Turning a corner: September review and October goals
Well what a crazy month September has been! I’m happy to say that I’ve achieved all the goals I set for myself, plus some extra!
- Completed the Great North Run in 1hr52!
- Started my Big Budget Challenge
- Did my ‘Healthy Feast’
The highlight for me without a doubt has to be completing the Great North Run. The fact that I did it in the time I did, after being injured and only two weeks before hand considering pulling out, and then tripping over during the race, its one of my biggest ever achievements! I also feel much more balanced after my healthy feast!
Its also been a strange month with regards to my eating and diet, but as the title of this post hints – I do feel like I’ve turned a huge corner recently.
I’ve blogged about how the last couple of months I have started to snack a lot more, particularly on an evening. What I gradually came to realise was that I probably wasn’t fuelling myself as well as I should be (along with stress and boredom issues) which was leading to me craving higher calories foods like dried fruit and nut butters. I’ve also came to realise that the lower weight I’ve generally been maintaining these last few months, although perfectly healthy, is not sustainable for me in the long term.
The fact that I’ve really accepted that I want to gain weight, and therefore eat a little more, is a massive turning point for me. I know I’ve said it before, but if I’m completely honest I don’t think I fully embraced it. I have been, and still am, afraid of gaining back all the weight I lost and and having it spiral out of control, but that’s a fear I’m going to have to deal with. This month I have gained about 4lbs, its been difficult to get my head around but I know look better for it.
With all of this in mind my attitude to snacking has completely changed. I’m a big fan of meal planning for a number of reasons, and I also plan my snacks and after dinner desserts. What I have found is that I haven’t planned for myself to eat enough or I may have planned something that doesn’t satisfy what I may be craving in that moment – I think this also links closely with intuitive eating.
What I plan to do from now on is not plan out my snacks but to make sure I have a few healthy (and not so healthy sometimes!) foods available at all times, and to try and train myself to listen to my body a bit more. At the start of each week I’m going to buy some apples, carrots, hummus, dried fruit, nuts, crackers etc to have at work so I can eat when I feel hungry.
Since I’ve been eating more of what I’m craving (good example being the banana and nut butter combo) I’ve definitely been feeling a little more satisfied. I have still been snacking on some evenings, but its not stuffing myself like before so I’m ok with that.
I’ve been reading a few wonderful blog posts that have helped me around this change of mind set including:
Oh She Glows – Our Weight, when is it happy?
Choosing Raw – Out with the old – ditching clothes that don’t fit
Welsh Girl Eats – Practising Kindness
Stop Chasing Skinny – pretty much every post!
I feel that if I’m working out like I do and eating a good balanced diet then even with the odd indulgence or over eating episode I’m not going to end up gaining a significant amount of weight. I’m hoping that by staying active, trying to listen to my body and eating generally whole foods I should be able to find my bodies true happy weight!
October Goals
I’m so excited about October, its such a great month and I’m feeling really organised and focused so bring it on!
- Stick with The Big Budget Challenge
- Stick to my new training plan
- Blog as part of Vegan Mofo
- Gain or at least maintain current weight by listening to my body
- Practice intuitive eating with my snacks
- Practice kindness
- Enjoy all the amazing autumn foods in season right now!
October sponsors
This month I’d like to welcome new blog sponsor Sarah from Every Day’s a Picnic – check out her wonderful blog! She blogs about all sorts of really interesting topics including her running and eats. She’s also currently working on the Olympic Gold Challenge! I’d also like to welcome back Sarah from Sweet Potato Sarah and Cat from Knitting, Running Eating – why not pop on over and check them out too?
I’d also like to welcome new sponsors Kara Diary Free and Clearspring. I’m a huge fan of both of these companies. I love Kara Coconut Milk, and the range of products available from Clearspring is amazing. I have a great giveaway featuring these companies products coming soon!
I’d also like to welcome back long term sponsors Viva Pure, Goodness Direct and iHerb – the discount codes are all still valid so if you haven’t taken advantage of them yet go for it!
Don’t forget – if your interested in sponsoring check out the details on my sponsor page. Don’t worry if you don’t have a blog button or suitable company logo, I can design one for you!
How was September for you? Do you have any goals for October?
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