The one with the fitness mummy

We stayed out later than planned today so we ended up hitting macdonalds on the way home with all the kids. Now i totally understand everything that is wrong with macdonalds but i also think fast food is a part of modern life! Eating is such a social thing and in honesty its the social side of food that had always broken me! The old me used to head out at the weekend with my tupperware and nakd bars in my bag and a very clear view of what i was and was not ALLOWED to eat! Then we would meeet up with friends and go for lunch and id feel like a prat with my little box of food so i would think "oh screw it" and since i was "cheating" anyway id have whatever was probably the worst thing on the menu and dessert too! I had such a strict sense of what food was ok and wasnt and there was no compromise, i was either eating perfect or pigging out! Guys there HAS to be a middle ground, for me anyway! So today we hit up macdonalds and i had the garlic mayo wrap with grilled chicken and a black coffee. 345 calories and 25g of protein. This is not the healthiest meal! It is not eating clean! It is also not as bad as having a big mac fries and a shake! For me its not a diet anymore it has to be a lifestyle and although yes i will put a lot of effort into eating right, i also will not let food take over and become too much of a focus. Life is about balance and today i feel like i found that balance and for me this is good!!

Went to the pinewoods and beach with the kids today and i am WORN OUT! I know I'm going to be so tempted to skip my workout tonight so came home and put my workout gear on to remind myself that I AM going to push play tonight!!!!

New beachbody program was announces today and looks AMAZEBALLS!! Totally need to up my cardio so i can try this in the summer!!!!

Eating clean is not as hard as it looks! There's tonnes of "clean" or "healthy" versions of everything from spag bol to sweet and sour chicken and whilst they are great I do believe we also need to learn to appreciate and enjoy the taste of REAL food! Food like our grandparents ate, meet and 2 veg, no fancy sauces just good honest clean food with no ketchup in sight!!!

We will be discussing clean eating and how to make it work in a busy family home in our challenge group today! If you want to join us send me a message or write in the comments! My number 1 tip for eating clean is READ YOUR LABELS! If something has ingredients you either can't pronounce, don't know what it is or if SUGAR is one of the main ingredients put it back on the shelf and walk away!!! Eating clean does mean cooking more BUT of you plan ahead it doesn't have to be hard work!!

Ditch the fat,sugar and cost of a starbucks and make your own Frothy coffee! I have one of those electric milk frothers and I love making a fancy frothy coffee for a bit of a treat! I use almond milk and it's divine!! X x

I've woken up crazy tired this morning and I know I have a big day with the kids and the house needs a tidy before that so the temptation to not do a workout is definately there but I know I'll feel better once it's done! 30 minutes I can manage!!! Wish me luck!

Can you comit to working out 5 days a week and eating clean for 21 days??? My next challenge group starts April 24th! Totally free to join, no selling! We are so much stronger together!!! Leave me a message in the comments to be added to the group and let's do this together!! X x

My kind of fast food! I guarantee this will be in your plate before you can make it to the drive thru and back!!! Mashed sweet potato is easy just pop it in the microwave and then peel off the skin (you can bake it in the oven whole top but microwave is quicker!) Take your salmon fillet and wrap it loosely in baking paper, cook in the oven for 8-12 minutes at 180 depending on how pink you like the centre to be! And if you don't know the trick to a perfect poached egg it's simple, add a splash of white vinegar to your boiling water and swirl it round.before you are your egg. Really healthy meal all done in under 15 minutes! X x

Green tea! SOoooooo many health benefits! Zero calories and I love it!! I find it too bitter on its own so I either pop in a peppermint tea bag with it or I love the twinings flavoured green teas! It's definately my 11am ritual to sit and chill out with a cup! Try and switch one cup of coffee or regular tea a day to green!!!

We had a big family day out to Liverpool yesterday to go see grease! We went for dinner first at wagamama, we don't eat out very often and I don't do cheat days, they don't work for me I end up going crazy!!! So I like to think I have 2000ish days. 2000 is the aproximate calories you need to maintain weight, so I will watch my calories earlier in the day and try to aim for around the 2000 for the day! If I go a bit over that's fine as long as I'm aware of it and it's my choice!!! I make a healthy version of the katsu curry at home with the ingredients on the pic! Fry them all off in the coconut oil, add the stock and simmer for about 20 minutes then blend!!!!

Needed to get my workout in early this morning as we are having a family trip to Liverpool today! Was really not feeling it until I spied my disney leggings!!! Isn't it funny how an outfit can change your mood!!!! When are you getting you workout in today? No matter how busy you are PLAN that time for you!!!!

So I turned around in the supermarket today and this little dude had disappeared! Knew exactly where to find him! I don't even think it's the lure of the actual sweets it's just all the colours and glossy wrappings! It's scary how all these things that really aren't good for our kids are marketed directly at them!!!!

Whats your favourite treat?? Treats don't have to be calorific for me OR for the kids! They love the babycinos at Costa and they are the perfect size for them!! I love my coffee black but as a treat I will have a skinny cappuccino once in a while! We have to enjoy life too, it's just about making concious choices about our food!!!

How do you manage kids parties???
My day today looked like this! 2 birthday parties including one at an ice cream parlour!! My eldest is just not that into sugary stuff so despite being surrounded by it all day she will have a couple of bites and be done but I find with Max I am constantly looking at what he is having and saying "that's enough!!!" I HATE being like a helicopter parent but I also don't like my kids to eat too much of the bad stuff! It's so hard because I know parties are a celebration and food and cake etc is a part of that but it seems scarily excessive sometimes!!! What do you do? Should I chill out a bit more????

Healthy fats are so important! Your body needs them and they are crazy good for you! Avocado and homemade dressing with olive oil in my salad! SO good!!!

Did your kids break up for Easter today? Did they come home with lots of chocolate already? Well I want to challenge you and myself to NOT let the Easter holidays become a pig out session! So here's the challenge, no fast food and at least 5 workouts a week?? Can you do it? Will post the link to the group in the comments!++ let's get through the temptations together!!! X x x

Which would you choose? Sure the green smoothie looks like the healthy option but would you be surprised to know if has DOUBLE the calories as the can of full sugar coke? YES! 280 calories! Now those calories are from 100% fruit whereas the coke is sugar and chemicals so it is the HEALTHY option but it still might not be a good choice if your goal is healthy eating AND weightloss! Don't let packaging fool you! Check EVERY label! Oh, and drink water! Healthy and calorie free!!!!! X x x

We live in the age of convenience and fast food! Eating healthy doesn't mean you have to stand infront of a stove for an hour a day! There are so many healthy options out there! Boiling brown rice takes like 40 minutes so having these pouches on hand helps me out when I don't have the time! I did try to make cauliflower rice once but I cut my finger on the grater and just made a mess so I admit I get the ready made variety from aldi! Is it a bit more expensive yes but it's cheaper than a takeaway!!!!

What are you having for lunch today????

I took time this morning to really think about my goals and how to achieve them! Realistically we have 2 weeks of Easter holidays starting on Friday and I know I'm going to struggle to fit in the longer p90x workouts so I'm going to switch programs and do 21 day fix extreme! 30 minute workouts but still a mix of strength and cardio! If I can fit in some running too I will! So the containers are out!

Who else has a killer sweet-tooth? I had these awesome Protein pancakes for lunch today as i just needed something sweet!! These are so easy to make and 100% clean!! Simply mash up a ripe/over-ripe banana, then mix in 2 eggs (or 1 egg and 2 egg whites if you want lower fat!), 2 tablespoons of oats and a tsp of cinnamon (if you want more protein add in a scoop of your favourite protein powder!) Then use fry-lite to make perfect pancakes! I have mine with berries and 0%fat Greek yogurt and more cinnamon!

Who else LOVES their coffee??? I can give up chocolate, takeaways, white bread etc but I just love my coffee too much! Did you know a white coffee without sugar is around 30-50 calories? With sugar it can easily be 100, and a small latte from Starbucks has 190! And that's 1 cup! Who has 1 cup of coffee??? So I have mine BLACK or with a splash of unswetened almond milk. It took me a while to get used to it but I can honestly say I love it just as much as my old milky ones now! It's a small change that can really help towards your weight loss goals! Could you try it for a week? X x

Mondays are somehow such an empowering day! Go make that change and make this the Monday the one that counts!

I don't normally post this kind of thing but I love this!!

Fab little mother's day with my 2 ginger babies and my fabulous mum! Will definately need a cardio session tonight to burn off some of the popcorn we had at the cinema! Hope all the other mummys had a fab day and a big thankyou to all the daddy's who make us feel so valued and special! X

This was me 5 years ago and 5 stone heavier. This was me when I was full of excuses and had convinced myself I was ok with being bigger. Underneath it I knew I needed to change I just didn't know how and honestly I was scared! What if I couldn't lose the weight? I set up this page because I'm still fighting, I still love food and I have to make myself think about my choices every day, it's not easy and sometimes it downright hard! BUT it is worth it! It's worth it to run round with the kids, it's worth it to know I am doing what I can to be here as long as I can for them, it's worth it to feel good about ME and to take pride in myself again! So this is me and I am not perfect! I am however determined to try to help anyone who wants to change and just needs a bit of help! I've been there and continue to work for it! X x

So today we have one sicky little chicky so I doubt I'll get a workout in BUT I've learned to go with the flow, 1 missed workout is not going to derail me, it's not going to make me think, "ah sack it, pass the Doritos!" My goal is to be healthy and happy for the next 60 years so missing 1 day in a 60 day program isn't failure, it's part of life and I'll be back on it after hopefully a decent nights sleep for both of us tonight!!!

So tonight is ending with a glass of wine! I can't watch red nose day without one! My philosophy is everything in moderation, and that includes the occasional glass of wine!! Have a good weekend guys! X x x

So there's millions of fancy cookbooks aimed at different diets sold every year, and whilst of course there's a place for meal prep and fancier food the reality is that when we aren't "dieting" most people eat the same 5 or 6 meals and let's face it sandwiches! So my lunch for today is a plain old sandwich just a bit healthier, wholemeal wrap, light dressing and plenty of salad! Takes 5 minutes to make and worked to my hectic day! Don't overconplicate!!!