Louisa's Weight Loss Blog

I am a firm believer that when you are dieting to lose weight, you need to have a little of what you fancy – studies have shown that people who can’t sustain weight loss are those that are constantly denying themselves the smallest of tasty pleasures. Bear in mind they all add up but part of dieting is learning what works for you, whether it is cutting out carbs, going vegetarian or taking certain vitamin supplements.

One of my little pleasures is marmalade on my toast. I saw this news article this morning  and thought I’d write a little blog post about my love for marmalade. It is yummy and my favourite treat to spread on toast. Yes, I know it is high in sugar but a teaspoon of marmalade is all you need for a slice of bread and you certainly don’t need to butter your toast before spreading a small teaspoon of marmalade!

When it comes to calories, choosing the right marmalade is a bit of a minefield! I’ve seen some that are 20 cals per teaspoon and some that are 80 calories so always check the label if you are trying to save calories but bear in mind that the sugar-free stuff invariably tastes rubbish and fake.

At the moment, I am LOVING grapefruit marmalade. I have searched for ages for the Tipton grapefruit marmalade (pictured) but with no luck.

I bought the Marks and Spencer’s Ruby Red Grapefruit marmalade (£1.55) today but it’s a bit sugary and doesn’t taste very sharp or fruity which is a complete let down to me but I’m sure others may feel differently. I’ll leave it in the fridge at work and invite colleagues to help me get through the jar as I’m hardly about to waste it!

So come on then readers, what do YOU like to spread on your toast as a treat?

It’s all TOP SECRET at the moment… but I have started taking a new weight loss pill and diet plan so that I can report back to Total Chunk readers at the end of the February about the product’s effectiveness.

Looking at the packaging, I’m not convinced or impressed with the product but I do hope for the sake of those who already take the diet pill that it does actually work!

Without giving too much away, it really does look like an expensive multivitamin – looking down the ingredient’s list it appears to be a list of vitamins with caffeine. When was a vitamin deficiency the root of weight gain?

Anyway, watch this space and I really do hope that I am wrong about this diet pill…

Where are your kitchen treats hidden?

Is your kitchen full of ways to ruin your diet?

Do you have a cookie stash, bag of crisps/chips, packets of sucky sweets, sachets of butter popcorn or hidden bars of chocolate?

Well it’s time to get rid of these kitchen treats, if you only have healthy things in the house then that’s all you can eat!

We’re all guilty of snacking when we’re bored, peckish or upset, when these naughty foods come out you’ve suddenly found yourself finishing off a whole bag of Doritos or a massive chunk of chocolate.

Just removing these treats won’t be enough for most people, they must be replaced with something to stop the temptation to visit the local store.  Try “grazing” on raw carrots, nibbling dried fruit or avoid those kitchen cupboards altogether when you feel like a snack!

It’s time to smash up that cookie jar for good…

Last week it hit the news that the Italian chefs were reclaiming spaghetti bolognaise because the rest of us across the world have royally buggered up the real recipe and eat a tomato-y mush masquerading as spaghetti bolognaise.

Apparently, the real recipe not only includes beef mince, it includes bacon, cream and white wine.. and the pasta you are meant to use is tagliatelle.

If you’re on a diet, you will see what the problem is with the original recipe – it is a calorific nightmare! That is why I want to share my healthier version of the original. So what it isn’t ‘authentic’? If you want it just how Nonna made it, go to Italy and experience it first hand, don’t preach to me in my kitchen and tell me the original is better by virtue of being original. I just want to eat healthily thanks!

Here is my fool-proof ’spag bol’ recipe, let me know what you think of it. Just make sure you choose a healthier brown pasta, I don’t care what shape it is!

This will comfortably make enough for 2-4 people, depending on how hungry they are! If you need to stretch it further, add more tins of tomatoes, any suitable veggies lying around (courgettes/peas/sweetcorn/mange tout!) or a tin of kidney beans and you’ll get it to be enough for 6 adults. Sometimes I add fresh basil but don’t worry if you haven’t got any as I have a potted basil plant on my kitchen window sill.

Ingredients:

• 200g lean beef mince
• 1 onion
• tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 OXO cube
• Peppers x2 (red/yellow/green dependent on preference)
• 1 large carrot
• Basil
• Oregano
• 2-3 cloves of garlic (I’ve been known to put 5 cloves in as I LOVE garlic!)
• 2-3 tins of tomatoes
• 1 lime

Method:

1. Chop all of your veggies
2. Fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are soft and clear
3. Add the mice to the onions and break the mince apart with a wooden spoon to brown
4. Crumble OXO cube over mince
5. On a high heat, (if you like softer vegetables) add peppers and carrots and keep it all moving until veggies are less crispy. If you like crunchy veggies like I do, add the tinned tomato first, stir it all up then add the veggies.
6. Add your herbs. Stir and simmer for 15-20 mins stirring occasionally.
7. Squeeze the juice of one lime in the bolognaise and stir.
8. Serve on top of brown pasta with four cherry tomatos cut in half for decoration with chopped fresh basil if you’ve got it lying around

Like my recipe or hate it? LET ME KNOW!!!

This is a typical dieter’s dilemma: I’m trying to lose weight but none of my clothes fit! It seems pointless buying stuff when it probably won’t fit in a few weeks…

Limited Collection Tunic from Yours Clothing

If you’re a regular visitor to Total Chunk, you probably have seen a banner for ‘Yours Clothing’. They’re a fantastic retailer of clothes made especially for women from sizes 14-32. Not only are their clothes cut and designed for bigger women, the prices are excellent. Now is a fantastic time to visit their website as their sale is still on but the spring lines are already out!

I piled weight on a bit over Christmas but sensible eating seems to have levelled everything out even though I’d still like to be firmer. I am a UK size 12-14 on my bottom half (UK size 8-10 up top – I’m a typical British pear-shape) It means that the stuff at Yours Clothing is now too big for me. whilst this IS exciting, it’s frustrating because they stock a lot of fantastic stuff that is the right price for a ‘transition wardrobe’

There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t take pride in your appearance, particularly if you are in the process of trying to lose weight. They’ve got some fantastic items in that will certainly contribute to helping to boost your confidence and get the compliments rolling in!

Take a look and let me know what you think of this ‘find’… just don’t try and stay bigger so you can keep shopping here!

We’re currently in the longest recession that the West has seen in recent history. We are seeing record levels of unemployment and more and more men are finding themselves out of work and for the first time, some families have found women being thrown into the role of breadwinner.

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Google can find some great healthy recipes for you

Making your own food is always the healthier option as you know exactly what’s being put into it.  Packaged food can contain a surprising amount of sugar, salt, fat and chemicals, always check the label before you buy!

But what if you have no idea what to cook with your ingredients?

Cooking healthily can lead to some very boring meals, I mean who wants to eat plain salad for lunch and rivita biscuits for a snack everyday?

You can use Google to find interesting recipes for whatever you have lying around the kitchen!

Let’s have an example:

After routing through the fridge and cupboards I’ve spotted these healthy ingredients that will go well together:

• Chicken Breast (with no skin)
• Pasta
• Fresh Tomatoes
• Garlic

Type all the ingredients into a Google search and add in speech marks ‘healthy recipe’ at the end:

Google all your main ingredients and add "healthy recipe" on the end

The top result in Google produced a wonderful meal, thanks to foodnetwork.com this time round.

I guarantee you’ll find a suitable recipe in the top 5 search results; most of the sites will have user comments on the food’s taste and perhaps a star rating.  You may need herbs or other seasoning to enhance the flavour so it’s always handy to stock up on these at home.

Good luck on your cooking and remember cooking your own food is not only healthier, it’s another little exercise you can do (along with the washing up afterwards, hehe!)

Women who have fat on their hips, thighs and bottom are healthier than women who carry weight on their stomach and chest.

"Muffin tops" are hard to get rid of... but do you want to if it's healthy?

Why is this?

According to the BBC website, “Hip fat mops up harmful fatty acids and contains an anti-inflammatory agent that stops arteries clogging”

There has even been suggestions that scientists may look into helping women INCREASE their hip fat. By redistributing fat to the hips and behind, the hope is that cardiovascular and metabolic diseases e.g. diabetes could be prevented.

For those who have tried for years to get rid of unsightly hip fat, it turns out that it is meant to be hard to shift the small pockets of fat. The slower burning hip fat makes more of the hormone adiponectin that protects the arteries and promotes better blood sugar control and fat burning.

Researchers also noted that burning fat too quickly releases cytokines that trigger inflammation in the body. That is certainly food for thought but should not put dieters off reaching their healthy goals.

For those who are more interested in their health than how they look, this is certainly an interesting development. However, for those who are unconcerned about diabetes as they have few risk factors blighting their life style, I do not see hip fat suddenly becoming acceptable in fashion circles. I for one, will try and stick to longer tops!

I think that this news is further proof that we should aim to be slim and not thin.

So not only does it log your steps and workouts, you can get any colour you like!

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Twitter Can Be Used To Track Your Weight Loss

Yes you read it right, you can use Twitter to help with your weight loss plan!

If you’re not familiar with Twitter then you can write short messages called “tweets” and these are left on your profile for all to see.

So why not tweet about your current weight?

If you tweeted everyday just saying how much you weighed then you’ll have a fantastic record of how you’re doing when reaching your goal size. You can get your friends and family to “follow” your twitter profile giving you a bigger incentive to work harder at losing pounds.

Don’t become too obsessed with your everyday weight, it can fluctuate around plus or minus 2 pounds per day. If you aim to lose 2 pounds a week (a good target) then compare your current weight to the tweet you made the week before.

So here’s the tips for losing weight with twitter:

1. Tweet your weight everyday
2. Get all your friends/family to follow your tweets
3. Compare your weight WEEKLY not daily
4. Keep tweeting until you reach your goal weight!

You can follow Louisa on Twitter here.
We’d love to see your “daily weight tweets” so make sure to follow TotalChunk on Twitter!