Pints Without the Punishment

How's it going? First off,  I'd like to say that the kind words expressed by everyone so far on this blog have been such an inspiration. I didn't know if there was a demand for this sort of blog, but all you folk on twitter have been fantastic.

A night on the batter CAN and WILL seriously hamper your weight loss regiment unless you stay strict and follow a couple of things that have worked for me!

First let me say that alcohol IS horribly fattening. It's basically liquid fat. It's full of needless carbohydrates and it's also an appetite stimulant. Ever wondered why you only crave that doner kebab when you've had a few jars? Now you know.

You don't wanna end your night binging! (Yup...that's me alright)

So how have I been able to keep up an active social life and also lose weight? It's pretty simple really. I factor in the night out that I'm planning to have.

For example, it's a Friday night and I'm suited and booted ready to hit a club. Throughout that day, I've significantly cut down on the amount of carbs I have eaten. By the way, 0 carb diets like the Atkins ones are ridiculously unhealthy in my opinion and not worth the effort. 

The diet I've stuck to (See 'Recipe for Success' below) contains 120 grams of carbs a day. A 'balanced diet' comprises of around 200-250. So for the night I plan on hitting the town, I drastically reduce the number of carbs I eat through food. I'd have an egg white omelette for breakfast, cooked chicken salad for lunch and maybe steak with pepper sauce and mushrooms for dinner. At this point I am stuffed and the only amount of carbs I've had all day is in the milk I've drank in my coffee.

Trying Not to Advertise!! Ireland needs more light beers!!

Now you've freed up a hell of a lot of room for a few drinks. Coors Light has to be my drink of choice. It's low-cal and low-carb and doesn't leave you bloated the next day. In one pint you're going to consume around 160 calories and 8 grams of carbs.

Just be careful! I can't stress this enough. You're still going to get manky hangovers and have a horrible next day. Do not make it worse by waking up with the taste of chipper in your mouth and a sense of guilt in your head.

Sadly moderation is the order of the day. But, if you can get up the next day and go for a walk or run or do any exercise, you'll be back to where you were. Sadly with alcohol and weight it's a case of one step forward and two steps back! You're going to get where you're going, it'll just take longer.

Recipe for Success

First off, very sorry for the terrible pun! But anyway, I thought it would be a good idea to put up what I actually eat! (newbie blogging error; my bad)

This diet was given to me by my nutritionist when I first started out trying to lose weight. It has worked like a charm.

Porridge is going to become your best friend. I know it sounds horrible and the texture might be disgusting. Just look at it as a grown up's 'Ready Brek'.

Breakfast; Porridge (I use Flahavan's but they're generally all the same). So one portion of porridge using water or low fat milk. I like to throw in a couple of artificial sweeteners to give that sweet tooth a kick in the morning. So I have that and then a low fat yogurt. That's breakfast sorted.

Lunch; A run of the mill 'sambo'.. I know this sounds horribly bland, but trust me. Do this for the first 2 weeks and see the difference. You can substitute the porridge later on in your diet as the weight drops off. Add some fruit to this. A banana is good because it's rich in natural sugars. You can substitute this fruit for another low/non fat yogurt.

The mighty porridge!

Dinner is where it gets slightly more interesting. Take a slab of lean steak/chicken/lamb, basically whatever meat floats your boat and add in some veg. I started with broccoli and carrots. To add some flavour to the meal, pop on some pepper sauce or bread sauce etc. Just make sure you make it with water. You don't want to be adding extra carbohydrates to your daily calorie intake.

And for snacking in-between or for that treat at night? Sugar free jelly and strawberries. Simple as. Just try this diet for a while and don't be afraid to nibble on cold meats in-between meals if you are 'starving'. There's sweet feck all calories in these meats and they're loaded with protein.

Try this out and let me know how you're doing and remember; every single day you are getting lighter and tighter.