Cerulean's Maintenance Diary - 20 wks of SSing - Maintaining since 25/07/11

[Cerulean]

Week 4...0.5lbs lost but in inch off my hips!

And so? I lost 0.5lbs officially. But - meh - like me, her tape measure shows that I have lost an inch off my hips. So y'know - getting smaller, eating food - no bad thing in my book. You know me - it's not about the scales, it's about the inches

She asked if I wanted to be a CDC (which a few people on here have suggested). I miiiight, but problem is that I rent my flat so I just can't for the forseeable - you can't run a business from rented property (and renting hall space in London to do this kind of thing would be prohibitive, not to mention difficult to find the all important 5.30-7.30 slot) she suggested I go mobile, but again, I live in London so I don't have a car...but I would, you know. I would consider it.

 

[Chunkeymonkey]

Hey Cerulean. Sorry to crash but just wanted to update you. One week after 30DS, I lost 3lbs and after 2 weeks, Ive lost another 6.125lbs plus half an inch of my waist so far.

Thanks for your encouragement. Im finding losing weight more satisfying with the exercise!

 

[Cerulean]

There y' go Chunkey (less Chunkey!) Told you! Keep going mate, you're doing brill!

 

[Cerulean]

Whoop! Did my 3.25 mile run at lunchtime, did no snacking all day. I'm a good girl, I am.

 

[Cerulean]

Good morning Minimins! Scales are back on the move again...and sticking to the 1200ish calories thing. Haven't had nuts or peanut butter this week (as I need less energy without rehearsals).

There was a very negative comment on the forum yesterday which I could have addressed on the relevant post, but quite frankly, I'm above it - when you get to my grand old age, you realise that people's problems with you are not your problem, they're about that person's 'stuff'. I think one of the early LL videos makes that clear as well!

How odd to face that kind of negativity on Minis, which has always be a corner of the internet I treasured - this forum has always been like a massive kitchen table (I imagine the one out of Bread ) where everyone pulls up with a mug of no-calorie drink and goes 'Blimey, this diet, eh? Hard work or what?' And everyone else chimes in with sympathy and advice...so it really has been a shock to discover someone with a less than sympathetic attitude.

Like I say, I'm tough love. I molly-coddled myself and made excuses for 10 lost years, I know you can do it. I know I can do it. So I can be a bit strident sometimes so I understand people being a bit 'Back off, scary lady!' But sneering at my attempt? Out of order. And you know why I know I've done it right this time round? Yesterday's snippy remark would have sent me to the cornershop for binge food. This time round it bounced off me. I didn't even muscle in to the post and say what I really thought of the remark - you wouldn't like me when I'm angry! I didn't get angry. I got pragmatic.

Our little Cerulean is growing up.

I was supposed to go for a heath walk with a friend tonight. Bloody hell it's grey out there. My favourite bit of the heath is quite boggy. It'll be a swimming pool after yesterday

So there was no nibbling yesterday apart from a late night apple. I've re-read the 1200 section of the book...and I listened to the Jillian Michaels Podcast from last week. Blimming heck she's tougher love than I am, she starts swearing and yelling at a lady who is 150lbs overweight and smoking. It's kind of funny but also heartbreaking. I really recommend listening to her old podcasts. Lots of interesting info about ghrelin and leptin for all you stabilisers, and ideas for how to eat a balanced diet on the Other Side and tips for exercise.

 

[*Shanny*]

Haha I lovvveeee today's post ....

I'd say you really should think about becoming a CDC 'some day' you would be ace Sarah. If I'm honest I had 6 cdc's and only found 1 of the 6 the best motivator which helped me get to goal in 2009..

So down to earth, honest, full of kindness towards me even the times I would lie about my cheat days she new I was eating haribos lool..!

Your doing so well and I'm looking forward to seeing more pictures of you when you reach goal weight.
Xx

 

[Trolley Dolly xx]

Morning,

You hit the nail on the head...and how cool is it not to go down to someone elses nasty level.
I love reading you diary about your research to gain more info about food, your body reactions to it and exercise.
I must say you have really inspired me that I can do this...day 5 but must remember have to do this right this time.
Have a good day everyone x

 

[Cerulean]

Exciting times, I had ham and tomato salad for lunch today! Whoop (an astonishing 225 calories!) - had rhubarb yog for pud. Dinner tonight was a chickpea sort of er - dunno - just chickpeas and spices and lots of my left over chopped up salady bits cooked through with the last scrapings of my 0% greek yoghurt. There was some watercress and celery and spring onions. I've deliberately run my veg down as it's the lovely veg man at the City Farmer's market. Poor chap loses money coming to our office but they have to have a veg stall (City Boys and Girls tend to want animal in a bap for lunch, not to stock up on exciting seasonal veg so our farmers market only has two stalls that sell ingredients rather than hogroasts) I hope the berry man is there as well...he sells the best strawbs and raspbs for less than Tescos. And they're 8 times better than the best M&S have had in recent weeks.

I am obsessed with fruit and veg now. I've become such a nerd on what's in season and who's doing the best for how much. Not that I wasn't before, but I was more about the carbs and the fatty meat as well! I think when you focus on one thing if gives you time to really appreciate it.

I am getting into such a protein rut though...I tried pork skewers at the weekend...and didn;t enjoy it...but with 2 meals a day needing 200 cals of some sort of light protein and me really only enjoying chicken, cottage cheese, eggs and chickpeas, it's a bit tricky to mix it up - what should I do? I really don't have time to be making the meat recipes in the book and I really don't want to have ham more than once a week (I was completely hooked on ham and bacon before CD). I am going to have steak next Friday which is partly terrifying...

How the hell do you mix up your animal proteins over a week so that you are getting the amino acids you need? Perhaps it's time for quinoa!

 

[Cerulean]

Shanny - I'm going to take more pictures when I'm down to 149lbs...so at this rate, in early November!! I had been aiming for my Mum's birthday - and I'm sure there'll be pictures that day anyway...that's a month today...so if I apply myself I could be under 11st by then.

I've got my eye on a size 10 Biba dress

 

[Cerulean]

Arrrggghhh...I have no data this morning. Scales have gone bonkers. First they measured me at 149lbs - which would be lovely if it were true, but even I can't wish 10lbs away overnight. I did the time-honoured technical solution of rolling the batteries. I came out as 5lbs heavier than yesterday. Neither weight is close to anything approaching accurate so I assume that I need new AAA batteries.

Or maybe it's because I mopped the bathroom floor last night. I always knew that cleaning was a bad idea.

 

[Cerulean]

Biggest non scale victory ever!!!!

Tonight for the first time since I was 13 years old, I did 2 sub 9 minute miles.

I pounded the living daylights out of that tedious treadmill and I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT!

The fact that I can run that fast for that long is worth every single moment of dead dog breath, every boozy night with my mates that I've missed.

2011 is brilliant!

And then I followed that with 30 mins on the cross trainer and 30 mins in the pool.

Hurrah!

 

[Surfhunny]

Sarah you're a legend!!! I'd love to be able to run, but I can rum for ten minutes then feel like I'm going to die, I've tried covering the display with a towel but bang on 10 mins I get a stitch which totally cripples me, it's frustrating

 

[Cerulean]

Ooooh - I used to get stitches all the time and now I rarely do. It's to do with when you eat and how much water you get down you. Don't eat in the hour before and try to drink a litre of water around about an hour before.

I have no idea how or why this speed worked - usually if I switch from jogging and finish my run at above 10.5 k my heartrate soars, but I was fine. I dunno whether it's that the rhythm suits me better or what...very confusing...I wonder if I can do a 5k at this speed? that's the test for Saturday, I guess.

I'm totally with you on the having to hide the display! Today I was fascinated by it - the numbers have never moved so fast!

 

[Cerulean]

I don't like that you get a stitch by the way! It's just nice to be called a legend

 

[Cerulean]

Some days my magic spreadsheet is beyond perfect. I am pleased with its magic balancing act of calories in v calories out making up the exact numbers of lbs lost. And then weeks like this week happen.

I am doing nothing different from the previous 2-3 weeks. I'm eating about the same, the only thing that changes is the vegetables - all still from the mainly green list with the exception of the odd tomato (literally a handful of cherry ones every few days, nothing major). This week I've eaten way less nuts and more fruit (so maybe it's my fast oxidiser stuff reacting to the extra sugar). This week I am also due on...so I wish that would hurry up and gets itself over with!

Yesterday when the scales swung up by 4lbs I assumed it was a battery problem - particularly as the scales showed that I was 149lbs on my first weigh (that felt nice but - er - WRONG) and then on the second attempt they went to 165. Today, with new batteries...they're up to 166lbs. Er. Well, normally I'd suck that up, but I've lost an inch off my thighs in the last few weeks and I am definitely smaller. It's not muscle because you don't just put on 5lbs of muscle, you have to earn it!

However, I am due for Lady Time any day now. And I have to remember that this is my first ever stabilisation Lady Time. (My periods didn't come back after Lighter Life until I was 3-4 months out of Ssing - another reason why I didn't want to go all the way to goal without food) so...er...I suspect it's that.

I was about to take a good hard look at what I'd done yesterday when I thought 'Oh wow - my 16 trousers aren't as enormously baggy as they were, but my thighs are smaller...hmmmm, perhaps I'm bloated' Then I realised they were the same pair but in a 14 and quite the right amount of baggy for someone who is a 12 (I only have one pair of 12 trousers as I mainly bought dresses first time round)

Also the bath test still works...I started CD once my hips touched both sides of the bath when I lay down. Now I can get both hands made into a fist down the side of my hips and almost not touch skin! So I have signs! As long as my M&S 12 trousers fit perfectly I'm still okay.

I'm still reeling from yesterday's run...it felt so different! I took 5 minutes off my previous fastest time. I thought I was an 11min miler and that I would have to work to get down to 10. Apparently not! The run was far more fun than they usually are. I can't wait to try a 5k at 10.1k an hour pace tomorrow...getting a sub 30min 5k so soon would be more than my wildest dreams! Not to mention it would solve my fitting my runs into my lunch hour issues!

Plans for this weekend are sketchy - we have to relearn our scripts as cuts have been made - my bathroom and kitchen are clean, but the main living area of the flat needs a teensy bit of decluttering. There are two picnic/barbecues scheduled which I really should attend - but I also want to go on one of my walks - good, have planned a Big Walk.

 

[Illa]

hi C. need to take some time to read about your progresses but still wishing you good luck on the next part of your journey

 

[Cerulean]

Hi Illa - welcome back - hope Austria was kind to you and you didn't succumb to the Sachertorte and stayed away from the Kuchen

Looking forward to your holiday update!

 

[Cerulean]

Today I had fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, plus the usual bar. Had a snack of Victoria Plums on the way to the gym from a lovely farmers market on route - I'm usually too early for the market on my Saturday gym visit but I shall be timing my trips to pass it on the way back from now on! Stopped for a pre run black coffee.

After Thursdays' fantastic run, I was interested to see if I could do it (or anything like it) again. I took a full rest day yesterday incase the new speed had done more damage than I knew about (I am v cautious with running as I got shin splints 10 years ago) I started out at the faster speed for the first kilometer, but then dropped it down. I still smashed my 5k record and I've started introoducting gradient running to prepare me for outdoors work.

Then I did enough on the cross trainer to take me up to 600 cals burned and did about 350 cals of swimming and with the walks to and from the gym that's a good 1150 burned.

Came home and had an apple and a lovely egg salad - which sounds dull, but I wiped the bowl with a clove of garlic (an old trick of my Nana's) and tossed some romaine leaves and sprouted beans and shoots with some organic cucumbers from the market and some black tomatoes (I am still very scant with tomatoes) radishes and some sliced egg. I had a tiny drizzle of olive oil (a couple of tsps of oil are coming back into my diet) and a tiny bit of white wine vinegar. Black pepper and a tiny bit of salt. I've had abot 950 cals so far today.

Yesterday I tried something new. I was going to have some lamb but bloody hell it would have cost me a fortune. So I bought some lambs liver. (My metabolic type is supposed to eat offal) It's higher in calorie and fat than I am used to, but cooked with a spray of basalmic vinegar and a couple of squashed tomatoes, it made a delicious meal with some steamed cabbage and leek. Probably about 350 calories in total - but like I say - a bit fattier than cambridge would usually encourage. But it was very satisfying - and a quarter of the price of a lean lamb steak. I just feel like I need to mix things up a bit more now and start having 'tastier' food.

Scales went up again. I am still waiting to come on...I'm puzzled about the gains as I have been doing this for 5 weeks now and have been out of ketosis for a month...all will be revealed when TOTM decides to make itself known!

 

[Cerulean]

Weight's staying the same...good job! Had a really rare and enjoyable evening. I don't have a telly digibox (I don't have time for telly!) so the few things I watch are in bed on my my macbook. But last night I cranked up the old Wii and got iPlayer going on it so that I could watch The Killing. Absolutely amazing. Was hooked from the first epsiode and watched 4 in a row - luxury. I watched it accompanied by vanilla rooibos tea and a few almonds and a bit of fruit. How different from past TV snacking habits!

 

[Cerulean]

Oooh - forgot to say, supper last night was about 150 calories. A grilled 120g monkfish fillet (monkfish is really expensive but a pack with the fillet in was just over 2 quid - and it is my favourite fish!) and then some pak choi and shiitake mushrooms with a spot of chilli, garlic and soy sauce.