Failure and Success

Okay.... it's been about two weeks.

I've only lost 3lb! Ultimately I figure, well, 3lb off is 3lb off, so I'm glad for that. It might have been at least that on otherwise!

I had a few setbacks over the last fortnight. The main one was realising, after enjoying the diet for about 4 days, that my kitchen scales were well out and I was having bigger portions than I should have been having. As well as having a few extra bites here and there!

A couple of days later I was able to get another set of kitchen scales, digital ones this time, so there'll be no not noticing that it's gone over a little bit either! I went and did my shopping on Friday, and as much as I can weigh out and cook and freeze beforehand has been done. With the cuts of meat I have often still gone over by literally a few grams, because to get it absolutely exact would have meant cutting little slivers of meat off, and that's just dumb. I have gone under once or twice too! Any tips on getting it exact would be appreciated, but I don't see how I can do it on the nose!

Wednesday was a niece's birthday and I anticipated being 'naughty' (I'm trying to stop using that word), so I just had a couple of shakes during the day. Sure enough I did eat, and of course it's all stuff I shouldn't be eating! Give me a break though, I also had the dentist's beforehand and I HATE going to the dentist's!

Another thing that threw me off was losing my book with the plan and recipes in. Fortunately, I wrote the plan here, so that was helpful, but I didn't have the recipes and that really put me off - that said, some kind person from the CD forum scanned and sent me a copy of the recipes, bless her, but the idea of coming backwards and forwards to the PC was honestly a put-off, call me lazy! That said, it did inspire me to do all that preparation in one go the other night, so...

Saw my counsellor yesterday and got another book, and she also suggested having an extra couple of fruits a day, as I've been really hungry. I have to attend a luncheon next Monday as well so we discussed that; she just said to make the most sensible choice, which is all I can do. I will try and have a shake just before I go, and a lot of water as well so I won't be so hungry. I have a feeling it's a sit-down do and not people walking around with canapes. Mind you, if it's food from the ref (at the university I go to), then perhaps I won't be too tempted!

So I think I have good reasons this time for not being as successful as I would have liked. Sure, I would like to be on SS now, I am kind of an all-or-nothing girl, so doing 1000kcal is hard for me that way, it's a compromise. The idea is that I do Step B for a couple of weeks, then move up to Step A, then do 790kcal for a week and then do SS. I have to try something different as I've tried SS for about 4 times and always stumbled on the fourth day. My counsellor gave me a sheet by someone who had stumbled a lot but got there in the end and this is what she recommended after finding out the hard way! So I'll follow this, although there is a part of me that thinks we only really learn things by doing them the hard way.

So, looking back, I'm disappointed that it's only 3lb, I was hoping for something closer to 10lb, but, it's done and there's nothing I can do. I understand why it happened, some of those things I was not in control of and I was a lot more disciplined than I could have been and I'm proud of that much. I have really tried to eat more fruit, despite the sugar cravings (never had those before!). I've been trying on and off with the water, it's ridiculous, I've been really thirsty for the last 12 hours and not drunk a thing. I woke in the night thinking my lips were going to crack open and still I didn't get a drink!

Right, that's it - you can ignore the next bit because I'm just going to put the recipes here - just in case!!

Pasta - 60g pasta (dry), 225g chopped tinned tom, half onion, clove garlic, 25g olives, 100g chick peas, mixed herbs, 80g green beans.

Cook pasta. In another pan heat other ingrediants, adding the beans last.

Steak & Stout Casserole (4 portions) 600g stewing beef, 1tbsp flour, 1 onion, 3 carrots, can stout, 3tbsp puree, 1tbsp Worcestershire, 250g mush.

Coat the meat with the flour, put everything in pot except mushrooms (much later). Oven 105 mins - slow cooker, don't know, ages! Serve with green veg and 120g new pots (or put them in the pot as well, like I did - 4x120=480).

Pork 50g couscous, 100ml boiling water, 100g pork loin, oil spray, orange, 2 mush, 1dstsp wine/cider vinegar, 1tsp cornflour & 100ml water, parsley.

Put pork on the grill and add boiling water to couscous. The sauce can be frozen... half an orange juiced with all the bits into pan with chopped mush. When it boils at the vinegar and cornflour. Stir and add. Add parsley to couscous.

Salmon couscous (as above; 50g with 100ml water), 1tbsp chives, 100g salmon fillet, heaped tbsp vlf plain yogurt/fromage frais, chopped mint leaves (added to the yogurt), carrot, 8cm cucumber.

Fish bake 150g white fish fillet, slice onion, 1 sundried tom (sliced), 6 cherry toms (halved), courgette (chopped) 160g new pots, 1tsp olive oil, 80g petit pois.

Cover (with foil) and put fish (with onion, courgette, all toms) in oven 180C for 25min. Put pots on to cook. Uncover fish and cook for 5-10min. Cook peas. Gently mash pots with oil. Serve it all together.

Turkey 80g turkey breast cut into chunks, clove garlic (crushed), half lemon or lime, black pepper, 4 cherry toms, half corncob, 45g rice, half a red/yellow pepper, parsley.

Cover turkey with pepper, lemon/lime and garlic. Cover and chill for 20min min. Cook rice. Cook corn. Grill turkey with peppers and toms. Add parsley to cooked rice.

Another Day, Another Wagon

Well everything was okay until, funnily enough, later on on the last day I blogged. I wasn't even hungry. The temptation was there and so was the risk of being caught (aka the challenge). So I went a bit bonkers on anything that contained chocolate or sugar or, preferably, both!!

By Friday I'd calmed down a little and figured that if I was going to come of it for a few days that I wouldn't go too far over the top. I don't think I did, but obviously, I was no angel either.

Saw the counsellor yesterday and my official new starting weigh-in was 263.5lb (18st 11.5lb). Overall, since before going on holiday way back in September, I've put on about a stone and a half - although to be fair, I think I lost a little of that on my own last week, as I was around 19st 4lb I reckon.

I've been convinced to do the 1000cal a day plan, just to see how that goes. That first day was today and it's gone quite well, I don't feel like I'm dieting at all. I didn't follow the plan precisely, as I don't see the point of wasting the food I have available in the house, so there will be some sensible substitutions and, erm, additions.

Basically the choices I have for breakfast, along with a foodpack, are:

Sugar-free muesli and milk
2x Shredded Wheat and milk
Porridge with milk and water
Boiled egg with one small slice of granary bread & low fat spread
150cal of fruit

I had some Weetabix left over so I had two of those with granulated sweetener and (not enough) milk. I'm supposed to have half a pint a day but I hate the stuff! I'll have the same tomorrow and try to have more milk.

Lunch was another foodpack (I had the new Broccoli & Cheese.... wasn't mad on it, but I'm not that keen on the soups anyway - I will experiment next time). You have to have a bowl of green salad with that (radishes okay, but everything else has to be green!). I had some pepper and balsamic vinegar with that, as I would be put off if it was too dry. I will wean myself off later.

For dinner there are a choice of recipes they give you:

Brochette of Turkey with corn on the cob, green veg and brown rice
Meditteranean Fish Bake with potatoes and peas
Steak & Stout Casserole with potatoes and green veg
Penne Pasta with tomatoes, olives, chick peas and green beans
Salmon with mint yoghurt dressing and chive couscous
Grilled Pork with orange and mushroom sauce, herbed couscous and green veg

I had the grilled pork today - it was easy enough to make (esp the couscous!) and all together took about 10 minutes. The portion size was enough, to be honest, you get a lot of couscous to the gramme! Someone on the CD forum said that she gave up this programme because of the small portion sizes, but if they're all like this I should be fine.

You're meant to follow dinner up with 50cal of fruit - I'll have a peach in a little while, that's about 50. If I'm still hungry I'll have another shake.

I really need to watch my water intake - I've drunk none at all so far today and it's 8.30pm! All I've had is half a glass of Diet Coke and that was only because I had a gallstone attack and wanted to try and make myself burp.

So Day One is almost in the can, no sign of a second gallstone attack yet (give it half an hour and I might change my mind...). Tomorrow I need to do some shopping and I will be out most of the day, so I'll have to take a bar, bottle of water, and salad with me.

Wish me luck!

Back in the Saddle

It's been such a long time!!

I came off the diet as I was getting lots of stomach and back pains again and came into some money, which allowed me to book a couple of holidays (New York and Tunisia, I wanted to eat what I wanted plus doing CD would have been nigh on impossible). The back pains are about to be formerly diagnosed as gallstones. Scary because it may mean an operation.

I managed four days in August before caving; stupidly because I was just being cocky rather than trying to brave it.

Got back from Tunisia on Sunday and started the diet Monday. I'll update properly again on Friday when I get weighed.

I'm on day three now and going through the usual cravings but trying to keep them at bay by whatever means necessary. Being unable to do the belt up on the plane and having to ask for an extender helps keep me motivated. I ate so much on holiday (all-inclusive!) that I'm fed up with it anyway and I've been itching to start for the last three weeks or so.

Will update in a couple of days.