A Post About Paleo

I've been doing Paleo for a couple of weeks now and I am absolutely loving it so far. For anyone who has been living under a rock, The Paleolithic Diet consists of eating only things that our cavemen ancestors might have eaten. So sugar, processed crap, dairy, etc are all out and meat, eggs, nuts, berries, etc are all in. Sounds great in theory but not hugely easy to do. Which is why I don't stick to it rigidly. The truth is I wouldn't be able to do this diet if I did. So I still have milk in my coffee and occasionally cook with natural yoghurt. Both full fat as I believe low fat products to be evil and full of rubbish. I eat a wee bit of feta or goats cheese if I think it will enhance a recipe and allow a splash of soy sauce in Asian dishes. When I have a sweet craving I have a bit of dark chocolate. The darker the better. 

If you said the words carbs to me then I would automatically think rice, pasta, potatoes and bread. None of which are permitted on this diet. However I am learning that there are carbohydrates to be found in a variety of vegetables that I had no idea about and I am filling up so much on sweet potatoes (allowed) and other root veg that I'm not really missing my baked potatoes or linguine. 

Yet.

I also allow myself a day off each week. On the first week it was the Sunday. When I discovered that while following the Paleo diet can make you feel great - it can also cause the most killer hangovers when you over-indulge. I'm blaming the lack of potatoes. As this particular hangover from hell fell on what was to be my Paleo off day anyway, I went for it hell for leather and indulged in pretty much everything I'm not usually allowed. But by the Monday I was right back on it and didn't feel as crappy or as bloated as I usually would after one of my extreme blow outs. As I ended up cheating on Thursday night (the Lindt bunny met a grisly end), I have decided to stick to it today. So I fuelled up for my morning run with some bacon, eggs & mushrooms and for dinner I have roast lamb with loads of root veg planned. I even plan to be naughty and eat my body weight in sweet potato kettle chips later.

But this diet does make you feel fab. I feel healthy and lighter. My skin is clearer and I don't feel nearly as bloated as I usually do. I also seem to be sleeping great and am full of energy. I ran 3.5 miles this morning in the lashing rain. Usually I would have turned back in that weather after 1k.

I'm not saying that I will stick to this diet forever. We've all seen how long I lasted at yoga. But as long as I am enjoying it as much as I am and it's making me feel as good as it is then I intend to stick with it for as long as I can. With incorporated days off.

 Because brie. 

And burgers. 

And beer.

I have been using Pinterest to get some recipe ideas. As well as browsing through some of my online friend's Instagram feeds for inspiration. I say browsing but you'd probably call it stalking. If you see a familiar looking dish pop up on my Twitter feed now and again it's probably cause I stole the idea from you. 

Yeah you.

Salad leaves, baked aubergine & courgette, yogurt dressing, chicken, pomegranate seeds, garlic mushrooms and crispy broccoli fried in coconut oil and pink rock salt

Sweet potato frittata with spinach, red onion, anchovy and chorizo

Chicken tikka, curry roasted cauliflower, sweet Bombay potatoes & spicy onions

Cauliflower stir-fried in coconut oil with capers, anchovies, garlic & kale with pan fried trout

Chicken piccata with artichoke, kale and cauliflower

What's In My Fridge #2

The second edition of What's In My Fridge is brought to you by Paula!

I love food. I'm pretty obsessed with it, in fact. More often than not, I'm thinking of my next meal while I'm eating my current meal. So when Dawn put out feelers on Twitter to see who would be interested in taking part in her What's in My Fridge series, I was immediately up for joining in. And also immediately hungry...

 

Fridge Staples?

• Nut milk. There is usually some form of this in my fridge: Almond milk, coconut milk, hazelnut milk. For smoothies. For making Shredded Wheat Bitesize taste good (and I bet you thought it couldn't be done.) And sometimes just for drinking.
• Diet fizzy drink. I'm addicted. I know it's bad for me, but I can't cope with the caffeine withdrawal headache. Honestly. It's worse than a hangover.
• Flavoured water. To try and wean myself off the aforementioned fizzy drink. I'm still trying...
• Cheese. I don't think there has ever been a time when my fridge has been cheese-free. I am utterly obsessed with it. I was probably a block of cheese in a previous life. Or a mouse.
• Little cartons of fruit juice. These belong to my boyfriend. He also is responsible for the little bags of cut-up apples/pears etc which I THINK are meant to be for children. (Big wean.)
• Cold meat. Easy to add to veg for a salad, or sometimes I just eat it directly out of the packet if I need a snack.
• Wine. There is often wine in my fridge. Rarely in there for long though...
• Veg. Usually avocados, red onions and tomatoes, often courgettes. With the exception of the avocado and onions, I tend to forget the veg is there after approximately 18 hours of the newest health kick.
• Cauliflower. I love making cauliflower mash, cauli rice, and cold "faux potato" salad which substitutes - you guessed it! - the potato for cauliflower, so there's usually a cauliflower in the fridge somewhere.
• Eggs. Always handy to have these. I like to make individual crustless quiches in advance for snacks during the week. And the boyfriend makes a mean omelette!

What's your signature dish?

Cooking makes me nervous, and if I check out a recipe and it has more than about six ingredients I immediately lose interest. However, the one thing I feel like I have mastered is Chilli Con Carne - that being said, if you're a massive spice fiend and come over to mine for dinner, you might want to bring some extra chilli flakes to add to your plate when my back is turned. (I'm a bit wimpy when it comes to spice.) It's okay, I won't be offended. Promise. I like to keep it low-carb and usually serve it with some grated cheese and natural yogurt, or cauli rice. Delicious.

What do you cook when you really can't be bothered?

I was quite surprised Dawn said risotto in answer to this question because the last time I attempted to make risotto I ended up with stirring-related R.S.I. and nearly had a nervous breakdown over the pan. Considering I am not the best of cooks at the best of times, when I can't be bothered my "cooking" is limited to either cheese beanos or I'll boil up macaroni, sprinkle with grated cheese and microwave it until it melts. Either that or I fire up the omelette-making machine/boyfriend . . .

Food heaven & food hell?

Food heaven for me = Chocolate. Cheese. (Incidentally, If someone told me I could only have either chocolate or cheese for the rest of my life, I don't think my brain could cope with the decision.) Freshly baked bread. Philadelphia (I know this falls under the cheese category but I can actually eat the stuff out of the tub with a spoon, like it's ice cream.) Mexican food. Italian food. Traditional Scottish food. Maybe one of Dawn's roast dinners, even? (Hint, hint...)

As for food hell: I'm actually not that fussy. I avoid prawns - don't like the texture. I've never been a fan of bananas either. And celery and cucumbers... how can they barely taste of anything and yet STILL taste offensive? It's a mystery.

Favourite supermarket?

Not technically a supermarket but I'm all about the M&S food department. There's an M&S Simply Food around the corner for me and I could practically live in it. I try not to buy ALL of my food shop there but it's difficult.

Favourite food treat?

Reece's Peanut Butter Cups. Or Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream. If there's no peanut butter cup related paraphernalia in the vicinity, I'll settle for a Fondant Fancy (pink or yellow only) or a couple of meringue nests covered in squeezy cream. Basically anything sweet.

Or cheese... DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE!!!

And now I'm hungry again . . . great!

You can read more about Paula on her blog Insert My Blog Name Here or you call follow her on Twitter right here.

Can ready meals ever be healthy?

   

 

If there's one word that sends a chill up my spine it is this: 

Farmfoods. 

Not a fan of the ready meal (full of crap with hardly any beneficial goodness whatsoever), when I first heard that a 'healthy' ready meal outlet was opening in the West End of Glasgow I was skeptical. Ready meals are not something you ever find in my flat. I know they serve a purpose. I understand there are people who neither have the desire nor time to cook and rely on ready meals just to make sure they get some dinner, but I would much prefer to spend a day in the kitchen making batches of food to be frozen than to buy a cheap ready made lasagne containing 60% horse meat. When I hear the word 'ready meal', my automatic reaction is to think 'bad for you'.

However, newly opened COOK Glasgow (they have outlets all over the UK) is trying to change that. Founded in 1997 by Dale Penfold and Edward Perry, the emphasis from COOK is to sell frozen ready meals that aren’t full of all the usual nasty additives and that don’t use unnatural procedures to improve shelf life. Ready meals that taste exactly like the food you would cook at home. For those who don’t have time to cook at home.  They use the exact same techniques and ingredients you would use in your own kitchen and the result is a ready meal that is not only good for you but that tastes homemade.  From main meals to puddings, Oriental dishes to pizza, these guys are changing the concept of the ‘ready meal’ right before our very eyes.

 

I popped into Cook on a soggy Friday afternoon for a chat with David about their products and to check out the shop. Which is amazing - think the freezer section in Whole Foods but posher. Everything is clearly marked in each freezer cabinet meaning you can go straight to what you are looking for (pizza, vegetarian, desserts, etc). They even cook up batches of food and hand out free samples so you can try before you buy. Despite the shop looking great, there was something inside me still screaming that ready meals and healthy eating just did not go together and so I took some of their products home to try.....

I started with the Slow Cooked Rump of Beef with Brandy and I was genuinely impressed. For a start the portion sizes were huge (this will always make me happy) and the sauce was restaurant worthy. The beef was tender and there was no fat. I cooked this in the oven from frozen (the instructions say the products are best cooked from frozen although you can defrost first if you like). I wasn't crazy over the mash. Given it used cream and butter I thought it would taste a little more decadent. However it just tasted like a run of the mill supermarket ready made mash. 

And see this is my problem with ready meals. It's not just the fact they are full of rubbish that puts me off but the fact that they are usually bland and tasteless to boot. But this beef was not. It genuinely tasted homemade. I was impressed....

 If you know me then you will know that I love a curry. It's my go-to take out of choice (the wheat in pizza and the MSG in Chinese kill me). I have a high tolerance for spice and a low tolerance for bad take away so I am pretty discerning when it comes to curry. Especially a curry ready meal. It sort of pains me to say it but this was really good. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, a freshly cooked on the premises restaurant Dopiaza accompanied by a cold pint of Kingfisher is always going to take the crown, but for a ready made meal I was super impressed. There was loads of lamb, it was tender and once again, not an ounce of fat could be found. The sauce was a good consistency and it was actually spicy. So sick of supermarkets who constantly err on the side of caution and keep the chilli to a minimum in what should be hot dishes. I microwaved this time just out of pure nosiness. But I doubt the curry would have come out any better from the oven. It just tasted good. 

So here's the thing. I don't bang on about the bad stuff. If I don't like something then I will usually just quickly mention it then skim over it (looking at you BAD Skinny's burger). It's not that I sell out - it's more that I am not a food or restaurant critic. I will never say something is good if it isn't. That's wrong. But likewise I won't labour a point if I don't like something. I will just put it out there and move on. And usually I will refrain from doing a lengthy post on it. But I genuinely liked these 'ready meals' and I never thought I would ever hear myself say such a sentence.

Personally I love to cook and we all know that at about 7.30pm any given evening I can be found in my happy place (the kitchen) dancing about to one of my favourite albums with a glass of wine in one hand and a kitchen knife and new recipe to try in the other. So I am never going to be living off ready meals. 

But there are two occasions when I don't like to cook - when I have been working all day and I'm super tired or when I am hungover. And so I will most definitely be popping back in the next time I hit up the West End to stock up on some meals for the freezer for times such as those. And some of the kiddies range for the days when Ava has run me ragged and all I want to do is collapse on the sofa with a giant bag of kettle chips. Because maybe ready meals ain't so bad after all?

Oh there was also cheesecake. Amazing cheesecake actually. But I scoffed that before I got a photo. 

Because: me.

Products were received free for the purposes of a review. You can read more about my Disclosure Policy here.

Back To The Stone Age

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My eating habits have always been pretty standard. They are not to everyone's tastes (see what I did there) but I've had a similar eating pattern for a few years now and it works for me. I've hovered around the same weight since my early twenties (8,10 lbs) and every single week without fail I promise to lose that 3 lbs and make 8,7 my new NORMAL weight. I never do. I touch on it when I  have been really good, then I celebrate by eating as much pastry as I can until normal 8,10 lbs service has been resumed.

I don't eat breakfast. Apart from the odd weekend brunch or when I was pregnant, I never really have and despite it being hammered into us constantly that it's 'the most important meal of the day', I don't feel I am any unhealthier for it. Two or three days a week I only eat one meal per day (dinner). I used to keep this fact pretty quiet until good old Michael Mosley started heralding the credits of the fast diet and then suddenly everyone started jumping on my bandwagon.

Still bitter.

If I do eat lunch during the week it's usually something light like soup or rice cakes with hoummous. This allows for an evening tipple or some chocolate after dinner without too much guilt. I usually have a glass (sometimes two) of red a night but I tend to keep a few week nights booze free if I know I am going to be out on the lash that week. Dinner is always home cooked and usually pretty healthy but I don't shy away from carbs and eat lots of brown rice & noodles. This way of eating & drinking works for me. I've managed to maintain my weight for many years now and as long as I don't overdo the burgers or pasta dishes (which I usually reserve for the weekends) then I feel pretty good both physically and mentally. Plus I find it easy to deprive myself during the day if it means I can enjoy that glass of wine or a slightly larger portion at dinner time.

However this summer saw a few stressful life events like a break-up and a house move and my healthy diet went right out the window. For about two months dinner was usually a large bag of Walkers Extra Crunchy and half a bottle of wine. I was stressed out, low, tired as hell and my usual cooking mojo had taken an abrupt absence. As a result I felt terrible. I was lethargic, my skin was rubbish and I was constantly bloated. I'm a big believer that what we eat and drink has a massive effect on our mental state and I know that my diet was making me feel even worse about an already bad situation. So I went on holiday for 2 weeks. Ate and drank like a fish and then I came home and decided to start the Paleo diet.

There were two reasons for this. The first was that it promoted putting all natural things into your body and this could only ever have a fantastic effect on one's health, right? The second was that I had a good friend who absolutely swore blind by the diet and you could see yourself how much it worked for her. 

Unfortunately the results were not great and after a week I came off it.

I thought cutting out dairy would be the hardest bit but I actually found that ok (although I did miss cheese). I took to drinking soya milk like a duck to water and drink it regularly myself now. The cutting out carbs was probably the hardest bit for me. You are allowed sweet potato and given that I eat so lightly during the day, I always opted to include it in my evening meal. As you can imagine I would quite happily never lay eyes on a another sweet potato in my life. As a result of cutting out all the main carbs I started having to eat during the day much more than I was used to. I was eating breakfast, lunch and dinner and filling up on good proteins like avocado, eggs and nuts. All things that are very good for you and all things that I eat a lot of anyway. But this diet just made me SO HUNGRY. I know that is the opposite effect for most people when they eat so much protein. But I was suffering from hunger pang induced insomnia so bad that I was getting up at 3am to cook myself eggs. 

Every single night.

I found myself nearly passing out in Sainsbury's one afternoon and this was only day 4. I also went on a night out on the Friday night and got so drunk I am surprised I managed to get myself home. Even my friend commented to me that she couldn't believe how drunk I seemed despite the fact we had matched each other drink for drink. The next morning was one of the worst hangovers I have ever experienced in my life. I spent most of the morning with my head down the toilet and when I did manage to move from one room to the other, I did so hunched over and swinging my arms. Ironically very much like a caveman might walk.

Don't get me wrong. Given that when I started the diet this cave woman could usually be spotted around 6pm in a Tesco metro in her work shirt and heels foraging amongst the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Kettle Chips, anything was going to be an improvement. But Paleo for me was a non-starter. I did take some things away from it though. Before starting the diet I had gradually started sneaking more bread and pasta into my diet. Two things that while I love, and often indulge in from time to time, don't do me any favours when it comes to getting into my skinny jeans. Cutting them out completely when I started Paleo means that I have remembered just how rubbish they make me feel and they are back being to being reserved to occasional weekend treats. I have discovered a love of soya milk and as one twitter user put it I am now that Starbucks 'Soya Wanker'. Drinking cow's breast milk always did freak me out a little anyway if I am honest.

I am not dissing this diet. It seems to work wonders for many people and all the ideas behind it make sense. It just didn't work for me.

Things have settled down so much for me anyway that I am back to my usual eating habits regardless. I'm my usual weight and I'm learning more and more that stupid diets just aren't for me. 

My own 'diet' works for me because I have been studying it and adjusting it for my whole adult life. And it's not really a diet, it's just how I live my life.

So I am off to make a spag bol for dinner. 

With extra parmesan.

And I will get those 3 lbs off before Christmas ;)

Foot Loose & Wheat Free

Anyone who reads my blog, checks my twitter timeline, or just generally KNOWS me is aware that I like to indulge in a fun little eating cycle that, although enjoyable at the time, leaves me in pain, bloated and moaning about how evil the demon grain wheat actually is.

Basically every time I eat anything like bread or pasta I end up in a lot of pain. My tummy swells like I have swallowed a beach ball, I get intense and sore stomach spasms and occassionally some even more disgusing symptoms like trapped wine and diarhoea.

I haven't always been like this. When I was a skinny size 8 in my late teens I pretty much ate all the carbs without consequence. That meant toast for brekkie, sandwiches for lunch (the Boots meal deal with the 3 in it naturally) and then a pizza for dinner. Maybe even a chippy on my way home from the pub. I'm not kidding. I actually ate like that and I didn't put on a pound.

Which leads me to the question I have been asking myself for ages. Did I do this to myself? I'm thinking quite possibly so. I've never been particularly fat but my early twenties saw the start of a fixation with my weight and my descent into dieting began. During this time I was so insistant on maintaining my size 10 figure that I pretty much cut out carbs all of the time. At one point I went 6 months without eating bread. And the result? Now that I eat a lot more normally wheat seems to give me nothing but bellyache.

If I go gluten free I feel great. After a few days I lose a couple of pounds. I feel lighter and better and healthier. I have no stomach pains and I'm in a great mood as a result. But then the lure of the garlic bread or the chocolate cake ALWAYS gets me in the end. So much so that I don't think I have ever lasted any longer than 10 days gluten free. So why do I do it to myself? I don't know. Anyone who knows how much I like food knows what a greedy little glutton I am and I severely lack willpower. I tell myself that I will just have this one slice (or 3) or focaccia and that I will just take the pain (along with a couple of buscopan). But that come tomorrow morning I will start a new extra healthy gluten free lifestyle to rival Gwynnies.

Obviously I don't. I last another few days then I do it all over again. But the real reason for this post is more curiosity. I'm desperate to know if anyone else deals with symptoms similar. Trips to the doctors, blood tests, etc have proved inconclusive. The only suggestion the doctor can come up with is mild IBS. Which is mainly triggered when I eat wheat. But it doesn't even make sense. Because I tend to be fine after a bowl of noodles or a bottle of beer. But a bit of french baguette kills me. However, I have discovered the grain spelt seems to have none of these horrible effects on me. Spelt spagetti not only tastes delicious but I can eat a whole bowl without spending the rest of the evening clutching a hot water bottle. Same with spelt bread.

It's things like this that have led me to question whether this is all in my head. When I could eat whatever I liked only a few years ago. And when I was pregnant with Ava (which was only 20 months ago) I ate a ton of breakfast cereal, biscuits, pasta and flour without any real problems. But the hardness of my swollen abdomen and the disgusting toilet habits I incur after a big Italian leave me in no doubt that this affliction is very real. I think my boyfriend has hit the nail on the head. That if I start introducing wheat into my diet steadily for a while and just take the pain - that it will eventually go away and I will be able to eat it again. And he's probably right. The problem I have with that is that I hate the horrible bloated feeling that wheat gives me. And I like my skinny jeans too god damn much.

Has anyone else had symptoms similar to this? If so please feel free to comment or email me as I would love to hear from others who suffer from a similar condition.......x

So this horse business.....

So I know that we are over this now. That the whole horse thing was aaaaages ago and we are all talking about something different now. But I have been meaning to write a post about the horse meat scandal for ages and have only just gotten round to it.

It probably surprises a lot of people to discover that I can be a bit squeamish about this whole horse meat thing. I sort of promote myself on the blog as a bit of a ‘foodie’ and foodie’s don’t mind eating horse. But ever since the scandal broke I have not eaten one bite of mince. Not a sausage. I’ve even changed the way I shop. Our fridge used to be full of things like cocktail sausages and pate, but not anymore. Much to the annoyance of my little family I have pretty much stopped buying anything unless I am 100% sure I know exactly what is in it. Foolish or sensible?

I’m guessing that most of you will think foolish. I’m not daft enough to think that I have never eaten horse. I have no doubt in my mind that that dodgy burger I had in 2008 at T in the Park was almost certainly some part equine. And that hangover driven ready meal I ate a couple of years ago could practically neigh at me. The problem is that it’s not actually the idea of horse itself that I am so against. I would happily go into a restaurant and order horse just to try it. In fact, I would quite like to.

My problem is the fact we have been deceived to such a great extent. A massive extent in fact. And if we can deceived to that level then who the hell knows what else there is hidden in what we are eating. I don’t think I should spend my hard earned cash on certain food products only to find out that I am being lied to. If you are getting my money then I want to know exactly what I am getting. What’s so bad about that?

So pretty much anything that I am unsure about has been scored off my shopping list for the time being. And that has been over two months I have gone without a burger. Or a sausage sandwich. And my god am I craving lasagne. I even made meatballs with turkey mince the other night because I just didn’t trust the pork mince that the recipe called for.

My boyfriend thinks I am mad. That if it isn’t doing me any harm then what is the problem? But I can't help it. The thought that I don't know what I am digesting turns my stomach. However, I have some 100% Aberdeen angus steak mince in the freezer and I am having sordid dreams about making a chilli con carne. And those posh 95% pork sausages I bought the other day are going into a stew quick smart.

So maybe the horsemeat scandal has done my health a bit of good. I didn’t eat a lot of processed food before but I eat even less now. I am eating a lot more chicken and fish and steering clear of red meat for the most part. I am occasionally paying slightly more money for my food but if that means I know what I am putting in my body (and Ava’s) then I am a lot happier for it.

If anything good has come from the horse meat scandal it’s that it has made me think a lot more about what I am eating. I have always chosen what I cook, eat and buy quite carefully due to a love of cooking and trying new recipes but I probably got a bit lazy in some ways. Buying the cheap pate because I know A prefers it or paying a bit less for mince because we are skint. I've stopped doing things like that now and make much more conscious decisions when I am doing my grocery shop.

So how about you? Has the horse meat scandal changed the way you eat or what you buy? Or are you one of those 'if you eat meat you eat meat' people? 

Do tell!

A Food Diary

I get asked constantly by people on Twitter and Instagram how I am not the size of a house. I can understand why they ask, all I do is tweet about food. But I actually don't eat as much as I probably portray myself to. Or maybe I do. I can seriously eat.

Anyway Mantra Pixie suggested the idea of a food diary on her blog the other day and being an unashamed thief, I stole the idea. So here is my food diary from last week. 

Monday: I didn't have any breakfast or lunch today. At night I made Jamie Oliver's veggie chilli with tortilla salad

Tuesday: For lunch I went for sushi with Chats. I had a full tuna roll. That night we had home made fish, chips & peas

Wednesday: I didn't eat during the day again. I then came home and ate lots of crap like popcorn, crisps and biscuits to make up for a rubbish day. For dinner my boyfriend made a crispy beef sweet chilli stir fry with noodles which I accompanied with my bodyweight in prawn crackers

Thursday: I just had dinner today. The bloke made some delicious king prawn & chorizo skewers with baked potatoes, sour cream and salad.

King Prawn & Chorizo Skewers

Friday: I had 2 rice cakes with ham and low fat coleslaw for lunch. For dinner I made Nigella's Asian Chowder which we had with garlic bread and a green salad

Nigella's Asian Chowder

Saturday: We were out and about today so we stopped off for a pub lunch. I ate half a whitebait starter then half a rotisserie chicken with chips (bbq and sour cream dips on the side). I might have also pinched a couple of Ava's chicken nuggets and some of her chocolate cake. I got peckish again around 6 (I eat ALOT at the weekends) and snacked on some antipasti mix and crisps. Then we had 5 spice duck breast with noodles for dinner. I might have followed that with a penguin biscuit and some Ben & Jerrys.

This 5 spice duck recipe was really disappointing

Olives, capers, stuffed peppers, feta & balsamic onions

Sunday: I had a couple of cocktail sausages for brekkie then made a fried egg sandwich for lunch. I snacked on another small bowl of antipasti before having a roast lamb dinner with hot millionaires shortcake and ice-cream for dessert. Later on there might have been a small bowl of popcorn and some chocolate. To be fair the three of us threw most of the popcorn at each other

Roast Lamb dinner

Unsurprisingly, Ava didn't love olives

Fried egg sarnie on toasted bread

As you can see, what I don't eat during the week I certainly make up for at the weekends. And I have a seriously good appetite on me.

Alot of people will probably think my diet is silly and unhealthy. I honestly don't agree. I see the days I only eat dinner as 'fast' days. A diet which I really advocate to not only keep you healthy but to keep your weight down. If you want to read more about it you can here. Prince Charles and Philip Schofield are also big fans of only eating once a day but no one gives them a hard time because they are blokes!

It should also be noted that I drank a glass of red every night last week. With maybe a couple of extra glasses over the weekend. 

I'm going wine free tonight. In fact I'm going wine free every night until Friday.

I'm hating it.

Link me up to your food diaries. I love this shit.

Why skinny is a state of mind.

It occurred to me the other day that I am probably the most confident and least insecure I have ever been about my body and the way I look. This thought came to me almost as an afterthought as I was laying in bed last night. Probably because, for the past 10 months, my thoughts have consisted of only nappies, night feeds and baby toys. I find this quite surprising. Although I always figured I would have children at some point, I wasn't looking forward to the toll that it would take on my body. So what has brought around this surprising and new confidence? I'm honestly not sure. Although I think it could be one of three things:

1. I've been really lucky. I haven't been left with any noticeable stretch marks (probably due to a serious Bio-Oil addiction during pregnancy). I look pretty much the same as I did before I got pregnant and actually weigh less now than I did before I had Ava.
2. Having a baby has completely changed my perspective. Having Ava has finally made me realise what's really important in life and that worrying about my love handles or whether or not I should have that extra slice of cake just doesn't seem important any more.
3. Or maybe I have finally grown up? Maybe even if I hadn't had a baby I am just getting to an age (28) where I am leaving my insecure party days behind and coming into my own and finally learning to love myself.

So which is it? 

I have no idea. 

I'm neither super-skinny nor fat. I'm a size 10-12 and my boyfriend considers my rather curvy bum as one of my best assets. I have a slight love handles that weren't there before and I am positive that since having the baby my hips have actually widened a little. However, I am back in all the clothes I used to wear before I had the kid and I am happy with that. I hate my tummy and wish it was flatter. But if I behave myself and lay off the wheat and the sugar for a few days then it usually is. It's just 9 times out of 10 I choose the muffin (literally). I am sure there are some people thinking 'get over yourself' or 'you're not fat you're just vain'. And I guess that they might be right.

But before the haters give me a hard time, this blog post is about self-confidence. Not about size.

I look back on myself in my late teens/early twenties and feel angry at myself. I was a perfect size 8. I was as toned as any celebrity you see on the beach, with a perfect whittled waist and reasonably long legs for my 5,3" height. And yet I wasted that whole time thinking I was huge. I was shy and lacked confidence to the point that I hated being naked in front of my boyfriend. Obviously I had to be and was. But there was still a slight air of insecurity that hung about me and was obvious to both him and myself. 

Now I'm the most confident I have ever been. I don't mind being naked in front of my bloke and walk around sans clothes in front of him all the time. So is it my bloke that has changed my philosophy? I've never been with someone who outwardly put me down or told me I was fat. However no one has ever made me feel as confident as the person I am with now. He constantly tells me how sexy he thinks I am and how much he likes my body. And it really does make a difference. Rather than get a big head it gives me the courage and confidence to believe in myself and show it off. 

I think my confidence these days comes down to a mixture of growing up, changing my priorities and having the best boyfriend in the world. Don't get me wrong I can still be vain. I still put on make-up even if it's just to nip to Tesco. I still get into trouble for checking myself out too often in windows/mirrors and I still spend too much money on fad beauty products that are probably a waste of time. 

But you know what?

I have a little bit of cellulite and I can't be arsed cutting out coffee or buying a body brush.

I have a slight muffin top and I can't be arsed saying no to a fry-up.

I have a slight love handles on my waist and I can't be arsed going to the gym and doing sit-ups.

And why would I want to?

When I can hang around with this little lady instead?

Product Review: Popchips

Recently the lovely people at Popchips sent me a box of their amazing snacks.

I couldn't wait to try them. Anything that markets itself as a healthy snack gets me excited. I like to snack.

They come in five different flavours: original, barbeque, sea salt & vinegar, salt & pepper & sour cream & onion.

Having successfully munched our way through half the box, the boyfriend & I couldn't quite decide how you would describe them. In the end he hit the nail on the head: they are kind of like a cross between a poppadom and a snackajack rice cake.

And the verdict? They are delicious. I mean REALLY good. A little bit addictive. I've already been back to Whole Foods and stocked up on our favourite flavours. He's a barbeque man. I'm more a sour cream & onion girl.

The best part is how healthy they are. Because they are popped in heat and pressure (instead of fried or baked) they are low in fat and calories yet they still taste delicious. I would highly recommend to anyone who likes to snack but also likes to watch their weight.

You can find Popchips at Waitrose, Whole Foods, Harvey Nichols, Planet Organic & Costco or you can order online through ocado.com or amazon.co.uk

Product received for review purposes: but opinions 100% my own.

Always. X

Not another diet post......

I know, I know. Give it a rest with the diet/detox/lose the baby weight blog posts.

But I've hit a pleateau. And it's driving me nuts. Although plateaus probably only occur when you can't stop eating Easter Eggs. However, we are off to Cyprus in just a few weeks. And my goal weight of 8,7lbs is looking a long way off thanks to the fact that I can't seem to stay away from the cheese compartment in our fridge.

I'm hovering around the 9 stone mark and can't seem to get any lower. I fear this may be because I see the calorie burning effects of breastfeeding as some kind of ticket to copious amounts of pastry eating.

So here's the deal. I need to lose 7lbs. And I need to do something extreme. With rules. Or else I will never stay away from the breadsticks. So on Monday I am starting the Anna Richardson 2 week Body Blitz (as recommended by the lovely Tash). The rules? For two weeks I am not allowed any:

• sugar
• wheat
• alcohol
• red meat
• dairy

I've kind of adapted the diet a little to suit me. I'm not sure she normally cuts out red meat. But I always lose weight better when I stick to chicken and fish. The diet is supposed to be 14 days. But if I start this Monday then the last day will be Sunday 22nd April. Which is my boyfriend's birthday. And there is no way that I'm not indulging in cake and champagne on that day. So I'll finish up on the Saturday. Meaning the diet will only last 13 days. The diet also states 'no carbs after 6pm' which I'm not going to stick to. Mainly because I'm breastfeeding and if I don't have some healthy carbs like brown rice or sweet potatoes with my evening meal then my stomach is growling by bedtime and my head is spinning by morning. So I am kind of changing the ground rules already. A sort of pimp my diet if you will. Just shut up and go with it.

The no sugar thing shouldn't be too bad. When I cut it out properly I tend to stop craving it after a few days anyway. No wheat shouldn't be too much of a problem either as I've cut wheat out a few times in the past and it's a sure fire way to lose weight. It's the no booze that will be a problem. See here. Red meat I can live without and I cut out dairy once before when Ava had really bad colic and I thought (as I was nursing her) that it might help. Although I'll miss cheese (God, I'll miss cheese), I actually don't mind having almond or soya milk in my tea and coffee.

I've even fashioned myself a sort of tick off the days graph on the chalk board in the kitchen.

How long do you think I'll last?

Hopefully you have more faith in me than my boyfriend.........

I should probably make a couple of things clear. Firstly, my boyfriend in no way shape or form encourages my silly diets. In fact, he thinks I am mental, not in the slightest bit fat and that I don't need to lose anymore weight. He's just fed up of telling me that and so humours each new (and short-lived) detox plan as they occur. I'm also aware that I'm not really fat, and that my sometimes slightly obsessive fixation on losing weight will eventually rub off on my baby girl if I were to allow it to. Which I won't. It's just I can still get away with it seen as everything she currently eats is in a pureed state and she hasn't actually quite grasped the English language yet. I've not long had a baby, and while I am massively chuffed that I managed to get rid of all my babyweight within 6 months, I gave myself a goal of 8,7lbs (a perfectly healthy weight for my 5,3" height). And I'll be damned if I don't reach it.

Detox Schmeetox Part II

Those who follow will know that my Mum just flew back home to Cyprus after a two and a half week visit. During that time, as is tradition, we stuffed ourselves silly for the entire duration of her stay. Since she moved there we take advantage of our 'holidays' together (both in Glasgow and in Larnaca) to indulge in lots of yummy food and wine and generally have a great time. So for over two weeks we ate take-aways, went for long lunches, ate too many cheeseboards and scoffed lots of yummy cakes and posh chocolates.

Somehow (probably down to breastfeeding) I only managed to put on 3lbs. And after a couple of days of behaving (which I started on Monday), I seem to have dropped 2 of those, meaning as it stands, I actually only gained a lb of cake weight. God only knows how.

I'm actually back to the same weight I was when I got preggers, but given I am on such a roll with the whole losing the baby weight thing, I have decided to keep going and try and drop another few pounds. This is probably compounded by the fact that we are off to Cyprus on May 2nd for two weeks. Staying with my Mum, it will be another eating fest full of sickening volumes of halloumi cheese, mezze, ice-cream and vino. So in preparation for that (and because I have to be on the beach in a bikini) I have decided to do another one of my detoxes.

I can hear a collective groan coming from you all. Mainly from my Twitter followers (who know I usually break within about 5 minutes). And my boyfriend (who knows this means he is now on a detox).

I haven't done one of these detoxes in a while (but you can read about my last one here). It should also be noted that my detoxes aren't really what most would class as a detox. I'm not sure what Carol Vorderman would have to say about my Gin habit. They are really just another word for 'diet'. But I hate that word. Mainly because when you refuse someone's offer of a biscuit because you are on a 'diet', you tend to get a hard time from people. If you say you are on a 'detox', they don't really know how to respond and will leave it at that. Another good trick if you don't want cake shoved down your throat by elderly relatives is to say that you are going to/just back from the dentists.

I hope there is no-one reading my blog who is currently considering an eating disorder.

These are not tips.

So we fly 7 weeks from today. The plan is this:

• I'm mostly off wheat, so no bread or pasta, unless it's wheat free
• No chips or roast potatoes, only sweet potatoes or baby boilers for me
• No red meat, fish or chicken only
• No sugar except on a Sunday which will be my treat day. If I don't have a treat day I am likely to throw myself off the balcony
• Only the very occasional glass of wine or beer. Gin & slimline is my drink of choice for the time being

Before anyone sends me some cupcakes with anthrax in them, I am more than aware that at a size ten there is nothing wrong with the way I currently look. I actually really like my curves. But I just want a wee boost to get my abs back for braving the beach. 

So just humour me.

And wish me luck.

#chunkychallenge Part II

As you all know, #chunkychallenge was supposed to take place today. Unfortunately however, events have had to be postponed.

I've been up all night with a poorly baby and probably got about 3 hours sleep in total last night (if I'm lucky). Since getting up at 7am my baby girl has been screaming non-stop. And if this wasn't reason enough for cancelling the chunky challenge, my boyfriend has been called into his hotel to work a 15 hour shift at the last minute, meaning there is no one to film said event.

But to be honest, the last thing I want to do is eat 6 chocolate bars in a row whilst being filmed for your viewing pleasure.

Instead, I am planning on spending the day in a hoodie and PJ bottoms, trying desperately to get my little penguin to nap so that she not only feels better, but I can get something resembling sleep as well. And I'll probably spend a decent part of it sobbing into a babygrow and looking up nurseries.

I really am not up to it today. I am sorry for letting you all down. Anyone with a small child can hopefully appreciate how I am feeling. And anyone without one, will have to drag up some sympathy because its just not happening.

But stay tuned. There is always next Sunday. And I have pretty much accepted that I am going to have to do it at some point.

I'll leave you with the text I received from my boyfriend this morning which pretty much sums it up:

#chunkychallenge

Sometimes I get myself into silly situations just for the sheer hell of it. It appears I might have done this again. Through the medium of Twitter this time.....

Sunday started with an online Twitter 'quest' that I was going to both source and purchase every kind of Kitkat Chunky currently available in the shops. This was serious. I love the normal Kitkat Chunky and have been dying to try the new ones. And whilst buying the new ones, I might as well pick up the regular milk chocolate one and the caramel one too. Would be rude not to.

But my little quest to find these chocolate bars (which I did by the way, see picture) generated so much interest from my lovely Twitter followers that it somehow turned into me eating them all, and then marking them out of ten on Twitter. This is turn evolved into videoing me eating them all. And marking them out of ten. One after the other.

This online 'joke' means that I have now agreed to the self-penned #chunkychallenge (come on let's get it trending). My boyfriend is torn between utter hysterics at the prospect that he has to film such challenge, to me catching him looking at me out of the corner of his eye like 'Shit, maybe I should watch the baby more and let her get out a bit, she's obviously struggling'.


And struggling I will be, to eat all 6 in a row, on camera, without being sick.

What are my reasons for this you might ask? Charity, consumer research, sponsorship from Kitkat?

None of the above. I'm just a total loser. And it'll be funny. I hope

And the support I am getting on Twitter is already hilarious:

Lululush Luisa 

@ 

@Dawniepopsies You have my full support!! I couldn't do it but looking forward to results ;) #chunkychallenge xx

connies75 Connie Smyth 

@ 

@Dawniepopsies I offer full support, I want u to kno how much u inspire me by taking one for the team like this

I am an inspiration though.


What have I got myself into?