Sweet Chilli tuna salad and some greek yogurt for lunch! Salad comes with tomatos, red onions, spinach, lettuce, carrot, cucumber, and a squirt of mayo. Yum!
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@thefatblog
Sweet Chilli tuna salad and some greek yogurt for lunch! Salad comes with tomatos, red onions, spinach, lettuce, carrot, cucumber, and a squirt of mayo. Yum!
First ever run!
Woke up at 5:30 and for the first time ever attempted to run around the block! I made it half way around before walking the rest. Feeling pretty good about it too! I'll be doing more throughout the day and will check back in later. Do you remember your first run? Did you go as far as you expected, not quite, or further than you thought? Was running for you? I would love to hear about your first time :D.
Quick Tip!
If you're a fan of tortillas and can't seem to use them all before they go hard and crusty, or you just like fresh tortillas when you want your wraps (etc) I have exciting news for you!
Don't be afraid to buy tortillas in bulk any more. Simply buy the ones you want and pop them in the freezer. They don't freeze completely solid so you can very quickly peel one or more off without hurting any of them, and they take seconds to thaw on your plate. By the time you've loaded up with salad and grilled chicken (or what ever you want!) the tortilla will be fold-able.
It will be fresh, it won't be cold or frozen, and there won't be any ice on it. Score!
Do you have any tips for my journey?
Hey, I was wondering if you could help me out. I currently have started my weight loss journey and I really don’t know where to start… would you have any tips for me? I am a 20 year old college student who is ready to shed off my weight. I can’t stand it anymore… I have tried losing weight before but I can’t seem to do it!
Hi Maxprime!! Welcome to the journey! It’s great to meet someone else who is on the same journey.
It seems like we are very similar, but I am a little older. Kudos to you for diving in before I did! I think the best advice I can give you for your journey is:
Never give up. You’ll have bad days, you will slip and fall, but never ever let that stop you.
Be honest with yourself and work out what’s right for you – for me I have no willpower or motivation so I am avoiding triggers and using my little amount of willpower to force myself to walk every night until it’s strong enough to do more than that. I also do not like the judgement of my friends or family so I am keeping this journey private. Other people may have more supportive families that they can get strength from sharing their journey with.
Check out my Weight Loss Tips section. Everything I learn will be in there, and it might just help you get started or make better choices.
If you live in America, please immediately watch Fed Up (2014) and join the movement. In fact, if you live outside of America watch it too and thank god it’s not that bad where you are.
Start eating fresh/frozen vegetables, avoiding processed/added sugars (not fruits, fruits are good) and generally trying to make healthier choices.
Google things like “wholemeal vs white bread” and “wholemeal vs multigrain bread” and try wholemeal pasta (actually insanely delicious!)
Be curious about what you’re eating, and proactive in figuring out whether it’s the better choice. Here in Australia eating a chicken wrap at McDonalds is worse for you than eating a Big Mac! You think you’re making a better choice but you need to really look at the choices, especially if you aren’t making the food yourself.
Identify your biggest weaknesses and try to work with them or around them. If you are addicted to chocolate stop buying it and bringing it home. Restrict the amount you can eat to 1 bar a day and buy the bar on the day and only eat that. Or have only 1 can of soda, not a bottle.
Make it fun! If you don’t like eggplant don’t eat it. If you like your broccoli smothered in cheese maybe tone it down a bit or find a better cheese or cheese flavoured alternative. If you like jelly make it into fun shapes with many flavours. If you like sushi learn to make it into animals. Pack a salad that looks like a face. Maybe you will be having an awful day and opening your lunchbox to find that will make you giggle!
Don’t be so hard on yourself. One slip up isn’t going to ruin everything, it’s okay to be bad every now and then, and one lap around the block is better than no laps around the block.
Please keep in touch and let me know what you think about my discoveries and share your own, I might even be able to make posts about things you’ve shared and help others on the journey! We’re all on the same team and we all deserve to be healthy and happy – and we are (or will be!)
How do you drink your water?
How do you drink your water, and how much do you drink ? I am sure that I should be drinking more than I do, especially in the colder weather. In the summer, I like water with a wedge of lemon (or lime), and then just packed full of ice. When it gets cold, then I really like more hot drinks, and about the only thing that doesn’t pack a lot of calories or salt is hot tea, plain or with a little lemon.
I really enjoy carbonated water, and I have a SodaStream that I use to make a glass of sparkling water. It satisfies that craving for something carbonated, but without the chemicals that are in a regular carbonated soft drink like Coke or Pepsi.
You can rest easy knowing the 8 glasses of water a day is a myth. What happened is the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council suggested 1 milliliter of water for each calorie of food (which would total 8 glasses), and in the line following that stated most of that would be already in the food we eat. This was conveniently ignored. Numerous studies debunk the myth and some of the companies suggesting it actually own bottled water companies/shares.
With that said I drink water mostly (usually 1200ml a day) but I do like my cordial. My favourite is DietRite Apple Raspberry cordial, pictured above. It’s not a huge deal (7 cal a serving), and generally I only add it to one waterbottles worth a day, but usually not every day. In a week I will probably have had 11 bottles of water and 3 bottles of cordial.
Outside of that I must say I love fruit in my water. If I get some tinned or over ripe peaches they are delicious in water! The only downside is that they are disgusting to attempt to eat at the end, and they will not do another waterbottle – so you need to toss that out unless you kind of pulp it up so it comes out of the bottle as you drink. This also works with apricots (tinned or over ripe), pineapple (fresh), orange (fresh), lemon (fresh), lime (fresh), kiwi (fresh and over ripe), and also most berries (fresh – do not attempt tinned berries they are grey). If you use frozen berries that works two ways but the flavour may take a while to infuse!
I am addicted to fizzy feelings, and should definitely invest in some kind of SodaStream! It’s nice to have that every now and then for sure! I like the way you think, HappyFlowerLady!
What's been your biggest struggle?
What has been your biggest struggle? For me, it’s consistency. I will do great for a while, then one day I see a picture of myself, and I’m like “Is that me?”. Then I get on the scale, and I am shocked that I have gained 20lbs. Then I’m back at it again. I know what I need to do. I need to get out of the “diet & exercise” yo-yo rut of trying to lose weight, and get into the “health and fitness” mindset for life.
I can completely relate! For me it’s definitely motivation and willpower. I’m studying both of those to see if perhaps it’s something I’m doing or not doing that I’m not aware of so I can tackle the issue. To be frank with you my motivation is 0/100, and my willpower is probably only 10/100…..but I know that the more I try and the more I see working the better those numbers will look.
For example, if I use my willpower getting myself to walk every night, which I have been so far successfully (even though it’s only night 2 since I restarted officially) then I know that eventually I won’t have to use willpower on that. I will want to go for a walk because I know it makes me feel good and it makes a difference. Now when I get to the point where I notice this change I will automatically start using my willpower to say no to things that are bad (which for now I am just avoiding – not bringing them into the house or going to places they are), and then with my motivation up a little but I will be able to use that to my advantage too. Perhaps I will join a walking group, or explore new places. Maybe I will find a hiking trail and go hiking. Perhaps I will get my bike out of the garage and fix the broken tyre and go for a ride like I’ve been wanting to for ages but not really had the motivation.
It’s one step at a time.
YUM!
I'm flawed and I slipped, but I'm back on track
I admit that I have recently strayed and I am a flawed human being…but I will come back from this.
I joined two Optifast Support groups on Facebook when I first started, really excited to be around others taking the same steps and going through the same challenges as me. But it ended in ruin on both groups and it set me up for a catastrophic failure.
You may have noticed a small absence from me. This is because I have not been on track, I have felt like I had no support, like I couldn’t achieve or even look at my goals. My will power which was already so small was shattered, and my motivation which was so fragile gone with it.
So what happened?
After I joined I asked many questions to help me on my way. Like recipes. Were there any recipes? Had anyone made something that wasn’t stir fry? How do you overcome challenges like craving fast food? Has anyone used Optifast to become a vegetarian? I also offered support to those going through a rough time and was everyone’s “you can do it!” cheerleader, which is just part of my personality.
I brushed off the negativity at first, but I soon found it was so constant and overbearing that it was destroying the good feelings I was getting from participating. I started to notice cliques of women who posted as though they were elite, and many of them would word things in such a way that it honestly felt like they were sabotaging the newbies at times (for example all of them we’re posting about “falling off the wagon” and then at the same time were “losing so much weight!” constantly, posting pictures of KFC, McDonalds, and other fast foods without considering those going through the 3-day challenge, and more) or just generally looking down on them. It was like they were all trying to score points….but why? These women were successful! They were to be looked up to and looked at as examples – they had done Optifast for a very long time, or had finished and stuck around….but if one of them didn’t like you they all turned on you…and that’s what happened to me.
The first time I truly was affected by it was when I asked whether anyone had tried their shakes with fruit blended into it. I felt like that would be a delicious spin on a shake and wanted to know what combinations were tasty because I was too scared to experiment. I immediately got a response. I got several “You’re not allowed fruit on intensive!!!” posts (including exclamations) and one real reply which was essentially “I like mixed berries in my chocolate shakes! YUM!”
Now this upset me because the first 4 responses to my post just proved to me that I was, in fact, being targeted by these women. Maybe it was because they decided they were the Optifast Police, or maybe they decided they just didn’t like me. I don’t know. At no point did I say I was on intensive, in fact, the whole time I’ve been on transition (which is allowed fruit) and it’s not been a secret. There are heaps of people on the same plan as myself, and there are heaps of people on completely different plans ranging from full fasting with five shakes to replacing only one meal a day. So why is it that when I ask a question everyone jumps on me immediately?
Later I posted how I’d had veggies for dinner, and that I’d tried Bok Choy for the first time. I was excited and I loved it! My only responses were “You’re only allowed 2 cups!!” I never said how many cups I had used or posted a picture, so why was this even brought up?
I noticed that people were taking each other down left right and centre and somehow trying to score brownie points with the elite group. I posted a link and summary about a news report and article and some woman who replied to it negatively then went and copied parts of it and posted it herself all excited and positive like it was her own idea. I was irritated at first and then I just felt sad. It was at that time I knew it was time to go…but I did not at first. I guess a huge part of me needed support, or even the illusion of support which was what I was receiving.
I didn’t leave the group until after the scathing words and actions of its members had me in tears multiple times. Someone posted fast food pictures and I said I felt like it was a bit cruel to post them because newbies joined every day, going through the 3 day challenge (the hardest part and the point you’re most likely to cheat on) and many of us did not have strong willpowers and came to the group as a safe spot where we could be free from triggers like fast food. Immediately I was attacked. I was attacked so ruthlessly that three members I’d never even talked to before messaged me.
One message says “My heart goes out to you Lavender, I was never quite so attacked as you have been. You may have noticed I have left the group.”
Another says “So many times I could post stuff and I don’t. There are too many people who feel like they are queens and everyone loves them.”
Another says “I don’t know why you’ve been targeted but you need to get out of there before it really affects you”
Shortly afterwards I was banned. I still don’t know why, the admin won’t tell me…My only regret is that I didn’t get the chance to do it myself, she literally beat me by mere hours….but the damage was done and I slowly but surely found myself straying off track.
Without the illusion of support, and because I was so carelessly removed I felt completely worthless and hopeless. Was I not good enough to receive support too? Was I that hated? Was all the good I had brought to the group like ways to make things fun and tips and support not good enough? Was I not good enough? I took it completely personally and I don’t think I was wrong in doing that. I think it was personal. How could I not?
So it’s taken me a while to recover. For the last month or maybe a little bit more I’ve not been doing Optifast. I’ve been eating normal foods (admittedly lots of vegetables) and not focusing on weight loss or exercise or anything else except dealing with my internal struggles and getting past it. But I feel like I owe you all an explanation.
Over the past week I’ve been getting excited about this journey again and I will resume it this coming Sunday. I will post a new weight and start over. This time I am going to do things a little bit differently. I’m going to have a salad for lunch with some carrot and celery sticks instead of a shake. Additionally I will not be measuring my vegetables. I’m going to include a variety of fruit in my daily meals and avoid sugar that’s not natural (natural foods such as honey, fruit, etc are ok). When I have this more healthy approach down I will decide whether Optifast is for me. I feel that maybe if I cut the sugar out beforehand it won’t be so painful later. Also, I am going to be very tough on myself and make sure I do exercise every day.
So some things you can look out for from me: – Healthy lunch and dinner ideas, recipes, and pics, likely Optifast friendly – Healthy tips for weight loss and fitness – Creative ways to serve and cook vegetables – Creative ways to replace foods with healthier alternatives – Reviews on current health foods – “How much sugar is in that” photos – Tonnes more!
UPDATE: New starting weight is 124.6kg.
Grilled chicken taco salad with a spicy cilantro lime dressing…RECIPE
Delicious stuff!
Want to ask me 20 questions?
Hey guys! I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE it if you would send me some questions! I'll answer most of them public, but some may be answered privately.
If you're on my blog (not Tumblr), send me a question in the comments area and I'll get to that too!
This is going to be a GREAT start for me, when I start my bodyweight exercises this weekend!
It's hard to know where to start when literally all of your body is flab and no muscle! I can't even lift a small weight comfortably so I decided to start with these sorts of activities to get to where I want to be. Who says you need a home gym to become fit?
Tacos! Who says dieting has to be boring?
I made beef with an array of spices (or just use a packet!) and fresh guacamole. The guacamole has tomato, avocado, red onion, lime juice, and some spices too.
I'd recommend not adding more tomato to it like I did in this picture because there's enough in the guacamole. Simply spread it over the leaf, put a table spoon or two of beef in, and then a pinch of cheese: voilà! Very filling and completely delicious!
This was a mood boosting fantastic and delicious meal, and it was even tastier having the lettuce leaf instead of a tortilla. Just remember to measure out how much cheese and meat you want so you can split it between as many lettuce leaves as you are having and not accidentally go overboard.
Chicken stir fry with rice.
4 cups of stir fry vegetables, a pack of Celebrate Health Teriaki Chicken, fresh chicken breast, and Slendier Rice.
Finally got my shaker bottles with whisk balls!
FINALLY got my shaker bottles with whisk balls!! I’m very impressed, it definitely does a better job than shaking does alone, no lumpy bits (which are rare but does happen). It’s a lot bigger than I thought it would be, and it’s definitely not something you would put in your bag unless it was empty or washed. It’s also good with fruit, as long as you mix the Optifast first, then add the fruit and shake again. Just to make sure the Optifast powder doesn’t stick to the fruit pieces and act funny. You can buy your own whisk balls (smaller too) and bottles from eBay. I won’t link because the links go down all the time. Just search for shaker bottle or whisk ball.
This movie has literally changed my life and how I think about food, dieting, and exercise. If you live in America this should be utterly terrifying to watch.
It's always been very difficult to cook things at home, especially from scratch....most recipes now use processed foods and there's no steps in there for making things yourself. We buy sauces, canned goods, dairy products, etc because it's easier and we can't always make some of those foods ourselves. When it comes to sugar and salt, these products are laden with it. They not only make things taste better, but they make them last longer. Sugar and salt are natural preservatives. Heinz Ketchup is full of high fructose corn syrup (sugar) yet the label says there is no sugar. ONE CAN of Chef Boyardee Ravioli, for example, has 3375mg of salt (4.5 serves of 750mg salt in a can). You would never realise it unless you really looked closely at what the label is actually telling you, which means also understanding the ingredients.
In addition to this, when we stop eating those foods our bodies completely melt down with sugar headaches as our bodies crave and cry out for sugar. For at least 3 days once going clean you're expected to feel exhausted, have headaches, be moody, and worse. You may even have stomach cramps and bowel issues. That doesn't make it easy to cut out the sugar and other nasties from your diet. It's a very steep hill to climb.
Sometimes it feels like everything is stacked against us being healthy and eating right...and we feel like we're failing but the truth is we've been brought up to eat huge meals which are laden with salt and sugar and it's not our fault we're struggling to change. Sugar lights up our brains exactly the same way cocaine does. Cocaine addicted lab rats will even choose sugar water over cocaine....that's how powerful the addiction to sugar is. After watching this I wondered how much sugar is really in the things we eat and drink. After factoring in the milk, amount of Milo, and sugar my husband uses in his Milos we ended up with half of the mug he's drinking being full of sugar! We couldn't believe it and it honestly made us feel sick. Going forward I am going to take common products and show you just how much sugar is in them visually. I'll be using the tags #fedup and #guessthesugar when I post the photos so keep your eyes peeled! Go ahead and watch this documentary, simply Google "Watch Fed Up 2014 Online" and it will give you some $3.99 rentals as well as some freebies from Putlocker.
Just a quick and easy meat and veg (broccoli, carrot, beans, and onion).