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I decided to make James Wong's Watercress and Pear soup. 

1 large bunch spring onions 5 garlic cloves 1 thumb-size piece of ginger 2 tbsp olive oil 2 small potatoes 750ml vegetable stock 2 pears 2 bunches watercress Salt and pepper, to taste Sprinkle of crushed chilli and extra slivers of pear (optional) to garnish

1. Chop the spring onions and garlic. Peel and finely grate the ginger (or use a garlic press) to extract the juice.

2. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and gently fry the spring onions and garlic for 10 minutes. Slice the potatoes and add to the pan with the stock. Squeeze in the juice from the grated ginger, discarding the fibrous pulp. Simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Dice the pear. Wash and chop the watercress. Put the pear and watercress into a blender, add the potato stock mix, and purée.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve the soup garnished with pieces of pear and chilli, plus a dash of olive oil.

USE: Good nutrition is all about balance, and I think of this soup as being a nutritional booster - it's a healthy move if you can incorporate it into your diet once or even twice a week. On other days, eat plenty of dark green leafy vegetables, beans, lentils, cereals and nuts, which are also good sources of iron.

STORAGE: This makes about 3 bowls. Best eaten within 2 days.

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Tried gherkins for the first time today...new favourite food haha.

Surprisingly low calorie too! ( a whole jar is 80kcals, but the taste is so strong you wouldn't be able to manage the lot )

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Just back from the Gym.

I even played an hour of tennis with my Dad before hitting the gym.

Mannn, I feel healthy already :P

[thisbodyismytemple-blog]

If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere.

Frank Clark

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Ohh, so there IS a magic pill ;) haha

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People are getting fatter, there is no denying it!! But our food is getting a lot bigger too!

(From 1977 to 1997, hamburgers expanded by 23%)

We've been taught to 'clean the plate' from a very early age but with growing portion sizes accompanied by ever-growing waistbands maybe it is time to break this habit. Don't feel obliged to finish everything that's on your plate! 

Portion Control Advice:

Eating off smaller plates or from smaller bowls has been linked to the amount of food eaten ( if your plate is bigger than 9inches put it back on the shelf and choose another one!)

Restaurant portions are much larger than they should be. A way around this is to have an appetizer as an entrée. (No Fried Food though!!!) The lunch menu portions are generally smaller too, try to order from the lunch menu at dinner time.

The Doggy Bag; don't be shy. Ask the server to wrap up half your meal before bringing it out. It means your portion will be smaller and you will be able to have a yummy lunch/dinner the next day

Pay attention to what you are eating, if you eat whilst mindlessly grazing or watching television you will eat more. 

Read food labels, be careful because serving sizes can be misleading (e.g packet can contain two servings rather than one).

Cutting down portions WILL lead you to feeling hungrier!

To help combat this try to:

 drink more water

 eat fibre-loaded food

 eat lower calorie foods first

 eat slowly, putting fork down between bites

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If it is to be, it is up to me.

-Unknown

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If you're not drinking enough water here is an easy way to jazz up your water:

 Fill a pitcher with tap water or filtered water. Then cut up one lemon (and a lime if you have one) and add to the pitcher, along with some ice cubes if it happens to be a warm day.  Since doing this I have found myself drinking alot more water because it is so refreshing and the slight citrus taste is delightful (For an even more refreshing drink try adding fresh organic mint or perhaps cucumber it really works a treat) 

Enjoy!

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Never, never, never, never give up.

Winston Churchill: 

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Breakfast Idea...

1 Kiwi

1 petite filous

A couple of strawberries

A pinch of nuts / seeds of choice

flaxseed/vitality mix/linn seed mix.

Slice Kiwi and strawberries into thin slices. 

Put these into a small bowl, (I try to almost line the bowl with the fruit) then put the petite filous inside. Sprinkle the nuts/seeds and vitality mix onto the top and place any left over slices of fruit for decoration. (I like to have nice looking food)

I find it to be a filling, low calorie, tasty breakfast. 

AND I prepare it the night before so it takes minimal effort in the morning. 

Total Calories (without any nuts or seeds) : 104kcal

                     (with Sunflower seeds) : 150kcal

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Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.

Mark Twain

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Note to self: Swap unhealthy snacks for tasty fresh fruit and vegetables. 

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What triggered me to start this Blog...

I recently found out that a couple of my friends have started using diet pills. This concept to me is absurd. A little bit of research about the pills showed me they work by increasing heart rhythms because it contains alot of caffeine. All my life I have been told not to drink coffee because of a history of heart problems in my family, but surely, taking a large dose of caffeine to lose weight cannot be healthy. 

There is NO MAGIC DIET PILL, I am not a health professional but I am well aware that there is no diet pill that comes without side effects. I have done plenty of research about these pills and I have learnt that there are different kinds of diet pills. 

Appetite suppressants.  These work by increasing the chemicals in your brain that make you feel satisfied. 

Fat Burners.  These cause the body to burn extra calories by increasing the heart rate, they usually contain caffeine, aspirin and ephedrine.  

Fat Binders.  These work by preventing fats to be absorbed and digested.

My friends are taking 'Fat Burners' and I am honestly really worried about them. Most health professionals say the risks of these pills far outweighs the weight loss benefits. 

I just want to start losing weight in a healthy way. For myself and to prove to them there is another, safer and less chemical way to succeed and get the body we all feel under so much pressure to achieve.