I knew that Days 7 to 9 were going to be tough in terms of temptation.

Traditionally in my workplace Friday is known as Chip Friday (a phrase I actually coined) because we usually buy-in Fish and Chips or some other takeaway and all eat together. It’s more a chance for us to see each other and have lunch together which doesn’t usually happen the rest of the week.

I naturally wanted to join the others for lunch but was worried the smell of chips would be too much. Thankfully, my sense of smell seems to be impaired still because I sat with my huge salad while they munched down on chips and sausages and I didn’t feel the cravings once.

On the evening of Day 7 my friend appeared to stay in my house for the weekend while he painted and cleaned his rental house down the road before new tenants arrived. I’ll be honest, the sight of the Stilton he put in my fridge was a little difficult to endure but, as I was heading off to my parents for the weekend on the morning of Day 8, I was able to resist and never had to see him eat it (he joined me in Vege Stew on the Friday night).

My parents are a 4 hour drive from my home, so it’s one of those occasions when I usually have something (sweets, chocolate, crisps) next to me to nibble on to relieve the tedium of the journey. On the way there I didn’t notice it so much and had a few oatcakes to keep me going in the holiday traffic jams, but on the way back I did feel the pangs for something sugary as well as a hot drink (it didn’t need to be coffee although that would have normally been my drink of choice). I did stop at a service station but was unimpressed with their selection of herbal teas so decided against anything, and again had a few oat cakes.

Saturday night was the toughest. I was attending a friend’s baby shower. Her sister had said (in a last minute email the day before) there would be food, but I expected a finger buffet, whch is always easier to be picky over. When we arrived it was a full sit down Mexican-style dinner. I avoided the Chicken Fajitas, cheese and soured cream, and helped myself to plenty of avocado salad, a small baked potato, some refried beans and salsa. While I had no control over what had actually gone into these I felt pleased that my choices were not taking me off the detox much (if at all).

It was the desserts that drew attention to the fact I was not eating like everyone else: a huge mountain of profiteroles, Key Lime pie and Eton Mess. Normally I would have had a portion of each like everyone else, but I held firm and my friend’s mum actually found me some kiwi fruit to eat instead. Part of me would have loved to have dived headfirst into the profiteroles, but I told myself that 30 days is not a long time to totally avoid sugar, and my health is more important. When I’m at a normal weight, like the rest of the women at that table, I can enjoy occasional desserts too.

Note: I’m not saying that in 30 days I will have solved all my health problems and lose enough weight to be considered a “normal” weight, but it’s important to stick to the detox to flush the toxins out of my system and hopefully lose my addiction to caffeine and sugar.

Finally, the Baby Shower games involved a big prize bag of sweets and lollies. Aaaargggh!

Sunday at Mum and Dad’s is typically roast dinner day, and I would usually be happy to sit down to roast beef, Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes. Mum knew that I was on the detox but she still had to cook a calorific meal for my dad (he is recovering from Oesophageal Cancer and needs to build himself up again). I took some leftover bean chili with me and mum cooked loads of fresh veg to go with it. The notion of a Vegan diet is completely alien to my mum – she couldn’t even work out what it involved – and she can be a bit of a “feeder” but she was extremely supportive and could see I was taking it seriously.

So, all in all, the potential for pig-out this weekend was immense, but I survived relatively unscathed from the whole event!

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It’s been a crazy old week.

On Day 4, I was still wiped put from my “cold” (I think it was some virus now, not a cold). I spent all morning in bed and then felt much better in the afternoon. I still had a niggling headache and couldn’t focus on anything, but I started to have an appetite again which is a good sign.

That evening was the first time I experienced any cravings – only minor one, but I wanted something sweet and sugary to eat after dinner.

I’ve really been enjoying the food, so far. In her Healthy Tart book, Trisha Stewart offers a full diet plan as well as a number of recipes (she also has a separate recipe book).

I’ve enjoyed a number of those recipes, including last night’s Cashew Nut and Vegetable Pilaf. The recipes tend to make enough for at least 2 meals, which is fine by me. Some people don’t like eating the same thing 2 days in a row, but I love it because it saves me time (as long as the food tastes good).

Some of you will be cooking for one and some for the whole family, which will make a huge difference to how often you need to create something new.

The meal I care the least about is breakfast. There was a time I couldn’t leave the house without breakfast but in recent years I often eat breakfast on the run or wait until I reach work and scoffed a breakfast bar or some fruit. I have had to return to good habits on this program, but I could eat porridge everyday and not mind in the slightest (although I may try the lentil patties or buckwheat pancakes at weekends when I have more time to enjoy the cooking process).

I’m not even missing coffee much, although there have been a number of times I’ve thought “I’ll just grab a coffee and then….” I think that is more habit than desire at the moment.

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I woke up full of beans on Day 3 of my 30 Day Detox and started my day with my pint of hot water with lemon and lime, followed by some porridge made with water and with stewed apple and pear added, plus some seeds sprinkled on top.

During the detox, dairy products are not permitted. I’ve never been a fan of soya milk, although I think I wouldn’t mind it in porridge with the other bits mixed in. But for some reason, the organic farm shop I went to didn’t have any soya milk at all. Trisha Stewart also suggests (in her Healthy Tart book) using rice or almond milk so I may give them a chance when I next get to the supermarket.

Anyway, the porridge made with water was surprisingly yummy and kept me going for most of the morning.

I arrived at work to find sweets and chocolate everywhere! And then one of my co-workers came in with some of my favorite lemon biscuits (cookies). And, to make it worse they kept waving them around under my nose.

To be honest, if I wasn’t still experiencing the remnants of my cold I would probably have found it harder to deal with, but my appetite is limited. From mid-morning my niggly headache was back and I gradually started to feel worse and worse. I ate some more of the bean chili for lunch but then headed home around 3pm and went back to bed.

When I finally emerged from bed this evening, I had a small snack of some oatcakes and then prepared my evening meal. I dry roasted some bell pepper and sweet potato and added them to a big green salad.

Salads can be a bit boring but I love adding loads of different things to them to add to the flavor (I don’t really like salad dressings much, so I don’t usually add flavor that way). My salad had a variety of salad greens, some fresh basil leaves, sprouting aduki, fenugreek and various beans, cucumber, and sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Add the roasted veg, and it was totally yummy!

I’m still happily on track with everything but know my evil co-workers will probably be armed with more sweets, cookies, chocolate and coffee in the morning

To find all the posts related to the 30 Day Detox, simply do a search (top right of the blog) for #30daydetox.

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My cold seems to be clearing fairly quickly, but I still haven’t been feeling too good today. I spent most of the morning sleeping and then had a serious need to replenish some fluids so have drunk a lot of water, as well as plenty of hot water with lemon, lime and ginger. I’ve also done some juicing, which I love.

I’m pretty adventurous when it comes to trying out new juices, and since I have a fridge full of fresh, organic veg I added a little bit of all sorts of things: pear, spinach, brocolli, cucumber, aduki and chick pea sprouts, and ginger. And it tasted pretty good!

I always think it’s a waste to throw out the pulp left over from juicing, because it is still packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber, so I added it to a bean chili I made for dinner: onion, garlic, chili pepper, fresh chopped tomatoes, and various beans (red kidney, butter, aduki, haricot, chick peas).

Apart from this, I also ate some cashews, a nice crisp Braeburn apple, and some organic oat cakes with herbs and pumpkin seeds.

If it wasn’t for this cold, I’d be feeling quite good!

To find all the posts related to the 30 Day Detox, simply do a search (top right of the blog) for #30daydetox.

Not the most auspicious  start to my 30 day detox. Yesterday I could feel myself coming down with a cold so when I woke up this morning I felt pretty ropey.

My day has been filled with sleeping, and drinking lots of fluids – namely water, herbal teas and hot water infused with lemon, lime and ginger (great for the immune system). I didn’t feel much like eating but eventually made some vegetable soup for this evening.

In some ways this may have worked for the best. Not that I want to be ill, but I was dreading coming off the coffee and sugar, and expected some pretty bad headaches from the caffeine withdrawal (it’s happened before). So, feeling a bit grotty meant I didn’t feel like coffee or sugary foods anyway and, while I did get headaches, I expect them when I have a cold.

I’m already straying from the exact 30 Day Detox eating plan that Trisha Stewart lays out in her book Healthy Tart, but I figured that would happen a little bit anyway (and she says that’s OK) but I will be sticking to the main principles.

And, as soon as I feel like eating more, I’ll be trying some of those great recipes.

To find all the posts related to the 30 Day Detox, simply do a search (top right of the blog) for #30daydetox.

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This week I went for my first consultation with Trisha Stewart, a nutritionist and natural health practitioner, and author of the Healthy Tart series of books. I’ll be blogging more about what the consultation involved and the results (and you can learn more on her website), but one of the things Trisha recommends everyone do is a 30 day detox.

Before you panic and tell me that detoxes are too extreme, even dangerous, this isn’t the sort of detox where participants avoid food for weeks and only drink juice. Her detox plan is a lot more gentle and involves eliminating as many toxins as possible from the diet, eating a Vegan, organic diet, and learning to change eating habits to more nutritious and healthful foods.

The first 7 days are called a gentle detox, easing the body into things as it learns to do without bread, bad carbs, sugar, caffeine etc. It also limits fruit intake to just apples and pears.

I’ve become a complete caffeine and sugar fiend over the last couple of years and use them as a crutch when I’m tired and need more energy. Yep, I know it’s a false buzz and not very healthy but old habits are hard to break. Actually, saying that, if you can stick to a new way of doing things for 30 days it becomes a habit – that includes healthy eating.

The main focus of the detox is not weightloss, it’s more of a focus on overall health and wellbeing, but hopefully it should include weightloss as well.

To find all the posts related to the 30 Day Detox, simply do a search (top right of the blog) for #30daydetox.

Many women only learn they have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome when they are trying to get pregnant and are having problems conceiving. Maybe that is why you are here trying to find out more about PCOS and pregnancy?

The reason that women with PCOS sometimes experience problems becoming pregnant is because they don’t always ovulate regularly. If an egg isn’t released it can’t be fertilized.

Can you still get pregnancy with PCOS? Absolutely! Is conceiving going to be a problem for all women with PCOS? No, it will be harder for some than others.

My initial advice would be that if you know you have PCOS and want to try to get pregnant soon, consult your doctor or PCOS specialist who will be able to advise you on any changes you need to make — whether in your medications or your lifestyle.

If you have already been trying to conceive and have only just discovered you have PCOS, your doctor should be able to offer possible solutions (and if they don’t you should seek a referral to an Endocrinologist or Gynecologist).

One of the most common treatments is Clomid (Clomiphene), a fertility drug that encourages ovulation. Tests have also shown that the drug Metformin has a good success rate for PCOS sufferers trying to conceive (and is safe to continue taking after conception).

In terms of lifestyle changes, make sure you are fit and healthy (apart from the PCOS). Specialists agree that your chances of conceiving, and of reducing your PCOS symptoms, are greatly improved if you are at a sensible weight.

Everyday, women with PCOS are getting pregnant – I receive emails from people all the time to tell me their good news. For some it will be easier than for others, but before you start considering the more expensive and radical treatments make sure you have consulted with your health practitioner and pursued all the other options.

PCOS is believed to be genetic.

While, it is important to know where it has come from, you can’t change your genes, so it is important instead to focus on solutions.

It is easy to see why most people initially feel that PCOS is a gynecological problem – after all, it is called Polycystic OVARIAN Syndrome.

But, it is becoming widely accepted that PCOS is actually an endocrine disorder. In simple terms, the endocrine system is a group of glands that make hormones. These hormones control the way your body works, such as reproduction, metabolism and growth. When the hormones don’t work properly – as with PCOS – it creates a knock-on effect throughout the body.

In the case of most PCOS sufferers, too much insulin is created, which in turn affects the hormones controlling the reproductive cycle. There is excess production of male hormones (androgens).

Women with PCOS also find they have low energy levels because the insulin is not releasing the energy from food properly.

An endocrinologist is trained to diagnose and treat hormone problems by helping to restore the normal balance of hormones in your system.

There isn’t one definitive test for PCOS, so your doctor will probably arrange a series of tests for you.

Initially, the doctor will take a medical history and learn more about your symptoms. Then you will most likely have a physical exam to check your blood pressure, weight, waist measurement and any unusual skin changes and hair growth patterns.

Lab tests may include tests for Total Testosterone, Free Testosterone, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, Pro-Lactin and Progesterone Levels, as well as a Glucose Tolerance test and Lipid Profile. Plus, many doctors arrange a pelvic ultrasound as well.

Once all these results are in, your doctor should have a good view of your health and be able to tell you whether it is PCOS or another health problem.

Many women wait years before they are finally diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome? So, how can you be sure it’s PCOS?

There are two ways to discover whether it is PCOS you are suffering from, and you should explore both in order to receive an accurate diagnosis:

1. First of all, do you have any or all of the symptoms of PCOS?

These are:

* infrequent or too frequent periods (or no period at all

* unexplained weight gain or obesity, especially around the abdomen

* increased growth of hair on the face, chest, stomach etc.

* acne, oily skin or dandruff

* pelvic pain

* thinning hair

* infertility or inability to get pregnant because you aren’t ovulating

* type 2 diabetes

* high blood pressure

* patches of thickened, dark skin at the nape of the neck and in other body creases (this often appears velvety)

* skin tags

* sleep apnea (excessive snoring and breathing stops while asleep)

Not all women with PCOS suffer from all these symptoms, and some of these can also be symptoms of other medical problems, so if you recognise any of these problems in yourself you should…

2. Consult a medical practitioner

Go and see your doctor and explain your symptoms. Ask them whether it could be PCOS and, if so, if they will arrange some tests to confirm it. Be open to the possibility they may suggest it is another medical problem.

Don’t self-diagnose.