Well, I calculated a 2.5 mile amble around Henley during my efforts supporting my friend on his Challenge Henley Triathlon last weekend. Heh. He did very well, doing the whole course in just over 13 and a half hours, his first ever triathlon, and first ever swimming race - that's a 2 mile swim, a 112 mile cycle ride and a 26 mile run. That man has HUGE stamina and simply amazing GUTS. I only hope one day I can do a mini triathlon to emulate his determination. A great friend to have, showing me by example that anything can be done if one makes the effort.
Logging food intake continues, although eating well has gone a little awry recently. Still every day is a new beginning, and every day is a new challenge. I will get the hang of this eventually, so I can trust myself to treat myself well.
Raspberries coming thick and fast from the garden this week, yum. Been pottering around in there, enjoying the sunshine and the activity. Perhaps this Sunday I'll do another little amble around another pretty place. All movement is good.
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
getting moving again
My lovely sister visited this weekend and came bearing gifts! The best kind, non-fattening! Groovy shower wash that smells fab, all citrusy and full of get up and go to wake me up in the morning, and a nifty gadget to encourage exercise even when I'm sitting down.
This nifty bit of kit is a stationary cycle that I sit on a chair, or lounge on a sofa to pedal. Handy to get in a bit of aerobic activity when I would ordinarily be quite still. 5 minutes here and there all adds up :) Plus it is all good practice for when I can get back on my bike again.
I'm also doing a bit of strength training again. A few upper body exercises with some 1 kg, 1.5kg and 2 kg dumbells, some sit ups and leg raises, and a couple of lower body exercises. I read somewhere that strength training helps with bone density, and can decrease the possibility of osteoporosis.
Been out and about as well - to the garden centre, to the local shopping mall and pottering around in the garden. From being pretty much inert to just ambling about is a great improvement. I am certain all this activity is contributing to my positive mood.
Looking forward to next weekend. My athletic friend is coming to stay. He has signed up for an IronMan Triathlon in Henley, so I'm toddling along to cheer him on. Henley is a pretty town, so in between I'll be doing a little exploring, and getting in even more exercise!
This nifty bit of kit is a stationary cycle that I sit on a chair, or lounge on a sofa to pedal. Handy to get in a bit of aerobic activity when I would ordinarily be quite still. 5 minutes here and there all adds up :) Plus it is all good practice for when I can get back on my bike again.
I'm also doing a bit of strength training again. A few upper body exercises with some 1 kg, 1.5kg and 2 kg dumbells, some sit ups and leg raises, and a couple of lower body exercises. I read somewhere that strength training helps with bone density, and can decrease the possibility of osteoporosis.
Been out and about as well - to the garden centre, to the local shopping mall and pottering around in the garden. From being pretty much inert to just ambling about is a great improvement. I am certain all this activity is contributing to my positive mood.
Looking forward to next weekend. My athletic friend is coming to stay. He has signed up for an IronMan Triathlon in Henley, so I'm toddling along to cheer him on. Henley is a pretty town, so in between I'll be doing a little exploring, and getting in even more exercise!
Saturday, 1 September 2012
11 weeks
Autumn's here now and I'm 11 weeks into recording my food intake. Most weeks it has been a dismal record of how much MORE calories I am eating than the norm of 1800-2000 for an average middle-aged female, but I've kept on recording the stats, yay for me :)
Every morsel that went in my mouth got weighed, measured and logged. Keeping track of everything highlighted how in the months I didn't do this before, all those meals I ate were definitely even higher in calories from the unmeasured olive oil, butter, pasta, potatoes, not to mention the 'good' snack foods I used as treats: hand-cooked crisps and dry roasted cashewnuts, gourmet ice-cream by the bowlful - eek!
That was the bad. Now for the good.
Doing the food diary has helped me. I can see now how making informed choices can gain me the result I want. In my best week I had a day when my total calories were less than 1500 but my tummy was full, and my tastebuds were satisfied! It has also shown me how my depression is connected to what and how much I eat.
The week I felt best, I was eating plenty of vegetables and fruit, eggs, lean meat and fish, pulses, soya milk, soya beans, quorn products, lower fat cheese & dairy and minimum high fat cheese, minimum milk and milk products, minimum breads, grains and bakery products. My daily calorie average for that week was 2150.
When I felt worst, I was scoffing packets of biscuits, buttercream laden cake, huge platefuls of pasta, pizza, sugary puddings and desserts, hunks of cheese, whole loaves of bread, croissants, toast with lashings of butter, on top of my 'healthy' meals. My daily calorie average was just under 3500.
:D documented personal scientific proof!
Fruit+veg at every meal might be an idea, and to keep the starchy grain carbs down. My best good mood & well-feeling body meals were those that featured plenty of lean protein, and a large amount of veg. I found I do miss bread & baked stuff, so I am having them but in precise calorie documented amounts. Wholemeal rolls, which are delicious and filling with a tablespoon of mayo, sliced ham and salad. A pitta stuffed with veggies or accompanying a home made crushed chickpea hommos meets all my comfort food expectations and that food eye gets satisfied too.
The last 11 weeks have been a struggle. Some days I would wake up and doing anything was a real effort. Luckily, the routine of measuring foodstuffs has been helpful, as has keeping the diary. Week 10 was my most successful and most healthy week. Week 11 has gone a bit to pot, but week 12 is coming up, and as my fridge is full of fab veg, juicy fruit and soya milk getting back on the good vibe will be easy.
My brother is supposed to come visit today. I haven't seen him since the end of April when I had day surgery for spiking my hand trying to deseed an avocado. He's a vegetarian at the moment because it helps his psoriasis, and provides me an excuse to be creative in the kitchen! I really enjoy cooking, and love it when there is someone else to cater for.
I've been tossing around veggie ideas in my head and since the supermarket didn't send any cheddar, so instead of quorn chilli its going to be veggie fajitas tonight, yummy onions, mushrooms, peppers and courgettes with some Old El Paso packet seasoning with sour cream & chives, a ton of lettuce and some home made tomato & onion salsa. I might make some home made bread for my brother to take home. I've found making bread by hand is immensely therapeutic, especially accompanied by the radio!
I've discovered in my food diarying adventures that a little of what I really want makes me feel happier than lots of half fat or lo-cal substitutes. Sour cream is lower in calories than creme fraiche, and so much better tasting than zero calorie Slimming World recommended fromage frais. I get those mini chocolate coated ices on a stick, so a sweet treat is only 135 calories and I'm not filling the bowl with scoops and scoops of ice-cream. I don't buy as much cheese now, and when I do have it, I weigh it, so I know how many calories I'm having. I still get to eat cheese and biscuits - I get the low fat crackers now, and pass on the butter. This week I have some ricotta, so I think ricotta & spinach cannelloni slathered in home made calorie measured tomato sauce and a little parmesan might feature in one of this week's meals.
A friend pointed me towards the Hairy Bikers latest TV series - The Hairy Dieters. Those guys make me laugh, and I really enjoyed seeing how well they did. Inspiration too for healthy food that is full of taste & flavour. Yum. Really great too seeing them whizzing around on their bicycles instead of their motorbikes! Might get their cookbook and help them notch up their sales against EL James's Fifty Shades novel...
This week, I can see my ankle bones! I guess it is because of last week's good eating plus maybe I've lost a bit of weight, because it does seem a bit easier to get around and my knees are feeling good. I've also started doing a few handweight exercises, and sit ups & leg lifts lying on my bed. I'm trekking up and down the stairs, and boogie-ing in the kitchen to the radio. Getting down to the ground to exercise is a definite no-no still. I'm looking forward to the day I get to bend down again with straight legs without getting my guts in a painful squirm. And even better when I can paint my toes again :) Perhaps this weekend I will feel well enough and brave enough to get outside for a little walk. Part of how my depression manifests is the extreme reluctance to get out in the world beyond my front garden. Got to get over that, or my car battery will die again, hmpf.
My lovely friend came to stay a couple of weeks ago, and cleared my jungle of all the overtaking weed triffids. He pruned back all the roses and tied up all my raspberries, and best of all, cleared out a tonne of decrepit gardening stuff cluttering up the place. Eureka! I have a garden again! That really helped me feel better too, as I can go outside into the sunshine and feel good. This morning I had a raspberry right off the cane. Aren't they enormous!
This is an autumn fruiting variety, either Joan J or Autumn Treasure. Each fruit is about an inch long, massive, and really tasty. Hope more canes grow next year. I was too late to get the two plums off the plum tree, the birds had 'em, but I've got my eye on that lone apple gracing the apple tree. This year the wet weather has really played havoc with fruit trees, making insect pollination difficult and ruining blossom. Perhaps I will plant the plum into the ground once its leaves fall off and see if that will help it fruit better next year, and save the container for my ericaceous loving magnolia. The soil here is clay, which means my hydrangeas will always be pink!
I'm still not registering on my scales, so I guess I have a way to go yet. Here's to week 12 being a repeat of week 10, with food and exercise choices that benefit both my body and my head :)
Every morsel that went in my mouth got weighed, measured and logged. Keeping track of everything highlighted how in the months I didn't do this before, all those meals I ate were definitely even higher in calories from the unmeasured olive oil, butter, pasta, potatoes, not to mention the 'good' snack foods I used as treats: hand-cooked crisps and dry roasted cashewnuts, gourmet ice-cream by the bowlful - eek!
That was the bad. Now for the good.
Doing the food diary has helped me. I can see now how making informed choices can gain me the result I want. In my best week I had a day when my total calories were less than 1500 but my tummy was full, and my tastebuds were satisfied! It has also shown me how my depression is connected to what and how much I eat.
The week I felt best, I was eating plenty of vegetables and fruit, eggs, lean meat and fish, pulses, soya milk, soya beans, quorn products, lower fat cheese & dairy and minimum high fat cheese, minimum milk and milk products, minimum breads, grains and bakery products. My daily calorie average for that week was 2150.
When I felt worst, I was scoffing packets of biscuits, buttercream laden cake, huge platefuls of pasta, pizza, sugary puddings and desserts, hunks of cheese, whole loaves of bread, croissants, toast with lashings of butter, on top of my 'healthy' meals. My daily calorie average was just under 3500.
:D documented personal scientific proof!
Fruit+veg at every meal might be an idea, and to keep the starchy grain carbs down. My best good mood & well-feeling body meals were those that featured plenty of lean protein, and a large amount of veg. I found I do miss bread & baked stuff, so I am having them but in precise calorie documented amounts. Wholemeal rolls, which are delicious and filling with a tablespoon of mayo, sliced ham and salad. A pitta stuffed with veggies or accompanying a home made crushed chickpea hommos meets all my comfort food expectations and that food eye gets satisfied too.
The last 11 weeks have been a struggle. Some days I would wake up and doing anything was a real effort. Luckily, the routine of measuring foodstuffs has been helpful, as has keeping the diary. Week 10 was my most successful and most healthy week. Week 11 has gone a bit to pot, but week 12 is coming up, and as my fridge is full of fab veg, juicy fruit and soya milk getting back on the good vibe will be easy.
My brother is supposed to come visit today. I haven't seen him since the end of April when I had day surgery for spiking my hand trying to deseed an avocado. He's a vegetarian at the moment because it helps his psoriasis, and provides me an excuse to be creative in the kitchen! I really enjoy cooking, and love it when there is someone else to cater for.
I've been tossing around veggie ideas in my head and since the supermarket didn't send any cheddar, so instead of quorn chilli its going to be veggie fajitas tonight, yummy onions, mushrooms, peppers and courgettes with some Old El Paso packet seasoning with sour cream & chives, a ton of lettuce and some home made tomato & onion salsa. I might make some home made bread for my brother to take home. I've found making bread by hand is immensely therapeutic, especially accompanied by the radio!
I've discovered in my food diarying adventures that a little of what I really want makes me feel happier than lots of half fat or lo-cal substitutes. Sour cream is lower in calories than creme fraiche, and so much better tasting than zero calorie Slimming World recommended fromage frais. I get those mini chocolate coated ices on a stick, so a sweet treat is only 135 calories and I'm not filling the bowl with scoops and scoops of ice-cream. I don't buy as much cheese now, and when I do have it, I weigh it, so I know how many calories I'm having. I still get to eat cheese and biscuits - I get the low fat crackers now, and pass on the butter. This week I have some ricotta, so I think ricotta & spinach cannelloni slathered in home made calorie measured tomato sauce and a little parmesan might feature in one of this week's meals.
A friend pointed me towards the Hairy Bikers latest TV series - The Hairy Dieters. Those guys make me laugh, and I really enjoyed seeing how well they did. Inspiration too for healthy food that is full of taste & flavour. Yum. Really great too seeing them whizzing around on their bicycles instead of their motorbikes! Might get their cookbook and help them notch up their sales against EL James's Fifty Shades novel...
This week, I can see my ankle bones! I guess it is because of last week's good eating plus maybe I've lost a bit of weight, because it does seem a bit easier to get around and my knees are feeling good. I've also started doing a few handweight exercises, and sit ups & leg lifts lying on my bed. I'm trekking up and down the stairs, and boogie-ing in the kitchen to the radio. Getting down to the ground to exercise is a definite no-no still. I'm looking forward to the day I get to bend down again with straight legs without getting my guts in a painful squirm. And even better when I can paint my toes again :) Perhaps this weekend I will feel well enough and brave enough to get outside for a little walk. Part of how my depression manifests is the extreme reluctance to get out in the world beyond my front garden. Got to get over that, or my car battery will die again, hmpf.
My lovely friend came to stay a couple of weeks ago, and cleared my jungle of all the overtaking weed triffids. He pruned back all the roses and tied up all my raspberries, and best of all, cleared out a tonne of decrepit gardening stuff cluttering up the place. Eureka! I have a garden again! That really helped me feel better too, as I can go outside into the sunshine and feel good. This morning I had a raspberry right off the cane. Aren't they enormous!
This is an autumn fruiting variety, either Joan J or Autumn Treasure. Each fruit is about an inch long, massive, and really tasty. Hope more canes grow next year. I was too late to get the two plums off the plum tree, the birds had 'em, but I've got my eye on that lone apple gracing the apple tree. This year the wet weather has really played havoc with fruit trees, making insect pollination difficult and ruining blossom. Perhaps I will plant the plum into the ground once its leaves fall off and see if that will help it fruit better next year, and save the container for my ericaceous loving magnolia. The soil here is clay, which means my hydrangeas will always be pink!
I'm still not registering on my scales, so I guess I have a way to go yet. Here's to week 12 being a repeat of week 10, with food and exercise choices that benefit both my body and my head :)
Tuesday, 10 July 2012
Olympic torch fly by
Yeah, I have been re-inspired :) The Olympic Torch trundled past my house yesterday. I was out there waving my little home made Union Jack and enjoying being out on a street that is normally empty of people and full of cars being full of people and empty of cars. Fab.
Food diary-ing for the last 3 weeks. Getting a handle on my food intake again. Making better, and more conscious choices - again. I'm too heavy for my scales at the moment, so guess I will post a weight when I can get a reading! Lots of fruit, veg and good protein and little oil, butter, cheese & processed stuff.
Depression is a funny thing. The last few months have seemed endless, dark, dreary, dismal. A pit. The wet weather hasn't helped. The slugs have taken over my garden :( Not that I've really been out there much at all.
Today, the sun shone. I feel marginally happier. The sky is threatening grey again, but that memory of sunshine and heat is still in my head. Also helps that the curtains are OPEN. Got to laugh at my silliness. Small stuff is important when battling depression. My next goal is to beat the incipient agoraphobia. A visit to the library is long overdue. Maybe tomorrow.
Food diary-ing for the last 3 weeks. Getting a handle on my food intake again. Making better, and more conscious choices - again. I'm too heavy for my scales at the moment, so guess I will post a weight when I can get a reading! Lots of fruit, veg and good protein and little oil, butter, cheese & processed stuff.
Depression is a funny thing. The last few months have seemed endless, dark, dreary, dismal. A pit. The wet weather hasn't helped. The slugs have taken over my garden :( Not that I've really been out there much at all.
Today, the sun shone. I feel marginally happier. The sky is threatening grey again, but that memory of sunshine and heat is still in my head. Also helps that the curtains are OPEN. Got to laugh at my silliness. Small stuff is important when battling depression. My next goal is to beat the incipient agoraphobia. A visit to the library is long overdue. Maybe tomorrow.
Thursday, 29 December 2011
The week before Christmas 17-23 Dec
I had a plan - to bring some christmas cheer to my mum, who lives on the other side of the world. Well, it sort of came off, next year hopefully I'll either be there in person or we'll all have practiced... :D the plan was to have a Christmas carol singalong on Skype. Unfortunately it was mostly me singing, 'cos mum forgot to print out her song sheets - oops! Impediments aside though, we sang/mumbled Good King Wencelas, Hark, the Herald Angels, Silent Night, O little town of Bethlehem and the Holly & the Ivy. I'm going to expand my repertoire for next year :) AND get the piano tuned!
Been quite a busy week - last minute work stuff, and tackling the housekeeping mountain that is my abode. Sometimes I just cannot believe how much messiness one person and a cat can produce - of course much of this is a chronic dislike of disturbing dust because it makes me sneeze, and an ingrained habit of not bothering to put things away so I'm forever hunting for stuff and creating more mess by doing so. Heh - just with that last sentence I can see easy solutions to my domestic drama - keep place dust-free by regular small applications of dusting & vacuuming (no big clouds & dust bunnies to provoke my nasal passages) and by returning things to their proper place, no more tottering piles & calamitous chaos. I am reminded here, yet again of the efficacy of small steps. The canyon can be carved, the stalactite formed, the greatest journey made by small actions done repetitively and often.
Food & Scale News
I weighed myself on the 23rd - 23 st 10 lbs was my best number.
This I can certainly put down to scarfing pizza twice this week, having cheese & biscuits, croissants, butter, chocolates, and eating full-fat creme fraiche. In a doofus moment I picked up the purple pot instead of the half-fat green one...
I also did an analysis of my foodstuffs - way too much of processed foods creeping back into my menus, and a decided fall in the variety and amount of veg - eek! However I am pleased to report that my chocolate intake was 25% than last week, and I kept away from the mince pies (saving that treat for Christmas week!) Fruit was sufficiently high - I had 2 avocados as well as bananas & clementines. I love clementines, they're just so Christmassy! Heh - AND good for me ;)
Still getting through Christmas week itself, will post next weekend. Amazingly I don't feel like I've over-indulged to excess. I have had a good time and had plenty of festive treats and enjoyed my time with friends and family.
Been quite a busy week - last minute work stuff, and tackling the housekeeping mountain that is my abode. Sometimes I just cannot believe how much messiness one person and a cat can produce - of course much of this is a chronic dislike of disturbing dust because it makes me sneeze, and an ingrained habit of not bothering to put things away so I'm forever hunting for stuff and creating more mess by doing so. Heh - just with that last sentence I can see easy solutions to my domestic drama - keep place dust-free by regular small applications of dusting & vacuuming (no big clouds & dust bunnies to provoke my nasal passages) and by returning things to their proper place, no more tottering piles & calamitous chaos. I am reminded here, yet again of the efficacy of small steps. The canyon can be carved, the stalactite formed, the greatest journey made by small actions done repetitively and often.
Food & Scale News
I weighed myself on the 23rd - 23 st 10 lbs was my best number.
This I can certainly put down to scarfing pizza twice this week, having cheese & biscuits, croissants, butter, chocolates, and eating full-fat creme fraiche. In a doofus moment I picked up the purple pot instead of the half-fat green one...
I also did an analysis of my foodstuffs - way too much of processed foods creeping back into my menus, and a decided fall in the variety and amount of veg - eek! However I am pleased to report that my chocolate intake was 25% than last week, and I kept away from the mince pies (saving that treat for Christmas week!) Fruit was sufficiently high - I had 2 avocados as well as bananas & clementines. I love clementines, they're just so Christmassy! Heh - AND good for me ;)
Still getting through Christmas week itself, will post next weekend. Amazingly I don't feel like I've over-indulged to excess. I have had a good time and had plenty of festive treats and enjoyed my time with friends and family.
Sunday, 18 December 2011
Christmas countdown
Still tracking all food. This week has been rather full of indulgences. Since I discovered that lump of butter residing in my fridge I seem to have become obsessed with using it up! Part of this is also the feeling that one should not waste good food. Perhaps this is another of my habitual 'rules' for eating that I will learn to unlearn. That even if food is good, it is okay to leave it on the plate IF I am not hungry! :) Getting to that point might take a while yet, so in the meantime keeping tabs by weighing and measuring is getting me to a place I want to be.
I have indulged in
butter, mince pies, Roses chocolates
On the other hand
I have had 6/7 days of feeling happy with my tummy, my knees and my general well-being. :D
and all that butter comes to less than 100g, the sweets - around 24 individually wrapped chocolates, and 6 mince pies. Over the week. Not a gluttonous binge by any means.
I am finding that eating less or rather putting a smaller amount initially on my plate has resulted in my eating smaller platefuls and still feeling satisfied. Yes, I am down to eating 75g of paste and finding it a perfect amount! Hooray for altering ingrained habits!
I am still prone to giving in to the impulse to cook more than I need: for example this weekend I made rice, and cooked a whole cupful instead of half. Half is enough for 2 meals. I am pleased to report however that so far I have made two meals out of this quantity, and there are still leftovers... :)
Every little victory of this sort is such good news, I have to record it, so when I do look back I can see how I did it.
Over a year ago, I started this journal. At one point, I talked about how little steps done consistently will bring me to a different position in my life. And I am here now. I may not have lost much weight, but I have gained so much in understanding my reasons and habits that led me to gaining the weight in the first place. All this insight is helping me amend my behaviour so I can achieve this goal of being a healthier, fitter and ultimately happier person living a life I enjoy, and without the constraints I currently impose on it because of my weight.
I see all the weeks of 2012 in front of me, and I see lots of tiny steps getting me to where I want to be. And that is so good.
Scale news
Hovering between 23st 7lbs and 23st 11 lbs. So it may be a gain this week. Healthwise knees are feeling great, only a few aches and loose joint feelings elsewhere.
Happy Christmas to everyone, may your holidays be wonderful.
I have indulged in
butter, mince pies, Roses chocolates
On the other hand
I have had 6/7 days of feeling happy with my tummy, my knees and my general well-being. :D
and all that butter comes to less than 100g, the sweets - around 24 individually wrapped chocolates, and 6 mince pies. Over the week. Not a gluttonous binge by any means.
I am finding that eating less or rather putting a smaller amount initially on my plate has resulted in my eating smaller platefuls and still feeling satisfied. Yes, I am down to eating 75g of paste and finding it a perfect amount! Hooray for altering ingrained habits!
I am still prone to giving in to the impulse to cook more than I need: for example this weekend I made rice, and cooked a whole cupful instead of half. Half is enough for 2 meals. I am pleased to report however that so far I have made two meals out of this quantity, and there are still leftovers... :)
Every little victory of this sort is such good news, I have to record it, so when I do look back I can see how I did it.
Over a year ago, I started this journal. At one point, I talked about how little steps done consistently will bring me to a different position in my life. And I am here now. I may not have lost much weight, but I have gained so much in understanding my reasons and habits that led me to gaining the weight in the first place. All this insight is helping me amend my behaviour so I can achieve this goal of being a healthier, fitter and ultimately happier person living a life I enjoy, and without the constraints I currently impose on it because of my weight.
I see all the weeks of 2012 in front of me, and I see lots of tiny steps getting me to where I want to be. And that is so good.
Scale news
Hovering between 23st 7lbs and 23st 11 lbs. So it may be a gain this week. Healthwise knees are feeling great, only a few aches and loose joint feelings elsewhere.
Happy Christmas to everyone, may your holidays be wonderful.
Monday, 12 December 2011
First Frost
Saturday morning I woke up to a beautiful frost, all the ugly old flat roofs were covered in a gorgeous rime of crispy white. Darn, should have taken a photo.
Food news
Tracked every thing I ate again this week 3-9 Dec, good and bad. Overindulged in processed meats this week - note to self: chorizo is meant to be eaten in small tasty additions! However I can attest that Revilla chorizo is okay, but I am sure I can make my own homemade chorizo (a la River Cottage's Hugh Fearnley-W's inspirational show) where I can be absolutely sure what is in it. My Revilla chorizo had a few inedible chunks of cartilage in it! Black pudding & bacon all fried in just a teaspoon of oil, on top of sliced seasoned tomatoes on a pita made for fast delicious protein packed satisfying breakfasts. Pork sausages, the best kind, hit the comfort spot to ward off the frosty weather - good bangers & mash with cabbage and a couple of sausage & pasta meals.
I also made some of my own oven dried tomatoes - had a pile of cherry tomatoes rapidly rushing to overripe. These were absolutely delicious, and I am making them again.
I've found that I really am okay now, not eating so much butter. A 250g pack has lasted me over two weeks now! Still about 50g left... Previously I'd get through at least 500g in a week if not more. I do eat a little more olive oil - it was in my sardines that I mashed on my rolls this week, and flavoured the oven dried tomato notes in my Wiltshire ham rolls. Good food, responsibly portioned. Heh - I'm still a foodie, just a better behaved and less gluttonous one!
Good bread, I have found is just as nice without butter, as long as the topping I've chosen is squidgy and flavoured enough. Mashed avocado with lemon, salt & pepper. Mashed cannelini beans, with french dressing. Mashed sardines in olive oil (lots of calcium & omega 3 - yay) I'm not so keen on almond butter, or peanut butter on their own - those just are better with a little blob of jam or honey to counteract the clagginess.
My body is feeling much better. Creakiness is lessening, yay! I'm not at the gambolling and leaping unconcernedly stage yet, but here will come a point where I won't have to think about safeguarding my knees as I rush down the stairs to answer the door.
I'm also finding that my grocery shop bills are getting smaller. Wallet is getting a slim down too!
Didn't get my walks in this week - however did do quite a lot of going up and down stairs, and a good long walk around the supermarket. And I wrote almost all my Xmas cards this week.
Scale news
It is now showing between 23st 5lbs and 23st 9lbs. The trend is definitely down. And I am wearing a big cheesy grin!
When I look at my daily consumption, I am finding I do still eat quite a lot, but it is considerably less than my previous norm. So even at this level, I am still losing weight, and the plus side is as I am retraining my taste-buds, and down-sizing my average portion sizes, the process is slow enough that my body isn't feeling too deprived, and the panic famine mode where I go berserk and eat everything in sight are getting less and less. Beached whale days are definitely on the decrease :)
Food news
Tracked every thing I ate again this week 3-9 Dec, good and bad. Overindulged in processed meats this week - note to self: chorizo is meant to be eaten in small tasty additions! However I can attest that Revilla chorizo is okay, but I am sure I can make my own homemade chorizo (a la River Cottage's Hugh Fearnley-W's inspirational show) where I can be absolutely sure what is in it. My Revilla chorizo had a few inedible chunks of cartilage in it! Black pudding & bacon all fried in just a teaspoon of oil, on top of sliced seasoned tomatoes on a pita made for fast delicious protein packed satisfying breakfasts. Pork sausages, the best kind, hit the comfort spot to ward off the frosty weather - good bangers & mash with cabbage and a couple of sausage & pasta meals.
I also made some of my own oven dried tomatoes - had a pile of cherry tomatoes rapidly rushing to overripe. These were absolutely delicious, and I am making them again.
I've found that I really am okay now, not eating so much butter. A 250g pack has lasted me over two weeks now! Still about 50g left... Previously I'd get through at least 500g in a week if not more. I do eat a little more olive oil - it was in my sardines that I mashed on my rolls this week, and flavoured the oven dried tomato notes in my Wiltshire ham rolls. Good food, responsibly portioned. Heh - I'm still a foodie, just a better behaved and less gluttonous one!
Good bread, I have found is just as nice without butter, as long as the topping I've chosen is squidgy and flavoured enough. Mashed avocado with lemon, salt & pepper. Mashed cannelini beans, with french dressing. Mashed sardines in olive oil (lots of calcium & omega 3 - yay) I'm not so keen on almond butter, or peanut butter on their own - those just are better with a little blob of jam or honey to counteract the clagginess.
My body is feeling much better. Creakiness is lessening, yay! I'm not at the gambolling and leaping unconcernedly stage yet, but here will come a point where I won't have to think about safeguarding my knees as I rush down the stairs to answer the door.
I'm also finding that my grocery shop bills are getting smaller. Wallet is getting a slim down too!
Didn't get my walks in this week - however did do quite a lot of going up and down stairs, and a good long walk around the supermarket. And I wrote almost all my Xmas cards this week.
Scale news
It is now showing between 23st 5lbs and 23st 9lbs. The trend is definitely down. And I am wearing a big cheesy grin!
When I look at my daily consumption, I am finding I do still eat quite a lot, but it is considerably less than my previous norm. So even at this level, I am still losing weight, and the plus side is as I am retraining my taste-buds, and down-sizing my average portion sizes, the process is slow enough that my body isn't feeling too deprived, and the panic famine mode where I go berserk and eat everything in sight are getting less and less. Beached whale days are definitely on the decrease :)
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