14stone 7lbs / 203lb and kidding myself that I am on top of this :(
So, a restart is required: 11.05.15
1. 2 weeks JUDDD restart
2. Couch to 5K
3. Keep this diary!
4. Weigh in day = Wednesday (unless I change and go to Mon/Weds/Fri )
Goal One: 199lbs
How to lose weight when you really don't feel like trying
Overweight for years. A sports scientist. I really should practice what I preach!
Sunday, 10 May 2015
Saturday, 5 October 2013
Update
I am now just 5lbs away from 13 stone, 3 stones lost in 22 months.
I can't say it has been difficult or that I feel I have been dieting for ages, as it hasn't and I haven't! I have eaten less on 2 days of any week I have felt up to it and eaten what I wanted if I haven't.
No guilt as I spent decades gaining the weight and want this to be a lifestyle change rather than a quick loss and fight to maintain. I am happy that this is doable forever. I may even be in maintenance early next year - my target is Valentine's Day, but I'm not really banking on it. I'll get there when I get there.
So, 2.5lbs down this week and about 1 - 1.5 stones to go before I have hit a reasonable target weight.
I like this JUDDD thing :)
I can't say it has been difficult or that I feel I have been dieting for ages, as it hasn't and I haven't! I have eaten less on 2 days of any week I have felt up to it and eaten what I wanted if I haven't.
No guilt as I spent decades gaining the weight and want this to be a lifestyle change rather than a quick loss and fight to maintain. I am happy that this is doable forever. I may even be in maintenance early next year - my target is Valentine's Day, but I'm not really banking on it. I'll get there when I get there.
So, 2.5lbs down this week and about 1 - 1.5 stones to go before I have hit a reasonable target weight.
I like this JUDDD thing :)
Sunday, 18 August 2013
Salad in jars in the fridge
.... and I am all set for the week.
3 salads for Down Days, 220kcals.
2 salads for Up Days waiting protein addition. We are having crispy duck for tea so I will be adding the remains of that plus a little soy dressing, maybe some croutons too.
All I have to remember is to chop some cucumber, take some tomatoes and add some dressing.
Oh, and a fruit bowl at work will have to wait. My office is being used as a store room at the moment. Still, by the end of the week it should be clear.
I will begin losing again!
3 salads for Down Days, 220kcals.
2 salads for Up Days waiting protein addition. We are having crispy duck for tea so I will be adding the remains of that plus a little soy dressing, maybe some croutons too.
All I have to remember is to chop some cucumber, take some tomatoes and add some dressing.
Oh, and a fruit bowl at work will have to wait. My office is being used as a store room at the moment. Still, by the end of the week it should be clear.
I will begin losing again!
Saturday, 17 August 2013
Oops - again!
Fell off the wagon a little bit, back to work and all that. So I went off across t'internet to find some ideas and motivation.
Woman magazine's meal plans
This does have some good stuff in it. Food that really is food and a clear recognition that you do have to go hungry on your Down Days, so find a way of dealing with it - not that it is hard, to be honest!
But what I found was very American sites that have hundreds of really sweet snack things. Stuff I would never, ever eat, even if I was looking to gain a stone or 4. Apple dipped in caramel, pecan bars at 200kcals??
Overly complicated recipes for things that I think are best kept for Up Days, pancakes for breakfast may not be my favourite but why on Earth make them with non dairy dairy products and non sugar sweeteners, non flour flour etc? Especially when they still have 20% of the day's kcals in them? Not a good way to start your day.
And who would feel the need to eat pizza on a DD? Especially when the base has to be made of cauliflower or something equally daft. Fer goodness sake, just eat less! It is only 2 days a week!!
So far we have found that the Hairy Biker's first diet book has some very nice recipes that are just good food that can be eaten on any day of the week. So he who is not dieting gets to eat good food and I eat well even on Up Days. Mix that with the original Fat Girl Slim book - Ruth Watson details meals that I eat the main recipe and he gets the additional kcals. A very nice book for anyone who is a bit of of a foodie and lives with someone who is not dieting.
Add to that the GL books, anyone's GL books but NOT any GI books - GL includes portion sizes in its glyceamic load information, so it is much more realistic and 'doable'. With these as source material we can eat together every night and he never feels as though he is being put out. Of course some nights he eats things I don't like, fish fingers and beans or something. So we really have found my diet is easy to live with.
So why do I fall off? Easy. I forget to plan! So my next post will be a weekly shopping list....
Woman magazine's meal plans
This does have some good stuff in it. Food that really is food and a clear recognition that you do have to go hungry on your Down Days, so find a way of dealing with it - not that it is hard, to be honest!
But what I found was very American sites that have hundreds of really sweet snack things. Stuff I would never, ever eat, even if I was looking to gain a stone or 4. Apple dipped in caramel, pecan bars at 200kcals??
Overly complicated recipes for things that I think are best kept for Up Days, pancakes for breakfast may not be my favourite but why on Earth make them with non dairy dairy products and non sugar sweeteners, non flour flour etc? Especially when they still have 20% of the day's kcals in them? Not a good way to start your day.
And who would feel the need to eat pizza on a DD? Especially when the base has to be made of cauliflower or something equally daft. Fer goodness sake, just eat less! It is only 2 days a week!!
So far we have found that the Hairy Biker's first diet book has some very nice recipes that are just good food that can be eaten on any day of the week. So he who is not dieting gets to eat good food and I eat well even on Up Days. Mix that with the original Fat Girl Slim book - Ruth Watson details meals that I eat the main recipe and he gets the additional kcals. A very nice book for anyone who is a bit of of a foodie and lives with someone who is not dieting.
Add to that the GL books, anyone's GL books but NOT any GI books - GL includes portion sizes in its glyceamic load information, so it is much more realistic and 'doable'. With these as source material we can eat together every night and he never feels as though he is being put out. Of course some nights he eats things I don't like, fish fingers and beans or something. So we really have found my diet is easy to live with.
So why do I fall off? Easy. I forget to plan! So my next post will be a weekly shopping list....
Thursday, 8 August 2013
Birthday Challenge - get to halfway
My mini challenge is off to a good start.
The challenge is to lose half my goal weight by September 19th. So I will need that ticker to read 39lbs lost!
1lb lost, 6 to go.
The challenge is to lose half my goal weight by September 19th. So I will need that ticker to read 39lbs lost!
1lb lost, 6 to go.
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
An abundance of eggs...
I have just sent 3 boxes of eggs up the lane for sale and am now pondering what I can make/bake for freezing with the remaining dozen - although 3 of those are still inside the chickens :D
I have used up most of the leftover panettone: Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding
Deep ovenproof dish
Roasting pan
Pre-heat oven to 170C
Thick slices of panettone
300ml of milk - any milk, 1/3 cream would be good too.
3 eggs
75g dark brown sugar
sprinking of dried fruit, zest, etc
Icing sugar
Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl, soak the panettone for a few minutes.
When most of the liquid has been taken up by the bread pack into a deep oven dish, pour over remaining liquid, and tuck dried fruit into the bread. sprinkle with icing sugar
Half fill a roasting tin with boiling water, put the panettone in and bake for about 45 - 60 mins.
If I make egg tarts (I will if can find out if they freeze) they will leave me with 3 egg whites. So I will make meringues and have Eton mess over the weekend. The fresher the eggs the better, mine will be chicken fresh, today and yesterday's offerings.
Meringues
Pre-heat oven to 150C
Grease free spoon and mixing bowl
Electric whisk
For each egg white measure 50g of sugar.
With the whisk on slow whisk the egg whites for about two minutes, or until everything has become bubbly, I'll have 2 or 3 egg whites, it may take longer for more whites.
Then turn the whisk up to medium speed for another minute, then whisk at the highest speed and continue whisking through the soft peak stage until stiff peaks are formed, that is the mix should form a stiff peak without falling off the whisk. Don't over-whisk the whites or the bubbles in the mix will burst and it will collapse into liquid.
Still on fast whisk the sugar in, about a tablespoon at a time, until you have a stiff and glossy mixture, it should really shine.
Spoon onto a baking sheet. I try to make little nests so they are quite versatile. I always line mine with silicone sheets but baking parchment will be fine.
Put them into the oven at gas mark 2, 300°F, 150°C and immediately reduced to gas mark 1, 275°F, 140°C, once baked, turn the oven off and leave them alone until the oven is completely cold.
Timings will vary, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours, you want the skin of the meringue to be crisp, not burned, and the centre should be all chewy :)
They'll keep in an airtight tin for a couple of weeks, but they freeze! So I will also take the berries out of the garden and make coulis etc to fill the meringues with!
Biscuits
My general biscuit recipe also leaves me with an egg white!
Large bowl
Lined baking trays
Cookie cutters
Pre-heat oven to
250g unsalted butter, softened
140g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg yok
375g plain flour
Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy . Add the vanilla and egg yolk, mix in well.
Sift in the flour and mix until you get a firm dough. Work the dough into a ball and pop it into the fridge for an hour or so. It freezes well at this point.
Roll the dough out until it is about 3mm thick and cut out whatever shape you want. Place on baking sheets and bake for 10 - 12 minutes, they should be pale golden.
Today I will try rolling it into a log, the diameter I want my biscuits to be. Then I will freeze the log and simply cut off the biscuits as I want them. If it works that will save me having to defrost the whole thing - there are only 2 of us and 24 biscuits is too many. Especially with my Down Days and him working away a lot :)
Custard creams next!
Oh, and Portuguese egg tarts of they freeze. But I need more milk first.
I have used up most of the leftover panettone: Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding
Deep ovenproof dish
Roasting pan
Pre-heat oven to 170C
Thick slices of panettone
300ml of milk - any milk, 1/3 cream would be good too.
3 eggs
75g dark brown sugar
sprinking of dried fruit, zest, etc
Icing sugar
Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl, soak the panettone for a few minutes.
When most of the liquid has been taken up by the bread pack into a deep oven dish, pour over remaining liquid, and tuck dried fruit into the bread. sprinkle with icing sugar
Half fill a roasting tin with boiling water, put the panettone in and bake for about 45 - 60 mins.
If I make egg tarts (I will if can find out if they freeze) they will leave me with 3 egg whites. So I will make meringues and have Eton mess over the weekend. The fresher the eggs the better, mine will be chicken fresh, today and yesterday's offerings.
Meringues
Pre-heat oven to 150C
Grease free spoon and mixing bowl
Electric whisk
For each egg white measure 50g of sugar.
With the whisk on slow whisk the egg whites for about two minutes, or until everything has become bubbly, I'll have 2 or 3 egg whites, it may take longer for more whites.
Then turn the whisk up to medium speed for another minute, then whisk at the highest speed and continue whisking through the soft peak stage until stiff peaks are formed, that is the mix should form a stiff peak without falling off the whisk. Don't over-whisk the whites or the bubbles in the mix will burst and it will collapse into liquid.
Still on fast whisk the sugar in, about a tablespoon at a time, until you have a stiff and glossy mixture, it should really shine.
Spoon onto a baking sheet. I try to make little nests so they are quite versatile. I always line mine with silicone sheets but baking parchment will be fine.
Put them into the oven at gas mark 2, 300°F, 150°C and immediately reduced to gas mark 1, 275°F, 140°C, once baked, turn the oven off and leave them alone until the oven is completely cold.
Timings will vary, about 1 - 1 1/2 hours, you want the skin of the meringue to be crisp, not burned, and the centre should be all chewy :)
They'll keep in an airtight tin for a couple of weeks, but they freeze! So I will also take the berries out of the garden and make coulis etc to fill the meringues with!
Biscuits
My general biscuit recipe also leaves me with an egg white!
Large bowl
Lined baking trays
Cookie cutters
Pre-heat oven to
250g unsalted butter, softened
140g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg yok
375g plain flour
Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy . Add the vanilla and egg yolk, mix in well.
Sift in the flour and mix until you get a firm dough. Work the dough into a ball and pop it into the fridge for an hour or so. It freezes well at this point.
Roll the dough out until it is about 3mm thick and cut out whatever shape you want. Place on baking sheets and bake for 10 - 12 minutes, they should be pale golden.
Today I will try rolling it into a log, the diameter I want my biscuits to be. Then I will freeze the log and simply cut off the biscuits as I want them. If it works that will save me having to defrost the whole thing - there are only 2 of us and 24 biscuits is too many. Especially with my Down Days and him working away a lot :)
Custard creams next!
Oh, and Portuguese egg tarts of they freeze. But I need more milk first.
Sunday, 4 August 2013
Back to work food shopping
I really must get all the plastic tubs sorted out again - tubs with their lids would be really useful.
I want to have my foodbox under my desk again. I don't know why I stopped doing that it really helped. It is a big box with a lid filled with smaller boxes that held all the non perishable bits that made it possible not to eat in the canteen.
I need cutlery too. I'll use a couple of cheap tea towels to make a cutlery roll, easy for washing up then :)
I'll need to read the Rose Elliot 5 fruit/veg book again. Pick 1 or 2 each week. MFP them for kcals first though.
Drinks
Miso soup
Rooibus teabags
Rooibus earl grey or similar
Dried Goods
Thread noodles - for DIY soup/pot noodles
Ryvita: 1 sweet, 1 savoury
Nuts
Dark chocolate
Biscotti
Every week
Cherry tomatoes
Olives
Artichoke hearts
Fruit
Cheese of some sort
Soups - Glorious Skinny or otherwise
Mini pepper mill - it's at work somewhere!!
Bowl for fruit
Soup mugs - split the soup into 2 mugs --> microwave
I have some storecupboard stuff that needs using up
Make
Flapjacks - oats and dried fruit
Over time I will also make batches of stuff that can be frozen
Freeze
Batch bake muffins and freeze back
Make biscuit base and freeze back
Med veg, including the cous cous
Veggie curry
Sweet potato - baked, for DIY pot noodle
Kale - it is in the veggie patch, chopped small and blanched for DIY pot noodle
Empanadas - when there is a bit of 'stuff' leftover for fillings
I have collected all the plastic together, funny how I now have more lids than boxes! Next week I'll buy the dried goods and take them in, ready for use. So I should be good to go :)
I want to have my foodbox under my desk again. I don't know why I stopped doing that it really helped. It is a big box with a lid filled with smaller boxes that held all the non perishable bits that made it possible not to eat in the canteen.
I need cutlery too. I'll use a couple of cheap tea towels to make a cutlery roll, easy for washing up then :)
I'll need to read the Rose Elliot 5 fruit/veg book again. Pick 1 or 2 each week. MFP them for kcals first though.
Drinks
Miso soup
Rooibus teabags
Rooibus earl grey or similar
Dried Goods
Thread noodles - for DIY soup/pot noodles
Ryvita: 1 sweet, 1 savoury
Nuts
Dark chocolate
Biscotti
Every week
Cherry tomatoes
Olives
Artichoke hearts
Fruit
Cheese of some sort
Soups - Glorious Skinny or otherwise
Mini pepper mill - it's at work somewhere!!
Bowl for fruit
Soup mugs - split the soup into 2 mugs --> microwave
I have some storecupboard stuff that needs using up
Make
Flapjacks - oats and dried fruit
Over time I will also make batches of stuff that can be frozen
Freeze
Batch bake muffins and freeze back
Make biscuit base and freeze back
Med veg, including the cous cous
Veggie curry
Sweet potato - baked, for DIY pot noodle
Kale - it is in the veggie patch, chopped small and blanched for DIY pot noodle
Empanadas - when there is a bit of 'stuff' leftover for fillings
I have collected all the plastic together, funny how I now have more lids than boxes! Next week I'll buy the dried goods and take them in, ready for use. So I should be good to go :)
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