Happy New Year everyone! Thanks for all your comments to my last post with all my goals, fingers crossed I can achieve them.
I had a great New Years Eve, me and James just had a very relaxing one. However I did go completely mental with the eating, I really over ate!
Breakfast was very tasty, mixed berry porridge with dark chocolate chips, white chocolate stars and soy cream with a Christmas amaretto coffee:
Mid morning I had a massive urge to eat chocolate so I had a few little chocies then ended up eating half a small box of After Eight (whoops!)
Lunch was some vegetable soup and a fruit salad:
When I got into town to meet James the chocolate urge came back so I got a small bar of dark chocolate marzipan, a small bar of green and blacks white chocolate and a small bar of montezuma butterscotch chocolate. They all tasted divine!
We went to our favourite Chinese restaurant a bit later and I still managed to put away a crazy amount of food:
Spicy cucumber salad with crispy fried greens, samosas and potato spring rolls
Mapo tofu with noodles, vegetables and won tons
Ice cream with melted white chocolate and marshmallows
Even after all of that I still nibbled once we got home, I had cheese and chilli jam on crackers, crisps, a bowl of cereal, a glass of wine, sweets and a large slice of this yummy lemon cheese cake:
I seriously don’t know where I put it all. I enjoyed it, by my word I’m paying the price for it today – I feel sick and bloated! I had planned to start my January Kick Start plan tomorrow but after all of that I decided to bring it forward to today. I’m not berating myself for eating like this, it was excessive but I enjoyed some really tasty treats, it wasn’t an out of control binge and I’m back to eating healthy wholesome food today.
My 2011 Kick Start Plan
Firstly, I know that I haven’t exactly been eating and drinking to a ridiculous level of excess, apart from perhaps yesterday. I also know that our bodies are perfectly capable of detoxing themselves without resorting to a special ‘plan’ or ‘programme’ although many would argue that in today’s world we subject our bodies to toxins that it can not naturally deal with.
So why the big detox you ask? Well, although this is a kind of detox, for me its more about setting aside a set period of time to really focus on being kind to myself, nourishing my body and getting myself mentally and physically prepared for the year ahead. It also gives me something to do during my least favourite month of the year! Losing the 4lbs I’ve gained over Christmas would be a bonus, but is not the focus of my plan. I’ve also been having problems sleeping recently and I’m hoping that this could help.
Here’s the guidelines I’ll be following. These are guidelines, not rules. If I happen to not stick to them 100% of the time its no biggy – stressing over things is not what I need! I don’t want this plan to become some kind of torturous experience that has to be endured – I actually want to enjoy it! I will not be restricting my portion sizes and will try and listen to my body and eating when I am hungry.
Lots of:
- water (bottled or filtered if possible)
- Fruit and vegetables – raw and cooked and organic whenever possible
- Green tea, Caffeine free teas and detox teas
- Freshly made juices – mainly veggie
- Miso soup
- warm water with lemon juice
- Beans and legumes
- Wholegrains (brown rice, quinoa etc)
- Nuts and seeds
- healthy fats – olive oil, ground flax oil, coconut oil
some of:
- tofu – organic when possible, including flavoured organic tofu (taifun brand) – however I am going to try and limit my soy intake to give my body a bit of a break
- Wholegrain ‘products’ such as pasta, noodles, bread, flour products etc
- Non dairy milk – rice, oat, coconut and nut milks (I’m going to try and have a break from soy milk if possible)
- Dried fruit
- Brown rice protein (sun warrior)
- Natural sweeteners (agave, sweet freedom, barley malt, maple syrup, brown rice syrup)
- Raw chocolate and home made coconut oil chocolate
None of:
- Pre made / processed foods such as frozen veggie sausages, quorn, fake meats, fake cheeses etc
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Meat and Fish (obviously as I’m veggie!)
- Refined sugars / very sugary foods
- ‘White’ carbs
- Un healthy baked goods
In addition I will also be supplementing my diet with some additional ‘super foods’ that are helpful for detoxification:
- Milk thistle – supports the liver and also contains antioxidants
- Spirulina – contains a range of vitamins, minerals and protein
- Matcha Green Tea Powder – source of antioxidants
- Acai berry juice – source of antioxidants
- Maca powder – increases energy levels
- Ground flax seeds and ground flax oil – provides omega 3,6 and 9 healthy fats
I also plan to try out a short juice fast at some point. Along side this I’m also going to:
- Dry skin brush and moisturise daily
- Do a weekly home facial
- Do a weekly deep hair conditioning treatment
- Continue with my usual workout schedule – but with a little more focus on strength training and yoga
I have some great ideas and recipes for some utterly delicious meals while I’m doing this plan that I can’t wait to make, eat and share with you! Please also bear in mind that I’m not a nutritionist or doctor – I’ve developed this plan for myself based on lots of information I’ve digested over the years!
Did you enjoy your New Years Eve?
Do you believe in detoxes? Are you going to be following any kind of detox or changing your diet and exercise plans this January?
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t know if it fits in with the whole diet plan but I always do a protein and veg only thing for the first few days after a big eatfest, sort of beats the bloat xx
Your NYE eats look so yummy.
Hope you 2011 kick start goes well, it sounds sensible and not too extreme – the idea of doing a hardcore detox in January is too depressing to even contemplate! I don’t believe in “detoxing” per se but I am also going to really focus on my food choices this month as the odd un-healthy eat has been creeping its way back into my diet and I need to stop this. Despite January being so cold and depressing it does still seem like a good time of year to detox as everyone’s on a bit of a health kick after Christmas. x
It sounds like a good plan and a healthy way to start the New Year.
I’m not into detoxes — I think it’s better to try and develop longer-term strategies. However, I do sometimes try to cut back on certain things in my diet to give my body a rest (caffeine, sugar and alcohol mostly!). I am also going to have day of juices and soups tomorrow, b/c my digestive system is really upset right now, and I think it needs a proper 24hr reprieve!
Generally though I think all the things you list are worth doing to at least some degree. And I like your flexible approach :-) My only advice would be that from a nutritional point of view, you might want to reconsider eggs (from an ethical point of view I would say don’t, so it depends on your reason for nixing them). I would also make sure you get enough calcium rich foods. I rely heavily on fortified milk substitutes for that, so you might want to reconsider limiting those.. If you want more advice on vegan nutrition, someone recently recommended me this blog, which is really good:
http://www.theveganrd.com/
Good luck — and happy new year!
Haha i ate about as much as you! :D
Ooh your detox sounds interesting! Can’t wait to see how you find it! Personally, I just go back to eating as I normally do, and that works for me! :P So are you going to be vegan then throughout the month?
Good luck with detox! And by the way the way, the extra 4lb is most likely water weight, so don’t worry about it too much :)
I LOVE that you enjoyed NYE by treating yourself to lots of tasty food and giving your body exactly what it wanted – such a positive way to end 2010 :) I also love the look of your detox plan and look forward to reading about your experiences and delicious recipes. I haven’t set myself a detox plan as such (i’m not really sure where to start) but I might borrow parts of yours and see how I get on :)
I think I need to take on board a few of those ideas. I wasn’t the healthiest eater before Christmas but my poor tummy has really felt the effects of too much rich food in the last week.
Good luck with you detox and Happy New Year!
I have never even attempted a detox. I can see why people do though: it’s as much a psychological as a physical boost I think, at least it would be for me. I don’t try them because I have so many problems with binge eating and lack the self control/willpower/resolve, so respect to you for taking on this challenge :)
Science-wise, I’m pretty sure that a lot of benefits are psychosomatic for things like detoxes, unless one is a hardcore drinker or lives on KFC. But that doesn’t mean I see no value in them as long as they’re done with the right approach ~ I can’t wait to read about your experiences and hopefully get some fab ideas recipe-wise…I’m in such a food rut right now!
Juice fasting…I’m more suspicious of that because it’s essentially starving the body calorie-wise a lot of the time, depending on the plan. Anything that reduces the calories so much that intense exercise becomes difficult without faintness or instant fatigue isn’t something that I’d give much credence to. But again, that’s just my opinion and you know your own system better than anyone else.
You already do 90% of the things on your list though! Plenty of veggies, lots of exercise…remember to keep a sense of perspective and realise that you’re extremely healthy already.
In terms of the goals from your last post, I see no reason why you shouldn’t achieve all of them and more: I hope to see you whizzing by me at the GNR 2011 :D
Great plan! I’ve set some goals monthly/yearly so I’m hoping to stick to them!
Happy New Year x x
I TOTALLY believe in detoxes from a psychological point of view!
I’ve ate so much rubbish over the past fortnight I’m sure I’ve gained half a stone in weight (albeit, hopefully water weight!). I also went to town last night on snackies even though I was stuffed and my tummy was so distended I was in pain! :( Silly me.
Lots of salads, protein for dinner and tea and carbs (oats) for brekkie only sort me right out and get rid of the water bloat, lots of water and I try not to snack unless I’m really hungry.
I’m also embarking on a detox starting today with going back to my old eating plan of salads, protein and oats but I’ve ordered some detox stuff like bentonite clay, stevia and chia seeds. I also raided the health food shop for Epsom salts, cacao nibs, chai tea and hazelnut milk yum yum.
I really hope your training and detox goes well hun, it’ll give you that mental boost you need to get you back on the road to clean eating and feeling amazing :D
All the best for 2011 xxx
Your detox sound great! I don’t know if it is a detox or such, but I am planning to eat a lot more cleaner. Limiting the sugar and nut butters. I have some detox tea that looks great and I have been eyeing up some acai berry juice that I would like to try too! x
Sarah – that sounds like a good way to beat the bloat!
Lily – I think your right, every one is on more of a health kick in January!
Stacey – thanks!
Alison – thanks for that advice, I try and eat lots of leafy greens for calcium but I will take on your advice about getting in plenty of the fortified suppliments. I’ve came across the vegan RD blog before, will check it out again, thanks!
Emma, yep I’ll be vegan for the month, I’m looking forward to that challenge! I know most of that 4lbs will have been water from my blow out the day before, thank goodness!
Bronagh, thanks, I really enjoyed myself and it just made coming back to healthier choices much easier!
Angela – thanks, I feel exactly the same, I think its been all the cheese!
Jessica – haha, I doubt I’ll be wizzing by you at the GNR, more following you! I do think a lot of this detox is more mental than physical for me, its more about being kind to myself, as you say I pretty much eat like that quite a bit anyway. As for the juice fast I’m playing around with ideas for how I’ll do that but I’ll be very careful not to do something daft :-)
Tam – thanks! Goo luck with your Jan aims!
Leanne – thanks, it sounds like you have a great plan too. I must get some epsom salts for a nice hot bath! Good luck with your healthy eating too :-)
Jemma – That sounds like a good sensible approach to me, I like the acai berry juice – added it to some berry ice cream yum!
I don’t really believe in “detoxes,” but I do believe in cleaning up my diet a little and bumping up the water and tea intake! I hope 2011 is a fantastic year for you!
as a fellow slimmer and gym addict, i’d like to ask if you can come and live with me so i can sample these gorgeous breakfasts you make. only just found your blog, and the mince pie pieces in yogurt looked to die for! hope 2011 brings you even more success.
-vicki
Interesting to read your plans :)
I do not personally beleive in “detoxes” but I do think that having a focused approach on eating nutritious food and nourishing your body can only be a good thing. I would not try a juice diet (even for a day) as I am not a big juice fan and know that I would get all shaky. But that is me :)
I will be interested in how you find it, especially what you do with the matcha powder- every time I order with teapigs I get a little card for 20% off and I am getting more and more intregued!
That chines looks so yummy! I’m not detoxing as such but I’m definately enjoying the fruit and veg after some christmas excess! More water is definately something I should be doing, been on a bit of a caffeine kick as I’ve been working loads!
Good luck on your kick start plan. I don’t really believe in detoxes, I think most of the time they are too restrictive, and actually starves your body of vital nourishment. However eating good, wholesome, and real foods it always a good objective! I’m not really changing my plan for January, I am just trying to get back to normal from before Christmas, and try and be as committed as I can to my plan!
Hi Chick, i love your kickstart plan, i am starting my own tomorrow – i’ve had another week of self indulgence this week and i have had enough! I am going to follow a similar plan to you, the 21 day vegan kickstart http://pcrm.org/kickstartHome/
There are some yummy recipes that may inspire you over the next couple of weeks x
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