Operation: Rehydration

I don't drink enough. This has been a well documented fact throughout my life. I'm renowned for leaving half finished drinks all over the place and rarely go the loo more than 3 times a day.

I was prone to water infections because of this but it had never really had a major impact on my health or life. It came more to the fore when I had my son as I physically couldn't make enough milk to breastfeed him because I didn't have enough fluid in me. I managed it for 14 weeks but had to stop as he wasn't putting on enough weight. At the time I didn't know what the problem was and it's only after researching I discovered what had happened and obviously I was very disappointed in myself as luckily it was the only problem we'd had.

As my diet has changed drastically over the last few months, I'm obviously not eating as much and therefore not getting as much of a fluid back up from my food. I only noticed the impact of this as the weather began to heat up as we headed into summer. For the last couple of weeks I've had a near permanent headache and been really lacking in energy. Then the other evening I was reaching for the salty snacks despite not actually feeling hungry.

After really listening to my body I realised it was the salt I was craving and started to research this a bit. It turns out it can mean an electrolyte imbalance due to being dehydrated as your body doesn't just need water to stay hydrated but salts and minerals as well. I also read the frequent water infections due to dehydration could lead to bladder cancer and electrolyte imbalance can lead to kidney issues!

Then the final straw came today when I had an opticians appointment. It turns out my eyes are also starting to get damaged due to being dehydrated. This is also linked to contact lense issues which we ironed out today but it made me realise I need to sort this issue out.

When I started this lifestyle change it was all about making healthier choices, mainly to lose weight, but also to have a generally healthier lifestyle. So this is now the next change I need to make to be healthier.

I've got myself some rehydration salts that you take after diarrhoea to help give me a boost and a litre water bottle I'm going to try and take everywhere with me to try and keep permanently drinking.

So wish me luck! This may well be the toughest challenge I've taken on so far as I find drinking more really hard and always have. But I'm determined to make a change so will update you how I'm getting on.

10 super easy food swaps to help you eat healthier

1. Use a low cal condiment on sandwiches instead of butter or margarine. I personally use extra low cal mayonnaise, aldi's own is the best one I've found as it's low in sugar too. Other ones might be a chutney (watch the sugar) or something like mustard.

2. Use a 50/50 bread if you can't face switching to brown bread. Watch the sugar again, Kingsmill is the lowest. This won't save you many calories but it's healthier for your body.

3. Mattesons turkey bacon is a good swap for regular bacon. It actually crisps up better than regular bacon and is about 1/4 of the calories.

4. Swap beef mince for turkey mince.

5. Instead of oil when frying, dry fry but use splashes of stock to stop your meat drying out. Water will do but stock adds more flavour.

6. Low cal mayonnaise is great in mashed potatoes instead of butter and milk.

7. When roasting veg, such as potatoes, instead of using oil, line a baking tray with baking paper. The veg won't stick to it like foil, but will still go crispy.

8. Swap rice or pasta for couscous. It's easier to cook and lower in calories. If you soak it in stock it's also really tasty.

9. Switch from low fat yoghurts (they're high in sugar) to Greek yoghurts. Again, aldi do a great Greek yoghurt which is only 70kcal a pot.

10. If you love a bit of cheese, try switching to a strong flavoured cheese, such as parmesan, but use less of it.

Recipe: Low Cal Keema Curry

Traditionally keema curry is made with lamb mince and probably yoghurt but this is a healthier version using Turkey mince. I made my own curry spice mix for this but you could probably buy a pre made one, if you do go for something mild. This is also traditionally made with peas but you could switch this for any veg. I also served this with rice but it is lovely with a baked potato. Don't forget to add on calories for accompaniments.

Serves 2-3, approx 299kcal

Ingredients

*225g lean turkey mince
*1 onion, thinly sliced
*2 carrots, grated
*1/2 cup frozen peas
*400ml stock
*1 tsp ground cumin
*1 tsp garam Masala
*1 tsp ground coriander
*1 tsp ground turmeric
*1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
*1-2 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed
*1 tbsp tomato puree

Method

*Fry fry the onions and mince in a pan until lightly browned. If required, use splashes of the stock to stop them drying out.

*Add all the spices, garlic and tomato puree and mix well.

*Add the carrot and the peas and fry for a few seconds until all mixed in.

*Add the stock and leave to simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.

10 Little things I've noticed since losing weight

I've got a bit obsessed with Buzzfeed and their lists at the moment, so thought I'd do one of my own!

1. My ring size has shrunk. I can now wear a ring that's been too small since I was a teenager whereas my 4 year old wedding ring is now loose.

2. My shoe size has shrunk. Only by about 1/2 a size but a lot of my shoes are now looser than they were.

3. Booze and medication (such as headache pills) are more effective than when I was bigger and hangovers worse.

4. I have collar bones and hip bones again and a bit of a thigh gap when sat down which I only remember ever being aware of before in high school.

5. My knees are smaller and more knobbly.

6. Trouser sizes are all over the place! I have size 10 leggings that are a bit loose but some trousers don't fit me in less than a 14. Top sizes seem pretty regular though.

7. I will always have a fat girl relationship with food.

8. There is something so comforting about eating till you're full rather than just eating till you're not hungry.

9. Towels wrap around me better and don't fall off as much.

10. My head looks more in proportion with my body rather than looking too small. I honestly believed I had an unusually small head for a while when I was bigger!

The Running Girl

When I started my weight loss & lifestyle change at the beginning of the year, I hated running. I'd never done more than the occasional sprint as a teenager and was convinced it just wasn't for me.

Then I signed up for the Race For Life in aid of Cancer Research UK for the third time. It's an event where you walk, jog or run 5k and people sponsor you to do so. I'd said at the end of the previous 2 times we'd walk it that I would run the next one, but hadn't yet. Well why not have a go this time, I thought.

I had heard about the Couch to 5k plan and local fun runs that are organised at my local park and thought these would be great to get me there. I honestly didn't know if I had it me to actually run 5k but I figured there was no harm in trying.

The couch to 5k is a 9 week plan but I managed to it in 12 due to having to repeat a few weeks. It was tough but I was very proud for having completed it.

I then started the fun runs at my local park. You sign up on their website, they send you a wrist band which is scanned when you cross the finish line, then you get a text to your phone with your time.

I did 2 of them before I ran the Race for Life which really spurred me on. On the day itself the conditions were completely different to what I'd been used to - hills instead of flat, forest instead of tracks, heat instead of cool overcast. I managed a not too shabby time of 38 mins, which I was proud of despite having done better times. I was just proud I'd managed to do it at all!

I've been really enjoying these fun runs up to now. I find I push myself so much harder in a more competitive environment. At the end of the day, I'm only really competing against myself but watching the other runners and keeping pace with them is great motivation. The pic I've included is some of my times so far. It's a bit up and down but I think there is a gradual improvement.

Some of the recent benchmarks for me have been a personal best time of 32mins 41secs and 3 weeks ago (the run before last due to a break from these particular runs) I managed to run the whole way without walking - both of which I've not been able to recreate again yet!

My current goals are to again run the whole way without stopping and to get my time closer to 30mins. I could try to progress to 10k but I'm not planning to yet for 2 reasons - 1. I need to improve my 5k and 2. I think I would get bored running for that long.

As I never thought I'd get to this point, I'll never say never as you don't know what's round the corner!

Almost there?

Sorry I've been a little neglectful lately!

It's been a good 2 months since my last update so I'm sorry I've not been writing much. By no means have I been as neglectful with my healthy lifestyle. Yep, I'm calling it that now, not a diet anymore. 

I know when I started this I didn't have a set weight lost goal but as the weight started dropping off, more people started asking me 'how much more do you have to lose?' and as I was actually losing weight this time, I did start thinking of that finish line and where to set it. I figured the target my Noom app was setting me was as good as any - 67kg or 10.5st.

Well, here we are now, 7 months since I started what was to become my life changing diet, and that goal is almost within reach. My weight loss has slowed down since the big boom at the beginning, from an average of 2lbs a week to 1lb a week. Since my last weight update in April I've lost another stone, bring my total to approximately 3st in 7 months. And that overall goal? Its only another 7lbs away.

I've set myself a few targets over my journey which I can very happily tick off now - lose a load of weight before my 30th (tick), run the 5k Race for Life (tick - in a time of 38 mins, not too shabby), drop to at least a dress size 14 (tick and then some - more on that to follow), improve my diet and reign in the amount of unhealthy food I was eating (tick), maintain an average calorie intake of 1400kcal a day (tick). 

Out of all the goals I set myself, there was one I failed to meet (sad face) and that was running while on holiday. I took my running stuff with me, was really excited about doing it, but the reality of running in a place I didn't know kind of took the shine off - I didn't really know where to go and didn't fancy running in circles around the camp. And that beach we were really close to - there was only 1 access point quite a way from our caravan, down a steep cliff to a not-the-best-quality kind of beach. But I'll be the first to admit these are probably just excuses, but for the first and only time so far, they won.

Coming back from that holiday really left me in a very strange mindset. I'd never dieted this successfully before and whenever I'd taken a 'break', by the time I'd got back into dieting again I was back to where I started, if not even worse off. So my mind couldn't really cope with having a break from a regular exercise routine. I'd managed to not go too wild with my diet and we'd been out doing a lot of sightseeing, so I hadn't been completely inactive. However when I returned from my hol, my mood was really low. I felt like I let myself down and when I finally got back into exercising, I'd be back where I started and have undone all the good work I'd done. I'd started doing a free 5k fun run in my local park and was due to do one the day after I got back from the holiday. My mind was in such a bad place though that I couldn't face it, I thought I'd embarrass myself. 

The following day I was back to Zumba and even though I was down I was still determined to at the least do this. I could do it before I even started so I could do it now, I told myself. That day was also weigh in day. I'd convinced myself to prepare for a gain as I had been a little indulgent over the holiday and not exercised. To say I was pleasantly surprised to have lost 1lb is an understatement and gave me a big reminder that I wasn't back where I started. It got me back in the right frame of mind and I noticed a big difference when I finally got back to running 2 days later. I was able to push myself further and faster and did a really great time considering it was after a day of work.

So I mentioned earlier that I had hit my target of a dress size 14 and then some. Well yeah, I'm in a size 10! I have never in my adult life wore a size 10. The smallest I have ever been is a 12. I am still really struggling to get my head around this and it is making shopping an absolute nightmare. Ideally I would try everything on but having a 2 year old makes this process difficult. So I'm guessing and probably being too generous. I'll buy size 14 trousers/jeans as I get a 'muffin top' in a 12, not thinking that they give after wear, so a few weeks later they end up loose. I'm finally accepting I'm a 10 up top and have bought a couple of things in this size that fit well, so maybe it is starting to take root now.

Luckily (and yes, I mean luckily) I don't actually have much money to buy new clothes and this led me to discover Refashionista! I'm hopefully going to amend my old wardrobe into a whole new one without having to worry about sizing at all - just make it all to fit! I've had a sewing machine since I was 21 and have only used it once or twice, so its about time that got a workout.

Well this was only supposed to be a short update but I guess I had more to tell you than I realised! I'm going to try to update little and often instead of these big binge updates which will make my blog much more readable and hopefully more fun, so please stay tuned!

My First 5K!

It took 12 weeks but I did it!

I finally finished couch to 5k! As I say above, it took 12 weeks instead of the 9 in the plan, but I got there in the end. It was a massive achievement to finally finish it and I was very proud of myself. I have to say that this plan had its frustrating moments, and if I had written it I would have added maybe 1 or 2 extra weeks to make the transition from interval to straight running smoother. Overall I found it challenging but achievable and would definitely recommend it to people who haven't ran before but would like to start. It breaks you in gently and builds your confidence so before you know it you're hitting a 20 minute run!

In the last week of the plan where you are running for 30 minutes, I was using my Noom app, which I use to track my calories, to also track the distance I was running. It turned out I that while I was now running for 30 minutes, I wasn't quite hitting the 5k mark, I was at about 4.7k including warm up walk. The couch to 5k plan only gives you timings, not distances, and I needed something a little more specific to running than Noom to help guide me to the next stage. 

I discovered the Nike Running App which will track your run, play your own music and give you updates every kilometer in your ear as to how far you have run, how long you have been running, and your average pace. I had finished the couch to 5k on the Sunday, done Zumba Monday, planned a day of rest on the Tuesday, and then my next run was the Wednesday to try out the new app.

I had no idea how I was going to do. I knew I could run for 30 minutes but at the pace I had been running, this wasn't quite 5k. I was doing the run after a day of work so I had to allow for that as well. However, I was pleasantly surprised! I managed 4.4k in 32 minutes but had an average pace of 7 minutes 30 seconds. When I set myself the challenge to run the Race for Life, I knew I could walk that in 50 minutes as that was our time the last time we did it. Therefore, I wanted to be able to run it in less that 40 minutes. According to that average pace, I was on track to do that so I was really pleased.

My regular running route has been in my local park and of a weekend I had noticed what seemed to be an organised running group, usually because I was running in the opposite direction to them! I had heard about the fun runs from various sources and thought they would be good practice for my Race for Life. I wasn't really sure I was ready but after that Wednesday run I felt more confident and decided to give it a go. I signed up using the Great Run Local website and also joined my local organizers facebook page. After I posted and people responded in a friendly way, I was all fired up and ready to go! 

I set myself the goal of running it in 35-40 minutes. Typically I couldn't set the app up right and was already off and running before it was tracking me (which is why it says 4,91k in the pic left). Once I settled into the run though I found it hard work but achievable. I tracked myself against a group just ahead of me and just focused on pacing myself. I was amazed when the app repeatedly told me my average pace was just over 6 minutes! At one point I did think I would be the last to finish as the people in front of me started to pull ahead, but a quick glance over my shoulder reassured me that whilst I was near the back, I wasn't last. 

I crossed the finish line in an official time of 33 minutes 33 seconds. I was amazed! The competitive atmosphere really made a difference to how much I pushed myself, and this was only a practice!

The Race For Life is now only 2 weeks away. My plan is to fit in at least another 2 runs this week with another fun run on Sunday, another 2 runs if possible the following week with the main event on that Sunday! My aim now is to at least maintain my time but to try and get as close to 30 minutes as I can. Wish me luck!!

If you area reading this and would like to say 'Well done!' for my achievements, I would be so grateful if you could support the cause that started the journey for me. Just a £1 donation to our Race For Life sponsorship fund would be massive 'Go On Girl!' to me and would have the added bonus of going to the very worthy cause of Cancer Research UK. You can donate securely online here or text PNKS84 £1 to 70070 from a UK mobile.

Ok, sales pitch out of the way! Other than my running, it has not been a great diet week for me. I have had a naughty eating weekend for various reasons and my running has been my only exercise this week. I haven't weighed myself yet this week but I doubt I will have lost anything. I'm staying positive though as we all have off days, I will be back on the bandwagon tomorrow and will give it another good try. I do feel those old thoughts of giving up coming back and some old habits seem to be rearing their ugly heads. It is a constant battle to keep them at bay and some weeks are easier than others. 

Recently it has been tough, ironically not helped by the fact that I am comfortable with my size at the moment. While I would like to be smaller, I'm currently the smallest I have been for many, many years and its hard to find the same drive I had at the beginning. I'm determined at the very least to not get back there so I know I won't put on all the weight again, but it is still a fight. That fat girl inside me is doing her best to take control, but right now she's not winning and hopefully she won't.