HEALTH KICK NEEDED! WHO’S WITH ME?

HEALTH KICK DIET

You know those days when you look in the mirror and just feel like a big blob!? Well, today I had one of those days (I’ve been having that feeling a lot lately). I’m not just talking physically I feel very unhealthy in myself and groggy / little or no energy. That’s when you know you need to take action! So me and the boyfriend thought enough is enough, let’s see if we can eat clean for 1 month. We’re giving ourselves from today (17th July) a 1 month target and then by then hopefully the routine well naturally follow! I hope you all can see once I’ve written it to the people of the Internet it actually needs to happen and can’t just be a throw away goal HA!

Since becoming a vegetarian I have noticed I’ve lost a little bit of weight which is good but I’m still binging on unhealthy bits which isn’t good! It’s that feeling of giving into temptation and then the moment it hits your lips the shame and regret smacks you right in the face ha!

I’ve also been paying for gym membership for the past 4/5 months and not going nearly enough as I would like to. They say you have to start with your food and everything else will follow. So I’ve stocked up on avocado, bananas, peanut butter and my blender is at the ready! Now let’s do this! Who’s with me? 

Any tips and tricks are greatly appreciated 💗 xox 

WHAT I EAT IN A DAY – WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY

 

Hi lovelies!

I hope you’re all fabulous and well. First things first, I have been super absent on the weight loss front, due to my foot being out of action for a while! If you don’t follow me on Twitter, I stood on a sewing needle and part of it snapped off inside my foot OUCH! I had an operation to remove the needle, yeah drastic I know! But now I’m all better and back on the gym grind yay! I haven’t weighed myself since last time because I know I’ve probably either gained weight from not exercising or stayed the same (I’m hoping for the latter but I’m pretty sure I’ve gained oops!) Anyway, I’ve been a veggie / pesc since January so I thought I’d share with you an occasional day eating with me!

This week I swapped out my dairy margarine and cheese for vegan alternatives. I stopped drinking cows milk since February time but now I’m feeling I want to switch out other dairy products! Let me tell you, the margarine tastes just like dairy marg and the cheese is delicious too!

 

So I started the day with some ready brek with soya milk topped with frozen blueberries. I love adding frozen blueberries because they melt away and make the ready brek taste SO good! If I’m going to the gym I’ll add some protein powder to the mixture.

For lunch I had 4 cream crackers (I know, naughty, but I had a major cheese and crackers craving that NEEDED taming!) I used the vegan butter and vegan cheese, topped with some crushed avocado mixed with hot chilli flakes and garlic. YUM

Next up I had a banana vegan milkshake! I just blended two bananas, some soya milk and ice. Sometimes I will add protein powder just to get some extra protein in my diet.

This is when naughty Imogen knocked on the door, I got way too excited to try the quorn veggie nuggets so I had these with homemade spicy sweet potato wedges and some cooked spinach. And boy did I add way too much spice, these burnt my mouth off! Almost as much as when me and Liam tried the hottest chilli ha you can watch that HERE ! Our normal dinner would consist of a curry packed with vegetables and potato / polenta or a stir-fry.

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EASY TASTY VEGAN ICE-CREAM | THREE INGREDIENTS

Ok – so I hope by now you know I’m on this weight loss train, and by weight loss train I mean I’m on the losing-weight-but-can-still-treat-myself-train. Girls gotta treat herself once in a while, *cough* everyday are you with me?

When you find some funky recipe that tastes GREAT and it’s healthy you gotta share! AND at only THREE ingredients you can’t complain really… 

 

 

RECIPE (COURTESY OF MY LOVELY COUSIN)

CHOPPED BANANA (FROZEN)

SALTED CARAMEL PROTEIN POWDER // VEGAN PROTEIN POWDER

VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER

BANG IT IN A BLENDER, AND BOOM TASTY, HEALTHY ICE CREAM! I POPPED THE ICE CREAM IN THESE CUTE DISHES YOU ACTUALLY GET WHEN YOU PURCHASE A GU DESSERT! 

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See how I’m getting on with my weight loss here

WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY DAY 8

So …we’re on Day 8 of my weight loss journey! For those of you who haven’t already read my Weight Loss journey Day 1 post, you can here !

I’m actually feeling pretty great, my days do feel a lot longer due to us getting up a little earlier but I feel like I’m enjoying getting back into the gym (minus the constant muscle ache HA)! Me and the boyf have managed the gym 3 times last week and 4 times this week. We’ve worked out a schedule which suits us:

Monday – GYM

Tuesday – GYM

Wednesday – GYM

Thursday – REST day / Cardio

Friday – GYM

Saturday – REST DAY 

Sunday – REST DAY

Here’s a little doodle *cough* child’s drawing  of one of my workouts:

1.STRETCH – Most important part, since I don’t want to injure myself!

2. HIIT – 10 minute HIIT work out on the running machine. I’ve been doing 40 seconds light jogging, 1 minute Sprinting then back to 40second jogging and so on. Alternating the speed frequently shocks your body. You don’t want your body to find this easy!

3. WEIGHTS – 3 sets of shoulder press (can we just stop for a moment to checkout the drawing of this…Like, what are those arms all about? I used the shoulder press machine for this exercise although the drawing begs to differ.

4. WEIGHTS – Leg lifts with 6kg free weights. I lift my leg up while the other leg is stationary on top of the bench. Repeating on the same leg 10 times. Feel the burn with this one!

5. WEIGHTS – Tricep dips. 3 sets of 10 reps.

6. ABS – I usually spend a good 15 minutes working on my abs towards the end of my workout. I’m starting with 30 second planks (work my way back up to the one minute bad boy). I do 3 x 30 second planks but usually split this up in between other ab workouts – I hate planks thats why! I try and do a few sets of leg raises while laying on my back hands underneath my bum, slowly raise my legs up. On the way back down don’t put your feet on the floor, bring them back up repeat until 60 seconds is up.

7.HIIT – I usually end my workout with another 10 minute HIIT work out on the running machine.  

Measurements as of Day 8:

LEGS

Left 26.5 inches // Right 26 inches

BUM

46 inches

HIPS

42 inches

WAIST (Measured round belly button)

35inches

WAIST (Under bra)

32 inches

CHEST

36 inches

ARMS

Left 12 inches // 12.5 inches

I’ve decided not to weigh myself this time round, I don’t want to become obsessed with the idea of weighing myself all of the time. It’s not healthy. I will be weighing myself just before next weeks update so keep your eyes peeled for that!

 

Let’s talk food! I absolutely love food and I’ve tried calorie counting before and it has worked to some extent. But in all honesty, I really can’t be bothered to punish myself when I’m working out as much as I am, it’s also probably not healthy to either. I am however having a balanced vegetarian diet – at the moment I’m still eating fish, I don’t eat eggs nor do I eat cows milk anymore though! A typical meal for me is: a piece of haddock / salmon or cod with lots of broccoli, cauliflower and sweet potatoes. I’ve started making my own vegan protein ice-cream for pud too (recipe coming tomorrow!)

If you’ve got any TIPS and TRICKS for my weight loss journey PLEASE SHARE! And if you think I’m doing anything wrong / anything I could add to my workout let me know in the comments too! 

 

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PROUD GIRLFRIEND ALERT

Everyone is proud of their loved ones, so I thought I’d dedicate this post to my loving boyfriend. My boyfriend, Liam works for BBC RAW. If you haven’t heard of BBC RAW, it’s a scheme set in place for young film makers to showcase their work. He produced a short film for RAW exploring the pressures men face to look a certain way.

 As women, we face pressures on a daily basis. We’re constantly surrounded by beautifully toned women in magazines and on the television, adverts showing the next new diet fad. The celebrity culture lately has turned reality stars into faces of fitness campaigns and I don’t know about you, but I beat myself up for not being my ‘ideal’ weight. Going shopping for jeans is my biggest bug bear especially being one size in one shop and two sizes up in another. 

Now, it’s common knowledge women suffer pressures to become this perfect figure but what about men? Do men now face the same pressures that we do?

Reality shows only feature men who are tanned, toned and hairless, possibly portraying a ‘new’ modern man. With new bulking / slimming products being released all the time, often aimed at men too. 
Liam wanted to find out more on this, to see what lengths men go to in order to look good, expect stripping off, lots of pain and a few minutes of your life you’ll never get back. 

He recently wrote an article on this subject on The Huffington Post, if you fancy it you can give it a read here: 

Liam’s Article on The Huffington Post

Follow BBC RAW on Facebook for more short films HERE

Follow BBC RAW on Twitter HERE

Subscribe to their YouTube channel HERE

Follow Liam on Twitter HERE

In the comments below – Do you think men are now facing similar pressures to us ladies?

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WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY DAY ONE

So here we have it – I’m starting my very own online weight loss journey / diary! Nervous is an understatement. I feel like, as you’re reading this post I’m going to feel either totally vulnerable incase I mess up or super motivated, I’m hoping for the latter. But I’m putting it out there, my eating habits and my exercise regime will be written as part of Miniature Milks weight Loss Journey! Fingers crossed some of you are in the same boat as me and we can support each other to shift those extra pounds (or in my case stones, rocks and bricks lols)

Join me in baring my soul…

 

My weight has fluctuated throughout my teenage years and into my early twenties. I’ve been nearing 13+ stone  (82kg ) at my heaviest and 9.7 stone (61.5kg) at my lightest. Uni life is always a struggle, you eat shit and drink all the time, I had a job on top of my uni work so exercising and eating right was at the bottom of my priorities, I ended up putting on so much weight without even noticing and then BAM I looked like Drop Dead Fred when he got his head stuck in the fridge (photos below).

I mean, if I’m out at the weekend I end up consuming copious amounts of alcohol, and the next day is a right off because let’s face it a hangover isn’t the same without a dominos and staying in isn’t any better either – you watch a film, order a takeaway and have endless amounts of hungry hippos and wine gums to hand!? It’s time to change, I’m 23 years old and keeping fit aint gonna get any easier so it’s time to kick start maintaining a healthy weight!

Come join me through the good, the bad and the ugly…I’m bound to make mistakes along the way (that’s where you lot come in!) BUT I will get my summer body!

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         Lighter Weight in Ibiza 2015 and heavier weight at Uni  in 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I’m 5ft 3in tall (cough, short arse) and I weigh 12stone 2lbs which is about 77 kg. WOW, I can’t believe I’m putting this on the internet! Apparently, my healthy weight is between 7st 7lb and 10st 2lb (48kg – 64kg) but I’m going to aim to get down to 10stone as my body shape and bone structure is quite curvy so I’m pretty sure I would be disgustingly thin at 7st 7lbs!

Now all the juicy stuffs out the way, let’s get down to the nitty gritty! Today I had my first gym session (please bear in mind I haven’t been to the gym in around 2/3 months and haven’t ran in the last two weeks so I eased myself in gently!)

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First off I did some stretching.

Next I did a 15minute HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout on the running machine.

I started with 30seconds jog at a slow pace then 30seconds of sprinting and kept alternating between the two until around the 10 minute mark. Then I switched to 45 seconds sprint and 30seconds slower pace.

Next up I did 10 minutes on the revolving stairs – for me this is a killer! When I was much fitter I would do HIIT training on these too, I’m going to avoid this until I’m a little more healthy!

I did 20 minute floor exercises including ab workouts, plank, leg and bum exercises.

I finished my workout with another 10 minute HIIT workout on the running machine and some stretches!

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So, there was day one! I think by blogging my weight loss journey I will be much more motivated to keep going and it might be interesting for you guys to see if I succeed or fail! I know todays workout wasn’t great but it was a start, I think I had gym fear so I needed to ease myself back in. But, I will be finding a weight lifting and cardio plan very soon which I will also post. Let me know in the comments whether you want me to post weekly updates on my weight loss, maybe I will post healthy recipes I have been loving too!?  I would love any suggestions you would like me to add to this series too 🙂 

HAPPY ST PADDY’S DAY EVERYONE!

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TASTY GNOCCHI BAKE VEGETARIAN / VEGAN OPTIONS

SUPER HEALTHY GNOCCI BAKE VEGETARIAN / VEGAN OPTIONS – UNDER £6

 

INGREDIENTS

☾150g Mushrooms – 59p Aldi

☾ 500g Gnocchi – 65p Aldi

☾ 1 Onion – 69p Aldi

☾ 3 Cloves of garlic – 89p Aldi

☾ 1 Tin of chick peas – 32p Aldi

☾ 1 Tin of butter beans – 32p Aldi

☾ Sprinkle of Kale – 85p Aldi

☾ Half a tree of Broccoli – 37p Aldi

☾ Vegetable stock – £1 Tesco

☾ Sprinkle of cheese for topping (Vegan option without)

☾ Black Pepper

☾ Chilli Flakes

1. Fry off onions, garlic and mushrooms. 

2. Boil the kettle, in a deep pan stir in the vegetable stock,
add black pepper, chilli flakes and ground white pepper.

3. Boil butter beans and chick peas in stock for 10-12 mins.

4. Part boil broccoli with chick peas and butter beans for 
4-5 mins.

5. Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic to the chick peas,
broccoli and vegstock pan, chuck in 500g of gnocchi and let 
simmer for a few mins making   sure the mixture is mixed well.

6. Put the mixture in an oven proof glass dish.
 
7. Sprinkle kale on top and cheese (vegan option without).

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Thanks for checking in!XOX

 

HEALTHY LUNCH BRUNCH UNDER 300 CALORIES

Hi guys 🙂

Thought I’d share this easy peasy recipe I threw together whilst at the beginning of my weight loss journey. Over the past 5/6 months I’ve put on a bit of weight and now it’s time I do something about it!
This little bunch of greenery is high in fiber, low in calories with added protein – very tasty too!

To make this little green garden (266 cals) you will need:

• 1 ryvita cracker bread ( I used the pumpkin seed one)
• Raw or cooked spinach ( raw is better for you but I used cooked in mine)
• 3 Asparagus tubes
• 3 tender stem Broccoli florets
• 1 medium egg
• Half an avocado mashed up
• Chili flakes and white pepper for seasoning
• 1 Teaspoon of vinegar

1. First of all I cut the avocado in half scooping out the inner section – this is SO SATISFYING !

2. I mashed up half the avocado into a cup and mixed in A LOT of chili flakes (for those of you who have seen me and my boyfriend eating the worlds hottest chilli, you will know my tolerance to spicey food has gone sky high – I now eat hot chicken butterfly at Nandos HA! And that is quite something coming from a girl who started out on mango and lime!) Anyway, going off on a tangent now…
3. Then, while the kettle was boiling I washed the spinach, asparagus and broccoli florets and Crack 1 medium egg into a cup.

4. Kettles done! Pour into a deep pan, mix the water with one teaspoon of vinegar.

5. With the excess boiling water pour a little into a frying pan and pop in your broccoli and asparagus (3-4 mins should make them crunchy and slightly tender).

6. With the large deep pan swill your water and vinegar until it creates a whirl pool. Carefully place your egg in. Cook for around 2-3 mins.

7. Spread your mashed up spicey avocado onto your Ryveta.

8. Add in your spinach to the broccoli and asparagus if you want it to be cooked.

9. Assemble the veg on the Ryveta, chuck your egg on and…

10. ENJOYYYYYY!!!

The boring stuff – (source : my fitness pal)

Hope you enjoyed this very easy brunch lunch in ten steps:) give it a thumbs up if you did xxxxxx

Mini milk 🙂

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GYM LIFE – PT SESSIONS

I have started PT sessions!
I was getting sick of walking into the gym feeling intimidated to walk over to the dark side (and by dark side I mean…The weight lifting side). The only time I would cross paths with the super fit is when I would quickly grab a few free weights which actually weren’t even in the depth of that area!
About two weeks ago I was minding my own business doing interval training on the treadmill (1min high intensity then 30 secs stepping off and so on) when a PT approached me and asked me how I was doing. To cut a long story short I was booked on to a session three days later which was my first free one.
The killer exercises…He burnt out my legs until they were shaking (which sounds extremely scary but in a weird way I liked it because I was so proud of how hard I had worked myself). I came away from the session spending most of my time in the weight lifting area. AND I loved it! Being with a PT made me just forget about everyone else being there.
THE ADVICE!
If you have a PT session MAKE sure you eat correctly! I think this may have caused me to be sick and extremely light headed!
Being on juice plus I let my PT know and he advised completely against this. I suppose the reasoning is if you’re committing yourself to intense exercise your body needs the right nutrients. I’m still learning! And I have an awful lot to learn about food.
As of this week I am no longer on juice plus!

BYE BYE DUSTY MILKSHAKES….HELLO FOOD!

Lots of love,

Mini Milk xx

PS…..Check out my colleague and friends blog! She is highly motivating and inspiring 🙂 http://www.mybigfitdiary.com/

RECIPE FOR DELIGHT

JUICE PLUS

I have been on juice plus for around 4 weeks now – I have been tracking my progress by weighing myself and taking measurements. I’m hoping to have a bikini bod for my holiday in September (we can all dream and hope to look like Miranda Kerr ;)). Usually around two weeks into a fad diet I start to feel demotivated and generally sick of being controlled by a book or website to see me through. Juice plus has made me become extremely inventive with trying out new recipes. It’s made me crave even more fruit and veg. And to top it off I’ve lost 6 1/2 pounds in 42 days. Now I know this isn’t as good as some fellow juice plusers… But I have treated myself on the weekend and taken it at my own pace. Here is one of my juice recipes:

SPINACH

HANDFUL OF GRAPES
PINEAPPLE
DASH OF SOY MILK
LIME
VANILLA JUICE PLUS
LOTS OF ICE

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog 🙂

Lots of love,

Mini milk xxx