Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail

One of the biggest challenges for me in terms of eating healthy is staying healthy at work. I would be as well taking shares in Pret a Manger, where I tend to eat lunch from most days.

A typical working day menu for me over the past few months has looked like this:

Breakfast
Grande skinny vanilla latte
Toast with peanut butter or a croissant or on a good day an apple and a yoghurt

Lunch
Tuna mayo or ham and cheese baguette

Mid-afternoon
Grande skinny latte and a bar of chocolate

Dinner
Packet of fresh pasta with a couple of handfuls of spinach and pesto

Damage
At least 2200 calories a day, no exercise and very little nutrition and then I wonder why I don't look like Brooklyn Decker...

Well, here's why!

Brooklyn Decker's diet as featured by Women's Health magazine this month. I like all of these things, yet I don't eat like this. Why? Because I'm not prepared. I then end up eating rubbish and realise I can't eat for the rest of day if I want to stick to a decent calorie total for the day.

Therefore time to start planning. So tomorrow the plan is:

Breakfast
Raspberry and chocolate protein shake made with almond milk

Mid-morning
Tall skinny cappuccino

Lunch
Tuna wrap  with spinach, red pepper and 0% fat Greek yoghurt

Mid-afternoon
Apple

Dinner
Venison steak with salsa verde butter and sauteed courgettes and spinach

Damage
Just short of 1000 calories, 112g of protein, around 25g of fat and plenty of fruit and veg.

Ramen: the Japanese Kebab

Over the weekend I hit one of the latest ramen joints to pop up in Soho. Having tried to gain access to the famed Bone Daddies before and giving up on the queue due to my rumbling stomach, I decided to try it out near opening time on Sunday.

To my surprise my friend and I got a table no problem. The deal with this type of ramen apparently is all around the slow-cooked stock they use to flavour the ramen (up to 2 days I think). I opted for Tantanmen. A slow-cooked chicken stock base, with chilli, ramen noodles, pork mince, a slow cooked egg and a bok-choi. After eating it I realise the bok-choi was a limp gesture towards health.

In my head it was going to be relatively healthy. I mean c'mon it's Japanese! I was then confronted with this oily bowl of tastiness. Now don't get me wrong it was delicious, but the combination of copious chilli oil and the very fatty stock was too much. Too the point I left a good bit without guilt. It almost tasted like a rich Italian ragu made with extra extra lardo.

Later that evening, when researching this dish to try and track the day's calories I discovered in Japan, apparently this sort of ramen is the equivalent to a greasy dirty kebab after a night out, bleugh.

Damage
800 calories maybe more and some hardened arteries.

Verdict
Delicious, but waaaaaay too rich. Sorry Bone Daddies you can ram your ramen on a Sunday. I'll be sticking to an Ottolenghi brunch, or more likely a hangover...

Weigh to go!

Starting with some stats then!

Age: 28
Height: 5ft 6" (maybe a little taller if I'm not slouching)
Frame size: Small-Medium
Current weight: 9st 9lbs
Current dress size; UK 10, low body tone

Goal weight: 8st 7lbs
Goal dress size: UK size 8, low body fat

I'm hoping to achieve the above by the end of June 2013.
I've been as small as 7st 4lbs before and a small size 6, I've also been 10st 5lbs and a size 12.

The way I currently look is based on very limited control of my food intake, with minimal exercise and a desk job. Writing this makes me realise how much I do need to take control. Whilst I'm lucky to have a decent metabolism and age on my side, there is only so long I'll be able to get away with this lifestyle, from both an appearance and a health point of view.

What's the Deal

I love food. Unfortunately as a result of this (and some rather long working hour of late) I've been piling on the lbs. In total I've gained around 10lbs since I first moved to London. Hardly surprising really when there is no much amazing food on offer!

For years, like most females, I've been dealing with the pain in the (fat) ass of trying to stay slim whilst loving food. I've tried every diet going and given up due to my complete lack of willpower and love affair with food.

As a result this year I've decided to try a new approach and put some of my nutrition know how towards making a lifestyle change to focus on health and nutrition rather than how I want to look. More than anything I want to feel good.

I'm going to use this blog to track my journey from food and exercise to eating out and fitspo.

Wish me luck!