At the end of her second week Caroline has already lost two and a half kilos! She’s even getting used to the mashed sardines dip
‘It is the end of the second week of the Reboot and I am still really enjoying it and slowly getting used to the new way of eating, and exercising pretty much every day of the week.
‘This week’s menu was again full of delicious dishes that certainly don’t feel like traditional ‘diet-food’. I have been eating tuna nicoise, pan fried cod, lemon chicken with ginger broccoli, mackerel pate and my absolute favourite of the week, chicken curry . I had never cooked an Indian curry before but this recipe was super easy and so yummy.
‘Alli has encouraged us to try as many of the different dishes on the menu as possible to get variation. This week’s ‘homework’ was to try sardines (to get a good dose of calcium) mashed with a little sherry vinegar for a snack, something that didn’t sound appetising at all but was surprisingly good. She also encouraged us to try one of the green juice recipes she had given us, so I made one with pear, spinach, ginger and berries. Again the idea of it was anything but exciting (especially as I would rather it were grape juice – you know the kind they call wine) but I actually enjoyed it. My daughter Ebba, who helped me make it refused try it though, the colour was slightly on the weird side.
‘So as you can see I have no problem eating the food Alli wants me to eat. The struggle is to not eat what she doesn’t want me to eat as well… I have had to muster up quite a lot of willpower not to eat the childrens’ left over food (one of my big downfalls before) or eat a couple of slices of cheese as I prepare their lunch boxes, which is what I normally would have done without thinking twice.
‘I have deliberately made sure I haven’t eaten out at all this week, even cancelling a networking lunch that I had scheduled in, because I haven’t felt confident enough yet to venture outside of Alli’s menu. Obviously I can’t stay in forever so next week I have booked a night out with some girlfriends.
‘I have had a busy week at work with a couple of tight deadlines which has meant working late. Normally when I get tired the first thing I reach for is carbs but I managed to avoid them and feel a lot better for it. Even after late evenings in front of the computer and the added sleep deprivation in the form of a sick child in my bed all week, I still managed to get up in the mornings to do my exercise, so I definitely think the healthy lifestyle is starting to get my energy levels up.
‘John has started to push me a lot harder this week with the training. It is amazing how quickly the body adapts, I already feel fitter and stronger and Johns aim is to mix up the training all the time so that my body never gets used to a routine. He brings his gear to my local playground (where we often bump in to mums from the school) and sets up TRX bands, skipping rope and tubes around the swings.
I had never tried the TRX before. In fact when I saw them at the gym I always thought they looked quite scary. So I was a bit hesitant when we started using them. They’re not as scary as they look (they could be mistaken for S&M gear to the uninitiated eye) but they make you work really hard using your own body weight. A couple of new exercises on the TRX have been tricky to get used to and I haven’t quite mastered the technique fully yet on the single legged squats for example. But not to worry, I have got ten more weeks…
‘I managed to do some form of training every day but one this week. However with my children taking turns being unwell with nasty colds all week it meant that I had to stay in all weekend so it was a hard to get proper sessions in then. I did do the home work out John has given me on Saturday and Sunday which involves running up and down the stairs, push ups, crunches, pelvic lifts and a bit of yoga. No one should have to undergo that kind of pain in their own home. Alas, it’s all for a good intention – me!
‘The positive about being stuck in the house all weekend was that I managed to try out making a few things from Alli’s recipes that I hadn’t had time to do before. I made the Nourish flaxseed crackers which are gorgeous with hummus or a salad. I also made granola for the breakfasts which was also lovely, and very easy to make.
‘I lost 1.3 kg this week which I am really happy with, my measurements have stayed pretty much the same though, apart from a bit on the hips. This could be down to the fact that the measuring isn’t necessarily done in exactly the same place every week, but it still feels as little disappointing. I can however feel my jeans fitting a little loser around the waist which is encouraging.
Diet A total nutritional overhaul (no less) at the hands of Alli Godbold, nutritional therapist who has worked alongside chefs Charles Amos and Alan Wichart at Divertimenti Cookery Schools in Knightsbridge and Marylebone and author of Feed Your Health (HotHive Books, £13.99)
Fitness John Orum is a sports scientist with 20 years experience training ordinary people and celebrities and was head trainer at In:Spa retreats for four years. John’s focus is on the whole person and he incorporates fitness, psychological motivation and other body work technique to bring out their best and make the changes last. Contact John at johnorum93@gmail.com
Check out Caroline’s other REBOOT diaries:
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