This week has been rubbish - I've been in bed for days being a bit pathetic and ill and have had absolutely no energy to cook, so I've survived on toast, eggs and pasta. I can't remember the last time I ate a vegetable. Actually, I LIE. It was last night, I ate a whole bag of sugar snap peas, but you get my point.
So I've been thinking about what the hell I'm going to do about it. I've pondered trying radical diets, such as the Dukan which the lovely @1mgoldstars very helpfully described to me. After pondering, I don't think I could eat that much meat and the absolute prohibition on drinking would be a problem...and realistically, I need a diet that I can deviate from occasionally which Dukan/Atkins type diets simply don't permit.
I've decided to go simple. Plan of action is this: breakfast will be a bowl of cereal. Lunch will be a homemade sandwich and I will Just Get On With It even if it's crap. I will also bring in some fruit or carrot sticks or something. Dinner will just be something on the diet plate. It's not rocket science, is it? Effectively all I need to do is reduce calorie intake and significantly reduce the quantity that I'm eating. No more delicious pasta from the little Italian man for lunch. No more big fat baguettes filled with prosciutto. No more crisps. No more chocolate croissants, although the skinny latte is staying.
I think that part of the problem is that I'm trying to be over-ambitious in terms of actually cooking things. Don't get me wrong - I CAN cook and I enjoy cooking, but only if it's for someone else. I just don't have the motivation to get home from work and spend an hour or so in the kitchen, whipping up something for myself. I just have no interest in it, I can't be bothered and I really don't enjoy it. So I need to accept this limitation and figure out easy but diet friendly things that I cook that aren't the terminally dull "chicken breast and steamed vegetables". Suggestions would be very welcome. VERY welcome.
I'm also quite poor at the moment so am trying to be more sensible with my spending as I'm trying to get myself out of debt (roll on 5 years time...) This means that I can't just buy myself the things that my heart desires. And currently my heart desires this...it ACHES for this...
This is a Tom Ford lipstick. It's £36. FOR SHIZ! That's an INSANE amount of money. But OMG, it's a beautiful thing. And I want it sooooooooooooooooooooooo badly. I can't buy it, I don't deserve it yet. But I've decided after I've lost a stone, I will. So, when I get down to "normal + 3st", Indian Rose will be mine. OH YES IT WILL. And then I will choose myself another present that I will deserve at "normal + 2st". I have no idea whether the incentives will work, but it's worth a shot. And I might get a beautiful lipstick out of it.
A piece of cod baked with garluc slices and lots of lemon juice added at the end is simple and tasty, w mash potato. Or tuna and cannellini bean salad w lemon juice, red onion and parsley. Or chicken or pork escalope pan fried w some mushrooms, and white wine or marsala sauce. Can add low fat creme fraiche if you like. Prawn and noodle salad with carrots, cabbage, radish, mint znd vietnamese flavourings??
ReplyDelete@Gina - all good suggestions, although I have a bit of a weird issue about eating cold food for dinner...I just can't get my head around it. Similarly, soup for dinner is wrong unless it's got noodles and stuff in it.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to create a list of these suggestions. Keep them coming people!
I keep trying and failing to comment on this. I am LAME.
ReplyDeleteAnyway...
Fish is your friend! Much more interesting than boring old chicken breasts.
I like the incentives scheme. I plan SHOES.
The tragedy is, the more weekends and things I work, the more likely I am to be able to afford them, but the less likely (with all the weekend burgers) I am to be sufficiently thin...
Ah well...
@MissW - fish IS my friend. I love fish. Sadly fish is not widely available in the City which is a massive pain in the arse. Tesco does cod loin and salmon and that's IT. And I hate cooked salmon. With the best will in the world, I can't eat cod loin every night. I guess I can eat prawns too. I wish smoked mackerel wasn't so fatty because I love it.
ReplyDeleteWhat can I do with fish please? I only ever really chuck it into a foil parcel with egg noodles, veggies, chilli/garlic/ginger and soy and fish sauce. What else can be done?
Hmmm yes - I see fish problem... You need actual fishmonger. There's nice delivery one - used to be called Martins Seafresh - now something else.
ReplyDeleteThey deliver lots of great (not too costly) stuff - lots frozen - if it's any use to you?
I also favour parcels for fish. Though am not averse to pan frying or steaming occasionally too.
I like seafoodses as well - mussels/clams etc - yum. And v easy.
Hungry now. I want fishes TOO!
Is that the place that we were talking about yesterday re frozen fish delivery? That sounded AMAZING. It now seems to be called Fish For Thought. Going to take a peek now.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you put in your fish parcels?
OMG. That website is amazing. I want prawns, scallops, squid, tuna...AMAZING. I need to empty my teeny tiny freezer of crap.
ReplyDeleteYes - that's the one.
ReplyDeleteAlso - just thought - get lovely Marky Market to deliver it to you - he gets all sorts of fish?
Re parcels - I'm a bit dull, I think. I just chuck in whatever I have...
How much does Marky Market charge to deliver? Is there a minimum order?
ReplyDeleteHmmmm. Downside of this Fish for Thought thing is that it costs £17.95 for a Saturday delivery! OMG - that's extortionate.
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't and there isn't.
ReplyDeleteHe's generally got quite a few deliveries in/around the city anyway.
He's brought me stuff for just £10 before.
Gosh. What on earth would I ask him to buy? His website scares me because there's nothing to click and no comprehensive list of what's available at the moment for however many £. How do you pay him?
ReplyDeleteEven the oiliest fish are lower in sat fat than a steak for example. You will never get fat eating fish!
ReplyDeleteI think it's to do with mindset - the losing weight thing. Like, I'm going out so no point having a salad, now I've had a rich sauce on my steak I might as well have a pudding because today is a lost cause. Getting started is really really tough. Once you're over that hurdle it's just doing things differently, like starting off a stirfry with a bit of water not oil (there's so many calories in oil even a teaspoon). The things that make me put on weight - or prevent me from losing it, are carbs and alcohol. I used to think all that nonsense about calories in wine was.....nonsense but it's not. I rarely eat carbs with my evening meal now and it's made a huge difference. I refuse to feel hungry, why starve just to be thin? You can eat loads of protein and veg without consuming masses of calories and be full.
Fish - do ocado not do fish?! I made a fish stew the other night, onions garlic fresh parsley White wine (okay if alcohol burnt off) Tomatoes cod loin paprika etc really good. I think your issues with tomatoes may need resolving though for healthy sauces :) good luck chick & big up you for being so honest xx
@FutureSailor - Ocado DO sell fish but HOLY COW it's expensive! I need to maybe take a different journey home and go via our big sainsburys as they often have something on special offer.
ReplyDeleteYou're totally right about the mental attitude that if you do one thing a bit naughty then you may as well just give up on the rest of today...oh and actually the week is now ruined so you may as well just carry on until the weekend...and then it's the weekend and you should be allowed a treat at the weekend! UNTIL INFINITY. I had a bit of a shock at the doctor this morning - I've put on a stone since he last weighed me 6 months ago. Which is awful. So I really need to DO SOMETHING. I need motivation. Gah. xx
If you don't do something, in 2 years time you will be 4st heavier. FOUR STONE. Isn't that motivation enough? No-one is going to come round your house each night with a nice hot tomato-free diet meal every night and a big tub of happiness, you may as well accept that. Carry on this way and you'll be 7st heavier than your target in 2013, which is TWICE as heavy as you want to be. Going out eating pizza and chocolate and drinking booze is not helping. Lipstick isn't helping. Your pals on here have tried their damndest to help you, do what they say. If your mates ask you out for calorific nights-out, say no and ask them why the hell they are undermining you. No more excuses.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous - thank you for your helpful comments. You're absolutely right, of course. I'd probably take more notice of them if you owned up to who you are though. Just FAOD.
ReplyDeleteWell it's not me I promise. I don't think pointing something out that you already know is particuarly constructive supportive or helpful. But maybe that's just me...
ReplyDelete@Future sailor - I think we know each other well enough that you would tell me EXACTLY what you think anyway! I know it's not you, don't worry!
ReplyDeleteI'm not even bothered by what Anonymous says, I just think that if they have something to say, they shouldn't hide behind anonymity. Have some conviction...that's all.
Hi, I just came across your conversation with Miss Whiplash. She's right, I don't charge for delivery and I already deliver to a few addresses in the City. Give me a call on 07939 526 202 or email me at markymarket(at)hotmail(dot)com, and I'll be glad to tell you how it works. Basically though, I don't carry any stock - I go to Smithfield and Billingsgate really early on Wednesdays and Fridays (usually) and just buy to order. You just get in touch to tell me what you'd like, then I'll deliver it at a more reasonable time the same morning. Let me know if you just need to check out the prices or availability of a few things; I'm happy to help.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you email me, I'll send you the markymail. Just a couple of paras to let you know what's good and what's in season each week.
cheers
mw
@anon i'm sure fran knows this but sometimes when you are desperately unhappy with something, you get paralysed by inaction and daunted by the challenge ahead. Sometimes the obvious is not always the most effective motivation. It's surely about supporting with little steps rather than the unhelpful "pull yourself together" approach.
ReplyDelete@markymarket - order is in! Did it yesterday...the oxtail etc. Please do send me the markymail though, that would be brilliant for inspiration.
ReplyDelete@gina - that's exactly it. EXACTLY. I couldn't put it better myself if I tried. x
OH. MY. GOD.
ReplyDeleteApparently people are reading the "FAOD" (for the avoidance of doubt) as "FOAD"...f**k off and die. THIS IS NOT WHAT I SAID. Just FAOD. :-)