Tuesday 10 February 2009

Falling off the wagon

For a couple of months now, I have been on a low-GI diet. I took a break over Christmas, so as not to be awkward for my in-laws (and enjoy roast potatoes on Christmas Day!) and, while I haven’t been hugely strict since then, I have mostly stuck to it. It’s gone pretty well. No drastic weight-loss, but fairly consistent and steady weight-loss or maintenance. More importantly, I was enjoying it and the vast majority of the food has been really, really nice. (A lot of the recipes in the book above are gorgeous, even if they have been taken from an old book and re-packaged as low-GI!) Unlike many diets I have tried, where you do it for a month and, as soon as you stop, you go straight out and buy a dozen cream cakes, this was one where you want to stick to it. You can eat as much as you like, just keep off certain foods. In fact, even some bad foods can be made into low or medium GI by accompanying them with a big bowl of salad or fruit. Perfect.

But… I have fallen off the wagon and gone back to my old, bad, high-GI ways. Since we have been trying to save money and therefore keeping to a daily grocery budget, it’s become more difficult to maintain. Why? Because potatoes are really cheap. So C said that we really need to add potatoes into the repertoire as it was difficult coming up with cheap meals without having potatoes sometimes. Fair enough.

I could have just gone with some occasional potatoes, but kept it up in other ways. I could have made sure we always had salad when we had potatoes. I could have said OK, but I’ll not have any potatoes when you do. I could have planned out menus, like I did at the start and make sure they use cheaper seasonal vegetables, and no potatoes. But instead, I’ve fallen completely off the wagon. I’ve been eating toast and peanut butter, drinking squash, eating chips, eating lots and lots of digestive biscuits, instead of the low-GI Nairn’s fruity oat biscuits (which are gorgeous, though not cheap), having cheese sandwiches for lunch...

I can feel my stomach being stretched again, I can feel all the good being undone. The descent into unhealthiness has almost certainly contributed to me feeling really really rotten today. I have a sore throat and a horrible cold, I am exhausted and I ache. My creativity, which was bursting out of its box at the weekend, has been put away again and buried at a bottom of a pile in the basement.

But, despite knowing all this, what do I want now? A bowl of ice cream.

7 comments:

  1. I right there with you sista!
    I'm part of a blogging team trying to lose weight by doing it the 'proper' way (small lifestyle changes, no fads) and it's bloody hard!
    My husband wafts choc ices under my nose and the children are drip-fed chocolate.
    Am sending you a big old cyber shot of inspiration to get you motivated again.
    And if you want the support come visit us at www.blogtofit.com - we're like WeightWatchers but without the embarassing weigh in. And we're free!

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  2. Thanks, Tara. I will give it a go. I think it always helps to have people to share your pain. I only managed to give up smoking when C did it with me (actually, had the added incentive of being pregnant, which may well have helped, too). And not having to pay to get the support is definitely a good thing!

    Have a big holiday to go on in November, so would be good to be slim(mer) by then.

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  3. I admire you for even trying! I am useless at dieting; I have zero willpower and a hideously sweet tooth. I have resigned myself to wearing head to toe ponchos on holiday.

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  4. Keep at it, I have just started slimming world online and am doing okay. Another shot of inspiration coming your way :)

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  5. MT: I am fortunate not to have too much of a sweet tooth. Don't really ever eat sweets or chocolate bars, for example. I love to have a dessert when out at a restaurant, but only have one every couple of weeks at home. I have been at the biscuits lately, but don't like overly sweet ones. I do love fresh cream cakes, though. And it's mostly the whipped cream, not the sugar. I could happily eat a bowl of whipped cream. Which would not do my thighs any good at all. When I was pregnant I craved everything sugary, though. I would eat two packets of Fruit Pastilles on the way back from the shop, stuffing them in really quickly and slowing my walk down so I could eat them all; I would buy chocolate bars, cakes, all sorts of things. Milk and sweets.

    Tawny: Thank you. I've hear good things about Slimming World, and if I had a bit more (any) spare dosh at the moment, I would be inclined to join.

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  6. Don't give up on the nairn's fruity oaty biscuits - because they are made from oats instead of wheat they are so much better for slow energy release and keeping your blood sugar balanced - the creativity will come rushing back! And you'll probably stop craving naughty things so you'll save some money that way. Shop around - they'll probably be cheaper in the supermarket.

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  7. Hi tryingtostayhealthyandstillhavefun and thanks for visiting. You are very right about the Nairns. They are brilliant (and taste fantastic, too). We're planning to do a monthly internet shop of basics that can be a bit cheaper when bulk-bought, so I will see what the prices are like. Also thought I might try and make some myself. But probably won't manage to make them anywhere near as nice.

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