Losing It

Day 11  

Then: 220 pounds (15 stones 10 pounds) 
Now: 210 pounds (15 stone) 
Lost: 10 pounds 

10 days - 10 pounds. This diet knocks Dukan out of the water. 

What's really good about the way we're eating is that the combination of low fat but varied meals, with plenty of good carbs, is really suppressing my appetite. 

So today I had no desire to nibble at one of Izzy's chocolate croissants, or have one of the lovely pink grapefruits that are lying unloved in the fruit bowl. 

Instead, breakfast was black coffee (I have at least two double espressos every morning, usually more), a peach fruyo yoghurt, and lunch was a pile of delicious smoked salmon - as much as I could fit in a sandwich of two large romaine lettuce leaves. 

I'm also continuing to drink lots of water (by lots, I mean around 2 litres a day). I only drink water when I'm thirsty, though, unlike some diets that force you to drink the stuff. This one makes you thirsty much of the day (I don't know if it's the fruyo, as I said before, or maybe just the change in my metabolism), so I'm happy to drink huge glasses, one of which can fill me up for an hour or so. 

One of the problems is snacking: the trick of this diet is to have small meals, so you need something to keep your brain going in between. Under Dukan, I went through packets of those chicken slices you get in supermarkets, which he encourages you to eat. But look on the packet: they're full of additives and preservatives.

So this afternoon Jo went to our local butcher and bought a huge (8 pound) turkey breast - the kind they sell to restaurants, piled I it with strips of bacon (yes, I wasn't going to eat it, but you need to keep turkey breast moist when you cook it), popped it in the oven for half an hour at 200 degrees, then covered it in foil and decreased the temperature to 180, for an hour and a half, then reduced further to 140 for another 30 minutes, then switched the oven off to let, and took it out three hours after I started.  Out came the most moist, additive-free snack food -- enough to last for the next week. 

I had a few turkey slices this evening before I went out to watch Newcastle being knocked out of the cup by Benfica. It was an exciting, tense match. I guess I'll have lost another pound just through football fan stress. And I confess I had a beer at half-time to calm my nerves. Newcastle so nearly won, but Benfica scored a goal in injury time and our Europa Cup hopes were dashed. 

When I got home it was well after 10pm - far too late for dinner. But I foolishly started cooking: soon the wonderful smell of the freshest swordfish permeated the house and Jo and I sat down to this just 10 minutes later: 

Grilled swordfish with mint, sweet cabbage and chili courgettes

 Swordfish marinated in just a little olive oil, squeeze of lemon, and chopped fresh mint, grilled on the hob in a ridged skillet, then popped in the oven for a few minutes. Baby courgettes sauteed in olive oil, chili flakes, lemon rind and a handful of chopped fresh mint, with seasoning. Sweet cabbage: made by sweating a shallot in a little olive oil, adding thinly sliced and washed (wet) white cabbage, two teaspoonfuls of cumin seeds, and a big splash (about 40ml) of Pernod, salt and pepper. Reduce till the smell of Pernod turns into a sweet, aromatic scent and the cabbage is cooked. 

A perfect light supper.