Starting over… again…

After almost a week and a half of insomnia, I’m back on track. Today was just sliding into it so it doesn’t count.

Breakfast: Small bowl of Allbran with soya milk. Can of iced coffee (sugar = bad) an a pot of tea.

Lunch: 1/4 watermelon.

Day Three…

Last night was interesting. I clearly was not getting enough protein. And although dinner is still ahead of me, I might switch around this diet a little. Fruit smoothies breakfast and lunch, lots of veg and a bit of meat in the evening.

Breakfast: Finished the smoothie from yesterday with another banana thrown in (western this time). Pot of tea.

Snack: Had an iced mocha with gfriend (no sugar, just milk).

Lunch: Smoothie with water and meat from green coconut, 3 small bananas, green apple, ginger, handful of frozen winter fruit, tbsp of apple cider vinegar, tbsp plus of coconut oil.

Snack: Added water and a bit of the meat of a green coconut to the rest of the smoothie mixture.

Dinner: Most likely…  salmon steamed with garlic and ginger (steam oven), steamed broccoli…

Snack: Oh…. to be seen…

Tip: When chopping off the top of a green coconut… If there is a layer still there just on the inside of the hard layer, do NOT force your finger in as I did as that baby is under pressure. It hit the ceiling (ok, I do have a low ceiling in the kitchen), covered my glasses and the cabinet fronts, and splattered all the way across the room. Ok, I have a smallish kitchen, but still…

Day Two and I’m Still Here…

Breakfast: Made a smoothie with three small bananas, 1/2 apple, leftover papaya, handful of rocket, ginger, tbsp coconut oil, tbsp apple cider vinegar. Had one coffee cup full plus a oot of green tea.

Didn’t sleep last night either so brewed a coffee and added Canadian maple sirup.

Snack: 5 roasted almonds.

Lunch: I finished the soup made Sunday night. As I was still hungry, I had another coffee cup of the morning smoothie.

Snack: Water of one green coconut.

Dinner: There’s a reason why one does not roast a chicken and then run out of soup… I ending up having roast chicken, a small nuked potato and steamed asparagus.

Snack: 8 roasted almonds.

Tomorrow is another day…

Another Day One on Another Monday Morning

Monday, what a great time to start a diet…

Breakfast: Pot of green tea. Smoothie with 2 small Thai bananas, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1/4 papaya, meat and water from one green coconut.

Drank half the smoothie with tea, followed it with a small cup of coffee as I didn’t sleep much last night.

Snack: The rest of the smoothie from breakfast.

Lunch: Roughly puréed soup of tomatoes, green beans, red and yellow bell peppers, parsnips, onions, ginger, fennel, coconut oil, bit of salt and pepper.

Snack: 1/4 watermelon.

Snack: Handful of peanuts.

Dinner: Fresh green coconut water and bowl of soup.

Snack: A bite of the man’s pot pie…

Dessert: 1/2 small banana, 1/2 mango, 1/2 passion fruit, 1/2 kiwi fruit, 2 tbsp plain yogurt, 1 tsp coconut oil.

Sunday Night Preparation

In preparation for Monday morning, I created a simple soup.

I sautéed 1 large red onion (chopped) in 1 tbsp of coconut oil until translucent.

I then added one clove of garlic, chopped red and yellow peppers, 5 medium tomatoes minus the skins, a package of green beans, 1 parsnip, fresh fennel (about 5 inches), ginger (two inches), sea salt and pepper to taste.

I covered the mixture with homemade chicken stock and let simmer for about ten minutes.

After it was cool, I dumped the whole lot into a blender until mixed but still chunky.

The reason this soup needed to be blended is due to the tomatoes; I can’t stand them stewed.

I’m HUNGRY!!

hungry |ˈhə ng grē|
adjective ( -grier , -griest )
feeling or displaying the need for food : I was feeling ravenously hungry |
• [ attrib. ] causing hunger : I always find living hungry work.
• having a strong desire or craving : he was hungry for any kind of excitement | [in combination ] grasping, power-hungry individuals.

Ok, this is tougher going that it was earlier. I’m seriously hungry. About 2.00 I added three bananas into my daily green smoothie (I have one cup left, what to do, lah?).

Then, when that didn’t work, I had a bite of cold chicken with mustard (avoiding my fav, high calorie mayo).

It’s after 5pm and the growls are coming on.

So, I walked into the kitchen, tore off a chunk of pineapple and rushed here to whine and whinge.

I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!  I’m HUNGRY!

There. I said it.

Getting Back on Track …

Well, today I’m back doing what I’m supposed to be doing. It’s taken me awhile, due, I imagine, to all those goodies we ate over the two week free-for-all. Yum!

Breakfast started out with a 1/3 cup of Allbran soaked in skim milk (I believe it’s skim milk as the bottle is light blue). All was washed down with a pot of green tea.

The lunch smoothie was / is amazing! Creamy. And crunchy.

Green Smoothie Recipe: 1

1 package spinach

1/4 watermelon

1/4 cantaloupe

1 green apple with skins

1 inch of ginger

Swig of Natural Apple Cider Vinegar

1 cup of frozen fall fruits (hence the crunchy bits)

Three pieces of pineapple

Wow. This is the best green smoothie ever. A keeper.

ps: I’ll edit this post tonight to include dinner.

The Training of the Shrinking Stomach

The hardest part of any diet is always the start – you commence the training of the “shrinking” stomach.

At the start of my diet (first week Jan08), my stomach was large and stretched due to the over-sized portions I ate (and hence gained weight from). During those first few horrible diet days, the amount of food I ate was considerably less and my stomach complained for about a week.

But it does get better, I promise you that. When your stomach starts to shrink, you start to feel more satisfied on less food. You start to establish portion control based on your stomach and not on your measuring cups.

Since returning to Australia from a two-week lay-about in Bangkok, I’m finding I need to retrain the stomach. Too much good Thai food and restaurant-sized servings. I gained about2.5 kilos. Fingers crossed I can lose it over the next week or so….. stay tuned!

It just doesn’t help when you leave your lunch at home…. in 39 degree heat…..

Sushi is such a great lunch backup!

Prancing Dame’s Recipies

Breakfast: A small bowl of Allbran with skim milk. Fruit on top. Pot of green tea.

Lunch: Green smoothies

Dinner: Vegetable soup

Green Smoothie Recipe:

Throw a variety of fruit into a blender until it’s 80% full – half cantaloupe, quarter watermelon, bananas, apples, etc. Top up with vegetables – lettuce, celery, avocado, spinach, rocket, cucumber, tomatoes, etc. Add half lemon, several tablespoons of Natural Apple Cider Vinegar, a nubbin of ginger or garlic or both. Add water until it’s a quarter of the way up the blender. Blend until it’s smooth. And green.

Drink all at once or sip over several hours.

Vegetable Soup Recipe:

Start with either the bones from a roasted chicken or a whole Oxtail.

For chicken: Caramelise two huge onions, add the chicken carcass with enough meat to make it interesting, carrots (skins and all) and celery. Add a bit pepper. I don’t add salt until stage two, but add it if you like. Simmer for about 8 hours. Cool. Strain out veges. Put luquid in fridge. Skim off grease when stiff.

For Oxtail: Brown tails. Cover with water and boil for about an hour. Throw water away. Clean skum off pan. Then follow the directions above, saving the meat if you like (soggy beef butts taste better than soggy chicken).

The Soup: Carmelise two huge onions (I’m partial to rich taste it makes), add chopped carrots, celery, root vegetable (very important), sliced green beans, four cloves garlic, six tomatoes (skinned), bell peppers (green, red or yellow). You can also add spring onions, shallots or leeks. Add either broth (chicken or oxtail). Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until carrots are done. Cool. Put into containers.

Makes enough for three or four days.

Both of these recipes are ‘kitchen sink’. I bought a ton of vegetables and fruit, then I’ll switch around for variety to find out what works for me.

Changing Stride …

Well, I’ve tried Tim Ferriss’ How to Lose 20 lbs. of Fat in 30 Days program and it just isn’t going to work for me.

Bottom line? I’m tired of the flatulence.

I’m tired of sleeping on the sofa because no one should have to live in room of hot air.

And those pills to alleviate gas? Don’t work for me. It’s a delay is all. And usually, delayed until an embarrassing moment.

I can do without the surprises thank-you-very-much.

So I’ve researched in another direction.

At the top of my list was energy. Good. Goes hand in hand with being healthy.

Second down was losing weight without ruining my metabolism (ehich has already taken the low road).

So this is the plan … I’m going green. That’s right. Green smoothies.

But I’m also adding in two other important parts – Bran cereal in the morning to stay regular (a downfall of a lot of diets) and healthy soups for whenever.

Breakfast: Bowl of Allbran with skim milk. Pot of green tea.

Lunch: Green smoothie.

Dinner: Homemade vegetable soup.

Snacks: Fruit or veg. Chocolate on occasion.

Alcohol per week: One bottle of wine. One beer.

That’s right. Except for cheese, those are my favourite foods.

I can do this.

I hope I can do this anyway.