DAY 26 DIARY - 8 Things I've Learned...

I’m just two days away from the end of my 28 day diary, how quickly has that gone? I will be continuing the blog with lots of StealthHealth tips, info and recipes but not posting quite so frequently (it's a lot of work posting every day!). I'll do a full wrap-up on Day 28 but I just wanted to let you know my thoughts after nearly a month of focusing on all the StealthHealth Key Concepts:

1. Eating with Awareness is the key to a better relationship with food. I feel in a really positive food mindset and I'm making food choices that make me feel good, not just physically but mentally.

2. The 80:20 rule works. If you can have the things you love to eat and drink (wine, cheese, almond croissants!) some of the time you don’t fixate on them. Cutting anything from your diet completely is unnecessary and can lead to a binge/restrict pattern which is counter-productive and can be detrimental to your health (here's a blog post I did on the subject if you are interested to know more: www.stealthhealthblog.com/post/yo-yo-dieting-it-s-back-with-a-shiny-new-name).

3. Booze does not have to be my achilles heel. I am an habitual drinker but I've managed to break the cycle and now I'm not scurrying to the fridge as soon as it hits wine o'clock! I am trying only to drink when I'm in company (that doesn't include just me and the husband!) and as a result I'm enjoying those drinks so much more.

4. Don't over-focus on weight loss. I am trying to lose some weight but it is not my main driver, first and foremost I want to eat well and feel good. I'll let you know in my wrap-up blog post how much I've lost, it may be a little it may be a lot but it is happening without me being on a diet, so in my book that's #winning.

5. It’s OK to prioritise what I want to eat. If you saw my piece yesterday talking about family meals we can end up eating stuff we don’t really want to because we have to cater to everyone’s tastes. My approach is that on some days I make healthy stuff we all like (usually fish-based) and on the days the family want mac’n’cheese I make myself a quick and easy ‘interesting’ salad (usually roast veggies with lentils and feta or a niçoise) - it’s a bit more work but my spag bol days are over!

6. There is so much healthy delicious food out there. 5-10 years ago it was virtually impossible to eat well ‘on-the-go’ but that’s not the case any longer. If you make it your business to seek out the healthy options near where you live and work and make sure to have a healthy snack in your bag in case of the munchies it really pays dividends.

7. You can still be healthy without being a bore. Every other person I meet is on this diet or that diet or obsessed with this exercise thing or going on a detox or or or …. BORING! Obviously I talk a lot about health and food matters on this blog but you have subscribed so that’s different, I’m allowed to bore you! But in all seriousness, although I’ve been doing the StealthHealth programme for nearly a month I’m pretty sure none of my friends or family will really have noticed: I’ve still gone out, I’ve still have my margaritas, we’ve had people over for dinner, I attended a cooking class where we made and ate tartiflette and steak with hollandaise sauce and we’ve had special occasions in the mix too. StealthHealth is do-able, flexible and it doesn’t impact on those around you like diets can, for example if you are eating a restrictive diet or only eating within a set time period like some fasting regimes.

8. I really like eating healthy food. By investing a bit more time in planning and preparing what I eat I appreciate it so much more. I've had some really lovely food over the last few weeks, and I've enjoyed seeking out and making new healthy recipes.

So those are my musings for the day, I’m off to see a friend for lunch and tonight the hubby and I are going out for dinner; I am really looking forward to both and I’m going to enjoy everything I eat guilt-free. Hurray!

Sam xx