Mammogram Wednesday

Day 392...

And we have reached the middle of another week. I am still on my break from preschool but Simon is back working.

My day started with a couple of small jobs; loading the washing machine, updating the banking for preschool and booking in a collection slot for my grocery shopping.

Late morning saw me head off to my local hospital for my second annual mammogram. It is now two years since I underwent a lumpectomy, followed by radiotherapy, for breast cancer and part of my ongoing care is to have annual mammograms for 5 years.

I was due to have my first mammogram April 2020 but because of the pandemic it was cancelled and eventually rescheduled for June 2020. I had presumed that this year, and subsequent years, that my appointment would now all happen in June so I was pleasantly surprised to receive my appointment in April which means I am on track with where I would have been ordinarily.

Driving to my appointment was a little strange as I realised it was the furthest I'd driven on my own (and it was only 8 miles!) in such a long time.  I drove a route that I know really well through places that I have visited almost weekly for years and years and yet everywhere felt familiar but also strangely different. It's moments like this when the unseen effects of lockdown can suddenly strike you.

But the great thing was that I arrived in plenty of time. I waited until almost my appointment time (as instructed in my letter) and then ventured into the hospital. After checking in at reception I sat down in the waiting area, which was empty, another patient then arrived just after me and almost immediately I was called through. Ten minutes after my allotted appointment time I was back in the car. I can't fault the NHS at Derby Breast Unit everyone has been so lovely, so caring and have always put me at ease every time I have visited. I am so thankful for all that they have done for me over the last couple of years.

As I arrived home Simon was just breaking for lunch so with a change of shoes we set off on our lunchtime walk over the fields - another 1.85 miles in 37 minutes. We were also able to help a family who had wandered up the bridlepath near us in search of Alpacas...we are fortunate to have some Alpacas on a farm close by to us but this family were a little off course but a few directions later and we had them heading in the right direction.

My afternoon turned out to be a very relaxed and, for me, quite indulgent afternoon. I finished watching the last episode of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel which was fabulous, just as all three seasons so far have been; a highly recommended must watch from me. Plus I just love all the glamour of the era (late 1950's into early 1960's); all the dresses and the hats and the jewellery! 

I then started to watch a docu-series on Disney + called 'On Pointe' all about the School of American Ballet in New York. Now I am not a ballet fan, but this series was recommended by a fellow Disney geek so I though I would give it a try. And one episode in and I am hooked!

I then decided to spend a little time outside with a coffee or two and the sunshine. I was able to read a little more of Gary Taubes' 'The Case for Keto' as well as start a new book by Dr Jen Unwin called 'Fork in the Road' all about our food, and specifically sugar, addiction and how we can get past it. I just love learning more about how we are supposed to eat and understanding more about how we can high-jack our best intentions and what to do about getting back on track. Having eaten low carb/keto for almost seven years now I know how well this way of eating suits me and am fascinated with the science behind it and the history of how we found ourselves eating completely the wrong way.

Take care out there.
xx

Day 311

Day 321...

So today was split into two halves; the morning was work focused and then I had the afternoon off.

I worked from home this morning as I had a 'leaders and managers' online briefing to attend. An hour and a half meeting to be brought up to date on the current happenings within early years.

I was also able to get some other work completed either side of the meeting; keeping up to date with emails, a little banking, some cash flow forecasting and inadvertently the re-organising of my 'bookmarks'!

As my morning finished we ventured outside for a walk and ended up taking a longer walk than we had intended. Ordinarily on a work day we try to be out for no more than about forty minutes but today we took a different route to normal and managed just over 3 miles in an hour.

The afternoon saw me finishing off a piece of work I'd started just before lunch as I wanted to make sure I knew where I'd gotten up to. Then there was a little online shopping to complete before I grabbed a half hour or so to start on my latest book: The Case for Keto by Gary Taubes.

Back in 2014 I read another book by Mr Taubes called 'Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It' and found it fascinating and at the same time confirmed how I'd managed to lose weight a few months earlier. 

In June of 2014 I embarked on a new diet that was being run by my daughters karate teacher (see my pages 'Getting Real' and 'Eating Well, Staying Healthy') which involved looking at the proportion of fat, protein and carbohydrates that I was eating and adjusting them to his recommendations. It was very evident from what I was presented with that I had to cut back my carbohydrates in a big way going from around 230g a day to about 70g! Well suffice to say I did as was recommended and lost the weight and that's when I read 'Why We Get Fat' and learned the science behind what I had done and everything just fell into place.

Six and a half years later I have maintained my weight and still eat 'low carb high fat/keto' and have no intention of changing. I am always looking to learn more about this way of eating and those that know me know how passionate I can be about it so I can't wait to get into this book and find out more.

Our day was finished off with a little gym workout and on a very rainy evening Simon was very glad he only had to venture out as far as the garage! I stayed in the warmth and dry of the living room and watched a documentary on Disney + while I did my exercises - how civilised!!

Whatever you are doing, wherever you may be, take care.
xx

But I couldn't give up...

Oh, but I couldn't give up....

This is one of those phrases that creeps into the conversation whenever I tell people that I follow a low carb/keto way of eating.

OK, so let me make a confession - ‘My name is Jayne and I follow a low carb/keto way of life and I apologise’.

But why do I feel the need to apologise? Why is it that I’m made to feel like some sort of weirdo or freak because I don’t eat carbs?

I have friends who are vegetarians but to the world at large that’s perfectly fine.

I have friends who are vegans and again to the world at large that’s perfectly fine.

But when I say ‘sorry no potatoes for me’ I’m made to feel like there’s something wrong with me!

I can go out and about for coffee or for meals whether that be in a small local cafe, a city centre restaurant or even when visiting friends or family and there are numerous concessions made for diets. Plastered on menu boards everywhere is ‘vegetarian friendly’, ‘vegan this or that’, ‘gluten free’ or ‘lighter options’ but never anything to say ‘low carb’ or ‘keto’.

Now OK I am a big girl and actually following a low carb/keto way of life is pretty straightforward; I have no problem asking a restaurant to substitute in some extra veggies or salad instead of the potatoes or asking for cream when ordering coffee. And to be fair there is now more and more places that will have on their menus (although often hidden at the bottom somewhere) that burgers can be ‘bunless’ or that rice can be swapped for salad.

But I do still feel that what I’m asking for is considered to be a bit weird, often met with a questioning ‘so you don’t want the potatoes?’ Well that’s what I’ve just said!!

I’m really not looking for any special treatment or a special menu just an acceptance that it’s perfectly normal to not want the beige and boring carbs!

Now don’t get me wrong I am aware that we are beginning to see some companies and small businesses that are catering specifically towards the low carb market; often providing a low carb alternative to those ‘western diet’ favourites of bread and sweet things. These items are not necessarily the cheapest but at least it’s good to know that this ‘low carb thing’ is beginning to get recognised. For me personally I am a bit wary of these low carb alternatives as I’m not a lover of the artificial sweeteners that can be used but I think it’s great that options for those that want them are appearing.

At ‘Real Food Rocks’ back in July I was able to try some low carb pitta bread (Low Carb Food Company) and some low carb dark chocolate and raspberry brownies (Deliciously Guilt Free) which were both delicious. And for both of these I would personally consider them an exception to my usual way of eating. In fact if I fancy ‘a treat', something that I would not ordinarily consume, like a cookie or a piece of cake then I will allow myself to indulge. But this is only a rare occurrence and often I will find that sharing a piece of cake or just having a couple of bites is enough to satisfy any ‘craving’ I may have. A phrase we like to use in my home is ‘rare and appropriate’ (a term coined by Penn Jillette during his weight-loss); so for example when I reached the end of my radiotherapy treatment I figured it was appropriate to mark the occasion with a coffee and a nice piece of ‘full on’ cheesecake! So I had a piece of ‘proper’ cake and enjoyed it and that was that!

So let’s get back to what I started with at the top of this post...but I couldn’t give up…

I think this happens to everyone who follows a low carb/keto way of eating as soon as we begin to explain what it means we have the standard response ‘but I couldn’t give up...’ followed by one (or all!) mention of potatoes, bread, rice, pasta. Interestingly the ‘naughty’ foods of cakes or cookies are never mentioned because everyone knows that these are not good for us but the complete indignation that can be met should I dare suggest that perhaps pasta is not all that great is really rather surprising.

For those of us that have found low carb/keto and have experienced the benefits, whether that be weight loss, general health improvements, skin improvements, better mood or reversal of type 2 diabetes and more, we find ourselves wanting to spread the news. I know that I have done a lot of reading and continue to do so. Names like Gary Taubes, Gary Fettke, Tim Noakes, Dr David Unwin, Ivor Cummins, Nina Teicholz to name but a few are commonly spoken about in our house. We actively seek out new information, podcasts and websites. I absolutely love dietdoctor.com for the vast amount of information delivered in an easy to understand way along with a collection of recipes to suit everyone’s budget, tastes and cooking ability.

I find myself feeling quite passionate about this way of eating, especially knowing that the traditional diet of low fat, eat less and move more simply doesn’t work and is actually completely wrong. We have been ‘fed’ information over the past 30 years, and more, that was wrong, that was never tested as it should have been and has never been corrected despite evidence to the contrary.

So when people do ask me about losing weight, or keeping the weight off or simply ‘what is is that you eat?’ I want to tell them as much as I possibly can. But I am constantly surprised that most people seem to stumble as soon as they hear ‘no bread, no rice, no pasta, no potatoes’.

Perhaps I need to change my approach and tell them about all the lovely things they can be eating; all the cheese, meat, bacon, eggs, full fat yogurt, cream in their coffee, green veggies, some berries and my favourite extra dark chocolate!

Everyone knows that cakes, cookies and anything sugary is bad for them but what they don’t understand is that some of our food ‘staples’, and foods that we have been led to believe are ‘good for us’ are actually also full of sugar. I can’t recommend Dr. David Unwin’s infographics highly enough where he equates those staples of our diet to the amount of sugar in them, such an easy and surprising way to get the message across.

Infographic courtesy of  phc.org

I also tell people to try eating the rice, the pasta, the potatoes or the bread just on its own with no sauce or seasoning to see how bland they actually are. These are after all bland and beige and I’ve never known anything that is bland and beige be ‘good for you’!

So ditch the beige and embrace tasty, satisfying and filling foods.

Eat the right foods and your body will do the rest. There is then no need to worry about ‘how much’ or ‘how many calories’ or feeling hungry. Listen to your body, eat when you are genuinely hungry and eat foods that will leave you feeling satiated and full of energy. You will turn your body into a fat burning machine and you will never look back.

Five and a half years ago I took on a challenge to lose a bit of weight, little did I realise back then that I would be able to keep that weight off, drop 2 dress sizes and feel great. I have learnt so much since then and I just want to be able to give those who want to listen and are prepared to give something a chance all the help, advice and encouragement I can.

Taken Summer 2013 - Standard Low Fat Diet
150lbs

Taken Summer 2019 - 5 years low carb
131lbs

 Please go back and read my other blog pieces about how I discovered this way of eating and how I've managed to stick at it for five and a half years.

Eating Well, Staying Healthy
What's Wrong with Real Food?
Four Years On
Eating Healthy and Proud of it
One Year On
90 Day Challenge

Four Years On

And if any of this gives you cause to think then I urge you to just give it a try and you never know what might happen!

Four Years On...

So this time four years ago we had a bit of a party weekend as Simon and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. And as is customary with any party there was plenty of food and drink.

But on the Monday morning I started something that would change everything I thought I knew about food and diet.

Through a chance conversation with my daughter's karate instructors I took up a challenge they had developed called '90 Day Get Real Fat Loss'. The idea being that try something for 90 days, make a difference to how you look and what you weigh and then keep that change going for life.

Well four years on I am living proof that you can make a change to decades of being told to eat a certain way, that the weight and inches can be lost, that the loss can be maintained and that this new way of eating is easily sustainable.

For years, like I think most people, I'd not been happy with those numbers on the scale or what I saw looking back at me in the mirror. Now I know I wasn't obese, and I probably wasn't even classified as being overweight. Friends would tell me I looked fine, that I had nothing to worry about. But for me it obviously was something I worried about.

My mum was diabetic and so I kind of knew that she had to avoid sweet stuff but that didn't stop us having sweet stuff in the house. Before Simon and I got married and had a place of our own we would pretty much eat whatever we wanted. I knew that too many cakes, biscuits and chocolate bars weren't good for you but I was active...we would be out three nights a week at clubs dancing for hours and then we started going to the gym three, maybe even, four times a week so we were burning off that bad stuff - right?

About a year before we got married Simon's mum was diagnosed with high cholesterol and so Simon got tested in case it was hereditary and lo and behold he too had high levels. In the late 1980's this was all new to us; what did it all mean? The advice given by the doctor was to cut back on our fat and dairy intake as otherwise we were heading for heart problems and an increased risk of dying from a heart attack! With warnings like that we did as we were told. Out went the butter, the full fat milk, no more eggs and forget about cheese and fatty meats literally overnight!

So for the next 25 years or so we followed, what we were all being told to follow, a low fat diet; after all this would work for those pesky high cholesterol levels as well as my mum's diabetes. We ate pasta, rice, stuck to chicken and fish, had cereals and toast for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. We had low fat or fat free salad dressings and yogurts...in fact anything that had low fat, or fat free, on the label we probably had it in the cupboard and fridge. After all picking up a chocolate bar or dessert or biscuit with low fat blazoned across the packaging meant we could indulge with a clear conscience.

Oh how wrong we were!

So four years ago I decided to try something different. One thing I'd never done was to follow any mass marketed slimming regime...the skeptic in me always thought these were a bit of a scam and besides I really didn't fancy parting with hard earned cash to stand on a scale in a room full of people and be told whether I'd put on or lost a pound! But this 'Get Real Fat Loss' was different; it was developed by a karate instructor (Jason) who had an understanding of nutrition and was fed up of hearing the mums of the kids he was teaching moaning about weight loss and hearing the horror stories of their weight loss regimes. I saw photos of women I knew and the difference that this programme had made to their bodies. These weren't touched up, magazine, promotional photos these were genuine photos viewed on someone's phone. I think it was seeing these real life results that made me think 'what have I got to lose?'.

The great thing was that under the guidance of Jason I had to figure out what would work best for me. After recording my food for a week Jason was able to analyse what I was eating and then come up with the best ratio of fat, protein and carbohydrate that I should be consuming. Now I have spoke about this before on previous posts but suffice to say the big change I had to make was to reduce my carb intake and up my fat! I estimate that my daily carb intake back then was around the 230g mark and this had to reduce down to about 70g per day; that was a big change!

But I was all set to give this a go; I looked at what I had been eating to see where the changes had to be made - bread, pasta, rice, potatoes....OK so my first reaction was what can I have instead of these? Initially I would have a very small new potato with my salad and meat of choice or perhaps I would have literally 3 or 4 chips (fries) with my meal. When it came to rice I discovered very early on that cauliflower rice was a good substitute. But you know what? After a short while I realised that I didn't actually miss these foods and the more I thought about it the more I came to the conclusion that these were actually quite bland and were just 'fillers' on my plate.

About 60 days in I reached my 'goal' weight and by the end of the 90 days I'd lost another 7 pounds. It was the first time in my life that attempting any kind of 'diet' had produced the dramatic results that you dream of. But more importantly I was enjoying my food, enjoying the results I'd achieved and knew that I couldn't go back to my old ways.

But what about exercise I hear you say - well yes when I first started the challenge I would complete a series of body weight exercises at home, twice a day. So simple stuff like squats, lunges, press-ups and a few planks. But these did not get rid of the pounds these simply helped shape and tone what I'd got! For about the past year and a bit I've swapped daily exercise at home for visiting the gym a few times a week. This has proved to be great fun as we get to go as a family and lift heavy weights! I know that since going to the gym I have put on a few pounds but I also know that my muscle mass has increased while my measurements have remained pretty constant.

It was only after I'd reached the end of the 90 day challenge that I came across a book by Gary Taubes called 'Why we get fat and what to do about it'. I remember reading it and everything just fell into place; this book echoed everything that I had done. It gave me the science behind what I had done...I was living proof of what adopting a low carb, high fat lifestyle was all about.

So here we are four years on and we are still a low carb family (Oh yes all for one and one for all in this house!). I wouldn't change the way I eat now for anything. We eat well, we eat till we are full and we enjoy what we eat. I have a fridge full of butter, cream cheese, eggs (lots of eggs), double cream, full fat milk, greek yogurt and cheese. We eat red meat as well as chicken and fish. We have bacon for breakfast every morning! I have red wine most evenings and always a little dark chocolate - 85% is my favourite at the moment. What's not to love about all of that?!

So for some facts and figures;

At the start of my 90 day challenge I weighed 147lbs and by the end I weighed 126lbs, a loss of 21 pounds. I did lose more weight after the 90 days dropping a total of 28 pounds. Since then I think my body has found a more natural weight around 128 - 130lbs which I am quite happy with and have maintained this now for almost 2 years.

I have lost, and maintained, 2.5 inches from my waist, 3 inches from my hips and 2.75 inches from my bust.

Here come the photos - eek! These were all taken on a mobile phone and have not been altered in anyway!

June 2014

September 2014

June 2018

June 2014

September 2014

June 2018

June 2014

September 2014

June 2018

So that's me...now and then...as I've said before if I can do it, anyone can. Low carb all the way!

New Year, New Me!!

Isn't that how all blog posts etc are supposed to start this time of year - New Year, New Me!!

Lots of articles about diets, getting fit, moving more, eating better, being healthy etc, etc and how NOW is the time to do it! After all what better time to do something about your weight, or shape or fitness than the start of a new year!!  OK I hope you can detect my sarcasm as I write this because really?!!

Just because we start a new year shouldn't be the reason to create a new you! If you want to do something about your weight or how you look you should do it because the want is there not because of what time of year it is.

Now I will be the first to admit that over the festive period I have like most people indulged in foods I wouldn't normally have done, probably had a few drinks more than usual and not moved as much as I do usually. So yes the New Year, or rather the end of the holidays, is the kick start back into my usual routine.

There will be lots of 'diets' out there that will promise amazing results in amazing amounts of time or fantastic results by buying their products or sticking to a 'points' system or some other type of gimmick normally involving a 'discounted price' to entice you in. The problem with most of these 'quick fixes' are that they are just that, a quick fix, that doesn't last and the only thing that you can guarantee being any lighter is your purse! Now don't get me wrong some people will use these diets and for them it will work and it may even work long term for them but for most of us we buy in, stick to it for a while until we hit a bump in the road and we go back to square one.

Now for anyone who has read my blog over the last few years will be aware of my own success at losing weight and feeling better about myself and body shape. Have a look at my page called - 'Getting Real' where I go into detail about how I lost weight and started a new way of eating...a lifestyle change.

And I think this is key to anyone who really wants to lose the weight; it is not dieting that will help you to lose weight it is making a change to your lifestyle.

Having changed my lifestyle two and a half years ago I have not only embraced it but I continue to learn more about what I am now doing and how that affects me and my body and how the way most of us eat is doing us more harm than good. And it is a lifestyle that I found relatively easy to adopt and one that the whole family now follows. So what did I do?

Have a look at the page on this blog called 'Getting Real' as well as my post from June 2015 called 'One Year On' as both of these document my journey and how I got to where I am today.

Basically I have adopted what is often referred to as either 'low carb' or 'low carb, high fat' (LCHF) way of eating. This means cutting down on the sugars and starches - so no potatoes, breads, pasta or rice - while eating plenty of fish, meat, eggs, natural fats and veggies (those that grow above ground!).

I don't count calories - lots of studies now show that not all calories are the same; the way your body processes calories depends on where they come from! Take in sugars or carbs and your body doesn't really know what to do with them and so stores them as fat which leaves you feeling hungry...so you eat more (usually more carbs) and so the vicious circle begins. Take in fats and proteins and your body uses these for energy and actually starts burning your fat stores, you also feel satisfied when you've eaten fats and protein and so avoid the cycle of eating more when it's not needed.

The key to all this is to eat real foods and ditch the highly processed sugary rubbish that is way too easily available. Many years ago the official dietary advice to lose weight and keep your heart healthy was to eat low fat foods...the food industry obliged and provided us with a ton of low fat or fat free alternatives. The problem with removing the fat was that the food tasted pretty nasty so the food industry replaced the missing fat with sugar or sweeteners. But this meant our carb intake increased; we didn't feel 'full' so we ate more. The food industry recognised they were onto a good thing by supporting the official dietary advice and so kept on producing more and more processed low fat foods. We now find ourselves with a food industry still supporting the 'low fat advice' and not wanting to make a change because of the detrimental affect it could have to their profit margins.

The latest evidence now tells us that fat has never been our enemy, it's been sugar all along. The advice that governments followed about having a low fat diet was wrong...they simply listened to those that shouted the loudest, those scientists who, at the time, had the connections and believed their ideas to be right...unfortunately for us they were not. I urge you to read a book called 'Why We Get Fat and What to Do About it' by Gary Taubes - a fascinating and easy read which explains why we find ourselves today with the highest obesity and diabetes rates ever, despite following all the government advice to eat low fat.

So the answer is simple ditch the carbs, enjoy fats and protein and eat real food. No fads, no gimmicks, no magic powders simply good, tasty, satisfying real food. And yes you can throw some exercise into the mix as well but the exercise won't make you lose weight; it will keep you fit and will tone what you've got but it's what you put into your body that will make the biggest changes.

I have been eating this way for two and a half years. I complete a set of body weight exercises most days. I dropped from a size 12 (UK) to a size 8 (UK) and have stayed that way. Yes my weight will fluctuate every now and then but it stays pretty consistent. While changing the way you have eaten all your life can be daunting and a challenge I have found it really straight forward to stick to; there's no portion control or calorie counting it's simply finding the right food, eating it and enjoying it.

If you want to make a change, feel good about how you look and at the same time improve your health and well being then give this lifestyle a try. I did, it worked and I'm staying this way!

Please feel free to comment below, or contact me via Twitter @JaynePhipps should you want to know more.

A really good website to give you more information is www.dietdoctor.com

Eating Healthy...and Proud of it!

So there I was this morning perusing my Facebook feed, as you do, when I came across one of those 'suggested posts' and the title caught my eye! I don't even know why it caught me eye...it read 'What Jennifer Aniston Eats in a Day Will Make You Sad'. But something made me click on the link.

What I found was a blog piece wrote about an interview that Jennifer Aniston had given to 'Elle' magazine. As she is renowned for 'looking good' she was asked about what she did to keep herself looking as slim and as good as she does!

I then preceded to read the article and found myself getting rather annoyed. Jennifer Ansiton had simply explained her healthy eating plan...no gimmicks...no quick fixes...just simple healthy eating. But what annoyed me was the blog authors attitude that in some way her choice to eat healthy was 'sad', that she was somehow 'depriving' herself of something. The whole blog piece really slammed her for choosing this lifestyle, and was wrote with heavy sarcasm and an attitude that was full of criticism. How can someone's decision to make healthy food choices be treated with such disdain?

Now I am all for freedom of choice (and opinion for that matter) and as a consequence someone's choice to eat a certain way or live their life a certain way should be their choice and their choice alone. It doesn't mean you have to agree with it or follow what they are doing but the least you can do is respect their choice.

I changed my way of eating nearly two years ago; I lost nearly 2 stone in weight and dropped 2 (sometimes 3!) dress sizes. I have never felt better about my body and how I look. I still have bits of me I don't like and still worry about how I look but I know that I am in better shape than I was 2 years ago. And I am proud of what I have achieved and proud of the fact that I have made a change to my lifestyle that I have stuck to. And along the way I have helped and supported others to make changes to their lifestyles too.

So if (and when) people ask me how I've lost the weight there is no quick fix or gimmick to tell them about I'm afraid. It is simply a change to my lifestyle that involves cutting out the processed foods and eating healthy clean foods. But I have to admit I kind of dread it when people ask me because I know what their reaction is going to be most of the time. As soon as I explain what I have done people usually say 'Oh I couldn't do that' and for some reason I then feel guilty...I know...why??

So let's ask me the same question that was asked of Jennifer Aniston - what do I eat most days? Well, breakfast tends to be sausage, egg and bacon. Lunch will be a salad with either chicken, ham, cheese or tuna followed by a yogurt (as low sugar as I can find - avoid all the low fat rubbish!). Dinner will be chicken, fish or meat with a large salad or plenty of veggies. I will probably have a bowl of greek or natural yogurt with some berries and most days I will have a couple of squares of very dark chocolate. Snacks will be either nuts with some dried fruit (not a fan of nuts but getting better with them) or cheese or some dark chocolate.

I don't worry too much about the number of calories each day but try to ensure that processed foods and foods marked 'low fat/fat free' are avoided. I don't eat bread, pasta, rice or white potatoes, nor do I drink diet drinks or fruit juice. And so far it seems to be working for me!

I find myself wanting to learn more about the relationship between food and our bodies and understand the effect that food can have on us. I have come across some great books and articles and am beginning to know more about what happens when we eat certain types of foods. I am passionate about what I am learning and will explain it the best I can to anyone who is truly interested.

And that is the other key to all of this you have to want to make that change. There is no point wishing you were slimmer or weighed less or wanting to look like Jennifer Aniston unless you are prepared to do something about it. It's very easy to come up with excuses but if you want something bad enough then you will make that change. The next thing is then sticking to that change; I initially made the change for a 90 day challenge but found that after the 90 days I really didn't want to go back to my old ways. The foods that I thought I would miss I actually didn't and never have since. Now don't get me wrong I will allow myself an indulgence every now and then, but I don't let that one indulgence become licence to fall back into old ways.

But with all of this I made a choice to change what I was doing, for my own reasons. And whilst I don't expect everyone to do the same, or even like or agree with what I have done, I at least hope that people will respect me for my own choices.

If you are interested in making a change then please feel free to comment below or message me via Twitter @JaynePhipps. Also check out Gary Taubes - Why We Get Fat & What to Do About It & Dr Mark Hyman - Eat Fat Get Thin & The Blood Sugar Solution for some great reads too.