Martin - Hungry, healthy, happy: how to nourish your body without giving up the food you love

To my husband Dave, for always believing
in me, supporting all my dreams and
always being there with a cup of tea

The Hungry Healthy Happy way of eating isnt about totally restricting yourself, its about making small healthy changes where you can, like adding extra vegetables, swapping cream for yogurt and using fruit rather than sugar to retain sweetness but increase fibre.

Its not necessarily about eating less, in fact you might find yourself eating more when it comes down to actual volume of food, but you will be eating healthier food. Think of it this way: 1,500 calories only equates to a portion of fish and chips, a chocolate bar and a takeaway burger, but from this book you can have a Healthy Grill-up with Hash Browns for breakfast (). You will still be eating the same amount of calories, but a larger volume of food, which will help you to stay fuller for longer. More importantly, you will be eating delicious, nutrient-rich meals that will nourish your body and get you started on the road to healthy, maintainable weight loss.

When I was trying to lose weight, I set my goal calorie intake for each day at 1,500 calories, so I had a 500 calorie deficit from food plus whatever I managed to burn off from my workouts. This amount wasnt set in stone and I learnt to listen to my body, sometimes increasing my calorie intake if I knew that I would be undertaking a particularly long or strenuous workout. Eating this way allowed me to lose a steady 900 g/2 lbs a week, which was a healthy goal and meant that I wasnt losing weight too quickly, which can be damaging to your health and is difficult to maintain and keep off. Though 1,500 calories was the number that worked for me, everyone is different, so it is important to find a level that suits your body.

I chose calorie counting as a way of monitoring my food intake as I always had difficulty controlling portion sizes; by working out the calories that were in my meals before I ate them, I was much more aware of what I was actually putting into my body. It isnt just about the calories though, its about where those calories came from; try to eat mostly lean protein, complex carbs and fruit and vegetables, with a few indulgences here and there.

Embracing a healthy lifestyle is about more than just food, and regular exercise will leave you feeling healthier, happier and can help with weight loss, if that is your aim. It is important to factor your exercise regime into your diet and to make sure that you are eating enough to nourish your body and give it the energy it needs to get through your workout. Remember, being healthy isnt the same as being smaller; your strength and fitness is a much better indicator of your bodys health.

SMALL CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO MAKE THEM LIGHTER, HEALTHIER AND STILL JUST AS DELICIOUS

When I first started to prepare healthier food, I wasnt eating quinoa, kale and almond milk (although they are some of my favourite ingredients now). I didnt want to change the type of food I was eating and I didnt see why I should have to. I just wanted to make it healthier and that is exactly what you will see here; in the pages of this book you will find healthier versions of the food that I have always loved, such as curries, ice cream, fry-ups, cheesecake, casseroles and pasta dishes. Alongside these are some of the dishes that I have grown to love on my journey, light and healthy dishes that can be prepared quickly and without any need for expensive ingredients or faddy gadgets.

Whether your goal is weight loss, weight maintenance or simply about introducing more fruit and vegetables into your daily diet, there is something for everyone in this book. These are the recipes I developed while losing weight but never made me feel as though I was depriving myself. The cheesecake is still creamy, the desserts are still chocolatey and the pasta is still cheesy, but small changes have been made to make them lighter, healthier and still just as delicious.

As well as feeling healthier and happier, one of the best things that has come from my weight loss, is my blog: Hungry Healthy Happy. What started as a way for me to keep myself on track and share my new recipes with my family and friends has become an incredible community of people who are turning their backs on fad diets, no longer obsessing over the scale and are focusing on small everyday changes to transform them into healthier, happier people. My blog, and now this book, has become a way to share my experiences (the good, the bad and the ugly) and hopefully inspire others to make positive changes without feeling miserable and deprived when it comes to their eating, and to find a way to enjoy exercise so it doesnt feel like a chore.

Every day I learn something from my readers. Whether its cooking tips, inspiring stories, the latest exercise class to try out or where avocados are on offer. Every day brings something new. There are a lot of supportive and helpful people out there and surrounding yourself with those kinds of people makes a huge difference when it comes to staying on track. So thank you to all of you who keep me motivated every day I hope that this book can help you do the same.

I think people are sometimes disappointed when they ask me how I managed to get healthy and lose weight. The simplest and most honest answer I can give is that I changed my diet and started exercising more. I didnt discover any magic secret to easy weight loss or embrace any fad diets I just ate less, I ate healthier and I started moving more. It was both as simple and as difficult as that.

I say it was simple because fundamentally it was, but dont confuse simple with easy. I felt like giving up most days. For me, losing weight meant making massive life changes and re-evaluating my relationship with food it was hard, but it certainly wasnt impossible.

There were many factors that motivated me to lose weight, but health was always my number one reason. I had known for a few years that I was gradually getting bigger, but it was only when I started to have problems breathing and suffered from twinges in my heart that I knew something drastic had to be done, and straight away. After having various tests, I was told that there wasnt actually a problem with my heart apart from the extra strain my excess weight was putting on it. Knowing that my health problems were a direct result of my weight was a big light-bulb moment. I was the one who had done this and I was the only one who could change it. I knew that I had to face up to myself and take responsibility for being overweight, as despite various events that had drawn me into a cycle of emotional eating, it was me alone who had put the food in my mouth.