Thursday 4 August 2011

It's time to get real...

Dissappointed. That's what I feel.
Dissappointed in myself for straying too often, and too far, from the healthy side of the tracks.
Can you hear me groan? 
That groan is not the dissappointment. That groan is my tiny 5'1" body struggling to carry the extra 20 kilograms I have piled on to it! 
And let's not even start on the heartburn that makes a regular nightly visit or the puffing and panting as I climb the twenty stairs to get into the house. It's a sad and sorry sight indeed, but worse - my body is unwell and I chose by my own behaviour to bring that about. 
I am a person who needs accountability. In order for me to get the job done I like a deadline; I work wonderfully with deadines and rarely fail to achieve them.
However, choosing to eat healthy-on-purpose doesn't give me any accountability to anyone but myself. This is where you come in. I am going to ask you to be my accountability partner for the next month. Why a month? Baby steps. A manageable chunk of time. Enough days to form new habits.
The reason it's so important NOW?
The grandsons are moving to town next week and if they arrive and I have platters of choc-chip biscuits and strawberry cream sponge cakes then that will set the precedent of those little bodies always expecting sweet and unhealthy treats from their nana.
If a precedent is to be set, it will be that nana has different foods, but they sure taste good! 
These are strewn across my dining table for ideas and teaching...
 
 
The Detox dvd has 9 wonderful recipes that I will make for myself and (hopefully) Mr E over the next few weeks. I loved it so much I have ordered the book because it has many more recipes. The author is Jody Vassallo and 'wow' does she make me comfortable! She is relaxed, explains everything, and isn't hung up on being ultra strict but guides you along a detox path that will work because it's so close to normal. 
I realised after I watched the dvd that I own one of her books - "Wheat & Gluten Free". I used it a lot when my 18yo son was off wheat and dairy for a year in 2006. The recipes were simple, tasty, and the book was just like any glossy recipe book with amazing meals to prepare! She is a fabulous cook and I'm excited about trying them all again...
 
 
I am not coeliac, and neither are any of the family members, however we all feel better in our digestive system when we avoid wheat and dairy - in particular, dairy with all 4 of us still living at home, and wheat with my 18yo and myself.
Today I made Sticky Black Rice for breakfast, a recipe from Jody Vassallo's book. Have you used Black Rice? It's lovely and makes a good dessert rice...
I had to soak it in water overnight, but I also added some lemon juice to break down the enzyme inhibitors and aid digestion.
This morning I rinsed the rice, then cooked it in fresh water for around 20 minutes. After draining the cooked rice, in another saucepan I simmered some coconut milk and palm sugar for a few minutes. This was poured over the rice before adding some fresh passionfruit. It was YUM!
This would be a lovely dessert with more fruits.
Last week I made more buckwheat granola and that is my usual breakfast...
...and some snacks made with Sunflower kernels, lemon juice, garlic and Shoyu. These were left in the dehydrator overnight, and taste very much like cheese! I got the recipe from Matt Amsden's "RawVolution" book.
Being limited in what I can buy locally I found a great online health food supplier and my first delivery arrived with a couple of days...
The last step to make this transition permanent was to have all my ingredients where I could see them. I am visual, and my ideas are triggered by what I see. 
We have only one small pantry cupboard where most things are crammed behind each other, so I moved a large bookcase from my sewing room into the kitchen and now I can see everything I want to use!
 
 
So beginning today I am sharing a day by day diary for the next month. I ask you to keep me accountable. Leave comments, share ideas with me, ask questions. 
Every day I'll tell you what I am making, what I'm eating, what I am giving the family, what I am learning.
I'll even share my weight. 
Today I weigh 77.5 kgs - the most I have ever weighed in my life. 
Every Thursday I'll do a weigh in, so let's see if I can reduce that number by making myself accountable to you. But mostly, I pray I can make a difference to my grandsons view of what good food is.
See you tomorrow,
Jenny
xx

3 comments:

africanaussie said...

That sticky black rice looks great, where do you get it? I will be checking in on you, but feel confident that you are on the right track. It is so important to give our grand kids good basics. I also started getting back on track a couple of weeks ago, walking every day and also focusing on getting at least 5 to 7 serves of vegetables. That way there isn't any room for other stuff :)

Allie said...

Ok, I'm with you - my stomach is giving me FITS lately and I feel awful, we've missed the Y so much because of it. And not just me, but Sam too. I put some books on hold at the library, McDougall diet, and hope to pick them up next Tuesday. Let's hear it for healthy and wise choices!

Narelle said...

Some things are meant to be!
I am a regular reader of Elefantz but tonight something made me click over to here and now I know why.
I've been feeling very blah lately and tired of feeling run down.
So I am with you!