Flaming Healthy June!

[Healthstartshere]

June arrives tomorrow. I’m planning a super healthy (but realistic) month and would welcome anyone who would like to join me on 30 days of self improvement.

My aims are weight loss and cultivating a healthier body and mind. I plan to do this by adopting a healthier diet, reducing calories, increasing exercise, reducing alcohol intake, being kinder to myself and enjoying more fresh air and sleep.

I am jotting down a plan of how to do this right now (whilst finishing off the crisps). Come and join me for mutual encouragement of the likeminded, whatever your personal goals for June! 😊

That sounds a lovely Saturday @Poisonwood (especially the cake bit!)

I use MFP @Spudulica17 I have done for years and honestly think I would be much bigger if it wasn’t for it. The times when I track everything show a loss/stable weight so it def helps. I have lots of my recipes saved on it and that saves time tracking too. For exercise I need to do more as I currently go to yoga 3-4 times a week, but I should be doing other stuff too for my heart & fat burning. I sometimes do some cardio before the class. I would love to live in the countryside and walk more and cycle. I have a lovely bike I’m too scared to ride anywhere (it was a bit of a crazy mid-life crisis purchase 🤦‍♀️).

@Healthstartshere could you maybe put your bike on the train and get out some weekends exploring countryside nearby?

I keep an approximate running total of calories in my head each day almost by accident lol. It definitely works to reduce the dreaded creep upwards. And it’s eye opening how many calories are in some things/what small amount technically makes a portion.

Today is TOTM unexpectedly and I have an awful mouth ulcer too, and I’m not really in the mood for eating. Have eaten some porridge and some flavoured quark. Might make broccoli and cauliflower soup later. Will do an hour of power yoga.

Physio done. Despite being in a massive grump about it! No weight lost but happy tbh with 3lb this month, I don't have much to lose overall but would like to lose 1lb this week coming and keep up my physio every day. Mini goal...

@Monvelo your mini goal is a great one 💪.

I’ve lost 1lb this last week, very pleased with that. Plans for this last bit of the month is to add extra goodness in simple tweaks like pumpkin/chia seeds in my porridge and to continue trying with water!

So, an example of why I'm no good with mfp. Tea was pasta, broccoli and green beans in homemade cheese sauce (butter, flour, cheddar), with tinned tomato in the middle a bit like sandwich style. I weighed the pasta to get the right amount for the family, and I could hazard a rough guess at the total amount of cheese used. I weighed my portion. But I can't do the maths! Tried to find something on mfp, my choices are either 606 cal or 130! Looked all over the internet but can't find a recipe for this concoction!

Will endeavour to eat less cheese tomorrow...

Good pilates class tonight though 👍🏻 And now I don't need to do physio today!

Sorry folks I missed posting yesterday! I had a job interview today and it went well , was busy prepping for it last night! Glad to read the updates so far this week!

@Poisonwood I have no excuse re bike as I actually purchased a bike rack at the same time. It’s just such a terrible task attaching it all to the car 😆

@Monvelo i love recipe arithmetic, if you post any recipe here I will calc the calories in total and your portion if you state how much of it you ate.

guessing how much cheese you’ve consumed is a dodgy business though I can tell from bitter (weight gain) experience 😂
it’s my early rise for the gym day tomorrow so off to bed soon.

@Monvelo that’s a big difference in Potential Cheese Calories!! I rarely eat cheese nowadays after overdosing on it to the extreme years ago doing low carb.

@Healthstartshere fingers crossed re interview 🤞 and I’m wagging my finger at the bike rack laziness 😂

I’m annoyed with myself today as I far too readily ate a delicious cream danish pastry DH bought me as it was reduced (he’s romantic haha)…600 calories!!!!! 😳😳😳😫 (in mitigation, I only looked at label after scoffing it, but sheesh!)

lol @Poisonwood my DH is terrible for yellow sticker diet killers too! My biggest weakness is crusty white bread. He brings 10p baguettes, boules, croissants etc all the time! I hope you enjoyed the pastry though!

I am knackered today- went to gym at 6am this morning before work (I’m not good at this so it’s always a shock to system 😂).

work all day, like a zombie now. Eating not as good as planned as I’ve not had time to make the soup that holds my dieting week together!
Will make soup tomorrow and try to rectify situation! Have a good week all!

I got slightly derailed by a custard slice today 😆

I may have had a French fancy.

Nice!!

Feel very drained today. Eaten okay - chai latte and yoghurt for breakfast, lentil soup with salad and a bread roll for lunch, salmon and salad for dinner. Even feeling too meh to have a nice bath. A lot is to do with our weather - I’ve had the fire on three days this week…I just want some vaguely warm sunshine.

Sorry you're feeling drained @Poisonwood Are you getting enough energy? Sugar and carbs have their place.

@Monvelo they definitely do. Today I’m doing roast chicken, mashed potatoes and vegetables for dinner and will make sure I have a good plateful.

Hope you are ok @Poisonwood feeling cold is often a sign you are coming down with something I think 😞.

sorry I’ve been AWOL again folks. Very busy week! I turn my back for 5 minutes and you are all on the cakes!!?? ….I do love a French fancy though, especially fresh ones from a bakery that have a thin layer of marzipan between the cake and the icing, 😋 I could definitely try a custard slice though, they aren’t much of a thing up here in Scotland but I could be turned 😂

@Healthstartshere how did I miss that you’re in Scotland??? I’m Argyll. It was a proper bakery Fancy, and was very tasty. You’re right though, custard slices aren’t really a thing here…Empire Biscuits are definitely not as big down there. There’s a huge variation in baked goods between even neighbouring countries.
Now I’ve made myself hungry 😋

Did an hour of power yoga at 7am 💪. Going hill-walking later with my son, so that’s some good exercise today. Still feel tired but determined to not give in to it as it’s not developing into illness just meh-ness.

Ah @Poisonwood I knew you were coastal but didn’t realise you were in Scotland either! I’m in Lanarkshire. I’ve actually spent this morning baking blueberry muffins and fruit scones, as my DS made a quip last night that not much has been happening this week in the kitchen 😂 . Empire Biscuits are ace. Did you know they used to be called German Biscuits until WW1.

enjoy your hillwalking. If you have any good tips for walking boots do let me know. I’ve ordered and returned 3 pairs now as I have a high instep and they all seem too wide. I’ve also noticed my feet are skinnier since starting frequent yoga, is this a thing ? Lol
have a lovely Saturday everyone.
ps. I have only eaten one single scone from the massive pile of warm carby goodness lurking on my kitchen counter. 😄

Dh's dad was from Glasgow and family in the Highlands, and he works for a Scottish company, which all means we love an empire biscuit down here in the west. Also tunnocks.

I've somehow resisted such things and managed to get rid of most of that 1lb this week, which is good! Decorating DS's room today so sweating some more out.

Also kept up the physio! No sign of buns of steel yet I have to say 🤣

@Healthstartshere that is iron willpower!!! My only recommendation with walking boots is to go for old fashioned leather ones, hospital physio said they are far more supportive even if heavier. Talking baking…do you ever do Anzac biscuits? We had them regularly growing up, so I make them but other people just look at me gone out when I mention them. Our History teacher always made them when doing that period too.

@Monvelo glad you enjoy them there too. I grew up in the East and they are barely recognised as food there lol. Well done on your physio.

Was out for lunch and had Cullen Skink followed by a bakery Jammy Joey - have either of you heard of those?? V tasty.

@Healthstartshere what boots have you tried already? Berghaus might work for you as they're pretty straight? But if you tell me what's not worked I can try to dredge out my very old knowledge circa 2004! When I worked selling walking boots and tents.

@Poisonwood Anzac biscuits are from NZ aren't they? My dad lives there. My kids like to make them!

Cullen skink I've made in the past!

What's a jammy?!

A jammy joey is a really soft sponge cake square covered in raspberry jam and coconut. Apparently it’s Northern Irish, we’re so close to them geographically that occasionally we mix culturally (cake-ily?) without realising. I can see their coastline clearly from my bedroom window!

My goodness, you have big Scottish connections too @Monvelo ! I live near the Tunnocks factory - smells lovely when I visit that area. well done on the 1lb off. I haven’t lost anything this week, but feeling ok about it as still a few down for the month and I find it really hard losing any now I’m middle aged.

I’ve not had many jammy joeys @Poisonwood My DH is from Northern Ireland but doesn’t have a sweet tooth at all! I love Anzacs and we make them often. Oats & coconut are delicious in baking I think. Melting Moments too 😊

You were a boot salesperson @Monvelo , what are the chances! That’s mad. (Thanks for recommending too Poisionwood). Ive only tried boots out of the big outdoor retailers (MW) , own brand, saying things like reduced from 120 to £60 etc. but I don’t know if that’s a scam. Entry level prices really. This is because I’m getting them for my son too. Also because I’m one of these people who gets carried away about new hobbies, and I don’t want to do another ‘all the gear and no idea’ from the outset (like my bike 🤦‍♀️). I used to have good walking boots as a teen but can’t remember the brand and they disappeared when my parents moved. They might have been Berghaus, as my fleece was and I bought them in same shop.

How was your hill walk today @Poisonwood ?

@Healthstartshere it was nice thanks. Dry and a warmish wind. My son is going hiking in the mountains of northern Spain for a month soon, he likes my company on some of his practice walks even though I slow him down. I just feel it in my knees after nowadays.

Hi folks just checking in, @Monvelo i know exactly what you mean about MFP- it’s fine for breakfast with only one or two items but then seems like such a faff when trying to work out dinners which have lots of different foods in. Ive been tracking food where possible and have somehow lost a pound this week so I’ll take that as a win.

have managed a long roller skate last weekend and gym twice, so going to try and keep that up when I’m in the office this week as it’s really close by.

those hill walks sound a great idea - @Poisonwood

@Healthstartshere hope the interview went well! When do you find out?