A couple of weeks ago I started my new challenge… I had gained some kilos over the last couple of months and somehow I didn’t manage to lose them! That’s why I made it into a challenge to lose 5 kilos… preferably before the festive season 🙂

I hope that this challenge will help me reach my goal. In return for all you guys being my sounding board, I will give you a recipe each week and also some tips on how to lose weight and how to eat and live healthier.

Let me tell you how my fifth week has been…

This week was a bit harder than others… I really had a couple of off-days… on Tuesday there were lots of naughty nibbles at work. And on Friday I had a Mylène homeparty which stands for wine and tapas!

I nearly didn’t want to get up on the scales this morning to be honest… If I didn’t have to write this post today, I’m sure I wouldn’t have!! But as I saw the figure on the scales I was so relieved to see that I lost 200 grams! I know it’s not very much but I was sure I would have gained weight again… so a big sigh of relief!! After 5 weeks I’ve lost 3,2 kilos.

Normally next week would’ve been my last post on this challenge, but I decided to do two more… That way I can give you extra tips and it will give me an extra week to lose weight 🙂 !

These two last posts will be scheduled on Friday and not on Sunday as usual. So one more post on Friday December 18th and the last one one on Friday December 24th.

Here are some tips to eat and live healthy :

Tip 1 : don’t look on a diet as something evil, look upon it as a new, healthy way of eating

Tip 2 : any time is a good time to start living and eating in a healthy, responsible way

Tip 3 : drink lots of water

Tip 4 : eat 5 times a day

Tip 5 : exercise

Tip 6 : make the right choices

Today’s tip : how to survive the festive season

The festive season is nearing very fast now… Only 11 days ’til Christmas Eve now! I am so looking forward to all the parties and diners to go to! But that means so many temptations and so many choices to make… Now… how to survive all those festivities?! Well, basically you’ve got two kinds of parties :

Parties you organise yourself 

With parties you organise yourself, you’ve got control of things… you can adjust your menu to your diet. And that doesn’t mean that your guests will have reasons to complain! There are so many tasteful yet healthy options… your guests won’t even notice that your dishes are poor in calories!

Here is an example menu you could serve your guests… and you won’t hear them complaining, believe me!

• starter : champagne with 3 hors d’oeuvres : mini “tomate-crevettes” (= little cherry tomatoes which are filled with grey shrimps),  an oyster served with some lemon juice and pepper, a piece of smoked salmon filled with cottage cheese

• first course : carpaccio with rucola, some roasted pine nuts, some parmezan shavings, drizzled with a bit of olive oil (you could also serve those delicious scampi I gave you the recipe for a couple of weeks ago)

• soup : lobster bisque

• main course : roasted turkey, new potatoes with rosemary and thyme, roasted vegetables (like carrots, pumpkin, cauliflower,…)

• dessert : lemon sorbet topped with a splash of gin, served with a fresh fruit salad

Of course, if you start counting the calories, you’ll be eating much more than on a regular day.. but this menu is healthy, nutrious, low in calories and it would be fantastic to serve your guests, wouldn’t it?!

Parties you are invited to

When being invited to a party it is of course a bit harder as you won’t have any influence on the menu… A few tips you can take in mind when invited to a party are :

• promise your husband that you will be the one driving home… that way you can’t drink more than one or two glasses of champagne or wine… which is of course very good for the calories ànd you won’t hear your husband complaining!

• when you can chose your place at the table, try to sit at a top end of the table as it will be more difficult to reach for all the goodies that will be put on the table

• do not take extra sauce with your dish

• when bread is served with a starter or with soup, try to keep your hands off

• say no to second servings

• drink lots of water in between the different courses

• you drink from your glass of water, but you SIP from your glass of wine…

• when coffee is served with biscuits and/or chocolates… good luck… (but if you are at the top end of the table, they might be harder to reach…)

Some overall tips : 

• the days in between the festivities you could be a bit stricter than usual, but make sure to stick to your pattern of eating regularly

• make sure to eat before going to a  party… now this may sound strange, but arriving at a party with an empty stomach is not a good idea… You will devour all those snacks that are served! You’d better eat a bowl of soup before leaving for the party.

But overall I would advise you not to let your evening be overshadowed by the fact that you are on a diet… Enjoy the food, enjoy the decorations, enjoy the presents and the company… enjoy your evening and DO NOT FEEL GUILTY! And if you do fall off the wagon… tomorrow’s a new day, a new start!

Today’s recipe : Thai red curry with chicken

I really like this dish… it’s spicy, tasteful and healthy all in one! You won’t regret trying this one out I promise you… (this dish will serve 4-6)

• add a cube of chickenbroth to 500 ml of water and bring to the boil
• add 250 ml of coconut milk
• put in one large tablespoon of red curry paste (This is sold in some supermarkets. You can find it in a little jar or in single portions.)
• grate some ginger (the ginger should be approximately the size of a thumb)
• slice 750 grams of chicken fillet in little cubes and add it to the broth/coconut milk
• add 2 paprika’s, 1 red pepper and 300 grams of sugar snaps
• let all this simmer for about 30 minutes
• in the meanwhile cook your rice
• when the rice is cooked, add it to the chicken/vegetables
• add some chopped koriander and some lemon or lime juice
• serve with some fresh koriander sprinkled on top
• bon appétit

Do you want to join me?

Perhaps you also want to lose just a couple of kilos before Christmas or you just want to start living a bit healthier? Why don’t we learn from eachother, motivate eachother, share tips and keep eachother informed. Feel free to comment below this post and perhaps we can help eachother!

Next week I will give you lots of little tips and tricks to take in mind when eating and living healthy and I will give you the recipe of a yummy calorie-low desert!

Don’t forget… the post will be up on Friday 18th of December (and not on Sunday!)

Love, Kathleen

Beware : I am not a health coach, dietician, nutritionist… I am just sharing tips that I have read and heard, tips that are helpful to me to watch my weight and to live a healthier life. If you want expert advice on how to lose weight, I advise you to seek professional help!