In your response, depict something or someone you admire. Bonus points if you share a paragraph or two on the source of your admiration.

Source: Admiration | The Daily Post

So there is life below 90kg…

My green journey never started out as any sort of journey or programme…it simply fell out of a conversation with Bubble in the US, some simple culinary challenges…previously my health binges have all been largely exercise-based, with only secondary attempts at dietary reforms…

The last time that I made a sustained effort towards a change towards a healthier lifestyle was following a posting from a particularly intense role where I was granted, from a great height, certain latitude in my new posting in order to decompress and ‘get my life back’. Then, I averaged 3-4 hours a day cycling, running and in the gym, often with a walk along the river after dinner – it was summer – but still, almost as a point of principle, maintaining my standard ‘eating in the Mess’ profile: big boys breakfast, big boys lunch, bar snacks and big boys dinner. By ‘big boys’ I mean all the courses, and all the options, justifying this as necessary to sustain my exercise programme. Then, with a lot of concerted effort, over three or so months, I got my weight down to around 92kg…

This time, without a great deal of willpower or effort, I’ve broken through the 90kg barrier without even noticing. I never thought to record my weight at the beginning of this journey but I never realised that I was starting any sort of journey other than to try some new ideas in the kitchen…Maybe two months ago, I stumbled (literally) over the scale in the the back pantry and found that I was around 95kg – I’m pretty sure that I was over 100kg when I started…

Pineapple, coconut and tumeric smoothie

So what have I changed that has rendered this result?

I’ve reduced dairy to almost nothing. I still use butter for cooking and occasionally might have an ice-cream like a Trumpet…

…I still have store-bought fish and chips and, when I am travelling, still succumb to the call of the major food groups: KFC, McDs or BK…but not nearly as much as I used to. Where I used to fall back on a big back of chips and/or chocolate bars like Crunchies and Mars Bars if I had the munchies, now I’ll just have a smoothie, a drink of water or just go without…I think there is definitely something to this sugar/salt addiction thing…

I have made an effort – about the only one – to reduce, if not eliminate, as many processed foods from my diet, now buying more raw materials and making my own food…

Spicy chewie apple cookies

Why bother with store-bought snacks when I can make a dozen or so of these in half an hour…and when two will hit the spot for filling me up…

What I haven’t done is dramatically change my exercise routine. In fact, after injuring my leg in January, I have done less exercise than I would normally and the bulk of that has just been working around the Lodge. It has only been in the last couple of weeks that I have done any serious walking and only today that I got back on the rower…

My advice to anyone thinking of making similar changes is to sort your diet and the rest will take care of itself…

So, in the context of this prompt, I admire Bubble for nudging me in this direction and I admire me for staying the course, although it hasn’t been terribly difficult: not much more than thinking a little differently and not being afraid to try new things…

We normally tend to admire others – and I do – but it is also a sign of good health to be able to admire yourself when you get things right and I really think I have this time…