74 days left....Aaargh!

[NicolaH75]

Day 21 s/sing

Hiya NooNoo

I didn't know that about the ketostix! but i'm drinking at least 4L of water per day so hopefully shouldn't have a problem?

I'm somewhere between the 2nd & 3rd box (on the scale of 6) so I guess this is about right then?

I only have another week until I have to AAM... I'm quite scared at this prospect tho (incase i start eating & can't stop!!) EEK!!

How have you coped with this?

Nic x

 

[NooNoo1970]

Hi again lovey

Its only a prob on the ketostix when you get into the really dark pink, but you sound like you are drinking enough to me!

AAM when i did CD last yr was a daunting prospect......but if you stick to all the guide lines in the yellow book you will be fine!
I love cottage cheese and that was my staple diet when I was on AAM, I liked to chop up a bit if celery,cucumber, and a mushroom and mix it into the cottage cheese.....and it gives a lovely crunchy 'meal'.
again a small bit of chick with broccolli and cauli and cabbage is nice too, you are only supposed to have a few table spoons though so do be carefull.

I did find it a bit hard to get back to just 3 packs the next week, but again its just mind over matter.
The good thing with aam is the green and white principles, so if you find you 'have' to go for a meal and you can join in and not knock yourself out of ketisis.(just not too often though)

need another wee...so I must dash... have a good day!!

Lou X

 

[NicolaH75]

Day 22 & still going strong!

Hiya NooNoo, hey everyone else!

Thanks for the tips for AAM... I could do with knowing what sort of things I can have - unfortunately i don't like cottage cheese or fish (apart from Tuna - is this allowed??) i'm not overly keen on cauliflower or cabbage so I might struggle a bit!

Am I right in thinking I can have cucumber & lettuce? can I have rice vinegar??? (as I usually use this as a fat free dressing on salads)

Does anyone know if i'm allowed onions, beansprouts and peppers?? I know we can use herbs & spices but what about Soy sauce???

So many questions!!!!

Love to all Nic x

 

[NicolaH75]

day 23 & all is well!!

Morning all!

I see nobody has managed to come uo with any AAM advice for me yet :cry:

:help2: PLEEEASE someone help me in my hour of need!!!
(I know i'm being a bit over-dramatic, but i'm going for the sympathy vote he he!!)

In all seriousness tho... I've been doing great so far & am worrying A LOT about starting to feel hungry as soon as I eat anything :drool:

Has this happened to any of you? and if so... how did you overcome it???
I seriously can't afford to start munching everything in sight as I only have 52 days left till I get married!! - not only that, but I haven't been for my 2nd dress fitting yet, cos I think it'll still be too small :cry: (I have less than 40 dieting days left which scares the hell out of me! plus my hen weekend falls towards the end of this time & as I've mentioned before... I'll be breaking the diet then EEK!)
so fingers crossed I'll be able to pick up where I left off without causing too much destruction?!!!

Bye for now,

Nic x

 

[NooNoo1970]

right aam...according to the 'yellow book'

one of the following
100g/4oz LF cottage cheese
50g/2oz chicken or turkey breast without skin(steamed is best)
80g/3oz cod,haddock or other white fish
80g/3oz quorn
60g/2 1/2 oz soft tofu
or120g/5oz firm tofu

also choose one of the following, approx 2 serving spoons
green salad leaves, eg roguette,lambs lettuce,watercress,raddiccio,littlegem,romaine lettuces
Celery,cucumber or red raddishes
courgettes or marrow
Broccoli,cauli,or cabbage...even pickled!!
Spinach, kale,turnip or taro tops.Asparagus, fennel or celeriac
Chinese leafy greens such as pac choi or chinese cabbage

Hope this helps!

Have you been given your yellow book by your CDC?? it lists all the foods you can have at the various stages of CD.

have a good day!
Lou X

 

[NicolaH75]

Hi NooNoo

Yeah I've got that little yellow book, but as I said earlier... I don't like most of the things it says you are allowed YUK!!!

I was just wondering how much damage would a few onions/beansprouts/peppers sprinkled with a little soy sauce do?

I mean they're only veggies & i think soy sauce is fat free?
plus there's no way I could eat dry lettuce leaves (I need the rice vinegar!)

Way I see it... it's only a couple of mouthfuls & it's not like i'm saying I want pizza or cream cakes, so I suppose I'll just have to experiment? and if my weight loss slows down I'll know not to do it again eh?

Nic x

 

[NooNoo1970]

hi again

to tell the truth when I did aam I would sometimes have a pickled onion here and there and a few bits that werent on the list! ie a slice of beetroot, or a teaspoon of mintsauce on veg, or vinegar +black pepper on a salad. to tell the truth it never effected ketosis and I lost most of my wieght last yr through the bbq season and the world cup so we had numerous bbq! I ate at most of them, but would stick to celery, chick breast or drumstick and salad..I lost 3st 3 in about 2 months..so it really didnt do any harm.

But having said that I have slipped and put some back on again, if I had followed CD to the letter would I have maintained?? I cant answer that...i still have struggles every day nearly, and it really depends on how strong my resolve is that day as to whether its me or the old chatterbox that wins!

any cdc would say stick to what it says in the book, but I guess if a little bit of something carb free is going to keep you on the straight and narrow then I would say its worth it.

Onions have got a natural sweet content though so be carefull. I knocked myself out of ketosis once as I had fresh rather than pickled beetroot and it has a tonne more carbs in it! so read everythign and be carefull.

hope this helps a bit...to any cdcs I am sorry as I know its not the cd rules and i am just giving my own opinion.......the best idea is to follow the book exactly as it says.

 

[NicolaH75]

Thanks NooNoo!

Where would i be without you?? I don't think many people read the "brides to be" threads, so I've posted the same question at the bottom of the VLCD Cambridge forum to see if I get any inspiration or words of wisdom from other CD members/CDC's (please don't think I don't appreciate your help, you've been great! - I just think it helps to get a few peoples opinions before I do something drastic!)

Thanks again hun

Nic x

 

[NicolaH75]

Day 24 (still on the wagon!)

Hey everyone!

I got a recipe after posting on the CD thread for some chilli chicken from "Skinnycow" which sounds really nice, but so far nobody else has suggested anything...

Guess I'll just have to get inventive with herbs & spices eh?

Must dash - I'm bursting for a pee!!!

Nic x

 

[LENNY4974]

Hi Nicola,

I have been told by my CDC that herbs and spices are okay. I also asked about flavourings for cous cous etc and she just said to read the ingredients on the back and see calorie, carb content etc.

She has also said that we can use worcester sauce and tabasco sauce in our soups if required, along with black pepper. I wouldn't think that Soy sauce would be allowed as it is quite salty but I suppose it depends on how much you use

If you have any doubts, just ask your CDC - that is what they are there for

I personally lived on quorn and cottage cheese with veg or salad leaves for my AAM but I have really struggled to go back to 3 shakes afterwards. So I am not doing my second AAM - I have told my CDC and she said that it was my choice.

I need to lose another 27lbs before May, so I can fit into my wedding outfit.

Take care and good luck with AAM.

 

[NicolaH75]

Thanks for the tips Lenny!

I'll stock up on Tabasco & Worcester sauce to flavour my chicken instead! I'm sure it will be just as nice!

I still want to lose another 17lbs but i'm quickly running out of time!! so hopefully doing AAM won't sabotage my success!

Lots of love Nic x

 

[NicolaH75]

Morning everyone!

I've been stressing about starting AAM at the weekend for ages now, and needed to buy some more bottled water so thought I'd do a bit of preparation last night & pop to Tesco to stock up with things i'm allowed to eat.

I bought mini chicken fillets, cod fillets, romaine lettuce, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, pickled cabbage, Tabasco sauce & cottage cheese!! (all options covered then eh?!!)

Now then... all my life I've been of the opinion that cottage cheese was vile and (apologies for this..) tasted like sick!!!

Only problem is - whilst I was putting everything away I started thinking how much I really fancied some lettuce & cucumber!!! :thinking2: - I mean..... LETTUCE & CUCUMBER??? WTF???!!!
- which led to my curiosity about the cottage cheese... so before I knew it I was craving a salad!!
(yeah - I know!!)

Well to cut a long story short... I figured I'd have a little "practice" AAM so chopped 2 lettuce leaves into little pieces, cut 4 slices of cucumber into quarters, sprinkled a spoonful of pickled red cabbage in amongst it & gave it a bit of a stir.
I then plonked a spoonful of cottage cheese in the middle & added 2 or 3 drops of Tabasco sauce just for good measure!

I HAVE NEVER EVER ENJOYED ANYTHING AS MUCH IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!! - I kid you not!!!

I dunno if I should start my AAM week from last night and just finish it next thurs or go back to just packs for tonight & Tomorrow then start AAM properly on sunday??

What do you guys think???

oh by the way... I weighed in again this morning & the scales were hovering between 13 stone 9lbs & 13 stone 10lbs (which is 2.5lbs loss this week - but I've been 13.10lbs since tuesday) I only lost 3lbs last week as well, so I'm wondering if doing my AAM week now might boost my metabolism & speed up my weightloss a little??

ADVICE PLEASE??? :help2:

Cheers Nic x

 

[NooNoo1970]

PMSL what a very funny thread!

I was exactly the same with the first aam I had........and I love cottage cheese.

There is no reason why you cant start aam from last night and then stop a day early next week.
glad you enjoyed it, its amazing waht can taste nice after 4 weeks of having nothing but packs!

Just for the record I lost 4 1/2lb in my first aam, i think it some ways it gives your metabilism a boost....and kick starts you again!

enjoy your week!
lou X

 

[NicolaH75]

Cheers Lou!

I agree & think I'll carry on with my AAM - I might even get really adventurous tonight & have a small piece of cod fillet with a bit of broccoli & cauli??

By the way..... I NEVER eat fish (apart from the occasional tuna sarnie) but judging by how much I enjoyed my cottage cheese after hating it for 30 years... I'm quite looking forward to trying it!!

I'm having major problems with my laptop at home so I'll probably have to let you know how i get on when i get back to work on monday... wish me luck!!

Have a great weekend

Nic x

 

[NicolaH75]

Day 26

Morning gang :wavey:

H2b managed to sort our laptop, so i won't have to go cold turkey without you guys all weekend!! PHEW!!

Well as i mentioned yesterday, I had a small cod fillet with broccoli & cauli for my evening meal last night.
It looked (& smelled) pretty disgusting so I thought I'd get inventive & made up 1/2 a pack of spicy tomato soup to use as sauce? I mean what harm could it do right? :thinking2:
I think the tomato soup is awful so it would only be going to waste anyway, I smelled it & screwed up my nose at the thought of it! so realised i'd have to try a bit harder to make it edible.
I think it's far too sweet so shoved a load of black pepper/mixed herbs & my trusty tabasco sauce in & gave it another whirl with the blender.
H2b actually commented how nice it looked when I sat down to eat it!
although i wouldn't go as far as saying it was "nice" & I certainly wouldn't pick it off a menu in a restaurant...
I suprised myself by eating it and thinking "not bad!"

Who'd have thought it eh? a dish comprised of all the ingredients I really disike, but somehow together they were weirdly OK!!

I weighed in this morning & i'm down to 13 stone 8lbs so I must be doing something right eh?? :bliss:



Well i'm off to do some housework now (good excercise!!)
See ya later!

Love Nic x

 

[flirty40greeneyes]

Well done! Firstly on trying something new and secondly on losing the weight.

I often have soups mixed to a thicker consistancy as sauces on chicken and fish during AAM or when I do 790. The oriental chilli is nice as is the cheese and broccoli over cauliflower and broccoli.

 

[NicolaH75]

Day 27

Hello again Beverley

Thanks for the support, I might try the oriental chilli soup with some chicken & Asparagus today?
I'll definitely be giving the cheese & broccoli soup a miss though - I think it's VILE!!! Yuk!
I'm not keen on any of the soups to be honest... I can live with the chicken & mushroom or vegetable but only if I've run out of the shakes & bars!
I'll be glad when AAM week is over & I'm back onto my 3 packs though... cos I'm finding it difficult not to pick at bits of lettuce (???!!!!) all day!!!
I suppose it's better than wanting to pick at cream cakes tho eh?
Even so - once i'm back to S/Sing the temptation to eat anything won't be an option, so hopefully I'll be able to get straight back into it?

Nic x

 

[NicolaH75]

Day 28

Hi gang

I hate to be saying this as I've tried to stay really positive & upbeat whilst doing CD,
But ever since doing AAM I've found it really hard not to eat stuff - don't get me wrong... I haven't been on any chocolate/crisps/take-away binges or anything, but I just seem to be spending the entire day obsessing about cottage cheese, lettuce & pickled cabbage!!

Hardest day was yesterday (stayed in all day) & H2b bought himself a massive pepperoni pizza!! (my favourite food in the whole world) I was gutted to say the least!
I didn't have any and went up into the attic sulking with him for being so unsupportive & "torturing me" where I spent 20 mins on the treadmill trying to get rid of my frustration!!

I came back down feeling pretty proud of myself but with the lovely smell still lingering in the air I felt really hungry so gave in & made myself another small salad (I'd already had the one i was allowed)
I tried telling myself it's only lettuce & cucumber & some very low fat cottage cheese... plus i'd just spent 20 mins burning calories, so surely it couldn't be THAT bad?? after all I'm only having a small bowl of salad instead of a slice of pizza??
My weight has pretty much stayed the same for a week & I was starting to feel a bit dis-heartened but after 2 days doing AAM I'd managed to lose another 1lb - I KNOW I shouldn't weigh myself this often but couldn't resist the temptation & this morning I'd put the pound back on :cry:
I feel like a total failure... and I'm sure many of you will agree with me here - when I feel miserable I want to comfort eat!! I'm managing to curb myself to the odd lettuce leaf here & there but I know i'm not allowed it & feel like everything is starting to go wrong. I thought I had this under control but now I feel like food is starting to control me again.
I'm reading this and realising how pathetic it sounds to be so upset over a few bits of lettuce but the portion sizes are there for a reason & if i'm eating more than I should be - I'm jeapordising my chances of losing weight

Any words of support would be greatly appreciated

Thanks for listening

Nic x

 

[LENNY4974]

Hi Nic,

First of all - you are not a failure you have been snacking on lettuce leaves!! not chocolate, crisps, cakes etc. and you could have just eaten a slice or two of the pizza (very unfair of him - when my H2B gets anything like that he is ordered to buy things that I don't like)

Lettuce leaves won't hamper your weight loss too badly I am sure Also my CDC told me when I confessed to dropping into having a salad a couple of times a week that if I have to snack...cucumber and celery :sigh:

Secondly, well done on not punching the H2B for having the pizza in front of you and getting on the exercise bike for 20 mins. You probably did burn off more calories than the lettuce leaf contains

Sometimes I feel like my life consists only of this diet, exercise classes and wedding plans But we will both be beautiful, slim, toned brides when all this hard work has done its job

Good luck with the remaining time left on AAM, hope you have a great weigh in this week.

Take care

 

[Isobel1965]

I wouldn't worry too much, hun - a big well done on avoiding the pizza!!!!!

It's so hard, isn't it, when others around you are eating yummy stuff. BUT when you are wearing your fab wedding dress with everyone's eyes on you, cos you're the princess for the day - it will ALL be WORTH it!!!!

Keep on truckin, hun!

xxxx