A quick catch up of what we've eaten in the first two days of our new sugar and gluten free lifestyle, and how things are going.
Starting weight: Last week I took my measurements and starting weight. I'll post a weight update each Monday. My starting weight this Monday was 117.5 kg (259 lbs). I would like to lose about 50kg (110 lbs), but I'm not in any hurry with that. My main focus is on improving my health. I'll be happy to see some steady weight loss alongside that.
Starting weight: Last week I took my measurements and starting weight. I'll post a weight update each Monday. My starting weight this Monday was 117.5 kg (259 lbs). I would like to lose about 50kg (110 lbs), but I'm not in any hurry with that. My main focus is on improving my health. I'll be happy to see some steady weight loss alongside that.
Breakfast Monday & Tuesday: I made some Nutty Granola, based on the Granola recipe in the Wheat Belly book, but modified a bit. Monday I had it with full-cream milk and a nice cup of Chamomile tea. Tuesday I added some natural unsweetened yoghurt on top. Yum! |
Lunch Monday & Tuesday: A big salad - both days based on mesclun salad leaves. On Monday I topped it with Tomato Guacamole and served with two boiled eggs, and two rice wafers spread with hummus. Tuesday I need lunch on the run to eat in town, so I added chopped tomatoes and some grated cheese to the salad greens, and added two pieces of shaved beef from a deli, plus has rice wafers with hummus. Both days I dressed the salad with Honey Mustard dressing. Tuesday I also ate an apple. |
Snacks & Drinks: On Monday I ate a medium sized Eve apple, sliced and eaten with some peanut butter (yum!). Tuesday I indulged in a small 1/2 scoop of hot chips from a takeaway bar in town as my daughter needed something to eat after I picked her up. Both days I drank only herbal teas (unsweetened) and plain water. I'm aiming for 6-8 glasses per day. |
Dinner Monday & Tuesday: Monday I made Tender Beef Stew in the crockpot, and served it on brown rice with steamed broccoli. It was delicious! Since I have a large crockpot and some of the family is away, I made enough for the four of us that night plus another meal for 6 to have next week, which I put aside to freeze until needed. Tuesday I got back from town only an hour before the girls needed to go out, so Quick Chicken Stir-fry was perfect - quick and yum! I had forgotten to get chicken stock out of the freezer (I make my own by simply boiling chicken carcasses for a couple of hours), but fortunately it only takes a few minutes to melt it down in a pot on the stove. |
Other food prep:
*Tomato paste is used in a lot of recipes. I found a bulk can at the wholesalers which contained 4.5kg of tomato paste, no additives, and it seemed like good quality. When I opened it to make the beef stew, I divided the rest up into zip-lock bags containing 1-2 cups and froze them, ready for future meals.
*I made a very interesting looking nut and seed loaf - Buckwheat Seed Bread - from the IQS site. It was very easy to make, though lengthy sitting and cooking time is needed. I found it didn't have a lot of flavour, but my palette hasn't had time to adjust yet. Pretty good spread with cream cheese.
* On Monday I roasted some buttercup pumpkin in the oven while cooking dinner, which I will use to make some spiced pumpkin muffins this week.
* Premium beef mince was on special at the Mad Butchers for $8.99/kg, which is the best price I've seen in a long time. I bought 3-4 kilos and divided it up into meal sized portions for the freezer. I'm working on 150g of meat per person per meal, which is a good sized adult serving.
*Tomato paste is used in a lot of recipes. I found a bulk can at the wholesalers which contained 4.5kg of tomato paste, no additives, and it seemed like good quality. When I opened it to make the beef stew, I divided the rest up into zip-lock bags containing 1-2 cups and froze them, ready for future meals.
*I made a very interesting looking nut and seed loaf - Buckwheat Seed Bread - from the IQS site. It was very easy to make, though lengthy sitting and cooking time is needed. I found it didn't have a lot of flavour, but my palette hasn't had time to adjust yet. Pretty good spread with cream cheese.
* On Monday I roasted some buttercup pumpkin in the oven while cooking dinner, which I will use to make some spiced pumpkin muffins this week.
* Premium beef mince was on special at the Mad Butchers for $8.99/kg, which is the best price I've seen in a long time. I bought 3-4 kilos and divided it up into meal sized portions for the freezer. I'm working on 150g of meat per person per meal, which is a good sized adult serving.
How I Feel: On Monday, I felt fine, though a bit tired (due to my insomnia). Tuesday the vision in my left eye was strangely blurry all day, and I had the oddest dull headache - if you imagine wearing a head band on your head, and the area from that point forward to my hairline, across both sides, ached all day. Not unbearable, just annoying. I think my braincells all went on strike by Tuesday too - I had trouble thinking clearly, and kept forgetting things. For example, Monday night I actually roasted that pumpkin to serve with dinner, but completely forgot it. Tuesday I deliberately went into the supermarket to get a flyer and some change for the parking meters. Then I ate lunch, drove to the Asian market, which is where I needed meter money, and did my shopping. It wasn't until I was halfway across town afterwards that I noticed a parking ticket under my windscreen wiper - I'd completely forgotten to put money in the machine!! Doh! I went into the wholefoods store, and couldn't think what I wanted to find. LOL This kind of thing is NOT normal for me.
I feel like I could happily eat more, but am not truly hungry. It's mostly about breaking old habits - when I spend time on the computer, for instance, I've gotten in the habit of making myself a cup of hot chocolate and maybe some toast to nibble on at the same time (the office and kitchen are next to each other). The only moment of any real temptation I have experienced so far was on Monday when I went to throw out the remaining peaches in a can of sliced peaches in syrup. I could just taste that sweet yumminess in my mind, and for a split second I was tempted to eat "just one." But I didn't. :-)
I have to confess, though, to some element of feeling stressed about whether I can do this - not for myself, that's the easy part - but I feel this constant responsibility to ensure my husband and kids don't go hungry. Of course, my husband insists I've done too well at that over the years, but the kids are another matter. So far it's going ok, but I need more things on hand they can snack on. Then there is the cost issue. Eating well does cost a bit more. If you follow all the recipes on a lot of websites, it can cost a LOT more. I need to spend some time gathering more inexpensive food ideas.
I feel like I could happily eat more, but am not truly hungry. It's mostly about breaking old habits - when I spend time on the computer, for instance, I've gotten in the habit of making myself a cup of hot chocolate and maybe some toast to nibble on at the same time (the office and kitchen are next to each other). The only moment of any real temptation I have experienced so far was on Monday when I went to throw out the remaining peaches in a can of sliced peaches in syrup. I could just taste that sweet yumminess in my mind, and for a split second I was tempted to eat "just one." But I didn't. :-)
I have to confess, though, to some element of feeling stressed about whether I can do this - not for myself, that's the easy part - but I feel this constant responsibility to ensure my husband and kids don't go hungry. Of course, my husband insists I've done too well at that over the years, but the kids are another matter. So far it's going ok, but I need more things on hand they can snack on. Then there is the cost issue. Eating well does cost a bit more. If you follow all the recipes on a lot of websites, it can cost a LOT more. I need to spend some time gathering more inexpensive food ideas.