Chocolate Brownie Roulade...

This is just incredible.... Think of the most delicious fudgy brownie you've ever eaten, now smother it in vanilla cream with fresh berries... This Chocolate Brownie Roulade is BETTER than that!!!

That's an ambitious claim I know... BUT I'm really confident about this one. This isn't a "it's nice...for a healthified cake".... it's just plain delicious, no ifs, buts or maybes.... It's amazing!

Ok so obviously it's not 100% refined sugar free like most of my recipes because of the addition of dark chocolate... but hey, dark chocolate is good for you and like I'm always saying, these treat recipes are just that... they're a treat!! Rest assured this cake is 1000 times better for you than a store bought alternative since it's packed with only the best natural ingredients...

For the roulade: 

• 150g dark chocolate (minimum 81% cocoa solids)
• 6 eggs, separated
• 3 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 60g ground almonds
• 2 tsp GF baking powder

Preheat oven to 160d (fan). Line a Swiss Roll tin with baking parchment. 

Start by melting the chocolate over a low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks with vanilla & honey until doubled in volume.

Fold in cocoa, ground almonds, baking powder and dark chocolate gently.

Whisk egg whites until they form stiff, opaque peaks.

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture gradually. Adding it in 3 parts makes it much easier to combine without knocking out all the air.

Pour the mixture into prepared tin and bake for 18 minutes (it took exactly 18 minutes in my oven, but since oven temps vary significantly, keep an eye on the cake to prevent burning).

You'll know it's baked when it's firm to touch and risen. Set aside to cool on baking parchment.

For the filling: 

• 250ml cream (you can sub half cream cheese & Greek yoghurt if you prefer, or coconut cream if you're dairy free)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g mixed summer berries

Whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks. 

Fold in vanilla & berries. 

To assemble: 

Once the cake is cooled, cover generously with the filling.

To roll, use the parchment paper to lift the cake (from the long side) and allow it to roll naturally. Just keep lifting the cake and letting it fall away from the parchment and it will form a natural roulade shape.

Don't worry if it cracks a little... You can cover it with a generous drizzle of melted chocolate or a light dusting of cocoa powder & some fresh berries.

Looks awesome right?!

Caramel Slice

I posted a photo of these healthy Twix bars on the Facebook page & took them to a training & nutrition seminar on Saturday.... I was pretty thrilled with the feedback. I love showing people that even if you want a snack (lets face it, we all do at some stage), you don't need to go for the really unhealthy choice...

Shortbread base:

• 275g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 1 large egg yolk
• 140g almond flour
• 40g coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 170d (fan).

Start by beating the butter, honey, vanilla & egg yolk together until everything is combined with no lumps remaining.

Next add the dry ingredient & stir well until you have a stiff dough. It will still be quite sticky, but should be firm.

Press into an 8x8' square tin lined with grease proof paper & bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

If you find it's browning too quickly, just place a sheet of tin foil over the tin to prevent it from burning. It's ready when it's golden brown and firm.

As the base is cooling, you can get started on the caramel filling...

Filling:

• 10 figs softened in boiling water for 10 minutes (you can use dates here too... I used figs because of their lower sugar content & cos I already had some!) 
• 50g pecan nuts
• 1/2 can of coconut milk (refrigerated overnight... just scoop the thick cream from the top half of the can. Keep the coconut water to add to a smoothie) 
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted 

Ok listen up! 

Do not, I repeat do not add all these ingredients to the food processor at once... I always forget this, and end up covered in coconut milk! Just believe me alright! 

Start by adding the figs & pecans. Pulse until you have a thick paste. Scrape down the sides if you need to. 

Next add the liquid ingredients GRADUALLY. Yes, I'm shouting at you... cos you think I'm exaggerating here... I'm not! Just do as you're told... And yes, I know in the photo, I threw everything in at once.. this is the reason my kitchen wall needs to be painted now! Do as I say, and not as I do etc etc....

Once all the liquid is incorporated, you should have a thick caramel.

Spread over the cooled shortbread base. 

Chocolate topping: 

Next... whip up a batch of this homemade Paleo friendly chocolate, or I guess you could use super dark chocolate if you want... but make sure it's 85% cocoa solids at least... none of that milk chocolate crap! The higher to cocoa content, the lower the sugar content :) 

Cover the caramel with your chocolate. 

Allow to set at room temperature overnight, or for 2/3 hours at least. 

Cut into slices. I got 24 bars from this recipe. 

My (formerly) Secret Addiction....

One thing that has kept me on track when it comes to my nutrition has 

been my food diary. Each week I go through the same routine... 

1. I take 5 minutes to write a meal plan for the coming week. 
2. I write a shopping list
3. Go shopping

Sounds basic and you're probably wondering why I bother. 

Planning meals in advance makes shopping easier... I only buy what's on the list, I minimize food waste and I spend less on food in the long run.

Most importantly.. I only buy what's on the list! This is key if you've an issue with portion control. 

Of course there are times I don't make it home for dinner & plans change.... I keep a container with a handful of nuts in the boot of the car for
emergencies! Just a handful mind you... anything more, and if you get
caught out & feel hungry, you're likely to eat 200g of nuts before your body has got the memo that it's been fuelled for another while! Nuts are great... but they're pretty high in calories so keep an eye on your intake. 

Back to the food diary....

I thought about whether or not to post this, but I think it's important that I keep my posts honest so that
people understand the underlying issues behind obesity. 

2011: 

I was at the stage where food had taken over pretty much everything... I was overweight, which made me feel like crap (physically and mentally), I
comfort ate which made me gain more weight, I found the stairs tough going so I became lazier since it was just easier to stay still. When I got to my heaviest, I had stopped going out. I stopped socialising with friends, and just cut them out. Isolating myself was the worst thing I could have done.... I was alone, and I turned to food as a comfort. 

You'll know if you've read the blog, that I'm a real foodie.. .I love cooking
and good food, but it wasn't my love of cooking that caused the weight gain. I never cooked back then. Everything I ate was processed, pre-packed and full of unpronounceable ingredients. 

Let's face it, I didn't gain all that weight from just having an extra biscuit
here and there. I ate an unbelievable amount of food...all I thought about was food, and I would eat and eat until I felt nauseous, and then I'd eat again. 

This is a sample of what a pretty average day looked like for me back then... And no, I'm not exaggerating! 

BREAKFAST: 

Bucket sized bowl of Cheerios & slice of toast before leaving for work.

Toasted sandwich with sausages, bacon, egg & mayo at my desk once I
arrived in work.

Bottle of processed orange juice

10.30

Muffin/Scone 

Bottle of Lucozade

LUNCH

O'Brien's Triple Decker Sandwich with chicken, bacon, mayo & cheese

Bag of crisps 

Bar of chocolate

Bottle of Lucozade

15:00

Chocolate or muffin/pastry

Bottle of Lucozade

17:00 (On way home from work)

Jellies/Chocolate 

Bottle of Lucozade

DINNER

Pasta with processed sauce & cheese

Lucozade

EVENING SNACKS!

Biscuits or cake... not just one either, we're talking about a whole pack of
biscuits or whole pre-packed cake

Toast.... I can't even guess at how many slices of toast I'd eat... 'a lot' would be a fair guess! 

Sometimes I'd pop out to McDonalds Drive Through and honestly order 2
large meals, an extra burger, chicken nuggets, and ice cream or apple pie (Ok ok who am I kidding, I got the ice cream AND apple pie). If it wasn't
McDonalds, it was ordering Indian, or Dominos... wow those meal deals... A large
pizza, wedges, garlic bread, ice cream and 2 litres of coke for 15euro...and yeah, I'd eat it all over the course of the night. 

Obviously I'd have more Lucozade to wash it down!

So emmmm that was embarrassing and a little uncomfortable to see written down! 

Moving on... It wasn't as simple as overeating here and there for me... I had a serious problem with food. I ate at every opportunity, and was slowly
killing myself in the process. 

How I felt then:

· no energy

· low confidence

· zero self respect

· breathless with slight exertion

· sweaty all the time

· moody 

· dodgy digestion

· Joint pain at ankles, knees and hips

· depressed 

I felt like shit. 

2012

Roll on to 2012, and I'd started working towards a healthier lifestyle. My
main focus was on weight loss, since I blamed everything from my illness to my depression on my weight.

I had lost a significant amount of weight at this stage, but my progress had stalled... my next step was to further restrict calories and spend more time
in the gym.... 

9am - 12

No food

Spinning 

Body toning class/circuits

15km on bike

Free weights

I'd go back home...to bed since I was wrecked from not eating anything and going to the gym...Most afternoons I'd hospital appointments to drag myself
to.

5-7pm

No food.

Spinning

Free weights

Home again, to a massive bowl of fruit to deal with the double vision I'd
usually have during round 2 in the gym. 

Back to bed. 

How I felt then:

· tired 

· moody 

· obsessive

· hungry

· weak

· dry skin

· depressed

· drained

I felt like shit. 

Late 2012/2013

I realised I had to stop acting like an idiot (and to be fair, I was kinda hungry). Aside from anything, I'd stopped losing weight... so clearly hunger strike wasn't the correct approach. Now I just eat lots of real food... Lots of people are going to think my eating habits are still strange cos I don't eat cereals
for breakfast or pasta for dinner. 

BREAKFAST:

3 egg omelette with bacon, mushroom & raw goats cheese

Spinach, tomato & pepper salad
Nuts

SNACK:

Chicken salad with diced kale, brocolli, carrot, sun dried tomato & cottage cheese

LUNCH

Meat/fish with kale/spinach salad 

Handful of berries

SNACK:

Chicken or fish 

Nuts

DINNER

Steak,onions, mushrooms, brocolli & asparagus

POST TRAINING

Protein shake/chicken breast 

Between 5-8 litres of water/day.

How I feel now:

· buckets of energy that is constant rather than slumping in the
afternoon

· great mood (still can be a cranky cow though!)

· sleep patterns improved

· digestive issues cleared up

· skin problems were resolved

· my eyes are clear and don't look bloodshot any more

· black rings are gone

· depression is 1000% times better 

· health is pretty good...considering! 

· lots of confidence

· happy & chilled 

· teeth are really white (I can't explain that one... but has to be
something to do with a lack of artificial colourings)

· AND... my hair is starting to regrow!! SURPRISE for anyone who I hadn't told! 

This is just a sample of what I eat... some days snacks will be salads, Greek yogurt, raw cheese, nut butters etc. The point I'm trying to convey is that I
eat a lot! It's all real, unprocessed food which will serve to maintain my health and provide me with energy to train, as well as the ability to recovery between sessions. 

I eat to fuel my body, and give myself the best chance I can of maintaining my health... for me, grains and processed foods just aren't worth giving up my health for... 

I still go to the gym an awful lot... it's hard to make yourself believe that training less provides more benefits to your body... but I'm getting there. I do lots of other things with my spare time, and try not to
micromanage my training and nutrition too much. I love training, and I still love
food but I've become a lot better at silencing that slightly OCD voice that sometimes pushes me a little too far... 

Guys my reason for this post is to help you realise, whether you're a trainer or professional working with overweight clients, or you just know someone struggling, that sometimes it's not as simple as just stopping eating... I was properly addicted to food, and like any addiction you need support, empathy and understanding to kick it. 

Don't suggest a cheat meal of a chocolate bar for someone working on
getting over a food addiction... would you give a recovering cocaine addict just one line at the weekend?... My poor diet screwed everything up, but now... eating real food has improved everything!

Whole 30 challenge

One of the things that people never seem to believe is that I don't crave chocolate, or bread or pizza... I honestly don't. It turns out that when you fuel your body with real foods, and ensure you're not lacking in nutrients then your body doesn't want sugar or wheat any more.

If you're thinking of cleaning up your diet, I can't recommend Paleo/Primal enough. Take the Whole 30 challenge. Be strict.. challenge yourself to eat only real food (fish, meat, eggs, fruit, vegetables and nuts) for 30 days and you'll be shocked at how healthy you feel. You should expect to see an improvement in your energy levels, mood and sleep patterns... you will most likely lose weight too! 

One of my favourite things about the Whole 30 challenge is that it's not like the 'miracle' diets out there. It doesn't promise you'll drop 20lb in 30 days, or that you'll lose 10% body fat in a week... what it will do is change your tastes, adjust your habits and cravings. 

An argument I come up against all the time is that Paleo/Primal lifestyles are too expensive. My response is always going to be the same...Food is how you fuel your body and maintain your health, how can you put a price on that? As a follow up (not being a judgemental cow here by the way)... how much did you spend on alcohol over the week? You're willing to spend €50 on drinks at the weekend which only serve to damage your health, so why not readjust your priorities and spend that cash on decent food? 

I can't deny it's more expensive to choose real food over processed food on special offer in the supermarket... I guess you've just got to make a choice.. 

Ideally we'd all eat grass fed meat, nitrite free bacon and organic vegetables... but we're all busy, we can't be perfect all the time.. and yes, all that organic food is expensive. Don't give up on eating clean just because you can't be perfect 100% of the time. You can buy meat and vegetables in the supermarket.. it doesn't even have to be Superquinn... ALDI/LIDL are fine. My point is, you don't have to go to a farmers market (let's be honest, they are more expensive).. you can eat good food on a budget. Regardless of where you're buying your meat and vegetables, it's always going to be 100 times better than the alternative frozen ready meal.....

Dairy free pesto

As much as I try not to over-think my nutrition (it's easy to obsess), I'm always mindful of little things that may be hindering my progress, or potentially damaging my health. Store bought condiments can contain all sorts of ingredients we wouldn't expect to find in them, and since I do my best to avoid sugar and artificial preservatives, I usually make my own... just to be sure... (this isn't obsessing alright??!!)

I've said before that I've nothing really against dairy, but I don't make a habit of including it in my diet simply because I feel better without it. I don't think pesto lacks flavour by omitting it, so I always go dairy free. I've raved about the benefits of spinach before, so won't bore you again!

I use walnuts instead of pine nuts since they have so many excellent health benefits. They're a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, making them a brilliant anti inflammatory food. If you have any sort of autoimmune disorder like eczema, psoriasis, arthritis or multiple sclerosis, you should be including walnuts in your diet....even if you don't, include them anyway because they're great for heart, hair and skin health :)  

You could use a mortar and pestle for this, but honestly a food processor is the way to go here. 

• 100g baby leaf spinach
• 4 garlic cloves
• 75g walnuts
• 1 tsp almond butter
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• pinch of sea salt
• 75ml walnut oil 

Add all ingredients except walnut oil to food processor and blitz until well combined. 

Drizzle walnut oil in slowly with the processor still running. Don't add all the oil in one go, or it won't mix evenly and you'll be left with a green oily mess. Be patient and just add a little at a time. 

Once you have added all the oil, your pesto is ready to use. 

If you don't use a lot of pesto in cooking, you can freeze it in an ice cube tray and just pop out a cube whenever you need some fresh pesto. It will taste far superior to store bought pesto, and only takes 5 minutes to prepare. 

In general, it's not the little things like condiments that are wrecking our progress, but still it's good to know exactly what you're eating so I do like to make it myself. 

Out of curiosity, and pure nerdiness (that is totally a word!) I took a look at the ingredient list for Sacla Classic Basil Pesto which seems to be stocked in most supermarkets.  And we have...glucose, 'flavourings'... what sort of flavourings? Not sure I want to be eating unidentified 'flavourings' to be honest... oh and we have potato flakes...that's not one I'd have guessed was in there. My point is, we can go to all the effort of omitting dairy, wheat or sugar etc from our diets, but they can creep in where we least expect it. It's not the end of the world, and no it's not likely to kill you... but if you're concerned about where your food comes from, you might want to think again before buying condiments. 

Hake with vegetable noodles...

I'm a bit weird when it comes to fish... I don't like the bones, feel or smell of it! Strange that I happen to actually love eating it..

I had never tasted hake before this, and probably never would have if it weren't for the very friendly guy in the fishmongers who decided to give me a piece to try. I can't take credit for this recipe... it was his suggestion (except for the veggie noodles... blame me for those). You can also blame me for the unimaginative naming of the dish... thankfully I don't work in marketing!

For the hake:

• Hake fillet (or white fish of your choice)
• 3 tbsp organic coconut milk
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• sea salt
• dried chilli flakes
• cherry tomatoes

Place fish skin side down on a large piece of tin foil.
In a small bowl, mix coconut milk with garlic, ginger, chilli and lime.
Pour over fish, and season with sea salt and black pepper.

Place tomatoes alongside fish, and wrap tin foil loosely to lock in the steam and juices as it bakes.
Bake in preheated oven (170d) until fish is just opaque. (15 minutes should be enough, depending on the thickness of fish)

Vegetable noodles:

You can choose whatever vegetables you fancy for this, but I used parsnip, carrot, aubergine and courgette.

Using a wide vegetable peeler if you don't have a slicing attachment for your food processor, slice each vegetable into long noodle-like strips.

Add 1/2 tsp of coconut oil, a pinch of salt, and some more chilli flakes to a wok.
Add your veggie noodles, and cook over a high heat until cooked but still holding their shape. This will only take 3/4 minutes.

Serve your fish on a bed of vegetable noodles, and drizzle some of the baking juices & coconut milk over the top. This dish only takes about 30 minutes and is really inexpensive, so yet again... no excuses :)

Fish and chips in 30 minutes...

Yep.. you can still have fish and chips!

I was never a fan of the traditional grease laden fish and chips from a takeaway, so I can't say it's something I've missed from my diet. A friend was calling round for lunch, and said they fancied fish and chips.....that meant one of two things, they were either going to have to go to a takeaway alone, or be disappointed! I like looking after people... it's probably one of the things I do best. I would hate to disappoint, so I set out to make grown up fish and chips for our lunch...Believe me, they weren't disappointed and this will definitely be added to my growing repertoire of favourite dishes..

I love meals that are quick and simple to make...they're vital tools in an argument with someone who says that they just don't have the time to cook healthy food. Cook this once for a friend who is 'too busy' too cook, or for fussy children who only ask for processed fish fingers and chips for dinner, and they'll never go back to the freezer aisle for fish fingers!

Fish bites: 

• salmon darnes (or any fish of your choice)
• almond flour (or ground almonds from the baking aisle)
• dessicated coconut
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• pinch of sea salt
• coconut oil

Start by cutting fish into bite size pieces. 

Place a few tablespoons of almond flour and dessicated coconut on a plate with 1 teaspoon of lime zest & sea salt and toss together. 

Start by rolling each piece of fish in the almond flour mix, coating lightly. 

Next dip in lime juice (you want a thick coating on eat bite, so the juice will help it stick & add flavour...you can use lemon, egg or coconut milk for this step depending on what type of flavour you want)

Roll each piece of fish in the almond flour mixture again until well coated. 

Place on baking tray, and drizzle with a little melted coconut oil.

Sweet potato chips: 

• sweet potato (you can peel it if you prefer, but I like the crispy texture the skin gives the chips)
• chilli flakes
• sea salt 
• coconut oil

Slice sweet potato into chips. 

Drizzle with melted coconut oil and sprinkle with chilli and sea salt. 

Place on baking tray with the salmon bites as they'll take about the same length of time to cook. (If you've made thick chips, place these in the oven 10 minutes before the fish bites to avoid overcooking the fish) 

Place in preheated oven (170d) and bake until fish and chips are golden and crispy (15-20 minutes)

Serve with peas and some homemade chilli & lime dipping sauce. (Just mix tomato paste, lime juice, chilli flakes, crushed garlic and sea salt together... this is very much down to personal taste so add a little of each at a time until you like the flavour)

This was a really delicious lunch, and it took only 30 mins between preparation and cooking time...I'm pretty sure it would take longer to cook frozen fish and chips, or go to the takeaway! Besides, if you can't find the time in your day to may sure you're eating food to maintain your health, then you really need to look at your priorities... 

Gooey raspberry brownies

I'm slightly addicted to the Great British Bake Off, and now that there's an Irish Bake Off too... I've got baking on the brain. I even rescheduled my training session in the gym to make sure I'm home in time to watch it... that's dedication! In fairness, that's dedication to both training and cake... I don't like to neglect the important things in life :)

I had an hour to kill this afternoon, and decided to bake brownies...a girl can never have too many brownie recipes after all... In my book, brownies are supposed to be fudgey rather than cakey, and have slightly chewy edge (that's why you always, always go for a brownie cut from the corner of the tin..they're the best!) These brownies are all that, and more... they're rich, chocolatey and best of all, they're grain, dairy and refined sugar free.. 

Brownies:

• 4 eggs
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 tbsp coconut flour (you can replace this with 1 1/2 tbsp almond flour)
• 75g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp almond flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• 50g walnuts, chopped coarsely
• 50g fresh raspberries

Raspberry jam: 

• 50g fresh raspberries
• 1 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce

Preheat oven to 160d. Line an 8x8" square cake tin with greaseproof paper. 

Start by making raspberry jam. Simple add raspberries and apple sauce to a saucepan and cook until you have thick raspberry purée. Set aside to cool. 

Whisk liquid brownie ingredients in a large bowl. 

Add in dry ingredients, mix well. 

Next add walnuts and raspberries.

Stir until combined. 

Pour brownie mixture into lined tin. 

Finally drizzle raspberry 'jam' over the brownies and swirl into the mixture with a skewer. 

Bake in preheated oven until just set (approx 15 minutes). Since ovens vary, I suggest you keep an eye on them to make sure they don't over-bake. 

You'll get 12 brownies from this recipe, and since they freeze well, you have no excuse for eating them all!!

My fitness revolution....

An awful lot of people have read my post 'Bigger isn't always better', and the main question I need to address is, "How did you lose all that weight???"

I warned you before, I don't have all the answers, or a quick fix to help you drop a dress size in ten minutes... but I do have a really simple formula that I promise will work... 

EAT LESS + MOVE MORE = DROP BODY FAT + LOOK GREAT + FEEL FABULOUS 

Simple right? So why did I never do it before? Why are you not doing it right now?

Motivation

I didn't/ you don't want it badly enough...When I decided, I was going to do it; I never looked back. For me, it was the realisation that life is really short, and that my weight was not only damaging my enjoyment of life, it could actually be the cause of a far shorter life than I wanted for myself. 

Like most people, I started out losing weight by cutting out the obvious things...chocolate, pizza, crisps etc, and by doing the obvious exercise... walking aimlessly on a treadmill. It worked. I lost weight. 

Initially the weight loss was pretty effortless, all I needed to do was not eat crap. Simple. My body was so conditioned to eating all the wrong foods, that once I started eating 'healthy'* food, the scales started to drop immediately. I became an avid gym goer for two main reasons. Firstly, I wanted to see results faster, and secondly, I had to get away from being sick; I needed something to distract me... to help boost my mood and energy levels, to get my out of the house, and most importantly, to help me feel like I was taking positive steps towards restoring my health. 

After a year or so, I had lost over 9 stone...fantastic right? You'd think I'd have been thrilled... to a point, I was. But..I wanted more...I still had weight to lose, I still had my eye on a particular dress size, I still didn't feel happy with myself. 

Lack of progress

I hit a wall. The scales stopped moving...this was going to be a real issue for me. It was the weekly movement of the scales that had kept me motivated so far. I was still eating 'healthy'* food, and going to the gym... what had gone wrong? 

'Healthy' crap food

You might be wondering why I've been referring to 'healthy'* food... Well, it turns out that I was actually still eating crap food, the only difference was that the fancy packaging and marketing campaigns were telling me that it was 'healthy'! Like a lot of people, I never really considered that Special K isn't actually healthy, or that Weight Watchers bread wasn't good for you, or that low fat yogurts weren't the better option. 

Educate yourself

I spent a lot of time on the internet looking into why my weight loss had stalled...it turned out that whilst I was eating a low fat diet, I was consuming an awful lot of sugar without even realising it. Like a lot of people, I had always thought that a low fat diet was the way to go for weight loss. Consider this...food producers remove the fat but what do you think they replace it with? Short answer... sugar. Check out this video, read this book, visit this website and you'll most likely change your opinion of how clean your diet is. 

Real food

I decided that unprocessed, whole foods were the way to go. For some reason, it just suddenly made sense to me. If I was going to heal my body, and fuel it with food... why not make it the best food I could. Now my diet is fresh meat, vegetables, fruit and nuts. That sounds restrictive, but it's really not. I'll show you that if you promise to stick around and keep reading for a while longer... 

The most difficult thing to get your head around is that you're basically going against everything that you've been told about nutrition in the past... basically fat is the devil, you'll have no energy without bread and potatoes etc etc. I promise you.. take a look at both Paleo and Primal and you'll see that eating real food is how you'll see real results. I jump between Paleo and Primal... it doesn't really matter, my focus is on eating good food that will not harm my health. 

Starvation diet...

So my diet was clean... I still wasn't losing weight.. This was driving me to despair. Weight loss is meant to be as simple as consuming less calories than you're burning, and therefore arriving at a calorie deficit. Wrong again...I wasn't eating enough, and my body was hanging onto the fat. How the hell did that happen?! 

I had become so frustrated with what I perceived to be a lack of progress (lack of weight loss), that I reduced my food intake to ridiculously low levels, and increased my gym activity. When I started to eat real food, I was so used to eating very little, that I worried any increase in calorie consumption would cause weight gain. 

Lifestyle overhaul part 2..

I had focussed on cardio training for the first year, and had seen great results which as I mentioned had stalled. A lot of the Paleo/Primal sites I frequented recommended strength training...I wasn't convinced... 

• 'lifting weights is boring'
•  'you need cardio exercise to be fit'
•  'lifting weights makes girls get big and muscular'
•  'I've no idea how to lift weights'

All of these concerns were popping into my head, but I knew that training hard, eating little and seeing no results wasn't sustainable. It was likely that I'd return to former bad habits, and I really didn't want that. 

My fitness revolution...

I booked a few sessions with a personal trainer, but didn't feel like he had much interest or passion in his job, so I didn't feel motivated by him at all. It was then I decided I was going to do it right... I had developed a taste for lifting weights, and I wanted to push it further. I got in contact with James Hanley of Revolution Fitness and straight away knew that I'd found a trainer who could help me get results. You'll find lots of into about James on his Facebook page (link above) and website. I'm not here to sell RevFit, or James to you, I'm trying to show you that sometimes it takes a a few tries to reach our goals, but with the right people around you, you will get there. I've found a gym that I love training in, with members who genuinely care about health and fitness rather than quick fixes, and a trainer who left a desk job to help people achieve their goals. 

RevFit isn't a commercial gym who don't care if you show up after your membership fee is paid. Honestly, I think it's got something special...trainers who are accountable for your results, and members who push each other through every training session.

The best description I've heard so far is ripped straight from a RevFit email which quoted Gar as saying "People ask me about how we train. So I tell them we lift really heavy things, then we lift not so heavy things, then we lift ourselves (usually really fast)".

I eat lots, train hard a few times a week and am shocked by the results I've seen. Sometimes it takes a while for it to make sense, but once you find the right balance between nutrition and training, you'll never look back.

I can't give RevFit all the credit for my results. James is a reasonable guy, so he wouldn't expect me to. I've had to work seriously hard, throw myself into every session and commit to good nutrition. BUT... and this is really important, James has shown me how to train properly, effectively and safely. I'm really strong these days, but what's more important than the numbers, is that I don't injure myself. I need James to slow me down sometimes, and remind me that good form and technique is non negotiable. For me, this is one of the key things to look for in a trainer.... someone who looks out for you, and stops you being an idiot and destroying yourself.

Finding RevFit was a game changer for me. I've learned, and continue to learn so much from the trainers and members, that I couldn't see myself training anywhere else.

What I've learned about nutrition and training...

• You need to eat to lose weight.When I finally listened, and started eating a decent amount of real food, I started to see progress again.
• Healthy food doesn't come in a brightly packaged box, or have a marketing slogan behind it.
• If your nutrition isn't right, all the training in the world won't get you your desired results.You can't out-train a bad diet. 
• Food is your body's fuel. You wouldn't put crap petrol in your car now would you? 
• Commit to your training... make it part of your routine. Don't loiter in the gym... 45 minutes of pushing yourself, and get out. Go have a life... 
• Overtraining will destroy your body. I was putting in ridiculous hours in the gym and seeing no benefits, just constant fatigue. 
• Lifting weights does not make you big and bulky, it makes you strong, and with physical strength comes mental strength. 
• Experiment with your food.. if you enjoy it, you're less likely to want to eat crap. 
• Enjoy training. Find something you like doing. Find a trainer who understands your goals and will help you get there. Be honest with them about your hang ups, bad habits and make them earn their money by helping you.. 
• Sleep. You need sleep allow your body to recover. 

Shifting the goal posts... 

I'm constantly adding to my 'to-do' list. My goals and constantly changing, and as I achieve one, I add another. 

When I started losing weight, my goal was to be 'skinny'. That's what was important. Things change... I've no desire be 'skinny'... and that's not an excuse for me not being at my goal weight yet (cos I'll get there) that's me saying, that once I'm healthy, fit and strong, I honestly don't care what number is on the scales or a dress.

Don't forget...

EAT LESS + MOVE MORE = DROP BODY FAT + LOOK GREAT + FEEL FABULOUS