Finding joy in the everyday

Dieting . . .  its a word people dread, especially just after Christmas. It is almost 3 years since I started "dieting". . . or more correctly, changing the way I eat to a more healthy way of life. One that I can remain on forever.  Along the way I have learnt a thing or two which I thought I would share with you ( please note, I am not a trained doctor or dietician and if you are planning on loosing weight do discuss it with your GP ): Facing disappointment will happen. The body is such a funny thing, you can sail long beautifully and then it all decides to stop . . . don't panic, because it will start up again.  Don't give up, take one day at a time. Dieting is hard work, but maintaining ones achieved weight is in fact much harder. Most people put more weight back on at the end of their diet (or within 5 years) because they don't realise how tough it is to stay "on weight".  For me CAKE = POUNDS/KILOGRAMS, therefore, stay aw...

 The duration of diet you need to achieve meaningful weight loss in much longer than we used to think... When I started on my weight loss journey I thought it would take 6 months, 18 months later and I am still going and must remain vigilant otherwise all my hard work will be for nothing. No wonder people give up and put on weight. This is really tough work. According to a paper published last year by The Lancet, research undertaken by the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases have found that it takes at least 3 years for a person to reach meaningful weight-loss goals " half the loss occurs in the first year, but the remaining kilos takes another two years to lose ".  If I had known this, I might have had second thoughts about starting, as it almost appears to be an impossibility to achieve. The first few months are perhaps the easiest, you see weight drop off, but then nothing, depression sets in and you reach for the chips. Sadly...

I thought I would write a series called " Keeper of the home for busy ladies ", in particular for those, like me, who work outside the house either full-time or part-time.  However, we are all busy ladies and we all need as much encouragement as possible to get through the week in one piece. These are tips  and ideas for creating a cosy home for our families that don't take many hours to do, but add so much to our love ones lives. Part one , two Part 3: Cooking healthy meals She also rises while it is yet night, And proves food for her household.   (Proverbs 31) Preparing a beef casserole which we had with mashed potatoes and spinach Feeding your family healthy meals made from scratch requires planning. For ladies like me who are out of the home all day at work, this requires a little extra planning - but it is far from impossible. For me, this is essential, it must be one of the boxes I tick as a working mother and wife - to feed my family...

Weight loss  Please stay and hear me out, I know this is a topic you may want to avoid discussing. But, if you are like me, once you hit your 40's weight started appearing and you are having difficulties getting rid of it . . . being at the right weight is important for both our health and well-being. Back in late 2010 my doctor told me that my blood pressure was far too high and I would need to take medication. I don't take medication if I can avoid it so I went home and thought long and hard about my weight. I had recently bought a skirt that was a size 16 and to me that was bad news as I had once been a size 12.  Action was needed, fast . . . but it wasn't until January 2011 did I actually do anything. It followed a conversation with two friends (Kathie and Gill) who told me they were planning to loose weight - not wanting to be left out, I decided to join in.  For 12 long months, at times quite depressing months . . . I worked on loosing weight. I...