I don’t think I have ever been away from the blog for so long!   I have been in a bit of a funk and binged on all kinds of garbage.  I definitely shouldn’t watch GBBO as it made me crave doughnuts which I don’t even like but I had to have one or two to make sure!  I put away the chocolates and biscuits my supper party friends gave me in a high cupboard but they kept calling to me so they have now all been eaten.  Then once I get that sweet taste back I can’t seem to stop.

I can follow a restrictive diet.  I can stick to a juice fast or a low calorie diet which makes me feel great and crave plant foods.  But I can’t sustain it.  What I need to do is have a way of eating that will help me lose weight long term.

I had the pleasure of studying nutrition with Hannah Kaye who has since gone home to South Africa where she practices as a nutritionist.  You can see a bit about her on her blog Hannahkaye.  She put a comment on her Facebook this week which resonated with what I have been thinking about this week.  We are all individuals with different genetic make-ups and a diet that works well for one person may not work for another.   “Follow a lifestyle plan that’s right for you – longterm.”  So that is what I need to do, find a way of eating which provides me with the high quality nutritious food I need and enjoy and less, but some of, the other types of food I crave and feel deprived of when I can’t have them.

Besides a LOT of unhealthy and stupid eating choices this week, I have made some good choices too.  Near the office is Neal Street.Near this charming building is
Lab Organic, another one of the juice bars I have been meaning to try. I have been a bit put off by the sterile looking nature of the place as it didn’t look welcoming or at all friendly but I went inside today.I selected a green juice from their range and walked back to the office.
It was good.  Well chilled, which is how I need the green ones in particular to be and just sweet enough to make drinking it a pleasure rather than an endurance.  I will be returning. This was a delicious mango and raspberry banana ice-cream I made.  The bottom half was half a mango which I blended until smooth and then a frozen banana added and blended until smooth.  If you blend the soft fruit first, you don’t need to add any other liquid.  The top half is blended raspberry with another frozen banana blended with it. Topped with chunks of mango and pistachios.  I really like these banana ice-creams. I had some odds and ends of the tropical fruit selection left over to use up so made a smoothie with them which was wonderful.  I blended pineapple, papaya and dragonfruit.with coconut water, coconut yogurt and almond butter. It was thick and creamy and coconutty.  Absolutely delicious and super smooth.  It was like drinking a glass of coconut cream. I had lots of roast chicken left over from the weekend to use up during the week too.  One not very healthy choice was to have it in a ciabbatta roll.  Yummy though! This was a better choice, apart from the huge dollop of mayonnaise.So my focus for next week is to eat plenty of plants, fruits and veggies, lean protein, nuts, seeds and small quantities of potato and rice or other wholegrain.  Plus exercise. I definitely need to do so much more exercise.