Been busy! November 20, 2009

Sorry for the lack of posts, I’ve been really busy applying to grad schemes, and busy with work.

Last week, Weighed in (for week 6), and had lost 2.5lbs. I was a little disappointed as I’d lost only 1 the week before so was expecting to lose a lot more. But I suppose I was still feeling a bit poorly so was probably dehydrated.

This week I lost 3.5lbs! YAY! Back on track

I have an interview next week, so I ordered some clothes online from asos. Being busty, I ordered the jacket in a 16 and 18, and skirt in a 14 and 16. I’m keeping the jacket as an 18 but am having to have it taken in around the shoulders and arms as it’s a bit big, but elsewhere it’s okay (damn boobs). The skirt….. fits perfectly in the 14!!!!

I was so happy I could have cried!!!

I’ve now lost 1stone 8lbs (22lbs) in just under 7 weeks and am nearly halfway through my journey! Huzzah!!!

As I feared… November 6, 2009

I weighed in last night, and lost ONE. MEASLY. POUND.

I was gutted. I know I’m “on”, and retaining water, and have been ill the last few days, and haven’t really been drinking as much water over the last few days as I should have, but I can’t help but be really annoyed. I didn’t cheat at all at the weekend, I didn’t even have one coke zero for fear of retaining water, and my body decided to go and do it anyway.

So this week I’m going to REALLY get my water in. 3L. 2.5 if I have coffee or tea that day.

I’m also still constipated. At the weekend, my friend recommended a tablet that apparently flushes your bowls and doesn’t break ketosis, so I’m trying to get the name of it off him today.

Oh well, at least it’s a loss. On Weight Watchers, at the ToTM I’d stay the same, so I guess I should count my blessings. And, I’ve lost 2.25inches off my waist in the last two weeks so I’m down to a 36.75in waist, so at least something is moving, even if it’s not the scales!

I survived! November 5, 2009

So, I went to London.

Did I deviate?

Did I hell! I stuck to Cambridge 100%. I didn’t even consider opening that bottle of Coke Zero! My friend ate a variety of foods, ranging from the “relatively healthy” to the “oh god I quite hate you for eating that in front of me” – but you know what, I loved him for it. I had temptation right in my face, and didn’t falter – not that he would have let me anyway! The one thing I did find quite hard to resist, was alcohol, especially as drinking water makes you feel quite full if you drink it at the same speed as somebody drinking booze!

I even ENJOYED going in the harrod’s food hall. It was liberating, to look at all the wonderful treats, and not let myself buy them – a year ago I’d have just bought loads, using no selective decision making whatsoever.

We did a hell of a lot of walking, so I was expecting to come home and find a massive loss, however, I don’t actually think I’ve lost very much. However, I think hormones may be to blame, plus I’ve been a bit rubbish at drinking water the last couple of days as, yes, I have a virus. Luckily it’s the type of virus where you want to vomit, rather than eat. Have my appointment with Y later, for weigh in – we’ll see! Either way, I’m hopeful that if this week’s loss isn’t stellar, I’ll have a biggie next week to make up for it.

And, as a treat for you all – some comparison pics.

Firstly, me before Cambridge, in July. I was about 190lbs here.

And me last Friday (in hallowe’en get up!) at around 166lbs (24lbs lighter)

One month in (nearly) October 30, 2009

So, I had my fourth weigh in last night and wasn’t expecting a great result as I’ve not been great with the water this week – partially due to the fact that our office at work is REALLY cold, so the last thing i want to do is drink our fresh from the water cooler water!

However… I lost (drumroll please)

3.5lbs this week!

I’ve lost 15lbs in 26 days – SO CHUFFED ! I’m now in the 11stone range! 11st 13.5lbs! I’d set myself a minigoal to be under 12st by hallowe’en and I’ve managed it! I didn’t think I could, so I’m absolutely astounded. Only 9.5lbs until I am no longer technically “obese”, so that’s my next goal.

I LOVE THE CAMBRIDGE DIET!!!

Going to London this weekend to visit my best friend (who’s also done Cambridge and lost a BUCKET LOAD) and I’m going to try to stay on plan all weekend – with the help of the tetrabricks (the little cartons of ready made up shake). I have a horrid feeling I’ll deviate though, so if I feel tempted, I am going to deviate… to one can of Coke Zero as it shouldn’t take me out of ketosis. I think if I don’t give in to that, I’ll just end up going totally off the wagon and eating McDonalds or something- I’d rather slightly deviate than stray entirely!

Cravings – Day 24 October 27, 2009

What foods make you go weak at the knees (or stomach)?

Everybody, or at least, every serial dieter, has a food weakness. Whether it’s crisps, chocolate, cheese, ice cream – every serial dieter succumbs to their weakness. Let’s face it, if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be serial dieters, we’d all be at goal!

I always thought my “weakness” was sweet, baked goods. Donuts. Cheesecake. Cupcakes. Muffins. Waffles. Pancakes. Soft, warm, moist, gooey, freshly-baked cookies that just melt in your mouth…

Sorry, lost myself for a minute there!

Surprisingly, whilst on Cambridge, I’ve not really been craving any of the above. Well, maybe for the odd 5 minutes a week, but not a constant craving, and certainly not a formidable one. What I have been craving, however, is salty foods. Eggs, chips, McDonalds, pizza. All I could think of yesterday was delicious, junky, salty rubbish. I even scoured the McDonalds, TGI Fridays and Hard Rock Cafe websites (to name a few!). So, why is this?

One of the great things about being on a low calorie diet with Cambridge Sole Source, is that you get 100% of your RDAs of vitamins and minerals through the 3 products you consume in a day. One of the causes of sugary cravings is a mineral deficiency. Could the fact that I’m getting my RDAs be responsible for my relative indifference to these saccharine treats? Sugar cravings can also be symptomatic of yeast in the stomach – which is caused by simple sugars and an acidic environment. On Cambridge, I’m naturally avoiding simple sugars anyway, and also acids, as I’m not having fruit.

Now, salt cravings. These are caused by the body being low in iodine or potassium, or pointing to a fluid imbalance.

Now, before I discovered I had PCOS, I was convinced I had a thyroid imbalance. However, all tests came back indicating that my thyroid was fine. However, that was nearly 2 years ago, so maybe I should err on the side of caution and be retested. However, I’m more likely to believe that I’m simply not getting enough water. So, I’m going to strive for 3 litres.

*goes to refill cup*

Week 3 Results! October 24, 2009

So, I weighed in on Thursday after 19 days and I’d lost another 4lbs! I was ecstatic!!!

We also did some measurements and I’ve lost
Waist: 4inches (WOW!)
Hips: 1.5 inches
Chest: 1.5 inches
Thighs: 0.25 inches
Arms: 0 inches

I wish it would drop off my arms, they’re quite big and bulky, especially as I used to swim a lot. Apparently it’s the last place to drop weight though, so I’m holding out

Therefore, in total, I’ve lost 11lbs in 19 days! FANTASTIC!

Day 17 October 20, 2009

I can’t believe it. This is possibly the longest I’ve done a diet without cheating.

All I can think about today is brie, bacon and cranberry toasties

Day 13, unlucky for some? October 16, 2009

It’s been a bit of an insane week, so by my own admission, I’ve not found the time to update much! So here’s a mega update!

Black coffee is quite frankly, delicious. I indulged at Whittards yesterday and bought a selection, along with a grinder, and a cafetiere. However, being the smartest bean in the coffee jar, I stupidly over did the water by about 300%. Well done me! My black coffee looked more like black tea… I’m going to give it another go tonight

Another thing that has been worrying me is the concept of loose skin, when I met up with Y (my CDC) last night, she told me not to be silly, as I’m only young. She also recommended exercise (which I hope to get doing once the dreaded TOTM is over), maybe even a wii if I could afford one (am currently trying to work it out, but after my inane spending spree on coffee products and random stuff from asda such as cheap underwear and a sweater, it may not be feasible…), and exfoliating / moisturising (which I’m doing everyday anyway).

As for WI last night, I’ve lost 4.5lbs this week, despite it being TOTM, so I was quite pleased! Bringing my total weight loss to 7.5lbs in 12 days

We’re going to do measurements next Thursday – hopefully I’ll see a difference there too!

Fear and Fridays in Hasvegas October 9, 2009

So, it’s day 5.

I didn’t get chance to blog yesterday because I basically didn’t stop, from 7:30 to 11pm – longest day I’ve had in a while! I even managed to fall asleep whilst mid-msn conversation (I was on MSN in bed on my itouch, mind…). Well done!

So! Yesterday went well, I had my tea in the form of an exciting “brick” (aka carton) on the train to uni. It was actually really nice – tasted like your regular strawberry milk.

One aspect of the Cambridge Diet, and arguably the most important, is that your body goes into mild ketosis.
So, what is ketosis?
In English, basically, my liver is turning my fat into fatty acids and ketones. Ketones are what’s giving me energy (and presumably, keeping me feeling full).

Certain foods knock you out of ketosis. Carbohydrates, sugars, acids – all sorts of things can knock you out of ketosis. Which leads me to my dilemma – black tea is allowed, as is black coffee. I really fancied some floral / fruit / herbal teas to keep life a little interesting, so I rang my CDC to check with her as to whether this was allowed. Fruit teas aren’t, because they break ketosis, herbal teas are, and she said that jasmine tea (which is what I was asking about specifically), does not break ketosis. However, several lovely ladies on the minmins cambridge forum have told me that it WILL break ketosis. Which is rubbish, as I spent 7.50 at Whittards yesterday on jasmine pearls tea >< Hopefully I have the receipt in my purse so I can get my money back or exchange for some white tea!

I also bought some Ketosticks yesterday – basically you urinate on the little sticks and they go a certain colour – the darker it goes, the deeper your stage of ketosis. I was happy to see i'm in moderate to heavy ketosis! yay!

So, today, day 6. I've stuck to this 100% for nearly one week, and I'm so pleased. I feel so much better, and because there ARE no allowances for cheating (e.g. on Weight Watchers, you are allowed to *treat* yourself to a kitkat, for example, if you count the points into your daily allowance), the temptation to do so is entirely removed. It's liberating, not having to think about food 24/7, or make decisions. Those of you who do know me will be aware how notoriously bad I am at making decisions, so having all my "food" to hand is a godsend. Fridays are usually my hardest day. I usually get something really nice to eat and snack on, and some beers and veg out all evening. I can't do that tonight for the first time in months, and I'm a little afraid, to say the least, as to what I'll do to fill my time and how I'll break this habit. I do, however, have a lot of TV to catch up on, so I'll probably do that this evening. I am tempted to get a can of coke zero, as I've been told it doesn't kick you out of ketosis, however, I'm worried about bloat or the unlikely case it WILL knock me out of ketosis, so I'll probably just go with the water… maybe I'll pick up a bath bomb from lush or something!

Of buffets and bricks! Day 4 October 7, 2009

I got up this morning feeling good, but knowing today would be difficult – the reason was, we had a staff event which I was involved in, and we always have the most sumptuous buffet (those of you from the UK will be familiar with O’Niells). Chinese food, samosas, sandwiches, cookies – carb heaven (or rather, hell, for a carb addict like myself). I had to even unpack the food. The torture I anticipated, as I unwrapped the plastic caressing the bhajis actually never came to fruition. You didn’t unwrap it? I hear you say. No, I did. I just didn’t feel horrific about it. Yes, I would have loved to eat one, and the smell was practically intoxicating, but no, I managed to resist. I headed back to our office (a 2 minute walk), treated myself to Heat and More magazines on route, and had my vanilla breakfast quite happily (yes, I was running late today again, she says, as she sips her Cambridge “hot chocolate” – lactose-free chocolate powder with boiling water stirred in, upto 225ml, then blended furiously).

So! Breakfast again, was vanilla. I stupidly used the tepid water, instead of the freezing stuff, so whilst it wasn’t delicious like melted ice cream, it was quite nice.
Lunch was a 6pm spicy tomato. I think I added too much water, and it wasn’t unpleasant at all, in fact, it was okay. Tasted a lot like cupasoup tomato – i.e. bearable.
And dinner, as you know, a hot chocolate. Verdict: absolutely scrumptious. I regret only getting one pack now til next Thursday! Woe!

I also saw my CDC today. I was dreading getting on the scales, with it only being 4 days, and the fact that I weighed in first thing when I started. But I had no need to worry as, in 4 days, I’ve lost

THREE POUNDS.

I’m ecstatic. It’s probably more like 4-4.5 given that I was weighed so late. But Jesus, I am so happy!!! I feel fantastic and EVEN BETTER now I’m losing weight!!!

I have a tutorial after work tomorrow – as I’m studying psychology at evening classes, so I was a wee bit worried about how I was going to eat my tea – as I won’t get home until 9pm – which really is too late to keep having tea – I was ravenous this evening, and given that I’m studying, I’ll need some fuel before my tutorial! So, I’ve bought what Cambridge call a “brick” – basically a carton of made up shake. I picked strawberry. Review to follow tomorrow!