Half-way!! I can't believe it's here already. With the exception of the past few days, it's been easier than I thought it would be, and I can definitely see myself finishing this thing without falling off the wagon. Good times.
Plans post-BES
Eating, etc
I do not think that a 100% raw vegan diet is a long-term dietary proposition, and so I will not be maintaining this diet in its entirety when I've finished. What I will be doing, however, is incorporating it into my daily diet, to perhaps 50-60% raw vegan. This will be easier during the warmer months, I think, but this is my idea, especially for when the school year starts up at the end of January:
Breakfast: Something wholesome with lots of fibre, eg homemade muesli with natural yoghurt (Jalna no-fat is my current favourite), or organic sourdough toast with baked beans. And, of course, the obligatory cup of green tea.
During the day: For meals during the school day I will take a large jug of green smoothie and a large, colourful salad. This is the major raw vegan part of my day.
"Dinner": After school (i.e. by 5pm) I will have "dinner". This will be a meal akin to the foods I have cooked in the past, eg stir-fries, pasta dishes, rice/cous cous dishes, and steamed vegies. After dinner, at around 7pm, I will do my daily exercise. (I have a lot more physical energy in the evening and find I get a lot more out of my workouts if I exercise then.)
After dinner: If I am hungry, then all I will eat is some more salad. This way my final meal before bed is very light and unlikely to cause my digestive system any problems as I sleep.
What do you think?
Weight management
There are two main things I would like to avoid in the aftermath of this Challenge: the first is that I do not want to become obsessed about calories, nutrients or my weight. The second is that I do not want to put back on all the weight I've lost this year (I had lost almost 10kg in 2008 before I began the BES detox). My pre-emptive solution to those problems is as follows.
I will get myself a few kilos below 70kg. Once I have done that (assuming that I am looking and feeling the way that I want to at that stage), I will eat basically as indicated above, but without being thingy about it. In essence, I will eat in a balanced and sensible way, without freaking about calorie content or denying myself "treats". I will also try to eliminate (or at least reduce) the refined/processed foods in my diet, by cooking from scratch etc. But (there's always a "but"): I will also keep an eye on my weight, and if it starts getting close to that 70kg "ceiling", I will get a bit tougher on myself and start being a little more careful about my intake so that I can get back down to where I need to be.
Current weight: 77.6kg (-4.5kg)
Current body-fat percentage: 37.4% (-1.0%)
Current feeling: Happy that I'm half-way through, but also happy that I'm doing better again...
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Your post-BES eating plan is commendable. Right now I need to cut out chocolate and introduce regular cardio exercise into my daily routine if I'm going to see any improvement.
ReplyDeleteNot going to happen straight away but I know what to do and will get there eventually.
I find, however, that eating salad creates a lot of activity in my digestive system, so much so that I would rather not eat it later at night. What I tend to do is, when I get hungry at night, I go to bed. I know it sounds simple but I realise my hunger is simply my body searching for fuel to stay awake. I give it the opposite and give myself a break. This also means I have a longer, better sleep and wake up fresher and hungrier which, in turn, means I can eat my muesli earlier - also better for the body!
Nothing on earth will make me eat apples.
Hey there, thanks for your comment!
ReplyDeleteI think that regular, daily cardio is the best possible thing. Anything that gets you warm and a little out of breath will do! It has so often been my saviour in terms of both my mental and physical health that I can barely do without some kind of heart-rate elevating movement each day... And then a square of gorgeous organic dark chocolate is both delicious and well-deserved!
Yeah, I know that salad can be a problem for a lot of people. Luckily, I'm not one of them, and can eat it til the cows come home. I love your suggestion for curing late-night hunger, though! I have been working hard to remove myself from all screens at least one hour before I go to bed, and I have been feeling the effects, which is such a great feeling!
Why do you have such a problem with apples, may I ask? :)