My weight loss journey: Dealing with stressful situations

Today marks the start of week five of my clean eating lifestyle, and I would like to say that it’s been all clear sailing, but that would be lying.

The last week has been fraught with many unexpected stressful situations. As in many families, an increase in one’s stress comes unannounced. You rarely get up and think today’s going to be crap. But our family is no different to the norm. I found myself stressed to the point where I lost my focus for a short time, and by that I mean I continued to eat properly, however my water intake dropped significantly. This resulted in a fairly intense headache. I also had a night where I found myself watching a movie while eating copious amounts of raw nuts and sultanas. It wasn’t until the container was near empty that I realised I had fallen back to coping with stress as I always had by eating. Perhaps mindless eating would be an apt description. That eating where one is so engrossed in watching a movie or reading a book, and the hand just keeps loading up the mouth. At least it wasn’t a pack of Tim Tams or an entire mudcake. I honestly wouldn’t suggest anyone eat that amount of raw nuts in one sitting, if you get my drift. Anyway normally I would beat myself up for this, seeing it as a sign of failure. However this time I looked at it as a learning curve and the next morning my water intake was on track and when I have raw nuts I put a serving in a small bowl.

I noticed in the comments from last week’s blog, that some people were interested in what I ate in a day and it goes something like this:

BREAKFAST: a slice of toast lightly buttered (either wheat or wheat free) and either a poached egg , scrambled eggs, cheese and tomato, bacon and eggs, or mushrooms made by sauteing onion, garlic,mushrooms and bacon; thickened with a little milk cornflour, and finally a dash of soy sauce.

LUNCH: a fresh fruit platter with plain Greek yogurt and a handful of raw nuts, or a salad made up of a mixture of fruit and veggies with tuna or chicken. If I am out I might have a salad sandwich with cheese or a chicken and avocado sandwich. Homemade vegetable soup in winter with added protein.

DINNER:  Lean protein i.e. chicken, steak, pork, lamb or fish, with a variety of vegetables or salad. If I am still peckish, Greek yogurt with fruit or maybe homemade custard.

Morning and afternoon tea: Green tea or coffee (no sugar of course!)

Before bed, I have a warm cocoa (cocoa has no added sugar) and a gluten free, sugar free arrowroot biscuit. 

Some time ago we invested in an Tefal Actifry air cooker, it makes the best chips and baked vegetables, cooked with 3 teaspoons of olive oil. I like sweet potato.

Anyway that’s as simple as it gets. There are endless combinations of fresh fruit and vegetables with lean protein, raw nuts, pulses, rice and rice noodles. This way you’re not locked into someone else’s menu plan. The sky is your limit.

And finally, a nice chocolate biscuit recipe.

Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies

• 3 ripe bananas mashed
• 2 cups of rolled oats
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup Cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 tsp of vanilla

Method 

1. Mix the ingredients in a large bowl then let stand for 20 minutes
2. Drop teaspoons full onto an ungreased baking tray 
3. Bake for 10-12 min in a moderate oven (185 degrees)
4. Cool and enjoy

 Cheers til next week and remember it’s never too late to put yourself first. Finally a big thank you to all the people who commented on my blog and offered their support. 

Share your thoughts below.