Stuck ...Again!!!

I realised early in the week that I have not been making time to go to the gym. We are still walking about 4 days a week with two of those days being one hour hill-walks or hikes that are good calorie burners. Time at the gym however, has just not been possible. I’m intensely involved in a re haul of my garden in anticipation of the big even t this summer. Gardening is good exercise but I do need some consistent cardio. I decided that I could spare at least 15 minutes a morning. I really have to make time for this. i have read that morning is the best time for exercise to burn fat on an empty stomach. So, I’ve been putting on some Beck (Midnight Vultures is really good to move to) and doing a miniature workout which involves barbells, running, dancing, and doing stairs. It’s a good start to the day and often the 15 minutes turns into 20 or 25. Usually I have a good sweat going especially if I do stairs.

Check out the above photo. Halibut topped with prawns, pasta/whole grains and greens. Very Okinawan! Really this is not a bad lifestyle. I think that i may be overdoing it a bit though- the pasta should have been whole wheat- but it was mixed with brown rice and kamut. I think that it was drizzled in olive oil (lightly!). Probably the Reggiano was not the low-fat version but you don’t need a lot.

One thing that can get out of hand for me is nuts. It’s so easy to munch away on them, you never fill up and they are quite fatty. Ditto for Pumpkin seeds. I have a great recipe where you roast the seeds in the oven and then sprinkle with Braggs, garlic powder and cayenne pepper- but you can chow down for hours. Again - it adds up in calories.

I tend to get a bit hungrier on this diet which is not a good thing -considering my evening snack has turned into a piece of toast with peanut butter or the divine almond-hazelnut butter. Again, not probably the wisest of choices. I’m not quite sure that the nut consumption is a huge part of the Okinawan plan- the nuts were still around from the high protein plan and they were very accessible - perhaps a little too accessible.

Getting back to the Okinawan plan,I do recommend the book. It’s an interesting read and as said before meant to be a lifestyle rather than just a diet. Exercise, meditation, positive thought and just slowing down the pace are part of the deal. What’s the point of devouring a donut in your car when you could cook up some miso vegetables and enjoy a cup of Jasmine tea?

We are at just under three months to go until the wedding and I’m starting to feel a little nervous that the dress won’t fit. I realise that 30 pounds actually is a significant weight loss and that I should be proud. instead I am focusing on the fact that I’m stuck here in another plateau and it probably will be harder to lose an additional 30 lbs. I’m bummed out that I’ve been doing all of this exercise and still have not dropped any more weight. I’m also feeling stupid that I have been hogging out on nuts and peanut butter and thinking that it was in the plan when it was not

16 weeks - 30 lbs