Having a Few Days Off...

So let's be brutally honest, I haven't, personally, met anyone who hasn't been a little bit naughty on a diet or had a few days off from being super strict - and I'm absolutely no exception.

The week before last, I was having a very stressful time, I had to get a report pulled together for the council for an education panel meeting - I had from the Thursday Evening to the next Sunday to get it all done, read through and sent off. You may think that was enough time, I assure you it really wasn't and it meant that my diet sort of went to the side because I had to prioritise my brother and his well-being over mine - I'll be honest, my brother is more important then I am when it comes to things like this, so for me the diet wasn't the top of my mind.

So what did I find helpful to at least stay somewhat on track?

Don't go stir crazy over food

What I mean is, just because you are craving a bit of chocolate, does not mean you have to eat the whole bar. Still moderate what you eating - even if you aren't logging it into a diary.

Be Sensible

Just look at the sensible options - yes you are allowed to have a treat, you don't have to be all Miss Battle Axe on yourself the whole time on your diet, but its just about you being sensible.

Cravings

During this week I also had the double whammy of my lady visitor being due (sorry boys, TMI I know). I had the odd craving -  I was totally craving a big bowl of ice cream.. So I had the ice cream, just not in a big bowl - and it still satisfied my craving. Sometimes, well for me anyway, you don't need to have a great big portion of something to please your cravings - just enough to satisfy. Again, its all about your moderation of what goes into your body.

Don't be a psycho-weigher

Just because you aren't particularly watching everything you consume as you usually do, does not mean you have to weigh yourself every day. Your bodies weight fluctuates every day, and you are pound to gain or lose a pound within a day - stick to your usual weigh in day and time. 

Don't Worry

The key is to not worry or completely freak out. When it came to my weigh day, I stayed the exact same weight from the week before (I lost 3lbs that week) - considering I normally always gain a lb or two during that time of the month as well due to bloating etc, I was extremley happy to stay the same. And even if you gain, when you are back on track, don't beat yourself up about it - clear your head and focus on the week ahead, next week you may lose 2lbs - keep positive!

A Filling Salad & Facts about LIGHT Mayonnaise

I'm going to be brutally honest with you guys - I'm not a salad lover; I don't hate salad's I just find it hard to find salad's enjoyable!

So my challenge for this diet has really been focusing around salad's - I'm talking about salad's as the actual meal, not as a garnish.

Yesterday I needed a salad that was filling, healthy and I had a few calories to play about with as I didn't have breakfast that morning (side note - please have breakfast, it helps several things. I was just a naughty girl and had a lay in till 9am and by the time I woke up, because I can't eat right away, I just chose to wait till lunch) I opted for a big salad.

35g Salad Leaves

200g Farm White Potato(s)
25 sprays of 1 Kcal Spray
100g Mushrooms
2 Quorn Sausages
15g Hellmans Mayonnaise 

(NOT THE LIGHT MAYO!)

Paprika 1/2 tsp

Salt 1/2 tsp

Total Calories - 554 Kcal

Method

It's pretty simple but here is what I did with all the ingredients.

1. Pre-heat your oven to 190°c/180°c for a fan oven.

2. I chopped up my potato, you can do yours as thick or as thin as you wish. I preferred a thinner chip just for the satisfaction of having that lovely crunch. 

3. I then par-boiled the potato's for 10 minutes - you don't want them mushy, just cooked enough to then go in the oven.

4. In a bowl put the par-boiled chips, then add the paprika and salt and 15 sprays of the 1kcal Spray. Toss and coat evenly and then put on a baking tray and into the oven for 15 minutes.

5. After the first 15 minutes, take out the chips, and bump up your oven to 220°c/210°c for a fan oven then put your chips and Quorn Sausages in for another 15 minutes (depending on how thick your chips are some may take 10 minutes to crisp up, some may take 20 minutes - just keep checking them to get them how you like them!)

6. While the sausages and chips are cooking - chop up your mushrooms, get a frying pan and use 10 sprays for the mushrooms. Cook to your liking!

7. Once the mushrooms were done, I added them into the bowl with the salad leaves. Once cooked, I then added the chips, chopped up the Quorn Sausages and added 15g of Mayonnaise. (Below I'll explain why I don't use the Light-Mayonnaise). Mixed them all together and et voila! 

Why don't you use light mayonnaise?
- I've found out from several sources, as well as looking at the back of packaging of mayonnaise products that REAL Mayonnaise is better then light. Light mayonnaise has added extra's in it - yes it 'may have less fat' but that doesn't mean its a healthier option. For example

On the Hellmans website below are the ingredients for Real Mayonnaise vs Light Mayonnaise

REAL MAYONNAISE INGREIDENTS 
SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, WHOLE EGGS AND EGG YOLKS, VINEGAR, SALT, SUGAR, LEMON JUICE, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (USED TO PROTECT QUALITY), NATURAL FLAVORS. GLUTEN-FREE.

LIGHT MAYONNAISE 
WATER, SOYBEAN OIL, MODIFIED STARCH (CORN, POTATO)**, EGGS, SUGAR, SALT, VINEGAR, LEMON JUICE, SORBIC ACID** AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (USED TO PROTECT QUALITY), NATURAL FLAVORS, VITAMIN E. **INGREDIENTS NOT FOUND IN REGULAR MAYONNAISE. GLUTEN-FREE.

There are added extra's in the light mayonnaise, which just don't me feel comfortable - for example Sorbic Acid?! If you aren't a scientist or nurtionist maybe, much like me - I have no idea what sorbic acid is, let alone what it does, or anything about it. Any time, like any other person, if I see 'acid' unless its something like citric acid (eg lemons, limes etc.) it does make me worry a bit.

Me personally? I'd rather just have the extra intake of a few extra calories then put something into my body that I don't even know what it is. Sometimes it's about choosing the healthy option, and taking that time to look into the product and what you'd be consuming; not just opting for something that looks good or healthy.

Calorie Banking - Good or Bad idea?

So last week I thought I'd try a technique I've heard about before, and have heard quite a few people trying it. Calorie Banking.

So what is Calorie Banking?

Calorie banking is when over a couple of days you reduce your calorie intake to bank calories for an upcoming event, i.e a BBQ - for example; you'd save up calories over a few days before the event to then use without feeling "guilty" of blowing your diet.

How did I find doing this?
I didn't like it if I'm honest. It left me feeling absolutely starving even after eating a meal and drinking a tonne of water (I even drank Pepsi, due to the fizzyness to try and fill me up). I got stomach cramps from being that hungry. For me personally, I found myself being extra stringent on the Calorie's for my meals - I ended up eating off of a tea plate and felt like I was eating the portion of a 5 year old which definitely did not satisfy me enough after a 2 hour long walk & rhythm boxing as well as completing 13,000 steps. I also ended up skipping breakfast to reduce my intake further.

How did you work out how much to bank per day?
I first of all worked out my daily calorie intake (with a huge thanks to my MyFitnessPal app) mine was 1,870 kcal per day (without exercise added calories) I'd then say I'd want to save 400 Kcal's so I'd simply take that off my daily total and reduce it to 1,470 Kcal's. I also made things worse for myself by saying I wouldn't use my exercise calories which I normally allow myself to use half of once exercise has been completed, only if I feel hungry or need to use them.This made the challenge 100x worse for myself (damn me for being cocky if I'm honest).

I had to become inventive with my Salad's
When banking my calories and skipping breakfasts, my 2 meals of the day were Salad's - they were delicious and filling (thank god)... for about an hour and a half, and then I was hungry so reverted back to drinking a tonne of water to see my through till 7am the next morning.

Could it work for the right person?
Maybe. I wouldn't say an right out yes, but if you have more willpower (and not a huge lust for food) unlike myself then you might be able to pull it off.

Would you recommend this method?
Absolutely not. For me personally, I'd rather spend 4 hours running, walking, boxing, swimming and anything else to burn off the meal then try this method again. Its not the best way to lose weight and to me personally in my opinion, I find its where you are more likely to slip up and make mistakes on a diet, especially if done regularly.

The hunger can cause you to want to blow your diet and your strictness on yourself, because your stomach is shouting for you to re-fuel but your head says no - I felt like I was having a mind vs stomach battle! I nearly crept for the biscuit tin and larder for the crisps in the middle of night but thankfully I fought it out and didn't.

I also found that when it came to the event for the calories I saved - I actually didn't enjoy it at all. I felt bad for nearly starving myself for days just to enjoy one meal? It sort of didn't make sense to me - I'd rather have 3 satisfying meals, and control my intake at an event then to calorie bank ever again.

Day 3 Food Diary - I went to McDonalds!!!!

Thursdays are an awkward day for me, and other then Saturday's sometimes can be the toughest day of the diet for me. Due to a very short amount of time to get dinner my mum and me have to go to Mcdonalds, as its quick and it gives us enough time to pick up my brother from Scouts.

Now I know you're thinking "you can make a packed lunch", I totally would but... I'd have to prepare it nearly 24 hours before hand, so it wouldn't be fresh and tasty and if I choose a salad which I'm likely to go for in the summer - it will all be soggy by the time I eat it at 8pm (bleh). So, I planned ahead. I knew I was going to Mcdonald's so I planned my whole days meals & snacks a few days prior and made a packed lunch for lunch time - I even planned what I was going to have at Mcdonalds!
I also tried a technique this week called Calorie Banking - although I wouldn't recommend this for regular usage, I will be doing a post about it over the next week or so.

Breakfast - 276 Kcal
30g Ready Brek
150ml Semi Skimmed Milk
10 Raspberries
Sprinkling of chocolate
200ml Fresh Orange Juice

Lunch - 514 Kcal
Mixed Salad Leaves 30g
Mixed Peppers (From Frozen) 40g
Garden Peas 50g
2 Slices Smoked Farmhouse Bacon
Smoky Bacon Crisps (Walkers 25g Bag)
Plus homemade barbecue sauce (recipe will be up in a few days)

Dinner - 1,521 Kcal
Big Mac - 490 Kcal
Large Fries - 444 Kcal
Ketchup
Fanta Orange Large - 210 Kcal
Dairy Milk Mcflurry - 340 Kcal

The reason I put the Kcal for the individual items for Mcdonalds is so that people realise how many calories you'd consume from a basic meal there. This was a treat and I don't want people to think its okay to have foods like Mcdonalds on a regular basis. The nutrition value's aren't really that great, high salt intake and generally not great BUT I went for the best most filling option. Baring in mind I ate my salad at 12pm, and ate this at 8pm I was starving - I'd been sat in Seminar's, sat in the car, walking and standing around for 4 and a half hours too, so I did earn the extra calories to balance out the extra intake and also did extra exercise the day after too just to cover myself.

Despite having the McDonalds and planning my other meals to be nutritious and filling I did manage to keep my fat percentage to a good clean 33%. Although my protein was shockingly low that day which I was least impressed with, but did not want to overeat, even with fruit just to boost that up.

Even after adding the exercise calories to my daily allowance (which my MyFitnessPal manually works out for me currently at 1,870 kcal a day) I still managed to be 72 kcal's under goal even with an added 524 kcal's from exercise from the day.

Clearly, and highly expected my main calorie distribution from the day was focused on dinner and my other meals and snacks for the day had to evolve around that. I personally chose no snacks and waited an 8 hour period for my next meal. I can't begin to tell you the regrets I had - especially sat in traffic on the M25 near Thorpe, moving slowly and my tummy rumbling knowing it still had ages to wait for some food!

I managed to have a good lunch and breakfast, which for me really was my goal of the day and as well to get a little bit of exercise in despite being super busy that day.

My key tip would be to try and plan your day and food with each other, try not to leave an 8 hour gap like myself, despite me not having an option and it being a rare occasion which I don't do often.

A good idea may be to plan your snacks in the morning so that you can graze on them all day reducing your hunger ever so slightly and without feeling guilty because its all weighed out to what you're allowed. Fruit, nuts and seeds are nutritionally good and can be really lovely snacks.

Every Bit Helps! - Exercise!

So this is the first sort of exercise related post I've written on here! Its about confidence, and that even if it feels like you haven't done that much - every little bit helps!

I, myself at the moment am currently unable to do a full proper workout - I'm currently waiting to get the all clear in regards to my chest (I'm prone to chest infections, due to having borderline pneumonia a few years back!) and my shoulder injury which I sustained back in April after a workout went a little wrong!

Until then I can't do a full intense workout so I'm doing other little activites till I can get back to boxing, running and everything else! Below is a little list of things I do...

Burning Calories Exercises

Go for a Long or Inclined Walk

Deep Clean the House
Walk/Run up the stairs for 10-15 Minutes

Vacuuming for 15 Minutes

Dance like a loonatic in your house or bedroom 
(Don't worry at least no one can see you!)
Exercise DVD
Wii Fit - I personally love the rhythm boxing Advanced Level it means at the moment due to my shoulder I can still get a good amount of movement in my shoulder without applying force or pressure to the injured area

Strength Exercises 
(To help strengthen muscles, not necessarily burn calories)

Yoga
10 Squat Reps
2x 1 minute Planks
Stomach Crunches

Squats into Overhead Press 
(Go into Squat, then with dumbbells or tin cans when you stand up from the squat then pressing weights over your head like you are reaching up!)
Single Leg Dumbbell Row
(You can hold onto a chair or stool if you don't feel balanced enough to stand on one leg)
Step-Up with Bicep Curl
(Using dumbbells or tin cans again get a step and climb up and off it at a steady rhythm - as you climb up then bend your arms with the dumbbels for the bicep curl)
Curtsy Lunge
  (I love this one - elegant yet good for that bum!)
SupermanAnother totally fun little stretch!

Don't worry I will do a full follow up post of me doing some of these for you guys! Until then if you are unsure - the internet is your friend! There are tonnes of YouTube channels and websites that show you exactly how to do the strength exercises above!

Just remember, it doesn't matter if you do as little or as much as you like, every little bit helps your body at the end of the day! 

Homemade Fries Recipe!

Calories
With Rapeseed Oil - 413 Kcal
With 1Kcal Spray - 305 Kcal
My fries are my absolute favourite food to make! They are definitely my go to food for lunch, easy and simple to make and you know exactly what is in them!

The recipe below is for the main component of a meal, if you want the fries as a side to a burger then just reduce the amount of potatoes you use.

Recipe
380g of  Potatoes (I prefer Maris Piper Potatoes personally)
1 teaspoon of salt (2 if you like salty chips)
1/2 teaspoon of Paprika (not smoked)
1 tablespoon of Rapeseed Oil OR 8 Sprays of 1Kcal Oil

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C/ 170°C for a fan oven.
2. Cut up your chips, however thinly or thickly you like.
3. Put the chips into a bowl, add salt, paprika and Rapeseed oil and mix thoroughly with your hands till all the chips are evenly coated.
4. Put the chips in the oven for 15-20 minutes, this depends and varies on how thick you cut your chips.
5. Once the chips are reasonably cooked and starting to brown, give them a toss on the tray, and bump up the oven to 220°C / 210°C for a fan oven. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes until cooked and crispy.
6. Take out the oven, pop on a plate and enjoy!

TIP - The 1Kcal spray fries may take a little longer then you'd expect. Cook them on a lower heat for longer or until nearly cooked, then bump temperature up to crisp them up. 

Day 2 Food Diary - Carb Day!

Don't forget to follow me on MyFitnessPal app - you can see all of this as I post it on there too and you can also keep track of my weight loss - emmavictoriaaa

Breakfast - 371 Kcal
30g Ready Brek with 150ml Semi-Skimmed Milk
1 medium Banana chopped up
200ml of Fresh Orange Juice

Lunch - 476 Kcal
Whole tin of Heinz Tomato Soup
75g (uncooked) Penne Pasta

Dinner - 453 Kcal
Yellowfin Tuna Steak (Small)
1 1/2 Medium Egg Noodle Nests
Mixed Peppers
Kale
Onions
Soy Sauce
Worcester Saue
Salt
Pepper
Honey
Chinese Five Spice
Chilli Flakes
Rapeseed Oil

Today was a carb day for me I woke up feeling starving, and kept feeling hungry throughout the day so I opted for a filling carb day instead of a light veggie day. I chose to have pasta to bulk up my soup, although if you want something lighter you can always bulk up with extra veg if you want to.
After Monday's rather unsuccesful glup of porridge oats (it was from Weight Watchers which my mum has never used so I thought I'd try) I thought I would switch to Ready Brek - surprisingly I did get more then what I did with the WW Porridge Oats so I'll probably stick with this for a while and get creative with my options.

I also treated myself to a single little Twix bar - I find the multipack singular ones super helpful mainly because I don't feel tempted to have a second just because of the sake that it is in the packet and opened... So the little single ones fit perfectly for me. I must admit I can be a picker, I'm not much of a 'meal' person - I envy the people who can just eat three meals and be fine! I tend to not eat big meals but prefer to graze throughout the day. I'm thinking of possibly setting myself a nut and seed allowance for the day which I can just pick on when I feel peckish without feeling guilty with what I'm eating.

Today's calorie breakdown was pretty reasonable again. The main 3 meals had a good percentage on each, and all stayed pretty much to what I was aiming... not bad for a novice! I definitely did start to struggle in the afternoon leading to dinner. I decided that it was more of a 'mental' problem that was telling me I was hungry, purely because I was bored and doing paperwork - so I chose to take my dogs for a 65 minute brisk walk up the Forest instead of a snack! The rain definitely detracted my mind from food - distraction techniques do work sometimes!

As said above, today was a carb day for me due to feeling absolutely starving. Although I was pretty happy with the MFP targets set, I wasn't too far off my goals, I do look to improve these as time goes along and I get into better habits but for now I'm pretty happy with these!

My first goal would probably to just keep the fat percentage managed as well as I have. I won't be doing food diaries for every day of the week, maybe one or two a week which have different varieties of eating but for the first two I'm pretty happy with the fat management!

Day 1 Food Diary

So, I've finally decided to properly focus on my weight and fitness again. I've slacked off for a while, not to the point where I've eaten crap constantly, but I've not been able to go to the gym as much due to health issues and a shoulder injury (you'd see all the tape images on my Instagram if you follow me!) and I've slacked off on the calorie counting too...

But I'm back and as focused as ever to become a better more toned version of myself. I've received a little bit of backlash obviously due to being a model and I'm known for my current size/stature; but I'm a person 100% not a model, I'm a model when I'm on set or location, when I'm actually deciding to be a model. Its not that I'm not confident in myself, I am, but I don't feel like I'm at my best - and I'm the only person who can make myself feel happier, healthier and fitter!


So I'm starting to image record my meals! It will help me focus on what I'm eating and make myself more aware. Less junk, more home-made and more planning ahead. I'll probably stick to just doing the majority of these on my instagram so follow me there if you want to keep updated but I may do the odd meal day on here!

So here is the first day of meals of my diet from Monday 1st June - all Nutrition Statistics & Information via MyFitnessPal App.

Day 1

Calories - 218 Kcal
32g Porridge Oats with Water.
1 Kiwi Fruit
200ml Orange Juice

Calories - 535 Kcal
Tomato Ketchup, 30g
30g Pimento Stuffed Olives
2 Slices Ham
Homemade Fries
(380g Maris Piper Potatoes, 1 tsp Paprika, 1 tsp Salt, 1 tbsp Rapeseed Oil)

Pork Pasta Bake Calories - 549 Kcal
Penne Pasta
Mixed Peppers
Carrots
Salt
Pepper
Onions
Tinned Tomatoes
Cheddar Cheese
Semi Skimmed Milk

Plus a Banana for a snack - 105 Kcal

TOTAL CALORIES - 1,407 Kcal 

On the left is a statistic pie chart that shoes my calorie distribution throughout the day.
I was quite happy being able to have nearly even calories for dinner and lunch, despite feeling a little hungry I know that this is just a mental barrier and the first 21 days are the hardest. 







On the right is another pie chart of how many Carbohydrates, Fat and Protein I had throughout the day. I pretty much nailed my targets if I'm honest for a day 1 of my diet which I was quite impressed with personally! 

I didn't do technically much exercise this day due to still having a few health issues which means I can't work out properly, but I did do squats, crunches, star jumps etc as well as doing the cleaning and doing the washing and folding laundry so I was still active. 


As you can see, I'm trying to make sure that I can still have things like fries and pasta, but they have to be had in moderation and not excessively as well as a healthier option!

#LiveHealthy - Welcome to my Journey!

Welcome to mine and your Healthy Living and Fitness Journey!

Lets start with a quick introduction - I'm Emma, I'm a professional plus size model, I'm also a blogger over on Anchors Away Beauty. I'm currently on my journey to make myself a healthier and more toned version of myself.

Why did I start #LiveHealthy?
- To not only support and help my own progress, but to help with other people's progress who may struggle, and may not have a strong support system round them.

I'm in no way a professional, I'm a complete beginner and amateur and I'm still learning! So lets learn together, lets learn whats best for us and our bodies!

I hope you enjoy the journey - the key is for you to be happy and positive with your body.

Your Body is a Temple.