bad. I knew roughly when to eat and how much to eat. I knew which foods worked for my body, would give me more energy and wouldn't make me pile on the pounds. So I just stuck with that.

More than six months down the line I feel better than ever (and that is including eating over the Christmas period). I eat well, and I eat when I am hungry. I occasionally eat bad food and binge but that is okay, because generally I eat good food and don't feel like i'm starving all the time. I enjoy my food now as I don't have any numbers staring at me and making me feel guilty.

I also believe that the more you think about the food, which you do a lot if you have to constantly update a diary, the more you want food. And often, you want to rebel against the numbers or get an attitude which says I don't care anymore, before reverting back to guilt.

I enjoy what I want when I want. The proof is in the pudding, I do not feel as low in myself anymore, I can look in a mirror and compliment myself, rather than grab a fat roll and tell myself it's because I had 150 calories more than my limit yesterday.

Like I said, calorie counting has its pros and cons. For me the pros were in the beginning and once I hit my healthy weight the cons came into play. If you are at a healthy body weight, then start taking care of your brain's health too. It will all fall into place then.

Christmas left overs to revive you

Post-Christmas bloat is familiar to us all. Even for the nutrition and health conscious, the Christmas binge cannot be avoided. Some indulge more than others but never-the-less, pigs in blankets, tubs of chocolates and boards of cheese get the better of most of us.

I have to admit this past week I have barely touched any form of fruit.

So tonight I packed our dinner with a whole host of nutrient dense foods whilst using up left-over Christmas staples.

I had already made my own stock (known as bone broth these days) by boiling the left-over turkey carcass with some root vegetable for hours, I created my own, incredibly good for you stock. I do this with most left over meat bones, it really is worth it.There are more minerals and vitamins hiding in the bones than in the rest of the animal - so without the broth you would seriously be missing out on a fantastic nutritious hit.

"Bone broth"

Put it in a pan and cover with water, boil and then simmer for however many hours you have spare.

I used this stock to create a Christmas broth medley. Sprouts, herbs and pancetta were left over from the big day, so by adding chicken and some other vegetables that I always have in, I was able to make a delicious hearty tea.

Miscellaneous Veg

I added pearl barley, sage and thyme into the broth and let it cook away. While that cooked I chopped the pancetta, mushrooms and sprouts up and fried them in a little butter and olive oil until crispy. I added sage and thyme to the pan to cook and at the last minute added crushed garlic.

When I was about 4 minutes away from completion I added finely sliced chicken breast to the stock and pearl barley pot and finally, I threw in some spinach at the last minute.

Once everything was cooked and seasoned to taste I dished out the stock concoction and spooned the pancetta, mushroom and sprout medley on the top.

Finished dish

It was deep in flavour and full of goodness. I recommend it to anyone wanting to use up any left over foods from the festive season, or even for a quick evening tea.

Food really is fuel

We have all heard it 100 times before, you need food to fuel your body.

And the food you eat depends on how you use your  body.

It goes without saying healthy eating is a must for all. Filling your body with vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals is the most important thing. But, we all have a treat now and again - you have to!

As someone who really loves cake, sugary cereals and ice cream (to name just a few vices), I have to work hard so I don't give in or I would eat it all day, every day.

But remembering that sugar is the enemy is difficult when that brownie is melting in your mouth.

Which is what happened to me over the weekend. Cooking lunches, dinners, breakfasts, even snacks are not difficult for me. I only cook healthy food with natural ingredients - wherever possible - it is just that cookie that is presented to me that ruins things. But as those kinds of sugary treats hadn't really been on my radar since coming back from holiday and I haven't struggled too much.

I enjoyed feeling energetic and fresh last week living on a hearty and healthy diet. I didn't even feel hungry!

But then I went home to Yorkshire - where the dreaded monster mum lives and it all went down hill.

She had baked brownies, chocolate cake and a strawberry tart. We also had a big family BBQ. I managed to reign it in with the BBQ, eating just a few nice pieces of meat and some salad with only one (homemade) breadcake.

And what a BBQ it was

But then came the strawberry tart with homemade ice cream. (I did ensure it was a small portion but when you're out drinking all night ((a friends wedding do)) the calories rack up no matter what.)

Then the next day I enjoyed two big sticky brownies. Yes I did turn down the chocolate cake but the amount of sugar consumed in everything else made up for it anyway.

Matt and I didn't eat very well that day, skipping meals and eating bread and oil when we finally wanted something to eat at 8pm!

I am ashamed.

But the main point of all of this is, the next day I really felt it. I was sluggish and lethargic - as was Matt and when it came to going to the gym neither of us had it in us to actually train hard. After 20 minutes of slowly trying to push ourselves we gave in.

We were close to burning out and it just isn't worth the exhaustion. So we went home to rest up and I am happy to say we both ate very well, as we will the rest of the week.

Grilled chicken, sweet potato and veg. Mmmm

So, hopefully with properly fueled bodies we can train hard again and get back into the fantastic shape we were a month ago!

Bikini body blast

It's that time of year again. The sun is peaking out giving us a taste for summer and the smell of sun cream is in the air.

Our summer holidays are upon us plaguing our minds while we look down at our winter pouch.

Because, let's face it, even the fittest of us do not keep up with our routines as thoroughly in the cold months. The drizzly mornings make us roll over rather than roll out of bed.

The Christmas chocolate, cheese and biscuits are still sitting heavily in our greedy guts.

But the short shorts are staring back from the dark corner of the wardrobe and we know it isn't long until we will need to whip them on.

So this is the way I ensure I have a good week. I get organised!

Forward planning is the key. It is essential in ensuring you don't get stuck on a night with nothing in to eat and the "goody cupboard" enticing you in.

Now trust me, I'm no saint. The plan below was faltered by the fact that today (Tuesday) we had a working lunch so we had to put on a spread for clients making it inappropriate for me to pop out of the meeting room to get my packed lunch, and also, my boyfriends mum wanted to make us tea.

Obviously, you cannot dictate what someone else cooks for you. So Tuesday was a flop, but it is okay because you cannot let one day ruin the rest.

And in the grand scheme of things - one day is okay.

By planning and putting the time aside to prepare lunches and set your workout routines you can make sure the rest of your week is planned around your health and fitness schedule.

It might sound tiresome to some people but to enthusiasts alike, it makes life complete. And once you get in to the swing of it, you will enjoy it. Particularly when you see the results and feel yourself getting faster and stronger. But the final satisfaction comes when you strut down the beach, in the bikini you dreamed about all last year and couldn't face, with the confidence to match your hot bod!

Prepare! Prepare! Prepare!

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Snack	Dinner	Workout
Monday	Scrambled egg and watermelon	Feta and avocado salad	Greek Yoghurt and banana	Broccoli and beef stir fry	Run, Chest and Abs
Tuesday	Protein and banana smoothie	Chicken and avocado salad with watermelon	Apple and nuts	Sesame crusted chicken fingers and courgette quinoa	Sprint intervals, and arms (Biceps and Triceps)
Wednesday	Scrambled eggs and watermelon	Courgette quinoa salad with tuna	Protein shake, apple, almonds	Salmon and sweet potato	Morning run, Legs and obliques
Thursday	Monkey nut yoghurt and granola with watermelon	Salad and fruit	Protein shake and nuts	Mexican quinoa	Morning Swim, Shoulders and Abs
Friday	Scrambled eggs	Tuna salad and fruit	Apple and yoghurt	Simply cook box	Back  and cycling

Falling off the bandwagon..... again!

It was a spectacular fall.
Let me give you an example. Yesterday I had two slices of cake, didn't eat tea and went to bed scoffing lots of chocolate.
Woke up this morning, knowing I was going out for dinner and cocktails, had a healthy cereal and scoffed lots more chocolate.

Coming back to monster mums I discovered I still had a tin of Roses left from Christmas - sorry waistline!

 I weighed myself and I am three pounds heavier than I want to be.
To be honest, I just haven't been focusing on food lately. I guess it has been a nice break but it is my birthday next week and I want to look my best for a good night out.
I need to gather all my will power and have a strong week which I know I can if there is no temptation in my way... which I strongly believe there may be, in the form of cake! - Birthday cake!
MODERATION - that is key which needs ingraining in my mind!

What is cake without a brew - what is a brew without cake?

But seriously, if I wanted cake I had it, if I wanted to eat a pack of biscuits I did and so on and so forth. The problem is, I always want this stuff so, as one might imagine, I have been a little greedy porker recently!
On the plus side, I have also been nailing the gym and weights! Not so much cardio, I am working on that! So I truly believe that one of those pounds may be muscle. That's what I am going to continue to tell myself anyway.
I'm terrified I'm falling too far off the bandwagon though so I need to focus. 

Get my head in the game! Happy, healthy eating all!

Quitting sugar

So I really want to quit sugar completely.
I have come a long way since I started this blog a year ago. I have lost around a stone and I do not binge to the same extent. I can even just have one biscuit (occasionally) and not go back for more.
I have done a lot of research and a lot of reading. The one thing I have learnt is that sugar really is our enemy.
So I bought Sarah Wilson's book I Quit Sugar. It comes with an eight week program to help you quit. I cannot put it down, it is so helpful and full of great tips and recipes.
I'm no saint so I know it is going to take me a long time until I reach the point where I can detox for eight weeks. But I have had a reasonably good start. I thought I would go slow to begin with and cut down.
Now, surprisingly by thinking this way, last week I did not touch any sugary food except for an apple a day. My skin had been getting really bad lately which had been bringing me down but by Thursday I could see a slight difference.

What more motivation do you need?

I was recovering from a pretty bad cold so I did not have the energy to stick to my usual exercise routine - I did keep up with it just not as strenuously as normal.

By Friday I was beaming because I had done so well to resist temptation.
But one thing I have learnt about sugar, it is everywhere, which means if you're not prepared for just how many things it is in, life and sugar will get in your way.
So I visited my family in Yorkshire and once again monster mum got to me with her delicious baking.

I might have also ended up at a cake-away. But look at it, who could resist while you're still a sugar addict?!

So I failed the week. However, I did not want to punish myself too badly as I had said I could take it easy to start with so I think I did pretty well.... I just wish it hadn't been for the last three days.

Sugar rush

Here we are again, on a sugar high. 

The viscous circle has completed its loop for the thousandth time.

I really am on a mission to cut sugar from my life but my problem is, I just love food too much.

Being a big cook means I do not have to worry about unhealthy meals. 

Breakfast, lunch and dinner on the most part are home cooked foods. It is the stuff in between that get's me.

Unfortunately, the job I am in means I am rewarded by happy customers with treats.

The issue here is the people around me. I am in an office full of sugarholics, and while their intentions are good in that they like to share the food they buy, it does not help my mission.

I do not binge to the extent I used to which is a positive but I really have not restrained myself lately. If a cookie has been put in front of me, I have eaten it, if the bowl of cereal has winked at me, it  has not lasted very long. 

Now I feel my skin is awful. The sugar is punishing me.

I need help, what can I do? The world is surrounded by temptation. My will power is not quite developed enough.

Slave to snacking

I love a good snack, whether it be sweet, salty or savory. 

So this week I am setting myself the challenge of stopping the snacks. If I can do this week without snacking on the naughty stuff even just one or two bits here and there I will feel such a sense of achievement. 

I am so weak when the good stuff is put in front of me but one thing I have learnt about myself is I am stubborn and competitive. Give me a challenge and I will do it. Therefore I challenged myself to this. 

I need to prove to my brain that I don't need bad snacks, they are not a treat and I don't really enjoy them while I eat them. It is all in my head, I know that but sometimes my head is very strong willed. 

(There maybe a left over Easter egg in it for me if I can do the seven days). I have done two days so far no problem. And temptation has been put in my way so there is a positive I can thrive off. I have shown some strength.

Fruit salad is one of my favourite things to eat so I have made a huge one to put in the fridge for snacking on.

I have banned everything naughty from my flat and have a healthy eating plan in place. 

This can be done!

Binging

I was fully prepared tonight to blog about my achievements of the day. I am sorry to say that will not be what I blog about but I will tell you all about my failures.
My post was supposed to be about how I had some little treats today, a couple of pieces of chocolate and a small amount of birthday cake (co-workers birthday, we all know the score) but at the last hurdle I failed.
Unfortunately I cannot mentally get it into my head that it is ok to have something naughty as long as it is in moderation. I go into this mindset as soon as I eat something bad that I have failed so I may as well eat everything I want in one day, get it out of my system and start better tomorrow.
So, when 9pm came and I had managed to enjoy three very healthy meals and a few small treats I felt very smug and proud of myself that the little voice inside my head hadn't got the better of me.
But I am sorry to say the one little Thorntons chocolate that wouldn't harm turned into six and then before I knew it I had binged on everything.

The cake that started it all

I don't tend to have bad food in like chocolate and biscuits but I had caved earlier today and bought a small bag of chocolate (which would be fine if I could managed one or two a day but I can't). I'm like Pringles, once I pop I just can't stop. Before I knew it I had finished the chocolates, eaten two bowls of shredded wheat and nibbled on just about everything in my fridge.
To be completely honest I have really fallen off the bandwagon lately. I lost quite a bit of weight and started to feel great so I began to go a little bit easier on myself. But that turned into ooo just one won't hurt, maybe another, oh I may as well have that and slowly I am putting the pounds back on. It is a slippery slope and one I need to fight. Willpower is something I have never been very good with. So tomorrow is a new day, and I am going to eat well, do a massive workout and set myself up for a clean eating weekend. Starting Monday I am going to feel energized and refreshed. It will set me up for a good week. I am also going to do another round of Bootea which helps keep me on track because I refuse for it to be a waste of money.
One thing for sure is I am an emotional eater. I recently hurt my ankle running so have had to stop that for a while which is something I am struggling with. I love running and I am itching to get back out there so the frustration of not being able to just go is getting to me. One more week of rest and I plan on seeing how I get on going for a short run.
But for now I am going to feel guilty about the amount of food I have consumed today and look forward to a healthier future.

Benefits of a juicer

Every once in a while I feel the need to cleanse my body. Sometimes it is with products such as Bootea other times it is with a juice cleanse.
I have been feeling a little bit too exhausted this week to do a full juice cleanse so I just incorporated a couple of juices into my week.
They served as my snacks and pre-workout drinks.
The best one has definitely got to be my fruity beetroot juice. Whether you like beetroot or not you should try this one. It is a delicious recipe and the apples make it sweet and yummy.

Lovely beetroot juice

Beetroot

The benefits beetroot have to offer are endless. The purple plants are packed with betalains, plant pigments that give the beets their distinct colour. Not only do they give these root veggies their vibrant colour but they have great anti-inflammatory and detoxifying properties. 

The purple jewels also contain potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamins A, B6 and C, folic acid, carbs, protein and soluble fibre. They are great pre-work out and experts suggest they can increase stamina, manage blood pressure and delay dementia. 

It might sound a bit extreme but what have you got to lose? Whether that is true or not it will still do more good than harm packing in some beet juice with your lunch. 

Juice

I cannot shout about my juicer enough and anyone who wants to incorporate more of the vitamins and minerals raw fruit and veg has to offer, should invest. 

I am not stupid, I know whole fruit and veg has even more in the way of nutrition and a lot of fibre is in the skins and peels. But when you're pushed for time or just not motivated enough to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables one day, this is a quick and easy way to get some of the best benefits of the healthiest foods into your system. 

So try a juice and see if you feel energized and refreshed. Also if you have beetroot don't be alarmed by your pink urine. That is normal. 

Chocolate

While laid here struggling to sleep due to an incredibly guilty conscience after having an evening of mindlessly binging I realised I haven't yet blogged about my successful attempt at lent.
Being a self-confessed chocoholic I knew the ultimate challenge for me would be to go the whole six weeks without any form of chocolate. 
It isn't until you give up something like chocolate that you realise just how many food products have chocolate included. Biscuits, cereal bars, granola's, ice-cream cones. It is a constant battle trying to avoid the stuff. 
While I didn't go without the occasional craving I found it surprisingly easy to do. There came a point where I really didn't miss chocolate (although the bourbons at my sisters were a true test to my willpower). 
So when Easter weekend came something in my mind told me I had to be excited about eating the luxurious milky egg I had waiting for me. I also decided I would eat a number of things I had craved over lent. 

Courtesy of Lee McCoy

Now, I am not ashamed to say I ate the whole egg including the bars it came with as well as some extra bits. But one thing I really have to admit is, deep down I was not looking forward to it and when I was stuffing my face I really did not enjoy it. The one thing that has been a constant comfort in my life did not satisfy me and really did not taste that great. It has not stopped me having the odd few pieces this week but it has certainly opened my eyes.
I definitely feel much better after a big fruit salad then I do after a bar of chocolate. I can only hope the mental craving doesn't cloud my clear vision again. There really was a point in my life very recently where I couldn't get through the day without some chocolate but I know that is all in my head. The problem is I am very weak mentally. 
Hopefully I can keep in mind the disappointment I feel every time I have eaten chocolate this week and it will become a rare occurrence in my diet. 

Terrible two's

So, while I totally believe that the only way to have the best body you could have is to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle, I also believe that we need to indulge once in a while.
Unfortunately for me, it is more often then once in a while.
Well not anymore. I have no excuse for it because I genuinely enjoy healthy food, I look forward to having fruit and yogurt for breakfast and I usually don't enjoy myself when I binge, but I do it anyway.
So I recently decided to swap my high carb/low fat diet to high fat/low carb. In one respect it has done wonders for me. I have barely felt shaky, I have low blood sugar levels so I can come over all funny very quickly and need sugary shots fast. This seems to be under control now and it makes sense to me that the less sugar I eat the less shaky I will be. So this is one positive. But then I weighed myself on Friday and had put two pounds on. Anyone who has ever weighed themselves knows how disheartening that is.
I will admit, I haven't been totally strict and have eaten what I wanted when I wanted in the last week but I have not been too bad.
So, seeing this I realized, if I want to drop what was half a stone, now is three-quarters of a stone I need to commit fully for a while.
I allowed myself this weekend to eat what I wanted but I went a little bit overboard. I refuse to weigh myself for the next few days it will just depress me.
First thing in the morning I will wake up with a positive attitude and get back on track. I will be going home next week so that will be a challenge as I won't have full control over dinners and what is in the fridge but it will be a test to my will power (that is non-existent but I am working on it).
I loved the way I felt when I was eating healthy all the time so I need to channel that.
I will blog more, to keep me motivated and keep that beach body image in mind.
This confession that I have overeaten was my first step, hopefully it will send me off in the right direction.
Wish me luck.

Metabolic testing

Last week I went to a health clinic for some metabolic testing and nutrition advice. 
It was very interesting and something I hope to follow up.
Unfortunately I found myself on Thursday night mindlessly binging on cereal and cereal bars (sugar central!) So I don't think I gave myself a chance at a fair reading. Nevertheless it really helped me understand my body more. 
I also want to lose an extra seven pounds so this can only help with that. Worth a try.
So I rocked up and got started. Using a special machine that Clinical Edge Health Care have the rights to, I breathed into the apparatus to get my reading.

Breathing into this mouth piece sent readings into a machine to measure my fat.

It measured my carbon dioxide output and from that worked out what type of fuel my body burns the most.

Now, I could have guessed that sugar would be high, my low blood sugar and constant sweet tooth made that blindingly obvious but what I didn't expect was the shocking numbers.

My body burns 88% sugar (as I said before this was probably a little inaccurate due to my binge, but I doubt it is far off) and only 12% of fat. Ideally it should burn between 48-83% fat and 17-52% sugar. 

I was given lots of advice and I learnt quite a bit too. At this clinic they recommend a higher fat and protein diet and lower carbohydrates. They completely made me re-evaluate the type of food I eat and at what times of the day. So starting on Monday (when I have finished my current detox (will blog about that at the end of the week)) I will be changing my lifestyle and seeing if it works. Instead of carby oats for breakfast I will eat more protein like eggs and yoghurt. I already eat a huge amount of fruit and vegetables but I will be trying to cut back on sugary fruits and eating more berries and plowing even more veg onto my plate.

I am not sure how I will react to this because I love cereals and oats for breakfast but I will keep updating the blog on my progress.