TTN Visits: Canteen, Spitalfields

Sorry sorry for my complete neglect to this blog... Dissertation has taken over my life!

I have officially started back at the gym... keeping my weight at a nice 9 stone 10 minus any dieting... its all about the interval training on the bike at the moment! And for those of you wondering what happened to my meat-eating quest...Dukan was great.. whilst it lasted.. but we just weren't meant to be... summer is all about BBQs with lush salads and fruit cocktails, not morbidly eating meat until you get fed up and go to bed to avoid any more food and people then think you are being rude...ANYWAY......

There is one restaurant near where The Boy lives, in Spitalfields... Its called Canteen. Everyone must go. The have a 2 courses for £10 menu on every day until 7pm, and my lord, it really is British food at its best.

Make up Miracle... well not quite but I am impressed!

Okay so, being a part time worker and a student.. and with a tad bit of a shopping addiction... Money tends to leave my account as quick as it enters. Therefore... this month a terrible thing happened...(no, not running out of money)... my MAC foundation RAN OUT!!!

I could of cried... not that i didnt see it coming- the bottom had been visible for a while but i thought i could use a foundation brush to maximise its longevity. Clearly that bright idea didnt work!

So there I am, in town, well aware that I have a night out in London to look my very best for..They dont sell MAC near me. So yeah, i did panic...

BUT... all was not lost- I remembered an advert i saw for a foundation with camomile and cotton and seeing as i few blemishes were appearing I knew it just might work...

This beauty is £5.99 and its give full coverage. Its Talc free and oil free... so no risk of aggrevating skin. I was dubious at the whole 'stay matte' concept- maybe it would dry my skin? (which is horrendously comination).. no need to worry. Its amazing- feels light on my skin and doesnt transfer which avoids that cringe moments after a joyful hug when you panic at the thought of half your face being left behind!
I also was impressed at the range of shades this foundation came in... i hate these make up sections which assume you either are every shade of white and thats about all they offer. Oh and the cotton and camomile did settle my blemishes :D

Girls- especially you  lovelies on a budget... Buy this. You will not regret it. Its in a small container which is perfect to fit in your clutch on a night out for any last minute touch ups!

Yay for bargains!!!

xxx TTN xxx

Day 8: Welcome back to Dukanland

Okay so yesterday in the glorious Surrey Sunshine, me and a group of friends (including a very cute Patterdale Terrier called Patsy) went for a walk on the Downes... walked from Reigate to Mogador where we stopped at this gorgeous pub called The Sportsman (a must if you are ever in Surrey). I had a burger... BUT before you gasp at the horror of the anti-Dukanism... I took the break off.. and some of the cheese and munch on the salad minus the chips. Really filled me up and definitely what i needed to refuel.

Day 5: Derailed!! (late post)... and a bit of Day 6...

Weight on Day 4: 9 Stone 9lbs

Weight on Day 5: 9 stone 8lbs

Wow... I really didnt expect to see weight loss after the alcohol consumed yesterday. It has made me realise how much weight alcohol makes you gain though... I mean I always knew that it was empty calories but when you are daily weighing yourself its a real shock!!(see the photo of Gorgeous Dorking in Surrey.. really amazingly beautiful place)....

Day 4: Meat eatin'

Weight on day 3: 9 stone 11lbs

Weight today (at 10:30): 9 stone 9lbs :D

So Mr Pierre Dukan has completely amazed me. Another 2lbs lost. Genious. Its propelled me further in to wanting to loose that 9lbs by the summer.


Breakfast:
2 tbsp Oat Bran
2 tbsp Onken Natural yogurt (fat free)
1tbsp Activia Natural pouring yogurt
1 tsp Agave Nectar (need some sort of taste first thing)
Tea with skimmed milk

 Lunch:

Packet of chicken (sweet chill flavoured)

2tsp Reduced Fat Soured Cream

250ml mini bottle of Diet Coke

1 Pint water

2 tsps of sugar free strawberry jelly

Sorry for the gross looking photo - I was halfway through my munching and realised i didnt show you guys what I had eaten!! My mother would die if she knew i hadn't used a bowl but I was hungry and I thought it would save the washing up ;)

Lots of sunbathing today. Decided to have a chilled day. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Its nice to listen to music and just chill out

Exercise: 40 minute walk to and from town. (make up was needed for the meal)

Dinner:

Okay so bearing in mind I havent seen these people in 6 months and the resturant had NO GRILL MENU i decided on

Grilled chicken salad with a crumble of goats cheese and balsamic glaze.
2 glasses of prosecco
1 small glass of rose
2 glasses of water
1 thin slice of chocolate cake
1 strawberry

I think i did really well. The people i went out with (potential future in laws) like to drink and usually i consume half a bottle of wine minimum with them during a meal.
I really felt stuffed after the salad, which shows how much this diet has shrunk my stomach. I knew i would drink tonight because ... well... its rude not to.

I am hoping that my naughty alcohol consumption hasnt affected my weight loss. But if it has then at least i had a good time and it was worth straying. I hate it when you are on a diet and you end up eating things absent mindedly or just because.

Tomorrow I am on a big night out in London with sharing platters and happy hours kicking the night off. I think that if i stay away from bready items and maybe have the meat and olives is better than white carbs.
Oh well, it is the summer and the fact ive lost 6lbs in 3 days is amazing. I want to have fun still and not be affected by this diet because i am young and i dont want to miss out by being anal with the rules.

Fingers crossed again- would love to have lost 1lb tomorrow at least.

Lots of love

xxx TTN xxx

Day 3: Attack!!

Weight on day 2: 10stone 0lbs

Weight on day 3: 9 stone 11lbs!!!!

Seriously cannot believe it! Being hypothyroid, the fact that in 2 days i have lost 4lbs in weight is totally astounding. Feeling really motivated and apart from a few hunger pangs at night, generally feeling 'balanced'.

Not many pictures for you guys today. I have been busy busy with coursework and then treated my stressed self to a sunbathing session in my gorgeous local park which was a definite boost. I had an ice cold diet coke on hand and i really felt relaxed.

Breakfast:
1.5 TABLESPOONS Oat Bran (not teaspoons as i first thought, d'oh)
3 tablespoons of natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon of Activia low fat pouring yoghurt.
Tea with skimmed milk
1 tsp of agave nectar(naught but i hate synthetic sweetner that he advises and this is Low GI)
250 ml of tap water

Lunch:
80g Packet of chicken slices (the kind you buy for easy sandwich fillings)
1 pint tap water

Dinner:
1/2 spatchcock chicken.. skin was marianted in chilli and honey but i didnt eat that bit so still good :)
1 tsp of soured cream a chive dip (reduced fat)

I figured the soured cream and chive dip was similar to the natural yoghurt ive been having and a teaspoon isnt going to change much. Really impressed with my will power not to have coleslaw or salad tonight.

Snacks: 3 seafoods sticks, 1 Rosehip & Hibiscus tea (something sweet), 250 ml of diet coke, 1 litre of water, and a chilled low fat latte brought from the supermarket (again not sure if thats allowed but it wasnt sweetned so it should be okay).

Exercise: 20 minute walk around the shops to get food, presents for tomorrow and a general mooch. I know its not that physical but hey- i have done something ;)

Today i have been relativley lenient on a few items but i havent actually felt the need to snack on the very naughty things. I feel satisfied in my stomach to not eat or want that anything sugary as i hate that horrible sugar high-then-crashing-low that you get when you eat a choccie bar or an ice cream.

Tomorrow should be interesting,in thise sunny weather I am really craving a cocktail and strangley enough (besides salad) Olives and Advocados! But I think that if i avoid Olive-Advocado eating eating, and choose a slimline vodka and tonic or Prosecco I will be alright!

Fingers crossed for another 2lb loss tomorrow. Really would love to have lost nearly half a stone this week. Any loss will spurr me on to stick with the Dukan. The cruise phase will be interesting so I think Im going to follow it for 3 days then have 3 days Pure protein before adopting the 1:1 ratio.

Saw some gorgeous summer ball dresses for end of May in Grazia today. The one i have my eye on has parts cut out of the torso and it would be amazing to think that in 6 weeks i might actually be able to wear something more revealing and not look like black pudding!

Also got my daily dose of vitamin D today - you only need 15 minutes on the back of your wrist to get your GDA however 2 hours of sunbathing has made me feel spritely :D. Dont forget your SPF people- premature wrinkles cannot be accessoried!

Stay gorgeous and keep those fingers crossed!!

xxx TTN xxx

'Oh I wish I was a Punk Rocker with flowers in my hair'.. Great song

So, because this blog isn't all about the dieting, I thought i would show you all my wonderful bargainous purchase from my beloved Spitalfields market in East London.

If you are unfamiliar with this wonderland then please- go. (nearest tubes are Aldgate, Aldgate East and Liverpool Street) here is the website for futher info.....www.visitspitalfields.com

Anyway, seeing as the theme of Ballet/Romance is all over the shops and is a huge trend this SS11, I have noticed that flowers are popping up everywhere from corsages to rings.

I love the whole idea of dressing in a gorgeous nude palette however, even though i am olive skinned,many of the colours just do not suit. So I rely on accessories to girlie up the colours that i can wear from this colour palette (whites and pinks).

I got this absolute BEAUT from a stall called 'The Naked Goat' and at £3 for one or £5 for 2 I couldn't turn this purchase down. I picked the pink rose garland however there were roses, lillies and daisies in all colours to choose from. I wore it with a bright pink chiffon top, back harreems, flipflops and a light denim jacket (it was one of those rare hot days we have been getting this month); I recieved so many compliements and because it is so light I forgot it was on my head. Not bad for £3!

The stall also sells beautiful cobweb wool scarves that make gorgeous gifts for £10. I brought my mum one for mothers day in a champagne colour and it went down a storm... i will be borrowing it from time to time!

Moral of the story: Go to spitalfields

xxx TTN xxx

Day 2: Attack phase indeed........

So, last night i felt hungry. Not sure if it was the Diet coke that made my appetite shoot up or the general protein consumption.. BUT all that rumbling was worth it and paid off because:

Weight yesterday at 10:30 am: 10 stone 2lbs
Weight today at 10:30 am: 10 stone 0lbs!!!

So So pleased. This has definitely given me the motivation to keep it up. Offers to go to the pub today have been turned down as i dont want the temptation. I have a birthday meal to attend  on Thursday so that will be a minefeild to navigate through however i have decided that i will settle on steak or chicken and salad with one glass of prossecco to toast the birthday girl (only 80 calories a glass).

Seeing as I woke up late my diet today consisted of....

Day 1: Dukan Diet Dukanation

Okay, so as promised, I have begun my journery to lose weight and stay thin forever!

General feeling of uncertainty surrounding the whole eating-only-meat-for-5-days-straight  thing but with the help of Vitabiotics vitamin supplements i am hoping to avoid any vitamin dieficencies and general horribleness associated with lack of fibre in the diet.

Current weight at 10:30am: 10stone 2 pounds - which i know is heavy but its not that bad considering i have done no exercise for 6 weeks, and been living on a diet of resturant food, wine, stress and cake. My BMI is 24.9 (which to be honest is horrendous as i am boarderline healthy weight)

Goal weight: 9 stone (anything less is a major bonus) bringing my BMI down to a lovely 22.1.

Usually i am not a huge fan of relying on the BMI score as it doesnt seperate fat from muscle weight. But seeing as this diet doesnt need portion control or calorie counts i guess anything goes...

Breakfast: 1/4 tub of onken fat free probiotic natural yoghurt (mixed with some low fat probiotic)
                 2 tsp of oat bran (brought from holland and barrett)
                 Mug of tea with skimmed milk (and none of my beloved agave nectar) :(

I have read how nasty this mix of bran and yoghurt tastes but actually i quite enjoyed it. It really filled me up and the lack of sugar left me without that horrible furry sensation you feel when you have sugar in your tea or cereals. Boring as it is, it has def has dulled my tastebuds (win).

Lunch: 10 seafood sticks

             Rosehip and Hibiscus tea

            1 pint of tap water

Dinner: Spatchcock Pouisson oven roasted and skin then taken off.   Outer wings not eaten.

               1 pint of tap water

               White tea- avoids the disspointing taste of tea without sugar.

One thing i noticed was hard for me, was in our fridge we have some gorgeous innocent orange juice and a huge punnet of fresh rasberries. Both are favourite things for me to snack on, and both are forbidden :( I am a huge fan of fruit and veg so this 'attack' phase is going to be frustrating as our fridge is always full of lovely 5 a day items.

Exercise: 40 minute walk to Reigate, where i had 1 pint of diet coke in the pub with a friend. Diet coke is allowed due to its addition of a sweetner called Aspartame which is drived from pith (the white stuff you usually remove from orange segments before eating- fun fact for you).
              

Day 2 of 4 begins tomorrow. I have just been invited to dinner in 4 days time so i think i will have to do a bit of protein and veggie mixing because i will get some odd looks at the table if i just order meat.

Stay fabulous

xxx TTN xxx