Bren's Second Diary - Week 13 onwards

[SandraB]

Difficult one Bren, particularly if you've never been that weight before..........do you find that now though even the loss of a couple of pounds makes a big difference in your clothes? Again today I was trying something on that I had expected to be skin tight, cherry velvet size 12 jeans, and they fitted perfectly! 2 or 3 lbs seems to be loads but a couple of months ago I wouldn't even have noticed if I'd put on or lost that much.......

I'm still aiming for 10 st but I'm beginning to think that I will be very slim indeed at that weight.

 

[LincsBren]

I didn't really have any 'slim' clothes to aim for, but I did buy some size 12's about 3/4 weeks ago purely because I could squeeze into them (with a lot of tummy sucking in!) and then didn't try them on again until today and they fit quite nicely So yes, I suppose a few lbs is making quite a bit of difference at these smaller sizes.

I think I am going to aim for 10st 7lbs (apart from anything else, it stops me immediately falling into naughty habits when I hit 11st) but will NOT consider it a failure if I decide at 11st that I've gone far enough.

 

[LincsBren]

Also...

Day 95 of VLCD!

Since gallstones issue, I've been 100% - that's a week ago. Feeling like I'm back in the swing of it, but have noticed that yesterday and today I had a bar for lunch and have felt a little 'blocked up'. I suspect I'm not drinking enough water - when I have shakes, I mix them up with 450ml of water so I'm getting an extra half litre a day like that, plus drink 0.75L first thing in the morning, another half at coffee breaks, and another half in the evenings... just meeting the 2.25L requirements. On days I have a bar, I DO have a glass of water with it, but that's not meant to count towards your allowance so I'm probably falling short by a bit.

 

[Dimage]

Really well done on your losses. I was just going to post that at smaller weights smaller losses will make a difference in how you look. So that 11 lbs you have to go may very well make a big difference in your overall shape. Good luck with it!

I think going for a weight a bit under the 11 stone is a good idea as the 11stone is then your alarm bell weight, when an action plan needs to go into place and shift the couple of pounds gained.

 

[LincsBren]

I've been 100% all week but have started to get some sort of lurgy - I was wiped out and in pain all over (tired-to-the-bones type bones aches) last night, with a sore throat starting. Hardly slept all night, and woke up with white spots all over my throat and tonsils *yuk*

I managed to drag myself to work and whispered at the children all day but despite paracetamol, still got a VERY sore throat. And I'm sulking, because despite feeling incredibly crap, I have NOT cheated one little bit and yet have somehow managed to put on weight since Sunday?! I was SO hoping for a 3lbs loss this week - I'm so disappointed.

 

[SandraB]

Weight gain could be something to do with being a bit constipated maybe?

 

[LincsBren]

Good point Sandra, I am a bit bunged up and haven't 'been' for a couple of days. However, the Fat-Gods must have heard my pleas as I'm down again today - to 164.4lbs, so nearly a 2lbs loss since Saturday. I also don't think I'm drinking enough, so lots of water for me today, and a couple of ducolax for me tonight and everything crossed for the morning!

 

[LincsBren]

163.4lbs this morning (11st 9.4lbs). So a 2.8lbs loss since last week - was hoping for 3+ but forgot the ducolax so still a bit bunged up!

Can't believe I have 2 more planned weeks left - almost a bit scared to stop, with the gallstone pain and everything. I haven't even dared eat my beloved carrots since it happened! Will see what weight I am then and maybe even carry on for 1 more week TFR. 14 weeks done - time flied when you're having fun!

 

[monarch]

You sound perfect. I would go to 11st and see how you feel. The things that you describe as rolls of fat etc are probably not even noticable to others. At your height 10st 7lb is not too low so I wouldn't worry. You have done so well and deserve all the praise you have had.

I hope your throat is better. One head I worked for used to call it a teacher's 'November voice'!

 

[LincsBren]

I don't think my fat bits are noticeable in clothes - I'm really pleased with how I look dressed, whereas before I started, clothes seemed to emphasise my fat bits and I definitely looked better naked (no tight waistbands or sleeves to dig in then!) but I definitely DO have a lot of actual fat in certain areas. Put it this way, I am not bikini ready

Had a bad day today - slipped off the wagon a bit whilst on a course. I'd taken my bar for lunch, but forgotten to take any water. I was stupidly tempted by the hot chocolate, which then turned into eating lunch with the other delegates. I made fairly sensible choices to begin with (chicken pie but didn't eat the pastry, and had broccoli - no potatoes etc) but then followed it with a pudding. SO bloody stupid, and then about 2 hours later, I had another gallstone attack. It came on VERY quickly - much quicker than last time (pain score 0 to 10 within less than a minute) and the venue first aider called an ambulance (we were told it'd be 90 mins due to an RTA!) and then within 5 minutes, it just passed! I cancelled the ambulance as the course was quite far from home, and felt fine so figured I'd rather get home and if necessary get OH to take me to A&E locally, but I've felt fine since - I've been drinking plenty of water to try and flush the food through and have taken some codeine.

I went to a friend's bonfire party on Friday, and her Dad (a doctor) told me there was LOADS of research into gallstones and absolutely not one bit of scientific evidence to say that diet can bring on an attack, and that I could eat whatever I wanted from that point of view. Er, think I've disproved that theory - creamy curry = first attack; willing to accept that could have been coincidence. Pudding + hot chocolate = second attack - shouldn't have listened to him!

So relieved it passed quickly. I'm off out dancing shortly - will have to dance all night to burn off the extra calories, and clamber determindly back on the TFR wagon. I have 3lbs to lose this week, and I WILL do it!

 

[SandraB]

Ouch Bren! The gallstones sound hideous, be careful when taking codeine as it only takes a few to give you absolutely crippling constipation and I mean only a few!

Go girl, go! X

 

[Jayne33]

Bren, I have to say when I had gallstones, it made no difference whatsoever whether I ate a cream cake or a lettuce leaf. I'd still get pain Sometimes I'd get pain on an empty tummy too. It would also come on very rapidly like you describe, and go just as fast. Made no difference if I sat down, lay down, stood up, etc. Sometimes it'd last hours, and sometimes minutes. I also often had a heavy, dull ache in between attacks. It was very unpredictable pain, but utterly excruciating. I haven't been able to take codeine since I had my gall bladder removed, as it tends to give me gall bladder type pain! Not sure why. Maybe irritates the bile ducts or something? Don't know.

Are you going to have your gall bladder removed?

xx

 

[LincsBren]

Not sure yet, as I'm still waiting for my ultrasound so see exactly how many / how big the stones are. I am finding the diet tough right now - I think I'm about ready to eat. I will keep on trying for TFR for the next week as planned and then come down a step to 800 cals a day. I don't think I'll be as close to goal as I had hoped by then, but I really do want to eat now!

 

[SandraB]

Not sure yet, as I'm still waiting for my ultrasound so see exactly how many / how big the stones are. I am finding the diet tough right now - I think I'm about ready to eat. I will keep on trying for TFR for the next week as planned and then come down a step to 800 cals a day. I don't think I'll be as close to goal as I had hoped by then, but I really do want to eat now!

There's going to be a few of us going on refeed next week I think Bren......I'm planning on going onto the Dukan diet so I'm not going to introduce carbs yet so I don't have to go fall out of ketosis......I'm sure that we can still continue to lose weight and at least we don't have so much to lose now!

When is your ultrasound? I think they can blast the stones can't they? Providing that they're not too big.....

 

[LincsBren]

Apparently they don't usually bother with that now, as 75% of people have them come back, so usually they just whip it out - but I guess if there's very few, very tiny stones they may consider not-operative treatment.

TOTM today - explains my constant food obsession this past week, total lack of will power and general falling off the wagon. I've been more on track today, but have allowed myself a bowl of green veg and tiny piece of chicken (about a sixth of a chicken breast) as I was desperately craving chocolate / cake / pasta / anything / everything so thought it 'safer' to have some 'good' food.

Still expecting a gain though - I have been baking bread, bread and more bread this week ('teaching children to cook' course followed by actually doing it with the whole class AND teaching my OH to bake bread) and have also tested the bread

 

[SandraB]

Oooooo bread! Haven't had even a mouthful since I startedL LT. I must admit that I was seriously tempted to have a bit last weekend when we were away but as I hadn't done a proper refeed I was worried that I would suddenly put on half a stone.....can that happen? Do you have to eat a certain amount of carbs to refuel your glycogen stores?

Chicken and veg isn't going to hurt Bren and if it stops you having a worse pig-out!

 

[LincsBren]

It was my first bit of bread since starting 15 (!!) weeks ago - oops! I do think refined carbs like white bread and pasta can certainly make you retain a lot of water very quickly. The quantity I ate wasn't enough it itself to make me put weight on, yet the next morning the scales showed me 3lbs heavier which MUST have been water retention. I've been good since (veg and white fish tonight but no 'naughty' stuff) so the scales will tell the truth tomorrow but hopefully I've shifted the retained water and at least stayed the same instead of gaining

 

[monarch]

Isn't it complicated. I bet the gall bladder pain hasn't helped at all. You don't feel like carrying on when you are feeling so poorly.

 

[LincsBren]

Well, I managed to actually lose, albeit only 0.2lbs (163.2lbs) at my own official weekly weigh in. Then tonight I saw my cambridge consultant, who's scales show a 2lbs loss. So I rushed home and hopped back on mine, which then showed me another 0.6lbs lighter (which was nice - 11st 8lbs!). I'm ignoring that until next week though - I always take my first-thing-in-the-morning weight as the official one.

Today I have so far had 2 products and a nice big bowl of veg, but no other protein. Feeling a bit peckish now so may have my 3rd shake as a hot chocolate before bed.

 

[Daisy1966]

Well done Bren you skinny girl!!! xxx