It's the second day of my Meat 'n Nut breakfast and I'm loving it. It's quick and easy to prepare and so delicious. Fat fills me up and tastes so good.

I'll have to make an effort to get more vegetables into my other meals now though.

I ate an Applegate Farms Organic Turkey Burger cooked in 1/2 Tbs Organic Butter, 1 Organic Egg, 6 Raw Walnuts and 4 Fish Oil capsules with an Organic Green Tea.

I'm also considering a more flexible approach to my rigid 625 deficit Golden Rule. Calories in do not = calories out. Don't get me wrong, calories still to matter, but it's not as simple an equation as we think. My new focus is on protein, fat and less carbs, (and no sugar). I'm still going to track my calories and ensure a deficit of some sort each day, but the quality of my food intake will be far more important than the numbers.

My rigid exercise regime over the past month resulted in burnout. I'm now rundown and despite craving hard exercise, my body won't allow it right now. It's back to the drawing board for me.

Kat Eden had an epiphany that really hit home in my current over-worked-out and rigid dieting state. When you begin to stress over adhering to a program that is taking over your life, it becomes counterproductive. Stress holds onto fat and life is no longer enjoyable.

I am now in the midst of trying to find a balance without using this as another sneaky excuse to give up on something that was too hard. Let's see how it pans out.

Raw Buffalo Cheese Salad with Raw Organic Cacao Nibs, Raw Organic Greens, Mushrooms, Red Bell Pepper, Balsamic VInegar, 1 tsp Olive Oil, grated Ginger and Sesame Seeds.

I also drank a glass of water with Psyllium Husks mixed in for fiber.

Dave and I grabbed a Coffee (him) and a Chai Tea (me) from The Sensuous Bean on our walk Downtown. The tea was watery and not the best, so I drank 1/3 of that mega cup and tossed the rest.

Organic Lamb Burger Cobb Salad with Avocado, Egg and Bacon from Bare Burger NYC.

I skipped the ranch dressing and used Organic Grainy Mustard and Organic Hot Sauce instead.

I also had a bite of Dave's Elk Burger patty. It was much leaner than the lamb and really tasty, but I am a huge Lamb Fan.

This meal totally filled me up. I should have stopped halfway through. It's amazing how fat and protein satiate you and satisfy every skeric of hunger when you avoid mixing carbs with them.

Had to get my chocolate fix in! 1 Chocolate Chili Fudge Square.

I was craving fruit and veggies by dinnertime, so I polished off the last of my Cardamom and Veggie Soup.

Protein was half a Full-Fat Fage Strained Greek Yoghurt and 2 String Cheese Sticks.

This is the first time I've tried full-fat Fage. That tiny tub has a whopping 20g of fat, which is why I always steered clear. To be honest, it doesn't taste much better than the 2% Fage. It has only 2/3 the protein too, which isn't so good.

The new Greek Gods brand I bought yesterday, however, is devine. It's not high protein at all, but it tastes frickin delicious.

This day of high-fat and protein eating feels very different to the way I usually eat. I never feel hungry, which is good, but I feel heavy. That may be a mental obstacle as I'm used to filling up on light and crisp vegetables and fruit and I've been brainwashed to believe that eating fat causes you to become fat. I'm all for trying new things though. 

I'm currently reading a book called, "Living Low Carb" by Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS. It puts forth a load of convincing arguments against carbs and for fat and protein. I'll give it a go and see how it works in my life for about a week.

Tell you what though, I am absolutely craving weight training and full-on exercise again. Although my throat still hurts a bit and I'm kind of lethargic. I think I need a few more days of rest before I get back into my training. I'm dreading tomorrow's weekly weigh-in as the mirror shows I've filled out a bit since last week. It could be PMS bloating, too many treat nights, not enough exercise, or a combo of all 3, but I can tell you now that my weight will be up from last week. I'm trying not to be too concerned. Public shame and failure on this blog isn't the greatest feeling, but it's all a learning experience. If nothing else, blogging is getting me back on the wagon faster than usual. I can't afford to wallow in self-pity and do my usual "F*ck it ... may as well eat out of control for a few weeks now since I've stuffed up my goal". No, not this time. It's all about learning, giving my body a break, trying new tactics and moving forward albeit slowly.

I didn't think I'd eat again before bed, but I was craving fruit. I ate the other half of the Full-Fat Fage Greek Yoghurt ....

.... and half an Organic Pear.

I'm trying Charles Poliquin's Meat and Nuts breakfast.

1 Organic Grass-Fed Beef Burger, about 6 Brazil Nuts, 4 Fish Oils, 1 Evening Primrose and 1 Multivitamin.

I am feeling horrible this morning. Sore throat, lethargy. I had a Green Tea for energy.

.... had another Green Tea an hour later.

I feel like my immune system is taking a dive. This is totally stress-related. I've got the day off today and it's the sunniest spring day New York has experienced this year. I walked through Central Park but had to return home thanks to my sore throat. Need to relax.

By the way, other than the sore throat, I feel amazing after the meat and nuts breakfast. I think I'll have to stick with this plan for a while. It's time to shake things up again.

Coconut-Crusted Sole with Ginger & Dill and a bowl of Cardamom Green Soup.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: COCONUT CRUSTED SOLE - Fry 2 sole fillets in 1/2 Tbs coconut butter and 1/4 Tbs organic butter. Add 1 clove garlic, 1/2 Tbs fresh ginger, 1 Tbs unsweetened shredded coconut and 2 Tbs chopped fresh dill. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

10 Raw Organic Pecans ....

.... a small tub of 2% Fage with half a Coconut Water Berry Jelly Mound and 2 Tbs Unsweetened Shredded Coconut.

For the old sore throat: Zinc lozenges. These things rock. Whenever I feel myself getting sick, I cane it on the zinc lozenges for 3 days straight, gargle with cayenne pepper in hot water and I'm golden.

Most zinc lozenges only contain a token amount of zinc. These ones are bursting. 

My afternoon snack was kind of a meal, so dinner became a small plate of goodies after our WholeFoods shop tonight. 

A 100% Raw Plate.

Get this, (I'm so excited): it includes 1oz of Raw Buffalo Milk Cheese from Italy, 1 Tbs Raw Cacao Nibs from the Amazon, a handful of Raw Mushrooms, and 5 Raw Nuts.

So good.

I've never tasted raw cheese before, but I'm a convert.

Here are my new Raw Cacao Nibs. I am soooooo incredibly excited about the potential of this new ingredient. They're made from "Criollo" beans - the finest and rarest variety of cacao bean in the world. They are organic, fair trade and they come from Peru. I love this stuff!

I just bought the most delicious Greek Yoghurt and had 1 cup of it tonight. I've decided to try a higher-fat, lower-carb diet and full-fat dairy is on the plan. It is so creamy and so delicious that the plain version doesn't even need added fruit. 

I threw in 1/4 cup of Organic Blueberries tonight as they were close to going off, but I am in love with this yoghurt. I would pick a cup of it over a cupcake anyway. It feels like such a  luxury yet it's filling and satisfying.

I made a Coconut Water Berry Jelly Mould the other day, so I grabbed half for breakfast and coupled it with a small tub of 2% Fage Strained Greek Yoghurt mixed with Dutch Cocoa, Carob Powder and Cinnamon and Nutmeg.

I could have had the whole mould, but I was craving salt, so I had a slice of gluten-free 'Food For Life' China Black Rice Bread toasted with Organic Butter. Mmmm. That was the best bit. If I didn't have to eat protein, I'd have been happy with just the toast this morning.

I also had an Organic Green Tea.

I am tired today. I really didn't get enough sleep last night and it's showing in my diet.

I'm also confused as to the direction of today. I have a dinner out tonight with an Aussie friend who's in town at a restaurant where my mate chefs. He's promising to 'sort us out'. It's difficult to count calories when eating out at the best of times, but when the chef wants to treat you .... o-oh. Warning bells, (in a good but naughty way).

I think I've needed a few days break from my rigid diet/exercise mentality. I'm planning to eat as healthily as I can today and tonight, but not to be too strict. This is my break. I'll be full-on back into the Skinny Bride Mission tomorrow.

I had a cup of Black Tea with Half-and-half Cream ....

.... and it was so good I had another.

I then had 3 slices of Organic Applegate Farms Oven Roasted Turkey ....

.... and a Coconut Lime Chia Square.

Since I'm heading back to Australia, I started researching varietal chocolate bars Down Under. Most cacao beans are grown in the tropics in Africa, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. But closer to home, Vanuatu is a cacao-growing source. How good is that?! I'm filing this information away towards my future 'Kind Chocolate' dream, but in terms of my Aussie chocolate supplier for recipes, I'll be using a lot of Tava Chocolate I'm sure. 

Tava are a sustainable company supporting local farmers, and they believe in 'paying it forward' in terms of sharing chocolate production knowledge. I think I'm going to have to get in touch with these people .... So exciting! I have finally found my passion. Now that my health, fitness and weightloss are under control, I have inadvertently been left with a load of positive energy and the confidence to discover and follow my dreams.

An Organic Sesame Pumpkin Cookie ....

.... a bowl of Organic Cardamom Veggie Soup with 3 oz Grilled Chicken added ....

.... and a square of Chili Chocolate Fudge, (only 1).

I just had the most bizarre experience in a high end chocolate store in the East Village. It's a long story, but basically I sold my soul for chocolate. The owner of the store stocks 45 brands of high-end bars and truffles and he was a wealth of information on the chocolate industry, chocolate shows and starting my own chocolate business. He was also uncomfortably flirty, despite my telling him I have a fiance.

Back to business. I'd previously been held back by a limiting belief that most people won't pay for quality ingredients in a high-end chocolate bar when they can get budget junk chocolate for 1/10th the price. I stand corrected. According to him the gourmet chocolate realm is recession-proof and the number of millionaires in the world is growing every year. People who appreciate quality will pay for it and there is definitely money to be made. Sweet!

Mr. Chocolate satisfied his flirty desires and I left having tasted a bunch of pricey, amazing chocolate brands and with 2 full bars in my bag for free. Told you I sold my soul. But it was worth every penny....

By the way, this Pacari brand pictured is amazing. It's all organic, single-origin from Ecuador (my favorite flowery, sweet cacao beans) and fair trade. Love it.

Oh, and the sleazebag opened a bottle of Merlot for us to enjoy with our chocolate.

.... LATER .... I take that back. One crazy expensive gingerbread truffle he gave me had a crispy shell that raised my suspicions. Sure enough it contained gluten. I know this now as my belly is on fire. I've also OD'd on sugar, inadvertently. Damnit! I've really got to stick to the rule that I only buy bars of dark chocolate with the cacao percentage listed. And it's best that I stick wtih 99%. I'm now feeling sorry for myself.

On a lighter note, this Gnosis brand (pictured) of raw vegan chocolate is pretty amazing as a health food. It is a different style of chocolate making. They jam-pack it full of bits so there ends up more ingredients in the mix than chocolate itself. It's a very chunky bar with a dominating fig taste. I found it to be too sweet in aftertaste, thanks to too many figs, but that's just me.

This is called, "I just ate far too much sugar and now I'm on a carb-binge". Ugggh. In an attempt to get rid of the sugary taste from my mouth, I grabbed a packet of Baked Potato Chips ....

.... and tried to balance it with protein in 3 slices of Applegate Farms Organic Oven Roasted Turkey ....

... and a stick of String Cheese.

Ok, this has gone beyond a joke. I have successfully had my break from stringent diet and exercise and I honestly can't wait to get back to the gym tomorrow.

Yet another Black Tea with Half-and Half Cream. Oh dear.

Ok, are you ready? I headed to The Stanton Social for dinner with 2 mates. Tonight I was out of control and ate far too much. I didn't bother counting calories. All the food shown to follow was shared amongst 3 people ....

.... We began with Herb-Dusted Frites with Mayonnaise and Ketchup .... 

.... I had a glass of Sparkling Rose ....

.... 1 Corn and Pulled Pork Arepa ....

.... Goat Cheese in Marinated Red Pepper with Thyme ....

.... 2 slices of Avocado with Tuna Sashimi ....

.... 4 slices of Beef Carpaccio with Truffle Oil ....

.... Calamari ....

.... 1 Mini Lamb Taco ....

.... 1 Shrimp from a Cocktail ....

.... 1/3 of the yummiest salad in the world. Baby Spinach, Corn and Caramelized Cashews.

.... 2 Mini Pulled Pork Tacos ....

(I skipped the wheat tortillas in the foreground)

.... 1 Braised Scallop with Peanut Zucchini Sauce ....

.... a tiny bite of Slow-Cooked Ribs ....

.... half the Salt-n-Vinegar Chips and a tiny bite of the Kobe Beef from inside the Burger ....

.... half that ball of Red Strawberry Sorbet and 1 Candied Almond Wafer ....

(the rest of the Sundae was full of glutinous cake bits)

.... Half the Icecream and a Spoonful of Toffee Sauce ....

(the Guinness Cake was definitely not gluten-free. By now my stomach was in agony thanks to the tiny bit of gluten I ate in a chocolate earlier today, so I was steering clear!)

Ooooh, sugar. Why? What was I doing to myself?

.... 1/3 of each Sorbet Ball ....

Not sure why, but I came home and cooked up 1 and a half pieces of China Black Rice Toast with Organic Butter ....

.... and a cup of 2% Milk with 1/4 cup Frozen Blueberries.

I feel horrible. My stomach is all swelled up and bloated and sore from the skerric of gluten I ingested hours ago. I can't stand sugar, I don't really like the feeling of alcohol in my system and I am very very overtired. It's 2am and I'm still on the net. 

That's it. You've witnessed a serious diet blow-out. I'll assess why later, but it's back on the wagon tomorrow. No excuses, no guilt, no feeling sorry for my stupidity and no regrets. Just lessons and moving forward.

P.S. No idea what my calories were today. Absolutely no idea. I'm scared to think about it.

Ugly Eggs with Green Tea.

I'm getting run down. All this stress and exercise is taking it's toll on my body. I'm thinking of giving the gym a miss today. This is such a difficult decision to make. Ummm, exercise addict anyone?

Organic Cardamom Veggie Soup with an Organic Grass-Fed Beef Burger chopped and added.

A cup of Wild Sweet Orange Tea.

I also had 1/4 of a small Organic Carrot ....

.... and 1/3 of a stick of Organic Celery.

3 slices of Applegate Farms Organic Oven Roast Turkey ....

.... 1 Organic Hard Boiled Egg ....

.... 1/3 of an Organic Carrot ....

.... 1 stick of Organic Celery ....

I am obsessed with chocolate. And not just any old variety. It's gotta be the absolute finest in quality and cacao bean source. 

I skipped the gym at lunchtime today and went for a walk through the West Village. I ended up at a chocolate emporium of sorts in Chelsea Market and lost myself in varietals from across the globe.

I came away with a few tasting-sized (tiny) slivers of a new brand called Askinosie. It's a sustainably-promoted brand and was developed by an ex-lawyer with a love for chocolate. He makes blocks of chocolate with their source emblazoned across the package and pictures of the farmer who picked the cacao beans. Each block comes with a bar code so you can trace the story of your bar. 

I love this! I love the idea of combining chocolate, travel and sustainability. It's my own (secret) dream to start a chocolate line. I'd love to travel to Ecuador, Tanzania, Honduras and all the other places where cacao is grown. To learn the process from the ground up and to produce and market organic chocolate that focuses on health and quality. My creative side could come out in the marketing too. One day .... one day.

So anyway, (sorry, I lost track in my chocolate daydream), I bought a handful of half-bite samples and began the taste comparison process. I started a tasting chart, (fine chocolate can be compared and tasted like wine, with noticeable aromas, flavors and distinctions), and I was blown away by the results. I tasted burnt toast, leather and mushrooms in one, then jasmine, orange blossom and fresh cut grass in another. We're so bombarded with cheap and nasty mainstream chocolate in general society that we've missed the nuances of quality produce. The popular brands are so doused in sugar that the taste of the beans is completely drowned out. 

After today's experience I'll never touch a bar of Hershey's again. That stuff is rotten. Incidentally, I stopped by Godiva on the way home today. I was given a free sample of their Raspberry Dark Chocolate Gem. I couldn't even taste the chocolate. It was just a candified mess of sweetness. I had a look at the ingredients in the other Godiva products and found their overpriced 'high end' goodies packed full of corn syrup, sorbitol and a bunch of other nasties. Ummm, no thanks. I also hear Godiva uses the cheapest bulk-buy cacao beans in their chocolate. It's amazing what good marketing can do as suckers flock to their store to throw away their money on junk.

Another great discovery today: when I buy quality chocolate and really focus on tasting it properly, I feel like I've eaten 4 whole family sized blocks after only swallowing a few squares. Such is the effect of an abundance of flavor distinctions. 

My new hobby is chocolate tasting, (as opposed to chocolate scoffing).

I had 3 slices of Applegate Farms Turkey Bologna for protein before my walk home.

3/4 cup Blue Hill Bay Dill Pickled Herrings and a bowl of Cardamom Veggies Soup.

2 slices of Chocolate Chili Fudge for dessert ....

.... and a Coconut Water Icypop.

I knew I'd miss my 625 deficit today. Even though I was ahead of my game until I got home from work. But I'm despondent and finding it difficult to focus on my goal when my throat is sore and the scales are going up and down thanks to PMS bloating.

I ate a slice of China Black Rice Toast with 1/2 Tbs All Natural Peanut Butter, 1 organic Strawberry and 1 stick of String Cheese.

I had 1 more String Cheese Stick at midnight, right before bed.

I didn't mean to stay up so late, but Dave and I are busy packing and sorting through our new york lives before the Big Move in 2 weeks. There is so much to do.

Ugly Scramble with an Organic Green Tea on the side.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: UGLY SCRAMBLE: Fry 3 cups organic veggies in 1/4 Tbs organic coconut oil, with 1/8 an avocado, 1 whole organic egg and 4 egg whites. Season with chipotle peppers, lemon juice, coconut vinegar and wheat-free tamari sauce.

Thanks to yesterday's sugar overload I'm feeling very fragile today. I woke with a sore throat and a desperate need for 'me' time. So I took the day off.

Cardamom Veggie Soup with Organic Grass-Fed Beef Burger.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Grab a wok and fill it with every chopped green vegetable you can find. (I used celery, kale, green bell pepper, zucchini, broccoli, spring onions). Add 4 cups of fresh chicken stock, 1 can of chopped chickpeas, 1 small sweet potato and top up with water as required. Add 2 cloves garlic. 1 Tbs chopped fresh ginger, the seeds from 8 cardamom pods, hungarian paprika, cayenne pepper and 2 Tbs olive tapenade. Boil and serve hot with a portion of meat chopped into the bowl.

My bowl was small, so I added another cup full of soup once it began to diminish. I chopped an organic grass-fed beef burger into my bowl. It imparted a delicious smokey meat flavor and really filled me up.

It's 2pm and only now do I feel like leaving the house. I'm anti-hard-exercise today. I just realized I haven't had a single break day since embarking on this Skinny Bride Mission. No wonder my body and soul feels burnt out. 

3 Organic Raw Brazil Nuts.

A bowl of Cardamom Veggie Soup with an Applegate Farms Organic Turkey Burger chopped in.

1/4 cup salted Pumpkin Seeds.

Organic Celery, 1/2 Tbs Organic All-Natural Peanut Butter, 2 Organic Egg Whites and 1 small Organic Carrot.

Bircher Muesli and Green Tea.

3 slices of Applegate Farms Oven Roasted Turkey Breast ....

.... a sugar-free, gluten-free Organic Sesame Pumpkin Cookie ....

.... and a cup of Wild Sweet Orange Tea.

Last night's leftovers. Organic Grass-Fed Beef Burger Stirfry ....

.... and half an Apple.

An Organic Green Tea ....

.... and 14 Raw Organic Almonds.

Gym time!

I really didn't want to go to the gym today. I should've listened to my soul. (It wasn't my body talking this time. I was totally physically up for it, but my mind is overloaded and stressed out and not in the mood for exertion. It just wants to rest).

I did weights, but half-assed and spent the whole time dispising the process. This is not good. I should be loving exercise and revelling in the endorphin rush. But something about PMS and my no-bidge scales the past week have really killed my motivation.

I knew I had chocolate on the brain for afternoon tea, and I wished I'd brought some of my delicious new Chocolate Fudge to work, but alas ....

I began my afternoon snack like a good girl. With protein. 3 slices of Applegate Farms Oven Roasted Turkey ....

.... then it went downhill. I bought not one, but two bars of Noir Infini 99% Cacao. Granted they're only 30 grams each, but I'm supposed to be on a Skinny Bride Mission here.

Here's the second bar. Halfway through I'd had enough, but I decided to finish it anyway. What was I going to do with a measly 15 grams of chocolate hanging around the place?

I decided to go the full hog and have a Decaf Tea with 2 Tbs of Half-and-Half (cream).

Then I had another.

Ugggh. I just want to go home to bed.

I have a confession to make. I'm not perfect. (Who is, right? But it's amazing to think of the pressure we put ourselves under most days).

At the moment I'm feeling totally overwhelmed, and it shows in my diet. I'm a stress eater. Unfortunately I'm genetically predisposed to really bad PMS, which means I'm battling my stress eating a quarter of my life. That is really bad odds!

Right now I'm also planning a wedding, (which is pretty much under control), but even more pressing, I'm attempting to wind up a 2 year life in New York City to move back to Australia. The move is happening in 2 weeks time. Aaaarrrgghh! 

I am so incredibly excited to get out of this frozen winter and back into the loving arms of my family and friends, but there's so much do do between now and then. Oh, and of course it's not as easy as boarding a plane at JFK and disembarking in sunny Sydney. No, no, no. Dave and I had to get home the traveler's way: slowly and crammed with adventure. We''ll be flying to San Francisco, bike-riding through the Napa Valley for a few days, returning to San Francisco, hiking through Yosemite National Park for a week, back to San Francisco again before flying off to The Big Island, Hawaii, for a weeklong pre-honeymoon. 

We than have 2 weeks in Sydney, (in which time Dave whips down to Melbourne for a week of Bucks party madness), then we're off to Fiji. It's all happening now. I feel like I'm on a freight train to Marriageville.

As you can imagine, I'm slightly concerned about my Skinny Bride Mission amidst all this hoo-haa. Our travels focus on exercise: biking, hiking and our bag of workout tricks: skipping rope, light weights, yoga mat and resistance bands. The diet part will be interesting though.

Anyway, back to today's Treat Meal. I broke a few rules. I didn't eat protein first, (but I squeezed it in midway if that counts?). I also didn't plan what I'd eat beforehand, put it on a plate and sit down to enjoy. In my defense, I wasn't sure this was going to be a Treat Meal until it morphed into one. The best I can do is learn a few hard lessons from this experience and get back on the wagon tomorrow.

It began with the 2 blocks of chocolate at work I guess. It was too much. The overload of caffeine fuzzed my brain and stressed me out. 

Lesson 1: never eat more than 30g of 99% cacao at one time.

I then grabbed a bag of Smart Foods popcorn, and a String Cheese Stick to balance the protein. On my way out the door from work I made a stupid split second decision to grab another bag of popcorn. The thought flickered through my mind to leave it, but I grabbed it and opened it before my mind could object. I also ate another String Cheese Stick for more protein.

Now here's was my downfall. I had kept that damn gluten-free WholeFoods Carrot Cake from last Thursday's Treat Meal. It was far too sugary for my liking, but still tasty. I thought I could keep it in the house for a week until my next Treat Meal. Boy was I wrong.

Lesson 2: throw out all remaining treats after a Treat Meal, (or better still, only by treats in single-serve portions).

I have been obsessing about that cake since I bought it. And it's very presence in my house was what turned tonight into an unplanned Treat Night. As soon as I got home I cut 2 slices, slathered one with organic butter and another with organic coconut butter. The overpowering sugar really ruined the taste for me, but my cells latched on and wanted more. I am too sugar sensitive to enjoy sugar even in my weekly Treat Meals. It knocks me about and gets me back on the sugar-addiction rollercoaster.

Lesson 3: avoid sugar in Treat Meals, (and always). It doesn't taste good and it doesn't feel good afterwards.

Here's where sanity kicked in and forced 1/2 cup of Herbed Pink Salmon down my throat. Protein. Aaahh. But I then stuffed in a piece of sugar-free Chocolate Fudge and decided to whiz up a smoothie I've been obsessing about all week. Banana, Date, Coconut and Cardamom. I had a few sips, but it was far too sweet so I left it for Dave to enjoy.

I then ate about 60 gluten-free Pretzels ....

.... a handful of Dates ....

.... a sugar-free gluten-free Organic Sesame Pumpkin Cookie ....

This was one of the best treats of all. It was so refreshing to eat something wholesome and not overwhelmingly sugared.

.... a sugar-free gluten-free Organic Lime Chia Slice ....

Ditto. Nice and mild on the sweet scale. My homemade goodies that I slide into every day are sooooooo much better than all that store-bought crud.

By then I was over full and feeling guilty. Dave reminded me to think of this positively, as a metabolism boost, not a failure.

He had a point. I learnt some lessons, and now I'm committed to detoxing off sugar once and for all, and engaging in a bit of Paleo Eating for the next week.

.... I ate half a Coconut Water Icypop. I couldn't even finish it ....

.... and then another stick of String Cheese.

What on earth was I thinking???

I wanted another slice of Carrot Cake. But I put it in Dave's bag so he could take it to his mates at work. I threw out the bag of gluten-free pretzels and I settled down with a nice glass of 2% Milk to balance my blood sugar levels overnight.

P.S. my stats today are shocking and disgusting. I'm finding it really hard not to beat myself up about this. I ended up eating waaaaaay more than any other planned Treat Meal, all thanks to giving myself permission to keep returning to the kitchen as I pleased.

Lesson 4: always pre-plan Treat Meals, lay everything out on a plate and once I get up from the table the Treat Meal is over.

Rainbow Egg White Scramble with Organic Green Tea and 2 squares of my new Chocolate Chili Fudge.

I opted for egg whites only this morning (x5) so I could save my fat quotient for the chocolate fudge. So decadent!

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: CHOCOLATE CHILI FUDGE: Melt a 4oz (113g) block of organic unsweetened 100% cacao chocolate over a double saucepan on low heat. Add 1x 14oz (400ml) can of full-fat organic coconut milk. When hot and melted, stir in 2 envelopes (1/2oz or 14g) of unsweetened unflavored gelatine until dissolved. In a blender, grate 12 organic dates, 1/4 cup organic oatbran, 1/4 cup organic raw pecan halves, 1/4 cup organic unsweetened shredded coconut, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. Add to chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Pour into baking tray, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Cut into 25 squares. Each fudge square is about 50 calories and bursting with nutrition and good fats.

Note: this recipe ends up kind of moist. You could add more oatbran and 1/2 cup of almond meal to thicken it up. Perhaps even double the chocolate content. It would also make a fantastic mocha pudding without the oatbran and with decaf instant coffee added.

A happy accident occurred during the making of this fudge. I blended my unshaken can of organic coconut milk with 12 dates and had a taste. It was absolutely heavenly. My next dessert will be a coconut date pudding made with coconut milk, dates and gelatin. Oh so goooooood!

Organic Strawberry Lasagna.

Dave was cooking a toasted cheese sandwich for lunch today and it got me thinking .... I wanted something cheesy and breadish too, with a bit of sweetness and bite. Here's my solution. Man it was good.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: STRAWBERRY LASAGNA: Toast a slice of 'Food For Life' China Black Rice Bread. Chop 3 sticks of part-skim mozzarella into thin strands. Layer one stick over toast. Follow with alternating layers of 4 sliced organic strawberries and cheese strands. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Broil until cheese melts and browns. Enjoy hot.

3 raw organic Brazil Nuts.

Organic Grass-Fed Beef Burger Stirfry ....

.... Organic Fruit Cup ....

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: ORGANIC FRUIT CUP: Chop and layer 1/2 an organic Grapefruit, , 1/4 cup organic Blueberries, and 2 organic Strawberries. Sprinkle with 1/2 Tbs unsweetened Organic Shredded Coconut.

.... and 2 squares of Organic Chocolate Chili Fudge.

I couldn't help myself. This stuff is so addictive, so healthy and so low in calories!

1/8 cup Pink Salmon with Herbs and a Blueberry Semifreddo.

Skinny Bride Mission Recipe: Mix 1/4 cup crushed frozen blueberries with 1 cup 2% milk. Freeze 1 hour, stir and eat with a spoon.

Daylight Savings began today and my body was all out of whack. I ate my last pre-bedtime snack at 9:30pm, so by midnight I was hungry again. 

I had a String Cheese Stick and 2 organic Strawberries ....

....and 1/4 cup fresh Organic Blueberries.

I've lost 0.5" off my bust, hip and arm measurements, but that's it. My weight went up and down this week and ended up back where it started.

I am a little bloated with PMS which may explain these results. Aaaaahhh, so much effort for so little gain. 

Oh well, as long as I'm not going backwards. I had a happy moment in a bra change room at Town Shop this week (my favorite NYC store for all things lingerie and large cup size swimwear), when I noticed I was visibly more toned around my waist. Yay! And I've dropped 2 bra sizes. I'll take that, thanks.