WWW's six week ten years younger plan, WEEK FOUR

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Good morning all, welcome to week 4! A reminder of the rules:

Be as happy as possible. The odd night of booze and chocolate is fine
It's not a diet, it's trying to eat healthily and well, eat fruit and veg
Lots of water, aim for 2 litres a day
Some exercise, walking is fine
Use sunscreen at ALL TIMES
Take your make up off before bed
Get enough sleep, aim to be in bed by 10, 10.30 every night
Use handcream and join the horned hoof club on their thread if you have vile feet

Suzywong is Harvey from Fit Club and will pop in every now and again to say Good Luck to You but in her absence: Good Luck To You.

The relationship one has between food/alcohol and stress are very difficult to unravel. I had such good intentions at the beginning of the week and although I haven't been 'bad' I am craving a drink and chocolate and frankly because of stress relating to x (we are having yet another talk tonight about whether we get divorced or not) has meant that it is only the fact that it is not in the house that has stopped me... and last night I was too exhausted to brave the cold and walk to the off licence. And I am not fitting in enough exercise. Cleansing, moisturising, sunscreen, handcream water, 5+ fruit and veg all going well BUT am still eating too much and not exercising enough. i am cross with myself and KNOW i have to reeducate myself to deal with stress by exercising NOT eating & drinking!

Well done all of you virtuous souls :)

i have bought davina and darsey . half an hour 5 days per week is making a big difference

oops slipped up by eating far too much tempura last night (why IS aubergine so yummy and yet so devastatingly calorie-attracting?) and a gin n tonic. but did buy Products on way home, including one of the Boots Time Delay range (a mask) and some Olay light-refracting, SPF'd up moisturiser. and lots of new hair products. pushed dd2's buggy to nursery v fast...with heavy rucksack, bit like a workout

Bundle, I've recently been tipped off that if you bake the aubergine in a hot oven for about 30 minutes, then chop it and chuck it - still hot - into a nonstick pan where you've cooked garlic and onions in a bit of olive oil, it almost immediately turns into the sort of cooked aubergine that tastes as if it had absorbed about a pint of your finest oil.

Batters, re curry, the way I do it: chop onion finely: chop (peeled) garlic and ginger root roughly and chuck into the hand blender with a bit of water: grind cumin and coriander seed and a dried red chilli: chuck the ground spices into the blender along with a small bit of turmeric: blend into a paste: cook the chopped onion in a non-stick pan with a bit of olive oil on a lowish till tender: add the spice paste (you may want to add a bit of oil - it is after all supposed to be frying at least to some extent) and cook, again on a lowish heat (you do not, my mother insists, want to Burn the Spices) and when it's all amalgamated nicely into a paste add the contents of a tin of chopped tomatoes which you've drained in a sieve so it's quite passata-ish; then lob into a heavier casserole/pan with prawns. Or chickpeas. Or halved hard-boiled eggs, and possibly peas.

You could add aubergine early on too, of course. But then you might want different spices.

MI can you give me your spinach soup recipe with cumin please?

I am keeping away from this thread having had a Very Bad Week. may return next week when I am purged.

Beetroot - is that the pilates video? Been fancying giving it a go too. May brave Davina (still haven't done it since the first one was released) but find my old Lorraine Kelly just seems to suit me and definitely improves my shape if I do it regularly.

I have not felt so enthusiastic for ages so these steps have definitely re-energised me. I even took DS out for a game of football yesterday (well he's only 3 so we just mesed about a bit but it was great fun and had me running all over the place).

have been lurking and feeling very as I am not being very good at all.

I blame the booze (I gave up for 2 months - but now it's as if I never had at all)

You are all doing so well though- keep it up!

Puddle - it couldn't be simpler. Red lentils, chopped onion, chopped garlic and ground cumin, cooked up in stock (I just use the bouillon powder, if it's good enough for Nigel Slater), chopped frozen spinach and lemon juice added a bit further on, blend when done. If using a tougher green veg like kale, cook it from the beginning.

This is apparently the way middle Eastern cooking guru Claudia Roden does it - she adds a bit of oil right at the end. If you don't, you feel quite virtuous enough to explode. It's delicious, I promise.

Sounds gorgeous will try it tomorrow.
No frying onions and garlic to start with then?

Nope. I used to till a foodie friend tipped me off about the Roden version. I would have been highly sceptical had it been in a Virtuous Cookbook, but it really does work, it's lovely.

love red lentils & lemon juice infact am eating homemade lentil & root veg soup with lemon juice squeezed over the top now. Will try your version MI it sounds lovely. Will also try the alternative way to cook aubergines as I love aubergines too.

love puy lentils too, did some recently in red wine/thyme/garlic goo...mmmmmmmm

I have just agreed to make brownies for a trip out with friends on Saturday

AND I might as well come out with the fact that I've asked DP to roast a biggish chicken when one of his nice work colleagues comes round tomorrow night, with the full intention of eating leftover cold chicken WITH SKIN for most of the weekend while he is away. I know Finer Women Than Me cook exquisitely for their children when their partners are away, without complaint, and perform other acts of parental adequacy, but frankly I would rather take this option. I won't be drinking, after all.

I like this thread, thanks for the tip-off :) Can't say I am following the rules very well though...

I can't see if anyone has already said this, granarybeck, but the ReFinish stuff does sting a bit. I quite like it, but I think I would be a bit careful about using it with sensitive skin.

yes pilates. is fabulous. davina is great aslong as you swtch off her twittering

hello
Good Luck to You
just done 45 minutes of a Cindy Crawford workout with weights and am lifitng the fridge overhead as I type

Did have a Burger King Whopper with Cheese for lunch though but we were on a jolly with the kids and it was a very very VERY big treat

How's everyone going?

Beetroot - would you say that you need to have done pilates before or would it be okay for an absolute beginner?

It is Davina's voice that puts me off although when I played it through I thought the music was good.

Oooh, swimming is off tonight. DP has just reminded me he's Out. I will confess to a secret touch of relief

Will go to pilates tomorrow, though.

you've all probably seen this but I thought I'd do a link \link{http://www.thefatmanwalking.com/page/65347/\inspiration}

I've been using my tesco 3lb weights every night. They are very handy!

I have bloated curiously over the course of the day. Have booked lash tint in the hope this will distract attention somehow.

WWW please can we continue this thread for a few more weeks - it is so motivating just concentrating on my failures Compared To Those Of A More Stoic Disposition and I want an excuse to buy some yummy mummy wedges for my newly oiled feet! Managed 10k steps again today and no wine yesterday but think I will crack tonight.

Callmemadam, we can continue this thread as long as you like! Today

2 pieces wholemeal toast with butter and strawberry jam
apple
grapes
spicy lentil soup
water
sunscreen
no exercise other than housework and fretting
slept for 2 hours this afternoon
and no wine (obv, it's only 5.30!) and I have none in the house so that's it - first night in ages and I'm feeling good about it.

Well done everyone.

and tonight I think we're going to have fishfingers and peas, it's a very no booze sort of meal and I won't be remotely tempted.