Minerva's on a mission!!

[NatM70]

All sounds great at your end Minerva, and I agree we need days off - I think I'd go mad if I didn't 'go over' the allowance once a week!

Your pizza sounds GORG!! Mouth is watering here! Send some my way will you pls!

Am starving, only had one pack and a meal out (low carb/high protein) - think I'll have to have an extra pack. Can't go to bed feeling like this!

You're sounding very positive, I'm very pleased for you - everything seems to be good with you, and that makes me happy! xxx

 

[Lou_G]

Hey Minerva glad you feel a bit better Sounds like a nice sensible off-plan evening and delicious I agree about the boost - I felt great after my weekend off last week, didn't have any problems getting back on plan, and the weight gained has now gone

Completely hear you about it consuming you before - I lost a lot of weight when I was about 17 and it quickly spiralled into obsessive calorie counting - detailed log, working out averages - week so far, rolling week - leading to binges and MUCH depression. This is the saddest time of my whole life I just wanted to die!! I was thin and couldn't be happy about it I'm hoping to switch to a paleo diet after S&S so I don't need to count anything

 

[Minerva]

Hey Minerva glad you feel a bit better Sounds like a nice sensible off-plan evening and delicious I agree about the boost - I felt great after my weekend off last week, didn't have any problems getting back on plan, and the weight gained has now gone

Completely hear you about it consuming you before - I lost a lot of weight when I was about 17 and it quickly spiralled into obsessive calorie counting - detailed log, working out averages - week so far, rolling week - leading to binges and MUCH depression. This is the saddest time of my whole life I just wanted to die!! I was thin and couldn't be happy about it I'm hoping to switch to a paleo diet after S&S so I don't need to count anything

It was a fairly sensible off-plan, but I could have done without it. Then again my weight loss isn't going to be any quicker even if I am 100%, I know that for a fact due to previous experience. I feel rather conflicted, I have to say.

I'm sorry you also fell into that trap of dieting madness... calorie counting and the control you seem to gain when doing it is so very addictive. Detailed log, averages, deficits... It only led to binges when my whole world fell down and I couldn't recover. :hug99: It was a very lonely place to be, so I hear you... But the main thing is, you recovered, you're here now, older and wiser.

I do believe counting can be useful to establish a guide of how much is acceptable not to gain or lose weight when we're done. But having the experience of knowing how not to be too obsessive about it will help at the end. But do whatever works for you. Paleo does sound like a diet which you could maintain on - cutting out refined and over-processed foods is a good move!!

x

 

[Minerva]

So, I'm on day 84 today!

Monday Wi - verdict - 1lb off. A little bit disappointing, but I have to practice what I preach - 1 lb off is another 1lb closer to goal!! Especially with the wobbly weekend!! (even though I never really exceeded 950 calories...)

I am a little conflicted over all these slow losses - because I could be eating more and still lose roughly the same. All this starvation mode and ketosis makes for a confusing journey - the body reacts more sensitively to food fluctuations from packs than it would if I was eating a little bit more normally.

When I wasn't on packs and eating 900-1000 calories per day, I was losing weight too. If I do that packs + something extra ON OCCASION - body's like "Nope, I'll go UP in weight just to mess with your brain".

It's all water, on and off at these stages - but... meh. I'll stick to packs for now because I have no desire or time to mess around with calorie counting and planning meals. That's what it comes down to - pure convenience!

When I finish my exams, hopefully I'll be 12st-ish at which point I may consider 3 packs and a protein meal approach + more exercise! There's a gym next door, no reason not to use the facilities!!

 

[beelishy]

I know exactly what you mean about how you could be losing the same, consuming more. But the convenience of the vlcd is really quite good. lol. She says as she perusing The DietShack's website. lol. I seem to be struggling with the concept of "dont eat all the things, just because your current diet allows some food".

 

[Minerva]

I know exactly what you mean about how you could be losing the same, consuming more. But the convenience of the vlcd is really quite good. lol. She says as she perusing The DietShack's website. lol. I seem to be struggling with the concept of "dont eat all the things, just because your current diet allows some food".

How about Diet Chef? It's actual food, but is pre-measured for you! No fuss, slightly more calories for exercise and no mess! I have heard good things about it.
Treat them as "food packs" same as SnS and then you'll be ok!

 

[slim_and_happy]

Hi Minerva. How are you today? Sounds like you're in a really good place at the moment
I've been wide awake since 5 am this morning and that's on my day off! It's def the diet because there is no way I would have been doing that before! Really weird!
Hope all is well with you chick x

 

[NatM70]

Good morning Minerva!

I agree re the packs. It's weird, and I too cannot figure it out! I am not happy that ketosis causes muscle wastage - that's never mentioned in SnS's brochure or any where on their site!

I do think this though - the lower the carbs, the better the weight loss. I've kept my own food diary, and having looked at it, I see I lose more weight on days/weeks where I keep my carbs are low as poss, even though I am having much more protein than advised.
I suppose it's the same principal as Atkins, only we don't get to eat much lol!

I am not happy about no exercise, I feel my muscles wasting away! I have received my last SnS order, and once that's gone (am going to save quite a few packs to ensure a very slow re-feed phase) I am not ordering any more, even if not at goal. I shall aspire to achieve goal with healthy eating and a good dollop of exercise thrown in!

I am now the weight I was before I got pregnant. However, then I was very toned due to excessive Zumba! Now, the weight is all fat, so the clothes that were very loose on me when I was previously this weight, don't fit as well as they did when the weight was more muscle.

Definitely want to get back to exercise asap - I have fat knees, so unless I get rid of those in the next 5 weeks, I aint gonna be wearing THAT DRESS I have my eye on for friend's wedding on 4th May!

Hoping you're okay lovely? And hope you have a GREAT day xxx

 

[beelishy]

Hope youre ok, honey! Just checking in to say hi. xx

 

[Minerva]

Hi Minerva. How are you today? Sounds like you're in a really good place at the moment
I've been wide awake since 5 am this morning and that's on my day off! It's def the diet because there is no way I would have been doing that before! Really weird!
Hope all is well with you chick x

I can't say this diet has actually affected my sleeping patterns too drastically - apart from maybe making me want to sleep more than usual. Like a bear in hibernation

I can't say I'm in a great place in my head at the moment - there's a lot of anxiety and depression and stress crushing down, but maybe if I can pretend to be positive, it'll morph into reality too? Who knows. Maybe.

Hope all is well - I saw today is your day 7!! Well done!! The hardest week of this whole diet is over Now here's to problem free, stress free and uncomplicated weeks ahead. I just hope those gremlins from the past don't bite yout oo hard, as with no food/vice around there's nothing to fall back on... I remember giving up food AND smoking at the same time ON TOP of terrible grief over a very close family member... That really wasn't a wise move... so take this one day at a time, I know how hard this VLCD period will be for you... we're all here for you! :hug99:

x

 

[Minerva]

Good morning Minerva!

I agree re the packs. It's weird, and I too cannot figure it out! I am not happy that ketosis causes muscle wastage - that's never mentioned in SnS's brochure or any where on their site!

I do think this though - the lower the carbs, the better the weight loss. I've kept my own food diary, and having looked at it, I see I lose more weight on days/weeks where I keep my carbs are low as poss, even though I am having much more protein than advised.
I suppose it's the same principal as Atkins, only we don't get to eat much lol!

I am not happy about no exercise, I feel my muscles wasting away! I have received my last SnS order, and once that's gone (am going to save quite a few packs to ensure a very slow re-feed phase) I am not ordering any more, even if not at goal. I shall aspire to achieve goal with healthy eating and a good dollop of exercise thrown in!

I am now the weight I was before I got pregnant. However, then I was very toned due to excessive Zumba! Now, the weight is all fat, so the clothes that were very loose on me when I was previously this weight, don't fit as well as they did when the weight was more muscle.

Definitely want to get back to exercise asap - I have fat knees, so unless I get rid of those in the next 5 weeks, I aint gonna be wearing THAT DRESS I have my eye on for friend's wedding on 4th May!

Hoping you're okay lovely? And hope you have a GREAT day xxx

I was reading something about calories!! Maybe you'll be interested in it too, as you seem to like to find out the science behind things. Calories in different foods are metabolised/used differently , depending on what sort of substance/molecule structure it is (I know you've noticed this effect with protein vs. carbs). I've suspected this for a long time before reading this article - that certain foods take more energy to be digested / some get used for different purposes.. for example - raw vegetables take a little more energy to digest, lean meat is more useful as a food source than bread (which just gets converted to sugar for fat deposits most of the time...) etc.
There Is No Such Thing As A “Calorie” (To Your Body) - GNOLLS.ORG

I'm considering the Paleo diet when I finish - and only having carbs on special/very rare occasions. I actually maintained pretty well by cutting out refined carbohydrates last time, so I know it works. It's just only learning to resist the dreaded bread (ohh... I love it so much!!). Cutting out sugary foods from my diet over the last few years has already worked, I have no need/cravings for sweets, chocolate, cake etc. Same with snack foods like nuts, crisps etc. So it's ok. Just the bread issue I have to deal with now...!


Well done on reaching a major weight milestone! That's fantastic!! And well done on losing 1 lb after your naughty weekend I'm happy for you - here's to a good week ahead in which I know you'll lose a good amount.

LOL at fat knees by the way. Do you really think anyone looks at people knees? I can't say I ever have!! If I'm honest, when I'm doing the weight-critical sweep, I look at people's waistline/hips, upper arms and chins (if any). Mostly because those are my personal crisis zones. ...I guess you look at people's knees! How peculiar.

Hope you've had a lovely day hun and tomorrow will be even better!!
x

 

[Minerva]

Hope youre ok, honey! Just checking in to say hi. xx

I'm alright hun, thank you Just been busy reading/researching and generally trying to do this damn essay today... that's my whole week ahead actually!

I hope you're doing ok *hug*

xx

 

[Minerva]

End of day 85.

Wow, only 15 more days and I'll have done the golden 100! ... No idea why 100 days are significant, but ... meh.

I'm still conflicted over this diet - weight loss is EXCRUCIATINGLY slow. Buuut, a diet is a diet. I have a lot of packs to get through - had various orders from SnS, have quite a few LL ones and have Mac&Cheese from SML diet (tastes exactly the same as SnS).
PLUS I'm still over 13st, so like it or not, I'm still fat, so sticking to this for a whole lot longer. I'd be kidding myself if I thought some other diet is going to give me bigger/better losses.

Though, I'm tempted with Atkins/Paleo. I like the idea of pure protein, it's so energy dense and the body likes it for that purpose, as opposed to sugar and carbohydrates which give mostly quick bursts of energy, makes me feel lethargic and bloated (not to mention extra hungry!) and then gets deposited as fat so readily!! Plus sugar is just the evil of the world anyway, so glad I managed to mostly cut it out of my life.

BUT, if I started Paleo wouldn't I also have to give up Diet Coke - my one vice. O_O Ohhhh.... dilemma!!

On a side note - I've finally taken the plunge and measured myself all over. Kinda annoyed I didn't have a tape measure at the very beginning in January, but hey ho. Maybe if I don't see the scales moving as much as I like, I'll see some progress on the inches? Here's to hoping


The 12st bracket can't come soon enough, I'm getting very impatient.......

 

[Periwinkle]

Hey Minerva!

I've been AWOL for a few days! Congrats on another week's loss xxx Like Nat always says - just look at a pic of 1 lb of fat!

I'm sorry your head isn't in a great place right now xxx I know how that feels. Make sure you're getting enough sleep at night - that's always been critical for me.

 

[beelishy]

I said to Lou the other day on her diary....I would LOVE to do paleo. I think it is SO incredibly healthy. But I just cant eat meat full time. I did a version of it where I had beans and quorn instead and I did lose weight. More than that, I felt so much better without all the refined sugar and white carbs. Cauli-rice is pretty impressive! lol xx Have a great day honey x

 

[NatM70]

I was reading something about calories!! Maybe you'll be interested in it too, as you seem to like to find out the science behind things. Calories in different foods are metabolised/used differently , depending on what sort of substance/molecule structure it is (I know you've noticed this effect with protein vs. carbs). I've suspected this for a long time before reading this article - that certain foods take more energy to be digested / some get used for different purposes.. for example - raw vegetables take a little more energy to digest, lean meat is more useful as a food source than bread (which just gets converted to sugar for fat deposits most of the time...) etc.
There Is No Such Thing As A “Calorie” (To Your Body) - GNOLLS.ORG

I'm considering the Paleo diet when I finish - and only having carbs on special/very rare occasions. I actually maintained pretty well by cutting out refined carbohydrates last time, so I know it works. It's just only learning to resist the dreaded bread (ohh... I love it so much!!). Cutting out sugary foods from my diet over the last few years has already worked, I have no need/cravings for sweets, chocolate, cake etc. Same with snack foods like nuts, crisps etc. So it's ok. Just the bread issue I have to deal with now...!


Well done on reaching a major weight milestone! That's fantastic!! And well done on losing 1 lb after your naughty weekend I'm happy for you - here's to a good week ahead in which I know you'll lose a good amount.

LOL at fat knees by the way. Do you really think anyone looks at people knees? I can't say I ever have!! If I'm honest, when I'm doing the weight-critical sweep, I look at people's waistline/hips, upper arms and chins (if any). Mostly because those are my personal crisis zones. ...I guess you look at people's knees! How peculiar.

Hope you've had a lovely day hun and tomorrow will be even better!!
x

Good Morning Lovely

Thanks very much for the link! Yes, I am very interested - I like to know what's going on and why. Always have
I know some basics - carb cals are hardest to process than protein cals, and that carbs/sugar cause a temporary high, and then quickly dips, leaving one craving. Would love to know more though, so I will have a read of that, thanks again for providing!

I know what you mean re bread. I too love the stuff......Mmmmmm, warm bread just out of the oven, covered in lurpak! Arrrghh!
And, I have a very sweet tooth! Strange, because I never used to - I was always a savoury person, but now it's sweet stuff all the way! I know I will find that difficult. Then again, I am not going to deny myself, but I am going to be much more aware and careful. It will be more of a treat than an everyday thing after I've finished this diet.

Thank you! Was surprised, really expected a gain for definite after eating my body weight in cupcakes/brownie's/scones/cream/blah blah blah on Saturday! It was a nice way to wake up on Tuesday morning!!

Haha! Yep, seriously - I have fat knees. I have more wrinkles on my knees than I have on my face!
Fat deposits just above them. It's not a good look!
I need to lose that fat and tone them up, and I have just over 5 weeks to do so, else I aint getting that dress!
I know what you mean - I tend to compare with others who carry weight how I do too. I do look at knee's, and bingo wings - need to get rid of those too! Sick of being 'the fat one' lol!!

I'm interested in this Paleo? Seen many reference to it, but not actually heard of it before?

I love measuring! If not much happens on the scales, I see some on the tape measure! You'll have to keep us informed on your losses!

You'll be there soon lovely, less than 1/2 stone to go!! You could be there in 3 weeks, at the rate you're losing!

Have a FAB day! xxx

 

[Lou_G]

I'm obsessed with the Mark's Daily Apple website at the mo, keep reading it at work (naughty) I'm DEFINITELY going paleo after the end of S&S. Part of me is thinking 'just do it now - it's healthy' but I just want the main bulk of my weight gone quickly. Love to be an animal raarrhh!! (OH says I'm already halfway to paleo as I smell like a cavewoman lol) The only think I'm worried about is the expense

85 days is AMAZE! well done! I'll be so happy if I make it to my 84 day target

 

[Caz]

Morning Minerva. Only just found your diary for some reason! How are you getting on?

 

[beelishy]

Have a great weekend, sweetie! xx Hope youre feeling a bit better :bighug:

 

[Minerva]

Hi everyone... I'm not around much right now, due to coursework...

Also feeling really VERY down about the rate that I'm losing weight - it's painfully slow. I just feel it should be faster with the amount I'm eating. I have tried to be quite upbeat about this in general, but STS for pretty much over a week like this is ridiculous. Yes, I've had about 3 meals out of the ordinary in the 88 days of the diet, which never added up to more than 1000 calories for the day (which in theory should NOT stall weight loss like this). It's so disheartening to keep reading about amazing losses from people when they've had all sorts of amazing things, off plan, cheating and otherwise.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want food, I'm not craving, I have no jealousy over what someone else has on their plate. I just feel let down by my own body I guess. I'm doing all that I can and it's not working. I'm annoyed, frustrated, and feel so ... URGH!!!! It's just to f***ing UNFAIR. Being on a VLCD should really yield better results...

... I felt so angry today about it. ... but, to remedy it, I didn't turn to food (though the though BRIEFLY crossed my mind). Instead, I took my anger to the wardrobe and tried on some clothes. Some size 14's fit. A dress (cloth NON-STRETCHY !! apparently a size 12 too..) zipped up!!! I do not remember the last time I was able to zip up that dress. Probably two years ago. I wouldn't wear it out just yet, but it felt good to be able to zip it up without a problem.

I then went to take a picture for comparison - and put on the t-shirt I took my photo in a month ago @ 14st. I hadn't touched it since then, it was tight... and now it was very loose. I couldn't believe it. When I reach 13st I'll take another and post alongside the 14st.

While I still feel really FRUSTRATED with the losses, I can see the diet is working. I just wish it was a little bit faster.

----

Btw, Hi Caz I sneak a peek in your diary every once in a while - well done on your determination! I hope Easter weekend with Aaron will be lovely

Beelishy - have a lovely weekend with the girls, hope OH isn't too stressed out over his mum, I'm sure the hospital will sort her out (even through the weirdly different diagnoses...)

Nat - hope all is well on your end x

Lou - the website is fantastic, paleo sounds awesome. I had a book years ago about 'Neanderthal' eating, it was about the dawn of farming being linked to a rise in disease in the human population... not sure how they worked that one out, but it was an interesting read never the less. Definitely something to look into on some level, however, I'm not much of a meat eater, I do prefer beans, legumes and such, I can't stand a lot of meat at the same time... but ... maybe it's time to work on that aspect!