Being lighter

I am sure you can see I haven't posted in awhile. Alot has happened for me in the last 8 weeks.

While I write this I am sitting on a couch in aix en provence in France. I've visited Paris and Nice and tomorrow we return to Paris. My new favourite city....Sorry New York!

Iv also recently separated from my partner of 7.5 years and lost my goal weight of 15kgs.
And no, the two above are not linked. I worked very hard and was very disciplined on the skin renewal medical weight loss program to feel how I feel today.
And it's been 6weeks since I stoop d the program and I have maintained. And eaten bad food in France.

So my current state of affairs is bittersweet. I haven't felt or looked this good in years, I'm down 4 dress and pant sizes and I can run and climb stairs with ease as there is no extra weight making me unhealthy.
Yet I have lost my best friend and feel alone.
But I feel lighter than ever so perhaps all this change is what I needed.

They always say that the universe creates your path and what is meant to be will be. I have to trust in that and stay committed to my focus for 2018.
And that was all about me.
I don't mean that in a self centred way but I had forgotten that I needed to be number one.

My focus has to be turning resentment into wonder.

So thank you Paris for helping me with this and allowing me to start my year with focus on me.

3 weeks down and 3 weeks to go

I haven't posted in awhile.

Guess life has got in the way.
Interesting how the diet, injecting and prep is now part of my routine and I'm very happy to say I haven't let it slip once.

However with being back at work and planning our national company function made me neglect the blog.

I'm feeling great. And super healthy.
I am however starting to crave the "bad food" and going out for dinners. That's normal.
But there will be plenty of time for that from end of February.

The best or bittersweet thing is putting on new shorts I bought 5 weeks ago and they miles to big. I love them but I love my new butt and hips more...Guess I'll be going to the tailor more.

Anyways, will post again soon.

Lauren Leigh xxx to

The skin renewal medical weight loss has begun....let me explain

I'm not a dieter. I don't care what the scale says. And I love my food.

Ok so Iv gained a few kgs. Wait let's be open and honest....Iv gained 22KGs in 4 years.
Huh?

Ok so I have to buy bigger dress and pants size. That's ok. Plus sizes have cool stuff.
Um no, I'm not getting the sizes right...I need bigger?

Ok so I have to go for health checks. It's just vitality.

Ok so I have cysts and endometriosis. Its just a surgery.
P.s. worst experience ever!!!!

Ok so I have borderline inflamed gut or ulcer and insulin resistance which could become diabetes.
Oh and doing daily life is now really hard. And painful.

Ok so I have painting chest and my hearts sore. That's normal right?

WHAT????
No this is not ok for anyone.

It is not ok that I haven't listened to my body. I haven't looked at the warning signs.
I have convinced myself it's ok to push on...I'm young and will be fine.

I wasn't fine. And I'm not 20 anymore.

My lack of care for myself was impacting my relationships with people, my work, my happiness and my health.

So I started researching.

A lot of you have been so supportive of this journey I'm on. Thank you.
Thank you for knowing me well enough to know that for me to go this route....things were drastic.

Some of you don't agree with the plan I'm doing. That's ok, thank you for your support and criticism. It's all about learning for me.

As I mentioned, I believe quick fixes are bullshit and these diets are crazy.
But I have done close on 2 months research on the eating plan or diet, the injectable, the brand skin renewal and the lifestyle.

This included speaking to people who have done it...good and bad results and researching  endless medical papers.
I also watched a hoard of films on sugar, eating vegan etc.

I cannot tell you how impressed I am with the support I have got from skin renewal. The nurse is great and so attentive.
I don't feel alone.
I feel I can talk about my health openly and not hide hence the blogs and social media.

Everyone has opinions. Never stop that. Enjoy it and share.

This is my journey.

I'm on day 3 of the medical weight loss and feeling great.
I haven't been drinking enough water which is very naughty and have had the odd headache and hunger pang around 9pm every night.

The food is good, healthy and easy.
Although the washing up and dirty dishes is insane...see pic below.

I'm feeling lighter and as if this is becoming a routine.

I am even used to the million supplement (all natural ) that I'm taking.

I'm grateful I chose to start my focus on me in 2018.

If you have any questions, pop me a message.

Night night.

Lauren Leigh xxx

Day 3 and I'm feeling awesome

It's the end of day 3 of the detox or cleanse and prep.

By day 5 I'll be sharing personal information as to why I'm doing this.
Yes I could have kept this private but I chose not to. I chose to share this because I'm not a dieter yet I needed help....I want to inspire others to be healthy and learn more.

And tonight I'm lying on the fatsak at 9pm without a migraine - yay! This is a huge win for me. I feel amazing.
Except for the bags under my eyes which are apparently part of the process.

I'm also really proud of myself for visiting kleinskys today in Sea point and not being tempted while Ryan ate his bagel, also drinking water and eating cucumber and hummus while the boys had chips and beers in the tree house for afternoon sundowners and.....cooking pork chops for Ryan and not eating any!

I had a visit to sister Serena at skin renewal Claremont today to collect my next lot of goodies (check my cool carrier and ice hand glove in the pics), check in, have a chat and take photos.
She's fantastic. Such a great support.
Oh and I got a vitamin b booster shot.

So here's to health and following what's right for you at this time in your life.

Night night

Lauren Leigh xxx

Day 1 of the 5 day Cleansing and preparation

It's nearly 8pm and I'm shattered. Maybe it's mental or maybe this detox works this quickly but I'm exhausted after my first day injecting and eating  clean for the 5 day prep and cleansing detox before the skin and body renewal medical weight loss program.

My day started with an injection of MIC....this is methionine, inositol and choline. A combination lipotropic injection ideal for fat metabolism, amino acid, vitamin b and detoxification of the liver.

The food throughout my day was tasty but I craved deep fried and sugary goodness. Which I obviously didn't do...it was hard but I said no.

Breakfast was oatmeal, almond milk and a peach.
Lunch was a potato and home made hummus.
Dinner was grilled trout, asparagus and a green leaf and pickled ginger salad.
Snacks were a few nuts and almond butter.

I'm so excited to see the change in my health. So for some of you these posts may be boring....Sorry for you.
For others I hope to inspire you.

Have a great evening

Lauren Leigh xxx

Happy New Years 2017

Right now people around the world have either celebrated New year's eve already and are well into there 1 January hang over eating pizza and ghost pop chips. Or they prepping to start celebrating the end of 2017 with friends, family,booze and yummy food.

For me, this has been a trying year. I guess a lot of people say that - I guess everyone has their own version of a good and bad year.

It's been a year of hard work, just missing goals set at the end of 2016, visits to doctors, health scares and anxious waiting for results, going up a dress size, feeling toxic and unhealthy and trying to convince myself that all of this was normal.
But it's not.
Driven by stress, my inner voice saying it will go away and laziness, I have turned into someone I also said I wouldn't become.

So unfortunately I have the cliche of a new years resolution.....lose weight, get healthy, remove toxins, stop drinking etc.
Well actually it'd going to be a year focused on me.

I'm not a diet person at all. In fact I'm the total opposite. I love good food and wine and trying to follow restricted eating plans or eating grilled chicken every meal sounds suicidal to me. I also don't believe in scales. I believe in feeling good in your body.

Yet, with the help of sister serena at skin renewal in Claremont I start a new journey to a healthy me on 2 January.
So for those of you who want to follow my journey please stay tuned.
It's going to be raw and unfiltered but that's what I want to share.

My new years resolution is to be a skinny sober bitch (well not the bitch part - I just liked this meme from my good friend steph)

Happy New year's everyone. Hope it's a good one

Love
Lauren Leigh xxx

No peanuts in my peanut butter

Everyday I am hearing of more and more people who have allergies, especially nut allergies.
And even more so, peanut allergies.
I happen to be one of those unlucky people who have a peanut allergy. And my one weakness happens to be...peanut butter!!

My wonderful friend did some searching through her recipe books and found this AMAZING recipe for sunflower seed "peanut butter".
She lives on it and you can choose how crunchy you want to make it by how much you blend the sunflower seeds.

Try it out and let me know how you enjoy it. We have it on toast, in smoothies to make our own peanut butter bomb smoothies and even on blocks of chocolate!

Recipe

375g sunflower seeds
sunflower oil
himalayan rock salt (to taste)
1-4 teaspoons honey ( to taste)

1) Bake sunflower seeds on a tray at 180 degrees celcius
2) You can grill them too. Ensure you watch them carefully. The longer they in the oven, the quicker the burn
3) Roast until golden brown and allow to cool
4) Place seeds in a blender a cup at a time and blender until a powder ( there can be a few chunky seeds)
5) While the blender is running slowly add sunflower oil until a paste starts to form
6) Add enough oil to suite what kind of spread-ability you would like
7) Add salt and honey to taste and mix
8) Makes enough for 2 nutella size jars and store in airtight jar in cool place

LaurenLeigh cc

And the #30daydetoxchallenge comes to an end

Monday was my last day of the Lisa Raleigh 30 day detox challenge. For those of you who have been following my progress, hearing me complain or simply not understanding why I am doing this or have done it; you can all take a deep breathe and relax...as I have decided to continue with the detox challenge as best as I can as a way of life.

Its not about trying to lose weight or look good or even compare stories with other girls who are dieting ( and doing it the VERY wrong way). It is simply about living healthy, feeling AMAZING, appreciating food, experimenting with food and looking after your insides.
And at the end of the day, if your inside body is healthy then your outside body will reflect those results.

By completing this detox, it has shown me really how bad certain foods can be for you. Obviously you cannot live this strictly forever as there will be the occasion where you have to "cheat" due to circumstances that are unforeseen; but then cheat! If its one meal or one day or even one weekend; the trick is to go back to your old/ new habits of healthy eating as soon as you can.

Pro's of the detox so far:
* strong nails
* better focus or concentration
* look forward to meal times and cooking
* my insides are happy with me ( I usually suffer with : Everything I eat, my stomach HATES)
* bowel movements have increased drastically ( this is a celebration in my house)
* my skin looks and feels amazing ( my skin therapist even noticed)
* added bonus - I lost 3.5 Kgs without any form of exercise ( try to exercise on this detox - I just didn't have time or was too lazy)
* and many many more

Con's of the detox so far:
* it is quite a lot of preparation
* grocery bill has doubled as its alot more fresh ingredients
* I feel like I have a hangover if I eat sugar, wheat, dairy or meat now ( good thing to avoid them now then)
* difficult when dining with friends or at a restaurant but its about changing your mindset and making the right choices now

Try it today and see the difference. Who knows? Maybe it will be the best thing you do in 2012.
Good Luck!

LaurenLeigh cc

The Liquid eating Plan

So as most of you know, I have been on the Lisa Raleigh 30 Day detox. I am now on Step 3 which is the liquid only diet.
This can consist of juices ( the freshly juiced kind not the box kind), smoothies and soups.
The liquid part has actually been a lot easier than I thought it would be but I HAVE to eat every 2 hours or I turn into the HULK...literally.

I have noticed that I have had most of my headaches on this part of the diet but my bowel movement ( sorry for the overshare) has got much better and I feel like a human being again!
Another plus is that my nails are long and strong which I can only gather is from the healthy eating and lack of "bad" foods.
Dehydrated skin has also depleted my moisturizer but I am putting that down to a combination of change of season and the detox.

The best part of this all...I get to use my juicer and smoothie maker. Absolute gems.
And you can out ANYTHING into your juice and smoothies...as long as its healthy and on the list.

LaurenLeigh cc

Juicy Lucy

Recently, on a shopping splurge at the SPCA in Kloof, I found a Moulinex juicer going for R25.
Yes, R25!
So I figured well if it works then this is the best place to shop in the world and I will be back for more and if it does not work then I have lost R25? I will take that chance.

So after this little white and grey compact juicer got a spring clean and sat in the cupboard for over 3 weeks, I decided that last night was the perfect time to make some fresh juice and see if this little juicer actually works.
This is what I squashed inside to make the juice:
1 x baby marrow
1 x carrot
1 x small beetroot
1 x small green pepper
1/3 cucumber
1/3 broccoli
1x small apple
squeeze lemon juice
a few grapes

At first we decided it tasted like squashed compost but after the second sip we realised it was amazing!
Fresh, healthy, beautiful juice full of antioxidants and nutrition.
And my juicer for R25 WORKS!!!

Down side: you have to clean the juicer asap after use or the colours of the fruit or vegies used may stain. And you have to peel some things and chop them up but other than that...awesome.

Happy as Larry!

LaurenLeigh cc

Lisa Raleigh 30 day detox - Week one

I decided to partake in the Lisa Raleigh 30 day detox. Yes, crazy I know but to people who don't understand healthy eating and way of living; I am sure there are plenty of things that health fanatics do that you think are crazy.

Week one ( well actually this part of the detox lasts for 10 days) includes no meat, sugar, dairy, wheat or stimulants.
Say what? OMG!
But you know what? It has been easier than I thought. Even my boyfriend is doing it with me.
This week has been a combination of oats, boiled egg, lentils and quinoa with pesto, bean and rice salsa mix , fruit, fresh oven baked fish and guilt free potatoe wedges ( this was the boyfriends favourite and he ate this at nearly every meal).
I even took recipes supplied and added my own twist onto them to create some really yummy wholesome meals.

Eating healthy isn't about stopping your life; it is about choosing the right foods, ensuring you have time to prepare them and eating regularly.
The minute your food isn't prepared and you rushing, this is when you reach for unhealthy "bad" food.
We actually look forward to cooking our meals now and cannot wait to eat the freshness and taste of the food.

I am already feeling healthier internally, not craving sugar as much as I used to and feeling more energetic.
The down side is that eating this way is a bit more pricey on the wallet pocket but in the long run it is so worth it. And if you happen to go somewhere where there is no healthy food ( like the baby shower I attended yesterday and there is no healthy food ) I cheated but it was 3 things and now I'm back on track.

Well, my fresh potatoe and leek soup is brewing on the stove so I will leave you with this...
Try the detox. What do you have to lose besides the toxins in your body and a few percentages of fat?

LaurenLeigh cc