Planning A New Diet

Did you miss me? :) Tom and I went on a short break to Leicester to visit his parents and then on to Manchester for a few days just the two of us. It was lovely - we went to Twycross Zoo, Chester Zoo and The Chestnut Centre (an otter and owl sanctuary in the Peak District) - which I loved, but also highlighted my need to get fit like nothing else could!

The otters spotted breakfast on its way!

Despite stopping frequently to rest and taking plenty of food and drink to keep my energy up, I was still left exhausted and in pain on most of the days (a lot of walking was involved even on non-zoo days). I took naps on any afternoon we were home/at the hotel and was going to bed early most nights but I was still left drained by the end of the holiday and desperate for my own bed!

Alongside all of this happening I've noticed more bloating/some weight gain and the tightening of my clothes, so it's time to do something. I also have a friend who recently broke her leg and is looking to lose weight before her wedding later this year, so we've teamed up to keep each other accountable.

I've made a plan that I'm going to try for the next week to see if I can stick to it and I wanted to share it with you in case anyone wants to try it with me. :)

So here goes...

Breakfast: a fruit/veg smoothie. My plan is to buy fruit and veg in bulk at the start of the week the freeze it in portion sizes ready to blend each morning. (side note: I've tried blending then freezing but they just don't taste as nice.) I'm thinking a basic recipe of gluten free porridge oats, almond milk and then a mix of whatever fruits and veg (spinach/kale will be my sneaky iron intake) I have on hand.

Mid-morning snack: Veg sticks, nuts, raisins etc.

Lunch: Soup. Again, planning to make this in batches and freeze in individual portions to make things super easy.

Afternoon snack: Veg sticks, nuts, raisins. On treat days this is when I'll eat the chocolate too (raw dark chocolate of course!)

Dinner: This is the only meal that will be more flexible as I'll have to accommodate Tom here, but I'll still try to keep it healthy and perhaps reduce my portion sizes.

Drinks: I'll be following the rule "don't drink your calories" and sticking to water, except perhaps some fruit juice or squash if I really need something with flavour! I know people advise lemon/lime in water for flavour, but that just doesn't cut it for me.

I'll try to get more exercise in too to keep up any fitness I gained while we were away, but since #EndoFitPlan bombed miserably I'm gonna concentrate on getting the diet right before worrying about that!

Is anyone else trying to get healthy and lose some weight as summer approaches? (I don't believe in yo-yo diets, but I definitely find myself more motivated when the weather is nicer!) Let me know if you want to create a group for support!

My Endo Exercise Plan

As I mentioned in a recent blog post, 2 weeks ago I went on a VIP Mastermind Day with Discover Your Bounce. One of my goals that came from the day was to get my body back to health - something I've been neglecting for quite some time now. But I had no idea how I was going to do that, until yesterday.

I've come up with an #EndoFitPlan that I'm trialing for the next 3 weeks (ie the rest of April) to see if I can gain some momentum on exercising again. The premise is very simple - if I exercise for 5 minutes each day, I get a star on the calendar. The idea is that 5 minutes is a very easy goal to reach. I could just walk to the end of my road and back and that'll be a star for the day. But once I get out there I will inevitably end up doing more.

For example yesterday I decided to walk some stuff up to the charity shop & buy veg for dinner (35 minutes) and today once I reached the bridge in the park (my personal 'end point' goal) I kept on going to a quiet part of the river to chill for a bit (20 minutes). So in just two days my 10 minutes has turned into 55 minutes!

"What's the point of the stars?" you might be asking. They're my way of keeping track of what treats I'm owed at the end of each week/month - oh yes, there are treats! I know I should just exercise for the health benefits, but if that were enough motivation I would be doing it already wouldn't I? So here's my treat system for the next 3 weeks:

Weekly
3 stars: A face mask
5 stars: A fruit smoothie
7 stars: A small chocolate bar (hey, I deserve it!)

Monthly
6 stars (2 x a week): 1 hour of uninterrupted reading (I do this anyway, but I usually feel guilty!)
12 stars (4 x a week): A new song for my iPod
18 stars (6 x a week): Upgrade to a big chocolate bar (I'm walking 6 times a week, I really deserve it!)
21 stars (every day!): A new book or album

I've tried to keep the treats small but cumulative, so in theory at the end of each week I get a little 'me time' where I can put on a face mask and enjoy a little snack if I've reached my goals. The last week of the month will be rewarded with monthly instead of weekly treats (although who's to say I won't have a face mask and smoothie anyway!).

If this works I'll probably come up with a different treat system that's more reflective of my habits, or maybe a new one each month depending on what I fancy, but for a trial I think it's a pretty good one. :)

Does anyone else want to join me for this? We could get an online group together to motivate each other and offer support. :) I've chosen walking since I live across the road from a beautiful park with a stream running through, but you could do yoga at home, swimming, or even just jogging on the spot! We don't have to do the same thing. Let me know in the comments or message me on my Facebook Page if you're interested!