Day 12 Friday 31/08/07

Last night

3 Bottle of Nastro Azzuro at the pub quiz

Breakfast

1 x banana
25g dried cherries
cup of tea

Daytime

One cup of vending machine white coffee

1 x ham, salami and lettuce/tomato sandwich on wholemeal bread
1 x bottle of carrot and orange juice

Eve Meal
Gridled tuna steak, marinated in lemon juice served with brown rice, griddled panned mushrooms with an avacodoe, tomato, lettuce and onion salad dressed with a home made vinaigrette.

bottle of macabeo chardonnay (spanish) white and 1/2 a bottle of verdelho (Aus)

Pros – tuna, brown rice

Cons – salami – but that’s the last of it!

Day 11 Thursday 30/08/07

Last night

Bottle of corona
8 olives

Breakfast

½ a red grapefruit
cup of tea

Daytime

One cup of vending machine white coffee

1 x tuna and hummus sandwich on wholemeal bread
1 x can of diet cherry coke (tasted odd)

Eve Meal (made by Mel, ready for when I got back from work)

Pasta bake with condensed chicken soup, broccoli, courgette & tomato

Pros – nothing outstanding

Cons – worked late and missed rugby training

Day 10 Wednesday 29/08/07

Breakfast (v early cos I was flying)

1 x banana
cup of tea

Daytime

Two mugs of white coffee

1 x Ham gorgonzola & rocket panini
1 x orange and passion fruit juice

Eve Meal

Venison Italian stew
1 onion fried in olive oil
venison chunks sealed
pepper and garlic clove (chopped) added – softened off
tin of tomatoes added, seasoned
300 ml vegetable stock
simmered for an hour with bay leaf, oregano and thyme added
tin of butter beans

served with tomato and courgette salad dressed in balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing

½ bottle of red wine (Chianti)

Pros – loads of veggies, went for a jog with Mel before dinner

Cons – lunch had cheese in it

Day 9 Tuesday 28/08/07

Breakfast

1 x banana and strawberry smoothie
1 x kiwi fruit
1 x Bowl of Special K
cup of coffee

Daytime

One cup of vending machine white coffee

1 x Ham tomato & salad sandwich with wholegrain mustard on wholemeal bread
1 x banana
1 x pack of dried strawberries and apple

Eve Meal

Stir fried vegetables (1 x red pepper, 1 x orange pepper, green beans, 3 cloves of garlic, 4 tomatoes (quartered) and 4 spring onions) fried in a little olive oil seasoned with black pepper, soy sauce some rice vinegar and thai 7 spice mix.
Served with noodles and 3 pork & lemongrass sausages (grilled and cut into bits)

½ bottle of white wine (Aussie Verdelho)

Pros – loads of veggies

Cons – sausages (but they were in the freezer and needed using up)

Day 8 Monday 27/08/07

Breakfast

1 x banana and strawberry smoothie
1 x kiwi fruit
cup of tea

Daytime

A couple of cups of tea

Tomato (1), avocado (1) and basil salad dressed with olive oil

Bottle of lucozade

4 olives as a snack

Eve Meal

Roast pigeon
Spring greens
Green beans
Shitake mushrooms in a red currant jelly

Bowl of fresh rasberries

½ bottle of red wine (Chilean Cab Sav)

Pros – pigeon and greens

Cons – can’t think of any unless avocado (which is fattening) has the wrong type of cholesterol

Update on avocado:
Although avocados have a high fat content (between 71 to 88% of their total calories) you don't have to avoid them to enjoy a healthy diet. The body needs some fats to function well, and avocados contain healthy monounsaturated fat, which is good for lowering cholesterol levels.

Avocados are also a good source of vitamin K, dietary fibre, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate and copper. They also contain potassium (more than a medium banana), which helps regulate blood pressure and can help guard against circulatory diseases, such as heart disease or stroke.

Day 7 Sunday 26/08/07

Breakfast

1 x banana and strawberry smoothie

Daytime

Salmon and prawn salad at Burlington’s café – it had marie rose sauce on it I should have asked for a vinaigrette but will learn for next time.

A couple of cups of tea

BBQ at Big Jeff’s
4 x Mackerel fillets in lemon juice and olive oil
couple of nacho’s with chilli on

about 8 bottles of Corona

Eve Meal

Fillet steak (griddle panned)
4 x New potatoes
green beans

1 glass of red wine

went into town and had a couple of bottles of lager and then about 4 bottles of crappy lemon alcopop and a pink sambuka.

Grabbed a kebab on the way home – it had donner meat as well as BBQ’d chicken and lamb steak so I chucked the donner in the bin – still not a great episode though
Had a banana and strawberry when I got in to feel better about the kebab.

Pros – mackerel fillet at the BBQ rather than meat,

Cons – booze and kebab

Day 6 Saturday 25/08/07

Last Night

1 bottle of corbiers and half a bottle of chillean sauvignon blanc
felt hungry so had 8 olives – much better than my standard chorizo or cheese options

Breakfast

1 x banana and passion fruit yoghurt smoothie

Daytime

1 cup of white black coffee
1 x prawn and mayonnaise sandwich (from the Spa shop)
1 x banana
2 x bottles of lucozade

Eve Meal

BBQ at Tom and Polly’s
Went easy on the dips – probably only half a dozen pretzel type things with hummus and taziki
1 lamb burger in a brown roll with tomato and mozzarella
1 sausage in a finger roll with salad
some couscous with fruit in it
tomato and mozzarella salad
1 x baramundi in olive oil and lemon juice

bowl of strawberries
1 pint of fruili beer
1 glass of red wine

Pros – baramundi, steered clear of the potatoes salad at the BBQ,

Cons – sausage and burger, prawns in mayo (but it was the best choice in the shop)

Day 5 Friday 24/08/07

Last Night at the Pub

3 bottled (330 ml) Mexican lager
No chips!!!

Breakfast

Cup of tea (semi skimmed goats milk)
2 x slices of homemade organic wholemeal loaf with pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and sesame seeds toasted with dairy free sunflower type spread and raspberry jam

Daytime

1 cup of tea with skimmed milk
1 cup of black coffee
1 x salami & tomato sandwich on homemade organic wholemeal loaf with pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and sesame seeds..
1 x packet of dried fruit (apricots)

Eve Meal

Fish curry

Fried off in olive oil brown mustard seeds, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon, and half an onion
Blended up some coconut milk, fresh ginger, half an onion, clove of garlic and dried and fresh coriander.
Add in half the liquid mixture, in the pan for 10 – 12 minutes.
Add garam masala, black pepper, curry leaves
Add the rest of the liquid, some water and the cubed, skinned fish (salmon)

Cook through the fish and serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.

served with wild rice (which was v nice and picked up by Mel on a whim at Tesco’s)

Pros – wild rice, salmon

Cons – coconut milk

Finished work at 4.30 which is unusually nice!!

Day 4 Thursday 23/08/07

Breakfast

Cup of tea (semi skimmed goats milk)
1 portion of shredded wheat with semi skimmed goats milk
1 x banana
1 x glass of orange and mango smoothie.

Daytime

1 cup of tea with skimmed milk
1 x salami & tomato sandwich on homemade organic wholemeal sundried tomato bread.
1 x packet of dried fruit (mixed fruit)

Eve Meal (made be Mel)

Chilli con carne
Lean minced beef
1 x onion
1 x clove garlic
½ x yellow pepper
1 x orange pepper
8 x mushrooms
tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tsp chilli powder
½ litre beef stock

served with brown rice

Pros – brown rice

Cons – red meat

Went to rugby training this evening which was fairly intensive.
Going to the pub quiz this eve (that wont help!! – will have to avoid the chips at half time)

Day 3 Wednesday 22/08/07

Breakfast

Cup of tea (semi skimmed goats milk)
6 x strawberries
1 portion of shredded wheat with semi skimmed goats milk
½ x glass of orange and mango smoothie.

Daytime

2 cups of vending machine white coffee
1 x salami & salad sandwich on homemade organic wholemeal loaf with pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and sesame seeds.
1 x packet of dried fruit (yoghurt coated strawberries)
1x banana

Eve Meal

Small tin of blackeyed beans
One tin of tuna in brine
Half a yellow pepper
One de-seeded green chillie
4 x spring onions
2 x tomatoes
6 x kalamata olives
sprinkle of dill
juice of half a lime
basic vinaigrette

served as a salad nicely diced

Pros – olive oil rich, black eyed beans very good, tuna was in brine

Cons – nil

Trying to take work a bit less seriously didn’t last was there till gone 7 again. Went for a short jog with Mel this evening which was nice.

Day 2 Tuesday 21/08/07

Breakfast (made by Mel)

Cup of tea (semi skimmed goats milk)
1 x banana
6 x strawberries
1 portion of shredded wheat with semi skimmed goats milk
½ x glass of apple, kiwi and lime smoothie.

Daytime

1 cup of vending machine white coffee
1 x salad sandwich on homemade organic wholemeal loaf with pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and sesame seeds.
1 x packet of dried fruit (cranberries and tropical fruit – which had coconut flakes in it!)

Eve Meal (made together)

½ a glass of fresh orange juice
Egg pasta with grilled bacon (2 rashers) and ½ a grilled aubergine, 4 teaspoons of pesto sauce with a side serving of trimmed green beans plus 3 slices of Italian sun dried tomato wholemeal bread (homemade)

Half a bottle of white wine (Italian Frascati)

Pros – olive oil rich, bacon and aubergine were grilled not fried

Cons – pesto has Italian cheeses in it (Mel says we will start making our own!!)

Generally feeling ok, think a proper breakfast helps. Trying to take work a bit less seriously.

Day 1 Monday 20/08/07

Breakfast

Cup of tea (semi skimmed goats milk)
1 x banana
1 x glass of apple, kiwi and lime smothie.

Daytime

1 cup of vending machine white coffee
1 large latte from Costa (these will have to go)
1 x salami and salad sandwich on homemade organic wholemeal loaf with pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and sesame seeds.
- should have taken a packet of dried fruit

Eve Meal

Mousaka style dish as follows

½ stick of cinnamon and teaspoon of black peppercorns fried in 1 tbs olive oil
½ red onion and a large clove of garlic
250 grams minced lamb
2 mushrooms
1 yellow pepper
all fried off
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
4 carrots
2 bay leaves and a shake of dried oregano

simmered for 20 mins

placed in a baking dish topped with parboiled sliced waxy new potatoes topped with 250ml goats yoghurt and finished in the oven for 20 mins

fried aubergine on the side (in garlic and olive oil)

Greek style salad to serve (leaves, red onion, tomatoes and kalamata olives) dressed in olive oil based vinaigrette with a half clove of garlic and small shake of sea salt.

half a bottle of red wine with it (Italian Zinfandell)

pros.
- about 6-7 veg portions at least, uses olive oil & garlic, red wine.

cons.
- lamb is a bit fatty, portion control (but I only had a third of a dish and saved a portion for the freezer).

How it all began

Had been to the Dr’s Thursday last week following a couple of weeks with mild chest pains. He sent me for a blood test and an ECG.

Blood test results showed that good cholesterol was down and bad cholesterol was up. Oh dear. The Health Centre got the blood test a bit wrong so I have to go again tomorrow am.

Decision is to do some lifestyle changes and go for another blood test in 6 weeks.

Let’s see how we go!!

I am going to do a diet blog just to see how I actually fair. I have always thought that my diet was goods and playing rugby covered the exercise thing off. Probably no harm in seeing what it actually turns out like!!