Moonwatcher's JUDDD diary

[Atomic pink]

I feel I've been a bit of a dirty-diet hopper this year as well but it really is just finding something that works for us at the time and keeps the motivation up so I think its all for the right reasons.

Atkins sounds pretty hardcore. I will be intrigued to see what you eat on it and how you get on. I did a fair bit of reading on it when I decided to do my couple of weeks low carb but there is no way OH would go low carb so didn't really feel it would be very sustainable for more than a couple of weeks.

Wish you all the best of luck with it though, I think setting yourself a period of time to do it for and make a dent in your weight seems sensible, acknowledging that you don't think you would want to eat that way forever. Its just such a shame that JUDDD doesn't seem to work for everyone after the initial month. I would have loved to stay eating like that if I was losing on it. Seems like a good plan for maintenance though.

 

[moonwatcher]

I'll definitely keep posting pics Frona, as I like looking back at them too. Atomic - the induction phase of Atkins is the toughest, but can be just two weeks if you want, then you can add more carbs, but you probably already know that anyway! One thing I do like about it is similar to what I like about DDs. There are definite strict rules, and that's it - no sugar is just no sugar -no 'having a little here and there' - a bit like DDs are 500 cals max, full stop.

Food for today was a brunch omelette/frittata of green pepper, garlic and chilli flakes, mushrooms, chorizo and cheese. Tonight was beef and onion stew in the slow cooker, with cabbage and a flax muffin as a kind of cobbler/dumpling substitute. Also had a couple of slices of ham as a nibble late afternoon. A bit low on salad type veg as had none in, or could have had some with the omelette too.

Had a nice walk along the beach this afternoon - about 3 hours in total. Two cups of coffee with cream. Sticking with real coffee for the moment as it wasn't an issue for us last time. Was a bit tough this afternoon as whilst on JUDDD we have been able to have ice-cream etc! Just want to get some pounds off though, so savoured my coffees and dreamed of summer clothes in smaller sizes!

Pics to follow in a mo.

 

[moonwatcher]

Brunch omelette in the pan



Stew, cabbage and flax thingie


Tomorrow's packed lunch - tuna mayo and cheddar salad. There is a nice pile of mixed salad under there but you can't really see it!

 

[Atomic pink]

Salad hidden by cheese... I like it!!

Food looks really good. Looks like you are enjoying Atkins-ing so far.

Are you not meant to have coffee on Atkins? I must have missed that.

 

[moonwatcher]

Re the coffee - it seems to depend which version of the book you have I think! My copy says have decaff only, but I have seen excerpts from an earlier version which says it is OK to have the real stuff, but warns that some people find it lowers blood sugar and brings on cravings, so if you are not losing, then it is one of the first things to consider cutting out. Personally, my dislike of decaffeinated coffee is matched only by my dislike of butter substitutes, so I'm sticking with one or two cups a day, (occasionally three!) but only one with cream and the others black.

Not updated over the last few days - seem to have been so busy with bits and bobs and shopping. Went for a BIG food shop last night which included stocking up the freezer, fridge and pantry, and getting cleaning stuff etc. The thought of how much it came to is still making me pale tonight, but you've got to eat heh?

Well I am 'Atkins-ing' successfully. Monday's food:

Breakfast - cream cheese with lemon juice and sweetener (yes really!)
Lunch - tuna and cheese salad
Dinner - chicken and veg stir fry with ginger and chillis, with a side of spicy chicken drumsticks, as I only had one chicken breast left to go in the stir fry!
Drinks - coffees, water, green teas, more water, more green tea, more water....

The stir fry

Tuesday:

Breakfast - egg and cream cheese lemony custard type thing. Used to have these last Atkins time around. Yum yum!
Lunch - chicken, chorizo and cheese salad



Dinner - both so shattered after the mammoth shop - had a house full of food and ended up with beefburgers, salad and blue cheese. No pic of that one - had eaten it before we remembered!

... and today (Wednesday 1st May)

Breakfast - cream cheese, lemon juice and sweetener
Lunch - prawns and mussels with salad. Had a stinking headache most of the day and felt quite queasy with it, so wasn't really looking forward to mussels for lunch, but as it was already made up, and anything else would have been breaking the diet, I had it anyway.

Seafood salad


Dinner - pork chop, broccoli and red peppers





Drinks both days - same as Monday

Feel a bit of a fraud posting this in the JUDDD section now I am on Atkins. Haven't started a diary over in the Atkins section yet, but am thinking I really ought to be posting over there instead.

Going out on an afternoon visit to local arts centre with 60 Year 7s tomorrow. Will be having lunch on the coach, so have packed my ham and smoked cheese salad ready. Tomorrow's dinner will probably be something with chicken!

 

[kellmo]

If you leave I'll just have to hunt you down! *said in a totally non stalker way* Will support you wherever you go though *said in a non clingy don't leave me voice* xx I NEED FRIENDS ON HERE

I'm with Frona.

 

[moonwatcher]

Sunday 4th May

Good day today - took a picnic to the beach to have after a long walk. Sunshine on first half of the walk, hail on the way back. Got absolutely soaked! Sun came out again for the picnic though.

Breakfast - two boiled eggs with black pepper and butter
Late lunch/tea - in cliff-top gardens in sun, clothes steaming! Picnic of cold jerk chicken, celery sticks with cream cheese, olives, one pickled onion, cucumber, salad greens, slice of smoked cheddar and cold asparagus tips fried in olive oil and butter with garlic and lemon juice
Drinks - two coffees with cream while at the coast. A bit of drooling over a gluten free honey nut brownie took place but that was as far as it went!
Evening - nothing yet as still not hungry, but will be a late night, so will grab something soon - with some sliced pepper to make up veggies.

Typical that I didn't find the coffee/tea shop that does the gluten free brownies last week when I could have eaten one on a JUDDD UD! Hoping WI tomorrow will make it worthwhile!

 

[ladybird777]

I did Atkins with good results a few years ago. Sadly can't now as protein overload is not good for my poor kidney. Good luck with it xx

 

[moonwatcher]

I did Atkins with good results a few years ago. Sadly can't now as protein overload is not good for my poor kidney. Good luck with it xx

Thanks LB. WI this morning down 6.2 lbs, so I am back down to pre Christmas weight and can finally set my sights firmly on the 13s. Plenty of exercise planned today cutting down a massive hedge in the garden - kitchen first for bacon and eggs!

A very smiley day!

 

[kellmo]

Good work Moonwatcher! Enjoy you day x

 

[Atomic pink]

That's a fantastic loss! Huge well done. It must be so nice to be back down to your pre-christmas weight and feel able to make some forward progress again. *ponders this atkins malarky*

 

[moonwatcher]

Good work Moonwatcher! Enjoy you day x

That's a fantastic loss! Huge well done. It must be so nice to be back down to your pre-christmas weight and feel able to make some forward progress again. *ponders this atkins malarky*

Fantastic weight loss So so happy for you! xxx

Thanks ladies. Have had a very busy day. First day in quite a while that I have woken up feeling alert, and kept up a good energy level all day. Apparently an improvement in your energy levels is quite common at the end of your first Atkins week, so that may be why, plus I have finally knocked the whooping cough on the head (apart from a very occasional coughing fit). Also think that the positive feelings from the good scale result have helped too!

Had a spell in the kitchen earlier and experimented with some flax biscuits and a flax loaf. Also made a delicious smoked mackerel pate.

Food today:

Breakfast - bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, scrambled eggs with chilli and smoked cheddar, chorizo

Dinner - home-made peppered smoked mackerel pate with salad and flaxseed bread 'toast' and butter

Snack - 2 home-made flax ginger bics and two coconut and lime

Drinks - water, pot of tea with soya milk, two coffees with cream

No lunch as such, as breakfast was late and just not hungry.

Spent hours feeding the branches from the hedge through the shredder and bagging it up. OH has been tackling it with the chain saw - yep it really is that big!

Will post some pics later or tomorrow.

 

[Debridger]

Hey MW - what an excellent start to Atkins, you must be super chuffed, I know I would be.

 

[Atomic pink]

Oooh I love mackerel pate. How was the flax seed bread? How do you make that?

Glad Atkins seems to be working so well for you. I think sometimes low carb food diaries can look a little "odd" or faddy but everything you have eaten has really appealed and looks like normal meals that just don't happen to have the carbs in. Its kind of tempting but my low carb attempt was so disappointing its rather put me off.

Hope you are having a fab bank holiday. The weather is surprisingly good for a bank holiday today!

 

[moonwatcher]

Hey MW - what an excellent start to Atkins, you must be super chuffed, I know I would be.

Thanks Deb. Yes I was, especially as I don't feel I 'suffered' much food-wise to achieve it.

Oooh I love mackerel pate. How was the flax seed bread? How do you make that?

Glad Atkins seems to be working so well for you. I think sometimes low carb food diaries can look a little "odd" or faddy but everything you have eaten has really appealed and looks like normal meals that just don't happen to have the carbs in. Its kind of tempting but my low carb attempt was so disappointing its rather put me off.

Hope you are having a fab bank holiday. The weather is surprisingly good for a bank holiday
today!

The bread was adapted from the 'muffin in a minute' flax recipes.

I used

Nearly a cup (American measuring cup - probably about 80g) of ground golden flaxseed,
1.5 tspns baking powder,
Good grind of salt and a good shake of dried oregano (sorry for the vagueness there, but you know what I'm like with cooking!)
3/4 oz butter
2 eggs

Mix dry ingredients together. Melt butter and mix in. Add the two egg yolks and mix well. Mix in cold water to get roughly the consistency of thick porridge. I wanted to get it to rise well, so I whisked the egg whites to sort of medium peak - stiff, but not as stiff as for meringues - and then fold them in. Pour into loaf tin and sprinkle more oregano on top. Most of the original muffin recipes are for the microwave, hence 'muffin in a minute' but I try to use my microwave as little as possible, so I baked mine at 190° for about 35-40 mins. Not too sure on the time as I just checked it until it was done.

It made one teeny loaf tin size loaf, but it did rise beautifully and looked quite impressive. It's definitely better toasted but really did the job with butter and the mackerel pate. I find that the flax is a very dominant flavour, so I feel you need to add more of your other flavourings than usual to let the taste of them come through. It worked well with the pate because that is a strong flavour in itself. I think it has possibilities for plenty of experimentation with sweeter versions, other herbs, olives etc. and I see a garlic version in my future!

At this stage of Atkins bread options are quite limited but in later stages I'll be trying out some recipes with coconut flour, almond flour and other goodies.

OK, so just mentioned I was posting about garlic bread option to Mr Moonwatcher who immediately went into fits of joy, so the remainder of the mackerel pate has been delegated to tomorrow's lunch. Lunch today will be courgette, mushrooms and peppers fried in garlic oil and butter served with cheese and chorizo sauce and flax cheesy garlic bread with chillies. Oh, how we suffer!

 

[Atomic pink]

Oh how you suffer indeed! That sounds like a really really nice dinner. Enjoy.

 

[Lovehatecarbs]

Oh how you suffer indeed! That sounds like a really really nice dinner. Enjoy.

When I did Atkins I used to have strawberries and double cream for breakfast!!! I made a nice ground almond cake which I also had with double cream!

 

[moonwatcher]

When I did Atkins I used to have strawberries and double cream for breakfast!!! I made a nice ground almond cake which I also had with double cream!

I'm really looking forward to moving on to nuts and fruit so I can do exactly the same!

The garlic bread was pretty good. I made it dryer this time - less water so it was still quite thick when I added the egg whites. OH loves it although I can always taste the flax, whatever flavouring I add. I can live with it for the moment though. I have made him some cinnamon flax biccies too so he can have one when he gets in from work and not be tempted by Belvita, which are many things, but Atkins friendly isn't one of them!

 

[ladybird777]

Fabulous loss xx

 

[Atomic pink]

Glad the garlic bread was a success. I think you are being really inventive with your food on atkins. Very impressed.