Thursday, November 7, 2013

The Mediterranean Diet: Lose Weight Without Trying Too Hard.

The Mediterranean Diet: Loose Weight without Trying Too Hard.

Hello Beach Dwellers
It's now a well known fact that regular exercise and a Mediterranean diet are your best defences against death via heart attack.  The added benefits of eating like this, are feeling great and losing weight without trying too hard.


I get the odd question as to how I can lose weight and eat all the cakes I bake.  Well the truth is, they are made from scratch with fresh ingredients, I don't eat them as part of my regular diet and when I do, it's about portion control.

BUT

The real reason I have been able to go from this



to this


is this kind of food.


Loads of fresh, healthy colourful fruit and vegetables mixed with lean red meat, chicken and fish, some complex carbs and a little bit of wine and chocolate on the side.


For snacks, I go for raw unsalted nuts or fruit.

I don't buy biscuits or junk, so it is not in the pantry when I am hungry and feeling vulnerable.


I eat 2 eggs for breakfast with hummus spread on a slice of wholemeal toast, or porridge made from proper oats, with mashed banana, cinnamon, slivered almonds and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. (Aldi brand is the cheapest) 

Both these options keep me full 'til lunch.

I never spare the horses on a bit of Danish feta .  I mix it through salads pretty well every day.  It is a beautiful textural contrast to the crunchiness of the salad vegetables.  It's saltiness adds flavour and the protein content helps to keep me satiated.


I noticed a blogger lamenting how boring salads were on facebook the other day and I have to counter that.   If you make your own vinaigrette with 2 parts extra virgin olive oil to one part white vinegar and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and also dress them with a good handful of Danish feta, they will be delicious and pretty filling if you add some lean ham, a small can of tuna or other protein.

I eat salad every day and I miss it if I don't.

And the results:  My Body Mass Index has dropped from 28 to 23.  That's from the top end of over weight and bordering on obese to normal.
I had my blood sugars and BP checked last week and they are normal.
I feel good and my friends often comment about how I look, in a positive way.
Really this has all been achieved by making a few simple but determined changes, that did not break the bank, nor were they that difficult. 

 Apart from a few genetic hiccups and short of walking under a bus, I expect to live a long and happy life, if I keep eating in this sustainable and enjoyable way, of course with the odd break out for good measure.

Corn, Cucumber and Capsicum Salsa
2 corn cobs
1 red capsicum finely diced
1 cucumber skin on, finely diced
1 red or brown onion finely diced
Juice of 1 lemon
Good slug of lemon infused olive oil ( I use Cobram Estate)
Good handful of Danish feta ( I use Mayer Brand)
Herb of your choice say coriander, parsley or chives.

Boil a small pot of water and cook corn for about 8 minutes.  Use a knife to remove the kernels.
Combine all the vegetables in a bowl
Dress with lemon juice and olive oil.
Mix herb/s through the salsa
Sprinkle Danish feta over the top.

Eat as much of this as you like and serve with lean protein for a yummy dinner.



Have a look here to see if there are any other meals which can help you lose weight.

Here's another post on how I lost the first 10kg.

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Today I am linked up here

40 comments :

  1. It's so interesting to see someone following the Mediterranean Diet down under! On the other hand what does a Danish product have to do with the Mediterranean? And feta can only be Greek as it's a protected name Greek product. So the Danish cheese is simply white cheese not feta even if it illegally says so on its container.AriadnefromGreece!

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    Replies
    1. Never thought about it like that, but like Australia, I guess the Danish are into fusion food. I didn't know about the word 'feta' being only allowed on Greek Cheese. The word is widely used in Australia.
      Carolyn

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    2. Greece has given lots of fights on that behalf and inside Europe only Greece can call its cheese feta. The rest of the countries have to call theirs white cheese. But internationally like in Canada the European laws don't abide unfortunately.Here's an article
      http://www.grreporter.info/en/canada_threatens_greek_feta/9941
      Also
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feta
      The word feta is a Greek word, therefore it is absolutely silly to name a product by a foreign word(I am talking about the Danes).It is as if I call the Greek bears koalas if you understand what I mean.
      Anyway I prefer eating anthotyro.
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthotyros
      Have you got it there?AriadnefromGreece

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  2. Hi Carolyn,

    Congrats on the weight loss; you look fabulous and happy! Your salad looks very appetizing, filled with colourful veggies and a tangy vinaigrette, to boot! Yes, Ariadne is right about the name, Feta, being protected as a Greek product; the rest of the world has the freedom to call their version of Feta, ''white cheese''. Anyway, now you know, no worries.

    I've managed to lose 15 pounds this summer by swimming every single day for an hour and watching my sugar intake, as well as trying to abstain from eating after 7pm, which, btw, is very difficult to do here in Greece, as the night is forever young and the Greeks like to live life to the fullest!

    Have a great week!

    Poppy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Greece is one place I would love to visit, culturally and aesthetically, it sure is a gorgeous nation.
      I wonder why the Greeks do not enforce the 'feta' issue like the French do so aggressively and rightly so, with their food and wine.
      Carolyn.

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    2. Ps Congrats on your weight loss.
      Carolyn

      Delete
  3. You look wonderful and it shows. I'm eating just like you. I feel so much better on a healthy diet.

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  4. What an amazing before and after!!!! And a tasty way of getting there :)

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  5. I remember talking to you about Mediterranean up in Noosa. I think you've found something that really fits in with your lifestyle and love for food.You look fab.

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  6. I think you are doing very well and it shows! I have been following the Mediterranean way of eating for a few months now with the help of a few cookbooks to keep it interesting and keep my family following along. I feel great but I still must work on the portion control. Thanks for sharing this with all of your readers!

    XO,
    Jane

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  7. You look amazing! I have never really gone on a diet because I know I would fight it and get a bit depressed because I just love food so much! I just try to eat fresh and healthy as much as possible and it seems to work pretty well. Like that salad would be something I would call a treat with the fetta and everything mmmm so yum. You should feel so proud of yourself x

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  8. Well done, you look amazing. I always wonder how they stay slim they eat pasta and bread.

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  9. Congratulations. I am planning a no-chocolate period again. Just had to get through the MEGA HUNGRY first six months of breastfeeding before committing to it!

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  10. What a great achievement for you. I am sure you are feeling much better for it.
    I am not a huge salad fan as I prefer cooked veg, but I do use the same mantra and try to eat a rainbow a day. The lean protein portion is also a huge part.
    I've lost and kept off 16kg doing this, so I think we are on to a good thing :)

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  11. I love it! I am working on moving the whole family over to this style of eating. I'm 7 months pregnant... and have only put on 2 pounds this entire pregnancy, even though baby is growing perfectly and right on target. I look forward to seeing how this style of healthful eating helps me drop the pounds while breastfeeding and nourishing both of us well!

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  12. Looks tasty and you look fantastic well done you !

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  13. Congrats! That's fantastic. Salad looks good too.

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  14. Congrats on your weightless journey! Your salad certainly looks far from boring! ;)

    Ai @ Sakura Haruka

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  15. YUM, that salsa recipe looks amazing! You're so right though, it shouldn't be difficult to lose weight - it's simple maths really. Kx

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  16. Well done, you look great! I agree with you, fresh unprocessed food is the best and easiest way to lose weight!

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  17. Well done! Not only do you look fabulous, but it is so much healthier too. :)

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  18. Fabulous work! You look amazing..thanks for sharing.

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  19. Great post! The hubby and I are trying to eat more salads so I will definitely be giving this one a go!

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  20. Congratulations! You look fabulous! That salad looks very delicious - the kind of food I love to eat. Thanks so much for sharing. I will definately make up your recipe to try. As I need to lose quite a bit of weight - I might google the mediterranean diet to learn a bit more.

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  21. I'm a sucker for Danish feta also - it's my go-too flavour for a salad. Congrats you're looking fab and I bet you feel great, especially you haven't completely cut out on all vino and chocs!

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  22. You and I really do have our feta thing happening. Looking great as always Carolyn.

    Anne xx

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  23. You look fabulous. Great job on the weight loss. Now I am working on losing 20lbs. so I will report later how I'm doing. Hugs, Marty

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  24. Wow what a difference a diet makes! I gotta get moving and cooking healthier.

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  25. Thanks for that great advice! I have not heard of Danish feta...I will look for it at the store the next time I go. I don't have much willpower but with your recipes maybe I can "fill up" and not feel too deprived and hungry.

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  26. Boy do I love feta. I'm hoping your eating approach and feeding a bub will help me shed a few lumps and bumps. You look great x

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  27. Congratulations you look amazing! This is a lifestyle change that would be very beneficial for me right now. Thank you for sharing it.

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  28. Those photos make me want to rush and buy all the ingrediants... great that you feel fab and are healthy on the inside and out... that's the point, isn't it? You no-nonsense approach is wise. I do eat some junk but mainly I am a food snob, and do NOT want to put crap in my body... I'm too good for that rubbish!!

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  29. Wow you look amazing...congrats! I try to eat like this all the time so I won't gain weight, but I'm loving this salad! Thanks for sharing. Have a thin rest of the week, lol!
    FABBY

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  30. Gidday gorgeous! Just letting you know I'm featuring this at tomorrow's Thiving on Thursdays party. So happy that you linked up.

    Anne xx

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  31. Carolyn, You look fabulous...Congrats!
    Hugs,
    Sherry

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  32. Just your photos are an inspiration. Guess what I just had for breakfast? Two scrambled eggs. LOL. Congrats on your weight loss. You look fantastic. ~ Lisa from Indiana ~

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