Endless options… From Atkins to the Zone, via Paleo, and everything in between

Over the years, I’ve tried many ‘diets’ and quick fixes. Some worked, some didn’t. I usually steered clear of the ones that said high protein though, because the assumption was high protein = lots of meat!

A friend of mine has been doing Paleo this week and was telling me about the super results she’s been seeing. She’s a meat eater though and I was not surprised because Paleo, like some others, bases itself on an entirely meat core. Duh… derived from Paleolithic cavemen et al :D! She said that in a matter of days she feels much better, lighter, because the bloating has gone down. And how she never actually connected bloating to the carbohydrates, usually blaming it on the stuff that went with grains like the sauces and the curries. Makes complete sense doesn’t it? Paleo, in addition to taking out grains because cooked grains weren’t eaten by cave people, also says that grains case a lot of the inflammatory digestive issues that a lot of us modern dayers have. So, I decided to do a little research on whether it was workable for a vegetarian and found this cool article.

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/paleo-vegetarian-8-weeks/

For me this was an interesting read because vegetarians, me included on occasion, do tend to go the victim route with the ‘oh but most eating plans are made for meat eaters’. And yes we may be right but there are options if you put a little elbow grease into it. As I’ve always said, anything worth having requires you to work your butt off (pun intended, hyuk hyuk).

While I’m not advocating a purely Paleo lifestyle for most vegetarians – its too restrictive in the long term, like the article says, its possible. Most ‘diets’ are super restrictive at first glance and it’s easy to dismiss them and say ‘ooops this is not for me’. In my opinion this is because they are geared for weight loss, and in the interest of accountability, can’t have the average person taking liberties and totally messing it up. But things can and WILL work in moderation because, guess what, even one half of the good trends in some of these plans is probably better than what a lot of us are doing currently. And this will show. Also, at the risk of sounding like I’m harping on about the same thing, it builds good habits. Guess what else? Most modern diets are a variation on the same theme! 40% carbs from low GI/non grain sources primarily; and the remaining 60 split somewhat equally between fats and proteins. I swear, look it up.

So here is an updated piece written by the same person. Very illuminating as well, on what she ate, recipes and how she felt etc

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/paleo-diet-vegetarian-q-and-a/

I guess what I’m saying is the options exist whether is Paleo or something else. Use some common sense. Read the millions of resources out there. Ask lots of questions when you’re unsure. Essentially, pick your ‘friend’ and stick with them through thick and ummmmm… thin (I’m full of the puns today aren’t I? J)

I would love to hear from you on what works and what doesn’t as well.

And as ever my loves, think happy thin thoughts. Kiss kiss.

Now I’ve heard it all… Excuses or genuine things can happen to derail your diet and how to overcome them

In the world of excuses, my-father-has-cancer-and-I-had-to-go-see-him-flying-halfway-across-the-world-with-my-toddler-and-stress-ate probably is a pretty rare one (he’s doing well now, thanks, having treatment and on the mend so hopefully will make a full recovery). To each of us though the things that ail us seem all encompassing. And sometimes insurmountable. So how do you stick to something seemingly inane in comparison like healthy eating? And when you don’t, how do you get back on track?

The trick is simple. One step at a time, as with all things. This is not the time to prove your super human ability to multitask. Buckle down, make a list of will-dos and do one at a time.

I’ve seen over the past 5 odd weeks my habits go to pot one at a time. I ate whatever, whenever. Literally. Not because anyone made me. But because I needed an outlet and essentially an excuse to cheat. It’s the nature of the beast. If you can cheat you will, so I try to be aware of that and work to fix it.

So what am I going to do now that I’m back and excuse free (for the minute at least, life keeps happening though, doesn’t it?)?

In my last post I’d talked about WW360 and the focus on habits. That’s where I start. Today. And my first habit is – drink water. I feel all bloated and dehydrated at the same time. My skin is a mess and I feel all kinds of symptoms of headaches and acidity and suchlike. And for me, all of this is linked to water. So water is what I give myself. When I lived in warmer climes and worked fulltime in an office I drank loads of the stuff. Now it’s not quite as easy.

So starting today, for the rest of the week I’m going to focus on building up my consumption of water to about 2-2.5 liters a day. I’ve got myself a pretty pink Tupperware bottle that’s 1.1 liters and that’s where I begin. 1 this week. And 2 from next week.

What’s your habit for the week? Pick one and keep at it. Don’t worry if you have several bad days. I’ve been trying the water thing half-heartedly the past few days and once even took the entire full bottle to the next day! Lol.

Everything starts with a few small steps. So as ever, think happy, positive and most of all, thin thoughts. Kiss kiss.

Starting over… building healthy habits

Its been a while people. And I’m not going to lie; I’ve been struggling through the last month with little or no commitment to the things I worked quite hard to make a habit. But that’s my struggle. And the reason I mention it is only so you know you are never alone. Anyone who tells you that they got to the bottom of a large weight loss challenge without, ummm, challenges is lying. Everyone has them; you just need to power through.

So this time I thought we’d look at some tools to do just that.

I mentioned in my last post that I’d look at what I think are the 2 cornerstones of the new Weight Watchers 360 program, based on looking up reviews and talking to a few people I know who are doing it.

Essentially, idea behind 360 is that you need to take a fresh look at everything and see what helps and what trips you up because human willpower is well… not so powerful! Broadly it’s got the idea of ‘habits’ and the idea of ‘spaces’. Now I don’t actually follow WW360 or any WW for that matter but I do believe that every legitimate program out there (and god knows WW is as legitimate as they come) has something in it that’s worth learning from. So forgive me as I paraphrase this…

Habits or routines are things that people have prattled on about and it’s only recently started to make sense. Quite simply, walk yourself through your day… hopefully you woke up, some kind of washroom action, brushing of teeth, some kind of beverage, some sort of dressing up and then on to errands of the day. A good number of these are routines to such an extent that they’ve become habits – like brushing and showers (one hopes!). You want to aim for all your healthy routines to become REAL habits. Start simple and don’t be tempted to do all at once, if not you will fail. Sorry if that sounds grim but its just better to set yourself up for success. Some are easy enough like making sure you include 3 meals and 2 snacks (work up to it if you’re not there already). Some sound deceptively easy likeI’m working on making sure I drink at least 1.5 liters of water a day. Easier said than done! Especially in the cooler weather). And some are just plain hard. Like always making sure you have a healthy snack with you when you’re on the go. Not something so yum that you’ll be tempted to eat it immediately but something good enough that you will have the willpower to eat it when hunger strikes. Coz baby you know it’s going to!

‘Spaces’ is the complementary step to habits, which means that you take control of the spaces around you and organize them to boost success. So your refrigerator, your pantry, your snack drawer at work whatever. Keep it stocked with fruit and veg, take it further and make sure to have single serve portions of the rest so you’re not tempted to overindulge when hungry.

So start now. Or start over if you need to. Pick a habit, stick to it for a week and we’ll take it a bit further in coming weeks and maybe even build a few habits and organize a few spaces together. Let me know what you think.

As ever, think happy, thin thoughts. Kiss kiss.

Falling off the wagon…

Arrrgggghhhh the holidays. You’ve gotta hate them!

And this time around I’ve made Easter the excuse for totally, completely and spectacularly falling off the wagon. And hanging out beside it for over a week.

I’ve eaten everything I’ve come across and then some this past week. Oh, and knocked back a staggering amount of wine. It all started with a few too many Easter weekend invitations. And of course no one invites you to work out… its got to be food. So since we had a Saturday a Sunday and a Monday I clearly figured why no start on Friday! Come on, keep up! That’s just logic :p

Oh well.

What’s wrong with a week off you ask? I'll tell you what is… the fact that I’m not exactly enjoying it. I’ve bee feeling guilty as hell except for the days that had the actual events. And I’ve been terrified that I’ll go back to where I was before I know it. And through it all eat even more to make myself feel better.

And why am I so terrified? Because someone once told me that the most they’d ever lost on their own - without the help of a professional program of some type that is - was 15 pounds. And here I am, slap, bang at the dreaded mark. Been on a plateau the past few weeks. Again, just before the 15-pound mark. Then got off it and hit 16 and Easter rolled around with all its yummies. Boooo! I’ve put on over a pound this past week. And where does that leave me? The yucky 15!!!

All this got me thinking… the role your head plays in the process is the most powerful one isn’t it? If you think you can you can. And the reverse if often true too. Over the years the health industry has come up with motivation style stuff whether it be forums or meetings or more public social media platforms. There have been boot camps that have made mass impact. Hell, Jillian Michaels has made a fortune from yelling at people to do what they already know they should do. God bless her though, her workouts are great. Now I just need to get myself to do one ;).

I totally believe in the need for support. There’s no one who has their sh*t together ALL the time. Its what’s called being human. Weight loss programs like Weight Watchers are recognizing that. Will talk to you about 2 main tips from their new 360 program in my next post.

But for now, I just want to say pick your level of support and use it. Whether it’s a group you pay for or a friend you whine to. Because, trust me, you’re going to need it if you do this. I do now. Anyone with tips of how to stay on the wagon once I climb back on tomorrow? Hit me!

And, be sure as always to think happy, thin thoughts. Kiss kiss!

Kick-starting things

Often when you look at diets marketed out there there’s a giant promise of things like losing a dress/pant size is a week; or 10 pounds in a couple of weeks etc. While there is a lot of gimmick and exaggeration to it, there may be some truth as well.

The claim bases itself essentially on ‘kick-starting’ things. Call it fat flush, call it fat burn call it magic… what it is, is a defined period of time to reset your body from its current habits to a dramatically different set of choices.

I’ve heard it said that it takes the body only 72 hours to break out of any habit. Well it takes the mind a lot longer, buddy! What happens therefore in 'normal people speak' is that when you do a dramatic turn around, your body and your mind are probably confused and everything starts working again as it’s supposed to, to keep up with the changes. Further, most of us do consume an inordinate amount of carbohydrates, especially vegetarians, and these kick-start weeks offer a way out of it so you quite possibly see dramatic results and feel motivated to continue.

Be aware though, a lot of it is loss of water. And once that’s gone, the real stuff starts to go. And while it might not be as fast as the initial loss, every gram of fat you lose counts. The next time you doubt it, go take a pound of butter and look at it. THAT is what has just come off your body… Woo hoo!

So here is what I followed on my ‘fat flush’ stage, which lasted about 3 weeks:

•  No grains at all
• Low GI (glycemic index) carbohydrates (Think beans and berries and vegetables as well as not terribly sweet fruit as your main carbs – so ditch bananas and mangoes and too many grapes for a bit. Think melons, peaches, nectarines and cherries. And go out and buy a fruit or vegetable for each day that you’ve never eaten before.)
• Really focus on upping your protein. Include some at every meal.
• Drink as much green tea as you can stand. For those who, like me, don’t like green tea, start with jasmine tea and make one bag in a pot that holds about 3-4 cups. Chill this in the fridge and drink glasses of the watery green tea when you’re thirsty.
• Drink double the amount of water you normally drink (the green tea counts)
• Use this time to ditch the bad habits – cut out sugar (I’m not a huge advocate of artificial sweeteners though they are in some of the products I consume – like the protein shakes. I therefore prefer to totally lay off them. But if you totally can’t then it’s your call. I’d say its better to stick to your crutch and do better overall than get hung up on too many details.)
• Ditch the alcohol

My typical day went like this:

Breakfast: Protein shake with fruit and milk/Cottage cheese with fruit and seeds sprinkled (try to rack up at least 20 grams of protein here). If you eat eggs you’re in luck… do a few whites and a whole egg. Throw in cheese and veg and eat a fruit.

Morning snack: Nuts/Cheese/Roasted beans or soy/Cottage cheese

Lunch: Salad with cheese/Tofu or Paneer steak with veg/A casserole or curry made with beans and veg/Soup fortified with cream cheese or milk or silken tofu

Mid afternoon snack: Edamame (love the stuff so I used it to stave off cravings. My advice: find something you like and eat it over and over at this point of the day. Its usually when energy dips and your will power is at its weakest)

Dinner: Same as lunch (I’d usually cook dinner and eat it for lunch the next day).

I did this for almost 4 weeks and most of my loss came in at this point. I started feeling better too and by the time I was done with it, the idea of even eating a half a slice of bread felt like such a treat that sticking to a decent regime is a breeze.

So good luck if you’re getting started.

Think happy, thin thoughts! Kiss kiss.

Everyday treats.

I know I’m meant to be doing this sequentially. And that we have lots of things to look at before we technically get to treats! But, guess what? I’ll tell you what…

I’m sitting here, curled up on my couch and indulging myself in one of my guilty pleasures. And yes, it is food related. Cookbooks! I love them, although I’ve never followed a recipe in its entirely in my life :). Yesterday I bought myself ‘Nigellisima’. Predictably, Nigella Lawson’s Italian inspired cookbook. Oh. My. God! I love Nigella and I love Italian so this is just my idea of perfection. I’m sure she had me in mind when she wrote it! Yup, certain ;).

So that got me thinking… She is of course the goddess of indulgence for those that are not familiar. But a distinction must be made between indulgence and everyday food. Right? Yes, for the most part. But I’m starting to discover that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, the more I stick to this (coming up on 2 months and 15 pounds BTW – 14.9 and we’ve been sitting there!). So I’m saying there is such a thing as ‘virtuous indulgence’. Food related no less. And I don’t mean your cheat meals you’re still allowed every so often.

Today I had me 3 little cocktail size bocconcini mozzarella balls and a third of a cup of juicy pineapple. ‘Marinated’ in 1 teaspoon of gourmet balsamic vinegar (fig and chili – oh yeah) and sprinkled with some sea salt. D-I-V-I-N-E! Divine! That was my desert. Felt very indulgent. Creamy, fatty, sweet, salty and a hint of spice! And it set me back 112 calories and 7 carb grams. While giving me 6 grams of protein. That’s definitely going to feature more often on my meal plans.

Another yumalicious option is a half-cup of strawberries ‘marinated’ in a teaspoon each of honey and balsamic. If you’re feeling extra virtuous eat that over pureed cottage cheese or yogurt like a pudding.

Here are more options.

• Watermelon and feta (I’ve heard, and plan to try)
• Yogurt or cottage cheese and grated dark chocolate with berries (you’ll find cottage cheese features a lot on my menus because I’m allergic to yogurt).
• Gourmet yogurt that you make yourself (strain a cup of yogurt over a bowl, leave for a few hours, replace the removed water with chopped fruit and a little juice and voila. Add a teaspoon of maple if you’ve been extra good that day)
• The protein powder and cottage cheese with cocoa or berries I told you about earlier
• Hot chocolate made with real dark chocolate, no sugar.

Really any fruit and any cheese mixed with hints of guilt free gourmet ingredients are carte blanche.

Or if you’re more a savory sins type person:

• Gourmet up your edamame, shelled or unshelled (make a little dressing with wasabi, soy and ginger and a splash of sesame oil. Thin with water. Oh what the heck sprinkle some sesame seeds on there too.)
• A handful of peanuts or any other nut warmed up and sprinkled with Parmesan and chopped herbs. Or make an Indian ‘chaat’ out of it with some chopped crunchy veg and mint/tamarind chutney
• Seasoned beans – this is a beach snack in the south of India. Chickpeas mixed with chopped mango and tiny shards of coconut (I stick some peanuts in there too to bump up protein). Look up the recipe for ‘Sundal’ and modify as you like.
• Fat free cream cheese with herbs and spices, thinned out with a little milk, piped onto cucumber or radish slices like hors d’oeuvres.

For my fellow alcoholics, a sangria type spritzer with a handful of fruit thrown in and a little chunk of cheese would round out nicely!

A little creativity and a few trips to farmers markets and specialty food stores are all you need. And really, think of all the hard work you’re doing, you deserve to splash out on fun ingredients. It can be you ‘gourmet steak’ dinner if anyone asks.

As always my lovelies… think happy, thin thoughts. Kiss kiss.

What are my sources?

So what are they?!?

I’m keeping it short today because I’ve included a link to another blog I’ve found that lists common foods by food group and the amount of protein they contain as well as calories. This is just to get you acquainted. I haven’t been able to find a list that has carb grams as well but you should get that on whichever calculator you choose. As a rule remember the bean choices are higher in carbs and the nuts/seeds as well as cheeses are higher in fat. So balance them.

As for me, my typical breakfasts are:

Option 1

1 scoop of protein powder (find the very few carb grams types or the pure protein types), ½ cup fruit (I get bags of frozen fruit because I can’t be bothered to prep as well a count them individually but, of course, feel free to do fresh and in season) and ½ cup 2% milk (I add some water if its too thick).

Option 2

2 tbsp. Skinny B (or similar) seed cereal, ½ cup cottage cheese, ½ cup milk, ½ cup berries

Option 3

½ cup regular breakfast cereal, 2-3tbsp hemp seeds, ½ cup milk, ½ cup fruit (this actually works out to quite a few calories – about 350 - because of the hemp so balance for the rest of the day)

Option 4

½ a serving whole wheat bread or flat bread or a full English muffin with 1/3 cup of grated cheese (mozzarella or cheddar) or 2 tbsp. peanut butter. I eat it in 2 halves instead of as a sandwich because I feel fuller and like I’m eating more J.

Between those I basically have a different breakfast each weekday. On the weekends I make myself things like pancakes (with chick pea flour). You can add herbs, spices etc. to the basic recipe to make it yummy. I fortify sometimes with half a scoop of plain protein powder (no flavor). Will post a recipe for an Indian flavored one that I eat with a mint chutney. Another one is a pancake made with green lentils. Also yummy and super high fiber.

Will go into lunches and dinners in different entries.

Now here is the link to the table with common foods by food type. Check The meatfreeathlete blog.

If you look at the table on the end, you will notice the last column refers to AA. This stands for amino acids. You might’ve heard that mentioned often in the debate on veggie proteins. And the fact that they are not complete proteins. Long story short, the jury is still out. As a quick crash course, there are 19 amino acids that are the building blocks of all protein. Not all veggie foods have these 19 in a perfect balance and sometimes need to be eaten along with another protein to be ‘complete’ is the argument. You’ll also notice a fair few have all in a good balance. The rest I figure just eat sensibly and a variety of foods and your body will work it out.

Happy combining!

And as ever… Think happy, thin thoughts! Kiss kiss.