LighterLife Fast - Losing weight over Christmas and the New Year

I've already spoken about my first month trying out LighterLife Fast on the blog but this post is going to focus on following the plan over Christmas and into the new year. I normally have a lot of anxiety around Christmas, worrying about putting weight on and trying to limit the damage or feeling guilty about what I eat. By following the LighterLife plan this year I didn't have any of those worries

I tend to put on around 5-7lbs over the festive period with all those parties and family meals, drinking Baileys like it's going out of fashion and not being able to go to the gym. This year I managed to maintain my weight over Christmas thanks to the products below. No miracle needed.

I'm sure you have all heard of the 5:2 diet, also known as the Fast diet – but just in case you haven't here is a quick overview. The idea behind the diet is that you eat normally 5 days a week and then fast the remaining two. On the fast days you quarter your calorie intake, it is advised that you eat 600 calories and get your RDA of key vitamins and minerals along with fibre and protein. The two fast days should not be taken consecutively.

I consumed just 600 calories 2 days a week by eating from the LighterLife Fast range which is available at Superdrug but ate what I liked for the other days. I didn't have to say no to anything, and didn't feel guilty after my third After Eight. I wouldn't say this is an attitude you should take all year round, you do need to eat moderately on your non 5:2 days but the easing of the festive food guilt was a great relief for me. I had to chose my 5:2 days wisely and plan ahead, I normally did them on a Monday when I was in work all day and had yoga in the evening so I was busy and not tempted by food. I also chose a Friday which is the day before my weigh in so I would want to stay on track to see the result I wanted at the scales. 

I followed the LighterLife Fast plan in the new year and managed to lose 4lbs in my first week when combining this with some yoga and a session or two at the gym. I'm hoping to lose a little more when I weigh in this week. I'm not sure it's something I could do when I'm away on holiday or on my birthday week but love this plan when I want to lose some weight quickly and with no fuss. As someone who has lost a lot of weight through plans like Weight Watcher's I've found this plan much easier to follow and his given me the results I want.

Have you tried the 5:2 plan or the LighterLife Fast products?

Fitbug Orb review

Fitness trackers are all the rage at the moment, lots of my friends have them and they are a firm favourite amongst fitness bloggers. Fitbug got in contact about reviewing their Fitbug Orb, I was very intrigued to see how it could change my approach to fitness and if it would be easy to fit into my daily life. Fitness trackers range hugely in price from the MovBand at £27.99 (this is a basic one and only measures steps) and they can be over £100 for the more fancy models. The Fitbug Orb comes in at £49.95.

The main benefit that comes from wearing one of these trackers is the motivation it gives you. Tracking your steps each day is a great way to understand how active you are and how you can work on moving more. I found that trying to reach my initial target of 10,000 steps a day was really motivational, I wanted to exceed my target each day and see how many calories I could burn just by taking the stairs and adding a brisk 20 minute walk to my daily activity.

How easy is the set up? 
The Orb is really easy to set up. You register your Orb on the website using the number on the back of the box and then link it to the Fitbug app using bluetooth. If you want to link your Orb to your computer directly you can buy a dongle. There's only one button on the Orb which sends information to the app when you press it, you can't go too wrong with just one button. All super easy.

Wearing my Orb 
The Orb can be worn around your wrist like a watch, clip it on to your clothes or wear it on a lanyard. I wore mine on the clip which I clipped to my bra and it stayed in place all day. When I wanted to track my sleep activity I wore it on my wrist.

Tracking with the Orb
I've used my orb for just over a week and I've not really had any problems. I couldn't get it to track my sleep for the first few days but after reading the FAQ on the website I figured it out. I've tracked my steps and aerobic activity everyday and have been pleasantly surprised. Despite having a job where I sit down for most of the day I get a lot of steps in walking to the bus stop, going to yoga and doing some shelving in the library. I think the step tracking seems pretty accurate, I wore my Orb with a pedometer for one day and got similar readings. I didn't track my calorie intake with the Orb because I follow a mixture of the Weight Watchers and 5:2 diet plan so didn't want to track my food twice but this feature would be really useful for someone trying to monitor there activity and calorie intake.

Overall thoughts on the Orb
I think the Orb is a good price, it's cheaper than some competitors and great if you are new to fitness tracking and want to give it a try without investing too much money. I liked the emails I got, giving my tips each day and giving my new goals to work towards. I also liked that I could wear this under my clothes where nobody could see it. Some trackers that you wear on the wrist really aren't that dainty so I liked that this could be hidden away.
You can't log food or exercise from within the app which might be a negative for some but I just added any non-step activity on the website at the end of my day. There's no need for re-charging with batteries lasting for up to six months, I know you have to charge some other brands by USB which I know I would forget to do some days. 

Studies have shown that in the first four weeks of membership the most inactive Fitbug members increase their daily activity by an average of 265 per cent. Data shows this improvement is maintained over 12 months, indicating that the improvements are long lasting. I think this would be a great little device for someone just starting to get into the world of fitness. It definitely motivates you to get more active. Seeing your stats everyday and seeing if you could beat them is a definite incentive.

 Have you tried the Fitbug Orb or any other fitness trackers?

A Salad for All Seasons with Florette - Roasted Squash with Thyme and Taleggio

I don't know about you but I'm bored of beige food. Winter makes me want to make stews, hearty pies and stodgy food. I'm craving something light, colourful and tasty and without the calories that come with pastry and rich sauces. I tend to think of salads as exclusively summer food but let’s eat more salad! It’s fresh, colourful and healthy fast food. In A Salad for All Seasons, Harry Eastwood shakes things up, introducing us to over 100 delicious, original and easy-to-make salads to see you through the year. 

The Autumn and Winter sections of her book offer warm, hearty, nourishing combinations, such as Roasted Squash with Thyme and Taleggio and Spinach, Lamb and Fig with Orange and Honey Dressing. Roasted Squash with Thyme and Taleggio.  

I love books that encourage me to eat seasonally. The variety of dishes included in this book has inspired me to try and make salad more of an everyday item, and not just an accompaniment. Florette love their salads. Just like we love all fresh, tasty, great-quality food. And what they love most of all is when people tell them how they’ve their salads to create delicious meals of their own, in no time at all. I hope they are happy with what this salad newbie created with one of their fresh bags of mixed leaves. 

335 calories per portion 

3 of your 5 a day

Serves 4

600g mixed squashes, seeds removed (use any squash you like)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 red onions, cut into thin moons
2 tbsp thyme leaves, stripped from stalks
200g Taleggio cheese, cubed
a few handfuls or rocket leaves

For the dressing
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
salt

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ gas mark 6

Cut the squashes into half moons of around 2cm thickness. Toss them in the oil and roast in the top of the oven for 5 minutes. Make sure the squash is spread out so it can roast evenly. 

Turn the oven settings to grill. Remove the tray from the oven and add the onion slices, sprinkle with thyme and place back in the oven. Grill for a further 10 minutes until the squash is blistered and golden. 

Meanwhile make the dressing. Mix the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup in a pan with a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. The syrup will thicken and become glossy. 

When the squash and onions have cooked remove them from the oven and pile onto a serving platter. Season with salt and pepper. Dot the cheese cubes all over and give it  good toss with the rocket. Drizzle the warm glaze on the top. Serve warm. 

You can use Fontina instead of Taleggio and sage instead of thyme. I found it hard to get these cheeses (the shops were full of festive wensledayle and Cranberry) to I used a good Gorgonzola. I also added a squeeze of lemon juice to my salad. You will love this salad, it warming, the dressing is sweet and the cheesy is gooey mmmm.

If you want to create some healthy and tasty salads yourself make sure you check out the Florette website for plenty of salad recipes and tips about flavour combinations and how to use leftovers.

Festive ways to get fit this winter #SimplyhealthHealthyHabits

Eat, drink and be merry! I've definitely been doing all three of those and with party season in full swing there are some surprising ways you can burn excess calories without compromising on fun. Christmas is both busy and a time of indulgence, so it’s especially difficult to stick to healthy habits. There are plenty of fun seasonal activities that could help you keep up your fitness regime this winter and I'm going to list a few to get you inspired to move more this winter.

I recently tried ice skating for the first time since I was a teenager. Ice skating requires constant movement, which makes it a great way to burn hundreds of calories per hour. It's also a fun way to get outdoors in the winter, but indoor ice skating rinks are another way to enjoy this activity all year round.

I was terrified, thought I was going to fall over for the entire session but I gave it my best shot. I think I probably burned loads of nervous energy calories. I know I'm all too guilty of cooking up huge carb filled meals at this time of year, adding some Baileys to my coffee and neglecting my bike when its cold and wet. I really enjoyed getting out of the house, having fun and getting some fresh air.

If you want to find out more about how many calories winter activities can burn head over to Simplyhealth who have made a guide to festive ways to get fit.

Other fantastic calorie burning winter activities include:

Walking - Why not take a long brisk walk after a heavy Christmas dinner? There are plenty of places to walk and if you add in a hill you’ll see greater benefits. Walking in snowy conditions is also tougher and will therefore provide a greater calorie burn.

Hit the dance floor - Christmas parties often end up on the dance floor and if you're out with friends don't lurk around the side, have a great time and dance the night away. You could easily balance out a glass of wine this way.

Gaming - I don't mean be antisocial and play in your Xbox all day boxing day. Get the Wii fit out, Just Dance or any of those games and interact with your family members and have fun whilst being more active.

How do you keep fit during the winter? Got any top tips for staying active over the festive period?