So Where Are We Now? The last 18 months?
Wow the last 18 months have been so very different from the previous few years of our lives and you may be thinking, “So where are we now?”
Since starting Just One Bite At A Time, we’ve really done a 180-degree turnaround. And it’s been for the better health-wise for the both of us.
We’ve really enjoyed it all and stuck to the Just One Bite theory, (what we think has been the key).
And in Greg’s words the way he explains it is “We figured it was better to take small steps rather than setting unrealistic goals we knew we would probably never stay focused long enough to achieve”.
So What’s Really Changed For Us?
Just about everything has changed in our lives. The food we’re eating, our weight, gluten intake, aches and pains, recipes and cooking, grocery shopping, energy levels and even our creativity. But we are still a sucker for cheese and bikkies!! (all in moderation though!)
Our Weight Loss
Ok I’m sure you want to know the number one question and that is How Much?
Well Greg has lost a total of 13 kilos since starting in 2018. Yep the tummy is flatter and face so much thinner. But most of all he feels fabulous. Still a little bit more to go – his goal is low 80’s.
For me – Sony, I’ve lost 4 kilos. Ha ha! Compared to Greg that doesn’t seem like much, but the main goal for me was to get fitter and loose the flabby-ness from my tummy and legs. Well I’m happy with my fitness levels now, I won’t’ be an entrant in the next Olympics but it’s a win for me for sure. Flabby-ness is still a work in progress but a lot better.
The Food
Just changing what we ate and the amount of food we were eating, was always going to be a no brainer for us. Even though we always thought we ate quite well anyway. After slowly cutting out some of the naughtier things that were obvious like bikkies and cake, chippies (my fave), and of course alcohol we already felt a lot better.
The amount (or rather portion size) of what we dished up onto our plates was probably the next thing to be addressed. We realised that we were still eating way too much and especially at our night-time meal. This was just a habit we had become way too familiar with.
Reducing our meat intake and by upping the fish, lentils and veggies was a step in the right direction. We haven’t gone vego or vegan but do enjoy those kinds of food and recipes so much more now.
Gluten Free (Or Less Gluten Anyway)
This made a massive difference to how we felt overall. We had a what we now know as a “brain fog” episode that changed our minds about eating it for good.
One night we thought we would treat ourselves to lovely spaghetti bolognaise meal. It had been quite a while since we had eaten pasta, and that night I did go back for seconds. (Miss Piggy….).
The following morning, I couldn’t figure out why I felt so vague. (I’m sure Greg would say that was normal for me). I was telling my sister in law about my vagueness and she said did you feel like you had a foggy brain? And clearly that’s exactly how I felt. It was a classic case of wheat overload.
Greg had a 3-hour sleep in the middle of that day too. He felt like he had pasta coma. So, we’ve been too scared to eat it again.
I now have gluten free bread every day. I feel it has helped me in the “wind department” (if you know what I mean!!). I don’t get that bloated feeling in the afternoons anymore either.
Note: Gluten affects people in many different ways and not everyone would benefit from a gluten-free diet. Do your research and talk to your health care provider.
Exercise
This is our new addiction. Walking. We really love getting out in the early mornings to do our lap around the beach and Husky bike track.
To think that 18 months ago, the thought of getting out of bed to soak in the beautiful sunrises didn’t appeal to me.
Now I feel thatif I don’t go for my walk, there is something missing from my day. Its surprising the frame of mind you are in just from spending 30-40 minutes going for a quick walk in the morning.
Greg says it sets his mind up for a fresh outlook that carries him through the day. I don’t know, maybe it’s the fresh air and enjoying the beautiful outlook that is on our doorstep.
This is where I saw that my fitness picked up quite quickly. Greg also enjoys going for a surf quite regularly, so his fitness is a lot better than mine. But I’m happy where I’m at for now.
To make it easier we have our walking gear ready in “The quick getaway position”, sitting out ready to pop on in the mornings. (I do need my quick cup of coffee to get the motor going first though!!).
Aches & Pains
Greg found that after reducing his sugar intake, among other things, (Beer, Sweets, that kind of stuff) he noticed that pain in his joints had disappeared. He felt like a new man. But when Easter hit this year we allowed ourselves a little “Choc-fest” and a couple of alcoholic beverages and he commented how he started to feel those twinges creeping in again.
I guess after eating healthier for quite a while you don’t realize the toxic effect of eating “those” naughty foods again. I guess everything has a payoff in life, wise words from a good friend of mine, hey Susanna.
Recipes 7 Simple Salad Dressings
Wow… when we first started writing the blog a big part of it was cooking and trying lots of different recipes – new fresh salads and more meatless dishes and some weren’t exactly what we expected, but that was all part of the adventure. We’ve also really enjoyed sharing them with you as well and will share more soon.
This has been one of the most fun things in our 18 months of weight loss and healthier living. Who would have thought that we would become addicted to recipe books? Hey we even have a 12 Summer Salads eBook with 7 Ingredients or Less.
To download your copy click this link and enter your email address for instant download.
What We Have Learnt
Our journey has not been without its ups and downs along the way but I guess we just picked ourselves up, brushed off the dust and kept going. We figured there is no point beating yourself up if things seem to hit a stalemate, enough for us to think where are we now.
We often look back at how far we have come to remind us of where we are heading. It’s a slow and steady pace but hey, slow and steady wins the race.
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