Odds & Ends

I just had to post a picture of this stew.

This is a delicious cannellini bean, 3 tomato (canned, fresh and sun-dried) and pepper stew.

It's 340 calories and on a 5:2 fasting day that was cold and wet, it was the perfect warming dinner.  The portion looks huge, tastes great (yes even Jean-Luc likes it!) and is full of healthy veggies and beans.

The 5:2 is going well, I've lost a stone, despite over a month off when we were on holiday and I was ill with bronchitis.  I feel healthier, some clothes which didn't fit me now do and I'm not finding it difficult to stick to it at all.  I love the fact that although I normally fast on Monday and Thursday I can change the days I fast around to fit in with the rest of my life; this week I'm meeting a friend for dinner on Thursday so have changed my days.  I love the fact that if I choose to eat a muffin on a non fast day I haven't 'broken' my diet, if I eat pizza or chocolate (in moderation), that's ok.   I love the fact I don't have to say I can't eat that, I say I can't eat that - today.  I don't worry about 'sins' or 'points' or whether I can eat carbs, fats or drink a glass of wine.

 I love the fact I can establish a healthy relationship with food and lose weight. 

On a completely different topic, we received some post today.....

.....and yes the Nu has more economic cachet that we do.  She was sent two free food sachets and two vouchers for cat food; obviously someone at Tesco had spotted her food purchases and sought to curry favour with the most influential person in this household.  Unfortunately, they hadn't done all their homework as she doesn't eat this food; I did offer it to her but she wasn't convinced.  I rang Tesco clubcard customer services on her behalf - her suggestion was that a local cat charity might benefit from any future presents; I had a laughter filled conversation with a charming man (I think he was relieved it was such a trivial issue) and he quickly said he would make sure her food preferences record was corrected and that any future bribes should meet her standards.  

I find it incredibly creepy and intrusive that a supermarket is monitoring our purchases but hilarious that when they use that information they get it so wrong.
We certainly won't be shopping at Tesco's any more frequently than we do already and we certainly won't be 'faithful' to that supermarket.
The Nu prefers to keep her food preferences private.

Back again

Well I've not blogged for a while; not intentionally but because I didn't know what to write.

2014 wasn't an easy year and the last part was particularly difficult with Jean-Luc and I feeling physically and mentally exhausted and prone to low grade ailments such as nagging coughs and colds
.
On top of that I had developed a whole party pack of medical conditions; nothing drastic but all together very draining and most of which were chronic and would have to be 'managed' rather than 'treated'.
Unsurprisingly I hadn't been feeling well for a while and for the last few months had really struggled; to the point where I could barely drag myself out of bed to go to work.  It all culminated in a trip to the doctors where I burst into tears in front of him.
I have to say for all the criticism of the National Health Service I couldn't fault his response.  Kind, considered, reassuring and not at all patronising.
He didn't fill me with drugs, he didn't pat me on the head and send me away.  He calmly discussed all my symptoms, passed me tissues, arranged some blood tests and talked me through a plan of action.

 

Jean-Luc and I had a very quiet christmas; we relaxed, read, chatted, ate delicious food, drank a little too much and spent time with friends. 
And boy did we need that break.
So I curled up under my virtual duvet and dug in for some therapeutic down time.
I spent the time thinking about my health and well being and how to improve it.
Most of my health issues are going to be with me for the forseeable future and so part of this process has been figuring out how to manage these best.  At the same time I'm aware that I need to lose some weight and improve my activity levels.

Luckily I happened to have two separate conversations with two very intelligent women within a few days of each other; my sister and the brilliant Dr M at work. And that conversation revolved around the 5:2 diet. Both of these intelligent women have science backgrounds and know how to sift the data that separates fad from fact and both were following this diet and reporting very positive results.
I listened to them, thought about it and then thought 'oh what the hell' and decided to try it.  Now, diets and I don't have a good relationship;  I find the constant thinking about calories, what I can and can't eat and the fixation on food very depressing.  It seems impossible to live on diets long term without an ever present feeling that the joy in life is being slowly sucked out or without feeling that every time you slip off the prescribed food you've somehow failed. 

It was with some trepidation that I set out on this diet.  For those of you that don't know; the 5:2 diet is where you fast for two days a week, eating up to 500 calories for those days (approximately 1/4 of the recommended daily calories for women) and then eat normally for the other five days.
I won't go into all the  health benefits associated with this diet as they're all documented here on the 5:2 website.  http://thefastdiet.co.uk/

What I will say is, I've never met a diet that suited me more, was easier to follow, that had such immediate effects and fitted into my life so well.  I love how it makes me feel about food; how I now feel brighter, have smaller portions on normal days, don't crave sweet things, find it easier to make healthy food choices and don't feel guilty or that I've failed if I have a piece of cake or a muffin or chocolate on my normal days.  For me it's definitely a long term lifestyle change, not just a short term weight control.

Yes I do feel hungry at times on the days I fast but it's not uncomfortable and you quickly get used to it and the hunger passes; and oddly, it's quite comforting to have a physical manifestation that something's happening.

Most gratifyingly, after three weeks I can now do up the button on the pair of jeans I stupidly bought without trying on first and which, unsurprisingly, didn't fit me.

Hooray!

I'm hoping not to become a diet bore so you probably won't hear much more about it - although obviously if I drop a dress size you'll hear my resounding cheers and I will be outrageously smug for about a day.  :-)