I have spent so many years on fad diets and detoxes that just don't last or work. Meaning my weight was constantly yo-yo-ing but with no real weight loss. Medically I'm probably not considered over weight, I'm 5ft 6in and currently sit somewhere between a size 10 to 12. When I started this journey into healthy eating I was definitely looking to loose weight quickly but now I realise it's about maintaining a healthy balanced diet that I can stick to for...well forever! This combined with cutting down alcohol intake and exercising more should mean I can get to a size I am happy with and have more energy as well as improving my mental health.
A friend of mine was embarking on an 8 week challenge to see if clean living and extra exercise was going to change her body. I decided to do this as well but after my first week I realised that I could take the opportunity of these 8 weeks to change my diet into one that I could continue with after they were up.
My downfall is rewarding myself or cheering myself up on bad days with sweet treats. I have a major sweet tooth and could easily finish a big bar of dairy milk and a packet of Haribo Tangfastics by myself on a Friday night in front of the telly. If I was having a bad day I would treat myself to cream cakes or if I had been particularly good with my diet for a few days I would feel it would be ok to eat a whole pizza laden with cheese to myself as a reward. Treats no longer become treats if you are having them every day.
I'm hoping in the next few weeks I can start to manage this by swapping processed foods to home made treats. In my first week I have made everything from scratch including the sauces and dressings for my food. I've swapped to wholemeal pasta and brown rice as they are better for you and I've also cut out dairy and meat. I'm not saying this is for everybody as you can still have a perfectly healthy and balanced diet with those things included but as a personal preference they just aren't for me. I've found that I have less tummy problems when I reduce my gluten and dairy in take and to be honest I don't really miss them. OK...I lied...I miss chocolate...a lot and I'm not going to give it up completely i'm just not going to touch milk chocolate for the first 8 weeks....wish me luck with that.
For the most part this blog post is about sharing with you my first week and how I have managed to make tasty and healthy dinners, lunches and breakfast that are not boring or make me feel like i'm on a diet. I can't take all the credit for the food I've been enjoying a lot of the recipes are inspired or adapted from Deliciously Ella's app or cook books or things I have found online. Once you know the basics though you really can start creating some amazing plant based & Vegan meals and cheaply too!
And finally exercise is probably my biggest downfall as I get bored easily in the gym just running on a treadmill. I used to love going to a weekly Zumba class but since moving I've yet to find the perfect class for me. I will be joining a gym soon so that I can take advantage of their classes as I find this the best and most motivating way for me to partake in exercise.
I have also started changing little things in my day to add exercise in without noticing it. I'm fortunate enough that I can walk home from work, it takes about an hour and there are a few hills involved but it clocks up about 10,000 steps so its worth it. I've also started using the stairs instead of the lifts at work and come rain or shine I always try and get out of the office on my lunch break and take a stroll around the park. There are also YouTube classes online and free apps to help if you don't have access to a gym or park.
It's the little things that are really going to add and over time I will see a difference not only in my physical appearance but on the inside too with a happier and more positive outlook on life.
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A friend of mine was embarking on an 8 week challenge to see if clean living and extra exercise was going to change her body. I decided to do this as well but after my first week I realised that I could take the opportunity of these 8 weeks to change my diet into one that I could continue with after they were up.
My downfall is rewarding myself or cheering myself up on bad days with sweet treats. I have a major sweet tooth and could easily finish a big bar of dairy milk and a packet of Haribo Tangfastics by myself on a Friday night in front of the telly. If I was having a bad day I would treat myself to cream cakes or if I had been particularly good with my diet for a few days I would feel it would be ok to eat a whole pizza laden with cheese to myself as a reward. Treats no longer become treats if you are having them every day.
I'm hoping in the next few weeks I can start to manage this by swapping processed foods to home made treats. In my first week I have made everything from scratch including the sauces and dressings for my food. I've swapped to wholemeal pasta and brown rice as they are better for you and I've also cut out dairy and meat. I'm not saying this is for everybody as you can still have a perfectly healthy and balanced diet with those things included but as a personal preference they just aren't for me. I've found that I have less tummy problems when I reduce my gluten and dairy in take and to be honest I don't really miss them. OK...I lied...I miss chocolate...a lot and I'm not going to give it up completely i'm just not going to touch milk chocolate for the first 8 weeks....wish me luck with that.
For the most part this blog post is about sharing with you my first week and how I have managed to make tasty and healthy dinners, lunches and breakfast that are not boring or make me feel like i'm on a diet. I can't take all the credit for the food I've been enjoying a lot of the recipes are inspired or adapted from Deliciously Ella's app or cook books or things I have found online. Once you know the basics though you really can start creating some amazing plant based & Vegan meals and cheaply too!
And finally exercise is probably my biggest downfall as I get bored easily in the gym just running on a treadmill. I used to love going to a weekly Zumba class but since moving I've yet to find the perfect class for me. I will be joining a gym soon so that I can take advantage of their classes as I find this the best and most motivating way for me to partake in exercise.
I have also started changing little things in my day to add exercise in without noticing it. I'm fortunate enough that I can walk home from work, it takes about an hour and there are a few hills involved but it clocks up about 10,000 steps so its worth it. I've also started using the stairs instead of the lifts at work and come rain or shine I always try and get out of the office on my lunch break and take a stroll around the park. There are also YouTube classes online and free apps to help if you don't have access to a gym or park.
It's the little things that are really going to add and over time I will see a difference not only in my physical appearance but on the inside too with a happier and more positive outlook on life.
GRANOLA WITH BANANA, STRAWBERRIES, GREEK YOGURT & CHIA SEEDS
RED KIDNEY BEAN, RAW CACAO POWDER, OATS, HONEY, ALMOND MILK & CHIA SEED BROWNIES WITH GREEK YOUGURT, STRAWBERRIES & MAPLE SYRUP
BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE - BANANA, OATS, HONEY, PEANUT BUTTER, CHIA SEEDS & ALMOND MILK
GREEN GODDESS BOWL WITH HOMEMADE GARLIC & CAYENNE DRESSING
TOMATO & COCONUT VEGETABLE CURRY WITH BROWN RICE
BAKED SWEET POTATO WITH SAUTEED VEGETABLES & TOPPED WITH HALF AN AVOCADO
WHOLEMEAL PASTA WITH VEGETABLES, KALE & SPINACH & PESTO
I hope this has inspired you to make small changes to a new and healthier you :)
