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On Thursday morning this week I awake to find that I've arrived in the next lunar phase of the 31 day Art of Abundance challenge I started a couple of weeks ago - the waxing moon phase is over and we're now in the full moon phase!
The full moon: celebrating abundance
The full moon phase is much lighter than last week's waxing moon phase. Instead of dealing with shadow work we're now celebrating abundance, practicing gratitude and working on creating a balanced flow between the giving and receiving of things. Our energy levels are thought to be at their highest during this time. It's also the time when we focus on bringing our projects, ideas and intentions out of our minds, and into existence in the real world.
What will you be eating when you get home, Lisa?
I only have two PT sessions this week and they're both quite late in the week - one on Friday and one on Saturday.
You may remember how my PT has recently become a bit obsessed with checking that I'm eating protein after workouts. I'm about to head home after Friday's session when he calls out to me...
"What will you be eating when you get home, Lisa?" he barks loudly.
"Uhhh, poached eggs on toast with spinach..." I reply.
I get home. I'm barely through the front door. I'm just throwing my car keys down on the table when my phone pings.
It's my PT.
"What did you eat when you got in, Lisa???" he demands.
"I've only just got in!!!" I reply. "...but I'll be having poached eggs on toast with spinach."
"Good!" he replies. "Send me a picture!"
So now he's not happy to just take my word for it. I have to send photographic proof that I'm eating protein after the workouts. I'm not sure what I've done to attract so much suspicion and mistrust...
At least my poached eggs have improved slightly since my earlier attempts. They're still not restaurant standard - but I'm quite impressed with how the yolks have stayed in the centre of the whites this time...
1. An early attempt at poached eggs. 2. Current attempt at poached eggs. 3. The poached egg look I'm aspiring towards...
A hungry baby swan
I arrive at Saturday's gym session with around 15 minutes to spare, so I decide to visit the ducks and swans again. The baby cygnets are just as squeaky as the last time I visited them and they're also looking a lot bigger, so perhaps I'm not the only person feeding them!
Despite looking well-fed, it appears that one of the cygnets is still hungry and is trying to eat his friend...
Back in the gym
After a quick 15 minutes with the ducks and swans, it's back indoors for another gym session. Trying to destroy my core is one of my PTs favourite things, and he's back at it again today.
You may remember how in week 17 I was introduced to a leg-kicking machine. Well, I'm back on this machine in today's session. Except that this time my PT makes me hold a weight in-between my feet whilst doing the leg kick-ups. Suddenly this exercise seems a lot harder and a lot less fun - not that it was ever fun in the first place...
A medieval torture device
In between all of the leg-kicking, I'm also made to do loads of stomach crunches on an ab-crunching machine. Even the name of this machine makes it sound like some sort of medieval torture device. And it certainly lives up to that - it definitely feels like being subjected to a medieval torture device.
On Sunday morning I wake up to find that I'm completely covered in aches and pains. My PT clearly succeeded in completely destroying me yesterday.
My core is the worst. I can feel the pain when I cough, I can feel pain when I clear my throat. In fact, just moving in any way whatsoever, is painful today.
Weekly food diary
This week I have been eating...
Monday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. A cup of black coffee.
Snack: None today.
Lunch: Baked beans on one piece of buttered brown toast.
Snack: A bowl of plain natural yoghurt, with a chopped banana and two spoonfuls of grain free granola mix. Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's dill marinated salmon with beetroot salad.
Snack: None today.
Tuesday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two cups of black coffee.
Snack: None today.
Lunch: Two poached eggs on brown buttered toast.
Snack: A bowl of plain natural yoghurt, with a chopped banana and two spoonfuls of grain free granola mix. One cup of tea with a dash of milk.
Dinner: Salmon with new potatoes and Mediterranean vegetables.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Wednesday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. Two cups of black coffee.
Snack: A banana.
Lunch: Baked beans on one piece of brown buttered toast.
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk.
Dinner: Salmon with new potatoes and Mediterranean vegetables.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Thursday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. One cup of black coffee.
Snack: None today.
Lunch: Baked beans on one piece of brown buttered toast.
Snack: One cup of tea with a dash of milk.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's peri peri chicken with apple and fennel slaw.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Friday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. One cup of black coffee.
Snack: None today.
Lunch: Two poached eggs with spinach on one piece of brown buttered toast.
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk. One banana.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's peri peri chicken with apple and fennel slaw.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Saturday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. One cup of black coffee.
Snack: None today.
Lunch: Two poached eggs with spinach on one piece of brown buttered toast.
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk. A bowl of plain natural yoghurt, with a chopped banana and two spoonfuls of grain free granola mix.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's sausage meatballs, creamy leeks and roasted carrots.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
Sunday
Breakfast: Muesli with oat milk. One cup of black coffee.
Snack: None today.
Lunch: Mindful Chef's puttanesca with penne and roasted asparagus (one third of a two portion recipe).
Snack: Two cups of tea, each with a dash of milk. One banana.
Dinner: Mindful Chef's sausage meatballs, creamy leeks and roasted carrots.
Snack: A small bowl of muesli with oat milk.
1. Dill marinated salmon with beetroot salad 2. Peri peri chicken with apple & fennel slaw 3. Puttanesca with penne & roasted asparagus 4. Sausage meatballs, creamy leeks & roasted carrots
Up next: my weight loss journey week 25
Lisa
