~Ayla~

The blast website is fab, and I finally understand why so many recipes talk about coconut aminos instead of soy sauce! *toddles off to the health food shop* In honour of your broccoli comment I had a whole half a head of broccoli in place of rice with my soy mince and bean chilli dinner ;-D Roast chickpeas with vinegar and salt... genius! I'm definitely still in shrinking mode, the changes I've made are quite big so they're still having impact. If I plateau I'll have a look at TDEE, but I will take it with a pinch of salt! I think for now I can afford a few carbs here and there and a couple of heavier sauces, because I'm coming from a much more indulgent diet to begin with. However, I'll keep what you've said in mind about protein and about my beloved substitutes - I may aim to include a few more bean based meals instead as time goes on. Unfortunately the link to the article about protein just links back to this post - would you mind re-posting? Cool: whole fruit + pea protein = equals mid afternoon snack. Got it! Thanks again for all your time writing such detail for me, it's been a real help and look forward to seeing you around too :-) ~A

Hi again :-) Not to worry, this 'accelerated' phase is only for 8 weeks, then I will reset to more sustainable expectations once both my grading and the competition is over. I won't actually be weighing myself, I never do as I think it's not good for my emotional health - I stick to how I feel in my clothes and whether my stamina and energy is improved during training. I'm in this for the long haul, I'm not a fan of crash diets or stuff like that, I've been working slowly slowly towards NF nutrition level 3-4 since January :-) I'm always careful to label any positive changes I make as about health and fitness; I'm very lucky to have a body that is healthy and capable, and I'm very strict about avoiding focusing on appearance or arbitrary weight goals. Body positive, that's me. Metrics wise I'm focused on general health, so nutritional values like vitamins, fibre or minerals do matter to me because I'd like to make sure I feed my body well. I'm focused on improving health, prevention of disease, and being able to live an active life for as long as possible, that's my real core goal. I want to stop self-limiting behaviours so that I can get out there and feel like I'm able to join in with anything. 3 years ago I would have laughed in your face if you'd said I'd be doing my 4th kickboxing grading and participating in a tai chi competition, so I'm definitely on my way! It's just a slow process. I do know NF is a pretty paleo place, but the style of it and encouragement is great, and the general ideas are more realistic for me than calorie counting. I'm not sure there are that many other choices out there from a nutritional point of view, the paleo-ish path of protein over carbs, less sugar and trying to eat unprocessed natural foods all makes sense to me. I compared my actual buckwheat ramen (king soba organic buckwheat ramen) with an arbitrary finding on the web, but now I looked again those Sainsburys flat rice noodles are the pre-cooked ones which I don't buy. I checked a 70g portion of pad thai noodles on myfitnesspal now and do see it's 21g carbs, 4.5g protein, so not much difference in carbs however the buckwheat do have more protein at nearly 10g. https://www.eatthismuch.com/food/view/pad-thai-noodles,508528/ http://kingsoba.co.uk/kingsoba-uk/index.php?route=product/product&path=62&product_id=59 (adjusting for 70g portion) It sounds like I could probably just make 'normal' pasta, rice or noodles on carb days, so long as I measure out the portions. I can't help but feel that the brown/black/wholegrain versions are healthier though - that much has been programmed into me over years of my Mum saying they are! I am very careful about quorn to use only the green-labelled vegan ones, but they and products like linda mccartney's vegan range are brilliant for me as higher protein choices, where before I would have had a straight up carb or sugar (e.g. I'm now trying to have some rolled up ficken slices instead of a slice of wholegrain toast or dried fruit bar, or a sausage instead of a bag of crisps). I do eat a lot of soy products, tofu is one of my favourite things! I don't hold to the hormone theory personally, though many people do. I also lurve tempeh, and soy mince. I guess have quite a lot of meat substitutes in my diet as well as straight vegetable dishes. I easily eat my veggie portions a day though as I love snacky veg like cucumber, tomatoes, lettuces and radishes etc. I thought miso soup was meant to be a proteiny snack, or at least the itsu pastes say they are... their salty umami goodness is one of my best weapons in the fight against crisps and cheese* lol I don't really know how many calories I'm supposed to have, but I'm not a believer in BMI if that's the way people usually calculate it? I'm a rather stockily built and muscular person, so for example I personally feel that the BMI of my lovely Thai friend, who is the same height as me but with a very small and lithe build, is not a helpful target for my own body ;-) I don't know what my body fat % is - my first thought when I looked at the pods and calipers etc was "buggered if I'm going into a horrible salon type place so that a bunch of 20 year old kids can poke my wobbly bits and tell me I'm fat!" lol Anyway, week 1 of my plan looks like this, it runs Sunday to Saturday. I'd be curious to get an outside opinion... 2x linda sausages, portion of vegan egg Making Waves 'fish' steak with samphire and other vegetables Tofu sriratcha meatballs with sweet potato noodles and grilled vegetables 1 Grapefruit Lentil Korean salad with homemade carrot and diakon pickles Meatless chilli (soy mince, kidney beans) and roasted broccoli 1 Grapefruit Homemade linseed and chia crackers with tofurkey slices, lettuce, deli mustard, classic pickles Courgetti with pesto and cherry tomatoes 1 Grapefruit Veggie burger lettuce wraps and chunky mixed salad Tofurkey Italian sausage and butterbean tomato casserole 1 Grapefruit Ficken ceasar salad (using soy based ficken, raw and cooked veg including green beans, 'follow your heart' dressing and 5 croutons) Aubergine and mushroom Punjabi tomato curry with cauliflower rice Homemade linseed and chia crackers with smashed avocado and tomatoes Greek 'feta' salad (olives, tomato, cucumber, tofu marinated in olive oil vinegar and herbs) Sqashetti pad thai jay with tofu and cashew nuts (instead of peanut) Sausages, avocado, roasted cherry tomatoes, baked beans Sainsburys no-fish steaks in lettuce with tartare sauce and aunt bessie root vegetable chips Restaurant dinner out (probably Thai) On most days I will also have 3 of the below, particularly to supplement the breakfast grapefruit and beat the 3pm slump: Carrot sticks and houmous Flax & Chia crackers with e.g. houmous, guacamole Cucumber and almond butter 30g Graze Cherry tomatoes (around 9) Olives (around 6) Bell pepper strips and guacamole Miso soup Almond butter & cranberry celery sticks Ficken slices Seitan/Linda sausage Handful of Cauldron marinated tofu Veggie burger in lettuce Broccoli / green beans with dressing Apple, greenish banana, 10 grapes, 3-5 dates etc Pot of vegan jelly 2 squares dark chocolate To me, eggs and dairy aren't no-kill options due to the fate of those poor little male chicks and calves, and the premature slaughter of the girls once they're considered commercially 'spent', thinking about that stuff makes me cry and no-one wants tears in their dinner! Truly it just spoils my dinner for me so there's no point in trying ;-) So, it's ahimsa all the way for me, though I draw the line at pity for root veg, you couldn't pry me away from my onions no matter what the Jains say lol I have seen vegan pea protein powder, my neighbour made me a couple of smoothies with it, but I wasn't too sure how to use it myself though as I thought I was supposed to be not having juices and smoothies any more? Can you mix it in normal food without making it taste weird? I'm definitely with you on the habit goals, this is a short 8 week period of more intense re-focusing after 2 weeks of slacking off due to a big birthday (oh my god my oreo birthday cake, i mean, that thing was epic) and a grading, holiday and competition on the horizon! Generally I'm of the slowly slowly brigade. My goals in the challenge are putting limits on unhelpful food and drink while still allowing for some fun with the people in my life who aren't on this journey, and building back up good training and movement habits every day. ~A

Hi Defining, first of all thank you for taking the time to pen such a detailed response. I should soooo have added a bit of context! I need to explain that a classic dinner might previously have been spring rolls or samosas, or maybe summer rolls, followed by a big bowl of rice and vegetable curry, or plate full of pad thai jay (tofu, no egg), a huge serving of watercress risotto, or macaroni feese with broccoli, or wholegrain lasagne with almond bechamel, or the vegan giardinera from pizza express (with dough balls!). I'd follow that up with vegan ice cream, cake, dark chocolate or maybe lychees in syrup. 70g of buckwheat noodles limited to a Saturday night treat does represent a rather large reduction in carbs in my diet :-D I'm a very plump lass, for all my martial arts and home cooked diet; I have very muscular thighs and calves but my hourglass figure tends towards fat gathering on my belly and hips. In the 8 week challenge I'm now setting myself, I've allowed one 'carb monster' favourite dinner and one restaurant meal a week. This represents a big change, a tough limit, for me but I think it's an achievable goal as I've been slowly changing my diet using the (low) NF diet levels over the past while. My goal is probably the equivalent of about 7lbs over those 8 weeks, but my measure is a combination of more energy and better performance at my favourite sports, plus the less subjective measure of clothing fit. I'm surprised at the idea that the choice of carb doesn't matter, because the beginners advice on the website keeps talking about minimising unhealthy carbohydrates and how some carbs work like sugar on the body etc. That's the information that I'm starting from, so e.g. the website recommends using sweet potatoes instead of potatoes so that's why I've done that, it says cut back sugar so now I'm having 10cal vegan jelly or a portion of fresh fruit and limiting sugar pudding to 2 nights a week, and booze to 1 night a week for example. During the week I'm going to substitute courgetti or squashetti but on some days I figured a portion of chickpea pasta and tomato sauce, or a cake of buckwheat ramen, seemed likely to be better for my goals than a portion of white pasta or rice noodles, based on what I was reading. Is there any merit in that thought? Because the discovery that's really surprised me after reading through your post is that going and comparing 70g of each, the buckwheat appears to have more carbs than the white noodles (41g vs 20g), and not only the higher protein (10g vs 3.5g) as I'd originally thought. Where I'm also very fuzzy is my staple of pulses and legumes which is where I've always previously been told is a great source of protein for vegans and healthier than rice or potatoes etc. I use a tin of beans instead of having rice, chickpeas or lentils in place of couscous or bulgar wheat, and I use tofu, soy protein, mycoprotein or seitan (wheat gluten) in place of meat, and I love the taste of miso. I just know I can't see me counting grams of things and doing the very scary looking number crunching that you've done there, I wouldn't last more than a few days doing that because I'm a cook that likes to experiment and eat a wide variety of dishes, which would make that task extremely daunting for so many meals in a week. I'm not sure what the right balance is to move forward with my challenge without making it so hard and brain busting that I loose it the minute I have a stressful week at work, or too many personal commitments. Is focusing on increased protein and reducing portions of nutritionally/glycemically 'better' carbs going to actually work? Or is it all a pipe dream due to following a diet without animal proteins? I'm vegan for my interpretation of ahimsa, so that deffo means no animal products of any kind for me - I have to find some sustainable way forward that doesn't have me giving up and reaching for the nearest bowl of pasta and box of oreos! ~A

Hallo, I'm trying to reduce carbs in my diet, and make healthier choices for the carbs that I am going to eat. I've been vegan for 22 months now, so there are some limitations in what I choose to eat. I'm doing ok on some things, like choosing sweet potato instead of white potatoes, or having brown/chickpea/pea pasta instead of white pasta, but one of my favourite things to eat are noodles, in spicy soups or pho, as stir fries, in miso soup, cold in salads... oh yum I am so hungry just THINKING about them. I'm wondering whether switching to buckwheat ramen and soba and sweet potato vermicelli would be less carby and more healthy than my usual noodles? I'm planning to make a lovely star anise and cinnamon scented pho noodle soup for Saturday night dinner, with summer rolls wrapped in lettuce instead of rice paper for starters. Would I be on the right track if substituting the rice noodles for buckwheat, for example? ~A

Hallo all, I've been learning Tai Chi Softball, as it's a side interest of my kickboxing instructor, on and off for about a year now. Now my instructor has asked me if I'd like to attend a UK national championship competition in October, not to compete compete (I'm no black belt!), but certainly to participate and compete at a junior level, she even offered to do a synchronised routine with me. I would LOVE to do this, I haven't been in any sporting competition since I was a child. Just wondering if anyone else has heard of or been involved in the sport? ~A

Hi Hazard, I want to set myself an 8 week challenge combining upping my exercise regime and daily step count, and making some dietary changes by limiting treats to a strict number per week and making my usual vegan diet lower carb. Between now and October I have my green kickboxing grading, a (10th wedding anniversary) holiday to Sri Lanka and the Maldives where I'd like to be fit enough to try some new water sports, and a Tai Chi Softball competition (my first) where I'd like to feel confident enough to get up in front of all those people. I've set up a plan in my own way (below), I do love a checklist, but I'd like to tap into the support available here in the NF community rather than just do it myself, especially as I'm easily led astray by peer pressure and/or FOMO! How can I best fit my plan into the NF challenge structure though? I think I have planned mine in a way that doesn't conform to the guidelines? Thank you! Ayla

Hi Angor, never too late! I started 3 years ago and turn 40 in July, it's the best thing I've ever done - even with injuries and all sorts, I love it. Just go at your own pace and compare progress with yourself, not with other people who have different bodies and commitments :-) Have fun! ~A

Sure, of course! Just don't ditch the ground fennel or aniseed even though I know they are annoying to get hold of, they really impact the flavour. You can order them off amazon though. Good luck, share the results back here! Bet you don't have any leftovers lol

Hi, bit late to the party but I want to recommend a book 'vegan bbq' by nadine horn and jorg mayer. The whole book is worth the price just for the vegan spare ribs! For the seitan: 200g wheat gluten 2 tbsp noosh 2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp ground fennel 175ml pineapple juice 1/2 apple, grated 1/2 red onion, grated 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp olive oil For the marinade: 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp mustard Ok so preheat oven to 180. Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then mix together until a dough. Spread over 30x30cm baking tray lined with baking paper and press firmly down. Cut vertically down the middle and then make 6 cuts across it so you have 14 peices. Mix oil and mustard together and then bush over the top of the seitan and bake for 35 minutes. Leave to cool. Then brush it all over again, but this time with barbeque sauce., then sear the marinaded side for 4 minutes over a grill, and then the other side with lid down for 10 mins. Eat and rejoice in its awesomeness! Trust me, it is worth it. So so worth it. I had carnivores begging for seconds! Best barbeque sauce ever: 1 onion 2 tbsp rapeseed oil 2 cloves garlic 450ml passata 120ml cider vinegar 2 tbsp worcester sauce 2 tbsp syrup (agave, sugar beet, whatever) 2 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp paprika, smoked is best 1 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp chilli flakes 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground star anise Chop onion and sweat with oil for 5 mins (don't brown). Crush garlic, add to onion, cook another 2 mins. Add everything else, bring to boild and then gently reduce uncovered for 40mins on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Omg you are in for SUCH a treat!

I think I need a bit more time before I try group class! The very mention of high-pressure and ugly martial arts practice sends my blood pressure soaring!

Thanks! I am a bit too shy to attend group classes but I think I will have to at some point, or my experience will end up stunted. Had a great session today, we call it 'the 12 days of Christmas': so you start with one punch each hand. Then two snap kicks each foot and one punch each hand. Then three punches, two snap kicks and one punch. and so on up to 12 kicks each leg, 11 punches each arm etc. Also learned spinning back fists today - whoop whoop! Sooo much fun but dear lord they don't half make you dizzy after a while!

Hiya I'm also new, just joined a little over a month ago. As a child and teenager, I would never have seen myself as a martial arts sort of person! I remember my intense dislike of boys who did martial arts because they invariably tried to show off and ended up accidentally kicking or punching you and it would bloody hurt, and as a teenage girl I'd just think that's a sport for self-centred, careless gits - urgh! So I came to associate martial arts with boys acting mean, which is far less impressive than a strong person being kind. As a child I'd done netball and swimming a lot, then as a teen I stuck to tennis mainly, until in my 20s I entered office work and didn't look at a sport again. I joined various gyms over time but my interest always waned quite quickly and I never saw lasting results. My default position was as an office potato videogamer with big dinner tendencies, a 20-a-day habit and a bottle of wine on the go at all times. I skinnied up ish for my wedding but I was right back to myself a heartbeat after the honeymoon was over. I cook, oh boy do I lurve to cook. I quit smoking 5 years ago and, wowser, did I balloon like a zeppelin. About a year later I was made redundant juuuuust as I was about to move into my new house. I'd had enough and opted to take 3 months off on my savings to regroup and get away from it all. I bought some gym equipment for the new house and dedicated a whole room to it, and I started exercising. Six months later I employed a personal trainer to help get me fit, at first I saw her once a week and we were at Level 1 in all ways, I could barely do a squat. After a while she started introducing self-defence, and as I was interested, then some kickboxing and kung fu... I was hooked. I've seen her 3x a week ever since and, despite working a sedentary job, injuries, illness, doing a degree and, hardest of all, experiencing a bereavement, I'm now training for my green belt in kickboxing (ours goes yellow, orange, red, green). I've also taken up Tai Chi Softball which is an emerging sport here in the UK and I've even started to give yoga a bit of an amateur effort and I do try to meditate. Occasionally we do a fun session and practice random kung fu forms. Kickboxing has become a part of my identity and I can't imagine giving it up. It is SO different to what I expected, it isn't aggressive and violent, showy or mean. It's an amazing physical and mental challenge, and there is NO reason to practice it on untrained people - turns out that this kind of showing off is not at all what it's about. I get excited about landing a (light) punch on my trainer (a 2nd dan black belt in both Kickboxing and Kung Fu), and she totally celebrates my win with me. It turns out that martial arts aren't just the provision of angry men, there are lots of women and gentlemen, people who are more interested in teaching those behind them, meeting those at their level and learning from those above them. I am sooo happy to have found kickboxing, and I've been inspired to start this journey and be here on nerd fitness because all I can think about is learning new techniques and ace-ing them, not hitting physical barriers, and doing multiple, longer sparring rounds but being able to think clearly instead of gasping for breath and just defending. It's giving me the drive to push myself harder. Anyway, that's me. Hallo! ~A

With a side of rotten miracle handling... .

Grief. Loss. Change. Empathy. Kindness. Purpose.