Accelerated Fat Loss – End of Week 2
At the end of week two and I’m feeling full of energy. In the past, I have usually done three workouts per week but have now increased my workouts to six. As you know from my previous posts the workouts are a mix of HIIT, Metabolic Effect and Kettlebells, and I walk for an hour on a daily basis. I do enjoy running but have some injuries that prevent me doing that at the moment, and so far, I haven’t missed it (apart from on those glorious sunny, cold mornings). The only thing that hasn’t gone well on the exercise front is trying to do my day 4 morning session and then kettlebells in the evening. Both last week and the week before I really struggled with the kettlebell session – totally lacking in energy, so this week I will stick to my morning workout only.
So, I’m at the mid point of the four weeks and stepped onto the scales this morning. My body fat has dropped by just over 2% which equates to a loss of 5lbs, and I’m really pleased with my progress.
Here is my food diary for last week. You will see that on day 6 I had some chocolate in the afternoon. I had breakfast quite late and didn’t feel like eating at lunchtime, then got hungry and had the kitkat. This had a knock-on effect later in the day when hunger and cravings took over, hence the late omelette. I also think this was a response to the extra training session on Thursday evening and not having sufficient carbohydrate to compensate – all part of the process of learning what works best for me.
Day 1: Omelette with salad greens and ham Apple and walnuts Cold chicken, rocket, tomato, 2 tablespoons brown rice with white wine vinegar Frozen berry smoothie with hemp protein Omelette with spinach (late kettlebell session so not very hungry)Day 2: Omelette with mushrooms and tomatoes Raspberries and almonds Stuffed celeriac with salad Greens drink with added fibre complex Roast salmon with broccoli and asparagus
Day 3: Omelette with avocado and rocket Greens drink with added fibre complex Beetroot and celeriac houmous with vegetable crudites Apple Spiced sea bream with peppers
Day 4: Omelette with peppers and rocket Apple and almonds Prawn salad with new potatoes Greens drink with added fibre complex Omelette with rocket and tomato
Day 5: Frozen berry smoothie with hemp protein Raspberries and walnuts Tuna salad Greens drink with added fibre complex Baked salmon with broccoli and asparagus
Day 6: Omelette with rocket, avocado and tomato Apple Half a kitkat Steak with roasted beetroot, new potatoes, broccoli and asparagus, garlic mayonnaise Raspberries Omelette with cheese and tomato
Day 7: Frozen berry smoothie Apple with walnuts Venison chilli with two spoons of brown rice Raspberries
3 Ways with Celeriac
OK, so it’s not the most beautiful looking root vegetable, but it tastes amazing and can be used in many ways. Celeriac is a good source of Vitamins B6, C and K, and minerals magnesium, manganese, phosphorous and potassium. It’s also a great source of dietary fibre and has a low glycemic load, so makes an ideal replacement for potatoes if you are trying to reduce the starchy carbohydrates in your diet.
To use celeriac in any recipe, first wash off any excess mud then cut off the woody root and peel off the outside layer to reveal the smooth vegetable underneath.
Stuffed Celeriac – serves 2 1 medium sized celeriac
a knob of butter for frying
1 medium onion, finely sliced
110g mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons walnuts, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 small glass of Madeira/Marsala/sherry
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 5. Peel and trim the root from the celeriac, cut it in half and cut a small slice from each half so that the celeriac with sit firmly, cut side up. Hollow out the centre of each half of the celeriac, leaving a thickness of about 2cm. Chop the pieces taken out and reserve.
Heat a little oil in a pan, season the celeriac halves with a little salt and pepper, and brown on all side. Remove from the pan and place on a baking sheet cut side up. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 40 to 50 minutes, or until tender (the length of time will depend on the thickness of the celeriac).
Next, melt a little butter in the pan, add the onion and chopped celeriac and cook over a gentle heat until very soft and starting to brown. This will take about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are starting to soften, then add the Dijon mustard and mix well. Turn the heat up and add the Madeira, mix well and allow to reduce a little. Finally add the walnuts and season to taste.
Remove the celeriac halves from the oven and add the filling, sprinkle over the chopped parsley and serve. This can be made in advance and reheated when needed.
Celeriac Mash/Puree – serves 2-4 depending upon size of root 1 celeraic root 2 small/1 large shallot, finely chopped a little oil for frying salt and freshly ground black pepper juice of half a lemon Optional: 2 tablespoons cooked butter beans 1 teaspoon chopped thymeThe celeriac makes a great alternative to mashed potato, particularly if you are trying to cut down on your starchy carbohydrates. This recipe is for a puree, but you can make it a little more chunky by adding some roughly mashed butter beans. When looking at glycemic load, butter beans have a better profile as they have less carbohydrate, more fibre and more protein than potatoes.
Peel the celeriac root and chop into even sized pieces. Place the chopped celeriac into a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer until tender – about 5 minutes. Meantime, heat the oil in a pan and soften the chopped shallot over a low heat. This will take about 10 minutes. When the celeriac is cooked, drain the water from the pan and return to a very low heat. Celeriac has a very high water content so returning the pan to some heat will allow the excess moisture to evaporate. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. When the celeriac has dried out a little and the shallots are soft but not brown, combine the two ingredients and mash together. To obtain a smooth puree this can be done in a food processor or using a stick blender. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and lemon juice.
This puree/mash can be made in advance and re-heated when needed, however, it doesn’t freeze very well.
Celeriac and Beetroot Dip
1 celeriac root
2 small/1 large shallots, finely chopped
1 small raw beetroot, peeled and coarsely grated
a little oil for frying
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1-2 teaspoons sesame seeds (depends on how big the celeriac is)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable crudites for dipping
The first part of the method for this recipe is the same as for the puree. Peel the celeriac root and chop into even sized pieces. Place the chopped celeriac into a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer until tender – about 5 minutes. Meantime, heat the oil in a pan and soften the chopped shallot over a low heat. This will take about 10 minutes. When the celeriac is cooked, drain the water from the pan and return to a very low heat. Celeriac has a very high water content so returning the pan to some heat will allow the excess moisture to evaporate. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. When the celeriac has dried out a little and the shallots are soft but not brown, combine the two ingredients and mash together. To obtain a smooth puree this can be done in a food processor or using a stick blender.
When the puree is smooth, stir in the whole grain mustard, sesame seeds and grated beetroot. Season to taste. This is a lovely vegetarian dip, so perfect to serve with vegetable crudites. However, it also makes a great accompaniment as a dip for cocktail sausages baked with a little honey and sesame seeds.
Accelerated Fat Loss – End of Week 1
So far, so good! I have been doing my workouts first thing in the morning apart from the addition of an evening kettlebell session on day 1 and 4. I enjoy working out in the morning, and find it gives me plenty of energy for the day ahead, but also enjoy the motivation of working out with other people, so do two of my kettlebell workouts later in the day with the gang at fitMK.
My food intake for the week has been similar to most weeks but I have just been very careful about my starchy carbohydrate consumption, restricting it to no more than 30g per day. Overall, I haven’t found this to be a problem, although initially I found I was experiencing an energy slump in the afternoons. In order to prevent this, I have changed the timing of my starch intake to lunchtimes. If you have read any of my other pages here on my web site you will know that I am a trained chef, so preparing and cooking food is something that I enjoy, but I do tend to keep my meals quite simple. However, I do have a reward meal once a week where I eat whatever I want, and this may be something I cook myself or a meal out. I drink plenty of water during the day as well as green tea. Here is my food diary for last week:
Day 1: *Omelette with salad greens and a quarter of avocado Apple with a small handful of walnuts Tinned tuna with salad leaves, tomatoes, mixed nuts and seeds, vinaigrette dressing with 3 vinegar to 1 oil Frozen berry smoothie with hemp protein powder and unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons oats, mixed with water Small omelette with salad (late kettlebell session, so wasn’t hungry)Day 2: *Omelette with salad greens and a quarter of avocado Black pudding with celeriac and shallot mash, roasted beetroot (rutabaga), carrots and new potatoes Apple Halibut with lemon juice and thyme, broccoli and asparagus Apple
Day 3: *Omelette with leftover broccoli and asparagus Apple and a small handful of almonds Prawns with salad leaves, tomatoes, chilli, mixed nuts and seeds and white wine vinegar Sea bream with lemon and chilli, broccoli, asparagus and roasted red peppers
Day 4: *Omelette with peppers Tinned tuna with salad leaves, roasted peppers, a quarter of avocado, balsamic vinegar Frozen berry smoothie with hemp protein powder and unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons oats, mixed with water Omelette with ham and salad
Day 5: *Omelette with salad greens and a quarter of avocado Apple with small handful of walnuts Tinned tuna with salad leaves, tomatoes, mixed seeds, broccoli and cauliflower “coleslaw”, white wine vinegar Handful of raspberries Baked chicken and onions with mushrooms and green beans
Day 6: Frozen berry smoothie with hemp protein powder and unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons oats, mixed with water Apple with a handful of almonds Black pudding with salad leaves and balsamic dressing Apple and walnuts Salmon with roasted beetroot and new potatoes, salad
Day 7: *Omelette with salad greens and a quarter of avocado Greens smoothie with hemp protein powder, rocket, spinach and cucumber Tinned tuna with salad leaves, mixed seeds and tomatoes, balsamic vinegar Chocolate cake with cup of tea Moroccan spiced chicken with broccoli, asparagus and carrots
*Omelettes are made with one whole egg and 5 tablespoons of egg whites
Root Vegetables – Roasted En Papillote
Beetroot & New Potatoes
A Great Way of Cooking Root Vegetables
There’s lots of lovely root vegetables around at the moment, and a simple and tasty way of cooking them is en papillote – in parchment. This is a great way of cooking many different foods, and cooking root vegetables this way means that you don’t have to be exact about the cooking time, so if you leave them in the oven a little longer than planned they won’t spoil.
Cut your chosen vegetables into equal sized pieces so that they cook evenly. The new potatoes in this photograph are cut into roughly 1 inch pieces. If you make them too large, then they will take longer to cook. Cut out a large piece of baking parchment and place your vegetables on it with a little oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and herb or spice of your choice.
Fold over the parchment and crimp the edges by making little creases and folds all the way round, forming a sealed parcel, and bake in a preheated oven 180C/gas 5. The vegetables will cook in their own steam, which really enhances their flavour. Take care not to burn yourself when you open the parcel as the steam escapes. Different vegetables take differing amounts of time to cook, so you might need to make separate parcels.
Suggested Combinations/Times: New potatoes, garlic, sea salt and Rosemary – 45 minutes Carrots with cumin seeds – 20 minutes Parsnips with fennel seeds – 20 minutes Beetroot with lemon thyme – 45 minutes Turnips with chilli and honey – 45 minutes
4 Week Accelerated Fat Loss
Liz Fryer
Over the coming months I will be experimenting with exercise and eating plans to determine the best way for me to accelerate fat loss. I will follow each regime for a 4 week duration.
My aim over the next 4 weeks is to determine the effectiveness of exercising first thing in the morning after an overnight fast, and to determine how much carbohydrate I need to sustain me by monitoring my energy levels, hunger and any cravings that arise. My diet will generally consist of lean protein, vegetables, good fats and some fruit. My starchy carbohydrate intake will be in the form of oats in my smoothies, and some new potatoes or brown rice with a meal. In addition to my meals I will take BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) on an empty stomach prior to exercise, and a fat burning supplement which contains EGCG from green tea.
My workout schedule is as follows:
Day 1 – kettlebells 1 hour including warm up and cool down Day 2 – HIIT (high intensity interval training) 30 minutes plus warm up and cool down Day 3 – Weight training – upper body 30 minutes plus warm up and cool down Day 4 – Metabolic Effect interval training 30 minutes including warm up and cool down Day 5 – Weight training – lower body 30 minutes plus warm up and cool down Day 6 - kettlebells 1 hour including warm up and cool down Day 7 – restI will update you on progress over the coming weeks. 
Amie’s Success
Amie before embarking on the programme
How the Metabolic Effect Helped Amie Achieve Her Goals
“I have always had difficulty finding a balance between exercise and eating what I want whilst still maintaining a good body shape, it has been a constant struggle with me fluctuating from a size 8 to a size 14 and I have never really been happy with my body.
I’ve tried gyms, running clubs and even exercise videos in my own front room to try and stay in shape but could never really keep up the motivation. On a friends recommendation I started the ME classes in July not really knowing what to expect.
The classes themselves are great fun using mainly static exercises to focus on toning and fat burn. They are completely different to a normal exercise class but not in a bad way, you focus on pushing yourself to a point at which you feel you can do no more and then rest, as Liz would say ‘rest is good’.
The group of people I exercise with are very motivational, and encourage each other. There is a good level of banter and sometimes you forget you are even exercising. Liz’s enthusiasm really helps the group to push themselves to the limit and the workouts she comes up with are constantly varied.
Aside from the ME classes I have also been following the nutritional advice offered by Liz and found the combination works really well. Changing little things in your diet can make a massive difference with ME! Liz is always on hand to answer any questions you might have and as much as I can be frustrating to work with she has an endless level of patience that has helped me achieve my target goals!
I set myself a target of fitting into a size 8 dress by the end of October for a wedding, and have been measuring myself using inches lost as opposed to weight loss as I didn’t really need to lose any weight but wanted to build muscle tone.
Amie after the ME programme
| Results | Start | End |
| Upper Arms | 11” | 10.5” |
| Thighs | 22.5” | 21.5” |
| Hips | 43.5” | 39.5” |
| Waist | 32” | 28” |
I had more energy and my wobbly bits were less wobbly. The ME program really worked for me!”
Book a session with us through www.fitmk.com and see how you can get the Metabolic Effect.
Jackie and Simon – Cookery Course Testimonial
Comments from Jackie and Simon after a bespoke cookery day.
“Liz is FANTASTIC!! And I mean this so sincerely. My love for food has just been delved even deeper because of a day spent with Liz and her cookery course. My wife and I have learnt new techniques and got some incredible tips to make our food taste another level.
So much was covered in one day, from bread making, to knife skills, cooking the perfect steak and learning how to prep and cook a range of fish. Liz is a fountain of knowledge on so many aspects of nutrition and healthy eating with fantastic flavours. I have told friends and clients about our day with Liz and already they are asking for her number as they want to try the same experience … we are in the process of arranging as many dinner parties as possible now to show off what we have learnt!
If you love cooking or love food, book a cookery session with Liz you will not regret it … you even get a decent lunch.”
Jackie and Simon Williams, 21st October 2011.
Gravadlax
Preparing Your Own Gravadlax
6 tablespoons fine sea salt
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground star anise 1 bunch dill
Grated zest of 1 orange
Method
It can take from 3 to 4 days to make the perfect gravadlax, so make sure you have sufficient time to prepare it before you actually want to eat it. Firstly, you need an exceptionally fresh piece of salmon, and you should ensure that it is kept chilled at all times, apart from when you are working on it briefly. Leaving fish at room temperature will allow the microbes that spoil the fish to multiply quickly.
The ingredients I use for my cure are listed above. Make sure you use sea salt and not table salt, as this will make the fish taste salty. Sea salt has a more subtle flavour. Also, don’t use large flakes as you won’t be able to cover the fish with an even cure. Here is a short video showing you how to apply the cure.
When you have finished applying the cure, cover the fish with some cling film and refrigerate. The curing time needed depends upon how thick the fish is, but it will probably take 18 to 24 hours. The curing process inhibits microbial growth by creating such a concentration of dissolved ions outside of the bacteria and mould cells, that the water inside the relatively diluted cells is drawn out across their membranes. The microbes dry up and either die or their growth is drastically slowed down. Salting will therefore dry out the fish as well as the microbes by drawing fluids from the tissues. You will find the resulting piece of fish will be firm to the touch. If it isn’t, then leave it to cure a little longer.
While the fish is curing, remove the dill fronds from their stalks and lay out on some baking parchment. Fresh dill is soft and will be difficult to chop unless it is dried slightly. You will find that as you chop it, it will clump together and then be difficult to distribute over your fish. Leaving it to dry for about 24 hours will make this a far simpler task.
When the fish is firm, rinse off any remaining cure and pat the fish dry with some clean kitchen paper. The fish now needs to be dried before applying the herbs, and this will happen by placing the fish back in the refrigerator, covering it loosely and allowing the air to circulate around it. You should always place cooked or ready to eat products at the top of your refrigerator, with raw products below, thus preventing any cross-contamination of raw with cooked food. The drying stage can take up to 48 hours, but is important as you don’t want your resulting gravadlax to have a slimy texture.
When the fish is dry, it will feel tacky to the touch. Grate your orange zest over the fish, distributing it as evenly as possibly. Next, chop your dried dill as finely as possible and cover the fish with it. I find placing the chopped dill in a wide meshed sieve and shaking it over the fish will help to distribute is evenly. When done, wrap your fish in some non-stick baking parchment and leave at least overnight in the refrigerator to allow the flavour to develop a little more. It is then ready to slice and serve. I find a honey and mustard dressing works really well with gravadlax, or maybe try horseradish or tartare sauce.
What Type of Fish?
Fish can be classified a number of different ways, but what is the purpose of classification from the consumer’s point of view? Well the main things to consider are: is the fish flat or round? White fleshed or oily? Freshwater or seawater? Of course, not all fish will fall neatly into these three categories, but most do.
So flat or round? This determines the bone structure of the fish and more importantly, how it is filleted. For those who aren’t quite so keen on eating your fish on the bone, a flat fish is a good place to start as the fillets lift easily from the main frame, and there are no pin-bones. The picture on the left shows a large halibut and some plaice. On the right, you can see a cross sectional cut on the halibut.
A round fish is a little more difficult to tackle as far as bones are concerned. In addition to the main frame, there is a rib cage and some pin-bones to consider. You can always ask your fishmonger to fillet the fish for you and many fish are available to buy in fillets. However, I urge you to try cooking your fish on the bone; it will have more flavour and the bones help to keep the fish moist. Below, you will see a selection of round fish, both whole and fillets. The large whole fish is a salmon and the smaller are bream. The large white fillet is from a cod, and the red partial loin is from a tuna.
Next question is white fish or oily fish? As you know, fish contain a beneficial oil in the form of omega 3, which is essential in our diet. White fish will hold this oil in their liver, and oily fish have this dispersed throughout the flesh. Examples of white fish are the ones you have seen above i.e. plaice and halibut, also cod, haddock, turbot, lemon sole and many more. Some of the oily fish available to us here in the UK are mackerel, herring, tuna, salmon and sardines. Knowing that a fish is oily or white also gives some ideas as to how to cook it. A white fish usually has a more delicate flavour, and an oily fish much stronger, so stronger flavours will work well with oily fish.
The final classification I have mentioned above is whether a fish is freshwater or seawater. There are two things to think about here – seasonality and taste. Freshwater fish are things like pike, carp, trout, and can have a slightly muddy taste. They are also seasonal, so are not necessarily available all year round. Seawater fish that make up most of our fish consumption are also seasonal. However, even though they may not be in season, they are still landed by the fishing fleet and are available to purchase. Again, two things to think about here. Obviously, fish being landed when spawning is something outside of your control. It’s in our best interests to ensure that the breeding stock is preserved and the authorities that manage our native fishing grounds do their best to shut down areas as and when spawning fish are identified. From the consumer’s point of view, a spawning fish will have a large roe which can be at the expense of the flesh, so less to eat, and the flesh is not a good texture during the breeding season. So, please avoid eating fish out of season.
There are of course some fish that are both freshwater and seawater, such as wild salmon and sea trout. These are fish that live at sea, but return to the river to spawn. The netting of these fish is controlled to help preserve stocks. They are fairly expensive, but absolutely delicious.
Metabolic Effect Workouts – New fitMK Timetable
The new fitMK timetable starts this week, with two new times and an additional new location.
We meet at the fitMK sign at Willen Lake. I have all of the weights in my car, so will park as close to the sign as possible. Come and find me in the car park. The same applies at Walnut Tree. Find me in the car park first to collect your weights. Book your session through www.fitmk.com