7 simple ways to kick start your weight loss journey

 It's just this second dawned on me that it's been a year (practically to the day) since I started losing weight! WOW. I've stuck at this for A WHOLE YEAR!!



Before and After 50lb weight los. What a difference a year makes!





Start Weight August 2010 188.8lbs - Goal weight 138.8lbs reached in April 2011





I have tried to lose weight before, but I haven't kept the weight off. There have been other smaller attempts over the years, but kinda half hearted, or impatient attempts and there were times when I didn't immediately get the results I wanted and gave up.

Now I've got a whole year to look back on, I want to share some of my 'getting started' tips. From my experience weight loss takes patience and commitment and the will to not give up. I threw myself into losing weight this time around and I was more determined than ever, but I understand not everyone can, or will be, so gung ho about it. Often it's the getting started bit that people get stuck on. It's getting the momentum underway. Once that's started, it's easier to keep it going.

Getting started with loss.

What can you do that doesn't seem to overwhelming? How can you get that momentum going? How can you not rush into something and be disappointed and give up? With these things in mind I've come up with a few suggestions, remembering that this is a step in the right direction and the very beginning of your weight loss journey.

Just for one week, try one of the following:

• Break your meals up. If you tend to eat once or twice a day and have really HUGE meals and fill up with rubbish, try eating smaller amounts 6-8 times a day. When we let ourselves get really hungry we are more likely to overeat to satisfy our hunger. If you eat a small amount every couple of hours, not only will you keep your metabolism ticking over nicely, mentally you know it won't be long before your next mini meal and also you won't get those huge hunger pangs.

• Join a weight loss club. Take a couple of hours out of your week to attend a local class, whether that be Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Rosemary Conley etc. That might just provide inspiration for you to get your weight loss underway and you may also benefit from meeting others who are doing the same thing, and you might even want to go back again and stick with it!

• Be a label reader.  Just for a week, get your magnifying glass out and read the small print on all the things you eat and set yourself a goal of only eating food that has 10% or less fat content in it. I once read somewhere, "If you don't eat fat, you won't be fat". Well, that makes sense! Of course we do need healthy fat to survive, but see if you can do this challenge just for one week and then see how you feel.

• Vegetable load! Whatever you have for lunch, dinner, (or even breakfast if savoury) fill half your plate with vegetables. Be really generous! You don't want a few peas shoved in a little corner, give the veg pride of place on your plate. That will help fill you up and of course give you less room for the not so great food, plus you will be soon brimming over with even more vitamins and minerals.

• Cut out the processed food. Set yourself the challenge of eating unprocessed food for a week. As someone said to me, you don't find sausages growing on trees! Eat more naturally and eat food as it comes (without the added fat, chemicals, E-numbers, preservatives etc)

• Cook for yourself. Take control in the kitchen. Ditch the ready meals, convenience food and take-aways for just 7 days. Short on time? Cook once, eat twice/thrice! It saves ££ too. Bonus!

• If you don't buy it you can't eat it! Don't bring food into the house that you know won't help your waist line and health. If you are really hungry you will find something to eat in the kitchen, but hopefully you'll have healthier alternatives to turn to. And on that note, don't go food shopping when you are hungry!  

Don't feel you are depriving yourself if you don't have junk food XY or Z. In fact you are depriving yourself if you DO have XYZ. You are depriving yourself of nutritional food and vital vitamins and minerals which your body will thank you for.

Food cravings exist and what I used to tell myself when they struck (before my taste buds changed) was that I already know what cake/crisps/food of choice, tastes like. What's new?!

Challenge yourself.....how do you know what you can achieve with weight loss if you don't try? :)

Say hello on twitter: @karenstrunks

Weight maintenance update & answering weight loss email - your weight loss choices

It's been three weeks since I reached my 50lb weight loss goal. 3 weeks? Is that all? For some reason it feels like longer!

So, three weeks into my weight loss maintenance and what do the scales say today....?

I've practically stayed the same as last week (which I didn't blog). 137.8lbs. Yay!! Looks like I'm getting the balance between eating more (than I was doing when losing weight), but not too much (so I put weight on). At least for this week!

So the little red arrow on the left (below) is the 140lb mark. I want to stay just under it at around 138lb mark (arrow on right).

I bought a new black lacey dress recently. You can't see the detail very well but it's ever so pretty!

I did a fairly big food shop today. I thought I'd share with you some of the items I bought. A couple of 'treats' like chocolate mints and a couple of desserts, some gluten free crispbread (I've still got to figure out if I am gluten/wheat intolerant). I only buy Marks & Spencer sausages as they are gluten free and 97% meat. BUT the good news is I am 99% sure I am not allergic to dairy!! I've been testing myself out on cream (a little), yoghurt and sour cream. I bought some cheese today, so will try that next (I haven't had cheese for 8 months, since I suspected I had developed a diary allergy) but so far no bad reaction to dairy!         



 

And of course, a big fruit and veg haul (mainly from the Bullring Market - so many bargains & beats supermarket prices every time!). I might not eat ALL of this in the coming week. Some things will keep well in the fridge until next week such as the oranges, lemons, chinese pears and potatoes, but I'll make a good dent in them!

When I imagined reaching my goal, I knew that when I got there I couldn't go back to my old eating habits, but it's just really sinking in now, that maintaining my new weight is going to take just as much of a commitment as losing weight has.

I can't be all free and easy with food like I was this time last year just because I'm at my goal weight.
Luckily I have accepted this new way of eating (and exercise) easily enough. As I have said many times before, my taste buds have changed, I don't have the same cravings, I am satisfied with less, (now I can just have one chocolate and leave the rest for example), I have more will power, I listen to my body more and eat instinctively. It's a whole new way, but it's all good.

And I've really enjoyed the process - bonus!

But, if I don't want to go back to square one, I'm going to have to remain aware of what I'm eating every day. Even every meal time. Every snack. All the big, and just as importantly, the small decisions I make will be the determining factor in staying at my goal weight.

I just want to mention a lady that got in touch, asking for some weight loss help. I mentioned that I was working on a blog post draft that would address her enquiry, so it's great that it was able to help someone in advance!

This lady basically asked for a kick up the bum! I obliged, in a good way I hope! She wants to lose weight, but found finding the motivation hard. I sent her my draft post by email. Here it is...

You have choices.


Choice 1. Don't lose weight! Stay as you are. I was happy when I was overweight (but I'm much happier now).


Accept the way you are. You might need to work on that, but you would be removing the pressure you are putting yourself under now to lose weight.

What's the consequence of staying as you are? How would you feel if you accepted it?


Choice 2. Lose weight and get healthy & fit.


Get curious. Challenge yourself and your body. See what happens!


Getting started is often the hardest part, but I haven't heard anyone say they regret getting started/losing weight/getting active! What's stopping you?


Imagine how you would feel if you took a step in that direction. And then you start to see the results and rewards that follow.


Why do you want to lose weight? We all have our own personal reasons/goals to doing this. Think about what yours are. Write them down & put them up where you can see them. You only need one reason.


You can't lose weight for anyone else but yourself, but once YOU have made the decision, there is nothing stopping you.


Become accountable, tell someone, make it public (blog/twitter)! Or keep your own diary. It's proven that people who write down (any) goals/dreams stand a much better chance of succeeding.


Plan HOW you are going to do it. We know what works, and there's plenty of help online about healthy choices.


Food wise, try new healthier alternatives, ditch the processed foods as much as you can. Give your taste buds a chance to change (mine have). If you don't buy it, you can't eat it! Cravings come but they go away too. And besides you know already know what cake/crisps/fatty/processed food tastes like, what's new?!


Be patient. See the 'bigger' picture and the longer term. It's taken me 9 months to get to my goal weight, but I broke down my goals all the way along. The first 7lbs, 10lbs, 14lbs etc.


Remember the benefits you will feel! More energy, sense of achievement and pride. Boost to confidence. Clothes looking and feeling better. It's all good!


Don't be a slave to the scales! Monitor weight but certainly no more than once a week. Listen to how your body feels (it will thank you for making these changes!). Take body measurements once a month & keep track. Don't be discouraged if you gain weight (I've lost count at the amount of weeks that I have gained or stayed the same over the last 9 months) The important thing is to keeping going and set your sights on your goals. Nothing and no-one stop you.

So, there are my words of wisdom! I hope they help.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me karenstrunks@hotmail.co.uk or send me a tweet!

I'VE REACHED MY GOAL!! 50LBS GONE!

WHOOOPP!! No, wait.....

WHOOOOOPPP!!!

I can hardley believe the day has finally arrived!!

And now it has....it feels SO STRANGE! I've worked hard to reach this goal (although I've enjoyed the journey a lot!), and I can hardly believe the day is here.

I've reached my 50lb weight loss goal!

1st August 2010 - 188.8lbs
29th April 2011 - 138.8lbs

3 stone 8lbs!

It's taken 9 months. Averaging 5.5lb loss per month - 1.3lbs a week.

I've kept a record every week of my weight loss, or in some weeks my weight gain!

I've made the graph below to show actually monthly weight loss. As you can see I got off to a flying start in the first two months. I guess that's because I had a lot to lose!

I spent the month of October in New York City, which is what spurred my on to lose weight - I wanted to be fitter and healthier to fully enjoy my NYC experience! November & December were fairly slow months weight loss wise. In January I started exercising and took up running - and it shows on the chart! In March I had a coupl of weekends away. April, back on track again. And here I am today, having finally reached the goal I had set my sights on!

This was my body mass index at 188.8lbs - off the charts!

Today.... I'm in a healthy weight range for my height!

Measurements

Waist     Before  44"    After 34"    Dropped 10"
Hips       Before  45"    After 38"    Dropped 7"
Thighs    Before 25"     After 21"    Dropped 4"
Arms     Before 14"     After 10"     Dropped 4"

Dress Size: Before 16/18 - After 10/12

Before and After photos!

Putting these photos together has been a strange experience. I'm not sure who I recognise more! The 'old' me or the 'new' me!

Seeing the photos side by side is a bit of a shock.

I wasn't unhappy when I was bigger. I thought I looked fine. My confidence was high. I liked myself and my curves.

I knew it wasn't healthy though.

But now...I feel SO much better. When I started losing weight, I didn't really imagine how I would feel. It's like a mental as well as physical weight has been lifted, much to my surprise.

I feel healthier, I can move around easier, I feel even happier, my confidence is even higher, I have a sense of achievement and pride in my efforts, and I do feel like my new body is rewarding me.

What next.....?

Well, I can't rest on my laurels! I've achieved my goal and now I want to keep it. So, I'm entering the 'maintenance' period.

I will put everything I've learned and the past 9 months experience to good use. I've practically overhauled my eating habits, and I'm loving the healthy way of eating. I've never felt deprived during losing weight, and I haven't found it hard work. I've actually enjoyed the whole experience!

There are some things I've been waiting to do when I got to goal, so I'm going to get these checked off...

Get new running shoes. Check. I did that a couple of weeks ago.

Photo shoot! I would love some new photos! And I need some new profile pictures for my online presence.

Clothes - I'm not going to go mad (and I don't like this seasons colours), but I would like a few new items.

Bras - Whilst I've been shrinking I've kinda made do with cheaper bras as I knew they wouldn't last very long with my changing shape. Now I want to invest in some perfect fitting ones!

Hair - I don't think I'm going to go for a big change, but I would like to at least have my hair cut and shaped.

Get some old clothes adjusted - I've kept some of my old clothes that I really love. Just a few, beautiful, quality items. Some I haven't been able to wear as they were too small, and now they are too large! So I need to take these to a seamstress to have them taken in.

Blogging subjects on this blog - Lots of my posts on this blog are weight loss related, but there are so many more subjects I want to talk about! Simply due to time, I have to select which topic to write about and of course weight loss is important to me. So, I may reduced the weight loss posts to once a fortnight, instead of weekly, just so I can squeeze in some other subjects!

If you would like to catch up on my weight loss journey since January, you can find all my weight loss related posts here.

I think I'm going to spend the rest of the day wearing the biggest smile EVER! :)

Follow me on twitter! @karenstrunks

Weekly Weight Loss Report - Week 16 - Hello 9 STONE & new friend introduction

I'm in the 9 stone range! 9 stone 13lbs. It's been a long time since I saw 9 stone. Possibly over 10 years or maybe longer!


Just broke the 140lb barrier!

This has been a lovely surprise to say the least!!

To back track to the weekend and my official weigh day which is Saturday. I weighed myself on Saturday morning and noted a 1.2lb loss. Thanks goodness I thought! If you have been following my weight loss, you will know I haven't seen a loss for about 3/4 weeks, so I was happy to finally see the scales move. Being so close to my 50lb weight loss goal, I'm kinda getting excited about when it will happen.

However, I had a manic Saturday and Sunday. Saturday started with at 5.30am alarm call for a BBC Radio Wales interview (video link) about the 4am Project, then I had to check out a wedding venue for a wedding photography booking, I fitted in some food shopping, a meeting about the 4am Project event I was organising at Birmingham Central Library, some 4am Project prep, then after grabbing about 3 hours sleep, I was up at 1am on Sunday morning for the actual event itself (which went fantastically well I'm pleased to say!). Sunday was spent attending to the 4am project in a sleep deprived but happy haze.

My point is, I didn't eat very well. I don't think I over ate too much, but I was defintely reaching for quick snacks and more processed food than normal. I thought I was bound to have put back on that 1.2lbs!

So, I broke my own only-weigh-yourself-once-a-week rule, and stepped on the scales again this morning. And what do you know? I only lost another 2lbs! Suprised, shocked, delighted!!

This means I am only ONE pound away from my 50lb weight loss goal.

Starting weight: 188.8lbs
Today's weight: 139.8lbs
Total lost: 49lbs (3 stone 7lbs)

Weight loss chart since August 2010

Of course, I might put a 1lb or two on again, I might not, but right now I'm celebrating!

I usually put a photo of my fruit and veg haul for the week up. And this is what I selected this week. Not quite the huge haul of previous weeks but I still have some fruit & veg from last week to use up.



I thought this week I would show you some of the other non fruit and veg items I bought too.



Low fat crisps, cooked slamon, fruit cake slices, sliced ham, guacamole, salsa, chicken/bacon/mayo sandwich filler and houmous.

Some of these items are more processed than others, such as the cake, crisps, ham and sandwich filler. The other items aren't so much.

Of course, I'll be eating other things this week too such as eggs, chicken, maybe pork, rice/pasta, and the odd square of chocolate, but on the whole I'll be eating 80/90% unprocessed food with 10/20% processed as I always do (except for this past weekend!).

Oh, and peanut butter! Nearly forgot that. I'll probably have a few spoonfuls of that on some rice cakes!



RUNNING

Last week I completed the most miles I have ever done in one week since taking up running at the beginning of the year. 14.57 miles!

This was split over 5 runs, the longest being 5 miles and the other were shorter runs or intervals.

Click on images to enlarge.

And today I completed 5 miles in my fastest time ever! 53 minutes and 31 seconds.

I've said before that I wasn't bothered about time, but it's actually nice to see improvements. I'm still amazed that I am getting out there and doing it. I'm pleased to report my new running shoes are doing a great job of keeping my feet blister free!

Meet my new friend!

Yep, I've gone and got myself a bike! A neighbour was selling it at a good price so I thought I would invest in it, imagining all the miles I could cover whilst taking in the scenery!

I haven't been on a bike since I was about 10 and I got off to a rather wobbly start. A neighbour who was watching the whole event said "You're cycling just like you've just had the stabilizers removed". He was right!

But....after a few minutes I kinda got the hang of it, tentatively testing the brakes, and how to turn corners. Sounds so simple right?!

I only took it on a 5 minute test run, but at least I didn't fall off. I think it's going to take a little while to build up my confidence. And strength - it was much harder work on my legs than I had imagined. However, as with my running, given practice, I'll improve.

I'd like to customise my bike (and name her!) at some point. She is blue/purple at the moment and I think she needs to be red! I'm not sure how to go about this, if it'll be easy or not. I don't want to make a mess of her either, so I'll have to do some research!

So, a rather eventful weekend all in all! :)

Just one weight loss tip today.

Don't give up.

Weekly weight loss report - week 15 - Virgin London Marathon inspired blog post

Weight wise I'm still the same weight as I was 3 weeks ago. When I stepped on the scales yesterday (Saturday is my weigh in day) I must admit to being a bit annoyed. With the scales, not myself. Or maybe it's displacement annoyance lol. Anyway, I got over that pretty quickly. I'm still doing all the right things and doing lots of exercise too. And the annoyance quickly disappeared when I tried this dress on and found it to be a perfect fit!

I bought this dress for my trip to NYC last October. It was definitely a tight fit then and I actually never wore it. When I was searching for something to wear today I pulled it out and was so pleased to see how good it looks on me now compared to when I bought it!

Weight loss wise I'm just going to keep on doing what I'm doing. Eating right and exercising.

I'm SO close to my 50lb weight loss goal, it's hard to not get a little impatient I guess, but I know it WILL happen.

These are some weight loss charts from this last month.......

From this year....A few ups and downs!

And from last August when I started trying to lose weight.

I'm getting there!

As if you could miss it, it was the Virgin London Marathon today (What happened to Flora?!). I attempted the London Marathon in 2007, and then never ran another step until this year. Now I have my running groove back!

I love watching the London Marathon on tv, and finally thought it was time to treat myself to some new running shoes.

The shoes I have been using date back to my pre marathon training days - YEARS AGO! Even though I'm pretty sure I haven't done 500 miles in them, they started to feel like they weren't as cushioned as before. Plus due to losing weight, my feet have got narrower! AND my old ones were causing blisters. It was high time I invested in myself and my running with a new pair.

I was going to wait until I had got to my goal of losing 50lbs, but inspired by watching the London marathoners, I decided that today was the day.

It's funny how a company's use of social media can be such an influencer. I found I definitely give more business to company's that are on twitter for example...well, those that are responsive anyway. Not only were Up & Running on twitter, and responsive, but they were giving me some running tips too! So a few tweets with Up & Running and I was set to go!

I spent about an hour, maybe less, in the shop with Dom who went through my gait analysis, and about 6 pairs of running shoes to find the right fit for me. And I've come home with these babies! Asics GT-2160 in Deep Purple.

You can't underestimate the importance of getting the right running shoe! I've made a video of some of the process involved, from using the treadmill and computer to analyise the fit and the gait of my foot, to trying on lots of different pairs and Dom gives some great tips along the way!

If you have been inspired by the London Marathoners today, if you only invest in one running item.....make it your running shoes!

A few new-to-running tips

• DO get fitted properly in a running shop for your running shoes.


• DO get some proper running socks.


• DON'T run in cotton socks.


• DO start with a walk/run programme.


• DON'T worry about your time


• DO carry some ID with you....just in case.


• DO schedule your runs into your week as you would anything else.


• DO build up a running base before you start sprinting!


• DON'T be afraid of hills. Much ;)


• DON'T put on too many layers


• DO wear sun screen


• DO keep hydrated


• DON'T tell yourself you can't!

I did my second 5 mile run yesterday! I had my friend Ben as my running buddy and we hit Cannon Hill Park. It was a really great run. It was also a little too hot (and I think I'm going to struggle running in the heat), and I did get blisters (in my old trainers) BUT I did feel that if it wasn't for the heat and the blisters, I could have kept going for 6 miles - which is my next goal.

Here's a map of our route.

If you click on the image, you can see all the data in a large picture.

And the GREAT news about this run is I knocked SIX MINUTES off my last 5 mile time!!

I haven't been blogging my weekly runs as I started out doing this year (time!), but I'm still doing it. I've changed things up a little and instead of doing all my runs at the same pace/distance, I've introduced hill reps and intervals. These are shorter periods of activity, but very intense compared to slower steady runs. I'm still hula hooping and I even did some stair climbing last week!

I was curious to put all the running data I have together to see how often I had run in Cannon Hill Park. This is an image of all the times I've run on a certain path in the park - quite a lot!

A brilliant running themed weekend overall! Well done to all the London Marathon runners too. Truly inspiring!

Weekly Weight Loss Report Week 12 - adjusting to changes in my body

It's been 4 weeks since I've been able to record a loss in weight. Some might say that that is slow progress, and maybe it is, however as I've said before, I keep the 'bigger' picture in mind and remember how far I have come so far.

I think with a weight loss journey that extends past the initial keenness of the first week, you have to be prepared for weight gains and for some weeks to stay the same. My weight loss has been achieved over 7 months. I remember that during December I stayed the same (or maybe even put weight on) and March has proved to be the same.

So from my experience, when you are eating healthily, sensibly and not on some extreme diet, you can't 'force' your body to lose weight when it doesn't want to! You just have to keep doing what you know works, and your body will react accordingly and lose some more weight when it's good and ready!

This weeks weight loss - 3.2lbs

Total weight loss - 46.4lb 9 (3 stone 4.4lbs)

I'm really glad I have kept this weight loss chart updated from the beginning. Since last August I've been making a note of (more or less) my weekly weight. As you can see, there have been numerous times where I have put on a few lbs, but I've never used those increases as an excuse to give up.





As you can see in the bmi chart comparisons from Feb and today, I'm inching closer to being in a healthy weight range for my height (which I think is 5ft 3").


25th Feb bmi chart

26th March bmi chart

And now I am 4.4lb away from the new weight loss goal that I set myself when I reached my 40lb goal. Another 4.4lbs and I will have achieved a total weight loss of FIFTY POUNDS!

Now I want to write a bit about body image and accepting my 'new' body.

It's a bit hard to explain, but I'll give it a try.

The rational part of my brain knows I have lost almost 50lbs. And I can 'see' when I look in the mirror that I am slimmer than before I lost weight. My old clothes tell me that too.

But let's use my clothes shopping experience of yesterday as a good example...

I had a brilliant day out with my fantastic Mum in Stratford Upon Avon. We had a wander around the clothes shops, but with this seasons colours I didn't see much I liked. BUT after some perseverance, we did find some items and in the right colour AND they were in the sale. I've been holding off buying too many new clothes (but I have needed to just so I had something to wear on my slimmer body), or spending too much money, as my weight loss journey hasn't finished and I don't want a wardrobe of ill fitting clothes to have to replace.

Anyway, we found some sale items in styles and colours I liked. I one shop, I had amassed 16 items to try on! *gulp*

My personal shopper - my Mum ;)

As we were selecting the clothes to try on, I had to remind myself and my Mum that I'm not a size 16/18 anymore, or even a size 14.

But this is where my mind is having trouble catching up with my body. The items I selected to buy size 12, or size 10, or small.

We have all seen the clothes that only come in Small, Medium or Large. I remember earlier this year when I was delighted to fit into a large! Normally vaguely labeled 'large' items would be too small for me.

And now....I'm getting in to a size Small?

Obviously, I didn't buy all of the 16 items. When I tried them on, some weren't the right style, a few were too tight (or too short!), and there was one 'medium' that although I got it on, it was too clingy.




But what I did buy were sized either a 12, 10 or small.

Small £9 in sale




size 10 £6.99 in sale



size 12. though I didn't try a size 10 on. I LOVE this dress. My Mum has named it my Elizabeth Taylor dress. (RIP Elizabeth - what an interesting life she had!) £27 not in sale

Small - £7 in sale


Small - £7 in sale


Small. Julian McDonald - £9 in sale

And of course I had to get some bling !


Hair bands

Presents from my Mum. Thanks Mum!

But I digress (distracted by shiney bling!)

Slim people wear 10's, 12's and small. Does that mean I am slim now? Y'see, this is where I'm getting a bit confuddled. The 'facts' are there, but some part of me is having trouble understanding it.

Another thing I've become aware of is my BONES! lol. Sounds strange doesn't it? Well mine have been hiding under a layer of fat for ages, and now they aren't. I've got a collar bone now, and hip bones. I can feel my rib bones now too. Again, a new feeling.

I don't think is an unusual situation to be in. I've read that when people lose a good amount of weight they still get a surprise when they look in the mirror at their 'new' body. And why wouldn't they? For the last 4-5 years, I've got very accustomed to seeing the 'old' me. And now a 'new' me is staring back! Hello 'new' me! :)

I guess I'm just going through a natural adjustment period and the longer I am this new weight, the more normal it will feel and look. Maybe it's similar to getting a new hairstyle. When you get home from the hairdressers you can't stop looking at your new hair, and for the next few days it's the same and a week later it doesn't feel so new. Like that, only with a longer acceptance period!

A bit more about what I'm eating. I was writing my food shopping list yesterday, so thought I would share that with you as I've had a couple of food related questions.

So this is a typical week's food shopping. Of course, that's not only what my diet will consist of this week. I have other things already in stock, but this is what I wanted to get in for this week.

Baby potatoes

Avocado

Mango

Oranges

Peppers

Grapes

Melon

Butternut Squash

Pak Choi

Beansprouts

Cabbage

Sesame Snaps - a fast energy boost before or after a run

Dark Chocolate

After Eights

Crisps

Peanuts

Homous

Bacon - streaky

Pork

Duck

Spray cooking oil - Olive

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Diet Coke

Diet Lemonade

Orange Squash

Sports Drinks

I think that's it!

Time to get my trainers on for a run. I've managed to fit in some more exercise in the last week after my schedule getting too packed the previous week or two. I can't tell you how great it feels to exercising again. I missed it! And, I'll tell you what, I never thought I'd say that! :)