Hello there and welcome to our New year, new you and all that jazz.

This year one of my resolutions was to finally get my array of health problems under control. Sounds like every other person out there on the planet, but I seriously need to.

No more “but it tasted so good at the time” no more “well it hasn’t come back… yet” no more “it’s because I have very little self-control around sugar”. I’m getting out there and I’m doing (so motivational).

Thankfully all these out there’s and doing it aren’t alone, my gorgeous friend Michaela is my partner in crime and my indecisive friend Sophie has kind of jumped on the band wagon but has also kind of stayed teetering on the edge – can’t win them all.

The only cute photo I have of Michaela and I. We’ll be “carrying” each other through this challenge!

We will be following through the IQS 8 week program created by Sarah Wilson and loved by hundreds around the world. The actual 8WP starts on the 4th of Feb but we’re eager (funds limited) beavers and equipped with IQS cookbooks and so we’re creating our own! As a bit of a diary to see how it all pans out and to hold ourselves a little more accountable I’ll be documenting our journey here.

If you don’t know me, Lauren, here’s the low down. I’ve been dairy intolerant since a child and quit gluten a few years ago for its assumed association with cancer and gut issues and well now I’m quitting sugar so here’s hoping it helps my poor body out. In Disclosure, I have quit sugar in the past for 2 months but… cake.

You may be asking yourself what on earth will these already skinny girls eat? Well firstly, omit the skinny, it’s genetic and definitely does not mean someone is healthy (or unhealthy) and secondly I’m hoping that this blog-iary will prove to you that skinny girls still eat – a lot.

Our goal through this is going to be making the whole “quitting sugar” process as social as possible because we love our friends and living in Wellington and Christchurch means there’s plenty of delicious places to try, just sans sugar.

Day 1:

Breakfast: Woke up and had beautiful coco-nutty granola. This is my favourite and I’ve been making it for months now and even whipped up a batch or two for Christmas. The twist for the program was the addition of lactose free yoghurt instead of coconut yoghurt (funds) and lovely peaches from the markets. I was going to go for the low sugar fruits to gradually ween myself off sweet summer fruits but I just couldn’t resist the juicy goodness.

Walking to work I was all of a sudden craving all these foods I’d normally eat only on the odd occasion. Like Ripe’s GF ginger crunch slice from the coffee shop on the corner ………………heavenly.

Naturally on my first day of sugar quitting my lovely colleague returns from the Netherlands with chocolates. But you can still eat dark chocolate right? Just eat around the white chocolate windmill? Ha, sure because that would happen. No, Lauren no. Reach for the peanuts and have a cup of tea.

Lunch: Let’s not talk about my lunch. It may have been toast.

Dinner: Already this program has brought back my love of cooking and baking (ignore lunch) which had been lost in the process of cooking for one night in an night out. So for night one I made curried chicken quinoa sushi with a side of miso. Surprisingly hard to eat, I made it rain quinoa – everywhere! At least everyone had a laugh at my expense, that was my intention all along.

Presentation on point… ish but at least the chopsticks are authentic.

Day 2:

Feeling incredibly great today! Until I reflect back and realise I replaced one addiction with another.. hello coffee you are tasty as can be and I craved copious amounts of you today… sadly Michaela came to the rescue with with this devastating twist:

The conclusion; ignorance is bliss, coffee is a necessity and the world will still turn if we only have then at cafe’s.

Breakfast: See yesterday. Enjoyed it 10 fold more too even if it was at my desk at work. (Michaela adds that she ate exactly the same thing also at her work desk. Yes we are telepathic sisters from different misters)

Morning tea: Breakfast number 2, granola was necessary as everyone else munched down on staff morning tea. Oh, I do have self-control.

Lunch: Vegan gluten free pizza kindly supplied by the hosts of my meeting. No sauce so hopefully sf.

Dinner: Wandered into my email inbox today and discovered this Courgette and Kale Soup recipe and the memories of my forgotten kale in the chiller came flooding back. Almond crusted chicken you’ve been deleted from the menu tonight, there’s a new meal in town. If I’ve brought back your own memories of neglected vegetables, make this, you will have no regrets. The bits on the side are Kumara Loaf and the basil is from my garden (surprisingly still alive).

“Sh*t that’s good” – actual quote from me.

Another day done and dusted… it’s all up (down, up, down, up) hill from here!

We’ll be sure to keep you posted,

L and M xx