Parfait

Starting weight: 9 stone 1.6 pounds

Previous weight: 8 stone 7.2 pounds

Current weight: 8 stone 5.6 pounds

Well have I got news for you! Instead of being whisked away to Belfast/London for a week I was taken to NEW YORK, talk about an unbelievable surprise. I think I am still in shock. New York is one of those places that I have dreamed about going to all my life, it was amazing. I am still on cloud nine. I am jetting off to Paris tomorrow for another amazing trip. I’m ecstatic even though I am completely unorganised and running around the house like a mad woman.

To my surprise I managed to shed a few pounds in New York, I am sure this is down to the fact that they put the calories on the menu. This was a real eye opener and really helped to make wiser and healthier options. I also could never fit dessert in which is usually my down fall, portion sizes are the same as here but my appetite was messed up with the heat and time difference. Paris will be harder to stay on track with all the lovely bakery’s, of course I will have a treat but I will try not over indulge. Walking around sightseeing is great though and keeps the pounds off. It’s so much easier to vegetate at home than when you are on a city break, all you want to do is be outside walking around absorbing in the atmosphere. If I could Id never come back off holidays. But sure I may as well enjoy this week before I get into my fitness plan. All good things must come to an end after all.

à bientôt !

Hard Work And Determination.

Starting weight: 9 stone 1.6 pounds

Previous weight: 8 stone 8.6 pounds

Current weight: 8 stone 7.2 pounds

So the big day has came and gone, and what a wonderful day it was. It seemed all my hard work had paid off and I was thrilled with the outcome. My birthday was so special and the fact that I believed I looked well was really the icing on the cake. I have reached a point were I am happy with what I see and feel I am a healthy weight.

To celebrate my birthday I am being whisked away by those closest to me, tomorrow I head to Belfast on Thursday to London and then 4 days after I return I am going to Paris. This means I will be dining out quite a bit which is always risky business when trying to watch your figure. But as I said I am happy where I am and maintenance is my main goal now. I will try to opt for the healthy options as this weekend I have over indulged. You certainly can have your cake and eat it!

This is what it all came down to, not to shabby  if I do say so myself  :P

My main objective for when I come back from holiday is to increase my fitness level. Although I am fairly fit I would like to be at a higher level. I am going to look in to joining a gym or maybe a class something to keep me focused and offer me support and encouragement when I need it. This certainly will be a greater change than losing weight for me. I am getting older now I have to think of long term health after all I am told its all downhill after you turn 21, if I can run back up that hill Ill have the last laugh!

Get Fit Or Die Trying

Its not a weigh day for me yet, but I thought I would pass on some exercise links I have found and have been doing. Gym membership is expensive and I feel you can get the same results by yourself if your motivated. These ten minute workouts are great because you do not need and equipment and can do them pretty much anywhere in the home, they are  tough and you can feel the results. There is many to choose from on www.youtube.com. I am aiming to tone my stomach and inner thighs and find that these ones really give me a push. Give them a go and let me know what you think. Just remember to stretch before and after the workouts to minimize the aches the next day, top tip!

Tick Tock

Starting weight: 9 stone 1.6 pounds

Previous weight: 8 stone 8.6 pounds

Current weight: 8 stone 8.6 pounds

I am going to keep this short and sweet as I am feeling sick at the moment, after catching a bug it is invading my body rapidly and making me feel like awful. I have had another no loss week, although I am happy to remain the same. These last two weeks have been busy with study and I have ate out several times.I did not restrict what I ate when dining out and allowed myself to have what I wanted. I could do this because I have increased my exercise, I now walk for 90 to 120 minutes at least 4 times a weeks. This has helped me maintain my weight loss, even with some bad choices. With all the extra exercise it is important to increase your diet/fluid intake to maintain energy and overall health. I find it very hard to increase my fluid intake and find I can only do it if I add a flavour to the water, it is a good trick.

Here is a recipe I tried for dinner during the week and found it very tasty, try it out for yourself.

Ingredients

Chicken fillet

Peppers

Red onion

Mushroom

Cherry tomatoes

Side salad

Chop sticks

Method

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Chop vegetables and chicken fillet into large cubes. Push the chunks through the chop stick in any order you like. Place them in an oven proof dish with some olive oil and seasoning, cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Finish on the grill pan to crisp up the vegetables. Serve with a side salad and enjoy.

On reflection it was a shame to stay the same this week but I am starting to feel confident in my skin and am happy with the way I look and that is the most important thing. I have checked my BMI and it is healthy so any more weight loss or toning will be a bonus. The plan for the next two weeks is to prepare for the big day itself, I can’t believe it is almost here. Time flies when you’re having fun.

The Truth Hurts

The other day I came across an article in the Metro and I was completely shocked by the big bold statement that was right in front of my eyes. It screamed ‘Burger meal is a full day’s food’. I knew that a burger meal was not the best option in a restaurant or take away but I was absolutely gobsmacked at the realisation of this. As I read on I was informed that almost one quarter of an adults consumed food is prepared outside of the home, and one in four people admit that they eat fast-food once or twice a week. These numbers terrified me and made me realise how important healthy eating is.

As I walked around the buzzing city centre, I began to observe the shoppers. Instead of looking at their sense of style as I would usually do, I looked beyond the clothing and noticed the frame they were hanging on.  To my horror I noticed that almost every third person was overweight, I wondered to myself do they know the health risks they are imposing on themselves. I then began to think of the reasons behind Irelands expanding waist lines, and as I opened my eyes everything became clear. Meal deals in local stores have a lot to answer for, in these hard times everyone likes a bargain, so if you see a poster offering a lunch deal for less than 5euro you are in the queue like a shot. I decided to look into this matter and try and calculate the calories within these meal deals. The first deal I came across was a can of coke, a mars bar and a packet of Tayto crisps for 1euro, this clocks up an outstanding 604 calories. The next deal was a chicken fillet roll with three fillings and a bottle of coke for €4.50. A plain chicken fillet roll without butter or fillings can vary from 600-750 calories. The last deal I came across was any size pizza for 10euro, and horrifyingly the calories for a 6 inch plain cheese pizza was 620 calories. These are three examples of deals which should be avoided or eaten with extreme caution, after all these deal could be consumed for lunch or a mid day snack, and they take a huge chunk out of your daily allowance. These meals are generally not balanced and contain high portions of carbohydrates and fats and little fibre and vegetable. Although they are high calories foods, they usually contain empty calories and wont keep you full and energised for long periods of time. They contain huge amounts of sugar and will increase your blood sugar levels for a short time and then blood sugars will decrease drastically leaving you feeling tired. These are only three examples of the low priced high calorie meals out there, there are many more that a consumer should be aware of, try look beyond the price.

Back to basics, use this as your healthy eating guide.

It is widely known that if a women’s waits is greater than 32 inches and a man’s greater than 37 inches there is an increased health risk as does a BMI of 25 plus. These health risks include heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and various forms of cancer. Is this the future for Ireland, convenience over health? Its time people open their eyes and realise that this is a real issue, stop the self destruction. 

Measure your waist and see if your at risk

One Month To Go

Starting weight: 9 stone 1.6 pounds

Previous weight: 8 stone 9.6 pounds

Current weight: 8 stone 8.6 pounds

Well it seems I have finally started to lose the pounds steadily, which I am truly delighted about. Things a finally starting to look up and the hard work is paying off. The last two weeks have seen me get creative with my meals, because as most of us know when dieting we tend not to experiment. We stick to the same seven meals week in and week out, and inevitably you get tired of the lack of variety. So on your behalf I tried out three new recipes to tickle your taste buds this dinner time!

Ingredients

Steak

Corn on the cob

Carrot

Parsnip

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Prepare vegetable, chop carrots and parsnip into small cubes. Blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes. Place the blanched carrots and parsnips in an oven proof dish with seasoning and a table spoon of olive oil for 30 minutes. Wash the corn on the cob, wrap in tin foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Season the steak with salt and pepper, preheat pan. Cook steak for desired length. Serve and enjoy.

Ingredients

Quorn mince

Garlic

Onion

Peppers

Tomato pasta sauce

Cheese

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Prepare vegetables, heat a wok with a little olive oil. Cook the quorn mince for 8 minutes, add the onion, garlic and peppers and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the tomato pasta sauce and allow simmering for 10 minutes. Half a pepper and deseed, blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. Place upside down on a tissue to cool. Once cooled spoon the quorn mixture into the pepper, sprinkle with cheese and put into the oven for 20-25 minutes. Serve with a side salad.

Ingredients

Cod fillet

Pepper

Mushroom

Onion

Carrot

Pesto

Baby potato

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Prepare the vegetables. Blanch the potatoes, peppers, mushrooms and carrots in boiling water for 6 minutes. Place the cod fillet and blanched vegetables in an oven proof dish with olive oil and seasoning. Cover the cod with two spoons of pesto. Place in the oven for 30 minutes.  Serve immediately.

These three recipes were extremely satisfying and I can assure you the will make meal times more exciting. Don’t get stuck in a rut while dieting, you do not have to limit your range of food to achieve your goal. Broaden your taste buds and try new things and sure if you don’t like it there is always beans on toast!

A Result At Long Last

Starting weight: 9 stone 1.6 pounds

Previous weight: 8stone 11.2 pounds

Current weight: 8 stone 9.6 pounds

What an amazing two weeks I have had, I been so busy. Between trips to the zoo, nights out with the girls and concerts I have certainly been kept going, passing my summer exams and shedding a couple of pounds has certainly added the icing to my imaginary cake!

During my hectic two weeks I experienced a couple of extremely bad headaches, as I am not one for pain killers I did a little research and decided to start a ten day detox programme. I am currently on day five and feeling great. I will admit this strict regime is not for the faint heart as it requires a serious amount of strength, determination and will power. The detox allows you to have a smootie for breakfast and lunch, two one hundred calorie snacks and one meal with no carbohydrates a day. As you can see it is quite hard, but the most difficult component for me is cutting out caffeine, so far I have coped with the withdraws. It is important to pack the smooties with as much fruit as possible to ensure you are satisfied and to minimize cravings. Here is what I have been having, this is enough to cover both breakfast and lunch.

Ingredients

6 strawberries

12 grapes

12 blueberries

1 kiwi

1 banana

1 apple

4 tbs natural yogurt

250ml cranberry juice

Method

Add all ingredients to a smootie maker, blitz and enjoy.

A good option for the one meal a day is stir fry, as you can pack it with vegetable. Here is one I made mid week. 

Ingredients

Beef diced

1 packed of stir fry vegetables 

Sweetcorn

Peppers

Stir fry sauce

Method

Heat the wok with a little oil, add beef and cook until turns brown, add vegetables and cook for a further 3 minutes, add sauce and cook for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

I am really glad I made the decision to weight myself every second week as it seems to have done the trick.  It took alot of pressure off the weight loss process and it helped compensate for days when I fell off the wagon, because let’s face it, they do happen.