Fitting Back into My Old Clothes Challenge

Once upon a time I used to be painfully skinny, in the days when skinny wasn’t fashionable. 

After a lot of mindless eating (made possible by being with people who indulged in a lot of mindless eating) I finally put on weight - so much weight that one day, when my eyes finally saw instead of just looking, I could not recognize those flabby arms, legs, bums and tum.  

The shock of that sight galvanized me into working for 2 years to lose all that fat to reach a happy, healthy medium, with a combo of consciously eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly, something I had never done before.

The results were satisfying. I became more active, alert, flexible, mobile and productive, not just physically but also mentally. My persistent allergies became less persistent. My general health tests and scans started yielding good results.

Of course the satisfaction had to turn to complacency. I received my wake-up call yesterday when I wore an old short-length shalwar qameez. 

Mission: Must fit back into this

I could barely squeeze into it and though I insisted on wearing it, it was strangling my whole torso from neck down. I weighed myself and discovered I have put on 15 kg since last year.

Since I have started exercising I can make some weight provision for muscle mass. But there’s a limit to that provision. The rest is clearly fat mass. This was inevitable with my steadily increasing eating out, food portions and intake of junk food, mostly chips and chocolate cake. I have been exercising regularly but that’s not helping anymore because of the excess food I’m consuming. I need to couple it with a few weeks of focused eating-with-awareness.

So I’m seriously starting my diet plan from today, not tomorrow. My sister helped me lose weight last time with a 1500 calorie diet plan she had got from somewhere; I’ll just try to remember her diet plan and follow that. My target is to just lose the extra mass to fit back into that shirt.

  

Today I’ve checked all I have in the fridge and have made a list (lists always help me) of the food to avoid and to eat today.

Today I must NOT eat these:

Leftover spaghetti and scalloped potatoes

Last night's kabab roll

Nimco's crinkly chilli chips that I had been nibbling

Chocolate cake sent by someone 

Chocolates, also sent by someone

 

More chocolates 

Some more chocolates

Homemade gajar ka halwa

Today's Meal Plan

 DAY 1: SATURDAY, 21.2.2015

9.00 am	Coffee with milk. Coffee for increased metabolism and milk for my dairy intake of the day. I’ve started    taking full cream milk now because I felt the skimmed milk was making my skin look rookha sookha and also of course because the coffee just wouldn’t get frothy.
9.30 am	Boiled egg. No to salt, yes to black pepper. Egg for the rotein and increased metabolism and black pepper for the flavor and increased metabolism.
10.00 am	A couple of bair. Full of nutrition and energy.
11.00 am	Fresh yogurt with dates and nuts. A refreshing energy booster.
12 noon	A giant slab of chapli kabab from the protein pyramid, with half a roti. I have an early lunch to avoid hunger pangs that can lead to famished overeating.
1 00 pm	A ‘qahva’ of ginger and cinnamon to burn off the chapli kabab.
2 00 pm	A salad of carrot, cucumber, tomato, green pepper, cauliflower florets, cabbage, lettuce (all metabolism boosters) with a light dressing of olive oil (a good oil) and lemon juice (a metabolism booster) that will not defeat the purpose of the salad.
3 00 pm	Some pieces of boiled sweet potato (a good weight loss filler).
4 00 pm	A clear soup made from a small piece of chicken, tomato, carrot and cabbage leaf. I’ll add a dash of lemon, tobacco sauce and white pepper (metabolism and taste boosters) using a friend’s recipe.
5 00 pm	A serving of fruit for energy and fibre.
6 00 pm	Tea or green tea, depending on my mood and need.
7 00 pm	An early dinner of aloo gosht (protiens and some carbs), half a roti and kachumar.
9 00 pm	A tablespoon of ispaghol mixed in a glass of water.

 I usually have an earlier start but today was a gorgeous Saturday morning so I snoozed in bed. (Snoozing is sometimes more fun than actual sleeping because you’re kind of awake to enjoy the fact that you’re sleeping.) Since I got up late and missed my exercise, I can manage with a slightly less amount of food.

·         This is just a guideline which I will naturally adjust to maintain good health, stamina and temper.

·         I have already adjusted from mindless overeating to a controlled calorie intake, so this should be easy for me to follow.

·         I keep a week’s supply of dates, nuts, salad, fruit and small chicken pieces (for clear soup) and prepare the day’s meals in advance so that I don’t binge on junk food when I get hungry.

·         I keep eating small portions often to not reach hunger point.

·         I take prescription multivitamins and supplements.

·         My medical tests are clear.

·         It helps and inspires me when my family and friends also eat healthy and exercise.

·         It certainly costs less to eat junk food than to eat healthy food.

·         I hope I do not cave in to that chocolate cake.

Birds and Blooms: Grin and 'bair' it

Since January, my no-fuss, low-maintenance bair shrub (a perfect plant for a ground-zero gardener like myself) has been yielding heaps of bair or jujube, a popular local fruit in Pakistan. 

I planted a sapling three years ago in my small strip of a veggie patch. It is a sunny/shady spot, and with a regular, average amount of watering the soil stays moist. We keep the evergreen, thorny shrub pruned to about 2 meters high as it tends to grow vigorously. The branches spread out wildly and droop low. The hardy shrub stays unfazed by Karachi's hot, humid aridity, irregular soil fertilising, extreme heat, careless over watering and enforced dry bouts. In December, the appearance of tiny yellow flowers that look like fuzz heralds the onset of fruit. From January to March the branches are adorned with fruit that hangs like Christmas lights. Three times a week we pick about a kg of bair, at a pace faster than we can eat them or share them with the help, family, friends and neighbours. I can easily give the bair puchcarts a run for their money. One season's harvest is approximately 20 kgs. It would be a great idea to grow these shrubs in public places for free food. 

Last year when we pruned the shrub in the summer months after fruiting season, to promote healthier regrowth, I earnestly willed for it to grow back the very next day, like a magic beanstalk. The lush shrub had been reflecting/absorbing the heat of the overhead midday sun that beats down relentlessly through my room window. Once it was pruned, the sun baked my room to furnace degrees. When the fresh, shiny green leaves grew back again they resumed their job of shielding my room. Now the filtered sunlight and air that blows into my room is cooler and sweeter than any artificial air conditioning. 

We pick the fruit when it looks like it has grown to its fullest size, like a balloon blown to the max, or a baby's puffed, rosy cheeks. I prefer to eat them when they are still green, when the skin is crispy and the flesh is white, sweet and juicy, like mini apples. When they ripen to a yellow ochre and then a bronzed orange they become wrinkly. The flesh turns pale, spongy, soft and mealy and has a strong musky smell.  They ripen quickly, especially if left in a bag, so I keep them in an open fruit bowl and race to finish them before they start ripening. 

I looked up its benefits online and apparently I have a potent potion growing in my veggie patch: the various parts of the jujube tree and fruit are rich in nutrition, antioxidants, minerals such as manganese, iron, phosphorus and calcium and Vitamin C, A and B2; improve strength, stamina, general health and wellbeing and immunity; can heal cuts, wounds, sores, gingivitis, gout, rheumatism, backache, ulcers, liver troubles, diarrhea, dysentery, indigestion, biliousness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pains in pregnancy, pulmonary ailments, sore throats, asthma, fevers, insomnia, anxiety, hair fall and acne; and are used as eye lotions, laxatives, relaxants, sedatives, poultices and even as biodiesel. 

I do wish some people could also be no-talk, just-walk like the no-nakhra bair shrub. 

FoodPursuit: The Mixed Chaat Plate

The best way to eat chaat is to pile several chatpata elements together to make a delicious mass of sweet, tangy, spicy chutneyness called the mixed chaat plate:  a simple layering of tender, falling-apart channa; dense, firm khatay aloo; soft dahi phulkis; crispy samosas; crunchy flakes of papri; cooling yogurt; fiery green chillies and a hot masala sprinkle to create a sweet and savoury explosion of textures and flavours that can keep you happily full for hours.

The base is always the staple channa chaat, with lots of chopped onions, tomatoes, corainder leaves, green chillies, zippy imli chutney and custom-made chaat masala. 

Khatay aloo - tangy potatoes cooked in a profusion of spices that are enhanced with a tarka of curry leaves.

                                                              

The crispy shell and the soft, spicy filling of the samosa (either aloo or qeema) is a texture booster. 

                                                               

The garlicky yogurt of the dahi phulkis seeps into the lower layers like a sea of lava and emulsifies them. 

                                                                 

A garnish of spicy papri flakes and more condiments for more pleasure makes a mixed chaat complete.

A happy plate, also known as a mixed chaat plate

Moonrise

If you have ever wondered what could be better than watching a full moon rise from over your balcony, try watching a full moon rise over the sea.

Call one of the many ‘Captain Saleems’ found at Keamari a few days before a full moon night to book a motor or sail boat. On the full moon night, drive over to Keamari in the early part of the evening and meet Captain Saleem who will be waiting at the dock to greet you.

Get into the boat and sail off into the Arabian Sea. Drop anchor at a point where the madding crowd lessens. Then look up at the sky for a glorious, unobstructed view of a full moon rising over the sea.

At first the moon rises like a massive antique golden coin stamped with the patina of age. Then, as it climbs above the layers of polluted atmosphere, it regains it silver shimmer. The higher it ascends in the sky, the larger it appears in the sea.

Sit quietly, breathe deeply. Listen to the silence of the soft lapping of the water. Feel the feathery whisper of the breeze. See the ghostly silhouettes of seagulls glide past. Let the sea rock you gently in its arms.

After a few hours of becoming one with the universe and recharging your zen, head back home to a sleep of bliss.

Repeat monthly.

*You can check local full moon dates and moonrise times online.

 *You can catch this sight from the 12^th to the 15^th of the lunar calendar (the 13^th  eve of the lunar month is full moon night).

*For an extra you can leave in the afternoon to first watch the sunset and then the moon rise.

* For an extra extra you can leave even earlier to climb Oyster Rocks, watch the sunset from there, take a dip and even fish.  

* You can also add food to this experience (Captain Saleem’s famous fish and prawn cooked as biryani, karhai, cutlets and fry/grill).