Highlights

Its 5 months today since I had my spine fused and I feel like I am finally in a place where I can see it was worth it and say that I would do it all again. My quality of life is at a point where if I had to stay like this for the rest of my life I would be happy - its not where I was this time last year, or where I hope to be again, but I'm not in a bad place and I could live like this without many complaints.

I finished the 3 day detox last week, and I am now 10lbs lighter than I was. Tomorrow is 14 days since I last had diet coke, squash, coffee and overly processed food. I have just invested in some wheatgrass and spirulina powder to ramp up my morning juices. I think my skin looks great and I feel good - I feel healthy! Zesty! Pleased with myself!
It was hard at work yesterday. I didn't take enough food with me and I stood in the cafe, waiting for the hot water I had requested for my herbal tea bag looking at the cakes and dreaming of coffee. I didn't get any, I don't need it right now. I'm not saying never, I'm just not right now.

 

I have been making plenty of time for the gym and the turbo, and I hope to get back out on my bike with Emma this autumn. 

The only thing I feel disappointed with is running. Running has become my nemesis. This thing that I couldn't and wouldn't do, that I did and grew to love, and that I still can't get back to. Yet.

Last weekend we went to stay with my parents straight after work. Paul wanted to to do a run through of the Ironman route and so he and my dad went out on their bikes, whilst my mum took me and my sister out for breakfast and to feed the ducks.

 

Speaking of cycling with Emma, she held an exhibition this week and displayed some of her paintings. It was fab Emma! Well done!

A colleague of Emma's had done some clay pieces that held huge significance for me and I would love to have the opportunity to ask her what inspired her to make a spine and a spine fused with metal!

We also spent a lovely morning at Bursledon windmill this week - an interactive 'wind in the willows' story session.

Sorry for the delay in posts this week Clanettes! Its been a crazy one, lots of appointments, sewing and working.

Thanks for reading xx

Juicing (post detox)

So. At the time of writing it is the morning of day 4, I completed my 3 day detox yesterday. I feel good this morning!! I feel pretty smug actually, I chose a plan and I stuck to it, even when it got massively ropey on day 2! I prepped my day well enough yesterday to allow me to go shopping and spend the day in town/swimming lessons/at work and still have my smoothies.
The rewards? Well, not only am I no longer addicted to diet coke and coffee and squash, not only am I over my love of artificial sweetener, not only do I feel amazing but I've lost 9lbs!! 9 POUNDS IN THREE DAYS! N I N E  POUNDS!!!

I really really struggled with making the kidlets meals and not 'picking' as I went. I really struggled with my conscience yesterday too - there is a new health food co-op in town (Rice up) and I dragged the kidlets round Southampton so long trying to find the store (eventually I rang Paul and he talked us there using googlemaps on his work pc!) that I promised them chippies after we had been to the new shop. So I'm in the health food shop, I'm choosing some wholewheat pasta, some brown rice noodles, this and that.. and all they can talk about is burger king afterwards!! I need to change their perceptions of food too!!! Plus I prepped all my food to allow me to stay on plan and neglected their requirements, bad mother!

So now I have to decide how to eat going forward. I'm a completely blank slate right now, my body doesn't require any stimulants and I am 'clean'.

Another blog I mention here is Weight Wars and yesterday Bec wrote a post about 'What I will eat'. Did you write this for me Rebecca? This is just what I need to do!!

Coming off the detox, and being massively inspired by the Juice Master (ha ha! That sounds crazy!) here are my 4 golden rules whilst I figure out what I am going to eat going forward:
 
1) Eat whole wheat / whole grain carbs
2) Avoid refined sugar where possible
3) Avoid artificial sweetener as much as possible
4) Avoid caffeine - bye bye diet coke and coffee.

My diet needs to be family friendly. I can't do the health food shop/burger kind scenario again, and I need to be feeding my children food that I wouldn't mind snacking on - I just need to find the balance!

Making a change is scary - I hate not knowing what to eat and flailing around. Ultimately though, I feel like I have made a positive step and this is the way forward. I just need to make it work.

Thanks for reading x x

Juicing! (Detox day 2)

At the time of writing, I am at the end of day two of the three day detox. Today has been hard!! If 'grey' is a state of being, then I am the head of state - the queen in fact!! 

I struggled so much this afternoon that I actually had a nap. It’s hard to describe and give justice to the feeling of a detox, partly because I think everyone experiences them differently and partly because behind the pain, I feel like I am doing something hugely positive.
My main symptom is a headache, its a tight pain behind my eyes - I feel very hung-over.

At the gym last night, Lucy lent me another of Jason Vale's books - Turbo charge your life in 14 days. This book is a real eye opener. I embarked on this detox to lose some weight and kick my caffeine dependence, but then through reading, I started realising that I am (was!) hugely addicted to artificial sweetner too. Then when I consider that actually I am ridding my body of everything that is fast and convenient in today’s world.. And the eating opportunities ahead of me are vast.

Tomorrow is going to be easier - I hope! I have eating decisions to make going forward. I knew I had big decisions to make this afternoon when I cringed about making the rest of my family the pizza I had promised them..

Anyway. At this point Clanettes, I am a worn woman! I am waiting for the high that I am assured will come.. I am ready for bed and the delight of waking up on day three, knowing I am going to complete my self imposed detox. Hopefully the worst is behind me now, tomorrow is the home straight - I love things in threes, triathlon analogies galore!

Today’s favourite smoothie juice was:

 

Come day three!! DO YOUR WORST! Ahem. Tomorrow I am going to Ikea for some shopping.. with flasks of prepared smoothie!

Juicing (detox!)

I have embarked on a 3 day juice detox. My friend Rachel gave me a juicer (she was throwing it away) a few months ago and it has just sat and gathered dust.. Then Lucy mentioned that she wanted to have a detox and she settled on a juice plan by Jason Vale - the 'Juice Master'. Lucy did her detox and together with the Jason Vale website, I am sold on the power of juice.. Plus the fact that I haven't been able to get under 14st since surgery and am now plus another 7lbs following our two week trip round the UK.. So I am currently hopefully cleansing myself of waste and weight!

I bought a copy of the 'Keeping it simple' book (and downloaded the detox app for my phone.)
The 'shopping list' for the 3 day detox consists of:

Plus additional  avocado and some natural live yogurt - I don't know why it isn't included on the list.

So I start every day with hot water and lemon - surprisingly tasty - goes well with my yoga too.

Today's breakfast juice consisted of:

This is what it looked like going through the juicer

Then I blended the avocado with ice, and poured in my juice for a bit more blending

Super tasty!!

I love how the pulp looks after a juice is made - its mostly dry like sawdust

I get four juices a day on the plan, 3 of those contain avocado to keep cals and good fat in there, and unlimited water/mint tea/hot water and lemon... At the time of writing its the end of day one and I have a headache brewing... I will let you know how it goes!

My fitness pal

I really struggle to keep my food intake in check without help, I LOVE FOOD! I have been using myfitnesspal on and off since Jan 2012 when I started this whole concerted effort to lose weight/train for a triathlon shenanigans. The myfitnesspal website allows you to calorie count, keep in touch with friends and there is a nifty little phone app that can scan barcodes and build recipes etc, FOR FREE!

Even though I've been doing it for 18 months, and I obviously understand that to lose weight (or at least maintain weight!) what goes in my mouth must be equal to my outgoing actions, I still don't really know what is a good intake for me.

Currently I am lightly active (getting more so!) at the gym, this week I have been 4 times and tried an Aquafit class (yay me!), and if I know I have an 'expensive' cal fest ahead of me (wine!), I will make sure I have been and burned a few cals so that I have them in the bank. My motto is generally 'if I burnt them, I earned them!'

Thanks to Weightwars over on facebook for sharing the motivation

Given that I am attempting to lose the last 07lbs I gained over the last few weeks of recuperation, I am eating 1850 calories a day. That sounds like a lot of cals whilst on a 'diet', but I am 6ft tall and my ideal weight is 13st07lbs.. so I am not going to be eating an A-typical ladies portion.

When I am at my ideal weight and in full on tri training mode, cycling stupid distances, I eat, merely as my base line, 2200 cals a day and maintain my weight effortlessly.

So, my point is. How do you know when enough is enough? NHS guidelines suggest an average of 2000 cals a day for a woman.. I buy light versions of my specific favourite foods, we cook nearly everything from scratch and I often eat less of a portion than my 6yr old.. But still I can't seem to spread my cals far enough!

How does it work? I love myself, I respect myself and I understand that I don't enjoy being 4st heavier - I have a hideous pic of me at my heaviest in my loo, great motivation first thing in the morning (and during the day!) - but sometimes I just want to eat the damn cake! Surely I can have my cake and eat it?

 I don't have the answers, but I am intrigued to see if any of you have an opinion? You can 'friend' me on myfitnesspal - my username is 'anamcarra'.

Go on, tell me how YOU do it.
Thanks for reading x x

WIAW #7

Bit different this week Clanettes, this is what I like to call 'What we Prepped and Ate last Weekend!'

Saturday started with pancakes!  We always eat pancakes on 'special' days - and Saturday was special because it was our first Saturday with Paul home. Lie in, lounging, coffee and pancakes.  Bliss. Plus his gym had an open day so we got to take the children swimming for free.  A good day!

I got loads of dishes prepped today, first was cauliflower, brocolli and pasta cheese:

I chopped up cauli and brocolli, parboiled them with some pasta, whilst simmering an onion in some milk to flavour it.

Then I made a roux with butter and flour, added the onion infused milk, together with mustard and nutmeg, and of course a tonne of cheese.  Voila. 2 meals in the freezer.

Next was fishcakes. Really simple receipe - literally put the potatoes in the microwave in a bowl with seasoning and cover with clingfilm, cook til soft, then smash.  They have gone into the freezer as is and will be tipped onto a baking tray and crisped up when we are ready to eat them. The fish was a bag of tesco frozen fishpie mix, blended with lemon zest and seasoning, then rolled in breadcrumbs and fried.  These have gone into the freezer ready to be baked when they are required. All that is left to do is the guacamole on the day.

The one thing I always have a stash of in this house, and the one thing I have started prepping and giving to my Mum for them, is passata.  We use it in everything from pizza sauce, to pasta sauce, to the base for casseroles.  Its literally tinned value tomatoes, to which I add garlic, herbs, dash of ketchup and stock, then simmer til its reduced and thickend.  WE LOVE IT.  Today I have made a huge amount for sauces for kids pasta etc next week, and we made tortilla wrap pizzas for tea tonight.

Chicken Pie!!  My absolute fave - another Jamie 30 min receipe and we alternate between chicken or fish pie.  Just the ticket after a particularly wet cycle ride last Sunday!

I ordered a butternut squash in last weeks shop and randomly ended up with three.. so I have made three different squash dishes for the freezer today as well. This is a River Cottage soup recipe - Butternut and Nut Butter soup (recipe here) and it tastes amazing.  Very little effort required - win win!

This is a variation on a River Cottage recipe for 'Stuffed Butternut Squash' - original recipe found here. I roasted the squash, scooped it out, mixed it with cheese and bacon and re-filled the skins.. AMAZING!

This last one is my own recipe and is basically a squash and other veg ratatouille, with garam marsala seasoning, that I added my homemade passata to, and then made a savoury crumb topping for...  More amazingness! We had it with sausages and gravy.. Delish!

Its our friend Rachel's birthday today, so cake was the order of the day too!

 Chocolate cake, covered in milk chocolate and white chocolate..

 Whats not to love!!

And I have been treated so well with cake and tea myself over the last 2 days.  Being poorly and going to hospital definitely has its perks :-) Thank you Vikki and Lucy.  Thank you everyone who has helped with the children and who has checked in on my and been so lovely.  I will do a hospital post later in the week.

 

My gorgeous, beautiful and thoughtfully amazing sister (currently 34 weeks pregnant with my first nephew!) sent me a care package today to get me through hospital and re-cooperation!  I cried at the postie, obviously.  She had even thought to pack it separately so it wouldn't be too big for our letterbox.  A lovely card, two magazines, a cd, sweeties (you know I'm addicted to jelly sweets!), a beautiful note book, essential lip balm and pudding.  What can I say Emoose.  I love it, totally cheered my day. Thank you, love you x x x

Thoughts on Friday

I was nervous about this week.  The first few days after Paul goes back to work from a break of any kind are tough - the kidlets and I have to find our rhythm again.  But it was ok!  We got up and took Monday by the scruff of the neck and filled our day nicely and the rest of the week just fell into place.

The kidlets have finished their week long swimming crash course and Bebe has passed her grade 1 badge, meaning she is now onto grade 2 - 'proper' swimming of mini distances without buoyancy aids!  Amazing - she is at home in the water.  Lochie is so nearly there, but he lacks confidence.  Throughout the last school year Bebe had a Tuesday morning lesson, to coincide with pre-school, and Lochie had an after-school lesson on a Wednesday - Yes, Niamh and I went and sat poolside every Tues and Weds.
Very cleverly, I thought anyway, I got Bebe enrolled nice and early into the same class as Lochie on a Wednesday afternoon and felt very smug at my 'two birds, one stone' achievement.  Little did I think that Bebe would move into a higher class!!  Niamh also starts a toddler swimming class on a Friday morning come September, she and I will go in together.. 
Bebe, quite clearly, absolutely adores the water and has no fear - she was the smallest kidlet in their class this week and the only one to be brave enough to jump into the big pool with the instructor - they learn in a small, shallow pool and the big pool was a treat for those who wanted it.  I think Lochie is motivated by beating Bebe..  Something he is very used to doing, and I think he was shocked when she passed a test he didn't.
Paul and I decided long ago that there were two basic things we each took for granted growing up - riding a bike and being able to swim.  So whilst I am facing 3 separate poolside/class schedules again - and I do feel slightly insane at the prospect - I am also grateful that they have the opportunity to learn.

Exercise wise, this has been a light week - much needed after my many cycling adventures last week.  Over the weekend I had Saturday as a much needed rest day, then I cycled on my own on Sunday, then ran and swam with Lucy on Monday, cycled with Emma on Tuesday and am now resting until Sunday..  Sunday Sunday..!
Sunday is my 3rd Sportive of the year, details here and we are unclear of the route - but it looks hilly!!  I shall of course, report back as you know I will.

We are off to Reading tomorrow, staying with my parents before the ride on Sunday.  Paul is doing the long distance, my Dad and I are doing the short distance (when did 50+ miles become 'short'!?) and my amazing Mum is doing the Kidlet do. (The posts about my other sportives can be found here and here)

I have made a purposeful effort to eat better and more importantly, eat 'more' this week (I am going to talk more of this in a future post, and am coining it 'eating right').  When I started this journey my goal was to lose weight, and secondary to that, was to get fit.  I have lost the majority of my weight now, but I am struggling to lose the mentality behind losing weight and switch over to eating right for training.  I need to eat more of the right type of foods and I am struggling with this..  Any advice gratefully received!  Anyway, to this end I have started logging my intake and output at 'myfitnesspal'  Its laborious and dull, but I hope to see a pattern emerge, one that I can use to pinpoint my weird exercise headaches.

Speaking of headaches, I went for my ultrasound scan this week and happily everything on the inside looks good.  Sadly this means that I don't know why I feel so poorly and experience such heavy menstruation.  Although I do think my headaches could be linked - hormonally maybe.  In an effort to remain positive and pro-active I have gone for more acupuncture (I rave about acupuncture in another post here after I hurt my back) and will have a couple more sessions before my next period.  Can't hurt right?!

So, with my round up done, I shall bid you all a happy weekend.  Have a good one Clanettes xxx