Whats the Goal?

Just recently our work place devised a "biggest loser" type incentive for our office and a whole heap of people enrolled. Every one started off with a hiss and a roar and gave it a good crack.  Some people grabbed excellent results (losing 15% of body weight in 12 weeks) some, including me grabbed a result, whether it was a loss or a gain and I say results because the more I think about it, the result was the goal. To lose weight and body mass, and I did that. I really admire every one who enrolled in the incentive because every one had a unique set of reasons, feelings and motives for joining, and it took courage and a big jump outside their comfort zone to have a go.

Obviously to gain a favorable result I needed to change what habits I had around exercise and eating and over come a number of head mental challenges as well. I definitely exercised more with my running peeps and played football and walked the stairs at work. I started at 99.3 kg s and lost a total of 4 kg s or just under 4% in 12 weeks (the lowest I got down to was 94 kg s but I yoyo'd between there and 97 especially when the challenge was over). I was happyish with the result but I new I could do better. I had good days and bad days during the challenge. As you do. But it was too easy to pop over to the ware house and grab a bag of chips and a little cookie time cookie, or a kit kat from the vending machine and sate my brain with the sugar and carbs it was craving. And so with every week that went by during that challenge I started to realize the main factor for my weight fluctuations was the small movement of my hand to the food to my mouth.

Let me point out that the focus of this 14 day cleanse is definitely not about losing weight, more trying to adopt some better healthy eating habits so that I can feel a whole lot better in myself  and so that I can take care of what I need to (insert life here). Losing weight will no doubt will be a bi product result of healthier food choices for sure.  But the thing I am stoked about right now how as a family we are thinking more about healthier food choices and actively thinking about the  effect of putting shit food in our mouths and the mouths of our kids. Claire tonight made corn fritters tonight but used chickpeas in it to make them a little more healthier (I didn't have any though) and the kids devoured them.

Curried Carrot and Raisin Salad : Yum!!

So today has been about getting ready for the Raw phase of the programe and I am feeling pretty good about it now, that I had a delicious curried carrot and raisin salad (provided to me by Kauia via http://www.nataliakw.com). I really needed to try one of the Raw diner recipes to get a taste but I must remember to lay off the ginger in this one.

Phase two of the cleanse will require 5 days of raw food but the beauty of going raw is that I am already eating about 80% raw foods already!!

Over all I have had a better day, enjoying my food in the knowledge that I am doing a good thing for myself. I'm even going to try a new smoothie for breakfast. Just not sure which one yet.
By the way, I am loving the comments, words of encouragement and recipe's from you too. Thank you!! Keep them coming, and if you are thinking of giving something like this a go, you will, when you are good and ready. Arohanui