143.25

I was just going to boil the kettle for my morning coffee, when I became curious. And I am afraid curiosity got this cat! I haven't weighed in since this time last month, and I wanted to know. I didn't have any expectations...I just wanted to peek.

I mean who's ever happy to find out their weight has gone up, but it's just a number and I know myself that it will eventually come off through better eating and more moving about. Like I said in the previous post, my exercise has been better than my eating and I have actually been making an effort with that. Now all I need to do is rein in my eating and the scale may move down as a bonus to feeling amazing stomach-wise.

My doctor keeps pestering me to keep a food diary, but I am afraid it just doesn't work for me. I may remember for a day, but when those 24 hours are up I am hopeless and it gets lost under all the paperwork on my desk. So I think maybe a photo diary is the way to go and eventually write it down at the end of the day.

Source                                      

Such a Great Thing to Remember!

Do you have any tricks for when the scale goes up? What reassures you?

xoThanks for Readingxo

Looking Back On February

February hasn't been the best month for me. No excuses, it just wasn't. So I am very glad to be entering a new month in a couple days time. I had to look back through the archives of both my blog and my diary for this one. And then it hit me...I had made goals. Goals that weren't productive for what I needed.

February's Goals

*Exercise at least 3 times a week.

*Don't eat after 7.

*Drink plenty of fluids.

*Listen to my body.

Well out of all of them I think the ones I have been most successful with is number one (exercise) and number three (Drink more).

So not too bad, but I also made a big mistake in the fact I decided to step on the scale, and it really discouraged me. It just doesn't motivate me as much as it used to, and that can only be good news. I definitely believe that it's good to check in every once in a while to keep yourself in check. But it's not as much as a tool as it used to be. 

Instead, I like to measure myself by how much I am lifting at the gym. Or how many reps I have done of a certain weight. That's definitely where my motivation is at, and from that I am learning things about my body. Which to me is one of the greatest things about exercise. When you first begin it is all new and everything is quite challenging, but as you work at it you get better. That's another reason why I love it. You get out of it, what you put in. And that's not always the rule of thumb for everything. 

I am going to mull over my goals for next month, but I am going to make them deliberately specific to gym goals I want to achieve within the next month. Which will be hard because I am working full days Tuesday the 11th to the 15th, and there's plenty of deadlines at the end of March. All in all it's fair to say March will be a very busy month.

I thought that I'd include a picture of my evening meals/snacks, since for once I actually remembered to take photos. I swear I will become better at this...one day soon I hope, because I like sharing my recent eats and snacky finds on here.

Turkey Spag Bol, Baby Corn, Pasta, Cheddar and Mozzarella
(because what's better than two chesses...three cheeses perhaps, but I didn't have anymore!)

One of my evening snacks - half a tub or Greek Yoghurt, Brazil Nuts, Honey, Almond Slithers...deelishious!

What's your favourite night-time snacks?

How well did you do with goals this month?

xoThanks for Readingxo

WIAW: Hitting the Spot

Lately, my eating has been all over the place. I either want 'bad' sugary foods and all the chocolate I can find, or I am craving apples and eat two at a time! No joke. But I am about to show you Tuesday's eats. Tuesday started slow, and even after ten hours sleep I was tired! Shocking I know and for no reason at all. But I thought instead of pottering around in the house that I would head to the gym instead. The sun was shining after a stormy night and I wanted to just get out there and soak up some vitamin d. I am definitely someone who gets affected if they haven't soaked up any sunshine in a while. What can I say weather affects my mood, and right now I am dreaming of the holiday I want to take in May.

Moving on from my holiday dreams, I managed to squeeze in some tasty eats.

Unpictured: A Small Banana and a Vanilla Bio-Yoghurt Drink. I was way too hungry when I got back from the gym to take a picture.

Now for the main event of lunch. It was something I've been craving and I thought why not be intuitive about lunch. So a Prawn Cocktail with a Jacket Potato and Salad it was. Not the prettiest or even the healthiest, but it definitely hit the spot.

Unpictured: After that I grabbed two Oreo's from my cupboard and finished off with a cup of tea. That also hit the spot.

A few hours later I became peckish and that's when PB and banana came to the rescue. This is a classic and a favourite. Again I was satisfied by this meal. Unpictured: A packet of Sea Salt Sunbites and a unripened Pear. Do you prefer any fruits better when they aren't quite ripe? I have quite a few. I just think it tastes much fresher than way and the texture is better too.

That makes the total tally of three bananas for Tuesday. They were small but I can never get enough bananas.

After finishing up some dissertation work, I ended the night with a viewing of Pocahontas and a Malteser and Chocolate Bailey's Hot Chocolate. 

It doesn't look tasty, but I can assure you it was absolutely delicious and definitely worth the calories (which I am going to avoid calculating!).

Ever since I wrote the post about Intuitive Eating, I think I have gotten better with my food, despite in fact getting worse. I can't really explain. Sure eating lots of chocolate can't be good, but that's just sometimes the way it goes. After a chocolate packed weekend I have been craving salads and fruits again, funny how that happens!

Thanks again for hosting Jenn :-D

xoThanks for Readingxo

It's Not Always Sunshine and Roses...

After having such a good run of success it's easy to forget the struggles. Hard times come to us all, and I guess I forgot how much I have struggled in my bid to get where I am. When you fall down it is easy to throw in the towel and drop everything one by one and give up. And the past few weeks have definitely tested me.


Source

At the moment life is testing me, and there are definitely days where I want to curl up into a ball and forget about the day. This has probably been indulged by my lie-ins and naps. Prolonging the start of the day and then needing a break from it. Why do the struggles bring on such lethargy and tiredness? And for no reason what-so-ever.


Source

I think that it is time to pick myself up, learn from my past mistakes these last few weeks and get on with things.

I know I have been telling myself that every few days for the past couple of weeks. But I can't prolong this any more. I need to appreciate where I am, where I have been and where I am going. Because I have got a lot to be thankful for.

So today I am writing this post to remind myself and to remind anyone out there that we all have our struggles, but getting back up is always an option.

Final message...


Source

Haha. Love this quote!

How do you make it through tough times?

What's your ultimate happy quote?

xoThanks for Readingxo

Intuitive Eating: Let's Begin

I have never been able to get my head around intuitive eating. For me it always raises too many questions. Like, am I already doing it? Have I done it in the past naturally? Would I find it hard? And I can only answer them all with a maybe...how do you define something that is different for every person? Is it even possible? Maybe it's not...maybe that's the whole point. Instead you find the definition and create it on a unique level, for you and only you.



When I googled a definition for 'Intuitive Eating', this is what I found...

"Intuitive eating is a nutrition philosophy based on the premise that becoming more attuned to the body's natural hunger signals is a more effective way to attain a healthy weight, rather than keeping track of the amounts of energy and fats in foods."

The process being different for every single person is what is difficult in many respects. There's nothing to judge or compare your own diet or experience of it with. It's just you and how you are feeling, and you have to be ok with that.

Living in a house with four other girls can be tough, especially mentally. Every girl is different, but not one of us in the house is the same in body type or eating habits, and on many levels that's a good thing. And it's hard when one person starts snacking, because it tempts the rest to start snacking (well me anyways!). It is all about influence, something you have to ignore when intuitive eating because you can't become influenced by what you see other people eating or doing. Just because they are snacking, doesn't necessarily mean you are hungry and should start snacking. And  vice versa.

Don't get me wrong I really like the sound of the entire process. Isn't that what 'normal' eating's all about? Eating what you want, when you want, and eating for you. Not following a diet that has been created by others. Everything about it makes sense. But obviously like with anything there's got to be rules and I am going to research a little more before I can post more about it. Other than reading blog posts about people's experiences or watching videos where people have given their account, I really don't know much about it!

And it's definitely something I want to delve into a little deeper.

From what I have read I have experienced intuitive eating. I've experienced it when I have reached what I call my "zone". I know I am in my zone when, 1. I'm not overeating, 2. I'm eating what I am craving, and 3. I'm not thinking about food and exercise around the clock! These three are what make up my zone and this is where I feel most happy. Obviously a diet of chocolate cake and cheesy foods isn't what intuitive eating is about. It's not meant to be an excuse, it's meant to be a tool and when used correctly you will know with winning results to follow.

With all this said I think I will abide by these ten rules starting from tomorrow (as today has nearly been and gone, and ok choices were made).

As soon as I hit publish the research will begin to get the ball rolling, and to make sure that I am off to a healthy start come tomorrow.

But I guess starting the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating can only help...

1. Reject the Diet Mentality.
2. Honour your Hunger.
3. Make Peace with Food.
4. Challenge the Food Police.
5. Respect your Fullness.
6. Discover the Satisfaction Factor.
7. Honour your Feelings Without Using Food.
8. Respect your Body.
9. Exercise - feel the difference.
10. Honour your Health.

Out of those ten above, I think the ones I am currently ok on are; 8,9 and 10. The rest I have been good on in the past, but I am currently struggling with them.

Over the years I have began to repair my relationship with food and it's getting there, but at the moment I feel all kinds of out of sync. And that's why I really want to give Intuitive Eating a good go.

I think that it will be a good idea to keep the hunger scale in mind...

This is a great tool to use whatever your current situation regarding diet and exercise.

If only it was this simple...

Source

But still I kind of what to hang it on my future kitchen wall!

Are you an intuitive eater?
Have you tried the process/programme before?

(If so, how did you find it?)

xoThanks for Readingxo

Quality Over Quantity

I love that saying, but I don't always follow it. Instead I get fixated on quantity and how much of something I can have. If you are following any kind of diet, eating plan, or maybe you're just trying to eat healthier, it is easy to forget the quality of your food.

I'm an odd ball in the sense that I like the taste of many what you'd call 'health' or 'diet' foods. I like to eat rice cakes and bran flakes and Ryvita crackers. I'm just one of those people. I like my fruits, veggies and salads, and I hardly ever complain when it comes to eating the fresh stuff. But because of my past habits of over-eating I often slip back into the mind set of I need more, and if it's lower calorie etc, surely I need more?!

Now I am older obviously I know that not to be true. Some days you are going to need to eat more than others, and that's just the way it goes. It is dependant on a number of factors including exercise and activity and so on. But even though I know all of this, I still get fixated on the Quantity aspect.

By nature human beings want more, and it is something that I always struggle with, and may always struggle with. But I am going to work on things, so instead of quantity, I choose quality and each week I choose to treat myself to quality. For example, it may be a cake I buy from a bakery that I have been eyeing all week. I want to try doing this and trying the quality over quantity challenge. It makes sense, but sometimes it is easy to get carried away.

Do you struggle with portion control?

What are your views on quality over quantity?

xoThanks for Readingxo

WIAW: Or What Didn't I Eat

Lately I can't stop snacking. I don't know what the cause is, but I have been eating snack-meals all week. Instead of cooking a meal I have been just putting one together with whatever I fancy from the fridge. I have definitely been missing my cooking, and so last night I decided to put the turkey mince I had in my fridge to good use and make a spaghetti bolognese. It was ok, and if you want a lighter option over beef mince I would definitely give it a go. But all in all it didn't blow me away and I have frozen the leftovers to have at a later date. I usually buy extra lean beef mince anyway, but I got the turkey mince on offer, froze it on day of purchase and gave the bolognese a go. Besides the fact I wasn't reverted by the mince, I still want to try it in wraps and make fajitas using turkey.

Like I said I have been a serial snacker lately and I finally think my stomach is disagreeing with it. Suffering from multiple stomach issues anyways, I always have to be careful. But I don't think smaller meals more regular is the way to go for me. I have spoken to some people and this works for them, but I think that I am going to go back to how I usually eat and switch my eating patterns back around.

These are Tuesdays (yesterdays) eats, and I started the day with a friend. We popped to our local leisure centre for a swim. Something I am really beginning to get in to. After I had got back home and showered it was time for coffee and I have now ran out of my favourite coffee syrups, so Hazelnut coffee it was...

Then I decided to have some cereal with all my favourite toppings; almond slices, sunflower seeds, sultanas...

A couple hours later I got hungry...

...this called for crackers and an apple.

Another few hours later I fancied a snack-meal and went for one of my recent favourites.

Raspberry Yoghurt, Sunflower Seeds, Blueberries.

Apologies for the really rubbish photo....this was the turkey spag bol...promise to get a better photo next time!

Of course I fancied some chocolate and chose one of these babies.

And a beer, just because...

Thanks to Jenn for hosting as always, you rock!

Does anybody else eat snack-meals?

Have you ever used turkey mince in a meal, and would like to recommend I try it?

xoThanks for Readingxo

Taking A Moment...

...to breathe. Because there is nothing wrong with that, and sometimes that's just what we need to do. Lately, I have found myself taking moments. In these moments I take deep breaths and think about what I need to do logically. And then I write down those things in a list...this makes me feel immediately a little bit better.

(Source) via Pinterest

This gives me what I need to get the ball rolling, and before you know it things start happening and your list shrinks in length. I strongly dislike feeling overwhelmed, like nothing will ever get done. It weighs you down in too many ways and makes you drag yourself around life - rather than bouncing around it in strides.

This entire week feels like a blur, like nothing really happened and I never really got going. I know it's only Thursday and that there's still time to get a few things ticked off my list. But I have also been feeling lethargic, tired and irritable. And I have to remind myself that this isn't anybody else's problem but my own. Another thing I have to remember. We all have our days, and I'm no different. But on those days it is really easy to take it out on the people around you, and that's definitely not fair.

(Source) via Pinterest

Last night, whilst getting ready to go out, I realised how far I have come in a year and for that I am grateful. Sure, I have wished that I had felt this way years ago but I cannot change that, all I can change is the present and the future. These are the things we need to cling on to. Then it got me thinking about the people who helped me get there, my mom (but she's always there) and secondly my CBT therapists. Sue and Jane really helped me turn my world around and gave me back control over my own life. I have been meaning to write them a letter for ages now and I think it's about time I got on with it...after all, it's always nice to know that people appreciate what you do.

(Source) via Pinterest

My eating at the moment is off and on. One moment I can't stop eating and then the next I don't want anything at all. Unfortunately at the moment I am stuck in the first category. I haven't set my weekly goals this week and I think that may be something to do with it. But I also weighed myself the other day and I made a weight goal, which is something I haven't done in a while! And I think it has thrown me off, because that's not the way I work any more. I used to live by the scale and by the numbers, but now (maybe not forever) it's not working for me. Sure, I want to lose weight and get stronger through exercise - but not using that method. That's where I am struggling...

What method do I use?! With all my medical problems, especially with my stomach. It makes things difficult to gage when eating, and I find myself questioning when is best to eat, if I am even hungry. And I think that sometimes I over think things. Shouldn't it be simple. You can be hungry, not hungry or peckish, right? I guess not. I don't want to diet or go on a crazy fast or anything, but I do want to re-establish some goals again. Maybe, I have goals for the month again but readdress them every week with a post on how I am getting on? 

As you can tell, I am feeling a bit lost and down in the dumps at the moment. And I hate to be all doom and gloom but I also don't want to be dishonest and post about sunshine and rainbows when they aren't there!

I just need to re-focus everything, and come up with a plan. Not starting tomorrow either, starting after I finish this post.

Goals for the rest of February:

*Exercise at least 3 times a week.

*Don't eat after 7

*Drink plenty of fluids

*Listen to my body

The first three are my usual goals but the last one is a little different. I've included that one because I haven't been doing this as much as I could. I need to start getting to bed earlier, having some me time, and eating when I want to what I want to. Now I'm not going to eat all the chocolate in my cupboard just to satisfy a craving, but I am going to figure out what I'm craving i.e Sugar, Carbs, Meat and then seek out a healthier choice.

Fingers crossed that by the end of the month I am in a different position entirely, and I am feeling a bit better. This months only a short one and there are only 22 days left, but I really want to make them count!

I hope so! (Source) via Pinterest

How often do you set yourself goals?

and...

How often do you re-assess them?

xoThanks for Readingxo

WIAW: Tuesday's Eats and Favourites

As I sat down at my laptop I thought why not write a blog post, and then I remembered that it was Wednesday tomorrow and so WIAW it is. Thanks Jenn for keeping up this link-up...I only have myself to take care of and sometimes that's a struggle, so god knows how she manages to do it!

It's one of the link-ups I always like to take part in if I have the time. And this week I'll be sharing what I ate today, which is Tuesday. And also my favourite dishes from the past week.

Today (which is yesterday) I went swimming for the first time in about ten months. And it was so good to be back in the pool. It was one of my most favourite sports to do whilst growing up, and I always go through phases of going regularly to not going at all. And I think that was very evident in my swim.

I went with one of my housemates, so it wasn't so bad. But with the hours I have been putting in in the gym I thought it would be easier, and it probably was...but it wasn't a 'stroll in the park' in the slightest. It took a few lengths to get into a pattern, more with my breathing than anything. But it felt so so good. With each length of the pool I began to relax, and I could feel the tension melting away from my shoulders and neck. I began to get comfortable after ten minutes of the thirty minute session, but by the end my limbs felt like jelly. When your already poor technique turns into a half-hearted doggy paddle, it's time to get own! But I plan to go again Thursday instead of the gym. I love the gym, but on Monday I definitely wasn't feeling it. The main thing was I got out and went and got a mediocre forty-five minutes under my belt, which is better than nothing. 

I can feel my endurance and strength building once again, after the break I took over Christmas and I am feeling good. But I have noticed a pattern...when I am exercising regularly my eating is more relaxed. Of course it gets better, like most people, when I workout I don't want to put in the hours to no end and not see results. After all, that's how we stay motivated and progress but my eating also relaxes and I don't stress about food as much, especially eating out. I watch what I eat, but not in an overly obsessive way.

I have an healthy approach to food if you will, and that's one of the best parts for me!

Ok, moving on to the good stuff. There's a few meals from the past week that I really enjoyed, but unfortunately I haven't got any photos of them...You could say that I was enjoying the moment...

Yesterday's Eats:

After swimming I was quite hungry, but I needed to take a tablet before I ate and that gave me the time I needed to shower and wash my hair. I enjoyed a small glass of milk before I went in.

Once I was out the shower, I rammed a small browning banana down my throat (a little too fast), and got a bit of indigestion. No photo.

Then, I ate what I was craving...

2 Slices of Wholemeal Toast with a Laughing Cow wedge, 2 Quorn Sausages, 2 Fried Eggs (in Frylight), Mushrooms and Ketchup

A couple hours later I found myself peckish, mainly just craving sugar as it was nearly 2pm and the afternoon slump was setting in after waking up at 08:30 am. So that's when I indulged my sweet tooth in a yoghurt drink and a small kinder choccie bar. It was so good I spent the next five minutes choking on a tickle at the back of my throat.

I cannot get enough of the sweet-crack like stuff lately...why so addictive?

This was last nights dinner. It was basically a mixture of my fridge and cupboard...I haven't been 'properly' shopping in over a week. I've got quite a lot to get through before I need to do a big shop.

Whilst enjoying a whisky and coke I indulged in this old classic of a snack...did anybody else have these growing up?

Favourites from the Week:

 We went to the tea house again, and that's always worth an indulgence.

Over the past week I have been indulging in a whisky and coke when I feel. The first time since Christmas...

I've re-fell in love with an old cereal classic - Bran Flakes Mix.

And I have finally got going with the exercise, so hopefully more healthy food photos to come.

What's your favourite meal of the week?

xoThanks for Readingxo