Fruity mush

13st11
3lb gained this week
10lbs lost
3st11lbs to go

My weight wasn’t too bad today. 3lbs lighter than at the beginning of the week. Just goes to show that weighing yourself more than once a week is a disaster waiting to happen!!

I had an ME appointment today so didnt get to WW yet again. If I’m honest, I’m not looking forawrd to going back to WW. There’s going to be a big gain ont he cards and I’m going to feel really rubbish about that. But I know I need the weekely support from somewhere!

I went shopping today. I bought 4 packs of frozen berries and cherries, and some fresh fruit. No crisps or biscuits in sight. I feel quite virtuous!!! The plan is to use the fruit in a daily smoothie which I’ll make mid-afternoon when I usually eat all the rubbish in the house.

In order to make the smoothie idea more of a treat, I’ve bought a pretty tumbler and some straws so I feel like each smoothie is something ultra special. That’s the theory anyway!!!

Papaya and mango smoothie anyone? Or would you rather cherry and apple? Or summer fruits and banana?

All in all, I think I’m in a far more positive mindset today, which can only be a good thing. And I only ate one packet of crisps today too!

 

 

Motivation for change

I think anyone thinking about enhancing their health or losing weight should take a look at Pete Cohen’s  Ultimate anti-health plan It’s a powerful way of thinking about the consequences of your actions and spurring you on to change.

We all know that food can affect us, but it’s so easy to know the facts- and yet not make the changes we need to make in order to feel healthier.

When you have a chronic health problem, it seems even harder sometimes to find the energy and motivation to change. When you are feeling completely and utterly ill, the last thing on your mind is ‘deprivation’. And I guess that’s where the problem arises.

We think of eating healthily as ‘deprivation’. I mean, how mixed-up is that? Somewhere, we have been wired to see the chocolate, cakes, ice-cream and crisps as some kind of ‘treat’ that we ‘deserve’. And to see the ‘healthy’ foods as the boring and bland option.

What if you had, say, a chocolate bar and an apple sitting in front of you. And you could have them both? Would you eat the chocolate first and leave the apple behind? Until the apple got all wrinkly and you had to throw it away?

So how can we turn things round to realising that making nutritious, wholesome food choices is in fact the biggest treat we can ever award ourselves? How can we start to believe that our bodies deserve to be fueled with energy- and vitality-giving foods?

How can we start to make the choices that will not only help us lose weight but also feel better health-wise?

Is cold-turkey the answer? Anyone who has ever tried a restrictive diet will tell you that it doesnt work like that- you end up craving the very thing you are denying yourself- until you give in and eat that ‘forbidden’ food like there’s no tomorrow.

But what if it wasn’t forbidden?

What if you saw that apple and chocolate, and you asked yourself, ‘do I want to feel energised and cleansed (apple) or wired and ravenous (chocolate)?’

And what if you could have some chocolate without feeling hungry the second the last crumb was gone? how could you do that? How about making a rule that for every piece of chocolate you eat, you had to have the apple FIRST?

Then you’d feel fuller, you might not even fancy the chocolate afterwards (who am I kidding?), and you would feel satisfied after having much less chocolate.

Worth a try?

Learning to be positive

I saw my dietician today. I’ve been seeing him for 1 1/2 years i think… maybe 2. i can’t remember.

Anyway, he’s an inspiring person and always manages to make me feel better about myself and my (often) weight gains. He puts everything into perspective.

Today we chatted about my recent health problems and he was impressed that in spite of it all, I had managed to gain just 2lbs in two months. I was pleasantly surprised that it was so little.

We also chatted about the countless people who have asked me if I’m pregnant, and how that makes me feel.

And we also talked about the people who say to me that maybe weight isnt my biggest problem at the moment. And we both agreed that I’m doing a sterling job of maintaining my weight in SPITE of my health problems, and if i hadn’t been trying to lose weight these last two years, I’d most likely be in size 24 clothes right now, rather than 16’s.

See? he always makes me feel better!

 

Here goes

13st5
Stayed the same this week
1st2lbs lost
3st5lbs to go

I am really pleased- after two weeks of totally rubbish health and not even tracking my food intake, I’ve managed to maintain my weight.

I’m still feeling quite low so my priority right now is my health and wellbeing. I’ve come up with the following action plan:

 

Being good to yourself

It’s time to move away from ‘dieting’ and move towards being better to yourself. Its time to nurture your body and mind in a supportive and gentle way.

You will be happier, healthier, and more energised if you focus on supporting your health, rather than depriving yourself by being on a ‘diet’.

Your priorities are:

To fuel your body with health-affirming, energising and anti-illness foods.

• To hydrate your body with cool, pure water.

• To cleanse your body from toxins and energy-drainers.

• To increase the amount of oxygen reaching every cell in your body, by deep breathing and getting outside regularly.

• To nurture your mind and emotions with herbs and essential oils.

• To take regular relaxation breaks.

Your tools are:

Looking after your mind

• Listening to the relaxation and transformation mp3 track*.

• Using essential oils

• Drinking herb teas (chamomile and peppermint)

• Shutting up the duck*

• Turning the PC off at 6.30pm

• Positive thinking and being kind to self

Eating and drinking

• Eating your meals and snacks slowly.

• Eating when you’re hungry.

• Cutting out sugar and stimulants.

• Cutting out junk food

• Cutting out artificial additives

• Eating natural foods.

• Drinking up to 2 litres of water a day.

• 7 fruit+ veg/day

• No eating in bed

• 1 portion of nuts or seeds each day

• grains and beans every day

Exercise and activity

• Being as active as you possibly can

• Going to the park

• Stretching

Looking after your body

• Having a rest each afternoon

• Going to bed on time

• Deep breathing in bed

• Clean teeth at night

• Dry skin brushing

 Of which,

• no junk food
• eat 7 portions of fruit and veg a day
• turn PC off at 6.30pm
• eat only when hungry
• eat natural

are my 5 gentle starting points.

Here goes!

*I am following Pete Cohen’s excellent online weight loss programme; those of you familiar with him will recognise the ‘duck‘ and the idea of using ‘tools’ to aid weight loss. More on Pete in future posts.

 

Time to get serious methinks

Well, not so much weight loss happening recently, as weight gain! Not quite what I had planned. But neither is it going to put me off or have me giving up. The giver-uppers are the people who don’t get to goal.

And I’m going to get to goal.

I’ve had another health crisis recently. My ME is still complaining bitterly, but I’m beginning to pick up again.

Thing is, I know that eating healthily and being good to my body helps my ME. But when I’m knackered and feeling rubbish, its those very healthy options that seem so uninviting. I really really have to get past this.

I bought a book recently called the Chronic Fatigue Healing Diet by Christine Craggs-Hinton. It is written specifically for people with ME/CFS and I read it through in one sitting. There was a lot of good stuff in it, but I’m specifically looking at increasing my intake of nuts and seeds to start with. So I bought bags of nuts and seeds and portion-divided them into 1 point portions. And I’ve been munching away ever since. I certainly feel healthier for it.

I’m also re-reading The Food Doctor by Ian Marber. I’ve figured that rather than ‘dieting’, I should be taking a far more holistic approach and addressing my particular health needs. So I’ve written up a list of my weakest points (blood sugar management, food intolerances and mood stability) and am looking at ways to address these in my diet.

I’m psyching myself up for Wednesday this week- the start of the new me. And this time, if I am going to get to goal by December, I need to be in earnest and just DO it. No more excuses and no more tipping junk into my belly. Each excuse I come to has to be met head-on and RESOLVED. If I’m worn out and need comfort food, then it will be nourishing comfort-food. If I’m getting the shakes then it will be low GI food. If I’m feeling low then it will be mood-enhancing food.

And junk will no longer be the ‘answer’ to my tiredness, illness or anything else. I’m going to move away from ‘dieting’- with all those lovely sweeteners and chemicals that involves, and move onto ‘eating for health’- with all the wholesome ingredients and health-giving nutrients THAT involves.

I can do this. I can be good to my body. I can support my health with my diet.

Roll on (weigh-day) Wednesday!