I’m not going to lie, I have not been feeling well for the past few weeks. Constant colds and tiredness. Not sleeping very well, even my diet has suffered.
I’ve just got back from having some fasting blood test, you know the ones where you can’t eat or drink 12 hours before the test. ‘That was easy’ were my first waking thoughts. That was until the caffeine withdrawal kicked in!
The first thing I do, once I’ve made a drink and something to eat for Miss A, is put the kettle on and make a cuppa. I’ve just made one so strong, that my spoon is almost able to stand up on its own. My body, instantly has relaxed!
I just need to wait for the test results now. Part of me thinks, maybe this is just the kick I need to force me to look a little closer at my lifestyle. I’m a vegetarian, have been pretty much all my life as I don’t like meat. This has never been a problem before, but ever since my second child I have suffered from anaemia, which I just can’t seem to shake.
It’s more than that though, as my weight has crept up, I am now at my heaviest. I really would love to lose a stone in weight, but I need to change my eating habits. I seem to have taken on the whole winter comfort eating, a little to readily!
The thing is I really enjoy healthy food, I love fresh fruit and vegetables and salads. I am so vigilant that my children eat 5 portions of them each day. I walk dash for over an hour on the school run everyday, and run around after a two-year old.
So this week I have set myself a challenge:
- To cook healthily all week, and vegetarian. So we all eat the same.
- Not to skip breakfast (apart from today)
- To drink when I am thirsty. I really need to drink more water!
- To do two extra activities this week.
- Bike ride (Take advantage of this great weather)
- Swimming (It’s such a long time since I went swimming with Miss A)
5. Cut down on sugar and saturated fat.
6. Not to snack after Dinner at 6pm.
So lets see how it goes, my challenge to getting healthier starts here.
Thank you for reading
Please Note: I have now had the results of the test, and I am indeed anaemic….again!
This is a sponsored post, the thoughts and words however are my own.
Not snacking after dinner until breakfast is a looong time! Maybe you could snack a high-protein snack like unsalted cashews or something. Those are also great for anaemia, full of vitamins, minerals & fiber and have an ideal fat ratio.
Do they…I love cashews, thank so much for the tip!!
Wishing you best of luck with your challenge, and fingers crossed you’ll get the all clear from the tests. I’ve recently been following the advice in the Food Doctor’s book ‘How Not to Get Fat’ (which I reviewed on my blog a good while back). Basically he says to eat protein with complex carbohydrates, every time (so now if I have a piece of fruit (carbohydrate) I will have a handful of seeds (protein) as well. He also says that the type of carbohydrate you have as part of your evening meal should be fruit or vegetable based, so no bread, pasta, rice etc at dinner time, but you can have them with your lunch. It makes sense because (unless you are working nights) we don’t need that much carbohydrate in the evening. The book has lots of nice recipes in too (though not all vegetarian) so I recommend it – you might be able to borrow one from a library. Good luck A, you and I will be in tip top shape by the summer!
Forgot to say, love your Anamumdiary mug!
Thank you, Tall Dad and the girls got it me for valentines 🙂
It makes complete sense M. I think I’ve just hit a wall now. I know in my heart of hearts I’m not happy with the body image I’m portraying. It’s just not me! I think I need to really shake up my menus too! Thanks M, this is a great help x
It’s so hard to follow a good healthy eating plan, even though we know we should. We’re constantly putting our needs to the bottom of the heap so I salute you and your challenge and wish you the best of luck. Sometimes all we need to get out of that winter, comfort eating cycle is a little jolt…. oh and a very public list and blog post just like this! 🙂 Good luck, and keep us posted.
LOL…I’m not daft me Jen. If in doubt put myself into a position where I know I can’t back down 😉
I hope you feel a bit better soon. Sometimes it’s hard to find time to look after ourselves, we’re that busy looking after everyone else. That’s a great list of goals and all the best with them! @Chaoskay
Thanks Kay, I have agoal now, something to aim for. I’m determined to get there!
Thank you for the comment xx
Hi Amanda
Good luck with the changes you’re trying to make. Last year I managed to make some changes and I’m still benefitting from that. Something that worked for me was to focus on one change at a time. So for me this meant starting with my main meals, then moving on to tackling my snacking, then trying to move more. This was over a period of several months. Like Molly says, it’s important to get enough protein if you’re veggie as that keeps your energy levels up and the hunger pangs at bay. Another tip is to eat soup as it is more warming and sustaining than salad on a cold day. Keep us posted on how you get on.
Cheers,
Ruth x
The soup thing is something I used to always do, big batches of, really good idea. I do struggle with the protein thing sometimes!
Thank you Ruth, really appreciate it!
I think once you set a schedule for yourself Amanda it will all fall into place.
Most people will think I’m nuts but I don’t drink coffee. All I drink is water and I drink it all day long. I don’t need that caffeine kick and probably wouldn’t know how to handle it if I did.
I have no doubt you’ll do well. I get the impression from you that you know what to do so now it’s up to you to just follow through. I’m rooting for you Amanda.
~Adrienne
Welcome Adrienne to my blog!
I think you’re right I need to take my knowledge and set the routines etc in place. I’m determined to get there.
Really appreciate, you replying to the comments I made on your blog, I must find out from you the system you used to reply, really clever!
Thanks for coming over
Amanda x
Good luck, you can do it x