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With previous Faceboook post probably you have noticed that I was forced to try gluten and lactose free diet. 


For couple of weeks (or even months) I've been feeling bad. Always bloated, with water retention, with huge problems with indigestion. For a person who works in fitness industry (but as well as for any other person!) this was a nightmare. Imagine coming on a class and your instructor have a belly like a 3 month pregnant woman! ;)

I started to look for some reason of that and accidentaly saw that at Stratford they make allergic tests. I took one of them and the results were obvious: highly intolerance for wheat gluten, intolerance for dairy (milk, yoghurt, cheese), yeast, leek, onion and chive. 
The only think to do for now is just to try avoid those products.

my test's results

But what is exactly a problem with intolerance of gluten and lactose? 

  
Gluten is a protein from wheat, rye and barley. 
Some people tolerate it good, some can't have anyting with gluten (one who suffers from celiac disease) and others have gluten sensivity. I am in the third group. 

If you experience bloating, pain in your joints and bones, 'chicken skin' in the back of your arms, dizzines, chronic fatique, you might suffer from the same condition as I. 

With dairy intolerance is even eeasie to explain. Most of the people has very little lactaze enzym which digest lactose, sugar from milk. But there is group of people who tolerate it even worse than others and  after consuming milk products they get bloated, sometimes diorrhoea, winds and stomach pains.


Luckily nowadays we have lots of gluten and diary free products. Not mentioning all the natural ones like vegetables, fruits, meat and fishes. However, I love yoghurts and kefir and there were always the best snack for me, so I will have to look for some other snacking choices..

even with gluten and lactose intolerance, you can still eat lots of food, just be creative!

If you also can't consume gluten (in my case only from wheat) and diary, you can still have:
* gluten free oats
* pure whey protein with little carbs in it (the less carbs - the less lactose in it)
* rice
* lentils 
* groats
* coconut, hazelnut, almond milk
* vegetables
* fruits
* starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes and so on
* eggs 
* soups (watch out for ready ones, they are often with flour)
* pastries from sesame, oats, rye or buckwheat flour
* nuts and peanut butters
* rice and corn cakes 

story of my life! cottage cheese I miss you!

Stay away from:
* bread, rolls
* yoghurts, creams
* souces
* cheeses
* tortillas
* crispbread
* cookies, muffins and pastries
* beer (contain gluten!)
* pastas 
* supplements like gainers (they have lots of carbs, with lactose included)

now we can find a big range of gluten and lactose free products! ufff!

Protein&spinach muffins

Recently I've ordered few products from bulkpowders.co.uk
 

psyllium husk&spinach powder, proteins plus coconut oil from bulkpowders

I still look for my healthy food supplier and checking English companies out. Bulkpowders was one of them, recommended by my friend. Despite the name, they don't have only products for those who are on bulk ;) 


They don't have fancy packing, just simple, minimalistic ones. Together with no big adds. But the variety of products is really big. I got few protein powders from them (simple whey and mixed), gainer for my beloved, psyllium husk, hmb and spinach powder from them. For now whey protein chocolate orange is my unquestionable favourite, especially with my mornings oats. 

my recent baking

Having some day off I decided to use ordered spinach powder. I used it for muffins and they came really tasty.

For 8 muffins you will need:
* 1 scoop of vanilla protein
* 2 tbsp of sesame/quinoa/regular flour
* 0.5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 
* 0.5 tbsp spinach powder
* 1 egg
* 1dl of almond/regular milk
* sweetener (Sukrin or other)

Mix all dry ingredietns first, then add egg and milk for dough, watery consistency. Mix together and put into muffins forms. Bake for 30 minutes in 200 degrees.

ready to eat muffin with glaze and dried raspberries on top

Glaze:
* 2 tbsp of Philadelphia Light (or other soft cheese)
* powdered sweetener (Sukrin Melis)
* dried raspberries on top 

Enjoy gluten free, sugar free, protein&spinach muffins! :)

isn't that true? ;)

Turkey meatloaf

turkey meatloaf

Today I needed a quick and super simple lunch before my next interview. This recipe came out low carb, which only makes it even more great!

For 4 portions you will need:

*400g of minced low fat turkey meat (mine had 3%fat)

* 1 egg

* 1 spoon of psyllium husk

* spices (salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, onion)

* chopped paprika

* bread crumbles (optional)

mix all ingredients together and put them into baking pan on a baking paper

cover meat with thin layer of bread crumbles

Bake in the oven for 50 minutes in 220 degrees. After 40 minutes take the meat from the pan and bake it reversed for the last 10 minutes.

enjoy alone or with new potatoes

macros (2 slices): 120kcal, 2,7g fat, 1g carbs, 33g protein

Did somebody say Quest bars?

I've just got some small delivery from Predator Nutrition (British official re-seller of Quest Nutrition products) with lots of protein Quest bars. 

It was my first experience with Internet shopping in UK and I was a little shock that Predator Nutrition asked me to prove my identity and show my previous invoices I had on my debit card. I was also a little disappointed by the shipping, because all that formal stuff took some time and I didn't get my pack on the other day, but actually after a few one. But at least customer service was nice and politely ;)

What are these treats? 

For first, as I already mentioned, these are treats - even though they contains protein I perceive them more like a candy, something sweet rather than a food from daily diet. However, there are places where I don't have chance to eat my 'real food' or have a sweet tooth and taking a bar like that is convenient. 

Any why Quest bars? 

Because as far as I know these are the healthiest options within protein bars. They contain little carbs, lots of fibre, no strange additives (just to mention: no, I am not sponsored by Quest hehe, but I would really like to be though!) and 20g of protein. And what is more, they have wonderful taste and can be find in very different flavors.

good macros: 170 kcal, 6g fat, 24g carbs (17g fiber), 20g protein

I've got mine Quest bars in flavors:
* cinnamon roll
* chocolate cookie dough
* strawberry cheescake
* apple pie 
* banana muffin
* berry
* almond

I've already tried one - Cinnamon Roll and it tastes like cinnamon cakes I found in Norway, yay! :)

Coconut scones

For a rainy day like this, the smell of coconut brings me somewhere away from dark Norway... 
I tried coconut flout from Funksjonell Mat for the first time and made coconut scones. This flour consisted of melted and fat reduce coconut. It smells wonderful even in a package! 

Scones I made are rich in protein and fiber, as their main component is coconut fat-reduced flour. With more milk, you could do pancakes instead of scones.
 

For 7 scones you will need:

* 100g fat reduced coconut flour
* 2dl of low fat milk
* 3dl of water
* 1 tblsp of baking powder
* 1 egg white (or whole egg if you want more calories)
* 10 drops of Coconut Stevia Sweat Leaf 

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients until you will get a dough which is easy to form in hands. Roll round shape scones and bake them in 220 degrees 20 minutes on each side. 

Served with chocolate souse from Walden Farms or other syrup of choice.

Nutritional value in 1 scone:
57 kcal, 
4,5g protein, 
1,6g fats, 
1,7g carbs

This week's end and its summary

I end this weekend with amazing weather in Oslo. High temperature and shining sun. This is what I needed! :)

Beside sitting and sunbathing, I made a gym training today dedicated to legs and abs. I was kind of weak after 6 days of continuous training, that is why I decided that tomorrow it will be a rest day for me. 

This week was about concentrating on my diet efforts. I hate work 'diet', I would rather use term 'way of eating', but it is much longer ;) Anyway, food intake was my priority since I realised that with my active lifestyle and job it is diet which has to mastered in order to get more definition.

For 6 days I cutted 'traditional' sources carbs from main meals (potatoes, rice, flour, pasta) and replace it with more vegetables. Still I was consuming carbs in the morning, little before and after workout. I had slice deficit in my calories intake (about -300 kcal) and about 150g of carbs intake per day.

My example food intake this week looked like:

breakfast: oat bran with wheat bran mixed with protein powder
brunch: chicken with vegetables
pre-workout: carrots and small protein coffee, bcaa
post-workout: protein shake with rice cakes
snack: greek yoghurt or low fat yoghurt
dinner: chicken/fish with vegetables and shirataki noodles
supper: cottage cheese

(I deliberately do not mention portion sizes, because this thing is dependent on your weight, goals and fitness level) 

Is that low carb diet? Well, not exactly, I still did eat carbs but little less then normal.

Today, at the last day of the week, I have some carbs refeed. It is not a cheat day, but something more like oppcarbing. 

Why refeed? To refill my muscles with glicogen, ensure my body that everything is ok and it doesn't have to go into starvation mode, calm down my cortisol levels while dieting and restore my energies levels. 
I eat more calories today (round 2200kcal) with emphasis of good carbs (more oats in the morning, sweet potatoes for lunch, fruits as a dessert). 
I expect little water gain after today refeed, but in the end it should result in fastening my metabolism. 

carb sources are not only limited to bread and grains

I look forward to see result of my dieting on Wednesday. I will check then if my efforts were worth it and decide weather I will continue with that time of eating or not. 

For those of you who are looking for some good source of protein in your diet, check out new MyRevolution's offer where you can buy 3 different flavours of MyoProtein and 2 packages of fat burner in great summer price:

New arrivals and Personal Trainer

How is your Monday? 
Mine was quite energetic with 30 minutes of cardio and happy surprise :) I started this week a pack from MyRevolution!

Now, I am-restock with new Better Bodies shaped jacket and whey protein :)

Better Bodies jacket - front

Better Bodies jacket - back

 Jacket is fitting great and back logo is so fresh, perfect for spring! Beside that, zip is very practical.

And another thing which came today, and from which I am very happy is MyRevolution's Protein Pulver. There are whey supplements on the market, but with MyRevolution's products I know that I get the best quality!
This type of protein is whey one, which is quickly absorbed by the body - perfect for the recovery after sleep and training. MyRevolution's protein powder is mocca chocolate flavoured.

3kg of the best whey protein! :)

When and why do I use protein supplements?

*I use my proteins in the morning, to my oats - instead of dairy products who doesn't like chocolate flavoured oats? ;)
*I drink my second protein shake after heavy workouts on training days to help build muscles and enrich my daily food intake with good source of pure protein.
*I also use proteins for baking and to my protein coffee to have my daily foods/drink more nutrient value.
*Why 3 kilos? It  is more efficient to buy one big package than few smaller.

What to read more about protein powders?

Here you can read more about protein powders.
And here you can find my review of MyoProtein from MyRevolution.

Last but not least - Personal Trainer worth recommending!

Let me introduce you to Alexander Öqvist.
Not only is he a gym freak, but most importantly, he is a great Personal Trainer with big knowledge and proper attitude. 

He can help you achieving your goals quicker and better by finding your weak points and improving your form and diet.

If you are struggeling with your training and eating routine, he is the right person to speak with! 

Alexander's offer can be found here. 

(Not so) strong will power

 

photo by: Michniewicz Foto

 

You start the day good, with healthy breakfast. 

 

It is getting harder at job/university when you have to resist eating that delicious piece cake with your morning coffee. Everyone else it doing that, but you don't. You're strong and you won't eat crap. 

 

After clean lunch there is another temptation waiting the form of sort of chocolates staring at you from your working desk (why the hell people are trying to sabotage your efforts by giving you chocolates as a reward? you're thinking). 

After another mental fight, you resist eating them and you're proud of it. You even managed to do a decent workout after work! 

 

So your day is pretty amazing so far, you love yourself, you feel so in control of your life, your health and your food. 

 

But unexpectedly your spouse had a little worst day than yours. Just on the doormat you guys starting an argue and your mood is quickly destroyed. You binge the rest of the day eating everything you wanted to eat during day. You go to bed full, angry at yourself and with overwhelming feeling that you are weak and your strong will is just a term from dictionary, nothing you can be familiar with in a real life... 

Seems familiar? 

So is this really you who are week and without strong will? The answer is simple: NO! 

 

You have to keep in mind that willpower is limited. Once you used in once or twice during day, you can not expect that it will last until the evening. Of course, there are some of use, who can do that. But we are only humans and lots of different situations happened to us which we can''t be prepared for. 

So what to do then? You have the ability to shape your environment and adapt to changing circumstances in order to be on track with your fitness goals: 

 

* if you are a chocoholic, do not store chocolate/sweets at your home. It will only sabotage your efforts. Do not let it only to your strong will to resist temptation of eating. If you want to eat a chocolate, buy that one which is already packed in portions, that you will ensure eating only desired amount. 

 

* always try to find healthier alternative for your desired food: lasagna fan? try light one, cheeseburger  try salmon version, brownie addict? try protein brownie, snickers lover? choose protein bar instead

* if possible, always choose cooking at home rather than eating out, even if you are choosing 'healthier' dishes from menu, preparation process will be always worst that one you've had at home, full of fat and salt 

* have some healthy snack (almonds, apple, protein bar) with you in situations when you are hungry or food which were served is not maybe the best option to eat

* prepare food in lunchboxes - you will be sure that you eat right portions and even if you are devilish hungry, you will avoid double eating

 

* always have something to eat after your workouts (protein shake with rice cakes, banana) don't let yourself starve after gym session, you will eat everything from your fridge once you got back home 

* if you have a cheat meal, enjoy it and do not feel guilty about having it - you planned it ahead, so why punish yourself about doing that?

* if you're tired after just 20 minutes of training, especially if you're doing cardio - go for group training, with other people in group and instructor looking at you it will be harder to quit before an hour end

* find a training buddy or just make an official commitment - once any other know about your plans, it will be harder to let them go

* always try to see from the broaden perspective - sure, it is easy to say, especially when you already feel like a crap, but answer yourself a question - if this one failure made your all 3 month program fail or it is just a slipping which can be improve in the future?

* last and not least - don't be so harsh for yourself - fitness should be about feeling good in and about your body and mind, as long as you will treat 'diet' and 'training plan' as unpleasant necessity, don't wish about having rewarding results

 

Enjoy the process, not only dream about the finish line - it is the best way to enjoy each day of your fitness experience :)

International Chocolate Day

All my Facebook wall shout about International Chocolate Day. There are also other sources claiming that September 13th is the one and only one Chocolate Day. However, it is still worth mentioning about it on the blog, isn't it?:)

To be honest.. I'm not a chocolate fan. Not that I don't like it, I just don't crave it (but yes, I have other craving haha)

My simple theory is that once you don't eat sweet, you do not crave sweet. I deducated it that when I am avoiding sweet/chocolate, I really don't have to eat that. But once I start, it takes me few days to go away from this urge of consuming it.

My sweet tooth is truly satisfied by cottage cheese with no sugar jam or, occasionally, protein bars.

Make sure that you're choosing smart when it comes to protein bars. Lot's of them all full of sugars, saturated fat and glucose syrop - as shitty as the bars you're fining in regular shops.


My today's choice for celebrating International Chocolate Day is a FortiFX chocolate deluxe bar. I love the fact that they are in 2 seizes 48g and 96g. Those 100g bars are way to big for me, too much calories. And eating only a half seems like impossible ;) So 48g is perfect portion for me. 
 

mine bars is that one in the middle :)

FortiFX is contained on whey isolate protein, does not have fructose syrope in it, it is half baked which gave it more cake than bar taste. 
Small bar has 15g of protein, 20g of carbs, 8g of fat and 190kcal. This makes it a good preworkout snack which I wouild need before my second aerobic class for today :)

my evening class is waiting :)

Happy Chocolate Day! :)