12 days of goodness.

Today is the twelfth day since I cut out all sugar, caffeine, processed foods and junk.
...and I AM ALIVE! I am still pinching myself. For me, this is an incredible achievement and one that I am not so modestly proud of! I have made it through twelve days...through a forest of cravings, bad habits and peer pressure; yet still made it out alive on the other side! *Insert congratulations here*

Since deciding to take 'operation energise' up a significant notch and since this post I have been tracking every single meal with the My Diet Diary application for iPhone. I have eaten nothing but fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meat and legumes, herbal tea and wholemeal grains. Not one bit of chocolate, not one cup of coffee, not one pinch of un-natural sugar. I've also been drinking lots of water and walking daily.

Has Winter Love been hacked you ask? No... I swear this is me. Just a healthier and more energised version of me.

My energy levels have improved incredibly and I have found that I no longer crave sugar, nor do I rely on it as intensely as I once used to. Using the 'My Diet Diary' application has been an amazing motivator, as well as regular chats with my dear friend Ali. Ali has recently found that she is allergic to wheat, gluten, diary and nuts. So having someone close to me struggling with diet changes and rummaging through health food isles with has been terrific.

I am currently searching for other means of motivation to continue with this super healthy, super energy-charged, super natural, slightly boring diet. Is there anything you can suggest to keep me on track? I am also day-dreaming of a reward I can give myself for making it to the two week mark and beyond...a facial? Tattoo? New perfume? Haircut? Endless possibilities really!

What are your healthy eating motivation tips? How do you curb your own cravings? As always, please share with me!

Plenty of love...

headaches and hormones.

Remember 'Operation Energise?' (Post 1 and 2), if the answer is no it is probably because I have been so slack. I fell off the bandwagon for a while there; say two or three weeks. Blame it on love! (or lack thereof). But I'm back and back better than ever!

What has motivated me to jump back aboard? Well...

 I recently went to my G.P regarding migraines. For about three years I have suffered from a strange experience that it is incredibly scary and equally confusing. My vision starts to blur to the point of not being able to read or see facial details, my mouth and tongue go numb and my fingers tingle. My speech gets slurred and my comprehension is poor, then after all of this I get a headache. The headache isn't terrible, which is what confused me about the term 'migraine'. The entire experience lasts around two hours and occurred once every few months, but lately they have been coming every week. Hence, the visit to my lovely Doctor-Man.

I now understand a little more about the migraines; they are known as a 'complex migraine' or a 'migraine aura' and the very first and last thing the Dr told me was; Come off the contraceptive pill now and never take it again. Apparently complex migraines and the CP (contraceptive pill) do not mix at all. It is a major trigger and dangerous to be on whilst experiencing a complex migraine. So starts the elimination of synthetic hormones and the return of natural hormones.

I experience intense menstrual cramping, mood swings and temperamental skin when not taking the CP, so I need to be one step ahead of myself and manage these as naturally as possible. I also read that a poor diet can be a trigger for complex migraine. Operation Energise is becoming 'Operation healthier-in-general'!

Added to the previous changes I have made and stuck to most of the time are:

Change #1 Take a magnesium supplement to ease cramping

change #2 More calcium intake

Change #3 Cut sugar intake drastically (This one is killing me, but I am doing it. Cold turkey)

Change #4 Avoid all caffeine (this means no chocolate and herbal tea only)

Change #5 Take a supplement containing Silica for skin and increase water intake.

I have also been using this application for my iPhone which has been amazing! It makes me more aware of what I am eating if I have to record it. I have a follow up appointment with my GP in the next fortnight and am going to speak with him further about dietary changes I can make to help with both hormones and migraines. Wish me well!

Operation Energise

First week of mama being healthy (ish) has been successful! I came down with a cold mid week and to be honest, it's the best thing that could have happened! I felt rotten and my body was craving nothing but pure goodness; so I answered it with an abundance of fruit, vegetables, juice, soups and stews. A friend swears by eating raw garlic, so I mustered up the courage to give it a go. It had bite! But I think it nearly burnt all the germs away and definitely made me feel a little better. Old wives tale or not, I'd recommend giving it a go.

Change one (A better breakfast) has become a habit already, I now eat a good breakfast every morning as opposed to a sugar laden one. Change two (less black tea) is going well, although I have found I prefer herbal teas with a cold anyway. Change three (balanced tea every night) is starting to become the norm, but I have caved and just eaten something quick and small for tea before collapsing into bed a few nights. I will aim to continue improving my last meal of the day. Change four (water and iron supplements) is still amazing. Water wakes me up quickly and obviously my body was parched, the iron is still working its mineral magic!

This week I have four new changes. I am thanking the iron for giving me the energy to even be bothered making these changes. If you do one thing to improve your health, let it be a blood test to determine what you are lacking.

Change #1 No more morning naps. Even as I write this I'm still not entirely sure that its necessary and might be crossing my fingers on one hand behind my back. But, maybe that mama nap is sapping energy rather than providing it. I'll give it a trial.

Change #2 to walk every second day. I've been doing this for the past two weeks purely by coincidence and its felt really good

Change #3 Stop adding sugar to cups of tea gradually. I have tried the cold turkey thing, the shakes and mood swings aren't worth it. I am cutting back from two teaspoons to one.

Change #4 Eat more green. I rarely eat anything green, I know I should. Broccoli, lettuce, celery, spinach is on the menu.

So there, four easy changes for the next week. There will still be slip-ups and bad habits, but I am one step closer to getting healthier and one step further away from being terribly unhealthy. I am heading interstate for 3 days this week which will test my commitment, shopping is great exercise though and eating out can be healthy (ish) perhaps. Also, I am a little late to jump on board with Danielles '8 weeks to a better me' challenge, but this is on a very similar track, head over and have a look.


I will update next week with more progress and changes to make! Wish me luck! 

Mama gets healthy (ish)

 I have very bad eating habits, that became worse when I became single. Living on my own means that I eat lazily and indulge often. I hate cooking and avoid it like the plague. It is not unusual for me to sit down with a block of chocolate and a cup of tea and call it lunch. Yes, yes I can see you shaking your head in disgust. I can hear you telling me how unhealthy that is. Truth is, I know it.

I count my stars lucky that I am not overweight, need to lose weight or have any health issues. But I have one significant side effect of my laziness and pure bad habits...Energy. I am lacking more and more in energy every day. I still get by, still get things done, play with Stella and socialise. But I feel like one hell of a zombie whilst doing so. My body has started to feel really heavy and I feel as though I am dragging myself around. The yawns take over my entire face and I need a very sugary cup of tea to get me through each hour. The more tired and lethargic I get, the lazier I get with my eating, Its like a never ending cycle and I am oh, so, sick of it.

I don't have a good amount of self control and seem to go into a crazed eating frenzy if I deny myself of my favourites for even one day. So, I have decided to make some really simple, achievable, easy changes. Ones I know I can stick to. And who knows, once I start getting more energy from these changes, I may have the energy and motivation to make more!

Change #1 is to eat a better breakfast. Instead of reaching for the sugar, I am forcing myself to have a high fibre breakfast cereal with fruit and grains. Simple change.

Change #2 is to replace cups of black tea with sugar during the day with herbal tea. I still indulge in my sugary wake up call first thing of a morning, But the rest after that are either chamomile or green tea. A small but significant cut back.

Change #3 is to eat dinner every night. I usually graze on junk all through the day and come dinner time I am ready to crash into bed. I have been guilty of eating a packet of chips before bed or something equally as disgusting. Now, I am going to eat dinner. Even if it is only a cup of soup. Every night I must eat dinner.

Change #4 is to drink more water and take iron supplements. This has been the single most effective change I have made yet. Drinking more water has made me feel so much more awake and energised. The iron tablets are something that I should have kept taking after I gave birth (I was taking them during pregnancy) but it slipped my mind on top of everything else. Now that I am taking them again I feel one million times better.

I will continue to document my progress with 'operation energise' as the weeks go on, perhaps this will give me the incentive to push on with my changes knowing that you are reading them.


Wish me luck and send me all your 'eating better' vibes!