Finally, after 2 months I found the courage to stand on the scale this morning - not an easy task! I've been on a new gym & eating plan since 1 April, and have been trying hard to stick to it. It's not one specific diet or workout program, I've talked to trainers and done online research and stuck to what I'm comfortable with.
Basically, for the diet part: I've cut out sugar, white breads, a lot of pasta and stuck to low fat dairy, lots of fruit and veg, chicken, salads and soups. I do sneak in the odd brownie or glass of wine here and there, but stay far away from things that I used to really munch on, like popcorn at the movies, any kind of slap chips and cool-drinks (including flavoured water). Yesterday, I decided to try and cut out the low GI bread I normally have for lunch and snacked on a few almonds, yoghurt, provitas and a banana throughout the day. Thought I'd be starving, but I actually felt great!
For the excersise part, there I was going to gym on average four times a week for about an hour, thinking the kilos were just going to fly off. Haha, not so. I spoke to 3 trainers at the gym asking them what I can do to lose weight, but what they told me didn't help. One day, earlier this month I was on the treadmill and this woman who I see at the gym every day started chatting to me. She told me to try to increase my gradient by 1 or 2 every day and increase my speed. Wow, what a difference! I can't believe how much more I'm doing now just by those few words of encouragement, and not by a "trainer" talking absolute nonsense. I can feel I'm a bit fitter and can now keep up with the 10 year old tomboy I look after (who insist on us playing hockey, tennis and soccer in free time), and am confident enough to start hip hop classes again - I cannot wait! :)
The moment of dread arrived this morning, and as I expecting to have gained weight, I didn't get my hopes up at all. That's why I was so shocked to see that I'd lost just over 2kgs in the last month and a bit! YAY! Awesome start to the day and the weekend! Now I don't feel so guilty about sampling some of the brownies and chocolate truffles for the new gift favour range tomorrow ;)
Just keeping it all in perspective...
Friday, May 21, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Massimo's Pizza
The highlight of this week was knowing that after 6 days of working furiously, we'd be able to sit back and relax with the best pizza in town. No, I'm not talking about Scooters, Debonairs, St. Elmo's or Butlers Pizza - I'm talking about REAL Italian pizza. The kind of pizza that makes you want to carry on eating even when your stomach's telling you it's had enough and is about to explode. The kind of pizza that makes you drive all the way from Durbanville to Hout Bay, just for the pizza.
If you haven't already heard of Massimo's Pizza Club, I suggest you make a plan and get there this month. They're situated on the outskirts of Hout Bay, in a cozy little corner restaurant that offers a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, a fireplace and the best pizza money can buy.
We arrived around 7.30pm last night, welcomed in from the cold by Tracy, and led to a small table right opposite the fireplace. From our table we could see the pizza oven and smell the delicious aroma's of garlic, pesto and roasted peppers that filled the air. Soft Italian music filtered across the restaurant, but the most distinct sound was that of pure laughter and happy chatter amongst the families and couples who were enjoying their food and each other's company.
Choosing your pizza is no easy task, the list of choices are endless and each pizza on the menu sounds even more mouth watering than the one before. They also have daily specials that are put up on a board that leave you even more confused! Luckily, if you're as indecisive as me and want two or three different pizza toppings but only want one pizza, they offer this option as well. I ended up having a duo pizza with half pesto and baby tomatoes on one side, and on the other half, sweet roasted peppers with feta, garlic and basalmic vinegar. It was so good that we ordered another pizza to take home which we promptly finished for breakfast the next morning. :)
We ended off our meal with two Italian liqueurs: Limoncello, an Italian after dinner drink, made by Massimo with local organic lemons, and the Bicerin - a traditional Torinese chocolate liqueur. If that wasn't enough, our waiter brought us a large jar filled with sugar cubes drenched in the same alcohol. He took out each cube, placed them on a spoon and lit them with a lighter. After the flame had caramelized the sugar cube, we blew it out and ate it just like that. Wow, what an experience! Great way to end off the evening.
I highly recommend taking a late afternoon drive to Hout Bay, and after a sunset walk along the harbour visiting this fantastic restaurant. They are open Wednesday to Sunday from 6pm, but will be closed from the end of May to early September as they will be opening at new premises in Hout Bay.
Massimo's Pizza Club @ Scarecrows, Oakhurst Farm Park
Main Road, Hout Bay, Cape Town
Contact Massimo and Tracy
Call 073 3901373 or 021 7907906, or sms PIZZA to 073 3901373 and we will call you back
email: info@pizzaclub.co.za
Friday, May 7, 2010
The things we take for granted
Friday is finally here! What a week! To say Geoff and I had car troubles this week is a mild understatement. For some reason, both our Golfs decided to play up this week, each had their turn one day after the other to decide to (a) not start at all, (b) stall in the middle of a busy intersection, (c) pretend to work the night before and then not start again the next morning. Lovely. Especially when you have to pick up kids and take them to school, have a corporate company depending on you to deliver their food, have your own company's work to do, and a whole afternoon of carting kids around for extra murals. Not ideal at all. Long story short, my car is back today from a full service *big sigh of relief*, and it's made me realise a couple of things that I sometimes take for granted, but that I am SO grateful for!
1. My family. I can depend on them for anything. They are my support system and will they love me no matter what. Just knowing that in the middle of a really crappy day (like today), I can just drop in unannounced, have a cup of tea and a chat with my Mom, and feel a whole lot better by the time I leave makes everything seem ok.
2. My husband. This week really made me realise how amazing this man is. He literally dropped everything to come and help me with my car when I was in an absolute panic. He's calm and patient; two qualities I sometimes lack in certain situations where this is really called for. There's just not enough space to type about how grateful I am to have him in my life :)
3. My health. How often are we really grateful that we have all our limbs, that we can see and hear and smell? That we can eat normally, run, sing, laugh and dance? I may not look like Cindy Crawford, I may be short, I may not be as tanned as I'd like - but I think I got a pretty good deal. I have my health, and I'm grateful for it!
4. My home. What's better than coming home at the end of a really long day to a place that's comfortable, safe and loving? Our house is small, we don't have a pool or a guest bedroom or a proper dining table yet - but it's our place to come home to, and that's what counts.
5. My pets. I can't imagine living without having a cat or a dog in the house. Growing up, we always had both. We now have two cats who love the freedom they have in the small garden. I really hope they're lapping it up, before we move to a place a bit bigger someday and can get a dog or two to join the family ;)
6. My car. This week has really made me appreciate having wheels. I forgot what it feels like to have to rely on someone for a lift, or not be able to get out and about to do the simple, everyday things that need to get done.
7. My friends. This past year has really allowed me to find out who my true friends are. I may say this a lot, but certain situations really do show people's true colours. I've found friendships in people who I thought would just be casual acquaintances, and I've lost friendships of people who I thought were my friends, but who lost interest or let me down when I really needed them. Real friends are those who stick by you through the good AND the bad times.
8. Who I am. I may be a bit reserved at times, and not quite the social butterfly at the party, but at least I know who I am and what I want. I made the decision to start my own business a while ago and went for it last year. It's tough and it's not as easy as I thought it would be. Some days I really just want to throw in the towel and call it quits, but then I remember - this is my dream, it's what I want to do and I WILL make it happen. I'm so grateful that I'm not one of those people who goes mindlessly to a job that they hate, complain and come home miserable. I'm glad I have the dreams and the will to follow them through.
I'm also grateful for coffee, the internet, the comfortable chair I'm sitting on, the sun shining through the window right now, a fridge with food in it, a TV, a proper bed, clean water, electricity and all the other normal things we (I) usually take for granted everyday.
1. My family. I can depend on them for anything. They are my support system and will they love me no matter what. Just knowing that in the middle of a really crappy day (like today), I can just drop in unannounced, have a cup of tea and a chat with my Mom, and feel a whole lot better by the time I leave makes everything seem ok.
2. My husband. This week really made me realise how amazing this man is. He literally dropped everything to come and help me with my car when I was in an absolute panic. He's calm and patient; two qualities I sometimes lack in certain situations where this is really called for. There's just not enough space to type about how grateful I am to have him in my life :)
3. My health. How often are we really grateful that we have all our limbs, that we can see and hear and smell? That we can eat normally, run, sing, laugh and dance? I may not look like Cindy Crawford, I may be short, I may not be as tanned as I'd like - but I think I got a pretty good deal. I have my health, and I'm grateful for it!
4. My home. What's better than coming home at the end of a really long day to a place that's comfortable, safe and loving? Our house is small, we don't have a pool or a guest bedroom or a proper dining table yet - but it's our place to come home to, and that's what counts.
5. My pets. I can't imagine living without having a cat or a dog in the house. Growing up, we always had both. We now have two cats who love the freedom they have in the small garden. I really hope they're lapping it up, before we move to a place a bit bigger someday and can get a dog or two to join the family ;)
6. My car. This week has really made me appreciate having wheels. I forgot what it feels like to have to rely on someone for a lift, or not be able to get out and about to do the simple, everyday things that need to get done.
7. My friends. This past year has really allowed me to find out who my true friends are. I may say this a lot, but certain situations really do show people's true colours. I've found friendships in people who I thought would just be casual acquaintances, and I've lost friendships of people who I thought were my friends, but who lost interest or let me down when I really needed them. Real friends are those who stick by you through the good AND the bad times.
8. Who I am. I may be a bit reserved at times, and not quite the social butterfly at the party, but at least I know who I am and what I want. I made the decision to start my own business a while ago and went for it last year. It's tough and it's not as easy as I thought it would be. Some days I really just want to throw in the towel and call it quits, but then I remember - this is my dream, it's what I want to do and I WILL make it happen. I'm so grateful that I'm not one of those people who goes mindlessly to a job that they hate, complain and come home miserable. I'm glad I have the dreams and the will to follow them through.
I'm also grateful for coffee, the internet, the comfortable chair I'm sitting on, the sun shining through the window right now, a fridge with food in it, a TV, a proper bed, clean water, electricity and all the other normal things we (I) usually take for granted everyday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)