The big move!

Again, I have been a little quiet on the blog front. That is because I am in the middle of moving house. It has taken me a few days just to finish this post!

So moving and packing is exhausting, especially when you have made your current place homely as I had. We have been so busy and there has been so much to do!

I have moved in with my boyfriend, Matt. We both previously lived in flat's so we couldn't be more excited to live in a house with a garden so we can enjoy some sunshine properly! (If it comes back!)

Men are so much different to women, it took one evening to pack most of Matt's things up. It slowly took us around a week to do mine, and did I mention I live in a top floor flat complete with a spiral staircase.

Matt's stuff was moved into the new place throughout the week and mine on Saturday. It took Matt, two removal men and me to get all of my things out in a reasonable time. 

Needless to say we didn't make it to the gym or for any runs for a few days.


It also meant we had to whittle our food supplies down. If I hadn't already mentioned, I am a hoarder! A massive one, and that includes food. So I had a few frozen left over curries and loads of eggs. So tea for the last few days before moving was whatever we had. As you can see by this image, one night that meant, left over curry and scrambled eggs. Surprisingly, it was delicious and satisfying. 

My "What's left" creation

It also meant Saturday night was a take-away treat night. By the time we sat down and stopped unpacking I was way too tired to even think about cooking. We also had a few naughty treats as little sugar boosts such as Krispy Kremes and salted peanuts. If ever there was a good excuse to eat dirty this is it! The pick me up was just what we needed! I am sorry but a banana would not have cut it.

We are both just too stubborn to miss out on training although we did avoid it during the weekend, on top of being tired we just did not have the time. Moving house is like a work out in itself anyway. Between moving everything from one property to another and then re-building and unpacking everything we were exhausted. But this is such an exciting time for us and we couldn't wait to spend our first night in the new house. It has been incredible and now we miss it when we're away.

Our living room looking homely and beautiful

It is our place, which is new for us both. It has our stamp on it and we love arranging and organizing the furniture to suit us. 

But today is Monday and it is virtually complete except for some storage and reorganising, so we are back on the straight and narrow. Nutritious healthy food and a good amount of gym time. 

Protein and fat meal plans

After a week of feasting and not thinking about the food I ate, (including take-aways and chocolate bars) I felt it was time to seriously get back on track.
My healthy life style has taken a back seat and I twisted my ankle so I could not even run to rectify the bad behavior in the kitchen.
I have blogged before about having a high fat/protein and low carb diet. I am going to use the next two weeks to take this more seriously.
Here is an example eating plan.
Monday:
Breakfast - Yogurt, berries and nuts.
Lunch - Grilled chicken salad.
Dinner - Salmon and a variety of vegetables.

Tuesday:
Breakfast - Almonds and protein shake made with milk.
Lunch - Homemade soup.
Tea - Tomato coated chicken with variety of vegetables and sweet potato wedges.

Wednesday:
Breakfast - Poached egg on flat mushroom.
Lunch - Soup.
Dinner - Chicken salad.

Thursday:
Breakfast - Yogurt, berries and nuts.
Lunch - Chicken salad.
Dinner - Omelette with tinned mackerel.

Friday:
Breakfast - Scrambled egg and tinned mackerel.
Lunch - Soup
Dinner - Fish or chicken with a variety of green vegetables.

Snacks - Seeds, nuts, protein shake and small amounts of fruit.

This is the plan I followed the first week I changed my diet to be more protein and fat based. That week I instantly felt better in myself and like my body was tightening up. I have some left over Thai curry that will be a dinner in place of Wednesday's chicken salad but this is an example of a focused week.
The main foods that I eat for a protein and healthy fat enriched diet are there, including a lot of eggs, vegetables and fish. Fresh food is the way forward and this diet is the best way to incorporate it in my opinion. 

Start the week right

I am a big believer that there is no excuse for unhealthy eating.
All this, I don't have time to make a healthy lunch or a panini or meal deal is quick and easy, is rubbish.
Yes sometimes all you want is a pizza or a chicken curry, that is fine, sometimes... but on the whole you should and can eat well.
First of all, not only are there healthy choices out there if you look for them. But secondly, all you need to do is to put aside about one hour of your Sunday and you can be prepared for greatness.
I make one or two soups every weekend depending on how many I have stacked up in the freezer. 
This week I made chunky vegetable soup. I also cooked some brown rice so I had the carbs on hand for a quick dinner and roasted some butternut squash. It is a favourite vegetable of mine (they say orange veg is one of the best types) but it takes a while to cook. 

Vegetable soup, brown rice and squash, yum

The great thing about homemade soup, and I know i've probably said it before, is it is so versatile. Anything you want can be made into a soup. Most soups are veggie based so already you are getting a nutrient packed lunch and it is low calorie. Especially if you ignore the use of cream in a recipe. (It never really needs it in soup.) It is quick for lunch, heat it up in the microwave or on the hob and in three minutes you have a delicious, nutritious meal. It also freezes brilliantly, I always make a massive batch so I have some left over to freeze meaning some weeks I can mix and match.
By pre-cooking the brown rice and butternut squash it meant when I came home from a long day at work followed by a session at the gym I still ate well. So many people would see it as a reason for a take-away but it doesn't have to be. 
I mixed the rice with tinned tuna, the squash, lots of fresh veggies like spinach, broccoli, soy beans, spring onions and tomatoes. It meant I ate a hearty, healthy, filling dinner which was ready in the time it took to steam the broccoli. 
So try it yourself. A bit of preparation goes a long way. 

A weekend write off

So I have gone a few days without posting, I resigned myself to the fact that the weekend was going to be a write off. 
I have mixed emotions with myself right now. I do know though, I AM HUNGRY.
It all began when my dad, who seems to use my visits as an excuse for a take away ordered us a Chinese.
Now, what I am pleased about is, for the first time in my life I wasn't greedy with my take away. I had one serving and I didn't give myself enormous portions and I was pleasantly full rather than totally stuffed.
It didn't get much better from there though. I was persuaded to go drinking way too easily. Drinking = sugar = sugar cravings the next day.
Saturday I spent the day hungover and didn't run. That is fine, I used it as my rest day but I ate quite a lot of shit food. Although, I have to say, not as much as I have previously when hungover. (Small victory).
Sunday I was incredibly pleased with myself all day. I got up and had the best run yet, I did three miles effortlessly. We then went out for a carvery, not the best but not the worst. The thing is it was an awkward time. 4:30pm to eat? I was starving again by 9. 
All week I was at home in Yorkshire visiting family so at 8pm I set off back to Cheshire (Where I now reside) and took with me some car treats. 

Percy and his friends are not my friend

Percy bloody pigs! They look small, cute and innocent but these sweet treats are bad! You can't just have a few. The curse of Percy. Of course this quick fix sugar, as we all know ruins you.
After carting 10 bags up and down three flights of stairs to my top floor flat my blood sugar levels were so low I thought I would fall back down again. So Cheerios and noodles (not together) were my saviors. At 10pm!
Today however, was a new day and a new week. I have written out a food plan and intend to stick to it.
Whereas I am angry at myself for missing out on the gym and Zumba class (I never skip exercise on a Monday) I am comfortable in knowing that you should not force yourself to exercise if you really don't want to that day.
I have also had a very healthy eating day. I have eaten 1,200 calories (my daily goal) and they have all come from fruit and vegetables. Predominantly. 
I am dreading getting on the scales tomorrow. I can cope with 2 or 3 additional pounds, I can't expect less after the greedy week I had but anymore will break me. 
Overall I feel this week is going to be a good week, I feel positive. I CAN DO IT.