Bollywood Dance London Student Show

My friend took a Bollywood Dance London class so I dragged my husband out to her student show to lend a bit of support! I have to say, I don't think I've had that much fun for quite some time! I literally couldn't stop smiling!

There were all kinds of different dance styles and people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds gathered together to put on this amazing show! If you're living in London and interested in Eastern dance, I would highly encourage you to check out Bollywood Dance London! The classes are very affordable and it looks like a great way to get fit as well! I'm even thinking of taking either Bollywood or Belly Dancing! It looks like a lot of fun.

Photographic Evidence

"C" said in a comment yesterday on the post called Making a Change:



"hmmm... I weigh close to 128 and I am almost 6" shorter than you...you must have been quite thin...good luck. Personally, I find exercise better than dieting, but both are probably necessary. "



In response I will say firstly, the Dukan Diet plainly says if you want to lose weight and keep it off, you have to change the way you think about exercise and I couldn't agree more. I think both are important and I'm pretty good about getting exercise however with the way I've been eating, it's no wonder I've never lost much weight. Also, during the certain stages of the Dukan Diet, you are encouraged not to do too much difficult exercising because you're body can't handle it along with what you are doing in the diet, but by the end of the book and the diet, exercise is strongly encouraged.



Second, I thought I would show a difference in my weight with pictures since you mentioned it. I used to be a dancer and yes, I was pretty thin at 128, though not as thin as you might think.

This is me a few weeks ago at the Cambridge/Oxford Boat Race weighing in a 188 lbs.

This is me in a friend's wedding in 2006 at 128 lbs wearing a less than flattering dress, but still, you can tell the difference:

I have a tendency to put on weight all over so the good news is that I carry it better than some. I don't have all my weight in my butt or hips. It's all over the place! But here are some of the differences I've noticed:

1. In 2006 I wore a US size 6 or 8 and now I wear a US size 10 or 12 and in a dress it has to be US size 14 or 16 to fit in the bust and then it's too big everywhere else.

2. In 2006 I wore a 34 or 36 B or C depending on the bra and I now wear 36 D or 38 C and sometimes a bigger size depending on the bra.

3. In 2006 I could go without a bra and proudly wore tube tops! Not anymore and I have no idea if that's an age or a weight thing, but I'd like to find out!


If anyone else has any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to comment! I'll try to answer any questions I can!

Making a Change: There's No Time Like the Present!

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If I were being completely honest, then I would say that I've been overweight and unhappy about it for a few years. Honestly, I've also been very half-assed about my approach to weightloss as well. My mother-in-law asked me a few weeks ago if I'd heard much about The Dukan Diet as she was interested in trying it to lose some weight for our nephew's Holy Communion. I hadn't heard much. But when magazines and newspapers started reporting that Kate Middleton and her mother had both lost weight for the wedding by doing the new fad diet, I decided to look into it.

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I have read the book and I also bought the recipe. This diet is perfect for me. It will be hard... there's no doubt, but at least this time I like the food, so that's the bonus!

I'm going to be open and honest here because this time, I'm in it to win it! I realize there might be some judgement in what I'm about to reveal and that's okay. I'm motivated and there's no turning back. I threw away all offending foods in our house and my husband is also doing the diet. We are making a change in a big way!

When I met my husband in 2005, I weighed 128 pounds. Over the past few years, I've gradually put on weight, but since moving to England, I've gained considerable weight (maybe 20 pounds?). I now find myself at 188 pounds and very unsettled by this number. I'm considered overweight according to my BMI, I'm unhappy, clothes don't look very good on me and I'm probably doing more harm to my body by being this overweight than I could with any diet.

My goal weight is 134 pounds. That's pretty close to what I've weighed for most of my life, give or take a few pounds. I'm 5'8 1/2" so I think that's a great weight for me! I'll be pretty excited if I can lose and maintain the 54 pounds difference as the Dukan Diet promises!

For those of you who aren't familiar, the Dukan Diet consists of 4 phases: Attack, Cruise, Consolidation and Stabilization. The diet has been used by such celebrities as Jennifer Lopez and Giselle Bunchen after childbirth. The diet promises an amazing goal: that you'll reach your goal weight and maintain it, eating whatever you like for the rest of your life 6 days a week, and recalibrating with only proteins 1 day per week. This sounds like more than fair to me!

I'm currently in the Attack phase for 5 days in which I can only eat pure non-fat proteins along with a few extras like non-fat dairy products and spices. I also have to incorporate 1 1/2 tablespoons of oat bran per day into my diet and drink 1 1/2 liters minimum of water per day. The final requirement is that I walk for 20 minutes per day. Again, this is only for the first 5 days of the diet which will last a very long time for me since I have so much to lose. It's estimated that I will lose between 5 and 7 pounds in the first 5 days, maybe more.

It's about 8:30pm here in England on our first day and I have to say, we've been doing very well. I'm delighted that I can have aspartame sweetener and use lemon to flavor things. I can also drink Diet Pepsi, coffee and tea, which is a life saver! I'm tired and I have to use the loo a lot because of all the water, but otherwise I'm quite happy even though I'm already looking forward to incorporating new foods in 4 more days!

I'll continue to update on my status occasionally because this is a huge change in my lifestyle. However, for those of you who aren't interested, don't worry. Pink Julep is NOT turning into a diet only blog! Wish me luck! Only 4 more days of the attack phase to go!

Pink Julep Grab Bag

I needed a new pair of workout shoes. A few weeks ago, I got the most adorable red retro style Nike's for casual walks and sightseeing days, but they wouldn't cut it for any heavy amount of exercise, so I got these black and pink New Balance 760 Lightweight Trainers from Amazon.co.uk and I love them!!! They are not running shoes. Running shoes are specifically designed for forward motion. These trainers are great for stationary aerobic activity, walking, dance aerobics and anything else I would be doing regularly.

I have really been enjoying my Dyptique candle! I love to burn it when I am getting ready to go out!

I picked up a copy of Whitney Port's book the other day... I didn't even know it was out yet. This should be interesting to read this summer...

I also grabbed this adorable Rob Ryan water bottle. In case you aren't familiar, Rob Ryan is a famous cutout artist.

I am proud of what I had for lunch yesterday so I thought I'd share. It was Meatless Monday and this week is the first time I've successfully gotten through a whole Monday without meat for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This southwestern rice dish was really easy to make. I kind of made it up so I thought I'd share. I only ate about 1/2 of this, so I would recommend the recipe below for 2.

Ingredients:

Long grain white rice (1 cup measured when dry)

Juice of 1 lime

1 to 2 Tblsp Olive Oil

1/2 cup boiled water

Frozen sweet corn

1/2 Can of Kidney Beans (I used organic, but any will do)

1 garlic clove minced

1/2 package of powdered fajita mix

Salt & Pepper

Crushed chillis

Method:

1. Boil the rice according to package directions, strain and return to the pan. Cover to keep warm if rice is done before topping.

2. In a frying pan or wok, heat enough Olive Oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add garlic and stir on med-high heat until tender and starting to brown. Pour in Lime juice. Mix well. Add powdered fajita mix and boiling water. Add corn and kidney beans. Mix well and bring to a boil. Salt & Pepper and add a small sprinkling of crushed chillis. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until desired thickness.

3. Serve beans and corn over rice with chips and salsa on the side.

We also had a lovely dinner last night for Meatless Monday! Penne with Edimame! It was delicious, super filling and probably just about the greenest dish that's ever reached my table, since I have the taste of a 6 year old. I got this recipe from French Women For All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano. The recipe calls for farfalle (bowtie pasta), but I didn't have any and penne worked fine! I found the recipe on the authors website, so you can find it here.

I've implemented Meatless Monday (or at least one meatless dinner per week - usually more) in our routine because I've read such great things about it. By going meatless for 1 day per week, you can reduce your carbon footprint, improve your health, and reduce your risk of cancer and other ailments. I'm now trying to be completely meatless one day per week (i.e. no meat for breakfast or lunch either) and even though I don't really like vegies, it's actually not that difficult! For more information on Meatless Monday, click here.

Gwyneth Alert!!!

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For those of you who love all things GP, get to your local newstand and grab the May issue of SELF! GP is promoting her new cookbook, My Father's Daughter and you're going to be seeing a lot of her.

I'd like to also point out... she is wearing jorts! For suggestions how to wear jorts this summer, click here for a recent Pink Julep Abroad post on the topic.

I think GP looks amazing and this inspires me even more to work hard at the Tracy Anderson DVD's. What do you think? Are you rushing out to buy her cookbook?

I Survived My First Tracy Anderson Method Dvd! (Barely)

Yesterday was the first day of my new workout plan! I decided I would do Tracy Anderson's Mat Workout dvd first because it seemed like the easiest....

IT IS VERY VERY HARD!!! But, I plan to stick with it. It makes sense. I can see how the results come along if you're able to work up to it! However, she recommends the mat workout in addition to one of her cardio dvds 4 to 6 times a week. It's going to be very intense, but I'm going to try to work up to it. I'm just dying to be a skinny fit hottie!

I decided to do an experiment... I let hubs do the warm-up and then challenged him to try the 2 arms sections. One section is no weights and the other uses weights of 3 lbs or less (ours are 2.5 lbs.). I thought since he's in such great shape and so strong that he'd get through them no problem... It turns out that I got through more than he did.

INCENTIVE: 1. Hubs has said that if I can complete the arms sections by the end of August, he'll buy me a Coach bag!!! 2. Hubs said if I get through all of these dvds and find it successful for being, looking and feeling the way I like, he'll subscribe me to the Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis program. 3. Hubs treated me to a cute pair of black & pink New Balance cross-trainers and a cute new sports bra to get me excited in the short term!

Please note, my husband does not think I'm a fat arse. I asked him as a challenge, "What will ya give me?" questions to build my own incentives and motivation!

Here is a preview of the Tracy Anderson Method Mat Workout that I tried yesterday:




Though I'm guessing that I only completed about 1/3 of the workout yesterday, I feel like someone ran me over with a truck. I also went to bed earlier than I have in a long time last night, slept an hour longer this morning, and felt like it took almost everything I had to drag myself out of bed this morning. My muscles are tired, sore and tight... it must be working!

How on earth am I supposed to get through mat and cardio today? I suppose it might help if I post that famous Gwenyth Paltrow bikini shot on my mantel for body shape inspiration?

Thanks to all who have left me lovely encouraging comments on my diet and exercise! It's going well and I appreciate the support! I hope you're all having a great week!

A Thinner, Happier, Prettier Pink Julep for Summer! It's ON!

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My fitness and diet have been lacking considerably for a while now. I can totally tell the difference in my skin, the way my clothes fit and my over all confidence, which isn't too bad, but I definitely have more "fat days" than usual these days. I'm not gonna get too upset about it because I have just moved 4,000 miles in the past 6 months to a totally foreign country (yes, even though they speak English here, many things are super different than at home). It has been hard in the past to find the food we're used to so I've been trying lots of new things, though most of them have not been healthy. In the past couple of weeks I've been making a concious effort to find healthier options, but it's definitely time to step it up! Our fridge now looks like this:

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I'm not one for veggies at all, but I do love many fruits and a couple of veggies, so I could be doing better! Staples in my diet have previously been fruit and fish and I've been slacking a bit since we moved here. I look at my wedding photos and feel sad because I looked so much better then when I was exercising moderately and eating very well. I bought a blender last week for making smoothies & soups and I started my diet today! I thought I would share a few typical options for what I might eat now that I'm back to making an effort.

Breakfast Options

1. Smoothie with mixed berries, plain yogurt, honey, flax seeds, almond milk and 1/2 banana and 2 cups of coffee with skim milk

2. 2 slices of smoked salmon with lemon juice, 1/2 grapefruit, 1 slice buttered Irish brown soda bread, small piece of any kind of cheese and 2 cups of coffee with skim milk.

3. 1 small glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, 2 cups of coffee with skim milk, 2 European style bacon medallions with fat trimmed off fried in olive oil (when in US it was 2 slices turkey bacon microwaved), 1 boiled egg white and 5 -10 white seedless grapes.

*** Most days I'd just have the smoothie, but liquid breakfast just doesn't cut it every single day for me. Sometimes I need something to chew!

Lunch Options

1. Whole wheat wrap with Spicy Lemon Tuna (tuna, lemon juice, parsley, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, parmesan cheese and a drop of olive oil mixed together) and a slice of cheese (cheddar or mozzarella), cup of tomato soup, 1 boiled egg white (put in soup sometimes), orange and water or tea.

2. 1 cup of fresh pasta or whole wheat pasta with spicy lemon sauce, pepper salami & mozzarella paninni (made with whole wheat wrap instead of bread) and water or tea.

3. Smoked Salmon with lemon & pepper in a whole wheat wrap, green beans drizzled with olive oil and seasons with garlic & chilli salt, 3 tiny new potatoes boiled with a small dab of butter and salt and water or tea.

Dinner Options

1. Pepper crusted baked macarel, cheddar and garlic mashed potatoes, sweet corn, green beans almandine and white wine or water.

2. Salmon cooked stove top in garlic & olive oil with crushed chillis served over pasta with a spicy lemon sauce (made with vegetable oxo cubes, lemon juice, garlic, a dash of cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and parsley).

3. Chicken curry (either Madras, Butter or Jalfrezi Chicken) with basmati rice, poppadums and garlic naan bread.

Snack Options

1. Sliced strawberries (over a spoonful of vanilla ice cream for desert)

2. Apple cut into quarters with peanut butter

3. Rice cakes (either plain or with peanut or almond butter spread on them)

4. 1 to 3 small pieces of dark chocolate

5. 1 scoop ice cream, sorbet or frozen yogurt

As you can see, I'm not the kind of person who would completely give up carbs, but I've had success in the past with portion control and just incorporating more fresh fruits and veg into my diet. I will NEVER give up curry night and I'm not gonna put myself on any kind of diet that feels like torture or prison! I'm also a married woman, so I need to make dinners at least that my husband will also enjoy. I think I'm off to a good start so far since he loved last night's lemon butter salmon with new potatoes and chilli garlic green beans!

But it's not just food! I need to get my booty moving! I've become incredibly sedentary since moving to England, partially because I'm not working I suppose. There's nowhere that I have to be most days, so I tend to stay home a lot. I noticed when my mother-in-law was here last week that I'm completely unfit! She was raring to go to all the tourist attractions and I was exhausted after only one! The difference is I am 30 and she is 75... I need to get fit!

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So I've ordered the Tracy Anderson Method dvd's! She is famous for being Gweneth Paltrow's personal trainer and her videos have been described to me as "dance based" so I'll love that! I can't wait to get these in! I'm also going to try to go for more walks and be more assertive towards my house work... i.e. I'm going to start actually doing my housework regularly!

SO... that's my plan! I am hoping to look bikini ready in no time and to trim up a bit before a few events I'm attending in the near future! But even if I never lose a dress size, it would be great to just have the get up and go feeling you get from eating well and exercise! So who's with me? Any tricks and tips to share? Any great healthy recipes? I would love to hear how all my readers are getting ready to bare skin in the skimpy fashions of summer! xo

*** I am no doctor and I'm certainly not a nutritionist. These are simply the foods and exercise methods that I am currently using. I am in no way suggesting that anyone change their exercise routine or diet without first consulting a doctor or qualified professional.