After 12 days of being 'off plan' or 'falling off the wagon' I was feeling pretty lethargic, sluggish and demotivated, annoyed at myself for letting my addition to junk food take over. To be honest, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to continue my healthy lifestyle, with thoughts of just giving up crossing my mind on a few occasions. BUT...
I knew if I stopped, I would only gain back the 30lbs I had lost and be back to square one again. Not a place I wanted to be.
I honestly thought I was a machine before Christmas, nothing was stopping me from eating clean and staying on track to my goal. Cakes and chocolates were brought into work, my family ordered takeaways when I visited them and I ate out a few times but I ignored the cakes and takeaways and ordered the cleanest thing on the menu (avoiding dessert!). I felt like a robot, nothing was coming between me and my goal, full steam ahead towards Christmas, not giving into my food demons. They were shoved in a box and thrown to the back of my mind!
Then Christmas came and I gave up... for various reasons, see my previous post.
I knew if I stopped, I would only gain back the 30lbs I had lost and be back to square one again. Not a place I wanted to be.
I honestly thought I was a machine before Christmas, nothing was stopping me from eating clean and staying on track to my goal. Cakes and chocolates were brought into work, my family ordered takeaways when I visited them and I ate out a few times but I ignored the cakes and takeaways and ordered the cleanest thing on the menu (avoiding dessert!). I felt like a robot, nothing was coming between me and my goal, full steam ahead towards Christmas, not giving into my food demons. They were shoved in a box and thrown to the back of my mind!
Then Christmas came and I gave up... for various reasons, see my previous post.
So I started back on Monday but I'm going to be honest, I really didn't feel that motivated. I don't know why but this time, the drive just wasn't there. But there's this nagging voice in the back of my mind, telling me that if I don't do this now, I'll always be over weight and unhealthy. So to spark my drive I've been looking at motivational quotes on Pintrest, researching new recipes and went to the gym three times this week, trying to get back into The Zone. Finally I can say that I'm back there again. Fully committed to eating clean and losing weight again. I am taking it slowly, I will add on another gym session next week and after next week I will also look to count my calories and using MyFitnessPal to do so. I want to aim to eat 1200 calories a day but keeping a variety of meals and try new recipes as I don't want to get bored.
As promised, here is my meal plan for the week, the words that are underlined will (if clicked) take you through to the recipe for it. With most meals that I cook, I make enough for 2 servings so I can keep it in the fridge/freezer to use on another day which reduces the amount of cooking/prep I have to do.
Monday
Breakfast - Fruit Parfait
Lunch - Spicy Chicken & Cucumber Yogurt, with salad (no pita)
Dinner - Pesto Mushrooms
Snacks - Fruit
Tuesday
Breakfast - Fruit Parfait
Lunch - Spicy Chicken and Quinoa
Dinner - Basil Chicken , with kale
Snacks - Fruit
Wednesday
Breakfast - Fruit Parfait
Lunch - Chicken and Veg Stir Fry (just a vegetable stir fry pack from Asda with chicken)
Dinner - Pesto Mushrooms
Snacks - Fruit
Thursday
Breakfast - Fruit Parfait
Lunch - Basil Chicken, with salad
Dinner - Chicken Escalopes with Oliver, Caper and Tomato Dressing, with salad
Snacks - Fruit
Friday
Breakfast - Fruit Parfait
Lunch - Chicken and Veg Stir Fry
Dinner - Chicken Escalopes with Oliver, Caper and Tomato Dressing, with salad
Snacks - Fruit
I made the parfaits tonight and they look so good! Can't wait to eat them during the week:
I made the parfaits tonight and they look so good! Can't wait to eat them during the week:
For those of you who may be reading this as a first post, I follow the principles of clean eating, where I eat foods as unprocessed as possible. I also try and restrict my carbs and red meat as well. This is mainly due to the fact that I want to lose weight and when I reach my goal weight, I will incorporate more whole grains into my meal plans. This means I eat lots of chicken, veggies, fruit, yogurt and using natural things such as herbs and spices and honey in recipes instead of jarred sauces. I also drink over 2 litres of water each day and 1-2 cups of green tea. I really do agree with the principles behind eating clean and when I discovered this lifestyle, it was like a lightbulb moment. It just made sense to eat natural food unprocessed food and it was shocking to see how many foods that I ate on a daily basis were filled with chemicals and man made substances.
Of course, I appreciate this may not work for everyone and when it comes to weight loss, everyone has to find a lifestyle that is right for them. One that fits in with their job, family and budget. If Slimming World, Weight Watchers or Cambridge works for you then great! We're all working towards the goal of becoming smaller, slimmer and more healthier people. I am just a firm believer of avoiding the chemicals and nasties that go into processed food. As a single girl, I have the time to go to the gym, to plan my meals and to cook a couple of dishes up on a Sunday ready for the week ahead. I appreciate that not everyone has the time to do so however there is the balance of making time for your health (if your health is of importance to you) and sitting on the sofa every night watching TV, feeling bloated and miserable after eating another unhealthy meal. That was me last week after stuffing my face with a takeaway and a few drinks and falling into a food coma in front of the TV, gaining 8lbs in the process (not just from 1 takeaway I might add, I did have several over the course of 12 days!).
If you want to make a change, do it! There is no time like the present
A post wouldn't be complete without a comparison picture would it? This is going to be the last one for a while as I've got my work cut out to lose the Xmas weight and lose more. Here's a side by side comparison shot of me. Both pics were taken at work. The one on the left was taken in August 2014. The one on the right was taken just before Christmas. I really don't like either picture, I hate having my photo taken and I'm not photogenic at all! But it is good to get a comparison to how far I've come so far and how I really need to get cracking on reaching my goal!
Of course, I appreciate this may not work for everyone and when it comes to weight loss, everyone has to find a lifestyle that is right for them. One that fits in with their job, family and budget. If Slimming World, Weight Watchers or Cambridge works for you then great! We're all working towards the goal of becoming smaller, slimmer and more healthier people. I am just a firm believer of avoiding the chemicals and nasties that go into processed food. As a single girl, I have the time to go to the gym, to plan my meals and to cook a couple of dishes up on a Sunday ready for the week ahead. I appreciate that not everyone has the time to do so however there is the balance of making time for your health (if your health is of importance to you) and sitting on the sofa every night watching TV, feeling bloated and miserable after eating another unhealthy meal. That was me last week after stuffing my face with a takeaway and a few drinks and falling into a food coma in front of the TV, gaining 8lbs in the process (not just from 1 takeaway I might add, I did have several over the course of 12 days!).
If you want to make a change, do it! There is no time like the present
A post wouldn't be complete without a comparison picture would it? This is going to be the last one for a while as I've got my work cut out to lose the Xmas weight and lose more. Here's a side by side comparison shot of me. Both pics were taken at work. The one on the left was taken in August 2014. The one on the right was taken just before Christmas. I really don't like either picture, I hate having my photo taken and I'm not photogenic at all! But it is good to get a comparison to how far I've come so far and how I really need to get cracking on reaching my goal!
Until
next time
Much
Love
Just
Ems
Start
Date: 7th October 2014
Start
Weight: 15 stone 8lbs
Current
Weight: 13 Stone 6lbs
Total
Weight Lost: 30lbs
Height
5'2
Well done for getting back on the wagon lovely. You've achieved so much already, and no journey would be complete without bumps in the road! Looks like you have a cracking week ahead of you food wise, enjoy! Xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, some great recipes there too that I might try even though I am not doing the eating clean thing. You can really tell that you have lost weight in the second picture and you are looking fab. Don't be too hard on yourself though. :)
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