It's funny how the weight creeps up on you. As a young woman I was a petite size 10, mind you, I grew up in an era before eating a Big Mac between meals became the norm. My mother's kitchen contained a tiny fridge with a freezer compartment only big enough for a packet of frozen peas and an ice cube tray. There was a small larder which contained baking ingredients and a cupboard with non perishables ie a few tins, therefore I couldn't raid the cupboard or freezer for goodies, neither was there a Costa Coffee on every street corner, doleing out coffees at around 400 calories a throw.
British people now spend nearly 30 billion pounds on fast food every year, shopping centres are choc full with fast food outlets tempting us to eat and drink calorific foodstuffs, a far cry from my youth when we only had Wimpy bars.
I have never subscribed to this new fad of 'fast food' I don't eat McDonald's or Kentucky fried chicken, the smell alone emanating from Subway makes me queasy, I dislike everything Nandos and Ranchos stand for (quantity over quality) and as you already know, I avoid processed ready-meals like the plague. I've never been to Sprinkles or eaten a Krispy Kreme doughnut, I don't even buy biscuits for goodness sake, however, I have seen a significant hike in my weight these last 10 years!
Women's bodies can often alter shape in their 40s, a change in the balance of hormones and a slowing metabolism plays a part. As we approach the menopause, oestrogen levels fluctuate and fat distribution is often affected. During my teenage years I went to bed each night hoping that I would awake the next morning with big bosoms, all my friends had sprouted breasts to rival page 3 models. Unfortunately it never happened (thank God for Wonder bras and chicken fillets!) However, when I least wanted them, (like every other part of my body) they started to grow!
Ok, so it doesn't help that I am a restaurant reviewer, or that I enjoy red wine, the high calorific content of which sees the average wine drinker putting on half a stone of fat a year. Each bottle of wine I drink = 644 calories = a McDonald's cheeseburger and fries, (I know which I'd prefer.)
I often wonder, in the current climate of obesity, if young girls who are already hugely overweight in their 20s, understand the ramifications?
I've never dieted, however, for many years I ate sensibly Monday through to Friday and then indulged at the weekend - this effectively was similar to the 5 2 diet in reverse. Fad diets are proven not to work and are just a money-spinner for both food and health corporations. Recently, my friend Clarrie (who has featured on this blog several times) decided to go on a diet, she has successfully and sensibly overhauled her eating habits with a view to the long term, (shakes and bars are just a quick fix) she is cooking and preparing fresh ingredients and has eschewed many of the calorific treats she consumed.....although not all. A long term healthy eating plan has to be realistic, none of us can envisage living on whole grains, beans and goji berries without the odd treat and as I've always said: 'Everything in moderation.'
With Christmas fast approaching, Clarrie has been looking at ways to enjoy some seasonal excess without adding too many calories. She recently made these delicious mince pies using filo pastry which has the huge advantage of no fat in the pastry but all the taste.
Filo mince pies
Recipe
1 packet of filo pastry sheets
Spray oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 jar of mincemeat
Preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 4
Lay the sheets of filo pastry out
Cut into 6 strips
On both halves of each strip place a spoonful of mincemeat
Form 12 triangle parcels
Spray a baking tray with a little oil and brush your parcels with egg wash
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until golden and crisp
These little parcels are absolutely scrumptious without all the added fat of your regular mince pies, well worth making.
'True discipline is really just self-remembering; no forcing or fighting is necessary.'
Love Donna xxxxxxxx
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