BetsyBotox's Refeed Dairy.

Well gorgeous people. It's reefed time for me.

After 37 weeks/8 months of 100 % LT I'm on the refeed bus. Got weighed in on Friday and lost 3lbs, bringing my total TFR weight loss to 12 stone 3lbs (171lbs) I've lost 54% of my body!

I started LT weighing in a 22 stone 7lbs (315lbs) / size 28/30/32, and finished 10 stone 4lbs (144lbs) / size 8/10.

I started refeed on Saturday and I'm in total shock at how much I've changed in regard to food. I talked the talk while being on LT, and did often wonder if I was just full of BS, and if I could actually put it into practice, but so far, so good, and I'm amazed by how non fussed I am about food.

I'm now on day 6. I have stuck to the the refeed sheet 100% (You know me, stickler for the rules!) I am eating because it a necessity in order to survive. It's my fuel. I am not looking at it as a pleasure.

The food of course tastes delicious, but it's amazing how quickly I become 'full' and have to stop. In the 6 days I've been refeeding I have not been hungry once. I thought maybe once I was out of ketosis the hunger would kick in, but no, I've felt very satisfied, and still feeling fantastic and bursting with energy. Saying that, about an hour after I've eaten I feel a tad bloated and meh, but that soon goes away.

I shall try my best to post every evening in this diary, as I think it will help me.

Day One

Breakfast: LT Chocolate shake

Lunch: LT Chocolate shake

Dinner: 4ozs of white fish, covered in a bit of lemon and black pepper, baked in the oven in tin foil. Small breakfast bowl of lettuce, 3 thin slices of cucumber, 2 cherry tomatoes, a tiny bit of onion and 4 tiny pieces of celery, dressed with balsamic vinegar.

Drinks: 4.5 litres of water.

The dinner was delicious and looked such a huge portion on the plate! I could just about finish it, and I enjoyed it. Eating was so weird. Holding a knife and fork seemed so alien! Chewing was freaky! Having food stuck in my teeth was sooooooo annoying! I'm having to brush straight after every meal I eat, as I just can't get used to it! It took me about half an hour to finish. I found taking tiny portions on my fork made things easier. I'm also finding myself chewing the food until it's like water. Whereas before I'd have just shoveled it in my gob without evening tasting the stuff! I did not like the bloated feeling I got shortly after eating, was horrible, but didn't last long.

So that was day 1 over successfully. I worried about this so much for weeks, and now that's it here, I'm shocked at how well I'm handling it. It seems to have really been all about the mind for me, and I'm so glad I looked deep inside myself to find out the reasons why I abused myself with food. Food is not the enemy, it was me that was the enemy.

Day 2

Breakfast: LT Chocolate Shake

Lunch: 4ozs chicken breast, drizzled with lemon, bit of black pepper, and baked in the oven in tin foil. Small breakfast bowl of lettuce, 3 thin slices of cucumber, 2 cherry tomatoes, a tiny bit of onion and 4 tiny pieces of celery, dressed with balsamic vinegar.

Dinner: 4ozs turkey breast, drizzled with lemon, bit of black pepper, and baked in the oven in tin foil.Small breakfast bowl of lettuce, 3 thin slices of cucumber, 2 cherry tomatoes, a tiny bit of onion and 4 tiny pieces of celery, dressed with balsamic vinegar.

Drinks: 4.5 litres of water.

I found both lunch and dinner very satisfying. I left a tiny bit on my plate at both meals as I was just to full up to eat any more. It's so surprising how much food you get in 4ozs! I was shocked when I weighed it out, especially the fish. I beat both the turkey and chicken with a mallet thing to thin it out, and that makes it look huge. I was stuffed to the gills after eating again. I don't like this feeling. I suppose it will disappear eventually. It's maybe because I haven't eaten in 8 months! My body will take time to adjust.

Day 3

Breakfast: LT Chocolate Shake

Lunch:Half a tin of tuna in brine (drained) Small breakfast bowl of lettuce, 3 thin slices of cucumber, 2 cherry tomatoes, a tiny bit of onion and 4 tiny pieces of celery, dressed with balsamic vinegar.

Dinner: 4ozs of white fish,covered in a bit of lemon and black pepper, baked in the oven in tin foil. A 4oz baked potato, topped with fat free fromage frais, and a sprinkling of chives. A sprig of broccoli, and 2 mange tout pods.

Drinks: 4.5 litres of water

This is the day I enjoyed the most. I'm a real fish lover, could live on the stuff and nothing else! The potato was lovely with the fromage frais and chives, very tasty, but so filling! I left a bit of the spud, couldn't manage it. The veg tasted so good, like it never tasted before. I'm really liking the salads. I've never tried balsamic vinegar before, and I'm glad to have found it, as it really adds something to the salads. Once again I had the yucky, full up, bursting feeling, but again it disappeared after an hour or two.

This was my first day at the gym since starting refeed. I was so tempted to run like the clappers on the treadmill but I resisted! I think I'm still on too limited calories to hammer it, so I just added an extra 5 minutes to my run, and I felt fantastic.

Day 4

Breakfast: LT Chocolate Shake (Bloody love the shakes more than the food haha!)

Lunch: Cod fillet, drizzled with lemon juice, bit of black pepper, baked in the oven in tin foil. 4oz baked potato, topped with fat free fromage frais, and a sprinkling of chives, 2 baby carrots, and 4 green beans.

Dinner: 4ozs chicken breast, drizzled with lemon, bit of black pepper, and baked in the oven in tin foil. Small breakfast bowl of lettuce, 3 thin slices of cucumber, 2 cherry tomatoes, a tiny bit of onion and 4 tiny pieces of celery, dressed with balsamic vinegar.

Drinks: 5 litres of water. (Too much I know, but I'll explain)

I'm not a tea or coffee drinker. I was addicted to diet cola before LT, and I know I can have it, but my mind doesn't want it, as it's telling me I don't need it. I was a huge water drinker before LT, so I knew that wasn't going to change. I'm finding myself more thirsty on refeed than I was on TFR. I've still got a bottle 2 litre bottle of Evian constantly in my hand, sipping it throughout the day. I think it's become habit. I really enjoy it. I found that today I was extremely thirsty. I think that may have to do with the 2 spuds, and a really hard work out in the gym. 2 litres of the water was drunk while I was in the gym!

Again I had the bloaty, yuck feeling both times I ate.

At the gym for 2 hours this afternoon. Worked really hard, and felt great afterwards.

Day 5

Breakfast: LT Chocolate Shake

Lunch: One wholemeal pitta filled with half a tin of tuna in brine (drained) a few bits of onion, tiny bit of spring onion, lettuce, 4 thin slices of cucumber, 3 cherry tomatoes and a dollop of the very light, lighter than light Hellmans mayonnaise.

Dinner: 4ozs turkey breast, battered with the mallet, drizzled with lemon juice, and a grinding of balck pepper, cooked in the oven in tin foil. 4oz baked potato, topped with fat free fromage frais, and a sprinkling of chives. sprig of brocolli, and a bit of cabbage.

Drinks: 4.5 litres of water.

I absolutely loved my lunch. I was a huge lover of wholemeal pittas before LT, so it was lovely to have one, and it tasted so good. I mixed all the salad and tuna in a little bowl, dolloped the mayo on, and then put it all inside the pitta. It was yummy, and so so so filling, left a tiny bit. Amazing, whereas as before LT I would have eaten 2 huge pittas, filled to the brim, and then crisps and chocolate afterwards. I could never imaging doing that again! Dinner was also lovely. Fat free fromage frais and chives are so good. Would never have eaten anything like that before, so it's a nice surprise.

At the gym for a couple of hours, worked my ass off, and then came home to have my dinner, so I was well ready for it!

Betsy what a fantastic weight loss! A real inspiration for anyone on a TFR

Your menus look great. And good thinking with the diet coke, leave it enless you really need/want it :giggle:

xxx

Ah Betsy, it is really good to see your refeed going well. I know you dreaded the prospect of it all. Now it is here, you seem to be coping really well. You are thinking of food in terms of fuel and that is great.
I found I felt very bloated when I started eating again and got bunged up too. It is getting used to food again, I guess.
Good luck with the rest of your refeed. Enjoy all the lovely flavour of food.

summergurl said:

Betsy what a fantastic weight loss! A real inspiration for anyone on a TFR

Your menus look great. And good thinking with the diet coke, leave it enless you really need/want it :giggle:

xxx

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Thank you Tanya!

I am absolutely dying for a vodka! When do you think I can have one? My pharmacist said Saturday was fine, what do you think? Oh, and I usually put diet coke in it! Hopefully mixing it with diet coke won't send me on the road to addictionville again. Do you think there's a chance?

X

irish molly said:

Ah Betsy, it is really good to see your refeed going well. I know you dreaded the prospect of it all. Now it is here, you seem to be coping really well. You are thinking of food in terms of fuel and that is great.
I found I felt very bloated when I started eating again and got bunged up too. It is getting used to food again, I guess.
Good luck with the rest of your refeed. Enjoy all the lovely flavour of food.

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Thank you Molly!

Yeah, all going well (so far) I'm shocked at myself.

Thankfully the bloated feeling has gone today. My body must be getting used to the grub. I'm really enjoying everything, kind of cherishing it haha! I appreciate food so much more. Everything tastes so fresh and new.

You're doing fantastically Molly. I must look up the plan you're doing.

Day 6

Breakfast: LT Chocolate shake

Lunch: Wholemeal pitta filled with 2ozs of chicken, lettuce, 4 thin slices of cucumber, 2 cherry tomatoes, bit of onion, and a bit of spring onion, dollop of lighter than light mayo.

Dinner: Salmon fillet with a drizzle of lemon and black pepper, sprinkling of chives, steamed in the steamer. 4oz baked potato, topped with fat free fromage frais, sprinkling of chives, spinach and green beans.

Drinks: 4.5 litres of water

Absolutely loved the pitta again. Made up a small bowl of chicken and the salad stuff, mixed it with a dollop of fat free mayo and filled the pitta. It's amazing how much chicken you get for 2ozs! Felt fine after eating both my lunch and my dinner, no bloating, so hopefully this is my tummy getting used to food again, as I didn't like the bloated, yuck feeling.

Went to the gym, did the usual, felt good afterwards. Actually I feel much better while in the gym now than I did while on LT. Maybe the food is making things easier.

Tomorrow is my first refeed weigh in. I'm more excited about it than I was about any of my LT weigh ins. It will be interesting to see what the scales say. I really don't want to lose anymore weight, as I don't need to. I've had to promise my Doc and a few other people that I won't lose any more. I'm hoping to stay the same but don't mind if I gain a pound or 2.

Can't believe that's day 6 over and done with. Time is flying by. I'm loving the control I have over food and eating. I've shocked myself. Please God long may it continue.

BetsyBotox said:

Thank you Tanya!

I am absolutely dying for a vodka! When do you think I can have one? My pharmacist said Saturday was fine, what do you think? Oh, and I usually put diet coke in it! Hopefully mixing it with diet coke won't send me on the road to addictionville again. Do you think there's a chance?

X

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Well, i had vodka & diet coke on day 6 of refeed and was fine. Saturday will be day 7 for you yeah? So you will be fine too. They say 7 days so your fully out of ketosis

If yer worried about the diet coke thing how about diet lemonade with sugar free summer fruits squash? (the robinsons one, the one you need to put water with but instead your putting lemonade and vodka!) It is very very yummy and i much prefer it now to vodka and coke!

So glad you're enjoying your feed Betsy ... you deserve to after 8months!! I look forward to seeing how your wi goes - I think you may lose a bit with all the gym work you do as well as your diet still being quite restricted. You can never tell though, we all react differently to starting eating again!
You've done brilliantly!! xx

Betsy, It's great to hear you are enjoying refeeding, especially as you were dreading it so much!

I'll be watching this thread as I'm going to pinch some of your ideas!

You're Fantastic
Clair x

hey betsy,
refeed starts tomorrow for me!
I like the food in your diary....might be borrowing some tips!!
Looking forward to seeing how your weigh-in went??
Ktx

Day 7

Breakfast: LT Maintenance bar

Lunch: Wholemeal pitta filled with a few prawns, lettuce, 4 thin slices of cucumber, 2 cherry tomatoes, bit of onion, a bit of spring onion and a spoonful of fat free fromage frais sprinkled with paprika.

Dinner: Cod fillet, drizzled with lemon, graining of black pepper cooked in tin foil in the oven. 4 ickle new potatoes, spinach and a sprig of brocolli.

Drinks: 4.5 litres of water

So I tried a maintenance bar today, not having much hope of liking it, and I really enjoyed it. I was surprised, but oh my God does it fill you up! I had to be reminded to eat at lunch because I forgot. Even when I had lunch, I couldn't manage it all, I felt so stuffed. I felt ready full and satisfied throughout the whole day. Of course I ate my dinner, left a tiny bit, not much, really enjoyed it. So I've got a load of maintenance bars in, they're very handy and filling. So bye bye shakes, thanks for everything!

Went to my weigh on Friday and lost 4lbs! WTF is going on there?! I seriously don't want to lose anymore weight. I'm now down to 10 stone. We're thinking it's because I do exercise a lot, so I'm going to have to up my portion sizes a tad to make up for my exercise. I will up them once I have finished this week's refeed. Not by much, just up my meat and potato. To be honest I'm fully satisfied with my portions now, as I'm always stuffed after eating. Hopefully my appetite will get a bit bigger after next week.

If anyone reading this thinks I'm doing something wrong at any time, or has some advice please please share. I would really appreciated it.

Day 8

Breakfast: LT Maintenance Bar

Lunch: Chicken salad, consisting of 2ozs of thinly sliced chicken, lettuce, 4 thin slices of cucumber, 3 cherry tomatoes, a bit of spring onion, a bit of onion, a bit of celery. Mixed up in a small breakfast bowl with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

Dinner: 4ozs turkey breast, drizzled with lemon, grinding of black pepper, a sprinkle of oregano and basil. Small breakfast bowl made up of lettuce, 4 thin slices of cucumber, 3 cherry tomatoes, bit of spring onion, bit of onion, drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Drinks: 5 litres of water. Lots of vodkas and diet cokes (lost count after 4, think I had 7!)

Once again I enjoyed my food today, it all tastes delicious. Especially the salads. Every thing smells and tastes so fresh. I am so satisfied all day, and do not at all feel the need to snack, which is great. Saying that, turkey has probably been my least favourite meal. It's been the least tasty.

So had my booze today! Smirnoff vodka and diet coke, my fav! Well, oh my God the diet coke was soooooo sweet! A little bit sickening if I'm honest. I felt so weird drinking, it didn't feel natural, strange, as if I was being a naughty girl haha. That feeling soon left once I'd had a few! After about 3 I started to feel the effects (they were small measures) After about 4 I started talking like a washing machine, then I can't really remember much as I was peed! I remember standing up and saying 'That's it I'm a right sensible person, I've had enough and I'm going to stop and go to bed!' and I did! Whereas before I would be the last to bed and would not stop until the booze was finished!

Oh and I drunk water in between each drink. I'm addicted to water. I even found myself lifting the water instead of the vodka! That would never have happened before LT.

Didn't go to the gym today as I spent about 6 hours in town clothes shopping, and I was knackered when I got home and just wanted to get my dinner, then have my booze!

Day 9

Breakfast: LT Maintenance Bar

Lunch: Half a tin of tuna in brine (drained) mixed up in a small breakfast bowl, with lettuce, 4 thin slices of cucumber, 3 cherry tomatoes, a bit of spring onion, a bit of onion, with a dollop of fat free mayo.

Dinner: 5ozs of river cobbler, wrapped in tinfoil, with a drizzle of lemon, grinding of black pepper, sprinkle of oregano and cooked in the oven. Small breakfast bowl filled with lettuce, 4 thin slices of cucumber, 3 cherry tomatoes, a bit of spring onion, a bit of onion, drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Drinks: 4.5 litres of water.

Had a bit of a hangover this morning, not much, but felt a tad rough. My mouth was like a sewer, and I looked the worse I've looked since I started LT! Like death warmed up! Alcohol is bad, but I like it! I drunk plenty of water, got up and got ready, and got on with the day. As the day went on I felt fabulous. It's best to get up and on with the day than laying feeling sorry for yourself, and your self inflicted hangover!

I absolutely now love the maintenance bars. They are so handy and filling. Leaving me feeling so very satisfied throughout the day. I didn't think I'd like them but I actually enjoy them more than my LT chocolate shakes, and I adored the chocolate shake! My lunch and dinner were delicious, and very very satisfying. I could eat this food for the rest of my life as it so suits my tastes and needs.

No gym today. Went for a quick run late afternoon, used the ball for some exercises, and lifted a few weights.

summergurl said:

Well, i had vodka & diet coke on day 6 of refeed and was fine. Saturday will be day 7 for you yeah? So you will be fine too. They say 7 days so your fully out of ketosis

If yer worried about the diet coke thing how about diet lemonade with sugar free summer fruits squash? (the robinsons one, the one you need to put water with but instead your putting lemonade and vodka!) It is very very yummy and i much prefer it now to vodka and coke!

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Thanks so much Tanya. Please always feel free to give me your thoughts and opinions at all times! As I'm sure to mess up somewhere along the road!

I decided to go for the diet coke, as I love vodka/diet coke/ice and want to marry it! I sound like a right alco! I only drink on a Saturday!

Didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The diet coke tasted so sweet and it was a bit sickening if I'm honest. Downed a few regardless and ended up talking like a washing machine and a tad unsteady on my feet haha. Felt all naughty though, as if I was doing something bad! I do want to try your suggestion next week, as it sounds lovely.

Thanks again sweetie.

X

JanD said:

So glad you're enjoying your feed Betsy ... you deserve to after 8months!! I look forward to seeing how your wi goes - I think you may lose a bit with all the gym work you do as well as your diet still being quite restricted. You can never tell though, we all react differently to starting eating again!
You've done brilliantly!! xx

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Thank you so much Jan! Again please please give me your thoughts and opinions on anything I do/don't do. I really appreciated advice from people who have 'been there, done there' and you have done amazingly. You're such an inspiration. You are one of the people who I aspire to be - You've lost the weight and kept it off! Losing is so easy. It's doing what you're doing that is inspirational.

I have yet to go into the maintenance forum. I want to wait until I finish these few weeks refeed, and then I will go and read and read! I didn't want to take in too much information, as I've an ickle brain, and didn't want to confuse myself! It's always baby steps for me.

You were right (of course) I lost 4lbs. I was like WTH! I didn't expect that. So we discussed upping my portions to make up for my exercise. I will do this once I've finished this week's refeed. Hopefully my appetite will be bigger by then, because the portions I'm eating at the minute leave me full, and I don't get hungry at all between meals. I'll figure something out. See how this week goes.

Thanks again Jan. Your input means a lot to me.

I can't find a 'Thanks' button on both your and Tanya's post to me

X

CHARLEYSANGEL said:

Betsy, It's great to hear you are enjoying refeeding, especially as you were dreading it so much!

I'll be watching this thread as I'm going to pinch some of your ideas!

You're Fantastic
Clair x

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Thank you so so much Clair! Couldn't have done this without you! You're my LT lifeline. The bestest friend ever!

I can't wait until you're refeeding! Feel a bit lonely doing it without you! You'll be here soon and we can keep each other on the straight and narrow.

X