Scrumbles' diary...life after losing a third of me...

[Ange7367]

Thats a really interesting read....funny thing is last year I was downing slimming world over a period of 3 months I barely lost 4lb sticking to the plan rigid and cycling to work 8 miles a day ...u would of though the weight would of tumbled off but didn't it was so frustrating then went in holiday to Egypt for a week and came back 6lbs lighter I mainly stuck to the meditterean diet but I had what I wanted ....I found that pretty odd but pleasing ....so the diet break certainly did me good...this year was a another story went to Portugal in may and gained a whopping 8lbs in week .....hence why I started Atkins ....

When I was in my early 20's I lost 7 and half stone over two year period....it was such a hard grind but I was determined I was doing slimming magazine clubs so I know what it is like to diet over long periods ....I so wished atkins was around then ...think it would of been so much easier for me

Xxx

 

[ladyfelsham]

Morning Scrummie

All the best on the diet break.

I really wish I'd had that link and/or your foresight when I got bored with l/c last year, I could have tried a break then got back on the l/c wagon - instead of just lying face down in the food trough!

 

[Alpaca]

I've been in the food trough too these last couple of weeks !! Lol ... I don't have Scrummie's will power or determination!! It's all or nothing for me at the moment !! Xx

 

[Scrumbles]

Morning Scrummie!!!

I'm considering a diet break in two weeks time when I go on holiday....

This week I haven't eaten at all well due to an awful dose of pharyngitis but I haven't gone off the rails either and I'm still a 1lb within my goal range even after a carvery with potato and a meal from that well known place that has two golden arches!!

I thought I'd gain massively but I haven't...!! But I don't want to slip into the "oh this means I can eat what I like mindset!"

Sooooo, just read the above link and I do think it makes sense...!

What sorts of things do you incorporate during a break and do you still find yourself asking yourself if you really want/need to eat this or are just eating for the sake of it?

I'm going to turkey so i'm thinking fruit, yogurt and a little rice/potato with my evening meals whilst sticking with low carb meals during the day...?

What can you recommend?

Thank you xx

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins

Hi Jo,

I think holidays are perfect for diet breaks - depending on what food is available, there's often little choice but to break your diet anway!

And to be honest, if I were doing a diet break on holiday I wouldn't have any particular rules in place. Doing it at home I'm very controlled about it and try to avoid sugar/wheat, stick to calorie and carb limits and generally indulge very sparingly - a little potato, the occasional glass of wine and bag of crisps, a small portion of rice...that sort of thing. If I were abroad on hols I'd just accept that I'm there to enjoy myself and have whatever I fancied . I expect I'd put on more weight that way, but it would be worth it, lol! And the net result - a good shake-up of the metabolism - would be pretty much the same, I'm sure.

Hope that pharyngitis of yours is getting better - sounds awful xx

 

[Scrumbles]

Aaaargh...I keep trying to reply to people and getting logged out all the time . Maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow.

Some quick diet break stats -

Day 1 - 1849 cals, 73g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 2 - 1653 cals, 64g carbs, weight 180.6lbs
Day 3 - 1611 cals, 52g carbs, weight 179.6lbs

Not eating enough, and I appear to have lost half a pound, lol. Must do better...

 

[Alpaca]

Morning Scrummie... those are amazing stats!!! WOW. You are certainly in 'the zone' girl! It's all working for you and I am so chuffed for you!

xx

 

[triage999]

Hi Jo,

I think holidays are perfect for diet breaks - depending on what food is available, there's often little choice but to break your diet anway!

And to be honest, if I were doing a diet break on holiday I wouldn't have any particular rules in place. Doing it at home I'm very controlled about it and try to avoid sugar/wheat, stick to calorie and carb limits and generally indulge very sparingly - a little potato, the occasional glass of wine and bag of crisps, a small portion of rice...that sort of thing. If I were abroad on hols I'd just accept that I'm there to enjoy myself and have whatever I fancied . I expect I'd put on more weight that way, but it would be worth it, lol! And the net result - a good shake-up of the metabolism - would be pretty much the same, I'm sure.

Hope that pharyngitis of yours is getting better - sounds awful xx

Thanks Scrummie....I think I have my head in the right place for holiday, I'm not going to spend the entire time thinking about what I can eat next!!!

Plus if I stick to low carbs I know i don't leave myself open to hunger! Turkey is a great place for Atkins though so I'm lucky...lots of meats, salads etc..

Pharangytis is going slowly, throat is just dry and scratchy now and I have an irritating dry cough! I hope to god its gone in two weeks x

Sent from my iPhone using MiniMins

 

[ladyfelsham]

Morning

I agree re having a diet break on holiday - probably because I've got a hol coming up in a month

 

[Scrumbles]

Afternoon, didn't get here yesterday so I have some catching up to do!

This isn't particularly going to plan. Had really bad abdominal cramping yesterday - totm is miles off, so nothing to do with that - and found it quite difficult to eat until late in the day. I ended up choking down about 1500 cals or so, but that's not as much as I'm supposed to be having on a diet break. I feel better today, but now I don't know whether to deliberately overeat to compensate for yesterday's deficit Perhaps I'll just see how the day pans out. I know I have Magnum ice creams arriving in my shopping tonight, so that should bump up my cals/carbs nicely if needs be (okay...I'll 'fess up that ice cream is a big part of why I'm having a break right now - I haven't had ice cream this year, and we might not have much summer left to enjoy it!)

Stats thus far:

Day 1 - 1849 cals, 73g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 2 - 1653 cals, 64g carbs, weight 180.6lbs
Day 3 - 1611 cals, 52g carbs, weight 179.6lbs
Day 4 - 1543 cals, 58g carbs, weight 180.6lbs
Day 5 - weight 180lbs

So day 5, and my weight is exactly, to the decimal point, back where I started. This is not quite the same pattern as before (probably because my cals and carbs haven't been as high as they should be), but once again I'm surprised by how little my weight fluctuates on a day-to-day basis. I just don't seem to be subject to the big swings that some experience - it didn't even happen on JUDDD when I was alternating between 500 cals and 2000 cals. I suppose it could be that I'm not eating enough carbs to build up glycogen/water stores? And I'm still in a calorie deficit, albeit a small one, so I'm unlikely to be gaining fat. Dunno, really...theories welcome!

 

[Scrumbles]

Stats:

Day 1 - 1849 cals, 73g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 2 - 1653 cals, 64g carbs, weight 180.6lbs
Day 3 - 1611 cals, 52g carbs, weight 179.6lbs
Day 4 - 1543 cals, 58g carbs, weight 180.6lbs
Day 5 - 1549 cals, 55g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 6 - weight 179.6lbs

So, back down half a pound again...boring, isn't it? lol I had my Magnum last night and enjoyed it, but it did seem somewhat over-sweet - those Atkins-affected tastebuds I assume.

What I'd really like to know is why I'm self-sabotaging on this diet break. I just can't seem to bring myself to eat enough. Am I subconsciously so desperate to "protect" my weight loss that even though I know what this break is for and how it works, I can't allow myself to let go and do it properly?

Perhaps the difference is that last time I did it I was stalled, so I had nothing to lose so to speak. This time it's more of a mental break I'm after, so maybe on some level I'm just not up for seeing the scales rise, even temporarily?

Oh well. I suppose I am enjoying my daily moderate carby treats, so it's serving some purpose. And I guess I ought to feel glad that the things I'm having thus far aren't causing me to fall face first into a biscuit barrel or a chocolate gateau, lol.

 

[Alpaca]

You're doing brilliantly Scrummie! After my diet break I don't think I'm ever going to go wild again (she says with fingers crossed behind her back!)

It's nice to have the treats! Enjoy! Xxx

 

[moonlights]

I'm sure I'll go wild again (have yet to find a diet that works on my tummy as well as my head) but my own break is interesting. I can't tell how much is Atkins related and how much may be to do with being ill but sweet things aren't doing much for me. I've had the odd ice cream but had one slice of birthday cake and gave the rest away and I'm just not interested in sweet things. Went to the National Theatre last night and there was a street food market outside. Hadn't eaten all day and the smell was amazing so I had a few trial bites of the carby things on offer but settled with a roast chicken salad box - by far the tastiest thing there. Am still off plan but more for convenience than anything else for a few more days but I think I'll be fine getting back on plan.

 

[Scrumbles]

That sounds very positive, ML. Your illness muddies the waters as you say, but it does sound like your head has stayed in the right place during your break, and that's excellent. I feel pretty much the same - not overly enamoured of sweet things and not in the slightest concerned about going back to strict low carb.

But like you, I'm not so sure of the future. Whilst I'm locked into this losing weight mindset I'm in a safe place, but history suggests that once I've achieved my goal all bets are off. I just hope that this time I will have finally learned enough on my journey to be able to establish a permanent, sustainable way of eating for maintenance. Fingers crossed...

Stats:

Day 1 - 1849 cals, 73g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 2 - 1653 cals, 64g carbs, weight 180.6lbs
Day 3 - 1611 cals, 52g carbs, weight 179.6lbs
Day 4 - 1543 cals, 58g carbs, weight 180.6lbs
Day 5 - 1549 cals, 55g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 6 - 1647 cals, 83g carbs, weight 179.6lbs
Day 7 - weight 180lbs

End of week one and I am exactly where I started weight-wise. Heh. Managed to eat more carbs yesterday, and today should be a big eating day - I have a roast chicken dinner planned, a couple of G&T's and crisps, and tiramisu for dessert If I can't make my targets with that little lot I might as well stop trying!

ETA:

Forgot to mention that I turned the almond bread recipe into chocolate cake this morning

35g ground almonds
8g cocoa powder
half teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 large egg
half tablespoon groundnut oil
sweetener to taste
unsweetened soya milk, as necessary for consistency of mix

I combined the dry ingredients in a dessert bowl then whisked in the egg, oil and enough soya milk to make a batter-like consistency (1 tablespoon was sufficient in this case). Microwave on full power for around 1 min 20 secs, allow to cool slightly then turn out onto a rack (actually, I didn't let it cool, I just scoffed it while it was still warm )

The carb count came to 13g for the lot which is quite high, but that was because I'm on a diet break and chose to use a couple of level teaspoons of sugar to sweeten it (which was too much, actually - could have used just the one I think). Using artificial sweetener it would only have been about 5-6g carbs which I consider fine for OWL. Cals are a bit steep at nearly 400, but it's not something I'd have every day anyway.

 

[ladyfelsham]

Morning Scrummie

Well done on the almond flour experiments - was the cake yummy?

And fab on maintaining over the week

 

[Scrumbles]

Afternoon Susie!

The cake was nice, but could probably be improved by someone who actually understands baking, lol. The texture is quite dense, but I like chocolate cake to be fairly heavy so it suits me! I could see myself making a sort of mini gateau out of it with whipped cream and strawberries...mmm...*daydreams*

So, I went for it yesterday:

Day 1 - 1849 cals, 73g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 2 - 1653 cals, 64g carbs, weight 180.6lbs
Day 3 - 1611 cals, 52g carbs, weight 179.6lbs
Day 4 - 1543 cals, 58g carbs, weight 180.6lbs
Day 5 - 1549 cals, 55g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 6 - 1647 cals, 83g carbs, weight 179.6lbs
Day 7 - 1808 cals, 101g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 8 - weight 179.4lbs

Had all the things I said I'd have, plus some rice with my chicken, and this morning.......I am back down half a pound.

I am fast coming to the conclusion that I am not particularly carb-sensitive. If I were, surely my weight would be all over the place after the week I've just had? My average carb consumption is about 3 times what it was the week before my break but my body doesn't appear to have noticed, not even in terms of water weight - there have been days when I've felt sort of bloated, but it hasn't shown up on the scales. So how low carb do I really *need* to be, I wonder? It certainly seems like I mightn't have to be super-strict when I get to maintenance. Only time will tell, I guess...

 

[Alpaca]

Really impressive Scrummie .... So pleased for you!

Maybe your body is just complying at the moment - sometimes there's no rhyme or reason xx

 

[Scrumbles]

^^^Maybe...I think I have to accept that I have no clue at this point!

Stats:

Day 1 - 1849 cals, 73g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 2 - 1653 cals, 64g carbs, weight 180.6lbs
Day 3 - 1611 cals, 52g carbs, weight 179.6lbs
Day 4 - 1543 cals, 58g carbs, weight 180.6lbs
Day 5 - 1549 cals, 55g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 6 - 1647 cals, 83g carbs, weight 179.6lbs
Day 7 - 1808 cals, 101g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 8 - 1603 cals, 71g carbs, weight 179.4lbs
Day 9 - weight 180lbs

...aaaaand, I'm back where I started again - what a surprise! Looks like I've found the perfect maintenance recipe for staying exactly 12 stone 12 pounds - pity that's not what I want to be, lol!

I've decided I'm going to do a 10 day break rather than a fortnight this time, partly because my stomach is starting to rebel a bit and partly because I'm nearly out of Magnums, lol. I don't yet know if I'll go back to Induction levels of carbs - I'll have to see how I feel by Wednesday. If I think I need the full de-tox effect, then I will, otherwise, probably not, as I'm no longer at all convinced that super-low carb levels make much difference to me and I'd quite like to see if I still lose eating a few more carbs.

Have a great day everyone!xxx

 

[Alpaca]

So impressed Scrummie ... I crashed today - have another birthday supper to go to and just losing focus ... It's been worse than the Queen this year! And I'm already feeling very carby tummy! So I'm just going to draw a line when I get home tonight... But well done !!! You're doing brilliantly ! Xxx

 

[Scrumbles]

So impressed Scrummie ... I crashed today - have another birthday supper to go to and just losing focus ... It's been worse than the Queen this year! And I'm already feeling very carby tummy! So I'm just going to draw a line when I get home tonight... But well done !!! You're doing brilliantly ! Xxx

Lol! Okay, Your Majesty, I'll let you off for yesterday . Just focus on remembering how much better you feel on low carb, and you'll get back to where you need to be

Last day of my break today, and after yesterday I'm looking forward to being "clean and green" again. I started the day with a small portion of porridge made with soya milk, and felt dreadful for hours afterwards. I thought I was okay with oats, but maybe not. Net result was that I didn't eat nearly enough, although I did make my carb target okay.

Day 1 - 1849 cals, 73g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 2 - 1653 cals, 64g carbs, weight 180.6lbs
Day 3 - 1611 cals, 52g carbs, weight 179.6lbs
Day 4 - 1543 cals, 58g carbs, weight 180.6lbs
Day 5 - 1549 cals, 55g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 6 - 1647 cals, 83g carbs, weight 179.6lbs
Day 7 - 1808 cals, 101g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 8 - 1603 cals, 71g carbs, weight 179.4lbs
Day 9 - 1374 cals, 83g carbs, weight 180lbs
Day 10 - weight 179.2lbs

So I'm down almost a pound from yesterday to a new low, lol. Final weigh in for the break will be tomorrow - I'm going to stick my neck out and make a totally random prediction that it will be...180lbs! Ha!

I had a Wispa bar with my coffee this morning - my last sugary indulgence - and was pleased to discover that I really didn't like it much. I used to hoover up junk chocolate like that without a second thought, but I don't think I'll be bothered by it again - it was sooooo ickily sweet. I'll be happily sticking with my odd squares of G&B 85% dark chocolate from now on, thank you very much.

My exercise target has finally bitten the dust. Whilst it's still muggy and warm I can't bring myself to crack on with it. That doesn't mean I won't be doing any exercise, I just won't be putting any pressure on myself to achieve specific goals; that way I can feel good about what I do manage to accomplish rather than beating myself up for failing to reach a target. I'll maybe set up a ticker again in September, but I'll have to see how I feel and how the weather is.

Have a good one, folks!

 

[ladyfelsham]

Amazing on the taste buds readjusting themselves

Good luck for going back to C&G - not that you'll need it.