You’ll be pleased to hear that the balcony renovations are finished and the scaffolding has moved over to the next set of windows. This doesn’t mean there is no noise. The same drilling and hammering is still going on, only it’s not right next to my office and I won’t hear the trade union fellow trying to convert his fellow workers any more. The worst case scenario is four months which means that, theoretically, it will all be gone by the end of April if not before.
But that’s not what I’m going to talk about in this post, though it is related. The subject is actually my unwanted weight gain since last April, which has crept up to an annoying five kilos. The problem is the change in my daily routine. Being part-time in Blois and part-time in Paris and going to Australia for 5 weeks holiday upset the apple cart completely. When in Blois, Relationel – it has to be his fault! – does far more physical work than in Paris so I have to feed him and it’s not always easy not to eat the same things as he does.
Also, when I’m gardening or renovating, I get hungry and don’t necessarily have the time (or energy) to cook or prepare appropriately nutritious food. Not to mention the periods when I was by myself in Blois. I certainly sympathise with people who regularly have to cook for and eat by themselves. Often I just didn’t feel like it. It obviously requires a different strategy when you’re alone.
One of the first things I did when I got back to Paris yesterday was to ring and get an appointment with Doctor Séjean, my nutritionist, who recommends the “four bowl diet” (see previous posts). I was able to see her practically straight away, to my great relief, because I want to get rid of these extra kilos before they set in. She was very pleased to see me after all this time (my last visit was in October 2011) and delighted to learn that I had been including her in my blog.
The first thing she suggested was to concentrate on chewing well to prevent bloating when eating raw vegetables and to eat more slowly, putting your cutlery down after every two mouthfuls. The idea is to pay more attention to the food you’re eating and take pleasure in every bite.
She then said it would be a good idea to cut out all raw vegetables for the first one or two weeks of the diet and to have fresh citrus fruit rather than fruit juice at breakfast. I wasn’t sure if and when I should be eating carbs. She said to limit my intake to 3 to 6 tablespoons per meal (40 grams of bread) and have them at lunchtime rather than at night. I need one hundred to two hundred grams of protein and 1 to 2 tablespoons maximum of oil or butter at each meal.
But my big question was what to do at afternoon tea time when we’re in Blois and are gardening or renovating. We usually have Gerblé raisin biscuits (when there isn’t any Christmas cake!), which are very compact low-sugar biscuits that are supposed to give you vitality. Sadly, they have to be eliminated and replaced with 5 to 7 walnuts and some protein or fruit.
I came out feeling motivated again and stopped in at the store where I bought one of the winter jackets that disappeared with my lost suitcase. I was delighted because they had practically the same model on sale and I was able to buy it because I know it will fit me properly when I’ve lost those extra kilos!
Who’s going to join me in my weight loss? If you have never used Doctor Séjean’s four-bowl diet, you should go back and read my other posts first, because the present diet is aimed at losing weight fairly soon after putting it back on.
The Natural Skinnies and Us How I lost 20 kilos after 50 – for good: Part 1 How I lost 20 kilos after 50 – for good: Part 2 How I lost 20 kilos after 50 – for good: Part 3 How I lost 20 kilos after 50 – for good: Part 4 How I lost 20 kilos after 50 – for good: Part 5 How I lost 20 kilos after 50 – for good: Part 6
I’m very amused that your doctor agreed to have her photo taken for the blog! I can just imagine how uncomfortable such a request would make our doctor.
She’s very nice, but she is the author of a nutrition book and a medical journalist as well.
I’ll join in and see if I can lose a few kilos before my holiday in March.
Great! We’ll check back in a week.
I’m with you Fraussie! Doing my own thing..which is working so far..I’m trying to lose 4 kilo by the end of January. So far 1.5 kilo gone..and to be honest.. I dont eat that much..but the red wine is my down fall! So..more alcohol free days ..the more I lose! Well thats the plan..!
The wine is a killer, isn’t it? I just wish it was low calorie and low alcohol! We’ve had to cut down as well.
I’ve been trying hard to stick to my diet. I’m making slow progress but at least it’s progress. I’ve been using http://www.fitbit.com/ to keep track of my food and exercise which is helping a lot.
Slow progress is the best. It’s more likely to last. I took about 13 months to lose my 20 kilos, then kept them off for 15 months. I’ll always have to watch my weight though because I’m not a natural skinny! And thanks for the fitbit.com link. Looks interesting.
I plan on following this diet after I have the baby in June! Right now I’m trying to eat sensibly but I’ve had some very rich meals and I know that I’ve piled on some weight recently (since Christmas). Sadly my rearend seems to be growing as much as the bump! I’m sure you’ll manage to lose those 5 kilos quickly. I do think it’s somewhat natural to put on a bit of weight over the winter. It’s hard to be as active and with the cold comfort food (and I include wine is this category) is much more tempting than in the summer when it’s easier to eat lighter meals! Good luck 🙂
It’s difficult when you’re pregnant because it’s only natural to store weight for breastfeeding. And I agree about the winter weight. I’ll be happy to lose 3 or 4 kilos if I can, then take the other one or two off as summer approaches.