Conversations With My Self!

Some days (OK, most days) I feel like I'm two separate people meshed into one. Don't know what I mean? Maybe this will help:

Me: I'm having a great hair day.

Negative Me: Yeah, maybe, but your roots are starting to show. Not very appealing really.

Me: So far I haven't had a single crisp or piece of chocolate. I am proud of myself.

Negative Me: Sure, you say that now but let's wait till the end of the day shall we? then we'll see who's laughing. Mwahahahaha

Me: Great. Yay! That hunk of a security guy totally checked me out. I knew this dress I was wearing today was the right choice.

Negative Me: He probably thought you were a shoplifter. Hmm, wonder if you actually fit the profile?

Me: I like this top, think I'll try it on. Where are the fitting rooms? It really does look nice on me. I think I'll buy it. It doesn't make my bottom look so big and the front is flattering.

Negative Me: Jesus Christ. Is that what your ass really looks like? Good God woman, put the dress down, your clothes back on and forget about it. Why bother? Your ass still looks huge. Who are you kidding?

Me (end of the day): I think I've done really well today. I stuck to the program. Bravo.

Negative Me: This is not over yet you know. Although I must admit you did do well sticking to your program. Well done.

Me (laughing): I can't believe I keep talking to myself. This is so funny. Creepy but funny. I really have to stop.

Negative Me: You were always a bit on the loony side. They should get you diagnosed. Remember when blah blah blah.

Me: Shut up already. Good night.

Eventually I bought the top and a dress for good measure which my husband agreed looked great on me. And I stuck with the program. I have tamed the beast in me for today.

The Mumble Jumble Pie

I am trying out a new recipe. I am using the only ingredients I have around so here goes nothing.

Ingredients:

1 pack of fresh English Spinach leaves, steamed and drained

400g of sliced butternut squash

1/2 bag of frozen mixed peppers

200g of sliced fresh mushrooms

1 large brown onion, sliced

1/2 tin of thick condensed mushroom soup

A dash of nutmeg

2 tsp of Parmesan cheese

2 sheets of rolled puff pastry

1. Spray the pan with non stick cooking spray and add the onions and mushrooms, saute until tender. Add the peppers and saute again until tender. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add Salt and pepper to taste.

2. Add the mushroom soup and stir and allow to simmer for another 15 minutes. Remove from pan.

3. In an oven proof dish, lay out the first sheet of puff pastry at the bottom of dish. Now we start layering. First spread out the cooked spinach leaves, then the roasted butternut squash on top. Then pour out the contents of the pot on top of all that and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and nutmeg.

4. Cover the contents of the oven proof dish with the second layer of puff pastry and seal the edges so it looks like a pie. Make several slits and place in the oven to cook.

Heard Today

"I don't have a weight problem, YOU have a problem with MY weight" - Mo'Nique in the movie PHAT Girls

I Choose the Detour

Some hardships are easier to take than others. As an optimist, I believe that hardships are disguised blessings although I am reasonable and rational enough to understand that the loss of someone dear can never ever be regarded as such. However, even then there are lessons to be learnt.

My hardship arrived yesterday. My husband called and said he had had chest pains at work, and was out of breath and that the walk-in surgery had advised him to go to the A&E for checkups 'just in case'. A million thoughts in my head, I rushed to my friend's house, dropped off our son, and speedily went to join my husband at A&E. I must concede that the fact that he was asked to go there on his own in the first place sans ambulance did give me the relief that he was in fact OK and that they just wanted to make sure that his chest pains were a kind of muscle spasm unrelated to any out of frenzy heart episode. Basically, not the beginnings of a heart attack.

As soon as I saw his face I knew we were going to be OK. Thankfully all was confirmed to be exactly so from the blood tests and ECG. However, was that the end and we could put this behind us, maybe have a laugh about it over a nice bottle of wine at the weekend? Somewhere in the deepest recesses of my being I knew a whole new realm had just been created. Or had it been there all along? Are you born with it and is it programmed to launch on a certain date, at a certain age, or could you miss it altogether? Is it on a timer? What am I talking about? That horrible new untraveled world of "What ifs and Then whats". I was more terrified of being in that world than I had been rushing madly to meet my husband a while ago. What if? Two words that kept on and on in my head all night. What if? What if? What if? And Then What?

I will repeat myself now: I am an optimist. I honestly believe in my heart of hearts that this was a blessing in disguise. A path had been presented to us as a family to broach the subject of death. To discuss unnerving issues of putting papers in order, contacting lawyers and having all in order in case we were faced with life's inevitable what ifs. It was also a clear blessing to stop and turn inwards. To get personal with oneself and to scrutinize. Was he that out of shape? When had that happened? He was always athletic. He still plays football with our son. When had it all slipped? When had we allowed our unhealthy lifestyle to take over bringing out fears we never even knew we had. Oh God, could it be me next time?

We are here now. We are left with no choice. We have been presented with a blessing (or warning?) that we must not fail to be thankful for. A chance for an overall look at where we've arrived and whether that is where we want to keep heading. I choose the detour.

Signs or a State of Mind?

I was telling my husband the other day that the elements of my World must be conspiring for me to lose weight. I kept talking about signs that this must be the right time for me to start on my own personal health journey. I'll give you examples: Each time I turned on the TV last week, it would be showing inspirational stories of people who had lost a lot of weight. Another time it would have those dressing for your type shows. And at other times it would be a movie about having hopes and achieving your dreams and never ever giving up.

Other more personal examples would be my friend's daughter who happened to tell me I was a fat mommy on Christmas day. Or could the biggest sign of all have been my annual check-up where my GP announced that I was hovering on the borders of obesity? Or was it that I had recently become obsessed with the need to have a blog all about health issues? I had exhausted those around me about constantly talking about my weight but never really doing anything about it. I was always too busy or too lazy really. So had the Universe finally conspired to make me take a deeper look at the real me before it was too late?

Yes, Maybe, No. Bottom line: Who knows and frankly the question should be: Does it really matter? If you choose to believe that there are signs to pick up and you have then good on you. If you choose to believe that God has finally given you his undivided strength to stick with the program, even better, and if, like myself, you believe in state of the mind theories then fantastic. End of the day it doesn't matter where or how you were inspired. You just were. Accept it and move ahead. Stick with it and do it. Now that your frame of mind is in the zone stay there.

Now that I'm finally in the zone, there is no way I'm getting out. I am going to take full advantage and seek ways to keep me in the zone for a long long time. I have found that when I reach this point of no return I start to pick up motivating vibes I never even noticed before. Had my son's school been really this close to home before? If so, then how come I've driven him there all this time? Did I really buy that fantastic pair of trainers and track suit? Being a born show off, why have I never felt inclined to parade myself in them? The best one of all: Since I am a certified dietitian, how come I've never felt the need to apply my knowledge on myself? Why did everyone and everything else come first?

Again, power is knowledge. Being in the zone is powerful in itself. Open your eyes, take a deep breath and look around you. You don't need bolting jolts of lightning to wake you up, the signs and tools are right there under your nose. Open your eyes wider, have you? Do you see them now? Great, now your journey begins. I just hope you're ready for it. I know I am.

My Lentil Soup

I love lentils. Red or brown I just love them. This recipe is great because the cumin really lessens the unpleasant side effects of lentils (you know the gas and such).

2 cups of dried red lentils, rinsed and drained

1 large brown onion, diced

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

4 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 cubes of vegetable broth

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp ground cumin

juice of 1 lemon

Salt & pepper to taste

Chopped parsley or coriander to garnish

1. Place the oil in a pan, add the onion and saute until tender.

2. Add the lentils, potatoes, vegetable stock, tomato paste and cumin. Add enough water to cover everything. Bring to the boil. Turn down the flame and let the mixture simmer until the potatoes and the lentils are tender. This should take around 30-40 minutes depending on the type of the lentils. But keep checking the mixture as the lentils drink up a lot of water so keep adding along the way. You don't want to end up with a dry mixture. This is a soup after all.

3. After the lentils are tender, remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

4. In a food processor, blend the contents of the pot until fine and creamy. Return to the pot and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve garnished with chopped parsley or coriander. Add the lemon juice just before serving for that extra zing.

My First Setback

I had already mentioned yesterday morning that I was up to trouble. I knew it was coming my way as soon as I got up (see here). Well, although I really tried not to over eat and to stick to my plan, my nemesis side would have none of that and was starving for company. So we entertained.

As it was a spur of the moment thing and the point was to bring in guests first, worry about food later, you can realize why things didn't go well for me. I had not planned to have people over that evening and the decision was only made midday so by then I had already had breakfast, snack and lunch leaving few calories for a small dinner.

No planning meant the cupboard crisps and nuts came out for appetizers, and it was Indian takeout for the main course. Naans, curries and kebabs don't make for great food choices if you're on a calorie-restricted diet. Combine that with red wine and you have a recipe for disaster. But the evening went well and we had a great time. So all was not lost.

What have I learnt from this:

1. Spontaneity is great but not if it involves food. I have to stick to my priorities as I have set them for the time being with my weight loss coming in first place and entertaining coming in second.

2. Because I love a great party and can't stay away for too long, all I have to do is plan plan plan my diet beforehand. That way I get to supply more vegetables for my party snacking along with the nuts and crisps. Healthy dips and home cooked food (at least I'll know how much fat and what kind of fat is in there) and fruit based desserts instead of chocolates and cheese. After all this is taken care of I will definitely have enough calories left over for my wine.

3. I will not let this setback get me down. I am on the band wagon again and here I go again.

Eggplants & Yogurt Recipe

This is one of many Middle Eastern recipes I picked up. It is really tasty in its original state but I have modified it into a low fat version which I post here. Enjoy.

A quick tip: after peeling and slicing the eggplants, place them in a sieve and sprinkle with salt and leave that for 30 minutes before you wash off the salt with cold water and then pat dry the eggplants with kitchen towels. This removes any bitterness found in the eggplant seeds.

Ingredients

4 eggplants, peeled and sliced

Low fat cooking spray

400g of diced lean beef

1 medium brown onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced and extra 5 cloves minced on the side

2 tsp all spice

Salt & pepper to taste

5-6 cups of non fat natural yogurt

1 cup croutons (preferably homemade or get the ready herb and garlic ones)

Chopped fresh parsley and coriander to garnish

1. Spray a non stick cooking pan with the low fat cooking spray and saute the onions until tender. Add the garlic towards the end and then add the beef and saute all together stirring to avoid meat sticking to pan until the meat is browned on all sides and the juices run clear. Add the all spice, salt and pepper and cover the mixture with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the meat is tender (around 30 minutes). Reserve all the sauce as we will use it.

2. Meanwhile, spray the low fat cooking spray onto a baking tray and line it with the towel dried eggplants and grill in the oven until both sides are nicely browned. Keep turning and monitoring the eggplants to avoid burning.

3. Once the eggplants and the meat are done, get a baking dish and place a tbsp of the meat juice at the bottom of the baking dish covered with a layer of the eggplant. Pour another 2 Tbsp of the meat sauce on top. Place the meat without the sauce on top of the eggplants and then cover that with another layer of eggplants. Pour the remainder of the meat juice.

4. Place the whole dish in the oven and pour enough water to cover the mixture and bake in the oven without covering the dish for around an hour.

5. Meanwhile, mix the yogurt with the extra 5 cloves of garlic and place in the fridge.

6. Just before serving, pour the cold mixed yogurt and garlic onto the eggplant dish and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and coriander.

For those who do know this dish and have tasted it the original way, this may not seem too palatable however it is still a tasty dish. The original recipe calls for the croutons to be fried (which does make sense as they stay crunchy far longer than baked ones), and for fried pine nuts for garnish at the top. The eggplants in the original recipe are fried as well.

Based on the above you can tell that the dish will be tastier however loaded with fat. Most Middle East households cook with animal fat (samn) although I have to admit that the trend is soon wearing off with newer generations opting to go for vegetable oils especially olive oil.

NoroVirus: A Bright Side?

Norovirus - also known as winter vomiting disease - spreads by contact with an infected person, through contaminated food or water or by contact with contaminated surfaces or objects. It is not normally dangerous, but the very young and very old are most at risk of complications from dehydration (so keep drinking fluids - alcohol by the way is not an option here).

The Negative Side: You are sick and have diarrhea for an entire 48 hours. You smell yucky and not only are you advised to stay at home because you're contagious but nobody wants a smelly person like you amongst them anyway. Don't bother going to a hospital near you as they don't want you there either (REALLY). Stay at home you miserable soul (this is one very legitimate time to call in a sickie), lock yourself in the toilet and wait 48 hours for the bug to go away.

The Brighter Side: You end up with a flat tummy (depending on how big your tummy was at the start, we're talking a few pounds here not a downright miracle), and it could help you literally eliminate those holiday pounds. So you may be smelly but a thinner smelly and that is good, No? This could be the new miracle slimming pill we would all be waiting for. I wonder if I should call Oprah to invest.

What about me? I'm off to bag me a virus (I'll just stand outside any public toilet and shake hands with the next person out of there. Seriously now, how many of you sods actually wash your hands right after? with soap?). All's fair in the battle of the bulge, yes?

Get well and the sooner you shower, the better!

My Fave Dress This Week!

TopShop, £40

Cherries & Mothers-in-law

It is amazing how the beginning of the year spells new beginnings for all of us. A fresh start. A healthy start. blah blah blah. TV ads are all about slimming videos, talk shows have doctors telling us what to eat and what not to eat. Conflicting information that could make one go mad. But the best advice I've heard this morning is that supposedly if you eat fresh cherries, and pineapple and you do in fact suffer from arthritis then these two could alleviate some of your pain. I don't suffer from arthritis but my mother in law does so I called her and told her about it. (My good deed for the day done!)

I am hungry all the time. But I have analyzed the reason to be:

a. All I do is talk about food and dieting which stresses me out.

b. Stress makes me want to eat

c. I got my period today

So now that I've reached the conclusion that it's my hormones not my stomach calling (I've just had lunch you see, and a snack and had breakfast in the morning, and damn dinner is still a few hours away), so all I have to do now is type out the reasons I'm hungry and post them on my fridge door. Here goes nothing.

What Went Down my Trap Today!

Breakfast
30g of Crunchy Nut cereal with 125ml of skim milk


Lunch
Frittata (my own recipe)
1 small avocado, sliced


Dinner
a 200g tub of low fat cottage cheese

1 can of organic mushrooms


Recipe for the Frittata:
2 egg whites + 1 whole egg
1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and diced
4 shallots, chopped finely
4 tomatoes, skinless and chopped
Salt & pepper to taste.


Mix all the ingredients together. Place in an oven-proof dish and bake in a moderate oven until the mixture is set (about 20 minutes).

Even Mika Has Jumped on The Weight Wagon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcRiXOONqf0&feature=related

New Year Resolutions

I was just watching the BBC and they said that only 1 in 10 people actually keep their New Year's resolution. So what is this one person (probably the guy they got in to ask this) doing different? He is writing the resolutions down and making them logical and attainable.

So based on that, a pat on the back for me is in order because:

1. I've just written my resolution down: moan and groan about anything and everything that revolves around weight or otherwise.

2. My goal is attainable as it's only morning and I've put in two entries already. So this shouldn't be too hard to do (but we shall see, as I'm really really a fickle person).

3. I love a good challenge.

2008: Day One!

First day and I've just gotten up. Last night's wine just didn't sit well . I guess other culprits to my bloated tummy this morning include half a bag of Pringles crisps (Sour cream & cheese flavour), 5 After Eights, a few handfuls of nuts, cottage cheese (hmm), and a hot dog. Just a few reminders of what a night before's meal could do to you.

We didn't go out for New Year's Eve celebrations. We just moved into our new house a few months ago and thought it would be lovely to spend our first New Year's Eve in that house alone. So it was a celebration with no guests. What a great thing. Because this left more for yours truly to eat.

I dug into the cupboards and fished out a couple of things (see paragraph one) and just curled up with my darling honey hubby and watched TV.

Happy New Year!