After my week long binge of pasta, cured meats, and wine in Italy, I came back to discover I'd gained 1.5 kg (a little over 3lbs). This was not surprising. What did come as shock though was that the number kept going up by little increments each time I weighed in. A cycle of panic followed by apathy followed by panic began to set in and I knew that if I didn't do something, I was going to enter my 5th decade feeling like a colossal (literally) failure.
I needed to feel a bit of success and lose at least 1 kg to know that it was possible. I considered my options. Juice diet? Raw vegetables and flax seeds? Lemon juice and water? Dysentery? I wanted to try something that I could sustain and that would still allow me to cook creatively. To make a long story short, I started on a "detox cleanse" which morphed into the "Paleo Diet", which has a lot of overlap with gluten-free and the Atkins diet (the main difference is that you can eat as many carbs as you want just not from grains). What I've given up: coffee, grains (rice, bread, pasta), potatoes, dairy, and alcohol during the week (a girl has her limits). There are a lot of squabbles in the "Paleo community" about legumes (beans, pulses, and peanuts), but most say these should be given up too. I don't think I'll give them up completely but for the first week, I only had a handful of black beans (with an egg for breakfast) and hummus for a snack with carrots. And the "experts" do say to follow the 80/20 rule...
What can one eat? Meat (small portions from pasture-grazed animals). I've been eating vegetarian about 50% of the time for the last couple of months, so I actually ate more meat than usual which didn't feel 100% "right". In the last week, I only had chicken in a couple of meals. Vegetables and lots of them! Fruit, nuts, avocado (the best food on the planet), coconut milk (great for curries and desserts), nut milk and nut butter. With a pantry full of spices and a gazillion Asian markets nearby, the possibilities for great meals are endless.
Some of the meals I've created: miso vegetable soup, Thai coconut curry soup (homemade paste), tacos (lettuce as tortillas), steak with broccoli chimichuri sauce, vegetable omelette, and my favourite discovery: cauliflower rice. Blitz the florets until they are rice-sized, fry with some onions, and have with a curry. Just like the real thing but actually more flavourful. Another cool trick: Zucchini pasta. Use a peeler and shave off long strands of zucchini. Put in a strainer with salt for 20 minutes to drain the water. Fry in a little oil for 2 minutes. Serve with pesto or "Asian" stir fry. Desserts: shakes with frozen berries, banana, and either almond or coconut milk. And I made little lemon coconut cookies with coconut flour, coconut oil, egg, and lemon zest/juice.
And this: a hamburger with mushrooms as buns :)
Results? In 7 days,
weight loss: 1 kg
pants size: same but much looser
energy level: much increased as well as just feeling better and lighter. The first couple of days without coffee made me feel sluggish and a bit hung over, but then I felt fine and actually felt less sleepy at the end of the day.
I'm sure one big reason for the success is that overall, I just ate less at each meal and cut out chocolate and cookies. I don't plan to be too hard-core about following all the rules of the diet. The premise of the diet is that our bodies are genetically designed to eat meat, fruits, and vegetables (what man ate during the Palaeolithic Age and not the stuff that came as a result of the Agricultural Revolution). BUT that was a long time ago and perhaps our bodies have evolved to be able to deal with grains just fine and after all, people didn't live so long in the Palaeolithic times, did they? So I don't think a few lentils or a bowl of basmati now and again are going to kill me.
What's interesting though is that I told myself I could have a "cheat day" this weekend and eat a big cheeseburger if I so desired. But I didn't desire one! Fingers crossed that this is the type of "lifestyle change" that will stick.
***** Update: After 12 days on the diet I did have one cheat day and enjoyed a Panini for lunch (I discovered a restaurant called Taste of Emilia, which has food from the Emilia-Romagna region!) followed by a cheeseburger for dinner from our local chipper. But I'm back on track.
Next week's goals are to continue on the diet but to change up the exercise routine. I'm reading more and more evidence that running is not only good for the joints, etc in the body, but also that it doesn't do much for weight loss. Apparently, "interval" training is the way to go. Run or pedal like crazy for a minute or so, rest a minute or so, and repeat. I've gotten into a rut of running and doing cardio at the gym and some resistance machines for the arms. From what I've read, I need to use more free weights and change up the cardio more. I don't know if I'll give up running completely as I do love the high it gives me.
For the month of May, I've got my culinary and exercise goals in place. Now if only I could something about my (lack of) social life.....
