Did you say Extra Fries or Exercise?

It’s Friday again. 

In Bournemouth it’s the weekend of the annual air festival and just a few miles away I can hear something terrifyingly noisy performing stunts for thousands of freezing revellers who have braved a typical English summer’s night to gather and watch the spectacle in the sky – gale force winds are predicted for tomorrow.

It’s the third Friday in a row where I haven’t sat down after dinner to a large glass of red wine and a bag or sharing chocolates which I have no intention of sharing.

One of my biggest worries before I started this diet was ‘how on earth am I going to get through the weekend without eating chocolates, ice cream and drinking wine’. But I can tell you after three weeks, it’s not so hard after all. It was a silly worry to have. And actually the weekends are quite pleasant without all those things.  

Today my calorie total is just below 600. Having gone over my 800 limit for the last few days, I thought I’d better rein it in for a while. I even went for a run today having only eaten 300 calories at that point, I felt surprisingly sprightly.

While I was out running I started to think about how unmotivated I was with my running a few weeks ago. I knew I needed to get out and exercise because I was doing less physical activity and eating more and more – of entirely the wrong foods. But all the eating was making me lethargic and try as I might, getting my running bra on just seemed like too much effort (in all honesty it is quite difficult to get into). The more I ate, the less exercise I wanted to do. That seems funny to me – not hahaha funny, but, odd.

Since I have been eating a LOT less I have gone out running and enjoyed it. I’ve been out three times this week. Again, odd.

It seems that by eating 800 calories a day I am left with more energy and enthusiasm than I have when I eat pasta for dinner, have cereal for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Obviously I have days when I am tired but they are few and far between. I generally find that the busier and more active I am, the easier the diet is and the easier it is to go out for a short run.

Maybe if you cut back on those extra fries you’ll have more tolerance for exercise. I certainly have!