Going Wheat Free | Lifestyle

Bit of a random picture, I know but I wanted something that would make sense to this post because I am giving up wheat. 

Bold statement I know, but let me give you a bit of background. If you have been following my blog this year you'll know that I have really focused on my health which has meant I have changed my eating habits altogether and have a great fitness routine. For the first 6 months I was very strict and I've come to realise that my diet had the most minimal amount of wheat in it. Over time recently I have started eating more things that have had wheat in them and it seems that I have randomly developed an intolerance. I have heard that people can develop intolerance to things they have previous cut out of their diet but it's just weird isn't it? I've spent my entire life eating wheat, cut it out for a mere 6 months and now I can't eat it. I didn't intentionally give wheat up specifically but I did give up all white breads, pastas and treats.

At first I couldn't work out why I was getting these stomach cramps or felt sick after eating, when I first realised it could be an intolerance was when I had some cheesecake with a work pal and felt sick very shortly after. I had a look at the packet and wheatflour was highlighted in bold, it made sense. I was eating pizza bases, burger buns, white bread and each time I'd be in pain with my stomach. I monitored it over a couple of weeks and it became very apparent to me that it was wheat. 

It means that this month I am going to go entirely without any wheat to see what kinda of impact that's going to have on my body and just see how hard it actually is. Wheat is in everything, all my favourite naughty treats, but the fun thing is now I have to really have a look at each product and make my snack a considered snack. I already know that there are some fantastic brands out there that make whet free foods which I love but it'll be a great challenge to see how I actually get on. 

I'm going to write another post after I have done it for a month tp let you guys know how I got on. 

Do you have any tips for going wheat free?

Health - Fitness - Lifestyle Update | Lifestyle

Oh I know it has been a little while since I gave you all an update but now is a good time. I am now in month 6 of my healthy lifestyle change and I really am loving it. I didn't know what picture to use to I thought I'd use the cherry blossom from my tree, just because it's pretty.

I have lost a massive amount of weight which I'm not sure I want to share on here just yet because I know work colleagues could read this and I don't want everyone knowing. I have reached my goal but I have set myself another small goal of an extra 6lbs by the end of the year.

I thought I would share with you 5 things about me that I'm happy with or like now I am lighter and more confident:- 

• My Collar Bones - this sounds like an odd one but I like my frame and the way my body holds/distributes it's weight. I'm very slim at the top half of my body. 

• My Waist - I have an hour glass body shape, so now that I weigh less I can actually see this shape much clearer. 

• Muscles in my legs - whilst these aren't that visible, I still have a layer of fat over them, it's great to feel definition in them again. They are chunky but they are strong

• Fitness - my fitness levels has increased so dramatically, I love being able to go for a run and not feel as out of breath or as slow as I used to be just 6 months ago

• My relationship with food - I no longer binge on rubbish, I know that if I want something that might be high in saturated fat or whatever I can have it. I just have to not let it effect my overall routine

Most health and fitness posts include before and after pictures but in all honesty I hated the way looked so much that I didn't really have any before pictures but the people in my life can see how much weight I've lost and have been very nice with their comments. 

Now I'm focusing less on the numbers and more on how my body looks, feels and performs whilst making sure that I do carry on a live my life. I can go out for dinner and drinks with friends but I can't do that every night and I still go to the gym or eat lighter the next day. I'm really starting to understand how to balance everything out. 

What are your healthy living tips?

Top five quotes to keep me motivated | Lifestyle

Isn't it amazing, the power of words? Some have the power to fill you with joy and some make you feel completely numb. 

I wanted to share with you some quotes that I have stumbled across on my Pintrest. These quotes have genuinely helped me to keep myself motivated, as you know if you are a regular reader, I'm on a massive health/fitness change and I think sometimes you just need a little pick me up to keep focused. 

I have narrowed down my top 5 quotes that keep me motivated. 

Source

People always ask me how I can get up in the morning and go to the gym and this quote perfectly explains why I do it. I make sure I start my day right and feel so much better after I have had my morning workout because I know I'm actively trying to improve myself

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I think this is a massively important one, often we all compare ourselves to others when really we shouldn't. Don't focus on any one else other than you and your body, work towards making your body how you want it. You're never going to have another persons body so just work with what you've got and make it the best you can. 

Source

If you want to lose weight or become healthier then do it right, don't starve yourself you need to fuel your body with the right things to make a healthy change. Don't set yourself unhealthy goals and listen to your body. Even if it does take longer, it will be worth it. 

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This one I found to be a massive influence, sometimes you'll need the help of others but do not depend on them because they will let you down. It's your body, these are your changes, do it for you! Also a bit of body inspiration in this picture too!

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I live by this, it's that simple! I never miss a Monday, Mondays are my favourite day because over the weekend I don't go to the gym. My body thrives on routine and consistency and these simple rules help keep me motivated. 

There we have it, sorry the images are all different sizes, I just kinda had to work with what I had! 

Have you got any great motivational tips?

Fabletics Workout Clothes | Lifestyle

Ok, so first things first if you sign up to this website please be aware that VIP membership actually means they will charge you £44 every month  to use as credit towards a new outfit which I didn't read properly when I first joined so I had to cancel my VIP membership which was a bit of a hassle. You can buy items without being a VIP member. Nothing against the brand or website I just clearly didn't read properly what I was signing up to! 

Moving on, as you know I'm throwing myself into the gym and loving it though recently I have been meaning to buy some new gym gear, a lot of shops do affordable gym wear now which is great but they are pretty basic. I was watching the TV and this Fabletics advert kept popping up and I just thought yes I was some of those clothes. The have a pretty impressive range lots of bright colours and lots of dark colours. I pretty much live in black so you know I opted for the black versions. 

I didn't even look for reviews on this brand before I purchased which these days is incredibly rare I just went on what I wanted and what I liked. I went for the Rule Outfit, I kinda liked the black and grey with a bit of camouflage on the sides, I also liked that the top is a long sleeved top because it means I can wear it outside when I start going for runs again. 

Firstly, I love the material of these products two very different fabrics doing different things. For example the capris are "maximum compression" so they are quite tight and a little thick but so incredibly comfortable, they looked quite small when I first got them out of the bag but when I put them on I was really impressed they seemed to mold to my body. Also they don't go see-through at all when worn either which is the most important thing. I actually am in love with this capris! 

The top is a completely different material but just as nice, this is cut a little looser than the capris and much thinner you could probably wear a vest underneath it. Some people have mentioned that the shoulders of the top are a little big which I agree with but because my boobs are quite big it sits a little different on me and looks fine. The neckline is quite board but actually that shows my slimmest part of my body which is my collar bones so I'm not complaining. 

I was incredibly impressed with these workout clothes and I think paying £26 for this is an absolute bargain considering the quality. However I wouldn't pay full price which is £92!! I just wouldn't spend that much money on anything I'd just be wearing to the gym. 

Have you bought anything from Fablectics? 

Month Three Update | Lifestyle

That's right it's months 3 already and am I any better looking? Damn right I am! In all seriousness, everything is going incredibly well. I'm still absolutely loving my new lifestyle and my routine. So for this months update I thought I would share with you my workout routine. 

I must admit I'm definitely one of those people who does everything to the extreme, if I say I'm going to go to the gym and change my lifestyle, I throw myself into it. That's just how I am, it's a gift and a curse. Right so down to the nitty gritty... 

I go to the gym 8 times a week Monday - Friday, which even I admit sounds like a lot but it fits in well with my work schedule and my life in general. Three times a week I go in the morning and evening so I thought I would break down exactly what I am doing at the moment. I do change things up a little when I feel like I've stopped progressing which is an incredibly important thing to do. If my muscles no longer ache then I'm not working hard enough and it's time to change things up.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 

Morning:- 

• Leg Press - 3 sets of 20
• Lat Pull down - 3 sets of 12
• Seated Row - 3 sets of 12
• Chest Press - 3 sets of 12
• 15 mins of cardio

Evening:- 

• 50 mins of cardio - most of the time it's on the cross trainer but other times I will split the 50 mins up by doing 10 minutes on the bike or jogging

Tuesday and Thursdays

Evenings:- 

• 50 mins of cardio 

OR

• 40 mins of cardio
• Russian Twists - 3 sets of 20 
• Sit ups - 3 sets of 20
• Kettle bell shoulder pull up - 3 sets of 15
• Kettle bell bicep curl - 3 sets of 15 

These are just my workouts and what actually works for me, I haven't mentioned what size weights I lift but if you'd like to know just let me know. I think it's great because I'm starting to feel some muscle definition coming through my flab, my body is changing and it's looking so much better than what it was even a month ago let alone 2 months ago. But this is coupled with my diet as well, I wouldn't be able to go to the gym as much or progress my workout if I wasn't fueling my body with the right foods. 

What are your favourite workouts?

What's in my gym bag | Lifestyle

Today I thought I would share with you what's inside my gym bag. I mean I have literally been living out of this bag for the last 3 months, I don't even take a handbag into work with me anymore. 

I have very fixed gym routine and 3 times a week I go to the gym twice in one day so morning and night this means I have to carry quite a lot with me. I would love to have like one of those small, cute, girly gym bags but I just can't fit half of what I need in it so I have to settle with my bulky Nike bag, but I love it anyway!  

I haven't included my trainers in this bag because they are always on my feet unless I'm in the office, then I change into shoes or boots. My gym bag must haves are:- 

• Gym clothes
• Bath sheet 
• Hand towel  
• Hair brush
• Deodorant
• Make up bag
• Rail card 
• Card holder
• Headphones  
• Umbrella

I must admit I have excluded some extra bits such as my work fob, apples, work clothes because that just a little boring but as you can see I actually carry quite a lot on me. I also forgot to take a picture of my shampoo and shower gel - dumb dumb!

I was recently told that my gym was closing down in my town which was a little heartbreaking I'm not gonna lie and the way Virgin Active handled it was pretty bad actually. This means however I'll be joining a Fitness First gym in London which will probably work out a little better for me in the sense that my workouts in the morning will be a little longer. 

What do you carry in your gym bag that you think I'm missing?

Flourless Muffin Recipe | Lifestyle

I haven't done a baking post for quite sometime have I? I'm going to try and make sure I do one a month like I was last year. As you may know, I'm eating super well now so cutting out the rubbish but still allowing myself little treats here and there.

I was on Pinterest recently and found this recipe for flourless peanut butter and chocolate chip muffins on Averie Cooks and it just sounded so easy to make I had to try it out. 


Ingredients:-

In true Honeypot Blogs style, I have changed the recipe slightly because I wanted to add less chocolate chips  and less peanut butter it does cut down on the calories a little too, so these muffins are under 100 cals.  I would always go for the best quality ingredients so peanut butter with no added sugar only naturally occurring stuff and dark chocolate chips etc.

• One large egg, 
• One medium banana 
• Creamy peanut butter - 4 tbsp
• Honey - 3 tbsp 
• Chocolate Chips - a handful
• Vanilla
• Baking soda - tea spoon

Method:-

This is the best bit you literally just blend everything together whack them in a muffin tray, pop them in the over for about 10-12mins and they're done! My recipe actually made about 9 medium sized muffins but because I altered the quantities I still believe each one should be around the 100 cals mark. 

The end result

They were super fluffy actually which I was surprised about but they are quite nice. Personally I couldn't taste the banana at all, which is great because I hate the taste of it.  

Have you got any super healthy recipes? Or have you tried this one out?

Month Two Update | Lifestyle

So, I thought each month it would be a slightly different update, this month is going to be what I generally what I have been eating lately, not all meals because I'm rubbish and forget to take pictures of my dinners. 

Everything is still going well, I'm loosing weight and toning up which is great, I'm on target, if not slightly ahead. Again, I'm not going to disclose how much I have lost, I will tell you when I reach that goal. 

Sorry the pictures are crap, I had such drama trying to put two pictures side by side it was just easier to do an insta collage.

Every week day I must eat:- 

Two apples

10 almonds

Two green teas, at least

1 bowl of cereal

My dinners change every night

Every weekend I must eat:-

4 turkey bacon rashers

Two slices of wholemeal bread

Two bowls of porridge 

Two apples

Treats:- 

Mini Milk Ice Lollies

Any one small item that I fancy, which you can see was a Reeces cup

Friday lunch - changes weekly at work, it's free!

Food Scales:- 

I have actually started weighing out my food, for example, when I'm having a roast dinner. I found that it's much easier to control my portion sizes if I allow myself a set amount of grams of potatoes/meat because then I can work out exactly how many calories I'm eating on the myfitnesspal app. 

What I have noticed is how much my body thrives on consistency, if I break that routine even slightly it really effects my body and my energy levels. 

So there we have it. How is your fitness and health regime going?

Healthy Snacks | Lifestyle

I'm trying to be a little better with my eating habits lately, it's very easy to fall into a rut and my biggest problem is snacking. Oh boy do I love to snack and because my job isn't very active at all, you know it cannot end well. 

It's really hard to know what snacks you should be eating, sometimes a handful of nuts (oh my) just isn't enough. So I thought I would share with you a few snacks that I have come across that I think work really well.

I have included the calorie count, the saturated fat and the sodium content of all 3. I think these are the most important things to look at when snacking especially saturated fat, as we know this is the bad fat. 

Let's Start with...

Emily Fruit Crisps

We've all heard of apple chips and you can get them in most health food stores but isn't the packaging of these Fruit Crisps just so lovely? They literally are bits of apples, nothing fancy, no added sugar just apple pieces.

Calories - 124 per pack 
Sat fat - 1.2g
Sodium - Trace

My biggest surprise was the taste, I do like apples but the thought of dried apple pieces doesn't thrill me I must admit, but these tasted so yummy and incredibly light but quite sweet. I love the fact there is apple skin on these pieces as to me the skin is actually the best part. I probably wouldn't devour the pack in one go, this is the type of snack you can open up and eat a little every now and then over the day.

Moving on to... 

Urban Fruit Smashing Strawberry

Hands down this isn't the most visually appealing of the 3, I mean little dark bits of fruit you can barely tell them as strawberries at first glance. But I promise that they do taste really good.

Calories - 102 per pack
Sat fat - 0g
Sodium - trace

I have tried a similar brand before and actually I really love these starwberries, if you have a bit of a sweet tooth and find yourself reaching for little gummy sweets or Haribo I personally think these are a great replacement. They are sweet but they're also chewy like a gummy sweet, so they're actually really nice. These I could eat all in one go, I also love the fact there is no saturated fat what so ever. 

And finally...

Popchips Sour Cream and Onion

These have been around for quite some time now, I always see them, even Starbucks sells them, however I have never actually tried them until now. There are a lot of health crisps on the market and I never really know which one differentiates from the other.

Calories - 95 per pack
Sat fat - 0.5g
Sodium 0.21g

These are exactly like crisps, you prefer savory things to sweet then there are the ones for you. They fulfill that crunchy crisps craving that you often get when you're trying to be good. These are probably the strongest flavour of all three, the scent as soon as you open the packet is strong, if you don't like sour cream and onion you're going to hate these. I love this flavour of crisps but even this was almost too much for me (almost)

So there we have a selection of healthy snacks. 

What healthy snacks do you recommend?

Month One - Fitness | Lifestyle

Ah so it's  that dreaded post where I explain how good or bad I've been since I started my new fitness regime. One thing I will say is that I am not going to disclose how much I have lost because I don't feel that would motive me any further, this is a long term fitness goal not a quick weight loss fad. However, I am thinking that once I reach my goal weight I will say how much I weigh or how much I have lost. 

So I am going to focus this post more around the challenges I've faced and how I have got around them. I'll be honest, I didn't really have any pictures to go with this post but the one below was actually taken on one of my runs last year, so it kinda fits in. 

An image to represent the journey - of course! 

Events
Working in Marketing there is always little event to attend and these always include wine and food. I'm trying to eat as clean as possible and to be honest it's going quite well however when these events come up, it's hard to turn all the food and alcohol down. I did let my hair down one evening though, our company has an annual event which had a lot of wine and a 3 course meal. However then next evening I made sure I got my butt down to the gym and worked hard. 

Sometimes you just have to accept that everyone once in a while it's OK to over indulge. 

Holidays/Working abroad
Oh now this was incredibly hard, I had literally just started my new gym routine I was doing really well but then I went to New York for 10 days. Don't get me wrong it was amazing and I'd definitely do it again but it slowed my progress down a little bit, obviously in that time I didn't exercise (apart from walking) and ate pretty bad, not over doing it but not healthy. 

The way I looked at it was that, I'm not going to be in New York for long so I am just going to enjoy myself and do/eat whatever I fancy.

Food
Actually I found food a lot easier to get into this time around (excluding my holiday) because I'm not doing a diet. I'm not following any books or fads I'm just eating clean and actually, I'm eating quite a lot. By  "clean" I mean eating little to no processed food, only having complex carbs, no white breads or pastas, making my own sauces using tomatoes and spices, lean protein and lots of fiber. 

Also, I've found that not talking about what I am eating is helping me stay focused. I've not snacked or anything but the thing is I've not even wanted to because I am so focused on where I want to be I'll only be letting myself down if I do snack. 

Establishing a routine
I have literally thrown myself into the gym again, I thought there's no point in starting off slow, if I want to see changes in myself then I have to work bloody hard. I am loving going to the gym again. It wakes me up, it makes me feel good and I have been going twice daily though of course I have days where I don't go or I only go once.  I always make sure I do my weight workout in the morning as it is quietest and then I follow up with classes and/or cardio in the evening, I find this works for me.  

Some people have said they are quite impressed with how I have thrown myself into the gym, but I have got to a stage where I am so unhappy that I have no other choice than to change.

So there we have my One Month update, I've feeling just and positive and as motivated as when I first started, if not more!

How's your new healthy lifestyle going?

Nike Trainers | Lifestyle

With all the January sales the only thing I actually bought was some new Nike running trainers. All the make up, all the beauty products but no, the only thing I actually needed was some new trainers and this year I must be good with my money. 

Yeah they are pretty bright aren't they?

I absolutely love Nike, I genuinely think they do the best running trainers. For years I have only bought Nike, however normally I go for the more muted grey tones as opposed to this in your face bright orange/coral. To be honest, I'm not quite sure why I went for this bright colour I just liked it and thought why not? 

I'm finally sorting out my fitness regime which you may have seen my previous Fitness post so I thought that a new pair of trainers is something I'll actually need. My old Nike ones served me well but it was time for a change. The thing I really love about these trainers is that they are incredibly lightweight, there is nothing worse than going for a run with weighty trainers. 

When I went for my first run on the treadmill in them I really noticed a difference because the support my feet perfectly, you always know when you have a good pair of trainers because you feel the difference, it actually almost makes running easier - almost!

What's your favourite brand for running trainers?

Fitness | Lifestyle

Today I'm going to share with you my fitness plan for this year, but none of this "new year, new me" crap, no! I just need to get my butt into gear. 

I know there is a lot of Nike stuff here but it's just my favourite brand for gym wear. 

I'll give you a bit of back ground, I used to be incredibly fit about 2-3 years ago I was a regular gym member and went 2 times a day 5-6 times a week, I loved it. However when I started working in London I found it very hard to keep up with attending the gym and found that memberships in London were more expensive than what I was currently paying so I didn't want to swap my gym. So obviously the less I went to the gym the fatter I got and I became actually quite unfit and I cancelled my membership, it was just embarrassing to turn up at the gym in the state I am in quite frankly. 

Don't get me wrong I have on numerous occasions tried to increase my fitness even last year I was running regularly but I just found it very hard to keep up with, because once the dark nights started drawing in or it was raining I just didn't want to go back outside.  This year I've decided I would join the gym again and you know what, I didn't realise how much I had actually missed it. As soon as I walked into my local Virgin Active gym, I smelled the chlorine of the pool and felt the warmth of the heaters and oh my god, I missed all of it, I felt so happy to be there again. 

Knowing that I can be incredibly committed, I have to literally throw myself back into it again, which means getting to the gym at 6AM to get a morning work out and on my way back home getting into the gym about 7:30PM to get my evening work out. I need to go twice a day for a while just to develop my routine and to fully get back into the swing of things. Of course I will be changing my diet along with this but that will all fall into place once I have my gym routine. I will be focusing my workouts so that I do my weights in the morning when it is quietest and do cardio after work.

I'm not going to be shouting about it with my pals or work colleague because I always find that the more you talk about it the harder it is to commit, if I just keep my head down and focus on what I want to do then I will do it. Once you start telling everyone, people want to talk and want to give you advice and some are actually waiting for you to fail. So I'll keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully by the end of this year I'll be happier with my physique. I'm not looking for a quick short term fix, I don't care if it takes me all year to feel good as long as everyday I'm getting one step closer that's all that matters. 

 What are your health/fitness plans this year? 

Summer Fitness | #summerbloggerchallenge

This week's theme is Summer Fitness which I will admit is a bloody easy topic for me right now. 

I've had a bit of drama lately regarding my weight, so I've been on this massive push to get fit, lose weight and look fab. 

Obviously I'm eating a lot less and it's definitely working but I'm also getting more physical. 

So me and my friend, Nikki, have decided to go for runs two or three times a week. But after the run we actually do squats, lunges, burpies, press ups and ab work. We are really pushing ourselves and it's actually paying off. 

The leg workout I'm loving at the moment has to be jumping squats and walking lunges. They pretty much are what they say the are but jumping lunges are fab! You start off in a squat position and literally jump in the air and squat back down again, continue to do that as many times as possible. 

You really work a range of muscles doing this which is why I love it so much. 

What I've realised is it really is about technique. When me and Nikki first started we just wanted to rush through our sets but that meant the technique was lost. Recently we've really focused on making sure we are doing it properly and now we can feel the benefits straight away. 

In addition to this, I've also started walking to and from Liverpool street station to my office, which is a 25 min walk each way when walking at a quick pace. It's just these small differences what make the biggest changes. 

My body is starting to feel slimmer, my thighs aren't as big, my collar bones are coming back, my belly isn't bloated. I feel better. 

Also I've started using a new # for when I'm posting health/fitness related tweets. #healthyselves was actually created by Beth (www.beautyinbeta.co.uk) to support everyone who is trying to live more healthily both mentally and physically, so if you follow me on twitter and Instagram be sure to look out for my #healthyselves hashtag. 

*smile!!! I'm just walking here, obvs not running*

I'm a lot happier since I've started being healthier.  I know massive changes aren't going to happen over night but I know in the end it's going to be worth it. This isn't just for the summer neither, I want to make sure that I continue to keep a healthy mind and body forever. 

What are your fitness plans this summer?! 

My meals today | #healthyselves

Weight and health is very topical for me right now. 

During the week I am strict with what I'm eating, no snacking and I'm focused to change the way I think about food. But my biggest problem comes at the weekend. The house is full of sweet and crisps and all things bad, so I find myself snacking a lot. 

Today I was determined not to binge and undo all of my hard work so I thought by taking pictures of what I'm eating it'll keep me focused because I know I've added it to my blog. 

I kept my food as close to how I eat at work, I have at least two apples a day. Not one after the other I'll have one and then I'll have another a few hours after. I just like apples, the greener the better... 

I had cereal for lunch with skimmed milk always skimmed milk, which is much better than a sandwich. I really struggle with carbs, I am such a carb monster but I know that I can't eat a sandwich everyday like I used to. That's two slices of bread a day and over a week that 14 slices which is nearly an entire loaf. 

I can't cut everything out otherwise it will mean that I'll binge on stuff if I deprive myself of it. So I'm doing smarter snacking, so if I want some crisps I can, but I'll have Quavers, I bloody love Quavers. If I need something sweet, weight watchers do these pretty tasty biscuits that are low calories and two is enough. 

Finally for dinner I had steak and peas. Something very simple but good, it gives my body some protein and fills me up today I didn't have an potatoes with it because I didn't feel like cooking them to be honest. This was a pretty large steak and had a little more fat on it that I would like but I just cut that off. 

If I do get a bit hungry or I fancy something sweet then I will let myself have this Options hot chocolate it bloody lovely think of melted praline in a cup (lush!) and very low calories. 

This is such a boring post I know, but it helped me to stay focused which was the main point. I'm not on a diet and I'm not counting calories, I'm just eating better cutting out things I don't actually need. I just want to be healthy. If I really wanted chocolate I will have some, if I go out for a meal, sure I'll have dessert but it's about making sensible choices and knowing that today if I have a treat I just have to be focused again tomorrow. I also drink a crazy amount of water so that I don't dehydrate. 

I am exercising as well but I'll follow up in another post.

What did you eat today?