Hi all, I made a video regarding my weight-loss during the past month living 100% on a WW2 English ration book diet.
This month I’ve had my first modern day real-life challenges which I feel I managed to navigate successfully. I was invited out to meal with my work team to welcome a new member aboard. I don’t spend much time away from the house due to the fact that my youngest has some severe anxiety issues and panic disorder BUT I can’t put all my life on hold so we work things out by short periods away from the house. The restaurant was just two streets away so I went.
Living on a WW2 diet I’m committed to eating food stuffs that were available during the 1940s during the times of rationing. The restaurant we attended served curries so I went for a vegan plain vegetable curry (tomato based) with plain white rice, no naan, no poppadoms and I drank an ale. Curry was served in Britain as early as 1733 and there were curry houses in several cities during WW2 but it wasn’t until post-war Britain when Bangladeshi seamen began to buy bombed out chippies and cafes and started selling curry and rice alongside fish, pies, and chips, that curry worked it’s way firmly into British culture.
I digress….
Apart from the excitement of enjoying a curry, most of my diet has been very similar but I am thoroughly enjoying it. In addition to porridge, sandwiches, salads, stews, pies and lots of vegetables and potatoes, I’ve also baked biscuits, bread pudding and fruit cake. With hindsight, baking a cake wasn’t a good idea as my inability to resist high fat/high sugar combinations, led me to eat the whole cake within 30 minutes. This was a lesson learned to only cook small portions of treats. However, this wasn’t a complete disaster as I ensured I carried on eating plenty of main meals with lots of vegetables and potatoes and this ensured I didn’t have any cravings for the sweet stuff!
Despite this, I’m pleased to say that I lost 11 lbs this month and in two months I have lost 24 lbs (1 st 10 lbs).
C xxx
Good job Carolyn!
Thank you xxxx C
Wonderful jjob! You should be so proud. One quarter of 100 pounds gone! Amazing job in just two months!
Oh gosh when you say that it sounds so good! Haha! Thank you xxxx C
Dear Carolyn,
Very well done, such good news.
I have lost two inches from my waist and a pleasing 6lbs so far this year. I am thinking of joining an exercise class in the school hall, perhaps the Women’s League of Health and Beauty, such an optimistic title, like anti-wrinkle cream or anti-aging cream, but that is hoping for miracles. I did manage to get just one pot of my Traditional Skin Cream at Boots the Chemist. I am eking out the last little bit of the old pot in case it becomes unavailable.
We have been doing the Money Savers Grocery Challenge for March, £30 a week for two instead of our usual £5 a day, and using WW2 rations, and with our store cupboard and freezer still well stocked it has been quite easy. With the price of fuel so high, we are saving every penny. Thank goodness there is more daylight now.
Shopping and queuing daily for fresh produce must be such a chore, without a refrigerator, and so tempting to add something extra just because it was available, and might not be, or might be rationed, next week. I am shopping less frequently and checking what I have first, and making a list.
We have our vintage plates and portions. Thank goodness there is the first forced rhubarb now, and we have some stored apples, still usable, if a bit wrinkly. I have been looking at the young nettle shoots and thinking ersatz spinach or nettle soup? What a useful word for these times, “ersatz.”
We are managing with the tea between the two of us. Milk has been my downfall, just 3 pints a week. I have watered it down just a little to make it go further. We have dried milk for custards and sauces, and my points have been used on tinned evaporated milk when I can get it, for our water porridge, at least it doesn’t need added sugar. I found out that invalids were allowed a little extra milk and I would qualify.
I am working hard on not eating between meals. Granny would not have allowed it. I think I am turning into her in many ways. I didn’t have a biscuit in the village hall on Wednesday, I just walked right away from the serving table with my cup of unsweetened tea. Today I declined a chocolate from someone’s precious ration at the handicraft meeting. I found people were talking a lot about food. We made a felted brooch in the shape of a flower, so pretty to brighten an old jacket. I took a precious bar of scented soap for the raffle and then I won a bar of chocolate! TMOTH will be delighted.
Keep soldiering on,
Nelliegrace
Congratulations on the inches lost and the weight loss!!! What an interesting comment you left too! Love your observations on Granny! certainly wouldn’t have allowed eating in between meals! My parents were similar and guess what, I didn’t have a weight problem back then!!! We had big meals but no eating in between and plenty of walking! yes 3 pints of milk is only just enough for cups of tea. I’m struggling with that a bit too especially as I’m not drinking more tea than I’ve ever done before! C xxxxx
Result!
I made a similar mistake regarding cake with a batch of biscuits, ate the lot in about 30 mins. Luckily I made half quantity…. I’m told it’s the combination of fat and sugar that makes us carry on carry on carry on eating….
100% fat and sugar combos are lethal for wanting more!!! Not sure why it has taken me so long to finally realise that!! Haha! C xxxx
Hello,
I saw your video re weight loss on tv.you said you couldn’t see any
difference but I could see a big difference,keep going it’s working. X
Awww thank you Rosie!!! xxxx C
Well done Carolyn! Nice you had a night out with workmates! Ann lee s
Thank you Ann xxxx Yes it was lovely having a couple of hours out xxxx C
Wow! Very well done! I can totally understand how you are the whole cake…. easily done! Keep up the good work x
Thank you so much Carolyn xxx
Nice one Carolyn! 🙂
Thanks Sean!! C xxx
Well done Carolyn, that’s a great weight loss…keep going. Dx
Thank you so much Lizzie! C xxxxx
Well done you x
Thanks so much Rebecca! I feel like I can see the light again! C xx
You look so happy Carolyn. Cake? We have all been there 🤣. Better spring weather and walking to look forward to. Well done you, keep going. 💕
Hahaha! YES feeling happier already and looking forward to spring xxxx Thank you C xxxx
Very well done, Carolyn! What were some of your favorite home cooked meals?
You’re doing so well! We tried your mince slices the other day btw, which got a big thumbs up!
I loved watching the video and thoroughly enjoyed reading the blog post 🙂. You are doing great! 🙂🙂
Your “eating the whole fruitcake” story had me laughing with understanding as my first dip in the sugar pond since January was oatmeal biscuits, and my late night dip into the (cookie) tin had me cracking a tooth. Consider yourself lucky! I was so mad at myself.
On another note, I am back on the skin-on potatoes, carrots, celery, mushrooms, sweet potato, tomatoes, cabbage, green onions, lentils. The leafy greens are a bit expensive now, but a box (clamshell) lasts a week. Not sure about your produce prices, but here the prices for produce are crazy.
Buying soy curls from Whole Foods tomorrow. Will report back.
I speak for myself, but what are the prices where you are? I will itemize, but it is difficult to keep my bill below USD$30.00/ week
This is such a great post. Congrats!! I love following you on this journey, inspiring in so many ways!