2010/10/19
I was watching the movie “Legion” with Denis Quaid and Paul Bettany the other night and the one character says ”If you don’t wake up tomorrow if it turns out that today is your last day on earth, would you be proud of what you’ve done in this life, because if you ain’t, you better start getting square” that really got to me and I remember the first time I watched the movie that it made an impact on my life. Hold on to your skirts - Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying go all religious or over zealous with your faiths or what and whoever you believe in. We all believe differently and the point is that we need to make the most of the life we have. I want to have a good ‘today’ and tomorrow I want to be able to say that “Yesterday was a good day, I am proud of what I achieved”
I am so proud of myself, health wise, because I want my last years on earth to make a difference and the only way I can do that is by being as health as I can be for my “height” Ha, Ha. I know that there is a joke out there that goes: “I’m not over weight, I’m under tall”. As I can’t get away with being under tall and I don’t want to be overweight. I have taken the bull by the horns and got off my lazy ass and slowly but surely I am starting on my new health regime. (Baby steps)
We had a ladies lunch last week and I amazed myself at my constraint. Normally when someone else cooks and the food is to die for I try to eat as much of the good stuff as I can. I had a divine potato soup for a starter instead of a creamy puff pastry fishy starter, Main course was wild pig (I think) stew, rice, various veggies (some laced and dripping with sweet, sugary, creamy saude), salads and gravies. I scaled down to just some meat, a small portion of rice, two small portions of veggies and salad. Deserts of course consisted of a gorgeous looking milk tart, a hot desert, fresh fruit salad and custard. I opted for just the fruit salad. At the end of the day I was content with what I ate and walked away satisfied and not craving for more. What had happened is that I had changed my mindset and convinced myself that I only needed so much and no more.
Now if I am full I stop eating, regardless of what is left on my plate. The food does not get wasted, it gets recycled. (sons, husbands and dogs work well for this purpose).
To date in the last week I have lost nearly 2kg. Now I know a lot of you might think that I might be on a starvation diet, but I’m not - I am merely making a conscious effort to change my habits.
If and when I feel like binging and trust me I do. (I eat when I am stressed, when I’m bored, when I’m moody and emotional, any excuse will do.) I open the fridge door, look at all the cheese and spreads and cherries and fizzy drinks and either take a bottle of water of opt for fruit.
As mentioned before I am not a morning person and with our EARLY work schedule I have bad eating habits. No I take this back I HAD bad eating habits. I am now eating a special K breakfast bar for breakfast with a cup of coffee or a bottle of water. For lunch (which I also normally did not eat) I am having a plate of special K cereal. By the time I get home I normally want to devour the whole fridge – door and all. Now I can easily wait until I have made supper and I find myself now looking for healthier meals.
Mark loves salads and in the heat we live in it is a nice healthy option. Our only drawback is that we don’t have a wide variety of Fresh and healthy looking salad goodies to choose from, but I make do. Charl my son, and I both love pasta and the easiest meal for us would be 2 minute noodles, macaroni and cheese or anything related.
My all time favourite meal is Lasagna or Spaghetti Bolognaise the way my mom taught me. Rich and spicy. I hate having to think of everyday evening meals, I find it such a bore. I love catering and baking and inevitably end up cooking up something delectable and orgasmic to take to work. Now, I find myself looking for easy healthy meals and GOOGLE IS MY BEST FRIEND. I don’t always succeed, but I can still cook up a storm that is not detrimental to my health and the health of those around me. I am not going to die if I do eat a piece of chocolate cake; I now just eat smaller portions or fewer portions. I don’t beat myself up if I crook, I just drink more water (which by the way I absolutely loath, hate and detest, and that doesn’t even cover how much I don’t like water), BUT if I want to do more with my life and with those around me, if I want my last days on earth to count for something. I want a better quality of life and if I have to give up some of the finer things in life then so bet it. I might lose on the swings, but I’ll win on the roundabout.
I battled with Bronchial Pneumonia a couple of years ago and since then if someone walked past my office building and they had the sniffles and snotters I would get sick. As a result I have a menagerie of vitamins that I take each day to counteract this vile onslaught. Basically it consists of an immune booster, multivitamins, hair and nail growth vitamin etc. Then at night I take Calcium and Magnesium vitamins or enhancements. I haven’t taken for two weeks now and I have found that the vitamins are causing me to have serious munchies. Now I’m not saying ‘Stop taking Vitamins’. I’m saying (as any good dietician most likely would) find your vitamins and minerals and the immune boosting nutrients you need from the food you eat. For me taking a vitamin pill has always been the easy and yes the LAZY route. But I have to make a change and look elsewhere. Keep in mind that our bodies are very different and what works for me might not necessarily work for you. So I leave you with the message I started with: “If you don’t wake up tomorrow if it turns out that today is your last day on earth, would you be proud of what you’ve done in this life, because if you ain’t, you better start getting square”