Having spent much of last year immobilised with a badly broken ankle, my weight, level of fitness and health perception needed some work. The time had come – I needed to do something serious about getting fit and healthy. My way of doing things is all out, and for a change of this magnitude I need to know that what I am doing is going to work. I researched through the internet and got opinions from a dietician to confirm my thoughts and came up with a plan. This was to be a weight loss program which once achieved, with a few allowances was to continue on for us as a daily eating plan

What I have come up with is what I believe is an anti-inflammatory, liver cleansing, low carb, alkalising, almost paleo diet.

I have been on diets before and worked out that for things to work for me I need a set of rules to refer back to regularly. It is so easy to add a an extra serve here and a treat there and before long those additions become normalised, leading to weight gain, until I have returned to eating the food that I started with and ultimately I return to my original weight.

I weigh myself every day – I know that people say that you should only weigh yourself each week – this doesn’t work for me. I weigh myself first thing every morning, before breakfast. If I find that I am not losing weight for a few days then I do something about it – either have a very low calorie day or two (500 calories or less) or revisit the “rules” to remind myself of the original premise.

  • 1200 calories per day
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon daily
  • 1 tsp cocoa
  • 1 tsp turmeric daily
  • Apple cider vinegar daily
  • Lemon and garlic tonic daily
  • Vitamins daily
  • Fish min 3 x week, can include canned and smoked
  • Red meat no more than 3 x per week – serving size no larger than the palm of the hand – rubs, marinades and sauces all home-made
  • Maximum of 6 eggs per week
  • Eat some meals based on legumes each week – chick pea burgers, lentils, hummus
  • 2 x serves of calcium rich foods per day, can include pro-active cheese or butter per day (add butter to vegetables if necessary) or any of the dairy listed below
  • Dairy (calcium): low fat ricotta, low fat Greek yoghurt, low fat cream cheese, low fat cheese, Avoid milk.
  • Green tea and herbal teas
  • Keep hydrated – 3 litres of water each day
  • An apple and another piece of fruit per day, with meals not between them
  • 4 olives max per day or 1 tbs olive oil as salad dressing – do not cook the olive oil, use as a flavouring at the end of cooking.
  • Cook in rice bran oil (has plant stearols so lowers cholesterol), grapeseed oil or coconut oil (http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/nutrition/nutrition+tips/is+coconut+a+superfoodr,19899, http://coconutoil.com/peer_reviewed/)
  •  No processed food – nothing out of a packet
  •  No carbohydrates – eg potatoes, rice, bread (limit carbs to sweet potato, carrot and pumpkin)
  • Sweet potatoes with cinnamon in coconut oil substitute potatoes, riced cauliflower and quinoa substitute rice and noodles, zucchina through a twister replaces pasta and thinly sliced it can be used as a layer for lasagne
  • Lots of green vegetables every day – see my everlasting salad below
  • Weekly salad with wombok, carrot, cucumber, onion, capsicum, fennel,sliced peas, asparagus  etc with different dressings – thai, – yoghurt, mint, olive oil – oriental noodle –
  • Nuts as substitute for cereal – see below
  • OK to eat pickles, vinegar can improve the GI of the meal
  • 2 teaspoons psyllium per day or 2 cups metameucil
  • No sugar – substitute palm sugar, maple syrup, sugar cane crystals, honey or best -get used to the taste of food
  • Minimise salt and substitute what salt is needed for vegetable salt (eg herbamore) and use vegetta in cooking
  • Max of 3 vitaweets or 2 cruskits or one slice of mountain bread. ok as part of one meal per day. Can use mountain bread as a pizza base or a wrap. Better to use a paleo bread substitute
  • Mix a tub of low fat ricotta with extra light cream cheese and use as a spread, topping for biscuits, thickener for mushrooms or spinach or cream sauce.  It is a serve of calcium.
  • No alcohol

SUBSTITUTES, PANTRY AND FRIDGE FILLERS

Butter and spread:

Mix a tub of low fat ricotta with extra light cream cheese and use as a spread, topping for biscuits, thickener for mushrooms or spinach or cream sauce.  It is a serve of calcium.

Everlasting Salad:

Every few days make an undressed salad with wombok, carrot, cucumber (deseeded), onion, capsicum, fennel, sliced peas, asparagus, cauliflower. I avoid lettuces as they don’t keep all that well. This will keep undressed in  a sealed plastic container for a few days. For each meal I take out a small bowl full and dress with a dressing that suits the meal. Thai, – yoghurt, mint, olive oil – oriental noodle – Italian – French

Breakfast Cereal:

My breakfast cereal is a never-ending entity. As the supply runs down I top it up with whatever ingredients it looks like it needs. Into a large container add:
* sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds (these are indigestible lumps unless ground in a very good food processor or bought as a powder) in equal quantities
* nuts – assorted, soaked and roasted if keen, chopped roughly
* coconut – shredded coconut

BREAKFAST

  • Lemon & garlic, with 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
  • Psyllium, yoghurt, cinnamon, nuts, maple syrup or honey, followed by an apple or grated on to breakfast
  • Smoothie made with ice, yoghurt, seeds, cinnamon, cocoa and a shot of espresso
  • Egg and mountain bread with mushrooms, 1/2 tomato

 DINNER

  • Frittata and salad
  • ?Atlantic salmon with bok choy in oyster sauce
  • Turkey steaks
  • Curried Lentils
  • Roast lamb / beef / pork with hot vegetables
  • Thai beef / pork salad
  • Chicken stir fry
  • Sweet potatoes with cinnamon in coconut oil substitute potatoes, riced cauliflower and quinoa substitute rice and noodles, zucchini through a twister replaces pasta and thinly sliced it can be used as a layer for lasagne,

MIXES

Lemon & yoghurt dressing

  • 4 tbs low fat yoghurt
  • 4 tbs lemon & garlic tonic with apple cider vinegar ± sweetener
  • Juice 1 lemon
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tsp sweetener – sugar, maple syrup, palm sugar
  • 2 tbs apple cider vinegar