Week Nine. Day One.

Yesterday saw the end of my 8-week Blood Sugar Diet. If I’m honest, I probably only to stuck to 800 calories-a-day limit for maybe half of the eight weeks, which would realistically leave me with another four weeks to complete.

It was hard to stick to the calorie limit every day; I struggled and failed many times, although some days I did very well. These were the days I tended to be busy – usually Mondays and Tuesdays. By the end of each week I was usually diet-fatigued and willing to indulge with my family while we watched films and relaxed together. I admit, I still haven’t gotten over my habit of emotional eating neither have I broken the ‘weekend feast’ habit!

Despite this, I have lost 12lbs overall. I look leaner and I feel so much better. My enthusiasm for running has returned and my mileage over the last four weeks has sky-rocketed! This is an amazing accomplishment considering that before I started this diet, when I really should have been running every day because I was eating so much, I was always reluctant to go and rarely did.

So, I have lost 12lbs. Nearly the stone I set out to lose. Although I’m a bit disappointed I didn’t stick to the diet a little better and lose the whole stone I wanted to, I am still amazed at how much I’ve lost. Over the last four years I have fought to lose about 5lbs and then have put it back on again almost immediately.

This morning though, the diet came to an official end. The eight weeks – which seemed like such a long time at the beginning – have abruptly finished leaving me with a sense of emptiness when I woke up this morning and realised I could legitimately eat whatever I want for breakfast – toast, cereal, crumpets – anything! So what did I do? My willpower kicked in and I reached for a protein shake and decided to keep going! That’s right – you heard me! I am continuing with the Blood Sugar Diet, by my own free will.

Now, in my last blog post I know I said I was carrying this diet on for another week, and I am. But I could have eaten anything I wanted for breakfast this morning, because technically, the diet is over. So I was pleased with myself for not reaching for the toast and Nutella (yay me!).

I mentioned I have lost 12lbs overall, my mum has lost 13lbs overall. We have both done extremely well and I’m proud of us both. Our exercise levels have risen from sedentary to active, and I think we are both feeling the benefits of this.

I, for one, feel excited about continuing this diet for a little longer. I am excited to switch over to the 5:2 diet at some stage. I also think I will give this blood sugar diet a whirl for four weeks following Christmas, after all, I am not a robot and I will not be able to resist all those treats that come hand-in-hand with Christmas…


 

Week Eight

Hello Week Eight. Here we are, face to face.

We are nearly there. At the end.

When this started I never thought Week Eight would come. But here you are...

We’ve had some slips, and a few family dilemmas and stresses – which is why I haven’t been blogging lately – but the wall chart has never been taken down. I have dutifully crossed off every day, even if my calories sky-rocketed for a day (or two). One day I ate so much rubbish that I woke up in the night feeling sick three times!! It was a terrible night and I regretted over-doing it. The next day I had a food hangover – honestly. I was sluggish, my brain wasn’t functioning properly and I had little-to-no tolerance for my family. I spent the whole day on the sofa watching mind-numbing TV with my three-year-old shouting at anyone who came near me – lucky I didn’t have work that day.

I am back on track now and have been for a few days. So is Mum. We are both still losing weight, although it’s much slower and we have both been forgetting about the 800 calorie count on some days (for me it’s usually the weekends).

I have been running more and going out for longer runs, which I am pleased with. My times are getting faster and I feel good while I’m running.

This diet should be over on Sunday (five days’ time) but because I have been going over the 800 calorie a day limit on occasion, I am extending it until next Friday. Mum and I are calling this ‘Two Perfect Weeks’. We are trying really hard. And earlier this evening, when I came so close to eating a spoonful of peanut butter but turned my back on it at the last minute, I was very proud of myself. So here I am again writing my blog and encouraging anyone who is reading this who’s had a slip up to get back on the wagon. It's not too late. A few bad days doesn't ruin everything. Start again. Do Two Perfect Weeks with Mum and me. Turn your back on the biscuit tin and feel great!

(P.S. I still haven't eaten a biscuit)  

Frazzled Friday

Today has been a little difficult because I have been tired. I should have been on cloud nine because it's Friday, but it doesn't always work like that does it?

I have felt fuzzy and unfocused all day at work and to be honest all I have wanted to do is go to sleep. I had planned to do a little run before dinner but it was the last thing I felt like doing (but probably the thing I needed most).

I couldn't make my mind up if I was going to run or not, but in the end I did. And I'm glad I did. The run worked its magic, as always, and woke me up and gave me a much needed serotonin rush. I'm starting to feel sleepy again now, but that's okay because it's getting late now and after all, it's perfectly acceptable to feel sleepy when it's late.

After dinner (halloumi salad) I have felt the need for something sweet and for the first time in a long time I have scoured the cupboards for something to satisfy me. I am very pleased to report, especially following last night's blog, that I settled on a few almonds and raisins. My calories my be over the 800 limit today, but at least I haven't reached for anything naughty. I can tell you though, it was a hell of a struggle not to stuff one of the boys' doughnuts into my mouth, whole, earlier. Phew!!!

We all have days like this and it's good to acknowledge them. It's incorrect to think that everyday is blast when on a diet like this - it's just not. Sometimes you get hungry, sometimes all you want to do is sleep. Sometimes you will crave sugar, even if you haven't for ages. But I bet that even if you are not restricting your calories you get the same feelings, I know I certainly did. So I could tell myself that I'm not eating enough, or that I need a sugar fix, but I know that both of those things aren't true. The truth is, I'm just not on form today. The difference is that I would usually reach for sugar-filled treats and drinks to perk me up, and today I haven't.





 

Four Weeks In, Four Weeks Out

So here we are. Halfway through the 8-week Blood Sugar Diet.

At the beginning of all this it felt like we would never get to this point. Now we are four weeks in, and there’s four weeks to go.

Today is day twenty-eight and we are halfway to the end.

Time, then, for a brief celebration:

• For four weeks I haven’t eaten a single biscuit.
• For four weeks I haven’t let a single piece of bread pass my lips.
• For twenty-eight whole days I have avoided eating cereal.
• For four weeks I have been reading and researching everything I can about this miracle diet and others like it – and I’m still not bored.   
• In the last four weeks I have had alcohol on only two occasions. 

In the last four weeks (twenty-eight whole days – the duration of February (non-leap year)) I have felt better than I have in a long, loooong time. I have felt happier. I have felt more peaceful. I have felt more content. I have enjoyed my food more than I used to even though there’s less of it and it’s not always the food I would choose to eat. I have made my peace with turkey mince and have eaten it twice without wanting to throw it in the bin (which is what I did with it the last time I cooked with it). I have eaten more eggs than I can count, more frozen berries and full-fat yoghurt than ever before. More almonds than I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. And I’ve had less alcohol than when I was pregnant (just kidding – I didn’t drink at all). And I have never, not once, felt cheated or like I am missing out.

Of course, I have been hungry at times. But I have made my peace with that. We’ve had hot days and I’ve watched the boys eating ice creams with saliva dribbling down my chin, resisting the urge to rugby-tackle my three-year-old and lick the ice cream from his face. I have actually really craved a banana at least once (I usually don’t like bananas unless it involves dairy - banana flavoured ice cream or milk shake), but haven’t eaten one. I have eaten apples and enjoyed them more than I have in my whole life to date.

Of course, I’ve had a few rice cakes here and there but now the packet has gone I won’t be buying any more for a long time. I’ve even snuck in the odd crisp – emphasis on odd. But generally I’ve been good. I think this diet is working well, it’s not too hard to stick to, and most importantly it seems to be doing the job for my type 2 diabetic mother, who seems to have changed a lifetime of bad eating habits in just four weeks and she hasn’t had a single metformin tablet in all that time.

Added to this, both Mum and I have voluntarily become more active. Mum is walking at least five miles a day, when she can. And I have been running. And, I might add, I have been going out running without having first felt that dull feeling of resignation while I put my trainers on because I have eaten half the tin of biscuits and I really need to try and make the effort to burn off at least one of those twenty I have consumed… I have enjoyed running and I have not noticeably struggled at all while only consuming 800 non-biscuit calories. It has, inexplicably, been easier and more enjoyable.

Tomorrow is day twenty-nine. Tomorrow morning I’ll weigh myself ‘officially’ (that’s the weight which gets written down) for the fifth time. Hopefully I’ll have lost another pound. But I must not lose sight of what is important in the hypnotic Cheshire Cat grin of the scale’s digital readout. Losing weight with this diet is, for me, a happy side-effect. What’s most important is that my mum’s blood sugar is being managed with diet alone. What’s important is that both Mum and I are exercising more frequently and of our own free will. What’s important is how happy my insides feel and as a result, me.

And what’s really important to me is that if even one person who reads this blog decides to buy Dr Michael Mosley’s book, read it thoroughly and think ‘I can do it’; take control of their nutrition and in doing so, their life, to me that would probably be the best thing ever.  

Functioning with Fatigue

Today I suffered. With fatigue.

I was fine when I woke up; I made the boys their breakfasts, I cooked and ate my own breakfast. But somewhere around 9am, and my second cup of tea, I started to feel unaccountably weary. I just wanted to go back to bed and sleep. And sleep.

But I couldn’t. The two boys were looking at me to provide some kind of activity for them. It was a beautiful day; sunny, warm and very little wind. How could they miss out on that because I wanted to sleep? So I told them that I’d take them to the beach for a swim before lunch.

Somehow (after a strong coffee) we managed to get out of the house by around 10.30am. We walked to the beach. We found a spot that wasn’t too crowded and I dragged the buggy across the sand, near to the water’s edge. We put our towels out. The boys put their trunks on. And I did all this with my brain functioning like a zombie's (except instead of wanting to eat brains I wanted to get the boys to the beach).

Then we went for a swim – and the water was amazing.

And then, miraculously, I started to wake up. The fog started to leave my head and I was able to think about things other than sleeping or closing my eyes.

Whether it was the walk that did it, the sea or the joy of watching the boys playing in the sand and splashing in the water – I don’t know. But I woke up. And since then, the rest of the day has been fine. I managed to get two loads of washing washed and dried, ironed and put away. I made dinner for the boys (although one of them had a tantrum and went to bed early). I went for a short run, made dinner for Andy and me, washed up and then made Andy’s lunch for tomorrow. And now I’m writing this blog.

There were two notable factors about today’s weariness:

1) I wasn’t hungry, not at all, all day, and

2) Not at one single point ever did the thought of eating biscuits occur to me – a few weeks ago if I woke up feeling tired I would eat biscuits at the earliest opportunity.

So when fatigue strikes, my advice would be to just power on through. Don’t reach for easy way out and eat sugar. Maybe even have a cold shower. It might not seem like it while your brain is foggy, but you might just achieve quite a lot if you fight the urge to get back into bed and eat biscuits.

photo credit: dreaming in milan via photopin (license)

Did you say Extra Fries or Exercise?

It’s Friday again. 

In Bournemouth it’s the weekend of the annual air festival and just a few miles away I can hear something terrifyingly noisy performing stunts for thousands of freezing revellers who have braved a typical English summer’s night to gather and watch the spectacle in the sky – gale force winds are predicted for tomorrow.

It’s the third Friday in a row where I haven’t sat down after dinner to a large glass of red wine and a bag or sharing chocolates which I have no intention of sharing.

One of my biggest worries before I started this diet was ‘how on earth am I going to get through the weekend without eating chocolates, ice cream and drinking wine’. But I can tell you after three weeks, it’s not so hard after all. It was a silly worry to have. And actually the weekends are quite pleasant without all those things.  

Today my calorie total is just below 600. Having gone over my 800 limit for the last few days, I thought I’d better rein it in for a while. I even went for a run today having only eaten 300 calories at that point, I felt surprisingly sprightly.

While I was out running I started to think about how unmotivated I was with my running a few weeks ago. I knew I needed to get out and exercise because I was doing less physical activity and eating more and more – of entirely the wrong foods. But all the eating was making me lethargic and try as I might, getting my running bra on just seemed like too much effort (in all honesty it is quite difficult to get into). The more I ate, the less exercise I wanted to do. That seems funny to me – not hahaha funny, but, odd.

Since I have been eating a LOT less I have gone out running and enjoyed it. I’ve been out three times this week. Again, odd.

It seems that by eating 800 calories a day I am left with more energy and enthusiasm than I have when I eat pasta for dinner, have cereal for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Obviously I have days when I am tired but they are few and far between. I generally find that the busier and more active I am, the easier the diet is and the easier it is to go out for a short run.

Maybe if you cut back on those extra fries you’ll have more tolerance for exercise. I certainly have!

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!