Author: Wattle

It is the start of the fourth big week of Januberry, and I have to say, “No, it isn’t too hard, I can do this!”

Even on hot days like today.

Move… walk, bend, the more you move the more the chance of success.

Believe it or not, we have allocated a month to eating generous serves of boiled potatoes. Not a ridiculous amount, but also not a starvation ration of them.

In this same month we accompany the boiled potatoes with pan fried lean chicken. Again a generous serve. Instead of using commercial “Finishing sauce” or making gravy we just add a tiny amount of vegetable water into the bottom of the skillet to collect up all the caramelised flavour and serve that.

Now picture the plate with an enormous piece of steamed broccoli added to it. We rotate the other vegetables for variety. Peas and corn on the cob are included in the rotation.

A half a pancake is served up for dessert. We choose real ice cream, not any “LowFat-HighSugar” substitute. Chocolate flavour is featured, it seems to work well with any sort of berry. The berry types are all readily available here in summer. Frozen ones would do just as well.

Fresh fruit makes for pleasant after dinner snacks.

This doesn’t sound too hard do do, does it? Just for one month. We call this eating theme “Januberry”.

One year we called it “Panuary”. It is designed especially to lose some small amount of weight, a kilogram or two, without being too painful. Success happens, hardly even noticing it, without too many feelings of deprivation.

The goal is to maintain the new lower weight, the good start that Januberry brings, for quite a while, so the calories are more friendly in the other months of the year. That sounds good too. A bit hard, but not too hard to do, getting used to the smaller body.

We have different eating themes to help each month, bouncing up and down around the new weight. They will be revealed as the year proceeds.

I am General Wattle, floridly engaged in the Excess Weight wars. The enemy is the Chocolate ripe/ Barbecue crisp alliance and they must not be allowed to win the battle of Januberry.

A cunning plan is needed. Some trained peppercorn soldiers in tomato uniforms will be deployed to the front lines.

Many more meals of pan fried lean chicken, steamed broccoli, beans and pumpkin will be required to win.

19 Januberry 2018

Let’s talk about cheese. It’s not a swear word. Or is it? I try to reduce the amount of meals with cheese in them, and reduce the amount of cheese in any meal…

Let’s talk about pizza! I wouldn’t want to give them up. Thank goodness, yes you can eat pizza. This slow weight reduction and maintenance plan does incorporate them.

Consider the home cooked version, with a lot less cheese, some salami, and a lot more mushrooms and capsicums. To be eaten not this month, but next. “Feburin” features the great mystery bags we call sausages and that includes hot or medium salamis. In the month of “Augrapes” (“Porkust”) we incorporate home cooked Hawaiian pizzas with less cheese topping. This is offset with more ham and fresh raw pineapple.

I firmly believe that some of my permanent weight loss has resulted from making this hard cheese change.