No Sugar Update

After originally stalling on my no sugar plan (see here), I have finally managed to adapt my lifestyle to no fructose and I have been (pretty much) clean for just over three weeks!

So far I can see the following benefits:

- Massive reduction in acne on my face (have had this since I was 11 years old)

- Reduction in bloating (although I still need to watch my salt intake as most sugarless foods are high in salt). 

- My moods and energy levels have stabilised and I no longer expereince the hyperactivity 

- I am not as hungry!  I just don't roam around the house grazing any more!

Now, I don't think that everyone in the world is addicted to sugar. But I know I have been. Several days ago I walked through the lolly (that's Candy for the US!) aisle at the supermarket - not trying to be cruel to myself - the wrapping paper was at the other end! I COULD SMELL THE SUGAR. It literally hit me like a wave!  I have never expereinced that before!  And yesterday someone offered me a glass of dry white wine, and all I could taste was the sweetness! It was totally undrinkable to me.  

It's been unbelievable. I am the person who can eat a block (not a bar - a block) of chocolate on my own in one sitting and not even blink!  And now just smelling it makes me feel sick! 

If you are thinking you would like to know more about giving up sugar, (specifically fructose), there are some links below. 

The I'm Not So Sure But Would Like to Start Cutting Down Info

• Keeper of the Home: Attitude towards Sugar and 21 ways to eat less sugar
• Just how much sugar are you eating? Find out here. 

There is lots more information on Keeper of the Home and Passionate Homemaking. Just search within the sites for 'sugar'.  Please note that both these websites use natural sugar substitutes and honey, as well as processed sugar substitutes like Stevia, which I am not using. I am using pure glucose powder and dextrose powder as I can not tolerate sulphides or phenylalanine. 

The I'm Ready To Go The Whole Way Info

• I read The Sweet Poison Quit Plan by David Gillespie
• You can watch more info by the same author here

If you would like more info, please comment below and I'll do my best to help you out!

Finding my space!

I just finished reading Lessons in Letting Go: Confessions of a hoarder, by Corinne Grant. I thought it was an excellent read and it made me reflect a lot on my habit of "piling not filing".


Earlier today I was revisiting Elisabeth George's Life Management for Busy Women, and I realised that getting half way was not really getting the job done.  My desk had already been 'tidied' and had gone from something like this: 

To something more like this:

I had chucked out all the rubbish but hadn't actually dealt with anything. The desk was still unusable. 


So when I got home today I decided enough was enough. I resorted all the items and made boxes:


1. Things that don't belong in this room and need to be put away (then I walked around with the box and actually put them away!)


2. Things that need to be filed (then I actually filed them!) 


3. Things that needed to be dealt with.


Then I sat down and dealt with the 'deal with' box!


Now my desk looks more like this: 

Sorry about the lack of actual photos, our camera is playing up.


Now I can actually sit at my desk to do my Bible reading in the morning and can use my desk for what its really for! 


What have you recently finished that you have been putting off?


I am linking up for Courtney's Making Your Home A Haven for the next 5 weeks. Check it out here. 

Super Easy Cheater's Sugar-Free Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

I left the generous gift of spinach that a friend gave me at their house, but still wanted to go ahead and make this!

Ingredients
2 cubes frozen spinach - reheated according to packet directions
1 small tub of smooth ricotta cheese
Cannelloni tubes to fit your small baking dish
Homemade sugar free tomato sauce (recipe to come)
Parmesan cheese

Mix the ricotta and spinach together in a small bowl
Use a small zip-lock bag with the corner cut out to make a piping bag. Fill with spinach mixture and pipe into tubes, laying them flat in your dish when each is done.
Cover with tomato sauce
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pop in over until pasta is cooked through (depends on size of dish - around 35-40 is a good guide) on 200 degrees C.

Enjoy some now, some for dinner and some in the freezer for later :)

ACTION PLAN Steps 1 and 2

Ok, I am being brave and I am putting everything out on the line! Here is step one in my ACTION PLAN.

1. Know Your Goal

Know what it is you are setting out to achieve. Write down your goals, and show them to someone else. Its important not to hide what you are trying to achieve.

SMART Goals are much more easily achieved. For more info on SMART goals download this document www.adelaide.edu.au/wpdn/mentoring_goalsetting.doc

2. Set a starting point. 

You need to know where you have come from and where you would like to be. 

Below are my stats from the 12 week fitness program I am part of. This is the initial stats. 

(I don't remember turning 27 yet. ... I think I am only 26 still... but its only a couple of weeks regardless.)

Ok, so there are steps 1 and 2. Have a go at setting your steps, share them in the comments section below or post a link to your own blog. 

Age: 27

Height: 172

Measurements	Initial	Midway	Final	Overall Loss
Body Fat %	40.6
Weight	81.9
Right Bicep	29
Left Bicep	29
Chest	102.5
Waist	94
Hips	104
Right Thigh	60
Left Thigh	58

               

Fitness Scores	Initial	Midway	Final	Overall Improvement
Step ups	86
Push Ups	8
Sit ups	1
6 min shuttle run	56
7 Phase Plank	1

Absent!

ACTION PLAN UPDATE:

I apologise for my absentness over the last week - I sprained my back and sadly blogging fell off the list of things I wanted to do!

BUT - I will be back in the next 24 hours to get back on track with our ACTION PLANS!!

Stay Tuned!!

Time for Action!

Well, Spring is here and its time for me to get serious about looking after myself. 

I've spent a year and a half being quite lazy and eating whatever I want, to my own detriment. And now its time for ACTION!!  

I have a plan for the next 12 weeks and beyond.  And I thought as a way to stay accountable to myself, I would post about it each week. I am calling it THE ACTION PLAN. 

In my Action Plan, I will be joining a local fitness transformation boot camp to loose 15kg.  I have also decided to withdraw from sugar completely (even though my one week challenge was a bit of a disaster!). So Fridays will become Fitness Friday and Saturdays will become Sugar-Free Saturday on my blog. Posting my progress will be a way of keeping myself on track - but feel free to encourage me if you like!!  he he he... Even better, you might want to join me for a 12 week ACTION PLAN of your own. 

It might be:

• Giving up a habit like eating chocolate or drinking Coke everyday
• Going for a walk or run 3 times a week
• Establishing a quiet time each day...

The list is endless and feel free to be as creative as you like!!  Leave a comment below to let us know what you are committing to for 12 weeks so we can cheer each other on! 

This week's blog plan: 

Monday: Getting started on an ACTION PLAN

Tuesday: Thanksgiving Tuesday

Wednesday: Tools of the Trade: Resources to help you with an ACTION PLAN of your own

Thursday: See my BEFORE PHOTOS!!

Friday: Fitness Friday - an update on my fitness progress

Saturday: Sugar-Free Saturday - an update on my withdrawal from fructose

So - what will your ACTION PLAN be?