Thirst For Life

I was meandering around the shops the other day and happened to notice something glinting at me from the shelves of the drinks isle. It was new Coca-cola Life in its rather spiffy green can.

This drink is marketed as being a healthier alternative to coca-cola (much like Diet coke and Coke Zero) but without the aspartame that people are avoiding like the plague. It claims to have "sweetness from natural sources" which are part sugar and part stevia.

As far as taste goes its not great...not terrible, just not quite right. It almost tastes more like Pepsi than coca-cola. At only 68 kcal per 330 ml its a damn sight better than coca-cola, so if you are looking for a healthier alternative it might be for you....but I will still be reaching for the Diet coke.

Why Autumn Is Actually Pretty Damn Good!

The seasons are changing, Its getting colder, but don't despair. When you enjoy the little things you might realize autumn can be awesome! Here are some of my many reasons why.

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This time of year the leaves are changing and the colours left behind are amazing. I love taking long walks through all the crunchy leaves enjoying the sights.

With the weather getting colder all the summer dresses go into storage, but you know what that means! Its time to get out the baggy jumpers, there is no better comfort than baggy jumpers with snug hats and scarves.

And with the drop in temperature comes my secret pass time. Its so cold that you can see your own breath, time to pretend you are a dragon my friend. RAWR!

The next great reason to love autumn....Comfort food! This time of the year everything is flavored with pumpkin spice, cinnamon or salted caramel. I cannot get enough! 

This was the cinnamon latte I had yesterday (and yes that is caramel on top).

Whilst we are following the food and drink train of thought, hot apple cider and mulled wine, two fantastic reasons to smile about autumn being here.

When you have heated up that cider why not run yourself a bath? nothing better that a hot steamy bath to while away the hours. You could create an atmosphere and light up some scented candles too.

And the final reason to enjoy autumn, the atmosphere, the days are getting shorter the darkness is fast approaching and there is a heavy mist in the air wrap up in your coat and go for a stroll. You can feel like you are a character in your very own film, pop on the head phones and you could come up with your own soundtrack too.

Tell me some of the reasons you love autumn.

comfort food 2

As you might be able to tell from my posts before, I have a bit of a thing for potato wedges and I think I might of perfected the recipe!  For the main part of the meal I made a Chicken and bacon tart.

Pizza Night

I'm so bored of tomato Pizza so I thought I'd try something a little different so this is my creation. Pesto pizza (Low fat pesto of course) with mozzarella, mushrooms, olives and cherry tomatoes with a side of potato wedges. It was amazing! I love trying out new creations.

Weight Loss, A Few Tips

I have always been chubby. Sad but true, I was a chubby baby, a chubby child and a very chubby teenager so it goes without saying that I got used to it. I often thought I have always been fat so I won't be able to change. Don't get me wrong I have tried to change, many times, without success and in this process I have tried almost every fad diet that I came across desperate for the quick fix ( I will say this now, for me fad diets don't work!) so in all my trial and error I have found a few tips that have Really worked!

Before I start I need to say that everyone is different so what works for me might not work for you.

So here we go.

1) Keep a food diary! Buy a notebook, one that you like because trust me you will be spending a lot of time scribbling in it. Before you start your healthier life or diet (whatever you are calling it) spend a week eating like normal and write everything down, every last mouthful, every sneaky snack. At the end of the week have a look at the food you've eaten and do the maths see how many calories you actually put in your system because if you don't know how you have being going wrong then how can you expect to fix the problem.

Then when you start your healthier life write everything down to keep on track, add up your calories as you go along and you can spot your pitfalls and avoid them.

2) Get Inspired And Motivated! Taking that first step in loosing weight can be terrifying and you may find that you lose sight of your target or think its not achievable, this is where pintrest becomes a handy tool, just type in "weight loss success" and BOOM! hundreds of pictures of success stories flood your screen, type in "Before and after weight loss pictures" and BOOM! pictures of how achievable it actually is are there for your viewing pleasure.

I have two boards on pintrest one of inspirational weight loss stories and pictures that make me feel better about my goal and one of all the pretty clothes I have wanted to wear but felt I couldn't because I'm too big. when I'm feeling like I'm struggling or wavering off of the path I look at these boards and remind myself why I'm on this weight loss journey.

3) EXERCISE! Well this one is fairly self explanatory really. but it boils down to this even 5 minutes of exercise is better than none at all. I try to go for a brisk walk once a day, if I do any more than that its an added bonus.

4) Remember Every Pound That Has Gone! You might have lost 1 pound or hundreds no matter what that number is remind yourself everyday of your success. Its important to recognize your achievements.

5) Bad Weeks Happen, Don't Get Disheartened! no matter how hard you try you will no doubt have a bad day or week, don't let it get you down just pick yourself up dust yourself off and keep going.



So to all of you I say, good luck on your journey and I wish you every success that you wish for yourselves :) 

Spiced Carrot Soup (50 Calories A Bowl)

This Is my all time favorite soup. Its very low calorie and extremely tasty and filling (it smells amazing too!!)
                                                                         

You will need:
1 kg of carrots
1 medium onion
a small bunch of spring onions
100g of swede
1 red bell pepper
1 vegetable stock cube
2 tsp of chilli powder
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of mixed spice
salt and pepper

                                                                   

Chop up all the vegetables and put them all in a big pot. Add boiling water until the vegetables are covered, Add the stock cube and spices and boil until the vegetables are soft. Then just blend it all together and leave it to cool. Put the cooled soup in the fridge. This "recipe" makes 12 (50 calorie) portions.

Weight Loss Progress

Since the 22nd of May 2014  I have been on this weight loss journey. I started at a pretty hefty 124 kg that's 19 stone 7 lbs (all though the largest I have been is 126 kg)  by August I was 105 kg and that's when things slowed down partly because of work stress and my holiday but now I weigh 103 kg 16 stone 7 lbs and with a year to get photo ready for my sisters wedding ( I'm going to be a bridesmaid) I am more determined than ever :).

I still have a long way to go but any progress is good! I will post more info on how I'm losing the weight and some good recipes.

On a different note I have successfully gone one week without a cigarette :)