Day 16/2.0 - The wrong weight

It's been a grand total of 16 days and I know I have not yet weighed in.  I am completely honest when I say that it's because I've just been too busy and I put it off until the second week, although of course I am two days late!  Either way, the show must go on...!

When I began 2.0 I was 12st 4.8lb...or... 172.8lbs ....or... 78.3kg.

This week I weigh in at ...

12 St 7lbs! 

or

175lbs

or

79.55kg

 

Like how I am catering for all my readers there?  Even the short sighted!

Before I even talk about how that is such a failure... there is something I missed out.  On day 2 I actually weighed myself again and I was suddenly 12st 8.4lbs.  I then weighed again on day 3 and it was still the same, as well as day 4.  So to confirm that actually I must have read the scales wrong.  How embarrassing.

I'm going to start this thing all again and above are the new measurements (yes, I weighed myself four times in different areas of the house just to make sure).

So by that token, in these two weeks I've managed to lose a pound or so and in theory that's not OK.  It's the smallest amount of weight I've ever lost at the beginning of any diet I've ever done - perhaps this is a good sign?

Reviewing back on the last two weeks, I know why I haven't lost a significant amount of weight and I'm completely at ease with it.  The first week I allowed myself to cook again, look at my nutrition intake and got the ball rolling.  I didn't want any pressure on myself so I didn't overwhelm myself.

Overwhelmed I wasn't, and on the second week I was happy to look at my portion size and start taking calories into consideration.  Again, I haven't been too anal about this whole calorie thing but I know what are my guidelines and my limits.  That's why the first week I would have lost 0 and this week I have lost a pound! 

On week three, I will be continuing calorie counting as well as keeping on with my running and therefore hoping to reap another pound or two off of this body!

On the exercise front, things are going fabulously.  I have completed my first week of Couch to 5k which means I have run three times now!  I run on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays before work and even though I have to wake up at the crack of dawn, it really helps to make the most out of my day.
I was really quite worried and nervous on my first week but I think I've learned to re-love running especially as this time round it's structured, less painful and I'm doing it alone.  A lot of people prefer to have running buddies and I did love having my Sister with me, but I love it equally alone because it gives me time to reflect and it keeps me strong and independent in the process so I know if someone gives me up, I won't feel like I should follow suit.

I really enjoy running in the morning; the mornings are peaceful and bright.  I love the park that I go to because I have a lot of nice memories there and it feels really safe and friendly.  I love running past all the happy dog lovers, the puppies and the babies; I even love being taken over by other runners because it keeps me going.  Above are pictures of the park I run at...isn't it beautiful?

The third time I completed the run I felt stronger and I know that I ran a further distance than I had previously.  I'm also quite proud that I didn't give up even though I felt exhausted.  In the end?  The day was energetic and positive.

Wish me luck for the coming week and good luck to you all,

Helen

Day 13/2.0 - Keep on moving, don't stop, no...!

  It's a fact, to me, that counting calories is probably one of the most hardest things to do on a 'diet regime'. 
With some diets all you have to do is only eat things that are green or pink, then some you look up a book to see how many points it's 'worth' and with others there's liquidating everything that passes through your gob.  There's not too much thinking involved, where as calorie counting (at least at the beginning) can sometimes be so overwhelming and at times, impossible.  A lot of the times it's really called 'calorie estimating' and that's only OK if you know your calories well...and if you eat the same things day in and day out.   Calorie counting can really bug my brain, but I know it works so I better shut up and keep on moving...

It's technically been two days (excluding today) since I started counting these calories and I have already met a lot of obstacles.  It's the same story about being surrounded by those who are not watching what they eat... and that story about going out to socialise always involving calorific food and completely misjudged choices.  I went out for Japanese food last night and while I know I could have done a lot worse, it wasn't my greatest triumph; nonetheless I know that's not this week's biggest problem.  Tonight I will be at a steak house (with vegetarian options) and I can smell the fat in the air already.  Oh Lord, please have mercy upon my hips.

Today is Day 2 of Couch to 5k and while I'm excited to complete my second day, I'm nervous about getting to work on time and looking a complete sweaty, delirious mess.  The really daft thing is that my body is not recovering fast enough and I'm aching as if I did the run just yesterday evening.... maybe it's old age! 

Whatever the obstacles are, one must face them head on and know they are the fact of life.  Just like how calorie counting is a bitch.  And how not doing it could leave me another year as fat as the year before (or fatter).

Have a good day everyone,

Helen

Day 11 of 2.0

Good morning everyone!

I am in extremely high spirits today...!  Yesterday I posted a quick video blog to voice my concerns about my exercise and how I feel like I need to start running again.  The reason why I did this was because it had been apparent to me how 'badly' I was doing at this weight loss thing over the last two days and it was starting to really bug me.  It bugged me in such a way that I was beginning to feel really insecure about my body image and this is a familiar feeling that creeps up on me every time I get to about this weight.  This is also a good feeling because I know when this happens, I start to lose weight again, at least temporarily.

However, this time at 2.0, I'm really going to give it a good thrusty stab and I will make sure I get to goal this time round.  I'm going through all the things I did last time (that I know worked) and giving it a go again.  So that means:

• I'm calorie counting once again, using Calorie Count's Website and also the Andriod App.  I'm going to log in my foods when I can and if I can't I will write them down in a book that I shall take to work. 
• As before I am giving myself a quota of 1200kcal a day.  This is recommended for my height and build as well as lifestyle, so when setting your quota, do not forget to find out what is best for you.
• I shall drink 2l of water a day, period.
• I am living on a mostly plant based diet and shall not be too anal.  I love that word.
• I will analyse and monitor my nutrition levels
• I am going to try and run three times a week.  It's going to be a rough ride with exercise to begin with but hopefully I will find something I enjoy and can fit into my schedule.
• Sleeping is the key to successful weight loss as it helps with recovery and energy so I will try my utmost hardest to sleep between 7-8 hours a day.
• ** Allowing time, minimum once a week, to review the diet and to write in this blog or make a video blog. 

That is it for now and I really hope I won't wonder too far from this plan because I think it's quite sound.  I'm going to go for my run later (possibly a few hours after lunch) and when I have sorted all of the things I need for this weight loss plan to work.

**I really do love day offs.  Which reminds me that a part of this plan really should have a guild line where I must allow myself time to be alone, sit and review this diet (as I am now) and refocus.  Yes, amended.

I am now going to doing other weight loss related things, stay tuned for an upcoming post about my Super Porridge recipe and everything about it!

Lots of love,

Helen

Day 2 of 2.0

Do you know what I love about having days like today?  It's almost all about me.  I know it sounds selfish but I really do think everyone needs to give themselves a lot of care and attention.  I almost always forget about my needs and that is why my diet goes out the window and that is why every few months I have a small breakdown and I end up feeling depressed.

The sun was beautiful today and it was a perfect wake up call to food shopping and spending time with the family.  I didn't manage to eat my healthy breakfast because my lie in turned into more sleep!  I was in trouble because they all wanted to have the cheap 99p fry up at Ikea before shopping and so when I got there I was nervous to say the least.  In the end I chose to eat a brown bread roll, with some marinated swedish fish thing... I know what you're thinking too.  I did my best and that's all I have to say about that nasty slip up!  The good thing is that I said no to hash browns (which is almost unheard of for me) and no to milk in my earl grey!

Anyhow after buying lots of nice lovely things (including a new beautiful aubergine purple throw for my bed and little preserving jars) and stocking up the now bursting fridge full of healthy goodies, I continued the day with lots of cleaning and organising.  Tomorrow I will continue to tidy up and see my Godmother for her birthday dinner - it's vietnamese and I think I won't have too much trouble!

The last thing I have to report is something quite special. 

I remember when I was really into the whole vegan routine I was constantly happy, content, calm and I was always drifting about in this sense of strange euphoria.  I loved it and it's what I've been searching for since eating my horrible diet recently has made me quite stressed out.  Today I watched lots of new videos that I have missed out on Heather's HealthyVegan Youtube channel and I started to get that feeling again!  Perhaps it's contagious but I know for sure now that I am much happier vegan and when I am, I no longer have that horrid guilt when I'm eating and there is no anxiety related to what I'm consuming.  I even learned how to make my own rice and oat milk in which I will try once I finish all the ones in the fridge. 

I have to say, things are looking up.

I'm going to bed quite pleased tonight, I know tomorrow I will be even more focussed.  I am visiting a korean supermarket tomorrow so maybe I can stock up on some interesting things for my kitchen!

Good night!

Day 1 - A willing start

I was sitting on the loo this morning and I stared at the scales for a long while, and I would be lying if I said it didn't cross my mind to ignore the fact that I had to weigh myself today.  Generally I'm not very afraid of the scales but what I am afraid of is knowing that afterwards, I have to accept that breakfast will be modest.  Oh dear. 

So this morning I weighed in at 12st 4.8lbs.  Again, oh dear.  For those who work in pounds, that's 172.8lbs or if in kilos it's 78.3kg. 

So I'm just under four pounds away from what I was last August when I began this battle, in other words, I'm pretty much back to square one.  Yesterday I promised to really give this a shot so Day 1 was all about preparation and no over-whelming myself.

I started off the day with a light breakfast of one slice of organic seed toast, with soya yoghurt and fruit.  Lunch was sushi which now in hind sight wasn't as controlled as it should have been, and dinner was black eyed beans and squash stew.  Not bad.
Breakfast and dinner were all modest portions and I even made sure to not snack on anything bad (in fact I didn't snack at all) and I got a bit of fruit in after dinner. 

Today's focus was preparation so I popped into my local health food store and began picking up my vitamins to make sure I give myself a fall back in case my diet goes horribly wrong.  The one thing about being vegan is that there is a concern about not getting your B Vitamins (namely B12) which is vital for your nervous system and brain function so I picked up a supply of those.  I have read that I can get B12 from raisins which, I'm not sure about, but I think I will try to include more of them in my diet.  I don't know if I should be taking them daily because I've heard lots of reasons why you should and shouldn't.  To be safe, I think I'll take it once a week to begin with.
I also got large bottles of quality Acai and Aloe vera juice to cleanse my body and give me great antioxidant hits in the morning.  I'm excited because while I'm used to drinking Aloe Vera juice every so often (I usually drink the one mixed with cranberry) I can now alternate and have Acai which promises me youthful skin for longer and an even stronger immune system - yay!

I also got a whole load of nuts and seeds because a colleague of mine was telling me about a breakfast he's been having for years that he swears has improved his health.  This man is in his mid 50s and he doesn't have any grey hair, he looks a lot younger than he is and still has bags of energy to work a crazy amount of hours and swim once a week.  Well, that's more than I can say for myself and I'm 22.  His secret, he says, is to mix his porridge oats with ground linseeds, walnuts, almonds, black sesame and goji berries or raisins and have that five out of the seven days a week.  He doesn't add any sweeteners either and suggests fruit or raisins (B12..?) sprinkled on top.
Another thing he suggests is to drink a large glass of water when you wake up and give your body time to wake up before you have your first meal.  I have heard this a lot before and so I'm going to give it a go - I'm still unsure as to why but hey, if it's going to make me healthier, why not?
So I got a whole load of those and ground them all up in a blender and stored them in little jars.  I even took advice from my bible, The Kind Diet, to toast some sunflower and pumpkin seeds and stored them in a jar too to sprinkle over my meals; that's my dose of Vitamin E, C, Magnesium, Fibre, and Zinc.  Apparently both these seeds contain phytosterols which reduces your levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol! 

It makes me quite happy to know my kitchen is armed full of healthy things, I do actually feel a bit more prepared.

Tomorrow I am going food shopping to keep my veggies stocked up.  I have to face a 'family' breakfast out tomorrow and I know it's going to be a bad breakfast...so I might wake up earlier to have my own meal before we go.  I just hope I don't end up with two breakfasts!! Wish me lunch...I mean, luck!

If at first you don't succeed...

Oh dear...I think I'm starting to look more pregnant than my pregnant sister...

I don't know how many times I've fallen off the wagon but I sure as hell know that this probably isn't the last time I'll have to pick myself up again.  I have no idea where I've been apart from lost in hell.

I wish I knew all the secrets; if you're asking me about nutrition, tips and tricks on how to be healthier and lose weight, I'm probably a fairly decent source to turn towards.  If you're asking me about how to stay on track and keep focused then I really can't help you.  For some reason I just haven't managed to stick to something without losing it halfway through.  This probably explains why I keep coming back and forth but one thing stays constant and that is my want for a skinnier body.  The only difference is is sometimes that want is stronger than other times.

Since I started this job over half a year ago, my 'diet' has slowly come to a halt and I can point my fingers at myself for giving into snacks and eating things that other people are also enjoying.  Bad things.  I know that because I work such long days, I also feel like I 'deserve' more food so needless to say portion control has absolutely flown out the window. 

My veganism is here one day and gone the next.  I am by no means a meat eater anymore; from time to time an adult will force upon me their meat offerings and to be polite I might try it but otherwise I have no desire for it.  I am, however, consuming dairy from time to time but otherwise that isn't too bad.
And processed food?   Gosh, I just don't know.  I have to say that I eat a lot of vegetarian substitutes these days because it's just quicker (i.e. vegetarian sausages) and find other strange things slipping into my diet that just shouldn't be there (jelly juice, anyone?).

You might remember that I started this journey in August 2010.  In that time I have lost about half a stone or so and now I find myself very close to my original weight.  I just can't believe it.  I sit here and think about how hard I worked, how much I ran and how good I was and feel so gutted that I've totally crapped all over that.  Oh gosh, now I'm really mad.

There must be flaw in the system that I used last time and I'm guessing it's just that I'm not giving myself more time to prepare my food and that I am saying yes to any food offerings.  I've become really greedy again.  I really am unsure about counting calories again but I know I must start somewhere.

Tomorrow is Monday and the great thing about this week is that I have taken four days off work.  I see this time as opportunity to restructure my life and give myself a chance to blog, prepare and re-educate myself.  I'm re-reading books that once inspired me to try to find that spark that will push me in the right direction. 

I will be back tomorrow with a full weigh in - which reminds me to always weigh myself once a week.  It seems that if I don't weigh myself, I actually forget I have a weight problem. 

Good night!

A Goal without a Plan is just a wish...

Recently I've been thinking about my next move in life whilst trying to get on with this strange phase I'm in and it occurred to me that everything seems to be a bit of a haze.  I know where I want to go but I am just at lost of what I want to do.  My motivation for it is also dwindling and I'm left really wanting to make things happen without knowing how.

I've recently finished university and having got my 2:1 BA Hons degree and said goodbye to education for good, I'm left finding my next stepping stone with great difficulty.  The only problem is is that they're everywhere and I don't know which one to step on because it either might fall through or I'll end up on the wrong path.  I keep worrying about it and whether to take this next leap of faith.  I want to believe in myself but I'm constantly worried about failure.  What if I work towards something and it goes wrong?  Would I have wasted time?  Would I be less of a daughter?  Will I be poor for the rest of my life? 

After much headache and restless nights I've finally come to the conclusion that if I just go through the motions and keep on where I am, wondering about 'what ifs' then I'm never going to get anywhere.  I want to be a bridal make up artist and I want to be slim.  If I can achieve those two things in this year then I will have done well.

I'm off to write my plan for the next year and we will see what happens.  As that horoscope says,. I'm freakishly optimistic all the time...sometimes to my detriment... all I know is that if I'm going in the right direction, I should really just keep going...

 

Good luck to you all!

Helen

Starting on a clean slate

The most wonderful thing about 'failing' is being able to start again and really going for it.  Not long ago I read up about my star sign and apparently being a Sagittarius makes me impossibly optimistic and determined, which is probably why I've been in the weight loss game so long and have not yet succeeded and kept persisting.  I've been trying for over 10 years now... I'm sure at one point I will succeed, right?

This morning I am cleaning and giving myself this day to re-structure my life and do the things I want.  I have made it a priority to have Thursdays to myself (at least the evenings) and therefore I will start my weekend the moment I finish work on a Tuesday.  This way I shall have time to refocus if I fall off the wagon and make sure I start the next week even better than the last.

I am about to start cleaning and when I'm done, I shall be living in a clean and tidy house, eating healthily and making money.  Look who's laughing now!  Me!

Hope you all have a nice clean day!

Helen

The Final Push

Ever since the horrific snow that hit us in the UK, I stopped riding my bike to and from work... which means that I haven't been riding my bike since because I completely fell off the bang wagon, again!  I kept thinking about it and moaning to my Sister about not doing it when all of a sudden she decided we would the next day.  Slightly stunned, I agreed and honestly felt nervous the entire night...and I had good reason to.

The next time we woke up to extreme wind and just awful weather.  Of course we went and it's the first time I've ever physically wanted to vomit after exercise.  It's just a 20 minute ride but the first day back was absolutely frightening and was enough to scare me from doing it for a while.  The bike is banished into the shed until the weather is warmer and I'm feeling more confident.

Nonetheless, I know that time is slowly but surely running out.  I still have not lost any weight.  That night I wondered what I should do instead, seeing as I just can't find enough time to go running properly and my bike fears are enough to make me want to cry.  I then found my skipping rope!

A year ago, or so, when I was trying to lose weight I bought a skipping rope in a bid to make work out fun.  Needless to say, it wasn't fun for long and that too was banished to some corner that I didn't look at much often.  However this time round I'm quite keen on the idea because it doesn't require running around in the dark or facing traffic in the morning.  It's supposed to be one of the best, cheapest and easiest ways to work up a sweat and work out the muscles.  So, it wasn't long when I went running one day and also bought it along with me to test out.

The run itself was what I had expected - painful and difficult - but the skipping really helped shake things up and although I am quite shamefully rubbish at it, it really worked!  I had muscle pains in places I didn't even realise I had muscles!  Since then, I've woken up once to skip in the morning and I intend to do it again. 

So time is running out for me and I'm still the same weight as I was last time.  Tomorrow is a better day and I'm sure I will wake up from this nightmare soon!  I just have got to keep believing! 

xx

Success....?

"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."

~ Sir Winston Churchill

Hello all,

It's been a whirlwind of madness since mid-Autumn and I'm feeling a bit whoozie from it all.  Lucky for me, school is finally out as I handed in my last essay last week and now I am just committed to working five days a week, helping out at my own shop and blogging.  Well, that's what I thought until I looked into the mirror and realised I still haven't dropped anymore weight!  So here I am, re-committing myself and trying to be as positive about it.

So what's been happening on the diet front?  It's been a bit of a shambles to say the least, as you may have noticed I tried to make a come back after Christmas having put on a couple of pounds and then failed.  I'm back here today, back to the original weight I was when I took my hiatus and I can't say I'm feeling completely confident.
What's happened is that I've given into a lot of my temptations, all besides meat as I'm still a vegetarian, but I'm finding fats and dairy in my gob constantly.  I'm always snacking due to the sheer boredom at work and when I eat, I eat quite a lot because I'm hungry.  I know I must be eating around 2000 calories or so having maintained weight (or sometimes gain) and it's got to stop....why am I consuming these extra 800 or so calories? 

I have to say, deep inside, I'm still the same snack-loving girl I once was.  I deal with boredom/anger/stress/pain/sadness with food and it never seems to stop.  For a while back, I used exercise to really help me but having a ten hour day at work really makes me exhausted.  I find myself sitting there thinking of ways to lose more weight and before I know it, I'm eating again!   I keep wondering and wondering and just know that time isn't going to wait for me to wonder anymore!

So I'm back on a very low calorie eating lifestyle and I will fit in exercise whenever I can as much as I can. This morning I realised that my skipping rope has just been sitting there for a long time so I'm going to really give that a go.  I really miss running and I just wish I could go, perhaps I will muster up the courage to go soon.  I keep feeling so stressed out about it, I wish this wasn't giving me such pain.  How was it so easy last time?  I need to find that motivation and willingness again. 

This is how I want and plan my life to be from now on:

-Wake up at 7am
Brush teeth, dress, apply cycling friendly make-up, drink water and fruit (for energy), pack protein shake and lunch
-Leave for work at 8.15am
-Get to work at 8.45am
-Leave work at 7.15pm
-Arrive home at 8.45pm
-Prepare dinner and lunch for the next day
-Jump rope for 20 minutes, rest and shower
-Cook and have dinner
-Sleep
-Wake up at 7am

Somehow on my days off I will try to incorporate some running or something.  But do you see how jam packed my life is and how difficult it is to maintain that everyday?  I want to be realistic and know that it's not possible to be perfect everyday but I feel like time is not allowing me anything less than perfection. 

We will see how I get on.  Also I would love to commit myself to blogging here as much as usual.  I know for a fact that blogging/vlogging really helps me focus and the moment I lose that, I lose my way.  I am asking for a lot of support at the moment and right now, I need to stand on my own two feet.

I shall report back how it is all going and with a new stats report this coming Monday.  I haven't failed because I haven't given up, I owe this to myself and my body, so here is to another big push for a better and slimmer Helen.

Much love xxx

Day 67?

It honestly kills to resume back into a weight loss type lifestyle.  My will to carry on halted around the end of October where a new job and new lifestyle began to take control and I have not been dieting ever since.  You may have seen that I've put on 2lbs and one or two inches, and to be honest it's not too bad but it's not great when you have a wedding in March.
My diet has been pretty poor compared to what it was when I was at my best and losing the most weight.  These days I rely heavily on convenience foods and dairy slips into my diet more and more frequently as the days go on.

When the new year came I finally felt like I could let go of my two month indulgence and restart what I had set to do in September and here I am, eating melon for breakfast and wondering how to handle the day.

The wonderful thing about a new job are new friends and acquaintances; that means more parties, gatherings, experiences and less time to concentrate on myself.  I've ended up in yet another food environment where everyday, all I touch is food and it's really made it difficult to forget all the yummy yet naughty things I once left behind.  I refuse to blame the environment... so I guess, I can blame time, right?

I've been banging on about how little time I have and what a nuisance it really is.  I wake up at 7am and come back home at 7.30pm, making it difficult to ever make three square home cooked meals.   In the two months I faltered, it would be steamed, sweet Chinese lotus buns for breakfast, rice and tofu for lunch and dinner would be something fast.  Wait no, those were good days.  Bad days?  It would be all convenience and even snacks which would include crisps, chocolates (the deadly dairy kind), cakes and biscuits. 

I have to say, being on that kind of diet again for two months has not only messed up my sleeping but it's also given me food swings and strange bowel problems. 

Alas I am done with complaining and finished with be upset at myself.  I've realised that the many obstacles facing me will never stop and I am just going to have to deal with it!  I am going to a new friend's house this afternoon for hot pot which is always fun and also laden with meat and fish.  I won't apologise for eating a bit of fish in front of friends but I will if I end up eating chocolate...which I will try my best not to. 

Exercise has been very poor and I'm really wanting to get back into my old routines again.  The only thing that is stopping me if my mind because to me, it's quite daunting to start what seems like square one again.  I keep asking myself "Helen, when are you going to cycle to work again?"  and "you haven't walked Happy for a while, that would be great", and the worst still "why are you not running anymore?". 

The answer lies in sheer laziness, and that's all I will say.  I don't want to make excuses because there isn't besides the fact that I'm always exhausted from work.  Still, that shouldn't stop me from riding my bike to work.

The one thing that has kept me on the straight and narrow this week is my checking in time with the scales.  This is one strange phenomenon I have to say will not work for everyone but only for those who, like me, love to be in control and forgets easily.  Mostly, 'the rules' state that constant weighing of yourself is bad for the mind and soul and particularly bad for your diet.  It's suggested that we do it once a week and the same time every week and this, I totally agree with.   However I weighing myself every other day helps to keep me in check and it reminds me to be good that day.  Perhaps this works only for those who have little obsessive behavioural tendencies (warning: do not do this if you can become easily obsessed!).  The scales never upset me because I understand it's just a measuring tool; when the weight creeps up, I know how and why and when and it is likewise when the weight drops too. 

Anyway my face mask is drying and it's time for  me to face life again.  I shall be back and hopefully the momentum will keep me blogging and keep me losing the weight.... pray for me!

FYI:  The last day I blogged was day 63 in October so I have decided to omit the two months I was away and just keep going.  So I am still on week 9 and it is day 67.

Much love,

Helen

Happy New Year...and I'm back!

Hello everyone and happy new year!  It's the beginning of a whole new year for us all and that means new opportunities, new starts, and many more triumphs.  For me, it also means that I have only two months to lose as much weight as I can before the wedding - eek!. 

I've taken a break for a while as I've been trying to adjust to a new full time working life but I'm back  - and it's only 8am in the morning.  So forgive my short and possibly brief entries but time really is money.

Here are my stats for the new year - you'll see I've put on weight and inches (boo) but I am more ready than ever.  I've worked out that if I were to lose about 2lbs a week, by the wedding in March, I should just be at 10 stones.  Cross your fingers and toes for me!

Weight:  12 stone   1.4lbs / 169.4lbs

Waist inches: 35.5 inches                                             

Hip inches: 41.5 inches                                                

Arm Width: 14.5 inches                                          

Thigh Width:  25 inches                                            

BMI:  32 kg/m2                                                      

Exercise: None

 

I shall be back for an update x

Day 63 ~ One MUST adapt when life changes....

Many apologies for having not been around, you'll forgive me when you find out how impossible it's been!  I've recently started a new job and to be honest I'm quite happy to be there and I do enjoy what I do.  The place is bustling with people most of the time, the staff are nice to me, my bosses are great and I spend a lot of time lifting things (yay for work out!).  The only downside is, is that I have almost zero time for myself for doing the things I once used to enjoy like blogging and making videos.  Want to know my real schedule?  OK....

On Mondays, Tuesdays I wake at 7.15am, go to work and come back about 7.30pm.  I eat, I rest and then I sleep. 
Wednesday mornings I wake up at 6.00am for university and then have the rest of Wednesday off.  I give myself this time to catch up with people when I'm out and about or run errands.  Thursday is another day off and I end up grocery shopping or doing things like house work, errands or resting some more before the battle of the real week comes.  The real week?  Oh. That's what's coming next.  Friday and Saturday I wake up at 7.15am, work and come back at 7.30pm, only to work until 10pm at my Mum's shop and then shower and sleep.  Sunday I wake at 8.15am and come back by 6.30pm.  This is the hardest part of the week and now, I'm truly exhausted.

So it begs the question...how is my diet going?  I didn't weigh myself officially this week because I literally forgot.  I weighed myself a few days ago and I was the same so that's OK.  I'm considering changing my weigh in days to Thursdays because it would make life easier. 
Also you may be wondering and yes it's true, I no longer have the chance to go to the Farmer's Market anymore!  I would try convincing Mum to do it but the chances are incredibly slim.  I'm very sad about that and still haven't quite gotten over it.  I will miss those gigantic cabbages, the sweet corn, the kai broccoli, Tuscan kale *dies inside* and amazing onions.  I will have to force Mum to go.

Now that I am working I have to bring my own food to work.  The funny thing is at my work place there is a given meal where everyone sits together to eat and it's a bit strange to bring my own as the kitchen lady is probably offended.  I'm still a full blown Vegan (it's a month today!) and I am eating very healthy still.  I think I'm eating more than usual but I am moving a lot more... 

But as for proper exercise, it's almost gone out the window.  In the last week I've been on a bike ride once but I haven't done any running.  I'm wondering how to get around this especially as the dark winter mornings and frost bitten evenings are coming....

In saying all of this, I am hopeful of the future and I will keep you updated.  This week has been hectic and I've also had to make do with the food we have left because we haven't been grocery shopping for two weeks now.  All will be well when my Sister is home, when groceries are back in and I can schedule in some exercise.

Wish me luck!  I hope everyone is doing well,

 

Helen

Day 54 ~ A sedentary week and a discussion with friends

This week has been absolutely appalling.  I'm not sure where time has gone but it's already Friday and I don't remember what I've done in the last four days; the only thing I do know is that I have not done any exercise at all.
I believe on Tuesday I spent all day shopping for a friend's birthday present and somehow just didn't muster up any energy to work out.  Wednesday was a completely booked day and today I just somehow did not have the time.  I still have the rest of the week to repent but tomorrow is out of the question and now I'm left with Saturday and the day of rest, Sunday.  I'm not sure what to make of this but I do know the lack of exercise is making me feel sick.  I'm not only getting sleepless nights but suddenly my bowel movements have changed and I'm beginning to feel lethargic  Considering all this and my period, which should be coming any minute now (why is it so late?!), I'll be lucky to lose any weight this week. 

Still, I have to stay as positive as possible.  My eating has not been too bad and I've remained vegan and eaten sensibly (it's hard not to on The Kind Diet).  I'm trying to add in even more greens to my diet and really trying my best to cut down on the soya and gluten this week because I have not been exercising.  Needless to say it's been a difficult week and I've eaten a lot of white rice which has not been great for the stomach (or energy levels).  I'm finding that I am snacking on a lot of bread and peanut butter - I really need to get a grip.

All of this is seemingly depressing and I really don't want to dwell on it too much.  Tomorrow is another day and I know I'm being highly critical.  Compared to the many mistakes I've made previously and the blunders of my old lifestyle, I'm living like a saint so I should really be giving myself a pat on the back.  I just wish everyday could be perfect but that's just not reality, baby!

The topic of 'reality' brings me onto something that has been on my mind since Wednesday evening.  Wednesday, being my best friend's birthday dinner, was a great opportunity to catch up with my friends and reveal my latest body for the first time in front of them.  I received some really lovely comments and the inevitable conversation of my diet and diets in general cropped up at the dinner table.

It was ever so slightly awkward when I eventually had to pop in the news that I had recently turned vegan.  There were a mixture of reactions all ranging from curiosity and what I perceived to be *roll my eyes* reactions.  I am not, for one moment, saying that my friends are judgemental but I guess having done this more than once in my life, you do begin to get a bit defensive.  The moment it came out, the jokes about failed vegetarian friends began and it was a mixture of laughter and bewilderment on my part. For the most part my friends were incredibly accepting, encouraging and lovely.   I totally understood why some people could not understand the concept of 'mock meat' and that's just a whole other can of worms. 
The night went on and the conversation moved from veganism to lifestyle choices.  Previously I had said that what I'm doing isn't a diet but merely a lifestyle change; my intelligent friends agreed, giving me peace in my heart knowing that I wasn't going mad.  However a friend, who is also going through 'lifestyle changes', said something that was incredibly thought provoking.

He declared that life is for living and that it was pointless to live miserably until you're 100 years old nibbling on leaves.  I found this particularly shocking because this is the same friend who I had managed to inadvertently inspire to eat more vegetables and start running.  I watched him as he shovelled meat, after bread, after fried good and after cake and wondered how much of that was true.

It's fair to say that no one wants to live life trapped under rules and regulations.   This is exactly why I've always said the first step to freedom is by letting go and by changing your mindset.  What boggles my mind is that this is the same friend who said out loud that he wanted to eat more 'raw' and become healthier.  Is he confused?  I'm pretty sure but what I do know is that he is a living example of why I decided to step over to the brighter side because I no longer wanted to be neither here nor there with my morals and values.   

Continuing on the subject, there are a few points yet to be made.  Many, many people live life 'to the fullest' by eating rubbish and treating their bodies like a trash can only to pay for it in the early endings of their lives'.  If that isn't one of life's biggest paradoxes then I don't know what is.  A particularly clued-in friend of mine agreed with me that the last thing you would want in a 'full life' is to have a painful and scary heart attack as your last memory.  What is life when treating your body badly inhibits everything you do? 
Needless to say the friend had little to say at the end of that conversation and I'm still very confident that what I said was completely true and more than a matter of my opinion.  It seems, it was a general consensus.

While I haven't exercised my body, I have definitely exercised my mind this week.  Today I had another conversation about the ethical reasons behind eating animals with my vegetarian Sister and this is another conversation worth talking about another time.  For now I want to leave you with a final thought:

We are blessed with the lives that we live and we are given the divine right to live it the way we want to.  Living life is not just about yourself, but it is about those around you and everyone that is affected by your existence.  By choosing to harm your body is to live selfishly and the impact of your health affects others a lot more than you could imagine.  If you have the choice, then make it a good one, one that will allow you to step up a level in life and allow you to lift others up with you. 

Good night.

Day 50 ~ Weigh in

OK let's be calm here and try to think of this in the best possible light.  I promise, I am not having a melt down.  This is, this week's weigh in stats.

Week 8:  11/10/2010

Weight:  11st 13.4lbs/ 167.4lbs                                 (+0.6)
Waist inches: 34 inches                                              (nil)
Hip inches: 41 inches                                                 (nil) 
Arm Width: 14.25 inches                                           (-0.25)
Thigh Width:  25 inches                                             (nil)
BMI:  31.6 kg/m2                                                      (+0.1)

For the first time in 50 days I have put on any weight - so by that token, I should be proud.  At the same time I'm feeling kind of *screams* because it can be slightly disheartening.  Let's not exaggerate, but I am slightly peeved.
Besides the fact that I've 'sort of' lost some on my arms, nothing much has changed besides having put on just under half a pound.  OK so what was the culprit?  Well let's see, I exercised well (although I didn't exactly push seriously hard), I ate out twice and didn't pick great choices (but they were the best I could at the time!) and I snacked on a few soya vegan treats.  I also really went crazy with the grains.
Well if you look at that you would instantly point your fingers at the outdoor eating and maybe the grains and treats.  However to make things even more complicated, I am going to be on my period soon.  So that's most likely it.  Not to mention when I'm on period I eat a lot more so I usually expect to put on a little bit and feel quite awful. 

So if we look at it now... putting on less than half a pound is actually pretty damn good, right?

So now, I'm happy again.

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Day 43 ~ Weigh in, Starbucks, Muscle and Spirulina

Just over six weeks now and I have some wonderful news!  Check out this week's weigh in results!

Weight:  11st 12.8lbs/ 166.8lbs                                 (-1)
Waist inches: 34 inches                                              (-1)
Hip inches: 41 inches                                                 (-1) 
Arm Width: 14.5 inches                                             (+0.5)
Thigh Width:  25 inches                                             (nil)
BMI:  31.5kg/m2                                                      (-0.2)

What great results for such an easy week.  I have lost another pound making me 166.8lbs!  I am that much closer (four pounds away) from the slimmest I've ever been as a young adult and I am ecstatic!  Hopefully I can reach that within a month or so.  The reason I am over the moon isn't only for the fact that I am skinnier, but I didn't have to even really try with the food side of things and I am seriously enjoying what I eat.  I guess a plant-based vegan diet really does help to shed pounds.  Also, I feel that my exercising is really helping and as long as I play my cards right this week, I'm sure I could lose more.  I wasn't expecting to lose any weight because I felt like I had over eaten but quite clearly I did SOMETHING right this week. 
Having lost an inch on both my waist and hips, I am feeling a lot slimmer.  Today I wore a dress I don't usually wear because it used to make me look extra big.  Today, I fitted well into it and it made me look good for once.  Hallelujah!  I'm not even bothered about my supposed gain on my arms because my BMI is going down and that only means one thing - I am further away from being obese.  All I have to do is hit 29 and I am no longer classed as obese but overweight - isn't that fantastic?!

---

Today I went out with a friend to Starbucks and I have to say, even with best intentions I managed to make some dodgy choices.  I was in the queue and looking from sandwich to sandwich, cake to cake, only to find that there is literally nothing vegan about any of Starbuck's food (besides their fruit salad), at least not at the store I was about to eat at.  I ended up choosing a mozzarella pasta salad (which was TINY) and a Naked fruit smoothie.  So I already broke number one vegan rule (er, don't eat dairy, love) but I wasn't going to make a fuss.   To top it off,  I found that in Naked smoothies, they add in corn syrup!  I could taste it and it was rather unpleasant. I have to say if I'm going to have a smoothie I will either make it or buy Innocent from now on. 
I hope this doesn't mean I have to eat fruit every time I end up at Starbucks - suggestions anyone?

---

Another happy thing that happened today was that I noticed I am building forearm muscle!  How odd!  It must be the combination of my resistance training and running, yes running!  You see when I run I make sure to keep my arms a driving back and forth (as opposed to swinging from side to side) and this seems to build up muscle because I know they ache even after a run.  So when my Brother-in-law said that his friend has amazing arms from just running, he may have been telling the truth.  No wonder why my arms seem to be getting slimmer - results!

---

The last thing I want to comment on is the monstrosity of Spirulina.   A lot of you know I've been searching for the perfect protein supplement for my work out and it's been particularly tough for me to find a quality vegan protein supplement.  I wanted to go as natural as possible so when I heard that spirulina could be the answer, I jumped into the research.

Not only is Spirulina packed with beta carotene (get lost, Cancer!) but it's got tonnes of other essential goodies (iron, minerals, vitamin B-12) and it offers 60% vegetable protein.  It's pretty much an anti-aging blue green algae that everyone needs to get to know.  With winter coming up, Spirulina can also help strengthen your immune system so you become stronger and more resistance to illnesses.  As well as all this, there have been studies that show it lowers cholesterol and for some it suppresses appetite so you can lose weight taking this magical green powder.  Also, expect to become even more regular with your bowel movements as it aids digestion and  now you can feel safer in our environment as Spirulina also cleanses and protects you from free radicals. 

Back to why I'm taking it, it is because I'm looking for something to enhance my running performance and recovery.  Apparently athletes have been using this stuff for a long time pre-work out or  before a competition as it gives them a massive burst of energy.  It also helps to create and mend muscle mass which is exactly what I was looking for. 

I picked up my Spirulina from Holland and Barretts for £11.99 and while that seems expensive, it's much cheaper than protein powders and it's natural and overall super.  I mixed it in with a banana and strawberry smoothie.  You know what?  It tastes ABSOLUTELY disgusting. It smells and tastes like eggy-mouldy fish and honestly it's not as yummy as it seems.  However I found a really large squeeze of a lime really helped so  I managed to drink the whole of my smoothie.  I have been looking into other recipes that mask the taste and some of it include things like tomato, chilli, ginger or celery.  I will have to update you on how well it treats my body and what kind of smoothie concoctions I make.  I also hear a raw Spirulina salad is worth trying - I'm not one to knock things before I try but that really does sound awful.

I'm off for a run tomorrow so I shall report back.  Happy October everyone!

Day 38 ~ Am I pushing too hard?

It's been 38 official days since I've been battling to shed the weight and it's just under a week of being Vegan.  Including tomorrow, the month of September will wrap up for me having exercised 12 times and we are now charging towards October where I will continue this success.

I particularly wanted to discuss the implications of pushing oneself to the limit and the extremist's line whereby once crossed, return is no longer an option.
I, am not an extreme person.  If you look at me there isn't much extreme about me besides being extremely obsessed with food.  The one time I took dieting to the extreme I came out the other end pretty ill so since then, taking the risk was just too much of a...well, a risk.  So these days when I look at myself in the mirror every morning and weigh myself every other morning, I find myself wondering whether I'm going a bit far. 

Don't get me wrong I'm not getting anywhere near anorexia and I'm not deluded.  I know EXACTLY what I'm doing and I understand that some of it seems a bit sick (hence this post) and I know how it helps me, that, I do not need to justify to anyone.  However I do wonder about some of the other things that goes through my mind.

Take today for instance.  Today was the second day of running (this week) and I always find Wednesdays the hardest every week because the day before I would have pushed myself so hard that I would be breathing in my sweat.  Nonetheless I was running for at least 30 minutes and it was more than I would have done otherwise.  So you would think I would be patting myself on the back, right?  On the contrary, I ended up really disappointed because I found my focus dwindling and I just did not push as hard as I did before.  I'm laughing now as I write this because I realise just how irrational that is but at the time, it was very serious and I was so annoyed.  The thing is, quite clearly, I expect a lot from myself and I am afraid of going back to being fat and having 'fat mentality'

Following on from this I'm finding myself losing my way through the Vegan diet because I am no longer counting calories.  In theory this is a good thing because I love being free of this obsessive behaviour but I'm worrying constantly about whether I've overeaten because there is no longer a measure in which guides me.  In retrospect, I can see that you cannot really overeat being the vegan I am.  The diet consists of almost zero saturated fat and I'm eating whole, nutritious foods and I'm giving my body exactly what it needs.  The trouble come when I feel like I've eaten 'too much' of something and it might be either my whole grains, soya, salt or, would you believe - fruit.  I know this is particularly stupid but this is EXACTLY what I'm saying.  It's not that I'm going to the extremes of my diet but I am thinking very irrationally to make up for what is seemingly like a no-need-for-control diet. 

What I have to realise is that the fact that having no rules is a positive thing, therefore when making the right choices, my control is regained and my worries are soothed.  I know that I'm over-thinking a lot of things and that I will put right as of tomorrow.  I need to learn to listen to my body more and allow that to be my measure, my 'points' or 'calories' and I need to think with my brain as well as my stomach.

~~~ 

Having written all of the above I do want to make a point of the fact that I really am starting to slip into my sugary habits again.  Having discovered the allowance and goodness of the likes of Agave Nectar and Malt Extract, I've been using it excessively to give myself that same sugar hit I was once addicted to.  I can see my snacking choices are turning from carrot to granola and I've noticed I'm giving into processed goods a little bit more.  Be it 'whole grain' or not, I do NOT eat processed, so why I was eating Taco shells today I do not know.  I'm not going to be too harsh on myself but tomorrow, I am a super hero vegan once again.

~~~

Day 32 - A leap of Kind faith

Without knowing it, today I actually lived a day of a Vegan and I have to say, it's been a particularly harmonious and stress free experience. 

Having read a lot 'The Kind DIet' by Alicia Silverstone in a day, I've taken on board a lot of things she has written and overall it's an extremely inspiring book.  It's taught me a lot about the body and not only do I feel like the research correlates with a lot of what Michael Pollan says in 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' but it also makes a lot of scientific sense (although I'm not a scientist myself, I do know how to use Google pretty efficiently). 
As I've mentioned, leaping into the vegan lifestyle was never my intentions (at least for now) and I wanted to 'flirt' with it and see how things went.   As far as I could see, giving up eggs, milk and fish was just too much of a sacrifice.  Having read through her book, it's become increasingly logical to abstain from these animals and animal by-products and really start healing my body with the good foods that Earth provides.  I don't know how long I can go without beloved salmon sashimi, cheese omelettes and milk smoothies but for now, I think I can go without.
In saying this, I do have something quite interesting to report.  At the very beginning on The Slimming Strategy, I found that my skin began to clear up and my acne was rapidly disappearing.  It was phenomenal for the first week and since the second week, it seems to come back.  Having made the connection between cutting out red meat, fried goods and processed sugary crap out of my diet I slowly realised that it had something to do with reintroducing something back into my diet that was causing my skin to flare up again. 
Alas, I realised that I'd suddenly given into some processed flour goods and started consuming more dairy than before (remember that huge lump of cheese we bought last Saturday?).  I looked through The Kind Diet only to find that my hunch was correct.  She says that with the hormone levels in milk (which by the way is designed for baby cows to drink, not adult humans) milk can break her out and make her fart a lot! 
So since  yesterday I cut out a lot more dairy and today I didn't touch any and strangely enough, my skin has started healing again.  I will have to report on how to this goes but as far as I can see... I'm experiencing some amazing things with this new life style.

Furthermore, one thing that must be cleared up is that I'm not actually using The Kind Diet as a method of weight loss.  Alicia makes it quite clear that by adopting this lifestyle, you will naturally lose weight and glow from within.  Having embarked on this new flirtatious adventure with the vegan lifestyle, I've realised that without knowing, I've become increasingly concerned about my health and body, as opposed to my weight and looks.  The Kind Diet has taught me a lot and reaffirmed a lot of what I thought about my body and how I wanted to treat it.  So for the last few days, rather than concentrating on calories, I've been searching through The Kind Diet and found that it suits my style perfectly.  Now it's about finding the balance between putting nutritious, wholesome foods into my body, eating the right proportions and exercising vigorously.  This journey continues....

~~~~

Talking about exercise, I've finally completed three days of running this week.  My body is absolutely exhausted and I am very tired.  Needless to say, I feel fantastic and I can actually feel my muscles now; before I wasn't sure they existed.  I don't feel like any weight is shifting but I'm assuming my body is getting used to a lot of changes and is just adapting.  I'm sure within time, it shall drop off!

~~~~

Finally, on to today's food

 
Check out what I had for lunch.  What do you think this is?  A bowl of rice?  Surely NOT Helen. No, it's not actually.  Today I used cauliflower (yes you heard me) as a substitute for rice and fried it with spring onions and mushroom.  The cauliflower, when mashed lightly into bits, gives a similar texture to rice and therefore can become a fabulous alternative.  It was a wonderful wholesome bowl of goodness that I ate with...

Crispy baked tofu with a fruit soy sauce.  When I perfect the recipe, I shall pass it on to you.

 

For dinner I made lasagne again!  This time I use courgette as my pasta sheets and used beans instead of meat.  We even convinced my brother in law to have the vegetarian version and he gobbled it all up.  His version had pasta and cheese, whilst my sister opted for pasta-less but with cheese.  I was a bit hardcore and skipped both pasta and cheese.

Do you see which section belonged to whom?  I was so stuffed by the end of it I'm almost sure I overate.  But I overate on carrots, peppers, onions, courgettes, tomatoes and beans....so I really doubt it was serious.

~~~

Seeing as I'm not exercising until Tuesday again (turns out, I'm going to be busy on Sunday) I will be back on diligent calorie counting. Let's hope tomorrow is going to be as equally as uplifting.

Helen

Day 30 - Cabbage Soup and Running hardcore

Cabbage Soup

I made the most amazing soup today; remember that gigantic cabbage I bought from the market for £1?  Well it turned into a really good wholesome soup.

 

 

 

 

The recipe is slightly tricky because I didn't actually note it down but I will give you a good outline so you can make your own.  This recipe is very filling, low calorie and wonderfully nutritious.  Even the non soup eaters at home gobbled it up.

For stock:

1. Boil (or pressure cook) prawn shells (or chicken or vegetables), onions, 3 bay leaves, black pepper and garlic together. 
2. For pressure cooker, cook for 45 minutes.  For normal boiling, boil an hour and a half.  Otherwise, boil less and you will get a milder flavour.  Or use a stock cube!

Ingredients needed:

1. A 'good' amount of Cabbage
2. 200g of Lean Smoked Bacon
3. Spinkling of Mozzarella
4. 10g of Butter
5. Tea spoon of minced garlic

Rough Method Outline:

1. Gently saute chopped cabbage with garlic until cabbage has softened slightly.  Drop in 10g or so of butter and stir.
2. Add in stock and allow stock to heat up
3. Pressure cook for ten minutes (or boil for 20 minutes)
4. Blitz the soup with a processor (I used a hand blender)
5. Drop in some mozzarella cheese and stir.
6. Bring soup back up to boil and drop in sliced bacon and shredded cabbage.  Stir.
7. Allow cabbage and bacon to cook and then season to taste. I did not add any salt because the stock was so flavoursome (again, stock has no salt!).

So I hope that was remotely useful and perhaps gave some inspiration.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Running hardcore

Tonight was a very special night for me because for the first time, since running, I've worked my body so hard I feel absolutely shattered.  Before I used to run I would be tired and sweaty but nothing quite like tonight. 

My Sister and I decided to go running in the park at around 9.30pm and we were accompanied by my brother in law who was roller blading around. We couldn't run around the park because a lot of it was too dark and a bit scary so there was one stretch that was close to the entrance and very brightly lit.  We decided to run from one end to the other on and on and on.  It was exhausting because we would run non stop to the end and I didn't work out how long that distance was but it's long enough for me to start losing my breath by the 4/5's of each stretch.  I was training my body to  use the oxygen intake efficiently and I found that each time I ran it became easier.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't easy for me.  I'm incredibly unfit but I am fitter than I was three weeks ago.  What a liberating training session and we are going again tomorrow.  RAWR!

I'm also seeking out a good reputable whey protein so I can start feeding my body the correct amount of protein for these intense work outs.  I am looking for one that builds lean muscle mass and this is important for fat burning so I can lose weight effectively.  I'm interested in the PhD nutrition Diet Whey and really excited about possibly purchasing it.  I feel like a frickin' athlete in the making.

I need to rest... I might dream about running now.

Good night!

Day 28 ~ Resisting the resistance, Running, Weigh in worries and 21 day challenge

I've been away for the last few days because it's just been a very abysmal end to the week and there hasn't been much to report besides that every day was a struggle.

The bladder infection seems to be coming on and off and so that situation is bothering me at times but it's not worrying me.  Funnily enough what is stressing me out the most is this familiar feeling of giving up and restlessness.  For some reason I've lost focus on what the actual objective of this whole new lifestyle change was and all of a sudden I'm finding white processed flour and fatty meats slipping into my diet.  I'm being on harsh on myself obviously because it's not like I've let slip that badly but I think what upsets me most is that my mindset is not right.

Don't get me wrong - I still love the way I was and am living.  I am very passionate about how my life is changing and my new embrace of natural eating but somehow the fire that was in my belly has turned onto a medium setting.  I'm not expecting to be hardcore all the time but I'm starting to panic because it's usually times like this that I just give up and fall back into my old routine.

In a bid to remind myself of why I'm doing this, I picked up "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan and began reading again.  I've been reading this since I bought it but I decided to read some more to see if it would do much.  Within a few minutes I was reminded about some of the reasons why I no longer eat fast food and why reading labels are so important.  I then re-listened to Alicia Silverstone's talk about The Kind Diet on Youtube and now, at midnight, my heart feels a little less panicked. 
It occurred to me that I had not yet bought a copy of The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone so I've ordered it alongside Peter Singer's Animal Liberation. Both books, I'm sure, will be detrimental to my ever evolving eating habits and I'm incredibly excited to receive them in the post this coming week. Perhaps they will keep me on the straight and narrow.

---

I haven't been eating too badly recently but my usual 50% fruit and vegetable intake seems to have gone down to a mere 40% and I've been reaching for the starches more often.  The recent weather change has not helped and is possibly the cause of my body's calling for comfort food. 
In a bid to regain my nutrient intake as well as satisfying my feeling for comfort, I will be making a lot more soups, warm and filling salads, porridge oats and vegetarian lasagne. I also have in mind to use my gigantic cauliflower that I picked up from the farmers market as a substitute for rice in a at-home, healthy 'Special Fried Rice'.  Don't know how to do this?  I shall post it up when I do it for you.

I went running again today so that's three days this week that I have exercised!  I am very happy about that and I want to continue making three days the minimum amount of times I work out in a week.  I'm enjoying running and very excited about progressing and running further.  In three running 'sessions' I've noticed that my fitness levels are already changing and I can run for a little for longer and further now.  I find it both shameful and hilarious that old men and women jog past me in the park and more often than not they will lap me over and over again.  Perhaps I can lap a fat kid one day when I get old. 

I almost know that I will not drop any weight this week.  I'm very in-tune with my body and I can tell when I have lost weight or even inches.  I think if there is change it's going to be minimal and I'm trying to work out why this is especially considering this week I did the most exercise.  A lot of people talk about muscle being more dense than fat and hydration issues, body hording fat issues etc etc but the truth is, I have no answer and I'm sure there is more to it than one straight answer anyway.  I take it that this will happen from time to time and I can't allow myself to think that a whole week was wasted (although that is how I feel).  I need to remember that a week of healthy living was a reclaim to life and if no weight was lost then at least life was gained.  Also another important note is that if you watch The Biggest Loser, quite often contestants find this happening in week 2 or 3 and they say this is normal because your body is still adjusting.  OK, I've finally talked myself out of being too worried about it.

The 21 Day challenge is also not going particularly well.  The first seven day has passed and out of the seven days I've only managed to wake up at 8am for three days.  Granted I'm still waking up in the morning but it's usually between 9-10am.  Again, I don't want to be too harsh on myself but I really need to pull the reigns in and start focussing. 

I come away from this post concluding that the new week is officially upon me and now it's time to refocus and keep reclaiming life.  It's time to re-educate and move on to bigger and slimmer things.  I'm slightly nervous about my weigh in tomorrow but what will be, will be. 

Tomorrow, I will make sure the week starts off with a bang.

Helen