I so just did it nearly there but going the right way…

My first Eat Smart, Eat Healthy was way back in November 2018…I have covered many topics over those 29 weeks and I am so chuffed (pleased) to tell you that for the first time in about 40 years I can say I am in the 10 stone range…I am so very chuffed It has sometimes been a bit hard but I was determined that I was not going to follow a diet but eat healthily and exercise more…

Photo credit: whoaitsaimz on VisualHunt.com /  CC BY-NC-SA

Overall my loss in 29 weeks is 2st 9lb...or 16.78 kilos or 37 lbs… How have I done it? I will tell you…

Firstly I do follow intermittent fasting ( which suits me ) you can’t eat while you are asleep, can you? Haha…

For example, I try not to eat after 7pm or before 11am… I find this easy to do now it was a little hard when I first started but my tummy has now got into the swing of it and I don’t feel hungry at all…Intermittent fasting does not mean that you cannot drink you can also have a snack as long as it is less than 50 calories…

My drinks of choice are either Green Tea, Rosella Tea, Butterfly Pea Tea or ginger tea…I just swap and change them depending on how I feel or what I fancy or I may just drink plain water…I do have some Kombucha brewing so once that is ready that will be added to my list of drinks…

This post will go into more depth about intermittent fasting…No hard and fast rules you decide on the best time and days for you…

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/03/05/healthy-eating-intermittent-fasting/

If I am a little peckish about 10am then I slice up an apple and have a small sq of cheese as I don’t drink milk often and don’t take milk in drinks.

If breakfast is your thing then here are some breakfast suggestions…

Breakfasts…    https://carolcooks2.com/2018/11/13/eat-smart-eat-healthy-no-to-diets/

Between 11-12am is my first meal and I make that my main meal the reason being I can burn that of during the day …I normally have a stir fry with brown rice unless I have already cooked white rice for anyone else…

Some tasty recipes for your lunch...Make an extra portion and take it to work with you it saves impulse buying and eating…

Lunches…          https://carolcooks2.com/2018/11/20/eat-smart-eat-healthy-no-more-diets/

My evening meal will be generally chicken with a salad or vegetables however over the last couple of months I have cut down my rice consumption as my weight was stationary not going up or down so I needed that kickstart… I do occasionally eat potatoes or pasta I just prefer rice…

I am also trying to have a couple of meat-free days a week so I  either have a lentil stew or my new favourite is a mango curry spiced with Indian spices...which I eat with Indian bread or nan bread.

Mangoes are very plentiful here and everywhere you go are all types of mangoes the squirrels are also enjoying the mangoes on our tree I just haven’t been quick enough or lucky enough to catch him on film yet…haha

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 semi-ripe mangoes
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp Coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp Cumin powder
• 1 tbsp grated palm sugar
• Salt to taste

For the seasoning:

• 1 tbsp Oil(I used ghee)
• 1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
• a pinch of Fenugreek seeds ( I used fennel)
• 4-6 Curry leaves
• 2-3 cloves of Garlic, crushed or finely sliced
• 1-2 Green chillies, slit and deseeded
• 1 medium-sized Onion, sliced thinly

Let’s Cook!

The original recipe recommended washing the mangoes and cutting up leaving the skin on…The skin on my mangoes was quite marked so I removed the skin and cut up roughly.

To the mango add chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt. Mix well and let it marinate for 10 minutes.

Heat oil/ ghee in a pan on medium heat. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek (fennel)seeds to it and when it sputters, add the green chillies and curry leaves followed by garlic and sliced onions. Fry until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add the marinated mangoes and mix well. Then add about a cup of water and cook the mangoes with lid covered on a low heat for approx 5 minutes my mangoes took a little longer it depends on the ripeness of your fruit.

Add the palm sugar and cook until it thickens about 5/10 mins.

Serve hot with bread or rice…

N.B I fried some curry leaves for the top as a garnish…

If I want a snack during the afternoon or evening I eat fruit, dates, Tamarind, maybe a handful of nuts or Doritos and some salsa I may even have a muffin…Nothing is banned on my diet just eaten in moderation so if I have a muffin today then tomorrow I would be really good…

Walking is something I love so I have an early morning walk and a late afternoon walk and make sure that I do 10,000 steps at least 2/3 times a week the other days I average just over 6,000.

I also treated my self to a fit bit watch and I must admit that it keeps me focussed and my weight loss has been more consistent since I have been wearing it… I was reading an article this morning by a group of top nutritionists and one of them recommended this watch as something which can give you a focus and it keeps a record of my weight loss which is good…

Please let me know how you are doing with your healthy eating any tips you have I will add to a post and credit you…We are all in this together but please just listen to your body and what works for me may not work for you we are all individuals with different needs and my appetite as I am getting older has decreased somewhat …I just believe in cooking from scratch, cutting out or down processed foods and trying to have a meat-free day once or twice a week coupled with exercise and a good nights sleep while I fast.

I am hoping that the last 9.2 kg to get me to the weight I want to be will come off over the next 6 months or so …

Weight loss is no quick fix it is a long game and then it stays off I have had weeks where I haven’t lost s thing and then all of a sudden away it goes again I just keep on doing what I am doing…

It is also not about the fact that you ate a doughnut or half that chocolate bar it is about how often and how much of it you eat I learnt how to eat and enjoy just not too much and too often…It then becomes a pleasure and not just another doughnut you are eating …

Many of us try to simply avoid food, in an effort to lose weight and look great.  But, avoiding food is not the answer.  As most dietitians would tell you, starvation is not the best diet.  The emphasis should be on eating healthy. And in addition to eating healthy, we need to be living healthy as well… Yes…  This means, exercising and getting those calories working for you whether it is walking, running, jogging, swimming, whatever you like.  Together an active lifestyle with healthy eating is the key.

We only have one body and one brain and we need both to stay healthy …I will leave you with Sally’s post on Brain health ( she is ) the expert on that…An interesting and essential read…

Above all be thoughtful and mindful and enjoy what you eat…xxx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will on  mewe.com/i/caroltaylor3 

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all are having a great weekend and have a creative week ahead xx