This is apart of a series of articles written by Jackson Trout. To read previous instalments,
click here: Introduction , Getting Started, The Bike
You Do Make Friends with Salad
After the first few weeks of adding the exercise bike into my routine, I began noticing the kgs beginning to drop. I went from 112kgs to 111kgs, then 110kgs, and onwards.
As I watched this positive change happen, I also began to wonder what other alterations I could include in my weight-loss program to assist me even more.
That led me to reconsider my diet. I began to investigate to see if there was any room for improvement.
As I’ve noted before, I initially planned to stick to a very strict intermittent fasting regime, where I would only allow myself to eat between 12:00PM to 8:00PM. I also set out to reframe from the usual suspects – sugary drinks, fast-food and sweets – the unhealthy top of the food pyramid.
However, while this strategy was effective in helping me avoid unhealthy foods, it didn’t necessarily ensure an explicitly healthy diet either. I still found myself eating high-carb foods which, though not as bad as processed fast-food or sugary treats, wasn’t necessarily the healthiest alternative either.
I started to cut down on high-carb foods such as white bread and pasta. I started incorporating more vegetables into my meals, which led to a newfound appreciation for vegetable soups and salads (see recipes below).
The change was noticeable.
I saw my weight dropping at a faster rate and I also began noticing other positive effects. I was feeling better about myself. I had more energy and had a more positive outlook overall, which made it easier to accept the new changes. It worked as the perfect incentive.
However, as I began to lose more and more weight each week, I started to get a little nervous. My newfound diet and exercise program was working… maybe a little too good in my opinion.
To be continued…
Recipes
Asian Salad
You’ll need:
- A large, mixing bowl
- 1 cup of spinach leaves (thinly sliced)
- 1 cup of red cabbage (thinly sliced)
- 1 cup of green cabbage (thinly sliced)
- 1 cup of shredded carrots
- 1 large Spanish onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 small tin of corn kernels
- Salt to taste
- Dressing of your choice (I use honey Dijon)
Optional: Any extras you wish to include e.g., roast chicken, heated frozen squid, etc.
Method:
- Add all ingredients into a large mixing bowl
- Mix until satisfied
- Enjoy!
Vegetable Soup
You’ll need:
- A large, steel pot
- Olive oil
- 1 large brown onion (chopped)
- 3-4 Garlic cloves, crushed (optional)
- Carrots (chopped)
- Green beans (chopped)
- Zucchini (chopped)
- Spinach leaves (chopped)
- Sweet potato (chopped)
- Potato (chopped)
- Pumpkin (chopped)
- Any extra vegetables you have (chopped)
- Soy sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 liter of beef stock
- 2 sachets of bouquet Garni (still in the sachets)
Optional: Grain bread rolls with some butter. Cheese, roast chicken etc. for toppings.
Method:
- Preheat the pot at a mid-high temperature
- Add a slurp of olive oil
- Add onions and garlic – stir until golden
- Add all vegetables, beef stock, then the Garni sachets (make sure the sachets are not torn throughout the process)
- Add a dash of soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce into the mix, as well as salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir to perfection and wait until it starts boiling.
- Once boiling, turn down heat to mid-low and let it simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
- Carefully remove the Garni sachets from the pot
- Once vegetables are soft, turn off the stove. You can either puree the soup if you would like too.
- Add any additional toppings, such as cheese or roast chicken
