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

[clairejen]

I am soooo sleepy this morning, had a bad night for no reason I can fathom so I'm now finding it hard to get myself motivated for the day. It is pleasantly sunny so I will walk in to town soon to visit the market, I wish we had markets like yours but I suppose I should be grateful we have one at all. The walk may wake me up a bit.

Weight sts this morning, which is possibly a good sign as it has been one DD to two weekend UDs since the last weighing. I shall be sensible today for my UD and strict tomorrow. Your soup pot idea is a good one, if you can persuade yourself that soup is what you want rather than chocolate! Will you be eating out for the birthday celebrations?

I hadn't considered how butchers twist the sausages, although I have untwisted them frequently enough. Mine are all hanging happily now, swathed in fly netting to be on the safe side, no more have slipped the knots since I crimped them, and as the casings dry it will be less likely. It takes a lot of trust to let meat just hang around like that, goes against everything we are told about food storage. I read a comforting forum post which suggested when you first cut the sausage to just eat a tiny bit then wait a day. If anything nasty has got in you'll be mildly ill overnight and know not to touch the rest!

 

[Maintainer]

Morning Claire, and hope the sunny walk and the market clears your head,

It's true that markets here are fabulous, particularly in the cities. We have one within 10 minute walk from the flat every day of the week bar one... however, in the country, it's not the same thing at all. The nearest town to our house, for instance, has a once a week market but it's very small, so no "competition" and the choice is "fruit here, meat there", rather than a "true" choice as we have on a Saturday or Sunday when we go to one kilometre long markets here...

I'm usually very good with food provided I'm not hungry, and provided I haven't "started"... once I start and have a little chocolate, I seem to stupidly consider the floodgates open and "I might as well eat all I can whilst they are so...". very intelligent of me.

No - both birthday meals will be eaten at home. We're both quite particularly on how we SPEND our calories and taking a chance on a lacklustre restaurant meal wouldn't work for me (and what if they didn't have the dessert I wanted!). For the main course, I've chosen duck for mine. R curry... It falls well in that we'll be "in town" on our birthdays so can go to the fishmonger for a special sea food starter. "Pudding" for me will be a Sainsbury's victoria sandwich cake (yeah cut in two - we tried the "cutting in four" option, but too small pieces, and what good is it cutting it in 3 when there are two of you?!!) with fresh cream. Thanks to a friend who's currently on her way back here with it! R will have to choose from the boulangerie what he fancies... I'd be so upset to "have to have" a creme caramel or something instead!!

Hmm - errr I wish you much luck with that. I'll have to ask R how long a butcher hangs his... mind you, some of the things R has told me about butchery practices, ho hum!

 

[Maintainer]

Me again... when's Tash due back? And hope you're ok Claire.

I'm meeting a friend for lunch today, and as always am a little nervous of making the wrong choices at a restaurant! To avoid that, I'm going back to the one restaurant in the vicinity that I've already eaten in twice since dieting so know more or less what I'll be faced with... steak and undressed salad is the plan, not least because it's a "sausages" night (ooh just thought about yours hanging up...!) so don't want to eat too much at lunchtime!

Weather looking grim today, but should be ok at the weekend. I just spoke to the old lady who lets us plant our veggies in her field in the country and apparently, because of all the rain they've had there recently, the field is waterlogged and the farmer hasn't been able to [do whatever farmers do to fields before letting us plant veggies on them!]. She thought, if it doesn't rain any more, perhaps within a week, we can plant. Alas I see plenty of rain in the advance weather forecast... Let's hope this doesn't mess up our plans cos, after this 2 week period, we'll not be there again until end May and that's too late!

 

[clairejen]

Hi, sorry I'm late checking in, been very busy lately. I thought Tash would be back by now but you know what it's like when you get home, tons of laundry and stuff to catch up on.

Weight down a tiny bit this morning, and yesterday was an UD so I'm pleased, even if it is only a quarter of a pound. It encourages me to continue with strict DDs for the rest of the week and hope that Saturday will bring good news. I'm back on weighing every day for a week or two, hoping to give it up again when I'm back at goal.

Mmm, duck, love it. And not high in calories if you whip the skin off I suppose. I don't think Sainsbury's cake would cut it with me, but isn't it always the way that we want things we can't get locally. We need some way of exchanging foodstuffs!

We've not got around to planting either, the potatoes are chitting and the seedlings not in trays yet. It doesn't bother me if crops are late, most of what we are growing is autumn stuff as summer veg are cheap and plentiful. Can you start your veg indoors to make up for lost time?

Have a good lunch, you are supposed to be eating normally now so these things should be allowed. I haven't "visited" my sausages today, better take a look I suppose - see if they are showing any sign of drying yet.

 

[Maintainer]

aaah glad to hear that your weight is lower. I was 300g down this morning, after 200g up yesterday, so daily weighing does have its fluctuations to contend with, but I still like knowing... not knowing or, rather, not wanting to know is how I got to 141 kilos!

You're absolutely right, of course, re Sainsbury's victoria sponge cake (to which I add jam - cos they're too stingy with it; and cream - cos there's not much buttercream), but I think it's a childhood memory, plus 20 years of living here which has given me the taste for it. I never ate it when I lived in the UK and never thought to buy one when there over Christmas! A food hamper sporadically would be lovely Claire!!!!

We tried starting our tomatoes a few months ago but they died... the trouble with moving from place to place as we do is that the ambiance isn't ideal in the flat (overheated) yet they need to be with us for watering. So I'm sure it'll be the same with other things, and such a drag carting them up from the multi storey basement car park to the flat!

If I weren't going "on holiday", and ever vigilant of my potentially bad behaviour while thereon, I'd yes be able to eat whatever I like... but as things stand, and given the unexpected nature of this lunch and my unwillingness to sacrifice a plate of sausages for my tea, I stuck to steak and undressed green salad... I was a little miffed though that the undressed tomato salad starter consisted of 1/2 a tomato and a tonne of lettuce though, given that I had TWO tonnes for main! Next time, I'll make one or the other less lettucey before I develop a wriggly nose... I even took away with me the little chocolate served with my coffee... (dunno why!). My friend had a sauce with her steak and chips, a fattening starter, and ate her chocolate!

 

[clairejen]

What size is your friend? Maybe she makes up for it the next day like I do. The scales were nice this morning, I'm now a whole pound down on last Saturday, which I'm hoping might be a pound and a half by the Saturday coming. Then if I carry on with the stricter regime for another week or two I should be rid of the fluctuating pound two and all ready to stabilise again. I want to give up daily weighing again, weekly is more sensible, but while I'm tackling the increase I need to watch it carefully.

It's funny how we hanker after the foods of our childhood, brings back an echo of the pleasures taken in them in early years I suppose. Maybe if our parents had brought us up to believe chocolate was a punishment not a treat we would have easier lives now! Did you eat the little chocolate from the restaurant or is it saved for a future crisis?

I'm pleased with the "muffin bread" I made on Monday, I have been using it in little slices on DDs and it has proved very handy. I may continue with that, as bread is one of the thingsI miss a lot when dieting. I think I still prefer the galettes, but only as hot meals.

 

[Maintainer]

Friend is probably [wearing] the same size as me (40) but is built differently so she is let's say more voluptuous on top, heavy round the middle, and tiny hipped and bummed... (the reverse to me!!). She's constantly on diets and yoyos 2K up and down all the time.

I'm delighted that you've caught that pesky pound unawares already. I really do think this is the way forward. I can't believe that we're supposed to have to watch every mouthful always, just most of the time... and the slightest upturn on the scales means a quick short sharp correction, then back to "normal".

Funny you should say that about the foods of our childhood but I have decided to have duck à l'orange for my birthday meal Saturday evening and, looking at the recipes (in French and English), I see that the French make quite a palaver about the whole thing, and the resulting sauce probably wouldn't be to my liking or as my childhood memory tells me. The "English" version probably would be what I need to do else it would be too "sophisticated" for my palate! Plus of course I'm lazy, and don't want to spend my entire birthday cooking and, even more importantly, it'll just be for me cos R *just* wants his duck crispy! (hmm, hope I manage that... found some advice re scoring, frying slowly skin down for 12 mins then putting in oven skin up for 10. Unless you know of another method?)

Interesting about the chocolate. My officemate, when her daughter was 5, bought her an A4 size bar of chocolate, so sick was she of hearing the little girl constantly asking for chocolate. I won't go into details, but you can imagine, and guess what? Her daughter doesn't like chocolate.

I must say that my chocolate palate is "maturing". While I love Dairy Milk as ever, and no binge would be complete without some, when I count out equal proportions for R and I of his 70% cocoa stuff and my DM, I finish mine so quickly as it's so inconsistent compared to the dark stuff... I don't like 70% cocoa chocolate, that's for sure, but Bourneville lasts quite a while if you suck it slowly too!!

I am now officially addicted to the muffins (made in muffin tins). They're fabulous hot (weekends and holidays!), great cold (weekdays), and I wish I could eat more of them without potential intestinal issues (you don't eat too much of the sons, I hope...)?

Thursday protein day for me today... so breakfast muffins were plain with a little fat free "ham" in it (yeah right: calling that stuff "ham" is complimenting it!); lunch is a small tupperware filled with (defrosted last night) prawns, mussels and mixed seafood; a chicken breast, a soft boiled egg, and a pot of fromage blanc 0% fat. Dinner: steak and scrambled egg... and some more seafood later. No hardship at all and I'm looking forward to getting stuck in! Bon appetit!

 

[clairejen]

Who was it who said "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance"? I think the same applies to slimness. I've got to accept that at my age it is going to be harder but I can do it if I don't ignore warnings. Love your story of the friend's child, I can just imagine how sick she got!

I think the method you quote is the best way for crisping - the frying helps excess fat run off and the oven is the only way to get true crispiness. I tend to improvise with recipes and if I want a duck breast à l'orange I usually pan fry then use a variety of orange flavours to build up the sauce, especially amer picon which I love.

It's great that the protein day suits you so well, as DDs do me. We've taken different routes but I think we've both found lifetime plans we can really live with. No worries about ODing on the sons, I use them on DDs in a one galette quantity and I put some wheatbran in bread when I make it for added flavour and texture.

 

[clairejen]

Hi, I've got the coming four daysto myself as D is off sailing in Holland. DD today, which since I have masses to do is no problem, very little time to worry about food. And my weight is still the same, which is good after an UD, although I fear there will be no loss for the morning as I rather overdid things with a delicious lemon tart last night. Like you I am a milk chocolate rather than plain chocolate eater, except for chocolate coating when plain is definitely best.

It is much brighter today and they promise warmth for the weekend, I can't wait. This spring has been way too cold, especially when compared to the gorgeous April last year. Are you having a country weekend? I hope you'll get time for some walking to see what flowers are coming out, I noticed bluebells poking through in the woods a couple of days ago.

This morning I've been watching our blackbirds feeding the babies, which are now huge with proper tails and ought to be trying to feed themselves I think. I put food out by the window next to my computer so I can see them, it means they can see me too which means they try to get my attention when they want more food putting out.

 

[Maintainer]

Sorry I'm late, and I'm in a hurry cos have work (grrr) AND am leaving office in an hour... (if I've finished!).

Warm and sunny here too - weekend too - but NOT next week alas... darn and blast!
Thanks for the tips on the duck.

Country weekend? I have a "country until May 13th" period!!! hee hee!! I had planned some cycling, cos I'm so unfit, but the rain will determine what we do and when cos, if and when it stops, I believe we have little seeds to plant! very much looking forward to that...

I'll be cursing the birds in our gutters tomorrow morning very very early no doubt... no only do I get the dawn chorus, which isn't bad in itself, EXCEPT that the two cats come and sit on the radiator licking their lips peering through the net curtains making all sorts of growling and chitter chatting noises!! Those gutters are almost 7m off the ground so I can't see R doing anything "bird friendly" (although he threatened to get an air rifle when we discovered they weren't migrating birds!).

Protein day worked nicely and weight nicely back to Friday normal which is nice before a holiday... I have all my usual ploys and tips in place to come back skinny but doubt it will work (does it ever?), and I'll probably have to have a couple of days (weeks? months?!!!) strict afterwards.

Hope someone joins you, otherwise still post, as I love catching up when I get back!! See you on May 13th!

 

[clairejen]

Have a fantastic time, I am insanely jealous!

 

[tashy100]

Hello girls

Got back from holiday on Sunday - had a fab time - beautiful weather, stunning place. We had planned to do loads of things but ended up spending majority of our time at the beach and pool!!! Great holiday, went sooo quickly.

Put on a couple of lbs whilst away but nothing too drastic. Am now thinking about how to get rid of this 21lbs as quickly as possible - I can maintain my weight no problems - have been around the same weight give or take a few lbs for over 2 years after losing a stone. I think for me a quick fix would work if I can then maintain again. One good thing to note is that I havent binged for AGES which must mean my attitude to food is better.

Any suggestions for losing gratefully received!!!

Have a good weekend Claire - my OH is away too until Wednesday and I have to admit it is quite nice to have time to myself after the kids have gone to bed.

I hope we get the promised warmer weather - just come back from a walk and its decidedly nippy!!

Have a FAB couple of weeks Joanne - very envious!!

 

[clairejen]

Hi Tashy, sounds like you had a wonderful time. I am really overdue a holiday but can't have any time out until the show is over. Well done on not gaining much, that is an achievement on holiday. Quick fixes are OK but it is a struggle to maintain afterwards as they mess with your metabolism. VLCDs are the quickest, and I include things like Atkins in that as they all rely on ketosis to see you through. Tough but quick, you can guarantee a stone a month if you play by the rules. I'm not sure if you'd be allowed to sole source on Cambridge as according to your ticker you are at a healthy bmi.

Scales stayed the same, with a brief flicker downwards, so I got rid of half the gain. Another couple of weeks like this and I'll be OK again. I'm feeling tired today, we had a truly exhausting rehearsal last night setting the fight scene, it looks great but it was really hard work. Only one more blocking rehearsal and we'll be doing the run throughs.

 

[tashy100]

Hi Claire

I'm sure I've asked this before - but have forgotten your answer - when is your show? Bet part of you cant wait until its over but then when it is you will probably miss it!!! Do you know where you will go when you have the time?

I know VLCD's are the quickest and I have been toying with the idea of doing one. Trouble is I dont really believe that they do you much good and that slower weight loss eating sensibly is the best thing (especially when there isnt much to lose). But I am very impatient and my body seems to stick at 11/7.

I think you and Joanne have this weight thing cracked - 'normal' people fluctuate up and down just like you are!

 

[clairejen]

Tashy, the show is 27th-31st of May. It is getting so close and I am starting to panic. We finish setting officially onTuesday, but there are some bits we have missed, and I know everyone will have forgotten the early scenes by now. We are booked to go to France for the last two weeks of June, so I'll have had a while to unwind gently. We are renting a little gite in Normandy for one week and camping for the other.

I did Cambridge when I first lost weight, nearly two years ago now. And you are right that losing slower is better, but at the time I was in a hurry as my doctor told me my blood pressure had gone up. He didn't suggest I should diet but agreed to wait and see for three months before giving me tablets. So I decided to lose my excess weight, at that time I was officially overweight by about 12lbs, but that counted as a stone with Cambridge as they weigh you in the evening fully dressed (fortunately, there's only so much embarrassment a girl can stand). I lost 1st10lbs in about 7 weeks, only the first four were sole source. I didn't do the "steps" to come off gently, and soon found my weight increasing again and after about 5 months had put 9lbs back on. Then I found JUDDD and lost the weight slowly and comfortably. And have maintained since, keeping a careful eye on things and jumping on gains before they take a hold.

So I can recommend Cambridge as doing what it says on the sachet, with the caveat that maintenance is going to take work and planning. Have you considered a calorie cycling diet? I turned to CD after failing to lose by simply cutting calories, my metabolism got accustomed to it far too quickly. That's why I use JUDDD, the fluctuating intake stops me adjusting like that.

 

[tashy100]

Sounds like a really professional show - so much preparation!!!! Is this the one where you have someone important coming along to see it? Bet you cant wait until your break. I used to go to France alot as a child with my family and have taken my kids there a couple of times. I love it there.

I am not actually 'overweight' according to my BMI - however I am at the very top end of the scale - mid way would be much better which means losing around 18lbs. How much did you lose on JUDD?

I have used Cambridge before and the weight drops off quicly - but then on again equally as quickly unless the steps are followed - although having said that I did lose a stone doing CD and have maintained pretty much ever since with a range of around 4lbs. It is tempting to do it again and lose another stone with the hope that I then maintain - trouble is I just cant believe that it would do me any good healthwise as I am not actually that overweight and may end up losing lean tissue.

I know you can do different levels of cambridge 1000cals and 1200 cals etc. However - I think I would rather eat real food up to those levels!!!

I will take a look at the JUDD website - I always thought that it wouldnt suit me as the UP days may encourage me to binge - however I havent done that for ages now - I seem to have broken that habit (thank God) so maybe it would be more suitable now.

 

[clairejen]

Hi Tash, hope you are having a good day. I'm running round in circles trying to get things done, with a huge list which I am slowly ticking my way down, but cheating because I started off with the quick things! I am longing for my holiday, but that means wishing time away and I have so much to get ready for the show that I can't afford to do that. We are only a village society, performing in our Village Hall, but we try our very best to put on a good show.

I lost 12lbs on JUDDD, it's hard to say how long it took as I had holidays in that time too, and tailed off gently by increasing DDs from around 500 cals to 1000-1200 cals. You can expect to lose 1-1.5 pounds a week, realistically, I think. Which is not bad for only dieting three days a week. As you say it is important not to binge on the alternate days, but I think knowing you can eat something tomorrow saves you from cheating today so some treats are a good thing. Probably the best way to approach it is healthy eating plus the odd treat on UDs, and strict DDs.

I agree re Cambridge, when I lost weight with that I promised myself that I would never diet with replacement food again - their sachets are tolerable but no pleasure. And food should be a pleasure, even if you only get a small bit of it. You wouldn't be allowed to SS as you are not overweight, so some food would be involved anyway.

 

[tashy100]

When I make a to do list I always put things on that I have already or nearly done - makes me feel a whole lot better about the day!!!! Hope you managed to make headway with yours.

When I was a child and young teen I used to perform in our village show and I loved it!! Not sure I'd have the confidence these days!!

I dont think I'm going to do Cambridge - was it hard to decide what foods to eat on the DD's? - the website recommends meal replacements and I dont want to do that - salad and fruit I guess?

 

[clairejen]

Yes, the list has less on it now than it did, still haven't tackled the most difficult ones of course, oh well, there's always tomorrow. I'm sure you'd love going back on stage if you got into it again. Do your kids have any interest there?

DDs are quite limited - you are probably allowed more calories than I was as you're taller, I only had 470 a day at the lowest point. Believe me you can't have a lot of fruit on that. Things you can have - strawberries are pretty low and have a lot of flavour, tons of salad (I sprinkle with a little balsamic vinegar as I can't cope with totally undressed), the occasional grape just to vary the salad, lean meat, white fish, prawns etc. Vegetables, better weigh the root ones to make sure you aren't eating a lot of carbs there. If you can find yogurts at 50 cals or so a pot they can be good, some sorbets are low calorie, and for those "must have a biscuit" moments then almond thins at 16 cals a pop are a lifesaver.

On top of this there is the galette, which can also appear as a muffin. This is part of the D***n diet which Joanne is following, and I tried before I got into JUDDD. You'll see various recipes for it through this thread, basically it is made from oat and wheat bran, egg white (or whole egg but why waste calories) and fromage frais. The brans are available from Holland and Barrett. It can be made into a pancake which can also serve as a tortilla or if the eggwhite is whisked and folded in and the whole thing baked it makes a sort of muffin or bread. If you are interested in trying it I'll search for our entries.

One of the things which caught me out initially was not realising how many calories there are in a cup of coffee, even skimmed milk adds up. One really good thing with JUDDD is there is no concept of failure, if you go over on a DD it doesn't wreck the diet, just takes a bit longer. It doesn't mess with your energy levels either, I hate that not eating and so tired feeling.

 

[clairejen]

Hi, I didn't make it here yesterday as I was seriously sick. It takes a lot to make me take to my bed for the day, but this one did. So I can't take any notice of the scales for a few days until my system is functioning normally again. I'm confused on UDs and DDs too, as I had a DD on Monday, ate very little Tuesday, due another DD today and don't feel like eating much. JUDDD recommends not having two DDs consecutively, looks like I'll be having three. But I can't do much about it so I'll just ignore diet rules and eat what I can cope with.