Day 25

It was a calm start to the day. I set off on my walk at 6.30am and walked for half an hour. 

When I got back I had 2 scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and a cup of white coffee for breakfast. Lunch was a green salad with 4 slices of bacon. After work I had a cup of coffee with cream and dinner was Sea Bass cooked in butter and lemon juice served with broccoli and asparagus. 

It's been a hard week so I treated myself to a couple of glasses of white wine this evening. 

Now I need to plan next week's meals and write my shopping list for tomorrow! 

Day24!

I'd be a lot more excited about day 24 if I'd lost some of the 8lbs I was hoping to lose in September. However I have to be completely honest and report that I am still exactly the same as when I started! My clothes do feel a little looser but nothing has happened on the scales! 

It would be easy to feel discouraged in these circumstances and decide to throw in the towel and creep away quietly to comfort myself with a jumbo sized bar of chocolate. However, I'm in this for the long haul. I know that after losing 2stone of the 2.5 stone I wanted to lose 2 years ago that the last 7-10lbs will be the hardest to shift. 

So what can I do to make a difference? Well the most sensible thing to do is keep a food diary for a week. Write down every single thing that passes my lips and be 100% honest. This is a truly tedious task but it will reveal if and where things are going wrong. In my case it's not due to eating sweets and cakes and other forbidden treats, it's much more likely to be too many hidden grammes of carbohydrate. Sadly I have  a very low tolerance of carbs and find it virtually impossible to lose weight unless my carb consumption is under 5% of my daily diet. 

So tomorrow morning I will start my diary - I'll share it with you so you can see what a typical week's diet is for me, hopefully you'll find it useful. 

Bye for now!

Just before I go - here's a shot of this morning's sunrise - so very peaceful.

Day23

I can't resist sharing this amazing picture of the sunrise over Belfast Lough this morning - I think it's the most spectacular one I've ever seen! 

For me walking provides a great opportunity to appreciate the world around me, whether that is a spectacular sunrise or the sound of the seagulls circling overhead. It connects me to nature and seems to fit naturally with my LowCarbhighfat diet. This is a diet that does not include processed food. Instead I eat moderate amounts of protein from meat, fish and eggs, a range of fats, nuts, small amounts of fruit (mainly berries) and plenty of vegetables. It's a diet that has changed my life and health and one that is easy to follow as long as you are prepared! 

Day22

It was a struggle to get out of bed this morning, but when I did and dragged myself and the dog out for a walk I was greeted by this wonderful sky - a lovely 

start to the day. 

My meals today were smoked salmon and 2 poached eggs for breakfast, smoked mackerel salad for lunch and a chicken stir fry for dinner. I had some olives late afternoon and grapes for an evening snack. 

I don't eat rice with my stir fry as I don't eat any grains, but if you want to avoid rice you could replace it with 'cauliflower rice'. To make Cauliflower rice, gently blitz florets of cauliflower in a food processor for a few seconds at a time until it resembles grains of rice. Then cook in olive or coconut oil along with some finely chopped onion and garlic - tasty and low carb! 

Day21.

I've made huge changes to my diet over the past two years. Biscuits, cakes and sweets no longer feature at all and chocolate is a very occasional treat. 

But for any change in your diet to work you need to ensure that you are getting enough of the key elements your body needs to thrive, and what your body needs is moderate amounts of protein, high levels of good fats and a very small amount of carbohydrate. Around 25% of what I eat is good quality protein such as meat, poultry, eggs and fish, around 70% is fat - including double cream, whole fat yogurt, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts and avocado and oily fish and around 5% carbohydrates from fresh berries, vegetables and salads. 

This high ratio of fat may seem a lot but it's necessary to fill you up and stop you snacking on unhealthy refined carbohydrates such as breads and baked goods. One of my favourite sources of fat is full fat natural Greek yogurt. I love it! I've tried every local supermarkets own brand along with some well known makes, and in my opinion the very best one is Lidl's at £1.38 per 1kg tub

It's so good that I find it difficult to stop eating it once I start and have had to restrict myself to one tub per week! As you can see my toy poodle Teddy is also a big fan! 

Dairy does cause problems for some people who find it hard to tolerate, (including me!) so if the same applies to you focus on non dairy sources of fat. 

Day 20.

I was trying to have a quiet day today, with minimal rushing around but as usual it hasn't quite turned out like that! 

I've done well with meals today - I had boiled eggs for breakfast, a bacon salad for lunch and dinner tonight was roast chicken and gammon with mangetout, asparagus and gravy. I had a few berries with Greek yogurt for a late afternoon snack and a glass of wine with my dinner.

                       Very tasty!

I didn't do much walking today, in fact it's probably the least active day I've had in months. That was mainly because my dog is limping and I don't want to walk him too far until the vet has checked him over, and also because from mid afternoon there has been torrential rain, the sort of rain in which the dog won't even put a paw outside! Hopefully tomorrow will be better and more walking will be done!

Day 19 'Happy Weekend'

It's one of life's great mysteries - why can many of us spring out of bed bright and early at the weekend but find weekday mornings so difficult? 

A sunny Saturday afternoon on Belfast Lough

Well of course it's all about motivation. Even though I enjoy my job I enjoy the weekends off a lot more and don't want to waste time lying in bed! 

However, it is important to get the balance right - we all need 'down time' to relax and recharge our batteries, and if we fill every waking moment then down time is likely to suffer. Now and then that doesn't matter, but if you push yourself day after day, week after week without adequate rest, the strain will begin to show in your body. 

So next time you're planning an action packed weekend make sure you plan some rest time too! 

Day 18

What do you do if you have a dieting setback? Do you decide to 

a) give up?

b) eat like a mad thing for the rest of the day because you've spoilt it now anyway?

c) get straight back on track?

I had a bowl of these this evening after a night out, a meal and a few glasses of wine!! 

Now I don't usually eat cereals at all -  it's a minefield for me as I'm gluten intolerant, but I really, really fancied a bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes this evening so I had one!

99.9% of the time my diet is Lowcarbhighfat with no grains at all, but on the rare occasions when I do eat something else I don't beat myself up about it. I accept it as something I fancied eating at the time and move on. More importantly I don't use it as an excuse to give myself permission to eat anything and everything! For one thing that would make me feel very ill, but for another I am able to accept the odd slip up without branding myself a failure. 

Changing your eating habits is a process and the odd occasion when you don't 'stick to plan' isn't going to do a lot of damage. It's when those occasions have become the norm and we've lost sight of our initial goals that we should start to worry! 

Day17

Today was a long day for me - after a 6.30 start I went straight from work to a course that ended at 7.30 pm. A day like that can be draining and got me thinking about why we over eat or eat the wrong things. 

There are many reasons why we make poor food choices. It can be linked to boredom or stress or emotional upset. It can be a craving for the taste or texture of a certain food, or just because we are tired and feel like we need an energy boost.

For me tiredness can lead to poor choices, and I'm certainly much more likely to buy a bar of chocolate when I feel in need of energy. 

Recognising our area of 'food weakness' is a good start, and if we pay attention to the reason and seek to address it we should hopefully minimise the effects over time. 

Knowing I was likely to be tired enabled me to plan ahead for my evening meal. Having something tasty and ready to heat in the fridge really helped me to resist less healthy options!

Portobello mushrooms with Chorizo burgers and asparagus - a very tasty and filling evening meal.

Day 16

As I was out walking this evening a beautiful cruise liner sailed past on its way out of Belfast Lough, and it got me thinking about our relationship with holidays and food.

Are you someone who regularly diets before holidays? And do you lose some weight only to put it all back on again during the holiday?

If we feel more attractive and confident weighing less why is this so very hard to achieve and maintain all year round?

The answer I think is because we have given ourselves an attainable short term goal. We are able to keep on track because we know that the short term 'pain' of dieting will soon be over and we can let ourselves enjoy guilt free eating the minute we step into the airport!

But what if we were to apply the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic & Timed) target idea to weight loss? Would this not help us to get to our target weight and stay there rather than the constant diet merry-go-round? Deciding you want to lose 3 stone or run a marathon is a huge target and you are very likely to have given up long before the first stone is shed or the first pair of trainers is broken in! 

If you want to lose weight, take more exercise, or improve your health why not set yourself a SMART target today? Each milestone you reach will motivate you to keep on track for the next one and the success will help you to feel positive about yourself. It's the only 'smart' way to do it!  

Half way Day 15!

Half way in to my month long plan seems like a good time to share some of my exercise stats. So here goes!

During the last two weeks I have taken 235,784 steps, walked a total distance of  94.5 miles and had 1273 active minutes. 

I use a Fitbit (obsessively!) to track my progress and find it very motivating as I like to see my stats presented visually!

Walking is great exercise and ideal if you have any joint problems. But for me the best part of walking is the opportunity to enjoy the early morning peace and quiet whilst looking at the beautiful morning skies over Belfast Lough.

Day14 - Another Monday!

Monday mornings never get any easier, but at least this morning was dry. I was out walking the dog before sunrise - the sky was just turning pink and orange, but I was too early to actually see the sunrise! 

I was hungry all day today, but I think this is due to a poor night's sleep. I always feel hungry when I'm tired! 

As usual it was eggs for breakfast - scrambled today and served with smoked salmon. More oily fish for lunch - smoked mackerel with a green salad, and then roast beef and mixed veg for dinner. Not only did I have berries and cream for dessert but snacked on some roasted almonds during the evening, washed down with a glass of wine! I need to catch up on missed sleep tonight so it's off to bed now, ready to face day 15 - the half way point - tomorrow!

Day 13 Lazy Sunday

Today got off to a good start - it was a gorgeous morning so I got out for a 3.5 mile walk with the dog along the shores of Belfast Lough. 

I waited until after the walk for my breakfast - 2 poached eggs and smoked salmon today - lovely!

I had a lot to do today so lunch was late but at least I didn't have to cook anything as I had some leftover Spicy chicken to eat.

Dinner was roast beef with a selection of veg - cauliflower, broccoli and mangetout. Whilst it was cooking I took the opportunity for a second walk. It turned out to be a little shorter than intended as it started to rain, and for those of you who don't know my toy poodle Teddy, he doesn't like the rain and generally stops dead and refuses to walk any further! Luckily it wasn't too heavy and we managed 1.5 miles.

For dessert I enjoyed some fresh berries with Greek yogurt. I think I may be addicted to Greek yogurt and after not having bought any for two weeks I have to confess to eating the entire tub in two days! But hey, I suppose there are worse addictions!!

So that's the weekend over and another week is looming. I have that Sunday night feeling! Here's to next weekend!

Day 12 - Saturday at last!

After a long week of very early starts I look forward to a more relaxed start to the day at the weekend. Unfortunately my body is so used to early mornings that I woke well before 7 today, although that was a big improvement on my usual 6.15am alarm 

Good quality sleep is essential for weight loss and overall wellbeing, but getting enough of it is very difficult to do. I struggle with this as I find it almost impossible to get into bed in time to have a full 8 hours. Even more frustrating is waking early when I do get the chance to sleep longer at the weekend! 

There's no easy answer, particularly if like me your life is incredibly busy, but here are some tips that may help a little.

1. Turn off all screens, including phones an hour before you aim to sleep - I virtually never do this but know I should! 

2. Have a warm bath and a long wind down before bed - I find this works for me.

3. Establish a bed time and a wake up time and keep them consistent throughtout the week (including the weekend!). 

4. If falling asleep is an issue, then reading a book may help your brain to switch off.

5. If you wake in the middle of the night and are unable to get back to sleep then try writing down what is preoccupying you - I am very prone to this and have even been known to cook at 4am!

6. Cut down on your caffeine - if I'm experiencing sleepless nights I don't drink coffee after 3pm and don't forget to cut down on other caffeine laden drinks too.

7. If all else fails get up, make a cuppa, read for a while and try not to tot up the sleep time you're missing - you will feel sleepy again, probably about an hour before you're due to get up!

Finally if you're struggling to sleep and have tried all the tips above then maybe it's time you consulted a Nutritional Therapist who will look at possible causes for your insomnia by examining your diet and lifestyle. 

And on that note it's time for me to turn off the light and get some sleep! 

Day 11

Well thanks goodness it's Friday! That was a long hard week - the first of many I fear! On the plus side when you're working and busy you're a lot less likely to snack!

I decided not to take a break time snack to work this academic year and so far (yes I know we're only two weeks into the new term!) I haven't actually missed it. This is good news as I am trying to get back to three meals per day with the minimum of snacking in between. 

I do find it harder later afternoon when I get home, but I'm working on that - one step at a time! 

Meals have been extremely healthy today - smoked salmon and scrambled egg for breakfast, tuna salad for lunch and Spicy Chicken for dinner. Hope you enjoy it!

                    Spicy Chicken

Ingredients: 

Chicken thighs - 2 per person - seasoned with salt and pepper.

A red onion cut into wedges

A brown onion cut into wedges

Courgette - thickly sliced 

6 tomatoes

5-6 cloves of garlic - skin on

Large pepper in large chunks

Chorizo sliced. 

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp oregano 

Method:

Heat oven to 190•fan, 200/210 conventional oven 

Place vegetables into roasting dish, cook for approx 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and add the Chorizo  and chicken thighs. Sprinkle the dried herbs over the chicken and return to the oven for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Half way through cooking time remove dish from oven, tip gently and use juices to baste the chicken. Return to oven for rest of cooking time. 

Serve with green vegetables as desired

and enjoy. 

Have a healthy eating weekend everyone! 

Day 10.

I so wish that exercise had a bigger effect on weight loss! If it did I'd be positively sylph like by now! 

Sadly, although exercise is a useful addition to a weight loss regime, important to lift your mood, boost your metabolism and shape your body, weight loss is 80% about what you put in your mouth! So if you're finding it difficult to shift the last few stubborn pounds (as I am), or if your progress is slow then look carefully at what you are eating and your portion sizes. 

I've cut my portion sizes over the last few weeks. 

You should already have cut out all refined carbohydrates but you should also think about cutting out so called 'healthy' carbs such as bread, pasta, rice and even potatoes. Rely on vegetables for the majority of your 5-a-day and step away from the fruit bowl - a few berries only and don't even think about eating a banana! This should boost your weight loss and give the results you're after. 

Hope this helps! 

Tomorrow's post will include a recipe for a great family dinner - Spicy Chicken. 

Day 9

I'd like to talk about exercise in this post. As someone who suffers from a bad back and is now much closer to 50 than 40, my gym days are over. But I am very aware of the need to keep active and mobile. I don't mind growing old, I just don't want to be old and infirm!! Nowadays I get my exercise by walking, and boy do I walk! I walk the dog twice a day and whenever possible I also walk the short distance to work and back. This generally adds up to 4 - 5 miles per day. I certainly don't have any difficulty in achieving the recommended daily 10000 steps goal. 

             Here's my tally for today!

I've been walking for exercise for around two years and have noticed an improvement in aerobic fitness, stamina and muscle tone, without the negatives of sore joints and a bad back that I used to find when participating in exercise classes. 

However, to get the maximum benefit from walking I believe you need to:

1. Wear supportive trainers

2. Walk briskly (build up to at least 3.5miles per hour)

3. Aim to walk for at least half an hour per day 

4. Find an uplifting or peaceful to walk whenever possible (my favourite walks are along the beach)

5. Take the headphones out and look around you, notice your surroundings, appreciate the sights and sounds of nature. 

Getting up early is always worth it for a         beautiful sunrise. 

Finally, once walking becomes a habit you will find it is very addictive - it's like a daily dose of feel-good medicine. 

Day 8 First week complete!

It's the end of week 1 and I stayed exactly the same! However, I'm pleased that I feel a lot less bloated than before. Hopefully the scales will move a little next week!

Today's meals were 2 poached eggs and 3 slices of bacon with a cup of coffee. Lunch was smoked haddock salad and dinner roast chicken with green beans, asparagus and gravy.

I then had some fresh berries with double cream for dessert. 

I've walked over 4 miles again today and spent 2 hours cleaning this evening - so I'm tired now and ready for a good night's sleep!

Day 7

So week 1 is nearly over and I hope to see a small weight loss tomorrow morning, but what should you do if the number on the scales doesn't decrease or even worse - increases?! 

Well having been through many 'diets' in the past I know that the key is not to give up, and even though a static scale or an increase is very demotivating, if you know you have followed the plan carefully (and you really haven't cheated!) then you need to relax and give your body time to adjust. Sometimes it can take a slightly longer time to see the scales move. If you have been a serial dieter and haven't a great deal to lose your body may even have become resistant. In that case I'd suggest you continue to eat carefully - look at your carb consumption and pay attention to how your clothes feel - you may have lost inches rather than pounds at this stage. 

Good luck and whatever your scales say tomorrow, remember that every journey begins with one small step. 

Day6 Quiet Sunday

After a very late night last night I am tired and a bit lethargic today! I had to push myself to get up and out for my usual dog walks. Despite that I have walked 5 miles today and eaten very healthily. 

I needed energy this morning so had a big breakfast of bacon, egg, mushrooms and tomato - tasty! 

         Doesn't that look appetising?! 

My big breakfast filled me up and I didn't eat again until 3.30pm when I had roast beef with vegetables and gravy - it was delicious! 

Sometimes I prefer two large meals with my dessert of fresh berries and cream left until later in the evening when I'm feeling a bit peckish. 

I'm still feeling tired after such a late night so as good sleep is such an important facet of successful weight loss I'm going to get an early night in the hope that tomorrow I'll feel rested and ready for the new week.

Good night everyone! 

Day 5 - better late than never!

I had one of those days today - an seemingly endless list of jobs to get done and they all seemed to take much longer than expected! But I managed to get them done in time to go for lunch at Cafe Vaudeville in Belfast. The lunchtime menu was interesting and varied and I was able to have a choice between a number of gluten free dishes. I settled on a duck and watermelon salad. When it arrived it was huge! No small skimpy portions there! It was also delicious, as the duck was really crispy and contrasted beautifully with the peppery rocket and coriander leaves and the sweet watermelon. After such a healthy lunch I was inspired and dinner was a prawn stir fry with ginger and a gluten free Japanese soy sauce. 

       Tasty prawn stir fry.

After dinner it was time to go to a family 18th birthday party. There was fabulous food there (and enough alcohol to stock an off licence!) but I was driving so stuck to one small glass of wine which I sipped very slowly before switching to soft drinks for the rest of the evening. It was a very late night so as a result I'm only posting this on Sunday evening! Oops! Must do better next time! 

Day 4

Today is Friday - yippee! I stumbled out of bed and out of the house to walk the dog at 6.30. I was so tired it felt like sleepwalking for the first few minutes!

                 Early morning sky.  

My fellow early morning dog walkers all looked equally exhausted as we cheered ourselves with the fact that two much less early starts awaited us over the weekend. 

I returned to breakfast on smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.

 Meanwhile I cooked some bacon for my lunch (bacon Caesar salad - tasty!). After work it was another quick outing with the dog before a dinner of gluten free steak sausages with stir fried Savoy cabbage - one of my favourite midweek meals. Dessert was fresh berries and double cream - lovely! 

A quiet eve with two small glasses of white wine followed, before the serious business of trying to sell the house continued. 

This eve I snacked on nuts and dried fruit. I think something that I ate (or maybe the quantity!) didn't agree with me as I now have a stomach that feels like it's on the 'spin cycle' 😟. Hoping it eases soon. However, apart from that I've had plenty of exercise, now just need to cut out the eve snacks and I'll feel a whole lot better! 

The weekend will be challenging, lunch tomorrow and an 18th birthday party tomorrow eve - but I'll post my success and failures!!wish me luck!

Day3 Delight or Disaster?

You know those days when you just feel hungry and it doesn't seem to matter how much you eat? Well that was me today! 

Maybe it's because I walk around 5 miles per day or maybe I'm not eating enough healthy fats but whatever the reason it's not good! Now I know how my dog feels (he's on a diet as he's out weight on through taking steroids for the last few months). He tries to 'talk' to me to ask for more food - poor hungry wee man! 

Look at his wee face - how can I be so cruel?! 

But it's important to remember that feeling hungry is actually a good sign that you're no longer grazing all day long! It's much worse NOT to feel hungry as this shows you are not aware of your body's signals either to tell you to eat or to stop eating! 

I'm amazed now at how much less I eat than previously and how I really don't need as much to fill me up. 

Breakfast - poached eggs and bacon - lovely!

I did have a couple of snacks today - a home made 'trail mix' made up of mixed nuts, dried cranberries and raisins and pumpkin seeds and then a bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes! I don't eat cereal anymore but my son bought some home and I didn't manage to resist! 

But I did stop at one bowl and will make sure I eat more healthy fats tomorrow to fill me up! 

Tomorrow is another day! 

Day 2 - September 2nd

Day 2. 

These early starts don't get any easier and as the weather gets colder I know I will struggle! However, I've done it before and as long as I get to bed in time to have a good sleep I know I can do it!

It was chilly this morning during my 1.5 mile walk with the dog, but walking briskly soon warmed me up. Then it was home for breakfast - two soft boiled eggs with some butter and a cup of coffee.

I'm not sure what I do in the mornings and why it takes me so long to get ready, but I was out the door and on my short walk to work just after 8am. 

Today's lunch was the same as yesterday - I'm such a creature of habit! 

The dog was desperate for another walk when I got home from work, so we had a 2 miler up and down the beach. Then it was time to feed him and myself! I made a pork stir fry with  mangetout, red pepper, green beans and asparagus. 

I use Coconut Aminos rather than Soy sauce for health reasons - this is the one I use

As usual my dessert was fresh berries with some double cream - yum! 

I did well with snacks today - just a handful of nuts late afternoon and a few olives at 9pm to accompany a very small glass of wine. 

So that's Day2 over - and there's no doubt that writing this is helping me to keep focused and on track - long may it last!!