"Lifestyle Change"

I'm on a "lifestyle change"... BLEURGH I hate that term!!  It makes me think of clean eating and green smoothies and detoxes.  It makes me think of fads and only being healthy because now it is fashionable.  However I do like the fact that it is "cooler" now to go on a lifestyle change rather than a diet so I won't be too mean.

It is a joke between my husband and I that I am now on a lifestyle change however to be completely honest it is more that my life has changed.  I mean I still love all the foods that you shouldn't and I still have days where I eat them, but I think that's ok.

The reason I have always hated diets is that you diet and diet and diet and lose all the weight you want to.  But then you come off the diet and you eat even more unhealthy than before and often you put all the weight back on (if not more).  Diets were "easy" in that they tell you exactly what to and not to eat which is the part I have always wanted, however the diet plans are hardly ever able to be continued over a long period of time.  I love structure in my life and I am a creature of habit so I wanted to find a "meal plan" that I could eat every day that was convenient with my life and budget and that I actually enjoyed.  This menu is something I have developed overtime and adjustments have been made where needed to fit it into my life.

I have also included below the way I have made exercise a simple addition to my everyday life.

My Meal Plan:

Breakfast

Small tub of fruit yoghurt

2/3 of a cup of cereal (Just Right, Uncle Toby's Plus, etc.)

I put the yogurt on top of the cereal instead of milk.  It doesn't go soggy and tastes DELICIOUS!

Lunch

Colder Months

6 Vita Wheat crackers

2 slices of tasty cheese

1 Musli Bar

I put the cheese on the crackers and then eat my musli bar afterward as my desert.

Warmer Months

Cucumber

Nectarine or Peach or Mango, etc

I chop the cucumber up into soldiers and my fruit of choice into wedges.  This meal is only eaten really in summer as that's when the fruit above is in season and I also find on hot days my appetite is smaller.

 Tea/Dinner

For tea I am much more relaxed as it is just my husband and I.  We generally will have some sort of meat or casserole-type-dish with potatoes and salad or vegetables.  Sometimes we have homemade pizzas too.  Pretty basic though as we get home late and are usually just wanting something quick and easy :)

Snacks/Drinks

I don't have snack during the day which I know may come as a shock but that works best for me and my lack of control.

As far as drinks go I drink 2 - 2.5 litres of water during the work day and another 0.5 - 1 litre after work.  I tend to drink a coffee when I get to work and sometimes have one at night as well but try to limit myself to two a day.

My Exercise Plan:

Instead of catching a bus from the train station I walk to work which is about 3kms and takes around 25 - 30 minutes depending how fast I walk.  I do this 5 days a week and this consistent exercise has meant I don't ever gain weight.  I may sometimes not lose weight everyday but I have not gained back any of the weight I have lost this year.

I am now one of those people in business attire wearing runners... the shame! ;)

On Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays I try to go on another 3km walk at night with my husband as those are the only nights we have free.  This is a nice time to have a talk but also work off Tea.

Surprisingly I am loving not having to think about being healthy because I know that I am.  For the first time in my life I don't feel guilty for eating food.  I am so much happier now.  I feel fitter and am finally losing the weight the right way.

The message of this post is not meant to be telling you what to eat.  I just wanted to tell you what has worked for me and how much better I am now that I have made this change.