Irish Molly's GL Diary

[irish molly]

12/09 Hi Everyone, back from hols. I spent some time in Kerry being reminded of just how beautiful Ireland is with fab scenery and lush green colours everywhere. We were so lucky with the weather. We got some showery days but also many fab sunny intervals and clear days.
Food wise and drinks wise, I enjoyed myself. Careful choices for brekkie and lunch allowed a little excess in the evening for dinner and a few drinks. After my first week I managed to maintain and am delighted to report a 1lb loss after the second week. (might even be a bit more if I was not a bit bunged up, probably from more wheat and alcohol over the last couple of weeks. TMI!)
I am more and more pleased at the fact that I have come to realise that excesses of food or alcohol are not required to enjoy myself. For a long number of years, enjoyment to me was eating all kinds of gorgeous food and drinking all the wine you could give me. I now see that less is so much more. I can sit at a restauarant table and eat a meal without ordering a load of side dishes. If it comes with a lot of potato, I can eat less of it and still feel full. I no longer have a full bottle of wine to myself as well as a couple of pre and post dinner drinks!!
My one simple but effective tip is WATER!!!! I ordered a big jug with breakfast, lunch and dinner every day!! It is the most simple way of taking the edge of the munch monster and it truly does work.

 

[prettypink]

Welcome back! We missed you on here. Glad you had a nice break and well done on your loss, that is a fantastic achievement!!

 

[irish molly]

14/09 Yesterday and today were reasonable days for me. I probably did not eat enough to day.
Brekkie: usual porridge/seed/fruit mix
Lunch: two plums/mixed seeds
dinner: Was home very late so just had a bowl of strawberries and yoghurt and then a granola bar and cup of tea followed by another two plums.
Drinks: 2 litres water and several coffees.
Have not felt hungry at all at any stage and that's why I did not bother to cook anything when it was so late.

 

[Princess81]

thought I'd get my subscription in!
You've done really well. I like your menus tho you seem to be in a great place with it mentally, which is where I keep slipping up
Have you tried quinoa for breakkie instead of porridge? I have had it a couple times mixed with apples, sultanas and a spoon of honey. Delish. Do you write down everything to keep track of your cals?

 

[irish molly]

Quinoa for brekkie!! Now that's interesting and I will try that.
I have used myfitnesspal.com to keep track of cals. There are lots of similar sites but I find it very useful and they have a fab iphone app.
After refeed, I struggled with portion sizes until I started keeping track of calories as well as the GL content.
GL is fab. My losses on GL would be better if I was exercising. I have a very bad back etc etc and take little or no exercise yet manage to lose weight whilst enjoying my food. So, as far as I am concerned GL is truly fab!!

 

[Princess81]

Will defo have a look for the iphone app, I need something toum help me. The quinoa for breakkie is yummy. It's the only way I've eaten it, I wouldn't have a clue how to serve it as part of any other meal.

 

[irish molly]

Today, was a good day. For brekkie, I tried Jayne's idea of quinoa with some apple, sultana and had some mixed seeds with it too. Similar to porridge in texture and very tasty. Makes a nice change. Will definitely have it a bit more often.
Lunch was a small tuna salad.
Dinner was 80g prawns stirfried with chopped mange tout, onion, pepper, 30g cooked quinoa, chilli,lemon juice and dessert sp creme fraiche.
Afters: strawbs and yoghurt.
snack: cadbury snack and a nature valley bar.
Hope everyone is doing well.

 

[Princess81]

I'm glad you liked quinoa for breakkie. How would you normally prepare it as a savoury dish?
Again, liking the sound of today's menu x

 

[irish molly]

Cooked quinoa will keep well in the fridge for three to four days. So, what I do is cook up a batch of few portions, divide it up and keep it in the fridge. You can allow 40g, a little more if you are having no other protein in your meal, per portion. Add twice its volume of water. It's the same as rice really. Bring to the boil and simmer till all the water is absorbed which should be when the grains start to split and you see little white tails. Sometimes, I add a half a stock cube and some chilli flakes to it as well.
Anyway that's your basic portion cooked up. You can reheat in the microwave and serve instead of potato or rice. Also you can use it in any stirfry or one pot type recipe by just adding it in at the end.

One of my fav ways to have it is to fry off a couple of shallots and garlic. Then add whatever veg you like, but I add a chopped stalk celery,quarter pepper chopped, green beans chopped, quarter courgette chopped and a chopped half chilli. I then add about half a cup of water, crumble in a little bit of a stock cube,some cinnamon and pepper. I let this simmer for about 8-10 mins and then toss in 80g prawns or barbecued salmon. Add a tablespoon of creme fraiche and juice of quarter lemon. this is all one portion at a total calorie level of about 280. You can vary spices etc as you fancy. You can also have the same meal with just quinoa but use 70g per portion.

When eating at home now, I never use potato or rice and don't miss them at all.

 

[irish molly]

16/09 Today was a busy day but food was good enough.
Brekkie: Had a leftover portion of the quinoa porridge from yesterday.
Lunch: two rye crackers with some ham/tom/cucumber/pepper
Dinner: Turkey lentil spicy makey uppey with anything left in the fridge as I need to do a shop. lol.
Snack: two nature valley bars. three plums.
Water: 2litres
Did not feel peckish at all today which was good. Some days I feel like picking and have to resist but today was a good day in that I did not think about food at all.

 

[summergurl]

Molly, am i right in thinking porridge is ok as a low gi breakkie? If so how many grams and how much water/milk?

Also, have a look over here http://www.minimins.com/lipotrim-tfr-100/168925-post-100-a.html some guys are thinking of low gi/gl ing it after tfr so thought you could add some advice etc

 

[skerry]

Do you use the quinoa grains or the flakes to make the porridge? I am sure that Gillian McKeith used to recommend this as a breakfast; I should dig out my old "you are what you eat" book and have a look. One of my friends lent me a copy of the Clean and Lean diet today. It is similar (although more strict) than low GL. I don't think that I will make the switch, but some of the recipes in the book are definately in line with this way of eating.

 

[irish molly]

Yep, porridge is a great low GL brekkie apparently. I simply put 50g porridge, a little chopped apple or chopped apricot and a teaspoon of mixed seeds in a bowl and cover with water and microwave for three minutes. Top of with a dash of milk, if you like, and you have a total cals of roughly 200. Try it with a sprinkle of cinnamon too. On a GL plan you can also have a serving of berries with this like half a punnet of blueberries.
I used to love bran flakes or fruit n fibre but 30g is a serving and that is tiny in a bowl. The porridge is so much more filling once you get used to it. It's not for everyone either, it's a love it or hate it type of food.
I'll hop over to that thread for a looksee.

 

[Princess81]

Thanks for the quinoa recipe Molly, it sound delish and I will defo be trying it when I'm back on foods again.
I'm also a fan of porridge, could eat it all day (and I'm not joking) I have it with sultanas and cinamon however I think sultanas are a bit naughty on the GI scale so I may just have it with apple or mixed berries.
Your menu today sounds yummy again, I think I could get used to something like that xx

 

[irish molly]

Do you use the quinoa grains or the flakes to make the porridge? I am sure that Gillian McKeith used to recommend this as a breakfast; I should dig out my old "you are what you eat" book and have a look. One of my friends lent me a copy of the Clean and Lean diet today. It is similar (although more strict) than low GL. I don't think that I will make the switch, but some of the recipes in the book are definately in line with this way of eating.

I have both the grains and the flakes. I used the flakes for the porridge as it then has the same consistency as regular porridge.
I think it is fine to mix and match recipes. I try to stick to a general principle of foods being processed as little as possible and being lower carb.
Once you feel comfortable with what you are doing and getting some results then whatever you are doing is right for you. Leastways, that's what I'm trying to do.

 

[summergurl]

Cheers chick. I'm thinking ahead for days I run as I will need something substantial in me as runs are getting longer and your right 30g of muesli is tiny lol x

 

[JanD]

Wow! Well done losing weight whilst on holiday Molly!! I find that REALLY impressive! You're doing brilliantly! x

 

[Princess81]

Tan, I also read somewhere that some types of museli can be quite high on gi/gl scale so porridge is defo the better option. Can be "spruced" up nicely too with whatever fruit you fancy. Be a bit wary of sultanas tho as I don't think that they are as GI friendly as some other fruits xx

 

[summergurl]

What about raisens?
As i was thinking on running days having porridge with a handfull of raisens or frozen mixed berries. xxx

 

[irish molly]

All dried fruit has concentrated sugars so a portion would be only 4 or 5 raisins!! instead you could have a half apple or pear chopped up, lots more bulk but same gl value. Berries are the best gl fruit. You can have 150g strawbs or blueberries etc. I have added half a chopped apple and a sprinkle of cinnamon to the porridge before cooking it and it is nice.