Be Honest

Hello all,

Sarah (adoreabubbles) here,

A few weeks ago I mentioned doing a weekly diary of what I was eating, drinking and what activities I was doing to get fit. I was really excited about doing this and I thought I was going to come up with some fantastic dinner suggestions for you all. I expected to do so well. The truth is by the end of the first week I was already making excuses for having chocolate croissants for breakfast and treats at night. I was doing so many things wrong but I was also making some good changes in other areas. Instead of giving you the layout of what I had to eat and when I'm just going to give you two lists of where I went wrong in some areas and improved in others.

Lets start off with the negatives so I can end on a positive note.

• I skipped breakfast four out of the seven days. I know Breakfast is the most important meal of the day but I didn't feel hungry or slept in which brought me straight to lunch time. This has opened my eyes, I need to get up earlier, have a healthy breakfast and maybe fit in a short physical activity into my morning routine.
• I was eating the same dinner most days. My partner is a very picky eater and I rarely cook the same dinner for both of us. As I was cooking for one there was a good bit of food wastage so what I was doing was saving the leftovers for my dinner the following day. This led to a boring dinner routine. I was getting sick of the same things which led to adding less healthier options.
• I wasn't pushing myself hard enough when it came to physical activities. Instead of listening to my body and asking it when it was ready to stop and go home I was giving myself time limits. Walk for thirty minutes and walk home. I was telling myself I had done an hour of walking when all I had done was a thirty minutes walk and a thirty minute calm down on the way home. I'm only 25 and I think I could have push myself harder. 
• I was also OVER rewarding myself!! The more physical activities I was doing the more treats I gave myself at the end of the night. I do believe if I want something I shouldn't refuse myself anything but there is a line and I need to find it... fast. 

How bad am I! I think its not all negative. That week opened my eyes to how I was going wrong and I didn't ignore it. It gave me the chance to want to change which is a big step. Lets move onto the positives.

• Lunches are a very exciting time for me. I filled myself up with soups (no bread), tuna salads and turkey sandwiches. I am loving tuna at the moment. I was enjoying not being starving when it came to dinner time which meant smaller portions. 
• I introduced more fish into my dinners, mostly cod. I noticed my potato portions decreasing and I also made home made wedges when I got my chip cravings.
• I drank enough water to fill a swimming pool. I actually love water. I don't understand how some people dislike the taste of water and dilute it with flavouring. Anyway, each to their own. Whatever helps to hydrate your body.
• I was surprised at myself when it came to doing activities. I skipped doing anything on two days because I was visiting a friend one day and the other day it was miserable out. I enjoyed the walking but feel like I can do better. Cycling was great fun for me. I used it as an opportunity to visit family members within cycling distance. Housework is also a great work out for me, scrubbing the oven clean, hoovering, running up and down stairs with laundry...you get the drift.
• I am grilling/boiling nearly all my foods. I Stopped using oil and have switched to a low fat butter.
• I have dramatically increased my fruit intake. I already love vegetables and eat 3-4 different types daily but fruit was always a struggle for me. 

I learnt alot from that week.  I know where I need to improve and I am proud of the changes I have made. I also bought a weighing scales. I am usually anti-scales but I thought if I want to record change properly I should get one. The last time I weighed myself was in July 2011 and I weighted 14st 2lbs. I weighed myself in May 2012 after getting the scales and I weighed 13st 7lbs. I think I'm only going to record it once a month at the end of each month. I want to focus more on healthy living and getting fit. Being a size 0 is not my goal. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this, if you have any advice or tips for me I would love to hear them in the comments below. Remember to be honest with yourself. Everyday is a learning curve and tomorrow is always another day.

Hope everyone is having a great week. xxx