So last week I tried out a recipe out of Men’s Health which looked pretty good. It’s just chicken and brown rice cooked in beer, sounded pretty good on paper but just didn’t quite work for my wife and I.

So I turn to the internet to give me some suggestions on how to fix this recipe. I should probably point out that the original recipe called for wheat beer which I didn’t have so used an APA instead, so that could have contributed to the failure.

• 250g chicken breast
• 2 cups of cooked brown rice
• 1 cup of chopped vegetables
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 1 bottle of beer

Season chicken then brown on all sides in a pan. Remove chicken and stir fry vegetables for one minute. Add in cooked rice, chicken and stock then heat until the liquid boils. Add the beer then cover and bake in the oven at 150 for 10 minutes.

So what could I replace the beer with? My initial thought was just water to keep the amount of liquid the same but perhaps I could use something to enhance the flavour. Ideas?

It’s been a little over a year and 22kg since I decided to take hold of my diet and exercise and make some positive changes. Over that time I’ve tried quite a few different things and figured out a few simple things that anyone can do to improve their overall health.

1. Avoid added sugar. This one is probably the most obvious but also the hardest to stick to. There are plenty of foods out there that contain naturally occurring sugars which are fine to eat, such as fruit or milk. Obviously you don’t want to over do it, but these foods are fine to eat. It’s the fizzy drinks and sweet treats that we need to cut back on, Coke Zero is a good starting point, but eventually water is where you want to go when thirsty. Unfortunately many of us don’t realize how addicted to sugar we are. I can also tell when I’ve avoided sugar for about four days because I have this overwhelming craving for it. A craving that Coke Zero or a banana won’t satisfy, that’s where will power is important.
2. Eat whole grains. Here’s a nice easy one, switch that white toast to a nice whole grain bread. Swap the white rice for brown. White flour was originally a sign of status as it took considerably more labour to remove the husk and germ from the flour, but unfortunately your body burns it faster than whole grain, meaning it gives your body a burst of energy and is then gone.
3. Cut down the portion size. There seems to have been a great deal of portion inflation over the years. What’s the right amount of meat or protein to eat for dinner? About 150-200g, yet many of us eat around double that. Your lamb chop or steak should be around the size of the palm of your hand, and don’t go back for seconds.
4. Short term pain for long term gain. There are days when it’s tough, days when you’d just like to sit down with a packet of Tim Tams and a six pack of cream donuts but you need to remember what the long term goal is. The occasional slip up will happen and you shouldn’t chastise yourself too hard for it, but you need to get back into the routine as soon as possible. Remember your dietary sins and let them motivate you towards your goal.
5. Remember, eating right is not a temporary solution. There is no such thing as a diet, there is only lifestyle change. If you go on a diet and lost 10kg over 10 weeks, then go back to your old bad habits, I almost guarantee you that you’ll gain 12kg in the next 10 weeks. There are plenty of wonderful tasty meals you can eat that are also good for you.

Finally, do not be tempted with any of these fad diets that promise “guaranteed results”, or “lose weight without diet and exercise” because there is no way to shed excess flab without hard work. Exercise is hard work, eating right is hard work, but the pay off is worth the sacrifice. I feel better than I’ve felt in 10 years, I’ve been able to handle two natural disasters, increased pressures at work and becoming a dad all with a smile on my face and a song in my heart. You can do it too, if only you put in the hard work.

I’ll leave you with the words of Lance Armstrong that often inspire me as I run that last km, finish that last heavy set or say no to my favourite comfort foods: “Pain is just weakness leaving the body.”

Dear fellow cyclists,

First of all, congratulations on getting out there and participating in a wonderful sport and for taking traffic off this road. Unfortunately for all of us, cycling can be a rather dangerous sport as recently a number of cyclists have been killed in traffic accidents.

Cyclist groups have been in the media pleading for respect from drivers, but from what I have witnessed in the past few weeks, I am here to suggest that this respect needs to go both ways.

Cycles are considered a vehicle under the Land Transport Act 1998 and as such are bound by the same rules as cars and trucks on the road, but there are far too many cyclists out there who seem to think that the rules do not apply to them.

On my ride home from work this afternoon I witnessed four cyclists run a red light, at a specialist cycle crossing no less, and perhaps scarily enough, a cyclist riding down a shared pedestrian cycle way with his helmet dangling from his handlebars while texting.

It is acts like these by cyclists which leads to an almost homicidal rage from some drivers who claim that we as cyclists have no right to be on the road as we do not pay road user charges, hold licences or have our bikes inspected. Now while these arguments are completely ridiculous, the animosity from drivers is very real.

In any cycle vs car accident, it is the cyclist who will always come off worse. It is for that reason that we as cyclists must exercise extreme caution while riding, but we must also extend some respect and courtesy to drivers if we are to “share the road”, as the slogan goes.

Almost every time I ride, a witness some complete lunacy from drivers, but I always make sure that I follow the road code and show respect for drivers. On my last long ride, I had to move across two lanes of traffic to make a right turn, one driver slowed to allow me to cross and I waved him a thanks. Later in the ride another driver started to make a U turn but stopped when he saw me, again I waved thanks to him.

So perhaps instead of pulling some of the crazy manoeuvres that cyclists do, or acting like the rules somehow do not apply to them, we cyclists need to be the first to extend the olive branch to drivers. If we stick to the rules and are polite, it is harder for drivers to see us as the enemy.

We cyclists have the most to lose from this conflict, and we cannot pretend that there are those among us whose behaviour contributes to the bad feelings from drivers. Obey the rules, be polite and perhaps the carnage on the roads can be a thing of the past.

Ride on.

Welcome to my blog, all about my journey back to a healthy weight through the good old fashioned (and might I add only proven) method of eating right and exercising regularly.

My story begins around 10 years ago when I used takeaways and snacks to comfort myself during a difficult period in my life. Basically, if it was bad for you, I ate it and a lot.

A few years back I saw a picture of myself and was horrified by the size of my belly, I hadn’t realized how big it had gotten. At that time I decided to do something about it, and I did. By following a strict eating plan, and exercising regularly I managed to lose 12kg, although I have put about 3 of those back on.

So now here I am in 2010 with a goal of losing 10kg by the end of the year and keeping it off. My current weight is 85kg so by December 31 I aim to be 75kg or lighter.

My intent is to post at least one entry a day, but knowing myself I may miss a few day.

Here we go!