So just a quick update...so you know I haven't fallen head first into the biscuit barrel.
Two weeks after maintenance and I am now 4lbs under goal
I lost 2lbs the first week, and 1.5lbs this week, which I've been really pleased about. My plan at the moment is still allowing myself up to 850kcal per day (more at weekends if I need them). But to be honest, I'm still hovering at about 750 really. Old habits die hard I guess, and I'm in such a routine with food that it's hard to know what to introduce first! To start with, I decided to not even bother trying to stay in Ketosis as I don't want a big carb bloat at Christmas. Luckily I seem to have done that without gaining weight, as I'm now reaching over 100g of carbs most days.
What I'm determined to do as my first step to 'real eating', is to try and up my calories with meat/fruit/veg rather than just having a chocolate bar because I can. For instance, tea tonight was fish in parsley sauce with roasted carrots, sweet potato and swede. Much higher in calories and carbs than my pre-maintenence foods, but not exactly a stodge-fest either. And the best thing is that these vegetables are such a novelty that they feel like a treat now!
Which leads me on to my next plan....which is that I don't want to leave all my regular day-to-day foods behind over Christmas in favour of lazy take-away meals and heavy, stodgy home cooked food. I love vegetables, fruit, fish, stir frys etc but at christmas I seem to descend into a world of beige food...you know the score - pork pies, sausage rolls, pizza, chips, white bread, quiche....half this stuff I would never choose during the rest of the year, so why buy it or eat it at christmas?!
I don't mean that I'm going to be an angel. I'm sure I won't be! But I just want to be mindful that the food I'm eating is food that I am actively choosing to eat, rather than just having it because it's there. I'm the same with chocolate and cake too....I would never buy snickers/milky way/maltesers as a treat , so why munch my way through half a tub of celebrations just because they're there! I'd much rather dig out that bar of the Hotel Chocolat stuff I've got stashed away and really enjoy some of that instead.
Or at least that's they plan....and I'm hoping that the intermittent fasting/JUDD approach will help me enjoy these well chosen treats without the guilt aspect (although I'm still terrified of taking the plunge!). I still want to maybe have a pizza/curry/pub meal or whatever...but I don't want it to be one after the other because ultimately I know I'll feel sluggish, bloated and regretful...which is something I would never have said pre-VLCD!
Anyway, that's enough for now. I'll keep you all updated on my progress (psychological, and otherwise
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x