Caroline’s feeling energised and motivated after the first week on her Reboot. But mint tea instead of wine didn’t really hit the spot
‘The first week of the Reboot is done and everything is going really well so far. In fact this first week has been a lot easier than I thought it would be. Alli, the nutritionist, had given me strict orders to cut out all sugar, caffeine, alcohol, gluten and dairy and to limit starchy food. Some of these foods will be reintroduced in four weeks and are eliminated to rule out food intolerance.
‘I was worried about not being able to have my coffees but because she told me to start cutting down last week and I was already down to one cup a day, that morning coffee was actually not so hard give up. Instead of my three cups of coffee a day I have been drinking warm lemon water and lots of herbal teas. Caffeine seems to be the biggest worry for everybody on the course to give up and some people confessed to sneaking in the odd cup of tea.
‘We were given a detailed menu for the first week, with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options. The food was really lovely! I am originally from Sweden and love my fish and seafood so the first week’s menu read like a dream: smoked mackerel, seared tuna steak, smoked salmon, sesame salmon fillets, fish cakes, prawns…
‘I loved trying out the recipes for the different dishes and yummy salads. My favourite dish of the week was probably the fish cakes, which the whole family loved. That will definitely be a recurring dish on our dinner table. Some of the dishes took a little bit longer to prepare than I normally spend in the evenings, but Alli often plans the menu so that leftovers can be used for lunch the following day which made lunches quick and easy.
I haven’t felt hungry at all this week and so far it doesn’t really feel like a diet at all. Breakfasts are substantial and definitely takes me through to lunch. We have been alternating, omelettes, berry smoothies, scrambled eggs and soya yoghurt with oats and seeds this week. The Nourish diet is based on the paleo diet so we are allowed to eat quite a bit of healthy fats, for example avocado, smoked salmon and nuts which are really satisfying foods. I have been snacking on oatcakes with peanut butter, celery sticks with hummus, almonds and blueberries.
The only thing I was tempted to skip from the menu when I read it was the soya yoghurt. It just didn’t sound very nice. Alli had been encouraging us to try all the different foods to get used to new things and to get some variation, so I did buy the soya yoghurt and to my surprise really liked it.
Apart from following he Nourish diet, I have also started training with John this week. We did two hour long sessions in my local park and he also showed me exercises to do on my own at home. I haven’t been to the gym for over a year so my muscles were really aching all of last week! John wants me to exercise pretty much every day and preferably also fit in a short session in the afternoon to increase the metabolic burn. I have managed to do some sort of exercise (swimming and running) every day but have struggled to fit in the afternoon session on most days. On the days I did fit it in my children and au pair thought I had gone mad, climbing the stairs in double steps up and down, up and down…
It feels great to be pushed with the training. I like exercise but I know I never push myself hard enough to see real results. Even after just a week I already feel fitter which is great.
Both John and Alli have been great at keeping in touch and offering support between sessions. It is definitely a huge help to have their support and to know that I can email or call with questions if I struggle.
There has of course been a few challenges as well this week. The first temptation to cheat the diet came on Thursday when my three year old daughter Mia and our au pair were baking cookies in the kitchen and the lovey smell reached my upstairs office just before my mid-afternoon snack. I stayed strong however and packed them away into the back of the cupboard.
I have found the weekdays easy to manage to stay on track as I have a set routine with work during the days. On Saturday however when I was ferrying children between activities all morning I really missed my skinny latte. That evening I had to take my husband to the airport for a five week work trip, which was quite emotional for the girls and me. Normally I would have had a glass of wine when I got home but this time a peppermint tea had to do which at that time didn’t really hit the spot.
So the results after the first week: I have lost 1.2 kilos, I have increased my muscle mass by 0.8 kilo, increased my water levels and my body fat percentage has gone down a little. I am really pleased with this week and feel really motivated both with healthy eating and exercise.
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 REBOOT week one
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