Weight lost: 4lbs (3% of my body weight) though I reckon it would have been more if I didn’t accidentally have alcohol on 2 of the 7 days haha

I went on a no carb diet because I know it’s the fastest way that you can lose weight in I healthy way (as in, not starving yourself or making yourself sick). I was still having around 1,200 calories per day, lots of vitamins from fruit and vegetables, and lots of protein for muscle repair. 

I recorded what I ate for one week, because when girls are dieting and losing a lot of weight I’m always curious as to exactly what they’re eating and what exercise they’re doing.

From looking at this post you may think that the weight loss was as a result of the exercise, but I’ve been working out in this way for 3 or 4 days per week for months and not seen any weight-loss at all because I was still eating a carbs… so here is my week;

Day 1 - Friday 16 November:

Food

• 1 scoop Maximuscle Promax Diet protein powder (112calories)
• 2 eggs (160calories)
• Baked beans (185calories)
• 20g cheese (83calories)
• 8 green olives in brine (32 calories)
• Banana (100calories)
• 1 scoop Maximuscle Promax Diet protein powder (112calories)
• Linda McCartney Mozzarella burger (233 calories)
• Sweet potato (100 calories)
• Carrots (nil)
• Vegetarian gravy (38 calories)

Exercise

• Treadmill - 1.2 kilometres @ 9.8KPH
• Squats - 16.8kg, 12 reps, 4 sets
• Lunges - 14kg, 12 reps, 3 sets
• Some leg extensions/ stretches on mat
• Multihip (leg out to side) 4kg, 8 reps, 3 sets
• Leg extension - 7kg, 8 reps, 4 sets
• Leg curl - 4kg, 6 reps, 3 sets
• Leg press - 70kg, 10 reps, 4 sets
• Situps - 80
• Oblique situps - 20 (each side)
• Leg raises - 6 reps, 4 sets
• Twist sits - 40
• ‘Finger-to-wrist’ situps - 40
• Plank - 30seconds

Day 2 - Saturday 17 November:

Food

• 1 scoop Maximuscle Promax Diet protein powder (112calories)
• Baked beans (197 calories)
• 35g cheese (145 calories)
• Banana (100 calories)
• Tuna in sunflower oil (202 calories)
• Olives (24 calories)
• 20g cheese (83 calories)
• Green pepper, rocket, tomato (nil)
• 12 king prawns (96 calories)
• 1 egg (80 calories)
• Cottage cheese (30 calories)
• 85g avacado (170 calories)
• Grapes (50 calories)
• Yoghurt drink (28 calories)
• 1/2 can chopped tomatoes (45 calories)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1371

Day 3 - Sunday 18 November:

Food

• 1 scoop Maximuscle Promax Diet protein powder (112calories)
• Banana (100 calories)
• Grapes (10 calories)
• 2 eggs (130 calories)
• Baked beans (180)
• Cheese (83 calories)
• Prawn salad (restaurant - calories unknown)
• Carrot sticks & hummus (calories unknown)
• Apple (80 calories)
• Olives (40 calories)
• Small about of Brie cheese (calories unknown)

Exercise

• Treadmill - 1.2 kilometers @ 9.9KPH
• Bench Press - 25kg, 6 reps, 1 set
•                   - 22.5kg, 6 reps, 3 sets
•                   - 20kg, 6 reps, 4 sets
• Chest Press - 18kg, 6 reps, 2 sets
•                   - 16kg, 8 reps, 3 sets
• One-arm bicep curl - 6kg, 6 reps, 2 sets
•                            - 5kg, 6 reps, 2 sets
• ‘Latt pull-down’ - 22.5kg, 6 reps, 4 sets
•                       - 18kg, 6 reps, 6 sets
• Situps - 60
• Oblique situps - 25 (each side)
• Leg raises - 24
• Twist sits - 40
• ‘Finger-to-wrist’ situps - 20

Day 4 - Monday 19 November:

Food

• Banana (100 calories)
• Potato & leek Cup A Soup (115calories)
• Yo! Sushi Edamame (121 calories)
• Yo! Sushi Kaiso salad (120 calories)
• Yo! Sushi Pumpkin korroke (130 calories)
• Yo! Sushi Vegetable hand roll (184 calories)
• 3 COCKTAILS!! (ooops)

Day 5 - Tuesday 20 November:

Food

• 1 scoop Maximuscle Promax Diet protein powder (112calories)
• Tuna (288 calories)
• Sweetcorn (91 calories)
• Hummus & carrot sticks (calories unknown)
• 3 Quorn sausages (258 calories)
• Egg (80 calories)
• Banana (100 calories)
• Olives (24 calories)
• Banana (100 calories)
• Apple (80 calories)

Exercise

• Treadmill - 1.2 kilometres at 10KPH
• Squats - 20kg, 6 reps, 6 sets
• Lunges - 12kg, 12 reps, 3 sets
• Multihip (leg out to side) 4kg, 8 reps, 2 sets
• Leg extension - 7kg, 8 reps, 4 sets
• Leg curl - 4kg, 6 reps, 3 sets
• Leg press - 72.5kg, 10 reps, 4 sets

Day 6 - Wednesday 21 November:

Food

• Banana (100 calories)
• Tuna (288 calories)
• Sweetcorn (91 calories)
• 150ml of 1% fat milk (64 calories)
• Yoghurt drink (33 calories) 
• Banana (100 calories)
• 2 eggs (160 calories)
• Sweetcorn (91 calories)
• 20g cheese (83 calories)
• Apple (80 calories)

TOTAL CALORIES: 1090

Really feeling it today. I’m tired, drained, hungry, unhappy… but today’s been a terrible day on the whole; work, boyfriend, friends, money (or lack of), PMT, heavy rain, and any day that doesn’t start in the gym is usually a bad day. 

Day 7 - Thursday 22 November

Food

• Banana (100 calories)
• Spinach & goats cheese omelet with side salad (restaurant - calories unknown)
• Large salad with 3 cheeses, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, pesto, avacaro and hummus (restaurant - calories unknown)
• 6 MOJITOS! (but I asked for no sugar, so they were just soda water, mint, lime and rum)
• 2 prawn spring rolls (restaurant - calories unknown) SIN
• 2 bites of prawn toast (restaurant - calories unknown) SIN

I just watched a very interesting video concerned with the science behind sugar and how fructose is technically poison… and is the main reason we’re fat!

So check out my updated page here!

Also added a bit to the fitness section… 

Today I did arms at the gym so I thought I’d share my arm workout with you.

Triceps

This exercise can be done as depicted below, or one arm at a time. 12reps 5 sets.

Pushups x20 (if these are too difficult, Google ‘female pushups’)

Tricep pushdown on the cable machine. Find a weight that is suitable for you, then do this until you can’t do it any more.

Biceps

Bicep curl. 12reps, 4 sets.

Hammer curl. 12reps, 4sets.

Remember, doing these exercises will not make you look like a huge body builder! All you’re doing is toning your arms and removing the ‘bingo wing’. Building muscle is more effective for weightloss than cardio; your body can hold more calories and you look better naked.

I made a diet timetable!

As I’ve said many times, including on my health and fitness page, weightloss and healthy eating have a lot to do with when you eat and what you eat at certain times.

The recommended daily calorie intake (for a female of average height) is 1200 calories per day, so here I’ve broken up the calories throughout the day; the most in the morning and the least in the evening. 

The images I’ve added are just to give you ideas of what to eat/cook. These foods are all vegetarian and things that I like. Eating a lot of eggs, nuts and seeds is always good for muscle growth. Fruits and vegetables are always great.

Don’t forget about calcium and vitamins!

Remember, carbs in moderation! None past the afternoon. The carbs that you do eat should be small portions of “good carbs”.

It’s best to eat nothing after 7pm/8pm, but if you are really hungry, then don’t eat anything other than vegetables. Hopefully the image will give you some ideas (vegetable soup, roasted vegetables, tomato salad, garlic mushrooms…)

Link to bigger version of the image:

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/4003/eatingtimetable.jpg

IF YOU WAKE UP AT 7am AND SLEEP AT 10pm (for example) THEN PUSH ALL THE ‘BOUNDARIES’ BACK BY TWO HOURS… adjust to your awake hours!

I went to the gym this morning (on an empty stomach) and spent some time with my personal trainer.

• Cardio
• Abs
• Legs
• Glutes
• Triceps

Had a really good session. Walked home in the rain and it smelt like cut grass :)

For post gym breakfast/lunch I had a healthy sandwich;

• Warburtons 5 seed bread (2x 137calories)
• Quorn sausages (2x 70calories, 5.3g protein, 4.9g carb, 0.3g saturated fat) 
• Hummus (I use instead of butter haha) 
• Spinach
• Olives

It was probably about 500 calories for one sandwich, which I guess it quite a lot, but it was good calories, early in the day, after burning calories at the gym. (Remember, what and when is more important than how much. More).

Later:

- Snack: Banana

- Evening meal: 2 more quorn sausages and baked beans (high protein, low carb)

- Snack: 1 tomato

So here is what I had for dinner. They were delicious.

Ingredients (for one):

• 1/3 can of chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 tablespoon of oregano
• 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 cup of vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup of brown rice
• 2 sweet bell peppers
• chopped basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pour tomatoes, oregano, Parmesan, olive oil, salt and pepper into a bowl and mix.

The oregano I picked fresh from my Grandparent’s herb garden:

(Meanwhile) bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan. Add the rice and cook for 5 minutes. 

Drain the rice through a sieve, reserving the vegetable broth. Add the rice to the vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Transfer the vegetable broth to a small baking dish.

Slice the tops off the peppers and remove the inner ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers to stand.

Spoon the rice and vegetable mixture into the peppers. Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm vegetable broth.

Cover the dish with non-stick foil and bake for 55 minutes. Remove foil and add extra cheese and basil if desired.

(This recipe is based on one I found online, then altered slightly the ingredients and portion size).

My personal trainer wants me to lose 4 pounds in the first week of our training and another 4 pounds over the following three weeks (since the first few pounds come off quickly). I’m having my first gym session with him on Friday… if I feel well.

I feel so ill today and I don’t know why. I’ve not eaten anything bad. Yesterday I just ate whole grain bread, salad and egg, nothing spicy or out-of-date. Maybe too much diet coke. I really need to give that shit up, but it’s my only vice. 

Today for breakfast I had poached eggs and baked beans (debatable whether they’re healthy). But it was gross… probably because I’m ill.

I’m really feeling University pressure now; less than 6 weeks until my dissertation deadline and I’m aiming for a distinction. If I don’t get it I’ll be pretty devastated. I’ve no idea when my TEFL deadline is either. Ughh stress. 

Sorry for the moaning post, but I said I’d post regular diet updates. I only weigh myself every 3 to 4 weeks to avoid obsessing over one pound every day. I’ll let you know if I manage to lose the 8 I’m supposed to in 4 weeks time.

Charlotte Elizabeth x

I’ve improved this. It’s more confusing now, hence why I’ve had to add the mini direction arrows, but it’s definitely better for your diet.

(You can actually eat more than you could with the previous chart because I’ve distinguished between good carbs and bad carbs).

Large, printable version:

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/8559/dietflowchart3lines.jpg

Good luck bikini dreamers <3

In the process of making a prawn and broccoli stir-fry with onions, garlic and soy sauce. Yummy!

Written everything I know (or at least that I can think of right now) about calories, dieting, weigh-loss and nutrition. 

Check it out:

http://barbiecharlotte.tumblr.com/healthy

I’m going to start a diet/ healthy eating/ fitness blog.

Hopefully this will keep me, and you, motivated to get that summer body and to take care our health.

Things you should know:

1. I suck at cooking! So a lot of the pictures I post may be my boyfriend’s cooking, otherwise I’ll be looking for healthy meal ideas on Tumblr.
2. I’m a broke student with no job, so I’ll be eating on a budget.
3. I’m a Pescetarian, which technically means a diet similar to that of a vegetarian, but which also includes fish and shellfish… but I doubt you’ll see me eating any seafood other than prawns. 

I’ll also post about exercise; the gym, yoga, running, good diet & fitness iPhone apps, etc.

I’ll try and keep this reasonably interesting. I hate diet bores. 

Charlotte Elizabeth.