Diet Diary #1

So the clean and lean regime has been going for 6 days now. No sugar, no dairy, nothing processed, no alcohol, reduced wheat intake, rediced caffeine. Variety is the key, eggs for breakfast and plenty of water are paramount and I try and have protein with every meal/snack. A cheat meal a week to stop me crashing and I've got the gym trainers out ready to start jogging. Having spoken to my doctor I have 2.5 stone (35lbs) to lose to reach a healthy BMI. 

Now at this stage I have taken my weight and stats but I'm not counting calories. Im trying to just improve my diet and cut out all of the crap, and focus on getting insides healthier and working properly. It's hard enough not reaching for the take aways and grabbing snacks on the go let alone having the added pressure of losing the weight. So far I've not suffered any noticeable withdrawal symptoms, I've never really had a sweet tooth so the sugar isn't a problem for me. Bread is the biggest thing I miss, I used to have toast or a bagel with marmite everyday. 

So what can I eat? Lean meat and fish, eggs, organic natural yogurt, nuts, seeds, fruit. Being inventive really helps so that I don't get bored. I jazz up a lots of dishes with herbs and spices and try and prepare food and snacks ahead of time so I don't get caught snacking. 

Once I'm used to the food, portion control will become key and I'll really up the excercise. I want this to work so I'd rather it takes me that little longer to achieve rather than go mad and fall off the wagon early. 

Recipe 1 - Sweet potato with smoked mackerel and avocado salad.

I x medium sized sweet potato washed.

2 x fillets of smoked mackerel.

100ml or organic natural or Greek yogurt.

Half a lemon.

Handful of fresh coriander leaf chopped.

Milled black pepper.

Milled salt (pink Himilayan if you can get it).

Small knob of Organic unsalted butter.

Salad

Handful of rocket leaves.

4 x cherry tomatoes.

1 x small avocado.

Salad Dressing

1 x Teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.

1 x Teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan, bake the potato unwrapped for about 40-45 minutes or until soft.

Whilst baking prepare the mackerel filling. Remove the skins from the fillets and flake into a bowl. Add the yogurt, the juice of the lemon, coriander and salt&pepper. Mix together well, cover and chill in the fridge. 

To prepare the salad remove the avocado from the skin and dice, chop the cherry tomatoes in half and  mix in a bowl with the rocket and salad dressing. 

Once the potato is cooked, slice in half and add the butter and the mackerel filling. Serve with the salad and enjoy!!