Mmm new protein bar

I recently restocked my supplement supply from my #1 favourite online bargain vitamin store ZipVit.co.uk.

They've got some great deals on at the moment, including a year's supply of Omega 3, 6 & 9 for just £8.99!!

Plus, if you spend over £25 you qualify for one or more of their fab free gifts. One which is a Yoghurt Covered Banana & Blueberry flavour protein bar from their great new sports range.

I'm always a bit reluctant to try new protein bars, mostly because I get on so well with the Maximuscle Promax Diet bar range and I don't feel that I need anything else, but also because my experience with 'fruit' protein bars hasn't exactly been a favourable one... quite a few are revolting - like the gross Boots chocolate and strawberry protein bar that I was unlucky enough to purchase recently and be unable to finish!

This is why I only ordered one of these bars instead of a whole box!

I needn't have worried though. After all, I really enjoyed their chocolate and orange protein bar which I got free earlier this year when ZipVit were giving away their 'Formulated For Success' free sample boxes packed full of superb energy and recovery products to celebrate their affiliation with the Cevelo cycle team (in fact I think you can *still* get these boxes for free if you visit the success site: http://www.zipvit.com/success/!!).

This bar is really nice and I had nearly wolfed down the lot before I thought I remembered that I should probably a) tell you all about it and b) take a picture before I forget!!:

.

Very tasty and as you can see it has real blueberries in it! :-)

Be warned though, if you *don't* have a sweet tooth you won't like this very much but I'm quite impressed, especially as it reminds me of my favourite sweet low cal (although low protein too!) snack which is a Boots Shapers Blueberry and Yoghurt Nougat Bar. It's just under 90 cals so a great sweet-tooth-placater. This bar however is banana flavour (perhaps not to everyone's liking but I've grown to love it thanks to Maximuscle Promax Diet in Banana flavour!!), has more cals (246) but also has 20.2g of protein! Obviously there's more in the way of carbohydrates for any of you low-carbers out there but then it's a bar, so it has to have bulk! But great in the way of PWO protein if you don't have a shaker or RTD like Maxi-milk handy!!

TJx

hullo!

Hope you're having a groovy day. I'm happy as I now have a fan sat on my desk (yes, my life is that mundane to get excited about things like that) which means my face won't melt off any longer - air-con... what air-con?!

I'm also happy because I've only got 3 more sleeps til we jet off to Les Gets for our family activity holiday!!

I have now registered for my course entitled: Health Science introductory course, although I have to wait for the registration forms to come through as I've applied for an OUSBA (Open University Student Budgeting Account) which means I'll be able to spread my fees over the duration of the course :-)

I'm really looking forward to starting the course in October - here's the summary:

This course explores the scientific and social aspects of disease and disability in a global context through seven case studies: water and health in an overcrowded world; pain; alcohol; screening for breast cancer; chronic lung disease; trauma and accidents; and visual impairment. Each case study integrates the biological, chemical, and physical sciences with psychology, health statistics, and social studies to illuminate underlying causes and personal and societal consequences. You’ll develop skills in: evaluating evidence; understanding and using key scientific terms and concepts; handling numbers; and interpreting graphs and tables. You’ll also learn to study using ICT – including interactive DVDs, internet and online resources.

It sounds so interesting, I can't wait!! Who knows, if I enjoy working towards the Certificate in Health Sciences enough, I might change my study route to attain BA/BSc (Honours) in Health Studies, or a BSc (Honours) in Life Sciences instead of the Open Degree!

It's great to have the options available to me. I feel so priviledged living in this country with the rights, freedom and access to education that I do. It both saddens and angers me when I read about the appalling way women are treated in other countries.

I'm thinking of sponsoring a child, a very close friend of mine has done so for quite a few years and I think it would be a great idea. My own son wants for nothing... he lives in a big house, goes to a decent school, has all the food, medication, clothes, books, games etc that he could ever need and more (though he'd argue that he 'needs' more games of course but I'm not about to raise a spoilt brat!). He has the opportunity to be truly great if he puts his mind to it and studies hard. But there are those who just don't have that opportunity, and maybe never will. It would be good to help brighten another person's future though, I've been looking at a few sites and will think about it more over the week that I'm away. I quite like the look of ActionAid and SOS children's villages.

ahh, anyway, I've asked for info from ActionAid and SOS have their own sponsorship handbook that you can view so will look carefully over those and speak to Joe and Ryan about what they think as I'd like them to be involved too :-)

So today I haven't been able to get to the gym yet but will hopefully get there later tonight to do some cardio.

Monday was meant to be a 'punish oneself drastically in the gym to mitigate damage caused by a weekend of boozing at a music festival' day - but it didn't quite end up like that! The festival in question was bloody marvellous but the drinks were horrendously expensive... I didn't want to get beered up for the entire time and drinking wine in the day is a no-no for me as it dehydrates me to hell... as well as rendering me a drunken useless mess! So I decided to sneak a bottle of vodka into the grounds with me *slaps wrist* which I divided between 3 500ml bottles of diet coke - not quite as calorific as drinking umpteen pints and glasses of wine but still the equivalent of 14 vodka and diet cokes was drunk throughout the course of the day and I was a bit of a shaky mess on Monday!

I made up for it on Tuesday night though by going and working pretty hard on my upper body... here's what I did on the machine/cable weights:

Seated shoulder press - 22.5kg - 3 x 10 reps
Lat Pulldown - 50kg - 3 x 10 reps (whoop whoop!)
Pec Deck - 25kg - 3 x 10 reps
Internal Shoulder Rotation - 5kg - 3 x 10 reps
External Shoulder Rotation - 3.75kg - 3 x 10 reps
Triceps Pulldown - 15kg - 3 x 10 reps (have dropped the weight by 10kg to see if it improves my form)
Low Row - 45kg - 3 x 10 reps

I didn't get to go on the smith machine to do my chest presses which is a shame, but I ran out of time and had to dash back and help Joe with putting up a new cupboard in our breakfast room as we don't have much storage in the kitchen and we needed somewhere to put our normal cupboard food overflow (I always buy too much shopping when I go to the supermarket, I think it's a product of once being really poor and living on £28 a week as a pregnant 16 year old... now I just can't bear to have an empty cupboard!!) and our ever-growing supply of Maximuscle products!

Just look at the bottom shelf, it's ridiculous!! There's Joe's Cyclone, Viper (which he loves and says really does the trick but I think tastes a bit odd!!) and Progain and my Promax Natural and Diet and some of the Maximilks !

Oh and by the way, my Thermobol stash arrived (you can still buy 2 packs for £22 from the Maxiwomen site). Although I have taken them before, I've only got through one packet in the past and that was spread out over weeks. The daily recommended dose is 3 per day, taken on an empty stomach and spread throughout the day... boy did I know I was taking them! Although it says to take on an empty stomach, I'd recommend you make sure you've eaten enough during the day/previous day beforehand as they give you serious jitters otherwise... I was WIRED! Was sat in a meeting jiggling away, leg twitching more than usual (I'm not good at sitting still for any length of time) and my thoughts flitting here, there and everywhere!

Today I have seemed to have gotten a grip on things as my body has got used to them - I think!

Will have to see if they help me 'melt away' the final layers of fat - I'm like a chubby onion right now ;-)

So yesterday I got up super super early and hauled both my and my boyfriends arses to the gym - double brownie points pour moi! I concentrated on my lower half and did this on the machines:

Double Leg Press - 90kg - 3 x 10 reps (I'm pretty bloody chuffed by this)
Single Leg Press - 40kg - 3 x 10 reps
Leg Curl - 40kg - 3 x 10 reps
Leg Extension - 40kg - 3 x 10 reps
Adductor - 55kg - 3 x 10 reps
Abductor - 55kg - 3 x 10 reps

I also did 20 mins on the stair-stepper on a reasonably hard setting and I ran 5km afterwards on the treadmill

My arse hurts SO much today!!!

Tonight I plan to row and use the eliptical trainer, can't wait :-)

Last night Joe and I went out with a couple of friends to this super restaurant in Oxford Circus called Ozer. I'd not been there before so didn't know what to expect. We had the 'healthy meal', I'm not sure quite how it got that name, don't get me wrong, the food was really fresh tasting and not at all greasy but I'm sure it wasn't the healthiest thing on the planet! The dishes were great though, and so many of them! I guess the 'healthy' thing was the price - less than £15, and the amount of food, plus complimentary yummy bread and hummus, that we received?

We all shared a bottle of Malbec and then went to a proper old man's pub, amusingly called The Cock (amusing for Joe that is as he's hugely immature ;-) ) and the boys had pints while my girlfriend and I shared a bottle of red... and then another one...!

I was a bit hammered... I challenged Joe to a walking race on our way home from Brixton tube station - I whooped his arse (I think it might be my awesome MBTs which really do propel you forwards!) and got a surprise this morning when I received an email saying that my friend had commented on my facebook status... which I have zero recollection of updating!!

oh dear

I slept well, despite my cat's best efforts to nibble/drool on my fingers, grrr - Solo!!!

feeling a little worse for wear from all the vino tinto and think I might lay off the sauce tonight when I'm out, here's hoping!!

TJx

Breathe in... aaaahhhhh aaaand relax :-)

I'm basking in the afterglow of my run. Quite literally glowing too! I'm one of those unfortunate people who go very red when they've exercised... and stay that way for a while depending on the level of intensity!

I love the calm feeling that cardio work gives me, pushing myself on the treadmill for 45 mins (booooring, but was listening to XFM on the radio and they had some pretty banging tunes playing :-D particularly loving Ian Brown's new song 'Stellify', it's fantastic, back to his best :-)

So how is everyone? I've been pretty busy this week and I have a deadline tomorrow so can't really arse about on here for too long but thought I'd come and say hi and share my week with you so far.

So I had the best workout on Monday as reported, perhaps fuelled by the rather excellent Venison burgers and sweet potato mash I had for dinner beforehand. Just look at this:



They were gorgeous! But you know what the best part about these 'Bambi Burgers' was? No fat came off! We cook with a George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine, we grill nearly all our meet on there, it's disgusting how much fat comes off sausage and bacon! But there wasn't a speck of fat in the grill tray below!

I'm sold :-)

On Tuesday I woke up super early (for me) and got to the gym for the Tuesday morning 06:45 spin class. Sam "The Psycho" spin teacher was there this week - hurrah! He was away last week, not a happy bunny me :-(

The class was awesome, I love spin because you work as hard as you want to... the levels are completely arbitrary, it's all about 'perceived effort'. I'm pretty damn sure my version of 80% requires a lot less resistance than our instructor's!

in any case, it rocked, I felt really good despite it a) being so damn early and b) really powering my legs during the sprint stages... it must mean that I'm getting a lot fitter... hopefully!

Tuesday lunch time I went to my work's gym and did some core and back work... here's what I did:

3 x Supersets of the following exercises:

Plank - x 60 seconds
Hip Thrust - x 20
Side Plank/raises - x 10 each side (ouch, feeling it today still!)
Alternate leg extensions - x 10 each leg (these seemingly innocuous exercises are great for lower down deep stomach muscles)
Back extensions - hands by ears - x 20
Reverse Crunch - x 20
Dorsal Raise - x 20 each side

What I love about the above set is that you just need a mat to do it on, no other equipment - will definitely be working on my core when I'm on holiday the week after next!

Tuesday evening Joe and I went with some friends to the Royal Albert Hall to see the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain play after the Proms. It was absolutely bloody marvellous!!!

We didn't have the best seats, I think they were last minute purchases as were only a fiver, but didn't give a damn, the atmosphere was excellent and the music was fantastic! We had a whale of a time, here's a pic, click to enlarge, it's quite good:



You can listen to the performance here via the BBC iPlayer, you've only got 5 days left though to hear it - I recommend you take a listen though, they're fantastic and, if you've not heard them before - quite unlike anything you have heard before!

I really really really want a ukulele now! I love them, they're so teeny and perfect, so cute!

Yesterday I cycled to work and did my Lower Body Routine #2 at lunch time and then cycled home.

Today I went to the gym and did the run I was raving about earlier. I was going to row afterwards but I needed to shower and get back to my desk so thought it best not to... my boss is already pretty relaxed about the fact that I take my 'lunch' break at about 2.30/3 so that the gym is more or less empty when I go - don't want to push it by spending the whole afternoon there!!

Tonight I'm going to go home soon and make turkey meatballs. Turkey is a great meat, very low in fat and high in protein - better than chicken in some respects but not as tasty perhaps ;-)

I've also got to bake some bread to take with me to our friends whose place we're staying at over the weekend... because daaa daaa daaaarrrr

We're going to the V Festival!!

man, can't wait, will be the last festival of the year though *sob* but it's going to be absolutely rocking! Just check out the line-up!!!

There are so many bands I want to see... Kings of Leon and lostprophets played last year and I was in heaven. This year I can't wait to see the Killers as I've not seen them before(!!), Oasis - the great British staple of rock, Starsailor (even though I saw them recently and they made me cry, for personal reasons, one of the song's title and subject are very poignant indeed to me), Ting Tings are fab although have seen them too and wish they had more material!

Really really can't wait to see MGMT and Pendulum, OMG! The Noisettes are great too, saw them when they supported Maximo Park earlier this year at the Brixton Academy, that lady is damn sexy... speaking of damn sexy, Lady Gaga is playing too - hubba hubba! I love her, she's nuts, absolutely perfect :-)

Other than that, umm Biffy Clyro, they're great, have seen them too, Pete Doherty's playing so might go check him out, ahh Will Young... I saw him at the Royal Albert Hall a few years back, I love him, he waved at my son a few times when we used to see him when he lived in Chelsea... bless :-)

Ooh dizzee rascal, snow patrol, elbow - the specials!

right, gotta stop, getting too excited

the thing is that I know there will be some horrible clashes... like last year when the Kaiser Chiefs were playing at the same time as the Chemical Brothers... I went to see the latter, it was pissing it down outside so probably the better choice as they were in a tent... still gutted I missed the Kaisers though...

right, gonna stop, there are more there though that I'd like to see, I can't wait!

Okay so in terms of food and exercise... well I've been doing quite well actually!

My camera is on the blink though, which is quite gutting as a) can't put any progress pics up, b) can't take any pics of V festival and c) might not have a camera to take on holiday with me!!

I'm considering just going and buying one, I'm really upset, I feel so naked without my camera, I take it everywhere and my blackberry's picture quality is just shit

I really want to buy the new Nokia N97, it has a 5 megapixel camera, but it's not out on O2 yet, dammit! Although there is a successor apparently out already in the form of the Nokia N900... might wait for that now, I'm quite fond of my little Blackberry, but I do want a decent camera... arghh!

anyway, so yes, food is nice indeed... I recently made a rather nice lunch for myself, haven't got a pic, and it's not the most attractive dish but it's simple and easy to make, uber high in protein and handy to take to work :-)

Here's the nutritional info, it makes 4 servings so plenty of lunches for me.

It's a tuna, beans and rice salad. You just cook up the rice, then drain, stir in the tuna and beans and the Promax Natural. I like to eat it cold with some extra tabasco sauce, and serve it with cherry tomatoes and salad leaves :-)

I'm really loving the way my arms are looking at the mo, they're leaning out really well, as is my waist although it's still achy from the core work on Tuesday!

I had a bit of a panic when I got an email from those nice people at Maxiwomen to remind me that the Maximuscle Body of 2009 competition closes in a few weeks!!! arghhh!

I'm feeling good, but not ready so have decided to knuckle down over the next few weeks and be really strict with my eating and ensure I get up and do some exercise too - particularly as it's having such a welcome effect on my sense of well-being :-)

I've already warned my friend that I probably won't be participating in the bacon and sausages that will be in abundance the weekend mornings between festival performances... I'm going to take plenty of Promax Diet Bars, powder and Maxi-milks with me to help stave off hunger and the ensuing temptation!

You can buy 2 packs of Thermobol for £22 at the moment on the Maxiwomen site so have bought a few of those to ramp up my fat loss over the next month. I'm feeling really positive about it all, and liking the changes I'm seeing, I just wish it hadn't taken my so damn long to actually start taking this all seriously!! It's been such a learning curve though, I had so many wrong ideas about what it took to lose fat beforehand... I'm glad I'm getting there now, slowly but surely!!

Right, I'm off home now, going to cycle back and then tomorrow I'll go to the gym first thing and do some cardio work and maybe some leg weights, before doing my Upper Body Routine #2 at 'lunch' heh. I won't be able to exercise until Monday evening so Saturday and Sunday will be my rest days - hence why I'm packing it all in this week, I would ordinarily space it all out a bit better!!

TJx

Pretty damn sweet Maximuscle deal

I decided to stop arsing around with Promax Diet mini tubs - what's the point? I know I like them so why get dinky tubs that don't last long enough and result in my having to get the long-suffering boyfriend to cart additional ones back when I've run out?

So now I'm feeling very pleased with myself as I took advantage of the 3 large tubs of Promax Diet for £99 offer:
http://www.maxiwomen.com/shop/apr09fatloss.html
which saved me £32.97. I got 2 banana and 1 strawberry, which I might just take home with me instead of leaving at work because it makes the best smoothies :-)

I also had a £5 'Summer Sports' voucher code they'd sent me which reduced the price further to £94, and *then* I was presented with some great free gift options at the checkout!

Have a look at these:
* £6 off your next order (my choice, bit of a no-brainer!)
* Free next day delivery (which isn't necessary as I'm not in a hurry to get my goods and 1-4 day delivery is free anyway)
* A Maximuscle shaker (great item but I have a zillion!!)
* No free gift (why???? Actually, would be nice if they offered a charity option like ZipVit.co.uk does - you can opt to donate a £1 to the MacMillan Cancer Trust instead of receiving a free gift. Nice :-) )

As you can see, as I've spent over £65 I can claim some free Promax Crisp Bars, hurrah! That's a bit of a Brucey Bonus, I'm very chuffed at that!

Not sure if that means I'll get a whole box (that would be awesome!) or just a couple - but I'm guessing that the inclusion of the 's' means I'll at least get more than one!

Very much looking forward to my deliveries :-)

Another rather good Maximuscle deal that I've taken advantage of, twice, recently and that you probably won't see advertised on the site is:

Buy one case of Maxi-milk and get another one for free! (while stocks last)
http://www.maxiwomen.com/eshots2009/jul09milkb1g1free.html

Oh, and one more thing - I got a voucher code after checkout for She Active which is a site that sells the most gorgeous sports clothes for just about every activity you can think of! I've been expressly forbidden from buying anymore sports clothing as it takes up two large drawers already (to say nothing of the sport equipment and gadgets I have lying about our reception room!)

The voucher code is MXSP08 and is for 10% off your order. They appear to have a sale on at the moment too which means you'll save even more!

Ooooh it's very tempting

must

resist...

Wasted Sunday...

I was very hungover yesterday, and a bit of a waste of space really! Joe and I saw some friends on Saturday and had a fab night, lovely food, wine, company... :-)

unfortunately we were playing Buzz on the PS2 until the wee small hours, and to be honest, I don't remember much about the walk home, or really anything from that point onwards - there was evidence of washing being hung up and peanut butter and jam on toast being consumed - though I couldn't tell you if that was me or Joe!!

I'm getting too old for this. And, although I has a wicked time, I did regret not going to the gym as planned. There wasn't any point though, I had no energy and it would have been a half-hearted workout, a lacklustre performance to say the least, pointless really!

Instead I cooked a couple of nice spatchcock chickens for us with sweet potato mash (me) and sautéed new potatoes (the boys) and a yummy salad.

We ventured out to watch the new Harry Potter movie, but unfortunately the tickets had all sold out, which is a shame as I'd figured that wasting of a couple of hours on comfy seats in a dark cinema watching a bit of brainless fun (sorry to all HP fans!) would be the perfect panacea to a hungover soul like me.

Instead we all watched an absolute classic - Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, what a jolly good lark :-)

I made my first protein pancake on Saturday, it was hilariously horrid!!

I used *far* too many egg whites, and too much Promax Diet, and cooked it too long... the result was a thick piece of pink/brown cardboard - ha!!



I smothered it with fruit, and then later peanut butter, and forced it down... wasn't going to let it go to waste! The hilarious thing was that my son actually thought it was tasty and kept pinching some! Maybe it was the addition of blueberries that rescued it a little for him?

I was ridiculously full for hours afterwards mind, very effective!!

I was quite pleased with myself yesterday though, despite being smelly and hungover, I resisted the bacon and egg sandwich that Joe made himself and my son *smug mode*

Instead I gave the protein pancake another bash... this time with just 3 egg-whites and 1 scoop of Maximuscle Promax Diet in Strawberry flavour - I almost got it right but unfortunately I couldn't find the fish slice scoopy thing so one side got overcooked and was a bit rubbery.

However, it was much nicer than Saturday's effort and I covered it with 125g of Quark, mixed with a little acacia honey (my fave) and some blueberries and raspberries.

With my pancake I drank a lovely glass of smoothie. I'm not sure if I've posted this before, but this is my smoothie maker, it's the Kenwood Smoothie 2GO and I absolutely adore it, perhaps comparably, or even a little more, than my breadmaker as I get to benefit from this a little more than the boys :-D

I love this machine because it's so easy to use and so clever! You attach the lid with the blade directly to the jug, then turn it upside down and slot it into the machine. Once you've finished blending you take it out and replace the lid with the blade with a lid with a drinking spout, it's so simple - and easy to clean which is a BIG plus :-)


Into my smoothie went:

1 nectarine
1 banana
handful of blueberries
big handful of raspberries
100g cherries (they're actually a bastard to stone and my hands looked like how Lady Macbeth imagined hers did afterwards, so not sure if I'll bother in future!)
1 kiwi
a few blackberries (though not too many as they're a little tart)
250g ultra low fat natural yogurt
1 scoop Maximuscle Promax Diet in Strawberry flavour

It was LUSH!!

I must point out that I didn't drink this entire shake, in fact I only managed half as my son nabbed the rest, he loves my smoothies almost as much as I do!

I feel very lucky to have a 13 year old who actually enjoys healthy food, he's a big salad fan and adores fruit. He eats practically all vegetables too... just doesn't enjoy mushrooms on their own (but will have them if they're part of a meal) or cooked tomatoes (but likes them raw in salads). If we go to a restaurant he'll pick something adventurous off the menu (unlike in pubs when it's invariably the burger and chips that he goes for!!), at a French restaurant once he picked snails - yuck! He didn't like them very much though, but only because apparently they have the texture of mushrooms!

Anyway, going to get on now but will post later about my Operation M-BOT which stands for Maximuscle Body Of 2009 - you like ;-) ?!!

August is my 'getting my shit together' month and, as from today, I am launching the Four Week Fat Attack, today being Day One... very exciting, more later!

TJ x

Huzzah! Maximuscle Maxi-milk BOGOF

heh, that has to be one of my favourite acronyms... my son used to love walking round the supermarket when he was younger yelling "look mummy, there's another bogof" :-D

anyway, my fave RTD (ready-to-drink... I am the acronym queen today!) protein shake, Maxi-milk, is available now on a buy-one-get-one-free basis for a limited time from the actual Maximuscle site, click here for deal.

I'm quite chuffed by this to say the least as a) I'm a big fan of this drink, especially the strawberry flavour which you don't even really need to chill as it tastes fine even if it's at room temperature! and b) I was whinging on my blog the other day about how I wish Maximuscle would offer some better deals on their products and, hey presto! It's a good move by them :-)

It's a great post-workout drink... here's the blurb on the email I got from the nice people at Maxiwomen:

One of the best things about Maxi-Milk is the fact it can be used to support the goals of all sports players, gym users and endurance athletes. It's easy to see why as Maxi-Milk:

- Contains the exclusive Maxipro protein blend for sustained protein support.

- Is enriched with whey protein for rapid muscle recovery after exercise.

- Holds 33g protein & 38g carbs per serving for rapid recovery.

Simply put, if you play sport, go to the gym or are involved in endurance exercise, a carton of Maxi-Milk after performing will aid muscle recovery, help maintain strength and support performance.

needless to say, several cartons of the stuff, as well as Promax Diet protein bars, my shaker and a few portions of measured out scoops of Promax Diet (including the vanilla flavour, it's very nice, especially when mixed with the chocolate flavour, yummm) will be accompanying me to France tomorrow! If I don't have my healthy snacks, the prospect of copious quantities of lovely french cheese will seem even more appealing...

new maximuscle goodies on order

just placed an order with a fab cheap site called Dolphin Fitness for some Maximuscle goodies :-D

I've bought some more Promax Diet Bars in chocolate orange flavour, can't get enough of those and they're so good to just chuck in my bag when I'm out for the day, like at rehearsals etc, as they don't melt like other chocolate bars I can keep them out in the sun - unlike me, which did melt on Sunday!!

also ordered some Promax Diet shake powder as just discovered that you can buy it in vanilla flavour, hurrah! You can only get that flavour if you buy the big tubs but I figure that I get through enough of this powder it's probably more economical to buy it in bulk! Just hope the flavour's not minging, as I'll be stuck with a lot if so! ha! mind you, if it's not as tasty as I hope then I can always mix and match. My favourite flavour is "BananaBerry", aka 1 scoop of Promax Diet in Banana and 1 scoop Strawberry, it's a max yum combination!

lastly I've ordered two lots of their new Maxi-Milk... have ordered the chocolate as well as the strawberry which I've already tried and used up! it's seriously tasty and, again, can just throw it in my bag and it's ready to drink when I need it :-D

so yeah, Dolphin Fitness, super site, all the above actually cost over £6 less than from the Maximuscle site, even with their 4-for-the-price-of-3 offer, word to the wise - quality products at more affordable prices!

It's a pity Maximuscle goods are just that much more expensive than just about everything else out there! Yes they are fantastic, tasty and good quality, which is why I keep re-ordering my faves... but I seriously think they'd win more customers if they just re-thought their pricing structure a little, perhaps offered more incentives, like 3-for-2 instead of 4-for-3 etc... I think that once they've got fans and customers that they'll keep them because they realise how good the products are... but it's the initial attraction where they probably fall short as there are a lot of price-savvy people out there who'll shop around extensively for a bargain. I've read loads of reviews on the various Maximuscle protein powders and supplements and none of them have questioned their efficacy... the No.1 criticism is always the price!

oh and I also wish Maximuscle would rethink their free gift with orders over a certain price - I have SO many unused shakers now it's unbelievable, haha!! anyone want one?!

stairs = a little challenging, but not impossible, phew!

So, the good news is that I can walk today - hurrah! I am pretty damn stiff and my legs are definitely feeling the effects of the last two day's weight and spin sessions, but hopefully that'll lessen by the end of the day...

my first lesson is Body Attack (see pic), followed by Body Pump... if what I'm led to believe is true and BA is much harder than BP then I might be grateful of the comparative ease provided by BP's class being second! we shall see!

As you'll see from the screen print I have also booked on a beginner's pilates lesson on Saturday morning. My pride/ego screams that I shouldn't be doing a 'beginner's class', that I'm *way* more advanced and should at least be attending the intermediate one.... but I am quieting it by pointing out that there is no intermediate class, and that the advanced class starts at 09:45 (me and mornings don't get on, especially at the weekend!), and that I'm sure after this week's class I shall realise just how much of an advanced person I am (ahem, cough cough) and progress to the advanced class the following week.

reality will probably dictate that I realise just *how* weak my unworked core actually is, and happily participate in the beginner's class until further notice ;-)

although my comment about mornings is indeed accurate, these last two days (hardly a lifetime I realise) I've endeavoured to get up earlier. yesterday I was up at 6 to take the bread out of the breadmaker and let it cool sufficiently so I could make my son a sarnie before heading to spin class at the eye-watering time of 06:45! Today I was up at 07:00 to make son's sandwich again as didn't have time last night and he has to leave by 07:25 to get the train to school (it's quite far away, but I don't want him going to school in central london, nuh uh!).

Instead of doing my usual trick this morning of leaping back into my warm inviting bed and snuggling back up to my also-useless-at-getting-up-early, I made a cup of coffee, jumped in the shower and then headed to work. Was at my desk by 08:20, my boss nearly fell off his chair!

it meant that I was able to promote a shipment into the live environment before anyone from the admin team was in, bonus!

also means that I'll be able to leave here early (like at 5!) which'll be strange to say the least. I usually rock up to my desk at 10am and then leave after 6... sometimes way after, like at 8pm the other day! I think it's down to my lack of productivity in the morning, probably due to not getting up early enough and then spending the rest of the morning in a daze. Yup, that's it.

this morning I feel bright, albeit starving, haha. that's the problem with getting up early, more hours to get hungry in, hmm. I had a big breakfast of scrambled eggs and beans so not going to eat until lunch time now, then I'll have a chicken breast/portion of fish (depends what's downstairs in the canteen) and salady stuff, and then have wholewheat pasta with tomato and sausage sauce (that Joe made last night, he cooked - whoa!) before heading to my first class at 19:30. After my class I'll have a banana and a Promax Diet shake... or a Maxi-Milk - OMG they're soooo good!!! They're even tastier than the Promax Diet shakes, which are lovely enough as it is - to give you an idea, maxi-milk tastes like Nesquik, yummm :-D

-------------------------------------------------------

I wrote all the above hours ago, but then work got in the way ;-)

have just had a packet of Jack Links Beef Jerky, it's quite hard to get hold of... I managed to get Joe to get me a couple of packets from the Threshers off licence near his parent's place in Essex - complicated! They're just the original flavour, which, although nice, is not a patch on the hot and sweet flavour, yummm

I do worry about the amount of salt in those snacks but they're very high protein and high on yum too!

The rest of my supplements order from ZipVit arrived yesterday, I've now got 7 little packets of pills wrapped up in clingfilm, looks very dodgy, but will have to do until my pill organiser arrives! I brought a pack of the Spirulina with me to work as it's recommended to be taken 3 times a day... and I spend most of my life at work, ho hum... ;-)

Still trying to work out what sort of fitness routine I will follow

One thing's for certain, I definitely need to do something about my stomach, it's by far the least toned part of me, which is terrible as I've always prided myself on having a reasonably small stomach! I bought Fab Abs (Six-week Workouts) by the legend that is Anita Bean... and I really want to start it, but then I looked through the book and it all looked a little easy! So what does that say about me? That I won't attempt anything if it doesn't look ridiculously tough?!

I think that's been my main problem in recent years, especially when it comes to gym workouts. I know that if I just got to the gym for a mere half an hour every morning and did something it would make a huge difference to my physique... but then there's the voice in my head who says that 30 mins in a gym is pitiful and what's the point in going for that long as I like to spend hours in there! It's silly really though, because it all adds up, but that's me I guess!

This whole healthy change has been as much about challenging my own daft food and exercise ideas as it has been about eating less and doing more. In some ways I'm my own worse enemy and have to convince myself that what I'm doing is worthwhile and effective! It's all a bit of a mental battle really.

Anyway, enough wittering on, I must go and do some shopping now, need to get some more yummy allinson's malt flour for the breadmaker, plus other good (yet heavy!) items!

might report back later on how BA and BP classes went, if my arms have enough strength to type!!!

TJ x

Worn out!

about to go to bed as pretty cream crackered after a great weight session with the boyf... aside from the usual suspects (shoulder press, lat pull down, low row, vertical traction, triceps extension and bicep curl and lift - as well as the adductor, abductor and single and double leg presses)we did a bit of pyramiding on the bench which was fun... I'm feeling great now but think I might ache like hell tomorrow... top of chest is very firm to the touch (ooer!)!!

So, I ran for 30 mins on the treadmill afterwards, was surprised at how challenging it was, nearly fell off the thing afterwards!

I'm due at spin class at 06:45 tomorrow but not sure if my legs will take it, annoying when things don't go your way!

we'll see...

b/f left me running and came home to prepare dinner, we had salmon, brown rice, steamed veg and some left over rump steak from yesterday, delish!



I'll be posting tomorrow about the food I've decided that I'm going to be making a big part of my diet as have decided to re jig my nutrition, really give it some decent thought, care and attention... after all, this strength and fitness training is all well and good, but what's the use in having lovely muscles if you're hiding them under a few inches of fat!

In the meantime I've put in a couple of orders from Maximuscle for me and the other half

For me I have ordered some more Promax Diet powder, in banana flavour, the nicest! Some Promax Diet Bars, this time in choc and orange flavour and a couple of boxes of Promax Crisp Bars, which are just damn tasty really and great just sling into your gym bag to take if you're feeling low on fuel! One of the boxes of crisp bars was free, which is just as well as, although fabulously tasty, Maximuscle is definitely not a cheap option!

For OH he's got a tub of Viper to help with his rehydration and muscle recovery after and during his long hellish hilly cycle training, and a tub of Cyclone which is full of good stuff but not packed with calories as he's not interested in gaining any weight in the run up to his exhausting cycle race in July, indeed, his lean frame will definitely prove advantages on a route which is basically just one big bloody mountain climb! Actually, that's not true... it's several mountain climbs leading to the foot of one bloody huge mountain climb! I'm scared for him, but I know he'll do well :-)

oh and I bought a kettlebell today! only 10lbs (just under 5kg), but it's a start I reckon!

night everyone :-)

eughhh

I'm having a wisdom tooth out today, although this is not until later and the event is yet to take place, I thought I'd attempt to evoke as much sympathy as possible... to act as a cushion... of sorts!

the tooth hasn't grown through properly yet, and doesn't have the space to either... I'll spare you the gory details (unless you really want to know and then you can just mail me and I'll get graphic), but needless to say I'm going to be feeling rather sorry for myself later.

My other half, who's currently in the doghouse, is giving the whole TLC phenomena a go and will be bringing me back some soup tonight, bless! (he did offer ice-cream, which would be infinitely preferable... not least for the taste but also its cooling properties!) but I resisted - hurrah! Will now be having carrot and coriander soup for main and a maximuscle promax diet milkshake for dessert, splendid :-) (I'm thinking of mixing banana and strawberry powders... with ice and real banana too, should be tasty!)

Anyway, in preparation for tonight's butchery, and the subsequent inability to eat solids, I decided that a huuuuge main meal in the middle of the day was in order as I'll be slurping liquid slush later no doubt.

So I visited our canteen at lunch... and there went a little nuts. I bought a piece of salmon, half an avocado, some salad with pasta and olives, some chicken risotto, a few new potatoes, and... to top it all off... some roasted parsnips!

Now, you'd think that parsnips would be a healthy option, and generally they are; but not when they've been deep fried!

I thought they were lovely at first, all crispy, yummmmm... having eaten the lot I felt like I was going to barf.

I'm wondering if this is because they were actually a) revolting (although they certainly didn't *taste* that way) or b) just containing too much fat!

I've been on quite a low fat diet for a little while now and perhaps my body just couldn't handle the high lard content?! Either way I felt thoroughly sickened and have only now, almost 2 hours later, been able to start eating my risotto and new potatoes.

I think I might steer clear of the downstairs canteen in future. I just find that, when faced with a large choice, I make a large choice!!

I might start making my own lunches and bringing them in, that way I can accurately calculate the calories and fat etc in my online Weight Loss Resources diary (you have the facility to create recipes... which can be as simple as jam on toast, or as complex as...errmm... paella?)

I really need to sort my eating habits out, I really do suffer from disordered eating!! Although employing the word 'suffer' is probably incorrect as it's less of a 'affliction' than an 'infliction' on myself. I could eat properly if I just sat down and thought more carefully about it... planned my meals in advance etc. But although I'm super organised when it comes to planning events and trips, I'm less so when it comes to organising my own life. I have a dreadfully short attention span and I get bored more quickly than anyone I know! Except perhaps my son, poor lad, dreadful trait to inherit!

ahh well, anyway, enough of the rambling...

I got let out of play rehearsals early last night - quite scared at the mo as it's next week that it's on!! - and considered going to the gym but ended up meeting up with neighbours to discuss a street party we're putting on later in the year (we're a sociable bunch us south-londoners!).

As my other half decided not to come home after only going to the pub after the club run to 'discuss his etape training', I felt too full of energy, and also moderately full of guilt at skipping the gym, so decided to do one of my many exercise DVDs that I have bought in a fit of good intentions, only to have them lie dormant on my shelves forever more.... ahhh

well, I did one of Nell McAndrew's DVDs. I love Nell, okay she's a former glamour model... and indeed does sometimes still strip off - but this time was for charity (can you spot which one she is? haha) - and, being rather well-spoken myself, I should find her accent a bit of a put off (as I know it grates on some people), but I don't, it's very sweet... as is she. She looks great, and is a bloody good athlete to boot, with a marathon time qualifying her to run with the elites!!!

I did her third DVD -
Ultimate Challenge - Ultimate Results in which she employs the use of her personal trainer again - whose name I've forgotten! - the format is much like the other one I've done... lots of leg raises, jogging on the spot and squats.... arghhhh! Painful!!

I liked this DVD for 3 reasons

- Although repetitive, this video was far from boring!

- You literally do all the workouts in a small area, almost on the spot, this means that if you only have a very small space to use then it's ideal for you! (as long as you don't have have any low-hanging light fittings as there is a lot of arm waving!!)

- the people in the video were *much* less irritating than last time, I abhor people, mainly guys I find, who dance around and bop to the music in exercise DVDs... like they're something special... YOU'RE NOT... YOU'RE JUST WALLPAPER, ACT ACCORDINGLY!!!
ahem, sorry, so where was I... oh yeah, and there were more people this time, in all shapes and sizes - someone for everyone eh? ;-)

- They all sweat!! HA! I love it... obviously Nell still manages to have the most perfect make-up, and she doesn't sweat in embarrassing places like I do (never again will I wear light grey pants to a pilates class!!!)

yes, okay so that was more than three, but still... definitely a thoroughly enjoyable workout

Right, better get on...
-

Appesat - pharmaceutical-free seaweed diet pill

Just read this article on a product called Appesat. I'm quite tempted to try it out!

Simply because, I don't actually have a problem with the type of food I eat, simply the quantity! I'm sure I have Portion Distortion... possibly because my Mum always made sure I finished everything on the plate! and also perhaps because my last boyfriend was 6'3" and very broad... he needed a lot more to eat than I did but I'm pretty sure I kept up with him!

The problem isn't about what I eat, I hardly ever eat chocolate, biscuits, cakes, sweets etc... I gave up alcohol before Christmas to see if it would have any effect on my weight and it didn't, so that's obviously not an issue either!

I know that in order to lose weight I need to exercise more, I have a very sedentary job stuck in front of a computer all day, and I have a very slow metabolism, so it's important for me to get some movement in! I ran on Saturday... a full 1 minute per mile slower than previous runs and enjoyed it *so* much more! I used the Cardio Wave machine at my local gym (this machine rocks!!) for 45 mins on Sunday (apparently burning 510 cals but for how little I was out of breath and how low my heart rate felt, I'd say closer to 350/400 cals), I climbed yesterday for over an hour and I'm cycling today to and from work.

I also went for an hour's walk at lunch today, down by the Thames. The rather excellent FetchEveryone running site (which is definitely worth a look at, as it has the most excellent tools to help you train, and is free!) tells me that my route was exactly 4 miles, which is nice to know :-)

anyway, going off topic there a bit, so yeah, my problem is not that I eat unhealthily or that I drink excessively (I have developed a penchant for low alcohol and zero alcohol lager, tastes nearly as good and has barely any, if any, alcohol and much fewer calories!!), I think I just eat too much over the course of the day, and particularly around dinner time!

Although the Thermobol definitely helped me in the way I now look a lot more toned, they did nothing to prevent my feeling peckish! If I could fool my stomach into thinking it's full it would definitely help me with my weight loss goals. I think I just need to use another tool at the moment to assist with controlling my food intake. I'm doing well with my exercise, and also with my maximuscle meal replacement shakes and bars (although I find I can't eat a whole Promax Diet bar in the morning as they're so dense and filling!!) - I've stocked up with enough to keep me going for a couple of months! - so I reckon I'll give these a go and see if they can help with my feelings of gastric emptiness!!

wish me luck!

Mmmm

Promax Diet Bars dark chocolate flavour... bloody gorgeous!  

Really tasty, quite heavy and dense so fill you up very effectively!  It's great to be actually able to chew something!

more carbohydrates though, although that's to be expected as it's a bulky bar!  Less protein as well though, only 20.4g compared to the whopping 37.8g in the shake!

my maximuscle consignment arrived, very exciting, have started taking the Thermobol so will update my blog on how I take to that.

I have to admit, the bag is pretty damn good!  I was recently given a very similar one as a freebie from an accounting firm, and it's rubbish, the zip broke almost immediately.  But the maximuscle bag is great, it's actually quite thick material, quite robust looking too.  There are quite a few pockets too so it means I'll be able to keep my phone separate from my gym membership card as the magnetic strip in my blackberry case seems to wipe it!!  Also does that to paper train tickets, most annoying!!  It's got a small, but reasonably sized pocket at the front for important things like lip balm and earphone, then a larger pocket for my weight gloves, energy gels/tabs/bars and Workout Wallet and then a separate phone pocket on the front and a window for a pass/card (although mine looked like it'd fall out so I've put it in the zip-up one instead.

can't wait to take it to the gym

what a poser eh?! hehe ;-)

Quick Update (and renewed commitments!)

I'm going to write a longer post soon, but just thought I'd give you all an update as to how I'm doing...

well, not too well actually!

I've discovered that my goal of becoming the women's Maximuscle Body of 2009 is going to be a lot more challenging than I thought!!

I thought I was doing so well last week... well, reasonably well anyway. I cycled to and from work every single day - okay so that's only 4 miles each way, and I'm hardly what you could call a 'speedy cyclist', but I do get reasonably sweaty (nice) and it sure beats taking the train for exercise! (although, saying that, given that I'm notoriously late for just about everything, perhaps my five minute dash to the train station burns off more calories than my 40/50 mins of cycling a day? haha)

I also drank milkshakes practically every day too and I definitely ate less!

I put on 2lbs... gutted doesn't even come close :-(

However, when I look back, if I'm truly honest I'd have to admit that I wasn't all that disciplined. Work and study deadlines meant that my cycling to work was the *only* exercise I did until last Saturday afternoon! I had a day's training course during which a rather wonderful hot and cold buffet was supplied... I also drank a fair bit of red wine on several occassions... oh yeah, and had steak and chips, and fish and chips two nights in a row!

heavens, I only really have myself to blame!

I think that now, if I'm going to see any real results I will have to approach this in a controlled fashion. I'm going to have to a) religiously enter food into my online food diary on Weight Loss Resources b) actually do some exercise! c) stick to the two shakes a day for breakfast and lunch, D) and just use the maximuscle promax diet shakes, instead of flitting between that and the slimfast which I've been trying to use up. As much as the slimfast shakes are reasonably palatable, and they are thicker in consistency (I imagine though that this is due to the addition of milk) and mix very well, the floury taste is a bit off putting as is the enormous sugar-derived carbohydrate level!

Now, I'm not one of those (perhaps rather silly, sorry!) people who believe that you can live on an extremely high-protein diet for any length of time and train hard with it.

After all, if my hero Lance Armstrong's very own coach, Chris Carmichael asserts that we absolutely need at least 60% of our daily intake of food to come from carbohydrates then who am I to argue with that?!

The fact is that I a) eat a lot of fruit and b) cook a lot of rice, potatoes, pasta etc as part of my family's evening meal, so there's no chance of me going into ketosis (which is good as I'm rather fond of my internal organs and their efficient functionality!!) I just realise that protein plays a massively important part in muscle development and regeneration!

Anyway, going off on one again, sorry!

Where was I... oh yeah, so I'm going to only stick to the maximuscle promax diet shakes, and the diet bars when they arrive (I'm not allowed to get personal items delivered to work so my b/f's about to get a heap of maximuscle goods descend on him, poor love, ha!)

I'll also be experimenting with the efficacy of the Thermobol pills too... interested to see what results, if any, they produce. There are some good reviews available for the product, but they seem to all cite things like perseverance, increased exercise/weight training, and a better diet as being key facilitators for enabling the product to work. Comments like that concern me and make me question whether or not it is just the increase in exercise and the decrease in food that has helped and not the pills themselves!

It's hard to tell, and I guess I've got to wait and see what results, if any, they produce! Of all the thermogenic fat-burning pills there seem to be out there on the market, I'd probably trust Thermobol over the rest because of the quality of nutrition and the level of research behind maximuscle's products.

Right, time to stop rambling and to put my money where my mouth is!

"You're an advertiser's dream...!"

...is what my ex boyfriend used to say to me... referring to how I got sucked into clever (or even not-so) marketing.

He was right though, and looks like I'm about to fall victim to myself yet again it would seem!

On the maximuslce 'maxiwomen' website, they have a new promotion where you buy 2 bottles of their 'Thermobol' fat burning pill, and a box of Promax Diet Bars and you get a free maximuscle bag, worth a staggering £14.99! ha!

anyone who knows me, also knows that I don't need any more bags, ever ever ever!



however, I'll probably buy this anyway as I'm keen to try out the Thermobol pills and I could do with a new rucksack for the gym... even though I know I don't need one!

although my current one doesn't have pockets... and the strings are annoying... and it doesn't have maximuscle on it...

oh dear

save me from myself!!

Slimfast Vs Maximuscle Promax Diet

Probably the main reason I've decided to switch from slim-fast to maximuscle promax diet is because of the protein content of maximuscle shakes. Protein is essential for building new muscles and also rebuilding existing muscles which you inevitably 'damage' when training, after all, weight training is essentially all about breaking down and regrouping muscles.

I was quite horrified to discover how much of the carbohydrate content of slim-fast shakes is made up of sugars!! That's an awful lot of quick-release energy, I don't want spikes in my hunger and energy levels. By contrast, Maximuscle Promax Diet shakes, are almost identical on the calorie front, but their protein content is super high and, of the carbohydrates quoted, there is a much smaller ratio of sugars to carbs... here's how both drinks measure up:

Maximuscle Promax Diet (Chocolate Flavour)

Per 100g dry product
Calories 358 kcal
Protein 63g
Carbohydrate 16.7g
Sugars 8.3g
Fat 5.8g
Saturates 3g
Fibre 3.3g
Sodium 0.6g

Per 60g Serving made up with 350mls water
Calories 215 kcal
Protein 37.8g
Carbohydrate 10g
Sugars 5g
Fat 3.5g
Saturates 1.8g
Fibre 2g
Sodium 0.36g


Slim-fast (Strawberry Flavour)

Per 100g dry product
Calories 353 kcal
Protein 13.5g
Carbohydrate 60.1g
Sugars 47.5g
Fat 6.6g
Saturates 0.8g
Fibre 11.1g
Sodium 0.3g

Per 36.5g Serving made up with 250ml skimmed milk
Calories 217 kcal
Protein 13.8g
Carbohydrate 34.3g
Sugars 29.8g
Fat 2.6g
Saturates 0.4g
Fibre 4.1g
Sodium 0.25

So, pros and cons for both:

Slim-Fast Pros

• Very cheap, at £5.49 in Boots, and 12 servings per tin, it works out at about 46p a shake! Actually, Boots is running a 3 for 2 offer, so if you buy 3 tins of milkshake powder you actually end up paying 31p for each milkshake (minus the cost of the milk of course)
• Availability - you can buy the powder at even the smaller pharmacies
• There is a decent selection of products, and various flavours to choose from.
• The Slim-Fast site has useful tools and online diaries (although these don't seem to be updated very frequently!!
• is apparently a low GI food
• has a generous assortment of vitamins and minerals thrown in (which is just as well as the powder would appear to be made of skimmed milk, sugar and food dye!)
• you can buy it ready made (albeit at a vastly higher price per unit than the powder's equivalent), which is useful if you've got no milk, or a shaker, to hand.

Slim-Fast Cons

• Tastes 'powdery' which is no surprise of course as it is, but one does not like to be reminded of that fact
• Requires milk. Awkward if you've run out.
• Doesn't fill you up for very long
• Very high in sugar, it's the second largest ingredient after Skimmed Milk (which is amusing as that's what you use to make it up...)
• Sweet milkshakes can get sickly after a while and make you crave savoury things, like pasties, pork pies, steak, chips, fresh bread etc... ahhh
• it does appear to be consisted almost entirely of milk powder, sugar and colourant, which makes me nervous as to its nutritional merit.

Maximuscle Promax Diet Pros

• Maybe I'm a sucker for advertising, but I do take notice when 'serious athletes' and athletic bodies endorse a product
• You don't need water, which actually doesn't sound like much but, ensuring you have milk around at work or home just for your milkshakes (you need 500mls a day for slimfast) can be a bit of a pain in the arse. Also, the fact that despite the powder not being made milk powder, and not needing any further addition of fresh milk, is testament to the quality of the powder mix.
• unlike slim-fast, only half of the carb content comes from sugar.
• mixes really well, and tastes great.
• contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is used in various dieting supplements. I'm not sure of just how effective it is, but I'm willing to find out
• There are Promax Diet Meal Bars which you can use in place of the milkshakes, I had one today as I went for a coffee with a friend and wanted to avoid the temptation to order a cheesy panini!
• the shakes are actually really filling! and not just because of the large volume of water you're drinking!
  

Maximuscle Promax Diet Cons

• The powder is quite expensive, and this can definitely be off-putting for some. But I am less put-off by this than I could be as I know it's a quality product. At £22.99 for a mini tub, and 10 servings of 60g per tub, it's not hard to see just how much more expensive it is than slim-fast! However, I spend nearly double that on lunch most days so I figure I'm saving money in the long run. The diet bars are cheaper, I bought one for £2 from Holland and Barrett today.
• they don't (appear to) sell any ready made formulas, which is a little annoying, but then as I mentioned earlier you can use their rather tasty diet bars.

I can't actually think of any other cons, I might do later and add them to this, but that'll do for now :-)