Day 1- September 1st

I started my day as I always do with a walk. Up at 6.15 and out the door by 6.30 for a half hour along the coast with the dog. 

It's hard getting up but when you see a sunrise like this it's worth it! I always feel good afterwards and ready for a hearty cooked breakfast - I had 2 eggs scrambled and some smoked salmon today. I follow a LowCarbHighFat diet and this sort of breakfast really sets me up for the day ahead. I try not to snack between meals (sometimes I don't succeed!) but this morning I made do with a cup of coffee. Lunch was a salad with more oily fish! Smoked mackerel this time and then it was home late afternoon for a snack of some olives. I'm always hungry around 4pm and have to be prepared and ready with a suitable snack so I'm not tempted to have something a lot less weight loss friendly! I had another walk with the dog - around 2.5miles which added to my other walks today takes my total up to 5.5miles. Walking is great exercise especially for someone like me who has lots of aches and pains and back problems. Even more beneficial though is the mental effects - I find walking a great way to clear my head and a perfect time to think through problems, added to that it always lifts my mood. 

Dinner this evening was delicious- 2 marinaded pork chops with mange tout and broccoli with some fresh berries for desert. I'll post the recipe for the chops - do try it they really are good! 

I had a snack this evening of some nuts and a small glass of white wine as a treat. White wine has a relatively low carb content and is the best option if you want a drink. 

So that was Day 1. As good sleep is vital for weight loss I'm now going to switch off the light and let my body rest ready for tomorrow. 

My September 'back to school' weight loss plan.

Now that September is here again I feel ready to embark on what I hope is the last stage of my weight loss journey.

You see like most of us, I need routine. The routine of getting a packed lunch made, of going about my daily life at work rather than wandering around my house in holiday-mode, wondering what I can eat next! So now the kids are back at school it's time to get serious in my bid to lose the last 10lbs. You know the 10lbs of 'post baby weight' that I've never quite managed to shift. (I should maybe mention at this point that my baby turned 18 in July!!)

Starting today I will track my progress, my ups and downs, my successes and slip-ups and share them with you. 

Are you ready for the journey? Then let's begin!

What does a LowCarb High Fat Diet involve?

A LowCarbHighFat diet (LCHF) is one where you restrict the amount of carbohydrates that you eat to very small amounts and use a higher percentage of fats in your diet to help you feel full. Over time this is an effective method of weight loss as the body switches to burning body fat rather than using the glucose from carbohydrates as its main source of energy.

In practice this means no baked goods (things like bread, cakes, biscuits), no pasta, rice, potatoes or other starchy vegetables such as parsnips, couscous, quinoa, pulses, and only small amounts of fruit. 

This may sound very restrictive until you find out that in place of these carbohydrates you can eat meat, fish, eggs, full fat dairy including butter, olive oil, coconut oil and a wealth of vegetables.

This approach to eating and health has a large following in Scandanavia, and a sound basis in Scientific research which is increasingly showing that carbohydrates, particularly of the white flour sugar laden variety, have a seriously detrimental effect on human health. Research into the LCHF diet has shown it is suitable for sufferers of Type 2 Diabetes and may have a beneficial effect on a wide range of health issues including some cancers, autoimmune disorders and heart disease.

Want to know more? There is a wealth of information available but an excellent place to start is 'Good Calories, Bad Calories' or 'The Diet Delusion' both by the science writer Gary Taubes. I am also happy to answer questions directly, so get in touch! 

Wishing you a happy, healthy Low Carb High Fat day! Celticcavegirl x

Breakfast in America? Fat chance!

I recently paid my first visit to the U.S. - and what a visit it was! Boston, Charlotte, San Francisco, Monterey, Cambria, New York - fantastic sights and experiences.

But one thing marred my trip - the terrible food on offer at breakfast in hotels and motels big and small for someone who is gluten intolerant.

I got soggy scrambled egg, rubbery slices of what I suppose was meant to be omelette, cold hard boiled eggs (stored in ice water!), and finally in some places there were no eggs at all and nothing that I could eat!

Have a look at some of the high and low points of my 'Breakfasts in America!'

Early morning in beautiful Boston. A definite high point.

The worst breakfast of the entire trip - rubber omelette in Half Moon Bay! Thank goodness for some bacon - the only saving grace!

Nothing apart from an orange that I could eat on this morning in Monterey. But I forgive Monterey, because that's also where I saw this beauty! Whale watching was an incredible experience!

Cambria and it was a continuing breakfast sob story! How lovely - ice cold hard boiled eggs! I had to take these back to my room, mash them up and microwave them with some butter to make them edible!

Oh oh! Back to just an orange in San Francisco!

New York was slightly more promising - the scrambled egg was quite nice the first morning and there was this 'bacon' which bore a most unpleasant resemblance to Spam! Sadly following mornings produced luke warm scrambled eggs with absolutely nothing else I could eat.

I'm glad I had seeing this lady to look forward to after that breakfast

If you're heading to the U.S. and like me you have any dietary issues, I'd advise you to either take a supply of nuts everywhere you go, or prepare to give up breakfast altogether!