Sugar rush

Here we are again, on a sugar high. 

The viscous circle has completed its loop for the thousandth time.

I really am on a mission to cut sugar from my life but my problem is, I just love food too much.

Being a big cook means I do not have to worry about unhealthy meals. 

Breakfast, lunch and dinner on the most part are home cooked foods. It is the stuff in between that get's me.

Unfortunately, the job I am in means I am rewarded by happy customers with treats.

The issue here is the people around me. I am in an office full of sugarholics, and while their intentions are good in that they like to share the food they buy, it does not help my mission.

I do not binge to the extent I used to which is a positive but I really have not restrained myself lately. If a cookie has been put in front of me, I have eaten it, if the bowl of cereal has winked at me, it  has not lasted very long. 

Now I feel my skin is awful. The sugar is punishing me.

I need help, what can I do? The world is surrounded by temptation. My will power is not quite developed enough.

My Fitness Pal

I would like to take a moment to appreciate an app of which I swear by.
My fitness pal is a fantastic app that has really helped me in my quest for a healthier life style.
It tracks your calorie intake. Not only that but it differentiates between fat, carbs and protein (as well as much more but they are my three main focuses).
I've banged on enough times now about my high fat and protein, low carb approach to food. This really helps me understand what I am eating and what I need more of.

An example of last Thursday's chart. Not as much protein as I would like and more carbs then is preferable but I did a lot of intense exercise that day so I needed the carbs. 

When I realised I needed to lose a few pounds this app helped me tenfold to what I would have done alone.
Not only did I understand the calorie value of food more but when I was naughty, I would force myself to enter it as a guilt trip.
You can create your own recipes and it calculates the nutritional values for you and adds up the calories. It saves your meals if you want and it records your exercise, so you can get a fair, accurate recording.
My fitness pal will tell you at the end of the day how that day will translate for you in the long term.
Warning, it is addictive. But give it a try even if you just want to learn more about the food you are eating.

Festival fitness

I am currently dealing with the after effects of Leeds Festival. 

Having a booze break 

While it was one of the best weekends of my life, I can really feel that my fitness level has deteriorated.
There is no possible way of eating well at festivals.
Four nights in a tent is one thing but the ground you cover walking and standing is another. While it is good for burning calories it is not so good for eating the right kind of calories.
Walking so much is already a strain on both your feet and your back so you do not want the added weight of carrying anything around, particularly food.

Feeling a bit worse for wear after day one

I started each morning with an apple and breakfast biscuits. Not the best start but certainly better then anything else on offer. 
The rest of the day was spent nibbling on random snacks just for an energy boost, whatever was on offer really, which was unfortunately a lot of crisps and chocolate/biscuits. You are moving around so much any energy boost is welcome. Then in the evening you need something sustainable so you go for whatever is on sale. There is a lot of choice and I had a burrito, noodles and a burger over three nights. The burger in particular was not worth it. 
Nevertheless it kept me going when I needed it. But on top of the bad food choices and random eating habits, I was drinking copious amounts of alcohol and having very little sleep.

Mid day music with larger to fuel us

 All worth it I must say - I attempted to eat as best I could when the option was available. We made a supermarket trip where I got a sandwhich for my tea one night and yoghurt and granola for a lunch another time plus watermelon and grapes throughout. But at the end of the day it does not compensate for everything else bad for my body that I consumed. 

It was all worth it 

Ever since I have been attempting to get my sleep pattern back to normal, my exercise routine back to normal and my eating much healthier. I have felt lethargic and constantly hungry since though, so it is proving a challenge at the moment.
I will get there, today was a pretty good day for the cause so it will not take long. But it is crazy how four days can mess up your system. 

We had a lot of late nights 

I can also see it in my skin and hair. Both look dull and my skin is quite bad at the moment. It is due to the amount of sugar I took on board. My next step is to try and cut out sugar completely - bar the odd block of dark chocolate. We have to have some luxuries.