I don't really do New years resolutions bit last year I kinda gave myself a Mantra of "just keep on keeping on". My thinking was not to go through any processes of quitting and then starting again but rather, when you get that feeling of 'I'll start again next week' or after this event, you just start again straight away. Don't stop, just keep on. It was also about just keeping pushing with workouts and such things. So this year my Mantra is "Faster Higher Stronger". I want to take focus away from my weight and more towards my fitness, so everything I do is building towards those goals now.
One of the measures for this is the Race for Life. I am really working towards a sub 30 minutes finish this year. My stamina is quite good now over the 5km but I am struggling to increase my pace. I have added some things to my workout schedule to help with "fast twitch" muscle fibre development which is responsible for speed and power output. This includes some plyometric (explosive) exercises and some sprint interval training.
So that covers "Faster", so what about higher and stronger? I've signed up for my first obstacle race! It's on 11th May 2014. It is 6km of cross country running through mud and water and obstacles like rope climbs, monkey bars, underground pipes etc. I don't know how my joints are going to cope with it, particularly the instability of the mud and hills on my knees but I'm going to give it my best shot. I've dragged Darren in on it too and my cousin so we can help each other through it.
Another thing I'm looking forward to is our holiday in Menorca which is in August. I have my time recorded for running up the beach steps two years ago and I know I'm going to thrash that this year!
So 2014 is the year that I will "Keep on keeping on" and become "Faster Higher Stronger"!
,
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Thursday, 5 December 2013
Still going!
Well hello!
So, it's been nearly a year and a half since my last post. How time flies!
The big question is, am I still staying fit and healthy? The answer is not straight forward though I'm afraid. I have not been so strict with my diet for a while and dont really count calories or make food plans now. However I've been doing it long enough to gauge what I'm doing within reason. Since moving into our new place we don't tend to go out drinking so much although a have reverted back to drinking cider mostly rather than vodka. We do tend to have more comfort eating sessions though with sundays often consisting of an evening on the sofa with crisps and chocolates. In between these pitfalls though I still eat mostly stews, soups, turkey mince and fish dishes. Breakfast is usually porridge (made with water), lunch is usually a ham salad wrap. I have now changed jobs and become a driving instructor so meals are a little more awkward in that lunch needs to be handheld and not messy and evening meals are often later and so usually pre-cooked, reheated one pot stuff rather than say chicken breasts, rice and veg. I try to cook a proper meal if I'm home in the evening though. My job also means that my workouts are less regular and less structured. So the result of all of this is that I am around 18lb heavier than my lowest weight. I am a size 14 bottom and 12/14 top.
My fitness however has gone from strength to strength. Last year I ran the Race for Life without any walking and scored a PB of 33 minutes. I was really trying to get a time under 30 minutes but just couldnt make it. Since then I have been doing more running, both outside and on the treadmill indoors. I can now run 5k quite comfortably (and with much less pain during and after) and have been increasing my distance on occassion. I have even done a 10k run without needing to revert to a walk (although that one hurt my kness and hips much more).
In April this year I decided to join a Bootcamp training club. I was really worried I wouldnt be able to keep up and that my joints would hurt too much. I figured I'd turn up and do my best and see how I went. As it turned out, I just about kept up although I felt like my heart was going to explode that first time! I have been going once a week ever since. We do between 3 and 5 miles of running broken up with boxing, sit ups, press ups, squat jumps running with tyres and harnesses and that kind of thing. My fitness has improved massively as a result as has my strength. I'm by no means the best person there but I'm usually not the worst either. I can do a few squat jumps now and have even started doing some jumping split lunges! To think, a few years ago, I couldnt even do one squat! I can also jump over a knee height box now where I would have struggled to even step up on to it before!
So, what are my goals now? I would like to get back down to a size 12 although I am focusing more on body composition than weight these days. I am really trying to build my speed and dynamic power now. I'll be doing Parkour before you know it (lol)!
I am pushing to get that sub 30 min Race For Life and I'm much happier (no that's the wrong word, lets say, more at ease) with running in the cold and damp weather. I am also determined to do a mud obsticle race next year although I havent yet decided if it will be 5k or 10k. Who would have thought I would be doing that as I edge towards 40?
So, it's been nearly a year and a half since my last post. How time flies!
The big question is, am I still staying fit and healthy? The answer is not straight forward though I'm afraid. I have not been so strict with my diet for a while and dont really count calories or make food plans now. However I've been doing it long enough to gauge what I'm doing within reason. Since moving into our new place we don't tend to go out drinking so much although a have reverted back to drinking cider mostly rather than vodka. We do tend to have more comfort eating sessions though with sundays often consisting of an evening on the sofa with crisps and chocolates. In between these pitfalls though I still eat mostly stews, soups, turkey mince and fish dishes. Breakfast is usually porridge (made with water), lunch is usually a ham salad wrap. I have now changed jobs and become a driving instructor so meals are a little more awkward in that lunch needs to be handheld and not messy and evening meals are often later and so usually pre-cooked, reheated one pot stuff rather than say chicken breasts, rice and veg. I try to cook a proper meal if I'm home in the evening though. My job also means that my workouts are less regular and less structured. So the result of all of this is that I am around 18lb heavier than my lowest weight. I am a size 14 bottom and 12/14 top.
My fitness however has gone from strength to strength. Last year I ran the Race for Life without any walking and scored a PB of 33 minutes. I was really trying to get a time under 30 minutes but just couldnt make it. Since then I have been doing more running, both outside and on the treadmill indoors. I can now run 5k quite comfortably (and with much less pain during and after) and have been increasing my distance on occassion. I have even done a 10k run without needing to revert to a walk (although that one hurt my kness and hips much more).
In April this year I decided to join a Bootcamp training club. I was really worried I wouldnt be able to keep up and that my joints would hurt too much. I figured I'd turn up and do my best and see how I went. As it turned out, I just about kept up although I felt like my heart was going to explode that first time! I have been going once a week ever since. We do between 3 and 5 miles of running broken up with boxing, sit ups, press ups, squat jumps running with tyres and harnesses and that kind of thing. My fitness has improved massively as a result as has my strength. I'm by no means the best person there but I'm usually not the worst either. I can do a few squat jumps now and have even started doing some jumping split lunges! To think, a few years ago, I couldnt even do one squat! I can also jump over a knee height box now where I would have struggled to even step up on to it before!
So, what are my goals now? I would like to get back down to a size 12 although I am focusing more on body composition than weight these days. I am really trying to build my speed and dynamic power now. I'll be doing Parkour before you know it (lol)!
I am pushing to get that sub 30 min Race For Life and I'm much happier (no that's the wrong word, lets say, more at ease) with running in the cold and damp weather. I am also determined to do a mud obsticle race next year although I havent yet decided if it will be 5k or 10k. Who would have thought I would be doing that as I edge towards 40?
Thursday, 21 June 2012
Is Healthy eating expensive?
People are always asking me if I find it more expensive to eat healthy foods. The honest answer is I don't really know. I suppose there are valid arguments for both sides. There are so many variables such as whether you buy premium brands or own labels, whether you bulk buy, whether you focus on the deals etc. I could argue that to eat healthy I could live on rice and beans which would be cheap enough but you could also argue that on the unhealthy side you can pick up microwave meals for £1 (and sometimes less).
I decided to do a little bit of research picking out some fairly standard foods and have tried to match up like for like so where an unhealthy food is branded so is the healthy option and so too for the own brand labels. Obviously you could go cheaper on both sides of the fence by buying only own brand stuff. Another factor for me is I tend to buy almost all of my fresh meat and fish from the reduced shelf and make it go further by making stews etc.
We could argue the finer details all day long but I would say this is typically Representative of what I used to eat and what I eat now. I have picked out a couple of options for a main meal (excluding accompaniments) and a few snacks. I would say there is not much difference. I have also omitted drinks where I would save a fair bit because I don't drink any fizzy drinks or juices, only tap water. (Prices taken from leading supermarket website and does not include offers or multi-buy savings.)
Unhealthy:
Chicken breasts in breadcrumbs (4 pack) £2.99
Battered cod fillets (4 Pack) £2.00
Mars bar (one from multipack) 25p
Pack of crisps (one of branded multipack) 23p
Mr. Kipling apple pie (one from 6 pack) 23p
Aero chocolate mousse (4 pack - 236g) £1.29
Chips (Basics range frozen price per kg) 55p
Total: £7.54
Healthy:
Whole fresh chicken £3.00
cod fillets (plain 450g) £3.25
1 apple (granny smith or similar) 27p
1 banana 12p
Hard boiled egg (one from 6 pack large) 24p
fat free natural yoghurt (500g) 55p
potatoes (basics range price per kg) 59p
Total: 8.02
So to summerise, I would say its all about making wise choices. When chosing to eat healthy, don't be suckered into buying exotic foods (did you know strawberries have roughly the same amount of antioxidents as blueberries and are probably about half the price!) or branded diet/low fat options.
I decided to do a little bit of research picking out some fairly standard foods and have tried to match up like for like so where an unhealthy food is branded so is the healthy option and so too for the own brand labels. Obviously you could go cheaper on both sides of the fence by buying only own brand stuff. Another factor for me is I tend to buy almost all of my fresh meat and fish from the reduced shelf and make it go further by making stews etc.
We could argue the finer details all day long but I would say this is typically Representative of what I used to eat and what I eat now. I have picked out a couple of options for a main meal (excluding accompaniments) and a few snacks. I would say there is not much difference. I have also omitted drinks where I would save a fair bit because I don't drink any fizzy drinks or juices, only tap water. (Prices taken from leading supermarket website and does not include offers or multi-buy savings.)
Unhealthy:
Chicken breasts in breadcrumbs (4 pack) £2.99
Battered cod fillets (4 Pack) £2.00
Mars bar (one from multipack) 25p
Pack of crisps (one of branded multipack) 23p
Mr. Kipling apple pie (one from 6 pack) 23p
Aero chocolate mousse (4 pack - 236g) £1.29
Chips (Basics range frozen price per kg) 55p
Total: £7.54
Healthy:
Whole fresh chicken £3.00
cod fillets (plain 450g) £3.25
1 apple (granny smith or similar) 27p
1 banana 12p
Hard boiled egg (one from 6 pack large) 24p
fat free natural yoghurt (500g) 55p
potatoes (basics range price per kg) 59p
Total: 8.02
So to summerise, I would say its all about making wise choices. When chosing to eat healthy, don't be suckered into buying exotic foods (did you know strawberries have roughly the same amount of antioxidents as blueberries and are probably about half the price!) or branded diet/low fat options.
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Self sabotage!
Ok so as you know. I went on hols to france. Over that period I put on about 5lbs. This was what I expected and so was not too bothered. After that, we had some friends staying with us from America. We went out quite a lot sightseeing and stuff and so pretty much ate burgers and takeaways for a week. We had a few fried breakfasts too and to top it all off it was easter and so lots of chocolate was also consumed. This resulted in me gaining a further 5lbs. Now we have a problem!! Our friends left 2 weeks ago to the day, and since then I have shifted 6lbs back off, which I am pleased about.
Last week I started a new exercise routine and found out a little too late that I had made it a bit to hard, resulting in about 4 days of DOMS (Muscle aches). I was somewhat impeded in the rest of the weeks workouts but did as much as I could anyway. This week I dropped a few reps and it seems so far that the DOMS are at a much more managable level.
Its about 5 weeks until Race For Life. I havent done any outdoor running as the weather has been awful. I have designed a 20 minute HIIT (High intensity interval training) routine on the treadmill to help build my cardiovascular powers, (this is where you do a short burst at fast pace and a short recovery period and keep repeating). I tried it on monday and nearly died after about 13 mins! So my aim now is to do a little more each time. Tonight I did 10 mins of bare foot running on the treadmill at a light pace which I hope is going to help with ankle strength and stability. I hope that will make running across the uneven ground during RFL easier.
So, priorities at the moment are cardio/stamina training to prepare for RFL, then once that is out of the way, its full steam ahead to get into shape for summer holidays. The target is to lose another stone (almost half of which is the excess easter weight). I am just a little concerned that it may involve dropping another dress size and thus require buying a whole new summer wardrobe (again). I suppose there are worse things in the world.
Onwards and upwards............
Last week I started a new exercise routine and found out a little too late that I had made it a bit to hard, resulting in about 4 days of DOMS (Muscle aches). I was somewhat impeded in the rest of the weeks workouts but did as much as I could anyway. This week I dropped a few reps and it seems so far that the DOMS are at a much more managable level.
Its about 5 weeks until Race For Life. I havent done any outdoor running as the weather has been awful. I have designed a 20 minute HIIT (High intensity interval training) routine on the treadmill to help build my cardiovascular powers, (this is where you do a short burst at fast pace and a short recovery period and keep repeating). I tried it on monday and nearly died after about 13 mins! So my aim now is to do a little more each time. Tonight I did 10 mins of bare foot running on the treadmill at a light pace which I hope is going to help with ankle strength and stability. I hope that will make running across the uneven ground during RFL easier.
So, priorities at the moment are cardio/stamina training to prepare for RFL, then once that is out of the way, its full steam ahead to get into shape for summer holidays. The target is to lose another stone (almost half of which is the excess easter weight). I am just a little concerned that it may involve dropping another dress size and thus require buying a whole new summer wardrobe (again). I suppose there are worse things in the world.
Onwards and upwards............
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Getting fitter
Since I last posted my weight has stayed fairly even. I say that, actually it went up a bit over christmas, as I new it would, then I lost the excess again. I have not been too strict with the diet and have been having lots of treets like chocolate, pizza, roast dinners, cider etc so I am happy that by eating well in between these treets I am managing to keep my weight steady. I am now trying to be a bit more controlled to lose a couple of pounds before we go to France in a few weeks time.
We have now moved in to our new home and much to my delight we have enough space to turm one of the bedrooms into a gym so now I dont even have to walk down to the shed like before and I dont have to work out in the cold with the spiders. I have left the old gym in the shed so I have borrowed Lee's weights bench and some of his weights. My gym has the bench which has a chest press bar, squat bar, pec fly arms, leg curl and bicep curl. I also have an Ab lounge which helps with sit up type movement. I have a little stepper machine, yoga ball, step, dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, "six second abs", mini trampoline, pull up bar, and some floor space with gym mats. (and also a new addition this week - read on)
Although my weight has stayed much the same, I have been focusing on getting fitter and stronger. I mentioned last time that I have been doing press ups. When I started them I had to do lady press ups (on knees rather than toes) then graduated to doing about three man press ups. I am pleased with my progress and can now manage ten man press ups with reasonable comfort. I have recently also bought a pull up bar as I know that pull ups are great not only for back and shoulder strength but also for core strength which I am trying to improve. (My core strength and balance is greatly improved from a year or so ago). At the moment I can not do a single pull up (which is to be expected when you start) so I am starting by practising hanging and also by jumping up and then lowering slowly. I can do a couple of chin ups but they dont appeal to me so much as they focus more on bicep strength.
As I mentioned, I am trying to improve my core strength. The reasons for that are:
1. To improve muscle tone (get a flat tummy)
2. To improve strength (to prevent problems with re-occuring back pains)
3. To improve body alignment (to hopefully ease joint pains)
4. To improve posture (to help with back pains and to look slimmer)
To help with this, as well as my usual exercise routines I have started to introduce Yoga and Pilates. I have a couple of exercise DVD's which I am practising from. I am really enjoying the challenge and its also helping to relieve stress too.
I mentioned before that I had started to introduce kettlebell exercises using dumbbells, well, Darren got me a kettlebell for Christmas with an exercise DVD (not everyone's idea of a good present, I know!). It is really hard work and kills your glutes (arse) but again, I am loving the challenge! I do this workout in bare feet to help with the core stability too and I can already see a real difference in my strength and balance when doing exercises such as lunges which really require it. I am also still doing Davina's 30 minute workouts particularly the boxercise (again in bare feet). I can really notice the improvement in my fitness when I do this one as I remember really struggling to keep up when I first started. Now I am (almost) disapointed that it's only 30 minutes!
We find ourselves at that time of year again when its time to start prepping for the Race For Life which is at the end of May this year. I went for my first run of the year a couple of weeks ago. My aim was just to complete the 5k at a jog (without dropping down to a walk) and hopefully not upset my joints too much. I was really pleased to find that my stamina has improved dramatically since last year and I actually found it quite comfortable to keep jogging. I completed the 5k and when I checked later I realised that I also matched my personal best time too, which is awesome considering I wasnt trying to push myself! My hip played up a little during the run but not so much that I had to stop and it continued to hurt for a week or so after which was obviously a bit disapointing. Last year I didn't do as much running as I would have liked as the weather seemed to continually conspire against me (and I am definatley a fair weather runner!) I have overcome that problem this week by finally getting a treadmill which I have always wanted. I am so happy to finally have it, it's a bit sad really! I still hope to do a lot of fresh air running when the weather permits but now it means I dont have to rely on good weather and can start to get a bit of a routine going. I want to use the treadmill in two ways, mostly I want to use it to build my speed and stamina by doing short interval running (sprint then jog then sprint again etc) but also I would like to build my endurance (and hopefully condition my joints) to be able to complete 5k runs comfortably and perhaps ultimately build up to 10k.
So to summerise, I am more than happy with how I am managing my weight at the moment but would still like to drop another half a stone or so this year. My main focus now is on improving fitness, strength and body shape which is going very well. I am trying new exercises all the time and enjoying challenging myself (that's not to say I dont still have to haul my butt into the gym most days!)
We have now moved in to our new home and much to my delight we have enough space to turm one of the bedrooms into a gym so now I dont even have to walk down to the shed like before and I dont have to work out in the cold with the spiders. I have left the old gym in the shed so I have borrowed Lee's weights bench and some of his weights. My gym has the bench which has a chest press bar, squat bar, pec fly arms, leg curl and bicep curl. I also have an Ab lounge which helps with sit up type movement. I have a little stepper machine, yoga ball, step, dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, "six second abs", mini trampoline, pull up bar, and some floor space with gym mats. (and also a new addition this week - read on)
Although my weight has stayed much the same, I have been focusing on getting fitter and stronger. I mentioned last time that I have been doing press ups. When I started them I had to do lady press ups (on knees rather than toes) then graduated to doing about three man press ups. I am pleased with my progress and can now manage ten man press ups with reasonable comfort. I have recently also bought a pull up bar as I know that pull ups are great not only for back and shoulder strength but also for core strength which I am trying to improve. (My core strength and balance is greatly improved from a year or so ago). At the moment I can not do a single pull up (which is to be expected when you start) so I am starting by practising hanging and also by jumping up and then lowering slowly. I can do a couple of chin ups but they dont appeal to me so much as they focus more on bicep strength.
As I mentioned, I am trying to improve my core strength. The reasons for that are:
1. To improve muscle tone (get a flat tummy)
2. To improve strength (to prevent problems with re-occuring back pains)
3. To improve body alignment (to hopefully ease joint pains)
4. To improve posture (to help with back pains and to look slimmer)
To help with this, as well as my usual exercise routines I have started to introduce Yoga and Pilates. I have a couple of exercise DVD's which I am practising from. I am really enjoying the challenge and its also helping to relieve stress too.
I mentioned before that I had started to introduce kettlebell exercises using dumbbells, well, Darren got me a kettlebell for Christmas with an exercise DVD (not everyone's idea of a good present, I know!). It is really hard work and kills your glutes (arse) but again, I am loving the challenge! I do this workout in bare feet to help with the core stability too and I can already see a real difference in my strength and balance when doing exercises such as lunges which really require it. I am also still doing Davina's 30 minute workouts particularly the boxercise (again in bare feet). I can really notice the improvement in my fitness when I do this one as I remember really struggling to keep up when I first started. Now I am (almost) disapointed that it's only 30 minutes!
We find ourselves at that time of year again when its time to start prepping for the Race For Life which is at the end of May this year. I went for my first run of the year a couple of weeks ago. My aim was just to complete the 5k at a jog (without dropping down to a walk) and hopefully not upset my joints too much. I was really pleased to find that my stamina has improved dramatically since last year and I actually found it quite comfortable to keep jogging. I completed the 5k and when I checked later I realised that I also matched my personal best time too, which is awesome considering I wasnt trying to push myself! My hip played up a little during the run but not so much that I had to stop and it continued to hurt for a week or so after which was obviously a bit disapointing. Last year I didn't do as much running as I would have liked as the weather seemed to continually conspire against me (and I am definatley a fair weather runner!) I have overcome that problem this week by finally getting a treadmill which I have always wanted. I am so happy to finally have it, it's a bit sad really! I still hope to do a lot of fresh air running when the weather permits but now it means I dont have to rely on good weather and can start to get a bit of a routine going. I want to use the treadmill in two ways, mostly I want to use it to build my speed and stamina by doing short interval running (sprint then jog then sprint again etc) but also I would like to build my endurance (and hopefully condition my joints) to be able to complete 5k runs comfortably and perhaps ultimately build up to 10k.
So to summerise, I am more than happy with how I am managing my weight at the moment but would still like to drop another half a stone or so this year. My main focus now is on improving fitness, strength and body shape which is going very well. I am trying new exercises all the time and enjoying challenging myself (that's not to say I dont still have to haul my butt into the gym most days!)
Monday, 26 September 2011
Happy days! Sep 26th 2011
Ok so its the september and its been a six months or so since I last posted an update. Back then I was welcoming myself to the world of size 12 and had about a stone left to lose to reach my target. Well I am still a size 12 (top and bottom) but it is fitting a lot more comfortably now. I have gone from X-Large jogging bottoms to Small!! I had a few set backs along the way, what with the wedding and then the holiday and stuff but I am now at my target weight. I have lost 11 inches from my waist, 7 inches from my bust (somewhat dissapointingly lol)and 5 inches from my thighs. I am very happy with that! I still have some wobbly bits and the weight has gone from all the bits I'm least bothered with first but now I think there is not much more to come off in those areas so other areas should start toning up pretty soon.
I am still following a mostly weights based exercise plan and I get new inspiration from magazines including Mens Health, Mens Fitness, Body Fit, and many others. I do a lot of squats and compound moves (exercises that use more than one muscle group such as press ups). I have recently introduced some kettlebell moves such as swings and windmills although I do them with a dumbbell. (You can see videos of how to do all these exercises on You Tube, it's like having your own trainer!). I have been trying to do a bit more cardio and have been doing more jogging. I ran a personal best in the race for life which I was pleased with. I managed to do quite a bit of running on holiday too, even running up the dreaded beach steps! At the moment I am keeping the runs short but including hill sprints to really work my heart.
Food wise I am operating around 1500/1600 kcals on workout days and trying to keep it lower at around 1350 on rest days. I have introduced some new foods such as Greek yoghurt to help with protein levels and I've also been really good at swapping iceburg lettuce for some leafy salad and spinach. I have not been as strict for the last few weeks and have been having a few large sunday dinners but I am holding steady and still losing the odd pound here and there. I would still like to lose another half a stone or so, that way I have room for error over christmas and such like. My goal now though is more about toning up than losing weight and I think that even though the weight loss has slowed a lot I can see improvemnets all the time in my shape. I guess I am swapping the fat for muscle as they say.
So for now, the goal is to get into the best shape possible in the run up to Christmas so that I can really enjoy it when it comes. I know I will definately feel much better than last year about how I look and I'm looking forward to wearing some nice clothes. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, a few weeks ago I bought a couple of pairs of skinny fit jeans and Darren thinks I look great in them! Oh and I bought two pairs of heeled boots too. Not so long ago I thought I would never wear heels again because they made my knees hurt so bad. Now they dont really hurt at all unless I am standing or walking a lot in them.
So as the title says, Happy days! I'll probably post again on the other side of Christmas. Oh, and we are moving in to our own place in a few weeks too so I will be able to do a lot more cooking and will definatly not have the temptation of biscuits and things in the house, which we do at the moment. Also wont have to smell my Father-in-law cooking steak at 10pm!! And if I want to do silly exercises in my living room or run up and down the stairs I can without anyone asking me what I'm doing! Again, Happy days!
I am still following a mostly weights based exercise plan and I get new inspiration from magazines including Mens Health, Mens Fitness, Body Fit, and many others. I do a lot of squats and compound moves (exercises that use more than one muscle group such as press ups). I have recently introduced some kettlebell moves such as swings and windmills although I do them with a dumbbell. (You can see videos of how to do all these exercises on You Tube, it's like having your own trainer!). I have been trying to do a bit more cardio and have been doing more jogging. I ran a personal best in the race for life which I was pleased with. I managed to do quite a bit of running on holiday too, even running up the dreaded beach steps! At the moment I am keeping the runs short but including hill sprints to really work my heart.
Food wise I am operating around 1500/1600 kcals on workout days and trying to keep it lower at around 1350 on rest days. I have introduced some new foods such as Greek yoghurt to help with protein levels and I've also been really good at swapping iceburg lettuce for some leafy salad and spinach. I have not been as strict for the last few weeks and have been having a few large sunday dinners but I am holding steady and still losing the odd pound here and there. I would still like to lose another half a stone or so, that way I have room for error over christmas and such like. My goal now though is more about toning up than losing weight and I think that even though the weight loss has slowed a lot I can see improvemnets all the time in my shape. I guess I am swapping the fat for muscle as they say.
So for now, the goal is to get into the best shape possible in the run up to Christmas so that I can really enjoy it when it comes. I know I will definately feel much better than last year about how I look and I'm looking forward to wearing some nice clothes. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, a few weeks ago I bought a couple of pairs of skinny fit jeans and Darren thinks I look great in them! Oh and I bought two pairs of heeled boots too. Not so long ago I thought I would never wear heels again because they made my knees hurt so bad. Now they dont really hurt at all unless I am standing or walking a lot in them.
So as the title says, Happy days! I'll probably post again on the other side of Christmas. Oh, and we are moving in to our own place in a few weeks too so I will be able to do a lot more cooking and will definatly not have the temptation of biscuits and things in the house, which we do at the moment. Also wont have to smell my Father-in-law cooking steak at 10pm!! And if I want to do silly exercises in my living room or run up and down the stairs I can without anyone asking me what I'm doing! Again, Happy days!
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Shepherds Pie
Shepherds Pie Ingredients: 500g lamb mince 1 onion 3 sticks of celery 4 carrots 1 tin of mixed beans (or baked beans if you prefer) 350g potato 350g sweet potato splash of milk 1 tbsp tomato puree 1 packet of shepherds pie mix paprika thyme parsley rosemary Method: Dry fry the mince to brown. Season with salt & pepper. Add paprika and tomato puree to mince. Remove mince from pan leaving the fat. Chop the onions carrots and celery and fry in the meat fat until softened (about 5 mins). Add mince back into the pan. Make shepherds pix mix according to instructions and add to the pan. Drain the beans then add. Cook on low for 5 minutes. Peel chop and boil all the potatoes until cooked. Mash the potatoes with the splash of milk and the herbs. Season with salt & pepper. Transfer the mince to a shallow ovenproof dish. Top the mince with the potatoes. Cook on medium heat for 20-30 mins or until the potato starts to brown. Serves 6 406 kcals 42 Carbs 21 protein
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