Self Sabotage

Tonight I watched Julie and Julia — that movie about the woman who blogs about cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. When the movie was first released I read about all the work that went into the food styling on the set here, on MattBites. Such an interesting read! And the food — all of it — looked amazing. By the end of the movie I wanted nothing more than to eat mountains of rich, decadent French food. Not conducive to dieting success! Hence the title of today’s post: Self Sabotage.

That said, the diet continues to tick along quite nicely. I’ve lost just enough weight that none of my clothes fit me properly any longer. A little awesome, a little not awesome.

Still, as I promised in my last post about dieting, I’ve been trying one new recipe per week in an attempt to broaden my repertoire. So far I’ve tried tandoori chicken, jerk chicken, and (rather unimaginative) chicken skewers. I was planning to document my efforts in photographs but I can’t seem to make chicken look photogenic. I’m no food stylist! Still, I can make a bowl of edamame look pretty appealing. I could go for some right now!

Diet Progress Report

To satisfy your insatiable curiosity about me, here’s ten things about me in two lists.

Things I will never like:

1. Cigarettes
2. Medical procedures
3. Waking up to an alarm clock
4. Scary movies
5. Barack Obama

Things I will always like:

1. Indian food
2. Candy
3. Sweet potato fries
4. Giant vats of pho
5. Milkshakes

I’m pretty sure that the second list would’ve looked a lot different if I’d written it four weeks ago. I’m pretty sure that “Boys” would have been pretty close to the top. But I’ve been on a cutting diet for the last four weeks and all I’m thinking about at the moment is food! Still, the diet is working its magic. I weighed in this morning and I’ve lost 7.4 pounds in four weeks. Four more weeks to go!

In spite of what the second list might lead you to believe, my diet has always been pretty healthy. I grew up in a household where most everything was cooked from scratch, so eating nutritious home-cooked food has always been my preference. (That said, I will have a weakness for candy forever!) I’ve been eating the same foods I ate before I started cutting — just less of them. I’ve also been doing cardio on my days off from weight training. Luckily the weather in Toronto has been unseasonably warm so I’ve been able to run outside.

For the remaining four weeks of my cut, my goal is to vary my meals a little more. I’m lazy about cooking at the best of times, so I’ve decided to challenge myself to attempt one new recipe per week until the diet is over. Not a hugely ambitious number, I know, but I really hate being in the kitchen! I’d love to hear your suggestions for recipes to try!

Clare SCHWARZENEGGER!

Ha – in my dreams, anyway! I’ve been bulking for a year in which time I’ve gone from 125 to 140. Now it’s time to cut the chub! I’ve been dieting for one week, and I’m down 5 pounds already. I’m expecting my weight loss to slow to about 1 pound per week as my body adjusts to my new diet. Right now I’m doing an upper/lower split with cardio on my days off. The current plan is to cut for eight weeks then resume bulking, but I’ll play it by ear since I’m not preparing for a competition.