The last few weeks have seen my usually pretty healthy way of eating go to pot, with lots more sugar finding its way into my diet from celebratory cakes to afternoon teas and far too much champagne (with my recent 10th wedding anniversary, my brother's engagement and baby cousin's birth)- making me feel sluggish, tired and really not my best, physically and mentally. I've less energy than usual, haven't been sleeping well and my PMT is worse than ever.
Juliet is a GP, mum to three children and a health writer. She also has her own running club, runs marathons and fundraises for charity.
With a regular column in Women’s Running, a growing online following and plans for a book, Juliet is one inspiring, wonderful woman.
For those who follow my blog, you'll know just how passionate I am about healthy food and snacks for my kids and myself.
I love that this video by Ella's Kitchen has been dubbed a 'Good Snacking Revolution' and is basically a mini picketing demonstration from a bunch of socially conscious tots who are standing up for their right to healthy snacks!
Please tell me i'm not alone?! This summer has been about indulging for me and it all felt so wonderful and liberating, ice cream on demand, rice flour chocolate cake for breakfast (I know), eating late, not exercising much despite lots of park fun with the kids (but nothing that really raised my heartbeat) and taking life a little easy in general... that was pretty much my life for 6 whole weeks.
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We've all been there right, told those little white lies or chucked those flipping loud toys, to well simply SURVIVE this crazy thing called parenthood!
I love my kids, I really do but loom bands. loom bands I hate, especially littered in technicolour pieces all over our lounge, swirling in the bath (really) and spinning round my washing machine.
So I binned them.
I took a deep breath and bid them goodbye. Each and every rubbery loop.
So for those that avidly read this blog (thanks Big Fat Greek Family), you'll know that I've followed a low-carb (sometimes no-carb when super strict) diet for a while to help get me back to my pre-'babies' body and it's worked, really well in fact and quickly (a matter of months)... as to be honest having PCOS means my body dislikes sugar anyway and white carbs (thanks insulin resistance) and I have to work REALLY HARD to lose weight although let's face it white carbs are no good for anyone...
A new year, a new start and despite being a fairly healthy family eating a diet comprised mainly of fresh, seasonal food and leading an outdoorsy life with long country walks, bike rides and running...
It's been nearly 8 weeks since I started the Blood Type Diet and so far, so good. I'm an O+ blood type and haven't missed my apparent biggest offender, wheat, a dot.
So to recap, the Fast Diet was done for 12 weeks then a few more pre holiday (eating normally for 5 days a week, consuming approx 700 calories for 2).
I then lost weight whiles we were on holiday in Portugal (although I did eat cake as the hotel food was too good to say no to and I refuse to diet on holiday) but we walked tonnes, swam all day and I came back fitter and leaner than before we left.
So it's week 15 on the Fast Diet (not counting the 5 week break after week 11) which actually typing finger to post, seems like a long time-3 and a bit months. It really is working and like its name suggests, I've found it fairly fast when it comes to results.
For those who follow this blog (yes you few million at the back *cough cough), you'll know I've been doing the 5:2/ Fast Diet over the last month and this week is my 5th (*proud, slimmer face).
I'm now on week 3 of Dr Michael Moseley's revolutionary Fast Diet-where he advocates eating normally for 5 days and 'fasting' (consuming 500 cals for women, 600 for men) for the remaining 2. Moseley found this way of eating helps lower the hormone IGF -1 which assists us in growing as children but ages us in adulthood.
My first pregnancy was pretty tough with daily vomiting continuing until I was 28 weeks. Not fun. At. All. It also meant living on walkers, dry biscuits and dairylea (whatever I could stomach) daily and sadly no exercise (even a ride in the car induced puking).