The days of the scape goat have come to an end and back home in the regular routine I’ve been able to find my discipline again. In ten days I’ve lost best part of a whole BMI point and most of that I did during four days last week.
Tuesday 5.6 km power walk |
Wednesday 5.6 km power walk |
Thursday 4.4 km power walk |
Friday 1 hr with Graham |
Breakfast
1 boiled egg |
Breakfast
1 boiled egg |
Breakfast
1 boiled egg |
Breakfast
1 boiled egg |
Lunch
Cobb salad |
Lunch
Vegetable and blue cheese soup |
Lunch
Skinny Niçoise |
Lunch
Frittatas |
Snack
Green tea |
Snack
Green tea |
Snack
Red Rooster Juice at Antipodea |
Snack
Green tea |
Dinner
Turkey Burger with Celeriac Remoulade |
Dinner
Fish Pie |
Dinner
Grilled Steak and broccoli |
Dinner
6 oysters with lemon |
Now my challenge was to stay at this level for a few days before my next attempt to lose some. It wasn’t so easy because of “storm before the lull”. Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, when I usually take the opportunity to give something up for 40 days. In the past that’s been 40 days on the wagon or 40 days without pasta. Since my new lifestyle is all about giving up lots of things permanently, I’ve decided to go easy on myself this year. I’ll give up alcohol at home, but not when I go out or when I’m travelling.
Sweden, where I come from, is a funny country. It’s been totally secularised for generations, but some religious traditions are very important in Swedes’ every day life. Like Lent, and the Carnival before Lent starts. That is the storm before the lull. But unlike Brazil, New Orleans or Venice Sweden has a more low key Carneval celebration. We don’t party, dance and misbehave. Instead we eat Semla, a brioche type bun stuffed with almond paste and whipped cream, as shown in the photo above.
A Semla is pretty much everything I’m trying to avoid in my diet. But once a year, on Shrove Tuesday, I must have one. It didn’t do my BMI any good, but since I had done so well the week before I’m not too worried. And now we’re in Lent, a 40 day lull, with lots of opportunity for reflection and weight loss.