Fitness Journey

Grenade Carb Killa Protein Shake Review

29 May 2022 1 Comment

Ever since I decided to try having a higher protein diet, I have been looking for food and drinks to get me to my daily protein goal. I have known about the brand Grenade for many years now but I’ve just got round to trying their products including their protein bars and shakes! Check out my thoughts on ‘Grenade Carb Killa Protein Shake Review‘ below if you keep reading.

Grenade Carb Killer Shakes come in 7 different flavors. I chose white chocolate after finishing my home workout, finding all the flavors in the shops isn’t always easy as most places only stock about two flavors.

…

Read this Post

My Vegan Protein Cookies Review

10 December 2021 14 Comments

A few months ago I ordered a large haul from My Protein. I have just about finished that haul, so it won’t be long before I choose some of my favourites again, yay. I have just about finished my plant-based baked protein cookies, so it’s time for me to review them on my blog.

If you have seen my social media you may have noticed I have been on a fitness journey, so I am finding foods that fit well in my lifestyle. Check out my post on losing 40lbs.

So what are My Vegan baked protein cookies?

We all know baked cookies that you can get in the freshly baked section in supermarkets, well these are pretty similar to that in both calories and size but the difference being they is less sugar and more protein. They come in 3 mouth-watering flavours and have no artificial sweeteners.

The 3 flavours include choc chip (my favourite), double chocolate and salted caramel.

How many calories per cookie?

The cookies contain 289 calories and have 13g of protein. I have looked at similar size cookies from supermarkets and they are around the same bracket; calorie-wise. These sound great if you want to have a sweet treat but also have a little extra protein.

My thoughts on them?

At first, I really enjoyed these cookies, especially with a cup of tea but the more I had them the taste felt dry and a little fake. They do taste so much better if you pop them in the micro for about 30 seconds and have a side of ice cream and vanilla yoghurt.

The texture is a bit thicker than you would expect on a freshly baked cookie but saying that it isn’t horrible or anything. As I said above it’s best with a hot drink.

Out of all flavours, I have tried, choc chip has to be my favourite and more like its cookie counterparts.

So would you buy them again?

hmm, this I am not sure about to be honest, maybe? I might if i fancy a sweet treat with a kick of protein but apart from that maybe not but knowing me probably haha

They cost £18.99 for a box of 12 cookies but if you are a bargain hunter like me, they are usually on offer, so look out for their deals and save those pennies!

Check them out on MyVegan

Until next time

Mel

[jetpack_subscription_form show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” custom_font_size=”16px” custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”has-background has-pale-pink-background-color” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]

My September Workout Playlist #1

21 September 2021 22 Comments

Hello Everyone!

I just began month 13 of my fitness journey and being honest with you guys, I am still learning so much about fitness, food and life knowledge in general. I have learnt so much about food and also got myself more gym confident since joining the gym again at the start of the month. Music is a big part of my fitness journey so I have decided to do a series of posts with my favourite songs of the month and put them in a ‘workout playlist‘.

…

Read this Post

I’ve Lost 40lbs in Lockdown

9 March 2021 27 Comments

A 5 Year journey

For the past 5 years, I have been on and off ‘fad’ diets and the result?… I failed! I used to get random bursts of ‘let’s eat better and get the fitness journey started, but for whatever reason, I would end up giving up within a week as everything i have tried in the past has been to constrictive.

In August I turned 30 and I knew I had to improve my lifestyle. I was eating whenever i wanted and I wasn’t even hungry, only because I was bored, upset or just used to the routine. Lockdown didn’t help either.

I promised myself to start a healthier lifestyle a day after my birthday as I was tired of continually gaining weight and eating for no reason so before starting anything, I did a little homework on what would work for me and the first thing I did was download a calorie counting app. The one thing I knew I couldn’t do was give up my chocolate and crisps as this girl has a sweet tooth LOL!

How it started and my journey

In my early twenties, I was between size 8-12, including two pregnancies with my daughters when I was 21 and 22. When I got to the age of 25 I got comfort eating because I felt insecure in myself because of very personal relationship circumstances that really affected my self-esteem and confidence. From then onwards my weight spiralled out of control and I’ll be honest, I never even noticed it much because I bought larger clothes and it wasn’t until they got tight that reality sunk in and stepping on the scales was another reality check.

I changed my mindset. I knew I couldn’t continue on that route because it was damaging for me physically and more importantly, mentally. It was slowly getting painful for me so I decided to get fitter and healthier not just for myself but for my kids too.

10 things that helped me lose weight

Food scales – These have been the most helpful thing in my kitchen! I measure most things I eat with this. Using scales helps me know how much I am eating because with eye measurement you don’t know unless you have been using scales for a long time.
Avoiding Liquid Calories – Now i can’t say I completely got rid of sugary drinks, I like to have them on occasion, like a weekend. Other times I prefer to have sugar free drinks or flavoured water.
Using NutraCheck or MyFitnessPal – My absolute favourite thing ever! It has kept me motivated and shown me all the food calories and nutrients I eat, love it!
Wearing a step counter – I like to keep my steps to 10,000 and having a counter whether it be a phone or watch helps keep me motivated.
Enjoying the foods you eat – Now I love to eat and I like to make sure I eat what I like. I fit foods I like into my calorie deficit.
Eating plenty of protein – Protein has been a big help on the journey so far as it helped keep me fuller for longer. Eggs, yoghurts and tofu are my favs!
Taking progress photos/Measurements – I know it sounds daft but I never noticed the loss until I took photos. My clothes used to be tight but now they are loose haha!
Try out new recipes – I bought a couple of cookbooks to help me learn to make healthier alternatives. My fav at the moment is pinch n nom.
Treating myself to something every 10lb lost – I like treating myself to something for saying girl, you go this! I have previously got makeup, a house plant and books.
Finding the extra motivation Occassionly when needed – Sometimes I need a kick up the bum for motivation so I like to read books on confidence, anxiety and positivity. This could vary for everyone but for me, it helps. Feel-good films also help me.

weight loss journey 40lb lost in lockdown — On the left is July 2020 looking fabulous and on the right is me a few days ago in March 2021!

I am here for the long haul

I don’t have a goal weight in mind but I will see what happens when I go back to the gym and when society is back to normal. One thing I am excited about is to start weightlifting again. It also shows you that it’s mostly calories/nutrition compared to going to a gym. But the gym does help polish up everything and the atmosphere is awesome!

I know weight loss isn’t for everyone and that is fine. We are all unique and we all know what we want for ourselves and me, this is what I want and I love the journey i have been on and continue. Loving yourself is important.

The journey to lose 40lb has taken me since August. It hasn’t always been plain sailing as some weeks I wouldn’t lose and other weeks I would stay the same, its a journey and I am enjoying flowing with it rather racing ahead.

Anyways I am happy with how I have improved in terms of mind and soul. I know it might be a slow journey but this girl is enjoying it, no matter how long it takes, I am here for the long haul.

Until next time

Mel x

Check out my other recent fitness posts

How to Keep Fit in Lockdown

[jetpack_subscription_form show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” custom_font_size=”16″ custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]

How to keep fit during Lockdown

25 February 2021 19 Comments

So we are well into the swing of the third lockdown now. During the first lockdown, I was at a loss about what to do food & fitness-wise. So I decided to research and trial and error what works for me.

It took me till August 2020 to find out what worked for me. I have been doing that routine ever since. Here are a few things that have helped me lose nearly 40lbs since I started my journey.

concept of sports training — Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

…

Read this Post

Going back to the Gym: After Lockdown

15 September 2020 Leave a Comment

Hello everyone ❤

It seems like forever ago when the gyms shut at the start of Lockdown back in March. During the lockdown, I have to say my fitness levels did suffer as I didn’t do as much exercise with restrictions and also me being super nervous of the virus put a dampener on things. I have been a member of the gym for a few years now so I was wondering how it would be when it opened up again.

England opened their gyms in July but here in Scotland, it was nearer the end of August for them to open again with restrictions of course. Now I have to admit I was super nervous going back to the gym after all the time off and of course, the worry of COVID 19 was niggling in the back of my mind.

…

Read this Post