This is a photo taken last June in the Amazon rainforest of Brasil. We were a good two hour hike plus two hour kayak plus two hour drive from the nearest city (Manaus). Toughest conditions I have endured, and I have been to a lot of places from the Sahara to the Andes to -40 in the Canadian north. In the foreground is a rather large leaf. In fact, it is several times taller than I am. On Day Eight of the PCP, we turned a rather large leaf.
The expression "to turn over a new leaf" comes from books, of course, and in many instances pages are still referred to as "leaves." As we shifted from "eat what you normally eat, only half" to the real PCP diet, it really felt like a new beginning. As I had already been preparing my own food for the first seven days and never really indulged, the transition to this diet was a little smoother than I thought.
The two main issues I identify at this early stage are finding the time to weigh my food until I am able to eyeball how much chicken = 120 grams or does one apple = 180 grams of fruit, and finding the time to creatively prep dishes to keep myself happy eating them for 80 days. Normally I enjoy cooking as I have mentioned in previous posts, but I never measure anything, ever, when I do. It's all approximations and creative inspirations and things turn out just fine with taste tests. Put it another way, I've never been one to measure and bake...I don't have the patience for it. Now that I am weighing everything, I am not cooking, if that makes any sense. I wind up with x grams of steamed veggies, x grams of steamed chicken, x grams of brown rice, each in its own little ziploc bag--no harmony or binding theme among them. As a foodie, this just won't do in the long-term, though in the beginning stages it is good to think about what I am eating in each grouping. As I get more used to the amounts and eyeballing things instead of weighing everything, I am hopeful that I can have the time to get more creative again. Right now, given my work schedule, I just don't have the time to be doing that.
Speaking of weighing things, my first day on the proper PCP diet coincided with a rare visit by my sister from Canada. It must be about three years since she last stayed in Tokyo and she wanted to eat something good she couldn't get back home so we went out to eat yakiniku (Japanese style Korean BBQ). Yup, I went to a yakiniku place on my first day. Now, before you all think I cheated, I most certainly did not.
I packed a ziploc with brown rice measured to my allotment and also another bag of cut kiwi fruit for my evening snack. I also took my scale. I ordered veggie sticks and grilled some green pepper, butternut squash (kabocha), and carrot for my veggie content. I had two shrimp, some scallops, squid, and chicken for my protein. I ordered everything without salt or sauce, just natural. Great thing about seafood, especially, is how it's naturally a bit salty so it still tastes good. And things taste better grilled than fried anyway. The prawns and scallops, in particular, were excellent. So, mission accomplished. Got to go out with my sister for some yakiniku, I stuck to the program and it was all good. We went to the NY Bar afterwards (the bar in Lost in Translation where the main characters meet for those who don't live in Tokyo) as my sister had not been there before, listened to some jazz and enjoyed the view. Apple martini for her, black coffee for me. It was a great way to wrap up the first day of the new leaf. The photo below is my sister at the yakiniku place...my meal in the foreground, while my sister enjoyed the beef. Honestly, I wasn't even tempted to go for the marinated beef!
I'd call that dedication!
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