Two of the vegetables that have really proved invaluable to me on my weight loss journey….. Cauliflower and courgette.

Not two vegetables that may immediately strike you as being particularly exciting or tasty… but WAIT!!!

I first discovered cauliflower rice in the Summer of 2012.  I read a post somewhere on line about it and decided to have a go at making a batch and trying it in place of regular rice.

So the method is:  Approx 150g of cauliflower.  Wash, break into florets and place into a food processor with a metal cutting blade.  Use the “pulse” setting on the machine to chop the cauliflower until it resembles rice grains.

Place cauliflower rice into a microwave dish and cover.  Cook on full power in a microwave for about 2½ minutes.  Serve in place of rice with curry, chilli, chicken supreme, etc.

The calorie saving is phenomenal!  150g of cauliflower rice = 46 calories.  150g of dry rice = 523 calories!  In reality, you are likely to eat about 80g of rice, but even that would be 280 calories, so six times more calories for a portion.

Unbelieveable as it may seem, the “rice” doesn’t actually taste too much like cauliflower.  Served with something with a strong flavour and a sauce, it instead absorbs the flavours and works very well as a substitute.  Excellent too for anyone following a gluten free diet.

The second discovery was even better!  Courgette, cut into fine strips using a Julienne peeler and then stir fried for about three minutes in a wok to provide an excellent alternative to spaghetti!  Such a great alternative that I actually PREFER the texture (slightly crunchy) as well as the fact that after a meal I’m not left with that “bloated” feeling that rice and pasta sometimes leave me with.

So calorie savings here?  200g of courgette, julienned and cooked with ½ tbsp of olive oil = 86 calories.  Compared to 200g of cooked spaghetti = 238 calories.  So two and-a-half times more calories.

My Julienne peeler is a handheld device, dirt cheap (from Amazon) and can be stuck in the dishwasher following use.  It has a deadly blade, so I always use a fork to pin the courgette down to a chopping board whilst I slice away.

The great thing about courgette spaghetti is being able to add things like prawns, strips of ham, low fat flavoured cheese (such as Philadelphia with garlic and herbs) and “hey presto” you have a very quick, tasty and nutritional low calorie dinner ready in minutes!

I use these two versatile vegetables again and again, especially on a “Fasting” day when I need to be really economical with my calories.

Try them and see what you think!

 

When did snacking at the cinema become compulsory?  

A post on a discussion board today has prompted me to give this a little thought.  The post asked readers which low calorie snacks they could enjoy whilst taking their children to the cinema.

The truth is, if you are going to buy your snacks there, there are no low calorie snacks.  The following nutritional information is taken from the Cineworld website:

Large sweet popcorn                                  1,005 calories
Small sweet popcorn                                     458 calories
Regular rollover nachos                                 539 calories
Large hotdog                                                 406 calories
Large Nachos                                                 808 calories
Large Coke/Sprite/Fanta                                407 calories 
Large Tango Ice Blast Bubblegum (blue)          900 calories

I am pleased to say that I have broken this “habit” as I realised that was all it was for me.  I now sit smugly at the back of the cinema watching people juggle their large buckets of popcorn, their flimsy gallon paper cup of pop and do my very best to enjoy the film above the rustle of thousands of collective calories being consumed.

Many of those consuming these “treats” will return home to dinner, a take-away or possibly travel on to a pizza restaurant and eat twice as many calories again!

Breaking the “movie = snacking” cycle was not a difficult one for me.

I appeared on the front page of the BBC News website today:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-27927280

This sparked a flurry of messages to my FaceBook account.  Mostly quite complimentary, but one from someone who was complimenting my…. physique… shall we say!Still, a compliment is a compliment!!

There clearly are lots of people out there, both disabled and non-disabled, who have been inspired by the fact that I have been able to achieve what I have done.  I hope that I got across that it has been jolly hard work.  It’s not all be plain sailing!

My only fear now is that in the way the story was reported, the folks from the Disability Living Allowance Department are going to be getting in touch, as the article makes it sound as though I have no mobility issues at all!

If you saw me walking on my treadmill, I can assure you that it bears no resemblance to the way I walk.  I am always hanging on to one or t’other side of the handrail on the treadmill, virtually leaning on it to steady myself and stay on board!  My exercise initially was about earning more calories to eat.  But I quickly realised that by regularly stretching, bending, twisting and MOVING… my body feels so much better!  My pain is reduced, my movements are easier and there is no doubt that I am able to manage much of my self care with less pain, discomfort and breathlessness!

Today’s Telegraph Health Section really bring homes just what an uphill battle “we disableds” have in keeping ourselves trim:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/dietandfitness/10913737/Stand-up-three-hours-a-day-for-benefits-of-ten-marathons-says-top-medic.html

Dr Loosemore, a leading sport medicine consultant states that government guidelines, which advise people to do 30 minutes of ‘moderate’ exercise five days a week, discourage people from becoming active by setting targets which appear too daunting.

Dr Loosemore states that we should be “simply avoiding the sort of sedentary behaviour that sees us spending hours of our day sat in front of a computer, at the wheel of car or watching the gogglebox.”

“It’s time to stand up for yourself. Literally.”

“There is now enormous evidence that simply standing makes huge differences to your health.”

Dr Loosemore is working with the Thalidomide Trust on a project to assist with enabling Trust beneficiaries to obtain a more accurate blood pressure reading.  Obtaining the blood pressure in somebody who has either very short or absent arms or legs can present quite a challenge, and even when the reading is obtained, there are some concerns about just how accurate it is.

Blood pressure readings provide a lot of useful information about the heart and the pressure of the blood in the arteries and the condition of blood vessels.  It can therefore be a useful tool in identifying potential serious health conditions.

So today was the big trip up to London.  On my own.  Travelling by wheelchair.

It’s a scary adventure, with even the best laid plans sometimes going a little wrong.

I’m off to BBC Broadcasting House to record a Podcast for Ouch.  I’m a Podcast virgin!  But Damon Rose was very reassuring.  It will be informal and it will be fun.  He convinced me….  in fact, he couldn’t shut me up once we started to talk about weight loss!

I needn’t have worried.  At all.  It seemed that all the helpful people in the UK were accompanying me on my journey to London.  Wherever I was, so were those wonderful helpful people.  And I’m not being sarcastic either!  Firstly a lovely passer by at Reading Station noticed me lurking by the self-service ticket machine and offered to help me get my ticket.  Fantastic, as the area covered by a vicious plastic flap where the tickets are dispensed to is about the same depth as my arm.  In fact anyone seeing me trying to get my ticket out of the machine probably thinks my arm has been amputated by the flap in the process as I dip into the recess to shoulder level.

As I’d been stuck on an earlier train to the one I’d booked assistance for, I arrived earlier into Paddington.  There was no ramp waiting.  Two or three very helpful people (passengers on the train) went off to search for platform personnel.  One thing I notice when I am stuck on a train with no means of alighting to the platform some four foot below is that other passengers tend to get a lot more panicked than I do.  After all, I’m at Paddington, the end of the track with no where else to go.

Having said that, I was almost returned to the depot once with the train, but luckily the train driver spotted me as he exited the train.

Another helpful lady offered to help me as I juggled a rather large banana, a bottle of water and my purse.  The aim was to end up with them all inside my bag, but I rather fear it looked as though I was struggling!  A lot!!

I leave the station, pleased to be travelling by wheel, as the tannoy announces that the gates to the underground have been closed for Health and Safety purposes.  There are too many people in the station below us.

The journey to BBC Broadcasting House takes me about 35 minutes.  I had thought it would take me about 15 minutes, travelling at top whack of 6mph.  But I didn’t take footpath hoggers walking three abreast and dragging trolley suitcases into account.  Or the lack of dropped kerbs.  Very frustrating when you have to tail back on yourself having reached the end of a pavement that is lacking one!

The people are great.  I’ve not met Simon Minty before, although I recognise his name.  Damon Rose, Rob Crossan and Kate Monaghan are welcoming.  The recording starts and it’s as if we are all just sat around a table in a pub chatting.

Afterwards I head to my next meeting, down Regent Street, across Piccadilly, through Green Park, across the Mall (where I time my crossing perfectly to witness the Trooping of the Colour) and then into St James’ Park.

I don’t need any more helpful people, I’m fine – just me on my tod, whizzing along the cobbled streets.

The BBC today reports on the case of Karsten Kaltoft who weighs about 160kg (25 stone; 350 pounds) – a Danish childminder who says he was sacked for being too fat.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27819129

So now, the EU’s top court is considering a test case which could oblige employers to treat obesity as a disability.

As a disabled person who has managed to lose four stone and is reaping the benefits – the reduction in pain, the improved mobility, the improved level of fitness I find this a difficult case to have a particular view on.

But I know from the Forums on the website I use to assist me in my journey (www.weightlossresources.co.uk) I know that for many, over eating is often to combat depression, anxiety and a number of other psychological conditions.

I am blessed with huge amounts of determination, as are both of my sisters.  So it is in my genes rather than being a “disabled” thing.

There is so much support for those people who want to stop smoking – smoking cessation programmes, medication, etc. 

We are seeing a huge increase in the number of clinically obese individuals.  In fact in May 2014, the BBC reported that international groups Consumers International and the World Obesity Federation are calling for the food industry to be regulated like the tobacco industry as obesity poses a greater global health risk than cigarettes.  This include things like pictures on food packaging of damage caused by obesity, similar to those on cigarette packets.

The National Obesity Forum believes there is a “serious risk” the current projection – that half of adults will be obese by 2050 – could be exceeded.

Something has to be done about the obesity crisis, but I’m not so sure that encouraging people to view being overweight as a “disability” is going to help those affected by obesity.