Weight Loss

  Looking for healthy mid-week recipes ? Try these spiced chickpea and kale-stuffed capsicums from naturopath Cassie Mendoza-Jones. Ingredients (serves 6) 6 capsicums, any colour (or one per person) 1 tin organic chickpeas, rinsed well 3 tbsp coconut oil 1 tbsp Moroccan spice blend Pinch of Himalayan pink salt 1 zucchini ¼ bunch kale Salmon fillets Dash of olive oil Method 1. Heat oven to 180°C. Cut the tops off the capsicums and de-seed them. Keep their ‘lids’. 2. In a bowl, mix together the chickpeas, coconut oil, Moroccan spices and pink salt. 3. Grate the zucchini and lay the strips over the side of the capsicums so they can be folded over before baking. Stuff the bottom of each capsicum with some kale, then fill with 1 to 2 tbsp of the chickpeas. 4. Fold the zucchini ribbons over the top of the chickpeas, put the ‘lid’ of the capsicum on and bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 minites or until the capsicums look cooked. 5. Serve capsicums with fish of your choice, grille...

After two pregnancies and battling her weight and body image troubles for more than a decade, Jessica Whaler has found her best post-baby body. I grew up a competitive swimmer and throughout my teens I only knew what it felt like to be super fit. When I quit swimming, after being so disciplined for the majority of my life, I threw myself full throttle into late nights, parties, drinking, smoking, late-night kebabs and hangover food. In my early 20s I started gaining weight. I have no issue with admitting that I used alcohol as a crutch socially and that I spent a decade comforting myself with food. I quit the nightlife and the lifestyle that ensued for the birth of my first son, but gained 30 kilos in that pregnancy, a post-partum weight of 95 kilos. In the years that followed I lost a total of 40 kilograms. The breakdown of my marriage by my son’s third birthday and the depression that followed caused my eating habits to wain and I became quite thin. I was not eating enough for my bod...

  Fitness model Jen's Jewell shares her protein pancake recipe. I start my day with a solid meal of protein and healthy carbs, which provides me with energy for the day right from the start and helps to provide fuel for my workout. Generally with breakfast I’ll drink both water and have one coffee with light, unsweetened almond milk in place of coffee creamer. Using the almond milk adds flavour without the addition of fats or sugars that many coffee creamers have. Ingredients  1 / 3 cup oats 4 egg whites ½ –1 scoop of whey protein powder 1 tbsp almond milk 2–3 strawberries or berries of your choice, chopped What You’ll Do Mix all ingredients up and cook on stove as you would regular pancakes Top with fruit and sugar-free syrup NEXT: View Jen Jewell's sample diet plan>> {nomultithumb}   Read more ...

  intro text here Ingredients (serves 4) 1 tbsp olive oil
 1 brown onion, thinly sliced 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger 3 cloves garlic, crushed
 3 long green chillies, finely chopped ½ tsp dried turmeric 
 2 tsp ground coriander 2 tsp garam masala
 2 potatoes, cut into large cubes
 2 carrots, cut into thick slices
 2 zucchini, cut into thick slices 425 g can salt-reduced chopped tomatoes 250 ml reduced salt vegetable stock 400 g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1 cup baby spinach leaves, washed
 1 cup frozen peas

 Method: 1. Heat oil in a large saucepan, add onion and ginger and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, chillies and spices and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. 2. Add potatoes and carrots and cook until vegetables are coated in the spices. Stir in zucchini, tomatoes and stock and simmer. Reduce heat and cook uncovered for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender and curry has thickened slightly. Add chickpeas and stir. 3. Add peas and spina...

    Confused about the latest beauty balms and colour correcting products? We’ve got the lowdown.. BB cream “BB stands for ‘beauty balm’ – they’re meant to be time-saving products that combine colour, moisture, treatment ingredients, and sun protection in one product,” says  Bryan Barron, research and content director at Paula’s Choice Skincare.  CC cream “CC isn’t as firmly defined, but typically stands for ‘colour and correct’; think of them as liquid foundations that, when well formulated, also contain ‘corrective’ ingredients, usually those that fight signs of ageing,” he says.  Tinted moisturiser “BB creams and tinted moisturisers are practically interchangeable depending on which products you are looking at. There is very little consistency between brands,” says Barron.     {nomultithumb}     Read more ...

Can you beat age-related weight gain? We asked the experts for their diet and exercise tips for women in their 30s, 40s and 50s.  What is the 'middle age spread'? The term 'middle-age spread' has been etched into ageing lore, yet unflattering connotations ignore the naturalness of physiological change. Expecting to weigh the same at 30 as 18 is folly according to clinical psychologist Louise Adams from Treat Yourself Well . "Our body weight at age 18 is for many of us the lightest we have ever been," says Adams. "We may not have stopped growing at that point and may not have reached full maturity. Weight gain as we age is quite normal and body shape and size can change over our lifetime. Sticking to a weight from many years ago is unrealistic for the vast majority of us. It's similar to remembering how your skin looked as a teenager and expecting the same in middle age." The other sticking point in weight expectations is that many of us expe...