Celebration Time

This is a bit of a celebratory post. The team at FrenchEntrée magazine are celebrating their 100th edition with a special magazine that has extra bonus features including the top 100 places to visit and things to do in France. They are offering this edition at the bargain price of just £2 in the UK or £4 for the rest of the world (with free delivery) until 23rd August. To take advantage of this offer please see details here or give them a call on +44 (0) 1778 395 168 With something for all Francophiles I’m sure you will enjoy it.

On a more personal note we have also got something to celebrate as nine years ago, on the ninth of August 2004 we collected the keys to our house in France and started a new chapter in our lives. All our belongings were safely in storage, with the exception of the basics that we had packed into our two cars and set off two days previously with two one-way Eurotunnel tickets and lots of hope.

Moving to France has truly been a life changing experience and here are just nine things that have changed in the last nine years.

1) Writing was never an important part of my life as an accountant in the UK, but through this blog I have found it is something I really enjoy doing and as a bonus the blog has lead to a monthly column for a local magazine.

2) Since moving here Adrian and I have both lost weight and have a far more healthy and positive attitude to food. The quality and production of our food has also become a very important focus for me especially. I don’t think we will ever be self-sufficient but we produce the majority of our egg, fruit, vegetable and nut consumption.

3) I definitely spend a lot more time in the kitchen cooking meals and baking than when we lived in the UK. If it is at all possible to make rather than buy, that is what I now do. I love my new found culinary skills.

4) Cycling has become a family passion in the last few years and long distances on the bikes are the summer norm. We are therefore a much fitter family than when we arrived and spend more time together enjoying the outdoors.

5) I can now speak passable French, although I realize I still have much to learn. Ed has naturally become bilingual.

6) A life in the country with more time spent at home has made it possible for Mini the dog to become part of our family and introduce us to the delights of dog walks on the tracks through the fields.

7) With no need for designer shoes and handbags (me) and no interest in computer games consoles (the boys) we have become far less interested in having the latest consumer must haves (iPads excluded).

8) We spend more time together as a family and also as a couple which is probably the biggest advantage to life here. We have also slowed our pace of life to match French time.

9) Living in a village has given us a real sense of community and it has been possible to get involved in village life, from helping out in the library, on the village magazine committee, and organising an annual family fun day. In Reading we barely knew our neighbours even after five years of living there, mainly as we were out the house from early morning commuting to work in London and not returning until early evening.

However it hasn’t all been idyllic. We have had our problems with understanding the language and making ourselves understood and nothing can prepare you for the initial loneliness of arriving and knowing no one. Then there are the inevitable issues with bureaucracy that most expats come across (especially so if you start a business in France) and the dodgy workmen some of us have the misfortune to meet. Missing family doesn’t get any easier with time and visits back to the UK are never long enough to see everyone. I would also say that despite having more time on our hands there still isn’t enough time, a bigger house doesn’t mean enough space for everything and three bathrooms just means more cleaning. 

But it has been and still is an adventure that I am glad we embarked on and wherever we end up in the future we will have these memories and experiences forever. It may not be the prettiest or the liveliest village in France but there will always be a bit of my French village in my heart.

We will be opening a local bottle of something special to share this evening. Santé and Cheers!

The perfect weight loss and fitness plan

With the improvement in the weather my thoughts are turning to losing the excesses of winter and ensuring I have rid myself of the spare tyre before the shorts and vest tops become daily wear. However, I am not one for rule following, calorie counting, group weigh-ins or weekly fees. In terms of exercise, although I love my weekly yoga class as it helps me focus on my mind and body, anything that involves becoming hot and sweaty in close proximity to others is not for me. The Viva Mayr way (see here and here) has done a reasonable job, but I have just discovered something else, something that has been right under my nose for the last five years. It is THE perfect weight loss programme and I’m going to share it with you, for free! This method is so simple you won’t ever need to look for another diet ever again.

Let me introduce you to my Diet Doggy who comes with a built in set of values and will guide you every step of the way to a new fitter and healthier you.

It's exercise time

Diet Doggy is programmed to know when it is time for your daily exercise, ensuring you can’t forget. By matching your pace to her enthusiasm you will soon be striding along and toning your legs, bums and tums as you go. Diet Doggy also knows that a walk in the fresh air is good exercise for the mind as well as the body.

When you are tempted to sneak a snack and enter the kitchen hunting for that special something, Diet Doggie will appear and give you her practiced pitiful look. This will ensure you feel so guilty you will never be tempted to fridge forage or cupboard crawl ever again.

Let me help

At mealtimes Diet Doggy is trained to carefully monitor every mouthful of your food. Diet Doggy doesn’t beg but positively encourages you to share your meals with her. This is a selfless act to ensure you reduce your portion sizes and therefore consume fewer calories without the need to count them.

Don't forget to share

I've told you before jam is not necessary on a croissant

Perhaps where Diet Doggy comes into her own is at those low points everyone experiences when on a diet. You make a cup of tea; grab a biscuit and head to the sofa. Diet Doggy will be by your side in a flash and will swap your biscuit for her ball. Her eager to help little face will say it all, “Come on, if you’ve got time to sit on the sofa, you’ve got time to play ball in the garden with me”.

The best place to pick up your very own Diet Doggy is your local animal rescue shelter. I hope you have as much fun dieting and exercising with your Diet Doggy as Mini and I do.

This post has been linked to the Eco-Gites of Lenault Animal Tales blog link up. To read more animal posts just click on the link.

Viva Mayr week two

I am now at the end of the second week ‘loosely’ following the main principles of The Viva Mayr Diet and things are still looking good. I say loosely as I am really not very good at totally following any hard and fast rules! However my waist has reappeared as if by magic, which has led to my clothes feeling far more comfortable and the numbers on the scales are still moving in the right direction (I have lost just under 2kgs) so I am very happy.

In the first week (see here for my report) I struggled to drink enough water and herbal teas between my meals, as liquids with food dilute the digestive process so are a no no for Viva Mayr, but this week that has been a little easier. It is just a matter of adjusting my routine, which I’m sure in time will become more normal.

Chewing, and by this I mean really chewing each mouthful is already becoming more routine and has led to some odd discoveries. A small handful of crisps with a homemade wrap for lunch when chewed correctly were absolutely disgusting and the salt burnt my mouth. I can’t see myself ever wanting to put another crisp in my mouth again, so that should save me quite a few calories over the years. You really do get enhanced flavours from your foods when you chew, it really does fill you up and it is better for your digestion too. I still haven’t felt hungry between meals, which (unfortunately for Ade and Ed) has meant I haven’t baked a cake since returning from the UK – shock, there is usually always cake in the kitchen. I do feel a little guilty and I will get my baking mojo back I’m sure, however at the moment I’m enjoying a delicious walnut yoghurt cream dessert (inspired by one of the recipes in the Viva Mayr book) where I would usually have eaten cake. I am also not yet ready to put temptation under my nose, especially as a packet of Cadbury Mini Eggs nearly ruined everything over Easter. As it is so delicious I thought I would share my walnut yoghurt cream recipe with you.

Walnut Yoghurt Cream with kiwi and banana

Walnut Yoghurt Cream

Take two handfuls of shelled walnuts and blend in a food processor until quite fine. Add a tablespoon of cold pressed walnut oil and two tablespoons of water and blend again. This will give you a lovely wet walnut paste that I mix with five tablespoons of homemade live natural yoghurt. The result is delicious and very healthy, walnuts are a super food, Viva Mayr sings the praises of using cold pressed oils and natural live yoghurt is also very good for your insides. For breakfast I pour some over a sliced banana and for lunch I add it to a mixed fresh fruit salad. I could easily become addicted as it is delicious on it’s own too.

Viva Mayr week one

While in the UK I picked up a copy of The Viva Mayr Diet by Dr Stossier and Helena Frith Powell. I wasn’t really looking for it or any diet book, but I follow Helena’s blog so was aware of it, had a look and was interested enough buy it. To say I devoured every word of it as I read it from cover to cover on the journey home is no exaggeration. Like all good diets Viva Mayr isn’t just a diet but a change of lifestyle. The main thing that struck me was how much of it made sense and that with a little effort on my part I should be able to loose the post UK visit bloating and maybe even shift the 3 kilos from the Christmas UK trip that have now begun to bug me.

For those of you who don’t know, my weight has been a big issue most of my life, but I have never been a yo-yo dieter as food is more important to me than a fad diet. I was tubby kid who became a short fat teen and stayed that way until about five years ago when I was in my mid thirties. Following no strict rules except eat less, move more and eat from the garden as much as possible I lost 15kg from 68kg to 53kg, which as I am only 1.55m tall was a much healthier weight. As with most women I ‘fluctuate’ so my ‘happy’ place is about 55kg, but as 58kg is getting to be the norm at the moment something needs to change before summer.

Viva Mayr inspired breakfast

The Viva Mayr way aims to improve the way our bodies digest our food ensuring we function efficiently and stay healthy (and slim). There is a lot more emphasis on how and when you eat than what you eat, to promote good digestion and therefore good overall health. Without wishing to give too much away here are my good and bad points from my first week.

Good.

Once I remembered to chew my food properly (usually after the first 3 or 4 mouthfuls) I was amazed at how much fuller I felt than I usually do. This has meant cutting my portion sizes hasn’t just been easy it’s been essential. I have also not felt the need to snack between meals at all, all week – honestly!

The bloating feeling in my stomach disappeared almost overnight.

Exercise is already part of my routine with a daily dog walk, a weekly yoga class and gardening. However each week at yoga I promised myself I would do a bit of yoga at home each day. Before I knew it I was back in class wondering where the week had gone. Not this week. Now I drink my lemon and ginger tea before rather than with my breakfast, then wait a while before eating. Viva Mayr has given me twenty minutes of yoga time before breakfast each morning.

Bad

Ade is a little irritated with some of my new habits! He is one of the fastest food hoovers I know so now that I am chewing more thoroughly I am taking a lot longer than he is each mealtime. This has made him a little annoyed.

Now I am no longer drinking at mealtimes I am struggling to remember to drink enough during the day between meals. This is something I need to work on.

Coffee is something to be avoided with Viva Mayr, however, I may only have one or two small coffees a day but I am not ready to give them up.

Apparently pork is one of the most difficult of meats to digest, so it is suggested we avoid eating it. However as we have just bought half a pig for the freezer this isn’t going to happen either!

Overall, at the end of week one I am really happy with my progress, especially as I feel healthier on the inside and slimmer, plus I have already lost a kilo.

There is so much more to Viva Mayr than what I have put here so if you think is sounds interesting I really do recommend getting a copy of the book and having a proper read.