This year I have been doing my best to follow a new diet to lose a few inches off my middle. The main key to this diet is to avoid grains as much as possible. That's a pretty big change for me, as it means no rice, no noodles, no Au Bon Pain croissants, and no beer. I'm not sure which of those I miss the most.
But even though it's been hard to stick to the diet, it has definitely made a positive difference in the way I look and feel, so I am going to keep it up for now.
One of my favorite Thai foods (or, food that is available in Thailand) has always been noodle soup. Since I am not eating noodles now, I just get the soup, with pork and veggies. The pork is often moo daeng (red pork) and the veggie is a bitter, green leaf that tastes similar to spinach. The way I ordered it today was gao lao sai moo daeng.
The soup also has green onions, roasted garlic, and small bits of a pickled vegetable (maybe cabbage?). Add the usual table condiments little pepper, some vinegar with pickled chilis, some red chili powder, and fish sauce, and you have a gourmet meal:
This was my lunch today, and set me back 40 baht (a bit over US$1), including a bottle of Pepsi.
Try to cut back on the grease they put on the gao lao by asking "mai sai gratiam jiao." The noodle soup without noodle is what I always have for lunch at least 4 times a week. NO SODA for wieght loss program.
After 15 months of strict diet and regular exercise, I'm now 124 lbs. Total weight loss:60 lbs.
All my best
Wow! 60 pounds is a LOT of weight. That's great Jet. You are an inspiration!