Two breakfast Tuesday!

Trust me, I've not gone crazy - I'm aware that having two breakfasts on a Tuesday does not sound like it would fit in to any kind of bikini-body challenge but hear me out...


I think all the training first thing during the bank holiday weekend has just made me super hungry! I'm also not an expert on this kind of thing but is there some logic to having a "recovery" snack? Fi and Alex can give you the expert advice here.


Day 4 went like this....


Breakfast 1 - 50g Secret Muesli with Almond Milk and Blueberries.


Exercise - Bikini Body Workout


Breakfast 2 - Scrambled egg (2 x organic eggs) on 1 x Ryvita with a handful of blueberries.

Snack 1 (whilst out shopping) - An apple, 25g Mixed Nuts, 10g Organic Dark Chocolate (I had only a 3rd of the bar, swear!)

Lunch - 300g "Glorious" Azteca Skinny Soup. Love this, chilli and tomatoes - yum! 

Snack 2 - Grilled chicken and Avocado on 1 x Ryvita

Dinner - Beetroot and Goats Cheese Salad (Baby spinach, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, sunflower seeds and goats cheese with a drizzle of balsamic vingear and olive oil).

And because I really felt like I needed something sweet I had some 0% fat Total Greek Yogurt with Strawberries and a sprinkling of homemade granola, heavenly!

Do you find that some days you are just more hungry than others? Yesterday was a prime example, today I have eaten much less - I just haven't needed it. I've just come back from a session with Physio Pete - AWESOME!! Blog to follow ASAP.


Love,

Sam - the pictures!

So....I've been thinking about my goals and where I want my body to be. Summer 2010 was my my happiest and I thought I'd post a few pictures from that time as I reminder to myself for this challenge.

I came 2nd in a bikini competition out of thousands of applicants and worked hard to get my body into shape. Since then I half half trained but have a loooong way to go to get back there-thank god for the bikini challenge dream team :-)))

I am also posting a picture of me now(blue bikini) and it's not pretty (well to me!).

Today I started the day with muesli and a green tea and had soup for lunch. This evening we have friends over and I've decided to go all Lebanese with chicken marinating, yummy salads, sweet potato chips and aubergine.

Back to work tomorrow which is where the test comes, as Ally said in today's blog it's all about preperation so that you don't risk eating badly! my muesli is weighed and in a pot ready and I'll take salad from tonight for lunch :-)

Sam

x

Jubilee Weekend: The good, the bad and the Pizza Express!

It's breakfast time on Day 4 and I am happily eating my Special Muesli (50g with blueberries and almond milk) and sipping my green tea. I'm in a reflective mood so thought I would update you on how I've been getting on over the last few days....I'd like to think I'm a pretty healthy individual who is able to make good choices for myself based on my goals but it's so much harder to do when you're away from home and on a hen-night!!!

Nutritionally speaking this has definitely been a weekend of highs and lows and I've learnt some key lessons. PREPARATION is going to make or break this challenge for me. If I don't think ahead, I'm pretty much doomed! I could just write about all the good stuff but well I'm too honest for that. When I get to the end of this challenge and reach my goals you need to know how I really got there.

After the good intentions of Saturday morning (Day 1), I then jumped in my car and scooted up the M6 towards Manchester having prepared nothing (apart from what I was going to wear that night)! Unsurprisingly about 2.30pm I was ravenous and needed food, and we all know the only option on the motorway is a Service Station, so this is what I had from M&S.

Half the cashew nuts (approx. 25g), a super-berry smoothie (no added sugar) and a low-fat prawn salad. I'm pretty sure there's some flaws here in terms of nutrition (e.g. the marie-rose dressing!!) Despite the fact it's low-fat, it's a combination of processed mayonnaise and tomato sauce (high in sugar) but there we go. 

I finally made it to my cousin's house, we had a good catch-up and got ready with a glass of vino (as girls do!) And then it was off to Pizza Express! If you read my bio you will know that I love a Padana Pizza and so this is what I ordered, a Padana Leggera Pizza (the one with the salad in the middle and a super thin base). And it was totally yum! 

It was then off to a Cocktail Masterclass which was great fun but made me realise I seriously don't like sugary stuff!! I didn't actually finish an entire cocktail on my own but had great fun making them and having a little taste of them.

Day 2 was a bit of a challenge as well, why did I not think to bring my Muesli with me??!! At about 11 am I ate a bacon-roll kindly made by my cousin's fiance, had a cuppa catching-up with my family and then hit the road again where I snacked on the rest of the cashew nuts, a banana and an Eat Natural bar. That night I had a big salad (baby spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado) and a small portion (fist sized) of lasagne. Before bed I did some stretching and rolled around on my physio ball to help shake off the long-drive.

This is Ernie - he's going to help me get a Peachy Bum!!!

Day 3 I faired much better. Back in my own environment with healthy stuff around me I woke up to a bowl of Muesli, worked out for 35 mins and then mid-morning I had an Almond Smoothie (recipe and pics to follow, sooo yum!!). I went out with with friends for lunch and had Mussels in Cider. I don't think they had cleaned the Mussels properly and the cider sauce was gritty so I didn't have any, the mussels themselves were good though. I skipped the white bread that it came with and had some hand-cut chips. And dinner was this:

Hurrah!! Grilled chicken and avocado salad with baby spinach, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber and quinoa. And a drizzle of home-made balsamic and extra virgin olive oil. 

So there it is, every morsel that crossed my lips this weekend in black and white! I'm now going to go and do my bikini-workout (even though every muscle still aches from yesterday!) A review on the work-out coming soon!

Love,

Helen - Day 1

Hi everyone!  I thought to share my experience and thoughts on Our first day of the programme. I started the day with Fi's muesli - a delicious bowl of seeds, nuts, fine coconut and other superfoods. Yum. It also took me ages to eat! But I loved it all the same :-)

I'm currently staying with my bro and nephews in Yorkshire, so the first part of the day was play time with the boys: swimming, lunch, drawing and watching an animated movie.  I then started the exercises at first myself, but was distracted by my oldest Luca crying as he banged his head. Once he was soothed, it was time for dinner, over which, my sister in law, Nina, who is a former Aerobics instructor, offered to do the exercises with me later. Cool. :-)

So, once the boys were settled in bed, we got our kit on and mats out. Must say it really helped having someone else support me, particularly if they are fit and know what they are doing cos (a) she clarified the exercises (b) she counted into and throughout the rounds and (c) she kept me going when I'd sooner given up!

How did I feel throughout the exercise? Fat, heavy and unfit! It also reminded me how much I hate circuit training - which is exactly what this is. I've got some mind work to do ! Paul! Paul?! Help! Ps...I also discovered two juicy bruises on my bottom from Pete's Physio! Good stuff. ;-)

Sam - Day 2 ... and so it begins

Day 2 of the challenge.......

I started day 1 with my yummy cereal and as I was in a rush I packed it into a tub and took it to the hair salon! Topped with berries and a little apple juice- I'm buying almond milk tomorrow!

This weekend I have stayed at a friends house in the country-with a chef! So, meals have been a focus of the weekend but luckily it was all relatively healthy with lots of yummy chicken, crab and avocado salad, lamb and maybe a naughty desert. ;-)

Tonight I had some of the special muesli with berries and a herbal tea so I'm back on track. Tomorrow I have another physio sessions to get my body ready for some intense exercise and so it begins....... Oh, I've just taken my before pictures and seeing them have made me even more determined to do this- I was horrified! SAM X

Ally - Day One - You're up fat-burning Muesli!

Hi everyone, just thought I'd share this morning's breakfast and muesli-musings... Although, as of the launch last night we're now affectionately calling this Fiesli (sp??, ladies help)!

So this is approx. 50g (I didn't weight it, just 2 x heaped tablespoons) of Fiesli with Almond Milk and Fresh Strawberries, and the verdict is.....yum!! I love the crunch from the nuts, the sweetness from the cranberries and it has a great, mellow cinnamon flavour. 

I'm now off to run for 30 mins ahead of driving up to Manchester for my cousins hen-do! I hope I can maintain my good intentions today.

Love