Chocolate too GOOD to be true

I've ranted and raved about how important (vital!) it is to feed our children a consistently high-nutrition diet, but it's oh so easy to forget about ourselves. What about mum? Mum is the ship. If she sinks, the rest of the fam goes down with her.

I'm coasting along nicely on my new no sugar, alcohol, weat and dairy 'regime', which I hope will make me feel fantastic. A few kilos shed would be a nice side bonus, but I just want to feel great again. I want to look NOT haggard (as opposed to 'haggard', which has been my look of choice this past year). I want to glow, because, trust me, for the past year, it looks like someone dipped me in ash.

I've been really inspired by the support I've had from people both here and at Australian Women Online about how they've been feeling similarly lousy and want to make a difference.

I've taken this 'diet' from the Body Blitz Diet but it would honestly be easy to do this without having to follow strict guidelines. The book does have some pretty fantastic recipes and a meal plan (plus suggested snacks) if you feel you need strict direction, but as I want to make this a lifestyle choice rather than a diet, for me it's just about eating sensibly, really. Nothing refined, nothing processed. Lots of wholegrains, fruit, veg and some lean meats.

I will introduce dairy again but not great hulking slabs of cheese like I used to. I guess it's all about refining your choices and making the most of the 'treats'. Why not smear a teensy piece of brie or blue vein on Kavli crackers rather than smother pitta bread with 80g of cheddar? It's all about making things more 'special' and enjoying them far more, as a result.

I'm also eating my meals out of special dishes and making them last and last - this allows me to appreciate food so much better, and indeed - this is the stay-slim secret of French and Japanese women. Making a 'thing' out of eating rather than wolfing it down over the kitchen sink.

I try to have protein with every meal and I fill up on fruit if I'm desperate for sweets, though honestly, since starting this regime, I've not really been desperate. Fruit is a great candy substitute but make sure you don't go bananas. Speaking of bananas - along with grapes, they are very high on the sugar, so put a sensible limit on these - you don't want to undo all that great work with other foods.

I've also been snacking on miso soup and nuts and rice crackers (all white carbs must end by 6pm) and that's easy to do. SUCH a treat for me.

And my most special recent treat is some dark high-antioxidant chocolate I found at Woollies - one block with Goji berries and one with Açais berries. NO SUGAR! Talk about a major antioxidant boost that will majorly help my cause - but once again, it's all about portion control. I'll let you know how much control I had tonight!

And yes, this chocolate is TOTALLY for me, myself and moi. No kids or husbands allowed. The sooner us mums can incorporate these tiny but extra special things into our lives, the happier we'll be.

PS: loving this auto BMI calculator Thea has at the bottom of her Fat to Fit blog.