Less soul food, and more real food this week! I've put on a bit more weight than I'm comfortable with over the past several years. I'm blaming the man...and pre-menopause...the vampire slayer...anyone but me really!
So I have decided that action is necessary, but I've never had a lot of luck with 'formalised' dieting. It makes me feel deprived and I don't much like that. Well, who does?
So I've invented a new approach...it's called... the tranquil townhouse subtlety diet! But I need your help...
Let me explain before you go reaching for your phone to call someone to come and take me away.  It's based on the premise (actually make that fact) that:
  1. I don't like being told what to do or when to do it...so eat this at that time while holding a strange yoga position doesn't work for me;
  2. I'm never disciplined or organised enough to have bought all the right foods, organised the fridge and safeguarded its contents from the 22 year old's non-stop eating;
  3. I've never been accused of being subtle so there's some lovely perversity in calling it the subtlety diet; and
  4. This might actually be something I can do.
So here's how it's going to work. Subtle changes to my habits...implemented from next week (it has to start on a Monday surely)...I'm thinking might include:

  • eating breakfast every morning not just the mornings when I could be bothered or am organised enough;
  • when deciding to have a biscuit with a cup of tea (which I don't do all the time, but more than I should), only one biscuit not two (yes, yes I know I shouldn't have any, but this is the subtlety diet remember);
  • for every cup of tea or coffee I drink, one large glass of water follows before I can have another tea (I only ever have one coffee a day, if that) and I know I don't drink nearly enough water;
  • the same goes for each glass of wine (and I do have at least two alcohol free days a week);
  • drinking at least one cup of green tea or peppermint tea a day (any other teas you'd recommend);
  • only one 1.25 litre bottle of diet coke per week (yes I've read all the horror stories about this drink and I have cut it out completely before but that was part of a dare)
  • walking for 30 minutes two days a week (from a current base of nil that's subtle enough to start with...and I am booked in for a free ten day trial at a gym on 1 December);
  • eat three pieces of fruit a day;
  • substitute nuts for chocolate;

  • ban myself completely from buying lollies...not subtle but absolutely necessary unless I want to become a candidate for type II diabetes...like I saw on Oprah on my day off on Wednesday; and
  • when I have rice, switch from white to brown.
Now, I know full well that this is only a small, subtle start and therefore will only give me small, subtle results, but these are changes that I feel I might be able to manage and more importantly maintain before I make other, bigger ones. 
So can you help me? I do make decent meals for myself...I know all the theory. It's just the putting into practice I have problems with.
Does anyone have any other subtle ideas? Or sledge hammer ones if you must...! 
I'm off to have breakfast with friends...I'll be the one ordering the fruit and yoghurt :)
 
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