Drinking extra light olive oil is GROSS. It's warm and gloopy, and tastes disgusting. But for the sake of my blog, I'm still taking two spoonfuls a day, mid-morning and mid-afternoon. That's dedication for you!
I've also learned that the followers of the SLD have their own language. Apparently, you're supposed to refer to the oil as ELOO, and they also have something called "noseclipping", basically where you use a swimming nose clip to stop yourself tasting anything - to add to the disassociation between food and taste. And apparently to really see the full effect, I need to wait until my enzymes adjust to digesting the oil properly. Who knew?
There might be something in this, though. I'm not grazing in the day, and I've just had the smallest dinner and I'm stuffed. And not to put too fine a point on it, the ELOO seems to be speedily aiding the passage of my food...
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Diet #23, The Shangri-la Diet
According to the dictionary, Shangri-la is "a place regarded as an earthly paradise, especially when involving a retreat from the pressures of modern civilization". It seems to me that that any place where I can weigh half a stone less will indeed be "a place of complete bliss and delight and peace". So, you're clearly desperate to know, what diet can be worthy of such a heavenly title? What diet can offer such utter bliss and peace?
In reality, the rules of this diet are disappointingly mundane. Take 100-400 calories of flavourless food, such as light (not extra virgin) olive oil, a couple of times per day, in a 'flavourless window' each day (wait at least an hour after eating, and then wait an hour until eating again...). Other than that, you eat normally. That's it. Simplez.
The diet is based on the fundamental principle of a "set point" - the weight which your body wants to be. When your weight is below the set point, appetite increases, and when it's below the set point, appetite decreases (I think that this may be based on some prehistoric principle that enabled people to eat more at times of plenty, to store fat for leaner times). The creator of this diet is Seth Roberts, a Professor of Psychology at the University of California. He believes that by eating certain foods, you can raise or lower your set point, essentially fooling your body into losing weight. Foods that have a strong flavour-calorie relationship (such as a big mac) can raise the set point, whereas bland foods which are slowly digested (like light olive oil) can lower the set point. The idea is that you break the association between taste and calories.
There's no specific calorie restriction, although the idea is that there will be self-regulation, as appetite decreases, which produces weightloss.
A word of caution, I found this online:
What I can tell you: the olive oil tastes grim, but I haven't eaten for two hours... My start weight hovers around an annoying 10 stone, but this weeks diet should be a breeze compared to Dukan...
In reality, the rules of this diet are disappointingly mundane. Take 100-400 calories of flavourless food, such as light (not extra virgin) olive oil, a couple of times per day, in a 'flavourless window' each day (wait at least an hour after eating, and then wait an hour until eating again...). Other than that, you eat normally. That's it. Simplez.
The diet is based on the fundamental principle of a "set point" - the weight which your body wants to be. When your weight is below the set point, appetite increases, and when it's below the set point, appetite decreases (I think that this may be based on some prehistoric principle that enabled people to eat more at times of plenty, to store fat for leaner times). The creator of this diet is Seth Roberts, a Professor of Psychology at the University of California. He believes that by eating certain foods, you can raise or lower your set point, essentially fooling your body into losing weight. Foods that have a strong flavour-calorie relationship (such as a big mac) can raise the set point, whereas bland foods which are slowly digested (like light olive oil) can lower the set point. The idea is that you break the association between taste and calories.
There's no specific calorie restriction, although the idea is that there will be self-regulation, as appetite decreases, which produces weightloss.
A word of caution, I found this online:
"I’m not sure if this diet is a hoax or not. It’s possible it is a social psychology experiment. Maybe Dr. Roberts had a bet with someone that “anyone can write a popular diet book if they just use the formula".There's a lot of long words and some graphs at sethroberts.net if you want to decide for yourself.
What I can tell you: the olive oil tastes grim, but I haven't eaten for two hours... My start weight hovers around an annoying 10 stone, but this weeks diet should be a breeze compared to Dukan...
Friday, 17 June 2011
Premature end of Dukan
I HATE not being right (see, I can't even say it... "being wrong"), but everyone warned me how difficult this diet would be and they were right.
Protein only, even for five days, is IMPOSSIBLE. On day two, I had eggs for breakfast, three smoked mackeral fillets for a snack, and a whole pack of turkey for lunch. By late afternoon, I felt rubbish, my brain felt like it was on an international phone call with a two-second delay, and my mouth was dryer than sand. Although I'd planned smoked salmon and eggs for supper, I had to add a couple of slices of toast.
No use beating myself up, it was only toast, right? Ignoring the massive bag of smarties that we shared at the cinema afterwards... Only 92 calories per 17 sweets. Fine, until you realise that's about 1500 calories in the packet. But at least I shared them.
Here's some pictures of some protein that I ate. Shangri-la starts on Sunday.
Protein only, even for five days, is IMPOSSIBLE. On day two, I had eggs for breakfast, three smoked mackeral fillets for a snack, and a whole pack of turkey for lunch. By late afternoon, I felt rubbish, my brain felt like it was on an international phone call with a two-second delay, and my mouth was dryer than sand. Although I'd planned smoked salmon and eggs for supper, I had to add a couple of slices of toast.
No use beating myself up, it was only toast, right? Ignoring the massive bag of smarties that we shared at the cinema afterwards... Only 92 calories per 17 sweets. Fine, until you realise that's about 1500 calories in the packet. But at least I shared them.
Here's some pictures of some protein that I ate. Shangri-la starts on Sunday.
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Diet #22: Dukan
A quick note on diet #21, the F2 diet. I really, really like this one, and I would strongly recommend it, as a weightloss plan and as a lifestyle choice. As well as taking the focus off of calories (so it doesn't feel quite as much like dieting), it's healthy, and remarkably un-faddy. Thumbs up from me. Weightloss: 2lbs. Woo hoo!!
Onwards and upwards: The Dukan Diet. This is the newest craze in dietland. Dr Dukan is a French Doctor, who has devised this weightloss plan based on years of observations. It's a bit like Atkins on speed. I work for a French person, and a French person works for me, so you think that I'd be used to the whole crazy-French thing, but this takes it to a whole new level.The book is the driest, most medicalised tome that I have come across so far. In fact, ever! It has no humour, no enthusiasm, no real motivation.
The entire concept is neatly summarised on the back of the book - so why the bloody hell do I have to read all three hundred plus pages? I'll spare you some of the dullest parts, and just try a neat summary, although I might come back and outline some of the most tedious parts, to give you a flavour...
4 Step Programme
Step One: Attack. 2-7 days - eat as much as you want of 72 protein rich foods
Step Two: Cruise. Continue eating protein; add up to 28 vegetables (until desired weight is achieved)
Step Three: Consolidation. Add fruit, bread, cheese and starchy foods, and 2 celebration meals a week
Step Four: Stabilisation. Eat what you like, but follow three "simple" rules, including the "famous" 'Protein Thursdays'.
Yesterday, day 1, I ate two eggs for breakfast, two whole salmon fillets (mid-morning) AND a fillet of sea bream for lunch, plus one fat free natural yoghurt. I also added another 'first' to my purchase list: oatbran - to make the daily Galettes that Dr Dukan has kindly included. I had planned so well - defrosting mince to make burgers for supper - which turned out to be so sloppy I had to add matza meal, which in turn meant I had carbs. In for penny in for a pound, I also had some fruit, and a chocolate finger. Doh!!
Every day is a new day (my new mantra), so I'm starting again today. I've bought cold meat and two types of fish, plus the oatbran to make porridge (the galette's were a DISASTER). Pictures to follow...
Onwards and upwards: The Dukan Diet. This is the newest craze in dietland. Dr Dukan is a French Doctor, who has devised this weightloss plan based on years of observations. It's a bit like Atkins on speed. I work for a French person, and a French person works for me, so you think that I'd be used to the whole crazy-French thing, but this takes it to a whole new level.The book is the driest, most medicalised tome that I have come across so far. In fact, ever! It has no humour, no enthusiasm, no real motivation.
The entire concept is neatly summarised on the back of the book - so why the bloody hell do I have to read all three hundred plus pages? I'll spare you some of the dullest parts, and just try a neat summary, although I might come back and outline some of the most tedious parts, to give you a flavour...
4 Step Programme
Step One: Attack. 2-7 days - eat as much as you want of 72 protein rich foods
Step Two: Cruise. Continue eating protein; add up to 28 vegetables (until desired weight is achieved)
Step Three: Consolidation. Add fruit, bread, cheese and starchy foods, and 2 celebration meals a week
Step Four: Stabilisation. Eat what you like, but follow three "simple" rules, including the "famous" 'Protein Thursdays'.
Yesterday, day 1, I ate two eggs for breakfast, two whole salmon fillets (mid-morning) AND a fillet of sea bream for lunch, plus one fat free natural yoghurt. I also added another 'first' to my purchase list: oatbran - to make the daily Galettes that Dr Dukan has kindly included. I had planned so well - defrosting mince to make burgers for supper - which turned out to be so sloppy I had to add matza meal, which in turn meant I had carbs. In for penny in for a pound, I also had some fruit, and a chocolate finger. Doh!!
Every day is a new day (my new mantra), so I'm starting again today. I've bought cold meat and two types of fish, plus the oatbran to make porridge (the galette's were a DISASTER). Pictures to follow...
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Yesterday, I hit the fibre jackpot. M&S do a new Tuna and three bean "fuller for longer" salad that contains 30g fibre - which is 126% of your recommended daily fibre allowance - and three quarters of mine. After a little bit of American-style jumping and wooping (I clearly still haven't fully recovered from the enthusiastic USA-style of Jenny Craig on week #19), I got a grip, paid for the thing and left. It turns out that there may be something of an inverse correlation between fibre and taste - it wasn't actually all that nice - but it fit the brief and filled me up, at least.
Yesterday, I also made the Tomato and Red Lentil soup from Audrey's book (fry off one onion, two carrots, two celery sticks , add 6oz split red lentils, tin chopped tomatoes, one tblsp tomato paste, 2l stock, cook for 35 mins, blend). I'm learning a LOT of new soups on my diets. Maybe I'll write a recipe book...
Yesterday, I also made the Tomato and Red Lentil soup from Audrey's book (fry off one onion, two carrots, two celery sticks , add 6oz split red lentils, tin chopped tomatoes, one tblsp tomato paste, 2l stock, cook for 35 mins, blend). I'm learning a LOT of new soups on my diets. Maybe I'll write a recipe book...
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
The fibre challenge...
According to Audrey, I have to eat 40g of fibre per day. So far today, I've had three pieces of wholemeal toast, a sprouted bean salad, cabbage, leeks, cous cous, salad, bran flakes and a ton of fruit, and I still think that I haven't managed 40g fibre.
To get 40g of fibre, I could also eat 400 cherry tomatoes, 8 bowls of bran flakes or 30 jars of tartare sauce. I think that I'm going to struggle.
I am enjoying this though - I'm full all the time, and I'm sure that my colon is in rude health! And spending a lot of time in the loo. But luckily I've found a blogging app for my iPhone, so I can do two things at once.
To get 40g of fibre, I could also eat 400 cherry tomatoes, 8 bowls of bran flakes or 30 jars of tartare sauce. I think that I'm going to struggle.
I am enjoying this though - I'm full all the time, and I'm sure that my colon is in rude health! And spending a lot of time in the loo. But luckily I've found a blogging app for my iPhone, so I can do two things at once.
Monday, 16 May 2011
Food for F2 week
So far for breakfast, I've had a slice of toast, bran flakes, the probiotic yoghurt and half a grapefruit. Green grapes for a snack, and the aubergine and lentil salad for lunch. The greenish banana made me feel a bit greenish, so I'm avoiding it for now. Full to bursting with healthy fibre goodness. Am a bit worried about the bursting.
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Week 21: Audrey Eyton's F2 diet
By the end of week 20, following The Cambridge Diet, I have lost a moderately impressive 3lbs - bringing my weight to a much happier 9st13lbs. I found 'stage 4' quite difficult to manage - turns out I'm an 'all or nothing' kinda gal, and using the diet products as 'inbetween' snacks for me didn't give as much control as I wanted - compared to sole source, where you only have their products. I still have a reservation about the nature of the products - the fact that it's all chocolate bars and sweet shakes (ok, there are soups, but the point remains...), and the extreme calorie restriction, but I guess the proof is in the pudding (literally, in the case of the chocolate desserts), and if you're seriously overweight, then this seems to work as a starting point for a weightloss journey.
Week 21 is going to be Audrey Peyton's F2 diet. This is a sequel to her multi-million selling F-Plan diet. Now, it's not often that the sequel is better than the original (think Pirates of the Caribbean, Look Who's Talking 2, any of the Star Wars films - although I'm relying on husband for this information, as I slept through every single dull moment).
I'm beginning to notice a formula to these diet books - start by establishing your credentials (Audrey was Beauty Editor of a best-selling womens magazine), then slag off all other diets (Atkins comes in for the most abuse here, possibly because it really is the most discredited, although it helps that he's dead and therefore can't defend himself). You must then establish the 'science' behind your plan - although I use this term loosely, as there is rarely any supporting evidence, before finally actually revealing what your plan is...
A note on the 'science': There's a nod to gender: Audrey notes that the carb-weightloss effect is a girl-boy thing - girls crave carbs on a primitive level, from a time when digging for tubers was a girls work. If this is true, I wonder whether girls in later generations of my daughters will eat more red-meat, as a direct result of my leather-handbag addiction. On statistics: she says that an American is seventeen times more likely to get heart disease than a rural chinese (unsourced, much to my annoyance). A quick google search tells me that in reality (according the World Bank), the average life expectancy of an American is five years more than a Chinese, and Audrey fails to even consider other likely factors, such as exercise (I doubt rural china is as heavily reliant on America than the car), pollution and access to health and education.
Next follows a brilliantly descriptive chapter on poo - illustrating six types, from the nutty/pebbly variety, to the fluffy - and everything in between. Apparently, we should aim for type 4 or 5 - smooth, sausage like, and preferably floating.
So, what actually is this diet? Get to the point, Audrey!! It's basically just a high-fibre, low-GI plan which is designed to benefit your health as well as your waistline. Advantages: high fibre foods are lower calorie and more filling, more calories are wasted (that is, excreted), you feel more full and your blood sugar levels stay steady.
The Rules
By way of measuring the success of this diet, as well as the weightloss element, I might try to add some pictures to the charmingly titled 'rate my poo', in order to ascertain whether they really do improve over the course of the week.
Week 21 is going to be Audrey Peyton's F2 diet. This is a sequel to her multi-million selling F-Plan diet. Now, it's not often that the sequel is better than the original (think Pirates of the Caribbean, Look Who's Talking 2, any of the Star Wars films - although I'm relying on husband for this information, as I slept through every single dull moment).
I'm beginning to notice a formula to these diet books - start by establishing your credentials (Audrey was Beauty Editor of a best-selling womens magazine), then slag off all other diets (Atkins comes in for the most abuse here, possibly because it really is the most discredited, although it helps that he's dead and therefore can't defend himself). You must then establish the 'science' behind your plan - although I use this term loosely, as there is rarely any supporting evidence, before finally actually revealing what your plan is...
A note on the 'science': There's a nod to gender: Audrey notes that the carb-weightloss effect is a girl-boy thing - girls crave carbs on a primitive level, from a time when digging for tubers was a girls work. If this is true, I wonder whether girls in later generations of my daughters will eat more red-meat, as a direct result of my leather-handbag addiction. On statistics: she says that an American is seventeen times more likely to get heart disease than a rural chinese (unsourced, much to my annoyance). A quick google search tells me that in reality (according the World Bank), the average life expectancy of an American is five years more than a Chinese, and Audrey fails to even consider other likely factors, such as exercise (I doubt rural china is as heavily reliant on America than the car), pollution and access to health and education.
Next follows a brilliantly descriptive chapter on poo - illustrating six types, from the nutty/pebbly variety, to the fluffy - and everything in between. Apparently, we should aim for type 4 or 5 - smooth, sausage like, and preferably floating.
So, what actually is this diet? Get to the point, Audrey!! It's basically just a high-fibre, low-GI plan which is designed to benefit your health as well as your waistline. Advantages: high fibre foods are lower calorie and more filling, more calories are wasted (that is, excreted), you feel more full and your blood sugar levels stay steady.
The Rules
- Eat around 40 grams of fibre per day
- Breakfast on half a grapefruit, a bowl of high-fibre cereal and a greenish banana each day
- Have a low-fat probiotic drink each day
- Eat large quantities of vegetables and pulses - including at least two from the 'F2 Star Bioactive Veg and Pulses' list - at least 15 grams daily (there is a list of 24, including lentils, peas, beans, carrots, spinach, brocolli and sugarsnaps)
- Eat at least two F2 Star Bioactive Fruits daily (a list of 12, inclduing apples, nectarines, grapes and plums)
- Eat two slices of fibre-rich wholemeal bread each day
- Eat grain based foods, such as wholewheat pasta, bulgur wheat and couscous
- Ration fat-containing foods to 10 units daily (a handy guide to almost every food is included)
- Choose fish instead of meat (or better yet, be vegeatarian), limit red meat to twice a week
- Drink water freely
By way of measuring the success of this diet, as well as the weightloss element, I might try to add some pictures to the charmingly titled 'rate my poo', in order to ascertain whether they really do improve over the course of the week.
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
The Cambridge Diet - progress so far...
Yesterday was a freaking disaster. I had a teeny tiny shake for breakfast, and by lunchtime I was STARVING. I hoovered up both of the salads that I'd bought from M&S for yesterday and today, and then, like a mini-vortex, swept up almost anything edible within my path. I did manage to restrain myself at dinner, with a salmon fillet and salad, and I still think that I stayed pretty much within my daily allowance of 1200 calories.
Today, I'm trying to be more sensible, and stick to what Liane suggested. I had breakfast at home before work - which normally I try to avoid seeing as Poppy insists on eating all the cheese off my toast, and my coffee is NEVER ever hot, as I'm trying to make sure that bags are packed, children are dressed (is it just me? I always seem to forget their socks and coats...). I had my chocolate milkshake 'diet' mid-morning (yum), a salad for lunch, and another 'diet' for a mid-afternoon snack (note: calling the 'chewy' chocolate bar chewy is an not an over-exaggeration, it's like chewing gum in a protein-rich chocolate bar), and I'll have an apple to keep me going if I'm really starving. Healthy supper, and no snacking for me tonight.
A note to the followers of this diet: I have the utmost admiration for you. The 450-calorie daily allowance might be carefully calculated to allow you to survive, but it is hardcore, 'extreme dieting', and I salute anyone who sticks to this!!
Today, I'm trying to be more sensible, and stick to what Liane suggested. I had breakfast at home before work - which normally I try to avoid seeing as Poppy insists on eating all the cheese off my toast, and my coffee is NEVER ever hot, as I'm trying to make sure that bags are packed, children are dressed (is it just me? I always seem to forget their socks and coats...). I had my chocolate milkshake 'diet' mid-morning (yum), a salad for lunch, and another 'diet' for a mid-afternoon snack (note: calling the 'chewy' chocolate bar chewy is an not an over-exaggeration, it's like chewing gum in a protein-rich chocolate bar), and I'll have an apple to keep me going if I'm really starving. Healthy supper, and no snacking for me tonight.
A note to the followers of this diet: I have the utmost admiration for you. The 450-calorie daily allowance might be carefully calculated to allow you to survive, but it is hardcore, 'extreme dieting', and I salute anyone who sticks to this!!
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Diet #20, The Cambridge Diet
Oh. My. G-d. Three weeks until holiday and I STILL haven't lost any real weight. I bought a new bikini this week, and the 360 degree changing room mirrors reminded me of the horror of my 'mummy tummy' from every unflattering angle! This is the bikini. This in NOT what I look like. Goddammit!! Definitely time to get back on the diet wagon.
A quick call to Liane at from The Cambridge Diet, and I've arranged to try it for a week. Similar to slimfast, this is a meal replacement system in the form of shakes and bars (and soups and mousses). The difference is that this one feels quite highly medicalised, compared with the slick 'commercial-ness' of slimfast. You meet with a local consultant, who weighs and measures you, runs through the programme and then gives you a week's worth of food. Unlike (say) weightwatchers, where the heavier you are, the more calories you start with, with Cambridge, you start with fewer. So, Step 1, 'Sole Source', can be as few as 435 calories, spread across 3 'diets' throughout the day.
As I arrive at Liane's, I meet a very slim girl on her way out. Immediately filled with great confidence that this must be a fantastic diet if I could leave looking like her, I am slightly disappointed to learn that she'd just been there to have her nails done (Liane's other source of work!). The consultation itself was a lot more medicalised than expected. I was hoping for a biscuit and a cup of tea and a nice heart-to-heart about why I was such a bloater in the first place. However, seeing as, for most of her clients, that biscuit represents virtually their entire day's calorie allowance, I was quite clearly deluding myself.
As I'm a bit lighter than their average dieter, I've skipped straight to 'Stage 4', which is based on 1200 calories a day. This involves eating two of their products, alongside 3 small healthy meals during the day (150-300 calories each). Apparently, I can't cram all the calories into one session (which is a shame, because I'm having lunch at Gordon Ramsey's Maze on Monday), and under absolutely no circumstances must I drink this week! My 14 products cost £27, and the average client will spend £35-£45 per week.
A quick call to Liane at from The Cambridge Diet, and I've arranged to try it for a week. Similar to slimfast, this is a meal replacement system in the form of shakes and bars (and soups and mousses). The difference is that this one feels quite highly medicalised, compared with the slick 'commercial-ness' of slimfast. You meet with a local consultant, who weighs and measures you, runs through the programme and then gives you a week's worth of food. Unlike (say) weightwatchers, where the heavier you are, the more calories you start with, with Cambridge, you start with fewer. So, Step 1, 'Sole Source', can be as few as 435 calories, spread across 3 'diets' throughout the day.
As I arrive at Liane's, I meet a very slim girl on her way out. Immediately filled with great confidence that this must be a fantastic diet if I could leave looking like her, I am slightly disappointed to learn that she'd just been there to have her nails done (Liane's other source of work!). The consultation itself was a lot more medicalised than expected. I was hoping for a biscuit and a cup of tea and a nice heart-to-heart about why I was such a bloater in the first place. However, seeing as, for most of her clients, that biscuit represents virtually their entire day's calorie allowance, I was quite clearly deluding myself.
As I'm a bit lighter than their average dieter, I've skipped straight to 'Stage 4', which is based on 1200 calories a day. This involves eating two of their products, alongside 3 small healthy meals during the day (150-300 calories each). Apparently, I can't cram all the calories into one session (which is a shame, because I'm having lunch at Gordon Ramsey's Maze on Monday), and under absolutely no circumstances must I drink this week! My 14 products cost £27, and the average client will spend £35-£45 per week.
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Jenny Craig - The verdict: Guilty!!
The timing just didn't work for me. In the sunniest week of the year, the team was heading out to the park to eat al fresco salad and sushi at lunchtime, and I was stuck in the office, microwaving soup. The cereals were great (and although the portions were small, I know that they are sensible and realistic yada yada), and I munched my way through the snack bars with no guilt at all (well, a little guilt after I ate three at once on day two). Bored of the microwaveable pouches, I ended up using the dinners as side dishes, which earned me a (very polite) telling off from my telephone coach Angela. I can see how the telephone support from the lovely Angela would have kept me on the straight and narrow, if I'd been really focussed on this, and it was nice to have someone check in on me, without the inconvenience of having to go anywhere.
I promised that I would try this for two weeks, in order to really get into it and see the results, but after a week, I'd pretty much given up - on dieting altogether!! However, the food didn't go to waste. Offered to a team of journalists and media execs on a near-constant state of diet-induced starvation, it was devoured in an instant.
I've been a bit slack the last couple of weeks, and need a new incentive - namely the fact that I shamefully haven't lost any real weight in a while, and the impending holiday and requisite bikini. New diet is self-made: the chewing gum and coffee diet: The Rules: replace all snacks with chewing gum and coffee. Easy peasy!
Start weight: 10st 2lbs.
I promised that I would try this for two weeks, in order to really get into it and see the results, but after a week, I'd pretty much given up - on dieting altogether!! However, the food didn't go to waste. Offered to a team of journalists and media execs on a near-constant state of diet-induced starvation, it was devoured in an instant.
I've been a bit slack the last couple of weeks, and need a new incentive - namely the fact that I shamefully haven't lost any real weight in a while, and the impending holiday and requisite bikini. New diet is self-made: the chewing gum and coffee diet: The Rules: replace all snacks with chewing gum and coffee. Easy peasy!
Start weight: 10st 2lbs.
Sunday, 3 April 2011
Diet #19, Jenny Craig
After such a successful week of juicing (minus 5lbs), I'm really keen to keep up the momentum, so I'm trying a fortnight of Jenny Craig.
Jenny Craig is an American sensation. This immediately sets alarm bells ringing for me, as I'm something of an Americophobe - it's all supersized teens and crazed postal workers and as far as I'm concerned.
Some of the diets that I've done in the last few months have bordered on the ridiculous, and it's been easy to be irreverant when I review them. However, it's hard to be super-critical when, instead of a website or book, you get a lovely lady on the end of the phone to guide you through the package. Jenny Craig is a nutrition-based weightloss programme, with all your food supplied each month. Unlike dietchef, where the food turned up in a jumbled box, this is Monica Geller-style organisation. A large box arrived, with two layers of prettily packaged food, separated into sections for breakfast, lunches, supper and snacks. In addition, there's a pastel colour-coordinated folder, with a complete instruction guide to the week, and some charts to fill in, to keep track of your weight and inchloss. There's a grocery shopping list, a guide to eating out (it just says 'don't'), an activity planner and some positive affirmations. Suggested affirmation:
Apparently, I don't have to read these in an American accent, but it helps.
The idea is to use weekly meal planners as a food diary, crossing off breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack as you go, to a total of 1200 calories. There's a section for 'unplanned foods', which also requires you to answer the question 'why' - will be interesting to see what ends up in these boxes by the end of the week. All of this is supported by a very sweet phone counsellor, who guides you through the plan, reminds you to do exercise and adds lots of encouraging words.
Tomorrow, I have muesli for breakfast, Tomato soup for lunch and mushroom stroganoff and rice for supper. Snacks are yoghurt, Jenny Craig snack and fruit, plus as many free foods as I like. Saturday's weight was 9st 13lbs, but a last binge on Mothers Day chocolates mean that I'll start tomorrow at 10st exactly! I've booked another phone session with Angie at 10am on the 6th, to keep me on the straight and narrow.
Jenny Craig is an American sensation. This immediately sets alarm bells ringing for me, as I'm something of an Americophobe - it's all supersized teens and crazed postal workers and as far as I'm concerned.
Some of the diets that I've done in the last few months have bordered on the ridiculous, and it's been easy to be irreverant when I review them. However, it's hard to be super-critical when, instead of a website or book, you get a lovely lady on the end of the phone to guide you through the package. Jenny Craig is a nutrition-based weightloss programme, with all your food supplied each month. Unlike dietchef, where the food turned up in a jumbled box, this is Monica Geller-style organisation. A large box arrived, with two layers of prettily packaged food, separated into sections for breakfast, lunches, supper and snacks. In addition, there's a pastel colour-coordinated folder, with a complete instruction guide to the week, and some charts to fill in, to keep track of your weight and inchloss. There's a grocery shopping list, a guide to eating out (it just says 'don't'), an activity planner and some positive affirmations. Suggested affirmation:
My goal is progress, not perfection
I am responsible for my own success
I turn lapses into learning opportunities
Priorities are my stepping stone to results
Each healthy choice takes me closer to my goal
Apparently, I don't have to read these in an American accent, but it helps.
The idea is to use weekly meal planners as a food diary, crossing off breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack as you go, to a total of 1200 calories. There's a section for 'unplanned foods', which also requires you to answer the question 'why' - will be interesting to see what ends up in these boxes by the end of the week. All of this is supported by a very sweet phone counsellor, who guides you through the plan, reminds you to do exercise and adds lots of encouraging words.
Tomorrow, I have muesli for breakfast, Tomato soup for lunch and mushroom stroganoff and rice for supper. Snacks are yoghurt, Jenny Craig snack and fruit, plus as many free foods as I like. Saturday's weight was 9st 13lbs, but a last binge on Mothers Day chocolates mean that I'll start tomorrow at 10st exactly! I've booked another phone session with Angie at 10am on the 6th, to keep me on the straight and narrow.
The end of diet #18: We juiced ourselves slim!!
I'm quickly learning that the more I dread the fad diets at the beginning of the week, the more weight I lose by then end of the week. Betweeen us, Simon and I have lost 13lbs this week (me 5 and him 8), and I also feel better than I've felt in ages.
Favourite juice: Breakfast blueberry smoothie (juice half a pineapple, and blend with 2 tablespoons of bio-natural yoghurt, couple of handfuls of frozen blueberries and some ice), and a special mention to the sweet potato, spinach and watercress soup. By far the worst - Beta Carrot juice - apples, beetroot, carrots, parsnip, lemon and ice - I've never thought of parsnips as a particularly 'juicy' vegetable and it's still repeating on me a week later!
Hardcore diet, yes, but totally worth it! The juicer has pride of place on my kitchen counter, and I take back everything I said about Jason Vale...
Favourite juice: Breakfast blueberry smoothie (juice half a pineapple, and blend with 2 tablespoons of bio-natural yoghurt, couple of handfuls of frozen blueberries and some ice), and a special mention to the sweet potato, spinach and watercress soup. By far the worst - Beta Carrot juice - apples, beetroot, carrots, parsnip, lemon and ice - I've never thought of parsnips as a particularly 'juicy' vegetable and it's still repeating on me a week later!
Hardcore diet, yes, but totally worth it! The juicer has pride of place on my kitchen counter, and I take back everything I said about Jason Vale...
Monday, 28 March 2011
Day 2: Juice Yourself Slim
Day 2: Started day with a terrible headache, which I'm sure is not hunger-related, simply 'withdrawl'. Overall though, the day is going well so far, I had a 'blood builder' juice for breakfast (carrot, beetroot, apple, avocado) - thanks to the beetroot it looked more like a blood-milkshake, and a 'Hangover-Over' smoothie in Pure for lunch (Blueberries, banana, strawberries, low fat yoghurt, apple juice). Souper-Green soup planned for dinner. Ocado cancelled my delivery planned for this morning - but have promised to redeliver at the same time tomorrow - with a £25 discount by way of apology. Which seems to have cleared up my headache!
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Diet #18, Day 1... Success!!!
Breakfast and lunch, look the same but taste completely different (honest!)
Saturday, 26 March 2011
Diet #18, Juice Yourself Slim
The Jenny Craig food is being delivered on Monday, and I need a consultation on Tuesday before I can begin - for any normal person, this would be a good excuse to put off dieting for another week. In the meantime, I (not normal person) found a copy of Juice Yourself Slim, by Jason Vale, aka the 'Juice Master', knocking around the office this week, and I've decided to do this whilst I wait for the food to arrive.
This is not a complicated concept - seven days following Jason's 'juicy' plan, drinking only freshly made juices, soups and smoothies, enough to drop half a stone (at least) and kick start a new, healthy attitude to dieting. The juicing itself is a little more complicated, requiring expensive kit, enough fresh fruit and veg to rival spitalfields market, 5 daily-made juices/smoothies/soups, and a series of increasingly complicated recipes.
Jason Vale comes across as more evangelical egomaniac than medical professional - the book is basically a soapbox for his ranting. The cover promises that you can 'lose weight without dieting', although I'm not sure what else you would call a week of juice-only fasting.
This is a long book, very long, and Jason is absolutely insistent that you must read and absorb Every. Single. Word. The problem for me seems to be that he says a lot of things that don't actually seem to make any sense when you think about them - just because he's written them, doesn't make them true. Here's some examples:
He makes lots of references to popular culture - celebrities, films and fad diets. He talks about diets only working the first time, 'Many people try to relight the inspirational fire using the same method that helped them to succeed before', he calls this 'The Sixth Sense Syndrome'.
Why, exactly does he single out the not-very-muscular Brad Pitt. Rugby players I can understand, but what's he got against Brad? Maybe he fancies Angelina? And this one's my favourite. In his chapter 'The Juice Revolution', he says how people from all walks of life are seeing the results. 'Even Kate Moss has been at the wheatgrass shots'. Yeah, wheatgrass, I'm sure that's what Kate's been at...
Two common themes emerge with most of the diet books I've read - it seems to be necessary to slag off all other diets, and to either rubbish all the science, or highlight the science that supports your own case, even when it's the most tenuous possible. He says that:
The science part: Jason is obsessed with the dangers of trying to medicalise weightloss, what he terms 'Pharmageddon'. The dangers of Phen-Phen, Vioxx, Alli and the like. My favourite line from the book: 'If you're overweight, the cause is not a slimming pill deficiency'. No, it's also not a chips or pies deficiency either!
Jason Vale also relies heavily on the anecdotal evidence that he receives via letters from successful 7-day juicers. My favourite is this one:
This worries me on a number of levels. I have no idea what my hairs 'original' colour is, but I pay my lovely colourist a small fortune every few weeks so that I never have to find out. Secondly, a weeks worth of juices (even a years worth of juice) can't possibly make your hair change colour...
Apparently, during the first few days, I may feel a degree of excessive hunger. According to Jason, this is not genuine hunger, but 'feelings of withdrawl'. Yes, withdrawl from FOOD!! He goes on to say that "this withdrawl is a slight, empty feeling identical to normal hunger". Hmmm, no food, a feeling identical to hunger... He then goes on to further clarify "if I didn't know how much food I have had, how hungry would I really be?" Fucking starving, that's how hungry! Apparently, "the principle is the same for many aspects of life. For example, if you didn't know how much sleep you'd had, how tired would you really be?" Seriously?? I have a full time job, and two small children who often wake me in the night for the most random of reasons. I don't know how much sleep I have, but I know that I'm fucking exhausted all the time!!
Anyhow, I bought a £100 top of the range juicer yesterday in Argos (don't say I'm not serious about this...) and have ordered the necessary fruit and veg (Ocado £40, Tesco £15, £1-a-bowl man 5 bowls). Let's just hope this gadget doesn't join the growing pile of 'seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time, waiting-to-be-put-on-ebay' items in the cellar (Vax carpet washer, kenwood blender, roller blades - to name but a few).
Silver Lining: Having convinced me to buy the juicer, Simon's agreed to join me for the week...
This is not a complicated concept - seven days following Jason's 'juicy' plan, drinking only freshly made juices, soups and smoothies, enough to drop half a stone (at least) and kick start a new, healthy attitude to dieting. The juicing itself is a little more complicated, requiring expensive kit, enough fresh fruit and veg to rival spitalfields market, 5 daily-made juices/smoothies/soups, and a series of increasingly complicated recipes.
Jason Vale comes across as more evangelical egomaniac than medical professional - the book is basically a soapbox for his ranting. The cover promises that you can 'lose weight without dieting', although I'm not sure what else you would call a week of juice-only fasting.
This is a long book, very long, and Jason is absolutely insistent that you must read and absorb Every. Single. Word. The problem for me seems to be that he says a lot of things that don't actually seem to make any sense when you think about them - just because he's written them, doesn't make them true. Here's some examples:
He makes lots of references to popular culture - celebrities, films and fad diets. He talks about diets only working the first time, 'Many people try to relight the inspirational fire using the same method that helped them to succeed before', he calls this 'The Sixth Sense Syndrome'.
"The first time that you see the film, the twist at the end is a complete revelation, but you can't possibly get the same revelation the second time round".But when you think about it, you can't compare the calorie and fat-controlled regime of weightwatchers, or the carb-free atkins - both of which continue to work scientifically regardless of whether you've seen some shit old film with a washed-up Bruce Willis once or ten times. Jason also doesn't like the BMI system - he calls it antiquated - and says that:
"According to the BMI index, Brad Pitt is obese - yes, Brad Pitt, obese!"
Why, exactly does he single out the not-very-muscular Brad Pitt. Rugby players I can understand, but what's he got against Brad? Maybe he fancies Angelina? And this one's my favourite. In his chapter 'The Juice Revolution', he says how people from all walks of life are seeing the results. 'Even Kate Moss has been at the wheatgrass shots'. Yeah, wheatgrass, I'm sure that's what Kate's been at...
Two common themes emerge with most of the diet books I've read - it seems to be necessary to slag off all other diets, and to either rubbish all the science, or highlight the science that supports your own case, even when it's the most tenuous possible. He says that:
'Over the past 10 years, there have been scientific studies carried out with regards to juices and smoothies'but then fails to mention any more about any of them. Where were they? What were the results? When he does reference them, it's in the vaguest terms - Apple juice has a powerful effect on memory and 'can help' prevent asthma. "Polyphenols might play an important role in delaying the onset of Alzheimers" Resarchers said that "it was probably due to disease-fighting polyphenols". Can? Might? Probably? That's not science, that's conjecture... Anyway, he then goes on to totally rubbish science, in the chapter "What is science anyway", basically rejecting any findings that don't conform to his thinking with a "well, we once thought that the world was flat" attitude.
The science part: Jason is obsessed with the dangers of trying to medicalise weightloss, what he terms 'Pharmageddon'. The dangers of Phen-Phen, Vioxx, Alli and the like. My favourite line from the book: 'If you're overweight, the cause is not a slimming pill deficiency'. No, it's also not a chips or pies deficiency either!
Jason Vale also relies heavily on the anecdotal evidence that he receives via letters from successful 7-day juicers. My favourite is this one:
"Dear Mr Vale, My husband and I enjoy delicious juices as a result of reading your books. Not only do we have more energy and better health, but our hair is going back to the original colour"
This worries me on a number of levels. I have no idea what my hairs 'original' colour is, but I pay my lovely colourist a small fortune every few weeks so that I never have to find out. Secondly, a weeks worth of juices (even a years worth of juice) can't possibly make your hair change colour...
Apparently, during the first few days, I may feel a degree of excessive hunger. According to Jason, this is not genuine hunger, but 'feelings of withdrawl'. Yes, withdrawl from FOOD!! He goes on to say that "this withdrawl is a slight, empty feeling identical to normal hunger". Hmmm, no food, a feeling identical to hunger... He then goes on to further clarify "if I didn't know how much food I have had, how hungry would I really be?" Fucking starving, that's how hungry! Apparently, "the principle is the same for many aspects of life. For example, if you didn't know how much sleep you'd had, how tired would you really be?" Seriously?? I have a full time job, and two small children who often wake me in the night for the most random of reasons. I don't know how much sleep I have, but I know that I'm fucking exhausted all the time!!
Anyhow, I bought a £100 top of the range juicer yesterday in Argos (don't say I'm not serious about this...) and have ordered the necessary fruit and veg (Ocado £40, Tesco £15, £1-a-bowl man 5 bowls). Let's just hope this gadget doesn't join the growing pile of 'seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time, waiting-to-be-put-on-ebay' items in the cellar (Vax carpet washer, kenwood blender, roller blades - to name but a few).
Silver Lining: Having convinced me to buy the juicer, Simon's agreed to join me for the week...
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Yesterday started so well: fruit for breakfast, chinese stir-fry vegetables with noodles for lunch, and a tuna nicoise salad for supper. Followed by two large glasses of sauvignon blanc, and an emergency dash to the 24-hour tesco to buy two bags of strangely named but surprisingly delicious "wild and whippy" bars. Followed by a misjudged TOWIE marathon last night and a guilt-ridden hangover this morning: slightly helped by a pain au chocolate and large (and very expensive) coffee in pret for breakfast.
Weight remains a stubborn 10st4lbs, alcohol units a very respectable 7 (ok on day 4, but still...), but at least my cigarette count for the week is at zero!
If Jenny Craig can help me shift those last few pounds, she'll be my new G-d!
Weight remains a stubborn 10st4lbs, alcohol units a very respectable 7 (ok on day 4, but still...), but at least my cigarette count for the week is at zero!
If Jenny Craig can help me shift those last few pounds, she'll be my new G-d!
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Bridget Jones' Diet
Finished off the Minstrels for breakfast. Please don't judge me, it's been a stressful morning at work! In her ideal world, Bridget would be living in the suburbs, driving little Tarquin and Cosmo to school in the Range Rover (only two minutes away, but the poor darlings have terrible hayfever, don't you know), and daydreaming about the dishy gardener.
Seriously, my mini yo-yo dieting is not proving successful, and I haven't actually shifted any weight this whole year, which is a bit embarrassing when you think about it.
So, change of tack, next week, I'm going to try Jenny Craig. Apparently, in order for this to really work, I have to do it a month at least, but I'm not sure my attention span is that long - but I'm going to give it a fortnight to prove that it's doable. Maybe the consistency is what I need to shift this last pesky half stone!
Seriously, my mini yo-yo dieting is not proving successful, and I haven't actually shifted any weight this whole year, which is a bit embarrassing when you think about it.
So, change of tack, next week, I'm going to try Jenny Craig. Apparently, in order for this to really work, I have to do it a month at least, but I'm not sure my attention span is that long - but I'm going to give it a fortnight to prove that it's doable. Maybe the consistency is what I need to shift this last pesky half stone!
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Diet #17, Bridget Jones Diet: Going according to plan, at least!
Yesterday morning: Spent £15 on yummy healthy food in M&S - plums, bananas, grapes, orange juice and muesli. Ate a delish healthy salad from Pure for lunch. Spoiled it all by dinnertime, which mostly consisted of Beer and a bag of popcorn. However, I did spend the night volunteering for a cancer charity, so what I lost in weightwatchers points, I made up for in brownie points.
Lesson of the day: Good intentions are soluble in beer!
Today's diet has already gone to pot, turns out our lovely Promotions Director Amy is a 'feeder' - I blame the Minstrels and M&Ms she brought back from her ski trip.
Oh well, tomorrow's another day...
Lesson of the day: Good intentions are soluble in beer!
Today's diet has already gone to pot, turns out our lovely Promotions Director Amy is a 'feeder' - I blame the Minstrels and M&Ms she brought back from her ski trip.
Oh well, tomorrow's another day...
Monday, 21 March 2011
Diet #17, the Bridget Jones Diet
Fuck fuck fuck. This morning, I have woken up feeling like shit. I feel a bit like Bridget Jones, 10 years later, who wakes up one morning, and realises that she's 10 years older and a stone heavier, two children richer, and a mortgage worse off. That Mr Darcy leaves his pants on the floor every night for her to pick up every morning, and still resolutely refuses to clear up the toast crumbs every morning. Cigarettes (weekend: 2) have gone up to £6.45 a pack, with another 17p due in the budget. Fuck, Bridget Jones worrying about the budget, for fucks sake.
This week, in her honour, I'm going to make up my own diet, the Bridget-Jones-(and-every-woman-of-a-certain-age-diet) - which involves waking up with the best of intentions, but an innate knowledge that by 10pm and the offer of a glass of wine, it will all go to shit. Ok, 8pm. If I can do it beyond lunchtime I'm onto a winner.
I should mention that I was ill last week, too ill to diet, so Carol Vordermans detox will have to wait for another week. I've also got one I really want to do called the Core Balance, a four-week guide, exploring the emotional as well as physical reasons for weight gain. I love the thought that I can blame my parents and my own sense of self-worth, rather than Mr Cadbury. Unfortunately, the book is too long to actually read, but as soon as I get round to it I'll give it a go...
This week, in her honour, I'm going to make up my own diet, the Bridget-Jones-(and-every-woman-of-a-certain-age-diet) - which involves waking up with the best of intentions, but an innate knowledge that by 10pm and the offer of a glass of wine, it will all go to shit. Ok, 8pm. If I can do it beyond lunchtime I'm onto a winner.
I should mention that I was ill last week, too ill to diet, so Carol Vordermans detox will have to wait for another week. I've also got one I really want to do called the Core Balance, a four-week guide, exploring the emotional as well as physical reasons for weight gain. I love the thought that I can blame my parents and my own sense of self-worth, rather than Mr Cadbury. Unfortunately, the book is too long to actually read, but as soon as I get round to it I'll give it a go...
Sunday, 13 March 2011
Diet #16, Carol Vordeman's detox
After a week of birthday parties to celebrate baby Poppy's first birthday, I'm scared to step onto the scales! A friend has loaned me Carol Vordeman's detox, so I'm going to try it for a week. I'm too tired to start today, and haven't even had time to open the book, but I'll get round to it this week for sure...
Not sure why I'm aspiring to Carol. She's a mathematician (I think we established in the last diet that my maths skills leave a lot to be desired), she's 51 (I have an irrational phobia of old people - but that's a story for another blog), and she's from 'oop north (I get a nosebleed if I have to go outside of the M25) - so not exactly my ideal diet role model, but she's gone from this...
and if she can do the same for me, I won't complain.
Not sure why I'm aspiring to Carol. She's a mathematician (I think we established in the last diet that my maths skills leave a lot to be desired), she's 51 (I have an irrational phobia of old people - but that's a story for another blog), and she's from 'oop north (I get a nosebleed if I have to go outside of the M25) - so not exactly my ideal diet role model, but she's gone from this...
To this...
and if she can do the same for me, I won't complain.
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
GI Diet #FAIL!!
I had a slight inkling that this wasn't working when I carefully chose low GI food last night - as toppings for my pizza!
This one definitely isn't doing it for me - firstly the GI of food is impossible to measure so you have to carry the book around with you, and secondly because only non-processed food has a low GI, so actually, it's the same as with so many of the diets I've tried - you lose weight because there's no sweets, no chocolate, no crisps, no processed food, not the GI index specifically...
It's Poppy's first birthday this week, so I'm going to enjoy the birthday cake(s), and start another diet on Monday.
N.B. Am sticking with the muesli (because it's bearable, and because I bought a massive bag of it), and taking on board the lessons about blood sugar levels, so not a total failure!
This one definitely isn't doing it for me - firstly the GI of food is impossible to measure so you have to carry the book around with you, and secondly because only non-processed food has a low GI, so actually, it's the same as with so many of the diets I've tried - you lose weight because there's no sweets, no chocolate, no crisps, no processed food, not the GI index specifically...
It's Poppy's first birthday this week, so I'm going to enjoy the birthday cake(s), and start another diet on Monday.
N.B. Am sticking with the muesli (because it's bearable, and because I bought a massive bag of it), and taking on board the lessons about blood sugar levels, so not a total failure!
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
How to calculate the Glycaemic Index of food?
This is basically impossible. The indices are measured experimentally, based on giving 10 subjects 50g of food and measuring their blood responses 2 hours later. So, unless a) I get a science degree to go alongside my non-existant maths degree, and b)I feed the girls on my team my M&S aubergine and lentil salad and then test them, it's unlikely I'll be able to work this out. Mostly because I don't like sharing food, and they think I get quite enough from them already, without actually giving me their blood.
M&S have done very well out of me today. So far, I have bought their 22% fruit muesli for breakfast, aubergine & lentil and tomato & mozzarella salad's for lunch, almonds, bananas, grapes and plums for snacks - and then ruined it all with two-for-one on jaffa cakes... But seeing as it's impossible to measure the GI of foods (plus, they virtually count as fruit anyway), we'll just assume it's all good!
M&S have done very well out of me today. So far, I have bought their 22% fruit muesli for breakfast, aubergine & lentil and tomato & mozzarella salad's for lunch, almonds, bananas, grapes and plums for snacks - and then ruined it all with two-for-one on jaffa cakes... But seeing as it's impossible to measure the GI of foods (plus, they virtually count as fruit anyway), we'll just assume it's all good!
Sunday, 6 March 2011
Diet #15, The Glycaemic Index Diet
I am pleased to have survived to the end of Diet #14, Diet Chef. This morning, I was 10st 1lb - so I lost 4lbs in a week - which is pretty impressive. I have to say, whilst I liked the breakfasts, and I tolerated the lunches, I wasn't keen on the dinners - although this might be to do with the fact that I took the vegetarian options, which were always going to be less interesting than the meat variety - and my aversion to microwave food in general.
On the plus side, this is great for teaching portion control, and the food is certainly "better" than slim.fast - in as much as it's actual food - but I'm quite relieved to be coming to the end of this week. Happily, I'm lighter than I started, so on the basis of that making it a successful diet, job done.
I'm moving on to the GI diet (Glycaemic Index). The book is a "need to know" guide, and it does something that I'm beginning to notice is somewhat of a pattern amongst diet books. It starts off by "slagging off" other diets that you might have tried "some diets are restrictive, requiring dieters to eat quantities of one particular food, like cabbage soup {ooh, I forgot about that one}, grapefruit {tick} or pineapple {coincidentally, I did this one a year ago this week, in a desperate attempt to induce labour}. Others, more complicated, have recommended cutting out a whole group of foods, as the original Atkins did with Carbs”. According to this book, the latest news is that Atkins has filed for bankrupcy in the States - there has to be a joke there about losing pounds on Atkins, surely? The book regularly refers to research, to doctors and to nutritionists - but never with names or surveys, which makes it feel like they're trying to hide behind the "science".
Anyhow, how it works is simple enough – at least that's how it appears at the start... When you eat starchy carbohydrate food, like bread, cereal or pasta, your body digests the starch and turns it into glucose, which your body uses as a source of energy. Glucose enters the bloodstream rapidly (think alcohol on an empty stomach) and your glucose level shoots up. The danger is that it then crashes down just as quickly. So the aim is to eat foods that keep your blood sugar steady, avoiding the highs and lows. More recently, "scientists and researchers" began to realise that not all carbs produced blood sugar rushes, because some were broken down more slowly, and they started systematic testing. Foods with a low GI (under 55) break down more slowly, giving a slower rise in blood sugar and insulin levels. There are "good" and "bad" carbohydrates – and you have to eat more good and less bad.
But this is where it gets so complicated, to the point where I wish I'd done a degree in maths rather than history. Basically, according to the book, the limitations of this are that the Glycaemic Index of food is measured in 50g portions - but you'd need just 10 teaspoons of sugar to get 50g of carbs - whereas you'd need 5kg of broccoli to get the same 50g of carbs. So, these clever (but still unnamed) scientists added another facet - the Glycaemic Load (or GL). The GL is calculated by multiplying the GI value of the food concerned by the number of grams of carbohydrates it contains and then dividing the total amount by 100.
The book helpfully simplifies this as follows:
On the plus side, this is great for teaching portion control, and the food is certainly "better" than slim.fast - in as much as it's actual food - but I'm quite relieved to be coming to the end of this week. Happily, I'm lighter than I started, so on the basis of that making it a successful diet, job done.
I'm moving on to the GI diet (Glycaemic Index). The book is a "need to know" guide, and it does something that I'm beginning to notice is somewhat of a pattern amongst diet books. It starts off by "slagging off" other diets that you might have tried "some diets are restrictive, requiring dieters to eat quantities of one particular food, like cabbage soup {ooh, I forgot about that one}, grapefruit {tick} or pineapple {coincidentally, I did this one a year ago this week, in a desperate attempt to induce labour}. Others, more complicated, have recommended cutting out a whole group of foods, as the original Atkins did with Carbs”. According to this book, the latest news is that Atkins has filed for bankrupcy in the States - there has to be a joke there about losing pounds on Atkins, surely? The book regularly refers to research, to doctors and to nutritionists - but never with names or surveys, which makes it feel like they're trying to hide behind the "science".
Anyhow, how it works is simple enough – at least that's how it appears at the start... When you eat starchy carbohydrate food, like bread, cereal or pasta, your body digests the starch and turns it into glucose, which your body uses as a source of energy. Glucose enters the bloodstream rapidly (think alcohol on an empty stomach) and your glucose level shoots up. The danger is that it then crashes down just as quickly. So the aim is to eat foods that keep your blood sugar steady, avoiding the highs and lows. More recently, "scientists and researchers" began to realise that not all carbs produced blood sugar rushes, because some were broken down more slowly, and they started systematic testing. Foods with a low GI (under 55) break down more slowly, giving a slower rise in blood sugar and insulin levels. There are "good" and "bad" carbohydrates – and you have to eat more good and less bad.
But this is where it gets so complicated, to the point where I wish I'd done a degree in maths rather than history. Basically, according to the book, the limitations of this are that the Glycaemic Index of food is measured in 50g portions - but you'd need just 10 teaspoons of sugar to get 50g of carbs - whereas you'd need 5kg of broccoli to get the same 50g of carbs. So, these clever (but still unnamed) scientists added another facet - the Glycaemic Load (or GL). The GL is calculated by multiplying the GI value of the food concerned by the number of grams of carbohydrates it contains and then dividing the total amount by 100.
The book helpfully simplifies this as follows:
GI value x grams of carb per serving / 100 = GL value
Unfortunately, at this point, my brain, addled by weeks of dieting has exploded! I'll have another read of this book later today, and start this one tomorrow!
Monday, 28 February 2011
Diet #14, Diet Chef- not going exactly according to plan
I don't mind the granola for breakfast, in fact, it's quite delicious, and refreshing to see what an 'actual' portion should look like. What it actually looks like is about four little spoonfuls - this morning, I ate it from a tiny bowl with a teaspoon so it looks like more! Or just made me look like a giant, which is not exactly what you need from a diet. Lunch isn't so bad, thick soups which are quick and easy in the microwave and quite filling.
Here's where it goes wrong: I hate the suppers. Tasteless lumpy aeroplane-style food, served in microwaveable sachets. There's a school of thought (not mine, obviously) that says fat=lazy. For those lazy people, this would work.
In addition, it doesn't even make any sense. Their chickpea tagine that I (didn't) eat tonight has 237 calories, and wasn't even as half as nice as Lisa's from last week. The veggie burgers that I've made for Simon are only 180 calories and taste nicer. This is completely anti-social - I'm eating differently from the rest of my family, and cooking two meals at a time, so the rest of the family don't starve. On top of that, it doesn't teach you anything about food or healthy eating - how much protein/carbs/calories or fat you should eat - so it would be difficult to carry on once you go back to normal life.
I'm going to carry on with the breakfasts and soups, but I might swap out the dinners. I hope you'll forgive me.
Here's where it goes wrong: I hate the suppers. Tasteless lumpy aeroplane-style food, served in microwaveable sachets. There's a school of thought (not mine, obviously) that says fat=lazy. For those lazy people, this would work.
In addition, it doesn't even make any sense. Their chickpea tagine that I (didn't) eat tonight has 237 calories, and wasn't even as half as nice as Lisa's from last week. The veggie burgers that I've made for Simon are only 180 calories and taste nicer. This is completely anti-social - I'm eating differently from the rest of my family, and cooking two meals at a time, so the rest of the family don't starve. On top of that, it doesn't teach you anything about food or healthy eating - how much protein/carbs/calories or fat you should eat - so it would be difficult to carry on once you go back to normal life.
I'm going to carry on with the breakfasts and soups, but I might swap out the dinners. I hope you'll forgive me.
Tonight's Chickpea Tagine that I couldn't quite bring myself to eat
From Lisa Jackson's recipe, last week. Tasted a million times better, and all fresh ingredients:
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Diet #14, Diet Chef
Last week, I gained 3lbs. I weighed myself this morning and literally leapt off the scales. 10st 5lbs. I gave them an accusatory look, shook them to check they were working, and then realised that I have only one person to blame. Actually, more than one, a list. Here it is:
Friend A: For having a birthday, and organising a delicious dinner at Aviv. For forcing me to eat three courses, including hoummos and deep fried lamb for starter, lamb kleftico for main course (with chips, not salad), and a chocolate "volcano" for dessert. Delicious, but rubbish volcano, could barely have melted the ice cream on the side, let alone stopped all international flights for a week.
Friend B: For coming over for tea, and only eating one of the delicious cadbury marshmellow biscuits that I so carefully selected for her, leaving me to eat the remaining 15. I couldn't leave them - it would have been too much temptation for this week.
My husband: For not hoovering up all of this food so that I wouln't be tempted.
Diet Guru Lisa Jackson: For making me believe that listening to her cd twice a day and running up a few stairs would automatically make me thin.
I, on the other hand, completely refuse to take any responsibliltiy for this dreadful turn of events. Other than the slight deviations from the diet this week listed above, I have been nothing short of angelic. I have run up hundreds of stairs, and walked for miles. I've eaten salads for lunch, drank americano's rather than latte's, and had virtually no crisps or chocolate.
So with renewed determination, this week's diet is Diet Chef. You may have seen them advertised on television (if not, you can see their ad here). For a little less than £50 a week, they'll supply all your food - breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. It's carefully calorie controlled, like slimfast, but with actual food - which has the benefits of not feeling so much like you're on a diet, and also not sending out such horribly negative messages to my daughters. The food comes with a diet booklet, reminding you about all the usual things: exercise (do some), water (drink more) alcohol (drink less), eating out (don't), and so on.
Although they say that all the food is "chef prepared", there's quite a dramatic disconnect between the images on their website, and the food when it arrives.
However, I reluctantly started this morning with the Granola for breakfast, and it was really good... Maybe this week won't be such a chore after all.
Friend A: For having a birthday, and organising a delicious dinner at Aviv. For forcing me to eat three courses, including hoummos and deep fried lamb for starter, lamb kleftico for main course (with chips, not salad), and a chocolate "volcano" for dessert. Delicious, but rubbish volcano, could barely have melted the ice cream on the side, let alone stopped all international flights for a week.
Friend B: For coming over for tea, and only eating one of the delicious cadbury marshmellow biscuits that I so carefully selected for her, leaving me to eat the remaining 15. I couldn't leave them - it would have been too much temptation for this week.
My husband: For not hoovering up all of this food so that I wouln't be tempted.
Diet Guru Lisa Jackson: For making me believe that listening to her cd twice a day and running up a few stairs would automatically make me thin.
I, on the other hand, completely refuse to take any responsibliltiy for this dreadful turn of events. Other than the slight deviations from the diet this week listed above, I have been nothing short of angelic. I have run up hundreds of stairs, and walked for miles. I've eaten salads for lunch, drank americano's rather than latte's, and had virtually no crisps or chocolate.
So with renewed determination, this week's diet is Diet Chef. You may have seen them advertised on television (if not, you can see their ad here). For a little less than £50 a week, they'll supply all your food - breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. It's carefully calorie controlled, like slimfast, but with actual food - which has the benefits of not feeling so much like you're on a diet, and also not sending out such horribly negative messages to my daughters. The food comes with a diet booklet, reminding you about all the usual things: exercise (do some), water (drink more) alcohol (drink less), eating out (don't), and so on.
Although they say that all the food is "chef prepared", there's quite a dramatic disconnect between the images on their website, and the food when it arrives.
Their pictures:
and mine:
However, I reluctantly started this morning with the Granola for breakfast, and it was really good... Maybe this week won't be such a chore after all.
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Dinner tonight: Lisa Jackson's Butternut Tagine
Ingredients: 4 tsp olive oil, 2 onions finely chopped, 4 garlic cloves, crushed, 2 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp cinammon, half tsp cayenne pepper (which luckily I had left over from the maple syrup diet), half tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp honey, 1 large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks, 800g chickeas, and three ingredients which I didn't have, so didn't include: handful of parsley, 4 tbsp natural yogurt and lemon wedges.
Method: Saute onions and garlic til soft, then add the spices, honey and butternut squash. Pour in just enough water to cover the base of the pan, cover, and cook gently for 15 minutes. Add the chickpeas and a little more water, cover with a lid, and cook gently until the butternut squash is soft.
Didn't quite look like in the book, but tasted delicious!
Didn't quite look like in the book, but tasted delicious!
From the book
Real life version
Monday, 21 February 2011
Diet #13, Adore Yourself Slim by Lisa Jackson
Monday morning. Refused a lift to the station (not such a biggie seeing as it's less than a two minute walk), walked up the escalators, and ran up the (101) stairs at work. Not going to try Lisa's "sneaky workout" suggestion of squats whilst waiting for the kettle to boil - I might be following this diet for one week, but I have to work with these people for longer!
Start weight is a very static 10st 2lbs, so I'm going to focus on Chapter 6, "Get Yourself Over a Plateau" and listen to track 4 of the cd "Hypnotise Yourself Over a Plateau".
Start weight is a very static 10st 2lbs, so I'm going to focus on Chapter 6, "Get Yourself Over a Plateau" and listen to track 4 of the cd "Hypnotise Yourself Over a Plateau".
Sunday, 20 February 2011
The end of the detox, and on to Diet #13, "Adore Yourself Slim" by Lisa Jackson
I was originally planning to do a 3-day detox, but I enjoyed it so much, I did even longer, broken only by the temptation of pizza in Prezzo at the end of day four. My weight yesterday morning was a very healthy 10st, although a bit of a fried food/wine binge last night tipped it back up to 10st2lb this morning. I've had a good day today, so hopefully it's only a temporary glitch, and although it's cheating a little bit, I'll use whatever I weigh tomorrow morning as the start weight for this week.
There are a few strange habits that I've picked up and kept up over the last few weeks - I choose to have eggs for breakfast instead of cereal or bread - scrambling two eggs takes less time than toast, and keeps me full all morning (thank you Dr Atkins). I'd rather have a salad for lunch than bread - it stops that mid-afternoon lull and desperate craving for chocolate that I always seem to get. And finally, I've given up my latte's, and I'll have a regular coffee with a dash of milk instead. Which also means (with a previous two-starbuck-lattes-a-day habit at £4 a day) that I've already saved nearly £150 in the two months I've been back at work.
Overall, I'm beginning to see that lots of small changes to my lifestyle can make a big difference to the overall picture, which ties in nicely with diet #13. One of the lovely ladies on Prima Baby magazine (who sit just along from me in Natmag Towers) loaned me a brand new book called Adore Yourself Slim by Lisa Jackson. It's a bit of a strange title, which I think is in the vein of "think yourself thin" - that all I have to do is adore myself, and the rest will follow (I know, before you say it, that shouldn't be too hard then...)
Lisa is a clinical hypnotherapist/author/long distance runner and health journalist. Alongside her book, you get a cd with five different hypnotherapy sessions with Lisa.
This is more than just a book; it's a workbook, with spaces to write and add photos. You start off pasting a 'before' picture, with a space for an 'after' shot. You then have to assess your past weight battles, to overcome them and move forwards. There's (a very small) space to write why you've gained weight in the past, how you felt about it, what you were eating before, what your turning point was, how you felt listening to the hypnosis cd, mistakes you've made, strategies you've learned, other people's reactions, and so on...
For me, this is where it all becomes a bit, umm, how can I put this... American. Her recommendations include "taking a daily praise pill", getting "in touch" with your body (I used to work on Cosmo, who urged its readers to do this a lot, but I don't think that's quite what she had in mind), evicting the "wicked witch" (negative thoughts), getting in the gratitude groove, and acting like a girl guide (this is a particularly bad idea for me - those were the years that I mostly smoked too many fags, ate too many crisps, and hung out with more boys than my husband would have approved of). This is followed by an Adore Yourself Slim body map, where you write down why you love each part of yourself. You also have to create a goal group people who will follow your diet and help and encourage you - and there's a page to stick photographs. I realise that I've already got my group - it's you, the reader. Lisa next urges you to set your goals, and reward yourself accordingly.
The biggest chapter by far is on food. Lisa has some quite strict but sensible rules. Every day, you should eat 1 snack, 2 fruit, 3 protein, 3 nutritious carbs, 3 dairy and 3 fat servings.
This book is big on lists. There's lists of what's included in each of the above categories, lists of "sanity savers" (eat soup, olives, exotic fruit for sweetness/variety/fullness etc), a list of slimming foods (green tea, chilli, beans, eggs, salad), a list of slimming commandments (the oddly named although sensible enough "thou shalt not order sushi if thou doesn't like fish", "thou shalt never eat anything bigger than your head" and "if you fail to plan you plan to fail"...). There are some really good recipes which I'm going to try this week, including a chickpea and butternut squash tagine, and roasted veg with halloumi.
There's also a whole section on exercise. Sarah Maxwell, a personal trainer has devised something she's called a "sneaky workout". The idea is that no one is too busy to exercise (even me, with a full time job, two small children and a house to 'run'???). For exercise, Lisa suggests finding the time to train in "dead" time slots - whilst you're commuting, sitting at a desk, waiting for a kettle to boil and running a bath (ha, like I have time for a bath. Just to clarify, I do wash - I shower, but I'm so time-poor, I even have a 4-minute timer in the bathroom to make sure I don't stay too long). Some are good ideas - running up the stairs at work rather than taking the lift (I'm on the fifth floor), walking to the next station rather than the nearest (which is genius, she must know the horror that is Oxford Circus at rush hour) and some are less so. My least favourite: "Got a few minutes beforoe you go out? Put on your favourite cd and dance, burning calories and increasing bone density". Seriously, I have a job, two children and two left feet. I often don't even have time to put on lipstick and do a wee before I go out.
Pro's
Cons
For me, the style of book isn't really the sort of thing I'm into. I don't want sensible, practical advice for every day, I want crazy, faddie, hard-to-follow diets that feel like punishment. I'm still a firm believer in the whole "no pain, no gain" school of thought. Her sensible, no-nonsense approach means that this probably isn't going to be a bestseller, but for the women who buy it, her good, solid, practical advice will not only make them thin, it will make them happier and probably extend their lives.
For this week, I'll live by Lisa's rules. I'll find time to exercise wherever possible, I'll eat according to her guidelines, and I'll make an effort to dress well and look nice. I'll listen to her cd every day, I'll eat only food that I like, I'll eat slowly, I'll plan and I'll relax. And I'll give myself a 1-minute daily pep talk. If I have time.
There are a few strange habits that I've picked up and kept up over the last few weeks - I choose to have eggs for breakfast instead of cereal or bread - scrambling two eggs takes less time than toast, and keeps me full all morning (thank you Dr Atkins). I'd rather have a salad for lunch than bread - it stops that mid-afternoon lull and desperate craving for chocolate that I always seem to get. And finally, I've given up my latte's, and I'll have a regular coffee with a dash of milk instead. Which also means (with a previous two-starbuck-lattes-a-day habit at £4 a day) that I've already saved nearly £150 in the two months I've been back at work.
Overall, I'm beginning to see that lots of small changes to my lifestyle can make a big difference to the overall picture, which ties in nicely with diet #13. One of the lovely ladies on Prima Baby magazine (who sit just along from me in Natmag Towers) loaned me a brand new book called Adore Yourself Slim by Lisa Jackson. It's a bit of a strange title, which I think is in the vein of "think yourself thin" - that all I have to do is adore myself, and the rest will follow (I know, before you say it, that shouldn't be too hard then...)
Lisa is a clinical hypnotherapist/author/long distance runner and health journalist. Alongside her book, you get a cd with five different hypnotherapy sessions with Lisa.
This is more than just a book; it's a workbook, with spaces to write and add photos. You start off pasting a 'before' picture, with a space for an 'after' shot. You then have to assess your past weight battles, to overcome them and move forwards. There's (a very small) space to write why you've gained weight in the past, how you felt about it, what you were eating before, what your turning point was, how you felt listening to the hypnosis cd, mistakes you've made, strategies you've learned, other people's reactions, and so on...
For me, this is where it all becomes a bit, umm, how can I put this... American. Her recommendations include "taking a daily praise pill", getting "in touch" with your body (I used to work on Cosmo, who urged its readers to do this a lot, but I don't think that's quite what she had in mind), evicting the "wicked witch" (negative thoughts), getting in the gratitude groove, and acting like a girl guide (this is a particularly bad idea for me - those were the years that I mostly smoked too many fags, ate too many crisps, and hung out with more boys than my husband would have approved of). This is followed by an Adore Yourself Slim body map, where you write down why you love each part of yourself. You also have to create a goal group people who will follow your diet and help and encourage you - and there's a page to stick photographs. I realise that I've already got my group - it's you, the reader. Lisa next urges you to set your goals, and reward yourself accordingly.
The biggest chapter by far is on food. Lisa has some quite strict but sensible rules. Every day, you should eat 1 snack, 2 fruit, 3 protein, 3 nutritious carbs, 3 dairy and 3 fat servings.
This book is big on lists. There's lists of what's included in each of the above categories, lists of "sanity savers" (eat soup, olives, exotic fruit for sweetness/variety/fullness etc), a list of slimming foods (green tea, chilli, beans, eggs, salad), a list of slimming commandments (the oddly named although sensible enough "thou shalt not order sushi if thou doesn't like fish", "thou shalt never eat anything bigger than your head" and "if you fail to plan you plan to fail"...). There are some really good recipes which I'm going to try this week, including a chickpea and butternut squash tagine, and roasted veg with halloumi.
There's also a whole section on exercise. Sarah Maxwell, a personal trainer has devised something she's called a "sneaky workout". The idea is that no one is too busy to exercise (even me, with a full time job, two small children and a house to 'run'???). For exercise, Lisa suggests finding the time to train in "dead" time slots - whilst you're commuting, sitting at a desk, waiting for a kettle to boil and running a bath (ha, like I have time for a bath. Just to clarify, I do wash - I shower, but I'm so time-poor, I even have a 4-minute timer in the bathroom to make sure I don't stay too long). Some are good ideas - running up the stairs at work rather than taking the lift (I'm on the fifth floor), walking to the next station rather than the nearest (which is genius, she must know the horror that is Oxford Circus at rush hour) and some are less so. My least favourite: "Got a few minutes beforoe you go out? Put on your favourite cd and dance, burning calories and increasing bone density". Seriously, I have a job, two children and two left feet. I often don't even have time to put on lipstick and do a wee before I go out.
Pro's
- The cumulative effects of the smaller changes that Lisa suggests (like walking up stairs), are easy to adopt and make a bigger difference to the overall picture
- Lisa looks at the big picture - as well as considering the reasons for weight gain and strategies for weight loss, there's a whole chapter on dressing better - wearing heels and make-up , clothes and make-up. As far as I'm concerned, a little bit of blusher and mascara isn't just good for the person who's wearing it, it makes the world nicer for the rest of us who have to look at you too!
- The nicest recipes of any of the diet books that I've read so far.
- Good, solid, practical nutrition advice.
Cons
- The hypnotherapy is a bit wishy-washy for me. Lisa's calm South African accent urging you to "breeeathhhe innnn throughhhhhh your nose", and "imagine sand trickling throughhhhhh your bodyyyyyyy" just makes me want to roll my eyes.
- I only have time to listen to the relaxation techniques on the tube, which is exactly the opposite of relaxation. And even worse, I've lost my headphones, so I've had to borrow Sadie's pink hello kitty ones.
- I'm not really into workbooks, and I can't write in this book anyway, because I've got to give it back.
- Some of the techniques are a bit "american" (sorry, again) for me.
For me, the style of book isn't really the sort of thing I'm into. I don't want sensible, practical advice for every day, I want crazy, faddie, hard-to-follow diets that feel like punishment. I'm still a firm believer in the whole "no pain, no gain" school of thought. Her sensible, no-nonsense approach means that this probably isn't going to be a bestseller, but for the women who buy it, her good, solid, practical advice will not only make them thin, it will make them happier and probably extend their lives.
For this week, I'll live by Lisa's rules. I'll find time to exercise wherever possible, I'll eat according to her guidelines, and I'll make an effort to dress well and look nice. I'll listen to her cd every day, I'll eat only food that I like, I'll eat slowly, I'll plan and I'll relax. And I'll give myself a 1-minute daily pep talk. If I have time.
Monday, 14 February 2011
Diet #12, Detox diet (also elimination diet, gluten-free, paleolithic, possibly macrobiotic and definitely very low calorie diet)
Fruit for breakfast, fruit for a snack, salad for lunch, more fruit for a snack, some cashew nuts (unsalted, natch) and salad for dinner. Start weight 10st 3lb. End weight... well, eating like this, I might just fade away...
Saturday, 12 February 2011
I 'heart' Weightwatchers...
I LOVE weightwatchers. I'm a bit of a control freak at heart (this will not be a surprise to those who know me) and this diet feeds into my obsessive tendancies. I measure and write down everything I eat. I constantly analyse my choices - should I swap a salad for a sandwich? Can I 'afford' a chocolate bar? I have stuck to this religiously for 5 days, and on the sixth day I took a teensy-weensy break, and bam, no weight loss. Probably, because according to most religions, you're not supposed to rest until the seventh day. I'll try to remember that for next time.
Despite this, I still feel better. I feel healthier, my tummy feels a bit flatter, and I feel like I've remembered how to make good choices, and so I still maintain that I love weightwatchers.
I was going to try a second week of 'new' weightwatchers (diet 11'b'), but I haven't had time to go to a meeting (I guess this is one of the downsides of weightwatchers - time), but I'm actually excited about coming back to it another week. Sad, I know, but that's the way I roll.
Separately, I've continued to get some really nice feedback on my blog. According to the stats page, I have a reader in Iran - 'Ahalan' (that's 'hello' in Iranian, not the name of the person in Iran who's reading my blog, for those of you who aren't fluent in Arabic). Another friend, who has a very good job with a very good TV production company, texts me to ask if she might tentatively mention my blog in a production meeting. To describe this as an embryonic development in the life of my blog would be to overstate the case, yet in my head, I'm choosing the dress for my Oscar award speech, and worrying about how fat I'm going to look in front of the cameras. Which means that I'm now panicing about what diet I'm going to do next, in readiness.
After a small delay, thanks to the vagaries of email, the lovely people at Diet Chef have finally arranged to send me enough food to try their diet for a week (you might have seen this advertised on tv - they send you all your meals and snacks, a similar principle to slim.fast, but with real food). As it hasn't arrived yet, I'm going to do something else first, and then start that from next Sunday. So, for the next few days, I'm going to try a detox diet. This ticks a few boxes on my list - a vegan diet, the elimination diet, raw foodism (to an extent) and the caveman diet. It's also gluten-free, probably macrobiotic, and certainly very low calorie.
So diet #12 is a detox diet - nothing processed, raw where possible, no alcohol, no coffee (hmm, maybe a little bit of coffee), and lots of healthy fruit and veg. Start weight is STILL an annoying 10st 2lb.
ps, just in case you're wondering, Claire Goose would play me. I hear people are constantly telling her how much we look alike...
Despite this, I still feel better. I feel healthier, my tummy feels a bit flatter, and I feel like I've remembered how to make good choices, and so I still maintain that I love weightwatchers.
I was going to try a second week of 'new' weightwatchers (diet 11'b'), but I haven't had time to go to a meeting (I guess this is one of the downsides of weightwatchers - time), but I'm actually excited about coming back to it another week. Sad, I know, but that's the way I roll.
Separately, I've continued to get some really nice feedback on my blog. According to the stats page, I have a reader in Iran - 'Ahalan' (that's 'hello' in Iranian, not the name of the person in Iran who's reading my blog, for those of you who aren't fluent in Arabic). Another friend, who has a very good job with a very good TV production company, texts me to ask if she might tentatively mention my blog in a production meeting. To describe this as an embryonic development in the life of my blog would be to overstate the case, yet in my head, I'm choosing the dress for my Oscar award speech, and worrying about how fat I'm going to look in front of the cameras. Which means that I'm now panicing about what diet I'm going to do next, in readiness.
After a small delay, thanks to the vagaries of email, the lovely people at Diet Chef have finally arranged to send me enough food to try their diet for a week (you might have seen this advertised on tv - they send you all your meals and snacks, a similar principle to slim.fast, but with real food). As it hasn't arrived yet, I'm going to do something else first, and then start that from next Sunday. So, for the next few days, I'm going to try a detox diet. This ticks a few boxes on my list - a vegan diet, the elimination diet, raw foodism (to an extent) and the caveman diet. It's also gluten-free, probably macrobiotic, and certainly very low calorie.
So diet #12 is a detox diet - nothing processed, raw where possible, no alcohol, no coffee (hmm, maybe a little bit of coffee), and lots of healthy fruit and veg. Start weight is STILL an annoying 10st 2lb.
ps, just in case you're wondering, Claire Goose would play me. I hear people are constantly telling her how much we look alike...
Me
Claire Goose
Sunday, 6 February 2011
Weightwatchers, the 'before' and 'after' shots...
Before Weightwatchers
My 21st birthday party (January 1998)
After Weightwatchers (and a trip to the hairdressers)
January 2005
Diet #11(a), Weightwatchers
Once upon a time, in a kingdom not so far away, a teenage girl ate her bodyweight in chocolate. And Macdonalds, potato waffles, french fries (which I just mis-typed as french friends, which says a lot...), milkshakes, cakes, Kitkats, crisps, and wine. Breakfast was Poptarts (or Coco Pops for variety), cheesy chips, with mayo on the side for lunch every day! This (by now) twenty-something girl decided, as the scales reached 15 stone, to head to weightwatchers. Just in case you hadn't guessed, that girl was me, and this is where my obsession with dieting began. Photo to follow.
I LOVED weightwatchers. I measured EVERYTHING, and wrote everything down, every day, for six whole months. I never skipped a meeting, and I lost over three stone in that time.
Most importantly, weightwatchers taught me important lessons about healthy eating - making healthy choices, portion control, eating vegetables and drinking enough water, There are no fads - no soups or shakes, no mad detoxes. It fits in brilliantly with life and work, because you can still eat out - you just have to count whatever you eat.
A brief explanation for those who've never done it - it's very straightforward. Everything has a 'points' value, based on calories and saturated fat. The 'weightwatcher' is allocated a daily point allowance (based on their sex and start weight). So a slice of bread has 1 point, a small glass of wine is two points, a bowl of cereal has around 4 points, and a pret sandwich can have up to 18!! You can earn points back, based on exercise. Although I started originally on 24 points a day, and the more you lose, the fewer points you eat, so for this week, starting at around 10 stone, I'll be on 18 points a day.
Over the years, Weightwatchers has made small tweaks to the diet - first there was 'Switch'- comprising two plans - the 'core' plan, where you can eat as much as you want from a set list of 'core' foods, with a weekly points allowance for treats, plus the origianl points plan, and you could 'switch' between the two. Now, most recently, there is Pro-points - which takes out the blatant anomaly with weightwatchers. You could eat chocolate and drink wine all day, as long as you stick within the allocated points allowance. More realistically, say for 4 points, you could have a kit kat or a salmon fillet. It's obvious which one is better for you, and the new plan reflects that, with the points altered to reflect healthier choices.
I haven't had a chance to go to a meeting this week, so I'm going to do a two-parter - week one (this week) on the old plan, and then week two on the new plan - to see if there's any difference.
I LOVED weightwatchers. I measured EVERYTHING, and wrote everything down, every day, for six whole months. I never skipped a meeting, and I lost over three stone in that time.
Most importantly, weightwatchers taught me important lessons about healthy eating - making healthy choices, portion control, eating vegetables and drinking enough water, There are no fads - no soups or shakes, no mad detoxes. It fits in brilliantly with life and work, because you can still eat out - you just have to count whatever you eat.
A brief explanation for those who've never done it - it's very straightforward. Everything has a 'points' value, based on calories and saturated fat. The 'weightwatcher' is allocated a daily point allowance (based on their sex and start weight). So a slice of bread has 1 point, a small glass of wine is two points, a bowl of cereal has around 4 points, and a pret sandwich can have up to 18!! You can earn points back, based on exercise. Although I started originally on 24 points a day, and the more you lose, the fewer points you eat, so for this week, starting at around 10 stone, I'll be on 18 points a day.
Over the years, Weightwatchers has made small tweaks to the diet - first there was 'Switch'- comprising two plans - the 'core' plan, where you can eat as much as you want from a set list of 'core' foods, with a weekly points allowance for treats, plus the origianl points plan, and you could 'switch' between the two. Now, most recently, there is Pro-points - which takes out the blatant anomaly with weightwatchers. You could eat chocolate and drink wine all day, as long as you stick within the allocated points allowance. More realistically, say for 4 points, you could have a kit kat or a salmon fillet. It's obvious which one is better for you, and the new plan reflects that, with the points altered to reflect healthier choices.
I haven't had a chance to go to a meeting this week, so I'm going to do a two-parter - week one (this week) on the old plan, and then week two on the new plan - to see if there's any difference.
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Diet Fail: Who would have guessed?
On day 1 I managed until 10.30 (am) before eating - and on day 2 I lasted until a much more impressive half past 12. I remember the exact moment. It was when someone offered me a cupcake. And, even worse, I swear that once I went back to eating, this actually made me more hungry, and craving more sugar. I met someone this week who did this for a whole month - drinking only this and eating fruit. It was when I was visting an asylum, but still...
Another setback today - I met the PR from Lighter Life, and my BMI isn't high enough to do their programme. Considering putting stones in my pockets and heading there anyway.
Another setback today - I met the PR from Lighter Life, and my BMI isn't high enough to do their programme. Considering putting stones in my pockets and heading there anyway.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Monday, 31 January 2011
The Maple Syrup diet...
...is not going well. I gave up by lunchtime (ok, by 10.30, please don't hate me). It actually tasted ok, but all the pepper sank to the bottom and burned my throat. Am going to try again tomorrow, but without the pepper.
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Diet #10 The Maple Syrup diet
This was made famous when Beyonce used this to lose 1.5stones for her role in Dreamgirls. Who wouldn't want to look like this?You can do this as a full detox (just the drink for 10 days) or a 'relaxed' version (substituting one or two meals with 2-3 glasses of drink - and still no red meat, sweets, fried food, dairy etc). I'm going to do the full detox for as many days as I can and then switch to the relaxed version... Start weight for today, 10st 2lb.
In some ways, the most exciting thing about this diet is that it comes with a bag, and I LOVE a bag!!
Trying to find a new diet...
Week 4 back at work: trying to juggle working full time with two small children is difficult!! Eating less is not a problem per se, but trying to find something that fits with my lifestyle is tricky. Here's an example - I don't have time to prepare and consume breakfast (scarsdale diet: half a grapefruit, protein bread - whatever that is), when I'm tearing round like a headless chicken trying to make sure that two small children are awake/washed/dressed in appropriate clothing/fed/bags packed/out the house on time, at the same time as making sure that I remember to look smart, hair clean, make-up on, handbag packed, wear matching shoes (after the one time I went out in odd boots, which were different shapes and different heel heights AND I didn't even notice until lunchtime, I'm extra careful).
But after a terrible week last week (one ill baby, plus let's just say not the best 'time of the month' to be dieting) I'm desperate to lose weight this week. My weight is hovering around the 10st2lb mark, and as prophesised in my original post, I'm still trying to lose that half stone that just won't budge.
So I'm skipping up and down the list trying to find something that suits me at the moment. I looked at the Dukan diet - this is their three day diet plan generously supplied for free by handbag.com. BREAKFAST every day: Coffee with sweetener, 1 or 2 small fat-free yoghurts OR 225g of fat-free cottage cheese, one slice of turkey, chicken or low-fat ham OR one egg OR one Dukan oat bran galette, LUNCH eggs OR crabsticks and a chicken leg OR airdryed beef and swordfish, DINNER prawns with mayonnaise and ham souffle OR moules marinere and baked salmon OR sautee shrimps and sautee chicken escalopes. Apart from the fact that buying and preparing this food is massively impractical, Dr Pierre Dukan doesn't work all that well with my kosher diet.
Then I look at the Scarsdale Diet (again, hugely prescriptive, check it out here) and gave up when I read this:
I am quickly learning that any diets that I do either have to be easy to follow, with a wide range of food to try from, ie stuff that's already in my fridge - eggs/cereal/meat etc (think Atkins, WeightWatchers), or have to supply the food to me so that I don't have to think about it (Slim.Fast, Dietchef).
Over the next few weeks, I'm going to whittle down the list to a few that don't seem to difficult to follow, and that I want to do. Weightwatchers, Jenny Craig, DietChef, Gluten-free diet, Shangri-la diet (because an American cousin swears by it), Detox diet, the Sonoma diet (because there's a picture of a glass of wine next to the plan) and possibly the South Beach diet.
I'd also like this blog to become interactive. If you've got a diet that you've liked (or hated, but stuck to), please email me and I might give it a go for you.
In the meantime, I've just this second decided that I'm going to do something crazy and extreme to kickstart this week. I'm going to do the maple syrup diet for three days (or less, if I die after day 1). Starting just as soon as I look up the recipe and buy the ingredients...
But after a terrible week last week (one ill baby, plus let's just say not the best 'time of the month' to be dieting) I'm desperate to lose weight this week. My weight is hovering around the 10st2lb mark, and as prophesised in my original post, I'm still trying to lose that half stone that just won't budge.
So I'm skipping up and down the list trying to find something that suits me at the moment. I looked at the Dukan diet - this is their three day diet plan generously supplied for free by handbag.com. BREAKFAST every day: Coffee with sweetener, 1 or 2 small fat-free yoghurts OR 225g of fat-free cottage cheese, one slice of turkey, chicken or low-fat ham OR one egg OR one Dukan oat bran galette, LUNCH eggs OR crabsticks and a chicken leg OR airdryed beef and swordfish, DINNER prawns with mayonnaise and ham souffle OR moules marinere and baked salmon OR sautee shrimps and sautee chicken escalopes. Apart from the fact that buying and preparing this food is massively impractical, Dr Pierre Dukan doesn't work all that well with my kosher diet.
Then I look at the Scarsdale Diet (again, hugely prescriptive, check it out here) and gave up when I read this:
"The majority of eating plans available on the market today recommend no in between meal snacking what so ever, the Scarsdale diet menu however is different. It allows for carrots, celery and low sodium veggie soups snacking".Carrots and Celery? Wow! Revolutionary!!
I am quickly learning that any diets that I do either have to be easy to follow, with a wide range of food to try from, ie stuff that's already in my fridge - eggs/cereal/meat etc (think Atkins, WeightWatchers), or have to supply the food to me so that I don't have to think about it (Slim.Fast, Dietchef).
Over the next few weeks, I'm going to whittle down the list to a few that don't seem to difficult to follow, and that I want to do. Weightwatchers, Jenny Craig, DietChef, Gluten-free diet, Shangri-la diet (because an American cousin swears by it), Detox diet, the Sonoma diet (because there's a picture of a glass of wine next to the plan) and possibly the South Beach diet.
I'd also like this blog to become interactive. If you've got a diet that you've liked (or hated, but stuck to), please email me and I might give it a go for you.
In the meantime, I've just this second decided that I'm going to do something crazy and extreme to kickstart this week. I'm going to do the maple syrup diet for three days (or less, if I die after day 1). Starting just as soon as I look up the recipe and buy the ingredients...
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Diet #9, The cereal diet
I'm not finding this diet as difficult as I thought I would - but I think that this is because the giant bowls of cereal I've been eating are the equivalent of two normal bowls. Most of the other diets I've done I've hated for the first three days and then got into, but this one's been quite easy from the start, probably because eating cereal for breakfast is not a huge departure from the norm. Although you're allowed to snack normally on this diet, I've been tring to be a bit sensible, to boost the weightloss. Hopefully, I might still lose a pound or two. I should add that it was my wedding anniversary at the weekend, and after a big curry at Beit Hamadras in Hendon, my start weight was more like 10st 2lb.
Saturday, 22 January 2011
Bored Bored Bored (and on to diet #9...)
Diet #8 was the grapefruit diet (quick recap: 800 calories a day and half a grapefruit before each meal). The 800 calories part seemed like a bit too much work, so I figured if grapefruits are really that wondrous, surely they should work even if I eat normally. Apparently not so much! Although I have enjoyed overdosing on citrus fruit this week (averaging 2 per day), I might even have avoided a winter bug or two thanks to the vitamin c boost, but I've only lost a pound, which I think is more luck than design!
On to diet #9. Sitting watching television tonight, I saw an ad for the Special K diet. This is only my list somewhere, so I thought I'd give it a go. It's easy to get started. You put some basic information into the website myspecialk and it designs a tailor-made diet plan for you. Note to the folks at Kelloggs - there are a few fairly obvious flaws with this. Firstly, Sunday's menu doesn't include any cereal - not the best marketing campaign ever. Secondly, the diet is massively detailed. I'd have to spend my whole months salary at Ocado to be able to buy the ingredients needed for the week's menu. Here's a sample:
There's another 10 days of this two-week plan, but honestly, I'm bored too bored to even see what's on the menu for Wednesday, let alone the rest of the fortnight. I wonder whether a single person has ever stuck to this diet?
Instead, I'm going to do the original Kelloggs diet - a bowl of cereal for breakfast, one for lunch, and a healthy dinner. Tomorrow's my wedding anniversary, so I'll start on Monday and do it for six days. Start weight, 10 stone exactly.
On to diet #9. Sitting watching television tonight, I saw an ad for the Special K diet. This is only my list somewhere, so I thought I'd give it a go. It's easy to get started. You put some basic information into the website myspecialk and it designs a tailor-made diet plan for you. Note to the folks at Kelloggs - there are a few fairly obvious flaws with this. Firstly, Sunday's menu doesn't include any cereal - not the best marketing campaign ever. Secondly, the diet is massively detailed. I'd have to spend my whole months salary at Ocado to be able to buy the ingredients needed for the week's menu. Here's a sample:
- Saturday:
- Breakfast: Scrambled eggs and tomatoes (gross), pineapple juice (yuck).
- Lunch: Rice cakes and crispbread, assorted toppings. Pear.
- Dinner: Tomato spagetti with crab (bleurgh) and mixed salad.
- Sunday
- Cereal, fresh strawberries, orange juice.
- Pork roast, meringue nest with mixed berries.
- [starter] French onion soup, [dessert] bananas and dates. errr, main course??
- Monday
- Low fat breakfast cereal with banana and orange juice.
- Boiled egg and watercress sandwich, yoghurt (eurgh).
- Spagetti bolognese, side salad, watermelon.
- Tuesday
- Porridge and raisins, orange juice.
- Chicken, houmous and beansprout pitta.
- Fishfingers, peas, sweetcorn, mixed salad (which is coincidentally my daughters favourite dinner - she'd like this diet, then).
There's another 10 days of this two-week plan, but honestly, I'm bored too bored to even see what's on the menu for Wednesday, let alone the rest of the fortnight. I wonder whether a single person has ever stuck to this diet?
Instead, I'm going to do the original Kelloggs diet - a bowl of cereal for breakfast, one for lunch, and a healthy dinner. Tomorrow's my wedding anniversary, so I'll start on Monday and do it for six days. Start weight, 10 stone exactly.
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Diet #8, the Grapefruit Diet
I can't believe I haven't blogged (or dieted) since the 19th December. The blood type diet was useless - in the last few weeks, I've learned that I need structured diets. Clear do's and don't's, and the easier the better.
Please forgive my absence, but I've had a busy few weeks. I've had a weeks holiday in Eilat (not that I'm complaining, but a week of unlimited buffet has not been kind to my waistline), had a new au pair start (French, teeny-tiny but with a huge appetite), settled both kids into new nurseries and gone back to work (where they seem to have saved all the sweets/cakes/chocolate from the year for my return).
Amazingly, I didn't actually gain as much weight as I thought I would have - 10st 1lb this morning (that's how much I weigh, not what I've gained). Looking back, this is what I weighed after I regained the weight I lost on Atkins!
Working through the list alphabetically, I've skipped a few. Dietchef promised me a week's food, but haven't delivered quite yet. The cabbage soup diet looks hideous (cabbage soup daily, plus on day one unlimited fruit, no bananas; day two, unlimited veg, one baked potato; day three unlimited fruit and veg, no potato; day four, eight bananas, skimmed milk; day five unlimited soup, beef and tomatoes; day six, beef and vegetables; day seven unlimited rice, fruit and vegetables). Dukan is new and followers rave about it, and the F-plan diet looks interesting (but too complicated for this week), so I think I'll come back to them later.
Instead, this week, I'll be following the Grapefruit Diet. A simple concept, 800 calories a day, and half a grapefruit before each meal. Apparently grapefruits contain fat-burning enzymes, although I suspect it's the severe calorie restriction that has the most impact. Grapefruits are ordered from Ocado, so watch this space
Please forgive my absence, but I've had a busy few weeks. I've had a weeks holiday in Eilat (not that I'm complaining, but a week of unlimited buffet has not been kind to my waistline), had a new au pair start (French, teeny-tiny but with a huge appetite), settled both kids into new nurseries and gone back to work (where they seem to have saved all the sweets/cakes/chocolate from the year for my return).
Amazingly, I didn't actually gain as much weight as I thought I would have - 10st 1lb this morning (that's how much I weigh, not what I've gained). Looking back, this is what I weighed after I regained the weight I lost on Atkins!
Working through the list alphabetically, I've skipped a few. Dietchef promised me a week's food, but haven't delivered quite yet. The cabbage soup diet looks hideous (cabbage soup daily, plus on day one unlimited fruit, no bananas; day two, unlimited veg, one baked potato; day three unlimited fruit and veg, no potato; day four, eight bananas, skimmed milk; day five unlimited soup, beef and tomatoes; day six, beef and vegetables; day seven unlimited rice, fruit and vegetables). Dukan is new and followers rave about it, and the F-plan diet looks interesting (but too complicated for this week), so I think I'll come back to them later.
Instead, this week, I'll be following the Grapefruit Diet. A simple concept, 800 calories a day, and half a grapefruit before each meal. Apparently grapefruits contain fat-burning enzymes, although I suspect it's the severe calorie restriction that has the most impact. Grapefruits are ordered from Ocado, so watch this space
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