by Fiona likes to blog | Jan 10, 2017 | BODY POSITIVITY
Since ditching the dieting lifestyle that gave me the ‘perfect’ body and a twisted mindset, I’ve made a conscious effort to redefine what beautiful means to me. I’ve retrained my brain to realise that not everyone can or should look the same.
We can’t all have a tiny waist, a big perky butt, a generous bosom and golden, cellulite-free skin. The constant quest to be a bit skinnier, more toned and overall more aesthetically pleasing to others is exhausting. I wondered if maybe I could use that energy trying to love myself the way I am, instead of picking apart every flaw I saw in the mirror.
So decided to take action and unfollow any accounts on Instagram that made me feel bad about myself. It’ll come as no surprise to you that Instagram is a big player in how I construct my idea of beauty in the modern world. I’m sure it is for you too, even if you don’t realise it.
I thought following fitspo accounts (FYI I am an avid gym-goer) were good motivation for me. I thought looking at their chiselled abs and jiggle-free triceps everyday would make me workout harder and stick to my low-calorie diet with ease. I thought I was tapping into an endless source of will power; just what I needed if I was going to succeed at creating my dream body. Unfortunately, all it was really doing was convincing me that my body would never be good enough.
It’s not that slim, toned, Caucasian female bodies shouldn’t be inspirational. Every body needs representation. It’s that they shouldn’t be the only type of body we see in mainstream media. It might be inspirational to someone else, but to me it was an unattainable goal that was damaging my self-esteem and mental health. We all need people to look up to, but the pool available to us has become rather exclusive in my opinion. You only have to look at a magazine stand to see that there is a certain type of ‘look’ that gets to bask in the glory of front-page status.
I choose to follow women who are fuller-figured, because that’s similar to my own body shape. When I’m feeling crap about myself I want to scroll through my Instagram feed and see Megan belly-dancing in her underwear and Grace talking about her lopsided boobs, because that shit gives me life. It’s relatable. It makes me feel worthy.
So I’ve surrounded myself with women who don’t normally get media attention, but I forget that the rest of the world hasn’t caught up yet. Every now and again I catch sight of a new celebrity promoting laxatives to teenage girls, or hear that the latest Kardashian show is grotesquely named ‘Revenge Body’, and my heart breaks for the pain and torment our young women are forced to go through as the result of what is forced down their throats.
The good thing with social media is that if we want to, we can control what we see. Don’t like it? Unfollow. Easy. Unfortunately it works both ways and we only see what our Instagram idols want us to see.
The fit-chicks show you their bulging biceps and monstrous pancake towers stuffed with Oreos and Reese’s Pieces. They don’t show you the 5am starts, sleep deprivation, endless cardio and egg-white-only omelettes they endure 90% of the time to achieve their look. I adore images of real women sat in their underwear exposing their tummy rolls. It’s not until I spot the caption underneath – explaining how they felt fat, ugly and reluctant to even share the picture with their fans – that I realise even Instagram-famous girls have insecurities.
The truth is that neither of these images is better than the other. There are the preened models like Ashley Graham who show us that plus-size women can wear designer clothes and walk on catwalks. Then there are the ladies like Melissa who show themselves rocking mini-skirts in the bacon isle . Both are equally important. They are showing the world that we can be whoever we want to be.
The power of what Instagram can do is down it it’s users. We can continue to filter the shit out of everything or we can start posting real images like Kenzie Brenna. She started a campaign called Cellulite Saturday and it’s one of the most fantastic acts of positivity I’ve seen. She actively encourages others to share pictures of their own cellulite and they did.
Guess what? No one dropped down dead at the site of dimpled legs and bums on their screens! Women can be real and authentic and beautiful and empowered all at the same time!
Without Instagram that may not have been possible, so we should be grateful for that. With more women using social media to make their voices heard and their supposedly imperfect bodies represented, who knows where we’ll end up? I know for one I’ll be using it as a tool to spread the word that we all deserve to love our bodies, no matter what.
by Fiona likes to blog | Nov 4, 2016 | LIFE
I’m a crier.
I like a good sob, normally in private and more than likely about things that are really not important.
I’ve been known to weep uncontrollably when I’ve fucked up my make up, when the bag splits on the way home from the shops and when my parents’ dog ate £100 straight out of my handbag. I know you probably think I made that last one up but I can assure you I really didn’t.
The thing with me is that I tend to sit on my emotions. I’ll let thoughts get trapped in my head, they wear away at me and grind me down for days or weeks until they finally surface in the most unexpected manner. I regularly find myself in the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ scenario, whereby it only takes something small and seemingly meaningless to send me into a fit of rage followed by the waterworks explosion. I can cry that sickening way, when you feel like you might hurl because you have so much sadness bubbling over and you just have to get it out.
The great news is that I normally feel better after a good old strop and a tear-fest. No matter what has pushed me to boiling point, my mind is clearly in need of some sort of release – so it finds its own way of getting it. It sounds like I’m a dramatic person (OK maybe I am at times) but I only have these little tantrums because I’ve remained so calm and collected on the surface for so long. I have been in that situation long term and it seriously isn’t good for your health. I’m trying to work on keeping my mind relaxed and de-cluttered but it’s a work in progress.
My advice is to cry when you need you. Even when it seems unreasonable, even when you can’t explain what you’re upset about; cry away and you’ll feel so much better in the long run.
by Fiona likes to blog | Sep 8, 2016 | FOOD
Since relocating my entire life to Birmingham my healthy eating game has been below average. I’ve indulged in several celebratory meals, family takeaways, and midnight stress eating sessions – involving a jar of peanut butter- and to be honest it’s been fantastic. For the past few weeks though, I’ve been trying to get more micronutrients in because I’m feeling sluggish, my skin is horrendous and I know I normally feel more upbeat and motivated. Like most people, I feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day and when it comes to cooking I can’t really be f****d at the moment. I have managed to step it up though and eat more fruit and vegetables with a few super basic hacks.
Get stocked up
My first secret to staying on track is to always be fully stocked with ‘grab and go’ style food, or at least that require minimum preparation. I always have carrots, peppers and cherry tomatoes in the fridge as they can be chopped up and eaten raw – great for when you want to mindlessly munch on something in front of the TV. That’s a mini-hack right there too; if you can eat it raw then do it, and collect 100 lazy points from me. For breakfast, porridge sachets are a great cupboard staple. I always opt for the plain oats and add fruit and honey to sweeten. For dinner put some pre-cooked rice sachets, pre-chopped veg, fresh spinach, cooked prawns and chicken in your trolley as well as a jar of Lazy Garlic or Lazy Chilli for flavour. My fruit bowl is always full of bananas, satsumas, apples and grapes for an easy sweat treat. Oh and I even created a free shopping list for you to use which you can see here.
Get snacking
I’m all about snacking in between meals, it keeps me happy, satisfied and means my main meals are normally smaller (and less time consuming) to prepare. When I start work at 7.30am I normally have lunch around 11.15am (I work in a deli so it’s impossible to take a break at a regular lunch time) but then I don’t eat dinner until my husband gets home at 6pm. Naturally, a snack needs to be had in between these meals otherwise I get cranky AF. It’s always tempting to reach for cereal bars and chocolate especially after a full day at work, but I try to wait until I get home and make a plate of chopped veggies, salad, fruit and some humous. I love the cute little mini pots of humous as they stay fresh longer and can be taken to work without making a mess. I also love that Pip & Nut have invented these handy little sachets of their nut butters which I like to have with fresh apple. It means I don’t need to use any will power to stop eating the entire jar and again, they can be popped in my bag for work or travel. Other ready to eat snacks I rely on are sugar-snap peas, boiled eggs and greek yoghurt. Coconut yoghurt is great too if you can source it, and of course Nakd bars are a regular choice for a quick nibble on the go.
Cook once a week
My ultimate life hack for those who hate to cook is to do it all at once. I know it sounds horrible, right? But honestly, if you just set aside 2 hours on a Sunday you can batch cook a few chicken breasts and a one-pot meal and I promise you’ll only have to use the microwave for the rest of the week. I normally cook about 8 chicken breasts and make a large pot of chilli, and chop up some carrots and peppers ready for that ‘grab & go’ meal as required. You can also prep ahead overnight oats or boil some eggs for breakfast, both will keep for about 3 days refrigerated in an airtight container. This should get you set up for most of the week then at the weekend you can get back to eating leftover takeaways for breakfast and cereal for dinner. Or is that just me?
Don’t forget to check out my free shopping list
by Fiona likes to blog | Dec 28, 2013 | FOOD
If you’re looking for a high protein, paleo friendly brownie recipe then mosey on by, cause this ain’t for you! At this time of year we are often tempted with desserts and cookies at every corner, and normally I would dive right in only worrying briefly about the weight gain. But recently I have started to notice that my body reacts quite badly to cheap bread, pasta, cous cous and various other forms of food. So in an attempt to save myself a few stomach aches I made some gluten free brownie for dessert on Christmas Day. They are however, laced with lots of sugar. And they taste bloody lovely.
I made these with a recipe I found online and simply substituted the flour for coconut flour and it worked perfectly! There was a hint of coconut flavouring but I think I only noticed that because I knew it was in there, no one else commented on it. They were very chewy, similar to those freshly baked cookies you get from the bakery section at the supermarket, and really quite addictive. They kept in an airtight tub for about 4 days.
Ingredients:
300g granulated sugar
150g unsalted butter
110g cocoa powder or hot chocolate
pinch of salt
vanilla extract
2 eggs
120g coconut flour
Method:
Heat the butter in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until melted. Mix in the sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Mix in the vanilla extract then whisk in the eggs one at a time until combined. Gradually beat in the coconut flour until the mixture is smooth and free from lumps. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and pour in the mixture decorating with pecans if you wish (really just for cosmetic purposes!). Bake at 160c in the middle of a preheated over for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool fully before cutting otherwise it will be a messy disaster. This makes about 16 squares. Enjoy!
