Protein World

A while a go I was given the opportunity to trial Protein World’s premium weight loss package. I’ve been trying to shed the pounds I’ve gained since re-starting office work, and a quick fix like slimming shakes did seem appealing. However I’ve always been quite sceptical of diets like these, shakes and pills seem unhealthy and I’ve had a few friends who have had bad experiences with similar diets, light headedness, shaking and racing hearts have been common side effects.

I also know people who have done really well in shedding stones with these kinds of diets, only to pile the weight back on the second they stop having the meal replacements, shakes etc. Despite this I felt safe enough to give Protein World a go after a lot of research and reassurance from the brand.

So I stared my Protein World journey about two months ago now and overall it has been a success, I’ve lost 14lbs (1 stone) in total, although it has not been without its downfalls. In the weight loss package I received a tub of the best-selling slender blend protein powder, a tub of slender blend capsules, a tub of multi-vitamin capsules, a protein shaker and a weight loss guide; full of recipes and weight loss tips and tricks. Protein World also sent me a sheet of super cute gold transfer tattoos!

Each day you are advised to have two shakes (one for breakfast and lunch) and a balanced and healthy evening meal. You are advised to take one vitamin in the morning and one in the evening and slender blend capsule with your breakfast shake and one with your lunchtime shake. This goes up to two capsules in the morning and two at lunch after your first week.

My first week I was really committed, I stuck to a healthy diet and paid great attention to calories, fats and balanced meals. I managed to lose 6lbs in just seven days! That weekend I went away to Liverpool, taking my shakes with me! I stuck to a reasonably balanced diet, food-wise, but drank quite a bit of alcohol one night and was horrified to find that I’d put 4lbs back on when I got home!

I stuck to my diet after that and as I said lost a stone in two months, but in the first few weeks I felt a lack of energy and motivation – something I couldn’t rectify with coffee as it’s one of the ‘bad’ drinks listed by Protein World! However after about three weeks I was back to normal and was adjusting well to the new routine.

Over-all it’s been a pretty decent experience. The shakes and capsules have been easy to transport to and from the office and has worked out cheaper than my daily meals. Also the weight loss part has obviously been pretty successful and I’m feeling a lot better about my weight!

My one concern is the speed at which a managed to regain the weight I lost after a small binge! I would suggest weaning yourself off the shakes, rather than stopping outright, to anyone wanting to try Protein World. Your appetite should be smaller after trying this diet for a while so weaning yourself back onto normal foods by trying soups and light salads for a while instead of stuffing yourself will definitely benefit you more.

I think I’ll carry on with Protein World for a while longer and see if I continue to lose weight and feel healthier. If anyone else wants to give it a go you can click THIS link. If you do try it, and at any point start to feel unwell, do get in touch with a doctor immediately or tell a family member who’ll be able to help you – do not continue with the shakes until you are sure you are safe to do so!

Also I’d like to take this opportunity to tell any of my followers who are struggling with their weight, or any insecurities, that I’m here to help! No matter the time or day, no matter how insignificant or strange you feel your problems may be – I am always happy to listen. I will try my best to help and offer advice, or at least offer you the details of those who’ll be able to offer the best help for you. Just remember you’re not alone!

Have you ever tried Protein World? Or do you have any interesting diets that you would recommend? Let me know in a comment below!

Green stuff

This morning I posted a picture of my breakfast smoothie on Instagram saying “Green stuff in bed”. I was planning on doing a recipe post for it sometime this week but as I’ve already received a lot of your requests to post the recipe I thought I may as well put it up today!

I’ve been on a bit of a health kick recently (something that is very rare for me) as I’ve noticed my skin and hair were looking slightly off. I decided to ditch the bad diet I’ve had recently, which consisted of eating junk food all day or not eating at all, and aim for a healthier lifestyle.

Is there a more Instagram-able way to get healthy than by making smoothies? I think not! So I started research some good recipes for breakfasts. I’ve always struggled with breakfast, I’m just never awake enough to eat anything, so being able to drink my brekkie was an excellent alternative! Plus it’s an excellent way to aim towards your five a day!

The recipe I have is designed for two medium servings or one large serving, the picture on my Instagram shows a large serving. I’ve dumbed down the recipe slightly as I found it hard to follow and removed all the weird pricey ingredients – trust me it’s good enough without them! Here’s what you will need!

•          3 Apples
•          1 Banana
•          1 kiwi
•          15 green grapes
•          1 mango
•          ¼ cucumber
•          ½ lime
•          1 handful spinach
•          1 tea spoon of flax seed
•          1 smoothie maker, food processor or hand blender

Step one: Start by prepping your fruit. Peel your apples and banana, remove the apple core then chop both into small pieces and put them in your blender. You can put the grapes in whole.

Step two: More fruity prep! Cut your mango and kiwi in half then scoop their edible insides into your smoothie maker with the rest of the fruit.

Step three: The veggie bit. Peel your cucumber and chop into small pieces and add it to the fruit. Shred the spinach with your hands and chuck that in as well. Squeeze your ½ lime into the smoothie maker as well, get as much juice out as you can but don’t worry if there isn’t a lot – a little goes a long way with citrus!

Step four: Add your flax seed and put the blender’s lid on, or cover whatever your making your smoothie in – this is important! Then get blending! When your mix is smooth and runny you can either sieve it to make it extra smooth or serve it up bits and all!

Tip: Remember to serve it in your most presentable cup and vintage paper straw to make it Pinterest worthy!

Okay so that last tip was a bit of a joke but good props never hurt! I hope you all enjoyed this post and have fun making the recipe! I got all of the ingredients for this recipe (except that flax, you can get them here) from Aldi, so it was super affordable and there was plenty or fruit and veg left over to snack on and make smoothies for the rest of the week!

Let me know if you try this recipe, if you do share your pics on Instagram and tag me in them ‘@alicelouisealk’. Let me know what you think of this recipe in a comment below!

Weekly update #1

As I get back into blogging on a regular basis I’m reintroducing some of my old style posts, one of which is my Instagram updates! I used to do them on a monthly basis but over the last year I’ve started using the app more so I’ll be doing the posts on a weekly basis from now on.

Top row, left to right:

1: My cat Figaro with an infected eye after being scratched by another cat, my poor baby! 2: The latest addition to my Funko family – Spike, my favourite character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 3: A naughty Chinese the night before starting my diet. I had a spicy chicken satay, it was amazing and I miss junk food – cry.

Middle row:

1: A Leonardo DiCaprio movie night with Josh and my pug – Sir Pugslington. 2: Celebrating National Donut Day with a cute pic from Tumblr since I wasn’t allowed to eat any myself. 3: My beautiful clutch bag from New Look, it’s in stores and online now for £19.99!

Bottom row:

1: My Maxi Nutrition* meal replacement shake and green tea – I was sent a sample of their product and I’ll be doing a separate post on that soon! 2: Figaro recovering from his eye infection by sleeping on my dressing gown. 3: The world’s largest strawberry in the punnet I devoured the other day!

Over-all a very uneventful week! But let me know if you enjoyed this post, and if you would like to see them on a weekly or monthly basis, in a comment below!