Avenue, heading in the right direction...

[Avenue1]

Tut tut. Five days without saying a dickie bird...I am ashamed.

Good news is that I've lost another 4 pounds this week taking me into the 170's..yay!! So that's 6 pounds I've lost in the past two weeks and STILL the only thing I've done different is to eat more! I haven't increased my walking (I do about 10 miles per week) and I still haven't started my weights, so it would appear that this plateau has been broken purely by adding extra food.

That said, I suppose I might have been about to drop more weight anyway - I guess I'll never know! - but to be honest, I'm more than happy to do it this way. I want to be as well nourished as I can be (that was always a major part of this, not just weight loss) and, as I've discovered through Fitday, the more you eat, the more likely you are to hit your vitamin/mineral RDA's, so it's all good.

I'm up to 1500 calories this week and having no trouble getting through them. One thing I've observed is that my appetite now seems to be increasing the more I eat; my whole system feels sort of revved up. Another thing I've noticed is that if I overdo it one day (Saturday I had about 1850 calories) I seem to have significantly less hunger the next day or so and I will find that it all evens out. Of course, that could be a "mind over matter" thing in that I know I've overdone it and my brain manages to deliberately turn off or ignore the hunger signal, but whatever it is it seems to be working so I ain't gonna knock it!

I also wonder if this sporadic yo-yo'ing in calories might be helping. 1500 will be my average for this week but there will be days of considerably more (probably containing the odd tipple) and days of considerably less: wonder if this lack of consistency keeps the body guessing, as it were?

Whatever, I'm happy to be on the downward move again...

 

[Omega]

Hi

Congratulations on your weight loss. Eating more is certainly a very civilised way of breaking a plateau. That is certainly going into my list of ways to break future plateaus.

It sounds like you are doing really well - what with weight loss and feeling like your meals are more balanced.

Take care
Love
Margaret

 

[Avenue1]

Thanks for stopping by, Margaret

"Civilised" is a jolly good word for it! I don't know how long it will continue to work for me, mind you. I already consider myself lucky to have lost any amount of weight whilst increasing my intake, and logic would suggest that that cannot continue indefinitely! Sooner or later it's going to have the opposite effect so I am pretty nervous when I step on the scales each week (I don't weigh myself on a daily basis so I have no idea what kind of trend I'm experiencing through the week - all the more likelihood of a nice/nasty surprise)

I'm not quite sure where I'm going with the experiment to be honest. My original intention was to eat right back up to maintenance (which should be about 2000-2100 calories for me) then cut back to about 1600, but now I'm on the move again the temptation is to stick with what seems to be working. I might stay at 1500 for a couple more weeks if I'm still losing (I'm very comfortable with that quantity of food), then try mixing it up again. We'll see.

As I notice many people post their food here, I thought I might give an idea of what I'm eating.

Breakfast
I have 3 different breakfasts that I rotate - I would get bored having the same thing every day.
- 2 eggs, scrambled, on a slice of lightly buttered rye bread
or
- 80g wholewheat unsweetened muesli with 114ml unsweetened soya milk
or
- porridge, made with 1/3 cup organic oats, 2/3 cup soya milk and 1/3 cup water plus 1oz raisins

...and any of those will keep me going nicely until...

Mid-morning Snack
5 prunes and 5 dried apricots, 1 tablespoon of mixed seeds, 6 almonds and 2 Brazil nuts.

If I'm still hungry or I know that lunch will be late I will have a piece of fresh fruit as well.

Lunch
Home-made vegetable soup or a salad with tuna...something like that.

Mid-afternoon Snack
Usually fruit (especially if I didn't have it earlier), sometimes with 100g of soya yoghurt. I also like strips of red pepper dunked in hummous, so I'll have that if it's in the house. Or oatcakes with hummous...very fond of those.

Dinner
Usually chicken (thighs, skinned) or some kind of fish. I'll do stir fries (well, more steam-fries really, I use very little oil) or cook the chicken in a pan with onions, peppers, nice spices and serve it with a bit of rice or pasta and lots of greens...that sort of thing. I'll also do dishes based on lentils or kidney beans for a bit more variety. I try to mix it up as much as I can, and I've adapted old favourite recipes where possible.

Mid-evening Snack
Depends very much on how many calories I have left. If I have several hundred then I'll have something like sardines on toast. If I have a hundred or so I'll have a handful of nuts. If I have less than a hundred I'll have an apple or a couple of satsumas. If I have enough for a glass of whisky and I'm in the mood, then I'll have that

Fluids
I try to drink 2 litres of water per day, though I don't always manage that much. The rest of the time I drink peppermint tea or, my absolute favourite, Twinings Lemon & Ginger tea. God, I love that stuff - I keep thinking there must be something "bad" about it considering how hooked I am on it!

So that's it really. I do have the occasional "splurge" meal (one portion of my home-made paella is about 750 calories), and I allow myself half a bottle of wine a week as my indulgence.

It's not a hard regime to follow because I'm eating "real" food, and, in my terms, plenty of it. I don't seem to crave anything particular either - though lately I've dreamt about eating Victoria sponge cake a couple of times so maybe my subconscious has other ideas All in all, I'd say I'm pretty happy.

 

[Omega]

Hi

I can see what you mean by being tempted to stick at 1500 calories for a while. You are certainly getting a very civilised quota of healthy food at that level. I can imagine that it hardly feels like dieting - there is such a lot of it and it sounds so nice.

The food side of things is not really a problem for me. I hate counting calories because I have failed so many diets at the point that the numbers didnt add to what I wanted them to. It is a failing of mine and I know it. It is easier for me to just stick to a healthy diet whick appears to work - while it does work I have got into the mindset of viewing food as only fuel on the vast majority of occasions. If I slip up at home it is more due to my emotions / hormones than anything else.

Take care
Love
Margaret

 

[Omega]

Hi

I meant to say - you know how you say that you do stir frys and use very little oil. I love stir frys too. Anyway I was doing that and then I found a spray that you use that is apparently 1 calorie a squirt. You put a few squirts on the bottom of the pan and heat it up. It is called Fry Light and I get it at Tescos - but I imagine that most supermarkets will sell it. I am sure that it will have reduced calories - even compared to the small amount of oil that I was using.

Love
Margaret

 

[Avenue1]

Tsk. The world's most dedicated diarist I am not, it would appear.

I've had mixed fortunes over the past three weeks. One week I lost only a pound; the next week I lost nothing, and at that point feared the process had stopped working for me; this week I have dropped another 6 pounds!

It still seems bizarre to me. I had to check my weight several times this morning before I would believe it. I'm now doing less exercise than I was (right knee pain bothering me a lot) and I've upped the calories again to an average of 1600, but I'm still dropping weight. The other thing that seems strange is the pattern of weight loss. On the amount I am now eating I would expect a slow, steady loss (if any): to suddenly drop 6 pounds in a week at this stage of the game seems...well...a bit odd.

Not that I'm knocking it, mind you! I could carry on like this perfectly happily, and will do until it stops yielding results - if it ain't broke, don't fix it

Only a few pounds to go and I will be through the 12 stone barrier - that will feel immense for me. I have no idea when I last weighed less than 12 stone but it would be a good few years for sure! I'm really looking forward to getting back into my "slim" jeans that I was wearing about 7 years ago. They are a size 14 (UK) and a real landmark for me. I'm also starting to look forward to doing a bit of shopping I have been making do with my transitional wardrobe this past few months, but I'm dying for something new and pretty. Now my goal is within sight I can start seriously thinking about it...woooo!

Margaret, thanks for the tip about the oil - I shall acquire some on my next trip to Sainsbury's (I'm sure they'll have it, or some equivalent).

I'm now being shooed off this computer by my Other Half so I'll have to come back later to catch up with your diary - by the looks of your ticker you've been doing well!

Back soon....

 

[Omega]

Hi

What an odd pattern of weight loss. The good thing is that you kept going and 7 pounds over 3 weeks gives a very nice loss rate. Congratulations.

It will be wonderful for you to get through that 12 stone barrier - and into size 14. Both those events are a little in the future for me - but before too long with luck. I am hovering above the 13 stone mark at the minute - hoping to get there in a few days with luck. I cannot wait to stop being a teen girl and get under those teen stones.

I am sorry about the knee pain. It may be worth mentioning it to a doctor. They may be able to suggest something to help.

Take care
Love
Margaret

 

[Avenue1]

Hi Margaret!...thanks for stopping by

These milestones are so important, are they not? I forgot to mention that my new weight also marks the first time I've weighed less than my Other Half in several years. He is 6'2" tall and weighs a trim 12st 6lbs and I've been dying to get to the point where I weigh less than him, for pride's sake if nothing else! It did precious little for my sense of femininity to know that I was bigger than him (not that he ever complained I hasten to add; all the angst about it was on my side)

I was watching a programme the other night on Channel Five about diet and health (Diet Doctors: Inside and Out) and when the subject of the programme, a lady in her late thirties, came to the end of the 12 week regime they put her on, she was given a "fatsuit" to wear loaded with the amount of weight she had lost (something over 20lbs I think) and made to walk with it so that she could feel how much lighter she now was. That set me thinking. I've lost 52 pounds since April: that's the weight of an average 7-8 yr old child. So I was effectively having to lug around a whole small child, permanently. Would I want to do that?? Why on earth do we do these things to ourselves?....

Anyhoo...I am bracing myself for an evening of (mild) intoxication. It is Friday. I ate less than normal yesterday, and I will do so again tomorrow because I know that it is unrealistic for me to curb my eating on a night when I'm drinking, so I will compensate for it. That's the bargain I make with myself and thus far it seems to be working...

 

[Omega]

Hi Avenue

Congratulations for getting less than your other half. That will be a major celebration situation for you. I can imagine how it would be something that you would eagerly await.

I have never been in that situation - my husband is cuddly (over 25 stone).

I havent seen this week's diet doctors yet - but did record it. It is just a question of getting time to sit and watch it.

I know exactly what you mean when you speak of how amazing it is that we carried all that extra weight around - every minute of the day. In a couple of pounds time I will have lost 8 stone since late February. Many slender women weigh that kind of weight. I couldnt even consider carrying one about for an hour - never mind everywhere I went.

We all make little bargains with ourselves. My main bargain is that I try my best all the time - but I forgive myself immediately and automatically every time I do anything I think I shouldnt. Guilt has made me abandon a lot of past projects.

I hope that you enjoy your night out.

Take care
Love
Margaret

 

[Avenue1]

Soooo...one night of mild intoxication somehow became a weekend of mild intoxication I didn't log any of my food/drink yesterday because I actually lost track of it. Oops.

I suppose on the plus side I can commend myself for resisting a fair bit of forbidden food. We went to visit my mother yesterday and her house is Temptation City. I could have had toffee cheesecake (my favourite), chocolates, sweet biscuits galore and mini garlic breads (another of my favourites) but I didn't. I stuck to the things I'm allowed - I just had rather more of them than I should have done

I know I will pay for it on the scale this week, but never mind. All I can do is get back on track today, which I am doing. Only permitted foods will be eaten in permitted quantities; nutrition targets will be met; exercise will be taken. No amount of wallowing in guilt or annoyance will undo what I did over the weekend, so scr*w it. Line drawn. Moving on....

 

[Avenue1]

Hi Avenue

Congratulations for getting less than your other half. That will be a major celebration situation for you. I can imagine how it would be something that you would eagerly await.

I have never been in that situation - my husband is cuddly (over 25 stone).

I havent seen this week's diet doctors yet - but did record it. It is just a question of getting time to sit and watch it.

I know exactly what you mean when you speak of how amazing it is that we carried all that extra weight around - every minute of the day. In a couple of pounds time I will have lost 8 stone since late February. Many slender women weigh that kind of weight. I couldnt even consider carrying one about for an hour - never mind everywhere I went.

We all make little bargains with ourselves. My main bargain is that I try my best all the time - but I forgive myself immediately and automatically every time I do anything I think I shouldnt. Guilt has made me abandon a lot of past projects.
I hope that you enjoy your night out.

Take care
Love
Margaret

Couldn't agree more with that...especially right now

Yup, thinking back to what we used to be at the start of this process is quite amazing - and well worth doing when things have gone a little awry Losing a whole person's worth of weight is just staggering, Margaret. And think of all those miles you can now walk compared with what you could have managed back in February! I'm still amazed that I can walk 4 or 5 miles now without dropping dead when it was almost more than I could do to walk a couple of hundred yards to the local shop in April We should always keep in mind just how far we've come...

 

[Omega]

You did so well to resist so much temptation. Congratulate yourself for that.

It is a shame that your parents put quite as much temptation as that in your way. Life is difficult enough without our nearest and dearest making life tougher.

Over indulging in healthy stuff isnt too bad really at all. At least it is stuff that is doing you good.

Guilt in so many ways is a wasted emotion. It does nothing constructive. I dont think that you have done anything to feel quilty about - as I said before you resisted so much temptation.

It is truly amazing how far we have come. If we can only keep it up (temporary transgressions and all) where will be be next summer. The mind boggles with possibilities!

I finally got round to watching this week's Diet Doctors over the weekend. The woman got down to about 11 stone. She certainly looked better and happier at the end. I did notice that she had one binge late in the process - just proof that everyone gives in to temptation at some point.

Take care
Love
Margaret

 

[Avenue1]

Soooo...haven't weighed myself this week, for two reasons. Overindulgence at the weekend AND time of the month - not a good combination!

I think I have finally worked out my odd weight loss pattern. I seem to get my most sizeable drop in weight in the week before my period, followed by several weeks of little or nothing. Dunno why this is, but thinking back I'm sure that's how it is. When I wasn't tracking my calories I put it down to wildly inconsistent food intake but now I am keeping my calories relatively stable I can't really blame that. So I probably won't go through that 12 stone barrier for another couple of weeks...ho hum. Patience is a virtue, and all that...

Margaret, I believe I'm getting much better at forgiving myself these days. I got back on track on Monday and havent *sinned* since, so I think I'm getting there! I just hope that when I reach my goal this time I can keep the same attitude going. With any luck I will because I don't feel especially deprived on this regime and there is nothing particular that I am dying to reward myself with when I get to the end. Hopefully my good habits will stick from now on...

 

[Omega]

Hi Avenue

The more that I think about it - I think that the maintenance secret is going to be to continue the project indefinitely - just make the rules less restrictive.

I agree with what you say about not feeling as deprived as on other weight loss projects. For me that is because I am not attempting to count calories every day. Surprisingly when for the challenge I ended up having to count the calories for a couple of weeks the calories were at a very constant level and a logical place for my calories to be set to. By simply trying to eat a healthy moderate diet I was getting the calories right.

I cannot imagine a time when I would not need to weigh myself every day. I have known me put on such a lot of weight in even a week that it is silly.

It is interesting seeing how weight loss patterns develop. I am not sure whether I have told you but I keep a spreadsheet where I record all sorts of data regarding my project. It really helps for spotting patterns. I cover things like date, weight, exercise type, amount of exercise, whether I have eaten anything of a number of food types, what the main meal was, period info, toilet habits. Just about anything that might have a bearing on why my weight was what it was that day.

Patience is certainly a virtue....

Take care
Love
Margaret

 

[Omega]

Just calling in to say that I hope that you had a good Christmas. Also I want to wish you a Happy New Year.

Take care
Love
Margaret

 

[Avenue1]

Woah!...long time since I was here *blows dust off neglected diary*

I suppose it would sum up the last month or so to say that I lost the plot, not so much with festive food but with booze. Way, way too much booze. Not enough to constitute a "problem" or anything but enough to de-rail my weight loss effort. I've managed to lose a solitary pound in all that time...though in truth I should just thank my lucky stars I didn't put any on!

And all in the name of Christmas.

Did I eat forbidden food? Well, a few chocolate biscuits found their way into my mouth, not to mention about 5 mince pies, several portions of Xmas pudding, pork stuffing, pizza and sticky toffee pudding - so I think that's a 'yes'! Did I get away with it? Ummm...no, not in the way that matters to me. I spent a fortnight battling intermittently with horrible cramping and abdominal pain until I finally came to my senses and cut out all the crap again. Quite why I was allowing myself to suffer like that beats me. I'd like to think that I'd learned my lesson by now but it seems I find it very hard to learn from my mistakes...even painful ones. I'm just a moth to the flame, me.

Anyway, I have my regime back in place since 2nd January and with any luck I can control myself for the forseeable future. At least I've restored order to my digestive tract so that's something I've designated January a no alcohol month and I've stuck to it so far without any problem. I've also cut out cheese completely because although I can get away with it in small amounts I find it hard to be moderate with it so I think it's better if I don't have it at all until I'm down to my target weight and maintaining steadily.

Margaret, thanks for remembering me and stopping by. I hope Xmas was better for you than it was for me - seeing that you are now the same weight as me I'm guessing you were rather more controlled than I was! Well done!

A belated Happy New Year to you!

 

[Omega]

Hi Avenue

Thanks. I am happy to say that my weight has continued to come down.

Congratulations for not putting on weight. Many people on this forum did not achieve that.

I am so pleased that you have returned. All you need to do is eat healthily and exercise and your project will continue as before. Well done for having been back on track for just about a week now.

I axed cheese out of my diet completely about 8 months ago and I havent had alcohol in about a year. Be strong - I know that you can do it.

Take care
Love
Margaret

 

[Avenue1]

Hi Margaret,

It feels good to be back on track I have to say. No pains now for a week, everything back in working order...how it should always be.

I went for a 45 minute walk on Monday and an hour today so the exercise is being re-established too (weather-permitting). If it's fine on Friday I'll try for an hour and 15 minutes - it was always my hope to build up to some really long walks interspersed with periods of jogging and there's no reason not to aim for that.

Cheese will always be a problem for me. My Other Half loves it too and has it pretty much every day so I can't avoid having it in the house unfortunately. I wish I could because it is probably my favourite food of all - much more tempting than chocolate or biscuits. Not fair is it? I'm having no problem avoiding alcohol, so that's one good thing anyway.

I might weigh tomorrow and see where I'm at but I think I'm carrying a bit of excess water at the moment due to my monthly cycle so I'll probably chicken out knowing me...

 

[Omega]

Just thought that I would pop by and see how you were. I hope that things are ok.

 

[Avenue1]

Just thought that I would pop by and see how you were. I hope that things are ok.

Hi Margaret,

Thanks for stopping by. I think the answer is "not really...but they're getting better".

My father, whom I adored, passed away recently after a long illness and I went into full-on self-destruct mode I'm afraid. Just didn't care a jot about myself or anything much. I comfort ate (and drank) with a vengeance and have managed to put back 11 pounds in about a month.

But I think I'm getting it together...slowly. The fact I finally weighed myself and faced up to the damage I was doing is a good sign I guess. And the fact that I'm here.

I've had a quick scan of the last few pages of your diary and see that you are still going great guns in spite of an emergency op! Your transformation pic is amazing - you're tiny! You are truly an inspiration to us all - and that will hopefully include your husband one of these days.

It's just over a year since I started my weight loss endeavour and I thought I'd be at my goal by now, but never mind. I was 16 stone back then and could hardly walk 5 minutes to the shops without feeling like I was having a heart attack and now I'm under 13 stone and can walk for miles, so I can take some pleasure in that. And I know that I have established some good habits that have reasserted themselves now that I am getting back to "normal", so I should get there...eventually...