Diet & Weight Loss: No Carb Pizza Omelette!

As a female who wasn’t blessed with the ability to lose weight and be toned just by existing, I find myself constantly looking for ways to achieve this but without feeling like I might die of boredom at having to eat bland, tasteless food; or indeed feel like I’m missing out on lots of other delicious foods that I know I enjoy and crave deeply from the exact second that I make the decision to get back on the healthy eating wagon.

And, because I’m a vegetarian, I have always found myself relying perhaps a little too heavily on carbs also, to make a meal feel substantial, filling and obviously tasty. So knowing I needed to lower my carb reliance and increase protein to start seeing further results, I spent the last 4 years forcing myself to find ways to eat eggs so that I could actually enjoy them, which meant that they weren’t too eggy, both in taste and texture; as despite not being vegan, I didn’t eat eggs (unless in cake) for a very, very long time.

I just couldn’t get my head around what they were (let’s not even mention it now as I am still not at ease with it and I don’t want to undo my hard work over these years, ha) so my protein intake was less than impressive. I have now mastered the art of making both omelettes, and scrambled eggs by adding vegetables, cheese, and other flavourings that have enough other textures/tastes to make them actually quite enjoyable to me.

Success… I now have a healthy, low carb meal option that actually leaves me feeling full, and satiated. I still miss carb heavy food, but now look for ways to try and satisfy cravings for them without leaving myself feeling guilty that I’ve fallen off the wagon again. Obviously a treat is fine, but as a lifestyle change that is realistic, I need to enjoy the food I am eating and not just eating it because it’s healthy.

One massive craving for me that I really miss whilst trying to be healthy has to be pizza. I bloody love it! But it doesn’t love my waistline… it’s just not healthy, and that carb-heavy base makes me put on a stone just thinking about it (sympathy please). So how could I find a way to satisfy a regularly recurring craving for the gooey, pizza goodness? Well, with an omelette base, of course.

Luckily, I have been sneaky well informed, and researched enough to have found a ‘diet’ that might suit me as it allows me to eat cheese(!); and not only allows, but encourages (high fat, low carb – keto diet)… yep, I think I might have found ‘the one’ - diet wise, anyway.

And so I decided to do an eggsperiment (geddit? I’ll book my own taxi for that) to see if I could make this omelette taste anything like a passable pizza to me. And by goodness, I think I actually have! Obviously it’s never going to replace your favourite pizza from wherever, but it’s also not going to make you die from diet guilt, or have your buttons popping off your clothes by indulging in it.

Ingredients:

2-3 eggs (or more if you’re making for more than one person, or particularly hungry)
Chopped tomatoes/passata
Herbs (mixed, or fresh basil works)
Chopped onion
Cheese (hurrah, I used cheddar but any melty one that you fancy is all good)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Or whatever toppings you fancy, obviously. I just kept this one very simple, as I didn’t know if it would work or not.

Method: 

 

I cooked the chopped onion in a small amount of oil (I used olive, but any is fine, just don’t use too much as you don’t want a greasy pizza sauce) until translucent, then added the tomatoes, herbs, and seasoning before cooking through so the flavours were developed enough. You could make this in advance and freeze it, or use it as a base for pasta sauce too. You could do this without the onion, and add them at the end, or not at all if you prefer.

Then, I decided to stick to just a plain omelette base as I knew there’d be less chance of it breaking. I whisked the eggs with salt and pepper, then cooked it both sides in a frying pan so that it was golden brown, and feeling fairly sturdy.

I then transferred my omelette to a foil lined tray and spooned enough ‘pizza sauce’ to cover it, sprinkled plenty of cheese over it (and any other ingredients you choose), and then put it under the grill until it was melted (this particular cheese didn't melt as well as I'd hoped, but still tasted good).

Then I ate it, obviously. I really, really enjoyed it too. So I actually do think I have found something I can eat and enjoy regularly that does satisfy that pizza craving I get, until such a day where I can have a real pizza as a treat.

Happy days. I can’t believe I’ve written so much about eggs though, ha.

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Pancake Day: Healthy, Flour Free, Low Carb Pancakes!

It’s Pancake Day! But I’m on a bit of a mission to lose some weight, tone up and generally be healthy, so I took to the internet to look for ways that I could participate in the eating of pancakes, but in a slightly healthier way.

In my quest, I found recipes that used almond flour instead of regular flour for a less carb heavy solution; but I thought that the calories in this may be too high for my personal consumption (as I’m watching my calories as well as trying to eat cleanly), due to the fact that nuts in general are quite calorific. 

Then I had a eureka moment when I came across a recipe that called for eggs, oats and bananas and wondered if I could omit the oats to make it even less calorific and carb heavy! So I tried it, and it turns out that yes I could. Now I’m not saying that these have the regular pancake texture – and when cooking them they are quite fragile, so it’s better to make them smaller (but more of them)… but they’re close enough, and with some honey and lemon on (I stayed quite traditional) I think they’re rather yummy.

I used:

1 Ripe banana

2 Free range eggs

A Dash of vanilla extract

Coconut oil (for frying).

 

Optional Extras:

Feel free to add in vanilla extract, cinnamon, cocoa powder or any other spices/flavourings into the mix, depending on the flavours you prefer. And also if the mixture isn’t ‘quite’ there for you texture wise you could add in maybe a tablespoon or 2 of coconut or almond flour. I’ve also read that ground flaxseeds work well to hold the mixture together.

Toppings:

I stayed quite traditional with my honey and lemon toppings, but you could add pretty much anything that you’d normally have on your pancakes… especially if you’re not being totally rigid about the health factor. I think next time I might try some with strawberries and raspberries pureed in the food processor with a little honey in.

Apologies for the pathetic one pancake in my final photograph, in my excitement to get the others to the plate, I ended up dropping them on the floor, and I only had enough mixture left to make this feeble, lonely one more. I guess that’s another way to lower my calorie intake, though?! ;-)

Speaking of calories, this mix (without toppings) works out to be around 300 calories (depending on the weight of banana you use) and I think would be enough for 2 people (based on 2 small to medium pancakes each), so around 150 calories per serving, excluding toppings. 

Happy pancake day.

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Wordless (ish) Wednesday!

This made me laugh out loud when I saw it on Facebook as I know this life struggle waaaay too well*!!

Who's with me on this?



*Although I have to say, I was also slightly irked by the lack of capital letters. ;-)

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Fat Girl Slim - My Before & After Images!

2007 - possibly the only pictures of me that I've got at almost my heaviest. Below are images from Summer this year.

I used to be fat. Like 6 stone (almost) heavier. Mostly due to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, but still, nobody cares WHY you’re fat; they just see the large person stood in front of them. I was never happy being larger, since I’d always been a size 10-12 in the past. I lost interest in myself, didn’t see the point of trying to find too many nice clothes, since I felt horrific in anything I put on, I avoided cameras like a professional (hence why I’ve found it so difficult to find images of me whilst so heavy), and looking back at images from events and nights out I’d been to/on, it was like I barely existed at all.

• At my heaviest, I weighed 16 stone 2, possibly a couple of lbs more, I stopped weighing myself you see. I think I must have been a size 20-22 and I was miserable. Thankfully I lost 2.5 stone when I went on my medication for the PCOS (basically the reason I got large), with the weight coming off slowly but surely with that. However, this year, the rest of the weight (3 stone) dropped off me, kick started by the heartbreak diet after my fiancé of almost a decade had an affair and left in March, but continued (I think) by my active weekends in clubs, dancing off the flab.I now weigh between 9 stone 4lbs and 9 stone 6lbs. My aim is to get to 9 stone with the final bit of toning up I need/want to do.

Heavy August last year.

Me this year in the last 2 images.

Anyway, I’ve been asked a few times by people to put up before and after images and I was in 2 minds about whether to do so or not because I felt so hideous about myself in the before images, but then thought ‘why not?’ because I’ve actually achieved something pretty decent, and should be proud of this. So, this is a huge amount of images, apologies for this – as I’ve basically used all my fat photographs, and tried to find as many images as possible to contrast with them for you and show you what I look like throughout this year.

Even dresses that I squeezed into when I was larger, but not at my largest, I've been able to wear (just about) now I'm slimmer and I can't believe the massive difference in just a few dress sizes, as you can see above.

I obviously wouldn't recommend the heartbreak diet, but this wasn't in my control and I fully believe it shocked my body into dropping weight quicker than it had been on my medication alone. As mentioned above, I still want, and need to tone up, because after an almost 6 stone weight loss there is lose skin and still a small layer of fat but this is something I will be working on from now, until I achieve my goal.

I didn't even realise the difference, until I had to convince friends that I did actually weigh so much more by showing them my before pictures. Madness.

I still see myself as the larger girl for the most part, and when I buy my sized clothing, I look at it when it arrives and think 'I'm never going to fit into that'... but then I do, and I honestly can never believe it. This was especially the case with the 'Letto' dress above, by Forever Unique at Chic Boutique, which I've just noticed has been reduced in the sale from £110 to a bargainous £55, and well worth every penny as the dress is gorgeous and I always receive tonnes of compliments when I wear it - full review on this coming soon.

Have you lost weight yourself? Have you ever experienced this 'fat girl mentality' after weight loss? Do you want to lose weight? Tell me your stories. x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

My Essential Pre-Holiday Beauty Preparation!

I love holidays; I love everything about them (minus the packing and remembering of important things like passports etc, the paying for the holiday, and mostly the coming home); but I definitely love the excitement of looking forward to it, starting the holiday early at the airport - and yes I do mean boozing at wherever they'll put up with us in the departure lounge, boarding the plane, arriving (love it when that heat hits you as you step off the plane), and then of course the holiday itself.

However, before I go on holiday, there are definitely beauty chores that need tending to so that my holiday is as chore free as possible. I mean who wants to be shaving daily, or doing nail polish etc. when there's fun to be had?! Not me, that’s for sure! That's why I'm letting you know about my absolute essentials when it comes to my own holiday beauty preparation.

Hair Appointments:

The first chore to be tackled was my hair, because, other than the roots needing to be done, I wanted my hair colour as fresh and as vibrant as possible for the whole holiday; and with the potential for excessive fading due to the sun and swimming pool action, this was even more important for me. I stuck with the same colour combination I've been having recently, as I felt that a change (not in overall colour, just the tips) could mean that the colour build up that I had achieved so far with the orange-y tips could all be undone, thus there would be even more risk of fading.

I recommend having your hair colour done a few days before you fly if you're going for something slightly new/different, that way you have time to make alterations, should it not be to your liking. Otherwise, get it done as close to your departure time as possible for longevity.

Manicures and Pedicures:

Before gel nail polish existed, I would just go for a bog standard manicure before my holiday, in the hope that my nails would look nice for as long as possible; but then end up having to re-do or top up my nails myself throughout the holiday, since normal polish is extremely prone to fading and chipping very quickly, more so when in a holiday environment.

Nowadays, we have gel polish... thank god, and it has been an absolute godsend because it absolutely 100% lasts for my entire holiday (well unless I'm going on an extended break of more than 3 weeks - I wish!) without chipping, or fading. I had gel polish on both my finger and toe nails, which lasted for the entire holiday, and then some. In fact, the only reason it had to come off was due to regrowth. Although I actually have a post coming up soon about how to extend your gel polish a little longer, if only down to regrowth starting to show. I got my nails done the day before I went on holiday, which worked well for me as they lasted perfectly.

For your reference, I had my nails done at Blink Brow Bar at Selfridges in Manchester; and the colours I believe I had were Artistic Colour Gloss in shades Sexy (the coral-y pink shade on all but 'feature' ring finger), Sultry (the orange shade on my feature finger) and Halo (the sparkly top coat on my thumb and ring fingers)!

Hair Removal:

Well I've already written an article on hair removal recently, so I won't go into it in too much detail as you can read that here! However, when I go on holiday, I absolutely need to feel like I am hair free for the entire time. I mean nobody wants to be in a bikini with hairs that have escaped, or grown back poking out, do they (ew)?!

So, I tend to schedule in a bikini (Hollywood) and thigh wax as standard and then epilate the rest of my body (underarms and lower legs) as I can just about take the epilation pain there but then I keep on top of the fuzz with the epilator, if and when I need to whilst over there - which is rare, but I take it with me anyway! Now that I am doing some at home laser hair removal, I'm hoping that this will be a redundant step for future holidays though.

I also make sure my eyebrows are freshly threaded, as nobody likes a messy brow. ;-)

This isn't an eyelash perm image, it's an old image from a very old Max Factor False Lash Effect post.

Eyelashes:

I think this is another holiday essential if you want your eyelashes to look great whilst by the pool/on the beach during the day, but don't want to be putting makeup on for whatever reason. I personally don't wear makeup at all throughout the day whilst on holiday, unless going to a day time event/club - so having my eyelashes 'done' just makes me feel better about that.

I was actually due to have my eyelashes either permed or extended at Blink Brow Bar on the day that I left the country. However due to a mishap beyond my control, I was unable to make it there that day. I will be having these done on another occasion, so expect a separate review post on this soon.

Others:

Lots of people have fake tan applied before they jet off on their jollies, but I find this to be a total waste of time, since as soon as you hit the pool, the chlorine actually strips the tan straight off. If you're planning on staying poolside, this may not be such an issue, but I definitely like taking dips to cool down, at the very least. I do take a few short sunbed sessions to prepare my skin for the sun before I go, not necessarily the healthiest option, but I do find it helps to prevent overcooking my skin the moment I get there.

Weight loss - I always try to diet and tone up before a holiday. The fact that people will be seeing me in not much more than 'glorified underwear' through the day is a large factor in this. Obviously this is a personal thing, you may not need to lose any (lucky thing) but if you do, timing with this will depend on how much you need or want to lose.

Exfoliation is a key treatment to do both before and throughout your holiday if you're planning on tanning. The more you exfoliate, the better your tan will be, and the longer it will last. Dead, dry skin is not a good look at any time though. I tend to use a nice body scrub AND a scrubby mitt or sponge to slough away any dead cells.

So there you have it, my holiday preparation essentials. I would normally have posted this earlier in the year, however I obviously still had a lot going on then with my personal life (and then technical issues), so it's a case of better late than never and this will hopefully help those of you jetting off for some winter sun. You lucky things.

What holiday preparation do you do?

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

My Bikini/Beach Body Challenge!

Possibly the only 'before' picture I can bear to show, from being in the garden the other week.

Going on holiday is always something to look forward to, especially if you're going abroad... getting out in the sun with your nearest and dearest and partying the nights away is absolute perfection for me. However, there is ALWAYS one bugbear that I dread (and I'm sure many of you do too), and that's getting my body out in full view in a bikini.

I have lost over 5 stone in weight, which is great but I still have about 1 stone or so still to go, and also with plenty of wobbly bits to tone up before I'd feel 'happy' being so bare, especially in front of a lot of friends this time (including male friends)... now I am single and not jetting off with my ex.

So, I have made it my mission to get my body bikini ready by the time I go away at the beginning of September, which gives me approximately 11 weeks to get in shape and ready for public viewing (god help me). I'm looking to slim down, tone up and generally get my body (and my face for that matter) looking the absolute best they can, including my skin tone/texture, hair removal and suchlike. :-)

I'd love to be able to go and have the fat sucked right out of my problem areas (tummy, bingo wings, inner thighs, back fat and hips - to list a few, ha), but my budget would not run to that unfortunately. :-(

So, unless I have a lottery win, I'll just have to do it the hard way with diet and exercise. That being said, I will be trialing products in the run up to the holiday that claim to help with weight loss, firming and toning and generally getting my body and skin in shape. So, expect lots of beach body posts once I am back, letting you know how well I did, and how well I felt specific products worked.

I'll also be finishing off with a recap detailing my results, including the highs, lows and what I felt worked the most, for me.

Are any of you off on your jollies? If so, what have you done/are you doing to prep for them? x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Victoria Beckham Recommends... Roasted Kale!

Christmas has long since passed and here I find myself yet again, trying to get back on the healthy eating wagon. So, with that in mind, I've been looking for tasty alternatives to fatty food. I came across Victoria's Tweet recently, declaring her addiction to kale.

I thought it sounded alright, I imagined it would taste a bit like crispy seaweed that you get from chinese restaurants and potentially replace any craving for salty snacks like crisps. So, I came back from shopping with a bag of curly kale, ready and hopeful about this new discovery and tipped half the bag on a baking sheet, sprinkled with some Maldon sea salt and popped it in the oven.

Now let me tell you, if you're planning on trying this - you need to watch it carefully, as it can burn very quickly - you can see in the first photo that some of ours has slightly burnt bits on. I think we cooked ours for about 10 or 15 minutes (I know, I should really have timed it) and I think really, it could have done with ever so slightly less in our oven, with it being fan assisted.

The end result is errrm, interesting. The kale does go very crispy, but it is also very delicate too so a light hand is needed when picking it up, as it does have the tendancy to collapse in your fingers and go everywhere. My initial taste of the finished product did kind of remind me of seaweed, but then I got an aftertaste... not a very nice one. It reminded me of the smell of cigarettes, mixed with cabbage - I don't know if this is because it was on for slightly too long or not, but as a non-smoker, it made me feel ill. I couldn't finish it, and I'm too scared to try again - ha, wimp I am.

So, a fairly unsuccessful mission, but at least I tried. Have any of you tried this before? Can you report back to me if it is normal to have this weird aftertaste, or was I just unlucky?

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Slimming Down for Christmas!?

 

Me on the right - I can't believe that I thought I was FAT back then!!

I've had a sudden panic, realising that Christmas is only 2 months away... and my Christmas parties start even earlier. I've not really been thinking about Christmas in this way at all, until today. I've lost 3 stone of weight already, through taking medication for PCOS, which has made me realise that this was the main cause of my weight gain; but I do still have a bit of unwanted podge left that I think is probably there because I like the occasional chocolate bar and sweet treat, and I have a penchant for cheese, since I am a vegetarian (my diet isn't *bad* but it would probably benefit from a bit of an overhaul)!

Exercise has been a bit of a no no for me at the moment, since I have psoriatic arthritis which is currently fully flared up, my knees in particular are so swollen that I look like I am growing an extra pair!! So, it looks like I'm going to have to pull my socks up and tighten the diet strings, as eating the same as I do when I'm getting more exercise just isn't working (which is obvious, but try telling that to my taste buds).

I'm considering going back onto the Weight Watchers points system (without going to the meetings), I know the plan and I know it worked for me as a long term weight loss and maintenance option as I've done it in the past. However, I'm considering an option such as Diet Chef, or Jenny Craig or something like that, but I've never had any experience of these so I'm a bit wary as to how nice the food would be, and how filling it is (since they just essentially seem to be ready meals).

I know that if I lived in London, I'd have a whole new world of fabulous food delivery systems open to me, but I am in Manchester, and know of no such things. Plus I expect they're rather pricey, aren't they (?!) which isn't a sensible option on the run up to Christmas with all the gift buying I'll be doing!

I'd like to lose about a stone and a half, to 2 stone but I know that I need to be realistic and admit that actually, I'd probably be happy if I lost a stone in the month and a bit I have to do it. I just need to find the best way to do this, and get on with it.I should also be realistic and realise that I'll never look like I did in that photo, ever again *sob* (how rubbish is getting old?!).

Do any of you have any trusty diets/healthy eating plans (suitable for a vegetarian that can be a tiny bit fussy since I don't eat soy meat or anything trying to taste like meat and I'm fussy with how I eat egg too, textures put me off very easily) that may help me in my quest to get rid of my Santa's tummy asap? xx