After week 2 and some on healthy eating thing

I am being much better with my eating - but am definitely far from perfect*.

And the weight is moving - slowly.  But slow as it is, it's still movement in a downward trajectory.  If I maintain my current momentum, I will reach my goal weight in about three months.  And considering I haven't been that weight in almost 3 years, that time frame is totally fine with me.

I lost two butters now.  Yay!            

And there are a lot of things to like about this healthy eating thing.

Because I'm changing my habits, I'm finding the time to do things I previously thought I was too time-poor to do.  Like, eat a proper breakfast (not just toast).  And more whole, unprocessed foods.  And actually, truly, properly eating my 5+ a day (as opposed to pretending I have by saying hot chips, salsa or tomato sauce count as a serving).  And they're not just healthy changes - but delicious ones - which makes it feel a little less like being on a 'diet'.

And because I'm eating more healthy, energy full foods I am finding it a little easier not to eat some of those bad things that had made it into my regular diet.  Once a week as a work lunch treat I'd have the $5 meal deal from Burger King (because cheap, easy access and filling) which consisted of a burger, chips, a fizzy drink and a sundae.  I've since substituted this for a quick walk across the road (exercise) to get the sushi-of-the-day for $5.70.  Not a perfect meal - but definitely much healthier.

And I thought I'd miss that whole chips and icecream sundae thing.  But I really don't.  Because I love sushi and it's really filling, so I'm finding myself craving less high carb/high sugar foods purely because my dietary needs are actually being more fully met.

And I'm not depriving myself.  I am just trying to eat better.  I have restricted certain types of foods purely because it was well past time.  For some reason, whilst I was pregnant and when the babes were small those baby hormones gave me some sort of buffer which meant foods I previously couldn't eat without suffering for it didn't really affect me.  I don't know why - but I know other women who've had similar things happen, so it must be some kind of a 'thing'.  But that buffer wore off some time ago and I've kinda been ignoring it...

My body just doesn't cope well with trying to process most red meats (something to do with the fats) or large amounts of gluten or lactose.  Me eating these things results in bloating, gas, water retention and feeling a bit lethargic and generally icky.  And I've been choosing to feel this way because of laziness in food prep because of exhaustion from parenting.  Because these kinds of foods seem more easily accessible, tasty and filling than others.  And they are, but it's a cyclical issue because I'm eating food I know makes me feel bad because I'm too tired to prepare foods that actually help me feel better.  Weird, cyclical (but totally understandable) thing.

And, surprisingly, I've actually had very few issues with making this change.  I was only eating red meat in pie and burger form - you know - easy to put in your face forms, and have instituted some easy substitutions for the high gluten products I was eating (ie: bread).  Because before I had kids this was my actual diet.  And I didn't find it that hard to maintain.  This time around all I've had to do is find ways of managing my time, and the types of foods I eat, to fit in with my current lifestyle.  This will take some practice, but it should only get easier.

The biggest thing this health kick has kick-started is my realisation that I use food and drink as a coping mechanism for being a parent.  Exhausted?  Have a coffee.  Achieved something?  Reward with chocolate.  Frazzled after a long day? Wine o'clock right here.  I think it's because it's not easy to apply the kinds of self care I used to use to remedy these issues - like sleeping, reading or just generally having time to myself. 

So I'm having to rethink how and when I apply these sorts of band-aids and whether they're actually helping or hindering my wellness.  Dropping coffee has been easy**.  I was also regularly (shamed expression) drinking energy drinks (which I've never really done before I had kids) at work to cope with just, well, working.  While I haven't managed to cut this out (yet) I have switched to sugar free and have halved my weekly consumption...  I am still working on treats and booze BUT have ensured I never have more than one glass of wine by making myself have two cups of green tea a night.  Because of my early bedtime (because of broken sleep) I don't have time for more than one small*** wine before I have to skull the tea.

Last time I promised a recipe.  This isn't really a recipe.  It's just a list of the things I put in my favourite salad.

So my favorite salad is not pictured below - this one is ok, but not quite my favorite - but I don't have a photo of it sorry, so this will just have to do.  It has some of the same ingredients, but no spinach and some other stuff.

Hannah's Favorite Salad Of All Time

Some baby spinach leaves
Some fresh basil leaves
Some toasted walnut halves (doesn't matter what size as long as similar for even toasting)
Roasted beetroot cut into smallish chunks
Some feta cheese cut into smallish chunks
Avocado cut into smallish chunks

I dress this very simply in some olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar with a little salt and pepper to taste.  Seriously YUM!

It's definitely not the lowest fat salad (hello feta and avocado), or the simplest to make (toasting nuts and roasting beetroot - not hard, but extra work) but it is delicious and filling - and those are also some very important factors in whether a salad gets eaten or not.

So I'm getting there... slowly.  Tune in in the next week or so for another exciting episode of my weight loss journey.  Next weeks spotlight is on exercise (and how I avoid it).


* Like the other night when I binged on potato chips after dinner (75% less fat potato chips means it's ok to eat a whole bag, right?) and then tried to 'rescue' the night by having less wine than I'd planned and drinking more green tea...

** I don't think coffee is evil.  My coffee habit is not even that bad (one in the morning and sometimes a second on a very bad day).  But I didn't drink it apart from on the weekends before I had kids.  So I know I don't really need it. 

*** Never every night.  Too conscious of how unhealthy that is (in terms of addiction) although I'd actually LOVE to have a wine at the end of every day.

On getting sick and taking time off work

I hate calling in sick to work. When I worked for bigger companies in the past it wasn’t such a big deal – someone could replace you. But my last two jobs have been for smaller, family businesses (which I prefer) and it usually puts pressure on somewhere if you’re not at work. I know that before I call in sick I need to call all our part time staff (there are two) and check if they can work.Often if they can’t, I will just go into work. And strangely, half the time once I get there I’m ok.

I really struggle to know the difference between take-a-panadol-and-toughen-up sick and you-might-infect-millions-of-people-with-heinous-disease sick. It’s especially important that I know these things because I work directly with food all day. I know that if my skin starts aching, I shouldn’t be at work, but up until that point I find it really hard to tell. Do I think I’m sick because I’m tired? Am I hung over? Is it just because it’s raining? Do I actually just not feel like going to work today? Am I actually sick?

I’m not an idiot. I understand basic first aid and medicine. I know how to check my temperature and glands, and I usually know when I need to see a doctor. But I also have a body that doesn’t act like ‘normal’ bodies do. I suffer from IBS, which can cause severe pain, cramping and often leaves me in a constant state of too much poo, or no poo. I find I need to sleep more than some people (at least eight hours a night), otherwise I get run down and my brain stops functioning. I have these funny glands in my throat that puff up like a frog when I get just the hint of a bug. I also start coughing up blood just if I’ve been coughing a lot. I generally bruise/bleed/scar/rash more easily than most. I also have something wrong with my Eustachian tubes so I have constant post nasal drip and if I vomit it comes out of my mouth and nose (not really a problem, just something to add to the increasing weird and gross list of Hannah). And I could go on (this is a really fun list, I don’t care if I sound like a whiny, hypochondriac bitch!) Although none of these are major, it can make diagnosing a genuine ‘sick’ day a bit tricky.

So today I didn’t go to work. I validated my sick day by having my husband say ‘You look like shit’ this morning and the fact that I knew our part time staff member could cover me. I felt pretty bad about it because I had just had a four day holiday weekend. It doesn’t matter. I now know (at just after finishing time) that I did need today off. I do have a temperature, and an unattractive, hacking cough. All I managed today was catching up on New Zealand’s Next Top Model, and a little online political banter. I did fold some washing, but needed a nap afterwards.Not sick enough to require a trip to the doctors, but definitely not well enough to be at work.

I really hope I'm not feeling sick again tomorrow. And I really hope it isn’t raining…