My first day

Week 1: Day 1

Weight: 98.5

Measurements

Calves: 48 cm

Thighs: 80cm

Hips: 120cm

Waist: 116cm

Chest: 111cm

Arms: 38cm

So, today was my first day on the Eat to Live diet, and the first of my weekly measurements. I have to say that I really like the idea behind this way of eating. I've had a sneaking suspicion recently that veggies and grains are generally the way to go, but the Eat to Live book articulated it for me.

In the morning I made a smoothie with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, pear, banana, some almonds and cashew, a little flaxseed oil and some water. It was yum. I've been making fruit smoothies for a few weeks in the morning and the only thing that I did differently today was omit the two spoonfuls of passionfruit yoghurt that I would normally have, so it didn't make too much of a difference. I also usually sneak in the odd vegetable so that I know I'm eating it, but I can't taste it. Not that vegetables necessarily taste bad, they can just be really boring. I'm pretty much one of those mums who has to think up creative ways to force vegetables into a stubborn child, except I'm the child, so I know the sly manouvres I'm pulling on myself. I don't have any fruit during the day other than what's in my smoothie so that I know what I've had and I'm not tempted to replace the vegetables I'm meant to be eating with a piece of fruit, and knowing me, which I do, I know that this is something I would sneakily do to avoid eating boring old broccoli and those stupid salads. Sounds like a band, actually- Boring Broccoli and the Stupid Salads. They would probably be an Enya cover band or something rubbish like that.

Then, since it's Sunday, I sat around and read the paper and steadfastly refused to think about exercise. I was actually planning on Sunday being my 'exercise optional' day, but since it was my first day I was thinking maybe I should make a token gesture of it, but then I quickly thought of better things to think about, like why it is that your internal organs never feel itchy. You never feel like you've got an itchy pancreas, do you? Or maybe you do, but it's diabetes. Which is something I have to look forward to if I don't get up in the morning and go for a walk.

Then I had Thai Pumpkin Soup for lunch, which is also something I've been eating recently anyway because it's absolutely delicious and perfect for the winter weather here in Australia. I made it from a recipe from the four ingredient people, and I was so impressed with it. You just get a kilo of pumpkin (they say butternut but I prefer kent, but I'm probably just imagining the difference between them, pumpkin is just pumpkin really), chop it up and chuck it in a saucepan over medium heat with two tablespoons of red curry paste, stir it up a bit, pop in a 270ml can of light coconut cream, stir it for 1 mins, then throw in 2 cups of water, bring it to the boil, turn the heat to low and let it simmer for 20 mins. And then throw it in the blender, after it cools. It makes a fair bit. Actually you probably could've read the proper recipe quicker than it took to read that. It is important to remember to use the light coconut milk, because right now it's a delightful, low-fat, healthy meal but the full fat milk drastically increases the calories. Another important note, don't try to blend anything hot. All the mums out there probably already know this, but it took a pumpkin splattered ceiling for me to figure it out. Even the blender had a sticker on it telling me not to, but, you know, I don't pay attention to that sort of stuff. I like to live on the edge.

I would normally have had a piece of grain toast with butter with my soup, but, since I've committed myself to only eating the fruit, veg, nuts and seeds for now, I only had the soup, but that's ok, it was still awesome. I'm going to make another batch tomorrow but I'll throw in other veggies with it- some cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, maybe some squash... it's all transformed into something that actually won't make me drop dead with boredom and disappointment by the coconut milk and red curry paste, and I'm getting a dose of vegetables. It's all really very sneaky, this whole tricking myself into eating veg. Maybe one day I won't feel quite so murderous towards them. I'm fine when they're accompanied by something- like bread, or pasta, or meat, but they just suck by themselves.

I wasn't that hungry by dinner. My body was probably so appalled by what was going on that it went on strike, and my appetite sat like a sulky teenager in the corner by itself, texting its friends and plotting ways of escaping so it can go drink alcopops in the local park. My mother very sympathetically cooked an elaborate roast dinner on my first day of dieting (she really is the best- she was also the one who kindly pointed out my cankles. Thanks Mum! Oh, what was that? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. I was distracted by your unsightly, hideous wrinkles. I think your neck is winking at me.), so I had a little bit of potato and greens.

It was after this that the extent of my mother's villainy was revealed. She had made sticky-date pudding for dessert. I'm not proud to admit that I succumbed to 'maybe just a bit'. Woe of woes. But if that's the worst that I did, then all is not lost. I increased my fruit and veg intake, and I didn't eat any meat.

Afternoon/nighttime is when I usually face problems sticking to a diet, and that's certainly proven true tonight. Tomorrow, though, I'm going for my morning walk, which I've been doing a few days a week recently, and I'll hopefully I'll be able to be stronger tomorrow night. I'll just have to do my best to distract myself.

Altogether, it wasn't an unsuccessful first day. Let's call it my transitioning period. Just don't let me elongate it.

Until tomorrow,

Penny x