I'VE REALISED THAT MY WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS DEPENDS ON ME EATING MORE THAT 1300 CALORIES PER DAY OTHERWISE MY BODY WILL PANIC AND KEEP STORING FAT. SO EACH OF MY MEALS MUST BE ABOUT 450-550 CALORIES OF HEALTHY!! ONCE LENT IS OVER I WILL TRY THE WHOLE "5 SMALL MEALS" A DAY THING BUT FOR NOW 3 MEALS IS OK.

What I ate yesterday

Breakfast: high fibre oat + berry: Total calories 370 calories

Yummiest BREAKFAST oatmeal EVER!!! Sorry guys for the lack of photo skills but I realised half way through eating that I hadn't taken a picture.

The oatbran gave it a nice crunchy and nutty flavour. Oatbran in high in protein and fibre and has been cited as key food in reducing cholesterol and helping digestion.  

But what is oatbran? It's the outer husk of oat grains that is usually disposed of during the milling process but some genius decided to use it because it actually contains more dietary fibre than any other part of the grain.

Lunch: leftover chicken curry with basmati rice: Total calories 456 calories

1 skinless chicken thigh cooked in greek yoghurt curry + served with steamed baby spinach and basmati rice.

 

Dinner: pack of 3 min noodles

A view from the top

The view of London from the top of Primrose Hill -- I walked the 2 miles to get to the hill, walked up it and ran down and burnt 207.1 calories that day. I didn't even care because the view is breathtaking and gave me perspective. One day I'll run up it.

Image isn't mine because I forgot my camera, but I just wanted to share what I saw from the top on such a beautiful day.

source: thebrokelondoner.wordpress.com

New Video: 'Bombs' by Dawn Richard

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I love this song!!!!

FASHION MEETS SPORTS

Fashion is a big part of why I wanted to lose weight and I'm finding that a lot of brands are making sportswear more accessible to those that are fashion conscious like the heeled trainers (sneaker in the USA) we've seen every where by Isabel Marant. I love that you don't need to wear sportswear just for working out but for everyday looks. 

When I choose an outfit I like to start with the colour of the shoes then add items that complement it. I am a trainer junkie and over the years I've realised that certain brands are perfect for my flat feet so I have stuck to them -- Nike + New Balance have always worked for me because they are so comfortable.

I love pastel, muted colours and will always have an item that is grey in the mix. So here are some outfits that I think would look great on most. (Err the shorts are for those the complete opposite of me -- body confident!!)

 

 

What do you guys think of the outfits?

I feel so good taking a break from working out. My body really needed it.

Weird diets: The yoghurt diet

This week I want to share some of the weirdest diets I've ever heard of and the yoghurt diet is one of them. Created by Jeannie Mai, celebs from Victoria Secret models to Courtney Cox have used this diet as quick way to lose weight. The basis of the diet is to eat everyday natural or fruit flavoured yoghurt, which are easy to digest.

Basically it involves eating the recommended Yoplait Light yoghurt for no more than 15 days and a loss of 2-3 kg is expected. I can't even begin to stress how unhealthy this method is but of course there is "scientific" backing. 

Nutritionist Michael Zemel states: 

“Fat produces the cortisol hormone that influences negatively anxiety hunger. When you eat yoghurt, the calcium in it sends a message to the cells to eliminate cortisol. Further more, amino acids help burn fat, so you loose weight easily”.

But the thing that people don't pay attention to is that a yoghurt based diet increases the level of calcium and phosphorus and is therefore risky for those with high cholesterol, kidney stones and liver problems, but I guess if you can fit into that dress the health risks are worth it right? NO!!

A typical meal plan is:

 All these crazy diets work because you end up eating less calories, there is no magic lamp, so every year an even crazier one comes out with the same concept as the last -- EAT LESS!!

In fact I'm going to create my own diet. It will be called the acid diet. Every time you feel hungry add a drop of pure acid to your tongue. After 2 weeks you'll have no tongue left and you wont be able to eat a drop of food so you'll be fed by a tube; then this diet will transform to a liquid diet and you will have the body you've always wanted. Please note that there is no scientific proof to this diet but some celeb has tried it so it must be OK, right?

STAY AWAY FROM THE FAD!!! EAT HEALTHY + EXERCISE -- MATH HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER.

RECIPE

Breakfast:

It was yummy and loaded with protein because spirulina contains about 56g of protein per 100g -- so it makes a great natural protein shake.

Last day of Insanity

The "Blow your speakers" playlist

I have so many workout playlists and every week I find new ones and this is what I'm obsessed with right now. It's mainly dubstep, my favourite workout music because it amps me up inside and out!

You can find most of these tracks on youtube -- so download + turn up your speakers and exercise your ass off!!

Would love you know what tracks you guys like listening to...the more music the better.

Insanity day 57: Max Interval Circuit

Warm-up x3:

• Jog
• straight arm jacks
• 123-123
• jump rope
• high knees
• switch kicks 
• hit the floor
• side to side floor hops

Stretch
Main workout - 3 Sets of each :

• Pedal Power lunges
• ski abs, push-up jacks, in + out abs, oblique push-ups
• power strikes
• frog jumps

• Football runs/ cross jacks
• Jump hooks
• high knee with twist
• high + low jabs with squats
• floor switch kicks
• 123 jab across
• side suicide jumps 
• squats hooks

• Full body drill:

1. standing with arms up
2. 8 floor sprints
3. 4 moving push-ups
4. 8 wide leg floor sprints

• Plank punches

Stretch
DONE!!!!!!!

Review: Nut butters

I am nuts for nut butters but finding one with no added oil and sugar in London is very hard. So you can imagine my joy finding a peanut butter + almond butter that only contain nuts and salt. So with a teaspoon and banana ready I tried them both and boy....let me just clean up my drool.

All Natural Peanut butter + Co's - Old fashioned crunchy peanut butter

Pros: 

• All natural with only two ingredients: 99.5% peanut butter + salt
• Love the flavour of the roasted nuts and the crunchy texture is perfect!
• Spreads well.
• No hydrogenated oil, no cholesterol, no trans fats + no high fructose corn syrup
• gluten free + vegan
• Per 100g there are 594 cal, 25g protein, 19g carbs, 6g fibre, and50g Fat.

 Cons:

•  Quite pricey (about £2.29 / $3.63) for a 340g (12oz) jar.

Meridian Natural - Almond butter Whole nut spread

Pros:

• Two ingredients: 99.5% roasted almonds + 0.5% salt
• Free from wheat, gluten and dairy
• Produced in the UK
• Smells heavenly and it has a rich + creamy texture with grainy bits.
• Much healthier than any peanut butter I've ever eaten: 100g contains 627 cal, 25.5g protein, 7.4g fibre, 6.5g carbs and 55.g fat.

Cons:

• Pricey at £2.33/ $3.69 for a 170g (6oz) jar - but it's worth it!

 They both have great textures (but the almond butter's aroma and taste is better) and if you're like me and like to eat straight from the jar then you will love them both. There are endless ways for me to use them -- in oatmeal, with fruit, in curries etc. the list goes on. I will buy them both again and I will be checking myself into nut butter rehab.

Starting over...

**So mad right now, my posts are gone! Trying to see if I can get them back but right now it's not looking good. It's like some took my diary and ripped it and burned it all.

I guess like my weight loss journey mistakes will be made but I shouldn't let it affect what I want for myself; so I'm starting my blog from scratch.

This time around I will blog differently and try to include:

• Food reviews
• Fitness gear reviews
• Photos
• Recipes
• Videos

I have 1 week left of my Insanity 60 day program and I will continue to blog about that.

What am I doing now? 
Well I'm designing my own clean eating diet plan using recipe ideas from websites like Clean Eat Diet. I've decided to design it myself because I need to organise my eating habits and get into the routine of what to buy + eat and where to buy it. I've been researching clean eating for sometime now and my decision to follow it is based on the fact that it's not a restrictive way of eating but about eating wholesome foods like lean proteins and complex carbs to keep my blood sugar levels stable because I have PCOS.