Natalie Thinks

Did anyone notice that the 21 day NO Bread, NO Sugar deadline came and went?  Umm not me. In the spirit of honest blogging let me share that around day 17 I was again battling with constipation .  So shortly after reporting that I had lost 2 kg, I apparently put about 1,5 back on.  It seems ironic considering many people feel that wheat ‘blocks up’ their tummies, but clearly I just wasn’t getting in enough roughage so I reverted to my wheat bran rusks for breakfast. And that’s where it all started going wrong, because once the door was open I thought, “Mmm, I have been avoiding potatoes but technically they’re allowed…” so Friday night I had a bag of potato chips.  Then I thought I’d take the weekend off and sample all the things I’d been stashing in the cupboard.  Like: my friend’s homemade fudge, those chocolate biscuits that were on sale (disappointing), my multi-grain bread (stomach still not working at this stage), a glass of mango juice – for...

Some of you may think I am not taking this seriously enough or with an open heart, but I am, I am!  I am being very good about sticking closely to the challenge and have only cheated properly once when I had 2 slices of pizza.  I hasten to add that this was not succumbing to a craving but sheer tiredness on my part to cook anything else and the pizza was there for the 6 teenage boys! So today I will share some of the positives I have gleaned so far. 1.       What they say about cravings is absolutely true.  They do dissipate completely!  As per banting-lore the fats seem to keep me satisfied and I can truly say I never feel hungry and have no cravings.  In that sense it becomes easy to avoid unhealthy treats, although from a psychological point of view I still miss breads and rusks especially. 2.       Consequently I have lost 2 kilos so far without trying to eat less.  I can imagine that ha...

Okay, this is where I start getting the hate mail. A lot of these extreme health fads are a lot like religion, and the worst kind of religion – the kind that makes people nasty, intolerant and obsessed with rule-keeping.  When I started considering Banting, for example, I thought I could use some encouragement and tips so I joined a facebook group called ‘Banting for Beginners’, seemed fair enough. Soon after I posted the question, “ Can someone refer me to an article about whether it is necessary to cut out absolutely all carbohydrates as per the red list or can I just cut down?  I don’t quite see how I can manage it with a family of 6” .  I was thinking perhaps I could keep rice and pasta for some suppers and oats for breakfast…. Perhaps I expected a couple of links?  Maybe a succinct scientific explanation as to the need to be absolute? Some encouragement along the lines of, “That’s a great way to start, Natalie, yes, cut down carbs and increase what ...

So there’s good news and bad news.  The good news is I discovered something in the supermarket called ‘Banting bread’.  It costs twice as much as a normal loaf and it’s half the size but it’s quite palatable.  I don’t know what’s in it, but I suspect cauliflower.  Whatever it is, it really sticks to your teeth.  Anyway so I finally had egg on ‘toast’ for breakfast and it wasn’t totally awful.  It made a nice change from glop (aka oats.) Also I have to admit I haven’t been hungry once.  Well, I’m not restricting calories and I find I’m eating a lot more fruit which is odd, because I’m not a big fan of sweet fruit (as opposed to tomatoes, peppers and avocado which I love).  Which means I’m getting in more fructose… is this different or better than sucrose?  According to Jamie Oliver yes, because instead of getting in ‘empty’ calories through added sugar, fruit contains added nutrients and roughage; it's sugar with a context if you like...

Is there anything nicer than a crunchy piece of hot buttered toast?  My favourites are a good multi-seed bread, double toasted and topped with cheese and tomato or avocado with lemon juice, salt and pepper or peanut butter and honey.  Well of course the toppings are endless.  Oh, oh butter and Bovril!  Mmmmm. So what the f*** can substitute bread?  What else has that substantial, I-can-sink-my-teeth-into-this feeling?  That chewy feeling? Avocado on celery stick? Bleh.  Peanut butter on apple slices? Sounds yummy but not every day.  There isn’t a vegetable on this planet I want Bovril on. Also it’s quick.  Listen I love salad as much as you do, but it involves a fair amount of chopping and tearing and eradicating green pepper seeds, so it’s not really an economical use of time when you’re preparing for one.  Also, storage!  My fridge has never been this full!  Keeping a family of 6 on a consistent diet of rabbit an...

Day 1 done: no sugar no wheat.  Issues abound. (You may find me a little grumpy here) 1.       I am scared that I’m now creating an obsession for sweets that never existed.  As I mentioned in my last blog I’m not really a tempted much by sweets, chocolates or dessert sand rarely have them.  But yesterday I walked through Spar and every single chocolate bar was calling my name!  “Eat us!” they pleaded.  This is exactly my issue with restrictive diets, I am sure they create cravings where none existed. 2.       I’m scared I might pick up weight.  What do you snack on?  I find I turned to nuts and biltong, since I’d already had salad for lunch and lots of veggies for supper.  Usually I’d have had a sandwich with cheese and cucumber or a coffee; which surely must have less calories than a handful of nuts or biltong? 3.       I’m not buying the ‘reset your palate’...