It's Picture time

This picture was taken 2 weeks ago at my Mother in law's 60th party and I only just got a copy of them. I still just can't believe the difference and find it really strange and a bit sad to look at my before photo, not just because of how I looked but also because of how I felt back then. I think the pictures say it all really....enjoy :)

I think it's about time I posted!

Here's a recent meal of mine which is super yummy, it's vegetable carbonara! I've used mushrooms and thinly sliced zucchini fried with bacon. The sauce is cream, egg yolk, Parmesan, nutmeg and s&p! Truly satisfying and very filling.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the effects of losing all the weight has on my confidence and body image. Boy I have really changed as a person and still can't believe how big I was. I'm constantly reminding myself where I have come from, not to get too cocky and how I never want to go back to being that person. The weight really affected me on so many levels and each kilo I've lost has peeled back a layer of my true self.

The other thing that has affected me recently is hormones! To cut a long story short I ended up in hospital last month with some girl trouble and have since seen a specialist as it freaked me out a little. He said that losing all that weight is unbelievably awesome but it is a real shock for your body and can throw your hormones out of whack, eventually they will sort themselves out so that's a relief! Apparently when you gain weight you store excess estrogen's in your body fat so when you start losing weight the excess estrogen's are dumped into your blood stream and that can have some icky effects so to speak, at least this is how I understand it ;)

Weight wise I have plateaued recently around that 67-68kg mark but this morning was an all time low of 65.9kg!! I'm so stoked and can't believe I'm finally in a normal weight range, no longer considered overweight which is a pretty amazing achievement if I do say so myself!

Letting loose

This past weekend we had two celebrations, my mother in law's 60th and my husband's birthday so I decided since I'm pretty close to goal that I'd have 2 days 'off' I guess you'd say. Well I enjoyed the weekend so much and didn't worry about food whatsover and indulged in A LOT!

Saturday started off good, had bacon and eggs for breakfast and some lamb chops on the BBQ. Dinner at the restaurant was Pork Belly which was amazing served with mashed potato, kumara and apple topped with an asian sauce and greens. Mostly primal and bloody good. Pudding was carrot cake that I actually made for my mother in law, it's the Jamie Oliver recipe with ground almonds and topped with lime mascapone icing and it tasted amazing!! the rest of the night I ate chips and dip, chocolate covered strawberries and a few mussels on the bbq followed by a lot of nibbling on the leftover cake...

Sunday morning I was still full soo full so we went out and had coffee in the morning so I just had my normal decaf vienna. Lunch with my husbands family was fish and chips, I had 1/2 a chip buttie, a saveloy, crabstick and a piece of fish. In the afternoon I ate a few chips and dip then dinner we went to an italian restuarant and I had 2 slices of cheese topped pizza bread followed by a few bites of a pasta dish then Veal filled with parma ham and camembert topped with a creamy mushroom sauce, it was the most amazing dish and I will have it again as it was pretty primal. Then when I got home I had the last of the carrot cake and a few Cadbury Rose's chocolates. OMG how indulgent is that!

I actually feel like I have just had 2 days on drugs or alcohol, seriously!! I have never felt so sluggish and high. It has just shown me how powerful high sugar and high carb foods are. I have always known that I don't respond the best to non primal foods but boy it was weird.

I also felt no self control and just wanted to eat everything and anything to the point it was ridiculous and I had to say to myself it ends Sunday night and back to normal on Monday.

I am doing well so far but I know the cravings are going to be pretty bad and I'm not even thinking of weighing myself.

So a few fasts will be on the calendar this week and I'll be back on track, I know losing this last bit is going to be tougher than ever but slow is alright with me :)

It's been a year!

Hi all, yes I'm still here, sorry I'm getting pretty slack with this blog!
It's been a year since I started this low carb journey and i've lost 40kgs!! 88lbs!!
I have never felt better and I'm finally starting to feel like a slim healthy person. I went shopping for my first dress purchase since losing the weight, we have my mother in laws 60th party in a couple of weeks and I wanted to spoil myself.

I bought a NZ size 10 and I couldn't believe it, it's such a huge change from the size 18 and 20's I used to wear. I still pick up larger sizes than what I need which I guess makes sense, it's taking a while for my brain to catch up and realise how much smaller I am now. My weight is 67kg exactly an I've hovered around that for a couple of weeks now just enjoying it and having a little more food than normal.

Will be back into weight loss mode soon and my goal is 60-65kg so not really that far from goal anyway. Yes I will post some photos as soon as I reach 65 :) Hope your all doing well!

Primal Blueprint Youtube Video

Here's a link to a you tube video about the Primal Blueprint http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxqvITCAM9I It's a great video and Mark does are wonderful job of explaining the basic principles of the eating style in a relatively short time!

Feeling great!

Hello!! Yes I am still here and still doing great. Weight loss hasn't really gone down much but I'm not to bothered, so far it's been smooth sailing and now that I'm getting closer to goal I knew it would start to really slow down. Have to admit though I've been eating far too much 85% chocolate, I find it a little addictive!

I started a hip hop class last week, it was so so much fun, I used to do dancing when I was younger and it's something I love to do. Cardio to me is so very boring so I just don't do it. Dancing is some healthy 'low level' cardio and you have so much fun doing it. My calves were pretty damn sore too.

Still going well with the weight training, starting to get my strength back after my bout with the flu. Taking a while though.

Overall I am feeling really wonderful. I don't think in all my life I have ever felt so good about myself. I know that I'm looking a whole lot better but it's not just that. The energy I have is awesome! some people ask me what I'm doing that gives me all this energy??
For me all it really comes down to is eating right, exercising right and sleeping! I've come a long way from the tired grumpy lazy lady who ate a lot!

Sneak Peak

This is the closest picutre you'll see until I get to 65kg ;) Weighed in today at 68.8kg so it's still on the downward and no stalling but it is relatively slow! I'm sure the IF really helps to keep my body guessing. Still loving the gym, it's starting to feel like I've made a permanant change which is amazing to me. BTW that's not my Red Bull ;)

In the 60's!!!

Sorry about my lack of posts, time has been an issue lately, my business is going really well so my blog is suffering because of it.

I had a party on Saturday and had some very high carb/calorie foods and I paid for that, felt a little crap! Back on the wagon on Sunday though so no major.

Workouts are going great, still loving the gym, somedays more than others ;)

My weight loss is slowing down a little but it's still going down so I'm really happy with my progress. Today I weighed 69.4kg!! Can't believe I'm finally in the 60kg bracket wohooo!!!

Pizza Omelet

So what to do when you really just feel like a pizza....make all your favourite toppings inside an omelet and then top with sauce and cheese. Honestly this tasted soo good, obviously not the real thing but when you can't eat bread you can't eat pizza so here's what I did...

Diced:

Pineapple

Red Pepper

Cherry tomatoes

Bacon

Chorizo

Spinach (would have used mushrooms but didn't have any)

Garlic

All cooked in butter then 2 eggs whisked with added water and cream, S&P. Pour egg over cooked filling then cook for a few minutes then under the grill for the rest of the cooking. Then take it out of the oven, top it with a mixture of tomato paste, oregano and basil then lots of Parmesan cheese or a mix of Mozarella and Parmesan would be great also. Once browned top with Basil Pesto mmmmm so yummy.

I only ate three quarters of this for lunch and I'm so so full. The little piece that was left over is in the fridge and I reckon it would taste pretty good cold, then you could pick it up and eat it like a pizza, great idea for work lunches!

A bit of indulgenge!

I'm already a little bored posting a log of my food log!! So instead I'll just post some photos and descriptions for some of the things I think are worth it...


Here's what I had the other night, pork strips slow baked for 3 hours with some applesauce, brocolli with cream reduction cheese sauce and fried kumara skins! nom nom




I had a little night of indulgence in the weekend which doesn't happen often so dh took a photo of me eating the desert which we shared on saturday night, it was Kahlua and white chocolate cheesecake and OMG!! it was really amazing. Glad we shared it because half a piece was definately enough. I almost look evil and very sneaky in this photo...LOL


Sunday was great, back to my standard bacon and eggs weekend breakfast and cravings are very minimal thank god.


I've done four 1 hour workouts this week, on sunday I also tried some speedball which was soo much fun, definately harder than it looks though.

3rd Sept - 7th Sept Food Diary and Pictures

So the challenge has come to an official end but as I said in the last post it never really ends. I thought I would continue to post my daily food log for you all to see, it may continue to help you with ideas, I do eat much of the same thing though so it may get a bit boring. I can't guarantee I'll keep it up but will do my best!

Thursday 3rd September 2009

8am 40minute lower body workout - had my measurements done at the gym, since 19th June I've lost 6cm's off my waist, 6.5cm's off my chest (not bust lol), 8.5cm's off my hips, 1cm off my upper arm, 3.5cm's of my thigh and .5cm's off my calf. I also dropped 4% body fat wohoo!!

11am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto.

12pm Decaf Vienna w 1 raw sugar and 1 pc dark chocolate

6.30pm Homemade Lamb Korma with cauliflower 'rice', 6 small pieces of green and blacks chocolate

9.50pm a few pistachios maybe 15...1 piece of Lindt 85%

Friday 4th September 2009

11am Leftover Lamb, 2 pieces of Lindt 85%

7pm Pork and Apple burger patty topped with smoked cheese, fried button mushrooms in butter and 4 strips of bacon, mesclun salad with tomato, avocado and Japanese mayo. 4 pieces of Lindt 85% chocolate

Saturday 5th September 2009

7am 2 poached eggs and 3 strips of bacon

9am 40minute upper body workout

12pm Leftover Pork patty topped with smoked cheese and pineapple, mesclun salad with fried button mushrooms and mayo (see photo)

4pm Decaf Vienna with 1 raw sugar and 2 pieces 85% chocolate

7pm 40th Birthday BBQ dinner: 3 lamb chops and 1 pork sausage with large salad. Had a small bite of chocolate mud cake, it wasn't too sweet and it was damn nice, had to use some strong will power as I wanted a whole piece!

Sunday 6th September 2009

8.30am Scrambled eggs made with cream

10am Decaf Vienna with 1 raw sugar and 2 pieces 85% chocolate

10.30am Went for a cool bike ride along our foreshore. Here's a photo of me on my bike in my new Grok T-shirt that Mark Sisson sent me for having my success story featured on his website. Just to add they are awesome t-shirts, really good quality and comfy as. You can order them here: http://www.primalnutrition.com/apparel-i-20.html

1.30pm 2 lamb chops on BBQ with butter fried tomatoes

7.30pm India today: Grilled scallops in a mint coriander sauce, lamb kebabs cooked in the tandoor and 1 poppadom.

8.30pm Snack of cheeses - Blue, Smoked and Camembert. 6 small pieces of Green and Blacks.

Monday 7th September 2009

Fasted all day till dinner

6.30pm Pork Belly with Crackling and a little bit of unsweetened apple sauce, Brocolli and Cauliflower with cream based cheese sauce and fried kumara skins

3pieces Lindt 85%
7.30pm 1 hour lower body workout

Days 29 & 30 Primal Challenge

Day 29
Fasted all day
7.30pm Chicken Nibbles marinated in Dijon, tamari, garlic, ginger and cream. Fried in butter mmmmmm! with Broccoli and zucchini topped with pesto.
3 pcs Lindt 85%



Day 30 Last day of challenge weigh in 71.3kg!
So on the final day of the challenge I'm finally feeling back to my complete normal self after being sick for so long. I went to the gym at 7.30am and did an easy 40min upper body workout. Felt really great being back!
11.45am Leftover Chicken Nibbles
6.30pm Beef Tataki with large salad (see photo), a little too much green and blacks 85% chocolate, seriously it's just too smooth!!

So my 30 day challenge has come to an end! My goals were:

1. Continue Losing body fat - 3kgs / 6.6lbs and my goal was to lose 5lbs so I did really well.

2. Increase strength - this one really suffered because I was sick and couldn't go to the gym! This something I will continue to work at.

3. Eat more vegies - think I did pretty well with this one

4. One 24hr fast a week - totally got this one sorted, even two 24hr fasts in a week, it's getting easier and eaiser to fast the more I do it.

The life long challenge never really ends and it's a journey I will be on for life because I'm determined to keep this weight off and keep living healthy! Hopefully some of you have been inspired and it sounds like my menus are giving you all some good ideas.

Days 29 & 30 Primal Challenge

Day 29
Fasted all day
7.30pm Chicken Nibbles marinated in Dijon, tamari, garlic, ginger and cream. Fried in butter mmmmmm! with Broccoli and zucchini topped with pesto.
3 pcs Lindt 85%



Day 30 Last day of challenge weigh in 71.3kg!
So on the final day of the challenge I'm finally feeling back to my complete normal self after being sick for so long. I went to the gym at 7.30am and did an easy 40min upper body workout. Felt really great being back!
11.45am Leftover Chicken Nibbles
6.30pm Beef Tataki with large salad (see photo), a little too much green and blacks 85% chocolate, seriously it's just too smooth!!

So my 30 day challenge has come to an end! My goals were:

1. Continue Losing body fat - 3kgs / 6.6lbs and my goal was to lose 5lbs so I did really well.

2. Increase strength - this one really suffered because I was sick and couldn't go to the gym! This something I will continue to work at.

3. Eat more vegies - think I did pretty well with this one

4. One 24hr fast a week - totally got this one sorted, even two 24hr fasts in a week, it's getting easier and eaiser to fast the more I do it.

The life long challenge never really ends and it's a journey I will be on for life because I'm determined to keep this weight off and keep living healthy! Hopefully some of you have been inspired and it sounds like my menus are giving you all some good ideas.

Sue's Questions Answered

I’ve had a few questions in my comments section from Sue, thanks sue! I thought I would do a new post with the answers and that way everyone gets to read it :)

What was it that helped you get into the right mind set to start losing weight?

Good question….What made me start the journey was seeing how big I had become from a photo my husband took. Luckily for me it was enough to start. I was also sick of the ups and downs in energy I had so I knew diet played a huge role in this.

In terms of mind set it’s hard to say…Once I realised all the nice food I could eat I focused on that instead of focusing on the fact I couldn’t eat the high carb foods. I just kept reminding myself about how good I was going to feel in terms of energy also I knew that being smaller would feel so good and believe me it does. Small things like sitting cross legged or just walking past a window that show’s your reflection.

I guess I knew it was also essential for me to lose the weight now before I even thought about starting a family, I wanted to get some really good boundaries in place. Now I know that when I do start a family I can keep myself in shape and also teach them how to eat.

What is Japanese mayo and decaf vienna?

Japanese mayo is kinda hard to explain but it’s just super yummy mayo. It’s actually called Yum Yum sauce on the bottle. I get it from either the ethnic part of the supermarket or asian food supplies.

Decaf Vienna is a long black coffee with lots of whipped cream instead of milk, it’s what I have when we do coffee, which happens quite a lot ;)

Here's a picture of what they are supposed to look like. Mine usually has less cream because I think cafe's don't serve that much cream in them, a true vienna should look like this though.

How do you do your beef, cream, red wine reduction?

I buy a beef reduction from the supermarket, it’s a chef’s speciality item and costs a fortune but you can just make your own with reducing beef stock over a heated pot. Then I add cream and a little red wine and just cook until it reduces into a thick sauce, it’s super yummy and way better than traditional gravy.

Sue's Questions Answered

I’ve had a few questions in my comments section from Sue, thanks sue! I thought I would do a new post with the answers and that way everyone gets to read it :)

What was it that helped you get into the right mind set to start losing weight?

Good question….What made me start the journey was seeing how big I had become from a photo my husband took. Luckily for me it was enough to start. I was also sick of the ups and downs in energy I had so I knew diet played a huge role in this.

In terms of mind set it’s hard to say…Once I realised all the nice food I could eat I focused on that instead of focusing on the fact I couldn’t eat the high carb foods. I just kept reminding myself about how good I was going to feel in terms of energy also I knew that being smaller would feel so good and believe me it does. Small things like sitting cross legged or just walking past a window that show’s your reflection.

I guess I knew it was also essential for me to lose the weight now before I even thought about starting a family, I wanted to get some really good boundaries in place. Now I know that when I do start a family I can keep myself in shape and also teach them how to eat.

What is Japanese mayo and decaf vienna?

Japanese mayo is kinda hard to explain but it’s just super yummy mayo. It’s actually called Yum Yum sauce on the bottle. I get it from either the ethnic part of the supermarket or asian food supplies.

Decaf Vienna is a long black coffee with lots of whipped cream instead of milk, it’s what I have when we do coffee, which happens quite a lot ;)

Here's a picture of what they are supposed to look like. Mine usually has less cream because I think cafe's don't serve that much cream in them, a true vienna should look like this though.

How do you do your beef, cream, red wine reduction?

I buy a beef reduction from the supermarket, it’s a chef’s speciality item and costs a fortune but you can just make your own with reducing beef stock over a heated pot. Then I add cream and a little red wine and just cook until it reduces into a thick sauce, it’s super yummy and way better than traditional gravy.

Days 23,24,25, 26, 27 & 28 Primal Challenge

Day 23:

Fasted all day

6.30pm Pork Apple Burger Patty topped with Smoked cheese, pineapple, bacon, fried mushrooms. Mesclun, 1/4 avocado and Japanese Mayo. 6 small pcs Green and Blacks 85% choc

Day 24:

9am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto.

6pm Homemade Chicken Korma with Cauliflower "Rice", 6 pcs Green and Blacks 85% choc

Day 25:

7.30am 2 Poached eggs and 3 strips Bacon

11am 4 walnuts and 1 pc Lindt 85%

2pm Mesclun w Avocado, smoked salmon and crispy bacon, topped with Japanese Mayo...OMG so good I had to take a photo to share with you!

7.15pm Friend for dinner: Pork Belly w crackling, broccoli, cauli, zucchini, carrot, red pepper stir fried with tamari. Beef, cream and red wine reduction. Raspberries with whipped cream topped with old gold 70% choc grated on top. Tiny bit of smoked cheese, Camembert and a few pistachios.

Day 26

Fasted all day, went shopping with a friend, bought a size 12 pair of jeans!! a big change from the size 20 I used to wear. Felt damn good about myself :)

5pm Decaf vienna and 2pcs Green & Blacks 85% choc

7.15pm Dinner from Sushi Ninja: 6 pcs of Chicku-mayo (Japanese fishcakes), Edamame beans. 4 pcs Green & Blacks 85% choc

11pm Inside of cheeseburger with bacon

Day 27

9.30am Scrambled eggs and 3 strips of bacon

10.15am Decaf vienna and 2pcs Green & Blacks 85% choc

1pm 3 Cheerios (small saveloy's) with tomato sauce

7pm Out for dinner at Sister in law:

Roast pork w crackling and apple sauce, roasted pumpkin and carrot, broccoli and cauli with cheese sauce. Didn't have their pudding just had my usual chocolate

Very very full!

Day 28

8am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with a few fried cherry tomatoes, Parmesan and Smoked salmon. 1 pc Lindt 85% choc

6.30pm Pork Belly, kumara skins, broccoli and cauli with cheese sauce (cream reduction and cheese) 3 pcs Lindt 85% choc

Week 4 weigh in 71.8kgs, wohoo down 0.9kg :)

My god I have had A LOT of pork this week! I do love it though.

Days 23,24,25, 26, 27 & 28 Primal Challenge

Day 23:

Fasted all day

6.30pm Pork Apple Burger Patty topped with Smoked cheese, pineapple, bacon, fried mushrooms. Mesclun, 1/4 avocado and Japanese Mayo. 6 small pcs Green and Blacks 85% choc

Day 24:

9am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto.

6pm Homemade Chicken Korma with Cauliflower "Rice", 6 pcs Green and Blacks 85% choc

Day 25:

7.30am 2 Poached eggs and 3 strips Bacon

11am 4 walnuts and 1 pc Lindt 85%

2pm Mesclun w Avocado, smoked salmon and crispy bacon, topped with Japanese Mayo...OMG so good I had to take a photo to share with you!

7.15pm Friend for dinner: Pork Belly w crackling, broccoli, cauli, zucchini, carrot, red pepper stir fried with tamari. Beef, cream and red wine reduction. Raspberries with whipped cream topped with old gold 70% choc grated on top. Tiny bit of smoked cheese, Camembert and a few pistachios.

Day 26

Fasted all day, went shopping with a friend, bought a size 12 pair of jeans!! a big change from the size 20 I used to wear. Felt damn good about myself :)

5pm Decaf vienna and 2pcs Green & Blacks 85% choc

7.15pm Dinner from Sushi Ninja: 6 pcs of Chicku-mayo (Japanese fishcakes), Edamame beans. 4 pcs Green & Blacks 85% choc

11pm Inside of cheeseburger with bacon

Day 27

9.30am Scrambled eggs and 3 strips of bacon

10.15am Decaf vienna and 2pcs Green & Blacks 85% choc

1pm 3 Cheerios (small saveloy's) with tomato sauce

7pm Out for dinner at Sister in law:

Roast pork w crackling and apple sauce, roasted pumpkin and carrot, broccoli and cauli with cheese sauce. Didn't have their pudding just had my usual chocolate

Very very full!

Day 28

8am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with a few fried cherry tomatoes, Parmesan and Smoked salmon. 1 pc Lindt 85% choc

6.30pm Pork Belly, kumara skins, broccoli and cauli with cheese sauce (cream reduction and cheese) 3 pcs Lindt 85% choc

Week 4 weigh in 71.8kgs, wohoo down 0.9kg :)

My god I have had A LOT of pork this week! I do love it though.

My Success Story

For those of you that may not be regular MDA readers, I submitted my Success story to Mark Sisson yesterday. It's featured on his website today, please check it out here: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/regaining-control-michelles-primal-journey/

It's great to be an inspiration to people, I'm even an inspiration to myself at times. The lovely comments are making me realise that my story and this blog is important not only for myself but especially for those of you that I can help in some way, I hope I can continue to inspire you.

My Success Story

For those of you that may not be regular MDA readers, I submitted my Success story to Mark Sisson yesterday. It's featured on his website today, please check it out here: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/regaining-control-michelles-primal-journey/

It's great to be an inspiration to people, I'm even an inspiration to myself at times. The lovely comments are making me realise that my story and this blog is important not only for myself but especially for those of you that I can help in some way, I hope I can continue to inspire you.

Day 22 Primal Challenge

Day 22

11.15am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto, 3 pcs Green and Blacks 85% chocolate
6pm Eye Fillet Steak with a cream, pepper and blue cheese sauce. Steamed brocolli, zucchini fried in avacado oil on a grill plate then added lemon juice, dill and S&P to the lot, really yummy!
8.30pm Raspberries with melted dark chocolate and whipped cream.

Day 22 Primal Challenge

Day 22

11.15am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto, 3 pcs Green and Blacks 85% chocolate
6pm Eye Fillet Steak with a cream, pepper and blue cheese sauce. Steamed brocolli, zucchini fried in avacado oil on a grill plate then added lemon juice, dill and S&P to the lot, really yummy!
8.30pm Raspberries with melted dark chocolate and whipped cream.

Day 21 Primal Challenge

Day 21

10am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto, 2 pcs Green and Blacks 85% chocolate

6.30pm Almond crumbed chicken with Pesto on the side, Salad with carrot, cherry tomatoes, smoked cheese and Japanese Mayonnasie, fried kumara skins. 2 pcs Green and Blacks 85% chocolate

Week 3 weigh in 72.7kgs, at least there's no gain :)

I'm just in the process of writing a success story for Marks Daily Apple contest challenge.

Day 21 Primal Challenge

Day 21

10am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto, 2 pcs Green and Blacks 85% chocolate

6.30pm Almond crumbed chicken with Pesto on the side, Salad with carrot, cherry tomatoes, smoked cheese and Japanese Mayonnasie, fried kumara skins. 2 pcs Green and Blacks 85% chocolate

Week 3 weigh in 72.7kgs, at least there's no gain :)

I'm just in the process of writing a success story for Marks Daily Apple contest challenge.

Days 17,18,19 & 20 Primal Challenge

Day 17
Fasted Breakfast
11am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto, 1 pc lindt 85%
6.30 Lamb Nawabi and 1 poppadom from India today with homemade cauliflower rice


Day 18
Fasted all day 24hrs
Got some blood tests done this morning, dr is a bit worried that I've been sick for so long.
7pm Homemade Chicken Korma w Cashews, too much dark chocolate ;)


Day 19
2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto, 2 pcs Lindt 85%
2pm Decaf Vienna w 1 raw sugar and 1 pc choc
3.30pm went to Tupperware party had some carrots and Camembert, a truffle from cooking demonstration, way too sweet!
7pm Hubby's parents for dinner...
Roasted pumpkin soup topped with cream. Scotch fillet steak with creamy pepper sauce, butter fried mushrooms and onions and large salad with Mayo, 2 pcs dark chocolate
10pm watched rugby at friends house and ate more dark chocolate
11.30pm on the way home inside of a cheeseburger with bacon and a pc of 70% chocolate which is pretty sweet to me


Day 20
9am Scrambled eggs with 3 strips of bacon
10.20am Decaf Vienna w 1 raw sugar and 1 pc dark choc
3pm Low carb pizza crust (homemade with flaxseed etc...) topped with tomato paste, Italian seasoning, cherry tomatoes, unsweetened pineapple, mushrooms, bacon, smoked cheese and pesto.
7.30pm Pork Belly with crackling and Broccoli with beef and cream reduction gravy


As you can see, I'm extremely honest with everything I'm eating and it's showing me just how much I feel I've let things slide a little, I guess with being sick still I'm not being as careful, still doing pretty well but not quite as well as I'd like. I'm having wayy too much dark chocolate but at least it's better than normal chocolate but I can tell I won't have lost anything this week but never mind. Sorry the posts are so boring, some of you may find seeing someone elses food diary good and some may find it boring but I don't really have a lot of motivation at the moment to post much else!

Days 17,18,19 & 20 Primal Challenge

Day 17
Fasted Breakfast
11am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto, 1 pc lindt 85%
6.30 Lamb Nawabi and 1 poppadom from India today with homemade cauliflower rice


Day 18
Fasted all day 24hrs
Got some blood tests done this morning, dr is a bit worried that I've been sick for so long.
7pm Homemade Chicken Korma w Cashews, too much dark chocolate ;)


Day 19
2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto, 2 pcs Lindt 85%
2pm Decaf Vienna w 1 raw sugar and 1 pc choc
3.30pm went to Tupperware party had some carrots and Camembert, a truffle from cooking demonstration, way too sweet!
7pm Hubby's parents for dinner...
Roasted pumpkin soup topped with cream. Scotch fillet steak with creamy pepper sauce, butter fried mushrooms and onions and large salad with Mayo, 2 pcs dark chocolate
10pm watched rugby at friends house and ate more dark chocolate
11.30pm on the way home inside of a cheeseburger with bacon and a pc of 70% chocolate which is pretty sweet to me


Day 20
9am Scrambled eggs with 3 strips of bacon
10.20am Decaf Vienna w 1 raw sugar and 1 pc dark choc
3pm Low carb pizza crust (homemade with flaxseed etc...) topped with tomato paste, Italian seasoning, cherry tomatoes, unsweetened pineapple, mushrooms, bacon, smoked cheese and pesto.
7.30pm Pork Belly with crackling and Broccoli with beef and cream reduction gravy


As you can see, I'm extremely honest with everything I'm eating and it's showing me just how much I feel I've let things slide a little, I guess with being sick still I'm not being as careful, still doing pretty well but not quite as well as I'd like. I'm having wayy too much dark chocolate but at least it's better than normal chocolate but I can tell I won't have lost anything this week but never mind. Sorry the posts are so boring, some of you may find seeing someone elses food diary good and some may find it boring but I don't really have a lot of motivation at the moment to post much else!

Day 16 Primal Challenge

Day 16:

Fasted all day to try and kick this cold. For dinner at 7pm I made a Hawaiian pork burger (without the bun), unfortunately I couldn't really taste it all that well because of my blocked sinuses but from from I did taste it was damn good.

Pork Patties:

500gms Pork Mince

1 Pureed peeled apple

1.5 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 tsp honey

Mexican spice

oregano

s&p

(the apple makes the burgers really moist)

In the photo is, 1 pork Burger patty topped with smoked cheese, fried unsweetened pineapple slice, butter fried button mushrooms and 3 strips of bacon, on the side is mesclun salad with Japanese mayonnaise!

Day 16 Primal Challenge

Day 16:

Fasted all day to try and kick this cold. For dinner at 7pm I made a Hawaiian pork burger (without the bun), unfortunately I couldn't really taste it all that well because of my blocked sinuses but from from I did taste it was damn good.

Pork Patties:

500gms Pork Mince

1 Pureed peeled apple

1.5 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

1 tsp honey

Mexican spice

oregano

s&p

(the apple makes the burgers really moist)

In the photo is, 1 pork Burger patty topped with smoked cheese, fried unsweetened pineapple slice, butter fried button mushrooms and 3 strips of bacon, on the side is mesclun salad with Japanese mayonnaise!

Days 14 & 15 Primal Challenge

Day 14:
Fasted Breakfast, not hungry.
12.30pm Leftover roast pork with crackling from last night with gravy and apple
6pm Roasted Duck Breast
7pm 1 hr Upper Body Workout
Slept well but woke up with a sore throat!! WTF!

Week 2 weigh in 72.7kgs, that's down 0.8kgs so I'm really happy with that

Day 15:
Seriously I'm sick again, I have a cold now, this is sooo not my month, not fair at all :(
9am 2 poached eggs and 2 pcs bacon, decaf vienna
12pm Lemon, ginger honey drink to help soothe the throat
2.30pm Inside of a sausage roll with salad and salsa, decaf vienna and 2 pcs choc
4pm Throat lozenge
7pm Tempura chicken nuggets (but made with real chicken) with a satay sauce and salad.

Days 14 & 15 Primal Challenge

Day 14:
Fasted Breakfast, not hungry.
12.30pm Leftover roast pork with crackling from last night with gravy and apple
6pm Roasted Duck Breast
7pm 1 hr Upper Body Workout
Slept well but woke up with a sore throat!! WTF!

Week 2 weigh in 72.7kgs, that's down 0.8kgs so I'm really happy with that

Day 15:
Seriously I'm sick again, I have a cold now, this is sooo not my month, not fair at all :(
9am 2 poached eggs and 2 pcs bacon, decaf vienna
12pm Lemon, ginger honey drink to help soothe the throat
2.30pm Inside of a sausage roll with salad and salsa, decaf vienna and 2 pcs choc
4pm Throat lozenge
7pm Tempura chicken nuggets (but made with real chicken) with a satay sauce and salad.

Days 10,11,12 & 13 Primal Challenge

Day 10:
Fasted all day, made it to 4.30 so had a 22 hr fast.
4.30 20 or so Pistachios and 1 pc dark chocolate
6pm Pesto Chicken thighs, zucchini, carrot, red peppers with cream sauce. 3 pcs dark chocolate

Day 11:
Not all that hungry this morning so fasted till 11am
11.15am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto and 2 strips bacon, 3 pcs dark chocolate and decaf vienna w 1 raw sugar
6.30pm Eye Fillet w blue cheese
8pm went to a birthday bash so snacked at 10pm on a few pcs of calamari.
11.30pm on the way home dropped by BK and had the inside of a cheeseburger w bacon.

Day 12:
8am 3 poached eggs and 3 strips of bacon
10am Decaf vienna and 1 pc dark chocolate
3pm 15 Pistachios
7pm Had friends over for dinner. Homemade butter chicken, 1 fried egg and 3 tiny cubes of duck fat roasted potatoes. I had to cook two dinners because we have fussy friends!
9pm went out for some drinks (I don't drink tho)
11.30pm another stop at BK and had the inside of a cheeseburger w bacon.

Day 13:
Not hungry for breakfast
10am Decaf vienna and 1 pc dark chocolate
1pm Potluck lunch for my mum's birthday
Butter chicken, chicken drumstick, piece crustless quiche, pumpkin soup and 2 pcs dark chocolate
7pm Roast pork belly (not a huge serving, not super hungry), crackling, kumara skins, brocolli and Cauliflower and Gravy
8pm went out for coffee and desert for mum's birthday
Had a decaf vienna (not a well made coffee so didn't drink it) had a small bite of dh's white chocolate mudcake which was a super nice treat but had to stop at one bite otherwise I could have eaten it all, takes A LOT of willpower. 2 pcs dark chocolate

It was definately a 80/20 weekend for me!

Days 10,11,12 & 13 Primal Challenge

Day 10:
Fasted all day, made it to 4.30 so had a 22 hr fast.
4.30 20 or so Pistachios and 1 pc dark chocolate
6pm Pesto Chicken thighs, zucchini, carrot, red peppers with cream sauce. 3 pcs dark chocolate

Day 11:
Not all that hungry this morning so fasted till 11am
11.15am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto and 2 strips bacon, 3 pcs dark chocolate and decaf vienna w 1 raw sugar
6.30pm Eye Fillet w blue cheese
8pm went to a birthday bash so snacked at 10pm on a few pcs of calamari.
11.30pm on the way home dropped by BK and had the inside of a cheeseburger w bacon.

Day 12:
8am 3 poached eggs and 3 strips of bacon
10am Decaf vienna and 1 pc dark chocolate
3pm 15 Pistachios
7pm Had friends over for dinner. Homemade butter chicken, 1 fried egg and 3 tiny cubes of duck fat roasted potatoes. I had to cook two dinners because we have fussy friends!
9pm went out for some drinks (I don't drink tho)
11.30pm another stop at BK and had the inside of a cheeseburger w bacon.

Day 13:
Not hungry for breakfast
10am Decaf vienna and 1 pc dark chocolate
1pm Potluck lunch for my mum's birthday
Butter chicken, chicken drumstick, piece crustless quiche, pumpkin soup and 2 pcs dark chocolate
7pm Roast pork belly (not a huge serving, not super hungry), crackling, kumara skins, brocolli and Cauliflower and Gravy
8pm went out for coffee and desert for mum's birthday
Had a decaf vienna (not a well made coffee so didn't drink it) had a small bite of dh's white chocolate mudcake which was a super nice treat but had to stop at one bite otherwise I could have eaten it all, takes A LOT of willpower. 2 pcs dark chocolate

It was definately a 80/20 weekend for me!

Day 9 Primal Challenge

Finally starting to feel human again, yah!

7.30am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto - this is my new favourite
12pm Decaf Vienna w cream and 1tsp raw sugar
2.30pm 3 strips of bacon, 15 pistachios and 2 pcs dark choc
6.30pm 2 pork slices with crackling, kumara skins fried in butter, steamed broccoli and zucchini and cream and beef reduction gray. 2 pcs dark choc

Day 9 Primal Challenge

Finally starting to feel human again, yah!

7.30am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, Parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto - this is my new favourite
12pm Decaf Vienna w cream and 1tsp raw sugar
2.30pm 3 strips of bacon, 15 pistachios and 2 pcs dark choc
6.30pm 2 pork slices with crackling, kumara skins fried in butter, steamed broccoli and zucchini and cream and beef reduction gray. 2 pcs dark choc

Days 7 & 8 Primal Challenge

Day 7 - Woke up feeling a little better, my voice is not as bad, still have a sore throat but better than yesterday.

8.20am 1/2 cup Raspberries, 1/4 cup chopped almonds, 1/4 flaked coconut and 1/2 cup cream
11am Really hungry, obviously not the best breakfast for me, I need the real protein by the looks of it. Ate a few Pistachios.
12.30pm 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto. OMG this was an experiment and sooo good! 1 pc Lindt Choc
6.30pm Pork Patty and Bacon with large salad, avacado, tomato and mayo

Week 1 weigh in 73.5kgs, that's down 1.3kgs, probably a little help from the fasting too, I'm not complaining though :)

Day 8 - Yah my voice is so much better, still sound a bit odd but at least I can answer the phone.
9am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto. 2 pcs dark choc
3pm 3 strips of bacon
6.30pm Large salad with brocolli and tomato topped with rare eye fillet, mayo and tamari
2 pcs choc

I will wait for another couple of days to go to the gym, I'm still pretty chesty so don't want to spread my germs and you never get a good workout when your sick. Boy am I missing it though!

Days 7 & 8 Primal Challenge

Day 7 - Woke up feeling a little better, my voice is not as bad, still have a sore throat but better than yesterday.

8.20am 1/2 cup Raspberries, 1/4 cup chopped almonds, 1/4 flaked coconut and 1/2 cup cream
11am Really hungry, obviously not the best breakfast for me, I need the real protein by the looks of it. Ate a few Pistachios.
12.30pm 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto. OMG this was an experiment and sooo good! 1 pc Lindt Choc
6.30pm Pork Patty and Bacon with large salad, avacado, tomato and mayo

Week 1 weigh in 73.5kgs, that's down 1.3kgs, probably a little help from the fasting too, I'm not complaining though :)

Day 8 - Yah my voice is so much better, still sound a bit odd but at least I can answer the phone.
9am 2 egg Omelet w cream, filled with 1/2 zucchini, parmesan and 1 Tbsp Pesto. 2 pcs dark choc
3pm 3 strips of bacon
6.30pm Large salad with brocolli and tomato topped with rare eye fillet, mayo and tamari
2 pcs choc

I will wait for another couple of days to go to the gym, I'm still pretty chesty so don't want to spread my germs and you never get a good workout when your sick. Boy am I missing it though!

Day 6 Primal Challenge

Had a pretty rough night last night and didn't sleep well at all so dh took me to the weekend Dr and I have Laryngitis, swollen glands and an upper respiratory infection, I've completely lost my voice, it's painful even to whisper which is the worst thing to do anyway. DH thinks it's mildly amusing that I don't get to talk because I'm such an extroverted talker so this not talking thing is frustrating!! I have antibiotics to take and anti inflammatories to help the throat loosen up and get my voice back so hopefully that will start to kick in soon.

On the other hand my appetite is soo good and I'm really hungry for all things primal, check out today's menu:

8am: Scrambled eggs and 3 strips of Bacon
10am: Decaf Vienna with Cream and 1 pc dark chocolate
1pm: 1 dozen Scallops cooked in butter with lemon, white wine, tarragon and cream with a little extra butter mmmmmmmmm, 2 pcs dark chocolate
7pm: Pork Belly w Crackling and gravy reduction, kumara skins and broccoli, 2 pcs dark chocolate

What an awesome day of food, bit too much chocolate but I'm due for that time of month soon and I do crave the dark chocolate a little more than usual :)
Still no exercise, think I will be be back in a few days tho, I don't want to do myself an injury while I'm sick. Went for a gentle walk at sunset which was so nice.

Day 6 Primal Challenge

Had a pretty rough night last night and didn't sleep well at all so dh took me to the weekend Dr and I have Laryngitis, swollen glands and an upper respiratory infection, I've completely lost my voice, it's painful even to whisper which is the worst thing to do anyway. DH thinks it's mildly amusing that I don't get to talk because I'm such an extroverted talker so this not talking thing is frustrating!! I have antibiotics to take and anti inflammatories to help the throat loosen up and get my voice back so hopefully that will start to kick in soon.

On the other hand my appetite is soo good and I'm really hungry for all things primal, check out today's menu:

8am: Scrambled eggs and 3 strips of Bacon
10am: Decaf Vienna with Cream and 1 pc dark chocolate
1pm: 1 dozen Scallops cooked in butter with lemon, white wine, tarragon and cream with a little extra butter mmmmmmmmm, 2 pcs dark chocolate
7pm: Pork Belly w Crackling and gravy reduction, kumara skins and broccoli, 2 pcs dark chocolate

What an awesome day of food, bit too much chocolate but I'm due for that time of month soon and I do crave the dark chocolate a little more than usual :)
Still no exercise, think I will be be back in a few days tho, I don't want to do myself an injury while I'm sick. Went for a gentle walk at sunset which was so nice.

Day 5 Primal Challenge

So just when I thought I was getting better really fast, I am now losing my voice and have the sorest throat and my ears are throbbing so I'm thinking of going to go to the Dr tomorrow because I'm pretty sure I have an infection. At least I'm over the terrible nausea, no appetite and head/body aches.

9am 2 fried eggs and 3 strips of bacon, decaf vienna

4pm a few cashews and a lovely walk on the beach with DH

7pm beef stirfry with loads of vegies and 2 pcs dark chocolate

Day 5 Primal Challenge

So just when I thought I was getting better really fast, I am now losing my voice and have the sorest throat and my ears are throbbing so I'm thinking of going to go to the Dr tomorrow because I'm pretty sure I have an infection. At least I'm over the terrible nausea, no appetite and head/body aches.

9am 2 fried eggs and 3 strips of bacon, decaf vienna

4pm a few cashews and a lovely walk on the beach with DH

7pm beef stirfry with loads of vegies and 2 pcs dark chocolate

Day 4 Primal Challenge

Starting to recover, actually wearing normal clothes today :)
I still have an extremely sore mouth so I fasted for most of the day. I definitely think the fasting is speeding my recovery.

Loads of water

4pm: ¼ apple with a little bit of almond butter

Can feel my appetite coming back wohoo

7.30pm: Edamame beans, 2 japanese fishcakes with mayo and 2 small pcs tempura chicken with salad.

I cannot tell you how good it was to have something to eat. Hopefully in the next couple of days I will really start to feel myself again and can get into the gym and some proper eating!

Day 4 Primal Challenge

Starting to recover, actually wearing normal clothes today :)
I still have an extremely sore mouth so I fasted for most of the day. I definitely think the fasting is speeding my recovery.

Loads of water

4pm: ¼ apple with a little bit of almond butter

Can feel my appetite coming back wohoo

7.30pm: Edamame beans, 2 japanese fishcakes with mayo and 2 small pcs tempura chicken with salad.

I cannot tell you how good it was to have something to eat. Hopefully in the next couple of days I will really start to feel myself again and can get into the gym and some proper eating!

Day 3 Primal Challenge

I’m still feeling awful, had a terrible night of fevers and nausea but it’s not quite as bad today. I had ¼ apple with a little almond butter this afternoon to see if I could handle any food. It was a bit hard to eat as my tongue is full of sores :( It’s definitely the flu, my dh said he’s never seen me be so quiet, usually I piss and moan when I have a cold but the flu is much much worse, I feel too damn sick to even talk much.

I’m already missing the gym and it’s really sucky lying in bed most of the day, it’s very boring but I am very tired and need the rest so I can heal. I’m hoping with the fasting I’ll get over this soon, cross fingers!

4pm: ¼ apple with a little bit of almond butter
Hot lemon drinks and loads of water.

Day 3 Primal Challenge

I’m still feeling awful, had a terrible night of fevers and nausea but it’s not quite as bad today. I had ¼ apple with a little almond butter this afternoon to see if I could handle any food. It was a bit hard to eat as my tongue is full of sores :( It’s definitely the flu, my dh said he’s never seen me be so quiet, usually I piss and moan when I have a cold but the flu is much much worse, I feel too damn sick to even talk much.

I’m already missing the gym and it’s really sucky lying in bed most of the day, it’s very boring but I am very tired and need the rest so I can heal. I’m hoping with the fasting I’ll get over this soon, cross fingers!

4pm: ¼ apple with a little bit of almond butter
Hot lemon drinks and loads of water.

Day 2 Primal Challenge

So you wouldn’t believe it, last night after posting on my blog my throat started getting sore and bam now I’m sick with the flu. I feel bloody terrible, body aches, no appetite etc…
This has really thrown a spanner in the works for my challenge which frankly pisses me off, I hate being sick. Hopefully it won’t last long and then the real work can begin but for now I won’t be working out and my eating will be fairly sporadic. I will still post everyday though.

All I ate today was breakfast: 2 soft boiled eggs
The rest of the day was hot ginger drinks, no appetite and nauseous so no food for me.
I guess I will be using this time to fast until my hunger comes back.
No exercise either :(

Day 2 Primal Challenge

So you wouldn’t believe it, last night after posting on my blog my throat started getting sore and bam now I’m sick with the flu. I feel bloody terrible, body aches, no appetite etc…
This has really thrown a spanner in the works for my challenge which frankly pisses me off, I hate being sick. Hopefully it won’t last long and then the real work can begin but for now I won’t be working out and my eating will be fairly sporadic. I will still post everyday though.

All I ate today was breakfast: 2 soft boiled eggs
The rest of the day was hot ginger drinks, no appetite and nauseous so no food for me.
I guess I will be using this time to fast until my hunger comes back.
No exercise either :(

Day 1 Primal Challenge

So I've caved! I can't help but join in on a challenge, I'm struggling with time for blogging but I decided I could use a little more focus and this will be it.


My goals are:


1. Continue Losing body fat
2. Increase strength
3. Eat more vegies
4. One 24hr fast a week


So here goes....


Tuesday 4th August 2009:


11am: 2 fried eggs and 3 strips of bacon

4pm: a few pistachios and 1/2 pc dark chocolate

6.30pm: Tandori Chicken w fried garlic cabbage, Raspberries and Cream and 2 pieces dark chocolate


Night off from exercise today, my muscles are very sore from last night's workout!

Day 1 Primal Challenge

So I've caved! I can't help but join in on a challenge, I'm struggling with time for blogging but I decided I could use a little more focus and this will be it.


My goals are:


1. Continue Losing body fat
2. Increase strength
3. Eat more vegies
4. One 24hr fast a week


So here goes....


Tuesday 4th August 2009:


11am: 2 fried eggs and 3 strips of bacon

4pm: a few pistachios and 1/2 pc dark chocolate

6.30pm: Tandori Chicken w fried garlic cabbage, Raspberries and Cream and 2 pieces dark chocolate


Night off from exercise today, my muscles are very sore from last night's workout!

I'm back!

So I have finally got my laptop back :) It’s actually been good not having it, I haven't wasted so much time surfing the net! But I did miss blogging. The other thing is my business is really started to take off and I’m super busy which is wonderful but this does mean there is less time for blogging also :(

I’ve been doing so great with exercise, it’s been just over a month of going to the gym and I can feel the difference and see a little change. I only do weight training at the gym, no cardio apart from maybe a warm up if I need it. Today I weigh 74.8kgs so I have lost just over 2kgs but more importantly 1.5inches off my hips, 0.5 inches from my waist, 2 inches from my belly and 1 inch from the top of my thigh. So that’s pretty awesome and dh said he can really notice the difference and I’m really starting to feel strong! I can even do one or two male pushups and there was no way in hell I could do one of those before lol

So I will try and blog once a week but will have to see how I go….

I'm back!

So I have finally got my laptop back :) It’s actually been good not having it, I haven't wasted so much time surfing the net! But I did miss blogging. The other thing is my business is really started to take off and I’m super busy which is wonderful but this does mean there is less time for blogging also :(

I’ve been doing so great with exercise, it’s been just over a month of going to the gym and I can feel the difference and see a little change. I only do weight training at the gym, no cardio apart from maybe a warm up if I need it. Today I weigh 74.8kgs so I have lost just over 2kgs but more importantly 1.5inches off my hips, 0.5 inches from my waist, 2 inches from my belly and 1 inch from the top of my thigh. So that’s pretty awesome and dh said he can really notice the difference and I’m really starting to feel strong! I can even do one or two male pushups and there was no way in hell I could do one of those before lol

So I will try and blog once a week but will have to see how I go….

Laptop Disater!

Just a quick post to let you know that my laptop came into contact with a large glass of water and well i'm without my beloved laptop now....hopefully for no longer than a month. I won't have much of a chance to post anything until I get it back :( Other than how pissed i am about my laptop incident, everything else is going great!

Eating is has been great this week, though I had more carbs than I would have prefered on friday night because we were at a friends house and there was nothing else to eat and it would have been rude of me to not have anything at all to eat, lets just say I surely paid for it over the weekend with headaches and low energy :( Gym is going great, I can already feel the benefits even just mentally.

Laptop Disater!

Just a quick post to let you know that my laptop came into contact with a large glass of water and well i'm without my beloved laptop now....hopefully for no longer than a month. I won't have much of a chance to post anything until I get it back :( Other than how pissed i am about my laptop incident, everything else is going great!

Eating is has been great this week, though I had more carbs than I would have prefered on friday night because we were at a friends house and there was nothing else to eat and it would have been rude of me to not have anything at all to eat, lets just say I surely paid for it over the weekend with headaches and low energy :( Gym is going great, I can already feel the benefits even just mentally.

Being Healthy

I want to thank you all for my lovely comments about my recent picture, I do feel very blown away! I'm very proud of myself and I’ve been thinking lately about what this weight loss and health journey means to me and what I want to achieve. I started this blog as a way to have an outlet about my weight loss and health so I don’t drive my family and friends crazy.

So I have noticed lately I am getting a little fixated on the numbers and not so much on how I feel. I want to change this and not concentrate on achieving a certain weight or size. I definitely want to look great and feel comfortable in my skin and my jeans.
I’ve always hated those pity stares…as if to say ‘oh if only she lost that weight how hot she would be’. I'm guilty of doing this to others! I guess my main motivator was vanity but following closely was also my health. When I was over 100kgs things were starting to get difficult, even going for a walk was hard in all honesty, I hated that I couldn’t hoist myself up on the kitchen bench while having one of those kitchen conversations.

So my goal is to be healthy at the weight my body arrives at, having some muscle show through, I want to be able to keep up with my friends on a bike ride, I want to sit on the floor with my legs crossed and not worry about constantly moving my clothing to try and disguise the fat, I want to fit easily into booths at cafes, I want to feel comfortable after I’ve eaten and not get horizontal or have reflux pain, I want to be able to do some exercise and not feel like I’m going to die, I don’t want panic attacks which were so constant because I was so out of balance, and I want to live a long healthy life. These things are MOST important to me.

Reading the Primal Blueprint has actually been really great in helping me reassess my goals and what I want. Since I’m working from home it’s too easy to not do any exercise and since the way I eat is allowing me to drop considerable body fat it’s easy to be lazy. I do have a bit of a lazy nature when it comes to exercise. This is one of the main reasons I joined the gym, I needed somewhere I can go and have me time and create that wonderful feeling I get from working out.

DH and I have discussed my obsessive nature when it comes to weight, the last time I embarked on a weight loss journey was when I was 21 and I slimmed down to 55kgs and boy was that number important to me. I looked great in clothing but in a bikini I was skinny-fat, so I got obsessive, thinking I needed to lose more weight which was not the problem obviously. I kind of gave up trying to look so good and eventually all the weight crept back on and then some. This time I have agreed that he can tell me if I start to get like that again, naturally it’s a concern of mine. I do feel a whole lot different this time, I am making much better food choices and I feel so in tune with my body, whereas last time I simply didn’t listen to my body and just aimed solely for weight loss.

Don't get me wrong I still plan on looking wonderful at the beach and not feel like I have a fat suit on, which is how I felt last year. DH is a surfer and a water baby so naturally we go to the beach a lot in summer. My way of getting there is about being healthy and not so fixated on the scale because I can see it would be easy for me to get obsessive about it again, losing weight on the scale is very addictive and I don’t want to get to that bad place again.

So with all that in mind I will still be keeping track of my progress but in a more moderated fashion. I am not going to weigh myself anymore than once a week period! I feel this is the only way to protect myself from getting obsessive again, last time I lost the weight I would sometimes weigh several times a day! Measurements will be another form of my progress, as will the clothes I wear and the mirror. I do think it’s important to know how my progress is going, and I have to set goals but I will be forming a much better relationship with myself.

I’d love to know how you feel about yourself, do you want to be a certain ‘weight’ or ‘size’ or are you striving to be healthy and feel great about yourself?

Being Healthy

I want to thank you all for my lovely comments about my recent picture, I do feel very blown away! I'm very proud of myself and I’ve been thinking lately about what this weight loss and health journey means to me and what I want to achieve. I started this blog as a way to have an outlet about my weight loss and health so I don’t drive my family and friends crazy.

So I have noticed lately I am getting a little fixated on the numbers and not so much on how I feel. I want to change this and not concentrate on achieving a certain weight or size. I definitely want to look great and feel comfortable in my skin and my jeans.
I’ve always hated those pity stares…as if to say ‘oh if only she lost that weight how hot she would be’. I'm guilty of doing this to others! I guess my main motivator was vanity but following closely was also my health. When I was over 100kgs things were starting to get difficult, even going for a walk was hard in all honesty, I hated that I couldn’t hoist myself up on the kitchen bench while having one of those kitchen conversations.

So my goal is to be healthy at the weight my body arrives at, having some muscle show through, I want to be able to keep up with my friends on a bike ride, I want to sit on the floor with my legs crossed and not worry about constantly moving my clothing to try and disguise the fat, I want to fit easily into booths at cafes, I want to feel comfortable after I’ve eaten and not get horizontal or have reflux pain, I want to be able to do some exercise and not feel like I’m going to die, I don’t want panic attacks which were so constant because I was so out of balance, and I want to live a long healthy life. These things are MOST important to me.

Reading the Primal Blueprint has actually been really great in helping me reassess my goals and what I want. Since I’m working from home it’s too easy to not do any exercise and since the way I eat is allowing me to drop considerable body fat it’s easy to be lazy. I do have a bit of a lazy nature when it comes to exercise. This is one of the main reasons I joined the gym, I needed somewhere I can go and have me time and create that wonderful feeling I get from working out.

DH and I have discussed my obsessive nature when it comes to weight, the last time I embarked on a weight loss journey was when I was 21 and I slimmed down to 55kgs and boy was that number important to me. I looked great in clothing but in a bikini I was skinny-fat, so I got obsessive, thinking I needed to lose more weight which was not the problem obviously. I kind of gave up trying to look so good and eventually all the weight crept back on and then some. This time I have agreed that he can tell me if I start to get like that again, naturally it’s a concern of mine. I do feel a whole lot different this time, I am making much better food choices and I feel so in tune with my body, whereas last time I simply didn’t listen to my body and just aimed solely for weight loss.

Don't get me wrong I still plan on looking wonderful at the beach and not feel like I have a fat suit on, which is how I felt last year. DH is a surfer and a water baby so naturally we go to the beach a lot in summer. My way of getting there is about being healthy and not so fixated on the scale because I can see it would be easy for me to get obsessive about it again, losing weight on the scale is very addictive and I don’t want to get to that bad place again.

So with all that in mind I will still be keeping track of my progress but in a more moderated fashion. I am not going to weigh myself anymore than once a week period! I feel this is the only way to protect myself from getting obsessive again, last time I lost the weight I would sometimes weigh several times a day! Measurements will be another form of my progress, as will the clothes I wear and the mirror. I do think it’s important to know how my progress is going, and I have to set goals but I will be forming a much better relationship with myself.

I’d love to know how you feel about yourself, do you want to be a certain ‘weight’ or ‘size’ or are you striving to be healthy and feel great about yourself?

New Pic!

So here's a new pic dh took of me today, I weighed in at 77kgs this morning which means I've lost 30kgs!! :) I honestly find it hard to see a massive change from the 50lb loss photo but dh reckons it's a big difference and it is another 16lbs after all. I'm looking forward to seeing the changes once the resistance training takes effect and more fat loss happens....nonetheless it's a great achievement and I'm really proud of myself.

New Pic!

So here's a new pic dh took of me today, I weighed in at 77kgs this morning which means I've lost 30kgs!! :) I honestly find it hard to see a massive change from the 50lb loss photo but dh reckons it's a big difference and it is another 16lbs after all. I'm looking forward to seeing the changes once the resistance training takes effect and more fat loss happens....nonetheless it's a great achievement and I'm really proud of myself.

I'm Hooked!

Ok so I am hooked! I know it’s early days and I don’t want to speak too soon but I’m loving the weights and having that me time at the gym. I did a full body weight workout last week and I was sore in every part of my body for 4 days!!! No joke… isn’t this telling me something! my husband is so funny, he was like “oh your muscles are probably the size of a pea now instead of half a pea” lol but in all honesty he’s really stoked I’ve joined the gym and we went together yesterday which was cool.

I did some low level cardio last week too to try and get my legs moving after the intense workout and it helped a little. I am pretty excited to see the change that will begin to happen, it’s not going to be instant and will be hard work but it will be worth it, there are so many great benefits to exercise and I want to experience them.

I'm Hooked!

Ok so I am hooked! I know it’s early days and I don’t want to speak too soon but I’m loving the weights and having that me time at the gym. I did a full body weight workout last week and I was sore in every part of my body for 4 days!!! No joke… isn’t this telling me something! my husband is so funny, he was like “oh your muscles are probably the size of a pea now instead of half a pea” lol but in all honesty he’s really stoked I’ve joined the gym and we went together yesterday which was cool.

I did some low level cardio last week too to try and get my legs moving after the intense workout and it helped a little. I am pretty excited to see the change that will begin to happen, it’s not going to be instant and will be hard work but it will be worth it, there are so many great benefits to exercise and I want to experience them.

Trip to the GYM!

Today I had my appointment with a trainer at the gym to go through my first workout. They also did my body fat percentage with callipers and I’m stoked to report it was 32.8% so it was much lower than the scale measurement which came in at 40.3%. That’s a huge difference so I was pleased that they pinched my fat lol. They’ve done me a split program so upper body on one day and lower on another day which means I can go on more days and not lose momentum…hopefully ;)

We just went through the whole upper and lower workout but only 1 set and then next time I go it will be 2 sets and then 3 sets. It was super hard, I am extremely unfit so it was definitely challenging, but this is what I want, I’m not going there to hop on a piece of cardio equipment and read a magazine. I can already tell I’m going to be very sore tomorrow…bring it on, I love sore muscles!

Trip to the GYM!

Today I had my appointment with a trainer at the gym to go through my first workout. They also did my body fat percentage with callipers and I’m stoked to report it was 32.8% so it was much lower than the scale measurement which came in at 40.3%. That’s a huge difference so I was pleased that they pinched my fat lol. They’ve done me a split program so upper body on one day and lower on another day which means I can go on more days and not lose momentum…hopefully ;)

We just went through the whole upper and lower workout but only 1 set and then next time I go it will be 2 sets and then 3 sets. It was super hard, I am extremely unfit so it was definitely challenging, but this is what I want, I’m not going there to hop on a piece of cardio equipment and read a magazine. I can already tell I’m going to be very sore tomorrow…bring it on, I love sore muscles!

PB Book Review and My exercise plan!

So I have finally read the whole Primal blueprint book and it’s such a great read!! I’m a very slow reader but I tend to absorb nutrition information really well. I also found it really easy to read which is great. I have lent it to my family with strict instructions not to let their young kids get their hands on it. After all it’s a signed copy and I don’t want it ruined, on the other hand I would really like to spread the word and letting them read it is the best I can do, they are already seeing my results.

I was really stoked to read the information on Exercise, it’s crucial to read this book if you want to live healthy. It’s not just about a ‘diet’ it’s totally about lifestyle in all areas and I really like this aspect, it kinda gave me a nudge in the right direction. So much so that the stuff I read on Exercise was so good I have finally joined the gym, it’s literally just around the corner from where I live so it’s really about time I started lifting some weights, get my heart healthy and prevent the ‘skinny fat’ look.

There is definitely new information in this book, if you read Marks Daily Apple blog which he already gives us so much info free, however there’s more in this book and it really elaborates on so much. I highly recommend you buying the book, you will not regret it, it cost me $67NZD but worth every penny. When I think of how much in the past I have spent on ‘diet/lifestyle’ books man have I wasted some $$. I don’t feel like I have wasted any money on the PB Book, it’s well worth the read.

Now that I’ve finished the PB Book I’m finally onto reading Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes, it finally arrived at the library. I was surprised at how big this book is, hopefully I can get through it in library borrowing time. So far it’s a pretty hard read but I’m really enjoying it. Will let you know once I’ve finished it.

So on another note my eating has been so good this week, I have been having a bit of ghee or organic butter and a little cream. I haven’t had any cheese which is hard but I think it was the problem for me, better kept to a sensible vice.

I joined the gym on Thursday and went for my assessment yesterday, man I am so unfit it’s embarrassing, my body fat is 40.3% based on Tanita scales but it is that time of the month and they said they will also do a proper calliper test which will be good, then I can have an accurate read and measure my results a whole lot better. I’m guessing it’s in the upper 30’s anyway.

My goal is to lift weights and change my body composition; I asked them to do me a weights program with a little cardio and HIIT, I told them I already have my diet sorted to lose the rest of the fat I need to and I just need help with the exercise part. I plan to go 3-4 times a week, hopefully more but to be honest since I’m such a slacker at exercise, if I can get there 3 times it will be a miracle. So I’m really excited to start changing the look and feel of my body.

I weighed this week even though I said I wasn’t going to, I haven’t started working out yet so I sneaked a peak, it was 78.1!! woohoo I am stoked that means I’ve lost exactly 29kgs, wow! and yes I will upload a new photo shortly...

PB Book Review and My exercise plan!

So I have finally read the whole Primal blueprint book and it’s such a great read!! I’m a very slow reader but I tend to absorb nutrition information really well. I also found it really easy to read which is great. I have lent it to my family with strict instructions not to let their young kids get their hands on it. After all it’s a signed copy and I don’t want it ruined, on the other hand I would really like to spread the word and letting them read it is the best I can do, they are already seeing my results.

I was really stoked to read the information on Exercise, it’s crucial to read this book if you want to live healthy. It’s not just about a ‘diet’ it’s totally about lifestyle in all areas and I really like this aspect, it kinda gave me a nudge in the right direction. So much so that the stuff I read on Exercise was so good I have finally joined the gym, it’s literally just around the corner from where I live so it’s really about time I started lifting some weights, get my heart healthy and prevent the ‘skinny fat’ look.

There is definitely new information in this book, if you read Marks Daily Apple blog which he already gives us so much info free, however there’s more in this book and it really elaborates on so much. I highly recommend you buying the book, you will not regret it, it cost me $67NZD but worth every penny. When I think of how much in the past I have spent on ‘diet/lifestyle’ books man have I wasted some $$. I don’t feel like I have wasted any money on the PB Book, it’s well worth the read.

Now that I’ve finished the PB Book I’m finally onto reading Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes, it finally arrived at the library. I was surprised at how big this book is, hopefully I can get through it in library borrowing time. So far it’s a pretty hard read but I’m really enjoying it. Will let you know once I’ve finished it.

So on another note my eating has been so good this week, I have been having a bit of ghee or organic butter and a little cream. I haven’t had any cheese which is hard but I think it was the problem for me, better kept to a sensible vice.

I joined the gym on Thursday and went for my assessment yesterday, man I am so unfit it’s embarrassing, my body fat is 40.3% based on Tanita scales but it is that time of the month and they said they will also do a proper calliper test which will be good, then I can have an accurate read and measure my results a whole lot better. I’m guessing it’s in the upper 30’s anyway.

My goal is to lift weights and change my body composition; I asked them to do me a weights program with a little cardio and HIIT, I told them I already have my diet sorted to lose the rest of the fat I need to and I just need help with the exercise part. I plan to go 3-4 times a week, hopefully more but to be honest since I’m such a slacker at exercise, if I can get there 3 times it will be a miracle. So I’m really excited to start changing the look and feel of my body.

I weighed this week even though I said I wasn’t going to, I haven’t started working out yet so I sneaked a peak, it was 78.1!! woohoo I am stoked that means I’ve lost exactly 29kgs, wow! and yes I will upload a new photo shortly...

Primal Power Bars

As requested by Jaxz the recipe for Primal Power Bars.....

These are awesome! I found the recipe on the new MDA Forum http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/topic/primal-power-bars and they really are great. The recipe originated at Elana’s Pantry http://www.elanaspantry.com/power-bars/. Here’s my little adjustment of course :)

Gluten and Dairy Free Power Bars

1 cup almond flour/ground almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts - fresh

½ cup flax meal

½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)

½ cup salted roasted almond butter

½ cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon dark cane sugar or Raw honey (depending on taste)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Combine almond flour, flax meal, coconut, sugar.
2. In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil over very low heat,
3. Remove coconut oil from stove, stir in almond butter and vanilla
4. Add coconut oil mixture to dry ingredients which will form a coarse paste
5. Press mixture into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish
6. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, until mixture hardens

Topping: Dark Chocolate Ganache

113 Dark Chocolate (I used 85%)

90mls Coconut Cream

1-2 tablespoons Coconut Oil

1. In a small saucepan, heat coconut cream and coconut oil, take off heat and add chocolate stiring continuously until smooth.
2. Spread melted chocolate gnache over bars; return to refrigerator for 30 minutes, until chocolate firms. It won’t harden completely but it’s very yummy. You can just use melted down chocolate for topping.
3. Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars and serve

Food Diary and Stats

I thought I would post 9 days of my food diary to give you an idea of what I'm eating lately.
In 9 day's I've lost 1.8kgs without even trying, honestly, I just listen to my hunger signals. Since I've got a cold it's probably an advantage due to the fasting but this is pretty damn close to what I eat anyway. No fruit, it's winter and I don't feel like fruit at the moment.


I definately know this isn't water weight as my pants feel loser and I'm pretty stoked to finally be in the 70's :) Now when I was bigger I always said to myself once I see 70 something on the scale it's time to start adding resistance training, sometimes weighing yourself is such a mental thing and can really depress you when you don't see the 'right' number. I know that as soon as I start working out the scale is not a good way to measure success as body composition changes which is what I want, more muscle and less fat!

So since I know I've finally dropped into the 70's I'm going to refrain from weighing myself, not sure how long this will last but I'm determined. I've taken all my measurements also which astounded me how much I've lost since I've started, here's my measurements:



Tuesday 2nd June – weigh in 81.2kg
8am: 2 poached egg, 2 strips bacon, a few walnuts and 1 small piece 85% chocolate
2pm: 5 chicken nibbles fried in duck fat and a sauce with coconut cream and tamari. 2 homemade almond crackers with dairy free pesto and 1 pc 85% chocolate.
6pm: A few walnuts
7.30pm: Roast pork with crackling, kumara skins, Brocolli and Zucchini with reduction gravy


Wednesday 3rd June
Fasted for morning, not hungry at all, probably due to a big lot of food yesterdsay.
12:45pm: I small piece of flaxseed bread w Avacado dressing, 1/2 avacado, 3 strips of Bacon and 2 fried eggs in duck fat. 3 pcs 85% chocolate.
Didn't eat anything else was soo full from lunch. The flaxseed bread isn't a common thing, I'd have it every now and then.


Thursday 4th June
8.30am: 2 poached eggs and 3 strips of bacon, 1 pc Nut Bar (homemade power almond bars)
1pm: Chicken Fenders (seared chicken with herbs) with Lemon Aioli from BurgerFuel
3.30: 50mins BodyPump (first exercise session in a while)
5pm: 1 pc Nut Bar
7pm: 1 Chicken Thigh and 1 drumstick with garlic and coconut cream suace, Cauli, zucchini, red peppers and red cabbage cooked in chicken stock with kumara skins. 1 Pc Nut Bar


Friday 5th June
9am: 2 poached eggs and 1 pc Nut Bar
10.30am: Decaf Vienna w 1 raw sugar
2pm: Scotch fillet stak w garlic and coconut cream sauce. 2 pcs 85% chocolate
7pm: Pork Mince patties (homemade) with garlic aioli and 1/4 avacado on top, 2 pcs 85% chocolate


Saturday 6th June
woke with a sore throat
9am: Scrambled eggs (made with cream and butter) and 2 1/2 strips Bacon
2pm: Chicken Fenders (seared chicken with herbs) with Lemon Aioli from BurgerFuel
6pm: Chicken tikka boneless pieces from Indian Place, 2 pcs 85% chocolate


Sunday 7th June
well and truly got a cold now
8.30am: 2 poached eggs and 2 strips bacon
12.45pm: Roast Chicken w reduction gravy and pc Nut Bar
6.30pm: Lamb Rump with garlic and rosemary, broc and cauli with a lemon, egg, oil sauce, fried kumara skins. 1 tsp almond butter and 2 pcs 85% chocolate


Monday 8th June
Fasted all morning
1pm: Almond crusted chicken with aioli
7.15pm: Roast pork w crackling, roast pumpkin, brocolli and reduction gravy


Tuesday 9th June
Fasted all day, lost taste buds from cold so feeling misrable, a few lemon, ginger drinks.
4pm: Pc nut bar
7pm: Chicken Fenders (seared chicken with herbs) with Lemon Aioli from BurgerFuel with brocolli and bacon. a few walnuts and 2 pcs Chocolate


Wednesday 10th June
Fasted all morning
12.30pm: Roast Pork w crackling
6.30pm: Roast Chicken w reduction gravy, zucchini, cauli and red cabbage cooked in chicken stock.


Thursday 11th June - weigh in 79.4kgs
and by the way I'm feeling much better today, no infection woohoo!

Dairy Mussings

So I'm feeling really crap this week, I have a bad case of the common cold which is making me feel like absolute shit to be honest. I haven't been sick since low carb living, and I wasn't expecting to pick up DH's cold because I eat so much better than him but after a full on weekend away and starting up this business I might just be a bit run down, so a few days of lots of rest and hopefully I'll kick it. When I used to get sick it would always turn into an infection and last a good 2 weeks, I'm extremely optimistic this won't happen this time as I'm sure my immune system is much much better.

As for my eating, I've been really good, I will admit though I am missing my dairy like crazy!!! I think I have decided to incorporate some back into my eating, small amounts of butter and cream but this time organic. Not having any at all was making me feel like I was on a diet and I'm not a fan of feeling soo restricted. Part of getting to eat all this wonderful low carb food means I should be able to have some whipped cream with berries or butter on my veggies if I choose to.

I'm still going to limit my cheese intake, as I was sometimes using this as a sole protein source for lunch which was not good, just being lazy I guess. I will keep cheese for a sensible vice food.

Sorry I've been away!

I haven't posted in a wee while, I've been away visiting my Mum and her partner, they run a motel up in Auckland so we spent a bit of time with them. Eating there is easy because they both do low carb too. I took my PB Book so Mum had a good read while dh and I went shopping!

The PB Book is an excellent read so far, I haven't had a lot of time to read it all, I'm about 1/3 way through.

My non dairy is going particularly well. I have noticed a bit of an effect with my anxiety, being less than it normally is so I'm going to stick with it and see if it really makes a substantial difference because I really do miss my cheese and cream. Also instead of butter I've been using avocado oil, coconut oil and lard depending on what it is I'm cooking. I've had more nuts since I'm not having cheese too

While we were away we ate out a lot, I managed to eat things like, chicken pieces in garlic - (Indian), Steak, prawns, scallops and bacon and not even tempted by garlic bread and roasted potatoes.

My weight is 81kg so that's a 800gm loss which I'm happy with considering I have eaten quite a lot of food in the past week. Will be interesting to see what happens in the following weeks keeping my dairy to almost non existence and some portion control.