Week 6

Apologies, this update is a little late...

Woah!

An emotional week this one and triggered by things that are out if my control. I can't help myself, I love to analyse my behaviour and this helps me get through. The quicker I can catch my emotions, the better. This is when yoga can help too. Simple breathing techniques can make all the difference. The clearer the mind, the easier it is to take control of that 'out of control' feeling you get.

Bergamot oil can help you too. It calms anxiety. A couple of drops on a tissue and inhale. Take it with you to job interviews, it will help calm your nerves.

So, only 2 weeks to go on Sarah's 8 week quit sugar plan! I feel great and definitely have more energy. My weight has plateaued this week but my clothes are looser still. Slow and steady - I like it.

I was back in the kitchen this week to make chocolate avocado mousse, coconut curry meatballs and more almond butter bark (so good).

coconut curry meatballs

almond butter bark

If you'd like to try Sarah Wilson's yummy recipes above, Click here to view more details

love my bike

We ventured out further on the bikes over the weekend and discovered another amazing track along one of our rivers. I love riding along seeing everyone with smiling faces, looking back at you with a friendly "morning!". Ahhh... the small things.

Please feel free to send me your tips, comments and recommendations - I'd love to hear from you.

HH
x

P.S. I still haven't tried fruit! Maybe next week...

Week 5

Detoxing in Winter

To keep the spirits high this week, I freshened up the room with lilies.



I like to buy them when their buds are closed so that by the following weekend, they're fully open and your house smells beautiful and fresh! For me, flowers are an easy pick-me-up.

Instead of throwing out my old sugar stock, I'll now do things like mix a tablespoon of sugar with a tablespoon of lemon juice to a vase of tepid water, to give my flowers a boost.

If it's too miserable outside to get flowers, I like to burn this:

floral blend

• 3 drops Ylang Ylang 
• 2 drops Geranium 
• 1 drop Neroli 

Yoga is another way to keep my mind and body in check and a great companion during detox. It is my regular "me" ritual, that 1 hour that I don't have to think about anything. The classes I do can be quite dynamic and great for body tone.

My appetite slowed during the week but when I did feel like a sweet treat, I'd indulge in a couple of dollops of natural yoghurt with a sprinkle of LSA, chia seeds, broken up walnuts, and shredded coconut - yum!

Next week I can introduce a little fruit. I'm not in rush though! I came across a bag of chick pea chips at an organic grocer I found during the week. I checked the label and all looked ok. Neither hubby or I could stop eating them once we'd started they were awesome (to us anyway). After the first one we weren't sure but after a couple more, we were hooked.

This had me wondering... maybe they contained something that I shouldn't be eating? That's the problem with packaged foods which turned me straight back to Sarah Wilson's 8 week plan to make my own snacks so that I know exactly what's in them (Click here to view more details). So, this weekend I purchased a raw coconut and made a chocolate coconut smoothie...



and Sarah Wilson's yummy chocolate nut balls...



I have a renewed friendship with cooking, I'm getting outdoors and exercising (in winter!) and this week I weighed in at 63.6kg (weight loss) - I'm not even dieting! I've simply stopped sugar and I feel great.

HH
x

Week 4

Time flies when you're having fun!

Dehydration was significant this week so I watered it down as much as possible. I'm sure I could have drunk more. I keep a bottle of water with me wherever I go - highly recommended!

This week was all about experimenting and maintaining my motivation levels. I made real chicken stock for the first time ever and chicken soup which was truly delicious and equally devoured by hubby.



I truly wouldn't be where I am right now without Sarah Wilson's guidance - I highly recommend the investment, it will change your life! Click here to view more details

We had friends dropping in for a quick drink while I cooked the chicken stock so prepared the following oils for my burner:

evening dinner blend

• 3 drops orange
• 2 drops lemon
• 1 drop eucalyptus
• 1 drop cinnamon

This is one of my favourite dinner party blends. It creates a fresh welcoming feel and helps keep the food odours under control.

Another of my favourite meals for the week was Sunday's cooked breakfast - poached eggs (see below) on top of buttered dark rye and avocado with a another slice of rye topped with chopped tomato and basil... washed down with a cup of chai tea



easy poached eggs

1. Half-fill large shallow frying pan with water, bring to boil.
2. Break eggs into cup, one at a time, then slide gently into pan. When all eggs are in pan, allow water to return to boil. Cover pan, turn off heat and stand about 3-4 minutes or until a light film sets over egg yolks.
3. Remove eggs, one at a time, with a slotted spoon and place spoon on absorbent paper-lined saucer to soak up the excess water.

I had a bit of trouble finding rice malt syrup to use in one of Sarah Wilson's recipes last weekend but finally found a jar of it at Coles - it was located in the health food section. Sarah's 'almond butter bark' was on my menu this weekend. So simple but soooo exquisite (without the guilt). If you're a chocolate lover and scared to quit sugar - don't be. For this and other yummy recipes and tips, check out Sarah's book - I dare you! Click here to view more details

To feed my other new addiction, I downloaded the 'track my ride' app on my iphone. To my surprise, our cycling route that we had so much fun with last weekend is 12kms long. We got up early on both Saturday and Sunday morning so, in total, clocked a total of 24kms! We're a little amazed to be honest. If you've thought about buying a bike, don't delay. Summer bike legs, here I come!

Apologies if you were expecting a weigh-in report this week. I was too! My scales have a flat battery - stay tuned!

HHx

P.S. I'm still feeling awesome by the way!

Week 3

Oooh weight loss!

Feeling fantastic and in control.  This week was the official start of detox - no sugar, not even fruit!  This was a no brainer for me because I had already stopped the fruit but everyone is different and yes, I do miss it a little but as mentioned previously, it is normally a sign that I’m thirsty so I drink water instead.

I've experienced a couple of headache days.  Assuming one was related to my menstrual cycle and the other, detox?  I'm very pleased to say that my menstrual cycle came without warning - no PMT whatsoever!  Hubby was very pleased too.

To help with the headaches, I used the following blend of essential oils:

headache blend

• 2 drops Eucalyptus/cedarwood 
• 2 drops Lavender 
• 2 drops Peppermint 

I blended the oils in a tablespoon of carrier oil and asked hubby to give me a shoulder and neck massage - worked a treat.


Speaking of hubby, he has caught on to my experiment and has stopped drinking coke, not to mention most excess sugar but he's struggling to let go of honey on cereal and sugar in coffee and tea.  I haven't pushed him at all, he has done this on his own, having realised how much sugar he was consuming daily.

We have also started taking Vital Greens on an empty stomach in the morning and I can't recommend them enough.   It has improved my internal function already and we've noticed the increased energy levels.

As mentioned earlier, I've lost weight since week 1.  I'm down to 64kgs.  Not massive, but significant enough to notice the shift in my clothes – a wonderful motivator.

We hit the track on our new bikes over the weekend.  Awake at the crack of dawn and we couldn't wait to rug up and get moving.  I didn't realise that I would become quite as addicted to cycling as I have.



It is such a great way to discover my neighbourhood and I forget that I'm exercising - how good is that!  We were gone for an hour on Sunday and would have stayed out longer if I didn't have brunch booked in with my girlfriends (I enjoyed a ham, cheese and mushroom omelette with a side of spinach – yum!)

Eating out has proven to be an easy exercise and friends and family are catching on - especially when they see how uncomplicated it has been for me.  I truly hope that the world can catch on and it becomes a phenomenon!

HH
x