Protein Pancakes with fruit compote - just some of the delicious, healthy food I have learned to cook on the 30 Days to Healthy Living Plan! ......and I made it!!! The last 7 days of the 30 Days to Healthy Living Plan was pretty much the same as all the other days to be honest - filled with great food and me being annoyingly chilled and happy.
Seriously though I cannot believe the switch in my mindset in just 30 days. I have always been an "emotional" eater; I eat when I'm sad to cheer myself up; I eat when I'm happy to celebrate; I eat when I have achieved something to reward myself; I eat when I'm angry.....anyway you get the picture. This last week has been a bit of an emotional one, saying goodbye to an amazing man, making life changes and decisions about the future BUT I have not turned to food to comfort myself. Rather I have been reading Jack Canfield (thank you Meghan and Greg!) and thinking rationally about my habits and default reactions to situations. Taking 100% responsibility for my decisions and reactions to the things that life brings me to deal with. I attribute this change in my mindset to the reduced "brain fog" which, I believe, is down to the reduced sugar and caffeine in my system. This new lifestyle has also resulted in a drop in my blood sugar levels to well within the normal range, plus a 15 pounds reductions in weight! Today I am wearing a pair of jeans that I couldn't zip up at the start of the 30 days. On Saturday I went cycling and it was soooo much easier without that 15 pounds. I have also noticed a massive reduction in my general anxiety levels. I normally travel through life with a knot in the pit of my stomach and a head full of "what if's". That has disappeared for the most part and I can only attribute that to the healthy eating! Above everything else though, is the fact that this lifestyle change is sustainable, healthy and enjoyable. So watch this space for further updates as I continue my healthy lifestyle. If you'd like to read more about the 30 Days to Healthy Living Plan take a look at the FaceBook group "Meg & Greg's Journey to Health & Wellness". Makes for some very interesting reading! Whilst writing this I have been thinking about when my consultants talked to me about the Plan and I remember thinking "it sounds as though this needs a real commitment from me; but it's only 30 days and I'm pretty certain I can do it for that long". I rather like the idea of committing to do something wholeheartedly for 30 days and then deciding whether that "something" will be continued with going forward in my life. So for the next 30 days, I am committing to exercising 3 days a week. I have to confess that life has been rather hectic over the past 6 months and this has lead to me being very lazy with my exercise habits. Between home life and running a business I haven't had the energy left to exercise regularly. However, my new healthy eating habits have given me a fabulous energy boost so for the next 30 days I am making the commitment to exercise 3 times a week. This is where you guys come in: I could do with some tips on:
Any suggestions would be really welcomed friends!!
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.......and I am loving the 30 Days to Healthy Living Plan! I have never tried anything quite like this before and, as you all know, I am a cynical old bird - but I can't refute the evidence. I am sleeping better, I have no bloating, my skin is good, I have more energy and I feel positive. One of the things that has surprised me, is that I am really enjoying the food and am not feeling at all hungry between meals. Now this is something of a miracle for me as I am always ready to eat; regardless of whether it is 5 minutes or 5 hours since my last meal! I I keep expecting the sugar and coffee cravings to kick in, but they just haven't appeared. I really believe that my mindset has somehow changed (maybe there is magic in the chickpea flour?). I had a bit of a mood wobble over the weekend which would normally see me diving for the biscuit tin but not this time. I went for a drive through the Peak District - which is absolutely beautiful at this time of the year - and that few hours on my own seemed to really do the trick. I came back feeling better and it dawned on me today that it didn't cross my mind to try and make myself feel better by using food. Now, I'm not naive enough to think that I won't ever self-medicate with Dr Cadbury's in the future, but for the time being I am out of the danger zone and feeling somewhat proud of myself. I'm still enjoying cooking each day and relishing the challenge of having to slightly rethink recipes to make them healthier. Yesterday was cottage pie with cauliflower and carrot mash instead of potatoes. Absolutely delicious! Lunch today was homemade vegetable soup with green lentils and buckwheat. Tonight I will have cauliflower rice in a stir fry. It's impossible not to love this Plan!!! My weight this week has dropped another 2 pounds - making a total of 12 pounds so far. Tantalisingly close to that elusive 1 stone mark!!! Fingers crossed for next week. As I head into my final week I am starting to think about what comes next at the end of the 30 Days to Healthy Living Plan and how I go forwards...........but in the meantime it's Shrove Tuesday tomorrow and I will be having protein pancakes with strawberry compote! I am now thankfully free of my cold and I find myself longing to get out on my bike or back into the pool. Weather permitting, Bolt and myself will be out and about at the seaside next Sunday. This mermaid needs some Vitamin Sea! ....but I have been full of a cold and spent most of the weekend coughing and spluttering. Definitely not conducive to writing! Anyway I am almost better now so here are my thoughts on Week 2 of The 30 Days to Healthy Living Plan.
I have to say that I am feeling great (apart from the cold) and have much more energy than usual. In fact normally when I get a cold it takes me weeks to shake it off and I usually end up feeling rough for some time. Not the case this time; feeling better much more quickly. I had a bit of a craving mid week and really wanted something sweet (no sugar on this plan remember). I think the craving occurred for numerous reasons: habit, feeling under-par and loneliness. However I told myself that cravings are a transitory feeling and it would pass, and to help it along I had a mug of hot cashew milk with cinnamon. Worked a treat and no guilt attached! My skin is much more hydrated and the dry flaky patches have now completely gone so I no longer look like a snake shedding it's skin. I also lost another 3 pounds, so that makes 10 pounds in 2 weeks - very happy with that! By far the best change so far though, is that my mood is much more positive and I feel as though I can look forwards to the future with excitement rather than trepidation for a change. As I write this I have just realised that I feel confident! I no longer spend hours berating myself and wondering what other people are thinking of me; do I look ok; is my dress too tight (ladies you know what I'm talking about!). Got to say folks, that this trumps all the other, many benefits of the plan! So - here is what I have learned in week 2:
I'll be back next week with more "insightful" musings ............... |
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