THE TWELVE: Week 12

It's finally here! I've completed 12 weeks of clean eating, fitness and spiritual cleansing and honestly I feel great. As you read this I am currently spending the final day of THE TWELVE in Marbella, Spain because what better way to celebrate my achievements than with a cheeky holiday! One of the hardest things about deciding to make a change is actually doing it, implementing the change you want to see, but I'm so glad and thankful that I was able to do so successfully through the support of my friends and family. There's so much to unpack so I won't bore you with a super long intro but I can't wait for you to read through this post and see the grand reveal! Here's to Week 12:

(Monday-Saturday)

Breakfast: 

Belvita Blueberry Soft Bake and Skyr Mixed Berries Yogurt with Tea with 1 Tsp. Honey & Soya Milk (341 calories)

2 Slices of Danish Loaf Toast with 2 eggs (338 calories) (not pictured) 

1/2 a Bagel with Mashed Avocado topped with an egg (363 calories)

Lunch:

Leftover Turkey Burger Salad with Baked Plantain (300 calories)

Leftover Special Fried Rice (520 calories)

Basil Chicken Salad with a Braeburn Apple (300 calories) 

Sainsbury's Sweet Chilli Chicken Noodles with Asian Dressing (289 calories)

Sainsbury's Chicken Salad Sandwich with Apples and Juicy Water (521 calories) (would not recommend the sandwich it was very dry and I didn't end up finishing it) 

Dinner: 

On Monday I fasted with my Muslim colleagues for Ramadan and therefore only had one meal (pictured first above) - To break my fast I had Turkey Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries and Corn on the Cob. I will just round the calories up to (1000 calories) for ease of mind. 

Special Fried Rice (540 calories) (to celebrate my sisters new car!) 

Basil Chicken with 5 Grain Rice and an Apple (356 calories) 

Turkey Burger with Sweet Potato Fries and coleslaw (896 calories)

The Twelfth Star: 

*Updated* Seasoned Salmon with Sweet Potato Mash and Green Beans (493 calories)

I'm sure you've seen many Salmon recipes on my blog previously however this recipe is the updated seasoning which I think I may have perfected! 

Ingredients for Salmon: 

• 1 Salmon Fillet 
• 1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder 
• 1/2 Tsp Soy Sauce 
• Salt and Pepper to taste 
• 1/2 Tsp Mixed Herbs 
• 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika 
• 1/4 Tsp Cumin 
• 1 Tsp Olive Oil 

Method: 

1. Season Salmon with all the ingredients listed above. Make sure to cover both sides well and leave to marinate in the fridge for 30 mins.
2. Place marinated Salmon in a pre-heated oven and cook at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 mins or until cooked through. 
3. Serve with Mashed Sweet Potato and Steamed Green Beans and Enjoy!

Exercise

My final gym session (not for life just under THE TWELVE) was be done at my hotel gym in Marbella. It felt really great to have completed 4/4 gm days once again in my final week of exercise and I really enjoyed it. In this post I'll actually break down what my gym days looked like in order to maybe help you with your fitness journey. Just a disclaimer, I am not a fitness professional and can't help with specifics and this is just what worked for me. Please consult a Personal Trainer before taking on a regime.

Monday: 15 mins on Treadmill - 7.0 incline + 7.0 speed with 3, 1 min runs in between changing the incline to 4.0 and speed to 10.2. Then Ab Crunch Machine (4 Sets, 10 Reps) and Tricep Dip Machine (4 Sets, 10 Reps). Finally focus on 5 exercises (4 Sets, 10-12 Reps) using gym machines and weights which target the ABS.

Tuesday: 15 mins on Treadmill - 7.0 incline + 7.0 speed with 3, 1 min runs in between changing the incline to 4.0 and speed to 10.2. Then Ab Crunch Machine (4 Sets, 10 Reps) and Tricep Dip Machine (4 Sets, 10 Reps). Finally focus on 5 exercises (4 Sets, 10-12 Reps) using gym machines and weights which target the ARMS/BACK.

Thursday:  15 mins on Treadmill - 7.0 incline + 7.0 speed with 3, 1 min runs in between changing the incline to 4.0 and speed to 10.2. Then Ab Crunch Machine (4 Sets, 10 Reps) and Tricep Dip Machine (4 Sets, 10 Reps). Finally focus on 5 exercises (4 Sets, 10-12 Reps) using gym machines and weights which target the LEGS/BUM.

Sunday: 15 mins on Treadmill - 7.0 incline + 7.0 speed with 3, 1 min runs in between changing the incline to 4.0 and speed to 10.2. Then Ab Crunch Machine (4 Sets, 10 Reps) and Tricep Dip Machine (4 Sets, 10 Reps).  Step Machine (5 Mins/ Level 5). Finally focus on 2 exercises each for the ABS, ARMS?BACK and LEGS/BUM.

With exercise I would say do whatever works for you, just make sure a) you are challenging yourself by slowly increasing the weight and Reps you do and b) you are doing the exercises right. If you can do both of these you are sure to see results!

Spiritual Reflection of THE TWELVE

1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, so it all for the glory of God."

I'm so thankful to God for bringing me to this position today, where I am genuinely able to see a difference between myself twelve weeks ago, to today. I still have some more work to do, however I am so so confident that God can see me through it. I don't often check how many people actually read my blog, because I always believe that if I can touch just one persons life, then taking the time out to write these posts and cook this food is definitely worth it. I do this all for the glory of God and to show how amazing he is. There are hundreds of thousands of different types of foods and flavour combinations, and I think that when I cook and look after myself, it just shows the power of God in our lives. I'm really thankful and moved by this whole journey and I give all honour glory and praise to the almighty God for allowing my efforts to pay off.  So whether I eat, drink or whatever I do... CCC will always be for the glory of God.

THE GRAND REVEAL

This is what twelve weeks of conscious clean eating, exercise and spiritual cleansing can produce! I began this journey at a hefty 80.8 kg as seen on the picture on the left. Whilst my friends and loved ones would swear I hadn't gained too much weight (thank you I love and appreciate your kind words), I could see it and feel it in my body. I had rolls in places I'd hadn't had rolls in since 2017's Journey to the Summer series  and found myself buying size 12 clothes. Since then, twelve weeks later, I sit at a comfortable 70 kg! I look and feel much lighter and have started to buy size 8 clothes again (more of an excuse to spend money!) I'm so happy with my progress so far, however my goal weight is about 65 kg which I think I can accomplish! I'll take this opportunity to thank you all for your kind words and messages of support. You may not realise it, but every time you retweet, re-post or respond to one of my posts it really keeps me motivated and determined to deliver on my goal. A special mention to my girls (BGC), Sam, Dolly, Alfs, Dapo A. and Mo. Your support in this has meant everything and I really do hope I've made you proud.

This concludes another series but not the end of my weight loss and cleansing. I hope to keep you updated with my progress but for now, thank you and Goodnight.

CCC: Releasing your inner chef.