When women complain about their weight problem, I feel their pain. I tried to lose a few pounds after having a baby and for some reason I could not. I tried many miracle diets and I have always ended up in the same old spot. After many failed pill based diets, I have realized the only option was to introduce permanent changes to my lifestyle. Step by step I have started to plan ahead for a 'better me'. I have decided to eat more veggies and fruit, I have also started eating more soups and smoothies (for some reason you stay fuller for longer after eating blended food), I limited my portions and I did my best to stay away from sugar (well, not completely, as I love sweets). All of the above helped to some degree but I still wasn't that much better off. I had no idea why. I felt cheated and frustrated and tired of failing and hiding myself behind stretched clothes. I took exercising regime under consideration at that point, but with my busy schedule and my 'pure hate' for sports, I knew it was just wishful thinking. So, there I was - stuck with my size 10 clothes (I was wearing size 4 before I had a baby) and a hope, that one day I will get back to my old self.
Then, months later something unexpected happened when my partner and our daughter went on holiday to visit his family for a week. I stayed home this time as I was snowed under with work. I haven't changed much of my food preferences, except for eating out with my best friend who happens to love Mediterranean cuisine. Somehow by the end of that week I was 6 pounds lighter and with no effort at all! Wow! 'How this could have happened?'- I kept asking myself in disbelief. Well, I was not cooking and I was not serving food as much. I was not eating sweets at all, as there were no snacks in the house, which were mainly bought for my daughter. I was not serving any of the fatty dishes my partner likes...This was my eureka moment! I have realized that my weight problem was very much connected to my family life. Still, the puzzle remained ' How to deal with it?' It is hard not to stretch your stomach, when there are sweets in the kitchen all the time, take away food is being ordered few times a week and the worst thing of all, as I have realized, I was eating much too much while preparing the meals.
I have decided to make some fundamental changes to my home eating routine. I needed a plan. I promised myself, I will serve healthier foods all the time and watch not to overeat while preparing meals. Instead of cookies and chocolates, I got plenty of dried fruits, nuts and yogurt for my daughter. Also, I've decided to adopt a Mediterranean diet for my family for at least 6 days a week. I made this choice based on the fact that it seemed to me the most balanced and a very tasty option. It consist plenty of beneficial ingredients, such as: fresh veggies, fruit, seeds, fish, wonderful beneficial spices and mixed together they taste fantastic!
I must say although I had some hamburger cravings at the beginning, they are gone now and so far is has been a great success. I got almost my figure back, my little one loves the food (I thought this will be a challenge) and my partner even helps me with the cooking as he finds it easy! Just few things to remember:
- In Mediterranean cooking always opt for a low-fat diary option.
- Focus more on using healthy fats (almond and walnut oils, lots of seeds and nuts)
- Drink lots and lots of water (makes you feel full ).
- If you have a sweet tooth - I recommend Greek desserts. Most of them are based on plenty of fresh fruit and they are low in fat.
- Have a healthy back up restaurant in any emergency situations and I have two - one is organic one called Squeeze in Leigh - heaven for your taste buts, and the other one called The Lemon Tree ( http://www.lemontreesouthend.co.uk ) and it is the best Mediterranean place in England I have been to.
And here are some more facts I found about the diet:
from Wikipedia:
'Mediterranean diet is a modern nutritional recommendation inspired by the traditional dietary patterns of Spain, southern Italy, Greece and specifically the Greek island of Crete and parts of the Middle East. This diet emphasizes plant foods, fresh fruit as the typical daily dessert, olive oil as the principal source of fat, dairy products (principally cheese and yogurt), and fish, poultry consumed in low to moderate amounts, just few eggs consumed weekly, red meat consumed in low amounts, and wine consumed in low to moderate amounts. Total fat in this diet is 25% to 35% of calories, with saturated fat at 8% or less of calories. As with any diet, please do not overuse the olive oil as it adds calories to your meal.'
from webmed.com:
By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
WebMD Feature
'For thousands of years, residents of the Mediterranean coastal region have enjoyed this kind of delicious diet -- high in plant foods and mono unsaturated fats (like olive oil) -- while getting plenty of regular physical activity. They don't think of their eating habits as a diet plan; it's simply their way of life. And it's a way of life that apparently leads to long, healthy lives virtually free of chronic disease.
For the past 50 years, scientists have studied the eating patterns characteristic of the Mediterranean diet -- and they continue to find additional health benefits. Recently, a large study published in journal BMJ showed that healthy people who followed a Mediterranean diet had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Further, a recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that a restricted-calorie Mediterranean diet (as well as a low-carb diet) could be even more effective for weight loss than a low-fat diet, while also offering other health benefits.
"Research continues to demonstrate that being physically active and eating a nutritious diet of primarily whole foods that are filling and satisfying can enable people to control weight, lower blood pressure [and] cholesterol levels, reduce risk of diabetes, heart disease [and] Alzheimer's disease, and basically protect against chronic diseases," says cardiologist Arthur Agatston, MD, creator of the South Beach Diet, based on the Mediterranean diet model.'
Good Luck!