Three Litres of Water a Day

Three litres of water a day seems a lot to drink. But is it...? 

It is vital that you drink between two and three litres of water a day while on the 8-week blood sugar diet to try and prevent constipation and headaches. In fact it's a good idea to drink plenty of water whether you are dieting or not. 

You can drink any calorie-free liquid that you wish; fruit tea, tap water, fizzy water, tea and coffee (but go easy on the milk). I enjoy a mixture of all these, every day.

You must absolutely not drink fruit juices or fruit smoothies. And absolutely no sugar filled fizzy drinks at all. At a push you could have a diet fizzy drink but do this infrequently, if you go out or are doing something special.

If you are not keen on drinking tap water (I’m not) try buying a large bottle of ‘nice’ water. I like Volvic or Buxton. You can then see how much water you are drinking and it becomes more rewarding. Or buy a water filter which definitely helps make the water taste better. If you are really struggling with water, try adding ice and a few frozen raspberries, a slice of lemon or a squeeze of lime.

I thought it would be interesting to work out how much fluid I drink in a day. So, during the course of an average day I’ll have a large-ish cup of tea with breakfast (if I’ve got time – which at the moment in the summer holidays I’ve got plenty of – I might have two) let’s say that’s 400ml. I have an effervescent multivitamin drink in the morning too, let’s say that’s 200ml. I’m already on 600ml!

I’ll drink a glass of water, maybe two throughout the morning and another with lunch (1200ml). 

Maybe another cup of tea after lunch (400ml). And about four o’clock I’ll have a coffee (250ml). That’s an additional 1.8L of fluids. And the day is not over yet! 

I’ll have a glass of water with dinner (400ml) and if dinner was particularly salty perhaps another, and after I have washed up I’ll sit down with a peppermint or Redbush tea (250ml).

This works out to just over three litres of water in one day – I never knew I was consuming so much liquid! And I haven’t even been trying!  

    

You will notice that you pass a lot of water too – this has got to do with drinking so much water, obviously, but there is also an interesting scientific reason about the release and use of glucose from your body. I’ll try and write a blog about that one day…

  

On Any Given Tuesday

There is an element of empowerment in calorie counting.

If you ask any one of your friends or colleagues how many calories they have consumed today, I bet most of them wouldn’t have a clue. Some of them might hazard a guess. And a one or two may not even know what a calorie is.

On any given Tuesday before I embarked on this 8-week diet, I would not have been able to tell you how many calories I had consumed (food and drink) in the last 24 hours. And to be honest, I would have been scared to know the truth. 

Some days I imagine I was eating in excess of 3000 calories, and on occasion I imagine even more than that. Sometimes I would find that my dinner actually got in the way of my snacking ("Oh, I can't have that biscuit now as it's not long until dinner; I'll eat it after dinner" is how my thought process went). Or, that I was squeezing my dinner in even though I wasn't hungry as a result from all my snacking. Sometimes I would find that the nice things I was eating (M&Ms, Malteasers, whole tubs of ice cream) stopped tasting nice because I ate them so frequently. I would then resent the food I was eating for being bad for me and not tasting nice any more, and I would resent myself for not being able to stop eating it! Vicious circle.  

Today I am on day sixteen of my Blood Sugar Diet. I have started to appreciate the natural flavours of foods a little more. The sweetness in natural berries is enough for me. I really look forward to meal times and enjoy every mouthful - not snacking in between meals allows me to enjoy my meals even more.  

So, if you asked me how many calories I have consumed today, I can tell you I have eaten a grand total of 840 calories. I don’t feel hungry. I don’t feel tired (well a bit but only because it’s late). I don’t feel grumpy. I actually feel great. I feel more energetic and just generally better all over.

On any given Tuesday, anyone can take on the 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet and WIN. Just like me. 

Running on 800

It has been fifteen days since my last biscuit. Fifteen biscuit-less days which have gone by fairly quickly. 

My husband has joined us on the diet now. He isn’t weighing out every nut and counting every single calorie like we are but he is eating the same foods, and most importantly, not snacking between meals on sugar-loaded biscuits and chocolate or ice creams (of which there is an abundance of in our freezer at this time of year – how I’m avoiding them is beyond me). He’s had a tough first day; I can see it in his tired face. But hopefully over the next couple of days he’ll adjust, and feel a lot better.

So what I assumed would be a lonely, unhappy time for me is turning out to be a bit of a diet social. I certainly do not feel alone with this.  

I weighed myself this morning and I’m pleased to announce a loss of one solitary pound. A loss is still a loss no matter how small (small positives are still positives too!). My mum weighed herself and she has lost two pounds. We are both pleased with our efforts.

I went for a run today. Three miles in my new Nike Free Runs. I went along the beach and soaked up the atmosphere like a sponge. And although I am still slow, having not done much training this summer at all, I felt stronger and faster than I felt yesterday morning when I went out. I loved it so much I might even go again tomorrow evening!

Breakfast, 200 calories

With regard to running having only consumed 400 calories, at the point I went out, I didn’t feel it negatively affected my run at all. Now maybe if I was training for a marathon… but that’s a different matter altogether, maybe even another blog... 

To summarise:

This week I lost: 1lb

In total I have lost: 7lb

This week Mum Lost: 2lb

In total Mum has lost: 6lb

Combined Weight Lost Overall: 13lb 

Well done to us! 

Sunday (Run Day) Round-Up

It’s Sunday. The last day of my second week on the Blood Sugar Diet. For fourteen days I have tried very hard to stick to an 800 calorie-a-day diet, avoiding breads, pasta, pastries, rice and potatoes and filling up on protein and low-carbohydrate vegetables with plenty of fibre. I’ve had the odd sweet or a taste of ice cream whilst dishing some out for the children but I have stuck to the diet as best I could.

On only one day did my calories stray over 1000 – and that was only just (1045). That was on Wednesday of this week, and for that I blamed the popcorn. Most days I have stayed just below 800, but a few I have gone over. Overall, I should be aiming to eat 5600 calories in a week (I think I have eaten more than this in one day before now – when I realised this I actually cringed). In my first week I hit the target nearly spot on and lost 6lbs. In my second week (the week just gone) I was about 200 calories over the weekly target, which I will still blame on the popcorn. However, this week I have completed two short runs, only five miles in total but it’s something. So I’m excited to see how much weight I have lost when I weigh myself tomorrow morning.

I’ve had a good day. I have eaten well although only two meals, and 100g of strawberries (30 calories – amazing!). Who knew strawberries tasted so good on their own? With the addition of sugar, cream or ice cream (or Chambord – my mother-in-law’s favourite addition!). I also managed a run this morning and although it was short and slow, I felt great. I came back buzzing and enjoyed the sun for the rest of the day in the garden. Pure bliss.

And, you may ask, how is my mum doing? The reason I’m even doing this diet in the first place. Mum is doing great too. She has fallen into a bit of a pattern with her meals which is making it easier for her to keep track of her calories, and it makes meal times quicker and easier. She has tried lots of different dinner recipes which are suggested in the book and most of them, if not all of them, she loves.

We are both finding that smaller portions are now filling us up. I am also finding that sweetened things (like ice cream – I licked the spoon earlier) are too sweet. Drinking fizzy water with ice is my new treat and I can’t wait to have frozen berries and Greek yogurt for breakfast the way I once couldn’t wait for toast or cereal (I love both of those things).

So things are getting easier. And what do you know? We’re two weeks in already! There’s only six weeks left to go. We’re halfway to being halfway. And what a great feeling that is.

Let’s hope when I weigh myself in the morning it’s good news. But even if I’ve put on a pound, or stayed the same, I won’t be disappointed because I feel healthier and just generally better for embarking on this challenge.    

Small Steps with Smaller Plates

I’ve started eating my dinner from smaller plates. This way I can’t load so much onto my plate and over eat. Although I’m calorie counting, I am prone to making a salad without paying much attention to the calories of iceberg lettuce and cucumber. I’m a bit more careful with tomatoes, peppers and carrot ribbons though. My salads will often overflow to two thirds of my plate with a small chicken breast or steak taking up the rest. My dinner plates are quite big, so in order to stop me overfilling my plate I have started using a smaller one.

Now, I’m not saying that eating loads of salad is bad for you. Far from it. But, when sticking to 800 calories a day it’s important not to consistently break the limit – even with salad. Which is why I have started to be a little more mindful.

Getting used to using a smaller plate (if you don't already have one) will help when returning to a ‘normal’ diet following the 8-week blood sugar diet. It will help you to control your portions when you no longer have to calorie count and it will hopefully train you not to over eat (hopefully - I couldn't guarantee it though - I'm a massive over eater).

I also read somewhere once (a very long time ago) that blue is a good colour for your dinner plate as it prevents you from eating too much – by suppressing your appetite! Therefore, (can you guess the colour of my dinner plate?) the colour of my small dinner plate is blue. 

Apparently you will also eat less if your food contrasts with the colour of the plate you’re using (http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/discoveries/color-your-plates-matters). Or if you want to eat more greens, buy a green plate. Interesting stuff!

It may only be a very simple and small step but it is at least helping me go in the right direction. It’s not rocket science but it might help me to lose an extra pound. Who knows? It’s got to be worth a try though, hasn’t it?      

What A Difference A Day Makes

Yesterday I was lethargic, ravenous, I had a headache and I struggled to function to do basic tasks.

Today I spent the whole day out with the boys making the most of the sunny day. We packed all sorts of activities in, including watching a bit of Punch and Judy on Swanage seafront (it makes me laugh so much). 

I haven’t felt hungry once, not at all, all day long. 

For breakfast I had full fat Greek yogurt with a handful of blueberries and raspberries (straight from my freezer). For lunch, knowing we’d be out, I made a tuna salad to eat. We decided to get fish and chips for the boys so eating a tuna salad felt appropriate. For dinner I made a Mediterranean chicken tray bake, I just added a few new potatoes for the boys. 

And I noticed a remarkable difference in my mind and body. 

In Dr Michael Mosley’s book, The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet: Lose weight fast and reprogramme your body he clearly states, very near the beginning, ‘done badly, a very low-calorie diet will cause misery. Done properly, rapid weight loss is an extremely effective way to shed fat, combat blood sugar problems, reverse diabetes, perhaps even cure it’. (Short Books 2015: 19.) 

Interestingly enough, yesterday I tried to substitute 150 calories of poached egg and mushrooms with popcorn. It would seem that my subsequent lethargy was a reaction to eating something which was fat-less and therefore unable to fill me up and sustain me for the day. That is why I was prowling the cupboards for almonds and raisins and that is why I was so tired. My body digested the popcorn easily and I had a sugar surge which in turn made my pancreas produce insulin which forced the sugar out of my blood and into my cells, and later, when I felt tired and hungry, I had ‘crashed’; my sugar levels had dipped to below where they had started.

Yesterday, in Dr MM’s words, I did my diet badly and it caused me misery. Today, I followed the diet correctly, ate the right foods and I didn’t suffer once. My calories are below 800 and I even wanted to go for a run, but I ran out of time.         

I Blame the Popcorn

We had a family trip to the cinema today. I wanted to partake in popcorn eating, so I calorie counted my homemade popcorn and added a dusting of cinnamon. Everything was fine until 4 o’clock this afternoon, when suddenly, tiredness struck. My head was heavy and I had to have a nap. Nothing else would do.

I was woken up by my loving husband who wanted me to make the dinner.

I thought the nap would have worked its magic on me but I was still tired and now I was cold, light headed and ravenous – for first time since I started the diet. I had to eat something. So I had a handful of almonds, and another handful of raisins. These will push me over my calorie limit today to around 900, but I thought I was better off eating these than a biscuit.

I managed to make the dinner and get it in the oven with the help of my two boys, who incidentally make great little helpers in the kitchen. And then I tried to make excuses to myself why I shouldn’t go for the run I promised I would do today. There were many reasons not to go, but one big reason for going – I thought it might make me feel better.

On went the leggings and my running bra (an awesome thing which restricts ALL movement) and on went my old running shoes and with a half-hearted yet resolute attitude off I went for a slow, untimed, two miles.

The first mile was hard. My legs felt weighted, in fact I felt heavy all over. But I kept going. I thought I might have to walk – no shame in that, but I didn’t. I kept going.

As I was approaching one mile something amazing happened. The heaviness lifted. I suddenly felt good and my mind was able to wander to things other than how hard each step felt, or that pain in my shoulder. The run was doing its job.

I didn’t do a PB or anything like it; at one point I began to hallucinate, thinking that a bench was a German Shepherd (it was a long way off at the time). And when I realised that I still had to get home to prepare the runner beans for dinner I even sped up a little bit.

And now I don’t feel too bad, the endorphins have given me a boost. But I am definitely ready for bed (at 8.30pm).

What do I think caused this unbelievable feeling of lethargy? Well, I could be coming down with something, but personally, I blame the popcorn. Although it was calorie counted into my daily allowance, it was the wrong type of food for me to eat and because of a complex chain of chemical reactions,I was left craving food and sleepy. I promise to do better tomorrow with my newfound knowledge.  

Eight Short Weeks

This diet can be hard. Fact.

Restricting yourself to 800 calories-a-day when you are (if like me) used to eating pretty much what you want, when you want, it is obviously going to cause you some anguish.

If, also like me, you enjoy snacking on foods which are high in sugar between meals and then eating starchy carbohydrate-based meals like bread, pasta, rice or potatoes three times a day, then cutting back to 800 calories is going to feel like a massive slap in the face.

But it doesn’t have to be difficult. If get your head on side, your stomach will follow (I promise).

If you accept that you are only on this diet for eight short weeks, it becomes instantly easier.

If you tell yourself that when this diet is over you are going to make and eat a whole banoffee pie, so be it – if that makes it easier for you (one of my genuine thoughts a few days ago).

If you weigh yourself and see you have lost another pound – easier still.

If you look in the mirror and you think ‘I can see cheekbones’ or ‘my skin looks clearer’ then it becomes easier again.

I was speaking to a mum friend earlier today; we were speaking about the length of the summer holidays. She said, “you think six weeks is ages but it really isn’t.” And it’s really not. No sooner do the summer holidays begin then you realise you’re three weeks in and you’d better make that dreaded trip to Clarks to spend all your wages on one overpriced pair of school shoes that your two children have to share because you can’t afford two pairs…

This diet is only two weeks longer than the school holidays. So, just get into it. Get your head into it. Try to enjoy it. And before you can say I’m on the 8-week 800 calorie-a-day blood sugar diet, it will be over.

Keep on repeating those small positives to yourself until they suddenly become big positives and you realise you feel amazing, empowered, strong, confident, different and better. Ready for change.  

Tomorrow I go for my first run since starting the diet. That could be a real challenge. I’ll let you know how I get on. 

A Right Pair of Losers - Week One

Shall I tell you how much weight I lost in the first seven days of this diet?

I weighed myself this morning, before breakfast. Just as I did last Monday morning. Today I weighed a whole 6lb less than I did a week ago. Success!

Mum weighed herself for me too. She has lost a grand total of 4lb. Another success!

I know (before you say to me) that a lot of this will be water. But we are both moving in the right direction. And, most importantly, Mum hasn’t had to have a tablet at all, all week. So well done, Mum.

These results speak for themselves – we are both losing weight. We now have some extra motivation to keep this diet up for another seven days to see what we weight in at next Monday morning. Hopefully we’ll both be a few pounds lighter again but we’ll have to wait and see.

How much will we lose over this coming week? Will week two be more difficult and carry new challenges? Keep reading my blog to find out!  

To summarise:

I lost: 6lb

Mum lost: 4lb

Combined weight lost: 10lb

Seven Days In, Seven Weeks Out

Anyone who knows me, knows I love food. I eat when I’m happy, I eat when I’m sad, I eat when I’m celebrating and when I’m commiserating. I eat when I’m relaxing. I love to eat.

I love to eat anything. From healthy dinners full of vegetables to plates of pasta with creamy cheesy sauces and garlic bread. I love to eat snacks; biscuits, crisps, naughty little chocolates like M&Ms and Malteasers. I LOVE to eat ice cream and breads and cakes and pastries… The list goes on.  

I think about food a lot too. I think about the food we will have for dinner every day; I think about what I should have for lunch. I think about what food I could make to go on a barbeque on a sunny day. I think about what food I will cook for a dinner party or for the boys’ birthdays. I will start thinking about Christmas food at the end of September (not joking).

For these reasons, I was worried that I would struggle endlessly on this diet.

At the end of day seven – my first whole week on the Blood Sugar Diet – I can honestly say that it has been difficult, without a doubt (and if you’ve read my previous blogs you’ll know how much I struggled with those sweets and how tired I was to start with). But, and this is the important part, not impossible.

In fact, I have succeeded in completing the first seven days without the need of a ‘binge day’ or a ‘diet-day-off’ as I have with previous diets. Perhaps because there is a timeframe attached to this diet; after eight weeks I can have a cake or an ice cream, if I want to. Or perhaps because there is so much riding on this diet. If me and my mum succeed and successfully complete all eight weeks on 800 calories a day or less, there is the chance that my mum will have reversed her diabetes and will not need to take tablets any longer. If I give up, maybe Mum’s willpower alone will not be enough, so I have to keep going for moral support and encouragement. 

At the end of my first full week I feel different already. I feel happier, lighter (in mood and in body! Tomorrow I'll tell you just how much I've lost in my first week), slimmer, motivated and excited for the next seven weeks, and for life after the diet.

Getting through those first few days was difficult and I’m sure it won’t be plain sailing every day BUT I’m excited by the thought of what I will experience over the course of the next seven weeks. I'm excited to try new recipes, to research this diet further and to see how my body changes and maybe my brain too – will I be grumpy or happy, short-tempered or peaceful?

I am becoming more mindful of what I eat, when and how much I put on my plate. I am now starting to see that I feed my boys too much of the wrong things, for no other reason than they love these things and I want to make them happy. I will need to change this in due course, and I'm excited for this too. 

For those of you who are concerned about very low calorie diets or VLCDs, let me tell you a few things. Firstly, you will not faint and neither will you fade away. Also, believe it or not, you will not be as hungry as you think. 800 calories is more than you think, but a lot less than you currently eat, that, I can guarantee. You will struggle at times, so try to remove temptation. But mostly, even if you don’t think you can do it, let me for one tell you that YOU CAN. If you need to lose weight or lower your blood sugar, if you are on the brink of type 2 diabetes, even if you are embroiled in diabetes and you need to take tablets after every meal, you CAN do this diet and it might even fix you.

If you need to start a diet and you need a some encouragement, why don’t you join me and mum on our journey right now?

If you need some more help and advice, buy this book by Dr Michael Mosley right now. I promise, you will NOT be sorry.

  

Saturday Sweet Day

When I was little, my parents would only let me have sweets on a Saturday. This became known to me as 'Saturday Sweet Day'. And it worked. My teeth were healthy, strong and white. I didn't get fat or ill, or spotty. I didn't crave sweets or chocolate. That all came later, when I was university, but that's another story for another day.

Today we had a Saturday Sweet Day of our own and the boys had their sweets, the very ones which had been tempting me last night. I had three of their sweets today. I am not ashamed and I do not feel guilty. I have stuck to the diet all day today apart from those three sweets.

We've had salads for lunch and dinner. Our dinner was an amazing steak cooked by my husband - he always cooks our steaks. It has been a beautiful sunny day and we've all spent quality time together, for which I am truly thankful. It has been (mostly) peaceful and relaxing.

Mum is doing well too. Sticking to the 800 calories a day doesn't seem so hard for Mum. But then she lives alone with no one to buy sweets and ice lollies for (I very nearly failed today when all the boys had ice lollies, but I resisted). There isn't as much temptation in my mum's kitchen as there is in mine! But hopefully we are both making progress and at the end of day six things are looking good.

Fingers crossed that my willpower remains high for tomorrow...

Good night :o)

Willpower and the Chewy Sweets

Last night I was able to resist the temptation of a rice cake with my iron will. Tonight, straight after dinner, I tried and failed to resist one of the boys' gummy sweets. They have been on the kitchen worktop all day and I've struggled to avoid them. But after dinner I just couldn't resist their sweet cries any longer. I popped in a gelatinous strawberry-shaped fiend and felt instantly ashamed, while thinking how amazing and sweet and chewy it was. I could literally eat the whole tub. I am proud of myself for somehow managing to resist the rest (small positives!).

I read somewhere that after salty food, you tend to crave something sweet. This was probably my downfall today as I added a sprinkling of pink Himalayan salt on my dinner. I haven't added much salt to my food this week so this was probably a salt bomb going off on my taste buds. I think after tonight I will resist adding salt for the remainder of this diet. Especially if there are sweets within easy reach!

Dinner: Spicy Chicken and Lentils

Day five, has been without a doubt, the toughest diet-day to date for me by far. I have a headache, I feel sluggish and tired. And hungry. Incidentally it has been the day that I have consumed the most calories. Today I am nearly at 900.

Friday is usually my evening to unwind and have a glass of wine (half a bottle), a bag of Malteasers (who am I a kidding, a box!), crisps, popcorn, biscuits, and to be honest anything I can get my drunken hands on. Not tonight though, not this Friday, or the next seven. My willpower is having to work overtime tonight.

I will do my best to go to bed without having allowed another calorie pass my lips. It will be a real struggle though.

Sticking to this diet is taking as much willpower as I can muster. I just hope it doesn't run out over the weekend.

Wish me willpower.

Small Positives are Positives Too

8-Week Blood Sugar Diet - Day Four

It's definitely getting easier. Even if it's only getting a little bit easier. 

I didn't eat breakfast. I tried to make baked egg in avocado and ended up with a mess, which, when faced with first thing in the morning, I decided I couldn't face it. I had two cups of tea instead of breakfast. 

Then Leo, my three-year-old, fell face-first out of the trampoline (through the zip of the doorway which his older brother was just about to zip up!) onto the gravel. So we had to deal with blood and swollen lips and scratches, and general trauma (me as well) before lunch. 

Then during lunch my place in the Harry Potter ticket queue came up so I had a LOT of stress to try and book tickets for that! 

Then during dinner the same thing happened!!! 

All in all, it's a wonder I've stuck to any kind of diet today, let alone an 800 calorie diet. In times of stress I normally turn to food, and not the good kind. It's usually laden with sugar and empty calories. So a pat on the back for surviving today (best to focus on the positives).   

To help me along this long journey, I have made a wall chart where I can cross off every day as I go through the diet. So today, after dinner, I crossed off day four. Just 52 days left to go. I am hopeful that this will give me a visual sense of achievement which will keep me going during the tough times. Like today. 

Focus on the positives, says Dr Michael Mosley, even if they are very small.  

PMA, my husband bleats at me when I am feeling hopeless. Positive. Mental. Attitude.

Always look on the bright side of life, sang Monty Python (Eric Idle).

My wall chart may only be a flimsy bit of paper with some numbers on it, but it is a positive reminder that me, and Mum, are fighting for better health. We are positively changing ourselves in the face of the sugar land in which we live!!!

Happy Thursday everyone! :o) 

From Here to the Pier. And Back Again.

Seeing as it's the summer holidays, we (Mum and I) walked with the boys into Bournemouth today along the beach. It's 2.5 miles from our house to Bournemouth Pier. So by the time we have walked there, looked in a few shops and walked home again we are probably looking at 6 miles, maybe more.

We usually do this in the school holidays - it's our treat (mine and Mum's). We walk there, let the boys do something for a bit and then drag them to the pub where we let them eat whatever they want for lunch, ply them with ice cream and lemonade and let them play on any handheld gaming device we have with us (iPhone, Nintendo DS). While the boys are distracted, Mum and I get plastered on red wine and lager respectively. We eat whatever we want, ply ourselves with ice cream and slur at each other until it's time to stagger home.

Today we did things differently.

We didn't have breakfast. We agreed in advance we would refrain from food in the morning to allow us (sob) just one glass of wine each. That's right, we chose to drink a glass of wine instead of having breakfast. Actually we both found that neither of us were hungry at all until about 12pm.

We both ordered the lowest calorie lunch we could see on the menu - Chicken Caeser Salad (no bacon thank you, that's nearly as many calories as my wine). There were a few croutons on there but not many, so we ate them. We added no extra sauce - no mayonnaise, no salad cream. And we had one glass of wine each (well, one and a half, our willpower isn't that good).

We sat a drooled a bit at the boys' chips, baked beans, chicken nuggets and ice cream... But we did it.

On day 3 of our 8 week diet, we had our day out in Bournemouth and we didn't slip up (much).

I'm going to bed tonight with a grand total of 853 calories inside of me. Well done us, for sticking to our guns, even though we would have loved to blow the diet out of the water.

And, do you know what? Chicken Caeser salad is actually really nice. I didn't feel bloated or a bit sick like I usually do after burgers and fish and chips (not on the same day obviously). It was a really great alternative and one I think I will keep when these 8 weeks comes to an end.

For dinner tonight we made the Beetroot Falafels we should have had for lunch and they were amazing. They come highly recommended and when I get my head round this blog I think I will tweak the recipe (to my taste) and post it on here. I have never cooked with beetroot before so a massive thank you goes to Dr Mosley tonight - THANK YOU!
   

Too Tired to Type... zzz

Tuesday. Day 2. A grand total of 600 calories have passed my lips (plus 6 cashews = 54 calories, I just checked). So, 654 calories.

Avocado and Poached Egg (with chilli flakes)

My breakfast was poached egg on avocado and to be honest I didn't really enjoy it at all. Something about the cold avocado and the warm egg made me shiver. Needless to say I won't be eating that breakfast again in a hurry.

I have been to work today and it was a struggle. I found it difficult to concentrate; my head was swimming all day. I had a shake for lunch while at work which was fine, but I left work feeling hungry.  

Since getting home from work I have hoovered the house, cooked two lots of dinner and prepared some of my mum's dinner as well. I have done some washing and washed up. I could get into bed and go to sleep for the whole night, and it's only 7.30pm. I am shattered. Worn out. Lethargic.

However, I have done it. I have completed day two and that is certainly something to celebrate with a peppermint tea before I pass out.

I am looking forward to this getting easier when my body adjusts to the proteins and veg which is fuelling it rather than the carbs and sugars it is used to. So far no headache - good news. But tonight my tummy is aching for something else to eat: a biscuit, a chocolate bar... something, anything! I will resist though, and go to bed early.

Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.

The Worst Day to Start a Diet

Monday. The worst day to start a diet, in my opinion. Mondays are not only the toughest day of the week for me (and most other people too I would imagine) but adding that extra kick in the bum of restricting calories can be make-or-break.

Not only do I task myself with all the washing, changing sheets, cleaning bathroom and food shopping every Monday. On this particular Monday I have both boys at home all day looking at me like they couldn't be more bored (while I scrub the bathroom floor on my hands and knees) and constantly begging for food. But also, my husband comes home from work for five minutes before he walks straight back out to go to football. Not even stopping for dinner ("I told you I wasn't eating dinner last night." Maybe he did but I was too pissed to remember if he told me or not - so I kept my mouth closed).

Considering Mondays are usually the toughest day of the week for me by far, I always feel a dull sense of satisfaction when I collapse, shattered, into my clean bed and fall asleep quicker than I do any other night of the week. Today will be no exception, especially because I completed the first day of my diet with no hiccups, trips ups or biscuits. I did well and I'm proud of myself. So did Mum. We have both had challenging but successful first days. And despite starting our diets on the toughest day of the week, we have both sailed through the adversity of Monday only to come out smiling on the other side.

Today I have only consumed a meagre, yet surprisingly satisfactory, 800 calories and I feel great.

I may still have a huge pile of ironing to do tonight, but maybe, just maybe, Monday isn't such a bad day to start a diet on after all...

Breakfast - Raspberry Green Tea Shake

Dinner - Lamb Mince and Aubergine

Lunch - Stuffed Jewelled Pepper

Peaches and Cream

Today is the last day of food-freedom before the 8-weeks-of-solitude diet begins. I was going to use today as a preparation day; writing shopping lists, planning a week of dinners for me and separate dinners for the boys (husband and two children). However, in true summer-style we ended up going round to my inlaws's house to eat BBQ, drink copious amounts of alcohol and play in the hot tub. We had a great day but I have been left feeling a bit worse for wear this evening, and there is no plan in place.
I am just about able to throw together the Blueberry and Green Tea shake for breakfast for both Mum and I. Albeit substituting the blueberries for raspberries because that's all I have in the freezer (I've checked the calorie content of raspberries and blueberries and I'm pleased to say there's not much in them - 2 calories per hundred grams as is happens).
Tomorrow it begins then. With a shake for breakfast. And a headache and probably a very grumpy me.
Also, I broke my ice cream maker this evening by dropping it on the floor and Jamie Oliver's old fashioned peach ice cream turned into a disaster when I accidentally scrambled the eggs instead of making a thick and creamy custard. So the whole lot went in the bin - ice cream maker as well.
I hope I have more luck tomorrow and that this is not an omen for the next 8 weeks...
Off to have a few chocolate biscuits before the food-drought sets in.

Strength in Numbers

My mum has Type 2 Diabetes. My mum’s dad also had Type 2 Diabetes. It seems to run in our family.

My mum has been able to control her diabetes extraordinarily well over the last six years  with a balance of exercise (long walks and then moving up to jogging), diet (eating the right amounts of the wrong foods and a lot of the best foods for diabetics), medication (Metformin) and red wine (she found that this beverage could help lower her blood sugar – not sure if there’s any science here though!). Mum’s diabetes nurse says that she is one of her best patients. 

However, with the best will in the world, she is still living with diabetes daily and taking tablets where necessary.

Then my mum discovered an amazing book by Dr Michael Mosley called The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet: Lose Weight Fast and Reprogramme Your Body.

In this book Dr Mosley claims (and uses case studies to demonstrate) that diabetes can not only be prevented but also reversed. Mum couldn’t believe it at first but everything Dr Mosley wrote about, based on research, case studies and personal experience, made complete sense. Mum bought me the book. And then she bought a copy for my dad, who is already a massive Michael Mosley fan having been on the 5:2 diet for the last five years or more – and it has worked brilliantly on him. Mum also bought another five copies of the book and started handing them out to friends and family (some of whom have type 2 diabetes or are on the brink of developing it).

However, even after reading this book from cover to cover, twice, and preaching it to everyone she meets, mum has still not embarked on the 8-week Blood Sugar Diet in an effort to reverse her diabetes and stay off medication. FOREVER.

Dieting for Diabetes Begins… on Monday

Therefore, starting Monday, 1^st August 2016, I am going to embark on this diet alongside my mum in an attempt to encourage her through this willpower jungle. We live in a world of sugar and temptation but for eight weeks we are going to resist all temptation alongside one another. Giving each other support where necessary and calorie counting every pumpkin seed and salad leaf - TOGETHER. I could do with losing a few pounds too so it won’t hurt me. It might even prevent me from developing type 2 diabetes myself – who knows. I will be documenting our progress, daily, if I can, in a bid to further encourage us through to the end. Eight weeks may seem like a long time, but in comparison to one’s lifetime it is a blink of an eye. We CAN do this and I encourage anyone else who needs to lose weight for medical reasons to embark on this journey with us. After all, it’s strength in numbers isn’t it?!   

So… My food scale batteries are charged and ready to go… but first I am going to make some of Jamie Oliver’s old fashioned peach ice cream as my last deadly sweet treat for eight weeks…

Wish us luck.