"Transform me", I said...

I'm totally losing track of which day it is, so I'm afraid the naming on these is going a bit haywire ... O well. Anyway. I am amazed at a thing - I have just done the coffee three days and I am not dead! In fact, not only am I not dead, but it was easy! This was not what anyone expected. I had warned my family and they were certain that if I wasn't going to die, then they certainly would, from the fallout. But no, we are all just fine. I was a bit sleepy the first day, early afternoon, but I think that was more the effect of the essay I was writing. I had a nap, finished it off, and drank some more berry tea. But what does this mean? Does it mean my coffee addiction (that I have always freely confessed to) is not actually a thing? Does it mean that coffee doesn't affect me? Could it be that having finished the house build, moved in and gone on school holidays, my stress levels have  lowered  so far that I don't need coffee? (No, that can't be right, I...

I say approximately, as things have got a little bit out of order, but I am definitely finishing up the no fruit stage and moving into no caffeine, which means that officially it's day 9. Anyway, sugar, you and I will have to break up. This separation is really working for me and it's going to be a divorce. I didn't actually think I had that much sugar in my diet, but being really strict on not having any (even in my coffee!) has had two very excellent effects: those wibbly bits are rapidly disappearing, and I feel generally a lot clearer and focussed and motivated - I no longer get to the end of the day and flake because I'm exhausted.  This is very strange. I am assuming that it is the sugar that I'm not having that had that effect on me, but I didn't know that it could be doing that. I knew of course that sugar is bad in terms of weight, everyone does really, and I also knew that getting energy from sugar doesn't last long, so I wasn't co...

Yes, well, I don't recommend trying to start the reset phase in the same week as a house move, a major storm and 4 days without power. It just doesn't quite work. So I haven't completely started again, but I started part 2 today, instead of on Thursday, and I've kindof written off the last week as okay, but wonky. Several days of necessary takeaways will do that to you... One main thing that I have realised this week is that it is all about organisation. I started the week with a plan and a fridge full of the right things. Breakfasts and lunches are pretty straight forward, but I needed to make sure that I knew what I was going to do for dinner, so that I didn't just default to something with mince when I got home. I have noticed this in particular because the last week has been impossible to organise.  The best laid plans and all that; I ended up throwing away the best part of my fridge and freezer contents. (I'm working off the reflection ...

And I started with a fail. What is even worse, I didn't even realise that I had until this evening!  It's that whole no-red-meat thing. You see, my son, commonly known as the Blue Toad, eats a huge breakfast, usually. This morning he finished his eggs on toast and most of his bacon, but not all of it. Well, who ever lets bacon go to waste? So, without thinking, I scoffed it.  This evening I was thinking to myself how well I had done, and planning a week of food I could eat with my family, but mentally putting aside the bacon pasta which is one of their favourites, because ... and I had this sudden horrible thought that I had already had some. Well, at least the rest of the day was good. I'm still nearly but not quite reaching the water goal and everything (else) I ate was healthy and proper. I'm viewing the 'bacon episode' like that story about if you drop your phone do you stamp it into a million bits or do you pick it up and carry on? I can...

So, my first week has gone pretty well. I have lost over a kilo and 2cm off my waist, and I feel pretty good. The main things I can put that down to are that I haven't eaten anything gluten during the week, and not much carbs overall; and portion control. I've been eating along the guidelines Chrissie has set and I think it is just remembering how to eat healthily that has made a huge difference. The coming week is going to be a bit challenging though. Not just because I am starting into the hormonal reset phase, but also because we are finally moving into our new house this Friday. That means that there will be a couple of days either side of the move where I will be eating whatever; the kitchen is one of those things you pack up last and unpack first, but even so, just finding the right stuff is challenging. I'm not sure how I will manage that just yet, but I will have to make a plan... As far as the reset phase, I think part one will be fine. I don't dri...

It is so much easier to be motivated when your day is organised.  Being a teacher, I had an extra day on the Easter break, and I noticed that it was because I was out of routine that it was so much harder to do what I was supposed to. Today on the other hand, I was back into full timetable mode with meetings and kids' after school activities, so there was no opportunity to do anything other that what I should! Which is fine, except that I have to be able to deal with the unplanned, out of routine days too.  It seems that this whole thing for me isn't even about the food and exercise so much as it is about the mind games. And I'm only up to day 2! So I ate well. Seedy yoghurt for breakfast, cashews for snacks, leftover chicken curry in salad for lunch, salmon pasta sauce over greens for dinner and cheese as an evening snack (hopefully no nightmares). I managed just over two litres of water... I'll put up my seedy yoghurt recipe; I think it's pretty s...

I'm not going to post every day, but while I'm getting started, it's probably a good idea. So, a bit of context for those who are not 'hormonal to hot' - hopefully I might have some other readers out there as well.  I am a mother and wife, a teacher, a girls' and women's coordinator for the local cricket club, a keen mountainbiker who hasn't had the chance to ride this year, and a sometime fit and healthy person who writes a blog ( this one ) to keep myself motivated. I am post-natal and peri-menopausal, so my hormones don't know if they are coming or going, literally. I am also in the last stages of a house build; we move in in ten days. As I said in yesterday's blog, at the moment I am stupidly busy, and I am not able to do everything all at once, so I have taken an opportunity which has come up to kick start things on the health and fitness front again. Enter Chrissie .  More than weight loss or fitness, what I want from this ...

Okay, here I am, starting. I have just watched all the introductory clips. I have done my measurements. I haven't done photos as I'm using the excuse that it said to choose somewhere where I can take photos regularly, and we are moving in two weeks. O well. I've read through the week one food thing and I am pretty sure I can do that, if anything, it seems like more than I would usually eat, but not too different in content. I will have to check with Chrissie if my seedy yoghurt works, it doesn't look too different from her chia yoghurt thing. Do chia seeds still give you the same thing if you don't leave them overnight to grow? Big question - why am I doing this?  I'm not madly overweight; I'm  reasonably fit  (haha, plug for the blog I've been writing for just over a year now...). But I am noticing that things are harder and whilst I mostly know what to do, I need a kick-start back in the right direction. I am also stupidly busy and...