Anna Buckley

I’d been avoiding the scales for a very long time and knew deep down things weren’t right…

My ‘curvy’ jeans were far too tight, nothing in my wardrobe felt comfortable. I’d stopped looking in the full length mirror, avoided having my photo taken and was contemplating getting BIG hair to even out my now disproportionate body.

You know the signs… but somehow the conversation in your head is one of complete denial.

“But I don’t eat breakfast.”

“I cook every thing from scratch.”

“I never eat junk food.”

“I hardly eat anything!”

I’d put on weight, avoided the scales… afraid of what they would say. Last Tuesday, after yet another weekend of far too much eating and drinking, I had to face the truth. So I took a deep breath, pulled out the dreaded weighing device and stepped on. Argh…it was far worse than I’d expected! Somehow in the last year I’d put on 10 kilograms (22.6 pounds) and was at least 9 kilograms above the top end of my B.M.I.

I’d had a brilliant year, published the books, lots of travel and socialising, but my routine was completely shot. I’d started the blog and documented the time…the evidence was all there. Too much food, very little exercise.

The picture above shows my biggest weaknesses and were the truth behind those numbers on the scales.

There were no excuses, I had to act.

In forty days we would be hitting the beach, sailing the Whitsundays, and I didn’t want to do it looking and feeling like a beached whale. I needed a plan.

This is what I’ve come up with to get myself in shape so that I can be FABULOUS IN FORTY DAYS!

1-No wine. This is a massive sacrifice but I realise how easily one glass becomes two and then I open the chips and bring out the Grana Padano, then the chocolate and completely compromise any type of good eating plan. Luckily this is only for the 40 days…I’ve already sent 2 cases of white wine to the holiday house where I intend to break all the rules!

2-Resume the 5/2 fasting plan. I’d been doing this for a few years and loved how it helped to keep my weight in check. I even liked having a day off thinking about food. Somehow, in the last year, the fasting day came to include sweet milky coffee, handfuls of salted peanuts, packets of rice crackers, juicy ripe pears and wine! This wasn’t a fast but a farce!

3-Reduce all portion sizes. I always cook and eat far too much  and find myself going back to the kitchen for seconds,  thirds. Even when cleaning up, leftovers somehow magically jump into my mouth! This will all stop. I will have my main meal at lunch time and something light (like soup) for dinner.

4-No refined carbs or bakery treats. No pasta, white bread, rice, sugar, cookies, cake, chocolate, sweets or any processed crap!

5-Lots more exercise. I hate exercise, have never joined a gym and use my car far too much but I do like to walk. I am an early riser and will now include at least one long trek as part of my daily routine…walk to the market instead of drive, carry my heavy vegetable laden backpack home!

6-Keep a record. I will make up a chart to write down the stats. By seeing a pattern in weight gain or loss I may be able to understand more clearly how my body behaves. Love a bit of science!

 

To kick start the FORTY DAYS TO FABULOUS I will go hard in the first week and soup will be on the menu. Today I will share my Sister’s very easy pumpkin soup recipe. It’s uses pantry staples so get into the kitchen and cook it up straight away!

 

PUMPKIN, GINGER AND TOMATO SOUP.

INGREDIENTS

2 medium butternut pumpkins (squash)

3 medium onions

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoons of grated ginger (ginger in a jar is fine)

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 litre (4 cups) water

1 can crushed tomatoes

4 tablespoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons lime juice

1-Dice onions.

2-Place onions in large saucepan with olive oil and fry on low heat till transparent.

3-Add ginger and nutmeg to onions and fry gently till mixed through. Turn heat down making sure onions don’t burn.

4-Chop pumpkin into manageable chunks.

5-Scrape out seeds with a spoon.

6-Peel pumpkins and chop into chunks.

7-Add water to onions, then add pumpkin.

8-When soup is boiling and pumpkin is soft add tomatoes.

9-Using a stick blender mix soup to a smooth paste. If it is too thick add more water.

10-Add fish sauce, taste and add more if not salty enough.

11-Add lime juice and taste, you may want a little more. Today I used bottled juice as I didn’t have fresh limes.

12-Serve with garnish of choice. Here I used cracked pepper and coriander.

At this stage it would be tempting to have a gorgeous crusty bread roll, smeared with butter, and a glass of aged Mintaro Riesling but I will be good and stick to just the soup!

A great way to stay on track is to make large batches of soup and freeze portion sized leftovers in zip-lock bags. These little stashes are great to take to work or have on hand when you’re too tired to cook and run the risk of dialing up a pizza!

So it’s been 5 days. I’ve made a chart to record the stats. I’ve walked every day, fasted twice and stuck to the soup regime and this morning I’d lost a brilliant 2.7 kilograms (6.1 pounds). I know it won’t be so rapid in the next few weeks but with such good results I’m motivated to continue and can now maybe contemplate a bikini or cocktails in a little black dress…

I will keep you posted and would love to hear your tips and weight loss stories.

Thanks for reading, Anna x

Love you to read my books The Lost Woman series follows the sexy adventures of Christina as she makes her way through a world of new media, design, fashion,  travel, and … men. The complete series is available now at Amazon, Kobo, Google Books, Barnes & Noble and iBooks, both as eBooks and print books. They can also be ordered from any book store, or by mail order on the BOOKS page.