Tuesday 11 December 2012

THERE IS 20 KG LESS OF ME ....

I suppose it is a tradition with many blogs that there can be a long time between posts. This is certainly the case here.

Looking at the stats, no-one really reads this ... not that it matters.

The Dinner Mob was a complete flop by not even getting off the ground with one dinner ... not that it matters.


What does matter is my health.


To that effect ... I have had outstanding results.

I still eat heaps ... from when I get up until I go to bed. And I still DO NOT exercise. I should ... but it never seems to get my interest enough to act on it.

HOWEVER ... with diet alone ... I HAVE LOST WEIGHT.

A couple of months back I was tipping the scales just under 110kg. I can't remember the exact number.

And now ... I weigh 88.5kg !!!

That is a loss of about 20kg - ish in a few months ... totally void of gym memberships, diet foods, exercise in general and 'dieting'.

In fact, it has involved a lot of eating, sitting on the couch, watching TV.

I still eat (relatively) the same breakfast I always have, but I added Grapefruit (juiced and pulped) ... which is now 2 grapefruit a day because I like them so much.  

I substituted sweets, cakes, ice cream, chocolate and the like for the PULSE RECIPE ... which I still love and eat daily. It contains a lot of natural sugars within the dried fruit. I have had the occassional traditional treat as listed above ... but seldom and as moderately as my addictive behaviour allows.

Counting calories was imperative to analysing and identifying diet issues. I don't run my pad like I used to (on everything I ate) as dietary foibles and patterns are quickly identified and were acted upon.

And I still cook every main meal I eat. No takeaways or fast foods. Merely, my cooking (and shopping) methods and recipes have changed slightly.

End result ... I am still couch potato-ing (no carbs involved) and after this I will resume watching TV. However, I am shrinking ... and continuing to do so.

Cool eh !







Wednesday 17 October 2012

MORNING TEA (150 calories)

This seems to be a recurring morning tea (or afternoon tea) at my house while strawberries are in season and cheap.


A mug of tea (no sugar), fruit & nut slice with fresh strawberries and a magazine to read.

I first made the slice 2 weeks ago and I (& friends) eat so much of it that I make it about 3 times a week. I have tweaked the original recipe a few times to improve on it a couple of differing ways. It now contains grains, for instance.

I also buy the ingredients in the largest sizes I can find, resulting in a 66% reduction in cost.

HOWEVER ... the main thing is that I have chockies and biscuits in the pantry ... but I instinctively reach for the slice first for one reason ... it tastes BETTER and is NICER to eat.

It's significant health benefits are an added bonus.

Love it !






SATAY CHICKEN SALAD

This is a quick dinner that always goes down well, especially if the Satay Sauce has been prepped and made beforehand ... and already in the fridge.

The meal comprises three parts.


 1. A bed of greens on each plate, mixed with some thin sliced onion, carrot and a  good splash of balsamic vinegar.


2. Cut chicken breast into strips and brown in a pan with oil (use about 1/2 breast per serve). Lay (or pile) on top of the greens.


3. Put a generous dob of satay sauce on the top (with garnish), and dinner is done !

Job done !

Easy huh !

And so quick and healthy too.
My sauce recipe easily keeps for 3 - 4 days in the fridge.

Marty's Sarty Sauce recipe (Serves 6 luxuriantly)

  1/2        cup         Peanut Butter (Smooth or Crunchy ... your call)
   1          tbsp        Curry Powder
   1          tbsp        Ginger (Minced - in Jar)
   1          tbsp        Chilli (Minced -  in Jar)
  1/2        tbsp        Lime Leaves (in Jar)
  1/2                       Lemon (rind)
  1/2                       Lemon (juice) - use the same 1/2 of lemon for both rind and juice
  1/2        cup         Natural Yoghurt

Combine all the ingredients in one go, then serve or store in fridge.





Friday 5 October 2012

FRUIT PULSE (or PHROOTI PHI PI)

I just made a fruit pulse. It is incredibly yummy and good for you.

Pulses are a food I will write about a bit later on. I just wanted to get the photo up and record the calories since I had just worked it out.

I will post recipes and general information, such as, what they are and why they are good for you.



This amount is 12 x 60g serves ... which contains 205 calories per serve.

It sounds a lot ... though this fruit pulse is nothing more than raw (dried) fruits and nuts, hence the health benefit of this food is very high.

Basically, the more of it you can eat, the better you will be for it.

The joke is, it is as nice to eat as a Mars bar.








BREAKFAST ... BUT DON'T EAT GRAPEFRUIT !

I don't even consider I am 'dieting' because I am eating the foods I like in regular and large quantities.

 And I am happy to do that day in and day out, every day of the year, without sufferance of any kind.

Initially, I kept my usual breakfast as is (because it was quite ok), to be refined at a later date.

Well ... as it happens ... breakfast evolved by itself.


Changes I made are :

1. Replaced white bread with wholemeal. This is an easy change and though the calories don't change much ... the quality of the food increases considerably. There is no cost difference.

2. Replaced the glass of fruit juice (at approx. 125 calories) with fresh pink grapefruit at 32 calories per half.

Note the sticker that denies me the one food that will cure my condition. Who benefits from that ?

The advantage of eating the pink grapefruit ... and the reason for the change ... is that eating pink grapefruit every day for 90 days is said to clear heart blockages, thus eliminating the need to take blood thinning medication, which after 12 years (4,380 days) of taking the maximum dose of Lipitor (not to mention Ramipril & Metoprolol as well), has done NOTHING to 'cure' the 5 blockages in my heart.

I will post another entry at a later date concerning my personal experience with how ineffective modern medical practice (and drugs) have been at ACTUALLY curing my health issues.


OK ... so that's the breakfast changes, reducing my daily brekky calorie intake from 444 calories to 390 calories.

And I'm still loving it and eating plenty and eating well.





Sunday 30 September 2012

ACID TEST

The real test of counting calories is not how I fare on my good days ... but how I fare on my bad days.

I have been having some of my lower moments ... mood-wise. In the past ... this has been when I have done my worst diet damage.


By counting calories, I only consumed 2,500 calories on my very worst day. Around 2,000/day for the rest ... and now I am back to 1500 - 1700.

And I weighed myself this morning ... after breakfast. I was 97kg or 2.5kg less than last time, being about a week and a half ago from memory.

My mmo/L is 16 today ... disturbingly high ... so I will need to be more careful with sugars.

Stand by for more ... or less (which should be the case).



Saturday 29 September 2012

SAUSAGE ROLLS (225 calories)

This is one of my "secret" recipes from my Pastrycook days. It's really very easy.

I scaled down the recipe so that it makes 1 dozen full sized sausage rolls (225 calories each) or 2 dozen cocktail-sized rolls at only 112 calories each.

Pastry :

3  sheets   Frozen Puff Pastry

Filling :

500      g        Lean Mince
210     ml      Water
20        g        Dried Onion Flakes
2/3     tsp      Salt
1/2     tsp      Pepper
1 1/2  tsp      Mixed Herbs
1         cup     Oats

METHOD:

1.    Mix all filling ingredients thoroughly.

2.    Place the 3 sheets of pastry side by side and cut the pastry in half (lengthwise) so you have six pieces of pastry, 3 on top and 3 below 


3.    Spread the filling mix evenly in a line in the middle of the upper and lower rows of pastry 


4.    Moisten the pastry (to help it stick) and roll up 


5.    Brush with milk. Cut upper and lower row into 6 rolls to make 12 full sized rolls ... or cut rows into 12 rolls to make 24 cocktail-sized rolls 


6.   Place in rows on a tray with baking paper and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200C for approximately 14 minutes  


7.  Place on a plate with a dob of tomato sauce and give to any eager children that are hovering about ... and/or have a seat and enjoy them for yourself !

250 Calories in this serve - including the sauce