Karin at Cafebebe (blog now closed) and her food confessions start here…

Karin, her tummy and her Little Miss

Want postnatal fat loss? Even if you’re not so postnatal anymore… that’s OK. Please join the *really-quite-a-few-months-postnatal-now* lovely Karin on her journey to a smaller stomach!

I have a few days of food diary from Karin now, and so have added my suggestions, alternatives and waggy finger *tut tut*comments below.

Keep the confessions coming Karin! You did tell me to let you have it, and I, um, have. Hope you’re sitting down Love.

Thursday, Early AM:
1/2 cinnamon-raisin bagel w/ light scraping of Bertolli spread; Cup of tea/splash of milk; 2 tsp Splenda

Bagels are very high GI – this means they convert to sugar almost immediately in your system, give you a quick energy burst and blood sugar high, then fizzle away to empty calories and hunger. Wholegrain spelt, rye or wheat (more on wheat later) bread with some no-crap-added peanut butter or an egg for protein would give much more sustained energy and nutrition.

Late Morning:
1 piece of Hovis Hearty Oats bread; 1 poached egg; 1 small satsuma

This is a much better combination… have it first thing then you could delete those empty bagel calories from the equation!

Snack: 1 pkt Lighter Choice Tesco Melba Toast (6 wee slices); 2 tbsp Caramelized Onion Hummus

Beware packaged foods claiming to be ‘light’, ‘low fat’ or ‘diet’ foods. A food that naturally contains fat will taste pretty darned odd or unpleasant without it. So they add something else (usually more sugar, or salt, or something chemical and nasty) to make it taste nice again. Keep foods in their natural state, and you can’t go far wrong.

Lunch: 2 cups tri-colour, whole wheat fusilli pasta; cream and mushroom sauce (but not very creamy… I think single cream and not much of it); small piece of chocolate sponge; Cup of tea/splash of milk, 2 tsp unrefined golden caster sugar

The wheat was wholegrain, so that’s good, then lots of sugar, lots of saturated fat… and one vegetable! ;)

Snack: Banana
I like that snack! Have a handful of nuts with it to slow down the GI, add protein and keep you feeling satisfied.

Dinner:
2 handfuls McCain’s French Fries; 4 Tesco Cheese and Onion quiche; 2 tbsp Heinz beans; 1 tbsp coleslaw (Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference)

After dinner I was MASSIVELY bloated and uncomfortable!
Hmmm, that’s because the only healthy thing in there was the baked beans… and possibly you ate a bit too much, quite late at night.  Shop-bought baked goods (anything with pastry) will almost certainly contain nasty hydrogenated fats. We don’t like those. More wheat in the pastry too.

2 pint glasses of water w/ splash of Oceanspray Cranberry and Raspberry squash drink

Lots of sugar in it, but could be a lot worse!

(slinks away and hides)
:) Karin

As well you might Mrs…

Friday: (45 minute walk)

Some exercise! I like that!

Cup of tea w/ milk, 2 tsp sugar; 1/2 cinnamon bagel; Bowl of Rice Krispies w/ semi-skimmed milk

Try to reduce the processed nature of your breakfasts – any goodness the grains used in these packaged cereals had has been long since processed away (that’s why they add all those vitamins). Try oats, spelt flakes, dried fruit, nuts, seeds (ie make your own muesli) Just buy all the things you like separately – much cheaper – then throw them all in a big tupperware.
Coconut milk (wonderful, healthy stuff), hemp or organic oat milk (most supermarkets do sell this stuff  – try the dairy/wheat free aisles or sometimes it’s randomly in with the cartons of long life milk) are great alternatives to dairy.

Chicken/mayo/salad on white bread sandwich; 6 Pringles; 1/4 boiled egg; 1 scoop hazelnut/chocolate ice cream

The salad’s good… ;) Seriously though,  just a few changes will  make this healthy. Ditch the mayo, double the salad and switch the bread for one of the types mentioned before, add free range chicken… Healthy sandwich! Pringles are the Devil’s work. Nothing more to say there. The egg is good, good, good! The ice-cream… well I think you KNOW about that one.

1 small nectarine

Fruit. Fruit is good.

1 pkt. Tesco Light Choice Melba Toast; 1 tbsp carmelised onion hoummus

1 poppadom w/ 1 tsp mango chutney; Onion Baghee (4 small ones/starter); Mushroom Biryani (4 tbsp rice/2 tbsp sauce); Plain Naan; Small glass Rosé

You went out for a curry and a drink. It’s OK, that’s allowed… so long as you make the changes to the rest of the week!

Saturday 7 August:
2 cups of tea w/ milk/ 4 sugars; 1/2 cinnamon bagel; 2 small nectarines

1 piece Hovis Hearty Oats bread; 1 tbsp peanut butter

Oat bread OK, nectarines good, peanut butter good (so long as it’s the crunchy, no sugar added sort)

2 pieces garlic bread (Tesco Light Choice); 2 cups baked spaghetti;
1 breadstick

It’s white (ie processed, no goodness left) wheat bread again – this is what is making you feel bloated, honest.

1/4 Mattesons Smoked Sausage; 2 pieces Hovis Hearty Oats bread; 2 tbsp Heinz baked beans

Sunday 8 August:
1 cup of tea/milk and 2 tsp sugar; Bacon Roll and Hash Brown (McDonalds); 250ml Orange Juice

Med Mocha Frescato (Costa)

Sugar, sugar, sugar and a bit of sugar.

So you darkened the doors of the Golden Arches and followed it with a nice cold cup of sugar and additives. Just don’t do it again if you want to lose that tummy, Lady.

10 Meatballs w/ gravy (IKEA); small portion of chips

Well, so long as the meatballs were made with organic, lean mince, the gravy had no hydrogenated fat in it and the chips were oven baked. No? Oh, not so great then.

2 pieces of chicken; 1 tbsp stuffing; 2 small roast potatoes; 1 corn on the cob; 1 piece of Yorkshire pudding

If this as all home made and fresh – nothing wrong with a good roast in my book.

2 pint glasses of water

OK, so now Karin hates me and has slunk away to eat a baguette with jam on whilst sticking pins in a small annoying Wendy doll.

Your homework for the next week Lovely CafeBebe:

• Cut out refined wheat. This means white pasta, white bread and all types of pastry or baked goods made with wheat flour. I PROMISE you will feel better. Seek out rye and spelt bread, try oatcakes instead. If you must have wheat, have wholegrain (not just ‘brown’ ). Go to the health-food shop and find different types of pasta, crackers and breads. Don’t think ‘ it’s too much hassle’ – it’s not, it’s your body and it’s important and you want to change it, remember?
• Eat more fresh vegetables – at least 5 servings a day
• Drink more water
• Start reading – really READING – labels.

Will you join Karin on her quest to clean up her food act and lose the tummy? Please leave a comment and give the lady some encouragement – especially since she probably thinks she’s just been right royally told off.

This is where I say, it’s for your own good’ , but she still wants to punch me. She’ll have to catch me first though. XX