French Living Resolutions Update

I have been following my 15 point Manifesto for French Living for nearly 2 weeks now and I am pleased to say that I am happy with the results, I have lost 5lbs (2.5kg) and feel more relaxed already. Here's how I specifically put each point into action.

1. Eat more generous meals, but don't snack.

I have made full-on meals everyday with one proviso, that they are all under 500 cals (only just mind).  For breakfast I have had eggs on toast, lattes with pastry etc.. as long as it came to less than 500 cals it was fair game.  I have really enjoyed this part.  

Each lunch I have had cheese, fresh bread with butter and a salad with grapes and pecans. I had an avocado salad instead of the cheese one day too

For our dinners we have had small portions of rich food, from Sunday Roasts, to Chicken Veronique (cream sauce) I have worked hard on getting maximum flavour into my meals.

2. Eat real food, no pre-prepared junk, try eat food as close to it's natural state as possible, go for quality over quantity.

I am already pretty good at this, as I cook most things from scratch anyway, but I have definitely upped my quality, swapping Galaxy for Green and Blacks Dark Chocolate and normal mature Cheddar for a variety of artisan cheeses from the deli

3. Look after what I have and only buy quality items if I really need them.

Not much progress on this, I guess I haven't bought any cheap tat. I did ask my Husband for a quality pair of heels for Christmas instead of going out and buying some cheap pair that will "do for now", does this count?

4. No shopping for anything but food or Christmas presents.

I pretty much managed this, bar a Bodyshop Party, where I got some pamper goodies (body oil and lip gloss) and a Ski Show that tempted me to buy a sledge and a ladybird hat for my daughter. Oh and I bought series 7 of Gray's Anatomy, it was only £12.

5. Moderate my alcohol intake, keep to 1 glass on weeknights.

I managed this on all but 1 night, when I had 2 glasses, in my defense, I didn't drink on at least 3 nights each week, so I feel that I can tick this one.

6. Slow down, drive slower to save fuel and the car's paintwork! 

Getting better at this, but still hard when someone is dawdling around the place to not zoom past them. Definitely needs more work.

7. Slow down, eat more slowly and savour each bite, put my fork down between bites.

I have gotten pretty good at this, and it really helps, I enjoy what I have eaten so much more and leave the table feeling more satisfied instead of just full.

8. Walk when/wherever possible.

I have walked the girls to school 4 days out of 5 both weeks. I even picked my eldest up from a party on foot. Tick

9. Read the books, wear the clothes,play the games, watch the films I already own. Don't keep things for best and then rarely use them.

I have tried to wear more of my better clothes, and I have also trawled through my kindle books rather than buying more. Need to play some of the games I own and wear some of my nicer outfits though.

10.Spend time on grooming, paint my nails, deep condition my hair, give myself face masks.

I have used my Clarisonic 6/7 days both weeks, I have painted my nails twice but I will be Shellac-ing them tonight for my friends 40th( update- I actually ended up giving the a reverse french manicure.)  Have had a hair cut though and will be also be doing the Aspirin mask plus teeth whitening this evening before I go out.

11. Dress well everyday, not just special days.  Wear stylish outfits even at home when relaxing, try to look put together.  Aim for a 7/10

I would say more an average of 6/10 need to try harder!

12. Lay the table for every meal, use napkins, water glass and jug etc.. don't sit in front of the computer or TV and zone out.

Yes to everything except Napkins, I also only ate my lunch once in front of the computer, I very rarely eat my evening meal in front of the TV so should probably remove that.

13. Sing more, dance more, socialise more, get out of the house more.

Definitely achieved this, have met for coffee twice a week and gone out 3 times, I'm even going to Karaoke and then dancing this evening!

14. Work together with everyone, make all your relationships a partnership not a contest.

Hmm, this worked well with my husband, our relationship is good at the moment, less good with my daughters, it can still get a bit adversarial.

15. Do good, offer help and be there for others.

I have tried to be more active in our school's fundraising activities, and offered to help my friends when needed.  I can always do better at this though, so onwards and upwards.

Overall, I think it has been a good first 2 weeks, I feel much better about myself and I also feel that a lot of these resolutions will have long-term benefits.

Have you started following any new resolutions  feel free to join me.  Just Follow me on twitter or bloglovin (top right) to get regular updates.

xo