Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Au Revoir Pierre!



My Dukan adventure is done and dusted. After being knocked down with the vomitus buggus I have struggled to get back to my protein eating ways and I can't say that it hasn't been through lack of trying.  I was most happy to have lost 3 and a half kilos in 2 weeks but can I say it was all thanks to protein overload? I truly don't think it was. Not being able to eat anything much during 2 days of sickness certainly added to the weight loss but after an Easter weekend of overindulgence I have put 2 and a half of those damn things back on. There is alot of truth in the saying "the faster you lose it, the faster you put it back on". I've no doubt that if I was to stick rigidly with "the rules" I would be continuing to shed the flab but I seriously cannot even look at a boiled egg without wanting to puke! A chocolate egg on the other hand.....

It all started on Easter Thursday with a huge bowl of pasta...oh the joy!! Apart from a couple of vinos on Friday and Saturday nary a hot cross bun even passed my lips. But Sunday I reached the point of no return; I had my wonderful family over for lunch and indulged in a carb feast which included roasted chicken, marinated lamb skewers (protein, I know), pita bread, a very festive carrot and parsnip salad with couscous, , and the pièce de résistance.....an over the top Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake. All washed down with numerous glasses of rosé and a Family Favourite or two!


It was only when Miss H insisted I go for a jog with her at about 5pm that I remembered my friend Pierre....oh how I missed him!

I have concluded that protein diets are great for some....not so for others. If anything, Pierre has made me aware of including more proteins and less carbs in the everyday but as always the theory of "everything in moderation" wins again. Now....throw me a chip butty......

xxMs.K

ps Happy 6th Birthday Angel!!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Ketosis Hiatus


This happy pic has absolutely nothing to do with my post but it made me feel good and I'm sure it'll have the same effect on you.

The gods are against me!  I was coasting along nicely in a state of ketosified bliss (yes, I made that term up) and having lost 2.2kgs in 5 days had me feeling quietly in awe of my new friend Pierre.......Dukan that is. Then without warning the whole family was struck by the dreaded vomitus your stomachus upus; starting with Miss H, then Miss M and I simultaneously and now Mr D.  The house is a shambles and all I feel like eating is carbs.....good carbs though. In the last 2 days I've eaten a piece of toast with honey, half an orange and half a bowl of some kind of soup out of a tin. Against all Monsieur Pierre's rules I know; I even googled my heart out asking the WWW what I should eat when sick on The Dukan but there were no hard answers.  I guess you just eat what your body requests as it really does know best. On the upside, this hiatus could very well result in the loss of a couple more kilos without having to lift a finger....gotta love that!! Ewwww, time for a lie down.

xxMs.K

Monday, March 18, 2013

Ketosis Sliposis

 


I have been madly producing ketones over the past four days but all came to a grinding halt last night when we had some friends over for an impromptu dinner. My ever thoughtful Mr.D bought me a special bottle of low carb vino "just in case" which then of course became an "in any case" to have with dinner.  I was careful to have a big bottle of water sitting next to me at all times and even resisted the urge to have any of the gorgeous crunchy white Tiger Bread which was plonked right in front of me.  Dinner was a lovely  lamb roast which technically is a no-no on the Attack Phase due to the fat content but down it went along with the bottle of low carb sav blanc and a huge slab of caramel mudcake to boot.

Oh my stars!! How do I feel today? Well.... shaky, nauseous, and extremely annoyed with myself for dropping the ball. So not worth it, and as a "punishment" I am forcing another Attack day on myself instead of stepping into the Cruise Phase like I should be. Weigh-in will have to wait another couple of days until I can regain my ketosis composure......

Till then....

xxMs.K




Saturday, March 16, 2013

Doing the Dukan Diet

I have set myself up for a challenge this week....and the many weeks to follow. After pondering my navel for way too long (I know it's down there somewhere!) and getting zilch results with my current lifestyle of generally healthy eating and regular trips to the gym at ungodly hours of the morning I decided that it is now time for affirmative action. 

I've always been a sceptic of high protein diets and although not a huge carb eater....more of a carb drinker which is my largest hurdle, I thought it couldn't hurt to give it a go.  It's not that I don't believe that high protein diets work, it's just the fact that eating pure protein, even if for a short burst, couldn't be good for anyone's kidneys....or plumbing for that matter!

So after some extensive research (google, of course) I came across a "diet" that I felt I could stick to without too much effort and would give me the instant wham bam results I was after.  Pierre Dukan is the man, it seems, when it comes to knowing how to melt away that unwanted, unhealthy flab; and this is his book, well one of his many books:



 
The theory is to get the body into a state of ketosis whereby we use fat as fuel instead of glucose.  On the Dukan Diet Website you are asked to answer a series of questions to assess what your "true weight" should be.  The first phase of this diet is the Attack Phase....fabulous name.... and depending on how much weight you need to lose determines how long you will be in this phase; for some, up to 10 days but luckily for me it was only 4 days. I'm up to day 3 as we speak.  During the Attack Phase you are to eat pure protein including most meats, chicken, fish, eggs and low fat dairy....nothing else!! Oh, yes, one other thing: one and a half tablespoons of oat bran daily.  I was a bit daunted by this as I'm someone who loves nothing more than a huge salad with most meals and surprisingly even after 2 and a half days I'm not overly craving the salad and certainly not even feeling like carbs.  I don't know if that's because I don't eat alot of carbs or whether I have finally found the determination to stick to this with the hope of losing a few kgs by Easter.

So what have I eaten??? First 2 mornings I had natural yoghurt with the suggested amount of oat bran. No problem.  Lunch has been a tin of tuna, some cottage cheese and a sprinkling of mint (herbs are allowed), yesterday was leftover mince with some more cottage cheese and some tuscan dried herbs.  Dinner the first night was mince with two poached eggs and last night was stirfried chicken with chilli, mint and a spritz of lime juice.  This morning was fabulous.....two poached eggs with smoked salmon YUM!! and lunch was leftover chicken from last night.  In between all of this protein I have been drinking copious amounts of water; Pierre (see we are on first name basis already) suggests at least a litre and a half per day and up to 3 litres of fluid per day in total. I've found this part easy also because I do drink alot of water and for some reason this diet has made me thirstier.

Aside from the inconvenience of late night urges to go to the loo I have felt fine on this eating plan but my only concern is the dreadful taste in my mouth!! Apparently this is to be taken as a sign of success and that the diet is working as all the toxins and the acetone (which is a ketone that the body doesn't need and is produced during ketosis ) are released both "downstairs" and through the mouth. Hmmm.....now a giant wad of chewy and I are attached at the hip. Being the week end, in particular late Saturday afternoon, I am looking for my usual sundowner but I'm staying strong and having yoghurt with oatbran instead....I'm serious!!!

Stay tuned as Monday sees me enter the "Cruise Phase" and hopefully I will be able to report a weight loss post the Attack Phase! Putting all my trust in the Frenchman.
 
xxMs.K
 
 
 

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Wallscapes!

I blame The Block for this...wholly and solely! I remember now, as I sand, scrape, and sugar soap... the reason why I stopped watching said "Block" many seasons ago:  It makes me want to renovate! We have lived in Casa Kitchen Kitsch for almost 11 years and in that time have renovated 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, put in new floors and used copious tins of paint in the quest to remove all traces of the previous owners' passion for multi coloured sponge effect walls.

When we first moved in we hired professional painters to take us back to a neutral palette with a couple of "feature walls"...remember those??! I was happy with the result and frankly more concerned about my heavily pregnant stomach than the colour of the walls.  But as soon as I popped Miss M out (if only it were that easy) I was a woman with a mission....so it was off to Bunnings I went. I returned, paintbrush and paint tin in hand and proceeded to splash bright purple paint all over the toilet walls.....post partum psychosis purple I called it.  It was about then that the first episode of The Block went to air. Of course, since then there has been no stopping me; I swear there are so many layers of paint the house is nowhere near as big as it was when we moved in!

To the point, Ms K!! As all Brisbane'ites are aware, over the past couple of months the sun has forgotten us and that, teamed with The Block, has once again fuelled the fire to paint. The area I have started on includes a hallway where I had a gallery style show of family pics with standard brown timber frames which of course have all now been taken down. I'm after a similar style of wallscape but want to szhuszh it up a bit with some colour.  Here is my vision:

Loving the colours!

 




Fantastic! But not for my white walls.

 

Update of the '70's mirrored wall panels...



Casual but elegant!




Huge impact but not for a hallway...



This would get me voted out of the house....!



Cheap chic, great for the craft room that I don't have.....



This one made me laugh longer than I should have!

 
 
Great idea for when I start on the outdoors...


Of course when The Block is over and the sun shines again all of this craziness will stop...just hope I've finished the house by then! Sorry Mr.D....xx

xxMs.K


Monday, February 25, 2013

Rainy Days and Mondays....

.....always get me BAKING!!

Today's special is a double whammy of a biscuit.  I know of people who will put a meat pie on a breadroll and spaghetti in a taco and the idea of putting a biscuit in a biscuit...well....also insane.....until you try one of these. 

I got my inspiration from a youtube video Miss M was watching and as always, I've tweaked it a little.  You will need:



180g of softened butter
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Optional: fun measuring cup duck and if I was showing off I'd say the gorgeous Nigella Lawson's blue mixing bowls purchased at Victoria's Basement for 70% off!!
.....and my secret ingredient: 80g mini Oreos....cute eh?





Follow the usual recipe for biscuit making ie, cream the butter and sugar, beat in the egg and vanilla, sift in the flour, salt and baking powder, stir until combined. Now comes the fun part.....

Take two teaspoons full of the mixture and roll each teaspoon full into a ball then flatten with your hand. Pop the little Oreo button onto one flattened ball then top with the other flattened ball and gently mould the two sides around the encased Oreo..... should look a little like this....




Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 20 mins in a 180 degree C oven.  Should make about 24 little parcels. They will come out of the oven looking a little like this.....


 

A bit boring to look at, I know, but wait till you take a bite!!!



.......... and there's the WHAMMY!!

By all accounts next time I'll be doubling the mixture as my 2 girls ate a dozen between them for afternoon tea today before I even got a chance to pile them on to a vintage plate, dust them with icing sugar and take a pic. Try them!

xxMs K

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Kerivan, Kerivan, wherefore art Thou, Kerivan??

The tireless search continues.....I had been reading over some of my previous posts when I stumbled upon a lovely quote from way back in December 2011 when Mr D had announced that he was happy for me to finally buy that Vintage Van of my dreams and my words of wisdom were "half the fun will be in the looking".  What the heck were you thinking?? It has become more of a frustration than a pleasure as one van after another proves not to be "the one". 

Sadly us Queenslanders are not spoilt for choice in the VV department whereas if I lived in Victoria or South Australia I'd have already bought, renovated and be living the dream in my own van.  My search sees me on eBay, Trading Post, Gumtree and Caravan and Camping Sales....multiple times a day.  I have even joined a VV forum where all day every day people talk vans pre 1970.


If I think too hard about it I guess I'm a little fussy with my check list.....so best not to think too hard. It can't be TOO BIG.....


or too small.....


 


It can be "bubble" shaped....



 
(more of a "dot" than a bubble!)

Or "toaster" shaped.....





In my wildest dreams I would own a Shasta!!! Love a bit of fin.....and the name Shasta...




Or at a pinch I'd gladly superglue these two sides together!




                                                                            ...very gladly actually...

I would happily have neutral and sophisticated....


Frou frou...




                                                                                         .....or not....

Gypsy??

 
 


or my fave red and turquoise....



 


So all I can do is soldier on and hope that one day she will be sitting somewhere unexpected, waiting just for me.  Let's hope this post has distracted you enough that you don't notice I haven't posted since October....I have no excuses.....

xxMs.K






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