Honesty time - brutal honest time

 Sunday 2 March 2025

As I approach my 50th year (I count it from being 49 to 50!), I’m becoming increasingly self-aware of the barriers I face in living and eating healthily. Considering my strong interest in food and nutrition—after all, I’m a food teacher—it’s time for some brutal honesty:

1. I can start the day with great habits.

2. But by the end of the day—whether at work or during a mid-afternoon slump—I confess, I’m guilty of rummaging through the cupboard and fridge. I graze on cheese, a few cashew nuts (or, let’s be honest, a lot more than just a few). While I don’t particularly like the term “emotional eater,” I’m definitely a tired muncher.

3. I usually have a balanced, “good” dinner. However, the emotional crutch of a treat sneaks in now and then—like one piece of baklava that turns into several... or, okay, let’s be honest, sharing half a box with my husband. And those date and almond butter snacks we made to have just one or two? Yeah, right—about 10 later, my good intentions go belly up.

4. On top of that, if I have a rough day at work or something stressful happens at home, I realize I "comfort eat." Not in large quantities, but there’s no denying there’s an emotional connection—a little internal hug that makes me feel better.

So, this isn’t about my food knowledge or cooking skills. It’s not about my ability to create meals based on specific dietary restrictions or preferences. It’s about planning, accountability, and sticking to it. Oh, and getting more exercise—much more exercise. I thought that when I retrained as a teacher, I’d be getting loads more steps in each day. But the reality is, even though I’m on my feet for about 90% of the day, I end up taking tiny steps here and there. On a lucky day, I average about 5,000 steps.

I have a wonderful husband, two gorgeous children, a senior guinea pig, and a busy, hectic life. But I’ve been putting everything else ahead of prioritizing my own health—my diet, my activity levels, and so on. So, I’ve come to the conclusion that something has to change. This can’t just be a temporary fix before I self-sabotage and tell myself I’ve failed. It has to be a long-term, consistent change—a habit, not just a phase.

I have, in effect yo-yo health kicked.  I have put on all my baby weight, and some... and my youngest baby is now 12 years old.  I am giving myself a year's challenge to :

1. To be accountable, and brutally honest with myself.
2. Increase my activity levels, and prioritise my health and wellbeing.
3. Lose weight, reduce my BMI to a healthy range and to reduce my metabolic age.  I don't want to be stick thin.  My first target is to reach the weight I was before I became pregnant with my 2nd child. My final goal is to reach the weight I was before I had both children!!  Dear reader, this is about   2.5 stone tops. How hard can it be???
4. To follow an approach which makes nutritional sense to me as a food professional.  I am going to follow research backed approaches which will improve my overall health in particular my gut-mental wellbeing link.. In the course of this, I  am researching too.

So, wish me luck - 365 days to go!!

Why am I doing this blog?

This blog is my way of holding myself accountable. I’m not going to share my starting weight (a girl’s got to keep some secrets!), but I will track my journey with my key stats as I improve lifestyle, diet, and health.

I’m particularly passionate about cooking and finding creative ways to tweak recipes to align with different eating approaches, so will track recipes here.

As I navigate perimenopause and life after having two children, my memory has become a bit of a mess. So, this blog will serve as both a diary of my progress and a source of food inspiration. If I ever get stuck, I can look back on it to keep myself on track!