Better late than never...

[flavourfiend]

Started (again!) 8 weeks ago, at almost 120 kgs, needing to lose 35kg before my GP will stop tutting whenever I see him. I was fed-up with playing weight yo-yo, so was determined to make a real change in the way I live. It's about time, too.

Weighed in at 110kg this morning. Feeling very happy about that. As are my knees!

Have managed to stick below 1500 cals per day without too much trouble - unlike in the past - and walk at least a couple of miles every day.

I know we're recommended to eat a decent breakfast. But I'm allergic to mornings. So long as I drink plenty of tea and coffee (I have a *serious* habit), I don't feel at all hungry or lethargic for the first part of the day. If anything, I'm usually nauseous! So I've been trying to minimise food intake until the evening. That seems to work for me. My willpower is much stronger during daylight hours, too.

Have cut back on empty-calories - snacks, milky coffees and booze. It's amazing how many calories you can avoid by actively thinking before you casually shove something into your mouth. I've proved that I simply can't keep my hands off biscuits and savoury nibbles, so they're now banned from the house.

If I do get ravenous during the day, a bowl of proper oatmeal is a good filler. Also, a friend showed me how to make kimchi and sauerkraut, which has been a revelation, although I'm sure they aren't to everyone's taste. Crunch, tang and flavour without the calories, and they keep you pretty full, too. The fermentation of the cabbage seems to have got rid of whatever upsets peoples' digestive systems, which is nice.

My loft is full of bags of old suits, shirts, jeans etc, that I can't get into but have been too mean to throw away. I have now vowed never again to buy any Big Boy clothes. So I'm going to have to either shift the blubber or learn to live the life of The Naked Rambler. I hope that will be sufficient incentive for people to stop offering me Jaffa Cakes and Custard Creams with my tea.

This time it's going to work! It's only taken fifty years or so... ☺

[Zest Healthy BMI]

Hi Flavourfiend,

Congratulations on losing 10kg in 8 weeks, that is fantastic! You sound really motivated and enthusiastic, and that's so great to hear.

I would be interested to know how to make Kimchi and Sauerkraut - so do post details if you care to share, but if not, don't worry - as I could probably locate a method online. I'm not sure if I'll enjoy the flavours, but I like to try new things and something that helps digestion sounds great to me.

Hope you're enjoying the weekend.

Lowcal

[flavourfiend in reply to Zest]

Thanks. Yeah, if I don't start to live healthier and get skinnier now, I might as well just give up! I think I've got the right mindset, at last. Let's hope so.

Making sauerkraut is a simple process. Pretty much all the recipes I've seen online look good. Especially since it's only about 50 cals for a decent bowlful!

I've made two kinds, one with plain cabbage and one with added carrot, onion, oregano and chili. You basically just shred everything finely, mix it together, sprinkle it with salt (not iodized), leave for an hour or two, then bash with the end of a rolling pin or the bottom of a wine bottle for 10 mins to soften it and extract some of the water. After that, you pack everything in a big jar, tamp it down to prevent air bubbles, ferment it at room temp for a few days, then store it somewhere cool. The flavour gets stronger with time. It gives off gas as it ferments, so don't screw a top on tightly or it might explode!

Kimchi is more or less the same process but using Chinese (or green savoy) cabbage, daikon radish, garlic, ginger, red chili powder and anything else you fancy (e.g. fish sauce). It gets pretty stinky with time, I can tell you! But the sauerkraut is pretty mild, though, and much nicer than what you find in the supermarket.

I have a couple of big old earthenware crocks that I've used. They never had lids, so I keep air from getting to the kraut by sitting a clean freezer bag half-filled with water in the neck of the jar. That works fine.

Happy Saturday to you, too!

[Zest Healthy BMI in reply to flavourfiend]

Hi Flavourfiend,

Thanks so much for your reply, and I will try out the Saurkraut making as a first step - and maybe the Kimchi later. I like to try new things, and it sounds really interesting.

Lowcal

[Hidden in reply to flavourfiend]

Thanks for this too - I'm also curious to try making my own sauerkraut/kimchi. I have bad childhood memories of the stuff you buy in jars but you've convinced me that making my own is the best way to go. I've been recommended to try these as a way to put good enzymes in my tummy or something - not sure about the exact science!

Congrats on already shifting 10kg of weight and getting rid of the too big clothes, no looking back now. Good luck, and hope your knees continue to thank you

[flavourfiend in reply to Hidden]

Thanks, Ruth. Your own year's experience has been inspiring.

Don't know why, but my first batch of plain homemade kraut is much less vicious than the commercial stuff. Slightly sweet, even.

I look forward to being able to run along my local canal, too!

[JohnDC]

Just read your post and it sounds exactly like me

I am just starting on the 12 week plan today and hope to do half as good as you. Thanks for the motivation

[flavourfiend in reply to JohnDC]

Good luck!

[Penel]

Well done on the weight loss and the changes in eating. There's a lot of published research on the health benefits of eating fermented foods, as they can increase the healthy bacteria in our bodies. A lack of healthy bacteria appears to have a role in things like obesity and type 2 diabetes, as well as IBS. Have a Google of "gut biome" if you are interested.

Be careful not to overdo the sauerkraut. It may be low in calories but it can have unfortunate side effects if you are not used to it!

Perhaps try some live yoghurt too.

[flavourfiend in reply to Penel]

Thanks. Yes, that's one of the things that persuaded me to give it a go. I haven't actually suffered any side effects. I've always eaten lots of pulses and veg, so I guess that helps. They say that you get used to a high fibre diet quite quickly, so long as you keep it up.

[Claude-1234]

Best of luck to you. Well done on 10kgs

[Zest Healthy BMI]

Hi again Flavourfiend,

I had a feeling you were the kind person who explained how to make homemade Sauerkraut and Kimchi, and I'm really glad I found the thread to check it out again, as I am thinking of finally trying to make some next weekend. So I'll be off to buy ingredients when I can, and looking forward to trying it out.

I'm wondering if Ruth made any - as she mentioned she was going to do that as well.

I heard that it can be much better than the shop bought ones as it's fresher and more likely to be 'live' bacteria - as the shop bought versions have some preservatives, but I don't know if that's true or just hearsay and inaccurate.

Anyway, trying to make some at home is definitely worth a try, and I think it will work out a lot cheaper than buying the jars of it, as it does seem expensive in health food shops.

Thanks again.

Lowcal

[flavourfiend in reply to Zest]

Hiya,

I don't think the issue is preservatives. The ones I've bought in have just been cabbage, water and salt. But they are, invariably, pasteurized, which does spoil the fun.

Since I've been eating sauerkraut and kimchee regularly (at least 3 times a week, often more), I've really noticed that my nether regions are behaving much better. Nothing is very windy at all, these days. Even Jerusalem Artichokes, in soup, steamed, or roasted, have only had a very mild impact.

Of course, it could just be a consequence of the fact that I'm no longer guzzling huge quantities of carbs like used to, but I like to think it's also the good effect of my sauerkraut on my GI flora and fauna (hmm, still not sure about the fauna part, but I bet it's true...). ☺

And, as you say, it's cheaper than chips! A big cabbage on the local market is only 50p, and that makes enough to last me a couple of weeks.

[Zest Healthy BMI in reply to flavourfiend]

Hi Flavourfiend,

Many thanks for your reply, and I'm glad you clarified the issue regarding confirming that they are pasteurised - certainly doesn't seem to fit with the ethos of fermented foods, does it!?

Wow, if it can calm the effect of Jerusalem Artichokes, then that is a result. I made some soup using those about 2 weeks ago, and it was like a war was erupting in my tummy the whole night. The person whose recipe it was had warned that might be the case! He was right!

I think I'll be purchasing a big cabbage later this week.

Thanks again.

Lowcal

[flavourfiend in reply to Zest]

Some health food shops sell fresh sauerkraut. I know you can get it on supermarket deli counters all over the US and the rest of Europe, too, but I haven't seen it here at all.

I've just done some googling about fartichokes. The problem is the amount of a particular carb/fibre, called inulin. We can't actually digest inulin, and it gets processed by our colon bacteria - which explains the gas! If you can manage to eat JAs every day for a couple of weeks or a month, you'll probably develop a tolerance (I think I may have).

If you leave it till February to harvest your JAs, and then store them for a while, the inulin converts to fructose, and the windiness is very much reduced. You can get the same good effect by slow cooking for around 24 hours!

So, next time you make soup...

[Berylbee3 in reply to flavourfiend]

Ocado sell fresh sauerkraut

[flavourfiend in reply to Berylbee3]

Thanks, that's interesting to know.

But, £3.69 for 410g? Now I remember why I don't shop with Ocado. ☺