On Losing Weight: What to do when you hit a plateau

I think there comes a point in every weight-loss journey, when you stop losing weight. For whatever reason, things just slow down and eventually stop losing weight. At the beginning of this year, I lost the little bit of weight I put on over Christmas, and then... nothing. I was doing the same things, eating the same stuff, and nothing was happening. I know it is the most frustrating thing, I'm with you, kids. I got really disheartened, because I knew I still had a bunch of weight to lose, and it was just very frustrating for me. I felt like I was doing all the right things, making good choices, and nothing was happening.

In March this year, I started in a new job, but it became harder to lose the weight. I'd gone from being up and about and on my feet all day, working shifts and being able to fit it in the gym around my hours - to working in an office, sat down from nine to five, and being so sleepy in the evenings. I kept trying to go to the gym, but something just wasn't working anymore.

June rolls around, I realise I've gained about six or seven pounds. Not a lot, in the grand scheme of how much I've lost, but enough to make me feel a bit gross, a bit sluggish. In July I get the call saying my appointment has finally come up on the NHS waiting list, I'm off to get my gallbladder taken out, I can't exercise for about a month and spend two weeks lying around feeling sorry for myself. Now I'm starting to get back into a routine, and I feel horrible in myself, I wake up most mornings and I'm still tired and sleepy and lethargic. I'm getting back on track with my eating, but I want to kick start things. I'm going to New York later in the year and I want to be a bit lighter, a bit more free to do things.

So what now? I know that the gym I was previously going too, wasn't working for me anymore. It was a lovely place, but it's not motivating me enough, the hours don't suit me anymore, and I know that doing what I've always done, is not going to work anymore. When I was was (almost) 100lbs heavier, doing a bit more of any exercise or eating less than I had been doing would've made me lose weight, but now I am a lot lighter, I'm realising that this won't cut it anymore.

And so I found the most crucial thing to my weight loss journey, which is basically to...

C H A N G E   S O M E T H I N G

I mean, you made a massive commitment to kicking this shit off in the first place, didn't you? So why are you so afraid of change?! I'm mostly talking to myself here, by the way - I don't know why I was so terrified to try something new, I guess cause this thing I had been doing worked for me - it worked really well!
I had built up a security blanket around me, of how I got fit, how I lost weight. This was very much sticking to what was safe. Which is all good and fun, and I'm not knocking the method that I used - the way I lot weight really did work for me. But then I know I hit a point where I grew bored, grew complacent, and grew tired. Things slipped, I started reaching for more chocolate, dragged myself to the gym less...

So I decided to change things up a bit. Looking back at the periods of my journey that I enjoyed most, it was things like the month I quit sugar, the two weeks I went veggie... For me trying out running was an amazing learning curve, which I began to document right here on my blog! It also meant, trying to quit sugar for lent, which was semi-successful.. but even if these things aren't the most successful processes, you grow and you learn from it, and you take away things that work for you, and the things that don't.

For example, if you always use a meat-based protein in your meals, maybe try vegetarian proteins instead, and stick to that for a week - it makes you more creative in your cooking, makes you try food that you might not ordinarily go for.
Similarly, if you always use white rice, flour and pasta, maybe try doing brown flour for a bit, in doing this I realised brown rice was really nice, and some brown pasta is disgusting! I also discovered I really love beluga lentils and pearl barley. I was talking about this with my friend at work: you really have just got to find the thing that works for you, that you can get on board with.

This month, I joined a new gym. It's a big fancy gym, full of super-fit people, and proper gym equipment that scares me. But in a good way - I need this, the hours and equipment suit me better, but it does scare me. Even though I've done so much for my health, I will always feel like the fat girl, and I want to change this mindset. I feel like I've been wrapped in my blanket for too long, when it comes to losing weight - I want to get out there.

I think I'm quite old-school, in that the end of the summer feels like the end of the year: Autumn is around the corner and it always makes me think of new school years, and fresh starts. It's all good fun, is what I'm saying, and I think it helps kick start you when you're in a bit of an eating, exercise, weight-loss rut, and it helped me shift a few pounds. Now I'm wondering what I should try next...

For more of my On Losing Weight series, click here!

Follow

sugar-free banana bread recipe

I was recently talking to some bloggers about authenticity in blogging - and to cut a long story short, the way I would describe it is this; some bloggers tell you that they make a recipe, following it to the letter. They sieve the flour, let the eggs sit at room temperature over night, they use the five or six different bowls required, weigh everything to the the .99th of a gram, and never lick the spoon. I am not one of those bloggers. I admit to you, freely, that I never sieve my flour, create as little cleaning up as possible, and always lick the spoon (and before you start on about raw eggs, just pipe down). Basically, I know baking is a science, blah blah blah, but my mother was a chemist, and this is how she raised me. Mother knows best, and all.

This is all rather a long tangent, but I thought you'd like that little analogy, and I thought I would show you my most recent favourite 'throw it all in and shove it in the oven', recipe. Sugar-free banana bread! Banana-anything is my vice, I've heard tell of people that exist that don't like bananas, and I wonder how do you live? What do you put in smoothies? How do you fuel yourself before a run? What do you smother with cream and chocolate sauce and place on a waffle and tell yourself it is healthy because it has fruit in? I'm going off on a tangent again, aren't I? Onto the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
- 125g self-raising wholemeal flour;
- 1/2 tsp baking powder,
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon;
- 75g sultanas;
- 50g butter, melted;
- 2 tsp vanilla essence;
- 1 egg;
- 1 tbsp milk;
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas mark 4. Grease and line a small tin with baking parchment.
2. In a large, microwavable bowl, melt your butter in the microwave. Add the vanilla essence, egg, milk and mashed banana.  Mix until everything is mixed together well.
3. Add in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon) and sultanas and mix well with a wooden spoon.
4. Pour into the lined cake tin and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin and then turn out.

Adapted from this BBC Good Food recipe for banana cake (adapted in that their recipe was incredibly badly worded!).

A few notes about this little recipe, it only makes a small amount, but the cake itself is quite a dense one, so I find that I don't get through it very quickly, so don't be fooled into doubling the recipe (like I did once!) unless you've got a lot of people coming over. Obviously, you can also forgo the sultanas if you don't like them, but I place you people in the same category as those that don't like bananas: mad.

I find it's at it's peak when eaten warm from the oven with a bit of butter, or toasted for breakfast with a glass of milk. The brown flour takes some getting used to, but it leaves me feeling full and without that awkward bloated feeling that I get from eating white flour, so I'm pleased with that, too.

Essentially, this cake is really good I'm really pleased to have found this recipe, and its going in my repertoire for future use!

banana, chia seed, cashew butter and cocoa smoothie

The alternative title for this post was 'the only smoothie recipe you'll ever need' , because really, I sing it's praises that highly. I've made it three times now, and I love it more each time. I originally got it from the Meridian nut butter website, but I've lost the exact link (I'm sure you can find it somewhere), but I have adapted it a wee bit to suit me.

For me, this is the perfect post-run, post-workout drink. Sometimes I just have it for breakfast if I'm feeling really indulgent at the weekends, and it tastes amazing, plus it's packed with lots of protein and other goodies, so it doesn't feel quite as bad as downing a giant bottle of chocolate milkshake....

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder;
- 1 tbsp chia seeds;
- 2 ripe bananas;
- 1 tbsp cashew nut butter;
- 1 cup (250ml-ish) of milk of your choice;
- 1 tbsp cacao nibs*;
- 1 tbsp protein powder**. 

1. Theres not much method to a smoothie (you basically just chuck it all in) but I recommend whizzing together the cacoa nibs (if you're using them) and chia seeds together first, to get them a bit finer, because they do make your smoothie a bit chunky. 

2. Add the rest of the ingredients, and blend until smooth. 

*I consider these optional, because they're kind of hard to find. I had to get them from Holland and Barrett, and they're not cheap for a giant bag, so just to warn you. Also, I'm not sure they add a great deal. I like to leave them kind of chunky, and they make the smoothie a bit more like a pudding, because you have to chew them. But basically, they're not essential. This will still taste good without. 

**I also consider protein powder a waste of time, unless you're a serious body builder or whatever, I don't see the point of it, and I think it tastes awful! haha

Let me know if you try this! I really think it's so good, I'm on a mission to convert everyone to it...

on losing weight: meal planning

Planning meals when you're trying to eat well is really hard, I don't know how those of your that have kids, do it. I am very lucky in that I still live at home (well, most days I think this is lucky, haha) and my mum does a lot of the cooking. My mum and me are both trying to get a bit healthier again this year, and so we're trying to eat better, plan ahead, shop smarter, etc. All those things that you are told and you know that you should do, but it's hard to find the time and energy to do.

When I'm cooking and planning solely for myself, I really suck at it. I never take lists, never plan meals and I find myself going to the shops practically every day, which no-one really wants to do, do they? The worst thing is working in a supermarket, I always end up picking up a few bits and pieces after work each shift. And yeah, sometimes I get amazing bargains I'll admit (like half a kilo of monkfish for £4!), but I didn't really need those flat nectarines that although were reduced, weren't that cheap, really.

So I thought I would give you a few of my tips that I've picked up over the last year and a bit...

GET THE CALENDAR OUT; Me and mum will get the calendar and look at what nights everyone will eat together, etc, then plan meals accordingly. This way, if I'm working late or might be home late, I won't have to think about what to cook. If you're cooking for a family, try and figure out if there are nights when not everyone will be there and plan to what people like.

DECIDE ON MEALS; Look at what you've eaten recently, and space out certain dishes throughout the week. In my family, we tend to get bit bored if we eat similar things too often, though this doesn't bother me as much as my mum. The same goes for lunches. If you don't mind eating the same salad three days in a row, stock up on the same thing. If you know you get bored, change it up each day. We eat a lot of chicken and beef mince in our house, so try and space it out so you don't get bored. I also like to try and have a vegetarian meal a few times a week.

THE INTERNET IS YOUR FRIEND; If you are at a loss of what to cook, like I was one day last week when all I had was a sweet potato in the fridge and a bag of salad, I just started inputting things into google and came out with a meal. There are so many healthy eating blogs and websites out there, you don't need to be good at thinking up interesting meals because someone has done that for you. Also, get out your recipe book! I stick loads of recipes I get from Waitrose Kitchen, their weekend paper, from supermarket recipe cards in there, then forget about them, so I need to work on this one myself!

WASTE LESS, SHOP SMARTER; Cut down on food waste and stop buying extra that you're tempted to eat. When we've decided what to cook for each night, we make another list next to each meal and make a note of what we need to buy or what we already have in. If you need rice, check you've enough. If you need meat or poultry, make a note of the date, so when you're in the supermarket, you know it will last until when you need it.

BEWARE THE BARGAINS; Stay away from the reduced stock at supermarkets. Like I said above - sometimes you can find really good bargains. However, I always find these throw a spanner in the works. Suddenly you have to shift things around to make the space for this bargain and the healthy meal you planned gets pushed back or never cooked. 

MAKE EXTRA FOOD; This is something I did a lot more when I lived on my own, but I would often make big batches of things like chilli or soup and either freeze it, or store it in containers in the fridge for lunches. It helps if there are back-up options if you don't feel like making anything, and stops you reaching for junk food or the telephone...

GET CREATIVE WITH LEFTOVERS; This sort of ties into the above rule, but sometimes if you make extra of something like spaghetti bolognese, you can use the meat and sauce for a chilli the next day for dinner. Add some kidney beans and make a little rice and it's pretty easy. 

PREPARE LUNCHES: When I was at uni I'd nearly always take leftover dinner for lunch the next day, and it takes the guesswork out of your lunch. Prepping your lunch the night before is one of the best thing I learnt to do at university. After tidying up from cooking, I put whatever leftovers or food I was planning on having into a container and it's ready for the next morning. Now I'm working I've become a giant fan of Marks & Spencer's' healthy ready meals for when I want hot food - they're nearly always on offer, high in protein and low in carbs, and taste really good.

TAKE YOUR LIST WITH YOU!; Lastly - don't forget your list when you go shopping! When you've written your list, snap a picture on your phone. I pretty much never leave my phone at home, but nearly always forget my list it seems, so that way all your careful planning hasn't gone to waste. 

All that said, there is obviously nothing wrong with just getting a takeaway in or going out for dinner; some fitness blogs and make it sound like one pizza is going to ruin all your progress. Really, it doesn't. I mean, eating it two or three times a week won't help, but really, what is one night in a month, or six months? 

I know it's pretty easy for me to sit here and say this, but I've been doing all this and I've lost a lot of weight! It was a lot easier when I worked part-time, but I'm still managing now I'm working 39 hours a week. Hopefully a few of my tips can help - let me know if you have any other ideas that I might not know or might not have included.

For more of my On Losing Weight series, click here!

healthy choc-chip cookie alternative: avocado, banana + chocolate cookie recipe

As you may or may not know, I am trying to eat 'sugar-free' for lent. This is flexible, though, I give myself the weekends off, in that if I want to eat white flour or what have you, I'll do it on these days and it's really just a kick up the bum I needed to get my eating habits way back on track. I've lost about 6lbs since starting! Because of this, I have been trying really hard to keep away from cakes, and sugary things, but occasionally, I crave a sweet, cake-like something. 

I scoured blogs, Pinterest, Instagram and websites for some lower-sugar sweet treats, and I'm building a good repertoire. I've got some excellent oat and apple flapjack bars and some whole-wheat banana bread that I'll be sharing soon, but after posting these on Instagram, I got a few requests to share you, so I'm going with this one first!

Anyway, a few notes on these cookies... They are good. However, I personally only really loved them when they were fresh out of the oven and all melty inside. The original post I adapted this recipe from said she preferred them out of the fridge - and to me this made the cookies too thick and a bit claggy - but my mum loved them like this! So who knows, you should definitely try them and see what you think. I love them hot, with a dollop of creme fraiche or some vanilla ice-cream...

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 medium avocado
- 1 medium sized banana
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp of honey, or more or less, depending on how sweet you like your cookies
- 50g of dark chocolate, chopped into chunks (I used 90% cocoa solids)
- 1/2 cup of cocoa powder (about 60g)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 175C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
2. Mash a ripe avocado and banana in a bowl, then use a hand mixer (or you can do it in a food processor) to make the mixture as smooth as possible, I found a wooden spoon didn't quite cut it.
3. Add the egg and honey, and mix well with hand mixer or processor.
4. Add the cocoa powder and baking soda, and mix in with a spoon.
5. Stir in chocolate chunks with a spoon, and then I put my mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes, as it was a bit sloppy to handle, well.
6. Dollop spoonfuls onto a lined baking tray, I used an ice-cream scoop that I use for cupcakes, etc. The recipe I based this on said it yielded 10 cookies. I managed to get 9 pretty decent sized cookies. You could make them smaller and get more.
7. Bake for 10 minutes, the cookies will go sort of shiny on top, and the aren't as wet looking any more. They are very dark, almost black cookies, so it's hard to tell how they're cooking, so keep an eye on them!
8. Remove, allow to cool and go a bit more solid, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Store in the fridge, and eat with a glass of milk, obviously!

Some notes on the original recipe from The Smoothie Lover: I have no idea where I would even get coconut sugar, so in the notes she says you can use banana instead, so I went with that. After tasting it, though, I found that the mixture was kind of bitter for me, so added the honey as well, and this combination is perfect! I am considering trying them with no avocado next time, and just two bananas.
I also normally wouldn't advocate the use of a hand-mixer, but I found it was hard to get the mixture smooth with just a spoon, so I would recommend it, or a food processor, etc.

I had lots of requests on Instagram for the recipe, so let me know what you think or share with me if you try this out... I'd love to see what you thought of them!

couch to 5k - week 3 review

You might be sick of these posts by now - who knows? If you are, please tell me, and I'll space them out more, but I am really enjoying writing them, and really enjoying the running, too! After this week, I've had some real problems with my knee hurting me, so I'm going to postpone the running until after I've seen the doctor (which I'll be doing on Thursday) before starting week four, and hopefully the bit of a rest will help it, too. 

RUN 1: 8/2/15, 2.2M, cold with a bright sun, clear and a bit of wind.
I was very apprehensive about this run. Running for 3 minutes sounded really hard, when I'd just been able to run for 1.5minutes this week! I set out though, telling myself to just try. The first run is 90 seconds. I loved that 90 seconds! I don't know if I overdid it, but I felt like my body was craving that run, so it was good fun. The first 3 minute run was a tough, but I ran all the way to the end without stopping. The next 3 minutes, was a lot less fun. I got through all the way to the end, even if I did pull my phone out and count down the seconds until I had to stop! Haha. My pace was much quicker than my last run in the ice, for obvious reasons. So all in all, I was a bit of a high this morning, and felt so bloody proud of myself!

RUN 2: 14/2/15, 9.45am, 2.4M, warm (for February!) and sunny, clear and bright.
I felt a bit queasy in the morning, so put of running until I felt up to it, and thought I would take it easy. The walk was fine, and the first 1.5min run, then I had some headphone issues and kept missing the cues to start running or walking, which really annoyed me! Powered through the first 3 minutes, and the second 1.5min run.. Then I realised that I forgot to turn of my Whatsapp and thought a message was the cue to start running, so I think I did a bit more than 3 mins on the second run. I also felt like I kept starting and stopping during my run, so I decided to run a bit on the cool down walk, which is on actual streets! I normally hate people seeing me run, so I felt so brave! I much preferred it too, so I think for my next run I'm going to try and run on the roads/streets and see how that goes...I also bought some new trainers to try out on my next run!

RUN 3: 15/2/15, 8am, 2.2M, cool and foggy.
I ran on the roads for the first time! I ran quicker, today, but found it much harder, not finishing either of the 3 minute runs, which really annoyed me. Not sure if it's because where I normally run is very flat, and this was more hilly, or what, but it was tough. I enjoyed the change, though. New trainers were very comfy, though. 

Thoughts at the end of the week? 
Definitely going to repeat this run at some point in the week, hopefully. Had to work all weekend, which has really pissed me off, cause I won't be able to run until Friday now! 

Weight loss? 
Nope, nothing, na-da. ): 

on losing weight: getting back on track after christmas

green thai chicken curry/soup - chinese style salmon with veg and rice
tomato, spinach and cheese pasta bake - potato, kale, bean and pearl barley soup

I always think it's a pretty harsh thing to do to yourself, after christmas, to be super strict with your eating and health habits. There is no love lost between me and January - it's a month of bad memories and bad weather, why would I enjoy it? To me, I can't think of anything worse than going from the lovely, indulgent time at Christmas, when really, the weather isn't as bad, to the harsh daylight of the new year, with no nice food and forcing yourself to get in the gym every night.., Basically, you all need to be easier on yourselves! 

I really struggle with my depression at this time of year, it's generally not a fun time of the year for me, but like I posted about in my 8 tips on beating January blues post, I'm trying to be nicer to myself, and look after myself mentally. One of the things that I find really helps that, is really good, home-cooked foods to keep your energy levels up, as well as making small efforts to keep your mood up, which then in turn, make you want to get out more, exercise more, etc.

So I'm not going to rant on about the benefits of slogging it out in the gym, thought I have found myself weirdly enjoying my runs, nor am I going to extoll the virtues of skinny veg super green smoothies everyone seems to be obsessed with at the moment (guess it was all those nutri-bullets people got for Christmas?!). I just think you should make yourself some really good food. Get out for walks when you can, don't pay attention to the scales, don't chuck out all your excess Christmas cheese and chocolate (work through it, for sure - just.. in moderation!). 

I thought I would show you how my week looked earlier this month to give you a clue on how I break down my fitness and food habits:

FRIDAY 16TH:
Gym AM, run PM.
Chicken, sweetcorn and potato wedges for lunch, green thai chicken curry for dinner. Some chocolate raisins as a snack in the evening.

SATURDAY 17TH:
Yoghurt and a peach for breakfast, halloumi and pitta bread for lunch, healthy shepherd's pie for dinner.

SUNDAY 18TH:
Run AM.
Meet a friend for lunch and had pasta with chicken, chinese style salmon and stir fry veg with a small amount of rice for dinner, snack on popcorn in the evening.

MONDAY 19TH:
Gym AM.
Toast and banana for lunch, vegetable, bean, kale and pearl barley soup for dinner with rice pudding.

TUESDAY 20TH:
Gym PM.
Blueberry muffin for breakfast, leftover vegetable soup for lunch. Spinach, tomato and mozzarella pasta bake for dinner. Probably some dessert but I don't remember! 

WEDNESDAY 21ST:
No gym, no run, but I did walk about London a lot and only took the tube once.
Full fat greek yoghurt for breakfast, a mountain of pitta breads and houmous for lunch with some lamb koftas, and just a chocolate pot for dinner because I was still full. (My most unhealthy day!)

THURSDAY 22ND:
Full fat greek yoghurt for breakfast, low fat M&S; chicken curry ready-meal for lunch, spiced chicken with sweetcorn for dinner and some cake.

FRIDAY 23RD:
Full fat greek yoghurt for breakfast, soup for lunch with a crusty roll (and a naughty bit of cheesecake, shh), mum's homemade and slightly healthier version of lasagne for dinner.

As you can see I started off the week well, but then it sort of tailed off towards Friday, when I went back to work after a few days and just sort of felt a bit rubbish. I have had a good mixture of healthy food and some decadent snacks and stuff, and I did a lot of exercise at the beginning of the week to make up for my lack of it later in the week, I feel like. 

I've lost a bit of weight, not much, but I'm not that fussed by it, I'ts been a particularly miserable week with early morning arctic temperature (-7 degrees!) and having to de-ice my car after work at 8.30pm in the evening, so I'm not punishing myself by eating nothing but stripped back salads and lean protein. I'm allowed myself some treats and trying to get lots of healthy, well balanced meals in wherever possible!

The rest of the On Losing Weight series can be found here!