Wednesday Weigh In - Week 38 - Hanging On

So nothing lost and nothing gained this week. I'm not surprised really as it hasn't been a very good week.

If you read Monday's post then you will know that I was feeling thoroughly exhausted and overwhelmed so I wasn't working out. Things didn't really get any better from then on.

I work freelance from home so have to grab work while its there. At the moment there's masses and my finances are dire. I need to put food on the table this week so I'm surviving on four hours sleep and working like a Trojan. On top of this I can literally feel my mood sinking. I'm prone to depression so I need to be careful of this. In the old days I would have just dived headfirst into the biscuit tin and tried to eat my feelings along with all the food in the house, but I'm resisting. I'm back taking St John's Wort and am valiantly sticking to my healthy eating. I know the pressure will ease next week with maintenance payments from my ex husband so I've just got to hang on until then. I'm just trying not to put any additional pressure on myself.

I've always been an emotional eater and depression hits me periodically when there are situations I can't fix and control which is basically most of my life. I may do a post soon about the links between depression and overeating as it interests me and also may help me to understand my behaviour more.

Speak to you soon and if any of you are not having a great time this week either, remember "this too will pass".

Love Erica xxx

Monday Motivation - Don't Drain Yourself

I had a complete different Monday post worked out in my head for today but then I came home from the school run, stood in my kitchen and burst into tears.

I'm exhausted today. I had a hectic weekend where I literally didn't stop. My daughter ran in our County Cross Country relays on Saturday which meant an early start then walking the 3km course with her and then sprinting to various vantage points to cheer her on when she ran. We got home expecting to relax only for me to notice a hole in her Asics trainers. I had to beg money from my ex husband and then we sprinted to central London to go to the running shop Run & Become. She needs her trainers fitted properly as she over pronates and needs support for hyper mobility in her ankles. Even this journey wasn't straightforward due to train problems and we ended up having to travel on 4 different lines.

Sunday wasn't any more restful. There was another early start for cross country training then my daughter had to be dropped at a party. I had 2 hours at home before driving back to get her then it was dinner time and the whole getting stuff ready for school routine. I then had work to do which I finally finished at half one this morning.

It's not surprising that something snapped this morning. I had intended to run but I was so tired, my knee hurt and I have a cold coming. So I'm taking the day off. I need to sit and work for most of the day then my daughter has training this evening. I will try and fit in a relaxing bath somewhere and get to bed a little earlier.

So my Monday motivation today is not to lose sight of looking after myself. It's very easy to become fixated over weight loss and push yourself to breaking point but we all need to stay in tune with what our bodies are telling us. A day off never hurts.

Hope you are all having a great Monday and that you all look after yourself today. Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Granola Cakes

I like to try and think outside the box sometimes when it comes to creating recipes especially when baking. This recipe worked really well and shows that granola doesn't have to be kept just for breakfast.

Ingredients

60g coconut oil

60g honey

1 egg

200g self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

100g granola

200ml unsweetened almond milk

Method

1. Mix together the coconut oil and honey.

2. Beat the egg and stir it into the mixture.

3. Add the flour, baking powder and the almond milk then stir until fully combined.

4 Gently fold the granola into the mixture making sure it is distributed throughout.

5. Place a heaped tablespoon of the mixture into cake cases do that they are about half full. I used muffin cases and a muffin tin.

6. Bake near the top of a preheated oven at 175 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown on top.

7. Allow to cool before removing from the tin.

You can use any type of granola in this recipe. I just used a low calorie one that I found in Aldi.

You could even make your own granola if you prefer.

The granola cakes are 167 calories each but obviously this may vary depending on the granola that you use. Mine was 388 calories for the 100g needed in the recipe.

These are really filling little cakes. You can even treat them like scones, slice then in half and add some spread or even  jam. 

Let me know if you try making them and how they turn out! 

Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Wednesday Weigh In - Week 37 - Feeling Motivated

I lost another half pound this week, making it 28.5 pounds in total. 

It's been a good week so I am feeling motivated. I'm getting back into a definite fitness routine so I'm feeling happy about that. I'm still not getting enough sleep but that's been the case for about the last twenty years so I'll survive!!

I'm feeling positive about the week ahead too. I feel like I know what I'm doing and where I'm heading again. I've also got some great recipe ideas to try out and share with you. 

Hope you are all having a great day! Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Can Drinking More Water Help You Lose Weight?

The health benefits of drinking more water are well publicised but can this actually help you to lose weight? I was intrigued by the thought of this, particularly as I know I don't always drink enough water, so I did a little research. Here are my three top ways that drinking more water can help you to lose weight.

1. Fill you up

Try drinking a glass of water before each meal. You will find that this will make you feel fuller and you will be less likely to overeat. This can be particularly useful if you are eating out and you have less control over portion sizes. I've done this and it really does help!

2. Improved workouts

One of the benefits of keeping you body properly hydrated is that your joints will remain lubricated and you will find that you are less prone to muscle spasms and cramps. This will mean that you will be able to workout for longer and push your body harder. Obviously increased workouts over a period of time will increase the amount of weight that you lose.

3. Boost your metabolism 

There is medical evidence to support the theory that drinking cold water will help to give your metabolism a boost. For this to be effective, the water needs to be ice cold not just from the tap. The theory is that your body has to work that much harder in order to warm up the water and therefore will burn off more calories. We are not talking about huge numbers here but it all helps!

So this together with other benefits such as flushing out toxins and improving your skin means that we should all be looking to drink more water. I'm thinking of putting up a chart in my kitchen so I can monitor how much I drink. Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Monday Motivation - Make Monday Marvellous!

So it's Monday again and I'm fed up and tired. My motivation is sadly lacking this morning so I've been lying here on my couch for the last ten minutes thinking what I can do about this.

My idea for today and for future Mondays is to try and make my Monday marvellous by doing something unexpected and unscheduled that's just for me. This could be anything simple like taking a bubble bath instead of just having a quick shower or taking an hour to read a book or buying a coffee out. 

Today I always planned to go for a run and normally I would then come back, jump in the shower and then switch my laptop on immediately to start work for the day (I work from home). Instead I am still going to run but when I come back, I'm going to do some yoga, which used to be a huge passion of mine, and then paint my toenails.

So see if you can do something to make your Monday marvellous today. Remember it doesn't have to be anything complicated or expensive, just pick something that you enjoy that is out of the ordinary for you to do on a Monday.Let me know what you choose. Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx

Date Flapjacks

I love this recipe as it brings one of my obsessions, dates, together with my other obsession of flapjacks. 

Ingredients

1 banana

150g golden syrup

200g oats

100g dates

Method

1. Mash the banana thoroughly 

2. Add the golden syrup and mix until combined.

3. I used chopped dates so I could just add them in. If you are using whole pitted dates then chop them into small pieces before adding to the mixture and then stir.

4. Add the oats and mix thoroughly until all of the oats are coated with the mixture and you have one fully combined sticky mix.

5. Grease an ovenproof dish or a shallow baking tray with edges.

6. Place the mixture into the dish and press down with the back of a spoon so that it is compact and there are no spaces.

7. Cook near the top of a preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes or until the top has turned golden.

8. Allow to cool completely before cutting into small squares.

The recipe makes 20 flapjacks which are only 50 calories each making them a perfect snack.

Hope you enjoy them if you try the recipe 

Speak to you soon

Love Erica xxx