Lose Weight and Gain Health

Troughing is a verb I use when I have been overeating.  It stems from ‘trough” i.e. where pigs eat.  There may be other animals that eat from a trough who are not associated with gluttony, but to my mind, a trough is associated with a pig which is associated with overeating.  And troughing is what I have done plenty of in the past few days.

Sunday was supposed to be a day of restraint.  Indeed I started the day admirably.  I confess my primary motivation was the desire for a shower rather than fitness but two goals were achieved by my early morning swim at the pool in Cranbrook.  I was in the water by 7:45 and swam non-stop for about 40 minutes.  I was pleased with that and came home and had a reasonably healthy breakfast.   It was healthy as it had a lot of nutrients but it was calorie/points heavy.  I rationalised it to myself as I had been swimming and it would sustain me until lunch time.

I had 100 g Greek yogurt, 40 g granola (end of the pot 😦 ), 1 tsp honey and 1/2 a punnett of strawberries which I blitzed to a smooth puree.

It looked beautiful and tasted lovely.

On to lunch.  Our friends Kath, Matt and Henry came for lunch.  I met Kath at work in 1990 and we have been good friends ever since.  I decided to do a roast chicken as everyone likes that and dieters can eat some of the lower fat breast meat.  I was going to do new potatoes but remembering the duck fat I had saved in the fridge from yesterday , I made roast potatoes.  Well, one or two won’t hurt will they?

Lara made a fabulous cauliflower and broccoli cheese.  It is one of our favourite dishes and she is planning to eat this at University, using whatever veggies she can buy cheaply at the market.  She will probably live on cheese on toast like everyone else but it’s good to have a few recipes up ones sleeve anyway.  I also did a large bowl of steamed broccoli and green beans.  Harvey can’t eat dairy and needs some green veg and I was planning to eat the steamed veg rather than the cheesey alternative.

I also cooked sausages to help feed the boys who had been playing rugby and football all morning, corn on the cob and gravy.

Here is a great corn on the cob tip from Kath, whose family used to grow sweetcorn back home in New Zealand.  She was watching me struggling to cut the cobs in half (a whole one looks unseemly on the plate) and asked why I didn’t just snap them.  It had never occurred to me how easy that would be.  So never struggle to cut a corn cob again.  Just hold it firmly at each end and snap it!  It snaps surprisingly easily.

So on to lunch time.  I did eat what I had planned to eat; chicken breast, steamed vegetables, 2 roast potatoes and some corn.

Unfortunately I also ate 3 helpings of the cauliflower and broccoli cheese and several sausages and had gravy and butter on the corn.  Even if I do say so myself, and probably shouldn’t as I cooked most of it, it was lovely.  But oh so calorific/pointastic.  Look how loaded up my plate is – and these are large dinner plates.

Pudding.  Using apples from the garden I made one of my favourite hot pudding recipes ever.  It is in Delia’s complete cook book and is apples with an almond sponge.  You chop up the apples, cook them gently with some brown sugar and a tbsp water and then tip the apples in to a buttered dish.

You then make up a standard sponge recipe (110 g butter, sugar, 2 eggs and then ground almonds instead of flour).  Put the sponge mix on the apples and bake in the oven for an hour.  The moist almondy sponge sits on top of the brown sugar baked apples.  It is delicious.  So delicious I had 2 helpings, with cream,  and then with coffee I had one of Kath’s macaroons.  And managed to drink copious amounts of NZ Sauvignon Blanc and Prosecco with Cassis.

We had a wonderful time and I enjoyed every mouthful but why did I eat so much?  Surely I would have enjoyed myself as much if I had eaten less.  And why have I been able to restrain myself recently and lose loads of weight and now I am really struggling again?

I spent the evening on the sofa.  I was tired and so very full that doing anything was an effort.  I watched X Factor and then the splendid Downton Abbey.  The residents of Downton Abbey were served incredible food but there was no troughing there.  All meals were a model of self-restraint.  I know it is a made up drama but I am sure Mr Fellowes researched how they lived in that era and so it is a true reflection of the way an aristocratic family lived in 1916.  They ate amazing food and those who lived upstairs didn’t even do much exercise to burn it off.  But they were very slim.  How did they eat 3 good meals a day and remain so sylph like?  Definitely no troughing, that’s for sure.

I have found what I have been looking for during the past few days.  I have really struggled to eat healthily and have felt a bit dissatisfied between meals and been too pre-occupied with food.  This morning I decided to give in to my wishes for something fatty, flavourful and salty.  My goodness it was good.

I wanted butter and I wanted cheese.  But I didn’t want to break the points bank.  I have no idea why but if I eat cheese with crackers or fruit, I can eat a ton of it.  But if I eat it in an omelette, it seems so rich I can only eat a little bit.  Well, relatively a little bit.

So for breakfast today I had a 2 egg omelette, with spinach from the garden, a ripe and juicy plum tomato and 50 g of Cashel Blue cheese.  I greased the pan with butter.  Not much as it is a non stick pan but enough to give me the butter flavour I wanted.  It was probably a small teaspoon full.

The whole thing tasted amazing and I felt completely full and sated.

The spinach and tomatoes were full of flavour and the best bits were the melted cheese which oozed and ran over the plate.  Blue cheese, spinach and juicy tomato is a fabulous flavour combination.  Totally delicious.

One of many diets I have tried over the years is the Metabolic Typing Diet.  This uses the concept of “biochemical individuality”.  Based on years of anthropological studies, many different researchers have concluded that no two people are exactly the same, either biochemically or physiologically.  Due to variations in local environment,  climate, indigenous food availability, heredity and cultural practices, a diet that one group may thrive on could make another group sick.

Further research showed the key role played by the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) in determining metabolic individuality and the person’s response to health and disease.  The ANS has 2 branches; the sympathetic system controls bodily processes to do with energy utilisation and the parasympathetic system controls activities relating to energy conservation.  In most people, one branch tends to be dominant over the other which creates a metabolic imbalance.   This can determine what types of food a person needs to eat to be healthy.

Another determinant of what type of food an individual should eat, is the rate at which their bodies convert food in to energy.  Some people convert food to energy more rapidly so to sustain metabolic balance, they need foods that burn slowly such as heavier proteins and fats.  Individuals who convert food to energy more slowly need to eat more carbohydrates which burns faster.  It is an interesting diet and if you are interested, ‘The Metabolic Typing Diet’ is by William Wolcott and Trish Fahey.

I am definitely of the type that needs more protein and fat.  I can eat low or no carbs, except fruits and veggies, easily.  But I really miss protein and fat if I don’t have it.  And I think lately, having had some decent weight losses, I was craving some fat and protein.  So I gave in to it and now I feel great.

I had a really busy day.  I am in the midst of clearing every cupboard and drawer in the house.  At the moment, there are piles of things everywhere.  Plus, I had numerous bags of glassware and ceramics from my Dad’s house.  It needed unpacking, washing and laying out so when my sisters come on Saturday, we can all see what we would like as Dad is wanting to pass on some of his collections.

It took about 3 hours to just unwrap and wash and dry it all.

The glassware looked amazing, sparkling in the sunshine.  This is some of the 32 liquer glasses I washed!  It was a very pleasurable task.

I also ploughed through paperwork and tided and cleaned the study and spring cleaned the dining room.  I was so busy I didn’t even think about food until about 5pm.  I had completely missed lunch which rarely happens.  But I felt fine.  I had a banana and thought about what to do for dinner.

Harvey was out on a sleepover so James, Lara and I decided to go out for a curry.  I did consume far too many calories/points but not because I was bingeing or picking.  But because the three of us so rarely go out for dinner it was a lovely treat and my King Prawn Makhni was so amazing, every single morsel had to be eaten.  Thank you Raja of Kent for yet another delicious meal

What a relief to wake up to sunshine and blue skies.  And not too much wind.  Always a consideration on a Tuesday as Tuesday is tennis day.

I bought some cheap strawberries yesterday which were only fit for blending so a smoothie was on the breakfast menu: 1 banana, 1/2 punnett of strawberries, 140 ml soya milk and 1 tbsp chocolate and hempseed spread.

My little breakfast buddy wanted some smoothie too, as well as his bowl of cereal so I was down to a half portion which wouldn’t sustain me until lunch time.  So I poured mine in to a bowl and added some granola.  I needed fuel for tennis.

Tennis was great fun as always.  Lucy and Emma joined today and there were 8 of us which is a good number for the session.  We did some new drills and I ran around more than usual so I felt exhausted when I got home.  Which is a good thing as it shows I was trying hard.  I had a coffee and an apple with almond nut butter on it because I felt peckish.

Do you ever get a really strong craving for something or go through a phase of wanting a particular taste?  I don’t mean chocolate or wine!

At the moment I keep wanting to eat blue cheese.  Today I really wanted a large green leafy salad with a blue cheese dressing.  Not a dressing from a bottle but a really strong-tasting blue cheese in a creamy runny sauce.  I looked up a few recipes and decided to go for one that had blue cheese, walnut oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

I changed the quantities from the recipe to reduce the fat and I didn’t have a lemon, which may have made a big difference.  But it was not what I was trying to achieve.  This dressing was a big fail so I am not going to share the recipe.  I will try again and publish a good recipe, if I come up with it.  The cheese was wrong.  It was too mild and creamy.  I should have bought a crumbly Stilton.  Cashel Blue is a lovely cheese to eat with some fruit or on a cracker but not for the dressing I was after.

If anyone has a good recipe for a strongly flavoured and creamy blue cheese dressing, please post it in the comments section.  Or tell us where to look it up.  Please.

The lettuce was fantastic.  I picked about 5 different types from the garden and they were very full of flavour.  The only other addition to my lunch plate was a plum tomato and a handful of cherry tomatoes.  Overall lunch was very edible, just not what I felt like today.

About an hour later I had a bag of crisps.  Oh no!!!  Why did I do that?  For some reason I really craved something salty.  I don’t often eat crisps but they hit the spot for some reason today.

I had a ridiculous mountain of ironing to tackle so I decided to iron and watch a film – Julie and Julia.  I read the book a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it which is why I didn’t watch the film.  Good books rarely translate to good films.  But it was great.  A film about blogging and food – what’s not to like?

Shepherd’s pie for dinner.  Instead of a conventional potato topping, I use sweet potato and butternut squash.  They contain more nutrients than potato as they have beta -carotene which the body converts in to vitamin A.  Beta carotene is also an antioxidant which helps to prevent free-radical damage which can lead to cancer.  They also contribute vitamin C, potassium and fibre to your diet.

From a dieting perspective I like to use butternut squash because it is not so starchy as potato or sweet potato.  And both sweet potato and butternut squash can be mashed easily without adding any milk or butter so that saves some calories and fat.

Something else I do to reduce the fat in this dish is to drain the meat once I have fried it.  I tip the meat in to a colander and let it drain; it is surprising how much fat comes out of the meat, even when you buy lean mince.

Shepherd’s Pie with orange mash (serves 4)

• 3 sweet potatoes
• 1 medium sized butternut squash
• 250 g lean minced lamb
• 250 g lean minced beef
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped finely
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut in to cubes
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 250 ml beef stock
• Lee & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
• Frozen petit pois

Method

• Turn oven on to 180° C
• Put a large pan of salted water on to boil
• Peel sweet potato and butternut squash and cut in to chunks
• Boil until just soft (takes about 15 minutes so less time than white potato)
• Drain and mash
• While the potato and squash are cooking, fry the lamb and beef until brown.  No need to add fat if using a non stick pan.
• Drain fat from meat in colander
• Put frying pan back on stove top and fry onion and carrots until nearly soft.  There should be enough fat coating the pan from the meat so do not add more
• Put meat back in to pan with onion and carrots and mix well
• Add 1 tbsp flour and cook for about 5 minutes
• Add stock and a good slug of Lee & Perrins.  Stir and cook for 5 minutes so stock thickens
• Add salt and pepper if required
• Cover baking dish with a single layer of petit pois (I use them direct from the freezer)
• Pour meat, onion and carrot mixture on top of petit pois
• Spread potato and squash mash over the meat mixture and smooth with the back of a spoon and then mark lines with a fork as in the picture above
• Bake in the oven for 25 minutes

We eat it as is because you have all the main food groups plus 3 vegetables within the one dish.  I confess I eat mine with a spoonful of Branston Pickle.  Don’t knock it until you try it!

What a splendidly blustery day.  Well, not totally splendid as the wind makes me nervous of all the trees round here and so we didn’t go for the planned walk to collect sloes 😦

Porridge for breakfast.  I am determined to stick to my points this week and porridge keeps me filled up until lunch time, as long as I add the Chia seeds and some kind of nut butter.  50 g oats, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 1 tbsp tahini and 140 ml soya milk.  Tahini is not great in porridge so I won’t try that again.  Edible but not worth repeating.

For some reason I decided that I would clear out most of my kitchen cupboards and drawers. I was like a whirling dervish in that kitchen today, emptying cupboard after cupboard, throwing out old packets and jars, then washing and cleaning shelves, drawers, drawer liners, backs, fronts and doors.  Very therapeutic and satisfying.

I rediscovered a large cutlery tray full of silver forks, spoons, tongs and some beautiful mother of pearl handled forks and intricately patterned teaspoons.  They had been abandoned in the cupboard for so long they were VERY tarnished.

But thanks to either the dipping potion or the silver cleaning paste, lots of elbow grease and a large bowl of hot soapy water, they came up beautifully.

I am a classy chick,  mixing up my silverware with the plastic cutlery.

I didn’t have lunch until 2:30 which is very late for me and unusual.  I didn’t want to waste time cooking or even preparing a large salad so I had 55 g of blue cheese with an apple and a pear.  Very simple and quite adequate.

During my cupboard clearing I came across a large bag of brown lentils that needed using up and I felt like experimenting with something new.  I decided to make the Lentil Babotie from the very excellent Eat ur Greens site.  Eat ur Greens is full of extremely healthy recipes and if you have to eat a restricted diet, each recipe clearly states whether it is gluten free or dairy free or vegetarian etc.  I love how bright and fresh the site looks and I am really impressed by the beautiful photography.  Something to aspire to!

I was sent the link to the site by Hannah, one of the contributors to Eat ur Greens.  Hannah is a Nutritional Therapist who I had the pleasure of studying with for 3 years.  This meal was delicious so I will definitely be trying more in the future –  go ahead and look at it.

I served the Lentil Babotie with a simple tomato salad.  I sliced plum tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes and just added some black pepper.  Oh my, what a very sparkly serving fork that is 🙂

The Lentil Babotie is a garlicky, spicy and well seasoned lentil dish in a tomato sauce, with an egg and milk topping which sets firm and retains all the moisture of the lentils during cooking.

I followed the recipe exactly with 2 exceptions:

1. I didn’t have dried peaches so used 1 fresh peach
2. I didn’t have any xylitol so I used Agave syrup instead

All 4 of us enjoyed it and it seemed very nourishing and comforting.

Just the thing to end a blustery day with.

Today was delightful, fun and interesting, in the main.  But ended as a diet disaster 😦 Why?

We were up reasonably early and out quickly so we could visit Columbia Road flower market.  I had never been before so was really looking forward to it.  And I was not disappointed.  As well as the stalls selling mainly cut flowers but also plenty in pots, there were lots of quirky and original shops.  The sun shone brightly and the sky was bright blue.  I love sunny September days as the air seems so clear and the temperature was perfect for pottering about in.

We started by walking down the middle of the road to admire the flower stalls.  Some stalls sold a variety of flowers.

Others were more specialised.

These white roses were some of my favourites.

Michelle was after a potted white hydrangea – sadly she did not find one and instead bought 3 large blooms.

It didn’t take too long before we were hungry so we went in to one of the many cafes.  We asked the lady serving if there was a little table in the garden out the back for us.  “Oh yes” she said.  I asked for a latte and a smoked salmon bagel with cream cheese.   I received the bagel I asked for but just a cup of instant.  It was not a latte kind of cafe.  And they didn’t have any vacant tables in the little garden either!  But it was a lovely chewy bagel and the coffee was fine and we did at least find a spot to sit and eat inside rather than having to stand.

We went in to all the shops which were fascinating, made a few purchases and then wandered back to the car to drive back to Streatham.  We passed this comical looking man playing his tiny piano and left money for the photo with his mournful looking dog, George.

I hope George is happier than he looks.  And I wish he could stop trembling.

Amazing how hungry shopping can make you.  We were near Clapham when we all agreed we really needed a traditional roast dinner.  I had roast belly of pork with apple sauce, cabbage, carrots and roast potatoes at the Grafton House in Clapham.  It was very tasty and there was lots of it.

We ate our lunch in the garden where it was sunny and warm.  I love long lazy Sunday lunches.

We then took Lara to Ikea to get her kitted out for University.  Michelle bought all the kitchen stuff (thank you VERY much, Fairy God-Mother) and I bought the bedroom and bathroom bits.  We were in and out in just over an hour which is a great result.  Unfortunately Michelle bought some amazing chocolates in IKEA which were to prove the beginning of my downfall.  Why can’t I just have one or two?  I must have had at least 20 – 30 and I can not even begin to guess how many calories/points they had.

We reluctantly bade Michelle farewell and drove home.  I’d had a really lovely day.  I may not have won any healthy eating awards but apart from all the chocolates my eating had been ok.  I was not particularly hungry but for some reason decided I needed a slice of cheese on toast and then some biscuits.  I did throw the packet away in disgust (with myself, not the biscuits) after eating 3 of them.

Why do I do this?  I had a lovely day, I was happy, not feeling stressed but for some reason decided to pig out on chocolates and then continue to eat fatty foods when I got home.  I feel quite depressed about it.  I know Thursday was my birthday and I allowed myself to eat and drink what I wanted.  But then I seem to have carried on for the next 3 days.

I am a ridiculous woman some times and need to get to bed and get a grip tomorrow!!!

Too Tired to write much today.  My friends last night generously plied me with gallons of Rioja which I guzzled in my customary piggy style.  So I feel very tired today.

Strawberry, frozen banana, Tahini and soya milk smoothie for breakfast.

Stir fried chicken and vegetables with brown basmati rice for lunch.

The girls left home for a sleepover in Streatham with Lara’s Fairy Godmother.  In to the lair of the Undomesticated Goddess – who has a newly decorated dining room

The UG had received a beautiful package from Japan

A kimono from the parents of a grateful lodger.  I had never seen a real one before.

We were spoiled and treated to a 3 course dinner.

Goats cheese and rocket with Balsamic.

Salmon with roasted vegetables, new potatoes, salad and marinated tomatoes

Meringue, cream, strawberries and raspberries

I took some Chapel Down Brut to toast Lara and wish her well at University.

Birthday cake for me.

Coffee.

More wine, a funny film (‘Death at a Funeral’) and bed.  Night all.