Month: February 2011

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Nostalgia

I first started trying to reduce my weight by following a 1940’s WW2 rationing plan back in 2006…. I did quite well on my first attempt and managed to cook and eat strictly by my Home Front recipe books for about 4 or 5 months and lost 57 lbs…. Of course when I went back to normal modern day eating which included high fat and processed foods the weight soon crept back up again.. At least this proved to me that my theory worked.

During the 1940s Experiment I have never counted calories…..I have my ration allowances for the week put aside in my cupboard and my fridge (oh the luxury of it all) and I make do with that to build my meals on. There are no crisps (chips), large quantities of meat, huge amounts of butter or cheese or eggs and a limited amount of sweets (candies)..

I was reading through the very first attempt back in 2006 which I documented with an audio diary- I think I will start doing that again or a video diary or something as it is very helpful indeed to put your thoughts out there, get them out of your head, be silly, be sad, be honest.

CLICK HERE FOR DIARY< PHOTOS< AUDIO< VIDEO from 2006

Of course it’s difficult when things go wrong, when you fail, when your personal life affects your weight loss and lots of people know about it. However I look on anyone who reads my blogs and ramblings (of an affectionate but insane woman) as friends and we all need friends to help us get through our days, months, years and life.

CLICK HERE FOR A DISCUSSION ON 1940s FOOD– My daughter Hobbit Em & I in 2006

And of course audio allows you to be silly and have an audience… I love singing retro songs… I guess one day I’d love to have the guts to get up and sing, just be brave enough to do it for fun. For now it’s fun just singing in the bathroom or the kitchen or singing when the kids start arguing and ignore all the “Oh Mum shut up”…s. Mum doesn’t care- it’s called escapism..

CLICK HERE FOR A LITTLE RETRO SINGING from CHICAGO– at the end of this short audio log from 2006

BTW- the good news is over the last 4 weeks I have dropped 15 lbs… (the last 2 weeks I have been back to eating 1940s)!! Yay!!!

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Succeeding after failure


Today I seem to need to think and to communicate..

As I sat on the loo earlier (a great place in my house to do my thinking so not to be disturbed by Hobbits) I got to question myself and the attempts over recent years to lose the weight that attached itself to my body, at an alarming rate, since the birth of Em Hobbit 13 years ago. Most attempts have resulted in weight loss, all attempts have eventually been followed by weight gain.

For several moments I wallowed (as all large things do) in self pity…. so many times I have tried and so many times I have failed. What is it with me? Am I a flake? Don’t I care?

But then I thought of all the people who DO SUCCEED in life…. whether it is weight loss, business, health & fitness or other personal goals and achievements.. “Do these people succeed first time?”.. “Do these people give up when the going gets tough?”… “Do these people give up when they fail, once, twice, thrice?”….. NO- they most certainly do not…. successful people pick themselves up and keep trying, keep going, keep believing…

successful people pick themselves up and keep trying, keep going, keep believing…

Sitting on the toilet, akin to a strange gnome on a toadstool (I have one of those noses)  I briefly felt morose but before long, following my washroom contemplation, all seemed right with the world again.

One day soon I do believe I will grab success, firmly with both hands and refuse to let go.

Gorgeous 1940s retro clothing and sparkly girly crazy lady outfits and big naughty shoes- you will be mine one day….mwah mwah mwah…
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For bloggers and geeks- Google LOVES WordPress

I know this is off topic but I always like sharing something of value. Google LOVES WordPress!  You would have thought that recipes from the 1940’s wouldn’t exactly be very interesting to people around the world… it seems that there are at least a handful of interested folk in wartime cuisine and Google sends a lot of them my way! Here are the search terms used today so far..

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Total views referred by search engines 159

 

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Not a recipe but a quick healthy snack

Today has been a good day…. it had snowed again and due to slippery road conditions and the fact that it would have been a 40 minute commute over some snow covered hills to work, my boss was happy that I work from home. I do appreciate this although I do miss my work environment and listening to the chit chat..

It was just way too cold for an Oslo Meal at lunch time today. I usually knock one of these up for lunch as its quick and nutritious BUT sometimes you just need something warm inside you (please take your mind out of the gutter at this point).. instead I used leftover broccoli from yesterday, placed it in a small baking tin, dotted it with a teaspoon of butter, a little salt and pepper and 1 oz of strong cheddar before placing it under the grill/broiler for about 10 minutes until warmed through… I did also enjoy a slice of wholemeal bread and a nice big mug of English tea.

My youngest Hobbit (Emily) is eating many of my 1940s style dishes too so much of the food I am preparing at the moment, I try and make sure that my littlest Hobbit likes them too. The other day I did make “Curried Meatballs” following a Marguerite Patten recipe from the marvellous wartime cookbook “We’ll Eat Again”. Even though she doesn’t like curry the delicious smell was too enticing and she thoroughly enjoyed them…..

“When are we having these again Mum!!”

I’ll do the “Curried Meatballs” again very soon, take photos and post the recipe so you can try them!

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Keep Calm Carry On

I’m back…hopefully for good this time!

Life has been interesting the past couple of months. Although life has been challenging in many of it’s aspects I keep soldiering on. My Hobbits (children) are now 22, 17 and 13 and keep me busy and sane (ish) above and beyond my full time job as a web manager with a local newspaper group.

It’s in the midst of winter here in Nova Scotia, Canada. Having moved here from England (UK) in 2004, each winter still catches me unawares and I still find that 3-4 months of snow covering the ground takes a bit of getting used to.

My personal life too has taken some interesting turns and at this moment in my life I am a happy bunny. I wish I could share more with you about this but choose to keep this close to my chest at this moment in time to respect an individuals privacy. However any reference in my blog to Aragorn is someone who is currently there for me and who I hold in high respect…

It is with the support and encouragement of those close to me including my children that I return to complete what I started. My eldest (Jess Hobbit) sat down with me the other day and said “Mum- you look beautiful but I am so worried that one day something will happen to you and we will not have you anymore”….(isn’t it wonderful how your children see you as beautiful despite your appearance!) I love my Hobbits, we have become very close. When Jess Hobbit left the room I cried…

Apart from the health issues of carrying around an extra 100 lbs or so I simply have grown tired of not being the person I know I am.

I am a woman who wants to be adventurous, wants to wear gorgeous clothes, wants to express herself in ways my current body shape does not allow.

Finally… I do this because of my continuing interest in the WWII Domestic Home Front especially the cuisine and rationing of the time. I have always and continue to believe that adapting to a simpler diet of eating fresh healthy foods (locally sourced) and following a 1940s wartime rationing diet will lower my body fat and improve my health.

I do this for my children… I do this for ME!

C xxx