Finally our household has emerged from the ravages of gastric infection. On the plus side I lost a kilo! :-) On the minus side... well, I don't think I need to go into too much detail there.
I can eat like a normal person again, so as from now I am living according to my 'new normal'. Sticking with the plan I designed a couple of posts ago.
Right now it's actually evening and all of my eating and activity are over for the day, so tonight will be all about actually doing the meditation thing (it's sooooo difficult for me - I tried it a few days ago and wow, do I have a chatty scatty brain!) and building a new habit of having herbal tea instead of snacks in the evenings.
Tonight's dinner was so yummy. A Farmer's Plate: tomato, cucumber, cos lettuce, basil, fetta, prosciutto, olives, boiled egg. A very tiny drizzle of olive oil and apple cider vinegar. It was delicious, colourful and completely satisfying.
Monday, 21 January 2013
Friday, 18 January 2013
Gastro!
Three days I'm not really going to talk about.
It's been a constant race to keep ahead of the laundry. Ugh.
Needless to say there's not been much eating, exercise, or meditation!
Getting back to normal now.
It's been a constant race to keep ahead of the laundry. Ugh.
Needless to say there's not been much eating, exercise, or meditation!
Getting back to normal now.
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Hello again!
So it's an anniversary of sorts... a year (and a bit) since I
completed the Garden Diet programs and got me some 'afters' to be
proud of. I remember the experience with (mostly) pleasure, but it's
also a bit of a blur in my mind. I remember that it was hard
sometimes to be organised and have raw food when we were out, and
that eating at other people's houses required forethought, planning,
explanations, and bringing my own food. It was really great but also
quite the challenge at times.
So a year on I've pretty much gone back to a 'normal' Western way of eating, with a few extra raw recipes thrown in. I had a few half-hearted and failed attemptes to re-do the Garden Diet programs, but they generally got to about day 3 or 4 before lack of motivation derailed me. I eat generally healthily, but too much sugar for sure. I'm addicted to sugar! I also eat at odd times and seem to be hungry a LOT! There's sometimes not a huge distinction between morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea - just a trail of snacks taken every half hour or so. It's easy to lose track of what I'm eating, and often it's whatever the kids leave behind. The kids, unfortunately, also eat less well when I do.
Improvements in my 'wellness' have also plateaued in a big way, despite several attempts to get some forward motion happening again. I'm still not particularly fit and I've got a few remaining kilos of 'post-baby weight' to which I'd love to say goodbye. I get frustrated by my failed attempts to improve my lifestyle - Starting again, always starting again! Every darn week I seem to start again. Feelings of deprivation are a big hurdle for me – I'll 'start again' at breakfast, brand spanking new beautiful healthy lifestyle plan in place, only to revert by 11am because 'it's all too hard and I just don't have the emotional energy at the moment and, quite frankly, I'd feel so deprived and sad if I didnn't eat that (insert name of unhealthy snack here)...'
I'm not sure why I feel that this time will be different, but I know that during the Garden Diet program blogging seemed to really help me stay on track. It's a great reflective tool and the knowledge that someone might read this keeps me a teeny bit accountable.
So what's the plan?
I'm basing my new habits on the Garden Diet's three-fold strategy: Diet, exercise and 'happiness'.
The exercise bit is easy to formulate. Three times a week I'll do a program of strength exercises that I have - it's quick, challenging, and doesn't need any equipment. I can do the exercises during the kids' half hour of tv... oh, who am I kidding, I'm not a perfect Mum and they have at least an hour of tv time most days into which I can schedule a few squats and lunges! Three times a week I'll do something aerobic - running, cycling, boxing (there's a boxing gym near my house and I'm itching to give it a go), swimming, windsurfing, kayaking, whatever I can get to. Running will probably be my staple - it's quick, easy to do from home, and I can take the kids along.
The diet part is pretty much worked out. After years of experimentation I'm putting into place what I've learned works best for me. Breakfast is a glass of water with lemon juice, then a plain glass of water, then two glasses of freshly squeezed vegie juice. I know, it sounds really lame and model-starvation-y and not like a meal at all. 'I need to chew', etc. But I've been doing this for several weeks now and to my astonishment it keeps me full and happy till about 11:30am. It's the one meal of the day that I really feel I've nailed. Then another vegie juice fills the gap till lunch. Lunch and dinner will be a combination of raw meals and small portions of the cooked food that my family eat, including eggs, dairy, very occasional meat. Yes, meat. Variety. Lunch and dinner will include homemade fermented foods - I'm a dab hand at sauerkraut and look forward to expanding into kefir, kombucha, kimchi and more. Lunch and dinner will also include greens. Greeeeeens! I do love eating leaves. And sprouts. Babies of goodness. Snacks: I'm really trying to take my snacking in hand and get over the need to be constantly eating. I've begun to build the habit of snacking on iskiate: Chia seeds, water, lime juice and a dash of maple syrup. Looks like pond scum, tastes divine. Hydrates, cleanses, fills, and has the zinginess of a Mexican cocktail. What's not to love? Iskiate is my new snack-attack friend. I'll make a big batch every morning.
The biggest change and challenge: quitting sugar! I blame Sarah Wilson for this: www.sarahwilson.com.au
She's big into the quitting sugar thing and backs up her convictions with some compelling arguments. I have her ebooks - two of them. I don't agree with everything she espouses, but vive la difference. I agree with a lot more than I disagree with, and anyone can see that the SAD (Standard Australian Diet) contains waaaaaay more sugar than it did only a generation ago. And it really can't be good. Keen to give that stuff the heave-ho. I expect withdrawals and cravings and feel some trepidation, some fear of failure, but whatever. Suck it up sunshine and reap the benefits.
The 'happiness' part of things is more of a challenge for me to decide on. I don't really know what questions to ask myself, what exercises to do, how to get this part of my self-designed program up and running. So I'm starting with something basic - five minutes of meditation a day - and I'll take it from there. I'm sure that as the days progress I'll find inspiration and direction in this area.
So, here we go. Sugar free, mostly raw, hold onto your hats. 'Before' pictures coming tomorrow.
So a year on I've pretty much gone back to a 'normal' Western way of eating, with a few extra raw recipes thrown in. I had a few half-hearted and failed attemptes to re-do the Garden Diet programs, but they generally got to about day 3 or 4 before lack of motivation derailed me. I eat generally healthily, but too much sugar for sure. I'm addicted to sugar! I also eat at odd times and seem to be hungry a LOT! There's sometimes not a huge distinction between morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea - just a trail of snacks taken every half hour or so. It's easy to lose track of what I'm eating, and often it's whatever the kids leave behind. The kids, unfortunately, also eat less well when I do.
Improvements in my 'wellness' have also plateaued in a big way, despite several attempts to get some forward motion happening again. I'm still not particularly fit and I've got a few remaining kilos of 'post-baby weight' to which I'd love to say goodbye. I get frustrated by my failed attempts to improve my lifestyle - Starting again, always starting again! Every darn week I seem to start again. Feelings of deprivation are a big hurdle for me – I'll 'start again' at breakfast, brand spanking new beautiful healthy lifestyle plan in place, only to revert by 11am because 'it's all too hard and I just don't have the emotional energy at the moment and, quite frankly, I'd feel so deprived and sad if I didnn't eat that (insert name of unhealthy snack here)...'
I'm not sure why I feel that this time will be different, but I know that during the Garden Diet program blogging seemed to really help me stay on track. It's a great reflective tool and the knowledge that someone might read this keeps me a teeny bit accountable.
So what's the plan?
I'm basing my new habits on the Garden Diet's three-fold strategy: Diet, exercise and 'happiness'.
The exercise bit is easy to formulate. Three times a week I'll do a program of strength exercises that I have - it's quick, challenging, and doesn't need any equipment. I can do the exercises during the kids' half hour of tv... oh, who am I kidding, I'm not a perfect Mum and they have at least an hour of tv time most days into which I can schedule a few squats and lunges! Three times a week I'll do something aerobic - running, cycling, boxing (there's a boxing gym near my house and I'm itching to give it a go), swimming, windsurfing, kayaking, whatever I can get to. Running will probably be my staple - it's quick, easy to do from home, and I can take the kids along.
The diet part is pretty much worked out. After years of experimentation I'm putting into place what I've learned works best for me. Breakfast is a glass of water with lemon juice, then a plain glass of water, then two glasses of freshly squeezed vegie juice. I know, it sounds really lame and model-starvation-y and not like a meal at all. 'I need to chew', etc. But I've been doing this for several weeks now and to my astonishment it keeps me full and happy till about 11:30am. It's the one meal of the day that I really feel I've nailed. Then another vegie juice fills the gap till lunch. Lunch and dinner will be a combination of raw meals and small portions of the cooked food that my family eat, including eggs, dairy, very occasional meat. Yes, meat. Variety. Lunch and dinner will include homemade fermented foods - I'm a dab hand at sauerkraut and look forward to expanding into kefir, kombucha, kimchi and more. Lunch and dinner will also include greens. Greeeeeens! I do love eating leaves. And sprouts. Babies of goodness. Snacks: I'm really trying to take my snacking in hand and get over the need to be constantly eating. I've begun to build the habit of snacking on iskiate: Chia seeds, water, lime juice and a dash of maple syrup. Looks like pond scum, tastes divine. Hydrates, cleanses, fills, and has the zinginess of a Mexican cocktail. What's not to love? Iskiate is my new snack-attack friend. I'll make a big batch every morning.
The biggest change and challenge: quitting sugar! I blame Sarah Wilson for this: www.sarahwilson.com.au
She's big into the quitting sugar thing and backs up her convictions with some compelling arguments. I have her ebooks - two of them. I don't agree with everything she espouses, but vive la difference. I agree with a lot more than I disagree with, and anyone can see that the SAD (Standard Australian Diet) contains waaaaaay more sugar than it did only a generation ago. And it really can't be good. Keen to give that stuff the heave-ho. I expect withdrawals and cravings and feel some trepidation, some fear of failure, but whatever. Suck it up sunshine and reap the benefits.
The 'happiness' part of things is more of a challenge for me to decide on. I don't really know what questions to ask myself, what exercises to do, how to get this part of my self-designed program up and running. So I'm starting with something basic - five minutes of meditation a day - and I'll take it from there. I'm sure that as the days progress I'll find inspiration and direction in this area.
So, here we go. Sugar free, mostly raw, hold onto your hats. 'Before' pictures coming tomorrow.
Thursday, 31 May 2012
My new blog:
I have a new blog! One chatting about not only food but also life in general and the things that make me happy. It's at:
http://thebeautifulblues.wordpress.com/
http://thebeautifulblues.wordpress.com/
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Day 3
Ewwwww, I am sick. A tummy bug is doing the rounds of our family - my son had it first, then my husband, and now my daughter and I have succumbed. Ew. I seriously can almost not keep up with the laundry.
I did a really indulgent thing today - I had a half hour sleep mid-morning! Thank you husband. xxxx
I've been thinking a lot about my photography over the last couple of days. I've been contracting to studios for over 10 years now, and it's been great. I've learned an incredible amount, worked with amazing people, and gained confidence, nous, and lifelong friendships.
For the last couple of years, though, I've been contemplating 'nreaking free' and starting my own studio. It's scary! If a client has a problem, it's up to me (and only me!) to fix it! And what if noone books me? What if I'm not good enough? In my rational moments none of this worries me, but at 3 in the morning it's another thing entirely.
I'm finally feeling ready to go for it, though, and one big reason is that I've taken the last year to shhoot a lot of personal work and really try and find out what makes me 'tick' as a photographer. As pretentious as it sounds to 'take time out to find myself as an artist' (cringe), it's been really helpful and my confidence has soared. I've discovered that while I admire many, many photographers (and other artists), all of whom have very different styles and approaches, I also have my own style and approach that's every bit as good and valid! And I'm sure there are people out there with whom my style will resonate, and who will be excited to book me to photograph them. So as I continue to build a body of work that represents my own vision, not that of a studio I'm shooting for, I'm also getting ready to order stationery with my logo on it, get a website live and kicking, and have a stand at a bridal fair to see what the reaction will be. I hope it;s good. I hope people will like what I do. But the fact is that I love shooting the way I want to, and I love it so much that I'm prepared to give it a shot. If nothing else I've got some great photos of my kids to treasure as a result of all my experimentation, and if I get nothing else, that's good enough.
So that's it for today. Noone wants to read about me eating cooked pumpkin soup and toast while I'm sick :-)
And of course I didn't exercise because I could seriously sleep all day. Tomorrow, or whenever I feel well again. Instead I'm just indulging in daydreams about cycling in the Swiss Jura. Mmmmmmmm....
I did a really indulgent thing today - I had a half hour sleep mid-morning! Thank you husband. xxxx
I've been thinking a lot about my photography over the last couple of days. I've been contracting to studios for over 10 years now, and it's been great. I've learned an incredible amount, worked with amazing people, and gained confidence, nous, and lifelong friendships.
For the last couple of years, though, I've been contemplating 'nreaking free' and starting my own studio. It's scary! If a client has a problem, it's up to me (and only me!) to fix it! And what if noone books me? What if I'm not good enough? In my rational moments none of this worries me, but at 3 in the morning it's another thing entirely.
I'm finally feeling ready to go for it, though, and one big reason is that I've taken the last year to shhoot a lot of personal work and really try and find out what makes me 'tick' as a photographer. As pretentious as it sounds to 'take time out to find myself as an artist' (cringe), it's been really helpful and my confidence has soared. I've discovered that while I admire many, many photographers (and other artists), all of whom have very different styles and approaches, I also have my own style and approach that's every bit as good and valid! And I'm sure there are people out there with whom my style will resonate, and who will be excited to book me to photograph them. So as I continue to build a body of work that represents my own vision, not that of a studio I'm shooting for, I'm also getting ready to order stationery with my logo on it, get a website live and kicking, and have a stand at a bridal fair to see what the reaction will be. I hope it;s good. I hope people will like what I do. But the fact is that I love shooting the way I want to, and I love it so much that I'm prepared to give it a shot. If nothing else I've got some great photos of my kids to treasure as a result of all my experimentation, and if I get nothing else, that's good enough.
So that's it for today. Noone wants to read about me eating cooked pumpkin soup and toast while I'm sick :-)
And of course I didn't exercise because I could seriously sleep all day. Tomorrow, or whenever I feel well again. Instead I'm just indulging in daydreams about cycling in the Swiss Jura. Mmmmmmmm....
Tuesday, 1 May 2012
28 Days Take 2: Days 1 and 2
I'm enjoying being a part of the 28-day program again! I haven;t done it perfectly - I'm getting lots of rpactice at not beating myself up! Actually, not beating myself up is pretty well ingrained as a habit now, and I'm happier for it.
Yesterday, day 1, I decided not to follow the program menu exactly, since I've started the program several times now and am kind of bored with the recipes! So I winged it. I had greapefruit juice for breakfast - yum! - and some grapes for morning tes. At lunch I had an avocado, cut in half and filled with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar, and I had some mroe grapes as well. By mid-afternoon I got quite hungry, so I had a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and olives. Dinner was more salad, with cucumber added as well.
I didn't exercise yesterday! I was feeling quite 'off' and exhausted, so my mental energy wasn;t quite up to the task of dragging me off the couch in the evening! Today I'll get it done, I feel much better.
Today I had to be up and out of the house early, adn after a very disrupted night with the kids I didn't get up in time to prepare food to take with me. Instead I bought a fruit smoothie for breakfast, and when I got home I had grapes and some sultanas for lunch. In between I also nibbled on the kids' bread rolls and had a couple of bites of my son's leftover biscuit. Not raw or remotely healthy, but I've eaten lots and lots of raw healthy food and I feel great anyway!
I've been taking photos each morning, and weighing myself, and I'm interested to see the change in me by the program's end! I'll post the photos when the program's finished. Seems easier than uploading one every day!
Happiness-wise I've made sure I've done something fun and not-food-oriented each day to keep me feeling indulged. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours gardening, which I love, while my baby girl sat on a blanket and watched, and smelled the lavendar and sage I pruned. Today I had my hair cut - always a treat! So I'm feeling overall positive, well and happy.
Yesterday, day 1, I decided not to follow the program menu exactly, since I've started the program several times now and am kind of bored with the recipes! So I winged it. I had greapefruit juice for breakfast - yum! - and some grapes for morning tes. At lunch I had an avocado, cut in half and filled with a drizzle of olive oil and vinegar, and I had some mroe grapes as well. By mid-afternoon I got quite hungry, so I had a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and olives. Dinner was more salad, with cucumber added as well.
I didn't exercise yesterday! I was feeling quite 'off' and exhausted, so my mental energy wasn;t quite up to the task of dragging me off the couch in the evening! Today I'll get it done, I feel much better.
Today I had to be up and out of the house early, adn after a very disrupted night with the kids I didn't get up in time to prepare food to take with me. Instead I bought a fruit smoothie for breakfast, and when I got home I had grapes and some sultanas for lunch. In between I also nibbled on the kids' bread rolls and had a couple of bites of my son's leftover biscuit. Not raw or remotely healthy, but I've eaten lots and lots of raw healthy food and I feel great anyway!
I've been taking photos each morning, and weighing myself, and I'm interested to see the change in me by the program's end! I'll post the photos when the program's finished. Seems easier than uploading one every day!
Happiness-wise I've made sure I've done something fun and not-food-oriented each day to keep me feeling indulged. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours gardening, which I love, while my baby girl sat on a blanket and watched, and smelled the lavendar and sage I pruned. Today I had my hair cut - always a treat! So I'm feeling overall positive, well and happy.
Monday, 30 April 2012
28-Day Raw Clease, take 2
Hello! Tomorrow is the first day of the 28-day transition to raw, again. Again. Again. Again. I keep doing this, and keep feeling like I'm starting and giving up, starting and giving up, but actually I'm getting closer and closer each time to making my very own 'normal' be the healthiest that it can possibly be.
Each time I do the raw cleanse - well, each time I start a raw cleanse and give up after a few days - I learn more about myself and I learn more ways to behave to make the clease work better for myself.
My helpful diet habit this time, and the thing I'm planning to focus on most, is to eat cut-up vegies as snacks if I get hungry bewteen meals. Seriously, I eat all the time and I'm so over it! It's a really uncomfortable compulsion and I'm just ready to let it go! Hopefully by just snacking on vegies I can wean myself off the unhelpful things I snack on. Often they're raw, but still make me feel glugged up, like date and coconut rolls for example. I can eat about 10 of those at once if I don;t watch myself! It's the old 'making myself feel pampered by eating treats' trick.
Tomorrow morning it's orange juice for breakfast and onwards from there. I'm looking forward to it! It's nice not to have to think about what to prepare. I've shopped for the first couple of days' ingredients, so I'm all set to go.
I've been riding my bike more regularly, in rpreparation for a big ride and a return to racing later in the year, but for the exercise component of this 4 week cleanse I'm planning to alternate between Koya's workout and Jules's yoga video every day. A nice way to do something for myself before I go to bed each night!
For the happiness component of this cleanse I'm going to start meditating. Every day! Meditating! I'll see how it goes and how I feel it helps me.
Until tomorrow!
Each time I do the raw cleanse - well, each time I start a raw cleanse and give up after a few days - I learn more about myself and I learn more ways to behave to make the clease work better for myself.
My helpful diet habit this time, and the thing I'm planning to focus on most, is to eat cut-up vegies as snacks if I get hungry bewteen meals. Seriously, I eat all the time and I'm so over it! It's a really uncomfortable compulsion and I'm just ready to let it go! Hopefully by just snacking on vegies I can wean myself off the unhelpful things I snack on. Often they're raw, but still make me feel glugged up, like date and coconut rolls for example. I can eat about 10 of those at once if I don;t watch myself! It's the old 'making myself feel pampered by eating treats' trick.
Tomorrow morning it's orange juice for breakfast and onwards from there. I'm looking forward to it! It's nice not to have to think about what to prepare. I've shopped for the first couple of days' ingredients, so I'm all set to go.
I've been riding my bike more regularly, in rpreparation for a big ride and a return to racing later in the year, but for the exercise component of this 4 week cleanse I'm planning to alternate between Koya's workout and Jules's yoga video every day. A nice way to do something for myself before I go to bed each night!
For the happiness component of this cleanse I'm going to start meditating. Every day! Meditating! I'll see how it goes and how I feel it helps me.
Until tomorrow!
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