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 sixth week has been…

From Sunday until today I’ve been really, really good… no excessive snacking, no alcohol, no chocolate,… so this morning on the scales… ta da!!!!! I lost another 800 grams 🙂 I was so glad… the total is now exactly 4 kilos and I feel better every week! I’m quite proud of myself… losing 4 kilos in just 6 weeks. Oh yeah baby…I’m gonna rock those party outfits 😀

The last update will be posted on Thursday 24th of December… make sure to check it out!!

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

Tip 7 : how to survive the festive season

Today’s tip : various tips ‘n tricks to take in mind

Today I will give you heaps of little tips ‘n tricks to take in mind when watching your weight, when eating and living healthier… so here we go :

• don’t eat too quickly : try to eat slowly and enjoy every bite. That way you can really taste what you eat. If you eat too quickly, your stomach can’t follow… you’ll over-eat and you’ll have a bloated feeling! Chewing carefully and putting your fork down in between bites can help you not to eat too quickly

• try to harmonize your plate : when filling your plate, make sure you eat plenty of vegetables! Actually, half of your plate should be filled with vegetables… the other half can be a combination of fish/meat and potatoes/rice/couscous/pasta

• at a party : when you’re at a party where you can dance… dance!! Those are extra calories you burn baby 🙂

• you don’t have to empty your plate : as a child you were probably taught to empty your plate… did you know that you really don’t have to?! Listen carefully to your stomach… are you full? Stop eating!!

• treat yourself : of course you can treat yourself! If you like chocolate, buy yourself a bar… if you like wine, buy yourself a bottle… but not every day of course 🙂 I’ll give you an example… I like to drink a glass of wine in the weekend. When losing weight I try to stay clear of alcohol as much as possible, but when I’m on my target weight, I treat myself to some wine during the weekend. I usually buy myself one bottle of wine a week. It’s my bottle and when it’s empty that’s it for that week! Did I empty that bottle in one day?! Mmm… I might have a headache the next day, but I won’t have any more wine to drink for the rest of the week! Normally I spread that bottle on three days… two glasses on Friday, two on Saturday and two on Sunday. That way I’ve got three days where I can enjoy some wine without overdoing it.

• plan your meals : if you plan your meals in advance, it will make it easier to stick to them. If you make a week-menu, you eat much more varied. An extra bonus is that it makes your shopping so much easier!

• about water : I did a post especially about the importance of water… but here are three more tips :
  • on a party or at a restaurant : your water glass should always be on the right hand side of your wine glass… that way you reach for your water glass first when you want to drink!
  • make sure you top up your water glass every time it’s empty…
  • in between meals you’re allowed two snacks… now when you’re hungry and it’s not yet time for your snack, drink a glass of water to satisfy your stomach for a bit…

Today’s recipe : ice cream!

I like desserts… A LOT!!! So I’ve been on the look-out for low-calorie deserts and this one I think is really yummy… ice cream! But of course it is a low-calorie version 🙂

I make this ‘ice cream’ with ‘klop-klop‘ from Dr. Oetker. It’s a light version of whipped cream. Unfortunately this powder isn’t for sale in all countries so check your store and hopefully you’ll find it in the baking section!

• mix 3 packets of ‘klop-klop’ with 160 ml of milk
• add frozen fruit (I used 2 large bananas which I put in the freezer for a couple of hours and about 150 grams of frozen red fruit)
• put it all in a blender and blend everything really well…
• that’s it!!!!
• bon appétit

The consistency might be too runny, but you can put it in the freezer for a couple of hours so you can make really nice scoops or quenelles. Beware, you can not keep it in the freezer for too long, I’d say max. 4-6 hours.

Above recipe will be enough to make a yummy dessert for 4 : put a scoop or two of this ice cream on a fancy plate and decorate with fresh fruit, a raspberry coulis, some chocolate sprinkles, crumbled meringue,… Let your (calorie-low) imagination run wild! No one at the table will know they’re eating ‘fake’ ice cream 🙂

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, on Christmas Eve, I post the final update on this challenge… I will give tips on how to persist… because believe me, that is sometimes even harder than actually losing those kilos!

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!