General hysterical diet related rambling: From Flab to Fab.

I walked to the shop and bought the batteries, but when i came back i found some in the box! D'oh.

I'm quite horrified by the amount of cals in porridge after weighing it! Think I might start eating weetabix instead.

No, its not in syrup. And i thought grapefruit was a negative calorie food!
 
Really? 40-45g is a serve... 40g (Tesco Scottish Porridge Oats) is 144 calories, 45 is 162. Bit less for whole oats- the Quaker oats I used to get (too expensive) are 142.4 for 40g, 160.2 for 45. That doesn't seem excessive to me, particularly given how filling I find it. (If you don't find it filling, have you tried making it with milk, or serving it with some natural/ Greek yoghurt? I'm experimenting with reducing the porridge and having a large amount of yoghurt as a way of increasing my protein, and it's way more filling this way)
 
I don't mind at all :) Have you had anaemia?

I think with steak you do get what you pay for, the cheapest one in asda is £3.60

There is a recipe for crispy chilli beef which is lovely..........
which says you have to use steak, but I just use stir fry beef instead as its really cheap from my local butchers. But i guess it all depends on what it is your cooking, if you need one big piece of meat instead of bite sized bits, then it might not work, and I can't think of any cuts of beef that are similar to steak but cheaper. Maybe you could buy lean steak mince and use it for lasagne/spaghetti bolognase/chilli con carne, as I think that's the cheapest option, especially when you buy the big packs.
 
Thank you :) I've been borderline anaemic for several years now (as in, the levels come in at just higher than diagnosis level and I get lectures from doctors), and basically all I've been told to do (I can't take supplements) is eat more iron rich foods. I know that's not just meat, but given how unusual the "eat more red meat" recommendation is, I should probably take it a little more seriously.

I just can't bring myself to pay what they're asking, you know what I mean? It just seems a ridiculous amount of money for a lot of it. Chicken I can handle, some of the cheap beef seems a reasonable price (although it stuffs up dishes more often than not because it ends up too tough), but mostly... I'd love to be able to afford it, and I'm sure I'm going to be getting some really nice meat when I go to stay with my parents, but at the moment, well, some days I think I already eat too well for a student without adding that kind of thing to the shopping list. (When I came to this country I didn't have any fresh fruit or veg because I didn't think I could afford it! My food spending has more than doubled since then- my parents came over, saw what I was eating, and told me I'd lost my marbles. They're the ones who told me I had to eat cheaply because I wasn't on their income anymore... :cuss: )
 
That one's a little high on the calories for me, I'm afraid :( I'll keep looking though.

In my quest for "eating different sorts of meats", though, I've discovered turkey's quite cheap (it's not eaten a lot in Australia, so I'd never thought of it). And I like the look of this: (I'd get rid of the grapefruit, I don't like it)
 
Hun, you must feel awful. You absolutely HAVE to eat red meat (regardless of the calories or price), or you are not going to enjoy life as much as you'll have no energy and that cotton wool feeling inside your head. Why can't you take supplements?

i found some more info on iron rich food, and it seems the best thing to eat is liver, which is very cheap, but don't think i could even bring myself to try it....

As for the porridge, my serving size is around or just above 100g, which is 355 calories, plus i make it with whole milk, which is another 360 calories, plus a handful of sultanas which is probably about another 100 calories, so its adding up to about 815 cals, just for breakfast! No wonder my weight loss isn't as high as i would have liked it to have been! I will be halving my portions for definite. Porridge does really fill me up- I don't eat usually eat lunch, only some fruit in the afternoon if I'm hungry. And I think I will switch to skimmed milk, I just love the taste of the full fat stuff.

I'm not all that keen on turkey really. I haven't even noticed it in the shops, although they must sell it.
 
Hi Ruthie. You know, your porridge "problem" is the exactly kind of thing that prompted me to rant on and on about calorie counting in my video!
I think their are lots of people trying to lose weight that aren't doing the math and are wondering why they are very losing slowly (or not at all). It all becomes clear once you start looking at portion sizes and calorie values!
Caffeinehigh did a good video all about calorie counting, too.

I really think that for most people, it's worth it to not only track what you eat, but also quantities and calorie counts. For over a year, I 've used the MyPlate site to help me. It's free and has almost every food in the database.

Something for you to think about, at any rate!
 
Thanks Ruth :) I'll definitely think on the meat- and the liver, maybe. Cotton wool inside my head definitely describes it, and it's massively frustrating.

I can't take supplements because apparently they all but cancel out my thyroid medication- and my thyroid is all but dead, so it replaces a vital hormone in my body which controls my metabolism. No thyroid medication= functionally no metabolism. No metabolism= no heartbeat.

Try reducing the porridge to something closer to the original serving size, and perhaps making the porridge with water and adding whole milk, if you prefer whole (I'm lucky, my mum weaned me off whole when I was 8 and I think it's disgusting now. Can barely tolerate semi-skim, too creamy/ tastes like it's off). If you're anything like me that should see you through until lunch time, which is all it's meant to do. Oats are quite high calorie but I find most other breakfast options shoot through my stomach (not as in bathroom issues, as in "I'm hungry five minutes later").
 
Hi Rox, Your video is what persuaded me to start calorie counting (I was really resistant to the whole idea for some reason, now if only i can overcome my resistance to doing laundry...), I'm so glad I did, so thanks! I mean, I'm quite overweight so I expected to lose a lot more than 5lbs in the past three weeks. I must've still been eating about 1800 calories a day :eek2:

I have joined myplate, and it is rather fantastic isn't it? It was a lot simpler than i thought to weigh out my dinner as well. I think i must have a bit of a sad life cos the second i finished eating I rushed to the computer to calculate my calories- exciting stuff!

Amy- poor you having to deal with the symptoms from an underactive thyroid and anaemia. The symptoms are both quite similar, so it seems like you have a double whammy. Do you think your under active thyroid has caused you problems in losing weight?

I think that I might start making the porridge with half milk half water, and eating some lunch. I find it hard to get enough veggies, so eating lunch will be a good thing for that. I find that other cereals dont fill me up as well too. Cornflakes are the worst, I have been known to eat an entire pack in a day before, and nothing else (pre-kids that was all i ever bloody ate!).

I have done very well today with my food- I give myself an A* actually.... I even drank green tea with sweetener instead of coffee with milk. Lots of lovely antioxidants in me now.

Food
3 large scrambled eggs 270 cals
Nectarine 60
Apple 80
Honey and lime chicken with ginger sweet potato mash and peas 520

2 kiwis 92
pear 96
satsuma 36
CALORIES= 1157

Exercise
30 minute morning workout 148

Fruit n veg = 6. Need to find out how much a portion of fruit is supposed to weigh...


I like having the calorie number as confirmation I am doing well. :D
 
I don't know, to be honest. The only thing I can pinpoint is that my friends in school and such always seemed to be able to eat whatever they wanted and not put on weight, and I could look at their diets and gain 10kg, or so it seemed. I've always eaten quite healthily and been at a minimum at the high end of normal since adolescence. (Now, my peers' metabolisms are starting to slow, and they're bitching at me that I'm the thin one! ha! In a way it's an advantage because I have no desire to have pizza burgers etc more than once in a blue moon whereas they're having a lot of trouble finding new staples for their diets, and the idea of munching on carrots doesn't fill me with dread- I like 'em) I know my mum and some of my other older female relatives have had weight issues because of their thyroid problems (I have a very extensive family history of thyroid disease, on both sides of the family. Lucky me)

A serve of fruit/ veggies, according to the NHS, is 80g (or 30g dried, but only one of these serves counts). Can't remember what it is for juice (only one counts) but I never drink juice anyway. I find it easy to load up on veggies with dinner (great way to save on calories too- smaller serve of meat/ sauce, big pile of steamed veg). Remember potatoes don't count (not sure about sweet potato)

Are you sure you're getting enough calories? Minimum generally advised without medical advice saying otherwise is 1200 calories- and you're tall/ larger, so you probably want to be having more. Have you worked out your BMR? (Apparently, while eating a lot under 1000 under maintenance will cause you to lose more weight in the short term, in the long term it'll mess up your metabolism and slow your weight loss)
 
Hopefully by the time your a bit older there will be a better drug to control it. My nan had an underactive thyroid, and she always ate healthily, while i was there anyway which was a fair bit. She took the doctors advice about her diet to heart, and ate low sodium salt, no sugar, bran for breakfast, lots of fruit and stews etc. And she was always quite overweight still. Its just as well you haven't got the desire to eat junk.

I thought yesterday the dinner would have more calories in it than it did. I am going to try and eat 1200-1400 calories a day from now on.

I am starting to feel very slightly slimmer. The other night I wore a jacket i haven't worn in a while, and the buttons are no longer straining to meet. Yaaaay!


Food
Fruit and fibre with semi skimmed milk 439
Apple and satsuma 116
Mini scotch egg 60
Nutty lamb burger with aubergine and tomatoes 561

Nectarine, pear and kiwi 205
= 1381 cals

Exercise
30 minute morning workout -148
45 minutes housework -120

Fruit n veg- Weighed in at 1015 grams in total, so if 80 grams is a serving, thats 12 bloody portions!!!!!!!!!
 
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Better drug to control my thyroid? My thyroid's well past controlling, I'm afraid- it's dead (or so close to it it's not worth bothering with). My meds are purely replacement so I get the hormones my body doesn't make. But yes, it'd be nice if I could take iron supplements)

It's great you're feeling slimmer. It's a great feeling, isn't it? :D

My feeling on fruit and veg is the more the better. It's calorie low and nutrition high :)
 
HOLY BAZOMBLES!

1. I'm away for two days and your diary turns into a social hub of activity! :) Good on ya!

2. You've started eating lunch!

3. Your jacket is fitting you really well!

4. Your porridge was HOW MANY CALORIES? Crazy! I am definitely going to become a groupy and head over to myplate now too. And, Rainbow, I am EXACTLY the same, in that whenever I start something new like that, I eat and then rush to my computer to input. It was like that when I started my diary here too. I had to stop myself from writing a dozen entries every day! That's one thing that is great about this place, though - it's an avenue for us to talk about all those things that we know other people are perhaps not so interested in talking about ALL THE TIME. :)

So proud of you for having such a great few days and for being so logical about your food. For adjusting things where necessary, and for actually sticking with it. You are going great guns :)
 
I am pooing smoothies today Amy :) How are you doing with your red meat?

1. Yeah I know- the party is here wooo hooooooo!

2. Well, I'm trying to eat lunch- hasn't happened yet though! I'm thinking I might start having crackers with cream cheese and peppers/other salady veg on it like you. I love the sound of that but can't fit in in anywhere in my day.

3. I KNOOOOOOW! And at least one pair of my jeans fit again as well! I have been wearing leggings recently as they're stretchy and less uncomfortable than too-small jeans. I had run out of clean clothes this morning (you should see my laundry pile), and was forced to wear them. The fact it was boiling outside and I was sweating like a sweaty person in a sweater in them, and a jumper, could barely take the smile off my face, that they FIT again!!!! My wardrobe has now doubled for the time being I suspect. Tis great!

4. Yep, that many! And its great we don't have to be diet bores to real life people who couldn't give a toss!

Other news in Ruthieland....
I bought a set of three pairs of weights. Got them at a bootsale for £6, which is quite good.

I have booked a seaside mini break for my sons birthday. Which is a bit worrying for the diet, as there is nothing to eat but hot dogs with onion, fish and chips and doughnuts and rocks. But It'll still be nice to get away for a little bit. I've already paid for theme park tickets, aquarium tickets and even 3 games of bowling each in advance. Think we'll go down the arcades as well and the beach. Will be nice, and something to look forwards too!

My bf's gone on an anti-diet. I swear, he is eating like 5 doughnuts every day, plus lots of other assorted crap. He is eating what I am not longer eating, and them some. Well, the fatter he gets the skinner I will look next to him I guess!

Food
SMALL (lol) porridge with half milk, half water and an apple and cinnamon 287 cals
Berry solereo ice cream 99 cals
Was very nice- much nicer than i thought it would be. 463 cals
3 satsumas, 2 kiwis, necatarine and pear 326 cals
4 milky coffees 190 cals
=1365

Exercise
20 minute strenuous morning workout 172 cals
2 hours walking 500 cals
15 minutes cleaning 72

Fruit n veg 1166 grams (the weight of butternut was uncooked)= 14 portions haha.
 
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Well done on the fruit and veg :)

I haven't gotten around to the red meat yet- at the moment I'm supplementing vegetables high in iron (like brocolli). I have some leftovers to finish then I'll get onto it (cooking for one, most meals I make last me another 3 days. And I usually have two sets of leftovers going so I don't eat the same thing day in/ day out). Dreading the price thump a bit, but I know I have to do it. Although I may end up cooking a lot of stew instead and just avoid the financial issue entirely.

It's great you're getting back into your jeans :D I envy you having the confidence to wear leggings though, they may be comfortable but I can't get away with them unless I'm really thin.

Don't worry about the diet while you're on holiday, just have fun, recharged and ready to hit those calories even harder.
 
I feel like force feeding you some red meat! Or just ordering you loads and sending it too your flat :) I am skint right now. But I will!

I tend to wear long tops with leggings. I know my legs are far from perfect, but they are my least hated part of my body, and I love my big round bum! I have been doing plenty of squats. I think I have about an inch deep off fat on the fleshiest part of my arse, and I actually don't want to lose it. Call me mad, but I like big butts. I want a black girls bum. But in white, as it may look a bit silly if the colour of my bum doesn't match the rest of my body.

The good news....I have lost serious inches! Measured myself and was chuffed to pieces.

before....
Waist- 36 inches
Hips- 44 1/2 inches
Thighs- 28 inches. The same my waist used to be. Not. Good.

Now....
Waist- 34 inches (minus 2!)
Hips- 43 inches (- 1.5)
Thighs- 25 inches (- 3, each!!!)

I know I've still got some way to go, but I'm making progress!

The bad news, today my bf's step mum brought over a very large, very delicious chocolate fudge cake. She makes wedding cakes and stuff, magnificently splendid cakes. So, it would have been rude not to have a slice. And even ruder not to have two more slices once she had gone. Ahem. So, yes, I fucked up a bit. But the good news is that my calories for the day are still 250 under what I need to maintain my current weight, so its not all doom and gloom. There is a huuuge slice left, and I will encourage my bf to eat it, as I can't trust myself.

I had lunch today (cooked for everyone), but I ate dinner for lunch. And no dinner. I can't afford the calories, and its 8 o'clock, and I'm not hungry, so it doesn't really matter.

Every day I haven't worked out (my birthday, day after, and this morning as i needed to clean in a superfast rushed frenzy), I have overindulged without fail. I think its true what Rox said in her vid about exercising in the morning keeping you on the straight and narrow for the rest of the day.

Food
Porridge with apple and cinnamon 287
414. I doubled the spinach (used frozen), used korma curry paste and added some chilli (asda subsitited the madras curry paste for korma), It was really scrummy, and super quick as well. Was a pain in the arse working out the calories, but hey, at least I know for next time! Had it with
150g cooked basmati rice 154 cals
Chocolate fudge cake 830 (estimated using shop bought one as a cal guide)
2 kiwis 92
5 milky coffees (HAVE to cut the milk or drink green tea!) 150
= 1926

Exersice
Think I'll do an hour on the kinnect in a minute since I've been lazy -176 cals

Fruit and veg= 440g, a more normal 5.5 portions! And yes, I am actually properly weighing out every single bit of fruit and veg i eat just for this purpose lol, even weighing veg before i put it in the curry then dividing it by 4 :/ What have i turned into?!!!
 
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I bought some stewing steak today and am going to make something soon. Still running the leftovers down here.

I know what you mean about bums. I sort of like mine... to a point. My boyfriend really likes it and is not happy it's shrinking. I want mine to be curvy and stand out from my thighs... it's the thighs that are the problem. When I've been bigger my bum and thighs were this one great big disgusting indistinguishable mass. (And Carole King pops into my head "I feel the earth move, under my feet; I feel the sky tumbling down...") Now, my bum is definitely bigger than my thighs, and I like it that way. Problem is, no matter what size I am, my thighs are disproportionately large, and leggings do mine no favours. They're starting to get to the point where maybe, if I had nothing else to wear, and I desperately needed to nip to the supermarket and I was sure no one I know would see me, then maybe, possibly, I'd resort to leggings over pyjama pants. (Can you tell I don't like my thighs?)

That's an awesome loss. Congratulations! :D

Sounds like you had a good day besides the cake.

With the milky coffees, have you thought about perhaps making the coffee a little weaker (say 1/3 coffee 1/3 hot water 1/3 milk) or switching to semi-skim (if you haven't already)? I typically put about 70ml of milk in my coffee, making it moderately milky (well, depends on definition, my mug holds about 330ml, I think), and two of my cups of coffee from a couple of days ago were about 60 calories (73ml skim milk, 227ml coffee from grounds- 27 calories; 70ml milk, 237ml coffee from grounds- 26 calories. Yes, I did just look that up on my calorie counting program). 100ml of skim contains 35 calories, I think semi-skim is 50 (semi-skim is off the top of my head).

And what have you turned into? :reddevil: Sounds like me. :leaving: (ok, you're not there yet, I even weigh my water now)
 
Thats brill. You could always freeze the leftovers.

My bum and legs used to be exactly the same as yours were! From about the age of 16 to 20, Euuurggghhh.... I had no bum crease, just two tiny creases which were way below where they were suppossed to be, and they were at different heights on the back of each leg. I had loads of cellulite as well. I hated it so badly! At night i used to lie there sticking my finger into various bits of fat on the back of my legs and bum, feeling it getting deeper and deeper. A bit of a weird thing to do, I know. But it was always at night I was concious of the flab. The distance of my belly button to my back when lying on my side as well. I still think about it now actually. And i am OBSESSED with my double chin as well, I don't like anyone seeing me sideways on, and I am constantly aware of it. Hmmmm. Well, at least I now like my bum lol. Don't stress about a bit of extra fat on your thighs :) I have stubborn pockets of fat on the front of them which juts out a bit. I think thats the last bit to go. Don't stress about it! With a lovely figure like yours no-one will notice except YOU!

Yep, I have had a good day, sans cake :)

Haha, yes, I think i have turned into a calories control freak like you :D Weighing your water is seriously dedicated. Just don't start weighing your wee, I might have more to say on the subject matter if you start doing that!
 
I tend to put my leftovers in the fridge. So far I've only had to throw away one thing because it got manky- they're usually in there no longer than a week, unless I go on same crazy cooking frenzy and have 4 dishes on the go (which was the problem last time- that and I cooked something to serve 8). I probably should freeze them, but I like the convenience of "get portion of meal, heat up, prepare veggies if necessary". Defrosting is probably fiddly.

As much as I enjoy cooking, the microwave is by far the most used appliance in my kitchen.

It's funny how even specific body parts hold fat in different ways. The front of my thighs have almost never been a problem- it's more... well, everything else (the top at the side, the whole of the back, and the inner thigh. jiggle jiggle). It's not as bad as it used to be, by a long shot, and I'm starting to feel my thighs become a lot more muscular (or at least the muscle becoming much more apparent). I don't think I'll ever be happy with them, but I'm learning to tolerate them (and hopefully dress more to hide them).

Oh, no, I measure my water because I became aware I wasn't drinking enough. I used to not count it but then I realised I hardly have any. It's sort of the reverse of "if you think to track it, you're less likely to eat it if it's crap" thing- if I have to track it, I'm more likely to think about it. So I'm drinking a lot more water. (No tracking of urine for me :ack2:)
 
HELL YEAH Rainbow! That is an awesome loss! Can't believe the thighs... that is incredible! No wonder you are starting to fit into some clothes better!

Mmmm not that I should say it, but I bet that cake was bloody fantastic. The first piece, anyway. Ahem ;) You are freaking incredible for being able to eat that, and then stay on track, count the calories and still not go over for the day. :eek2:


Well as long as everyone is talking about thighs, I can't just sit here. My thighs have been an issue forEVER. I was never an overweight kid, but I remember noticing cellulite when I was 14! I really envy people like you, Rainbow, who have little pins for legs and can wear short skirts and dresses and pull it off! I wear leggings too, but always under my skirts and my dresses because, being tall too, I never get anything long enough to cover my ugly flabby knees.

Amy, I think you're the same kind of shape as me. Kind of little on top, but major issues with the rest (though, with your current BMI and by the looks of your photo, you have no issues at all!!!). Funny how we all put it on and take it off differently.
 
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