December: Meals, Miles, Books and Looks

Meals 

In November I read Rosemary Conley's Amazing Inch Loss Plan and I started to follow the principles outlined in the book, which is a low saturated fat calorie controlled diet combined with daily activity.  I haven't followed the specific exercise plan and some of the menus use products not available to me but the idea is clear and simple to follow so I haven't found it difficult to adapt for me.  Since I've been using MyFitnessPal for calorie counting I thought I'd share with you the calorie count of each of these meals.

1. Calamari, chips and salad (480 calories)
2. Hot dogs and Heineken Light (633 calories)
3. Tuna niçoise salad (280 calories)
4. Cajun trevally, asparagus, courgettes and roast capsicum (222 calories)

 

1. Quorn bacon, lettuce and tomato with mayo on a baguette (472 calories)
2. Egg fried rice (484 calories)
3. Boiled egg and toast (154 calories)

1. Calamri, kumara chips and salad (440 calories)
2. Orkney oatcakes, cream cheese and smoked salmon (353 calories)
3. Quorn swedish meatballs with lingonberry jam, cream gravy, potatoes and cabbage (433 calories)
4. Cajun snapper, grilled asparagus, tomatoes and courgette (143 calories)

1. Quorn turkey steak with vegetables and cranberry sauce (419 calories)
2. Sardine tacos with mango salsa and cabbage (259 calories)
3.Starbucks panettone latte (about 240 calories)
4. Rum stollen (half of this is about 398 calories)

I didn't follow the plan at all on Christmas day but I still kept a count of what I ate.  I can see why the diet gurus tell you to keep a food diary because it really does help keep you aware of what and how much you're eating.

1. Christmas breakfast of mini bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon (262 calories)

2. Christmas dinner starter of prawn cocktail (159 calories)

3. Main course of Quorn turkey steaks with roast potatoes, maple glazed roast carrots, beans and cranberry sauce and gravy (781 calories)

4. Traditional dessert of Christmas pudding à la Mode (475 calories)

1. Sparkling sauvignon blanc with iced cranberry juice hearts (128 calories)
2. Ritter sport assortment
3. Orkney fudge (gift from Kanes parents)
4. I didn't eat this!  This is my cats special Christmas food - they loved it!

Miles: 49.7 km

I'm really starting to build good running habits which is just as well because I've signed up for a 5k in January, 2 x 10ks in February and an 8k in March.  I've been running once a week with a beginners morning group that my coach has organised as well as following the plan he's given me.  Yoga is going great and I can see some improvement, eventually I'd like to add in some other strength training but right now I really feel it the day after yoga so I know I'm getting a good workout there.

Books

December has been a weak reading month for me.  I've started reading my Christmas mystery and I have a small pile of library books that I feel many of them will be getting returned unread!

I'm gearing up for a new Goodreads challenge though.  Last year I challenged myself to read 12 books since I've been out of the habit of reading for a very long time, this year I'm going for 24.

Looks

I love where I live but it could be infinitely better if there was an IKEA and a GAP!  And maybe a Costco.  We got a Top Shop earlier this year, we're getting an H&Ms in 2016 and Ben & Jerry's has just opened a store so we're not totally deprived .. but I digress.  For the past couple of years we have bought GAP stuff from the US in their black Friday sales and had them shipped to us.  I was so happy to get these plaid pyjama pants in time for Christmas, I teamed the red pair with a black T shirt with Santa on it for my Christmas morning, present opening attire.  The white ones I saved for New Years day.

The jeans, thick socks and leather gloves will have to wait until summer is over before I can wear them!

Happy New Year!  Have you tried calorie counting before?  What store would you find it hard to live without?