It's my 20th week on the 5/2 diet, and it's going well!

Firstly, I'd like to apologise to all those readers who have been waiting patiently for another interesting post from me! I'm sorry too that there are no photos this time, life is getting so busy that I haven't been focusing on taking photos and developing recipes for you.

I am however, quite excited, because I have finally reached my first goal a week ago and I have made a new goal to lose another 10kg. I haven't set a time frame for that, but I am already 1kg down on that!

Life has been very hectic lately, I've travelled up to Brisbane 3 times in the last few months, and my choir has just had its annual Christmas concert. It was my first experience in many years of performing in public, and it was a lot of fun! We have more functions that we have been asked to sing at, so that will be keeping me busy over the next month.

I'm finding that this diet fits very well into my life, it does feel as if its a way of life, and I haven't found it too hard. Not very hard at all! I've had a bit of tummy rumbling and a few days of painful spasms, and when I visited the Dr. he suggested it may be from eating lots of raw vegetables, but I am not so sure. I've been cooking my veg over the last week, and I'm also trying to stay away from gluten to see if that makes a difference. I probably just haven't had enough water! Never the less, I have still been fasting on 2 days of the week, and I'm still trying to stick to 1200cal on most of the other days. It's working and last night I tried on a dress that I haven't worn in a long time and both my husband and my daughter agreed that it looks better on me now than it did before! How exciting!

I hope that all of you readers are continuing to have success on your journey too. I am looking forward to the challenges that this Christmas season will bring, but I have proved that I can get through all kinds of difficult situations this year, so I know I can do it! Let me encourage you to stick to your resolution and don't give up! The results are so worth it, even though it takes a long time, there is so much to gain and only weight to lose!

November and I'm still here...

To those of you who have been following my blog, I wanted to post a little bit, just to let you know that I haven't given up and I think of you all often, wondering about what I might be eating and thinking. Worrying weather I have given up and am just too embarrassed to tell you!

Well, I have been extremely busy in the last month or two! I've driven to Brisbane with my husband, taking 2 days to drive up, spending 2 days with family and then taking another 2 days to drive home. I managed to fast on the first and last days of travelling, so I managed to lose weight that week, even though I had had quite a few rich foods!

Within 2 weeks, it was necessary for me to fly up to Brisbane again for 4 days this time, and I'm afraid I had no control over the food I ate, I don't mean I lost control, I just was polite and ate what I was given. I wasn't logging all the food I ate and weighing myself as I usually do every day.

Home again and then a friend came to visit for 4 days, so there was a bit of eating out, and entertaining. I don't like to fast in front of other people because I don't want them to feel as if I think they should too, because I don't think that! I want them to feel comfortable and at home. Fasting can wait a few days.

Because of all this business, and entertaining, and putting off of fasting days, I have gained weight. I think too that I got so close to my first goal weight, that I've slacked off slightly.

I am fasting today! I made myself a batch of chicken and vegetable soup and I'm nearly through the afternoon. I have had my normal cup of coffee this morning with 30ml skim milk, 1 cup of my chicken and vegetable soup, and a nectarine so far, and I have around 350 calories left for dinner and an afternoon snack! I'm sure I'll make it, and I'll see the rewards tomorrow, so it will be worth feeling a little bit hungry.

Thanks for thinking of me while I've been away, why not leave me a message of support and encouragement. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

why not try Brunch instead of Breakfast...

Lately, on my 500 calorie fasting days, I've been trying to put breakfast off for as long as I can, and enjoying the ingredients I would have had for breakfast in a slightly different way!

As you may know by now, I do love to have my morning coffee in a tea party style...

After I've had my cuppa, I try to get a few jobs done around the house to keep me busy for a while. I've been doing a fair bit of gardening, trying to grow a few herbs and salad leaves that I know I'll use, and watering them is a great way to get me out there. I can see what is growing, and what has been eaten by bugs, what flowers are out, and all that. 

I've also started the process of recovering an old Parker Wingback Armchair. I'm quite excited about how great it will look when I get it finished, but it was so well made, that the tacks and staples are taking forever to remove! never mind, it's giving me lots to keep my mind off food!

By around 11.30am, I'm usually starving (good to actually know what that feels like) and I start to get my brunch ready.

Today I made my breakfast ingredients into a kind of Caesar Salad 

This photo looks a bit retro, but I did it to show you the ingredients.

I was able to pick enough green salad and herb leaves from my garden this morning (50g)

rocket, baby spinach, basil and chives

3 x cherry tomatoes

1 free range egg (boiled)

1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

35g wholemeal bread cut into squares and dry fried/both sides till crunchy

1 tablespoon walden farms calorie free Caesar salad dressing 

always with a glass of water or two

The great thing about doing your fasting day this way, is that you use up the morning getting useful things done, and then you can be rewarded with a lovely salad, and maybe put your feet up for a little while.

I still have 100g snack of carrot and 50g of apple for the afternoon up my sleeve, and before I know it, it will be time to make dinner!

It's 2.31pm, and Ive only had 202 calories so far...

And the exciting thing is that I have lost 12kg, and more could be gone tomorrow!

I'm expecting things to slow down as time goes bye, so I won't be hard on myself if I don't lose 1kg every week, thats a little unrealistic.

Healthy Brownies for an occasional treat

These Brownies are what I was experimenting with the other day

They have been tested by my husband and I, and have been given the thumbs up!

I based them on another recipe, but I've made a few changes.

Healthy Brownies

Ingredients:

150g apple sauce

200g mashed banana

3/4 cup smart sugar (195g)

2 tsp vanilla extract (10ml)

50g cocoa powder (1/2 cup)

1/2 tsp salt

300g (2 cups) grated zucchini 

2 cups Self Raising Flour

60g (1/2 cup) walnut pieces

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all wet ingredients together with the smart sugar.

Then add sifted cocoa, SR flour salt zucchini and walnuts

Line a 28cm x 33cm pan

(11 x 13 inch) 

Or 2 x pans that make up that size altogether

Spread mixture over lined tray

Bake in moderate oven for about 25minutes or until brownies spring back when touched

Cool in pan, then cut into 24 equal slices

If you use normal sugar, each slice is about 120 calories

If you use smart sugar, each slice is about 102 calories

Smart sugar is a mix of natural sugar and Stevia extract, a natural plant ingredient which can be up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. Smart sugar is blended so that you only use 1/2 the amount of sugar you would normally use, and you still get the same sweet result. Lower in calories!

I freeze the brownies after they have been cooled and cut, between sheets of baking paper, in airtight containers. When I plan to treat myself, I just get a slice out of the freezer an hour or two before I plan to eat it, and put the rest back in the freezer. They taste great if you thaw them, then microwave for 20 seconds, and then have them with coffee ice cream! And a strawberry!

enjoy!

It's my 12th week on the 2/5 diet and so close to losing 12kg!

This week is my 12th week of doing the 2/5 diet my way, and this morning, after fasting on Monday and   wednesday of this week, I'm 100g off losing 12kg!

I decided that I really wanted to have lost 12kg in 12 weeks, so for the first time, I have fasted for a third day today, hoping that will ensure that I succeed this week. I don't plan to do that again any time soon, but it just felt like a goal worth reaching for.

Today, I've been busy recording what I've eaten, so you can see another 500 calorie day's worth of food. I did a bit of experimenting, but that's for another day.

When I woke up this morning, first thing, bathroom, then weigh myself...

Then, I boiled the kettle and made myself a little pot of coffee, put it on a tray with a 30ml jug of skim milk, and my lovely fine bone china cup, so I could have a leisurely cuppa. If you put it in a pot, it seems to stretch out the same ingredients, you just drink a bit more water and I got 3 cups of coffee instead of one mug, and a lot of pleasure from the whole experience of pouring the milk and the coffee into my special cup.

After my cuppa, I got up and got busy, I wanted to have more of a brunch than a breakfast. I pottered in the garden, then did some baking, and before I knew it, it was 11am. Time to cook some breakfast!

Instead of cooking an egg and mushroom separately, I made an omelette. I used less mushroom than I usually would, so that I could have some Parmesan cheese, and instead of spinach, I used grated zucchini, and some fresh herbs from my garden.

Breakfast

1 egg

31g mushroom

33g grated zucchini

1 Tbs Parmesan cheese grated

1 Tbs water

basil leaf, fresh thyme, chives

3 x cherry tomatoes

26g fresh asparagus 

30ml skim milk for coffee (earlier in the day)

Total for Breakfast - 134 calories

Always with a glass of water or two.

Lunch (or really, Afternoon Tea)

100g Apple with skin on, cut into wedges

and maybe a cup of black minted green tea or another glass of water

keep a glass near the sink so when you see it, you can have another one

Total for Lunch - 73 calories

An Easy Dinner

I made this batch of soup the other day, and batched it up into plastic containers, some with 1 cup and some with 2 cups, to freeze. It's so easy to have meals, ready made and in the freezer, labelled with the serving size, and the amount of calories. You don't have to work hard every day!

(I have done a recipe for a similar soup in an earlier post that would work like this one)

Total for Dinner - 259 calories

Dessert

I made up 4 x 1/2 cup serves of this Lite Port Wine Jelly in crystal glasses and they have been so nice to have for Dessert, after dinner. I keep them in a container in the fridge, so easy and just enough!

1/2 cup lite jelly

28g Nestle Ski Divine Vanilla Creme Yoghurt

Total for Dessert - 36 calories

Total for all of Today's food - 502 calories

I hope that when I wake up in the morning and weigh myself, I will have achieved my goal of losing 12kg in 12 weeks!

Diet drinks aren't free...

Today, I got a bit of a shock!

I'm not much of a label reader, usually because the writing on most labels is so small or is printed in gold, and I can't read it without my glasses, which I don't carry with me all the time ( I think they do that on purpose ). I decided to give myself a bit of a treat, as today is a fasting day for me. I thought that I'd buy a bottle of diet lemonade, but unfortunately, there was none left in the supermarket, so I looked around and decided to buy a diet ginger beer. A nice refreshing drink for a lovely Spring evening, and I assumed that it would be free of calories. 

Never make assumptions!

When I brought the bottle home, I scanned it with my trusty myfitnesspal app, and for one 250ml glass of this diet ginger beer, it was 33 calories!

Not free at all! I guess I'll just have to put some iced water into a special glass for my treat tonight,

There'll be no ginger beer for me today, maybe tomorrow if I feel like spending that many calories on a drink.

The moral of this story is...always read the label, and don't just assume like I did that sprite zero, or coke zero or anything labeled diet, in the drink isle, is free of calories.

If you've had much to do with weight watchers, the words "points free" is bandied around a lot, and if you are actually trying to count calories, there is very little that is actually calorie free. Even herbs have a calorie count! It's something to think about, and to watch out for.

Weight update...

It's all good, I've officially lost 11kg!

So I'm under what I was when I went on holiday to Henty, and off my diet!
The weight has come off more easily since I had a weeks break, and I can thoroughly recommend taking a short break if you are levelling off a bit. It seemed to do the trick for me.

I've had 2 fasting days of 500 calories this week, and I've tried to stick to 1200 calories on all the other days, just to make sure that I get back on the downward track. I'm so glad that I made that decision because now I know what to do next time I start levelling off and I won't be scared to have a break next time either. If I did it before, I can do it again!

I have 2 more kilos to lose before I get to my first goal! Then I'll set another chunk of a goal. Not too big, just enough to keep me going, that won't be the end goal yet! I've got quite a way to go, so I like to look at it in small, achievable goals.

Today, my daughter and I went to the Southern Highlands and saw the Tulip gardens in Bowral, there were stalls and shops, and we did lots of walking, and enjoyed the sunshine! We had lunch out, and debated what would be the meal with the least calories. I just had to take a bit of a guess at what my lunch was. It may have been as much as 700 calories, so I made sure I enjoyed it, and I had a very small salad with salmon in it for dinner. I had made up some lite jellies the other day, so I had one to finish the day, and it was only 7 calories for 1/2 cup!

It's been another great day, and I'm looking forward to a good nights sleep, and another sunny day tomorrow!
Liz

Holiday at Henty

Last week, my husband and I went on a sort of holiday to a place called Henty, which is a small country town not far from Aulbury in New South Wales, Australia. It took us about 6 hours to drive there from our home, quite a lovely drive. I had booked earlier in the year, to have a stall in the ladies lifestyle tent at the Henty Machinery Field Day event which is held over 3 full days each year in September. This year, it was the 50th Anniversary! I have been doing a stall there for the past 3 years, selling floral jewellery made from bread dough, hand painted greeting cards, and lots more hand made things, and its been lots of fun. The best part, is that we were so fortunate to find accommodation on a farm near the event, we have met the most beautiful people and we come home to wonderful home cooked, home grown dinners and a great family atmosphere to relax in after a very busy day! Thank you so much Kate and Graham for your warm hospitality, you always make our Henty holiday a pleasure!

The fields of canola are so beautiful with their bright yellow blooms at this time of year! I wasn't able to take too many great photos because we were getting up early and driving back to the farm late in the afternoon when the light was dim. This photo was taken out the car window on the last day of the event, on the run.

  

This is part of the farm where we stayed.

These are some of the shots I took as we drove from the farm on the last day

It was such a beautiful morning!

The event is held in a field that has a grid of roads and a few buildings, and each year, people come from all over the country and tents go up everywhere to make what resembles a town!

There is even a bank! A fabulous Farm Gate Market where they sell beautiful breads, produce, cheeses, wines, jams and sauces etc.

On the first 2 days, these roads were mud and slush this year, setting up in the rain is not much fun!

You can see some of the puddles in this picture.

That was the background for my holiday story, my main dilemma was that I knew there would be very long days, and not much control over the food I would be eating. The Country Women's Association were selling all kinds of slices and cakes with tea and coffee in the same huge tent that my stall was in. There were not that many healthy choices for lunch, and it is so hard to resist what was on offer at the farm. 

With all this in mind, I made a big decision before we went away, to have a holiday from my diet.

It was lovely to forget about weighing, measuring and saying no to food, but I did feel nervous about what would happen when I got back on the scales when I got home. I kept telling myself that what goes on easily should go off easily too, but there was a nervous feeling inside me.

Well, as I thought, I did gain weight! 1.5kg in fact! in one week.

This did my head in quite a bit to be honest. Even though I thought I had prepared myself for what would happen, it still made it hard to think that it was possible to get back on track and lose what I had gained! I gave myself a day to not think about it (even though I did), then I decided to do a 1200 calorie   day, but fell off in the afternoon by eating a whole lot of maltesers! Try again!

I had a talk to myself, and said "you can do this, you've done it before!"

The next day I successfully managed a 500 calorie fasting day, and guess what, I lost a whole kilo! 

I wondered if this was too good to be true, but after doing a 1200 calorie day yesterday, I was still the same weight, and today, I am fasting for the second time this week so I'm hoping that I might be back to what I was before I went away!

The moral of this story is that if you go on holiday from your diet, it is possible to get back on track, as long as you don't leave it too long after you get back, and be prepared for the weight gain disappointment, it plays powerful tricks with your mind. Make a plan and stick to it, you'll soon see good results if you hang in there.

I'm 100g off my 10kg goal!

A little something fresh and sweet.

This dessert is so simple and it's great for Summer on a non fasting day

The whole family will enjoy this one!

This recipe makes 7 (1/2 cup) serves - 39.4 calories per serve

Make up 1 sachet of lime flavoured lite jelly using a bit less than 1 cup of boiling water to dissolve the jelly crystals, and a bit less than a cup of cold water

Then

Place the contents of the can of traditional fruit salad in juice into the jelly

Use a half cup measure to serve the fruity jelly into glasses, bowls or tea cups

Place the jelly into a large covered container in the fridge for a few hours

Serve with ice cream and a strawberry

1 (46g) scoop of ice cream - approx. 94 calories

strawberry - 3 calories

this picture is worth 136 calories

Now that's a nice ending to the day!

It's official, after 8 1/2 weeks, I've lost 10kg!

Yes, you got it right... I've lost 10kg after 8 1/2 weeks, and I've done it on my own! Yes, I've had support from my Husband, who gives me lots of encouragement, and doesn't mind eating the new healthier meals I've been introducing him to, and my daughter, who is doing the 2/5 fasting diet in her own way too! It's nice to have people around you that are on a similar journey! I've also had encouragement from a neighbour up the street who has gone walking with me from time to time, there is also another neighbour who encourages me every time I see her taking her dog for a walk, or when she tells me about what she has been doing to regain her health and fitness, what recipes she is trying and what she's found that's helping her.

When I say I've done it on my own, I mean that I haven't paid an organisation or business to help me loose weight. I think this is a major thing for me because in the past, I have lost weight and have gone to one of those organisations, having to pay say $15 a week, or sign up with a credit card and always, there comes a time that you end up weighing up weather you can afford to pay that extra amount of money each week. If you, like me, have trouble spending that money every week on yourself, you end up making the decision to give up, and try to do it on your own, but the momentum slows and before you know it, you are gaining weight again.

Now that I have lost this amount on my own, I have proven to myself that it is possible, without too much trouble, to loose weight and improve my health on my own. This means that I won't have to make a decision in the future, to give up because its costing me too much money! That's a big plus for me!

The app I use (myfitnesspal) is also free, and is so easy to use! It helps you find out how many calories are contained in the food I eat, and you can log every day what you eat. I find it so good to plan what I am going to eat too. I can use what I already have in the fridge, and make up meals with things I already have bought. I can use up leftovers which is something that is also better for the finances. I have found that there is a lot of food wastage with other diets. That's what I've found is what I love about what I'm doing now, I can eat what I like, though there is some self control needed, it is really working for me!

I have to say that in the first two weeks, I lost weight at a faster rate, and as the weeks have passed, there have been ups and downs, the rate of weight loss has slowed, but it has continued to decrease. I am much closer to my first small goal, and I'm feeling good.

I celebrated my milestone yesterday with a visit to the hairdresser, and I bought myself a lovely red top that was on special! There was no coffee and cake involved!

Low Calorie Jelly Treat 

This is 1/2 cup serve of Jelly - 7 calories

with

19g Gippsland Dairy Yoghurt - Plain/Vanilla - 26 calories

Aeroplane Port Wine Lite Jelly

there are lots of other flavours as well

this picture should have had a strawberry on top - 3 calories

what a fabulous dessert, for only 36 calories (including 1 strawberry)

for those of you who have wanted to leave a comment but have been frustrated by this blogger system, I think you'll find that if you register with Google, then when you log into my blog (elizat123.blogspot.com), you sign in to your Google account, and then it will allow you to make a comment. I'd love to hear from you!

If you come in via the Facebook link, you need to sign in to your Google account to make a comment too. You'll find the sign in link at the very top right of my blog.

regards
Liz

Trying not to lose heart...

This week seems to be one of those weeks where I've  had lots on, I got busy and didn't always have time to make firm plans about food... Thus, I've tended to lose heart and succumb to the things I shouldn't be eating, or letting myself eat the things I feel like. That hasn't been the best plan.

As a result, I've had a few ups and downs with my weight. I'd put on 300g and then with fasting on 2 days, I went back to the same weight I was before, then I lost 300g but I've put that back on again, so I'm going up and down but over all, staying the same!

I think that if you deprive yourself for too long, you will inevitably have a binge of all the stuff you feel like you've missed out on. In some ways, I'm not sure if that's a bad thing, because you can surprise your body by eating a bit of bad stuff, and if you get straight back on and do the right thing, your body says to itself, ok, looks like I'm not starving after all, so you can afford to lose a bit more weight. I'm in favour of having a treat every so often. It help to make you feel like you're not deprived of the foods you love, and it gives your metabolism a surprise.

As I said in my earlier posts, I'm not an expert, but I have done a bit of research, and this is just what I've been thinking. It's my take on the 2/5 fasting diet.

Today, I was talking with my husband, trying to explain what I'm feeling, and I came up with the idea that being good and being bad, in food talk, isn't really what I'm on about. Even though that is often how I describe what I do and how I feel about food. What I am really trying to do is to take control of what I want to eat. I don't want to feel as though the urge to eat is because I've lost control. I want to eat when I'm actually hungry, I want to be in control of me! I'm sure that when people are trying to give up smoking, they want to be in control of themselves. They don't want their urge to have another cigarette take over! That's how I feel about food, I want my self control to win, not the smell of KFC or the taste of chocolate. I'm not saying I won't be eating the occasional sweet treat, but I want to be in control when I do!

Today, I've been busy crafting and shopping, I've made my own meals and stuck to today's plan, and I'm feeling hopeful that tomorrow I'll be a little lighter. It doesn't matter if I'm not, because I am winning the self control battle, and that makes me feel great!

Week 8 - my 2 fasting days for this week are over, but I'm trying to be good

Today I'm sticking to 1200 calories. I'm wanting to stick to real food that I love to eat, but I want to keep control of my portion sizes! That's one of the things that I have trouble with.

I find that I need to weigh most things and having my digital scales out on the bench is great.

This morning, I had my favourite breakfast again.

1/2 banana

100g Greek yoghurt not sweetened

2 flat tablespoons of my Granola sprinkled over the top

30ml skim milk for coffee

This time, I made a small pot of coffee and put the milk in a little glass jug. I used a pretty fine bone china tea cup, and it was so much nicer. I used the same amount of coffee that I would normally use in a mug, but it seemed to go further in the pot. I enjoyed nearly 3 cups of coffee even though I had used the same amount of milk and coffee I would have used in a mug on other days. Maybe it was weaker, but it felt special and I took my time enjoying the process of sprinkling the granola, and pouring the milk and the coffee into my special tea cup. This doesn't feel like a diet

271 calories 

Now for lunch

This was 2 cups of my new soup - 198 calories

A large glass of water

This recipe makes 17 cup serves and each serve is 99 calories

You could have 1 cup and then add other vegetables to make it a bit different but make sure you add the calories that you use for the extra veg.

It's a broth type soup with much less fat to remove than my other soup recipe

It's very easy to make and stores well in the freezer.

Bacon and Italian bean mix soup

300g short cut bacon fat removed and then weighed, diced

150g red onion diced (1 medium onion)

130g or 1 cup diced celery 

140g or 1 cup diced carrot

123g or 1 cup diced parsnip

4 ltr water

Pepper (no salt - salt makes the beans go hard)

Italian style soup mix 375g (McKenzie's)

You could also add some chilli powder if you like hot spice

Put all the ingredients into a 6ltr slow cooker

Cook on low overnight or 6 - 8 hours

If you like your soup a bit saltier, add it after the beans are soft

I love the way the beans go creamy in this soup, I think that's my favourite thing about it!

It also makes a great base, as I said before, you can change it up and fill it out, depending on how many calories you have to spend!

It's a very practical way to keep something nutritious with a good sustaining hit of protein up your sleeve for when you feel hungry and can't think of what to have or make.

for Afternoon Tea

I had a lovely refreshing berry drink made in the blender - 87 calories

Ingredients:

32g Weis Sorbet summer berries

120ml Emma &Tom's Quencher With Benefits - Cloudy Apple Juice

45g frozen 4 Berry Mix (Mccain season's choice)

250ml Diet Lemonade

a few ice blocks

use blender to make this very refreshing drink

My Dinner

Greek Lamb and Feta Salad with Roast Sweet Potato - 366 calories

Ingredients:

100g Lamb strips (no visible fat)

50g green salad leaves 

50g roast sweet potato

2x cherry tomatoes

20g greek feta cheese

50g snow peas

28g raw radish

20ml Balsamic Honey Mustard dressing (coles simply less)

80g lebanese cucumber

slice and dice as you like,

fry the lamb strips in a non stick pan with a tiny spray of oil

heat the roast sweet potato

 (I do a whole tray of pumpkin, sweet potato, garlic when I'm using my oven for something else)

 then toss together

enjoy with another glass of water!

what I loved about this dinner is that I used 20g of Feta cheese. Last night I was fasting and could only afford 10g.  I could really taste the difference with that bit extra!

I also love the taste of the lamb strips with the creamy roasted sweet potato!

I still had enough calories for Dessert!

Healthy Brownie with my Favourite Coffee Ice Cream

(the strawberry was saved from the berry drink on the side of the glass)

Healthy Brownie - 120 calories

69g Coffee Creme (Ice Cream) Prestige - 141 calories

strawberry - 3 calories

264 calories for the whole dessert

For this whole days worth of food, I haven't even gone over my limit!  Today added up to 1,186 calories, so I have 14 calories left. I also used up lots of salad things from the fridge, and I've frozen batches of soup and Healthy Brownies for another day! I feel very full right now and I even got a little gardening done. (I also broke the attachment to the tap for the hose, so I'll need to fix that before Summer sets in)

The Healthy Brownie recipe will follow (thats for another day, I think)

I look forward to your comments, hoping some new readers will send me some responses
share and pass it on if you like, I hope I'm helping encourage someone out there to start, or keep going
regards
Liz

It's Spring and a great time to start!

Here in Australia, it's Spring and it won't be long before we'll have to start wearing Summer clothes. No chance to cover up, no way of hiding the thick arms! This is what I don't like about this time of year!

One great thing about loosing weight, I've heard is that you don't feel so hot, or you feel cooler than you did when you were carrying more weight. That sounds great to me! Maybe I'll have less trouble with hot flushes this Summer. There is enough time for me to loose enough weight to make a difference before the really hot weather kicks in. That's another good reason to keep going, or for someone who hasn't started, to give this healthy eating plan a go!

Today, I'm fasting. I've weighed myself, and I'm the same weight as I was yesterday. That's ok, it's my second day of fasting this week, and I usually see the difference after my second fasting day. I'm getting to the stage where I'm having mind battles. You start to doubt yourself, and your resolve isn't so strong. I re read all my posts yesterday to remind myself of why I'm doing this, and that helped a lot. I also read some blogs on the same subject, to see how other people on the same quest were going. Both the blogs I found were very interesting and they were different because they were written by men. Men on this diet are allowed to eat 600 calories on fasting days. I don't know how to link these blogs into this one, but one was by Slim, and the other was by Bob. They both talked about having periods where your weight loss plateaus and there were lots of helpful comments about how to overcome those times when you don't seem to be able to budge those kg. it is helpful to find other people who are on a similar journey to yourself, sometimes they have come across things that may be helpful in your future.

I have made a small change in my layout on this blog, you may have noticed a space where you can enter your email address, so that you can be notified whenever I do another post. I hope this will be helpful to you.

I would also love to get some feedback from my readers! I'm getting to the stage where I don't know what to do next. I don't want to boar you, and I don't want to give up either.

Are the recipes worth doing? Have any of you tried any of them?
Do you need more 500 day menus? Or 1200 calorie day menus?
What other info would help you?

If you know anyone who might benefit from reading my blog, please share it
I am not an expert, but this is my experience, and I'm happy to share what I can with you.
Regards
Liz

Excuse me while I have a little talk to myself

You may be wondering why I haven't posted anything for the past couple of days! Well, as all good plans go...they, at some point go pear shaped! The point when this happens can change everything!

This is the point when a little positive self talk can make the world of difference and get you back on track!

Let me tell you what has been happening with me over the last couple of days. It all started on the day I made the cheesy cauliflower and Leek soup. I was wanting to find a different option for lunch on a 500 calorie fasting day, for those people who don't think that carrot and apple would work for them. I had this thought that the soup would be nice, but I wouldn't be able to have anything for afternoon tea. That afternoon, I felt so tired and weak, I ended up having a sleep and then made something for dinner and then felt tired enough to sleep again. I don't know if I was just sleep deprived, and needed a catch up, or my thoughts and fears took over and made me so lethargic, the whole point is, that it caught me up and made me doubt myself a bit, and next thing I was letting myself eat too much of things I knew would show up on the scales.

Within a day, I had gained 300g, and then another 100g the following day! I knew I had to talk about this subject here with you, but it's not really a subject I wanted to talk about.

Yesterday, I had that little talk to myself. It was important to nip the problem in the bud, and tell myself that I can get back and stick with the plan. I worked on sticking to 1200 calories yesterday, and I ate things I love to eat. It was Fathers Day yesterday, and I even worked out how I could give my husband surf and turf for dinner ( he loves prawns ). I drank lots of water and made a big pot of tea with orange slices and a teaspoon of Agave Nectar in it. That helped me to drink more. I made another batch of my chicken and vegetable soup, and all of it was so enjoyable to eat.

This morning, when I weighed myself, I have lost the 400g and some more. It was really just a hiccup , but I did need to tell myself what I had to do and how I was going to do it. Self pep talks can change things for the better! You should give it a go! Make sure you always end on a positive note!

I also need to tell you that I had the other serving of the Cauliflower soup on Friday, while I was working at our local Craft Cottage. I found that it was still delicious and I didn't get tired or sleepy. My thoughts and doubts about how sustaining it would be, had made the difference the first time I had it, and the second time, I was so busy, I didn't have time to think about being tired! Your thoughts can be so powerful and can physically change what happens in your body. It's so important to remember this, and make sure you are thinking positively!

Happy Spring, (or Fall) everyone! A lovely change of seasons!
Liz

No pictures, just my good reasons for sticking to the plan

There are many good reasons for me to lose weight and eat in a more healthy way, I've known them in my head for a long time, but to get to the point where I am ready to make this change happen, and to be prepared to continue this for the rest of my life, takes a lot of determination and self control. (Where food is concerned, this has not been one of my strong points!)

I need some very good reasons to be able to sustain this resolution!

I'd like to reduce my blood pressure and eventually not have to take medication for high blood pressure

I'd like to reduce my bad cholesterol levels, and improve my good cholesterol so that eventually I can stop taking medication for that problem

I'd like to have less weight to carry around so that my feet, knees and hips aren't worn out by the time I'm 60

I'd like my fingers to shrink so my rings fit me again

I've heard that obesity is linked to dementure, and I want to do everything I can to avoid this in my old age ( I think that could be my most influential reason for sticking to the plan)



Already, I have discovered that there are many benefits to the changes that I have made so far!

Our garbage bin is now less full on garbage collection day, because we are eating less food, and I'm buying what I call "real food" or fresh food, and I'm using up left overs, not wasting as much food as I used to. That's great for our pocket and better for the planet!

My self esteem has improved greatly! I think that from the day I made the decision to change, something changed in me, and I saw myself in a different way. I know I can do it, and I know I can stick to it, if I do it my way, and I'm quite proud of myself now for what I've achieved so far. I'm very glad to be doing what I knew I should have been doing for a long time.

I'm still wearing the same size clothes (actually, the same clothes) as I was 7 weeks ago, but I feel better in them.

We use less toilet paper! This seems like a funny thing to mention, but I want to make this blog honest, and talk about real stuff, and that is one more benefit, I don't feel the need to use the loo as often as I used to. Less in...less out!

I'm sure I could think of lots more things I could put on this list, and if I could say that I had encouraged, and enabled one person to do what I'm doing, then that would be the best reason for me!

This blog is partly to keep me honest, and mostly to inspire other people like me who have had trouble in the past with losing weight, to see that it is possible to improve your health and lose weight, and in the mean time, gain so much more out of life!

Stay strong and know that you can do it!
Liz

Cheesy Leek and Cauliflower soup - a great option for a 500 calorie fasting day!

This recipe serves 2 and each serving is only 127 calories

( including 1/2 tablespoon fresh grated Parmesan cheese )

70g (3/4 cup chopped) green leek ends

170g (1 1/3 cup) cauliflower pieces

1 clove garlic (I used one I had roasted earlier)

Pinch (smoked) salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

3/4 cup water

100ml light n creamy Evaporated Milk

10g (1 heaped tablespoon) fresh grated Parmesan Cheese

Method

Place the Leek in a small pot on a low heat, and sweat for about 5 minutes, stirring 

Add Cauliflower, salt pepper garlic and water

Remove 4 pieces of leek and 2 small pieces of cauliflower for presentation later

Place the lid on the pot and simmer slowly for 10 minutes

Or till the cauliflower is soft

Add the Light n Creamy Evaporated Milk, heat through

Pour soup into a blender

Blend till smooth

Add 10g Parmesan cheese, blend again

You should have 2 cups of soup

If not, make it up to 500ml with water and blend again

Serve 1 cup into a bowl 

Garnish with 5g Parmesan cheese and some of the leek and cauliflower you reserved earlier

This soup is such a pretty colour, and tastes great!

Very economical and has such powerful flavour, you don't feel like you're missing out!

It only takes a few minutes to make too and you'll have a portion left to freeze for another day.

The Smoked salt I just discovered at a market recently, you don't absolutely need it for this recipe, but it is so nice if you can find some near you, they do smoked garlic as well!

One serve of soup on its own - 107 calories

Served with 5g Parmesan cheese - 127 calories

Ok, so here are some update photos...

This is me 8kg lighter!

(than when I started just over 6 weeks ago)

And as you can see, it's the real me!

I love to laugh

And I've heard that laughter burns calories

So that's not a bad thing

My daughters love to put terrible photos of me on line

So I thought I'd give it a go myself!

It's hard to put a finger on where I've lost the weight

a little bit all over I suspect

I still have lumps and wrinkles, but I'm happy

nothing that a nice necklace won't distract you from

I'm making Butter Chicken and Rice for dinner tonight

I'll let you know how it was, its definitely an occasional treat!

My Stuffed Capsicum Cups - filling and delicious

This was last night's Dinner 

My Husband enjoyed it so much, he wanted to take some for lunch today!

I was given these capsicums by the lovely lady at our local green grocer and I knew that they needed to be used, so I decided to use up some of the things in the fridge that would make a great stuffing.

I remember as a child, we had a beautiful neighbour that would sometimes make us Sunday lunch in return for Dad mowing her lawn. She came from Europe somewhere and the food she made was so different and somehow extra delicious! I still crave the flavours she introduced to us...

This is my inspiration for our dinner last night. 

While I was baking the stuffed capsicum, I roasted some pumpkin

And other vegetables that needed using.

I served one stuffed capsicum with 100g of roast pumpkin

And 1 cup of rainbow salad, dressed with a calorie free dressing

( pictured and mentioned in other posts )

This recipe serves 4 - 145 calories per serve

 (not including salad or pumpkin)

We discovered last night, that one capsicum is enough

( so you'll have some left for tomorrow's lunch or for freezing )

4 green capsicum cups (I cut the tops off and removed the seeds) 450g raw

135g leek (sliced finely)

100g short cut bacon all fat removed ( diced )

67g (2xmedium) mushrooms (diced)

1 medium tomato (diced)

1/2 heaped cup cooked brown medium grain rice

Spray a non stick pan with a tiny spray of olive oil spray

Slowly cook the leek, bacon, mushroom 

Then add the tomato and the cooked brown rice

Turn the heat off and place a lid over the mixture for 5 min

Evenly distribute the cooked mixture into each of the 4 capsicum cups 

Press the mixture in firmly 

Mix 1/2 cup tomato pasta sauce with

1/2 cup water

Pour the tomato sauce mix into the base of a small oven proof dish

(Making sure that all 4 cups will fit into the dish)

Place the stuffed capsicum cups into the dish in the tomato sauce mixture

Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of Grated Parmesan Cheese over each cup

(That's 2 tablespoons altogether)

Bake in a hot oven for approx. 30 minutes

Use your oven wisely, bake other vegetables so you can use them in salads later.

altogether, this delicious meal was approx. 190 calories

I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch!

Note: when I cook Medium grain brown rice, I always cook more than I need,

that way I can pack away heaped 1/2 cup portions to freeze and use later.

(cooked medium grain brown rice - 75g = 84 calories)