I have a favour to ask… and it involves junk food

34 Comments

1. A good, achievable goal and such a positive attitude – you WILL crush it! x

   1. Thanks Bron! It’s all about getting 1% better every day! 🙂

2. You can totally do it – I think half the issue is the mental hurdle of actually starting. Last year I decided that I was going to conquer the continual migraines and an autoimmune condition and started a modified version of the AIP diet. I cut out all grains, nightshades, sugar, dairy, etc etc (it’s easier to catalogue what I did eat than list everything I didn’t!). I thought that sugar would be the hardest thing as I am a total sweet tooth but actually what I really missed was a good cup of tea, oh and those nightshades which made up a huge portion of my old way of living. I think the trick is to find something on your allowed list that is easy to whip up or keep on hand for those desparate moments. (Mine was roasted cauliflower with lemon and garlic which sounds so not a treat and utterly ridiculous but it worked for me). I have gone off the AIP and noticed a huge increase in migraines so need the motivation to start again. This month will be my fresh start too.

   1. Thanks for sharing. It’s amazing how much food can play a difference in our health – how it’s all interconnected. I hope you have a great month, we’ll do it together! 🙂 <3

3. Bravo for being brave enough to make this pledge in such a public way and for also recognising that you’ll be more successful if you surround yourself with helpful people. I wish you luck and lots of willpower!!

   1. Thanks 🙂 It’s going to be a fun month! 😉

4. Oh good luck! I no longer fit in any of my clothes and I’m 10kg over my early 20’s weight. I think I want to lose 5kg to get to an ideal size without being too skinny whilst not having to fork out for clothes. I find the food thing too hard. I’ve just retook up jogging which gives me horrendous shin splints so I’m pacing myself very gently at the start. Good luck with your thing too, I’m (sort of) with you!

   1. You’re with me! 5kg is a great goal and you can totally do it. I’m the same really, I just want to get back into the whole wardrobe of clothes that I have that I love. The key is to start small and build on it. Looking forward to seeing photos from the running! 😉

5. PS Do check out That Sugar Film – when you know sugar is Addictive, it explains a great deal.

6. Hi Angie, with auto immune problems I finally addressed diet. A nutritionalist advised me to eat green at every meal, and to cut out wheat. (I was an every day puffed wheat & weet-bix girl). I had some supplements to help the gut heal to begin with. To still have bread with soup (love soup) I needed to find some wheat free recipes. I found the ‘meal in a biscuit’ crackers – Sarah Wilson, who wrote ‘I quit sugar’, so I bought the book in Target for the cracker recipe (available online). Then I bought ‘I quit sugar for life’. More great recipes. Another great book is ‘The Greengrocer’s Diet’. Happened to get a Thermomix (blender/cooker) (see Quirky Cooking) around the same time so replaced breakfast with green smoothy – more fruit less veg to start & now more veg & less fruit. (don’t need a thermo for this!) Today’s effort tasted like a chocolate milkshake…I am not joking! I will post in on my FB page (CandysHomePatch). Also I have pinned load of ‘Real Food’ recipes on Pinterest (candyshomepatch). So many great people have done so much to help everyone with recipes, I am so thankful to have discovered them now.
   I discovered Alexx Stuart Low Tox (google) – her recipes are fantastic. I had no weight issue, just health & yet as I started to make my foods & shop at the grocer, the butcher & the health food shop for some items. I lost 7kg in about 3 months & then stabilised. There is no place for sugar in our life. Sarah uses rice malt syrup as an alternative. The cravings do go away & real food tastes so good. Alex recipe ‘No Bake Coconut Cups’ (google) have been great to have on stand-by. It has taken some time & effort & panty reorganisation but I don’t think I have ever eaten this well & have so much energy. Now I have the energy I can exercise more but it is the removal of sugar & wheat that appears to be responsible for weight loss. Sugar has zero nutritional value. Only but in your body nutritionally dense food. For so long we were told that beautiful food like avocado & coconut is fat & should be eaten only occasionally. Watch ‘That Sugar Film’ available on iTunes this month. Take care & thank-you for all the things that you blog about.

   1. Hi Angie,
      Like Candy, I would recommend you stop eating sugar. I read a book some weeks ago, written by a French journalist (I am French) who had decided to stop eating sugar for a year. It ended up that she decided it would be forever as the effets on her body and mind were so amazing she realized she could not get back to it.
      Her book really had a great impact on me as she explains why sugar is not good and…not necessary!! I then bought Sarah Wilson’s book because of the great receipes she provided. (though I tend to think that her desserts still have too much sugary taste, which might not help in getting used to no sugar. I don’t use chemical sugar (aspartam) as I do think it’s not good – not even stevia since I saw a TV program where they explained it was growned in China where they use chemicals that are not authorized in France).
      This week will be released a receipe book from a huge French “pastry cook” (not sure of the translation of “patissier”) who was asked by a journalist to create desserts without adding sugar! Trust me when I say this book will be bought as soon as I get my hands on it! 😉
      I stopped eating sugar about 4 weeks ago and lost the 2 kgs I had put on during winter (thank you milk chocolate). I still eat a few desserts once in a while when I am invited by family/friends and I do eat chocolate, but only the one with at least 85% cocoa in it. I honestly can’t live without chocolate. This one has such a strong taste that I can eat only small bites.
      I also have a few things to say about going to the gym. I have been doing the same for almost 4 years now, going on lunch time with my husband (we work together). We follow classes that are more motivating than running alone on a treadmill. In the beginning I used to do BodyPump and stopped after I injured my back muscle badly (at home, just doing nothing…but that was a Friday night, after a hard week). I realized doing too much sport was not good to me either. Now I am more on BodyBalance or yoga, a bit of Pilates (bodyweight exercises in fact). It’s good to be toned, but not at any price. And working hard does not necessarily helps you losing weight. In fact, going to the gym made me put on weight – and I now muscle is heavier than fat, still my body did not change that much. That is the reason I have been considering my food choices.
      I have never eaten a lot of industrial/junk food as my parents have always taken us in the opposite direction. I cook our meals the day before, to make sure we eat properly after sport. Since I cut on sugar, I have introduced more good fat to our meals. All this takes time and energy to be planned. Sometimes it’s hard to keep on tracks. I am glad my son is now 10, as he can help me on many things (my husband runs his own business so I let you imagine the hours he spents at work). But I feel this is so important I could not act differently.
      I read a lot on food (I am not “dieting”, I hate this word 😉 ) and how to exercice properly.
      I can only encourage you to keep doing what you started; and keep in my mind the results might not be as fast I you want them to be. You have to be patient.

      1. WOW that was a long comment. I guess I tend to be passionate about these subjects!

         1. Hi Emanuelle, I never thought of myself as passionate but when something makes you feel good you can’t help but want to share. I had to stop exercise so the weight change can only be attributed to diet….and it’s not a ‘diet’. Crowd out the sugar items with good food & fats. Interestingly, cooking more has become exercise as I find I am standing & moving around the kitchen, which is a nice balance to computing or sewing. Sewing is good because there is balance between being at the machine & standing to plan, cut & arrange etc.

7. I need to do a ‘no junk june’ AND exercise…. I will be your buddy.
   where will we keep each other on track?

   1. Hi Marti! That’s awesome. I’m checking in on Instagram, so my plan is to post my gym days there and then use Instagram if I’m struggling or feel like I’m going to fall off the wagon. What do you think? Should we start a hashtag?

8. Angie please do not cut out all junk food especially chocolate. If you crave a piece of chocolate have a piece but don’t eat a whole chocolate bar. Once June is over you may find yourself binging on junk food and June will have been a waste. I lost 20 lbs. 13 years ago and have keep it off. I eat very sensible these days but I do have my chocolate but a whole bar can last me a week. I wish you the best of luck and I will cheer you on and read about your journey. All the best.

   1. Hi Loleen – I’d love your strength and will power but for me, going cold turkey is the only way. I’m a little like an alcoholic when it comes to sugars and fats – I can’t just be a social partaker. I’d like to remove the temptation from my life altogether, I’m just using Junk Free June as a launching pad into making more permanent changes. Thanks for your encouragement and support and for being a great role model!

9. I’ll join you in Junk Free June. My vice is potato chips and I could definitely do with not eating them! One proviso – I assume that home made pizza will be not classed as junk food!

   1. Hi Katharine! Yep, homemade pizza’s wouldn’t be classed as junk food in my book. I’m taking the approach where I’m just going to cut out all the pre-made, fast food stuff and eat more homemade meals (and try to make those meals as fresh as possible). Good luck with Junk Free June – you can totally do it!

      1. Great plan – I made lots of tasty food & put in the freezer, then my fast food comes from there!
         Home made pizza fantastic. Try the cauliflower pizza base….

10. Angie, look up banana ice cream! My 3-year-old can’t have dairy, so I found it on a vegan blog, it is sweet, delicious, and almost entirely fruit (I add almond milk). I applaud you for going junk free…I don’t know if I could give up coffee ever…

    PS thanks for including my notebook! xo

    1. It was my pleasure Jennie! 🙂 I will look it up! I have a confession, I can’t stomach banana, but I’ll look maybe the other flavours will cancel out the banana flavour. I’m replacing my ice-cream craving with yoghurt. 🙂

    2. Frozen banana slices = paddle pop

11. Good luck Angie! So important to take care of your body – it’s the only one you’ve got and it has to see you through a lot! Find one of those books on sugar and read it, it’ll put you off the stuff for sure. It’s nasty and causes lots of problems. Stay strong and learn to love zucchini!

    1. But I don’t want to hate sugar… *said in whiny child like voice* 😉 Love Zucchini… NEVER! Actually I don’t mind zucchini, it’s broccoli I can’t come at.

       1. I felt the same way, I was a dessert first person. You only want what you know until you discover something new. Sugar is addictive so it’s no different to a drug. The treats don’t have to go away, they just come for you in a different package.

12. good luck Angie ! think I’ll give junk free june a go too ! off to make some cauliflower soup for lunch 🙂

    1. Thanks Leanne! It’s going to be an interesting month. I just keep reminding myself that the first 10 days are going to be the hardest. Looking forward to spending a junk free month with you 🙂

13. I salute your courage and will happily cheer you on towards your goals!

    (I could do to lose at least 5kg myself – I put weight on around the waist, which means I have more visual leeway – ie. “you don’t need to lose weight” – but boy, when I put my pants on, do I ever feel it!)

    My June? June is usually a crazy-busy month for me anyway: the quilt show and a bunch of writing assignments that are geared towards the Northern Hemisphere summer are due. And then this year on top of that, there’s my leg and the torn calf muscle and the muscle strengthening required before I can go back to sport, and a US friend coming to visit, with a side trip down to Melbourne.

    Plus I’m in between clients, which means work is assigning me to all this random stuff right now. So, yeah, extra crazy this year.

    But if you want someone to mail/text when you feel the urge to junk out, I’m happy to help shoot the urge down!

    1. Thanks Sel! I remember being 19 and only needing to lose 5kg to get to my “healthy” weight and thinking that was too big a target. Now I need to lose 20kg to be in that range and I know the chances of that happening are slim to none (pardon the pun). But if I can shake this 10kg I’ll be happy, and that’s the main thing.

       How’s the Sydney show quilts going? I’ve been thinking about you heaps and thinking about the pro’s and con’s of getting one commercially quilted as opposed to not entering anything. Have you made a choice? Gemma and I are heading in again on the Friday, would love to see you if you’re there.

       Thanks for the support offer, really appreciate it. I might need you to walk around Sydney Craft Show and smack food out of my hands! 😉 🙂

14. Struggling with food….Its not much fun is it? My son and I have the reverse problem. We have Chrons…never know what will effect us…not able to get the proper nutrients from our food…We could share, you could lose and we could gain : )
    It really does make life a challenge. I am here to back you all the way! Be sensible. Be safe. Prepared, pre packaged foods are not good for you! Hard to get away from them, but once you get used to it its the only way you can eat.
    Also remember that everyone is not meant to be Barbie sized. We are all different. Be proud of who you are and what you have accomplished!!

    1. You are so right Melissa, what works for one may Be an issue for another. My sister who has colitis is who encouraged me. The ‘real food’ is key, by not having processed food you can cut the sugar and manage other ingredients to suit. It’s not about size or shape it’s about good health.

15. I’ll be cheering you along every step of the way!

    1. And b!tch slapping the fries out of my hands I hope! 😉

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