Time to Ditch the Scales and Lose the Weight Obsession

It is no big secret that I have a love hate relationship when it comes to food. More specifically I love it but it is apparent that it really doesn't like my body sometimes. I've struggled over the years to find the right balance between being healthy and turning obsessive, looking at the calories on a packet and deciding I couldn't possibly eat that. This comes down to what I think about my appearance and the numbers that look back at me when I'm standing on the weighing scales. 

There have been times when I have become close to being very ill when I chose to not eat, I lost a lot of weight and I had an obsession with seeing the numbers on the scale go down but we all know that's not a good thing to do and to be honest looking back I also know that it didn't make me look good at all. And if I'm honest since having my daughters I have struggled more because I know that I need to set the example, to show body confidence and to not pass my insecurities onto my children.

Making Smarter Choices With the Food Scanner App from Change4Life

When I was younger I never really thought about what I ate. I remember my mum always telling me that I needed to eat my fruit and veg but you know how it is when you're a child, you always seem to take what your parents say with a pinch of salt. Since becoming a mother myself, now I can see just what my own mum was trying to do, it wasn't that she wanted me to miss out on treats, it was more about having a balanced diet.

These days there is more of a focus on the foods our children eat, and this is because of all those hidden nasties, the sugars, the salts and the saturated fats. I've always thought that my own kids ate reasonably well. Yes, they have certain junk foods like chocolate, crisps, biscuits and chips but I have always tried to balance this out by making sure that they have fruit or vegetables with every meal and getting them to alternate their snacks so they'll get one healthier one if not fruit then something like cereal bars and then they get to have sweets or chocolate for the other.

Coconut Matcha Porridge Recipe

I love when the colder weather sets in, for many reasons but one is that I get to eat warmer breakfasts, move over chia pudding and overnight oats, step in good old porridge. But I don't like to have the same porridge every day, I like to mix up flavours and textures. Today I'm sharing with you my recipe for coconut matcha porridge.

Junk Food, Lazy Days and No Motivation

I thought it was about time I wrote down a little update on how my health and fitness routine are doing and I'm shamed to admit it's not been going very well of late. The title says it all really, junk food, lazy days and no motivation.

I've dipped back into the world of yoyo dieting. I'll begin to make the effort again, starting a reasonably heatlhy way of eating. My most recent trial was back to eating three meals a day but only having carbs with breakfast, I managed to stick with it for 2 weeks but then I got ill with woman flu.

Yes woman flu not man flu. This made me feel awful and I really struggled to find any sort of will power to get up and do the normal day to day things. After cooking meals for the kids, I lacked any enthusiasm to cook anything for myself and I'll admit that meals for myself have kind of vanished, it is more of a case of picking at things. And the stupid thing is I know that I'm not helping myself.

My main problem is the exercise. All this year I've been getting up early religiously and exercising before the girls get out of bed but since being ill I've not exercised once, so that's 2 weeks without exercise so far. I'm feeling majorly guilty but I still an't muster up the energy to actually get off my arse and do something.

Easy Peasy Protein Balls Recipe

Over the past 9 months my love for exercising has really grown. The trouble is I need to fuel my body with plenty of protein so that my muscles have a chance to recover before I delve into my next workout. Fitting protein into my meals has been quite easy but snack wise was more difficult. I've leaned towards eating things like quest bars but these get quite costly so I have been trying to find ideas for things I can make myself. Protein balls are just that, small balls packed full of protein and I've finally put together a recipe that is easy to make and low in cost too.

Five Sweet Treats That Won't Ruin Your Waistline

So you're on a diet, or perhaps you are just trying to follow a healthier lifestyle. Either way it may be going really well but you happen to be craving something sweet but you don't want to ruin all of your hard work! I'm going to share with you five sweet treats that I like to eat when I'm in need of a sugar fix.

My Health and Fitness Routine Right Now

Routine is something that has always worked with my kids and I think the same can me said to me. If I'm a bit strict and do things at certain times etc each day then I tend to stick to it. It's taken me til this point in the year to sort out what really works for me and my body so I thought I'd share my typical healthy and fitness routine with you all.

Healthy Lunches Needn't Be Boring

There can be a misconception sometimes when it comes to being healthy and in more ways than one. Some people see healthy food as boring, tasteless even. Others think the foods that are generally seen as better for you are too expensive. I think the same can be said of junk food. Now if you've been reading my blog this year then you will have seen that I've been trying to get fitter and be healthier and this includes changing what I eat. Simplyhealth recently wrote an article to talking about promoting healthy lunches in the work place, to make the public see that they needn't be hard to incorperate into a hectic lifestyle. So I wanted to share with you my favourite lunch right now.

Food Is Not The Enemy

Ok so a short but sweet update from me this week. I've come to realise over the past few weeks that food isn't the enemy, yes it can be fattening and far too tempting at times but the real enemy when it comes to my body, my weight and my appearance is me.

I am my own worst enemy. We are all in charge of ourselves and what we eat and drink and how we let that affect ourselves.

I mentioned recently that I've been weighing myself less, well I actually jumped on the scales yesterday and in 4 weeks I've put on one lb, this I'm more than happy with, I'm actually hoping that gain is down to my period being on the way, yes I said the word period!!

Not Weighing In

So I'm trying something different this week. I'm not weighing in. I've decided not to step on the scales and I have to say it is strangely liberating. Continuing on from what I said in my post last week, I'm trying not to obssess so much when it comes to the numbers, the lbs and inches because as I keep trying to remember, it is how we feel that really counts.

I know I had a not so great week when it came to what I consumed. A tad to much alcohol was drunk and not all the right foods were eaten but my clothes still fit so I can't have piled on too much weight no can I?

Weighing In and Changing My Mind

Last week I mentioned that I was going to be following the 3 week diet plan. Today is supposed to be day 8, I've managed a full week on this plan and as proud as I am of myself for sticking with it, I have to admit it's not been easy going.

For the past 7 days I've had no carbs, no fruit, no junk food, no alcohol and no caffeine. My will power has been really tested. Just vegetables and meat/fish and even then only certain ones of these were allowed and they could only be cooked in a certain way.

My meal times have been shifted around, a lot of fasting which has left me feeling hungry more often than not and there was quite a few moments where I considered stopping, as really why I am putting myself through this, to lose a couple of lbs?

Weekly Weigh In 21.04.2015

So last week I said I was going to have a week without alcohol, turns out I have no will power when it comes to wine, although I did make a bottle of wine last over 4 days so it wasn't all bad.

Jumping on the scales this week I was feeling more positive, exercise has been going well and for the most part I've been eating really well, I may have snuck in an ice cream or two, well it was extremely warm weather.

So this week I stayed the same with my weight and my measurements which I guess I should be happy with.

Weekly Weigh In 14.04.2015

Ok so I'm going to put my hands up and say I struggled last week. The husband was off and my will power failed. I indulged in all sorts of treats, which included far too much alcohol. With all this in mind I was fully expecting the scales to throw out some evil numbers. However I actually managed to lost 2lb!!!

My measurements on my waist stayed the same but I've lost and inch on my hips which I'm really happy with.

Great results for a change.

So exercising this week I'm continuing with the Bikini Guide workout that I started, yesterday saw the start of week 3 and even though it is tough it is certainly worth the effort. I'm also making more of an effort on the running front, each time I go out my pace is getting faster and the distance I'm running is increasing.

Weekly Weigh In 07.04.2015

I can't believe we are into the month of April. I'm admitting straight away that my will power failed last week and I couldn't resist the Easter eggs but I am not going to feel too bad because the chocolate tasted good!!!

So the scales this week said that I had put on a 1lb, now the chocolate eating combined with the two bottles of wine I consumed, I was expecting a lot more put on so I'm not overly disappointed.

And I measured myself too with my waist and my hips measuring the same as last week. All in all not too bad and the photo below shows just why I'm not beating myself up about a gain.

I took a photo last week and shared it on my facebook page so I thought I would share here too. I know I'm not wearing the same clothes but I can see a noticable difference both in my hips (the love handles aren't as wide) and my stomach, definition is beginning to appear.

Weekly Weigh In 24.03.2015

Almost a quarter of the way through the year and I'm still sticking with this whole weight loss thing even though I don't feel like any big changes have happened so far.

I was talking to my husband the other day and I said despite not really changing my body, I actually enjoy the lifestyle I've taken on. The healthier foods are far tastier, I'm cooking a lot more fresh foods and being more adventurous with my recipes and most days I actually look forward to doing some exercise.

Weighing in this week, I was scared to step on the scales as my period is trying to make an appearance so I was expecting a couple of exra pounds to go back on but surprisingly I lost 1/2 a lb.

My measurements altered slightly on the waist, putting on 1/2 an inch but my hips are still the same
slightly disappointing but I'm using the excuse of bloating!!

Apple, Cinnamon and Flaxseed Muffins

I love cake. It is no secret but since trying to stick to healthy eating it just seems to call to me more. But worry not, there are so many healthy recipes out there that I don't need to take cake off of the menu!! My latest offering is a muffin that is both full of favour and full of dietary benefits.

Flaxseed is both high in protein and high in fibre so the perfect ingredient to add into your diet. It can mixed in with cakes, smoothies, porridge, the possibilities are endless.

Weekly Weigh In 17.03.2015

Before I even stepped on the scales this week I was feeling good in myself. I'm trying not to stress so much about the scales and the measuring tape and just enjoying what I'm doing more.

I got back to exercising on Tuesday, nothing too strenuous as I still wasn't 100% but it felt good to be working out again. I've decided like to give yoga a go as this is meant to be good for toning and destressing!!

The scales actually showed a welcome difference for a change, I lost 1 and half lbs but my measurements stayed the same (not a bad thing). 

I keep getting stuck around the 7 stone 8 mark, really want to shift those last few pounds but not sure how to kick start it?

Food wise I have stuck to a 80:20 ratio of healthy vs junk. One thing I've added to my menu is smoothies after workouts, I'm adding a scoop of protein powder to help with building muscle. I actually have a recipe from vegfest.co.uk to share with you all :

- handful of kale leaves

- short knob of cucumber

- juice of half a lemon

- knob of ginger (sliced)

- 1 teaspoon of Yaoh hemp protein powder

- 1 teaspoon of baobab powder

- 1 teaspoon of chlorella powder

- 1/2 pint of coconut water

- 2 bananas (sliced)

Simply add all of the ingredients into a blender and you have a healthy drink/snack that will help your body to recover after exercising!!

No Flour No Egg Cookies

Trying to diet can be hard, especially when you love cakes and cookies as much as I do. I mean it is hard to resist the flavours and the textures. And it doesn't help when the Great British Bake Off is playing on the TV either.

There is something about the smell of them baking in the oven that is really appealing too, and licking the bowl, this just calls to my inner child.

In an attempt to curb my cookie craving I have come up with a recipe that only needs 4 basic ingredients, there there is no flour of eggs involved so not only are they healthy, they can be eaten by almost anyone!!!

Healthy and Beauty Round Up

I've been sent quite a few small samples recently which all fall into the health and beauty catergory so I thought I'd share with you my top 3 favourites.

Ginerva Green Tea Nude Cove BB Cream

Now I've been having a lot of trouble with my skin recently, a mixture of being run down and eczema/spot break outs has meant that my face certainly hasn't been looking it's best. This BB cream seemed to offer it all : coverage for all skin tones, all day hydration, SPF30 protection from UV rays and reduced formation of wrinkles and fine lines. Almost sounded too good to be true however this has now become a staple in my make up bag.

Weekly Weigh In 10.3.15

So the last couple of updates I was back on track, losing weight slowly but steadily but last week I was struck down with illness, it was like I had the flu without the cold. Constantly going hot and cold, shovers, aches and pains and absolutely no energy. As a result I have to admit I did no exercise last week. Well I walked around etc but no workouts, I honestly just couldn't manage it.

However I did stick to eating relatively healthily, I admit to making a small chocolate brownie mug cake after watching the Great British Bake Off, taps own hand.

This made be reluctant to step on the scales this week but the results are in, I put back on the 1lb and half that I'd lost over the past 2 weeks. Disappointing but honestly I kind of knew that would be the case.

I also retook my measurements which I'm happy to say remained the same as last week so not all bad.

Starting afresh this week, I'm slowly introducing the workouts back in as I'm still not 100% but I can't put it off any longer.