LighterLife Fasting - How Easy is the 5:2 Diet?

I'm into the second week of my 5:2 diet plan using LighterLife Fastpacks on my fast days.  After week one, my weight had dropped by 3 lbs even though I had enjoyed an Indian takeaway on one of my 'normal' eating days.  Definitely the kind of dieting that appeals to me!

The LighterLife Fastpacks are much tastier than I thought they would be, and surprisingly filling even though the portion size is quite small.  Knowing that I am getting my full RDA of nutrients makes the 5:2 diet concept safe and reassuring.  I am not depriving my body of any vitamins or minerals, I am just cutting calories for two days a week.

The packs are easy to make up using water.  My advice though would be to put the mix into a bowl first then gradually add the water while whisking with a hand whisk.  Day 1's rather lumpy porridge taught me the lesson of proper mixing - you can't just chuck it in a bowl and microwave and hope for the best.  Since realising this, everything else has turned out perfectly well.

The porridge has a very fine texture, is sweet and creamy.   My kids said it looked like baby food, but I am one of those mums who secretly enjoyed the odd bowl of baby porridge or a smooshed rusk, so this was actually a positive to me!  I enjoyed it and it was comforting and filling. I have a late breakfast on my fast days, which I find stops me feeling hungry before lunchtime.

Lunch is a bowl of soup.  Again I enjoyed it as it is creamy, thick and highly flavoured.  I liked the little bits of vegetable in it, giving me something to chew on!  Again it was surprisingly filling for a bowl of soup.

The snack bars are actually quite big.  I have peanut bars and toffee bars which are both very nice.  they don't taste like a 'diet' product at all, which surprised me.  The peanut bar, pictured below is like a puffed wheat cereal bar crossed with a soft peanut brittle! The toffee bar is wafer and soft caramel in a chocolate coating.  They fill me up until dinner time and give you a sweet treat on fast days, plus they are packed with nutrients.

The pasta carbonara and spaghetti bolognese meals are both vegetarian dishes containing soya. I was honestly quite shocked that they tasted really nice. If I am honest, I expected something akin to a bland Pot Noodle but I was very wrong.  Both are really flavoursome with a good texture.  The carbonara, pictured below, was creamy with a real taste of smoky ham.  It was nice to have the pasta pieces and I felt quite satisfied afterwards.  The spaghetti bolognese is really yummy with soya mince and short pieces of spaghetti combined.  I have lost a few calories from my dinners because my daughters kept wanting to try them! So hats off to LighterLife for making 150 calories of dinner taste so appealing.

The overall experience of a fast day has been really positive.  I drank zero calorie drinks such as water and black decaff coffee.  I must confess that I did miss fresh fruit and veg on my first fast day, so I chopped up a carrot and kept it in the fridge to nibble on, just so I could eat something 'real'.  At only 30 calories, I feel this was a worthwhile addition that made the fasting much easier and satisfied that craving.  But knowing that I would be eating fruit and veg again the next day meant that missing fresh food was a very minor concern.

The food I am eating during the 5 normal days is what I would usually eat, meals such as vegetable stews, curries, Mexican dishes and Quorn based meals.  I am definitely noticing a psychological knock on effect from the fast days, making me eat better. On a whole, I am being more mindful of what I am putting in my body and not eating junk and unhealthy snacks between meals, as I don't want to undo the good I'm doing on my fast days. I still enjoy an occasional take away or meal out without worrying too much about my diet.  I find myself making better choices such as switching my usual Mocha to an Americano, or having fresh fruit as a snack.

I can switch around the fast days to suit myself as long as I choose two non-consecutive days.  So it fits in really well with my lifestyle.  I like the fact that I am not deprived of eating foods I enjoy during the week and I only have to be really strict on the two fast days.  But given that LighterLife have made the two fast days so easy, sticking to the plan is not an issue and takes minimal effort.  The 5:2 diet has given me a much needed focus on my diet after the excesses of Christmas and I do enjoy having a structure to my eating that drives me towards my goal.

You can continue to follow my LighterLife fastdays experience on Twitter @wendymcd83 with the hashtag #tryfast.

A Thrifty Tip for Valentine's Day Decorations

I have a money saving hint for buying decorations for Valentine's Day (and many other special occasions).  In my local garden centre, all the Christmas produce is being sold at 75% off.  Looking at the range of ornaments, decorations and baubles, I realised that there were lots things which weren't Christmassy at all.  There was quite a selection of hearts and angels among the more festive designs.  Perfect for St.Val's! So I bought a selection of beautiful heart shaped glass baubles, cherub candle votives, lace winged butterflies and a large wooden heart decoration. The whole lot was worth over £30 but I paid less than £8 for the lot. Much cheaper than buying bespoke Valentine's Day products, plus the quality is far superior to many of the novelty Valentine's Day items on the market.

It's well worth keeping an open mind when looking at things in the post Christmas sales.  There are often things that have multiple purposes and as I love celebrating all the year's special days, I can often find things appropriate to other occasions.  As well as these decorations, the garden centre had ones shaped like gemstones, cars, musical instruments, birds and little toys.  All could be used as decorations for birthdays, themed parties or other events. Just because they are a part of their Christmas range, doesn't mean you have to use them solely at Christmas time!

On Valentine's Day I will be decorating the dining room with my haul to create a romantic setting for our special dinner.  Decorating the room really adds to the ambiance, fun and atmosphere.  I'm planning on spray painting a branch, popping it in a vase and hanging the decorative hearts on it, as a lovely table centrepiece.  

I love a good bargain and I like having a good selection of pretty things ready to adorn my home to make every celebration simply perfect. 

What Fred did when Daddy's back was turned!

Daddy's back was turned for just a minute at bedtime.  He left Freddy snuggled up in bed, as he popped downstairs for a moment. He hoped Freddy would fall asleep, but he had other ideas. These few moments were all the time it took for Freddy to sneak out of bed, go into Kizzy's room, seek out her make-up bag, find her brand new eyeliner and transform himself using his makeshift face paint. When discovered, he proudly showed off his freshly drawn cheek scar, stubbly chin, moustache and eye-patch strings, declaring that he was no longer Freddy - he was now a pirate.  He was so very pleased with himself that even Kizzy saw the funny side, despite the fact that her make-up had been compromised in the hands of her 4 year old brother.  It always astounds me just how quickly little ones can seek out mischief, it is truly an art form and one that Freddy excels in!  

He really is turning into the most delightfully cheeky and gorgeous boy, who truly makes our lives so much more entertaining.  I had forgotten what it was like to have a boy in the house.  Freddy is a non-stop, whirling dervish of energy when he gets going, climbing on furniture, bouncing on sofas and throwing toys around the room.  He likes to kick things, hit things and knock things over.  All the while he will be pretending to be a superhero or a character from a video game, chasing bad guys and defeating enemies. Aside from this pure gender typical machismo displayed by my four year old, he does still have a soft side.  A cuddly, kissy, gentle, loving side that thrives on the adoration he gets from us all.  With his sisters as his role models he still indulges in a few girly moments now and again, where he pops on a wig from the fancy dress box and calls himself Bellina or Jasmine or Georgina.  So although he is often found creating some sort of havoc involving makeshift weaponry and imaginary force fields, you can still find him looking like this....

Support Your Child's Learning at Home with Letts

Freddy 4, and Kizzy 11 are both back at school enjoying the start of a new term.  For Freddy, he is at the start of his primary school experience, where he is learning all about sounds, letters and numbers for the first time. Kizzy is in her final year of Junior School and soon will be taking her year 6 SATS exams. As a parent, I think it is very important to support your child's learning in the home by giving them the chance to explore their environment and learn through play and experience.  But it is also good to help in a more formal way by providing them with materials which support the education they receive at school.  Activity books and practice books are an excellent resource to share with your child.  They help to consolidate their skills and for older children give them the chance to extend their knowledge and nurture independent learning.

Letts is a great choice when it comes to buying educational activity books to support your child’s learning at home. Letts books are up-to-date with the curriculum, making them a reassuring purchase for parents. Plus they are fun, meaning the kids will enjoy doing them.

Letts provide an age appropriate range of educational activities and revision guides, suitable for all stages of a child's education.  Kizzy and Freddy were delighted to receive a bundle of books suitable for their age and stage of education.

Freddy is still very new to formal learning.  Until starting in Reception last September, he didn't show a lot of interest in using a pencil and wasn't very interested in books, in spite of our encouragement. He preferred playing hard and hitting things with sticks!  However, since becoming a school boy he is far more keen on picking up a pen or a book and is working hard at recognising letters and sounds.  The penny will drop for him and I'm sure he will be reading and writing very soon.  While he is at this stage, it's nice to offer him the chance to use activity books which are fun, entertaining and hold his interest as he hones his  phonics and penmanship skills.

Monster Skills Practice

Handwriting 5-6

Spelling and Phonics 5-6

Addition and Subtraction 5-6

Multiplication and Division 5-6

The friendly monster characters in the new Letts Monster Practice books bring an element of fun to younger children. These books support key maths and English skills being taught in school and contain stickers to use as rewards, which is something that Freddy always enjoys.  Each section gives the child activities to do and also gives an idea for a fun activity to extend their learning in the Fun Zone!  The back of the books features a cut out mask to add to the fun!

Letts Skills Practice

Spelling 9-11

 Mental Arithmetic 10-11

 Grammar and Punctuation 9-11

Kizzy is doing brilliantly at school and is ready to tackle her SATS in a few months.  Using practice books really helps boost her confidence and she enjoys doing them.  The layout of the books is really good, covering one particular topic then allowing the child to practice what they have been revising.  Mixed question tests help to put their new skills to work, and monitor their progress. 

                        

Letts books are published by Collins who also publish dictionaries, atlases, children's reference books, My First series books, learning books, Hello Kitty atlases and sticker books.  They give children the chance to learn whilst having fun.

Find out more at lettsrevision.com and collins.co.uk

Follow Collins on Twitter @Collins4Parents and Letts @lettsed

Readers of this blog can get an exclusive 30% discount on Collins Dictionaries, Reference Books, Atlases and Learning Books. This offer is available until 31 January 2014 and is valid with orders using promo code BOOKS30 on Collins.co.uk.

The White Lily

My favourite flower, and the star of my beautiful Christmas bouquet is the white lily. When first bought they were still closed, tight in their buds, but they bloomed revealing their full beauty. They have graced my dining room table for the whole of the festive period, but now the time has come to consign them to my recycling bin.  

My mum hates cut flowers for the very fact that they don't last forever, but it is this transience that makes me appreciate flowers all the more.  The fleetingness of their beauty makes it all the more precious.

The Lily

by William Blake

The modest Rose puts forth a thorn,

The humble sheep a threat’ning horn:

While the Lily white shall in love delight,

Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.

A Perfect Day at Center Parcs

Center Parcs have a new advertising campaign featuring real life families enjoying Center Parcs their way: Your Family, Your Time.  Featuring families with little ones; families with three generations holidaying together; families with children of mixed ages (the video that inspired me the most) and a group of families that holiday together, it is lovely to see how Center Parcs allows every family to spend quality time together doing things their way.

              

So what if I was given the chance to spend the perfect day at Center Parcs?  How would I spend my time with my family?  Moments spent together are priceless to me. As my eldest children grow up and start their own lives, I am constantly reminded of just how special time spent as a family is. Being somewhere where we can make the very most of that time really would be amazing.  Making memories that will last a lifetime and giving my children the chance to enjoy family life to the fullest.

This is what my perfect day would look like....

From the moment I awaken and open the curtains, it is the beautiful woodland setting that puts me in the holiday mood.  Being surrounded by nature has such a magical quality, making you feel like you are a million miles away from the stresses of real life.  Breakfast on the patio is a must.  Visitors in the shape of swans, ducks and sometimes even squirrels, tentatively approach us hoping to share in some scraps from the table.  We breathe in the clean, fresh air and feel more invigorated than we have in a long time.  Who can resist an early morning wander into the woods?  The little ones find sticks, feathers and rocks - treasures from their travels.  The wildlife is admired as we spot birds, bugs and animals along the way.  The beauty of the flowers and trees is appreciated as we brush past the soft leaves and clamber over fallen logs.  This is the perfect way to start the day.

Enjoying the Great Outdoors

Taking part in some of the many activities on offer onsite gives us all the chance to try something that we wouldn't normally get the opportunity to do.  Sharing new experiences is a great way to connect with the children, leading to enthusiastic chatter for weeks afterwards and usually a great deal of laughter at the time. 

 We'd get on our bikes and cycle to one of the locations where we could enjoy a couple of hours of something completely new!  Quad Biking is an adrenaline fuelled activity for dad and the older kids, while a gentle horse ride around the parc is a perfect way for myself and the little ones to take in the sights and the sounds.

Getting together afterwards for a Family Bowling Competition gets everyone in a competitive mood!  As we laugh at the 'gutter balls' and applaud the strikes we enjoy a hot chocolate to keep us going until lunchtime.

Trying Something New

A visit to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise is a must.  Even though everyone has a different level of water confidence and ability, we can all enjoy the waves, water playgrounds and whirlpools. The braver ones will ride the rapids and zoom down the flumes!  I'd love to hire a cabana where we could relax and enjoy the comfy seating, a light lunch and complimentary drinks.  The kids could continue to play to their heart's content in the idyllic paradise setting, whilst I relax with a good book!

The outdoor play areas make a fun stopping point on the cycle ride back to the lodge.  A moment to climb, slide, jump, swing, see-saw and spin on a variety of fun play equipment brings out the child in all of us!  You are never to old to let down your hair and have some pure, unabashed fun with the little ones. 

Unleash Your Inner Child and Play, Play, Play!

When it comes to a short break, I thoroughly enjoy eating out.  No need for anyone to cook or wash up!  Plus it's an excuse to get dressed up, do our hair and feel really good about ourselves. At Center Parcs' American Diner, Hucks, we would enjoy a fantastic meal, ordering a selection of veggie dishes from the menu and trying some of their fancy cocktails, whilst overlooking the beautiful lake as the sun begins to set on a perfect day.  There is no need to count calories after all the exercise we've had throughout the day, so the huge pudding we share comes guilt free!

Dress Up and Dine Out in Style

A slow walk back to our lodge allows us to enjoy the beauty of the woods and the lake as night falls. It is so much stiller and calmer by night.  Our comfy, cosy lodge awaits us, where we get into our PJ's and snuggle up with a hot drink and reminisce about all the things we have done.  My littlest two will fall soundly asleep and be carried to their beds.  The oldest children will share a bottle of wine with their dad and I as we discuss our plans for tomorrow.  Aqua Sana?  More swimming?  Aerial Walk? Maybe we'll take in a show and enjoy some live music?  An Indian meal in Rajinder Pradesh? As long as we are doing it as a family I know it will be fabulous. Because nothing feels better than family together!

Family Moments Spent Together

I'd fall asleep in my bed, replaying all the special moments from my day in my head.  Listening to the sound of silence and feeling wonderfully content.  A perfect day indeed!

‘This is my entry to the Center Parcs and Tots 100 January challenge. If I’m chosen, I would like to visit Whinfell Forest.'

Reality TV - My Guilty Pleasure

The start of 2014 has brought with it a cornucopia of fabulously trashy Reality TV shows, providing the perfect antidote to my annual post Christmas gloom and the terrible January weather.

Last weekend I immersed myself in Splash, Celebrity Big Brother plus its Bit on the Side and Dancing on Ice, and I'm not ashamed to admit I loved every moment of it!

Splash is such an unlikely concept. Watching celebs of all ages, shapes and sizes take to the diving board under the watchful eye of pocket-sized Tom Daley should not be entertaining.  But somehow it works.  The delivery is very old fashioned, reminding me of TV from my childhood.  The flourish of the disrobing celebs revealing their bejewelled showbiz cossies before they make the walk to the diving board feels like watching the Miss World Swimwear round from 1976.  But instead of watching beauty queens on parade we have a mix and match array of soapstars, comedians, TV presenters and reality stars strutting their stuff.  As they make their dives I'm not sure if I'm willing them to pull off the perfect twist and tuck with a splashless entry, or whether I really want to see the mother of all belly flops.  Either way I am glued to the screen for the entire few seconds that they are mid air, heading headfirst into the pool. However, the tired format of unfunny judges, and stale presenters does cause me to drift off between dives, as I find myself hitting social media on my phone. If they could condense the show into a 30 minute montage of splashing celebrities, I'm sure it would much more interesting to watch.  This week Gemma Collins from TOWIE was one of the celebrities taking the dive, and I have to say she was a revelation.  She is fabulous larger lady who overcame her fears and pulled off her simple dive with relish.  Her oversized boobs were battered and bruised from training, but she trussed them up in her gorgeous, slinky black swimming dress (yes it was a dress and not a costume) and showed all of us plus sized ladies how it was done.  Well done Gemma!

Dancing on Ice All Stars is what I have been waiting for ever since I saw the teaser trailer last year.  The return of Todd Carty is eagerly anticipated in next week's show along with other favourites such as David Seaman, famed for smashing his partner's face into the ice during the infamous Head Banger incident from series 1!  This week gave us the awkward pairing of Jorgie Porter with the Lothario Sylvain Longchambon, who has gained notoriety for bedding his skate partners. Sylvain hooked up with that Samia from Corrie during the last series, dumping former partner Jen from Hollyoaks.  As Jen and Jorgi are best friends, this lead to a bit of animosity.  Little, doe-eyed Jorgie was rather unpleasant about her skating partner in the show and in the media beforehand. It wasn't very professional or gracious - but the producers knew exactly what they doing when they paired them up to court controversy.  Personally, I think that as Sylvain and Jen were not married and had no children, it isn't that scandalous that he hooked up with some one else.  Lots of couples find love in the workplace, and for them DOI is a job and they fell in love while doing it. It's the natural order of things. People do move on in relationships and just because you do it publicly, watched by millions of viewers doesn't make it any less valid.  I think Jorgie deserved to go for being a little bitch - albeit a very cute, little blonde one. The loss of Joe Pasquale was however a sad one.  His groin thrusting, Flash performance was a joy to behold.

There is something so utterly cathartic about watching a bunch of celebrities (aka has-beens, wannabes or Z-Listers) throwing themselves into a reality show in the hope of resurrecting a dying career, earning a few extra bob, getting a topless shoot in Nuts or holding on to their tenuous 15 minutes of fame. There is, at this time, a really interesting phenomena of people who have found fame on reality shows, entering other reality shows. It's like reality and celebrity is imploding in on itself. On CBB we have stars from TOWIE, Made in Chelsea and The Apprentice going head to head.  It's like the ultimate reality contest, a modern day arena for gladiatorial combat, between stars who are only famous for being themselves. Egos clashing.  Attention sought.  Limelight hogged.

So far there has been a lot of smutty goings on in the house featuring Lee Ryan from Blue with the topless model that he was handcuffed to for the entry show.  Is their budding relationship real or just showmance? Time alone will tell. But I for one love a good celebrity, onscreen lovefest.  Remember Jordan and Peter in the Jungle or Chantal and Preston from CBB??  More alarmingly we have Dappy from N-Dubz, Jasmine, who is an American 'actress' who once punched Lindsay Lohan, and Luisa the baking sex addict from The Apprentice, taking to the bathtub for a rather grotesque game of truth or dare involving nipples, girl-on-girl action and rubber ducks.   Dappy is like a little puppy dog with way too much testosterone coursing through his veins.  He tries to hump everything. His over excited little face as he plays up to the camera and his constant crotch adjustment leaves me unsettled!  He is known not only for being the woolly hat wearing pint sized frontman of N-Dubz but also for posting a nude, full frontal photo on the internet. Now for the purpose of research, I may have Googled the 'Dappy nudes' and yes, I may have snorted my coffee at my laptop screen.  At 5' 2", Dappy is a little fella, consequently, his well above average nob hung like a third leg reaching down to his knees.  In the Big Brother house, he is enjoying boasting about his 'meat' and likes to wave it about when near to Jasmine. Consequently we have had a visual on Dappy's bellend hanging out of the leg of his boxers as he attempted to mount the snoozing girl in bed.  And it is only the first week!  I am pretty sure the beast will be fully unleashed at some point.

Meanwhile Chelsea's lovely Ollie Locke and octogenarian, national treasure Lionel Blair have had the most wonderful bromance.  The camp duo are just perfect together, a friendship transcending the generations.  TOWIE's Sam Faiers has shown she is just as lovely in 'real life' as she is in Essex, as she conducts herself with kindness and good grace. Love her! Sadly, heavyweight boxing champ Evander Holyfield has not shown himself to be the housemate we hoped for.  He showed his American Christian homophobic views in a bedtime chat with Luisa, likening being gay to a handicap and something that should be fixed. It's unbelievable that so many people can still hold this view and spout such unpleasant and offensive nonsense. He also went on some tirade about animals being on this planet solely for man's convenience, but because this was in an argument with Liz Jones, who is a bit of a crazy cat lady, the impact on me was not as great as it could have been.  I disagreed with his opinion but I like seeing Liz challenged.  So Evander turns out to be an arrogant, ignorant bigot and not the cool guy I hoped for.

It's definitely panning out to be a great season for some reality TV indulgence over the next few weeks!  And anything that lifts my low January mood is good by me.  So I will be immersing myself in my daily dose of escapism for a while, until the desire for more high brow entertainment resurfaces in the Spring!