Letting my inner foodie out of the cage!

[daisybell18]

Since joining slimming world a month ago I have lost over half a stone. A figure I am both delighted and disappointed with. Delighted because the weight is heading in the right direction but dissappointed because I believed I had changed my eating habits dramatically. No more rich buttery sauces for me, no lashings of fruity olive oil liberally sprinkled over my veg, no elegant creamy desserts and my jams and chutneys have been banished to the cellar. Instead, 0% fat greek yogurt and quark have taken over my fridge, the biceps are bulging from the crates of diet coke to give me that much needed sugar high and I find myself looking for the quick fixes on the supermarket shelves. The trouble is that my cooking skills are no longer being tested. I boil veg, make salads and avoid puddings like the plague. Is it worth the sacrifice for one measly pound a week? I ask myself.......

As you can see, I am passionate about food. Food that is well presented, cooked from scratch and made from seasonal ingredients that don't break the bank. I eat well but too well it would appear! And yes I do want to change but why should it be a sacrifice? Can't I have good food and lose weight?

I want to cook and eat appetizing food that helps me lose weight, I want to learn to reduce my portion sizes without wanting to slaughter a passing elephant for lunch and I want to find my inner foodie in a "slimmers world"

Instead of a food diary telling you what I have eaten I intend to post my food plan for two to three days ahead. That way I can benefit from everyone's advice and experience before I cook and revise my plans accordingly. I hope we can build a collection of recipes that we can all share.

Who wants to join the cooking club? Beginners welcome!

 

[daisybell18]

Have been ultra virtuous today and spent three hours at the gym - well, one hour travelling there and back, so only two really. Food intake reduced too as I am going to make a real push this week to see what I can achieve.

I will be cooking for one this next week so it's really important I plan in advance. This is one of my self destruct situations! If I get bored I start to prowl in the kitchen, picking small amounts that can't possibly hurt and building momentum until I am shoveling nuts, dried fruit and biscuits as though there is a famine round the corner.

Have been looking at the River Cottage Veg book for inspiration. Am a huge fan of Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall. I then intend to strip the recipes back to fit the SW eating formula, keeping as much of the taste as I can. Another favourite of mine is the Cinnamon Club book which is beautiful indian cuisine but that is a real challenge to reduce the fat content without killing the dish. Does anyone have any favorite recipe books that they do the same with?

Will post my menu for Tuesday later tonight. I have to work out the syn values first.

 

[daisybell18]

Here goes: Tuesday a green day

Breakfast: Griddled egg (fried with no fat) and tomatoes.

Snack: banana

Lunch: Ribollita soup - an Italian dish with white beans and dark greens.

Snack: 2 ryvita spread with quark and lime marmalade (HE and 3 syns)

Dinner: Vegetable byriani, fat free Greek yogurt and cucumber. St Clements mousse. (4 syns for lime chutney and sprinkling of almonds.)

Drink: Hot chocolate with milk allowance and one square very dark choc. (HE and 2 syns for chocolate). Peppermint tea and one can of diet coke.

So for my shopping list I need carrots, celery, leek, chopped toms and savoy cabbage. Already have canellini beans and rice.

Lunch and dinner will be enough for two days at the very least. Will ring the changes at breakfast and for snacks to add variety, so Wednesday will take no time at all.

Comments anyone? Is it OK to eat this amount of beans and rice and still lose weight? I also get through a huge amount of veg.

 

[daisybell18]

Question. What role does water play in a SW diet and how much should I aim to drink?

I have never drunk much and cannot drink more than half a glass at a time without feeling that I am drowning. Consequently, rarely drink more than one pint of liquid in a day. How can I up this?

 

[hjanea]

Your food sounds lovely.
Have you looked at Britmums site-if you look on her thread there are links to her website with loads of recipes. Erm also has lots of recipe ideas.
Waterwise-could you fill a bottle and try to sip it every few minutes over the day? Or have your half glass every half hour?

 

[daisybell18]

Many thanks Hjanea for the suggested websites for recipes. I will certainly go take a look. I unashamedly find my inspiration from as many sources as possible. Maybe my tendency to take a recipe then adapt (fiddle) with it is causing me to eat more than I think. Will try to stick to the letter to a recipe for the time being.

Re the water - I think your suggestion to have a glass every half hour might work, especially if I start with a small glass and work my way up. The bottle of water tends not to work as I fill it up then forget to drink. I ave read somewhere that we often mistake thirst for hunger so I want to ensure I have my fill of fluids. Really lucky that the tap water here in Austria is some of the best in the world.