Moonwatcher's Atkins Diary

[moonwatcher]

Have now got some unsalted butter, so will be trying that in my breakfast coffee tomorrow.

Food for today -

Breakfast - 2 coffees with cream (not bulletproof ones)

Lunch - two spicy chicken thighs, two kabanos sausages,finger of cheddar (whilst on the way to collect a ton of paving slabs)

Dinner - moussaka using up some supposedly 100% beef burgers, which I had defrosted by mistake, as the meat. It was truly awful - the burger mince was mushy, fatty and pretty revolting. So much so, that the other half, which I had planned to save for tomorrow night, is now in the bin! Followed by an egg custard with coconut milk and a little cream - at least that was good!

Snack - 9 whole almonds

Drinks - one bottle of Pellegrino water, one small no sugar strawberry and lime flavoured water, the coffees for breakfast and loads more plain water, a couple of sips (OK - gulps) of OH's cider

Feeling a bit queasy now - think it was the moussaka and not really enough of the right stuff to eat earlier in the day.

Not sure what food I will be having for lunch tomorrow as I am on a course all day and food is provided. No car tomorrow, so I will be on the bus - out of the house at 7.00, instead of 8.15, and because of the bus times, probably not back until 6.00 ish, instead of my usual 3.50! So much for it supposedly being a nice easy day!

Off to bed now. WI this morning was a loss of 4.4 lbs for the week, even including Friday's garlic bread, so very pleased with that.

 

[Goldilukes]

Wowzas! 4.4 loss is freakin amazing! You should be so proud. I wonder if its the bulletproofs? Wouldn't it be great if it was definitely them. I still think my 4.4 loss was because of them, wonder what next week brings

sorry to hear about the gross burgers I hate it when I get ready to eat something I'd cooked and its a total let down that the last half can't even be kept. Glad you enjoyed desert though see every cloud and all haha.

 

[Dietkitty]

Great loss there MW. I feel your pain on the burgers. My fail today is a soggy tomato in my salad. I hate soggy toms and am now trying to pick it out lol.

 

[Atomic pink]

Fantastic weigh in result! Well done Moonwatcher, awesome stuff!

Hope today wasn't too bad despite the crazy long hours. And that there was something friendly provided for lunch.

Going to try the bulletproof coffee on wednesday as will be out at kettlebells before breakfast tomorrow morning and kettlebells powered by strong coffee could be dangerous I am inclined towards clumsiness enough when not bouncing around on a caffeine high...

 

[moonwatcher]

Wowzas! 4.4 loss is freakin amazing! You should be so proud. I wonder if its the bulletproofs? Wouldn't it be great if it was definitely them. I still think my 4.4 loss was because of them, wonder what next week brings

sorry to hear about the gross burgers I hate it when I get ready to eat something I'd cooked and its a total let down that the last half can't even be kept. Glad you enjoyed desert though see every cloud and all haha.

Yes I'm very happy with it Goldi, especially as it wasn't a 'perfect' Atkins week. I'm sticking with the bulletproof coffees as I really enjoy them. I am on the unsalted butter now and it is much, much better. Am also whizzing them in the blender which does give a much better texture too.

Great loss there MW. I feel your pain on the burgers. My fail today is a soggy tomato in my salad. I hate soggy toms and am now trying to pick it out lol.

Uurgh - I'm with you on the soggy tomato front too. Nothing worse in a salad. It took me a couple of hours to get rid of the queasy feeling after the moussaka, so will not be having those burgers again!

Fantastic weigh in result!! x

Thanks Frona - was very pleased. I don't often get more than a pound or two, so four pounds plus was a result!

Fantastic weigh in result! Well done Moonwatcher, awesome stuff!

Hope today wasn't too bad despite the crazy long hours. And that there was something friendly provided for lunch.

Going to try the bulletproof coffee on wednesday as will be out at kettlebells before breakfast tomorrow morning and kettlebells powered by strong coffee could be dangerous I am inclined towards clumsiness enough when not bouncing around on a caffeine high...

Note to self 'Never stand near Atomic at a kettlebell class.' I'm going to draw a line under yesterday! The day started well with a bulletproof coffee - unsalted butter and blended - much better! Also had an egg custard (no pastry), but lunch was a disaster! It was a day about adapting lessons for visually impaired children, and we had a 'make your own lunch' from food they provided. It was a very good idea, because we had to do it wearing what they call 'SIM specs' which are like goggles adapted to simulate different visual impairments. The food was cheese scones, butter, bread, cheese, tomatoes, breadsticks, houmous, dips and fruit. I couldn't really enter into the spirit of the day with a couple of ounces of cheese and a few tomatoes - hardly a challenge for the glasses, so I had a scone with butter and some breadsticks and houmous.

Then when I got home, my sister in law came round, needing OH to do something on her computer. As I was late home, and had already dumped the planned left overs from the night before, we had had no tea and neither had she, so she brought round pizza and chips. She is going back to France soon, so she also brought us some crispy butter biscuits, dark and white chocolate covered prunes, and sauterne soaked raisins in dark chocolate. Hmmm - well I am firmly back on track today, anyway!

Will update with today's food tomorrow, as need some sleep now!

 

[Atomic pink]

I have just had my first bulletproof coffee and rather impressed! Put in 5g of coconut oil an 10g of unsalted butter and blended. Really impressed with the frothyness and rich but not oily texture. Now just to see if it does the job and keeps me full. Has anyone tried making them and re-heating later?? Just thinking having one mid morning in week would be great but obviously can't get the blender out there!

Line firmly drawn for yesterday sounds best idea. Life happens. Diets have to fit around that. And I cannot fault you at all for succumbing to scones, pizza, chips and all those gorgeous sounding goodies from your sister. Does she want to visit Nottingham before she returns to France??? I could do with some of those chocolate covered fruits

And I don't tend to be that clumsy at the gym. I suspect my coordination as improved quite alot since gyming regularly and I am not actually quite such a coordination liability as I think I am. Apart from around door handles. I will back into them several times a day and get horrible bruises without fail :/

 

[Goldilukes]

Hi atomic, you can reheat them, I do because sometimes when I whisk mine they go a little cool and I love them hot. You could easily make a batch, fridge half the. Micro when ready.

 

[Atomic pink]

Oooooooh that's an exciting discovery I didn't know whether the fat would separate too much when it cooled. Thinking making two in the morning and having one mid morning at work would be great.

 

[moonwatcher]

Glad you are enjoying the bulletproof coffees Atomic. I have only had one or two 'ordinary' coffees with cream since I started making them.

Well I need to draw a line under this whole week, and it needs to be a very thick line I think. Actually, perhaps it needs to be for the whole of this year so far. I've already posted about Monday and the course I was on, although I don't think I mentioned that a whole of one of the workshops was using chocolate as a major 'prop' and we ate that at the end too.

The week has basically been a dieting disaster. Can't even remember what I ate on Tuesday now, apart from Tuna salad at lunch, but on Wednesday I was with the languages day for year 7s all day, which includes croissants, hot choc etc., as a late French breakfast, then as the canteen had been involved in that they had no salads at lunch, so I ended up with a ham salad baguette. Went rug shopping after work and ended who with a mixed grill, chips and onion rings. Yesterday was an INSET day at school with all food provided (beef lasagne and black forest gateau - but I was past caring by then anyway) Chinese takeaway last night. Today I took a gluten free turkey and mayo wrap for lunch, which would have been a salad, but the salad had gone over. We have a family bbq at home home tomrrow, so overall this week was always going to be a challenge... which I have pretty spectacularly failed to rise to!

I am in a dieting 'funk. at the moment. Five pounds up immediately, which is pretty normal going from low carb to high carb like that, but I am so fed up with just not being able to occasionally eat like a 'normal' person, with no thought of plans, points, syns, carbs, up days, down days, drinking enough water, not too much sweetener or lemon juice, knowing I'll 'pay the price' on the scales this week and all the rest of it. I am seriously considering having the summer off from dieting completely, but deep down I know I'll be fed up with how I look and feel, if we ever actually get a summer, and I'm also likely to put back on some, most, or all if what I have lost. Not expecting anyone to have the answers - just writing it down to record it really.

Not really sure why I have so lost my motivation. I am nowhere near where I want to be in looks, weight or inches. I'm still pretty much as unhappy with my shape as I was at the start - even though I can appreciate there have been changes. Something has just sort of 'gone' and I'm not sure what!

 

[Atomic pink]

Sorry to hear this week has been a struggle, Moonwatcher. I've been in pretty much the same place for the last week ago. Really want to change the numbers on the scales but feel pretty helpless at how to do it. I think its just the amount of time we have spent trying by now. And we have both achieved great things over that time which we definitely shouldn't forget but I've personally been finding SO HARD to get any further.

I've gone for the rather dramatic approach of deciding to eat far more. Was off work yesterday after doing my neck in (its fine now) and did loads and loads of reading on metabolism re-setting and RMR and TDEE etc etc. I am very very scared but am going to try and up my calories quite hugely. First to around 1900 (which is proving harder than you would think!) and eventually to around 2400.

Not suggesting you need to try this or not get back on board with Atkins but just thought it was interesting that alot of people who have restricted their food long term seem to be having success with this approach.

 

[Goldilukes]

Ok lady, I Have read your post and will try and help because I can hear you, feel you and think I know what is going on.
firstly you will be in the grip of the carb monster by now because of all the junk and we all know that we do not think clearly when we are in this state hence why I called my diary the food zombie.

youve gone off the rails for a few days and like any human being, you are impatient with the weight loss...plus you will now be used to seeing your self a few stone lighter and you are dying to see some changes. The brain is a funny one because really it should help us but sometimes it can work against us and that is because its all tied up with our bodies. You'd think that being healthy is the best way to be for us so our bodies and brains would work with us but...survival kicks in when people lose a lot of weight and can manipulate our thoughts. It's called self sabotage and we are all capable of it.

I read a lot about this from Gary Taubes and a few other articles online. It's why dieters fail....unless they know this is what happens and can override the system so to speak.

You mustn't lose hope, you mustn't eat any more trigger foods which will lead you down the path again. Even if it means eating crap loads of allowed foods, more than ever before just to get you through the days you find it hard. Give it a couple of weeks hardcore eating and stuffing your face with allowables to help kick the stupid cravings back in to touch, once they are gone you will find it easier to stay on plan but whilst in the grip of it all it's dark and hard to see clearly.

i hope you don't take any offence to my post but this is what I remind myself daily, plus when ever we fall it takes ages to get back especially on this diet, it's very unforgiving. You do not want to g back to how you were before because I think you will have forgotten (again the brain playing tricks in self sabotage mode) how horrible it is to be carrying excess weight on our bodies, the depression that it can bring and not to mention the vanity aspect. You know all this in your heart of hearts.

i know it takes forever and I know it gets so boring counting, writing it all down etc etc yadda yadda yadda but remember you didn't gain all that weight over night. The more we concentrate on time the more it drags...cut off, let what will be be and you will look back in a say 2-3 month and be over the moon that you stayed on plan, 2-3 month flies....he'll we are heading for Xmas again!!! But give up and look back in 2-3 month time, bigger and more upset than ever and yes because we do have problems with insulin and weight you could absolutely ruin the lot and pile it all back on, that's just the way it is for us dieters I'm afraid. I'm jealous of those who eat and don't even have to blummin think about it but unfortunately that's not me and I don't think it will be for a long time but once we get to maintain at a certain goal weight for a year or so I believe we reset ourselves to be more like the normal person..right now we are just on a long boring flight. It does end though and you'll be happier stepping off at the other end.


blimey someone gag me hahaha

 

[Goldilukes]

Moonwatcher where are you? Missing your posts and so hoping you are ok?

 

[ladyfelsham]

Hi sweetie! :flowers:

Sorry I've been awol but end of term time is always really busy for me.

How are you doing? I read your earlier post about losing focus - and I really wanted to just say, it happens, hun - as you said, just draw a line under it and don't fret about it too much, OK?

Big hugs gorgeous xxx

 

[moonwatcher]

Thanks for your encouragement ladies. Goldi, that is an interesting thought about having got used to my 'new' size. It makes a lot of sense. This weight has become my new normal, so although I am still chuffed to have lost what I have done so far, it doesn't have the same feel good factor and I want to see a new change. I suppose looking on my current weight as a new normal is actually a good thing. Anyway, I have been back on track since Saturday, although my time out did put me back up to 15 st, 4.4 lbs! Yikes and double yikes! Time to get back to the new normal, and then beyond.

I haven't gone back to induction levels but straight back onto OWL level one, with more veggies than induction and a handful of berries both days of the weekend. I will probably allow myself some berry fruits a few times a week and see how that goes. I wonder if having the nuts was partly responsible for coming off plan last time, as I know nuts do have that effect on some people.

I haven't been on here very much as we are just so busy at work at the moment. Met some of our new SEN pupils for next year this morning, so have a lot of new case histories to swot up on! Have only had a couple of normal days over the last fortnight and that is going to be the same for the rest of the term, plus evening meetings, picnics, exhibitions, parents visiting etc., etc., so we are all on a count down to the end of term! I probably won't be posting my menus everyday, but will try and get back on regularly.

Today was cream cheese with lemon juice and sweetener for breakfast, ham and gouda salad for lunch, mushroom, onion and chorizo omelette tonight. One bulletproof coffee, one coffee and cream, plenty of water to drink.

Will be trying to catch up on a few diaries at the weekend. Hope everyone is doing OK.

 

[Atomic pink]

Glad to see you back on the boards. We've missed you! Sucks about the gain but glad to hear you have managed to get back on atkins. Sure it will be gone before you know it.

 

[moonwatcher]

Thanks Atomic. I'm glad to be feeling back in charge. Lunch was a non Atkins lunch today unfortunately. It was provided by work as we had some interviewees in and the whole team have lunch with them, as a chance for informal getting to know you chats before their formal interviews. I was expecting salad but that didn't happen.

So food for today is

Breakfast - cream cheese with sweetener and lemon juice

Lunch - two triangles of chicken tikka sarni, one of cheese and onion, quarter of a wrap round cheese and onion, mini sausage roll, mini profriterole and five grapes.

Dinner - beef chilli with sour cream and grated cheddar (will be enough leftovers for tomorrow's lunch)

Snacks - 2 prunes

Drinks - water, swig of orange juice at lunch, one bulletproof coffee and one with cream, plus a black coffee

Scales were just over three pounds down this morning, so it will be interesting to see if today makes a major difference for WI at the weekend.

 

[Goldilukes]

Thanks for your encouragement ladies. Goldi, that is an interesting thought about having got used to my 'new' size. It makes a lot of sense. This weight has become my new normal, so although I am still chuffed to have lost what I have done so far, it doesn't have the same feel good factor and I want to see a new change. I suppose looking on my current weight as a new normal is actually a good thing. Anyway, I have been back on track since Saturday, although my time out did put me back up to 15 st, 4.4 lbs! Yikes and double yikes! Time to get back to the new normal, and then beyond.

I haven't gone back to induction levels but straight back onto OWL level one, with more veggies than induction and a handful of berries both days of the weekend. I will probably allow myself some berry fruits a few times a week and see how that goes. I wonder if having the nuts was partly responsible for coming off plan last time, as I know nuts do have that effect on some people.

I haven't been on here very much as we are just so busy at work at the moment. Met some of our new SEN pupils for next year this morning, so have a lot of new case histories to swot up on! Have only had a couple of normal days over the last fortnight and that is going to be the same for the rest of the term, plus evening meetings, picnics, exhibitions, parents visiting etc., etc., so we are all on a count down to the end of term! I probably won't be posting my menus everyday, but will try and get back on regularly.

Today was cream cheese with lemon juice and sweetener for breakfast, ham and gouda salad for lunch, mushroom, onion and chorizo omelette tonight. One bulletproof coffee, one coffee and cream, plenty of water to drink.

Will be trying to catch up on a few diaries at the weekend. Hope everyone is doing OK.

so glad to see you back

yeah I think that's the problem that we just have gotten used to the newer size and we get bored quick but sometimes we can scupper the plans and good rails with impatience. I'm the same that's why I wondered if this was the cause for you.

your menu is looking good and I'm glad to hear you've lost 3lbs, hoping weigh in is a good one for you to spur you on

 

[Atomic pink]

Fingers crossed that the accidental sandwiches don't have much of an impact on that 3lb loss for official weigh in tomorrow.

When do you break up for the summer? You must be counting the hours. I am now on annual leave for 2 weeks and i've realised the last time i had a full two weeks off was last october. Far far too long!

 

[moonwatcher]

Fingers crossed that the accidental sandwiches don't have much of an impact on that 3lb loss for official weigh in tomorrow.

When do you break up for the summer? You must be counting the hours. I am now on annual leave for 2 weeks and i've realised the last time i had a full two weeks off was last october. Far far too long!

Last day at school is next Wednesday, so most definitely looking forward to that!

Well ladies, it's just not happening at the moment. Scales were down about three pounds at the weekend, back up by the same amount at the moment. This isn't down to low carb failing, but simply down to me not doing it! I am struggling to stay on the low carb wagon. I am really feeling the lack of freedom. I know I can build up to eating some fruit, but my head is just not in the zone and I am missing the freedom of being able to eat some of this lovely summer fruit now, and also other 'freedoms' - like having a piece of butternut squash without being off plan. We had a works departmental picnic after work yesterday, and I was restrained and 'healthy' but not low carb. I enjoyed the food very much - a little pasta salad and some cous cous plus a few nibbles and some strawberries. Carb wise though, a complete disaster. For me, dietirng has always been about my head being in the right place and how I feel about it at the moment is not good at all, very negative and restricted, which I know from bitter experience can mark the beginning of the slippery slope of failure!

Soooo... after much deliberation today I have been looking back over things from the last couple of years and think that overall my most consistent time was on WW. I know it will be a do-able option over the long holidays coming up, and sustainable long term. I am resurrecting my WW diary tonight and restarting on Pro points from tomorrow.

I think it is official - this year I have become a bit of a diet tart! Gone full circle back to the beginning of the year, but feel happy for making a decision instead of continuing to coast!

 

[Atomic pink]

I think its always about balancing what gives you results and what is most liveable with so fully behind your decision to get back to WW. I know there are lots of freedoms on Atkins that there isn't on WW but having to avoid BNS and such things would really really get to me :/