The Transformative Years

I toyed with the idea of this post for a while. I'm not a showy type of person, and having my photo taken is something that has always caused me the utmost anguish. But I was curious as to how my body shape has changed photographically throughout the years (or should I say the last two years). Obviously, I see my body on a daily basis so it's difficult for myself to notice any sort of physical change. All I know is that I've lost roughly 30lb since the end of Summer 2011 (which translates to 13.6kg), and I've gone down two dress sizes (from a 10 to a 6). Pretty drastic, huh?



The photo montage sort of speaks for itself, really. I don't want to go into too much detail for fear of sounding overly self-centred and egotistic; however, you can evidently notice the difference in muscle tone and body fat %. These photos were taken in the summer of each year. Goes to show how much a difference you can make if you persevere with a clean diet and regular exercise!

And for those wanting a little more background info...the first photo is taken just prior to my second year at university. I wasn't exercising much, I ate whatever I wanted, and was fairly happy in my body - though I knew there was room for improvement. I upped the exercise routine following this summer, and started to pay a little more attention to my diet choices.

By the time the middle photo was taken, I was a member of the gym, had finished university and had changed my diet slightly, eating less carbs (but still indulging from time to time). I think this is around the time when people (aka friends and family) started to notice a change in my shape.

Moving onto the final photo (taken just over a month ago), I'm quite a lot slimmer and have sort of 'leaned out' significantly. My muscles are more pronounced in my arms and legs, and my face is a lot less, er... round. I exercise on average 4 times a week, incorporating running, cycling (static) and strength training. I follow a semi-flexible gluten free diet (in other words, I eat gluten with caution), have cut out all types of refined food (i.e. sugar and fast-food, also known as evil energy-drainers), and rarely drink alcohol or soda drinks.

I don't see this as being an extreme measure at all - ultimately, my body runs better when fuelled with natural sources of energy/food, and whenever I do stray from the clean-eating path, my body lets me know. It's only when you've cut out the junk - and then attempt to eat it again on some random occasion - that you realise how it really affects your body for the worse. I feel like I know my body so much more now - I've finally recognised my food intolerances, and what formulae to follow in order to keep my body looking and feeling its very best.

Does anyone else have any body transformation pics to share? Any other opinions? Do let me know, I love hearing from you :).

Snacking for Nourishment

Hello! I hope you've all triumphed your way through the least favourite day of the week - at least for all those Monday-Friday workers, anyway. What helped get you through the day? Did it come in the form of something edible, by any chance? ;)

Today I wanted to discuss snacking. Something which, by society's standards, is considered a bit of a NO-NO in a world obsessed with weight-loss yet riddled with rising levels of obesity (yep, it's a crazy, messed up world we live in!). But, in the eyes of every athlete, snacking is an absolute YES-YES, and for good reason, too!

Snacking during the day (I'm talking something small every hour or two, not every 10 minutes guys - soz) is the sure-fire way of keeping your metabolism and energy levels up, and your blood sugar levels stable. Otherwise, chances are your body will crash into a slump that will inevitably lead to bad diet choices being made, because you're not giving it the energy it needs to keep running throughout the day! Snacking = energy, not unwanted calories. And more so than when you should snack is the key issue of what you should snack on - afterall, it's this that will determine how often your body will send those signals requesting a refuel, and it's up to you what to feed it with.

My snacks of late are predominantly fruit-based, mainly because they are ultimately the easiest, non-fuss option available, plus they offer me an all-natural sugar buzz, and taste great. Snacking pre- and post- workout is also super important - re-energising the body after training results in maintained/growth in muscle mass and strength, and you should be reaching for something that offers a good mix of lean protein and carbs. This evening, this came in the form of apple slices with peanut butter dip and some grapes on the side. Heaven.

Besides pre/post workout snacks, I've listed some other suggestions to keep your body afloat between your main meals, most of which I've tried and tested, and many which I tend to go for when my body's craving some kind of nourishment.

100g no-fat cottage cheese with plain greek yoghurt (choose the lowest sugar option available - many yoghurts contain a heap of sugar and/or sweeteners, despite claiming they are diet/low-fat on the packaging)
A handful of blueberries with a drizzle of honey
A small one-egg omelette loaded with leftover vegetables
One-egg banana pancakes (see previous post!)
A glass of almond milk (again, look out for the low sugar version - many are very high in sugar. This might require a scan of the nutritional labels, a habit that is a keeper for avoiding the supermarket snack-attacks)
Kale or carrot crisps (or any other vegetable you want to transform through the efforts of fine slicing and oven-baking - plus a smidgen of oil)
A couple of dates or dried apricots (I love dates at the moment. However, like most dried fruit, they are high in calories, so it's best to limit your intake somewhat)
GRAPES. A winner/many winners every time...
A small square or two of 90% cacao chocolate (I'm guilty/not even guilty at all for this little snack today), AND/OR hot cacao made with boiling water and almond milk if you require an additional chocoholic treat
A small handful of nuts
Any kind of homemade juice/smoothie that incorporates fruit, vegetables and a smidgen of almond milk/natural sweeteners, i.e. honey or lemon juice.

There are so, so many more snacks you could choose apart from those I've listed - all of which absolutely do not involve anything processed or refined - the latter merely being choices we make through dietary habits, and that can easily be changed through a couple of weeks of clean eating. Trust me - I used to be all for the crisps and cereal bar approach, as I was brainwashed by the marketing of such products. One example being the Special K cereal bars that are under 90 calories - they might well be low calorie, but they contain around 15g of sugar and offer no nutritional benefits whatsoever. It's a similar idea with crisps - a pack of Quavers (a fellow old prerequisite) is less than 90 calories, yet they are practically the snacking equivalent to air when it comes down to it!

Needless to say that I've learnt my lesson, good n' proper. A round up: it's a double thumbs up for snacks that offer your body the nutrients and goodness that it deserves for getting through the day (particular Monday), and a massive thumbs down to preemptive food marketing. We don't need your "snacks" anymore, thank you very much (so long, suckers!).

Simple as Pie (without the pie)

A lot of people seem to think that there's a massive secret in achieving weight loss and a well-sculpted bod. If a person has lost a significant amount of weight, a lot of people will naturally speculate into the why's and how's of such magnificent results.

This is, of course, an inevitable result of modern day culture. We are constantly exposed to magazines - like More and Heat - highlighting every celebrity under the sun in their bikinis, tagged on the front covers with the all-important caption: 'Diet secrets of [insert name]', or something along those ubiquitous lines. There must be a secret! Afterall, why can't we all have a body like Rosie Huntington Whiteley? It's a complete mystery... [Ahem]

Enough of the dumb talk! Celebrities don't hone their bod's by sitting on the sofa eating McDonalds; they work hard and achieve the results they want to see, because they are presented on a judgemental pedestal to the general public. Okay, so they're likely to have personal trainers and nutritionists so as to not stray from their regimented diet and exercise plans, and we don't necessarily have access to such VIP attention. That's a given.

But let's be honest here: it's not hard to eat right and exercise regularly. However, it is hard to change your habits if your body is already used to an inactive lifestyle combined with the added demons of the edible variety (processed food, sugar, fat etc).

Life is hectic; we deal with it by feeding ourselves with the convenience of fast-food or a little sugary perk-me-up. And there's nothing wrong with the odd little consolence that may come in the form of chips, chocolate, cookies, or whatever other treat wets your bespoke palette.

But the fact of the matter at hand can be explained and broken down to the following: this kind of food may well be fast, but it's not exactly food. Why? Because it is devoid of nutrients, fibre and vitamins - which is basically what food is supposed to provide us with. It's stuffed full with fat, simple carbohydrates and calories, meaning that it will fill you up for an hour or so - but not for much longer.

Lack of nutrients basically equates to hunger, which is why it is a lot harder for us to overeat/binge on 'real' or 'clean' food because it is packed full of nutrients and all the good stuff that your body needs to survive, and which send those all-important 'I AM FULL! [horrah]' signals to the brain.

Portion size is another biggie in the dieting game. Perhaps in compensation for eating healthy food, some of us may allow ourselves to eat more of it - it's healthy, afterall! So why not, I here you cry?! Give me a break!

Our bodies need fuel, and food is our fuel of choice. Our bodies run better when fed little and often. This not only speeds up the metabolism (faster metabolism = faster calorie/fat burning), but it means that we don't feel sluggish as a result of eating (and then regretting) a large portion. Overall, it is absolutely the best method of achieving stable energy levels - all day, every day.

Equally as important as choosing the right diet is to remember to drink water. I say remember because I know how easy it is to simply forget to drink water. If my day is particularly non-stop, it's only when my body sends thirst signals to my brain that I realise that I haven't had a drink all day. It is my number 1 downfall.

We apparently spend most of our lives chronically dehydrated, which firstly makes you hungry when you’re actually thirsty. Not good. Secondly, it causes your body to retain water, thus making you heavier and often bloated (more so after eating, sans-l'eau). Not good at all. So, paradoxically, you must drink water to stop retaining water.

The concluding message? Stop believing that weight loss is a big secret that only celebrities are filled in on. Start eating clean. Train yourself into really enjoying the taste of nutrient-filled food, and naturally you'll steer away from all of the junk you used to crave (give it a fortnight and you won't even want to touch the stuff - trust me!).

Start exercising well. Learn to love the burning sensation and feel your muscles really working like never before; don't be afraid to challenge your body. Don't stop when you're tired, stop when you're done! (a la Cassey Ho!)

Embrace an amazing lifestyle change. Enjoy the energy, strength and vibrancy it will bring. See changes, keep pushing forward; see even more changes.