The GabriellaSofia Diet

That's right folks, I've created my own diet.

*I must get back to this... I've put on a quarter of a stone since this photo was taken apparently but it feels like A LOT more :(*

I know what you're thinking, 'She's lost it... she's finally lost it' but that is where you would be WRONG. Quite the opposite in fact. I'm not claiming to be some kind of nutrition genius like everyone makes Dr Atkins or Dr Dukan out to be. I'm just a girl who has tried many a diet in her time (3 Day Diet, Cabbage Soup Diet, Atkins Diet, Weight Watchers Diet, Slimming World Diet, Jenny Craig Diet, Special K Diet and so on and so forth...) and has learned what does and doesn't work. With that knowledge and experience, I have chosen the things which work and built my own little diet. And actually, I shouldn't really call it a 'diet' because it isn't just about the food you eat but the lifestyle choices you make in general... The basic rules are as follows:

GabriellaSofia's Diet Rules

1) Drink at least 8 pints of water per day. Most of the time when you think you are hungry you are actually just thirsty. Plus, it works wonders for your skin. Total no brainer! *SEE ADDITION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE*

2) Don't nap during the day and sleep at night for between 7 and 9 continuous hours... If you wake up in the night and stay awake for longer than five minutes, switch the lights on, read for ten minutes before attempting to go back to sleep. If you wake up when you were going to stay asleep for an hour or less, get up and start your day early.

3) Eat a minimum of three veg and a maximum of two fruits per day. Veg is really incredibly good for you (which is no surprise to anyone). However, people often get it wrong with fruit. I went on a diet very recently where I just ate fruit all day until dinner and it actually did me no good at all. I don't know if I actually put weight on (I only did the diet for a couple of weeks) but considering the amount of sugar I was taking on I'm sure I would have done if I'd carried on. Plus, all the acid that I was taking on in fruit was making me very bloated and my stomach literally felt like a balloon. Obviously fruit is good... but it is better in moderation, hence sticking to two portions a day. Also don't overdo it with nuts and cereals... they can actually be surprisingly bad for diets!

4) Don't avoid carbs. Carbs are not the enemy, carbs give you energy! Every time I've been on a low-carb diet I have felt very weak throughout and often given in within the first couple of days because I have craved something heavier than just meat and veg. However, again, you want to moderate the amount of carbs you do take on, make sure they are all wholegrain and don't eat carbs after about 3pm.

5) Eating six to eight 'mini-meals' a day is a bad idea. I'm not sure about you guys, but I need to feel like I've got one nice big meal to look forward to, so eating itty-bitty meals every few hours doesn't work for me. However, I'm not saying you should eat three or fewer meals per day and nothing else. Three meals a day is the minimum and you should have healthy snacks in between. See my GabriellaSofia Sample Diet Day Plan below...

6) Don't you dare cut 'naughty things' out! Don't even try it. Actually, don't even call them 'naughty' because contributes to the unhealthy relationship with food you've probably spent the majority of your life building. If you are anything like me, you like anything that is bad for you. That includes Fruit Pastilles, kebabs, chocolate muffins, Chinese takeaways, ketchup, pizza, fried chicken, double cream, Indian food, Coca-Cola, crisps, wine, Jammie Dodgers and so on... This rule can be easily remedied with my three sub-rules which are;

   a) Find healthy alternatives: Instead of Coca-Cola, try flavoured waters or tonic water (tonic water is my absolute favorite!) Instead of salt and vinegar crisps, switch to salt and vinegar rice cakes. Instead of fried chicken, try it grilled but with the same spices as you would usually use on it when it is friend and sprinkle it with wholegrain breadcrumbs.
   b) Remember never to deny yourself anything... but to do it all in moderation. I entrust myself with one square of dark chocolate at the end of every day. Dark chocolate is much healthier than milk or white, plus it is much richer so you need a lot less of it to satisfy your craving.
   c) Have one day off every week. This DOES NOT MEAN you can make yourself sick stuffing your greedy gob with every calorific item in your house. However, if you know that you are going out for dinner on Saturday, don't deliberately choose the most pathetic salad on the menu and resent everyone else around you as they chow-down on steak and pasta and curry. Have one day off. But make sure your next day off is at least seven days apart from your previous one (for example, if you have Saturday 'off' don't have the following Monday 'off' too... wait until Sunday instead.)

7) Plan your week of food the week before so you can buy all the right ingredients and don't end up eating something unhealthy just because there was nothing else in the house. Eat veggie for your main meal twice a week. Eat chicken or turkey twice a week. Eat fish or seafood twice a week. Eat red meat no more than once a week. Its a simple formula and it is healthy. Stick with it.

8) Get active. I know, this is the one that sucks the most, but this is the one which makes your day off your diet ok. I don't want you to just shrug your shoulders and say, 'Fine, I'll go for a jog' which you'll only stick at for two days. I want you to really think about what you enjoy the most and do it. If you like dancing, try ballet for adults or zumba or pole dancing. If you love swimming, sign up for a membership at your local baths or teach your little cousin how to swim. If you can't think of anything better than to paint landscapes, walk up some nightmarishly tall hill and draw! You get the idea.

9) Cook your own food or at least know exactly what ingredients are going into your food (and I don't mean just read the label and act as if you understand the scientific words on the label). No matter how 'healthy options' your ready meal is, the fact of the matter is that it is nowhere near as good for you as it would be if you'd made it for yourself. Sure, at first this may be a big effort and may result in your food tasting slightly more bland than usual because you've simply never made sweet and sour sauce before... However, you'll get used to it! Plus, there are easy recipes all over so don't even try to use the excuse that you wouldn't know how to start. If you can read you can cook. That's what my granny always says to me, and she's not been wrong yet.

10) Make sure that your main meal is not eaten after 3pm and that you never let yourself go hungry... See below for GabriellaSofia's Sample Diet Day Plan. Also, never write off the rest of the day or week or month or year just because you've had one cheeky chocolate finger. Forget it and move on.

And that's it! Those are the rules which will allow you to lose weight without having to cut too much of the good stuff out. As you can see, the diet mostly surround portion control, activity and meal timing, plus general healthy living. I have done this diet on and off a few times in the past five years and have felt energized, detoxed and healthier in myself. Plus, I've lost weight and felt better about my figure. Here is a sample of what I would eat in a day:

GabriellaSofia's Sample Diet Day Plan for A Weekday

Upon waking - A pint of ice water

Breakfast - Actimel and a Special K Bar or a bowl of Porridge made up with water, and a pint of water

Snack at about 11.30am - One piece of fruit, eight nuts and a pint of water

Lunch at 2pm - Heinz Tomato Soup, a slice of brown bread with a bit of butter on or a rice cake with a cheese triangle spread on it, a piece of fruit and a pint of water

Dinner at 6pm - Tuna salad seasoned with lemon and balsamic vinegar and half a pint of tonic water

Evening snack - A piece of dark chocolate and a pint of water.

Obviously this day sounds VERY low calorie because I chose tomato soup rather than a meaty meal, but I could easily have chosen a slice of homemade fish and veg pie, or chicken and veg stir-fry with brown rice, or pasta with prawns and olives... you get the point. Also, I would be wanting to drink at least three more pints of water. *SEE ADDITION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE*

So there you have it... the official GabriellaSofia Diet. And I would advise everyone wanting to lose weight in the long term to GET ON IT because it really is very sensible. Having said all that, I'm no angel. I know it is reasonable and a good idea to follow this diet to a T because it is such a healthy way of living... but I've been very bad recently, eating all kinds of trash. I really am going to try from now onwards though. Scout's honour.

What diet are you trying at the moment? Do you have any healthy living tips to add to my diet plan? If you decide to get involves with the GabriellaSofia Diet plan please let me know then maybe we can cheer eachother on!

Love and snuggles
GabriellaSofia

*ADDITION - A couple of ladies have told me that drinking 8 pints of water is unhealthy and that it can impact your kidneys negatively. Of course, as with anything I say on my blog, my readers are welcomed to read my posts and take what they want from them. I drink from pint glasses and on days when I spend half an hour exercising I find that 8 glasses is the right amount for me. This may not be the case for everyone. Just listen to your body. If you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated so keep this in mind. Thanks for the heads-up ladies, I'd hate to be making anyone ill in anyway.*

Healthy Eating: How to Cook Tuna Steaks...

My family and I have decided to go on a great big healthy eating attempt at the moment which (lucky for me as I absolute LOVE it) includes a lot of fish. As the family food shopper for the past three weeks, I have found it quite easy to eat healthily around the house, because I make sure I am not hungry when I walk into Tesco and I take a specific list with me and don't stray at all. This means that the house is full only of healthy treats, including fruit, nuts, veg, brown rice, rice cakes, cereal bars and so on and so forth.

Anyway, last weekend my Dad (our resident food adventurer) decided that we should try tuna steaks for a change as we enjoy fish but are often left wanting more. More meat, man! So on my hunt through the Tesco shelves I strutted over to the fish counter and handed over £16 (!!!) for four tuna steaks. I can honestly say they were worth every penny.

A picked up some new potatoes and an assortment of salad things to throw on the side of the plate and headed home.

My dad boiled the potatoes and a few eggs, marinaded the tuna in a soy sauce, lime and chilli flakes sauce, wrapped them in foil and baked them for ten minutes in the oven. While that was cooking, he whipped up a salad with rocket leaves, carrots, tomatoes and cucumber and threw the hard-boiled egg pieces over the top with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. When the tuna was ready, he dished up the whole thing and smeared a tiny bit of low-fat Lurpak on the potatoes. 

Here is what the meal looked like...

The meal cost about £5.50 for each of us, but that is cheaper than we would usually spend on a kebab, curry, pizza, Chinese or McDonald's takeaway! The whole thing was absolutely delicious so I have to give proper props to my dad for cooking an exceptionally successful meal. It was like a very posh version of a tuna nicoise salad. NOM GOBBLE.

Have you ever eaten tuna steaks? Do you know of any fishy recipes I should try out? How do you keep yourself in check when trying healthy eating?

Love and snuggles

GabriellaSofia

x

Haute Body: Weight Watchers Goodies...

The lovely people at Weight Watchers have kindly sent me some yummy products to try out and I've since decided to write a little bit about them. These items were sent to me for free. However, the opinions in this post are completely my own and I've written these mini-reviews because I want to and not because I've promised a positive review in exchange for free stuff!

So, let's get started. First for a brief explanation of what the Weight Watchers diet is all about, if you didn't already know. Here's how they summarize the company and their diet plan:


'The Weight Watchers programme is uniquely positioned to allow you to play the weight loss game and win. Based on up-to-date science and tried and tested over the years by real people, the Weight Watchers programme comes from the experts at the weight loss game. It’s designed for living and losing (weight, that is!).

The ProPoints plan is a fantastic counting system that allows you to eat what you like, when you like, until you reach your daily total. It guides you to make healthier food choices, eating more of the things that are good for you and for weight loss, and less of the things that aren’t. You get a Weekly ProPoints Allowance to play with every week too, so you can keep treats and nights out firmly on the menu and still watch that weight go steadily down.'


Simples! Alongside the ease of being able to incorporate your usual weekly shop into your points-counting diet plan, Weight Watchers also offer their own brand products which work much better on the diet than the more unhealthy alternatives. For example, Weight Watchers do their own rose wine (which is just 75 calories per glass!!!), bread rolls, chicken marinade etc. And they are really nice. Anyway, let me give you a couple of reviews on how I've found some of the products so far...

My first major obsession is these Weight Watchers Peach and Pear Fruit Pots. I've always had a bit of a thing about tinned peaches and that's how these fruit pots taste, but with added freshness! The fruit is soft and sweet, and the juice is yummy to drink up afterwards. Also, these are great to throw into a lunch box too as they even have a little foldaway fork included. Perfect mid-morning snack.

 

I've NEVER been into coffee at all. Usually it makes me squinch up my face in a 'icky' shape and push it away scratching my abused tongue with my teeth. However, these Weight Watchers cappuccino sachets make a really nice creamy hot drink with a subtle yet present taste of coffee. These were fantastic when I was studying for exams as they gave me a quick energy boost when I most needed it, and I didn't even have to add sugar. One tip I would give though, let your cappuccino sit out for a bit before drinking it and give it a couple of extra stirs as the powder can form into little lumps which aren't so great when you're expecting just liquid!

 

The Weight Watchers Milk Chocolate Digestive Biscuits are my new favorite naughty snack. The only difference between these and your regular ones is that they are noticeably smaller. Although having said that, the chocolate is noticeably nicer in my opinion too. Also, I know its a seemingly small and insignificant factor, but the fact that this pack reseals itself is a huge selling point to me as it keeps the biscuits fresh and crunchy for longer. Nomgobble.

The Weight Watchers Sicilian Lemonade sounded very promising to me as I'm always trying to find fizzy drinks which are suitable for diets without having that artificial 'itsadietdrinksowe'vestuckaloadofsweetnersintoit' taste. Unfortunately, although I have finished the bottle and the fizz was great where its competitors sometimes lack (do you not think Diet Coke is flatter than the real stuff?) I still could taste sweeteners which reminded me a bit of those Panda Pop drinks which I used to get with my kiddie pub lunch back when I was a rug-rat. Can't recommend this drink sadly :(

These cute little bags of tortilla chips are ideal. They are nacho cheese flavoured and really hit the spot if I'm craving a salty snack. As you can see, I even made them into a little nacho plate using some healthy salsa and half-fat mature grated cheddar cheese. I just stuck it into the microwave for twenty seconds and boom, finished. Really yummy snack!

I'll write a similar post within the next couple of weeks to review some of the other items I've been kindly sent, but as you can tell, I'm pretty happy with what I've tasted so far, so thank you very much Lucy! Also, I was sent two recipe books and I've tried a variety of the dishes which are taught in there, so I'll post up some pictures and tips regarding how I got along cooking healthy Weight Watchers inspired dishes for my whole family.

Have you ever tried Weight Watchers? Can you think of any other ways I could jazz up these bits and bobs like I did with the tortillas? Are you as excited as I am about 75 calorie per glass rose wine???

Love and snuggles

gabriellasofia

x

Haute Body: Jenny Craig How it Works...

I apologize for the intense LENGTH of this video, but I really wanted to talk you through the Jenny Craig Diet and the parts of it which aren't just the food you get. Many people I talk to just say, 'Oh Jenny Craig... isn't that just the one where they send you diet food to eat' but it's so much deeper than that as you can tell through the video. It's basically a case of teaching it's followers what kind of eater they are, why they've been putting on weight they didn't want and how to loose that weight whilst also enjoying the foods you love too! 

So you know I was kindly gifted four weeks of Jenny Craig food although all of my coverage for them was done of my own accord and with my own genuine opinions and I haven't received any money in exchange for my coverage.

Hope you enjoyed the video and head over to the Jenny Craig website as they're currently running a half price offer on their two week plan which is definitely worth checking out! Here is the link:

http://www.jennycraig.co.uk/

Please check out my other sites and let me know what you think in the comments box below:

Please follow me on Twitter at:

http://twitter.com/hautefuture

Click 'Follow' on my blog which has tons of reviews, beauty-fashion-lifestyle features and more:

http://hautefuture.blogspot.com/

Subscribe to my Youtube channel where I post hauls, tutorials, outfits of the day and WAY more:

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Also check out my facebook page at:

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Please rate, like, follow, comment and subscribe and I promise there will be loads of beauty, fashion, lifestyle, culture and gossip material going up on here each week :)

Thanks for watching, guys and I'll see you soon!

Love

gabriellasofia x

HauteFuture Needs You!

Hey guys!

So I'm writing this post because if you've been reading recently then you'll see that I've recently had to decide to take a big long blog-break which is really sad for me :( If you didn't know, please check out this post: http://hautefuture.blogspot.com/2012/02/we-are-on-break.html. Anyways, it is for this reason that I have decided to accept guests posts during my break. What I hope to gain by doing this is: 

1) To make sure my poor blog doesn't look barren and unloved

2) To give some of my fellow bloggers access to my followers

3) To get bloggers who like my page (and their followers) to be more interactive with me

Basically there are only a few 'requirements' of guesting on my page. Firstly, I try and make HauteFuture seem as professional as physically possible. This means using only original photos (none 'borrowed' from other websites and blogs unless approved and accredited), I like photos in virtually every post as they catch people's eye on the News Feed and I like the photos to be quite clear although they obviously don't need to look like a photography expert took them haha. The quality of the writing style and language used means a lot to me on my page. I literally do not tolerate swearing practically at all. Sometimes I'll put a naughty word with asterixes in the middle eg. 's**t'. However, I try not to use these words hardly ever, and when I do they're in a kind of flippant or off-hand way as a joke rather than aggressively. Ideally I'd prefer for my guests to avoid these words completely if at all possible. As for the quality and style of the piece, check out my page: http://hautefuture.blogspot.com/ to see the sort of 'standard' I work at. Obviously, there are always a couple of rascally typos that slip through the net, but generally I tend to draft then proof-read my posts to make sure that they read as well as they can. This means not using sentences that are too long, words that are too long/in the wrong context, punctuation errors etc. I will obviously proof-read and perhaps slightly edit if necessary the pieces you send to me but I will send you any editions that I make to confirm that you feel like you're still being truly represented. I will hopefully not have to make too many changes though, as explained in my WE ARE ON A BREAK post, I don't have a lot of spare time at the moment!

Now enough of the 'rules' haha, I want this to be fun! So what am I looking for? What do I hope to achieve by having guests on my blog? Well, I've noticed that a lot of people run 'interview' posts while others just allow the guests to write whatever they want. I don't want my guest posts to be cliche and I also want them to have some kind of structure. So I was brain-storming a bit and then I though YES that's the point... Bloggers have brains. I'm so sick of the stereotypes that bloggers are just dumb bimbos who don't care about anything bar mascara, mini-skirts and macaroons (because cupcakes are sooooo out!) A couple of times I've had hater comments telling me how 'shallow', 'unintelligent' and 'spoilt' we are, and how if we only opened our beautifully made-up eyes for two seconds we'd see a world of pain around us blablabla. So I want to do something to prove that bloggers have brains AND hearts, by giving them a platform to express their social conscience. Sound complicated? Well, it's really not... let me explain how we can translate beauty, fashion and lifestyle to things that 'matter'. 

Here are some examples of posts which I'd like to see... if you can think of other ideas then I really welcome them! The more the merrier...

Beauty

- Human hair extentions

- Animal testing

- Animal hair in make-up brushes

- Tanning 

- Children being beautified eg. Toddlers and Tiaras/salons for kiddies

Health

- Fad diets

- Supplements/diet pills 

- Body image

Fashion

- Sweat shops

- Real fur versus faux fur

Lifestyle

- Non-mainstream interests (in music, film, books)

- Self-improvement

- Making money go further in the recession

- Bisexuality

- Home-made gifts versus shop-bought

Like I say, these are just some ideas and anyone is welcome to run with them! I want the blogger to be passionate about the piece she chooses and I want her to know her topic inside out. What I mean here is, if you've never used hair extensions before then don't write about the humans versus synthetic hair topic. Similarly, although I wouldn't want the gory details of a bisexual experience you've indulged in (although more power to you sister!), if you've never considered your sexuality in depth then please don't write about bisexuality.

I don't want these pieces to be telling people, 'Don't do that' or 'Do do this'. I want them to look like a sensible argument which takes into consideration both sides of the story, but ends with your personal opinion. I'd like the pieces to be quite short (less than 500 words) so you don't have A LOT of space to work with, but as intelligent young women I'm sure you'll be able to put across your points eloquently :) I don't mind the pieces being 'controversial' perhaps one of you out there believes that animal testing has numerous benefits. However, I don't want any of the pieces to discriminate or be prejudiced towards anyone... For example, if you choose to run with with 'home-made versus shop-bought' gift idea, please don't say something like, 'Shop bought gifts are thoughtless and impersonal and anyone that does this has not imagination.' Instead, say 'Home-made gifts are thoughtful, more personal and show that your imaginative and creative side.'

I know these points are kind of obvious to everyone out there, but I thought I should say them as I know that some bloggers out there have a different tack with things like this than I do. I don't want my page to be biased (even if I don't agree with your stance but you've argued your point well, I'll feature it!) and I don't want my readers to think that I'm handing my blog over to a bunch of guests who have no idea what HauteFuture is all about. 

In terms of photos, it's pretty easy really. If you want to write about animal testing put a picture of you and your pet, and you wearing a face full of make-up (whether from anti or pro animal testing brands depending on your stance). If you are posting about faux versus real fur, post a picture with your wearing your fave fur coat. If you're posting about body image, perhaps draw a picture of a 'perfect' body, or if you're feeling really brave, post a bikini picture of your own (class is important though!)

Finally, I would like any guests to my blog to do a mini post on their own site saying something like 'Check out my fab guest post over at HauteFuture' with a link to my blog, and also to tweet and post on Facebook (if you have a Facebook page for your blog) about it too, all complete with links. In return for this, I will of course link your blog and write a sentence or two about why I love it at the beginning or end of your post. 

So where do we go from here? I would like to schedule one guest post per week, so I'd like you all to email me to show that you're interested with a few little details...

1) Your name

2) Your Twitter

3) Your blog Facebook (if you have one)

4) Your blog link

5) Your top two favorite topics to write about from the list or from your own imagination :) 

6) A deadline for when you think you can have the piece written by

My email address is: hautefuture@gmail.com

Once again thank you for all of the support I've had recently from everyone out there. I know this post has been an absolute essay, but things are really hard since I've decided to take my break and kind of 'handing over the mic' on my page is a big deal and I'd like to make sure that my faithful followers are seeing guest posts which are true to the image which I've given HauteFuture. I hope that makes sense! Thank you so much for agreeing to help me, it means so much!

Hope to hear from your all soon...

Love

GabriellaSofia

x

ps. Even if you've NEVER blogger before, I still want to hear from you!

Haute Body: Jenny Craig First Week Weigh-In...

Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed my first Jenny Craig post which can be read here with a full video haul of all of the diet food goodies I was so kindly sent by the fit people on the Jenny Craig PR team. Before I speak any more about the diet, I must say that I have accepted free food from the company. However, I am not posting in order to repay them for the food and I will always give a balanced and honest review of anything I am sent, whether paid for or gifted.

Now, enough of that boring stuff! Here is a bit of Jenny Craig 'Food Porn' (as I like to call photographs of delicious looking food which makes your mouth water...) just so you can see what some of the meals look like.

This is a bowl of yummy raisin and hazelnut muesli. I put half a cup of semi-skimmed milk in and a handful of grapes cut in half. Nom.

These are three of the delicious lunches which I've been sent. A Mediterranean tuna-pasta salad, carrot and coriander soup with a bit too much half fat cheddar cheese (sorry Jenny!) and a couple of crackers and finally, a mashed potato pot complete with rosemary and croutons... plus a random carrot on the side haha. I'm kind of addicted to these mash pots.







Now here we have three mouth-watering dinners. First up, we have a chicken curry with rice, creamy mushroom stroganoff with some added chicken and a naughty splodge of ketchup on the side, and finally my favorite, a dish of chicken chasseur with some gherkins. You can tell I like mixing random foods together. Nomnomnom.

Also, can I just say I know these dinner photos are very chicken-heavy but I promise that's just a coincidence. I've also had beef and lamb dindins so far also, just forgot to photograph them!

So, the question everyone wants the answer to... Does the Jenny Craig diet work? My answer? YES. I've been on it for just a week and have cheated a little bit here and there and I've managed to lose a pound. Now, I know that's not a huge weight loss. However, the Jenny Craig diet is not supposed to be a quick fix diet where stones drop off you in seconds only to be packed right back on (and then some) the day you come back off it. Jenny Craig is about making healthy lifestyle choices and most importantly LEARNING about the way food works and how it affects your body. This means that the weight will come off in healthy, gradual amounts and when you begin to phase yourself back into regular eating (if you even want to after feasting on such yummy dishes...) you will be educated enough to know how to keep that weight off. This is why I love the Jenny Craig diet.

Now, let me tell you something exciting. A bit of an 'insider tip'... Starting tomorrow, Jenny Craig are offering two weeks of their diet at half price which averages out at just £5.50 per day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks every day. So for those of you who want to try out the diet which allows you to get diet food delivered to your door for a similar price to that which most people spend on their usual weekly shop which doesn't include supportive consultants calling one to two times a week, a folder telling you everything you need to know about food and how to work with it and a community of people in the same position as you are. So what are you waiting for? Now is the time to sign up for Jenny Craig!

So what do you reckon, fab discount right? What are your reasons for considering the Jenny Craig diet? What are your current eating habits?

Love

gabriellasofia

x 

Haute Body: Jenny Craig Introduction...

When the prestigious diet Jenny Craig got in touch agreeing to supply me with two weeks worth of diet food (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for each day) I thought all my Christmasses had come at once, as I'd been wanting to have a healthier diet after Christmas which I didn't have to spend hours cooking for.

Here is what the fab brand says about themselves:

'Jenny Craig, Inc. was founded in Australia in 1983 by weight loss experts Jenny and Sidney Craig, who sought to establish ‘a company that would incorporate all the necessary benefits of successful weight management’. Jenny Craig opened its first nine Weight Loss Centres in Melbourne, all of which still stand today.

Today, Jenny Craig, Inc. is one of the largest weight-management service companies in the world, with company-owned and franchised Operations in the US, UK, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico. It is now part of the Nestlé Group.

Over the past 25 years, we've helped millions of people worldwide learn how to eat a nutritious diet that includes many of their favourite foods, increase their energy level through simple activity, and build more balance into their lives for optimal weight loss and well-being.'

What I love most about this diet (apart from the fact that it is reasonably priced diet food delivered to your door) is that the food looks and tastes delicious! I'm a couple of days into the diet now and I haven't been hungry once, plus even my chocolate cravings are satiated with the chocolate wafer and white-chocolate chip cereal snack bars.

So let's get down to business shall we? Each day on the Jenny Craig diet costs a bargainous £11 and this includes one breakfast, one snack, one lunch and one dinner. Also included in the price is a twice weekly call from an encouraging consultant (mine is called Leanne and she's absolutely lovely!), a 'support guide' for any further questions and a grocery list which enables you to encorporate your favorite foods (in moderation of course...) into your weekly menu. Good value for money? Definitely, especially when you consider that you could lose up to three pounds in weight per week, if a moderate exercise routine is included.

I will be posting another few posts on this fab diet so keep your eyes peeled for those soon! I'll do some pictures of the actual food, a review of the service and an evaluation post also, so if you have any interest in a diet that really works, you'll know where to come :)

All questions welcome in the comments section of this video (as ever) but if you have anything urgent you just need to know, then check on the Jenny Craig website as it's such an informative page that you're sure to find your answers there:
http://www.jennycraig.co.uk/

I just want to say a great big thank you to everyone on the Jenny Craig team that I've dealt with so far... Luise, James and Leanne have been fantastic taking my calls whenever I've needed them and not grumbled one bit when my questions have been stupid (how was I to know that I could swap my days around if necessary...?)

Please check out my other sites and let me know what you think in the comments box below:

Please follow me on Twitter at:
http://twitter.com/hautefuture

Click 'Follow' on my blog which has tons of reviews, beauty-fashion-lifestyle features and more:
http://hautefuture.blogspot.com/

Subscribe to my Youtube channel where I post hauls, tutorials, outfits of the day and WAY more:
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Thanks for watching, guys and I'll see you soon!

Love
gabriellasofia x

Haute Body: British Pole Dance Academy Part 2...

Hey guys!

Hoping you checked out Part 1 of my British Pole Dance Academy Review because this is Part 2 and you'll be all lost if you didn't... only joking :) I'll catch you up; 1) I'm starting a new feature called 'HauteBody' 2) I've started Pole Dancing Classes (!) 3) This is Part 2 of my review of said Pole Dancing Classes. Up to speed? Good.

So, lesson two was even more fab than lesson one! Thankfully I knew exactly where I was going this time and managed to make it about five minutes early. This allowed me to chat to some of the ladies before I threw myself (literally) into the warm up lead by a sexy brunette lady whose name escapes me... so rude :( I did feel slightly odd as fellow blogger Victoria's Vintage was there watching me shake my booty and strut my stuff, but I soon got into it and managed to build up a sweat before I even hit the pole! The warm up consisted of a variety of muscle stretches (mostly on the upper body as obviously it's all don't to your arms to carry your fat a*s up the pole later on...), there was also bouncing from side to side using the hips and then a couple of floor exercises.

Once this was over, I headed to Hollie who was the beginners instructor who I was taught by in my previous lesson and happily was approached by the lovely Deb... Despite this only being my second lesson, it seemed that Deb noticed I wasn't struggling too much with the moves and she asked if I was confident to move up a level! Whilst flattered I was a bit apprehensive and said to her, 'I'm not sure... I don't want to fail then be sent back...' Deb simply laughed and effectively told me to man up, but with much kinder words of course.

Turns out I needn't have worried, whilst the intermediate moves were more of a challenge, I seemed to cope quite well! My pole-partner insisted this must be because on my 'gymnastic-induced bendiness' as she waved her arms around in the air. Deb and I laughed so hard. Seriously, that's something you don't expect... the British Pole Academy is a fab workout for the abs, not only because of the core strength required to support your body weight, but also because of the laughing you do! When a girl gets a move right, everyone stops and claps, and when someone suffers a pole-injury everyone is either A) very sympathetic or B) wetting themselves laughing depending on which is the appropriate response of course. For example, when a certain lady managed to break the WHOLE NAIL off her baby toe we all applauded her as we looked at the injured toe... luckily she was fine so naturally we all rolled about laughing, shocked at her fantastic recovery!

Before I knew it, it was time for the cool down and my body was glad for it. My muscles had been shaking for the last five minutes of the class, so I was happy to sit on the floor and fold in half.

One thing that I love so much about The British Pole Academy is the fact that it all feels like one great big happy family, and why shouldn't it? These ladies (led by Deb) virtually built the studio and the business from scratch so it means a lot to them. If you don't believe me, check the scrapbook in the lounge area of the room and see the photographs showing the shell the studio started off as. The care for customers in terms of safety, fun, and even finance by offering such cheap classes, are just three examples where this care is shown. The British Pole Academy is personal and professional all at once, and this is why I love it so much.

Just a couple of tips for anyone wishing to try pole-dancing for fitness...

1) Wear something inconspicuous. If you show up wearing jogging bottoms, you'll be noticed more than if you have tiny shorts on baring the thighs you've grown to hate. Trust me!

2) Make sure you complete both the warm-up and cool-down to the best of your ability. Your body will thank you because if you don't you're likely to injure yourself during the class and be aching for much longer for the next couple of days.

3) Make sure you hunt around for the best dance school. Most of the best ones will allow you a free trial, and don't pay in a block before knowing that you definitely want to attend lessons on a regular basis.

4) Don't take yourself too seriously. If you want to strut around the pole super-slutty or do huge outrageous over-exaggerated moves just because you saw them on Burlesque then go for it! Pole is very personal to everyone, with each student being there for a different reason... you're paying for it, so make sure you get what you want out of the class.

5) Find your style. Everyone has one. My style is more ballet than anything else although I do have a burlesque-esque vision in my head of how I'd like to look. Others wish to have a more athletic stance whilst some girls clearly want to bring out their inner-ho and you know what, that's all fine!  

To conclude, the class was absolutely awesome and I will be going back later on this week. My first two lessons were gifted by Deb, however, from now onwards I will be attempting to attend The British Pole Academy at least once a week at a detriment to my own wallet which proves I find this to be a perfectly worth-while spend... At just £6 an hour how could it not be? To book with the BPA call Deb on 07884423234.

Have you ever tried pole dancing classes? What do you think about exploring sexuality whilst getting in a good exercise? Have you heard of any other fun ways of getting a good work-out?


Thanks for reading guys :) Stay tuned for more HauteBody posts, one of which I'm planning right now...
On that mystery, I'll leave you :P
Love
gabriellasofia
 x

The Importance of a Balanced Diet and Frequent Exercise...

Ok, so we've all done it right? Taken a slutty 'Standing-in-the-Mirror-in-my-Bikini-to-see-how-I-Look-so-I-don't-Inflict-my-Bodily-Hideous-ness-to-the-Poor-Unsuspecting-Public' photo... right? Oh, just me then? I think not, but I'm not going to labor the matter.

So despite the fact that my mom went mad when I uploaded this to facebook as she automatically assumed I'd be signing up for some double-page spread in Zoo magazine within the hour (they never called (!)) I actually felt great about my body for the first time in ages. Sure, there's a bit of a curve to my waist, my arms could do with some work and I can often attract crickets with the sound of my thighs chafing together... what was my point again??? Oh, yeah, I love my body :D

You know, my first tip to 'Getting Healthy' (which many a woman use as a euphemism for 'Getting Thin') is to have a healthy relationship with food. So many people eat when they are sad, or bored, or even horny (post-coital kebab anyone?) But it shouldn't be that way. Similarly, it's not natural for a human to wait for meal times. You think that cavewomen hollered at their offspring, '*grunt groan moan* dinner. 6.30pm. *grunt groan moan.*' No. No, they didn't. This is not to say that we should allow ourselves to go hungry either, because that just leads to accidental bingeing, indigestion, and more importantly, excess fat.

So what am I saying? I'm saying that grazing throughout the day worked the best for me. Each food group is part of a balanced diet, which means that we really shouldn't be depriving ourselves of anything. If you go three days on a diet without a bite of chocolate or bread or something else which you might love eating but isn't technically known as 'Good for You', your body will crave it, again, making it more likely that you will over-eat on it and get that horrible guilty sickness which gurgles in the pit of your stomach forcing you to starve yourself for the next three days... again, ridiculously unhealthy. So my third tip, after having a healthy relationship with food and grazing throughout the day, is that moderation is key. Treat yourself to a bite-sized Kit Kat, or a slice of brown bread with fresh jam. It's not going to kill you and in the long-run will teach you how not to go overboard with the more calorific food items.

What's next? Well, tip number four is simple, make sure you eat at least five portions

of fruit and veg a day. Duh. It sounds like a cliche, but it really works in terms of giving you enough sugar to keep you going for the day, enough sweetness to fight off those Starburst cravings. It genuinely makes you feel more energetic, have nicer skin and just generally be a happier person. What's not to love? I always said during my pre-summer diet, 'You can have a treat when you've had all your portions of fruit and veg for the day and if your body still wants it at that stage.' Worked for me! And it doesn't matter whether the fruit is fresh, dry or tinned, but if it is tinned, go for the 'In juice' variety rather than 'In syrup' as those ones can be so much worse for you than you'd originally anticipated.

Tip 5: H2O. Our body is made up of at least 70% water, so it's not exactly an outrageous idea that if we don't drink enough then our bodies will suffer. They say that we should have about 8 glasses of water a day, but I tried not to think of it like that as everyone is different, plus it's not really healthy to get to 1am and realize you only had five glasses so you need to down another three before bed. This can actually lead to drowning. The way I did it was to have a bottle at my side at all times and take frequent sips throughout the day, filling up whenever necessary. I had way less headaches than usual, my skin massively improved and I pretty much never felt hungry. Result!

As for tip number six, it really is a case of understanding food and not fearing it. Atkins hype has convinced us to believe that carbs are the enemy. And yet carbohydrates are one of the biggest sources of energy in food, allowing us to push our bodies to the limits during exercise, without them we don't get a good workout and most of the time we do spend exercising is wasted. One of my rules is to try and avoid carbs after 4pm (I'm likely to have eaten them and already exercised them off by then, so I don't end up sleeping on a belly full of carbs) and the other is to stick to wholewheat, wholegrain or just anything 'brown' if I can help it. These are especially good for us.

Tip number seven is kind of a personal one for me... Don't eat too much cheese. Actually, I guess it could work for dairy in general really apart from live yogurt and low-fat milk... but I think it's for the best that these are taken in moderation and usually further towards the beginning off the day. Cheese is my favorite food ever, but I couldn't quite resist having a small chunk every day. But then as my Mom would say, everything is fine in moderation!

Avoiding sauces was a difficult one for number eight. Have you any idea how much sugar is in a spoonful of ketchup? Lots. That's how much. Salad dressings are the same and some stir-fry and pasta sauces have hidden calories too.

Now, everyone is going to hate number nine... yes, it's that dirty 'e' word... EXERCISE.

It's grim and I hate it. It makes me sweaty and out of breath and have a stitch. And yet, there is no

way on God's earth that someone who is looking to get into shape can do so, without committing themselves to this absolute torture. Some ways of doing it are easier than others. For example, I was putting my iTunes of with a half hour playlist of upbeat songs, then dancing my butt off really energetically to it. Even if you can't dance, just jump up and down or run about the room like a loon for half an hour. This is cardio, and it works. Trust me. As for toning up, it's simple. Just get in 20 press-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, and about 20 breaths of plank and you'll be fit in no time :)

Honestly, I know it sounds dull and I would never have believed it myself but it's true; a balanced diet and frequent exercise ACTUALLY works. Outrageous, I know...

Now I just need to follow my own advice and get on a post-Orlando diet... mmm... I'll start next week. NOT.

Thanks for reading

gabriellasofia

My First Tentative Steps Towards A Bikini-Fit Body...

It's that time of year where body image becomes quite the Hot Topic. Am I thin enough? Toned enough? Will I be confused with a sea mammal if caught laying on the beach this year? Eeek. The responses? No. No. And perhaps not, but only because I wont let myself lay out in the state I'm in at the moment.

At least I'm not in denial right? Working towards a goal always gives someone a purpose, so what exactly is my goal? Well, in a dream world my double chin would be gone, my upper arms would be toned, my breasts would be more pert and a cup size smaller, my stomach would be flatter with nothing to grope at and it would be toned although not too chiseled, my ass would be firmer, my inner thighs would ideally be none existent and... well, I think that's it. Not a lot to ask right? Wrong. Without going under the knife many of these fantasies will ever happen, and since I'm a student living on a students budget, I can just about afford to accept the fact that this is my body and I'd better get used to it.

However, some of these aims might be within reach, if I work really hard. So, the deadline is the 18th of June. This gives me eight weeks in order the make the best out of a bad situation.

Also, I apologize for being a little overly-critical of myself. I'm by no means a Fat Pig. And yet I'm not happy, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. When we force ourselves to think really rationally, most people know that there is really nothing majorly wrong with them. You know that honesty is the best policy and that's what I always strive for in this blog, so I'm going to go ahead and call us all out on committing one of seven deadly sins... Pride and hence Vanity. We know we are fine. But we don't want people to go about their daily business when we walk past because we are nothing disgusting to point and laugh at. We want them to turn their heads and think, 'Dang it, bitch is HOT.' We want people to be jealous of us. We want it all.

I am fully aware of this. In fact, I embrace it, because it's one of those almost unreachable goals which means that I will forever be working towards it which can only be a good thing. You can never be too healthy.

So what steps am I taking towards getting this 'Turn-Heads-In-The-Street-Envy-Inducing' beach body? Well, let me tell you.

1) I'm going to be giving some things up. These things will include red meat, any white carbs apart from healthily cooked potatoes once a week, drinks which aren't water or pure tea (although I will allow three spirit measures a week and a very weak glass of squash a day just to keep my life worth living), chocolate, non-low fat sauces and dressings (yes, this includes my two biggest weaknesses; ketchup and mayonnaise) and excessive amounts of cheese... a maximum of one small cube per day will be imposed without exception.

2) I will be drinking one mug of Herbalife weight-loss-boosting tea a day. It's really good but tastes like... well, I'm not even going to go there. HINT: it is known as Mingy Tea in my household.

3) A minimum of a half hour high-impact cardiovascular exercise and the same of low-impact will be done a day. I have already been running for half an hour a day for the past five days. Win :-)

4) 500 sit-ups are to be done each day.

5) I must use my Slendertone belt for half an hour twice a day.

6) I will have five mini-meals a day with my first at 10am every two hours until 6pm. If I'm having any basic carbs like bread, rice or pasta then they must be eaten at or before 2pm.

That's all I can think of so far! Oh and I'm going to try to limit my daytime naps to just once a week and a lie in past 10am just once a week too. This should mean my body is more active and hence constantly burning fat. Hopefully that should work wonders for my revision also as I wont be able to take one of my colossal 3hour afternoon sleeps. Everyone's a winner.

The only hitch is that I won't be able to properly start all this until Monday the 2nd when I return to university, as my parents constantly want to feed me up. I feel a bit like perhaps they are trying to fatten me up so there's more of me to go around when cannibalism is made legal... Seriously, all I hear is, 'And the chocolate cake is going out of date so we have to eat it right now', 'Will you cut the bread for with dinner and butter it? Yeah, the chips are ready' and 'Who wants a McFlurry???' Bah. It's not a bad life.

Anyways, if any of you out there have any tips for me or want to share your bikini body plans please let me know. Wish me luck!

gabriellasofia