A stable week but didn't walk as often

I am cutting back on the food amounts I eat and it is having a good effect. The protein is a good amount and I eat less carbs. I am not falling asleep after tea and waking regurgitating the food I have eaten. I think that is what they refer to as dumping. It is not nice as you cough and splutter for ages and have an acid feel in your throat for the rest of the night.

Small amount of rice with chicken stirfry and fresh kernel corn. Plate is not full and it is b&b size. I left some rice.

Nachos. The first time in 2 1/2 years. Very small amount, lots of chewing. I enjoyed it and did not have any pudding.

Both were full of vegetables and had plenty of fibre. Both home made and tasty. You eat such a small amount that you can try something tasty and different. The joy of seeing your lovely meal and it tasting fabulous outweighs the fact it is a much smaller amount than what you used to have. Herbs and other tasty things mean each meal can be an adventure. Do it well and the rest of the family will want the same so you won't have to cook multiple meals each night.

Things I Like in My Pantry

• Moroccan spice, Roast chicken salt, All purpose seasoning etc
• Herbs and spices: nutmeg, smoked paprika, ginger, thyme (dry or fresh), chives, mint (flavoured ones too), basil, garlic, chilli etc
• Fresh grown food from my garden - heirloom tomatoes, runner beans, lettuce (gourmet), carrots (round short stem ones), silver beet
• GF flours etc for home baking - small amount out, rest in the freezer in case of visitors
• Homemade jams and preserves as you can keep an eye on sugar and  have fresh goods put up
• Fresh fruit and vegetables weekly
• Homemade soup in the freezer

On my walks I have been Urban Scavenging. Crab apples came home with me from a mid week walk. As I was picking them up from the grass verge I am sure the home owner came home from the school run. I thought at any minute I would have an irate landowner coming to tell me off. It didn't happen. We have one jar of crab apple jelly from 1 kg of fruit. It looks and tastes beautiful. The fruit shop had extremely good specials on fruit so we have 4 more jars of plum jam and multiple small containers of peaches and apples. They taste so much nicer than store bought tinned fruit.

Creatively; this is the castle, page, knight, princess and horses that my mother and I helped make. Mum and I did the knitting for the castle, Katrina on the left did horses and other members of KIP did the rest. It is on display in the Botany Library, East Tamaki . It was used for a Story Time and the princess went missing but reappeared after an email was sent out.

This week's intentions: it is Easter this weekend.

• Limit chocolate eaten
• Walk/exercise more to get rid of chocolate on hips
• Enjoy time with the family
• Do handcrafts if the weather turns wet
• Write more on my MG novel
• Eat more protein/less carbs
• Treat my eating like an addiction and say .. just for today
• Journal if I feel stressed
• Reach 1800-2000 mls/daily
• Write down food eaten as I go

I know this is similar in many ways to last week but I am trying to get into a good habit. This has to be done daily for at least a month or more to become your new norm. Practice makes perfect or at least helps.Maybe I should photograph each main meal. I want to see more clear plate around the meal and less height above the plate. I don't want to have the same amount as others and try to mentally trick my brain by the use of a smaller plate but piling it on.

Journalling intentions

I choose to deal with emotions and not bury them with food.

I claim back my life and a healthy body by treating it as a temple.

I will exercise daily; mostly with long walks but also other forms of exercise

I won't hate myself if I slip up, I am human and I can correct myself at any time

I create a trim, taut and terrific body by what I do each day and I am.

What do you choose, claim, will, won't and create this coming week, day by day?