For women who love their Biryani

So far it has been a good week for me. No overeating, no alcohol. In fact I have steered clear and it feels great. I have also increased my intake of fresh fruits, raw salad and water. Though there are no evident physical changes yet, I feel a whole lot better.

One of the main reasons for my wellbeing maybe the fabulous book I am currently reading. Packed with good sense , French Women Don’t Get Fat (Chattu & Windus 2005) is not a new book. It has been around for a long time. Written by Mireille Guiliano this book speaks about how to eat like the French and stay trim like them. From chocolate, to a glass of wine, to a slice of Pizza everything is allowed … in a small quantity. But before she gets to the food part author Mireille Guiliano urges one to have one weekend Leek Soup to get a head start.

I can’t stay only on soup for two full days. I need my chai and khaana . But then the idea of tasting something new excited the Foodie in me.  I head back to my Nature’s Basket and picked 5 stalks of Leeks. They are light green and long. The author promises that they are packed with nutrition. The soup , has a very pleasant light texture it.  I had my Leek Soup with Stir Fried Veggies and a boiled egg. Satiating, light and yummy. I felt so good , that post lunch I found myself beaming like Renuka Shahane from Hum Aapke Hain Kaun.

I am going to have the same for dinner…maybe I’ll add some a corn on the cob too.

Exercise … I run around all day, without respite sometimes. But somehow that does not seem to knock the kilos off. No, I have not stretched or walked and now it has really started to bother me…

Leek Soup: if you dont get Leeks in your neighbourhood , try onion stalks . Not the same thing, but a similiar mild flavour.

On your marks...

I saw Bhaag Milkha Bhaag last Saturday. Could not stop admiring Farhan Akhtar’s toned abs. I cried to my husband... just the way  my two year does when she kicks up a fuss , “Even I want! Even I want!”

The abs, apparently are the toughest to whittle down. As, of today my Great Indian Madhya Pradesh a.k.a stomach feels like The Garden of Eden. And that is because I have been on fruits all of Tuesday and half a Wednesday. (I have a book-promotion interview and a photo shoot lined up on Saturday. For that I want to look like an author and not an over-worked mommy)

It has been a hectic week so far.. Monday I was out of town . I have just finished my book edit this afternoon. There are meetings lined up every day. My husband has a demanding schedule till month end. The part-time maid is on chutti… 

Fruits and meditation give that instant glow so I am told. I have had no time to meditate, so I went all out fruit shopping at Nature’s Basket .

Earlier in the day, on Tuesday , I felt great . Water melon juice for breakfast , a fruit salad with yogurt for lunch at The Bagel Shop ( I write from the café, 5 days a week) , pears for tea made me feel lighter and healthier . Fruits are a good break for the digestive system. But as day turned into night , tad bit of irritation crept in. However I ate a  pear ever two hours .

Wednesday morning I had apples and musk melon for breakfast. But post lunch time I was a ravenous nut. However , I behaved sensibly this time and had  a healthy meal of freshly made hot bhakri and subzi at home. 

Moral of the story : A fruit a day will keep the doctor away, but fruits all day – will drive you nuts.

My started with fruit, fruit and some more fruit. I don’t know how it ended with a mouthful of Vivani- organic dark bitter chocolate. Well at least the chocolate is healthy…its organic you see.

However, I think it is still easy to diet, or make a film or write a book or even build a city. But the toughest task in the world is to embark on an exercise program and stick with it. I have not moved any part of my body, not just yet. Unless eating is considered Exercise. After all , it  strengthens the muscles of the jaw.

Anyways,  let’s see… I have a mat, exercises T-shirts, running shoes and a squash racket. What I don’t have is time. Who does? Stretching can be done anywhere , anytime , anyhow. Maybe I will start with stretches. Or a single stretch. The journey of flat abs starts with a single stretch. Tomorrow. I promise.  Aai Shapath.

P.S- I have been trying to upload pics on this post for last 12 hours! Its just not happened. Only 1/2 the image gets uploaded. My bad. I am technologically challenged and have a long way to go. If possible please explain because on the I-Phone my Garden Of Eden was a full image.



                                    Before:

After

Die-T Another Day

Sorry for the delay. My laptop stopped functioning.

Die-t Another Day:

I was very nervous when I posted my first blog entry this Thursday.  But thanks to everyone who commented and liked on FB, I was so thrilled that husband and I opened a bottle of Red Wine soon after we reached home . And we had creamy pasta on the dinner menu.

We decided we’d tuck my daughter in bed and celebrate post that. By the time Anika was fast asleep my stomach was growling . So to assuage hunger pangs I bit into a thick cube of Gouda Cheese as I sipped my red. The combination worked beautifully. The heft of the Gouda , kept hunger at bay.

My husband had two glasses of wine, as we talked about the blog and my upcoming book. So excited was I that by the end of the night I finished the whole bottle of red…

…And, woke up the next morning feeling like shit. I was hungry for I had skipped dinner, I was grouchy because I had no energy. And there was work to be done. I had to get Anika ready, drop her to school and then edit my novel-in-progress. And who would take the Bikini Project seriously if I, right after my first blog-post,  guzzle down like silly.

As I plodded through the day, I promised myself- no more alcohol. It saps me off energy. I could not even think of exercise, as I was ready to hit the sack by seven in the evening . But Anika was full of life and wanted to play building blocks.We had dinner by 8:30 pm and buckled down to play.

Though I will not go on a diet, I plan to follow Bob Greene’s Five Simple Eating Rules mentioned in his book Total Body Makeover ( 2005, Simon&Schuster). Bob Greene is Oprah Winfrey’s trainer and has featured on Oprah very often . Here are his five rules

1)      “Have an eating cut off time”.  This means that you let 2-3 hours pass between dinner and bed time. So, I had to wait till 11:30p.m before I hit the sack.

2)      “Eat a nourishing breakfast”.

3)      “Drink a minimum of six -8 ounce glasses of water a day”.

4)        “Eliminate Alcohol” ( Hmm…ahem… cough …cough..But then wine …its not alcohol. Its fruit juice, it should be had for breakfast ;))

5)         “Make eating a conscious act”. While this may sound like a no-brainer , this tip is of utmost importance to me. I dunk my head into a bag of chips every time I am anxious. So I promise myself I will only eat at the table – breakfast, lunch, tea  and dinner.

And now it was past eleven . I was proud to have stuck to the first rule. But slowly hunger crept in. Very slowly. How could I sleep on an empty stomach? And one mini-modak of Hershey’s Kisses would not hurt. However  nuts, chips and chocolates and even children – its difficult to stop at one. Surreptitiously , one mini-modak went up to two, then three, and finally stopped at 4. I have no recollection of how 2 chocolate-chip cookies were gobbled up post that.  Maybe it was the exhaustion of the day catching up.  Anyways, l will end my post as dramatically as Scarlett O Hara in Gone with the Wind – tomorrow is yet another day.

Till then,

Have Fun!

 

Coming Up Next – The Exercise Battle.

The Bikini Project for Women who Love their Biryani

The Bikini is like Bradley Cooper.  Super hot and most women want to be in one , at least once. I am one of those ‘most’ women. I love the Bikini and the Bradley …

…and that brings me to my greatest love of all time –FOOD. Mutton Biryani is my all time favorite.  Homemade Khichda is next in line. I am into Parsi cusine these days. My husband loves my prawn patiyo and dhansak. ( Tip: If you are a novice , as I am, you will never go wrong with Parsi food if you use AATASH masalas).    

So what is the blog about? THE BIKINI PROJECT – for women who love their BIRYANI, is a project I am undertaking. This is going to be my journey. A 30 something plus size Mommy’s  endevour to fulfill a wish – which is to wear a two piece Bikini.

 However t to do that, mommy will not starve. Because according to Mommy starvation is a sin, its unnatural , unhealthy.

Mommy will exercise as that’s proactive and positive. However I am not exercising right now. I have to start by choosing a form. Pilates ,or yoga, running or squash…I have yet to pick one. May be you can help.

So will I be able to wear the classic two piece? I don’t know. As an Indian wife- mother-author, will I be comfortable splashing my two piece avatar  on the web? Right now I can’t promise that.

However what I can promise you is unflinching honesty and unabashed fun.  So on a night I do a full blown Dharam Paji on myself – you will know. If I eat a beef burger with slices of bacon at the Sundance Café (by the way, their beef burgers are to die for) after a particularly stressful time, I will confess that too.

Who am I?  I live in Mumbai with my husband and two year old daughter.  I am a freelance writer by profession. I have worked television, films, had a column and currently I am working on my second novel.

I love the F word. Family, Food , Friends , Fashion, Films and above all Fun. That’s what the Bikini Project is about. It’s about having fun on the journey… Like the wise ones often say “If it aint fun, don’t do it.”

Have fun!

Vrushali

P.S New entries will be posted thrice a week- Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. 

Coming Up -  Die-t another day.