Sorry For The Absence

Hey there!
Sorry for the absence. Don't worry I actually have a good excuse.

This happened.

I fractured a bone in my foot. And it hurt like crazy. I continued doing the fad diets whilst exercising on it until I couldn't bear the pain. I went to hospital and got diagnosed with a stress fracture. The Doctor asked me if the amount of exercise I was doing was extreme compared to usual. I said no but that I hadn't allowed myself to have a rest day in three months. He was not impressed. Then he asked me what my diet I was like...well you can guess what his response to my answer was. He was not impressed. So now I am in a boot, with crutches and my lovely friend Cathi bought me some much needed Calcium tablets.

I am still doing exercise but none that require putting weight onto my foot. So I am toning my muscles but not losing any body fat per say. Not being able to do cardio (except one legged burpees) is awful. I would go swimming (I used to swim everyday and was on my University swim team) but there is no pool near me cheap enough to let me go swimming, I am still on a student budget after all. However, when I go home for the easter holidays. I will be swimming everyday and doing pilates in the evening. I feel this would be the best way to get into cardio without putting my foot under any necessary strain (even once I have the boot removed, I will not be able to do the level of activity I was doing before in terms of weight bearing activities).

So I guess my foot is a very obvious warning for anyone trying to do fad diets. Within two months, a girl who exercises regularly and has never had vitamin deficiencies or issues of the like before, fractures her foot. Furthermore, I should also note everyone should take a rest day AT LEAST once a week. 

BUT 

This blog is not now finished. I have made the decision to try out diets long-term. 40 days to be precise. And when I say diets I mean 'lifestyles'. This will be beneficial because:-

a) these lifestyles are sustainable.

b) I won't be lacking energy during the most crucial time at my University.

c) I won't be miserable.

d) I will be taken in good vitamins and nutrients!!! No more fractures.

So I will be starting on March 6th. My options are - the keto lifestyle, vegan lifestyle, blogilates lifestyle plan, fitnessblender fat loss program, raw vegan lifestyle.

I don't know which one I should do first....any suggestions welcome :D x

Results of the Military Diet

Hey everyone,
Ok the diet. 
How much did I lose? Lets not beat around the bush, I know that is what you really want to know.

I lost

*drum roll*

-2lbs

2lbs. With 3 days on this diet and four days (and I had A LOT of indulgences!) I lost 2lbs. That was with exercise (40mins + everyday). So not 10lbs as promised but...still better than the Cabbage Soup Diet. 

However, my boyfriend did no exercise, occasionally had a tuna melt and jam sandwiches, and went out to the pub for a meal on one of the nights, and he lost 7lbs. (ITS NOT FAIR) and he is considered nearly underweight by the BMI calender. This proves to me it is not about weight but it is about which diet works for you. So just because one doesn't work for you, it doesn't mean all will not. And it definitely doesn't mean 'give up' (despite the fact you're gorgeous so you don't need to do anything!!!!! Just love yourself!) 

It was a good diet. It made you feel healthy and energised. However, I did get very hungry on the third day and bored of the same kind of food!

However, it made me feel good and boosted my confidence. 

CONS 

GAS - once again, as all fad diets seem to show me...you get a lot of gas. 

TUMMY ACHE - one cheat, a diet coke, caused me agony. Absolutely agony. SO DO NOT CHEAT. This could be a pro or con? 

10lbs - I did not lose what was promised. 

But it does energise you. It makes you organised and strict. And it isn't too expensive. I would recommend people doing this diet. It is 3 days out of 7 and means you can indulge (well once in a while) !!

I am scared of the egg/marine diet!! So scared!!! That begins tomorrow. TODAY WAS MY LAST FUN DAY!! Wish me luck! I will be updating! x

Day 3 of the Military Challenge

Sorry I have not updated in a while but the reason I did this small 3 day diet was because I was going out to meet lots of friends and go to a 50th birthday party this Friday and Saturday so I didn't have time to update! I am sorry! But here we go! DAY 3

Day 3
Breakfast
- 5 Saltine Crackers, One slice of cheddar cheese and one small apple.

I woke up still with a sore tummy. So I didn't weigh myself as I felt this would not be motivational. I once again swapped the saltine crackers for 2 rice cakes and grated the cheese. I then chopped up the small apple and put it on top of the cheese (which was on top of the rice cakes) and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds. This made it A LOT more interesting that just eating the separate ingredients together!

 Another benefit of this concept was that the apple didn't seem so small when I chopped it all up. I seriously have never seen apples as small as the ones I bought for this diet. They are so tiny! Is this what they really meant by small or did they mean a bit bigger? Did I buy Xtra small? So yes I would recommend chopping the apple into little tiny pieces.

Day 3 

Lunch

- One piece of bread and an Egg. 

Once again, i did my traditional egg and soliders. However, my egg was especially runny (I love runny yolks but this was ...slightly uncooked yolk), so I was a bit worried it would be unhealthy to eat - salmonella anyone? 

However, I am a student and there were no more eggs left so .....*fingers crossed* (DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME). 

Exercise

FitnessBlender - Can you HIIT Like a Girl

FitnessBlender - Little Black Dress Total Body Workout

I was pretty shattered after doing these workouts and I was so hungry. My tummy was grumbling and when studying it is so hard to distract yourself from hunger! My tummy just kept moaning!!! However, I had an early dinner to try and stem the hunger. 

Day 3 

Dinner  - A Can of Tuna

This was actually rather yummy and did fill me up. By now my tummy ache had gone too so this made me extra happy. I really enjoyed dinner despite how unappetising it looked and the fact that I believed I would never be able to be full on just a can of tuna! A bit later in the evening I had my vanilla ice cream. Once again, it was the highlight of my day. It just tasted so heavenly.  I chopped up half a banana and put it on top of the ice cream again and smiled happily to myself as I wolfed the tasty treat down. I must admit, I went to bed rather hungry and today was the hardest day as it was the least amount of food. But it was fun. In a weird way. 

RESULTS will be posted tomorrow (or this evening) 

And I will be starting the Egg/Marine Diet tomorrow too!!!! 9 eggs in one day! AHHHH! x

Day 2 - MIlitary Diet

YESTERDAY WAS HARD!!! And there is a very BIG reason why! Read on till Dinner to see why I was in such a state :D 

Day 2
Breakfast - 1 egg/ 1 piece of toast/ half a banana

I really enjoyed my breakfast. It reminded me of when I was little. I cut up my toast into soldiers and boiled my egg. I put quite a bit of salt in my boiled egg because this was also something I used to do when I was little. It was really yummy but a bit messy as I didn't have an egg cup holder! My boyfriend (who is trying to eat the same things as me), had a hard boiled egg, no runny yolk, and he peeled off the shell and mashed up the egg onto his toast. So there are two different ways you can eat this particular meal.

The half a banana was also quite refreshing. However, I was still quite hungry after eating this.

Day 2
Lunch - 5 Saltine Crackers, 1 cup of Cottage Cheese and an Egg.

I could find any saltine crackers in my local Tescos. However, online it says you can swap the 5 saltine crackers (13 calories each) for as many rice cakes that equal the calorie count for 5 saltine crackers (65 calories). So I had two rice cakes (58 calories).

I also do not like cottage cheese. However, the subsitute you are allowed for cottage cheese is a slice of cheddar cheese. So I had a slice of cheddar cheese and grated it. I then sprinkled it on top my rice cakes and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds. YUMMMM.

I also boiled my egg again :D can't help but love boiled eggs! 

Exercise: 

Fitnessblender - Lower body and thigh Cardio

Blogilates - Heart on Fire (HIIT)

Day 2  

Dinner - Two hot dogs (no bun/bread) 1 cup of broccoli and 1/2 cup of carrots. 

This was really yummy!!! The hot dog sausages were quite salty but I like my food quite salty so this made it even more yummy. Having broccoli and carrots was lovely but hard to measure out because I don't have weighing scales. But as they are very healthy I thought it wasn't too big of a deal. It was really yummy. 

BUT

Then came the real hard part of the evening. My boyfriend's friend invited us for dinner. We went to the restaurant (a really nice pub) and they both ate a huge platter starter to share and then two amazing looking main courses. I was so hungry so I had a diet coke (technically against the rules but it was a way for me to stop the hunger and prevent me from breaking the diet and picking at their food/ or ordering my own). The food smelt amazing but soon after I had finished by diet coke, my tummy gave a weird twist. We then went to the cinema to watch 'The Wolf on Wall Street' and I was in agony during the film. My tummy hurt so much. I thought maybe it was tight clothing but my clothing was actually really lose. When I got home, I had a hot water bottle and lay on my tummy in bed. I did have my half a cup of ice cream with half a banana and it helped for a little while but other than that I was in pain most of the night and when I woke up the next morning, my tummy was still aching. SOOOOO LESSON LEARNED - DO NOT CHEAT EVEN ONE LITTLE BIT ON THIS DIET. Even with no calorie items, you'll pay for it later. 

Day1 of the Military Diet

So I have got through Day 1 of the Military Diet.

....It wasn't too difficult.

I had to get up at 4am because I had an early morning coach to get and I didn't have breakfast then because I knew I would be ravenous by lunchtime and it would make me miserable. So, I waited. When I got to Bristol, I had my breakfast (around 10am).

Breakfast Day 1 - 1/2 Grapefruit, Piece of Wholemeal toast and two tablespoons of peanut butter.

I wasn't looking forward to having to eat my grapefruit because I had had a grapefruit a couple of years ago and found it disgusting. I bought a yellow grapefruit and cut it in half before cutting that half into lots of different little segments so I could eat it the way some people eat oranges (basically biting into the skin and sucking out all the juices). I thought this would make it more bearable.

I had the peanut butter toast first. I have seen so many beautiful pictures of people eating healthy foods with a dollop of peanut butter on top and people have raved about this substance for so long, however, it was actually my first time trying it. I had had peanut sauce on chicken satays before (Mum's speciality summer dish) and loved it so I thought I'd be ok. I ate it and didn't really taste too much of anything. I didn't quite manage to put two tablespoons on the piece of toast but it just seemed like too much and it was just piling up on the piece of toast instead of spreading over it.

 The moment I finished eating it I felt nauseous. I wanted to be sick. I drank a ton of water and none of it seemed to be helping. After about ten minutes I thought maybe trying the grapefruit might help. I loved it. It was so yummy. It still had a bitter tang to it and made my eyes do that squinty thing they do when you taste something bitter but it was actually really nice and I am sad that grapefruit is not to appear again on the menu. It also made me feel better. Furthermore, I soon was running to the loo as my body insisted on getting the peanut butter out of me, if I wasn't going to be sick...it had to be another way....GRIM.

I am so glad peanut butter is not on the menu again this week! For now I shall shut it away in the cupboard! BAD PEANUT BUTTER.

Day 1 Lunch - Half a can of Tuna and a piece of toast.
It was so yummy. I had lunch around 3pm because I was still worried about the sick feeling in my stomach before then. I love tuna. It aways tastes so good. The only sad thing about it was there wasn't more. I hadn't felt hungry before lunch but after lunch, I certainly did.

Exercise - FitnessBlender KettleBell Workout
               - FitnessBlender Tank Top Arms 1

Day 1 Dinner - I was ravenous after all of the exercise. I grilled half of a gammon steak (80grams) and then had a cup of green beans (I took this to mean 100 grams - only later discovering it is more like 170 grams but oh well!). It quite a small dinner but I haven't tasted gammon steak in ages and it was just magic. I was so grateful for it and ate it so slowly!

I then had my vanilla ice cream and warmed up my small apple and half a banana to go on top and below it. I actually put my desert in a mug so it would look bigger and I put half of the fruit underneath and half on top. It was really yummy. SOOOOO YUMMY!

I felt hungry going to bed but not ravenous.

This morning I weighed myself and I had lost 0.6lbs. Not bad but I don't think I am going to be losing 10 pounds in 3 days, do you?? HOWEVER, my boyfriend, a rather slim individual who has never had to go on a diet in his life, despite my mother having seen him recently and telling me I'm not feeding him enough (this was before he had been eating the same as me), insisted on doing this diet with me. He said if he gets hungry he will just eat some bread. The thing about my boyfriend is that he never actually feels hunger or gets full. So he can go days without eating if he is studying hard and not notice. And then over the summer, he would have 3 ham and cheese toasties and two bowls of cereal for breakfast and it doesn't do the slightest thing to his weight. He weighed himself yesterday and then he weighed himself today. He had lost 6lbs. AND WHEN we got up at 4am yesterday he had three pieces of bread with butter and jam! Oh and he did not exercise whatsoever. Sigh. Life is unfair sometimes. But shows the diet may work better for different people.

OOOOO NEW PLAN

Ok guys, so I was talking it through with my boyfriend and he said it would be unfair for me to do the egg/marine diet with a break in the middle. It wouldn't be a good representation of the diet. I told him I would still do fourteen days but he persuaded me to change my mind.

Originally, I was thinking of doing a three day juice diet but the three day juice diets (not just drinking orange juice for three days) involving buying a blender. More money which I do not have. BUT I found this the 'Three Day, Military Diet' which apparently military men take in order to lose weight quickly before an event. That hopefully means I'll be able to exercise on this diet too if it is meant to be done by military men!

Apparently I should lose 10lbs. I am very sceptical of this but hey, I'll give it a chance.

3 Day Diet

DAY 1:

Breakfast--1/2 Grapefruit, 1 Slice of Toast, 2 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter, and Coffee or Tea

Lunch--1/2 Cup of Tuna, 1 Slice of Toast, and Coffee or Tea (any brew, as long as it's caffeinated)

Dinner--3 ounces of any type of meat, 1 Cup of Green Beans, 1/2 Banana, 1 Small Apple, and 1 Cup of Vanilla Ice Cream (YUM)!!!

Tips to Try:

• Warm the apple and/or banana and eat them over the ice cream. Delicious!
• Cook the green beans with the meat or simmer them in the broth. Mmmm :)

DAY 2:

Breakfast--1 egg, 1 Slice of Toast, and 1/2 Banana

Lunch--1 Cup of Cottage Cheese (Or 1 Slice of Cheddar Cheese), 1 Hard Boiled Egg, and 5 Saltine Crackers

Dinner--2 Hot Dogs, (no buns), 1 Cup of Broccoli, 1/2 Cup of Carrots, 1/2 Banana, and 1/2 Cup of Vanilla Ice Cream

DAY 3:

Breakfast--5 Saltine Crackers, 1 Slice of Cheddar Cheese, and 1 Small Apple

Lunch-1 Hard-Boiled Egg, and 1 Slice of Toast

Dinner--1 Cup of Tuna, 1/2 of a Banana, and 1 Cup of Vanilla Ice Cream

This is actually more than I was eating during my first term of Uni! However, hopefully this combination of foods will actually work. That is what the basis of the diet is. The chemicals within the foods act together to make you lose more weight. I got the diet originally from http://blessedmommy.hubpages.com/hub/Lose-Up-To-10-Pounds-In-3-Days-On-The-3-Day-Diet

so all credit goes to that website!

Wish me luck! I'll let you know how i get on ! x

Marine/Egg Diet

The Marine/Egg Diet

So I have had a week off from my fad diet decisions for multiple reasons. First, I was quite demoralised by how little effect the CSD had had. I was also trying to find a diet that wouldn't empty my student pockets again. Before this term, I would spend £10 on food a week...Now I was spending about £10 a day! Sometimes more than that. So you can imagine my reluctance concerning trying a new diet. Furthermore, this week was full of celebratory activities and i just thought I would make myself miserable missing them all! SO I AM BACK! I exercised everyday last week, like always, more FitnessBlender/Blogilates/Jillian Michael's exercises. They were so tough and I am sore today but I can see really big changes in my fitness and health so I feel good about it.

SOOOOO WHAT IS THE MARINE/EGG DIET? 

Other blogs have reviewed this and none of them have done it for fourteen days! They all say they become to sick to do that. All state they feel sick and all say it is like a living hell......fun times. I will be having one day off the diet this weekend as my boyfriend and I are meeting up his friends who he didn't see all Christmas due to studying. The first thing they suggested doing was going to 'Cosmos' an amazing Chinese restaurant in the UK but you pay before you sit down (it's a buffet) so I wouldn't eveb be able to sit with them if I stuck to my diet and it would be pointless paying so much to sit in the restaurant and not eat anything. So that will be a cheat day on Friday or Saturday and then I'll pick up where I left off the following day. Hopefully this will still give a fair representation of the diet as I am still doing it for 14 days.

Day 1
Breakfast 3 eggs
Lunch 3 eggs
Dinner 3 eggs
Day 2
1 egg or grapefruit
Fresh fruit salad
1 Large steak, tomatoes, celery and cottage cheese
Day 3
1 egg or grapefruit
1 Large piece of fish, tomatoes, spinach and salad
1 or 2 lean lamb chops, tomatoes and salad
Day 4
1 egg or grapefruit
Green salad and tomatoes
3 eggs and dried toast (maximum 2 slices, recommended 1)
Day 5
1 egg or grapefruit
1 Large piece of fish, tomatoes, and salad
Lean ham salad, tomatoes and spinach
Day 6
1 egg or grapefruit
3 eggs and dried toast (maximum 2 slices, recommended 1)
1 Large steak, celery, tomatoes and cottage cheese
Day 7
1 egg or grapefruit
Fresh fruit salad
1 or 2 lean lamb chops, salad and tomatoes
Black coffee, black tea, water or pure lemon juice are the only drinks you may have.

You can't have any alcohol, spices or sauces on this diet. Just eat what it says. It doesn't really give you portion sizes but I am guessing if I just eat 'smallish' amounts of things it will be ok. 

I am going to dread how tired I will be on this diet especially as I have so much to do in the next couple of weeks but hey, hopefully it will be fun. I will stop after that as I have so much work to do and exams to prep for...I don't want to jeopardise them with unhealthy eating but I will continue to post on here. I may do some more diets...if I can find one that looks good and isn't described as 'hell' (Like the one above!)

Love to you all x