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

Simplicity and made with love

I have been fortunate enough to recently travel to Italy and Spain. In fact, as I type this, I am lying on the couch in an airbnb in Bilbao, Spain.

This evening we had simple pintxos in a bar. Pintxos are a small snack eaten in bars traditional to northern Spain. There was nothing small about these but let's go with the dictionary definition for now.

Olives soaked in garlic olive oil, chorizo cooked in cider and anchovies on tomatoe soaked bread. All traditional. All simple. All delicious.

My partner and I were discussing how we (or people in general) complicate food. With spices and toppings and too much stuff.
Eating here has been simple. Pure, wholesome and raw flavours. The food has been prepared with love and mindfulness. And with intention.

We both noticed we feeling healthier (although this could be the average 20km we walking a day) but it has impacted us and our well-being.

So when we get home, back to cape town, food will be simple. Made with love and pure flavour.

Be grateful. We have a lot at our disposal.

Chat soon

Laurenleigh

How to create a habit that sticks

I cannot believe that I decide to start blogging again at annual occasions. After meeting some amazing people on my European adventures I have decided that this is something I need to make time for and almost makeover a habit. "They" say a habit takes 21 days at a minimum to become a routine or part of your life. And with technology there should be no excuses. Like now....I'm writing this in a cafe in san Sebastian spain drinking sangria. I think I have capacity.

Chat soon

Laurenleigh xx

Creating capacity

As human beings we have created a saying of "I'm too busy" or " flip I'm stressed". And perhaps that is why we choose to put certain things off. Things we don't see as urgent or important but things we actually enjoy doing.
Things like me getting back into blogging. Something I haven't had capacity or time for in the past 2 to 3 years according to the voice in my head ( yes we all have one...I'm not crazy).

After recent personal and sad events of loosing a friend, which I will blog about when I can manage the conversation, I have decided that with the access to information and technology the above excuses can no longer suffice.
Here I am writing this blog on my phone while sitting in the slow lounge of the airport. How is that not easy?

It really is about how you look at time or situations and the lens you choose to view your life through. If you choosing the stressed eric lens then that is all you will ever experience in your life.

However, if you choose the lens that gives you capacity and time to fit more into your day....you will find you become a happier person who can actually get more done.

So I'm back to blogging. Officially. And I'm excited to share my life and adventures with whom ever chooses to read them.

Laurenleigh x

lauren leigh is back after 3 years of "being busy"

My last blog post was in May 2013. What? 3 years ago? That cannot be possible - what have I been doing?

Well alot has changed since my last blog post ( 3 years ago) and I decided I have been "too busy" to do something I love - blogging and sharing my thoughts on a social platform.

There are plenty people who discouraged me to start this again. They even joked and said : " who are you writing for? The 3 people who follow you?"
No, I am writing for me. And if any of you lovely people would like to follow me then that is just the cherry on top.

So sit back, enjoy the next few posts to follow and get your friends to jump on board.

Chat soon,

laurenleigh xoxo

Mid week break of food, fun and sea

With the start of May beginning with a public holiday I decided we had to get away. So I found a quiet little cottage in Sheffield beach.

Hearing the sea when I fall asleep and wake up is probably one of my favourite things.

Today was a day for food!!! It started off with egg and bacon rolls in bed cooked by the boyfriend and then a stroll on the beach.

We then decided to go food exploring.  A seafood lunch ended off with coffee and cheesecake and a drink at one of the local pubs.

The galley in ballito serves a variety of food whilst you stare into the distant ocean. We had a seafood platter and beers.

Waterberry in ballito is still one of my favourite. Coffee and nougat cheesecake followed by a walk in the forest was a great end to our day.

And last but not least we had to stop at a local umhlali pub called the duck for a beer and there famous peanut butter and bacon sarmie bar snacks.

So dinner....sjoe im all full up!

Lauren Leigh cc