A little of what you fancy...

7.45 hot water and lemon.
8.15 linseeds in water.
8.45 juice made with grapefruit, 3 apples, 1/4 cabbage, 1/2 pineapple, 2 celery sticks, one tablespoon Omega 3 6 and 9 oil(udo's oil)
9.15 Baked beans with a small amount of cheese melted in with a hunk of homemade bread(very kindly provided by my mother every week as on the few times I have attempted to make it it is like a brick!!)Milk thistle capsule.
1.00 two eggs with a small portion of chips and a slice of bread and butter.cup of tea with milk.
5.00 peppermint tea and a nutty seedy type bar.
6.00tomato with a little vinaigrette on, 2 corn cakes one with houmous and a small slice of ham,one with a Moroccan style pate(low fat) and a smearing of houmous(houmous is a good source of protein and good energy food)
1 cracker with seeds in and cottage cheese with chives.
Water to drink.

We had lunch out at Morrisons before we did some shopping and I chose to have Egg and chips, as that is what I fancied but had a smaller portion.I also made sure I balanced things out by not having anything heavy or fattening for tea.I am quite proud of myself as I would normally just have had whatever I had planned for tea.

I think I am more likely to stick to a healthier lifestyle if I don't ban certain foods and not to feel guilty if I do eat "fattening foods " now and again. I really enjoyed my lunch ,but I also enjoyed what I had for tea.Well apart from the Tomato's,what a rip off these vine ripened massively expensive things are. I had stopped buying them for a while as they were tasteless and I think this will be the last I buy any for some time.

From past experience I know that planning is vital to ensure I have plenty of easily accessible healthy foods available.I will have to check fridge and cupboard regularly to ensure I am stocked up on the right foods...

Curry cravings

7.30 hot water and lemon.
8.00 linseeds in water.
8.30 juice made with 3 carrots, 1/4 large pineapple, 1 red pepper,2 sticks of celery.milk thistle capsule.
9.00 3 thin corn cakes with peanut butter and strawberry conserve.Peppermint tea.
11.00 eat natural nut bar and tea with milk.
1.30 1 cracker with cottage cheese and chives on 2 corn crackers with a Moroccan style vegetarian pate and a smear of humous on top 1 avocado with a drizzle of dressing and an apple.Water to drink.
3.30Tea with milk.
5.45 chicken korma(homemade using a pataks curry paste!!! not low fat at all) rice and broccoli, with water to drink.

Must find a way to cut portion size at night, it seems I am physically incapable of reducing the size!!!!
Early days yet but I have felt clearer headed and have had more inclination to do things.Could be the diet change in conjunction with the healing massage and reflexology I had.

The Therapist gave me a lovely visualization to do to promote self love.

Close your eyes and picture holding up a pink rose in you hand ,ask for healing light from 100% pure source and see the rose glow pink, then transfer it to your heart, feel the light warming your heart and then focus on the pink light spreading through your body accepting every part of your body and loving it.

I am trying to do this once a day.

Making cookies.

7.30 hot water and lemon.
8.15 linseeds in water
8.30juice made with grapefruit 2 oranges 3 carrots and a pear.
9.00 porridge made 1/2 water 1/2 milk sesame seeds and flaked almonds with two tablespoons of yogurt and vanilla bio yogurt.water to drink.
10.30 homemade oat biscuit.Peppermint tea to drink.Emily has just suggested you might be interested in the cookie recipe so here it is.

250gm self raising flour,75gm porridge oats,175gms soft light brown sugar,pinch salt,125gms butter,2x15ml spoons golden syrup,2-3 spoons of milk.

mix flour oats sugar and salt in a bowl.
rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.
stir in the syrup and sufficient milk to form a stiff dough, knead well.
place small spoons of the mixture on a lightly greased baking sheet and flatten using the back of a fork.
bale in preheated oven 190c,375f,gas mark 5 for 15 to 20 Min's until lightly golden.
transfer to a wire rack to cool and crisp.
Not low fat or particularly healthy but delicious, and a little of what you fancy goes a long way....


1.00 cannelini bean salad( I put to much on my plate and should of left some but didn't) ,leftover from yesterday with a mushroom burger, shop bought and very tasty.Water to drink.

late afternoon water to drink

5.30 pork escalope with lemon coating(fried), baked potato with butter and some cheese,broccoli and cabbage with a teaspoon of mayonnaise on the side.
I was starving tonight and should of had something else on top of the baked potato but wasn't able to resist....

I am finding the evenings very difficult as I tend to nibble whilst on here or if I watch TV.I had a low fat cracker with a small amount of cottage cheese on last night and that helped my craving as it was very crunchy and the cheese with chives had a lot of flavour.
I am finding the days easy enough at the moment but the evening meal is my downfall I have been eating too much and must cut my portions and go for lower calorie options. So this week before I go shopping I will spend more time putting together menu's of easy to prep food that's healthy and still tasty,need to get out my cookbooks......

Foods for the menopause.

7.30 lycopodium
7.50 hot water and lemon
8.15 glass filtered water with two teaspoons of golden linseed's in(linseed's replenish Essential fatty acids)
Juice made with carrots,beetroot (should ideally be raw but could only get cooked)sweet potato and fennel.A strong tasting juice but passable.

Beetroot is a rich source of folate which can help to protect the heart and, together with carrots,helps to regulate hormones.Sweet potato provides the hormone progesterone,which helps to replace the hormones lost when the menopause occurs.(taken from a photocopied sheet I have on juices.)

10.00 Porridge made with 1/2 water 1/2 milk toasted sesame seeds/flaked almonds/pine nuts,(which were well toasted ,as in nearly burnt, totally forgot they were on!!!) A tablespoon of Bio yogurt with rhubarb and vanilla which helped give a much needed sweetness as the porridge was not great with the water in.
water to drink and a milk thistle capsule.

12.30 cucumber, cannellini bean salad made with tuna, red onion, iceberg lettuce ,red pepper, with a vinaigrette made with olive oil and white wine vinegar and Dijon mustard.From a weight loss perspective I probably should have done without this but I find it hard to eat a salad without a tasty dressing.
Water to drink.

4.30 tea with milk

5.30 herbal detox tea

6.30 pasta with prawns in a lemon sauce and green beans,rather a lot of butter in the sauce so I will have to find a different recipe.
water to drink.

Found this today in You are what you eat.Dr gillian mckeith
foods for the menopause.
Apples,aduki beans,fennel,flax seeds(linseed's) kidney beans, soya beans,oats,olives,sesame seeds,split peas,sunflower seeds,yams (sweet potato)

A health functioning liver is crucial for good health during menopause.Menopausal women tend to be low in substances and fluids which nurture the liver and it is crucial during this time of hormonal flux that the liver is properly nourished and supported.

Getting into the swing

7.15
Homeopathic remedy lycopodium 30
7.30(on auto pilot and nearly had my normal cup of tea)
Hot water and lemon
8.30
Fresh juice made with
3 apples
1/2 lemon
1/2 fennel
2 celery sticks
9.30
small slice toast and butter with thin slices of cheese with beans on top.
herbal tea and milk thistle capsule,this is to support liver function.
1.00
Tin chicken curry soup(better than the one yesterday, but will not buy again)
water
4.00
eat natural bar(not too sure how healthy these are, they have no breakdown of fat etc on but they are really tasty, and the nuts and seeds in will give an energy boost.)
cup of tea with milk
6.30
Turkey in a Malaysian Rendang sauce with rice, green beans and peas,small nan bread with smear of butter on.
water to drink.
A really bad start to the morning I felt terrible but as the day has gone on I have felt really good and actually got through phone calls and other things that have been waiting to be done for ages, very productive.

Mood wise have felt quite good until mid afternoon when I started to get cranky and short tempered.I need something that is going to give more of a boost than the nut bar, maybe some fruit along side it?

The start.....

Today started as I intend to start each day from now with a hot water and lemon.

I then had porridge made with milk,a sprinkle of brown sugar and a chopped banana and a spoonful of sesame seeds on top,a small cup of tea with milk.Ideally should of had porridge made with half water and no sugar and probably no milk in the tea,start slowly and reduce little by little I think otherwise I will hate it and not stick to it.

Had a small hand full of mixed roasted seeds mid morning.

lunch was a Thai red curry soup from a tin which was disgusting so most went in the bin,I then made three corn crackers with butter and jam and had a glass of sparkling water.I have not done the shopping and there was very little in and I had to be quick as we were going out.

Home mid afternoon and a nut and seed bar with chocolate on and a herbal tea.

For tea I made roast pork and gravy with steamed broccoli and oven roasted carrots and roast potatoes.I had less than I would normally but it was still too much and I should of used less fat in the roasting pan. I was unable to resist the pork when it came out of the oven and was brown and gorgeous on the outside and had to slice some off!!

So all in all not a great first day ,but I don't intend to berate myself ,I am merely going to record what I eat and how I feel and try to use each day as a benchmark for doing a little better the next day and see how things go.