Category Archives: Food
Committing to a Diet – My First Steps in the Whole 30
Amelie, my friend I told you about in my previous post, managed to convince me to give her diet a chance. Turns out it wasn’t just any diet on which you stay hungry for a while and then binge as much as you like. Besides, I wasn’t supposed to lose a crazy amount of weight – like 30lb in a week.
In fact, her diet is a very sensible, healthy approach to food. It’s a programme called the Whole 30 and that just about sums up what it’s about – eat whole foods for 30 days. Easy-peasy! But when I kept reading, it turned out you’re supposed to have:
- NO sugar
- NO dairy
- NO grains
- NO legumes
- NO alcohol
Well, that was a list of everything I was eating! The 30 days didn’t seem like 30 days any more but more like forever. Not only that but there were tiny things that were also vital, as tiny as salt. On the programme website, I learnt that “all iodized table salt contains sugar”. Sugar? In salt?
Once I started, I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t half as bad as I’d expected. I could still have my coffee in the morning, though I could have neither sugar nor milk with it. And don’t even mention Bavarian cream doughnuts.
I normally get really temped by dairy and bread but that didn’t happen. I was full eating protein at every meal and lots of healthy fats, such as coconut oil and olive oil. I ate mostly roasted fish, pork, lamb or poultry with roasted vegetables – tomatoes, mushrooms, kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts – with garlic or onions and a lot of fresh herbs.
I also made a clean-your-fridge stew – I took everything out, chopped it up, threw it in a pot, and simmered until tender. That not only tasted delish but gave me more time to rest as I didn’t need to cook that much. Talking about rest, I stayed home every night. I had my reasons. First, I didn’t dare eat out – who knows what oil they’d put in my salad or what preservatives would be in the dressing. Second, I needed to cook a lot – and not my usual “cooking” that involved opening a can of tuna and pouring me some wine. Finally, I needed to get enough sleep – at least 10 hours of sleep, sometimes more.
Oddly enough, I didn’t crave chocolate or sweets as much as I’d expected – maybe because I got plenty of berries from the farmers’ market to snack on. Did you know that a frozen banana in your smoothie makes it all creamy and you won’t even notice there’s no dairy in it?
As for online casino games, I’m thinking of quitting them… “Wait, what?” I hear you say. Haha, I got you! I’m just pulling your leg. Of course, I wouldn’t go back on my decision so soon. I’m just shifting the focus to dieting for a while but I’ll be back to writing about gambling shortly.
Casino Games, Diets, and the Unrealistic Beauty Standards
Genie here. Remember me? I’m the one who made a commitment to playing online casino games to prove my ex-boyfriend (and myself) I am no quitter. I’m here to give you an update on how things are going.
First of all, I still enjoy casino games. Actually, I’m getting more and more into them each day. I started with roulette because anyone can place a chip on a number or colour, right. I tried slots and I must tell you some of those babies have a-mazing graphics, just mind-blowing. So are the jackpots! I haven’t had a major win yet but I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Imagine the things you could do with a couple of millions.
Also, I’m getting much better at playing blackjack, which is definitely my game of choice at the moment. I’ve played it so many times now. I even read some articles on how to improve my game, looked at strategy charts, and tried the bet behind option at live casinos. You know, live games are pretty cool as you play against a real dealer – a person, not a computer! To sum up, one could say that I’m not only keeping up my promise but actually upgrading it. But we’ll see how it goes…
Second, I’m thinking about going on a diet. Now, don’t laugh at me. Like any woman who, after a long relationship, has become single again, I am a little self-conscious. About my looks, my dating skills, and my ability to trust another human being ever again… Did I say I was a little self-conscious? Geez, try with “a lot”! But how do I confront the problem?
My girl Amelie says a diet’s the cure. Don’t know about that but I could do perfectly well without a few rolls of fat here and there, thank you very much. I try to focus on being healthy without having to even utter the hateful four-letter word but, honestly, how can I give up my beloved Dairy Milk bars? Or the glass of chardonnay in the evening? What kind of sad life would that be? What will I do when I go down to Tesco and see the hard-to-resist 3 for 2 offer at the Cadbury stand?
Besides, if you’ve seen the Bridget Jones’s Diary film or better yet read the extremely entertaining book by Helen Fielding, you’d know that women do naturally have curves and the right man would appreciate you and love you “just as you are”. Well, that goes for everything, not just body shape, so, you see, it’s definitely not my fault, it’s men’s fault. They have unrealistic expectations.
So, what do you think? Should I go on a diet and succumb to the impossible body image ideals of patriarchal society or should I stay true to myself, disregard the objectifying double standard and warm my soul with some chocolate and wine, and cheese, and pretzels? If you were in my shoes, what would you do? Let me know.