Challenging thoughts...

I found today's yoga class especially difficult but I tried not to give up. My teacher reminded us to at least try to get into a pose and then if we can't, to rest in child's pose (balasana). Some days it seems like I am more flexible but today I found almost every pose challenging and when we were instructed to go into handstand (adho mukha vrksasana) I got scared. Fear (so I hold my breath) in yoga is counter-productive and my fear is really a lack of self belief that catches me out occasionally so I think I can't do something. For the first time in ages I had thought...can I really do yoga, am I wasting my time, who am I kidding, will I ever get any better? By the time savasana (corpse pose) came along, I thought about how far I have come from when I was 100kg. Of course I can do this! I just need to believe and breathe. I walked away from that class knowing that I have to challenge myself more now and get out of a comfort zone that I have been resting in for a little too long now.

It's funny how ideas reveal themselves to you at the most opportune moments and for me, always when I'm on the toilet. I was reading a page from Skin Deep by Kevin Farrow and he quotes Shunryu Suzuki (a Japanese Roshi) who wrote a book called Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's there are few. Always keep a beginner's mind." Farrow follows this with, "Give yourself about 15 to 30 minutes a day to practice. If you don't have 15 to 30 minutes a day, try 10 to 15 minutes a day. If you can't find 10 minutes a day, you know you have no interest."

Food for thought and something which reminds me to keep an open mind and decide if I really want to do whatever it is that I am trying to do. I will only succeed if I really want to. And succeeding is not about reaching an end for me, it's about the growth, the journey and where it takes me.

Exercise Plan*

I need to go back to documenting my exercise weekly for a while, for the motivation. Now that the holiday season is over and my eating is where I want it to be, I need to get back into a routine with my yoga and general fitness as well.

SAT 27 75 min samadhi yoga (AM) DONE
SUN 28 75 min samadhi yoga (AM) DONE
MON 29 30 min yoga (AM), 60 min walk (PM) DONE
TUE 30 30 min walk (AM) DONE
WED 31 30 min walk (AM), 75 min samadhi yoga (PM) DONE
THU 1 30 min walk (AM) DONE
FRI 2 rest day

WEEK ENDING Friday 2 February
* subject to change depending on circumstance and what I feel like doing

Lululemon Manifesto

Text version...

Detox Guidelines

It's been a week now since my detox ended and I am still feeling amazing. I can't really see myself going back to eating as much processed food ever again and I hope it stays that way. I know how my old bad habits can creep back into my life though so it'll just be a matter of better planning and making conscious decisions. Planning seems to be the ultimate key for me. That and no junk food in the house.

I am also still going to continue eating my dairy and meat but in much smaller quantities. With caffeine, I don't want it back in my life. I'll have the occasional coffee with friends at a cafe but other than that, I don't need it or the nervy feeling I get from it. From someone who suffers from anxiety, this feeling of constant calm now is a blessing and of course I have my yoga practice to attribute to this as well.

Green and herbal tea on the other hand is divine! I never understood tea drinkers (without caffeine) but when it was forced upon me for those 10 days, I finally understood and there's nothing like a peppermint tea for my afternoon "pick me up". Which reminds me, I forgot to mention that while doing the detox, I never once had that afternoon slump feeling! Another reason to ditch the caffeine addiction.

Oh and eating whole foods and more fruit and vegies is cheaper!! I'm not paying for excessive packaging and I actually do eat less now but feel much more full.

Whilst going over my detox posts for a refresher on what to have for lunch and dinner tomorrow, I realised that I forgot to actually post the guidelines I was given. So here goes. I hope it's useful to not only me but anyone else interested.

Pre- Breakfast
Start the day with a glass of warm water with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, to rehydrate after sleep and stimulate the digestive system and the liver early in the day. A raw vegetable juice first thing in the morning is a rich source of vitamins, to energise and refresh you for the day ahead.

Breakfast
Simply eating a healthy breakfast in the first hour of your day will give your body the fuel it needs to help stimulate and maximise your metabolism, thus your body will burn more kilojoules throughout the day. Psyllium Husks and LSA can be added to your cereal, or taken with water. Add 1 small scoop each day.

• Psyllium Husks are a rich source of soluble fibre, which reduces hunger and relieves constipation. Frequent bowel movements are associated with a decreased risk of colon cancer. In addition, psyllium husks are effective in reducing "bad" LDL cholesterol in the blood. It is important to at least drink 2L of water daily when consuming psyllium husks!
  
  
• LSA (linseed, sunflower seeds and almonds) is a good source of essential fatty acids such as omega 3 and omega 6, which are not produced by the body and must be acquired in the diet. LSA is also a source of resistant fibre to keep you regular.

Snacks
Eating healthy mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks help keep your energy levels up and help avoid over eating later in the day. You can alternate the snacks as you wish.

Lunch
Prepare and eat dishes that are high fibre, low GI and low fat.

Dinner
It is important not to overeat at dinner time. Digesting a large meal late in the day when your body is preparing for sleep burdens the digestive system and may decrease the quality of your slumber. Consuming excess kilojoules at dinner promotes weight gain, thus the detox evening meal is satisfying but light.

Additional
You only need one animal protein (or vegetarian equivalent) dish per day.

Fluid
Drink water, 2.5L per day
Green and herbal teas
Raw vegetable juice

Optional Extras

• Flaxseed oil is very high in essential fatty acids. It can be used as a salad dressing or mixed in a smoothie. It can not be heated.
  
  
• Dandelion root coffee: as you've kissed your morning latte goodbye, you may as well start to enjoy its characteristic nutty flavour.
  

Additional Detoxifying Foods

• Liver friendly foods include: pineapple, grapefruit, lemon, pear, artichoke, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, carrot, beetroot, cucumber, bitter lettuce and chicory.
  
  
• Fresh juices in moderation are beneficial. Be aware of their high energy content if you are watching your weight. If you are new to beetroot, take it easy as excess consumption may cause nausea.

Exercise
Equally important as a nutritious and varied diet is EXERCISE! Moderate intensity exercise, 5 times a week is recommended to keep your heart healthy, weight within the healthy weight range and help avoid conditions such as type 2 diabetes. A person who is doing high intensity exercise should increase the size of their snacks and the gram-portioned amount of protein in their meals. Seek guidance from a consultant.

German Style Potato Salad

I love trying new recipes and there was one in particular that I tried for the first time at our BBQ. I think it went down a treat because I was asked for the recipe several times! It was a great accompaniment. Now added to my Recipe Index also.

GERMAN STYLE POTATO SALAD
Serves: 8
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins

INGREDIENTS

• 750g potato with skin (14 baby potatoes) *I used 1kg baby potatoes
• 100g lean middle bacon, finely chopped *I used 125g WW bacon
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp brown sugar *I used raw sugar
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp mustard (preferably powdered) *I used seeded wholegrain mustard
• 1/4 cup vinegar (preferably apple cider) *I used white wine vinegar
• 1 hard boiled egg, chopped *I forgot to add this
• 2 tbs fresh parsley, chopped *I forgot to add this too

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan (or microwave for 9-10 minutes). Add enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and allow to cool. Cut into quarters and set aside.


2. Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick frypan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan and set aside.


3. Add oil to pan and allow to heat. Add onion and cook stirring for 5 minutes, or until tender. Add sugar, fennel seeds and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Add stock and vinegar and cook for a further 2 minutes or until mostly reduced. Add potatoes, bacon and parsley and toss to combine. Spoon into bowls and top with chopped egg.

Source: Weight Watchers Australia

Good Friends

One of the best things about blogging is the people you meet, especially when you get along not only through writing but in person as well. Magic.

Skinny Latte aka Philippa came to Sydney for the weekend and stayed with us. It also happened to be the weekend I had organised an intimate BBQ for a few of my closest blog friends. Magic.

So what's Phil like? A scrag, a whore and thanks to Dietgirl and Crankybee...a wench, a mole and slapper too LOL and now Ange is partial to skank! *obviously joking*

Phil is quite possibly one of the most beautiful people I have ever met both inside and out, online and offline!

If you want to read what we got up to, go check out Phil's blog. We pretty much did everything together over the couple of days and she has written such a beautiful account of her trip.










More photos here.

PS. (written after receiving a comment about the above...clearly, someone has issues from their own past!)

Samantha, I feel sorry for you. It's interesting that you reverted my post to jealousy. Obviously that is YOUR issue. I don't need people like you reading my blog anyway. This blog is for me and my friends and you blatantly didn't get the in-joke we had going so why bother comment really. Maybe if you actually bothered to read my entire blog, you'd know what kind of person I was. Yep...don't like it, don't read it.

The Change Has Begun

Now I used to like pizza. I had some left overs yesterday and *blergh*. My lunch wasn't as good as it could have been and come to think of it, I had baked beans from a tin for brekky because I wasn't prepared. I felt yukky in the stomach and I don't think because of the detox but pizza ALWAYS makes me feel a little stressed in the stomach and it just sits in there for hours like I just ate it. I can really notice it now.

To avoid another day of not the best food, I rushed over to the organic supermarket in Glebe after work. I now have my "gluten free"muesli and rice milk for brekky, delicious fruit from Harris Farm and some scrummy looking organic lunches/dinner by Fit Kitchen when I don't have the time to prepare and cook. It is more expensive but you don't eat as much and if anything, it makes you think more about what you buy and how you use it. Looking forward to it!

PS. Oh yes! I was so close to buying the Green & Black's Hot Chocolate yesterday because my favourite chocolate bar is their Maya Gold. I might pop back there today and buy it. They sell it in Oxfam as well.

PPS. Shauna, "essence of crack"? Bwhahaha, I like it and that must be why LOL. Yep, Maya Gold is orange-y spicy, delish!

Detox Aftermath

Okay, to start with...my brother and his girlfriend came over last night and with Dan, decided to have a pizza and beer night. You don't know how hard that was for me! The last day of my detox and I was SO over salad and had to watch them drink beer and eat pizza. What's that? I didn't have to watch? But what about the smell *drool*. I was adamant that I would eat the left overs first thing in the morning to celebrate successfully completing the detox but when I woke up, pizza was far from my mind so I went for a walk instead.

I am now ready to start eating healthy again by my own free will and remembered I CAN do it myself! How else did I get to goal in the first place. It helps if I really want to do it too.

10 Day Vegetarian Detox
Start Weight: 76.6kg
End Weight: 72.9kg
Weight Lost: 3.7kg

So how do I feel? Awesome! My skin is so much clearer, my energy levels are amazing and my hair/nails are growing so fast that I need to keep trimming them. People have said they've noticed it in my face too and Dan kindly told me last night that the bags under my eyes have reduced (or really, I cleaned off my mascara properly for once due to giving myself a gorgeous Jurlique Moor Purifying Mask LOL).

The Eat Fit Food 10-day detox plan was about ridding my body of toxins (junk food) and give me a kick start to eating healthier again which it has definitely done.

The food arrived on my doorstep every second day and it was of high quality. Everything was well picked and prepared and it ought to be for the cost.

The basic rundown of what was involved:

• organic food high in antioxidants, amino acids & phytochemicals
• no commercial pills, only natural supplements
• no alcohol, dairy or red meat & only small amounts of saturated fats
• no stimulants such as coffee, cola drinks, alcohol, tea & sugar

I actually received more food than I could eat so my fear of being left hungry was quickly dispelled. It's amazing how little you can actually survive on when not stuffing yourself blindly with junk food. I would always feel hungry even after eating burgers, chips, chocolate, coke...you get the drift. I truly believe now that all the shit in processed foods makes you crave it more. There's nothing like wholefoods, fresh, tasty and honest!

The side effects? What side effects, apart from the insane giggling and moods in the beginning but I did have my period the first week too. I think drinking so much water alleviated any headaches one is supposed to get when eliminating caffeine and I guess I don't really drink as much caffeine as I thought. I'm also not a big drinker these days (no drinking on school nights) so that was easy. I did have two 30 sec lapses of firstly wanting a coffee frappe and then a beer but I quickly got over it.

To tell you the truth, this whole food plan is pretty much how they teach you to eat in Weight Watchers. Apart from being gluten, dairy and meat free...I eat very similarly to this already when I am being good.

So now I'm feeling ALIVE again and ready to continue eating well but in saying that, I have no plans to further eliminate caffeine, dairy and meat. I think it's fine for a detox but I enjoy those foods in moderation and do see the benefits to having them in my diet as well. Being conscious of animal welfare though, I will take only what I need and not waste. Fortunately in my household, we prefer soy milk and real vegetables.

Thanks for your interest and support! I hope that by documenting the food, it helps give you ideas on what you could do yourself but in saying that, I think doing the Detox with Eat Fit Food was worth the cost in the end also. I got the results I wanted not only because I was ready for it but I didn't want to waste $600!

Wii Sports Experiment

This one's for the gamers - click here.

Detox - Day 10

WHOO last day! Aftermath post to come...

Pre- Breakfast - squeeze of lemon in glass of hot water & a organic carrot, apple and ginger juice
Breakfast - free range scrambled eggs with baby spinach, tomato & herbs ** yum but I had to scoff it down this morning
Snack - seasonal fruit salad
Lunch - curried roast pumpkin & mixed bean salad with avocado, parsley & honey mustard dressing ** definitely sick of salad and would you believe pumpkin! For the time being anyway...
Snack - nuts
Dinner - not sure yet?? It was originally fish & chips but I chose to have NO FISH in my detox
Additional - 2L water, green tea w/ jasmine, peppermint tea and a a scoop of both LSA (linseed, sunflower, almond mix) & psyllium husks in water
Exercise - 30 min yoga meditation

Detox - Day 9

Today I was just over not being able to cook my own food.

Pre- Breakfast - squeeze of lemon in glass of hot water & a organic carrot, apple and ginger juice
Breakfast - gluten free muesli with rice milk **I really like this
Snack - plum, nashi pear
Lunch - vegetable stirfry with brown rice & cashews **gag, I can't wait to be cooking what I like again
Snack - vegie sticks with hummus dip
Dinner - root vegetable salad with cashew nuts **boring so I went and had a V8 vege/fruit juice instead because it made me gag
Additional - 2L water, green tea w/ jasmine, peppermint tea and a a scoop of both LSA (linseed, sunflower, almond mix) & psyllium husks in water
Exercise - rest day

Detox - Day 8

I'm finding it really hard to keep up with blogging now that I am back at work so I will do a big review once I finish the detox. I'll still post what I ate for the next couple of days but without the commentary.

A huge thanks for all the support and emails as well. It's been really hard to reply to all the conments and if I haven't, it might be because you'll find the answers to your questions in previous posts and/or I'll address everything in the Detox Aftermath post at the end of the week.

Pre- Breakfast - squeeze of lemon in glass of hot water & a organic carrot, apple and ginger juice
Breakfast - seasonal fruit ie. strawberries, pineapple, nashi pear, rockmelon
Snack - nuts
Lunch - sweet potato cakes with side salad
Snack - red apple
Dinner - portobello mushroom with roast tomato, broccoli & aioli. ** delish!!
Additional - 2L water, green tea w/ jasmine, peppermint tea and a a scoop of both LSA (linseed, sunflower, almond mix) & psyllium husks in water
Exercise - 10 min yoga meditation, 60 min walk

Detox - Day 7

This weekend was a great one to just potter around. We cleaned up our backyard (which took all day!) for a BBQ next weekend and it's looking half decent, minus all the gigantic spiders in the crazy bougainvillea. It's amazing how quickly spiders weave their webs after you've turned your back. We didn't kill them, just "moved" them further down the back.

Now here's the daily menu and for the record, the only thing I liked today (apart from the pre-breakfast) was the muesli ball. Yep, got it again...yum!

Pre- Breakfast - squeeze of lemon in glass of hot water & a organic carrot, apple and ginger juice
Breakfast - tomato & herb homestyle baked beans ** how can one have beans without toast?
Snack - red apple & nuts
Lunch - marinated chickpea salad ** not a fan of chickpeas either (unless mashed) so I guess I'd make a hopeless vegetarian
Snack - muesli ball
Dinner - vegie hot pot with capsicum & walnut pesto ** acidic tomato overkill
Additional - 2L water, green tea w/ jasmine, peppermint tea and a a scoop of both LSA (linseed, sunflower, almond mix) & psyllium husks in water
Exercise - rest day but full day of gardening & cleaning backyard

Detox - Day 6

Madam here went and got her hair shampooed, massaged, cut and styled today courtesy of Doppelganger Hair. They are "da bomb" of funky cuts in Newtown. More hair photos.

Obviously I am feeling fantastic having reached my half way goal with this detox and want to share. Lots of good energy seems to be around me right now and I am soaking it in. I do feel like a Coffee Frappe from my favourite local cafe Lou Jack's but I must resist. I'm already convinced that this whole detox thing was worth it!

Dan's got a new look too LOL :-)

Oh, oh and am I allowed to say?? The gorgeous kitten Phil is coming to visit! Definitely looking forward to it girl. I'm having a BBQ at my house on the 20th with a few of the girls and Phil happened to be coming to town that very weekend. Talk about perfect timing.

Alrighty, here's today's food....

Pre- Breakfast - squeeze of lemon in glass of hot water & a organic carrot, apple and ginger juice
Breakfast - mixed berry smoothie ** I always scoffed at people having fruit smoothies as a meal but I'm a convert
Snack - nashi pear
Lunch - spicy thai rice with free range omelette
Snack - vegie sticks with babganouj
Dinner - nicoise salad (no tuna) with lemon caper dressing
Additional - 2L water, green tea w/ jasmine, peppermint tea and a a scoop of both LSA (linseed, sunflower, almond mix) & psyllium husks in water
Exercise - 60 min walk

Detox - Day 5

Hey guys, both old and new, super thanks for all your support! I'll try to get back to all your comments and emails over the weekend. I'm off again now, very tired.

Pre- Breakfast - squeeze of lemon in glass of hot water & a organic carrot, apple and ginger juice
Breakfast - fruit salad (rockmelon, watermelon, pineapple)
Snack - nuts
Lunch - warm root vegetables with lemon, ginger honey dressing
Snack - vegie sticks & hummus
Dinner - olive crusted portobello mushroom with silverbeet & new potatoes
Additonal - 2L water, green tea w/ jasmine, peppermint tea and a a scoop of both LSA (linseed, sunflower, almond mix) & psyllium husks in water

PS. I've uploaded the entire Summer Detox Menu on my Flickr so if you want to check it out - click here. To download, click on "ALL SIZES" above the photo.

Yoga Bites

Yoga is not ONLY for the slim and slinky .... read on.

Detox - Day 4

Still going strong and feeling good. I have no regrets in doing this at all and the food is great but it's become glaringly obvious to me that I eat like this already when I am eating well (except I normally eat dairy, fish and the odd piece of meat if someone else is cooking).

The main thing was to kick-start me back into eating well and it's certainly doing that. The scales are showing a 2kg loss also, whoot!

Pre-Breakfast - squeeze of lemon in glass of hot water & a organic carrot, apple and ginger juice
Breakfast - brown rice porridge with poached pears & walnuts **very filling, nice
Snack - small red apple
Lunch - roast pumpkin & caramelized onion frittata with a side salad & balsamic vinaigrette ** never had a bad frittata, yum!
Snack - vegie sticks with beetroot dip
Dinner - marinated tofu stir fry with baby corn, snowpeas & red onion & cashews **blergh, not a fan of tofu so ate around it, this was really nice
Additonal - 2L water, green tea w/ jasmine, peppermint tea and a a scoop of both LSA (linseed, sunflower, almond mix) & psyllium husks in water
Exercise - rest day, a little too tired

More photos here.

Detox - Day 3

Alright, the joke's on me. I received fish for Wednesday night's dinner and I know I said NO FISH when specifically asked because I refuse to cook animal flesh. I also received tofu for Thursday night after requesting no tofu yesterday but I understand if my email came too late for this one to be changed. So what am I paying for?

I feel relatively good considering but I think this whole detox experience has been overshadowed by a process that should have been so simple. I'm paying for someone to give me a headache, that's what!

The menu for today:

Pre Breakfast - squeeze of lemon in glass of hot water plus an organic carrot, apple and ginger juice ** I hated this the first day but look forward to it now
Breakfast - free range scrambled eggs with baby spinach, tomato & herbs ** yummo, surprised!
Snack - muesli ball ** oh yeah, this is a keeper
Lunch - carrot, avocado & hummus salad w/ ginger miso dressing ** pretty average, didn't have the dressing
Snack - plum, nashi pear
Dinner - chilli, ginger & lemongrass barramundi w/ broccoli, yellow squash & brown rice ** didn't eat fish part of it and very much disliked the rest of the dish, couldn't pick the flavour
Additonal - 2L water, green tea w/ jasmine, peppermint tea and a a scoop of both LSA (linseed, sunflower, almond mix) & psyllium husks in water
Exercise - 60 min walk (PM)

PS. Stephen, I think the only symptoms I'm actually experiencing of the actual detox are my weird ass moods, no real headaches and I'm mucho tired. I was deliriously happy last night and was getting into fits of giggles. Not laughter, giggles. Poor Dan LOL.

PPS. Cat, thanks for saying you'd do it anyway considering the cost. It makes me feel less stoopid.

PPPS. The detox itself is awesome and I can already feel the benefits. The food is not too disimilar to the food I'd normally eat when eating well anyway so that's interesting to note. Tiredness could be from waking up up 5.30am again after holidays and trying to go to bed earlier which is hard.

The muesli ball:

Detox - Day 2

Suprisingly I woke up this morning with a spring in my step and have already lost a kilo but of course for obvious reasons like dramatic change in diet and fluid loss. I was worried about only having juice for dinner the night before but hopefully I'll like all the other meals. I just looked at the entire menu for the week and it all looks good so *fingers crossed*.

Today's menu was:

Pre Breakfast - squeeze of lemon in glass of hot water plus an organic carrot, apple and ginger juice
Breakfast - gluten free muesli and a scoop of both LSA (linseed, sunflower, almond mix) & psyllium husks w/ rice milk
Snack - nashi pear
Lunch - brown rice salad w/ broccoli, corn, cashews, mint, shallots & curried aioli **this was so unbelievably delicious!
Snack - vege sticks w/ hummus
Dinner - sweet potato salad w/ orange dressing & sliced red apple
Additonal - 2L water, green tea w/ jasmine, peppermint tea
Exercise - 30 mins yoga (AM)

So not bad for another day and I actually liked everything today. The salad for dinner was a bit boring but I'm not left hungry. I am a little tired though.

I must apologise for the lack of photos. Apart from being back at work, fitting in exercise and chill time, I've been slack with documenting everything I've been having. Here are some photos I took on Day 1. Please forgive my crap photography - click here.

I'm also over my ranting and raving. Thanks guys!

Detox and Costs

Pretty pissed off. I looked at my credit card statement today and have been charged $604.24 for this stupid detox! I told you it was expensive but not quite what I expected. Do companies have messy pricing structures on purpose to confuse you? Not impressed and a harsh lesson learnt. Bah...

Having said that, the food has been good today. It'll be interesting to see what reply I get to my email about this.

EXPLANATION
Prices went up since I was emailed the costs in August 2006. Nothing to say this on their website and/or over the phone but I will be getting a refund. They have been quick and pleasant to deal with but I wasn't because I was too fired up (yep, I feel very silly now). Stupid me should have confirmed the costs before handing over my card details. Scheisse, I'm going to make sure I get my money's worth now and stick to it religiously.

Can I say that at this point, I am also feeling quite mental. When I went to the kitchen, I wanted to throw my cup at the wall and watch/hear it break. Not very yogic like now is it. Is this what caffeine withdrawal is like? Maybe I just needed an excuse to go *rah* and release this energy.

UPDATE
Kate's "go into your room, have a scream and be a kangaroo" really works!! Tried and tested by yours truly LOL and now my cats think I'm a little whack :-)

Detox - Day 1

When I opened my front door bright and early this morning, two medium sized cooler bags were waiting for me. Should I let it in? Am I ready? Too bad if I wasn't, it was time to detox.

Start Weight: 76.6kg

Today was probably a good day to start doing this because I did experience headaches and tiredness but was it because I was back at work looking at a computer monitor all day, starting my period or simply the detox? Probably a combination of all three.

Oh and then the mental stuff. Tell me I can't have something and I didn't realise how hard this would be for me. With WW, I still "chose" the foods I wanted to eat within the guidelines but everything is planned, prepared and will be delivered every second day to me. I already miss my tea and coffee! Can't stray. This costs far too much.

Alrighty, this is what they gave me. It was all really quite nice and I was surprised that I wasn't able to finish the breakfast and lunch but when it came to dinner, it made me gag. I gave it to Dan and opted for another fruit/vegie juice instead.

Pre Breakfast - lemon to squeeze into glass of hot water plus an organic carrot, apple and ginger juice
Breakfast - baked beans
Snack - vege sticks & avocado dip
Lunch - lentil & beetroot salad
Snack - nuts
Dinner - tofu salad w/ rice noodles & tamari mirin dressing
Additional - scoop of LSA (linseed, sunflower, almond mix) with water and scoop of psyllium husks in water, daily

So am I hungry? Nope and I still managed to have enough energy to do a 30 minute yoga session and 1 hour walk with Cath. Will see how I go tomorrow.

Pre Detox Hours

So why am I doing a 10 Day Detox? Well, December was the month to just say stuff it all and I did. WW works I tell you but only if you really want it to. WW taught me how to eat well and the importance of exercise but I just gave it the v salute this past month.

The way I feel right this very moment is disgusting. I'm sick in the stomach physically, headache-y and a little stressed (obviously haven't been keeping up my yoga practice either) but not for long....

Reasons for detoxing, courtesy of "the detox company":

• constantly feel tired or lethargic
• bloated or gassy
• drink alcohol on a daily basis, or binge drink on the weekend
• work in an office
• frequently use prescription or recreational drugs
• catch more than 3 colds, viruses' or flu's in a year
• regularly drink coffee, fizzy drinks, tap water or cow's milk
• eat on a daily basis the following; sugar, sweets, chocolates, white bread, tinned or canned foods, frozen foods, microwaved foods, fried foods, meats, biscuits, cakes

My personal reasons for detoxing:

• kick start to eating better again and going vegetarian. I refuse to cook meat and because I cook more and eat out less, I need to make sure I get everything I need in my diet
• clean my insides from all the junk
  
• stop being lazy and get back in a routine
• start a more frequent yoga practice again
  
• lose 5kgs (by end of February)
  

My first delivery will be tomorrow before 7am. I've had requests for photos etc of the food so I will be documenting it when I can. I am back at work tomorrow also. I imagine it'll all be a challenge! The only thing I am not looking forward to is the caffeine withdrawal.

Gayatri Mantra

om bhur bhuvah swah
tat savitur varenyam,
bhargo devasya dhimahi;
dhiyo yonah prachodayat

The past few yoga classes I have been to, my yoga teacher has played the Gayatri Mantra by Deva Premal which touched something deep within me during savasana. Whenever I hear this track now, it reminds me of that feeling I had when I first heard it.

In yoga, I tend to have many moments where I feel like I just "get it" whether it be a thought, a posture (asana) or some kind of meaning, connection. I'm not into all that New Age palava but I do appreciate music no matter where it comes from, especially when it brings out something within me.

The Gayatri Mantra is a powerful universal mantra that has been translated (and sung) in so many different ways. Ultimately, I believe it's about enlightenment. If interested, have a listen, do some research and make up your own mind.

Heart Opening Yoga Workshop

Date: Sunday 18 Febraury 2007
Time: 10.30am - 12.30pm
Venue: Sydney (near Central Station), NSW
Cost: $30 (bring own mat)
Contact: Stella at Shiny Yoga

Honestly Weighty

Kathrynoh wrote a post today that got me thinking about honesty (on a tangent). Have I been honest? I'd like to think that I'm an honest person but I am known not to share all my thoughts for whatever reason. So I may not be dishonest but I am reserved in what I write on my blog.

For the most part, you don't need to know every private detail of what I think, feel and do but I have realised that I haven't spoken about my actual weight lately and my weight is the subject that got me blogging in the first place.

Oh...and can you tell I'm on holidays? I haven't been able to spend this much time blogging in months!

So this is it. I've been eating like a greedy pig. Plain and simple. Burgers, chips, chocolates, coke...it is actually making me feel literally sick in the stomach but I've succumbed to the bullshit I tell myself of "I can't help it, I don't know why, I will stop tomorrow" and do I, nope. There's no other reason than pure laziness so I exercise more to compensate. How stoopid is that and even contradictory!? I exercise more to eat more.

So here are the stats.

Healthy Weight Range (178cm): 79-63kg
WW Goal Weight: 75kg
Ideal Goal Weight: 70kg
Current Weight: 76.6kg

Obviously, I am in the Healthy Weight Range but being at the heavier end of the scale has not been ideal for me. I feel heavy and that could be more from all the bad eating and side effects. My clothes are also tight. I was sitting on a nice 73kg for most of 2006 and that felt great. Ideally I would like to sit on 70kg but I'm not mental about it.

So what's a few kilos? I know. Some people need to lose 60kg and I'm quibbling about a couple. I just thought I'd share this after a year of maintaining succesfully because the brain stuff still continues to mess with me but much much less these days. It's not always easy to be good so it's important for me to be able to catch myself out before the extra couple of kilos become another 10, 20, 30 extra. I need to be a little more vigilant.

Bring on the 10 day vegetarian detox! I start this coming Monday 8th January. It's hideously expensive (and I'm not entirely convinced) but I need a rude shock to wake myself up from this gluttony of late and get back on track. I'll let you know what I think of the program and if I think it was worth it. Remember, different strokes for different folks!

Interesting End 2006

What a past couple of weeks and end to 2006!

• Dan's sister gave birth to little Anthony a week before Christmas
• spent Christmas Day alone on request but actually enjoyed the "day off" from all the hype (obviously I still have immediate family problems)
  
• Dan's father was admitted into hospital on Boxing Day due to suffering from angina and he is still in there having tests, fingers crossed
  
• checked my SPAM folder on the last day of the year and found an email from a prospective employer sounding me out for a really cool job in the city...will see what comes of it
  

So in the event of all the above, we weren't in so much of a NYE celebratory mood but decided to make an appearance at an old friends place for a house party. I'm glad we did in the end but there were some waves of emotion.

• it turned out to be a booze, dance and love fest with old friends
  
• the apartment was a gorgeous warehouse conversion with rooftop access to see the fireworks
• found out my ex's best friend died in his bath tub a couple of weeks ago (sad shock!)
• got home at 5am
• and have decided, I really hate getting trashed. My head hurts and yes, I do say this every time and then I go and do it all over again. At least not as much these days

Mmm, some really good stuff and some really sad stuff there. Talk about balance: birth, death and everything in between.

I hope you all had a great start to your New Year and that you never stop learning, trying and challenging yourselves to live a better life and share it with those you love!

January Exercise*

* subject to change depending on circumstance and what I feel like doing

WEEK 1
Mon 1 - rest day
Tue 2 - 60 min walk (AM)
Wed 3 - 60 min walk (AM)
Thu 4 - 45 min yoga shakti (AM)
Fri 5 - 30 min walk (AM)

WEEK 2
Sat 6 - 50 min walk (AM)
Sun 7 - rest day
Mon 8 - 30 min yoga (AM), 60 min walk (PM)
Tue 9 - 30 min yoga (AM)
Wed 10 - 60 min walk (PM)
Thu 11 - rest day
Fri 12 - rest day

WEEK 3
Sat 13 - 60 min walk (AM)
Sun 14 - rest day, full day of backyard cleanup
Mon 15 - 10 min yoga meditation (AM), 60 min walk (PM)
Tue 16 - rest day
Wed 17 - 30 min yoga meditation (AM)
Thu 18 - 30 min walk (AM)
Fri 19 - rest day

WEEK 4
Sat 20 - 75 min samadhi yoga (AM)
Sun 21 - rest day
Mon 22 - 60 min walk (PM)
Tues 23 - rest day
Wed 24 - 50 min walk (AM)
Thu 25 - rest day
Fri 26 - 60 min walk (AM)

WEEK 5
Sat 27 - 75 min samadhi yoga (AM)
Sun 28 - 75 min samadhi yoga (AM)
Mon 29 - yoga (AM), 60 min walk (PM)
Tue 30 - yoga (AM), 60 min walk (PM)
Wed 31 - yoga (AM), 60 min walk (PM)