Okay, stand back, folks: The dust is about to fly!

Australian Facebook friend Cas Allen and I have thrown down the gauntlet: We’re both determined to lose some fine WEIGHT!

It’s the proverbial struggle of grown-up humans in industrial societies: the processed foods we eat and the forces that tend to keep sedentary lead us to put on the pounds imperceptibly, a few ounces (make that grams in Australia) at a time, until one day it occurs to us that…yes, we’re fat!

I lost 30 pounds over a four-month period by sticking to fresh, whole foods; avoiding starch (potatoes, bread, pasta); cutting out the sugar; and minimizing salt use. That was grand!

But after the boob surgery followed shortly by surgery for an intestinal scarring blockage, for awhile about all I felt like eating was ice cream. And that was kind of the end of the whole healthy-food idea. Next thing you know it’s noodles, baked potatoes, and mounds of rice! I’m now about 8 pounds overweight — down from ten  pounds and still fighting a sweet tooth.

Cas reports a similar stealth weight gain. Like me, she also enjoys good food — lots of it, if at all possible. And good food is to be had in Australia, often influenced by wonderful Asian cuisine.

So, we’ve announced a COMPETITION to see which one can lose weight the fastest and avoid cheating on the diet the bestest. Watch this space for comments reporting our adventures in fine (dietetic) cuisine.

Want to join the race? The rules are simple:

Each day, add a comment to this post reporting how much you lost or gained (in pounds or in kilograms), what you ate, and whether you managed to get any exercise. Competitors must join by 5 a.m. Monday, October 31, U.S. Mountain Standard Time (Google “what time is it in Phoenix AZ to translate your time to Wild West Time).

The contest will run for one month, from October 31 to November 31. Yes, I know: Thanksgiving puts the ‘Mercan contingent at a disadvantage. Too bad. Stock up on turkey and brussels sprouts, and show some balls: push that gravy, stuffing, and mashed potatoes aside!

The winner gets…uhm…thin.

And I will award the winner her or his choice of any Plain & Simple book, in hard copy, PDF, ePub, or .mobi format.

Prizes for….

Who can reach his or her target weight first?f
Who can lose the most weight in a month? (Uhm…without becoming anorexic, please)

Announce your intention in the comments and tell us how much you hope to lose within the next month and your target weight. Then, once a day, enter your weight gain or loss and the highlights of your cuisine and exercising strategy.

May the best fatty skinny person win!

by Kathy Nida

My daughter turned into a gourmet cook at about the age of 14. She’s seen every Food Network show ever made. I text her at college when I need a replacement for buttermilk or can’t find the chia seeds at the grocery store. She can tell me the aisle and what’s around it.

I was a fair to middling cook before she started her journey into foodie status. I could cook reasonably well, but depended more on the microwave and dried spices than I do now. I had never used fresh garlic. I hadn’t made spaghetti sauce from scratch, let alone pesto or risotto. I had tried many things when I was first married: hummus, naan bread, even gnocchi. I just wasn’t very good at cooking outside the box.

Then this kid of mine, she bustled into the kitchen, demanded new knives and a few microplanes, and transformed how we all ate. Because of her, I now use almost all fresh spices, made a delicious leek bacon risotto for my school lunches this week, and regularly am searching the store for exotic ingredients.

Quinoa was one thing she made us eat that I’ve appreciated even more now that she’s at college. It cooks up easily, takes on fresh veggies and meat like a boss, and is cute and curly on top of all that. A small amount fills me up, always a plus for those of us with the scale weighing on our minds. It also has a delicious nutty flavor, much better than the rice I relied on in my early cooking years.

Even better, it’s high in protein, which helps vegetarians and vegans reach their nutritional needs, it’s gluten-free for those of us who need to control intake, and it has many useful nutrients like iron and fiber. Amusingly, NASA considers it a perfect food for long space flights, because it provides a high protein to carbohydrate ratio. I’ll keep that in mind the next time I board a space shuttle.

There are many recipes available for quinoa online, but 30 Pounds/4 Months has a particularly tasty version of Curried Quinoa Pilaf with carrots, tomatoes, and a dash of feta. It works for me, being a fan of curry. Honestly, you could pair any meat and vegetables with quinoa and some fresh spices and they would work well together. The next time you reach for a bag of rice at the store, look around a bit and try some quinoa instead. It’s better for you.

For some quinoa tips and that tasty curry recipe, check out 30 Pounds/4 Months, the natural foods diet and cookbook par excellence. Order the Kindle version from Amazon, or if you prefer a print copy for your kitchen, and leave a message.

Image: DepositPhotos, © 2016 sarsmis