Nutribuddy Breakfast 14 Day Trial Results*

A couple of weeks ago you may have seen my Nutribuddy Breakfast First Impressions post when I was a few days into my 14 day trial of this product.

Just to recap, a 14 day supply costs £14.99 and comes in a glass clip top jar however you can save £1.99 by getting a refill pack. I also received a shaker which you have the option of adding to your order for just £7.99.

The breakfast mix is made with only organic and genuinely healthy ingredients meaning it is free from pesticides and artificial fertilisers. It’s great that this is chemical free. It is also sweetened by the natural sweetener stevia as opposed to Aspartame which many people choose to avoid. I think this product is great and appeals to many for the following further reasons.

• It’s suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
• It’s gluten free.
• It’s soy free.
• It’s sugar free.
• Contains only 121 calories per serving.
• High in fibre.
• Contains no allergens.

It’s such a versatile product. I really noticed how this kept me fuller for longer compared to my usual breakfast and I felt like it gave me an energy boost throughout the morning. After the 14 day trial, I lost 5lbs. I also maintained a healthy diet throughout the rest of the day and I did also exercise which may have helped with this. The shakes really did kick-start my day, especially before taking part in Parkrun and I even smashed a new PB on week 2.

If you want to know more or purchase your own two week trial, head over to Nutribuddy.

*I received this item free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Nutribuddy Breakfast First Impressions*

Since January has begun I have been trying to get healthier and make sure all of my meals are planned. I have been having a good variety of foods for my evening meal and changing my lunches up every week too however the one thing that has stayed the same was my breakfast. I was craving something new, something different and then Nutribuddy reached out to me with a product that could not only help with my weight loss but also ‘shake up’ my breakfast routine.

I received this product called ‘Nutribuddy Breakfast’ which in simple terms is a blend of ground oats, seeds and coconut. It’s quick and convenient, I literally need to add milk and shake and it’s done! It comes in 3 flavours, Chocolate Brownie, Vanilla and Naked (unflavoured/unsweetened). I chose the Chocolate Brownie flavour and received a 14 day supply so thought I would give it a go. A 14 day supply costs £14.99 and comes in a glass clip top jar however you can save £1.99 by getting a refill pack. I also received a shaker which you have the option of adding to your order for just £7.99. It’s really handy to have in my opinion.

I have only tried this for a few days now. In the mornings, I took 3 scoops of the product and put it into the shaker. I then added around 300ml of milk and its just a case of shaking until smooth. You can also use almond milk, soya or even coconut. The more you shaker, the smoother the drink becomes. You can also add fruit and pop in a blender if you prefer, or if you have a bit more time you can add to a bowl with fruit, nuts and seeds.  I may try different versions throughout this trial period to see how I get on.

Stay tuned for a full update in a few weeks when I have finished the jar if you’d like to see my results.

*I received this item free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Losing Weight and Fat Freezing Treatments*

So as many of you may know right now, I am officially getting married and need to shift some serious weight before I even start to try on some dresses let alone actually walk down that aisle. I thought I would do a monthly weigh in with a few of the things I have tried out throughout the month and how my weight is changing whether that be up or down! So I am going to aim to post these monthly if this one goes down well so please let me know what you think. Now that my holiday is out of the way, I have a clear run until Christmas so will be trying my best. My fiancé has also set up a training plan for me and kitted me out with some new gym equipment. He has also been taking my measurements bi-weekly so I can track those too.

For those who don’t want to read through the whole thing, I will do a quick summary at the top.

Month 1 Starting Weight – 12 Stone 11.5 lbs
Month 2 Starting Weight – 12 Stone 5.5lbs
Total Weight Loss for Month 1 – 6lbs

I recently heard about Fat Freezing treatments available at Pulse Light Clinic in London. It’s a non-surgical fat reduction treatment that treats that stubborn fat that exercise simply won’t touch! Once the fat has been removed, it is gone for good. 

CoolSculpting is suitable for fat all over the body including double chins, love handles, back fat, saggy bums and flabby thighs. Fat freezing is exactly how it sounds, your fat literally gets frozen away in a safe, effective and FDA approved way. The technology used is called Cryolipolysis and is done without needles or surgery. The CoolSculpting pack is placed onto the area that is going to be treated and is left for only one hour. During this time the fat cells are being frozen which then causes them to die. They are then flushed out of your body! The below video is fantastic if you want to know a little bit more.

If you are looking to get this treatment done then you can contact the clinic on the below addresses:

Tottenham Court Road Clinic

5 Percy Street, London, W1T IDG

Tel: 0207 205 4085

Fenchurch Street Clinic

1st Floor, 152 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 6BB

Tel: 0207 523 5158

I won’t post my exact measurements but can tell you that this month I lost about 2 inches from each leg, and 4 inches around my stomach and waist. I also lost an inch from each arm, not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing! Onto my weekly losses for this month, I have included some of the meals that I have been eating. Let me know if you have any questions – or what you think! And if you would like to see more of these posts please let me know and I can make sure I do that for you.

Week 1 – Weigh in (12 Stone 11.5 lbs)

This is my starting point after a week’s holiday in Wales eating to my heart’s content. , I knew that the scales weren’t going to like me today but it’s good to have a starting point. We started the week off with a Shepherd’s Pie, packed with veg and for the rest of the week our meals consisted of pasta bake with lean pork meatballs, vegetable chilli, salmon with stir fry vegetables and rice, slow cooked sausage casserole and lean turkey mince meatballs with pasta. For lunches I have been enjoying some vegetable soups and I have been snacking on fruit, yoghurt and lean meats.

Week 2 – Weigh in (12 Stone 7.5 lbs) -4lbs

This week I was pleased to see a loss after being back to healthy eating for a week. This week’s food consisted of a risotto, curry, sausage pasta bake, ostrich steaks, salmon and a Mediterranean chicken pilaf. I have also been snacking on grapes and lean meats as well as some low fat yoghurts. For lunches I made a spicy butternut squash soup with onion, carrot, garlic, ginger, celery and chilli which has been lovely and warming during the colder weather.

Week 3 – Weigh in (12 stone 7lbs) -0.5lbs

This week I had a reasonably good week food wise but the weekend knocked me well and truly off the wagon. I was lucky to scrape a loss this week I think! Pleased with my half a pound off, I sailed onto week 4.

Week 4 – Weigh in (12 stone 5.5lbs) – 1.5lbs

This week was what I called a ‘light’ week where I seem to get away with eating lots of food but still losing weight. It’s just one of those months I guess!

*Sponsored Post

Bioglan Skinny Greens* - Review and Results

I have mentioned in a previous blog post that I am a Holland and Barrett Good Life Insider which means I sometimes get the opportunity to sample products which is great. I received this selection of Bioglan Skinny Green’s, available at Holland and Barrett and I couldn’t wait to try and review them after seeing Lucy Watson from Made in Chelsea post a photo of them on her Instagram.

Week 1 began with the Bioglan Skinny Greens Superfood 7 Day Cleanse RRP:£17.99. This is the smallest pot and contains 70g of the powder and a scoop to measure your 10g daily portion. The Skinny Greens aim to help you achieve the shape you want in a natural way. I have tried shakes and things before and to me it’s just empty or wasted calories so it’s great to hear that these aren’t a replacement, they are an addition to your lifestyle and this one contains only 25 calories a serving. This is step one in the three step regime and has been formulated with milk thistle and dandelion to naturally detox and cleanse your system over 7 days and prepare yourself for step 2.

The instructions advise to mix one scoop of the powder with 200ml of water and mix until dissolved. For best results it is advised to consume once a day before breakfast for 7 days. I mixed my first portion and was surprised at the bright green colour. I’ll be honest I really didn’t like the taste of it. It was sickly sweet with an odd aftertaste but I held my nose and gulped this down.  As this was before breakfast I was rather hungry and drinking this on an empty stomach made me feel a bit sick. I genuinely wondered if this was going to be worth it! By day 3 I was used to the taste and could down this in one without holding my nose or gagging. By the end week one, I hadn’t actually lost any weight but I did notice I had less bloating.

Week 2 began with the Bioglan Skinny Greens 14 Day Superfood Thermo Burn RRP:£24.99. As this was a 14 day cleanse I really hoped it tasted nicer than the last one! The flavour is described as citrus and aims to raise your bodies temperature and stimulate metabolism. I definitely noticed I was warmer, it was a welcomed change – I normally freeze in the office. The taste on the other hand was not pleasant. At least with step 1 I was able to down this, but due to the cayenne in this one I couldn’t drink it fast as it was rather spicy. It had a distinct orange taste but I could also taste cocoa. Once again this was to be taken before breakfast or before exercise for 2 weeks. I had a couple of nasty side effects with very little time to get to the toilet. I was at work, my stomach made the loudest rumble ever and I had to rush to the toilet when I exploded. This happened twice, around 4 hours after taking the drink. After about 4 days it was a lot more manageable and I thankfully had no more bad side effects but it did keep me regular, that’s all I’ll say! After 2 weeks on this shake I lost 1.5lbs. I was very happy with that because I ate so much in these 2 weeks due to having a hectic and busy social life with meals out and birthdays. Normally I would have gained weight but to lose made me feel chuffed.

I was told by other people using this that during step 2 you can incorporate some of the skinny greens for step 3 but one was enough! I decided to save step 3 for when it was time. When I got to week 4, it was time to move onto step 3 of the cleanse which lasts another 2 weeks. This is where I drank the Bioglan Skinny Greens 14 Day Superfood Replenish Shake Vanilla RRP £24.99 or the Bioglan Skinny Greens 14 Day Superfood Replenish Shake Mixed Berry RRP:£24.99 instead of a snack each day. The Vanilla flavoured shake smelled and tasted like Playdough. It was far too sweet for me and made me gag drinking it. With all of the drinks after a few days I got used to them but it wasn’t something I looked forward to. I will be honest I couldn’t finish it, the taste was just too much.

Overall at the end of the 6 weeks I had lost weight (around 5lbs) and inches despite eating loads as I had a hectic social schedule. I did continue to exercise throughout the 6 weeks. Usually I would have gained or maintained my weight eating this way but I was impressed that I still managed to lose throughout taking the Skinny Greens.  I imagine if taken with a healthy diet then this would product fantastic results but for me I just couldn’t stomach the taste and would definitely look to other ways if I wanted to lose weight.

Would you ever try Skinny Greens?

*I received these items from Holland and Barrett free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

January's Weight Progress Feat. Nutribuddy*

January is the month where I always try and get back on the straight and narrow with my diet and exercise. After an indulgent month in December I couldn’t wait to try and shift some of those pesky Christmas pounds that I piled on.

When I was contacted by Nutribuddy to try out an exciting range of natural sports supplements which aims to aid weight loss in a healthy way, I jumped at the chance and knew it would be the perfect addition to my January routine. I was kindly sent the Nutribuddy's Weight Loss Starter Kit which costs £69.99 and contains Sculpting Whey, Hunger Fix, Multivitamins and a Shaker bottle. Everything you need to kick start that weight loss. I received the chocolate flavour but there was also the option of vanilla. The pack also came with a handy weight loss guide packed full of recipes and a meal plan that you can follow alongside the Nutribuddy products. I like to think I eat fairly healthily anyway but loved adding some of these recipes to my diet which I think really helped to contribute to the results I got.

The Sculpting Whey comes in a 908g pouch and works best as a snack replacement. This whey based protein drink is made from the milk of free-range, grass fed GM-free cows. It also includes natural ingredients such as green tea and guarana to boost metabolism. I drank this mid-morning to replace the chocolate bar or packet of crisps that I would have usually grabbed. I mixed 30g of the whey with 300ml of water but you can also mix this with milk. I put this in my Nutribuddy shaker bottle which was the perfect addition to the essential pack I received as I don’t own a shaker. The more you shake the mix, the smoother it gets. I half expected it to taste artificial but the drink was actually really tasty and a pleasure. I did notice that it took the edge of my hunger too and I would happily replace my unhealthy snacks with this. The Sculpting Whey is suitable for vegetarians and contains 30 servings so will last you a month if taken once daily. At first I realised the scoop in the whey pouch was slightly too big for the bottle but Nutribuddy have now introduced a smaller scoop and are offering a £3 discount code to anyone who has the larger one. I think that’s great customer service and shows the company are really thinking about our needs.

I then received some Hunger Fix capsules are there to help reduce hunger cravings. I took 1 capsule just before each meal. You can take 2 if you need extra help but no more than 6 a day. The capsules need to be taken with a full glass of water. I am not sure if it’s the water that reduced my hunger cravings or the tablets but I definitely noticed a difference and found myself snacking less frequently than usual. The tablets takes up space in your stomach to help naturally suppress appetite. These capsules are suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

I also received the Nutribuddy Multivitamins which you only need to take once a day at any time that you can fit into your schedule. These are good for general health and wellbeing and whilst I didn’t notice any specific improvements I felt better and healthier overall which could contribute to taking these. There is enough tablets for 2 months and these are also suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

I added the Nutribuddy products to my diet straight after Christmas and continued for a total of 3 weeks alongside a healthy lifestyle and exercise regime and I am really impressed with my results. To see the types of food I ate during these 3 weeks, head over to my Instagram. I tracked the 2 things that are most important to my progress which were my weight and my waist circumference. I am trying to lose weight and tone up so by tracking these 2 elements I could really see the progress and I think the photos and results speak for themselves. After just 3 weeks I lost 7lbs and 2.5 inches from my waist. I was so impressed and could definitely see the difference in my waist in that it curved in more and my stomach bloating decreased rapidly. All from introducing Nutribuddy to my lifestyle!

When I showed my boyfriend my before photos he thought I was pushing my stomach out but that is genuine Christmas bloat! I can see my waist is already more defined from the before photos!

Starting stats:
Weight: 12 stone 5
Waist Measurement: 34"

Ending Stats:
Weight: 11 stone 12
Waist Measurement: 31.5"

I am happy with the range I received from Nutribuddy and recommend it to anyone wanting to aid and improve their weight loss. I feel more energetic, my clothes fit better and I have even noticed improvements in my skin and my hair. I am a happier person and this is only after 3 weeks. To see results so quickly from only making small adjustments is simply fantastic. I can’t wait to continue on my Nutribuddy journey and see what the future holds! To try the range for yourself, head over to the Nutribuddy website and chose your products now.

*I received these items free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way. This post contains affiliate links.

Slimming Solutions Teatox & Results*

I've always been curious about the effects of a teatox and after not having much luck with the first one I tried, I decided to try another and follow it 100% by the book.

I was sent the 14 day Slimming Solutions Teatox. The 28 day is available for £34.99. This does seem like a long time to be on a Teatox and I worried I wouldn't be able to keep it up that long but it was surprisingly easy to fit into my routine.

Day 1 of the Teatox began with me taking measurements and weighing myself.

I was sent a morning blend and an evening blend which I believe is the case for most teatoxes.

The morning blend tasted similar to green tea. It was pleasant to drink, I think if you like green tea then you'll be able to happily drink this. I found that this tea suppressed my appetite slightly. I usually have my breakfast at 8am, then a snack by 11am. When following this teatox, I had my morning tea around 8:45am and found I didn't need my morning snack and could go through until lunch.

The evening blend did not taste as nice and I struggled with it the first few times but eventually got used to drinking it. I found that adding a little sweetener helped to improve the taste. This is the tea that could cause laxative effects. I'll be honest, I did not have this reaction. I found that after just one night time tea, I already noticed a difference in that I hadn't woke up bloated.

For best results it was recommended that you follow a healthy clean eating plan throughout the duration of the teatox. I generally follow a healthy eating plan so I continued to eat as normal throughout the 2 weeks. I also made sure I kept my fluid intake up to avoid getting dehydrated.

At the end of week one I had lost 2lbs without changing any part of my diet and adding the teas to my routine. I was over the moon. Week 2 I had a few 'naughty days' where I attended a BBQ and went out for cake. I still managed to lose 1lb that week!

I must just add a little warning - if you are on the contraceptive pill then taking a teatox can affect the accuracy of this. I always made sure I took my pill in the evening to allow it to sink in, the laxative effect can take 10 hours so by then your pill should be absorbed.

Overall, this teatox seemed to work a lot better than the last and I am happy with the results. I definitely noticed a change in the fact that I wasn't waking up bloated and the weight loss was an added benefit that I didn't expect. I would definitely recommend this teatox for a big event such as a holiday or a wedding because I certainly noticed the difference.

Get your teatox here!

*I was sent this Teatox for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

It works! - Ultimate Body Wraps*

If you're a big Instagrammer then you will have no doubt seen these wraps from 'It works!'. I'll be honest, when I first heard about these I was a bit skeptical, I thought - How can they possibly work? When my friend Emily offered me the chance to try one out, I couldn't say no. I wanted to see what they were like for myself and provide you with an honest review. 

 

 These wraps are so versatile. Not only can you use them on your stomach, you can cut then several ways to make leg wraps, arm wraps and even chin wraps to tighten a wide range of areas.

First thing's first, take your before photos and measurements. I decided to wrap my stomach, so I took a few measurements of my waist and around the center and the bottom of my stomach. Photo's are also important. Ensure you take them from the same distance and same pose each time. I'll be honest, this was the hardest part! In the end I had to use my phone because my DSLR was washing all the colour out and I wanted to be able to see every detail in my results!

Before popping on the wrap, it is advised you take a hot shower to open up the pores. Do not use any lotions. I then read the simple to understand instructions on the wrap packet and wrapped myself up! It was very easy to do. The wrap actually smelt really nice, like Aloe Vera! I was expecting it to be made of clingfilm in all honesty, but it's actually a polyethylene cloth covered in a lotion which is comfortable and pleasant to wear. I left the wrap for 45 minutes to ensure I got my results.

During the 45 minutes it is vital to stay hydrated and keep drinking water. If you're going to be moving about then it is best if you wrap yourself in clingfilm to stop the wrap from moving. If you start to sweat, remove the clingfilm! The wrap felt nice. It was cooling and made my stomach tingle. I actually liked the sensation, it reminds of that feeling when you put nice cold after-sun onto sunburn.

After you take the wrap off, you smooth the extra lotion on and retake your measurements and take your after photo. 

These wraps continue to work their magic for up to 72 hours so it's important to keep hydrated and drink plenty of water in the upcoming days. I didn't shower until the next day to ensure the lotion really got a chance to soak into my skin.

These are my results! My measurements went down and I felt great! I felt toned despite not doing ANYTHING. I told Emily I would give an honest review, and I'm not just saying this because she's a friend, but I seriously am impressed with the results.

Here is my before and after photo. Bearing in mind this is just after one wrap! Think of what results I could see if I purchased more than this. And after only 45 minutes, I am over the moon, I can definitely see a change. Everything feels tighter and flatter.

There are plenty of rules to ensure that these work and you will need to follow them all. I haven't detailed all of them in this post but you should know when done correctly, these wraps work for 98% of people, so I would urge you to try them out. You have to be realistic, you're not going to drop a stone overnight, these wraps aren't for weight loss. I think they are ideal if you have a special event coming up, a holiday or even a wedding. These wraps tighten and tone in a way that I can't explain!

To find out more about these wraps and try some for yourself, you can contact Emily on Facebook. Why not book yourself a 'wrap party' and have the girls round for en evening? You'll then be able to try one out and make an evening out of it.

*Emily provided me this wrap in exchange for an honest review. I was not influence in any way and all opinions are my own.

Bootea Teatox* - Review and Results

When I was offered the chance to be a Holland and Barrett Good Life Insider I couldn't wait to trial some of the products I was kindly sent. One of the items I was most excited about was the Bootea 14 day Teatox, available for £19.99.

I've heard so many good things about this and seen so many celebrities promoting it and I really wanted to try it for myself. I was a bit worried as I heard if you are on the contraceptive pill you need to be careful when you take it as the 'flushing effects' can make your pill less effective. It is best to take your pill in the evening to give it a good 8 hours to sink in. This was probably the only thing that scared me about doing this teatox - oh any maybe the laxative effects!

Anyway, the concept of this 2 week detox is you have one morning cleanse tea bag every day, then every other evening you take one of the bedtime cleanse tea bags. The morning tea bags weren't too bad and tasted a bit like a lemon green tea. As a lover of green tea, I found it easy to incorporate these into my morning routine as they taste quite similar and were a good substitute.

My cat also loved these. He kept trying to get the teabags, so something in them must be attracting him to them, I didn't see catnip on the ingredients list though!

The evening tea bags weren't as nice, they were minty but also tasted a bit like grass but after a couple of days I got used to them and could drink them easier.

After day 1, I took my evening tea and waited for the laxative effects to kick in the next day, but nothing happened. Later on in the day my stomach really swelled, I wonder if this was part of the flushing effects but nothing came out.

So did they work? By the end of week 1 I still had experienced no laxative effects and actually gained 1.5lbs despite still keeping up a healthy diet and drinking lots of water.

After the whole 2 weeks was up I had actually gained 3lbs! Although I gained weight, I must admit that I did feel a lot less bloated, and even after a big meal my stomach remained flatter than usual. I took the Teatox during that "time of the month" and I did notice a difference in the fact I was a lot less bloated than usual. This could also be why I gained weight due to extra water weight.

It is recommended you eat a balanced diet and drink plenty of water alongside this teatox and as I eat fairly healthily anyway I continued as normal, maybe that's why it didn't really work for me.

If you want to lose weight the best way is to eat healthy and exercise. There is no tea that can substitute that for you. I will also be trialing the Slendertox Tea to see if this has any effects on me so keep an eye out for that in the next couple of months.

*I was sent this product free of charge. I was not asked to review it and this is not a paid post. All opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

Ozeri WeightMaster II Digital Bathroom Scale Review*

I was recently given the opportunity to try out the Ozeri Weightmaster scales and seeing as I got on so well with the pedometer (which I donated to my Nanny as she wanted one!) I thought I would try them out.

You can buy the scales here on Amazon for just £29.99 plus shipping and to me, they are just as good as the more expensive scales I have used in the past.

These scales were really easy to set up and add myself as a user. The scales can hold up to 8 unique users which is fantastic if you have a larger family. 

My favourite aspect of these scales is the colour changing LCD screen. Once you have set yourself up on the scales, they will remember your 'profile'. Every time you weigh yourself the colour will represent how you got on, so green for a loss and red for a gain. I like this as it motivates me to keep the screen green! The scales hold a record for your weight change for up to 30 recorded weights, so you can really see how the numbers are changing overall. These scales also display your BMI if you want to keep a check on that.

The only downside to these scales is the fact they only display pounds or kilograms, and I would have liked a stones option but it's easy enough to convert manually.

To buy the Ozeri WeightMaster II 200 kg Digital Bathroom Scale with BMI and Weight Change Detection for just £29.99, click here.

*I was sent this item free of charge for the purpose of a review. All opinions expressed are my own and I was not influenced in any way. See my disclaimer for more information.

Chicken, bacon, quinoa and bulgar wheat bake - recipe.

My mum recently bought a bag of Bulgar Wheat and Quinoa Mix and I've been wondering what to do with it for ages. I scoured Pinterest and BBC Food for recipe ideas but nothing took my fancy. I made up this 'bake' recipe using different recipies put together so it's a bit random and I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but it's lovely!

 

Ingredients

200g Chicken

Peppers

Tomatoes

Bacon

40g Light Cheddar

Garlic Salt

Chicken Seasoning

Sweetcorn

Quinoa and Bulgar Wheat Mix - 1 cup

(makes approximately 4 small lunch portions)

First I cooked my bulgar wheat and quinoa as per the instructions on the back of the packet. I poured 1 cup of the mix into the pan and added 2 cups of water and boiled for around 15 minutes.

In the meantime I chopped my chicken and put this in a separate pan to cook. When this was cooking I chopped my peppers, tomatoes and bacon which I removed the fat from. I then added this to the chicken and simmered it all down whilst the bulgar wheat/quinoa cooked.

 

When the bulgar wheat and quinoa was cooked, I drained this off and added it to the cooked chicken and bacon mix. I then popped this into 2 glass dishes.

  

I then topped the dishes with the cheddar - which is of course optional! Then baked in the oven for 15 minutes until the cheese had melted. This tasted really creamy and delicious and was really filling.

Please let me know if you have any other ideas on what to cook with this quinoa and bulgar wheat mix.