Happy Easter

Hope all of you are having a great time with family and friends, I hope your holidays are fun filled, full of smiles and laughter.

Today I have decided to write about Cheat days, I'm sure a lot of people use the cheat day system to prevent themselves from feeling deprived. The basic concept of cheat day is to eat healthy on all days except one day in a week when you can eat whatever it is you have been craving for the remaining days. I know a few friends who follow this religiously and I have also seen it work for them but my mind works in a different direction. I don’t like the idea of having a cheat day because then I feel more deprived on the remaining days. Instead I would prefer working towards building healthy eating habits and having small cheat moments if I feel like without that guilt hanging over my head.

Healthy eating habits for me do not mean banning things that I love completely from my life. What I do is I do indulge in unhealthy food sometimes but it’s just that one item or meal (depending on the situation) I don’t spoil my entire day.

For instance on my birthday we did not buy an entire cake (only two of us, it did not make sense at all) instead we bought one slice of a cheese cake and one slice of apple pie split it by two (and we did not finish this in one sitting either) , we had our usual healthy breakfast and we went out for lunch, I had Japanese noodles (not in my usual healthy food options) but for dinner we had big bowl of soup and because I knew I wouldn’t be working out I changed my rest day to my birthday that way I still managed my usual workout week. I like doing this because at the end of the day I was happy and not worried about over eating or missing my workout, instead I think if I would overeat I would be more upset about it after eating.

So basically I don’t have cheat days I have little cheat moments. Mind you I would not waste a cheat moment on a chocolate bar because that won't be worth it for me. I choose my cheat moments depending on the occassion and also the option I have in front of me. So I have many months when I have no cheat moments atall but then there are a few occassion when I would eat something that not in my healthy list.
I have little cheat moments and I do not waste them on anything that I don't think is worth it. 

For Easter we decided to make our breakfast special. We went to ‘My Old Dutch - the pancake house’ it’s a pancake place we pass every Sunday. T loves sweet and we have avoided going to this place for over a year so finally we decided Easter would be the special day when we would go have pancakes for breakfast.

T had the unhealthiest possible option (chocolate, banana, nuts and ice-cream pancake :D ). I did not want to have my regular egg and toast for breakfast in a pancake house (I knew we were not going back anytime soon) so I selected the smoked salmon  and egg savoury pancake. They were crazy huge. Mine was cone shaped with the filling. I got scared just looking at the plate size I barely had 25 % of my meal it was so filling (I could not even do a takeaway so my meal was a waste) but T was definitely happy he kept saying he was full but was still happily eating away.

Another thing I noticed today was the change in appetite I always assumed if I wanted to eat I could always eat the same portions that was used to eating a few years ago but now I know for sure I just can’t eat that much I think I would fall sick if I would eat more.

We walked off our breakfast and decided to skip lunch and stick to a very light dinner, though I might eat something in between I think T is done for the day and his Easter was a very Happy Easter

What did you do for Easter? Did you have a cheat day or did you manage to have fun while eating clean?

Keep Reading I will Keep Writing 

Tanvee

3 months in

It has been 3 months since I started this blog and I realised I have never really introduced myself  properly :) I jumped right in and started posting, so I started working on creating an 'About Me' page. This took me longer than my usual posts. If you want to know a little bit more about me you can use the link on top till then I will get back to proof reading my next post :)

Keep Reading I will Keep Writing 

Tanvee

WLC recipes

Do you remember I was going to try the whole life challenge for a week and see how it goes? I did it, it was a good experience (more on that soon) and the best part of this short challenge was the recipes I found.I knew if I wanted to see the whole challenge through I needed to have my meals well planned, Before doing my WLC shopping I went online looking for recipes and found some of the easiest and healthiest options, here are a few of my favourites

Roasted Cauliflower

1. Preheat oven to gas mark 6 / Roast using a non stick pan
2. Blanch cauliflower in salted water for a few minutes. Dry it properly
3. Toss in Olive oil (I skipped this completely)
4. Blend together cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, blanched almond (smashed), salt, pepper
5. Add the cauliflower to the above blend
6. Add a dash of lemon juice
7. Pop in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or cook in a non stick pan

(http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/roasted-cauliflower-with-cumin-coriander-and-almonds) 

Banana Pancake
(I loved this recipe but T did not like it, I guess it is one of those things that you might either totally love or completely hate)

1. 1 banana
2. 2 eggs (I used 1 egg + 1 egg white)
3. Vanilla (optional)
4. Cinnamon (optional)
5. Blueberries (optional)

Mash the banana, egg and cinnamon or vanilla. Once the mix is ready cook it like your regular pancake. I added blue berries to each(http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/breakfast/egg-breakfast/no-flour-banana-pancakes.html)

Coconut pancake

1. Combine together coconut flour (1/4 cup), 2 egg whites, coconut milk or almond milk (1/4 cup), salt and cinnamon (I skipped the sweetener and baking powder part completely). 
2. Once the mix is ready cook it like your regular pancake

(http://www.foodiefiasco.com/2012/12/07/coconut-flour-pancakes-vegangluten-freegrain-freelow-carblow-caloriehigh-protein/)

Egg muffin
This is more like scrambled egg in the muffin tin. I like these because I can freeze them and reheat them whenever I want

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Mix together egg, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, bacon (I skipped this), season with salt and pepper.
3. Line your muffin tin and pour this mix in your muffin tin
4. Bake for 25-35 minutes
   (http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=633654 )

Do you have any good easy WLC recipes we can share some ideas, I'm always on the look for good easy healthy recipes

Keep Reading I will Keep Writing 

Tanvee

Dedication Vs Obsession

These days I have noticed a lot of my family and friends telling me I’m obsessed with my weight loss/fitness. Usually when somebody tries to ridicule what I’m doing I manage to stand up for myself but this thing about being obsessed stayed with me. I know all of them were telling me out of concern and nothing negative so I did get a bit concerned

I never thought I was obsessed I thought I was dedicated, nothing I do for my weight loss effects my mood negatively, according to me I'm healthy, I don’t starve and I workout just the right amount for my body.

If I can control what goes in my mouth or if I workout even when the weather is bad or if I plan my entertainment around my fitness without it effecting me negatively I'm happy. I always felt all this just shows my hard work paid off. I never looked at it as an obsession instead I thought I was dedicated and all this has somehow become a part of my life.

But on the other side I have never really consulted a nutritionist or a doctor (I did not feel the need to) nor have I ever hired a personal trainer. Everything I have done till now is more based on what I read on blogs, magazines, fitness articled, workout DVDs and a little bit of my common sense.

So back to why I was concerned ‘I might not be overdoing it or maybe I'm ?’ I was not sure, my aim is to become healthy and fit. I could do better (there is always room for improvement). Maybe my food planning could be better or maybe my workouts could be scheduled such that I benefit more from how much I put in.  

What if I took advice from a professional nutritionist or a trainer to confirm if I could improve my existing plan? I think I will only benefit by asking somebody who knows more than me and that will also give me more confidence in what I'm doing.

My conclusion to all this:

Dedicated Vs Obsession

Being dedicated is not an obsession till it has a negative effect on your life and health. It’s good to be dedicated but it’s also important to be safe. Asking for help or sharing your ideas with somebody professional is always useful.

How do you know you are overdoing anything?

I think if you overdo anything it will have the wrong side effects, you might be crankier, tired instead of energetic, your body might not repair as fast after your usual workouts.

Always good to be safe

By talking to a professional you can make sure you are on the right track and they can further guide you to improve your fitness levels. You don’t have to have a few days a week with the PT, even a consultation session should be good to know if you are on the right track

Have you ever had a similar experience? What do you do?

Keep Reading I will Keep Writing 

Tanvee

Very important ingredients for successful weight loss

How many times have you looked at a friend or a family member and wondered if you were like them things would be perfect.  When I was fat I always looked at my friends who were healthier and found an excuse for not being as healthy. I was very good at blaming everything. I really had started believing that I was the way I was because of the situation I was in. I would complain about not having time, not having enough money for joining the gym or blame my family for all the gatherings which never let me start my diet. I think there was a time in my life when I could find an excuse in any situation to continue my unhealthy lifestyle. This Excuse -- blame-game – self pity was a cycle I was stuck in for very long.

Taking responsibility

The only way I really changed myself was when I took responsibility. Starting with everything that went in my mouth, instead of saying I eat because we have so many family gatherings I had to face the truth, I eat because I want to, I eat because I could not control my cravings. I always had a choice (not to eat or eat less but I never made that choice). When I stopped blaming others and took responsibility I knew I could change things because it only depended on me. When I blamed people for my situation my weight loss plans depended on others (my plan was flawed from the beginning because I was never in control, I gave that away to others who were really not a part of my plan)

I think taking responsibility gives us more control over the result

Making the best of any situation

All of us are in different situations, we all have different problems, different jobs...basically different lives I think as long as we make the best of the situation we are in we should be good. I would feel bad for myself because I did not have the money to join the gym but that was just wrong, as you all know I did not start my weight loss by joining the gym I started by going for walks, jogging and doing exercise at home. Even though I did not make it to the gym I still lost weight, I was getting healthier. When I started my weight loss I was not staying on my own so my dinner was usually what mom made, nobody else in my family needed to lose weight and I couldn’t tell  my mom to make me a separate meal so I started off with making healthy choices for my breakfast and lunch (salad at work) and then for dinner I would have very small portions again this helped me lose weight.

Now I go to the gym I cook my own meals but I know my situation might change, I might not be able to get to the gym always or I might not be able to cook my own meals always but instead of letting that pull me down I decided to always make the best of my situation. 

Taking responsibility & Doing your best in any situation are very important.

Keep Reading I will Keep Writing 

Tanvee

Sharing - Do you find it useful?

Ever since I decided I wanted to lose weight I was in a dilemma about sharing my plans with my friends or family. I really never shared my plans for very long; I would speak a little about it but would never talk about the seriousness or how much it really mattered to me. So why did I not share or talk about it for many years??

I was embarrassed – because if I would share my weight loss plans it would mean me accepting that I was fat and unhappy with myself. It felt like by talking about my weight I would be highlighting my flaws.

I was worried about people judging  - I thought once I open up about my weight loss with people they will judge everything I do, if I eat an unhealthy snack they will judge me for not eating an apple instead, if I use the elevator they will question me for not taking the stairs.

I was afraid of failing – I was worried I might not really lose weight and I would not be able to keep up with exercising or eating right, just that fear of failing stopped me from talking about my plans.

Now I think I should have been more open about what I was going through at least with my close friends and family, not because people won’t judge me nor because I'm sure I won’t fail but because the same points could have been  used to help my weight loss

(Positive twist)

Embarrassed

A lot of times we are very quick to point out our own bad points, and sometimes we all need somebody to point out our good points. It’s ok to share because sometimes you learn nice things about yourself. I always hated the way I looked  because I was fat but finally when I did share with my friends they were the ones who reminded me about my good features and then I did not feel so bad about myself

People Judging 

You can’t stop people from judging, some judge others don’t, the best way is to ignore them but if you can’t then I say instead of letting the fear of people judging stop you, why not use it to give you a push in the right direction. Like if you tell everybody you are trying to eat healthy and if there is dessert served you will definitely worry about people judging if you have it so why not skip the dessert??? it will help you stay on track, worried people might point out when you use the elevator why not use the stairs, it adds to your activity and helps your plan doesn't it?
( I still feel it's best not to let people effect you)

Failure

Sometimes plans don’t work; we may lose track... talking to people/friends especially those who you think are better than you helps because they will give you new ideas and a different point of view. You might not relate to everything you hear but maybe there is that one important tip you missed

I think it is always great to have support; they will be there for you when you hate yourself, they will keep you on track by pointing out your mistakes and sharing ideas to learn new stuff is always good.

Sometimes you might also land-up sharing plans with people who have a completely different point of view, they might not get the importance of fitness or making healthy eating a lifestyle just don’t let them change your focus instead why not prove to them  the importance of what you are doing.

Did you ever have a problem talking about your weight loss ups and downs or am I the only one ?

Keep Reading I will Keep Writing 

Tanvee

Whole Life Challenge

I read about Whole life challenge on ‘http://plumpetals-workinitout.blogspot.co.uk’ and I was immediately eager to try it. You should check out her WLC blog (http://plumpetals-wholelifechallenge2012.blogspot.co.uk) for a detailed look through 8 weeks of her journey, I'm a regular there. For more details you can also check out the official site (https://www.wholelifechallenge.com/wlc2013) . I liked the idea a lot because it focuses on everything important

• Fitness (workout improvements, stretching and some activity daily)
• Nutrition (they have a list of what you can eat and what you can’t) 
• Supplements (you can chose your vitamins or calcium, they suggest fish oil)
• Lifestyle (focusing on new creating new habits...anything from drinking more water, to sleeping 7 hrs.)

Why did I want to try this?

I am not looking at trying to lose weight but actually I am hoping to improve my eating habits and get more energy in the process. I am good at counting calories and sticking to my daily calorie count but sometimes I eat processed food, though I still stick to my calorie count I know processed is not really healthy and I'm keen on improving my eating because better eating = better workout  and better workouts = stronger me J

The whole life challenge is a 8 week challenge but I'm going to try this only for a week and if I feel comfortable I will add another week and continue. I'm actually hoping to stick to this nutrition plan long term. I'm hoping on making it a lifestyle.

In the coming week I will share with you my experience and I will tell you if I can carry on, what I found difficult or what is manageable. (All possible details on one week of WLC)

Keep Reading I will Keep Writing 

Tanvee