Not so Low Carb - The Joy Of Porridge

Well I have made a new discovery and that is porridge. Not that I haven't eaten it in the past, but now it feels like a real find and I am loving it.

I have been on this restricted calorie programme (1200 calories a day) since 3rd of March and great news, it has helped me blast through my weight plateau and I have lost 4.6 kgs over the past four weeks! But one of the downsides is that I have been feeling quite tired, especially at the gym. Getting through my cardio and weight workouts has been somewhat of a struggle. I guess because of the limited calories and the fact that I don't or didn't eat any complex carbohydrates. So, I decided, why not try porridge for breakfast and see if, like other carbs, it adversely affects my weight loss. I know oats are low GI and therefore slow release energy, they are good for lowering cholesterol, keeping blood pressure normal and for fibre. So there is a lot going for them. Anyway, I have had porridge for breakfast the last 3 days and not only has it tasted great and filled me up, but it has not stopped my weight loss and it has given me energy to take me right through to lunch time. So I think this is a keeper, at least for the time being anyway.

And, on this food thread, the other thing I discovered for myself as a sweet treat, is steamed apple with raisins and cinnamon, served with low fat natural yoghurt. It tastes sweet and delicious, a bit like apple crumble (without the crumble), and it really fills those sweet cravings when you could just eat a pudding or icecream or chocolate. Plus it is incredibly low in calories. I guess this low calorie thing has made me more creative when it comes to food, it makes me think harder about what I can and can't eat and a lot of the time I really enjoy it.

I don't see myself as being on a diet, I see this as a new and healthier way of eating full stop. I will increase my calories back up to about 1500 at some point, but beyond that I am not going to go back to a high carb diet ever. I am going to keep on with this even after I get to my goal weight because for me it is healthy and good and I have learnt to enjoy it. And that feels great.

LMN