I say “kind of” because as I recall I would eat the odd McDonald’s burger after a night out (because, doesn’t everyone?) Or I would enjoy a plate of my mums beef casserole on a Sunday afternoon (because that was the best homemade comfort food!) However in 2013 I took the plunge and stopped eating meat altogether. And do you know what? I am going to give my self a pat on the back for that, because I have stood the test of time. I stopped eating meat before it even became “fashionable” and it hasn’t just been a faze either. It’s been a complete lifestyle choice & change and one that I have stuck too.

I have written several blog posts on my choice to live my life meat free which you can read here and to be completely honest my views are still exactly the same. If you eat meat you like pets not animals. I don’t preach or force my views onto anyone, if you eat meat that’s your choice and I respect that. I wouldn’t sit there and judge anyone for tucking into a chicken roast dinner, the same as I wouldn’t expect to be judged by tucking into a bowl of vegetables and some kind of meat substitute. We are all different and we can eat what we like when we like.

So living life as a pescatarian (meaning I eat fish) Well it’s great, I love vegetables and I love the variety of plant based food that is now available in both the supermarkets and restaurants. If we were to go back 10 years to when I first fully went meat free all that restaurants seemed to offer on the menu was a stuffed pepper with some goats cheese in, I mean it was pretty much slim pickings. I actually remember going to one restaurant who barely had anything suitable for me, so I ended up ordering a chicken Caesar salad, but without the chicken of course, so I basically ended up with a bowl of lettuce with some croutons and some Caesar dressing, not exactly the most delicious meal I have ever eaten. But thankfully with more and more of us choosing to follow meat free diets, there is now a much wider variety, with many restaurants having a separate menu for the veggies and vegans!

I find that the hard core carnivores out there are always pretty intrigued with us herbivores and usually come with a question or two. The first one being “how can you not eat meat?” Which is like a completely dumb question right? And I mostly do a sneaky eye roll in response! But for me, the biggie question that I seem to get asked a lot is “why do you eat meat substitutes, why not just have actual meat? I think the misconception is it’s automatically assumed that I miss the taste of meat, but in all honesty I can’t really remember the taste of meat it’s been that long. I genuinely love the flavour of meat free products, and it may not be to everyone’s liking but it certainly works for me.

Today, I think we are seeing more and more people choose a life without meat. Or at least begin to cut down the amount of meat they eat. When you start to learn about how meat is produced, you can definitely see what a huge benefit going meat free can have for not only yourself but also for the animals and the environment. So really there’s no surprise it’s becoming more popular.

But I’m never one to preach because as they say each to their own and I am completely here for that.

The post Celebrating 10 years meat free!! appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

When I first thought about writing this post, it was going to be focussing on how unhappy I am with my body currently. It was going to be a super personal post, going back over my weight loss journey from 2018 to present (BLAH, BLAH, BLAH) I then decided to hit the STOP button and take things in a new direction.

So hi I’m Lisa, and I have struggled with my weight for so many years now, it’s kind of hard to think back to a time when weight wasn’t at the forefront of my mind.

I did work extremely hard to loose weight over the last 4 years, and then the many lockdowns we lived through made me my absolute own worst enemy. I mean no one forced to make batches of banana bread and eat it on a daily basis, that was all me!!

Lockdown and eating more than I usually would alongside wearing very comfy loose fitting clothes made me feel like I had put on a few pounds over the months. Even though people would tell me I was silly and that I hadn’t , and even though all my clothes still fit just the same. Somehow I had managed to convince myself that I was bigger. And once it was in my head, it was fully embedded with cement.

For some reason I have a real hang up about my hips, I see them as huge! In fact when I look in the mirror they are ALL I can see! And my obsession with them just got worse after my January wedding. My obsession with my hips got so bad that I would almost cry before going out somewhere, I would try on at least 5 different outfits scrutinising in the mirror only my hips, like the rest of my body didn’t even exist. It just got to a point where I wouldn’t look forward to doing anything or going anywhere because I honestly thought (and occasionally still think) that people would just be looking at my huge hips!

So here we are right now, July 22nd 2022 and I’ve kind of turned a small corner. I mean honestly I don’t know what happened because one week I was trying to cover my hips with jumpers and looking in every mirror, shop window, shower door, patio door, I men literally every reflective surface, analysing them at every given opportunity. And then the weather got really warm and I wanted to wear a playsuit (something that I had been dreading ALL summer) and I remember picking one out of my wardrobe putting it on and for once I wasn’t repulsed by what I saw. It actually looked okay, so I wore it to work! I then took a bigger step and wore a different playsuit at the weekend, to go shopping. It might seem like something so small but actually it was quite a big deal for me! 2018 & 2019 you would find me only wearing little playsuits, but it’s been a while since I felt confident enough since the whole global pandemic.

It definitely is a constant battle and I’m really only taking baby steps, but baby steps are better than no steps at all. YES my hips could definitely be smaller, but then so could my thighs, I’m slightly out of proportion because my bust and waist are smaller than they should be to give me a proper figure. But I’m now trying to look in the mirror and look at me as a whole person instead of just hips!! I am a very healthy eater and I have been for a while now, but weight obsession is not healthy, and it got to the point with me where my hips were my big obsession.

I like where I am at this moment in time, and I hope to keep that up. I’ll still be good and eat healthy (after all I have the honeymoon of a lifetime coming up) But I’ll also remember to ENJOY food and not hate myself when something other than a lettuce leaf passes my lips! I know that life is for living and enjoying, I know that, I just need to remember it once in a while!

So I’ll leave this post right here, as there is a Five guys take out in my kitchen with my name on it!!! FYI I always opt for the veggies in a lettuce wrap, but I do have chips and today I have added a cheeky peanut butter and banana milkshake, the lettuce wraps kind of balances things out right!!!

Have a great evening!!

The post Body confidence appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

Okay well laying it bare this is quite possibly the most TMI personal posts I have written to date, BUT I really did want to share my experience(s) and if only ONE person reads this and books a cervical screening then my work here is done.

The reason I’m sharing this now is because January in the UK was cervical cancer awareness. And increasingly more and more woman are opting to miss appointments.

SO YES this is an awkward post but it shouldn’t be right, we should chat about this and realise it’s really not that bad.

Okay so the topic of cervical screening is such a taboo subject, and honestly I GET IT! I really do! Laying on the table, knickers off, legs apart, I mean seriously it’s AWKWARD! There’s no sugar coating it either, it is what it is!!

So let’s RE-WIND – I was the girl terrified of getting my first cervical screening done, so much so that I put it off for a few years!! YES I binned reminder letters without even reading them, and turned a blind eye to articles relating to cervical cancer, like if I didn’t read about it, I would never get it! That was kind of my mentality on the subject! The fact is though it DOES affect 1 in 142 woman, and I’m no super woman meaning it could affect me too! Seeing more and more on social media about someone not having a cervical screening test done and then finding out the worst possible news in the end felt like a warning to me, not to ignore the letters coming through the post!! It made me so upset that in the end I ended up getting really anxious about it, so I took the plunge and booked in my first test.

I remember feeling so so so scared that it would be the worst pain imaginable, kind of like a scene from the horror movie Hostel! I felt sick to my stomach when the day arrived, clamey hands, rapid breathing, WHAT A MESS I was! STUPIDLY because apart from a few moments of discomfort (not to be confused with pain) it was all over, done and dusted. I mean YES it’s awkward laying there with your vagine (our family word for vagina) on show whilst the nurse and I chated about what I did for a living, but at the end of the day I’m not the first vagine she’s seen and I definitely won’t be the last!!

So bringing it up to date, it was the 19th August 2020 THAT time again Cervical screening day (YAY!) So it was time to document the process!!

I documented it as I went along and never got to post it because of problems with my whole blog and also wondering if I should or shouldn’t post something so personal, but here we go……..

19th August 2020 I was booked in with the nurse at my local GP surgery at 11.40am and as soon as I woke up that morning I felt that nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach!! WHY THOUGH? I haven’t got a clue, I knew the drill, I knew nothing bad was going to happen, but I can’t shake it, the feeling of dread! Because even though nothing bad WILL happen I’m hardly going to skip into the examination room whilst lassoing my knickers in the air, like “I’m here and ready!” So for the time being the nervous knots were here to stay.

The morning went by so slowly, I just wanted to get it over and done with!! Of course this experience was slightly different as I spotted my mask on the table that I almost forgot, I’m sure COVID-19 will make this trip a little harder than before!

Pulling into the car park at 11.30am I was a little shocked to see a queue of people waiting outside, I thought it was going to be pretty quiet if I’m honest! Wondering if that was the reception line (thinking, please don’t let it be) I then saw signs and arrows that clearly stated RECEPTION going in a different direction. God as if this wasn’t bad enough I now had to navigate (in the rain) the arrows the signs and the social distancing gaps, jeez this was hassle, lucky I allowed the extra 10 minutes for this eventuality.

Wishing I’d thought to wear a coat or jumper, because it was raining quite a bit and all I had on was a stupid loose fitting dress (always wear a dress, never trousers) I did manage to find reception quickly (thank god!) Checking in was also fast, it was then time to sit out in the waiting area in the rain – seriously dam you COVID-19!!!

Luckily the wait was a short 10 minutes before I heard my name being called …….. it was time!!

Met at the door by the nurse who would be performing my cervical screening test, I now just wanted to get it done and for it to all be over!! Cold and wet she did a quick Q&A with me before I entered the surgery, nothing much, just the standard Covid screening questions, relating to temperature and if anyone in my household had been ill. Thankfully I was fit and healthy and good to go, to be honest I couldn’t wait to get inside as I was pretty cold standing in the rain!!

Standing in the examination room with the LOVELY (like she was amazing) nurse, she asked me a few personal questions relating to my period – TIP they usually ask you if you know when your last period was, so try and make a note, if your not like me and have an app, because literally I am like clockwork, but if you want a good app then I use P Tracker which was free to download on the iPhone. I was also asked about any abnormal bleeding (clearly she doesn’t know me because had I of had any abnormal bleeding I’d think I was dying and most probably be sat in A&E wondering who to leave my collection of designer bags too….. dramatic much? YEP!!) So after the questions were done and answered my nurse pulled the curtains around me and allowed me to take off the underwear and get myself on the bed – TIP wear a loose fitting dress for your screening!!

So there I am laying on the bed legs apart and there’s my nurse shining like the BIGGEST light up my vagine (I swear she could probably see my brain, given how bright it was) and there we are having a chat about the weather, you know like, “it’s so miserable today, and hasn’t the weather been nice up until this point! I mean we were like BFF’s for a few short minutes!!

So once your nice and comfy on the bed and relaxed the nurse will gently put a smooth, tube-shaped tool (a speculum) into your vagine with a small amount of lubricant. The nurse then will open the speculum so they can see your cervix. And using a soft brush, they’ll take a small sample of cells from your cervix. The nurse will then close and remove the speculum and leave you to get dressed.

The whole procedure quite literally took 5 minutes, it’s so quick, it really isn’t painful it gets to a point when you feel a bit of pressure and the smallest amount of discomfort, but honestly a paper cut is far worse than a cervical screening procedure! I know everyone is different and it can be more uncomfortable for some than others but 5 minutes if that of discomfort for something that could potentially save your life, is worth it in my opinion. And I know I said it’s awkward, but I mean is it really, at the end of the day it’s the nurses job, she’s used to seeing vagines on a daily basis.

In all honesty the absolute worst part about this whole thing is waiting for the results as they can take anywhere between 4 & 6 weeks. I got mine back at around 5 weeks, and I am pleased to say they were all clear! Next one in 3 years then!!

Do one thing if you read post – PLEASE don’t miss your cervical screening test.

The post Time To Get Personal appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

Water is unquestionably absolutely one of my favourite drinks, it’s a thirst quencher, and quite possibly nothing beats a glass of ice cold water on a hot summers day!

Staying hydrated is something I find super easy to do when I’m at work in the office than I do at home. We have those big water coolers in the office, and I’m constantly refilling up my water bottle, sometimes 4/5 time’s a day.

That does significantly change when I’m at home, as I seem to drink far more tea & coffee, and maybe even the odd soft drink every now and then, and water takes a back seat in my diet.

Going through a very long lockdown and drinking very little water caused me to notice a definite change in my skin and overall appearance. I don’t have any excuses for it as our water is filtered so always tastes nice, and I store it in a glass bottle in the fridge so it’s cold when I fancy a glass, because come on lets be honest is there anything worse than a glass of barely cold tap water?

I have often heard of fancy products on the market that are meant to help keep you hydrated, but to be honest I usually dismiss them and stick to water, and there are so many products on the market it would be pretty hard to choose!

I was recently approached by a company called Revival to try out their product Revival Shots and review and give my honest opinion, well of course I said yes, I just love anything like this!!!

So first of all here’s everything you need to know about Revival – “Here at Revival we understand that if you work, play or party hard it can often mean feeling under the weather the next day. Having attended many festivals, party holidays and university; we understand the need to not only seize the night but to be at your best in the morning. Whether you have to go to work, hit the books (booze) or do it all again we have the perfect product for you! We have specially formulated our range to provide superior re-hydration to keep you at your best. Backed by science we are the only formula that actually works and delivers the ultimate morning recovery, cure and prevention”

Revival is the brainchild of friends Dr Olivia Finn & Daniel Elahi. Whilst at university the demands of playing sports, socialising, traveling and being fresh for lectures became apparent. Determined to find a way to support their active lifestyle’s they came up with Revival Rehydration & Recovery.

Revival shots cost £9.99 for a pack of six and can be purchased via amazon.

REVIEW TIME – So in your box for £9.99 you will find six sachet shots of powder. I love the sachets idea as there is no need to weigh and measure out the product you simply mix the electrolyte replacement with 500ml of water and mix!! I love easy stuff!! Each sachet contains 500mg vitamin C, which is 5x more than most high strength vitamin c supplements, and also has the perfect balance of hydration salts & vitamins C, B1, B3, B5, B12.

TASTE TEST TIME – I purchased the orange burst flavour (although you can get other flavours) I was just hoping it didn’t leave a strange aftertaste in my mouth, as I know some of them can! I have to be really honest and say it actually tasted really nice, very drinkable, no aftertaste, very non offensive indeed. I drank mine before bed as it did say on the packet that you can take before you go to sleep, as the formula will work over night and you will wake up feeling great! Well I’m all for that, I hate waking up feeling groggy and dehydrated, especially during summer months!!

Waking up the next morning I’d be lying if I said that I practically flew out of bed and was ready to run a marathon BUT I really did feel more energised, and refreshed and didn’t wake up with that horrible dryness in my mouth!

So far these Revival Shots have not let me down…. BUT it gets even better then that!

Okay so Luke and I recently had a socially distanced weekend away with friends on the Norfolk Broads, the drinks and shots were flowing nicely (a little too nicely) and then I hit a point where I JUST KNEW I could potentially be paying for this the next day! I glanced over at Luke who looked a little worse for wear and knew that he was going to have the hangover from hell! LUCKILY I had remembered to pack my revival shots before I left Essex and made 2 drinks up one for me and one for Luke and made sure he drank his before he passed out (we’ve all been there right!) I also drank mine and prayed that I would up hangover free!…..

THE NEXT MORNING – Usually after a night of drinking I am pretty much out of action for the most part of the next day, I am a lightweight and always have been, and I find it really hard to pull myself together after a night of drinking. After drinking my revival shots before bed I woke up without a fuzzy head, I didn’t have the “shakes” didn’t feel dizzy, ill or sick. All I can say is that is UNHEARD of for me! Even Luke who had consumed more alcohol that I did woke up feeling nowhere near as bad as he would of have usually, if he hadn’t taken the revival shot drink before bed!

Both Luke and I were able to get up and enjoy our Saturday and even head out on the boat to enjoy the sites of the broads.

Revival Shots are now stored in my cupboard, they are a must have, and I was thinking how great they would be to put in a Hen party bag for the morning after, I certainly wish I had known about these when I was planning for my cousins Hen party!

It’s a big YES from me, try the Revival Shots and see for yourself!!

The post Revival Shots!! appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

On Thursday’s I like to talk about FOOD!!!

It’s no big secret that I struggle with my weight, Last year I actually wrote a whole post all about it (you can read it here) Partly that is due to the fact that I am a small 5ft and my metabolism is slower, oh how nice it would be to be an extra 2 or 3 inches taller, but I’m not, so I just have to deal with it. The other part is due to the fact that I love food and eating! Although let’s just blame the height thing…….

So the fact that I’m short and I like my food means watching what I eat without being too obsessive!!

In 2018 I went through a transformation where I lost over 2 stone taking me from 10st to 8st! I am so much happier in my self, and I am definitely more confident too! Im even wearing jeans! And I have never worn jeans!! But I absolutely love my jeans now, how did I manage without them!

With all that said I know I cannot afford to be complacent when it comes to food, I need to watch what I eat, but I also know that if I have a muffin or a donut on a Sunday it’s not the end of the world!

I’m also not a fan of logging every little things that passes by lips, GOD it’s just too time consuming, and far too strict, where’s the fun in that?! Although hats off to anyone who is that regimented, it’s just not for me!

Instead I try to maintain my weight by eating healthy and planning my meals.

Planning is the key to stopping me coming home from work and binging on things in my cupboard. And with Luke and I soon to be living together I aim to make sure we continue to eat a healthy balanced diet!

A typical planned day

Breakfast – Porridge, I honestly can’t live without my porridge, it’s the best way to start the day! I usually have plain oats (unless it’s a weekend when I may have flavoured oats) which I mix it with 180ml of coconut milk and chia seeds, in the microwave it goes for 2 minutes, then when it’s done I top it off with frozen berry’s (usually blueberry’s and raspberries) And depending on what mood I’m in I may add a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Lunch – Most days I love a salad, nothing too fancy usually leafs, sweetcorn, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, beetroot and some olives. If I fancy something different I’ll add some pulled jackfruit and low fat pink slaw!! So delicious!!

Afternoon snack – Fruit and low fat Greek style yogurt is my go to healthy snack! I have this amazing food tin from Cath Kidston which keeps my frozen berry’s slightly frozen and even makes my yogurt freeze just a little! I’m really not a fan of mushy berry’s, so this is absolutely perfect! My frozen fruit treat is just perfect for the afternoon munches!

Dinner – Currently I am really into jackfruit (which my friend who is vegan got me into) Tesco do a vegan pulled jackfruit range with are really low calorie and come in 3 delicious flavours BBQ sauce, Thai green curry and Mexican!! Super tasty!! For a quick and tasty filling meal I usually have one of those with some Thai jasmine rice, and a falafel. Other days I like to make pulled veggie, with mushy peas and my special mushrooms (I’ll include the shroom recipe at the end of the blog post) I also serve with some falafel!! Again so delicious, healthy and really easy to make! – Other healthy options I enjoy for dinner time are – Fish, Oumph!, Quorn, home made veggie curry’s, and a collection of slimming world recipes that I collected during my stint at slimming world!

Sometimes in the evening a low calorie hot chocolate is the only thing I fancy, and at 40 calories a cup it’s not the most unhealthiest of choices either….. Marshmallows are optional!! Healthy choices and healthy foods along with a clubbercsise class on a Thursday and walking at weekends when I can has so far (touch wood) meant that I have kept the weight off without cutting out every little fun treat in life! If I fancy a chocolate I’m having that chocolate, it’s not the end of the world!

I definitely have a goal of maintaining my size 8 figure, seeing as last summer I had to buy a whole new wardrobe as everything was too big! This year I’m determined to fit into the same summer clothes as last year – especially for my 2019 holiday destination! . . . .

??????

So mushrooms, you either love them or you hate them right? Me, well I LOVE mushroom’s , raw, cooked, in a salad, in a curry, on toast, however they come!! My boyfriend Luke on the other hand likes cooked mushrooms only! So one day whilst cooking mushrooms for dinner I decided they needed a little shake up, shrooms don’t need to be boring! So I did a little experiment which turned out pretty well!!

**Shaken shrooms ? recipe**

You will need a whole punnet of shrooms, tomato and garlic purée, lazy chilli and soy sauce, salt and pepper optional.

1. Chop the Mushrooms (I usually do a whole punnet) however you like!

2. Add mushrooms to a large oven proof bowl

3. Add in 3 tables spoons each of tomato purée and garlic purée (more if needed)

4. Add in 1 teaspoon of lazy chilli’s and a little salt and pepper, I usually use flavoured salt like jalapeño or garlic

Stir all together and add some soy sauce as little or as much as you like, give it one final stir making sure all the shrooms are nicely covered, and put it into the oven for 20 minutes.

When cooked take out, leave for 5/6 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken and then serve!!

I know, I know, it shouldn’t work but I promise you it does!!! TRY IT!!! Shake your shrooms!!

Here’s to the healthier lifestyle!!

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L xxx

The post Living the “healthier” lifestyle appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.

Happy New Year!! Welcome to 2018!

I just wanted to take time out to do a short post to say thank you to everyone who has read, followed and subscribed to lifestylelisa.com

It has been a crazy year for me starting my own blog and wondering if anyone would even read it, to now having over a thousand loyal subscribers!

I can’t wait to write lots more posts as I venture and make my way through 2018!

I feel a real sense of achievement when I reflect on 2017, especially when I look back on my Tough Mudder and the journey I went through to get there! Needless to say I WILL NOT be repeating that in 2018!!

I am going into the New Year with NO resolutions what so ever! Mainly because less than a week into January I’ve broken most if not all of them! Instead I am going into the New Year with an open mind, I have things I would like to achieve and places I would love to travel too and things I really want to do, but I realise that these things can all be done over time and there is in fact no rush to do anything.

I would like to be the best version of me this year, and I’d like to stop over thinking everything so much! But more than anything I would like to be healthy, happy and safe and would like that for mine and Luke’s families and friends. The rest I’ll just make up as I go along…..And I will look forward to doing so.

Here’s to 2018

The post The First Post Of A Brand New Year appeared first on Lifestyle Lisa.