Consolidation The not so very secret diary of Atropos, 11 &1/2

[Atropos]

Sleep not so good - my lodger had guests who didn't leave til midnight, not noise but still kept me awake ... then at 2.15 the *@9%$ers who live next do came home drunk and started partying in the yard - music, dancing, screaming... approximately 10 feet from my open window

It took 15 minutes to find the night porter (I rent in a block with 24/7 security, thank f*) and another 5 before they heard him at their front door (that's how drunk and loud they were). The little idiots didn't even argue, snapped the sound right off.

But it took another hour to slip back to sleep.

I do have revenge in store - its mean, but not unreasonable. I leave for work at 6.30everymorning, and I will just lean on their doorbell at the board for 5 minutes for the next 5 days.

 

[Atropos]

I spoke to soon about not getting a huge drop in weight second time around. I did 3 days attack, 3 cruise (2pv/1pp), and by this morning I had dropped 7 lbs. Most of that was Christmas pudding (and all the rest) so I am now below my original consolidation weight.

I love Dr Dukan.

 

[jaqys]

Brilliant

 

[ellie1969]

thats fab

 

[anjuschka]

I do have revenge in store - its mean, but not unreasonable. I leave for work at 6.30everymorning, and I will just lean on their doorbell at the board for 5 minutes for the next 5 days.

Oooh I love this I get up that time anyway too. Remind me never to make you cross....

I spoke to soon about not getting a huge drop in weight second time around. I did 3 days attack, 3 cruise (2pv/1pp), and by this morning I had dropped 7 lbs. Most of that was Christmas pudding (and all the rest) so I am now below my original consolidation weight.

I love Dr Dukan.

Woo hoo outstanding! Shame it didn't work for me (actually who knows I decided to remain ignorant until 5 days into cruise...). I had a odd blip yesterday: Sat was down over two lb on Friday (I nearly fell off the scales and checked four times!), but it was back to something more 'normal' today.

But yes agree completely - it's sort of a relief to so see the diet 'still works' even after a year off.

 

[Maintainer]

The people who live above me are "gamers" (is that the term?). I once went up to ask them to keep the kids off the games late and night, cos they whoooop and scream in glee too loudly, and discovered that they don't have any children, it's THEM and their adult son up there!

I reminded them of the "no noise after 10pm policy", and they politely asked me whether I expected them to go to bed at 10pm!!

They now turn off between 11pm and midnight. I am often tempted to go up at 6am when I rise to visit them but I am a wuss (spelling?) so I merely complain to the building manager frequently!

 

[Maintainer]

On the diet/glycogen front, I always lose loads the first week of a restart but immediately regain it whenever "off plan"... so even though now I see I weigh fractionally less than pre-xmas, a little voice tells me that it's only cos I'm in ketosis and wasn't then and the glycogen weight will come straight back on :-( (Am I wrong? This is what messes me up each time I move into Conso - the huge weight gain)

 

[Atropos]

Jo - I am trying to brace myself for the same thing - I don't think my success to date is down to any particular virtue so much as an inherited sensitivity to carbohydrate, which means I my well get a "dead-cat bounce" on the scales.

I have resigned myself to the fact that this is a life long, cruise-conso-stab balancing act to keep my weight in a healthy range. My consolation is that Dukan is a sustainable choice as long as I can cook for myself.

 

[Atropos]

What is it about people who can't understand any alternative between screaming and sleep!!!

The side effects of the weekend are trivial but still continuing.

A. I had to sleep in to 10 am on Sunday - 2 hours wasted.

B: I went to the supermarket without my purse because I had to empty my bag at 2am to find my phone in the dark and was too sleepy in the morning to check and put it back before I left. Getting the train home and doing it all again later - 1 hour wasted

C. Got back and mis-filed the groceries in a sleepy haze - all the fresh veg and meat went in the freezer. Not good.

D. And all this with a sore foot, so by 6pm I couldn't face starting the ironing so I have no clothes for work - so that's an evening later this week wasted (if I get an evening off!)

E. In bed and asleep by 9 - so another hour which I could have used/enjoyed wasted.

And now I am going to work a 70 hour week as tired as I was at the end of last week

And all because three silly little girls can't see why they shouldn't continue their night out with a karoke session in the communal area of a shared apartment block at 2am.

 

[jaqys]

Ugh sorry you had a rubbish* weekend. Hope youre awake okay today and you get a free evening or 3.

*insert far stronger word.

 

[Atropos]

Lack of Sleep screws up Dukan

I've noticed this before...

This morning I had a WTF! moment when I steped on the scales to find myself 2lbs heavier.

I managed to get over it - I know it's a blip, I know it's nothing I've done wrong, I know it will - clenches teeth - reverse itself. And in the rush to get ready for work while half-asleep I even managed to forget it - until I opened my Dukan log book ...

See - I plot my sleep cycle on the same page, and there it was, in black and white.

The morning after my neighbours started partying at 2am, and I got 4 hours sleep total - 1lb gain.

The morning after I tossed and turned until 1pm and got 5 hours before the alarm went off - 2lb gain.

And weirdly that made me feel better both about the gain and the sleeplessness. the gain, because I understand why it happened, the sleeplessness because I can actually see a real physical impact instead of just thinking I'm fretting over nothing.

I'm at the cottage this weekend - utterly quiet (nearest neighbour 2 miles walk away) utterly dark (I can see the milky way most nights) beautifully cool (well, bloody freezing to be honest, but that makes snuggling down under an alpini duvet even nicer) - so I shall sleep for hours.

 

[jaqys]

Yes, I'm sure I lose more on weekends when I can sleep in.

Enjoy your quiet weekend, am sure the gain will whoosh off.

 

[Atropos]

Thanks Jaqys - I really hope so (I mean, I hope I get some quality sleep! Everythings easier when you payoff the sleep debt)

 

[Maintainer]

I'm so sorry you had that nasty surprise on the scales but, as we know, these things do happen. I must admit that I haven't ever noticed fluctuations happening to me around sleep deprivation times... Are you used to sleeping a lot? (Just wondering as sometimes other staff here mention sleeping late in the morning at weekends, and I never do/can/want to.)

(I hasten to add that I don't work a 70 hour week mind!!)

 

[Atropos]

I'm a bit of a lark, so I can't usually sleep in, and I generally manage well on 6 hours a night in the week, and 8 at the weekend.

But that means I'm pretty close to the edge of a huge sleep debt, so a few bad nights (neighbours, a late night at work, sheer cussedness) can have a huge impact, particularly on top of the stress at work in the last few weeks. (I've just sent one of my bosses to coventry for screaming at me for doing my job and trying to help him and even worse in front of colleague and a contractor.)

I may start a "work to rule" if that continued

Ketosis sleeplessness didn't upset me at all last year (I just got up and started reading - no tiredness the next day) so I bit of that would be useful this time around.

 

[Atropos]

So much for a pp day.

I forgot my chicken this morning in the 6.30 rush; no problems, I've done this before, I'll just buy something...

Oh. Everything suitable is sold out... or has 20 minute queues.

3.30 rolls around, and I've been walking for 40 minutes and I think I'm gonna keel over...

- so I break and buy a Pret Chicken salad.

Oooooooo the relief!

 

[Maintainer]

Where I work is also a nightmare to find anything when you're desperate! Far too many tourists!

Like you, I tend to function well on 6-7 hours only during the week. Same at night at the weekend, cos I wake at 6am whatever plus an hour's siesta if I can

But an interrupted night yes messes up the whole applecart... (um apples!)

Have a good weekend, and hope those people are QUIET! (got any ear plugs?)

 

[Supertonic]

Interesting about the sleep bit. I suspect you are right and there is a connection. I've also had a rubbish week sleepwise, not through noisy neighbours - live in deep country, chickens screeching and tractors at Dawn about as bad as it gets- but just fretful. Keep waking too early to get up - 4am ish, then falling asleep heavily and not being able to get up at normal time. So not enough time for morning swim, feel dopey all morning, then work late cos feel guilty for being late in and so it gets a vicious cycle.

I'm a bit of a lark too - OH slumbers on owl like whilst I dash around in the morning. But ive become a grumpy ole lady without my sleep. Better last night though it's turned a bit cold. Shall I go out now for a swim? bit early and it'll be a long day today at work. But I'll feel better for it. Hum, choices always choices.

Hope you have a better day today.

 

[jaqys]

Not having a car i have no suitable alternate lunch options, 2 expensive sarnie shops, a newsagent and a tiny starbucks. I really miss being in the city and having sushi, pret etc on every corner. Howevermuch I hate every corner looking the same

Hope its an early escape to the country.

 

[Atropos]

This is not good. I have lost my Galette-fu.

Every morning at 6.30 I make a galette, almost on auto-pilot. Heat pan, beat egg, bran'n stuff, yogurt, cook, eat. Wake up.

Today I crawled down at 8.30 after sleeping in - and it took SIX attempts to make something edible. The sink is choaked with ex-galettes. Carbonised Galletes, stuck galletes, scrambled galettes.

That's it.

I'm going back to bed and phoning in sick from under the duvet!