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)  

Derailment

I haven’t blogged for a few days. There’s a reason for this: I suffered a derailment and I couldn’t muster the enthusiasm or brain power to blog about it. Until now.

There was also an element of shame, I suppose. After feeling big headed for doing so well I suddenly felt ashamed of myself and following a rather large (binge) consumption of refined sugar, I felt a bit depressed and down. I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to get back on track. And I probably wouldn’t have got back on track, if I hadn’t weighed myself yesterday morning.

When you have a few evenings in a row (I was quite good during the days, and I went running) where you break your diet; eat the wrong things and way too much of them, or scoff vast quantities of not-too-bad-for-you snacks which still pushes you over your calorie limit, you will perhaps feel like you’ll never get back on track. But you can.

My willpower, sticking power, whatever you want to call it, has never been steadfast. I change my mind, a lot – I think it’s hereditary. I will do this, I won’t do this, I can’t do this, I want to do this... It sometimes feels like my will and my body (Id, and Super Ego?) are at war with each other; tugging on each end of the rope until I fall one way or another. I have always been a bit prone to binge eating and it doesn’t take a lot for me to fall from the tightrope of a diet. But after I weighed myself yesterday morning and found out that the damage wasn’t that bad after all, I managed to climb back on the tightrope, or get my train back on its rails, and carry on with renewed willpower.

There are eighteen days left of my eight weeks. One of those days is my husband’s birthday so there might be a day where some cake is consumed… But I will do my best to stay on track until the end.

We all encounter set-backs, in everything we do. We have to learn how to pick ourselves up from these set-backs; to get back on track. Doing the 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet is a great teacher of this.

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.





 

Snacking and Me

Today I realised that one of the biggest single changes the 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet has enforced on me is that I no longer snack between meals. This is partly because there aren’t enough calories in my daily allowance to spare on a 100-200 calorie snack. It's also partly due to the Blood Sugar Diet teaching me what I should be eating so I'm not as hungry between meals. I try to eat only breakfast, lunch and dinner, and no puddings! Sob!!

Of course, occasionally I’ll need assistance to get me through to the next meal. I will usually have a hot drink but if that doesn’t work I will have a small handle of almonds and several raisins. And I'm pleased to report I have found eating this small, far more nutritious, snack is far more satisfying than eating half a tin of biscuits.

It was today, while I was adding some chocolate digestives to our biscuit tin (for the boys - not me!), when it suddenly dawned on me, that only a few weeks ago I would have eaten two or three biscuits while adding them to the tin, without even thinking about it. Then I might have made a coffee and sit down with another three…
There are 86 calories in a single chocolate digestive. If I’d have eaten three that’s 258 calories. Six chocolate digestives: 516! That’s more calories in a single snack than I have for most dinners! And that’s not even counting the sugar… (29.4g of sugar for six choccy digestives if you wondered – it’s recommended to have around 5g per day!)

Biscuits were my go-to snack, but they weren’t exclusive. I’d snack on anything but rarely anything healthy. Snacking had literally crept up on me and had become a way of life, a habit, without me even noticing. I would begin my snacking at around 10.30 am – with a coffee. Some mornings it seemed to take forever for the clock hands to tick round to 10.30 am while all I could think of was that tin sitting in the cupboard. And I might snack again after lunch and again after the school run and again after dinner… You get the gist.

Snacking and me go way back.

But things have changed lately, and while I’m on the 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet I won’t eat a biscuit or snack on anything so horrifyingly innutritious (think of all those empty calories I’ve consumed!). I am slowly reprogramming myself not to reach for something to eat the moment I feel hungry and cutting down on sugar has certainly helped me fight those urges to feed my hunger.

I am most certainly not a robot, so I will never say I’m not eating a biscuit ever again as it just simply wouldn't be true. But I certainly hope that they won’t creep up on me to become my go-to snack ever again.      

Day 29 - Bank Holiday Monday

Today has been one of those family days where you go somewhere a little bit different, a little further away. You pack a lunch and things for your children to snack on. You plan activities and watch with delight as your family eats and enjoys the things you have packed and planned for them.

(I might just add here that I did not snack on anything today! I simply ate my three calorie-counted meals and have felt hungry exactly zero times over the duration of today.)

Bank holiday Monday; August bank holiday. It has been great. But tonight I'm tired and I just want to dry my hair and slump on the sofa for a bit before bed - and before I have to get up for work tomorrow. And before I have to plan another week of weather-corresponding dinners and clean the bathroom and wash the bed sheets...

So, here it is. The weight loss summary for Week Four:


This week I lost: 2 lb
In total I have lost: 9 lb

This week Mum Lost: 2 lb
In total Mum has lost: 9 lb

Combined Weight Loss Overall at the Halfway Mark: 18 lb

Nine pounds each over the last four weeks and many other benefits besides. I can't wait to see what the next four weeks will bring.

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)

All the Better for a Frozen Berry Bowl

Everyone needs a go-to breakfast that’s quicker than boiling the kettle. Something you don’t even have to think about. Something you can make with your eyes closed while you’re still half asleep. And it has to be tasty. It has to be so tasty you look forward to eating it.

For me, that something used to be toast with an unhealthy spread (chocolate spread was a favourite) or sugary cereal. I could make it with my eyes closed and I didn’t even have to think about what I was doing.

Whilst on the 8-week blood sugar diet that has had to change. I can no longer have toast or cereal in the mornings and the suggested breakfasts of eggs and shakes can be a bit time consuming (and produce more washing up than I would like!). This is how I fell into the ‘frozen berry bowl’.

We always have a large tub of Greek yogurt in the fridge. And recently I’ve had frozen berries in the freezer. The perfect breakfast for me at the moment is two tablespoons of yogurt with about 100g of frozen berries – blueberries and raspberries are the favoured ones at the moment. I also add a small handful of flaked almonds – about 5g. This comes to around 200 calories - perfect. 

Once the berries have started to defrost a little (about five minutes) I mix my bowl of yogurt and berries together. The cold berries turn the yogurt into a kind of ice cream and the result is honest-to-god amazing. It tastes too good to be a breakfast and I am literally salivating whilst writing this; I can’t until morning.

So there you have it. My go-to breakfast. My frozen berry bowl. If you make only one change in your life, try swapping your morning toast or cereal to a ‘frozen berry bowl’. I promise you, it will not disappoint!    

  

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! 

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.