What is inside my Graze box today?

I have a weekly graze box delivered with 4 punnets of healthy snacks.... In today's box I have
Banoffe pie- almond slices, pecan nuts, banana coins and mini fudge pieces. Yum
Tomato dipinetti- tomato chutney with rosemary grissinetti.
Swallows and amazons- mango, jumbo rasins, cherries and brazil nuts.
Honeycomb crunch- sultanas, almonds and dark cocoa honey pieces. Yummy!

Click on the above link to get a free box if you would like to try... You can click on your likes and dislikes and make the box as healthy as you like! I ve been having a weekly delivery for almost a year now, and always have different punnets. I love them!

Here is a photo of today's box. Enjoy

New year.. New you! Get the body you want in 2012

The Maxitone plan has helped me lose weight and tone up fast even with pcos in the past! Click on the above for 40% off!

Merry Christmas fellow Dieters! Diet and fitness over the festive period

Tips to stop major festive weight gain..

Tins of chocolates and biscuits- ban them or have a cheeky 1 tiny choc or biscuit a day limit! Approx 100 calories each you can soon go over your days calorie limit!

Christmas dinner- enjoy everything, you can limit the portion of roasties, sausagemeat stuffing and pigs in blankets. Fill up on turkey, it is a superfood with fat burning! You burn calories eating turkey!

Buffets- go for the raw carrot and cucumber sticks, salsa dips are best as the creamy dips are high in fat. Cheese and crackers, Soft cheese is best, as hard cheese is too high in sat fat for pcos women. No no to sausage rolls and fill up on prawns,salad, devilled eggs and baked ham mmmm

Booze- yes it contains calories and 5 drinks can be your daily limit of calories! Lowest calorie is vodka with diet coke, most spirits are a good choice. I have a couple of rum and diet cokes which get me tipsy lol. If your a wine drinker you can alway half fill your glass with wine and top up with soda water and a couple of these will add up to approx 200 cals. After drinking, it can increase your appetite and you may find you end up eating very unhealthy foods, ie grabbing a take away on your way home! Or the next day hung over you grab anything to eat and keep eating all day to stop feeling rough! That's what happens to me, not sure if it is related to my pcos or if it is the norm with consuming alcohol??!

Get to the Gym, pool or classes as much as possible to keep off that mince pie belly!

Detox after the festive period is over! 1st Jan.... Detox day!
Happy new year everyone

Enjoy! X

Fast weight loss and PCOS is under control!

Yay! I ve lost the weight I regained and more!
I am so happy that after struggling with weight loss all these years with pcos, it does not seem as hard with the right diet. I ve tried every diet out there I think, and my dietitian must know what is best for pcos women, cos it works!

I 've lost a stone and a half in weight and my pcos symptoms are not bothering me much as when I weighed more. Here are my stats
5ft3inchs height
Before weight 9st 7lbs (struggled to maintain)
Today's weight 8st!
Waist now 26.5inches
Hips now 31inches
Dress size uk8!

It is so good to fit into my size 8 jeans again. I still don't look good in a bikini, and really need to tone up in areas. Due to my back injury I can only do light workouts still and not the hardcore classes yet :(







This is my typical days eating and drinking:

Breakfast: boiled water with a squeeze of lemon
2 table spoons of organic oat bran with 3 table spoons of skimmed milk (no fat) tea spoon of sweetener made into a porridge yum

Snack: herbal tea and a piece of fruit or fat free yogurt

Lunch: Edamme and aduki bean salad with tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce with a little fat free dressing.

Snack: herbal tea and 3 mini organic rice cakes.

Dinner: Cajun chicken breast with roasted sweet potato, aubergine, courgette, onion and tomatoes. Side salad.

Supper: if hungry before bed I have a boiled egg or fat free yogurt (protein)

I drink 5 glasses of water a day and take supplements which contain vitamins and aid weight loss.

I swim three times a week approx 36 lengths now and have physio exercises daily. Soon I can go back to the gym and do some cardio :)

I also have a 1 day detox weekly, due to being on medications long term and just to have a boost. I detox only on the days there is a change in the Luna cycle (known as the moon diet) the next one is on Saturday 10th December 2011. I drink fruit smoothies homemade and soup as well as extra water. This is my detox day-

Wake: boiled water with fresh lemon squeezed and a slice.
Breakfast: make a thin smoothy from blended 1 apple, 1 banana, 2 oranges, 1lemon squeezed, 1 table spoon of honey and fresh grape juice filled half way in the blender jug. This is very filling and I sometimes drink half then the rest an hour later
Lunch: more of the above
Afternoon tea: detox tea
Dinner: soup - fennel cabbage and vegetables homemade and blended. I add lots of garlic and herbs for flavour.
Before bed: boiled lemon water same as in the morning.

I don't find this hard when at home, but when it is a work day I just have to get up early to chop and blend!

I seem to lose 1lb in 1 day from this, so it is a good to add in once a week for this reason alone. I retain water and this is the easiest way to get rid of it. The moon helps to, due to the magnetic energy with the change in cycle. Why not join me on 10th Dec when I next will be on the detox, some ppl loose 5lb from it!

I am so so happy, just want to maintain and tone up now. If you have any questions feel free to leave comments or send me a private message.

Keep smiling :)

Every little helps! Exercise and diet blog

I ve not been able to be very active due to my back injury.....however I am loosing the weight I ve regained very gradually! :)

Physio have given me a plan to strengthen my back- breast stroke lengths(20) x3 a week, and a physio run core strength class x2 a wk. So even low impact exercise is helping :) I ve been recording my food and drink intake and keeping my sat fat low and calories under 1200 a day. I am loosing about 0.5-0.75 lb a week, which is not as much as what I was loosing when doing more high impact long workouts and the maxitone eating plan, but it shows you can loose weight when your injured or unwell with pcos...... Don't ever give up!

I am also feeling better for exercising again, swimming is great but warning- you feel hungry and tired after! I always do, think the clorine also has something to do with that. So be careful if you suffer from pcos cravings! The smell of chips in the cafe as you come out of the pool can be tormenting lol I have something ready at home that's healthy. Tip - what's your favourite healthy meal? Have that prepared so you look forward to eating it after your swim and avoid grabbing unhealthy processed food for quickness.






I don't have much time being a working mum to make snacks and meals as I am hungry..... So I get organised and plan my snacks and meals ahead, preparing them at times when my little one is asleep. If I pack a lunch and snacks for work I find I am eating what I should and don't find myself hungry. If I don't take my food to work, I get hungry and grab packets of food from the tuck shop and buy a lunch seems to look healthy but is higher calorie and sat fat than if I made it myself at home!

On the right road to weight loss...... Target 10lbs to go and 2inches to loose off my waist! Not too far to go now, and I can do it!

It is all worth it :)
K x

PCOS errrrr diet plan update

Sorry my blogga has been playing up and my posts were not publishing.

I am on my I phone blog app it is brill. So maxi tone went so well.... In July I weighed 8st 7lbs :) was so happy and looking more toned. Most ppl noticed how slimmer I was and commented on my almost flat tummy!

Was doing so well it was easy really, as once I was seeing the results It made me stick to the plan. I was loving the exercise I even swapped my classes for spin and boxing! Was good fun and best for fat burning. My size 10uk jeans were falling down and I got my size 8uk out of storage ;) been a very long time lol

I ve had a set back, I ended up in hospital with a back injury causing loss of function and numbness below the waist. I ve been resting and having rehab physio. I ve gained 7pm even though I am not eating much. Next week I am allowed to start swimming and I am going to use a calorie counter app to track my food and water intake. I will loose it got to be positive and keep focused. How is everyone else doing?

My pcos symptoms were improving when I lost the weight, now I ve regained some fast I have the acne, ovary pains and mood swings back as well as heavy bleeds :( bummer. But it shows getting your weight down to your ideal weight really does ease the symptoms. Scan coming soon

K x

6 week Weight loss Challenge- Join me!

So I have been poorly for wks :( No proper dieting and exercise. . . but I am better now and went back to the gym and eating well. I lost a further 3lb from the virus bug as I hardly ate, but weighed myself this morning and it has gone straight back on!

I now have my supplies ready to start the plan I ve been prepping for :) Monday is the start of 6 weeks to a slimmer and toned me. . . wanna join me in my challenge? The more the merrier and we can keep motivated together PCOS suffers or not, anyone is welcome. I have the tools to help you get there.

Below is the weightloss diet and fitness plan i am following at 1200 calories per day:

the exercise and meal plans are on the above link. It worked for me previously but has since been renamed from Promax diet Maximuscle to Maxitone sculpturess.

My exercise timetable for the week ahead

Week One
Monday- Gym Weights then 40mins of Cardio
Tuesday- Rest
Wednesday- Rest
Thursday- Abs class followed by 30mins cardio
Friday- Aqua Areobics
Sat- Rest
Sun- Gym Weights and 40mins of Cardio

In 6 weeks time I have an outfit I want to fit me better as a little tight at the moment. So this is my goal to look good by then.
I will keep you posted and update you of my actual body measurements and weight by Vlogging and photos.

Lets fight the flab together!

K

PCOS ultrasound scan and weight loss plan update

Yesterday was my first pcos scan post pregnancy. I have lots of small cysts in my right ovary which go the whole way around it and my left ovary is still high up and imflammed. In pregnancy your ovaries move up when the womb expands. I ve got to go back in hospital monday to see the specialist with the scan results.

no weight loss this week :( no gain either :) I ve been so good with my plan until today, i didnt make it to the gym this morning. . . pain and swelling after being proded about yesterday! But food wise been very good and grazing most days.

Next week I start Maxitone (replaced maximucle women proxmax diet and fitness plan) which really worked for me before i was pregnant. I ve now prepared myself for it these past few weeks by easing myself back into fitness and dieting. Looking forward to it actually as I remember how good I felt on it aswell as the best results yet! Stay posted for my exercises, menu and sucess!

Fat burning breakfasts for you to try. .

Yogurt with fruit and veg?!
Yogurt (natural lowfat, no sugar is best) 2 table spoons, mixed with a handfull of red/black grapes and chopped thin pieces of celery. It is a good start to the day, and a quick tip wash your grapes and chop celery the night before put into a container, then add the yogurt in the morning.

Mini omlettes
Beat 2 eggwhites, 30mls skimmed milk, pinch of salt and pepper. Chop 2 tomatoes, 3 slices of waffer thin ham and 2 mushrooms. mix well and pour into a greased muffins tin. Bake in the oven. Have 2 egg muffin sizes omlettes, and save the rest to pop in the fridge for the next day or for snacking.

Give them a go, I love them!

Yay weight loss :) Postnatal with pcos

Well I am thrilled, I have lost another half a pound! 1 inch from my tummy too :) This is great as I struggle to loose when my PCOS symptoms are bad, like they currently are :) I am going in the right direction, slowly but healthy. . . . still have lots of weight to loose and need to tone up after having my baby! 1 Stone to go! Can I do it?

I have a scan this week to look at my ovarian cysts, I wonder how many there are this time and the size! Hope they are tiny ones.

I have done so much walking as well as the gym. . . it makes you feel really good

Weekly weigh in and measurements!

This week has been very hard, I ve only made it to the gym once! Really bad, I know! I have managed to do lots of walking with the pram 2 days. My excuse is that my back and my ovaries have been extremly painful...........so I thought there would b no loss!
I lost! -1lb measurements not much difference only like -0.1 in most places.

I wondered how could this be, when I had not been able to hardly exercise....I did still carry on eating healthy and following the rules I had set, but normally that is not enough alone. It must be the fact that I was not allowing myself to get hungry and grazing more this week! (body body was not storing as much fat!) Some days I know I dont eat enough, but this week I really made sure I did, but eating the right fatburning foods!

The graze packs I really enjoy and look forward to having them delivered. I dont have one every day, and snack on stuff I have in the cupboards- its not quite the same though! I am glad I came accross their offer!



The best Fat burning Foods

Avocado
Tomatoes
Sweet potato
Turkey
Salmon
Eggs
Prawns
Broccoli
Spinach
Whey Protein
Grapefruit
Melon
Blueberries
Aduki beans
Wholemeal bread

Combine them in the same meal and you have yourself a super fat burning meal!

This week I hope to be able to workout much more, and I am going to eat more grapefruit! I remembered from a previous diet I tried that eating grapefruit as a starter to your meals burns even more fat! Lets see if that works..... :)





Love, light and energy!

Healthy snack idea's for grazing and beating your cravings

Do you get cravings?

Most women do when they are pregnant, due their period and those

who suffer from PCOS. You should light snack in between meals to keep up your energy levels and keep hunger pangs at bay. I tend to crave when I am hungry and bored...sometimes it is a savoury craving, sometimes sweet.

We crave sugar when our blood sugar levels are out of balance, mine certainly are due to my PCOS. It is best to not let your body get too hungry where you are likey to grab a quick processed unhealthy snack, plan your snacks ahead. Get snackwise! Here are some tasty things I love, which you could try:

Savoury snacks

The Mexicana

Chopped avocado

Chopped tomatoes

Chopped pepper

2 table spoons of salsa

1 tea spoon of dijon mustard

cracked black pepper

Mix together in a bowl, if you have fresh coriander you can add to taste.

This is yummy! I make a bigger potion for a lunch sometimes and add aduki beans and lots lettuce.

Nutty seeds

Try different combos

Pecans, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, pine nuts, pasastios, punkin seeds, sunflower seeds, linseeds.......... there are so many

I like pecans with almonds and punkin seeds mix. Pour them in a small container ready to snack in the day.

Sweet craving

Chocolate fruit bar!

mix dried fruits like apricots, prunes, rasins, cherries etc. in a bowl

add chopped nuts

coat them in dark coco powder

drizzle over a little honey add a few drops of water and mix

lay mixture onto baking paper and cut into bitesize pieces. Leave in the fridge for an hour to set or eat from the bowl! It is very yummy, I make them in batches so they are ready when I crave chocolate.

Dark Chocolate drops of heaven!

mix dried cherries, rasins, peanuts and a sprinkle of dark choc chips in a mini container. What a great healthy treat :)

I hope you enjoy trying these, or they inspire you to try snacking and grazing on new healthier foods.

Be who you want to be

Weekly weigh in and measurements! (Post natal and PCOS sufferer)

SO I have been to the gym again yesterday and today! 4 days this week plus the walking with the pram up hill....I ache but it is a good feeling to be getting fit again :)

Weight loss this week -1.5lb
I have lost 0.25inches off each upper arm, and 0.5 inches from my tummy and hips, everything else is the same. So stepping things up has helped a great deal, this is not bad at all loss for me!

I ve been drinking more water, cut out all fizzy diet drinks and since thursday started to graze on healthy nuts, seeds and dried fruit through out the day. Since then my energy levels have improved as I know some days I was not eating enough at all!

The graze pack I ordered was great, I let it last me over 2 days though as there is quite a lot in them! I ve decided to order 2 a week so I have them 4days for the days I am not out of the house. I took advantage of the offer so got my 1st box free and next box which comes this week is half price £1.74.







When grazing, instead of your body storing sugar as fat it makes your metabolisim work hard which uses the sugars. I didnt get more PCOS cravings either! Also it helps stablize your insulin levels, which if your a PCOS sufferer you will know this keeps cysts under control! I have been getting my symptoms bad again the past few weeks (even had a cyst rupture 2 wks ago) so I am hoping now I ve started to grazing and not go long periods with out eating will help ease my symptoms :) I have a scan in 2 weeks time so will find out then.




The rocky road is my fav dark chocolate buttons with dried cranberries and peacan nuts. Fruit squash is also lovely, blueberries, mango and punkin seeds........so much to try.

Live life to the full

Day 1-5 New Diet and Fitness plan PCOS

Hot Lemon water every morning before breakfast

Me 30 weeks Pregnant

Postnatal weight and inch loss......................Need to loose 1 stone now!









Day one Monday 28th Feb



Woke up early, little man still asleep I made myself a cup of boiled lemon water (freshly sqeezed lemon in hot water) i had melon for a light breakfast...........then to the gym while my husband looked after our baby. I did Treadmill powerwalk, cross trainer with arms, bike, upper body weights and abs.....I felt hard but good. Enjoyed it. Lunch- Hummous and red pepper and tomato wholemeal pitta, dinner- baked garlic and chilli salmon, brocolli, carrotts and brown rice. snacked on dried apricots and nuts I felt like i had so much energy till 10pm when i fell asleep on the sofa ooooppps! So far so good!

Day two

Busy busy busy day
food: plums, banana, chicken light cesar salad, turkey grilled cajun steak, sweet potato wedges with peas sweetcorn.
Exercise: long walk with pram and baby play group
Feelings: very hungry and dehydrated- need to drink more water need to snack more!

Day three
Tired no energy!
I hardly ate in the day, naughty naughty was too busy so grabbed fruit here and there and had an eve meal chicken wraps with peppers onions chilli spices, avacado and salad yum yum!
Exercise: same gym plan as monday

Day four
Feeling good :)
I didnt get to exercise :( my husband was out so no one to look after baby.
Food: plums- hullomi cheese grilled in a pitta with salad yum- peri peri hot chicken breast, rice and mixed vegs. Grazing snack pack!

Day five
So far a good day, I ve been out to a baby massage class and had a walk about.
Food: blueberries- prawn and avocado sushi (really loved it!) and for dinner I will have a weight watchers meal with extra veg. Grazing pack to snack on

Sunday will be the weekly weigh in and body measurements....keep posted
I will also share some fat burning reciepes with you


Something to keep you snacking healthy which i enjoy and keeps you feeling full through out the day and eve>>>







Live your life to the full

OMG it has been far too long!

Well.....so much has happened:
I ve been pregnant again after fertility treatment, lost twins :(
and then a miracle happened, I fell pregnant again after 2 weeks with no treatment :) and now I ve had a baby boy! He is now 3 months old.
There is light at the end of the long tunnel for those like me with servere PCOD and recurrent miscarriages. I love being a mummy, my boy is just so perfect!

I was lucky while pregnant my symptoms of PCOD went away (just for the pregnancy now back again)and I stayed a nice size and only gained a bump and baby weight :) i just loved being pregnant.

Now I am trying to loose weight and inches as my new short term goal, then longer term I really want to tone back up and maintain a great figure. Also I need to get fit again almost a year with NO exercise, due to pregnancy complications.

So far I have cut out the junk foods, introduced fat burning foods and started back exercising 2-3 times a wk: Yoga, Swimming and last week swapped swimming for the gym and Zumba to step it up! I am taking things gradually to prepare for the hardcore diet and exercise plan! I ve been weighing and measuring myself and I lost a little at first. I MUST now start the next phase!

If you have not exercised for a long time and not eaten as healthy as you should, it really is best to ease into things to prep yourself before starting any hardcore slimming plans! Reasons:
- your more likely to suceed. Many people I know give up as it is too hard for them to stick to.
- your body will adjust easier as you make it harder in phases
- it never gets boring
- you keep challenging your body making it harder in phases burning more fat (if you stay at the same level the whole time your body gets used to it, and your body wont change as much after 6wks)

Phase 2
- I must exercise 4 times a wk! (hard with a new baby)
- Eat as many raw foods as possible
- Eat my evening meal before 7pm
- keep a food diary
- Walk with the pram instead of driving to places in town

From tomorrow I will introduce these rules............ I will update you on how things go

K x