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Monday 23 July 2012

Week 6

Hello wonderful visitors!

I've been very slack in posting, we have been a house of cold and flu for our entire school holidays. Thank goodness they are fighting fit and ready to go back tomorrow. I have successfully been 6 weeks sugar free. Woohoo. I feel so much calmer and more content now. I feel clearer in my mind and decision making is easier. I feel like I can handle stressful situations more easily as well, however this may be tested in our first week back at school.

The healthy chef is my latest foodie find. She has fabulous, achievable recipes from ingredients you mostly already have in your pantry. I am currently eating the wonderful chocolate cupcakes, while my sister has whipped up the hazelnut fudge. She does use honey and dates as sweeteners, which I think is perfectly fine, especially if you are 'weaning' the kids off refined sugars. I did switch the honey for rice malt syrup in my cupcakes, but to be honest I couldnt identify any sweetness in them. They are light and fluffy though.

My gluten free efforts are not going as well. It is quite difficult to find foods without gluten while travelling or out with the kids and in a rush. There is definite room for improvement here!

Linley x

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Week 5 Sugar free

There are 2 fantastic blogs you should check out: Simply Sugar and Gluten free and The Spunky Coconut. They are amazingly generous ladies who have shared many many reciepes on their blog for beginners like me! They also have cookbooks available which I'm sure will be on the Christmas lists this year.

This is the best pizza I've ever made for myself, roast pumpkin, coriander, chorizo, feta and mushrooms. I did use tomato paste which contains sugar, however used less than normal.

During the past few weeks, Ive been reading lots of other blogs and books on the sugar free lifestyle, and it is pretty clear that gluten had to go. I am now 1 week gluten free (after this pizza was made :))
I definitely feel better, as I had been having trouble with bacteria and infections with just quitting sugar - to compensate I was increasing my bread and gluten intake to counteract the lack of sweetness. I can handle the switch to gluten free now, it has cleared up alot of the problems I was experiencing. There are plenty of products out there that are gluten free, I have tried gluten free pasta, however found it really gluggy and not that appealing. I think there may be a trial and error period until I find the products I like.

I did try this gluten and sugar free brownie , I just cant remember where from!!! Surprisingly my eldest girl loves it, even though its very bitter. We added some coconut milk and berry 'icecream' made in the thermomix, and cream for good measure. Not too bad I say!

Ive experienced alot of cravings this last week, no matter how many other yummy savoury dishes that have been opened up to me - I still would love a hit of the sweet stuff in the afternoon. I have found myself eating potato chips instead, which I'm pretty sure this is not the best option but there you go!


Linley x

Monday 2 July 2012

Ok, so after being so enthusiastic in my last post I immediately got an infection and have been on antibiotics. Turns out my body isnt as happy about the big diet change as I thought! Thats ok, I expected some setbacks, and Im back to feeling great and full of energy now.


We had a great weekend in Perth, catching up with friends and taking the girls out to breakfast where they declared baby chinos dont cut it anymore - hot chocolate is required! I am a chronic caver in-erer so of course thats what they had. I did make up for it by only providing nuts, carrot and celery sticks to watch Daddy play football. This was a bit torturous for everyone when the other kids were eating chocolates and electric blue slushies...

No new receipes to tell you about, Ive been eating 'normally' without the sugar, oh, I have made the granola with mainly nuts and coconut and really love that in the morning. Eggs everyday for breakfast can get a bit much after awhile.

Linley x




Wednesday 27 June 2012

Week 3

I am now into my third week now and having ups and downs with the sugar free life. I feel fantastic, lighter, happier, less bloated and less tired. I cant believe I can still crave sugar, knowing how much better off I am without it, but I do - oh how I do.

I recieved my copy of The Mood Cure yesterday, and promptly read the whole thing. I must admit that a month ago I could safely tick all the 'mood' boxes, and needed all the cures, however I am feeling so much stronger now. I think this is a fantastic book for anyone who needs a mood lift, or is considering medication of any kind. It also reinforces that sugar and gluten have to go.

Speaking of gluten, I will also be cutting this out to help with my thyroid issues, but I actually think that it will be harder letting go of gluten than sugar. So, one thing at a time, or at least a more gradual replacement of gluten, with gluten free pastas and breads.

Sorry for the lack of pics I will get organised I promise!

Linley x

Sunday 24 June 2012

Sorry Ive been away, The dreaded cold descended and stole my powers.....

Anyhoo, I have finally been able to gather all the ingredients to make myself some sweet things, yay! I was at my beautiful nieces birthday party this weekend, and I ate... wait for it... hot dogs with no tomato sauce - committed right? Hell to the yes :)

Since getting home, I have made kale chips - yum, almond butter - sticky and stodgy, but yum - and the piece de resistance, almond bark, from the lovely Sarah Wilson's cookbook. This is the treat Ive been waiting for! My sister assures me the coconut choc balls are brilliant for the sweet hit also. The one thing we have found to be a miss is the avocado choc mousse. Its just too much avocado apparently. I wasn't feeling it, so never tried it out.

In cravings/withdrawals news, I'm at the end of week 2 and am coping pretty well actually. I drove to 3 different cafes in Perth this morning and ended up going home with a ham and cheese croissant.... Was this good? Yes, - but good for me? I'm not so sure.

Linley x

Monday 18 June 2012

Ok, so some details of why and how all this came about. I have just come back from a family holiday in Byron Bay, where I was able to have some 'pampering' done for the first time in 2 years. The result of this massage left me feeling so nauseous that I couldnt stomach anything but health foods, and no alcohol. Yikes! Not a great start to a holiday. It did get me thinking though, that perhaps this would be a great oppurtunity to try and get healthy.

I was reasearching on the internet and stumbled across Sarah Wilson's blog, which really got me thinking and investigated further. It became quite clear that sugar was a crutch I couldn't use anymore to get through life, it may have made me happy in the short term, but long term it is just killing me.

Its best to visit her page for more detailed information on sugar, she has done extensive research and lays it out all so clearly. You can also find links to other great pages and blogs there as well. I have purchased her cookbook and 8 week detox plan which I am now following.


So, where I am at with the plan. I have conciously not had sugar for a week now, but have been 'stricter' for the past 2 days and I'm struggling already! I desperately craved hot chocolate last night, which I satisfied with chai tea, and have been very hungry all day today. I have made the cheesy biscuits from Sarahs cookbook, and they are sensational. Im not sure I could satisfy myself with the recommended 2 for breakfast though. I had 2 for afternoon tea and was still into the cashews after that.

My girls are interested in what I am doing, and have been understanding that there was no juice for lunch today, however I did cave and make them pineapple sorbet in the thermomix this afternoon. Getting them off sugar is going to have to be done in degrees, they have been eating so much, but I will persist.

Linley x

Sunday 17 June 2012

Well, here we are. Joining the blogging revolution. Gasp.

I am trying to quit sugar, there has been alot of new information coming out and it has become clear that sugar is something I need to learn to live without. My sisters and I have started together, as of now we are on our 8 week detox program. I will share with you how this affects me and my family as we progress through.

For myself, I'm tired alot of the time, have an underactive thyroid - for which I take medication everyday and will do for the rest of my life, amongst other things. Our family has a history of diabetes, my sister and I both had gestational diabetes and I don't want my children to have these issues, therefore am trying to do something about it.

There are lots and lots of positive things and people in my life, I have an amazing family, wonderful friends and (relatively) healthy and happy children. It is for these people, and myself, that I want to be the best I can be.

So here we go!

Week 1 - easing off the sugar :)

Linley x