There’s a Hippopotamus on the Roof Eating Chocolate*
Posted by kathryn in Easier eating
Today I’m very pleased to have a guest post for you, this time from the lovely Liz of Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things. This post is part of an occasional series on Limes and Lycopene, around the theme of what makes it easier to eat well? I first “met” Liz on Twitter and I’ve come to love her blog for it’s combination of traditional recipes, seasonal ingredients, as well as Liz’s obvious enthusiasm and passion for local produce. Over to Liz . . .
It all adds up, you know.
Middle age, plus a seriously busy desk-bound job, plus not making time for ample exercise, plus, quite frankly, eating way too much chocolate (and cake and other snacks), equals unscheduled weight gain.
My reality check happened recently in a David Jones fitting room. Imagine the scenario, if you will. Mirrors at all angles, I’m in my undergarments mindlessly trying on a new skirt and blouse for work. I glance behind me and discover that a tutu-wearing hippopotamus has squeezed into the cubicle! Wait a second. Lordy, that’s not a hippo, it’s me! Gah!
Quite a while ago, Kathryn very kindly invited me to write a guest post for her series What Makes it Easier to Eat Well?. The weeks and months have flown past and over this time, to my great disappointment, the kilos have slowly crept on. I’m possibly exaggerating here, but my usually athletic frame now has womanly curves, a rounded belly, tuckshop arms, and thighs like a front row footballer! At least it feels that way. My clothes are tight and I don’t like it.
The truth is, I don’t eat badly for the most part. A quick look at my web site Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things will reveal that my focus is on fresh produce, home cooking and great-tasting food. I grow my own vegetables and rarely eat out. Unlike some colleagues who feast on burgers and pizza, I bring my lunch from home, usually a salad and fruit, but always seem to gobble it down while standing up or hunched over my desk glued to the computer screen. My other downfall is that I’m surrounded by lollies and chocolates at work, and have poor willpower and self-control when the adrenalin starts to pump. There are boxes of fundraising chocolates less than ten paces from my desk. What’s worse is that team members who are dieting bring in unwanted Easter eggs and boxes of chocolates and leave them on a centrally located table for all to help themselves! On top of this, deadlines and demands at work have seen the end of lunchtime walks to the lake and back.
The time has come for me to think and act strategically when it comes to eating well and getting back into shape. I haven’t been brave enough to weigh myself, so am using my clothes as a gauge. And rather than ‘dieting’, I am implementing the following:
Move more and eat less:
- I get out of my chair and walk brisk ‘laps’ of the (very long) floor of the building as frequently as possible.
Eat foods that nourish and satiate:
- I am now having a Weet Bix with sliced banana, low fat milk and a drizzle of honey for breakfast.
- I also take a bread roll, together with can of salmon and a tomato for lunch, instead of just a salad;
Beat the 3.00pm craving for sugar:
- I snack on sweet and tangy passionfruit rather than mini chocolate bars and have a stash of fresh passionfruit in my filing cabinet (this is working really well, in fact, I find if I have run out of passionfruit, I am more tempted by chocolate). According to Catherine Saxelby’s Food, What’s in It, passionfruit seeds ‘not only provide fibre, but also protein and niacin . . .[as well as] moderate amounts of vitamin C, riboflavin, potassium, magnesium and zinc’. Wow!
Drink more water:
- I make sure there is always plenty of cold water in a jug on my desk and drink it regularly;
Cycling:
- My partner and I hibernated last Winter (it was so bitterly cold in Canberra). To try to counter the hibernation phase during what is shaping up to be another bone chilling season, we are cycling at every sunny opportunity on weekends.
Explore lighter options for the evening meal, such as Vietnamese:
- Vietnamese dishes are full of flavour and can be prepared with very little fat. The following recipe published recently on my web site is a great example and is a regular on our menu. We grow our own wombok, carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts, coriander and mint. The freshness of the vegetables is key to a beautiful salad and it can be prepared sans chicken for vegetarians.
Goi Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Salad)
For the salad:
500g chicken fillet (breast or tenderloin)
1/2 a small wombok, finely shredded
1/4 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup coriander leaves
a few Vietnamese mint leaves, torn (optional)
1/2 cup bean sprouts, tails removed, rinsed and drained well
1 small carrot, peeled and julienned
1 small Lebanese cucumber, julienned
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped, for garnish
a few coriander leaves extra, for garnish
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoons raw sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
1 small chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
First gently poach the chicken. Allow it to cool. Drain and chill it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Combine the prepared wombok, mint and coriander leaves, bean sprouts, julienned carrot and cucumber in a salad bowl. Shred the chicken and arrange it through the salad.
Make the dressing: combine the fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and water in a small saucepan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. You can chill the dressing at this point for a really refreshing point of difference. Just before you are ready to serve the salad, add the finely chopped garlic, chilli and lime juice to the dressing. Taste and adjust the flavours to suit your palate.
To finish, sprinkle the dressing liberally over the salad immediately before serving. Garnish with the chopped roasted peanuts and additional mint and coriander leaves. Serves 2-4 as a light lunch or light main meal (dependent on your appetite). Cover and refrigerate any leftovers immediately and enjoy the next day.
Summary
So, how’s it all going? It’s all baby steps at the moment. I know what I have to do to get back into shape sensibly and without crash dieting, so here’s hoping I can stick to my plan and report back as a ‘slender hippopotamus’.
In closing, I would like to thank Kathryn for inviting me to submit this guest post. You are such an inspiration when it comes to eating well, Kathryn!
- With all due acknowledgement to Hazel Edwards.
17 May, 2012
Comments
Liz, thanks so much for this honest, entertaining and useful post. I really do appreciate it. I like that you’ve looked around for the tweaks and changes you can make, the things that are meaningful and practical for you. So often it’s about negotiating your own path through weight loss and healthy eating. Good luck with the changes you’re making.
I can well imaging making this beautiful salad, maybe with strips of pan fried tofu and using some vegetarian fish sauce.
And home grown wombok sounds amazing.
Dear Kathryn, my pleasure. Thanks so much for inviting me! And I do apologise that it took so long. Although that is a good thing in that I had to come to terms with the weight gain. We’re not talking tonnes here, but I would really like to be back to my svelte self and have clothes that fit properly.
Enjoy the salad, I am delighted that you thought of the tofu option, which I think would be delicious. In fact, I am going to try that myself. Grow some wombok, the only enemies are snails and cabbage moths, and they can be controlled quite naturally!
Happy cooking all and thanks again Kathryn… I’m off to do another power lap of the office… yes, that’s me whizzing past your desk!
Love your realistic post Lizzy especially the tip about eating foods that satiate. I think everyone is guilty of skipping the things that fill you up only to not feel satisfied and hungry 2 hours later. I’m also a big weet-bix and banana girl!
Thank you Lyf. I think this is very true. Another thing to bear in mind is that many of us eat because it’s lunchtime etc, rather than eating because we feel hungry. Thanks for popping in.
Well done for your power laps Liz, it is amazing how much activity you can fit in, whilst working.
And Lyf, you’re right. It’s sometimes a false economy to have something too light. You think you’re doing the right thing but are then starving, desperate for food two hours later.
Useful and realistic information Lizzy, thank you!
Thank you, Jane!
I really enjoyed this post! I eat well most of the time but have to remind myself to move more and refuse little mindless snacks and sugar laden fooods.
Thanks for your comments Jane and Anna. You’re right Anna, so often we do eat the less healthy foods mindlessly and with our focus on something else. Which is never as satisfying.
Oh, Lizzy, you make me laugh. I pictured the look of horror on my own face when I look in the mirror of a fitting room only to be confronted by a hippopotamus. Hilarious! Thank you also, Lizzy and Kathryn, for reminding me about the importance of eating well. I’ve jumped off the healthy wagon of late, and need to make a return. Which, after reading this, I will be making a huge effort. In fact, maybe even a hippopotamus sized effort ;-)
LOL… thank you Fiona. It’s funny, but sadly very true. But funny!
Thank you Anna, we all need to remind ourselves about that mindless snacking. How easy it has become these days! Thanks all for your very kind comments so far!
Hello Kathryn. How are you? Life’s challenges have removed my focus from food the last couple of years. I’ll take a closer look at the survey you sent me a bit later. I popped over to visit you and laughed my head off at Lizzy’s post.
Hi Lizzy. I’m 52 and smack bang in menopause and growing alarmingly too. Had the same experience as you in the dressing room, except that I was already aware of the hippo. The mirrors just screamed at me; do you really need to be reminded?
My son is disgusted with me. But in a caring way. He’s worried for my health so it’s nice that he cares. Everytime I go to the pantry, he listens for the russling of paper and invariably lets fly with a comment like – do you really need that Ma? I find myself sneaking aroud the house or waiting till he pops outside so I can nick a treat. Who’s the parent here!!
The other day he forced me to get on the scales (had to dust the cobwebs away and I’m not kidding). The scales almost tipped 79kilos. I’m 178 in height and thats always been a good excuse as I’m tall. Mitch whirled onto the computer and calculated my BMI and tells me I just fall into the overweight range at 25.2. I was mortified, but I’m slack. Have fallen into some very bad habits of late and I really need to start taking better care of myself. I could on and on, but the mandarin citrus tart in the oven needs to come out. There’s 200gms of cream in the tart and I’m already drooling at the thought of a piece with extra cream. I’ll start the diet tomorrow. Been fun touching base with good old Limes and Lycopene.
Mariana, how lovely to hear from you. Families can be very supportive can’t they, but sometimes the support isn’t always helpful! I wonder what is different now, to a few years ago, in terms of your behaviours? That’s always a good question to ask yourself if you’re trying to get back on track. Good luck and hope to hear from you again soon.
Hello Mariana… good to meet you. Good luck with your new eating plan! I’m glad you enjoyed reading my snippet.
Nice to “meet” you, Kathryn! I love this guest post from LIzzy about keeping a balance when it comes to eating. I do eat dessert every day (I write a blog about all things sweet, after all!) but I balance out that small daily indulgence by eating fresh vegetables and fruits and lean proteins throughout the day. Great tips about not eating out and cooking at home, too. I cook most meals at home because I like to know exactly what I’m fueling my body with.
Hello Laura, thank you for visiting me at Kathryn’s place and for your kind words about m post. Glad to hear you love to cook your meals at home. Indeed, that way you can be sure of what foods you are fuelling your body with. Happy cooking!
Very good advice for healthy living. I love the recipe for Vietnamese salad. I have all of the ingredients except a wombok……I’ve never heard of this before! I’ll do a quick internet query to see what it is, then find a California substitute.
Hello there, I hope you can find a good substitute for the wombok, basically a Chinese cabbage, very mild in flavour.
Hi there A Table in the Sun, wombok is also often called Chinese cabbage – this vegetable. They’re widely available here, did you find a Californian version / substitute?
Our best substitute for wombok is napa cabbage. Thanks for the tips.
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