The More Than Toast diet #1

I’ve been working pretty hard recently to shift those last 10lbs of baby weight. I don’t like to exercise, I like deep fried stuff and I drink too much wine. Admittedly it’s not the best recipe for weightloss, but I’m persevering with a lot of powerwalking when I go shopping.

During pregnancy I put on three and a half stone. Three of them have been banished but the last 7lbs are proving to be pretty stubborn. My mummy jelly belly is still well and truly in residence and I’ve come to the conclusion that I am slightly wheat intolerant; there ain’t nothing like my post-pizza bloat. Which is a shame, because I bloody love sandwiches, toast, pasta, cakes…

I came up with some rules that I wanted to adhere to in order to become healthier, and hopefully slightly smaller-of-tum:

– Drink lots of water
– Eat lots of salad
– Don’t eat white bread, pizza or pasta (or refined carbs in general)
– Stay away from deep fried stuff, cheese (esp. deep fried cheese) and chocolate HobNobs
– Eat three meals a day
– Allow myself the odd treat and make sure I still enjoy my meals (do not want to lose the will to eat)

I’ve started keeping a weekly visual food diary which has really helped me stop and think about what I eat on a day-to-day basis. What would stop me eating three chocolate HobNobs for breakfast other than having to share that fact with the internet?

The first installment is a little odd as there were two days of stomach bug when I didn’t eat or drink anything but water (and briefly lost 4lbs), the day of CyberMummy when I was so busy looking for food I devoured it as soon as I found it, and then there is the small matter of that Burger King I forgot to photograph. There have also been occasions when I’ve tucked into my dinner, completely forgetting to take a picture, so all you get are my leftovers. Soz!

(L-R: DINNER: Lamb, sweet potato, broad beans and peas, caramalized shallots. BREAKFAST: toast and butter. LUNCH: Avocado and tomato salad with balsamic syrup dressing. DINNER: Roast sweet potatoes, mushrooms and salad. BREAKFAST: toast and jam. LUNCH: Pastrami and chutney salad with gherkins)

(L-R: Breakfast: Weetabix. LUNCH: Tomato and Onion omelette, avocado salad. DINNER: Lamb Koftes. SNACK: Elfie’s leftovers. DINNER: Gammon with peas and parsley sauce and rosemary roasted new potatoes. DINNER: Steak with homemade french fries, salad and roast tomatoes and onions)

(L-R: LUNCH: (pub) Starter – Smoked Salmon and prawn parcel (1970s style!), Main – Beer battered fish and chips. LUNCH: Cottage cheese with pineapple, cheddar biscuits, cherry tomatoes. DINNER: Smoked Salmon and avocado salad with greek yoghurt. LUNCH: (Cafe Rouge) Starter – Chicken Liver Pate, Main – Spicy Sausage baguette with french fries)

I haven’t  missed as many breakfasts as it looks here: a lot of the time I tend to grab a banana whilst Elfie’s eating her toast or Weetabix. Obviously my ‘no refined carbs’ rule isn’t going as well as it could, must try harder in that respect, and I’m amazed that I’ve had two portions of french fries (erm, actually four if you count that burger king and then the cheeseburger I had at The Hoxton on the night of CyberMummy) in a week! Bad. I eat a lot of salad though, huh? +1 diet point for me.

I will note here that it’s a good thing my wine and Pimms consumption has not been photographed. Nobody’s internet connection is tough enough for all the photos that would necessitate.

On the whole, I’d say Diet: 1, Alice: 0. So next week: less white bread. Less fries. Less wine.