So here we are on the eve of the Food & Drink challenge, I am in the worst mood imaginable & there is something quite shocking about it being September the 1st already, I thought I had more time than this.
Oh well dinner has consisted of corned beef on toast, chocolate coated ice cream and boozie chocolate & diet coke so who said this was all bad?
So everything will be mostly used by the morning and what isn’t can be frozen and gifted. I am looking forward to the challenge even more so tonight, it’s going to be tough – I think I will be abstaining from decaf teas & coffees at work in its entirety as its hard to be sure when it’s not your round.
So tomorrow, no caffeine, no alcohol, no biscuits, no chocolate & no pastries for 3 whole months! My first month’s nominated hard food is going to be corned beef, what am I going to have on a jacket potato, with salad, on toast, as a snack from the fridge?
Who knows, but bring it on!
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Friday, 20 August 2010
The Food & Drink Challenge: That Second Awkward Post
So this is the second awkward blog post about the Food & Drink Challenge, with 11 days and 12 sleeps to go I still haven’t decided what to forfeit!
But this week I have established how I am going to do it. My wonderfully wise friend Lesley gave me some words of wisdom this week, amongst an array of suggestions for things to forfeit. Don’t give up everything – life should be fun. Three months is a long time so I will be starting one month at a time.
From Lesley’s list of potential foods I should give up, my brain split the list up into not a problem, manageable & you can’t make me! & I figure it’s the foods that I ear marked as you can’t make me should be the foods that I do in fact challenge myself to be less reliant upon.
For the three months I would like to give up caffeine, alcohol (with my one planned off piste day) biscuits, chocolate & pastries. But each month I will be adding in food that really will test me.
Real contenders include eggs, hard cheese, fizzy drinks, jelly sweets, corned beef and pasta. I will also be making a real effort to improve the quality of my food by making what I can where I can.
In short; the second awkward blog post I’m back where I started with the first one. 11 days and 12 sleeps to work it all out, it’ll be fine and not on the hoof at all.
But this week I have established how I am going to do it. My wonderfully wise friend Lesley gave me some words of wisdom this week, amongst an array of suggestions for things to forfeit. Don’t give up everything – life should be fun. Three months is a long time so I will be starting one month at a time.
From Lesley’s list of potential foods I should give up, my brain split the list up into not a problem, manageable & you can’t make me! & I figure it’s the foods that I ear marked as you can’t make me should be the foods that I do in fact challenge myself to be less reliant upon.
For the three months I would like to give up caffeine, alcohol (with my one planned off piste day) biscuits, chocolate & pastries. But each month I will be adding in food that really will test me.
Real contenders include eggs, hard cheese, fizzy drinks, jelly sweets, corned beef and pasta. I will also be making a real effort to improve the quality of my food by making what I can where I can.
In short; the second awkward blog post I’m back where I started with the first one. 11 days and 12 sleeps to work it all out, it’ll be fine and not on the hoof at all.
Saturday, 14 August 2010
The Food & Drink Challenge: The Warm Up
So its time to start limbering up, after the run away success that was the February Food & Drink Challenge that I cheekily coined #forfeitfebruary, the delightful Andrew Emmett has challenged us all once again, this time we’re not talking 31 days, we’re talking 3 months. 3 whole months. September, October & November.
Now it’s no secret that I battle with my weight, I spent too many important years overweight & dangerously so. I now weigh in within a healthy BMI for my height & have done over 17 months but the battle is not won, it’s one I fight every day and while some people may consider that food rules my life, I disagree. I am just more aware of the foods around me and ultimately more aware of the effect they have on my mind, my body & soul.
This is why the Food & Drink Challenge is such a great experience. In February I gave up caffeine & chocolate.
Caffeine was interesting, it was originally given up on the basis of addiction, coffee plays and important part of my life Monday to Friday & fizzy drinks dominate at the weekend. I’ve never had a problem sleeping; I could have 3 cans of diet coke in bed & still fall asleep. But I noticed a massive difference in the quality of my sleep, I could sleep through without interruption & I woke up more energised.
Chocolate, now that was a pesky one. I’ve not really got a sweet tooth…Crisps are my thing & cheese & biscuits on pudding menu is more of a delight than a chocolate fudge brownie. But on a restricted diet, I find chocolate had become my ‘treat’ and a regular one…Saturday evening munch run. I thought this would be easier than it was, I remember saying yes to a biscuit to have a fine selection bought out for me, all containing chocolate, you cant eat round it that’s cheating.
My weight during this time was steady which is all I am really seeking to achieve & I found it easier to stay on track. It was nice to find a strength of will to say no to these things, it wasn’t always easy at times but I carried on for 40 days & 40 nights as unofficial lent.
So, now is the hard part. One thing for three months? Many things for three months? Three things for three months or one thing each month which results in the last month being off three things?
The things I really could do with giving up include caffeine, fizzy drinks, chocolate, pastries, biscuits & cakes that aren’t made by my own fair hand & I too would like to limit bread intake. I dont really drink and for the most part that will be included in the challenge, apart from one special day I had agreed to last year.
There are still 17 days to decide! & if you fancy coming along for the ride, all the better.
Now it’s no secret that I battle with my weight, I spent too many important years overweight & dangerously so. I now weigh in within a healthy BMI for my height & have done over 17 months but the battle is not won, it’s one I fight every day and while some people may consider that food rules my life, I disagree. I am just more aware of the foods around me and ultimately more aware of the effect they have on my mind, my body & soul.
This is why the Food & Drink Challenge is such a great experience. In February I gave up caffeine & chocolate.
Caffeine was interesting, it was originally given up on the basis of addiction, coffee plays and important part of my life Monday to Friday & fizzy drinks dominate at the weekend. I’ve never had a problem sleeping; I could have 3 cans of diet coke in bed & still fall asleep. But I noticed a massive difference in the quality of my sleep, I could sleep through without interruption & I woke up more energised.
Chocolate, now that was a pesky one. I’ve not really got a sweet tooth…Crisps are my thing & cheese & biscuits on pudding menu is more of a delight than a chocolate fudge brownie. But on a restricted diet, I find chocolate had become my ‘treat’ and a regular one…Saturday evening munch run. I thought this would be easier than it was, I remember saying yes to a biscuit to have a fine selection bought out for me, all containing chocolate, you cant eat round it that’s cheating.
My weight during this time was steady which is all I am really seeking to achieve & I found it easier to stay on track. It was nice to find a strength of will to say no to these things, it wasn’t always easy at times but I carried on for 40 days & 40 nights as unofficial lent.
So, now is the hard part. One thing for three months? Many things for three months? Three things for three months or one thing each month which results in the last month being off three things?
The things I really could do with giving up include caffeine, fizzy drinks, chocolate, pastries, biscuits & cakes that aren’t made by my own fair hand & I too would like to limit bread intake. I dont really drink and for the most part that will be included in the challenge, apart from one special day I had agreed to last year.
There are still 17 days to decide! & if you fancy coming along for the ride, all the better.
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