Tag: Review

Do The Unthinkable Weight Loss Plan Review

Muscle Food, famous for high protein food hampers, have a brand new weight loss programme called Do The Unthinkable. For four weeks I’ve given the plan go and now I’m ready to dish the lowdown on this new food and fitness plan. 

What is Do The Unthinkable?
Do The Unthinkable is a weight loss plan from Muscle Food. Every meal and snack is delivered directly to your door, along with access to high intensity workouts to complete each week and support from a Personal Trainer. The plan is designed to be followed for 12 weeks and is split into three phases, with each phase split into four week sections. 

My weight loss on Do The Unthinkable
Having completed Phase 1 of the plan, I’m delighted to share that I feel fitter, stronger and a lot slimmer. I also feel more in the know on what to eat for successful weight loss. That said, my final weigh in shows that I’ve actually stayed the same weight, despite feeling trim. I put this down to a few things that are completely on me and not the plan, the main thing being my birthday in the last week of the plan and having too many unplanned indulgences! I should also share that I have a really good skill at putting on weight quickly, so I’m sure if it wasn’t for those extras I consumed, my weight loss could have been a good 6lbs down! 

What I love about Do The Unthinkable weight loss plan
– Yummy food to your door
Having every meal and snack delivered directly to your door is simply amazing and makes eating healthy so simple! Each week I would receive a huge hamper filled with all the food choices I made online. Many of the meals to choose from just require heating up, but there are also lots that you can make yourself with the ingredients provided – I’m a big fan of the Peri Peri chicken with wedges and roasted veg. Overall the food was good.

– Easy to follow
When you sign up to Do The Unthinkable, you’re given special access to the plan online and here you can pick from a wide range of foods to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can also choose three snacks a day. Online you can access all the workouts you need to complete for each week and there’s a great Facebook group too, where you can ask a Personal Trainer and other members questions.

– Online support
I was really impressed with the online support you receive with the plan. The Personal Trainer is great at answering any question you have, as our the members of the private Facebook group you have access to. The whole community is really friendly, welcoming and full of inspiring members.

– Challenging workouts
The workouts are tough!

– 5 days on plan and 2 days ‘off’
There are several options available when it comes to the plan. You can decide to receive food for 5 days, 6 days or 7 days. I opted for the first option and enjoyed having my weekends free to be able to eat out or simply have the foods I’m used to making.

What I didn’t love about Do the Unthinkable
There are tons of positives to this plan and while I’m about to reveal the areas that didn’t work for me, I’m conscious that this is a matter of opinion and may not be a big deal to everyone. So please keep that in mind when you read on.

– Some meals are a lot tastier than others
After sampling quite a range of meals during Phase 1, there were meals that I really enjoyed and others that I personally found really disappointing. The less likeable meals were often low in vegetables or tasted quite different to the name given to them. Having meals and snacks that didn’t taste great was a little disheartening on days where I seem to have a run of ‘bad’ meals, however by week 3 I found my favourites and I picked all the meals I knew I liked. 

– Food boredom
Even though I discovered all my food favourite towards the end of Phase 1, I started to feel bored of having the same meals. I loved the idea of not thinking about meal planning and cooking, but (surprisingly to me) I found myself looking forward to making my own meal plans and recipes again.

– Workouts not for beginners
This is a funny one to critique the plan on, as while I ‘enjoyed’ the workouts and found them amazingly challenging, at times I felt awful doing them and wished there was a beginner’s level. However, a workout isn’t meant to be easy is it? And throughout the workouts you are advised to go at your on pace, so perhaps this one is on me!

– No cold lunch options
All the lunches and dinners you receive require heating up or cooking from scratch. Many can be just be put in the microwave, so it’s not that they’re tricky to prepare in any way, but on occasions when I wasn’t near a microwave or wanted to be ‘out out’ over lunch time, I found myself wishing for a cold lunch option that I could take out with ease. That said, you have plenty of filling snacks as part of the plan, so just make sure you have one of those with you until you can get somewhere appropriate to prepare your meal.

Following the plan as a mum
– Clear your freezer
I’m usually the household cook and although all my meals had been taken care of, thank you Muscle Food, I still needed to feed my family. I’m in the habit of having a well-stocked freezer of family meals, but I hadn’t anticipated just how much of my Do The Unthinkable meals would need to go in the freezer – almost all of it! So heads up – make some space before you sign up to the plan!

– Healthy meal ideas for everyone
My daughter is a huge copycat and often asked for the same meals as the ones I was eating (or a version of), so I ended up making similar meals for the whole family. For the most part this felt like a huge positive, as we were all eating healthy dinners together. It only became an issue when I couldn’t replicate the high protein breakfast pancakes (why can’t I flip pancakes!) and I ended up sharing my Do The Unthinkable batch with my 3 year old!

Would you recommend that plan?
Overall I enjoyed the plan and I would recommend Do The Unthinkable. I felt a huge sense of freedom and reassurance knowing the foods I would be eating during the week where going to be healthy and help me lose weight. The plan opened my eyes to new types of meals and snacks you can enjoy on a weight loss journey, along with portion control – which has always been a weak spot of mine. 

Although I’ve shared a few things I didn’t love about the plan, I wonder if this would change as I enter Phase 2 and 3, where I would get stronger and perhaps be given the choice of different foods to pick from.

I’ve always wanted to try a weight loss food delivery service, and I’m glad my first experience of one was Do The Unthinkable. The support from the Personal Trainer and Facebook group really is fab and I was always impressed with just how hard the short, at-home workouts were. 

Click here to find out more about Do The Unthinkable and how Josie Gibson got on when she followed the plan for 5 weeks.

A PureGym review

I’ve been in search of a new place to workout and I have finally ended up at my local PureGym. Here’s how I’ve been getting on at this mega cheap gym chain.

What is PureGym?
PureGym is a chain of gyms that offers super low cost memberships. There are clubs all over the country and many are open 24 hours.

I had heard good things about the gym chain and could never believe how cheap the membership is in comparison to others – subconsciously I perhaps thought the price meant that the gym would be super basic, but I was wrong.

My local PureGym
Equipment wise I would never spot the difference between this gym and another where you may end up paying triple the price; and did you know that PureGym membership includes a ton of fitness classes too? From spinning to kettlebell to dance classes – the range is amazing and I’ve really enjoyed trying as many new ones as possible.

PureGym gym review
I’ve been really impressed with PureGym and absolutely love all the classes – especially spinning. With the cost being low I also don’t feel guilty if for some reason I can’t make it to the gym, but that said I think it’s actually had the opposite effect; I’m going way more than I had intended because I can’t get over how cheap it is and how much you get included.

However, I am absolutely pants in knowing what to do in the weights section, so next job is to get au fait with the dumbbells and get my squat on! Perhaps I need to book some one-on-one sessions with one of the many Personal Trainers at the club, who all seem lovely too!

Cons of PureGym
I wouldn’t usually notice this and I’m really not a picky person but my particular club has an awful carpark – there are no clear spaces and it looks as though the ground itself needs resurfacing urgently. I’m also a bit suspicious of the air con in the Spinning studio – does it actually work? They say it’s on but I think that’s debatable! There’s no pool either, which doesn’t bother me, but just a heads up if swimming if your thing.

Would you recommend PureGym?
I would definitely recommend PureGym to anyone looking for a friendly and well equipped place to work out. Nice one PureGym, keep doing what you’re doing.

Treasure Cove Woking review

Woking has a new play centre and today I was able to experience all that Treasure Cove has to offer. You’ll find Treasure Cove where the almighty Blockbusters used to be and wow has it changed.

What to expect
This children’s centre is jammed packed with goodies to keep your littles ones entertained, and it’s surprisingly spacious. There are several themed areas for kids to enjoy, these include a dressing up area; a large ball pit pirate ship; a construction area; a place for toy babies and buggies, a music zone and lots more. To be put simply – everything young children love playing with.

Practical stuff – coffee shop and parking
There’s no on site parking but there are places to park not too far away, or you can park right in town and walk 5/10 minutes to the Treasure Cove. When you enter, you’re asked to leave your shoes and (if you have one with you) buggy just outside the main soft play area – the only thing is once it got busy, this small area (when compared to the rest of Treasure Cove) got a little messy.

The coffee shop was lovely and the cakes looked delicious, I didn’t spot any healthy snacks for the kids though and during busy times it could be a little tricky to bag yourself a seat in the main sit down area.

Overall thoughts…
We had a great time at Treasure Cove and I would definitely visit again. My only criticism would be the buggy park/shoe area and sitting area for grown ups was on the small side and could be a bit problematic during busy times – but isn’t that the case with all kiddy play venues! The toys and different areas for the children are brilliant and my daughter loved exploring it all. The staff were friendly and it’s lovely to see some life in a building that has been empty for so long!

**UPDATE** Since writing this review, you’ll see that the lovely folks at Treasure Cove have replied and it sounds like all the small things that maybe didn’t go as smoothly on my first visit, are being addressed. See the comments for more details and thanks again Treasure Cove for the reply – all the updates sounds great.

4 things I’ve learnt from training with my running buggy

At the start of Summer I decided to sign up to a 10k run, after many successful jogs with my phil&teds Sport running buggy. Although I was confident that i’d be able to get out and jog with my little one, I hadn’t been on many long distance runs, and I would need to if I wanted to feel my best in time for my 10k event. As that 10k approaches i’m delighted to share that we’ve done it! Training has gone so well and here’s a little of what i’ve learnt from the last few months buggy running with the aim to clock up those miles.

1. Make the most of nap times
Some of my best runs have been while my daughter sleeps or just after she’s had a good run around herself. It feels so satisfying to be able to use those times to train and to see my little one look comfy and content while I run; and not feel trapped by the nap!

2. Buggy running makes for a great day out
I feel lucky to have a running buggy that is easy to pop in the car and travel with, it also makes for a great everyday buggy too. The front wheel can be unlocked from running mode, making it super easy to push while walking and exploring. All of this means i’ve been able to incorporate visits to new parks and destinations, with a long run too. We’ll the pack the car with everything we need, have a good play and scout out a new running route before embarking on it. By the time we’ve explored a new area and had some lunch, my daughter is usually ready to climb into the buggy and rest her little legs; and that’s when I can start my run. It’s perfect!

3. Having a running buggy takes the guilt out of doing something for yourself
I’ve enjoyed running for a long time but after my daughter was born I suddenly felt guilty for wanting to get out and exercise; plus childcare isn’t always an option for me so I would feel incredible guilty for being so frustrated that I couldn’t exercise in the way that I wanted to. Having a running buggy has completely changed that. I no longer have to worry about when I can exercise, as I can simply do it with my daughter. I also feel like it’s had a really positive effect on her – she loves running, gets excited when she sees me in my running kit and heading towards the buggy and often says to me “run, run, run?”.

4. In hindsight, I wish I had invested in a running buggy sooner
I would highly recommend buggy running and the phil&teds Sport to anyone interested in being active with your little one, and if you want a sturdy, easy-to-use buggy with a big basket (great for shopping!). I’ve had my fair share of buggies and if I knew what I do know, I would 100% invest in a running buggy from the get go. I always thought running buggies were clunky, hard to push and only suitable for older children, but I was wrong on all of that.

Wish me luck for Saturday!
Chloe x

A Konga fitness review: the ‘spinning’ of dance classes

This weekend I experienced my first ever Konga fitness class – a workout filled with dance moves, boxing, toning, jumping and everything in between. I was expecting a slightly more intense version of a Zumba class but this was on a whole other level of fitness – it made me sweat more than a spinning class, take over 8000 steps in just an hour and burn over 600 calories; all with the best ever playlist to boot.

What is a Konga class like?
The studio was low lit (ideal for the body conscious like me), lined with disco lights and the air con on full blast – the perfect environment for a Saturday morning exercise class. I was greeted by the super toned and glamorous Katherine Hubbard, Konga fitness instructor; and a lovely group of women all up for a fun workout.

Kat explained that Konga consists of 6 rounds and each round includes 4 or so moves, performed to a single track. Before each round Kat would demonstrate the steps, which were simple but once the music started, felt intense and fast. The tracks Kat picked fitted perfectly to the fat burning, body toning steps that make up Konga – an exciting mix of cardio, dance, boxing and sculpting moves.

My Konga review – a workout not for the faint hearted and seriously fun
I’ve done dance fitness classes before where there have been so many steps and routines that I’ve completely lost my footing and hadn’t a clue what I was meant to do. Those classes have left me feeling as though I’d just spent an hour just falling all over the place, without burning any calories or breaking a sweat.

Konga is full on training that pushed my body to the max but was definitely fun. I loved the simplicity of the steps, the music and the structure of the class – easy moves and clear explanations but with a lot of energy and positive encouragement.

Don’t just take my word for it… “I absolutely loved Konga! A great high intensity and fun workout – the hour class flew by! Would definitely recommend.” Michelle

“I really enjoyed my first Konga class with Kat. It combines a full workout with music that makes it feel fun. Plus I was amazed to reach 8,000 steps during the one hour class! Would highly recommend.” Georgina

Plus, all the proceeds from this Konga class went to the Epilepsy Society, who are dependent on donations from the public to support those with Epilepsy.

About Kat
Kat teaches Konga in Wimbledon, London on Tuesday nights at 7.30pm and is open to hosting more pop up classes in areas interested in this new and exciting fitness class. Get in touch with Kat via her Instagram or book yourself on a class here.

Want to learn more about Konga?
Forget Zumba, have you ever tried Konga Fitness?
Could Konga help new mums get fit?

The worst prosecco brunch Wowcher voucher ever! Do not go to Roxy Bar & Screen!

I didn’t plan to write about this but as I did promise a few rants from time to time, here goes…

A few weekends ago I had a prosecco brunch booked for myself and 3 of my best mates. It was a treat we had been looking forward to since the start of the New Year and, from what we saw online, the venue looked pretty cool.

The day came for our brunch and first impressions were not good. The place looked run down and as though it was about to go out of business – maybe that’s why they had offered up a service on Wowcher.

At the door we were greeted by a very hostile women who was furious that we were about to walk in. She had apparently hired, and paid for, exclusive use of the venue. We had booked months ago and felt completely miffed as to how this could of happened. As much as this lady was a bit of a douche and I disagree with her shouting at us, we felt her frustrations – I’d be pretty pissed off too if I had hired a venue and 3 gorgeous chicks and their fat friend* rocked up for a brunch.

*That’s me by the way.

We go in and it looked disgusting, plus the tables on show had no chairs around them – they definitely weren’t ready to cater for us. The first guy we spoke to didn’t give us much, just said that the venue had been hired out and we couldn’t have our brunch there. After a bit of back and forth he then said we could go across the road and have our brunch. We couldn’t see what we thought the sister venue would look like and so we asked him to show us.

He takes us across the road to an even more gross pub. He offered us the first table by the door, underneath a TV playing footy – not really the glamourous location we had envisioned for our girls day out. The staff didn’t seem to care at all, or see why we were livid with this half-arsed solution. After a visit back to Roxy Bar & Screen the manager eventually appeared and offered us the table at the front of the original venue. Angry lady who had hired out the venue overheard and was about to kick off again. We politely declined his late offer and asked for a full refund, but because the brunch was booked through Wowcher, we had to go through them. He gave us his word that when he was contacted he would immediately agree to giving us our money back. We left and hoped he was telling the truth.

The next day would be refund request day, but for now we wanted to get some prosecco down us as soon as possible. As we talked about where to go next, we burst out laughing when we saw staff from Roxy taking brunch from the kitchen, across the road to their second venue – the vile pub. Is that sanitary? Surely not. Anyway, we were delighted to get out of there and so glad we didn’t end up eating anything made there.

Once we re-grouped in a lovely place round the corner, with glasses of prosecco, we had a look at the tripadvisor reviews of Roxy Bar & Screen. OMG, we so should of done this first, but lesson learnt. The reviews are hilarious and equally as disappointed with the venue, food and staff. Loads of reviews even included the spotting of mice!

The next day I went to log my complaint, and if you’ve never had to request a refund from Wowcher, I hope that you never have to. It was the most painful process ever, and eventually I had to go via a third party to get in contact with the company and request my money back. Thankfully Wowcher did respond, as did the manager of Roxy who tried to say that we had refused to eat there first – not because they first told us we couldn’t, or that the venue had been hired out for a private function. Sneaky Jay! (That was his name by the way.) Absolutely crazy, but I’m glad to end this review with good news…. we got suitably plastered on prosecco (ordered elsewhere) and Wowcher have given us a full refund.

Three things I’ve learnt
1. Never use Wowcher – I’ve had four awful experiences with them now
2. Always use tripadviser before booking anywhere – it’s so insightful
3. Never set foot anywhere near Roxy Bar & Screen near Long Bridge – awful awful awful place

Phil & Teds Sport buggy review

I have a new running buddy – my almost 2-year-old daughter and it’s all thanks to the Phil & Teds Sport buggy. I didn’t think I could ever be so excited by a buggy, but it’s honestly been so exhilarating to use, and here’s why.

Before children, getting my arse in gear to exercise was just a case of motivation – these days it takes that, plus coordinating nap times, feed times and my husband’s schedule – because apparently you shouldn’t leave a child at home alone.* However, I feel that could change a little now that I’ve got my hands on a Phil & Teds Sport buggy and I can run during the day with my daughter in tow.

The Phil & Teds Sport Buggy in a nutshell
For such a sturdy buggy, the Sport is really lightweight and easy to manoeuvre. It’s a 3-wheel buggy and the front wheel can be locked for when for want to run – this makes it a lot easier to control when you’re jogging. You can then unlock it with ease for times when you may just be out and about on non-running business, which it is suitable for too. It has a lot of cool features that make jogging with a baby and buggy easy and safe, plus it looks very comfy for little ones.

Key features of the Phil & Teds Sport buggy

Easy to activate emergency stop
My favourite feature is brake functionality. This may sound odd when I’m talking about moving with my daughter, not stopping! Anyway, you’ll love this as any parent running with their child wants to feel safe and able to stop quickly if needed. You have two options here, the first is to hold a slim red handle tight to the main handle (both are parrael to one another) and once the red handle is released, the buggy comes to an immediate stop. The second option is to attach an emergency brake strap to your wrist. As soon as the strap is pulled, i.e. if the buggy came away from you for any reason, the strap would activate the brake and the buggy would come to a halt.

A generous basket
I love the basket of this buggy, as it’s surprisingly large. Friends of mine will know I’ve been through my fair share of buggies and I’m often disappointed with the basket size, as I carry a lot of stuff around and I may pick up a few treats on my travels that I like to stuff into the basket too. The large Sport basket is ideal for carrying baby or jogging bits and pieces, as you definitely wouldn’t want to hang a bag off the frame when you’re being active.

A comfy baby seat with a large canopy, sun shade and pockets
If I was a baby, I reckon I’d be pretty comfy in this sports buggy. My daughter can’t fully talk yet, but there were a lot of smiles when she first climbed into the seat and she’s had several naps in the buggy while I ran too.

It has a lovely padded seat, with various recline options (the strap at the back kind) and a 5-point harness – which makes it easy to clip in and clip out your little one. The large canopy has an extra sun shade that can be pulled down for particularly bright days or low lying sun. The hood also has fitted side pockets that are really handy for storing a phone, keys, headphones and water bottle! I did try attaching the Phil & Teds cup holder, but my running style must have been all too much for it, as it didn’t stay on once I got moving!

It’s bright green
There’s no hiding is this bright green buggy, which actually made me feel safer crossing roads as surely no one could miss me! Side note, I hadn’t noticed that my trainers and running jacket have the exact same green colour in them as the buggy, my neighbours must think I’m a little obsessed with neon.

Would I recommend the Phil & Sports buggy
Yes I would! It was really lovely to be out and about with it, and priceless* to be able to exercise without having to depend on anyone else for child care. That said, I’m quickly learning a few tricks to help make a jog with your baby or toddler a lot easier. Visit my blog again soon for my tips on running with a sports buggy.

P.S
I should also mention that this sports buggy folds down pretty flat too, which in my experience of other running buggies hasn’t been the case.

philandteds.com/uk
Available at johnlewis.com
Read more: 6 super easy buggy running tips for complete beginners

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Footnotes
*I’m trying to be funny here, please don’t think I would actually leave my daughter home alone.
*This piece of kit I not priceless, but if you’re keen to keep active with your baby or toddler by your side, then it is definitely worth the investment – especially as it makes for a lovely everyday buggy too and has lots of features ideal for very tiny ones. RRP £449.00

15% Off Slumbersac!

A few weeks ago I posted a review of a Slumbersac sleeping bag. I shared it with the company and the lovely folks in head office have given me a unique discount code to share with my readers! I’m so chuffed! It gives you 15% off and is valid until December 24th 2016.

If you use the unique code below, I hope you’re as pleased with your sleeping bag as I was with mine. Simply enter the code below at the checkout for 15% off; and if you missed my review on the Slumbersac sleeping bag, click here to read it.

Diet Mum Feed Slubersac discount code: SBL07

Please note, the code is valid until December 24th 2016 and can’t be used in conjunction with any other offer. Enjoy!

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