The last stone mission......ROLL UP!!!!

[Maintainer]

I certainly can and do gain weight quickly but, in fairness, I probably do easily exceed 3,000 calories daily excess when I'm in "the mood". At least I didn't eat much on my own this time, and OH was present although not always partaking. Few can keep up with me when I set my mind to it.

Before this holiday, I was being very strict and eating few if any white carbs. On holiday I probably only ate white carbs (slight exaggeration, but you get my drift). That's a guaranteed disaster where weight gain is concerned of course!

Now back to none, and being strict, so I have no fear that the weight will shift in the end, but I need a maintenance period to slowly reintroduce carbs again before losing the plot. I've not managed to do that yet this year... lose weight yes, maintain it, no!

I'm 36" bust, and 39" hips and wear size 12 but have been known to get into 10s when 10 stone 7lbs ish. Crazy sizes in the UK. I did read somewhere or other that [someone] was thinking of harmonising all clothes sizes throughout Europe so that they just say: waist = 28" or whatever (actually that would be however many centimetres!). Makes more sense than kidding people they're one size when they're not!

It's HOT here today

 

[clairejen]

Another grey day here, I'm having dreams of emigration! Scales stuck this morning, but I'm used to that, JUDDDD does that a lot. A controlled UD today and I am feeling a bit hungry so I'll have to be really careful not to go over the top. As long as I keep under 10st this week (by weigh in Tues am) I'll be happy.

The maintenance bit is really hard, I'm hoping I will be disciplined enough to carry on with JUDDD maintenance when I'm at target, it's great in theory but I just don't know if I'll be prepared to keep it up, need to make it habit I suppose.

Interesting comment from DH this morning, he has lost 2lbs while on holiday, so despite both of us eating our heads off we didn't pile on the weight. Why is that? Maybe we could market the "Holiday Diet" - should be popular, if a bit expensive.

Clothes sizes are a total mess, I always mean to take a tape measure and just check the actual sizes but of course I forget. I must go into town today and get the shoes I didn't get on Tuesday, without them I will never wear that outfit.

 

[Maintainer]

Perhaps you need to come back here? Lovely and sunny again today, although I hear rain might happen tomorrow... ah well the 10 day forecast looks a heck of a lot better than the UK equivalent!

Although I'm currently in a mess diet wise (and I ate 4 x pains au chocolat for breakfast this morning - FOUR!!), I did successfully maintain for three years, I mustn't forget, and I really didn't find it *that* difficult.

I personally wouldn't want to do something like JUDDD for long term maintenance, if I'm honest, as I don't think the 500 calorie days are sufficient for one's needs long term. During my successful maintenance period, I ate healthily Monday to Friday (cereal and ss milk for breakfast; protein and salad or veg for lunch, fruit dessert; protein and veg or salad for dinner, yoghurt dessert; fruit snack if desperate; no alcohol, no bread, pasta, rice, cake etc). Then Saturday, I'd be slightly more relaxed and have perhaps a "proper" pudding, or bread or whatever I fancied. Sunday was whatever I wanted (and sometimes I abused, I admit) BUT, on the whole using Friday's weigh in, I was stable for the most part...

I think that sort of thing is more of a lifetime plan than these 500 calorie days, don't you? Of course I chose my 20% "bad" days to be at the weekend, but could easily have swapped if a social occasion had warranted it...

I like to think that had I not quit smoking I wouldn't be in this position now and my advice would seem more valid to that of someone who's lost the plot right now!


Perhaps you were more active on holiday? Very interesting indeed! Definitely market that diet!

 

[clairejen]

Looking out of the window at the streaming rain I would leave here like a shot! I don't think we were very active on holiday, it was hard to have long walks because the dog can't manage them now she is old and arthritic. Obviously we didn't spend the hours in front of the computer screen, but probably spent them lying around reading instead. I just can't work it out, we ate loads of patisserie so were piling in the carbs there. Very few potatoes and no pasta, but the bread and cakes must have more than compensated I would have thought. Or maybe I am wrong, perhaps pasta is evil because it becomes the basis of a dish rather than its accompaniment.

I'm impressed that you managed four pains au chocolat (full size?), much as I love them I think that might be hard. JUDDD maintenance has higher DDs then the diet part, at half your daily calorie needs (around 1050 for me). I can see how it works, we all kid ourselves we eat about 2000 calories but if we actually added it up we'd be shocked to find out there are another 300-500 creeping in. So limiting every other day should counteract that. And if the weight keeps dropping (some hope) then you can tweak it a bit. It probably works similarly to your own system except the days are alternate.

Have you been watching the unit diet posts? I took a look at the site but don't think it would suit me, I dislike cereal (except some muesli) and I wasn't over impressed with the sample menu, low on proteins and vegetables and with the option to eat a fair amount of junk food. I'll keep watching with interest though.

 

[clairejen]

Another DD today - why do they come around quicker than UDS? - just finished my coffee and strawberries. I don't know what I will do when the strawberries are over, just have to make sure I hit target first! Weight still hovering just under 10 so unless something weird happens I should still be there when I weigh officially tomorrow.

We have sunshine at last, I will try to make the most of it, maybe even fit in a bit of gardening. First I must tidy up the kitchen, last night I was inspired to alter the glass cupboard so the wineglasses could hang but it got late so I left half the glasses spread over the worktop.

I got more info on the unit diet which Natalie very kindly sent me, it is a lot more flexible than the sample diet would lead you to think. Not going to try it yet, I feel JUDDD is working for me, but you never know what may happen in the future.

 

[Maintainer]

Hi Claire, and sorry to be so late checking in,

Things a bit manic at work today (and I was up at 6am feeding a kitten who's doing better, but when I weighed him he's now 1/3 of the weight of the rest of the litter, so we're now going to have to artificially feed him too...); so I've been on the phone to vet, getting my boyfriend to go to pick the stuff up, helping him (by phone) mix up the powdered formula, explain how to feed a kitten with a bottle, and get shouted at twice when kitten refused! aaaah! At least Mum cat obliged and let kitten feed on its own on her so it might get extra sustenance that way...)

My father and his girlfriend arrived yesterday in the office with cakes... mmm... this morning more croissants (full size, yep!), and I'm working my way through a bag of other naughty things as I type this. Lost the plot or what?!

But Monday, you will see a new person here! I have got to get a handle on this eating before I go right back to where I was!

So sorry Claire that the only person on your thread, when you're SOOOO nearly there, is me!!

I'm so pleased that you're doing so well... if you hit target at next weigh in, I'd like to think we can find you a good maintenance system without your having to count units, have excessively low calorie days OR powdered pack meals (although I don't think you favour them anyway, right?)?

I've always been soooo anti VLCDs, yet now if someone would let me have some sachets, I'd do it like a shot... funny how one can get off one's "healthy eating high horse" when the chips are down!

Have a good weekend and I'll try to get my head back in order next Monday... I promise I WILL GET MY HEAD IN ORDER by then!
x

 

[clairejen]

Hi Joanne, are you all going to your country place or staying in town for the weekend? I didn't know you had kittens, how sweet - are they just born, and any chance of a photo? I don't understand why men will never read the instructions!

The thought of croissants and cakes is making me drool, but I am determined to be good. I have about 6lbs to lose now and it would be foolish of me not to see it through, I could be free of dieting by the end of August. It is lovely to have you on the thread (which isn't mine really, it's Coley's but she opened it to everyone struggling to shift their last stone), please don't go - I would miss you badly.

Too right about the powdered meals, no more of them for me. I'd rather eat less of something I like than have pretend food. I'm not knocking VLCDs though, for guaranteed fast loss without suffering bad hunger pangs they can't be beaten. It's coming off that causes difficulties, maybe if you work through the steps carefully it is OK, but I suspect many have problems due to the sweet nature of many of the products.

Have a brilliant weekend, enjoy the company and the food, Monday will come soon enough. I have a not-so-fun weekend planned, promised to help fix a shed roof tomorrow, and I must get on with clearing out the cupboards.

 

[Maintainer]

just a quickie - it's SO nice that someone lets me talk about the kittens!

This weekend we're staying in the City cos Dad + girlfriend are in a hotel on a tour here. They're totally free though and actually the rest of their tour have gone back to London, so they're on a detour!

These kittens are two weeks old (16 days), and we only figured out their Mum was pregnant about four days before she gave birth (DUH!)... (Mum is my cat's Mum, who was born in the street last July and we "saved" her; Mum kept visiting us and gave birth on our kitchen floor the day after my birthday to ONE kitten back in April 2007, and I found a home for kitten AND Mum with a friend in my building in the city... BUT I was about to go to England for a week's holiday, so neighbours in the country fed Mum during our absence... obviously she "absconded"!!

As Mum has never had a home before, she is very greedy and of course we spoiled her rotten so thought her slight excess weight was due to her being still thinking each meal might be her last... and then there were six kittens... and my friend heading to Asia for business; and me heading to the country for a weeks... so fortunately ANOTHER friend stepped in for a week while we were away.

Hope this works, photo wise:

 

[clairejen]

Oh they are so gorgeous! I hope you (or whoever) manage to find good homes for them all. Has your cat accepted them OK? We don't have a cat any more, sadly our old cat had to be put to sleep last year, but we have our dog Cassie who is totally lovely.

 

[clairejen]

Weigh in this morning and I am 9st13.25lbs, that is 1.5lbs in less than a week. Now I just have to make sure I don't undo the good work over the weekend! Been pretty bad already with a huge breakfast, but I am keeping away from snacks, they are my big downfall.

And we have sunshine, apparently due to end tonight so I want to make the most of it.

 

[clairejen]

Weight still the same this morning after a big UD. Usually I have two UDs at the weekend but we are going to friends for a meal on Wednesday so have to swap around. So today is a DD, actually I feel quite ready for it because we had a proper meal with three courses and drinks last night so a bit of restraint today would be good. Actually it's not as bad as it sounds because the first course was mostly salad.

 

[Maintainer]

That's great Claire. You really sound as if you've got a handle already on this lark, and you're even now making the right choices on UDs which is excellent.

I can't say the same for myself. Two blow out evening meals with my visitors would have been bad enough but of course I then had to eat round the clock as I'd ruined the weekend anyway right? (DUH). I had a very stressful day yesterday, not that it excuses anything, as I lost my friend's keys and couldn't get into the flat to feed the kittens (including the one we're keeping alive by bottle only). At 3.30pm believe it or not we "found" them in the bottom of the waste disposal chute of the building, having been through tonnes of rubbish... kitten fine, despite having no food for eight hours, and I ate for fifty to make up for it (DUH again).

I got on the scales this morning and THEY groaned in agony, and I can barely get into my BIGGEST trousers so truly a disaster. The numbers aren't that important as I gain and lose quickly but I seem to have gained an incredible total of 21lbs in 18 days. So my "start weight" now is horrific, and I'm really upset to see those numbers again. I really have to get a handle on the psychology of what I'm doing to myself here. Wednesday will be six months since I quit smoking and, although I know it's PART of the reason, it's not the cause of everything I'm sure...

Cat wise - everyone accepts everyone (for now) as they're all inter-related. I keep my friend's three month old kitten at our flat though (with her sister) while the babies are so small as she just thinks they're toys and wants to play with them (literally WITH them!). The vet will take four of them to rehome when they're six weeks' old (early I know but living with 9 cats in a small flat isn't an option!), the tiny one we're now bottle feeding is doing well but is a third of the weight of the others so will need longer with Mum so will stay, and we'll be keeping one too so two will stay longer

 

[ithabel zozo]

Hi everyone, i m new here. I m wondering how i could find a counsellor, i m in Manchester. Thanks a million!! I really really want to start asap. Plsssss, anyone can help?

 

[clairejen]

Hi Ithabel, I think you may want this thread, good luck with the diet:
http://www.minimins.com/cambridge-diet-forum/572-how-find-cdc.html

Hi Joane, oh no, what a disastrous weekend you've had foodwise. Did you enjoy it though? Sometimes I overeat and think "it was a great night, that was worth it", other times I am just cross because I did it for no reason at all. I have had about three years of trying to lose and failing, just watching the scales creeping up, for me I think a combination of age and genetics is responsible (my mother and grandmother both piled the weight on in their 40s/50s). I was in despair of getting it under control and more or less thought - oh well I will just go the same way, can't avoid it - when my doctor told me my blood pressure had gone up. That was the flashpoint, I contacted a CDC and started the diet straight away. I was lucky, I was just over a stone overweight so I was allowed to do the diet, and I lost 1st10lbs. Putting some back on is entirely my own fault, and I am coming to terms with what I must do to get slim and stay that way. Sorry - I'm blathering - but what I'm tring to say is that sometimes we need some extra help to deal with a special situation.

I'm so glad the little kitten is surviving, and she will have more chance when the others are being rehomed, how useful that the vet will organise it. Is the mother cat going to be neutered?

My weight is still stuck, even after an extra DD, but I am trying to be patient and trust that all will be well. I really need more exercise, but it is hard to fit it in, and there are few dance classes over the summer. Maybe I should take up cycling, but that isn't easy when you live in town. I dislike swimming so that isn't an option.

Busy day ahead, first thing we have to do is repair a shed roof, so that should burn a few calories. Have a great day.

 

[Maintainer]

you're absolutely right Claire and while I'm loath to leave you here alone, and would love to chat still about all sorts, I need to find people in my position now I think rather than "last stone" thing, cos I'm now at TWO STONE! oh gosh how did this happen? As for whether I enjoyed it, yes I guess I did... it was a conscious (albeit STUPID) decision to "clear the freezer" of a few treats, get some chocolate up from our basement(!), and I guess I did sicken myself which usually then stands me in good stead of a binge free stretch. Here's hoping... and let's face it, it's more than HOPE that I need right now.

No more negative posts from me though (today at least!). My bingeing is behind me, healthy eating is present and future, and I fully intend to get back to 10 stone 7lbs, where I was *almost* not that long ago just before my holiday July 12.

Repairing roofs sounds very arduous! I must start my power walk again on the way to work; with all the rain, early morning kitten feeding, I've always had an excuse not to do it. I'll now have more time in the mornings to leave home earlier and walk further and faster...

If you don't mind, I'll post my food diary as it helps me stick to it. Yours would be interesting to me too. I'm keeping an eye on calories but mainly cutting down/out white carbs at the moment after a carb overload.

B: 1/2 grapefruit, one hard boiled egg, 1 low calorie yoghurt (and I'm never sure which order to eat these in!)

L: chicken breast with steamed green beans, carrots (from our garden!) and homemade ratatouille (this is a staple lunch - three times this week)
1 low calorie yoghurt

S: 1 apple

D: 4oz mozzarella cheese with salad greenery and tomatoes; spoonful low calorie dressing

3L water at least

 

[KD]

it was a conscious (albeit STUPID) decision to "clear the freezer" of a few treats, get some chocolate up from our basement(!), and I guess I did sicken myself which usually then stands me in good stead of a binge free stretch.

Oh, and haven't we all done this. Many times in my case. Trouble with me was that I would keep having the last supper then delay the diet

If you can change the focus from dieting to lose weight onto eating well (albeit a little less to lose that weight), this doesn't happen, because every day is the challenge to eat well. There is no start and stop day. Your health doesn't get suspended for a day in preparation for the diet.

There is no "well...I lose it once I start dieting" nor "I can't have it for a while...so I better have it now".

I'm not saying that everyone should eat intuitively if they don't feel ready, just moving that focus. Diet by all means, but don't make the weightloss the main motivation. Know what I mean?

 

[clairejen]

We got the old roof bits off, it was very nasty with lurking slugs and rotting chipboard. This afternoon we'll be putting it all back together, a much pleasanter job. The shed is in my mother's garden and houses some important equipment especially the lathe so it really needs to be watertight.

OK, food diary. Today is an UD so breakfast was a banana and some toasted brioche with jam. Lunch was two small slices of homemade bread with cold meat, half a pear and a mini solero icecream. I will probably have some kind of biscuit or cake at 5.00 then dinner of chicken with potatoes and whatever vegetables we have got then maybe some fruit and sorbet. And if I fancy a snack there are strawberries and grapes in the fridge. I'm trying to keep to about 1800 calories, don't want to go much lower in case the DDs stop working.

I do understand if you need to go elsewhere to post, is there anything suitable in the restarters section? I'm posting here and the JUDDD thread at the minute, not that I feel I have a great deal to report but it helps me keep my focus. These last few pounds really don't seem to want to shift, but I have to be patient, if I'm eating less then they must go eventually.

 

[Maintainer]

hi Karion - and thank you for posting. To be honest, when I was maintaining, I would have been all too happy to have a go at the intuitive eating (and am following Janey's thread avidly and have been since the beginning) but now I'd be too scared.

At two stone up, I just have to go to a tried and tested method which, although dieting, does have a healthy eating trend to it, I feel...

It's not that I don't think you're right or anything, cos I'm SURE that's the way to go for a successful maintenance, but now that I'm not there, I can't do it. The thought of weighing 12 stone something scares me to death and could scare me right back into that biscuit tin...

Claire - I'll have a look around to see if any threads are more appropriate; probably not, to be honest, as this forum does tend to have a VLCD majority and (although of course it's crossed my mind) I'm determined not to go there... I'd end up all the more messed up.

I'll stay here, if you don't mind me... I just feel that I'm no support to you at the moment when I can barely hold my own head above water. BUT I'M GONNA GET THERE. Heck 12 stone something is nothing. 22 stone something was something

 

[ithabel zozo]

thank you so much Clairejen!! i wil come over frequently as soon as i start my diet!!!!! oooooo, so exciting!

 

[clairejen]

No probs Ithabel, this forum can be a bit confusing to start with. Fingers crossed you find a CDC you like, and good luck with the diet.

Joanne I'd love you to stay, it doesn't matter if you have a bit more to lose at the moment, the rate I'm losing you could well reach goal before me! We can still support each other whatever stage we are at, the struggle is the same. You sound a lot more positive now than you did earlier, and sometimes a break from dieting can help, you get the boost from big first week losses again which is always encouraging.

I should be going to dance class but am so tired I might skip it tonight. The shed roof was very hard work, lots of lifting and pushing and carrying and climbing up and down. Excellent for fitness I'm sure, or would have been if I hadn't come home and eaten two cream scones - OOPS! I had factored some cake into my menu for today so it isn't a disaster, and I was so hungry. DD tomorrow so I will be good then.