Putting it into practice - designing my own diet

We’ve just returned from our annual Spring month-long campervan tour holiday. As usual, once I’ve actually stopped working and unwound, the aches and pains start to disappear, and I begin to feel a bit fitter and healthier. Six or seven hours a day in front of a computer screen really doesn’t do anyone any good. Holidays are also often a time for reflection and resolution, and it’s not uncommon for me to arrive home full of plans to lose weight or get fit. However, once back in the normal routine these worthy objectives frequently fall by the wayside. 

This year was no exception. However, this time, rather than just a vague plan to lose a few kilos and start running, I decided to put the knowledge acquired on my recent vegan nutrition course (distinction!!) and design my own diet. Hopefully, it will also form part of a longer-term plan to develop my vegan nutrition knowledge. As outlined in previous posts, the key health targets for vegans, or anyone else for that matter, are weight, BMI, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. I started by reviewing each of these elements.

Difficult though it is to believe I was once a size ten. Admittedly it was only for a short period of time, but like many women up to my mid-thirties my weight never changed, irrespective of what I ate. Then, of course, it started to creep up. I’ve only ever actually followed a diet twice. The first was when the Rosemary Conley ‘Hip & Thigh Diet’ was the current trend (Google tells me that this was in 1988! There’s still an online club in existence). Ten years later (it wasn’t a long-term success then!) I signed up to WeightWatchers. This really did work and I lost two stone (and completely reinvented my life). But, the first few years in France saw the pounds pile on, not helped by my addiction to baking, beer and peanuts.

Many people find that transitioning to a vegan or plant-based diet results in significant weight loss. We were no exception and in the first two years of the vegan lifestyle I lost ten kilos. However, this was still really not quite enough, and I need to kick the snacking habit and keep an eye on the great vegan ‘junk food’ that’s coming on the market. Based on my current BMI of 28 (overweight, but not obese, thankfully) I still need to lose another seven or eight kilos. The target is to achieve a BMI of 25 or below. Blood pressure is OK, and I’ve plans for a blood test to check cholesterol and other levels in the next couple of weeks. So, after establishing some baseline figures it was time to start making a weight loss plan.

There are lots of trendy diets around at the moment: high protein, low fat, intermittent fasting, to name but a few. Being the old-fashioned type I prefer to stick to science- and evidence-based tactics. There’s really only one way to lose weight: output has to exceed input. Although calories have earned a bad reputation in popular culture, they’re really just a way of measuring the amount of energy a particular food can provide. When the body receives less ‘input’, that is, energy in the form of food, it has to use energy sources already laid down and stored in the body – fat – and consequently fat stores are used up and weight is lost.

My basic calorie requirement at a maintenance level is 2000 calories per day. It’s generally agreed that steady, permanent weight loss should aim to lose one pound or around 600g per week. This is achievable with a calorie reduction of 500 per day, so I was looking at reducing my daily calorie intake to 1500. I’m afraid the 5 o’clock beer and peanuts has just had to go, along with the half tub of Ben&Jerry’s (vegan, of course) after dinner. I was happy with breakfast - we tend to eat the same every day: fruit juice, overnight oats with flaxseeds, banana and blueberries, and a large mug of rocket-fuel coffee. It’s around 400 calories, so a good start to the day. And, with a bit of willpower I found I could really get through to lunch time without the post dog-walk apple muffin that had become a bit of a habit.

This first week I decided to focus on lunches. Whether you’re a grab-and-go type person or prefer to sit down to a leisurely lunch, an organised prepper of pack-ups or a regular at the sandwich bar will largely depend on your working life and environment. If you work away or in an office, then the best way to control your meals is to take your lunch with you. You can prepare the evening before, or even a full week’s worth of lunches at the weekend. Just invest in some Tupperware, a thermos and a cool bag for transport. If you’re home-based, like me, then it shouldn’t be difficult to make a healthy nutritious lunch every day.

This week I’ve worked on four lunches that are easy to make at home, either to eat in or to pack up and take into work. They’re based on similar ingredients, so there’s no need to buy in lots of different fresh produce that won’t keep. First, I made a big batch of tabbouleh. We’d had some great tabbouleh from supermarkets in Germany and Sweden on our trip, which were a great inspiration though I’ve not yet cracked the fluffy bulgur wheat, so based my version on couscous. Seasoned with lime juice, there’s no need for any oil and the whole batch registered just 181 calories on the nutrition analyser.

Next, I made a batch of hummus. Easy to whizz up in the food processor from  a tin of chickpeas, a couple of tablespoons of tahini, lemon juice, some garlic (or not!), a tiny drizzle of olive oil (make it more liquid with water rather than more oil) and a pinch of cumin and smoked paprika. Alternatively, check out ready-made hummus, but watch out for added cream or milk. I spread a tablespoon of hummus on two wholewheat tortillas, topped with a couple of spoonfuls of tabbouleh and a big handful of rocket to make two lunchtime wraps.

Some leftovers from evening meals formed the basis of two other lunches. Scrambled tofu makes a great filling, so I used the remaining two wraps from a pack of six to make lunchtime wraps filled with the leftover portion from the previous evening’s meal, plus a good douse of sriracha and a handful of rocket. The third lunch used some cooked adzuki beans, which were left from making the tofu dish, plus rocket, tabbouleh, some grated carrot, sunflower seeds and lime juice to make a pretty and healthy buddha bowl.

Lunchtime variety

Day one: Tortilla wraps with tabbouleh, hummus and rocket

Day two: Buddha bowl with tabbouleh, rocket, grated carrots, seeds and tablespoon hummus

Day three: Tortilla wraps with leftover scrambled tofu and sriracha

Day four: Buddha bowl with tabbouleh, rocket, grated carrots, seeds and tablespoon adzuki beans

Low-cal tabbouleh

This makes a huge batch that provides at east five servings, either in wraps or as part of buddha bowls. Simply add a cupful of boiling water to a cup full of couscous, in a bowl, put a plate on the top and pop in the fridge to cool. The finely chop about eight or ten small cherry tomatoes, a couple of mini cucumbers, or a 6cm chunk, plus two tablespoons of curly parsley. Mix all well in the bowl and season with a pinch of salt and a good tablespoon of lime juice. No oil required!