The second Ramadan challenge of 2021

Opps - the one on the right is this week- see how my weight has shot up again!

Spurred on by my many friends around the world , like Pav in Canada, Alex and Chester in the Philippines, and all my dieticians in Bahrain I decided it was time to focus on loosing weight again. Since I sent my scales to the Philippines in December my weight crept up from 116 to 121 Kg which now gives me a BMI of 39.8 which is Obese.

As you can see from the graph at the start of the blog its been a long running battle to loose weight as I love food and I hate exercise and over the years I have tried many different diets, been given a Bicycle and had advise from many of my former colleagues and brother. We have also run several weight loss challenges over the years at Bapco and I always ended up putting weight on! First there was Elba's Lighten up competitions in 2011 and then the Wellbeing Healthy eating programme. Challenge Aref started in 2016 and if you have not already seen it you can read my eBook - "Challenge Aref- the Comic Version" which Chester and I wrote in 2019 with illustrations by one of my brilliant Diploma students, Salman Hamad

Challenge Aref- the Comic version

So when Chester challenged me to do a 3 day low carb diet and Pav challenged me to fast for a whole day, I decided to check my weight ( thanks to Joshua for finding me scales with a printout and BMI calculation at the Pharmacy near Black Mamba in Riffa). You can see the printout above and below is the BMI chart which shows I am now officially Extremely Obese. 

My BMI is 39.8 with a height of 175 cm and weight of 121.9 kg ( clothed with shoes on 26.4.21)

Next I researched Low Cab diets and found some dishes that I could make in my "one pot kitchen" that I would like, and then I went to Alosra to get the ingredients, and started on Tuesday 27.4.21 , the third week of Ramadan. I decided to start the week with one day on the Low Carb diet, then fast on the second day and then do the final two days on the Low Carb Diet. That left room for our annual Iftar on the Friday to celebrate our success!

Menu Ramadan- week 3- Low carb 3 days and fast one day

                                B                                     L                                                D

Tues 27     Raspberries and yogurt     Avocado vinaigrette      Shrimp scampi zoodles           

Weds 28     Fast                                              Fast                                             Fast

Thurs 29   Raspberries and yogurt  Avocado V           Pork chops with garlicky broccoli          

Friday   30     Scrambled egg                   Avocado                                                Iftar  

Sat 01   Hard boiled egg                   Quinoa Salad                    Shrimp scampi zoodles                             

Sun 02   All bran and Bananas          Quinoa salad                  Salmon Salad

Mon 03      HBE                 Smoked salmon salad         Pork chops with garlicky broccoli          

 

I never really look forward to dieting as I have a mental image of a rabbit eating lettuce leaves.

However the first dish on my Low Carb diet was delicious- Raspberries and yogurt. Normally I use 0% Fat Greek Yogurt but Alosra was out of stock so I tried a lemon flavour Organic Greek style yogurt and it was delicious. I am also not allowed sugar this week so no fruit juice or Coca Cola. Just two mugs of Black coffee before my morning shower and massage at 10 am.

In my research for this week the Diet Doctor explained:

"A low-carb diet is one that limits carbohydrates, primarily found in sugary foods, pasta, and bread. Instead of eating carbs, you eat whole foods including natural proteins, fats, and vegetables.

Studies show that low-carb diets can result in weight loss and improved health markers.

1

 These diets have been in common use for decades and are recommended by many doctors.

2

 Best yet, there’s usually no need to count calories or use special products. All you need to do is to eat whole foods that make for a complete, nutritious, and filling diet.

• Eat: Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables growing above ground and natural fats (like butter).
• Avoid: Sugar and starchy foods (like bread, pasta, rice, beans and potatoes).

Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re satisfied. It can be that simple. You do not need to count calories or weigh your food.

11

You don’t need low-fat products.

"

Source: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb

One of the items they recommend is Avocado which I love, so I had that for lunch with a low fat Vinaigrette dressing.

Then for dinner I had  Shrimp scampi zoodles where they use Courgettes ( Zucchini for my Pinoy and American readers) cut in the shape of pasta, so you feel like you are eating pasta but without the carbs!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients ( serves 4)

  

·        1 tablespoon unsalted butter

·        1 tablespoon olive oil

·        1 shallot finely chopped

·        4 cloves garlic minced (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)

·        1 pound large raw shrimp peeled and deveined with tails on (fresh or frozen and thawed)

·        1 teaspoon kosher salt

·        1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

·        1/4 teaspoon black pepper

·        1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or white wine

·        Zest of 1/2 lemon

·        1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

·        1 1/2 pounds zucchini noodles from about 4 medium zucchini

·        1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

·        2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

---

Instructions

 ·        Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the shrimp, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes, until the shrimp are beginning to cook but are still somewhat translucent.

·        Add the chicken broth, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, just until the shrimp are completely opaque and cooked through. Stir in the zucchini noodles and parsley. Toss the noodles with the shrimp so that they are coated with the garlic-lemon sauce and heat just until warmed through. (Do not overcook or the zucchini noodles will become mushy.) Sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan. Serve warm.

I have to say it was delicious! I ate one portion on Tuesday for dinner and kept the other in the fridge for Thursday

THE ONE DAY FAST!

My brother Andrew and other friends have tried Intermittent Fasting (IF) to loose weight and as we are in Ramadan my friend Pav in Canada challenged me to spend one day ( 24 hrs.) without eating or drinking at all. I created a list of things to do ( emails, blogs, reading etc.) to keep me occupied and reduced the amount I ate the day before with the Low Carb diet. 

For those who have not heard of IF before- a brief explanation:

"Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. It doesn't specify which foods you should eat but rather when you should eat them. In this respect, it's not a diet in the conventional sense but more accurately described as an eating pattern"

Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide#:~:text=Intermittent%20fasting%20(IF)%20is%20an,described%20as%20an%20eating%20pattern.  ( accessed 27.4.21)

                 The first thing  I missed was my daily mug of Black Coffee!

So how did my day of fasting go. I ate my last plum ( part of the low carb diet) at 9 pm on 27.4.21 and eventually drifted off to sleep to be woken at 11.30 pm by the new occupants in the next door flat playing loud music and having a party! I slept on and off until 5 am and then gave up. So much for Plan A of sleeping through the day. The first thing I noticed was my withdrawal symptoms for coffee.

Having woken up early for many years anyone who has seen me in the early morning will know the first thing I reach for is a big mug of Black Nescafe. At work I used to have 5 or 6 mugs a day, now I am retired that's down to 2! However I still really missed them on my fast day. Writing about them here is not making it any better so I will write more later and catch up with some friends by email.

The next crisis point was 7 am when I would normally have breakfast so I decided to go for a walk by the sea to take my mind off food. When I first retired I was walking an hour a day each morning as the sun rose but I stopped about a month a go. I headed to Bussatein Seafront and it was deserted.  

I walked for 7 kilometers taking photos, which took me an hour and by the time I got back to the car it was 30 degrees at 8.30 am and I was covered in sweat! I headed home and had a little nap until Corleen delivered my laundry at 11 am. Normally I would eat lunch then but as I was busy updating the 3 blogs I am currently working on and sending emails , and arranging our Iftar for Friday, I did not really notice that I had not eaten!

However I was very thirsty and my urine told me I was dehydrated so in the interest of my health I had a litre of sparkling water around 1 pm. After dozing on and off in the afternoon I woke at 4 pm and realised I had some Pork that I had defrosted but not eaten. It was supposed to be part of my Low Carb Diet ( Pork chops with garlicky broccoli ) but when I checked the recipe again I realised it has to be cooked in an oven, which I did not have! ( If you want the recipe click here : Pork Chops with Garlicky Broccoli ). Since then I have made the dish again and written a blog about it which you can find by clicking the link below:

Pork Chops and Garlicky Broccoli Blog

A good chef always has a plan B so i cubed the pork and added sweet and sour sauce but the smell was too tempting and it tasted so good I had two bowls of it at 5 pm! So I only managed a 20 hour fast with a litre of water. I will try again next week Pav!

                                Pav in 2015 on her trip to Bahrain

As is usual at this point in the Holy Month of Ramadan having tried to fast for 24 hours and not quite maid it I bow down to the willpower of my colleagues and friends around the world who are followers of Islam. They manage to fast from Sunrise to Sunset ( about 14 hours here 4 am to 6 pm ) for 30 days as a sign of their devotion during Ramadan. 

At 7 pm I dozed off to sleep again and by 11 pm I was awoken by the party guys next door. Again I slept on and off through the night until I could complain to Reception in the morning as I have had intermittent disruption to my sleep for over a month now. They promised me that the noisy people would be leaving today and would not be allowed back as several people complained about them. 

One of the good things about Intermittent fasting is that you savor every last morsel and drop of your meal when you restart eating. So at 5 am I awake and prepared my Low Carb raspberries and Low Fat Lemon Greek Organic yogurt and my big Dubai Starbucks mug of Nescafe-and boy did it taste good.

I decided to continue exercising and at 8 am headed off to the Al Najma club and walked to Coral Bay and back. It was 32 degrees by the time I got back after a 7 km walk taking in the new Bapco Bus stops that have been placed along the way!

    One of the 5 new Bapco BMP Solar powered "bus stops" that now line the walk

       Instead of walking you can now read all about the Bapco Modernisation plan

After my walk I went to the Four Seasons hotel and booked our Iftar for Friday. Then I returned home for  and prepared some much needed water, a cup of Earl Grey tea and the last of my Avocado Vinaigrette as day 2 of my 3 day Low Carb Challenge diet. I have avoided sugar all week ( I did not buy any Coca Cola last week and I normally have 6 cans a week) . I also did not have Talabat ( food delivery) the whole week which was the Penultimate of Chester's challenges.

                                      Cartoon by Salman Hamad

But of course the big question is did I loose weight. On Thursday night I headed back to the Pharmacy in Riffa and got on the scales as they are closed on Friday and I want to post this Blog then. Good news, I had lost 1 kg in 3 days!

               29.4.21 - 1 kg lost in 3 days and my BMI is down to 38.7 ( Obeses)

So all in all a pretty satisfying week and thanks to Chester and Pav for Challenging me and kickstart my weight loss again. Let us hope that before I head off to the Philippines and my permanent retirement I can loose some more and get back to the weight I was when I arrived in Bahrain 11 years ago!

Sadly my bike is in storage in Palawan but one day I hope to be cycling down to 102 Kg again!

Until then this is the British Kabayan ( almost) signing off from hopefully his last Ramadan in Bahrain.

To my Phillipino readers "Ingat Palagi, Kita kits"

To the rest of you "Stay safe and wear your masks!"