Oops I've done it again ...

I went AWOL again ... sorry!

I am still here though and still going strong and I am very much still 100% Paleo and loving it.

I have been pretty busy.  The shed in the garden is up and looks good but we still have the greenhouse to add and the others bits.  There's a long way to go out there ...

 But I did make this mirror: -

I used an old/unused frame from Ikea which I took the glass out of and disregarded it. I then removed the backing and used this as a template to draw around over a plain cork notice board that I bought from a discount store.  I then cut out the cork board.  I was going to leave it like that but it was a bit beige so I considered painting it before deciding covering it in fabric would be better.  I found some stripe fabric in my stash (Ikea again) and stapled it around the board using my upholstery gun.  I then mounted the covered board in the frame and voila.  A simple, cheap and stylish pin board.

Don't forget to make the board a bit smaller to allow for the fabric making the board bigger when it comes to mounting it back in the frame. Best to cut little at a time so not to cut away too much.

My new pin board looks good with these two guys in my kitchen ....

:)

Where an earth have I been?

Good question ...

I have been busy.  I have had both mine and my daughters birthdays during early March.  I am still whole30 compliant with odd paleo treats at weekends, like this Date and walnut cake from Elana's Pantry which is a blog I follow (she's also on facebook).

I have also had a throat infection (I seem to get one annually) and I have also been (starting to) renovate our long garden.  The plan is to split the garden into two main areas.  The first and immediate area (next to the house, outside the back door) will be our family garden.  The other bit (beyond the picket fence) will be the veg plot.  This will eventually house a shed at the very bottom, raised beds and a greenhouse.  This is where my chickens already free range.

It's a massive job because when we moved in it had been left for years and years and we have had to start from scratch and move trees, erect fencing all along the boundaries and all sorts.   We've actually done a lot but it doesn't show  ... yet!

Here's work in progress (this angle shows looking toward my little mid terrace house in the distance): -

 Here's the shed going up.  It's right at the very end of the garden and is a 12ft x 6ft one: -

From a health point of you despite the throat infection I still feel really well and I am very much still enjoying the food and lifestyle.

Hopefully see you soon!

Half term and .... 7 weeks on Whole30

We've just had half term which was lovely to step off of the hectic conveyor belt for a few days.  It's been busy but still really lovely.

I felt like I have achieved some good things.  I have ordered, and taken delivery of,  a nice big shed for the garden which will be half for storage and half as a workshop.  I now just need to find and buy a greenhouse.  Hopefully the garden will take shape over the coming months as we have BIG plans. I will take some 'Before' photos next week before the real work begins.

I have also been continuing to make my quilt and after piecing together what felt like zillions of pieces the top is almost finished.  

It's 7 weeks today and I am still Whole30 compliant.  I have lost a stone in weight and feel tons better but I am now breaking up with my scale as that's just another bad habit I want to break.  My Daughter is 17 in a week o I am going to find a Paleo (not Whole30) recipe for a cake or some sort of treat for her.  Her birthday is a week tomorrow (on a Monday) so that will be nicely after 2 whole months of Whole30. I was thinking making Paleo waffles or pancakes as she likes them.  By the way she was doing Whole30 with me for the last 7 weeks as has had some depression and anxiety issues which Whole30 has really helped. In fact its been remarkable and made much more difference than a year of therapy and pills.

:)

 

Happy Valentines

Yesterday was Valentines Day and I had a few nice surprises.  Mostly because I had already had my gift from my Partner a few weeks ago on a shopping trip.  He had bought me two dresses which I was really pleased with.  However, on Valentines I also got a lovely card and a Teddy Bear.  The Teddy Bear was wearing clothes and had a satchel around him.  In the satchel was a pouch and in the pouch was a heart pendant with the inscription 'Love'.  It's really gorgeous.

These are our cards on the shelf.  The one on the left was from him to me and the one on the right I made for him.  I hand stamped it and thought it was fun because we both love the film 'Grease'.

and here is my Teddy Bear.  He now lives on my bedside table and I'm calling him Valentine.  Of course.

We had a lovely dinner which was all Whole30 compliant. We had slow roasted Beef and herb crust with roasted sweet potatoes, sprouts,/chestnuts/(spoilt pig, whole30 compliant) bacon, carrot/swede mash and roasted parsnips. Afterwards my partner had a cream eclair (well, two actually) and I had a small portion of coconut meat.

Yum.

Tomorrow will be 6 weeks on whole30.

5 weeks and counting ...

Yep, I have done 5 weeks on Whole30 so far and don't feel the need to eat any differently. I still feel very well and very happy and I want to stay that way.

I have just had a nice weekend.  A busy one but it was really nice.  One more week then a week off work :)

So, this weekend I have mostly done lots of eating like this: -

and this (lunch in my sewing room on Saturday): -

and this: -

and finally after cutting more then 200 fabric pieces I finally started sewing my quilt: -

as well as some much needed down time in the evening reading my Paperwhite Kindle (which I love) in a comfy reading spot here: -

Happy days ...

:)

Post Whole30. Where was I? … Where am I now?

Day 0, you will recall, I was ashamed.  I was in a rather rubbish state of health.  I was ashamed because I had been in really good shape and great health previously.  I had once upon a time had a healthy outlook on life and had always made a really conscious decision not to eat anything out of a packet.  I consumed nothing processed and I had been tee-total for over 10 years!  I had an excellent figure, a sensible BMI and was very fit and healthy.  I was proud to have run 13 half marathons, 2 duathlons and 3 race for life events.  On day 0 I even confessed  the fact that my child was profoundly Autistic and barely slept didn't used to make me tired either.  So what happened?  well, unfortunately life happened ... marriage separation, divorce, house move, new job and new partner happened …. Oh, and a 3 stone weight gain happened!

I had basically slipped and become someone I didn’t even recognise anymore.  I had, over time, reintroduced alcohol and all kinds of processed food.  I had even switched my daily 2 litres of water for nearly as much Pepsi and it was killing me.

So, 31 days ago I was at that point when you know you have to do something but all you can do is cry because of the impossible task in front of you and lets face it no one really enjoys hard work especially with no guaranteed results do they? and by that I mean a low calorie commercial diet which basically make you miserable and if you do get lucky and lose some weight you don't actually feel better.

It was no good to keep asking myself ‘how an earth did I let that slip away?’ Because I had and somehow it was time to look forward.  Thankfully my good friend (who clearly loved me more than I loved myself) told me all about Whole30 and I was instantly hooked.  This was just what I needed - a new and sensible lifestyle choice.

30 whole days later (and all those days are blogged) I have completely Whole30 and the results speak for themselves. I never once felt resentful or deprived and I never had any of the flu like symptoms or anger issues I had prepared myself for. It still would have been worth it by the way!

I had only one headache for the whole duration and that was the first day which I suspect kicking my Pepsi addiction was the cause.  Only one headache in a month is crazy for me as I constantly had head aches before which I always blamed on my tiredness.  Talking of which ....  I slept better.  I don’t generally sleep much and I certainly couldn’t/can't get the recommended 8 hours a night, try as I might, but my boy keeps me up with his nocturnal activities and nappy changes.  However,  I noticed on the same amount of rubbish sleep I felt more refreshed and rested.  My skin was/is clearer and I am told I look fresher.  My partner told me I look brighter and in a weird way younger too but I think that's because I am happier.  Am I allowed to say I think he fancies me more?? Anyway, my hair dresser said my hair condition had changed for the better and my eyes were sparkling,  “so what are you up to?” she asked wanting to know my secret which of course I shared.

It was never going to be about the weight loss as for me it was about taking control back and feeling good again.  I still lost 9 lbs in weight bringing my BMI down from 29.1 to 27.7. Result. Furthermore and probably the most fascinating thing for me was that I dropped an inch off my hip measurement, an inch off the top of each thigh and a whopping 3 inches off both my bust and my stomach.

I can honestly say that I have found my Whole30 journey totally enjoyable as I now feel fantastic and incredibly optimistic. I have therefore decided to keep going but to just have the odd thing off plan when I really need to – like if I was at a wedding banquet or out on a special occasion and it was not possible to eat so clean.  I have chosen that most of all I want to stay eating clean and I definitely wont let any Pepsi back in the house.  I believe in Whole30 not as a diet but as a way of life and a lifestyle choice I choose.

In short, Whole30 made me determined, whole30 gave me my life and health back but one thing Whole30 did not do …. was make me hungry :)

Day 30. I did it!

It's day 30.  I feel really, really good and I feel really, really happy but more about my actual journey tomorrow. Today this is short and sweet as I will be writing in full tomorrow about my whole30 experience.

I cooked cod tonight.  I had a whole half of a cod fish and so I cut it into pieces and then cut strips of bacon and dressed it on top.  I baked it in the oven wrapped in foil and toward the end I opened the foil to help crisp up the bacon.

This is it before it went in the oven.  Unfortunately (and again) I forgot to take the after photo.  I am too greedy!

So until my Whole30 recap he's my food today: -

Day 30 :)

Breakfast

Hard boiled egg
Cherry wine tomatoes
Raw carrot
Closed handful of cashews

Lunch

Mackerel
Rocket
Cucumber
Cherry vine tomatoes
Spring onions

Dinner

Oven baked cod with spoilt pig bacon
Roast sweet potatoes
Broccoli
Carrots
Cabbage
Closed handful of almonds

:)