Feeling Fabulous For February and Marvellous for March
Throughout January I have embarked on a new approach to the New Year and decided to make small changes, one day at a time - to my diet, lifestyle, fitness and overall feeling of well-being.
January is a tough month for resolutions and new diets but not as tough as it could have been had I set myself impossible resolutions and unachievable goals.
Join my journey into February as I move on to feeling 'Marvellous for March'.
Fabulous for February
My new regime has been geared to achieving a better feeling all round. If I lose some weight and look better along the way then all well and good but primarily I am looking to change my attitude to food, boost my energy, get more from my sleep and focus my mind on my work and hopefully feel a little bit fabulous.
So far, after an initial two weeks on the ilumi Boost Your Energy Diet and trying to remove the dairy and gluten from my diet , while using the Advanced Nutrition Programme's (ANP) 30 Day Detox Pack I have managed to reduce my insomnia/tiredness, resettle my stomach and remove a myriad of niggling symptoms that seemed to dominate my daily routine.
Without denying myself food I have managed to muster enough energy to start exercising more often, and in turn have lost over 7lbs in the last four weeks.
I confess, I did slip occasionally (only human) and some weekends indulged a bit more than I should have but instead of giving up I simply took one day at a time and reset my regime. I did not 'punish' myself for my errors. I did not throw caution to the wind and consume everything within reach because 'I have broken my diet now so may as well eat it all' - I simple looked forward and began again - one day at a time.
The ilumi Energy Boost Diet at the start of the month made portion size easy to control and it has been a lot harder to stop those plates piling up now that I am responsible for my own meals. To help with this I am including a Nutribullet smoothie packed full of spinach, avocado, mango, red berries, banana and almonds for 'elevenses' so I am less likely to over-eat at lunch and fill up on sugary-snacks.
I have reduced the type and size of pudding after my main meal as this was a real indulgence for me - and I now also wait for twenty minutes to see if I still want to eat it. I have a sweet tooth and will not deny myself this so by swapping to a gluten- and dairy-free ice-cream or Nutribullet smoothie (with added soya yoghurt) I can still 'have my cake and eat it' so to speak.
One of the biggest changes this month has been my brain fog - or lack of it! Brain fog is a common symptom of gluten intolerance but one often overlooked. My mind is so much clearer now and the difference is obvious. On the couple of occasions that I have glutened myself I have been aware immediately of feeling exhausted and unfocused again by the next day.
Through years of trial and error (and a ridiculous amount of doctors appointments) I am still unofficially diagnosed with any gluten or dairy sensitivity, yet have suffered from low calcium levels, IBS, sleep disorder, insomnia, acid reflux, indigestion - et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
Only one doctor has confirmed that while many tests return negative results, the proof of the pudding really is in the eating - or not eating. This doctor suggested following an elimination diet and recording the result. For me this proved to be invaluable advice.
For now I am looking forward to feeling fabulous as we go into February - and if I can continue with my one-day-at-a-time regime I hope to be feeling marvellous for March. My skin is looking better than ever, my digestive tract is my friend again and, as you can see from the grey, my hair is having a good growth spurt.
Read my progress throughout this month: -
Just into January on our Fabulous for February Plan
Half Way There to a Fabulous February
Getting Fabulous for February One Day at a Time
Bookmark my blog for an update next month - https://kokovamagazine.com/blog