Boxing Day is the new New Year for me. I've fallen off the LCHF wagon in quite a spectacular way over the last couple of months, to the extent that my weight is back up to my starting level. Interestingly my waist measurement is not quite back to where it was, so I'm hopeful that at least some of the excess weight is water.
There are several reasons why I started eating too many carbohydrates again, but it has taught me four very important things:
1) I am clearly very insulin resistant. My body's response to eating carbohydrates again was almost frightening in the way I craved bread, pasta and potatoes almost instantly after eating that first bowl of pasta.
2) I am addicted to sugar, and in particular poor quality chocolate. Once I start eating milk chocolate I find it genuinely difficult to stop. Back when I was firmly following a LCHF diet earlier in the year, the occasional bit of 85% chocolate was fine, but it turns out that with milk chocolate I really can't stop at just one piece.
3) I am probably not someone who can have a 'cheat day'. I comprehensively fell off the wagon after I allowed myself to eat some sweets at Halloween - not even 2 months later and I have regained all the weight I had lost.
4) While I don't have coeliac disease, my gut's reaction to going back to gluten and sugar was 'interesting'. I'm really looking forward to not feeling bloated anymore in a few day's time...
So, back to LCHF it is. Starting today, rather than 1st January, so that it is very firmly not a New Year's Resolution. In addition to looking at all the websites I used before (such as Diet Doctor) I have also signed up to the Banting online course. I already have the Real Meal Revolution cook book, but I feel that the course will give me the kick start I need.
As the website does everything in kilos, my new starting weight is 89.2kg. This is a lot more than I should weigh, given that I am only 160cm tall. I do feel more confident than I ever did when re-starting WeightWatchers though, as I know already that I won't become irrationally hungry, and that I will enjoy all the food I eat. It does mean I have to be very organised with pack lunches for work, but I'm up for the challenge.
Starting on Boxing Day is a surprisingly good idea as it turns out - the fridge is full of leftover turkey, bacon, sausages and cheese, so the first few days should be easy.
Showing posts with label weight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight. Show all posts
Saturday, 26 December 2015
Sunday, 9 August 2015
Ankles and recipes
One of the first things that happened when I started cutting carbs from my diet was that my ankles reappeared. I have had slightly swollen ankles for as long as I can remember - worse on hot days, and terrible after long-haul flights. When I was pregnant my legs swelled so much that I was asked to monitor my urine every day for protein as my obstetrician was worried I was going to develop pre-eclampsia. I never did get pre-eclampsia, but I did have a very impressive weight loss after both babies were born, due mainly to losing water.
I remember that my mother used to get swollen ankles too, so I assumed that it was just genetic, and that there was nothing I could do about it. Even when I lost quite a lot of weight after my second child was born I still had very swollen ankles, especially on hot days. And then I started the low-carb high fat diet. My ankle reappeared within a week - I couldn't believe it.
Here's a picture of my legs from about 2 weeks before I cut out the carbs. I barely have an ankle at all, and some horrid creases from how swollen they are.
And here are my legs today - you'll note I am also sporting a lovely pedicure. As you can see, I now have bona fide ankles again, despite today being a very hot day here in the UK.
I remember that my mother used to get swollen ankles too, so I assumed that it was just genetic, and that there was nothing I could do about it. Even when I lost quite a lot of weight after my second child was born I still had very swollen ankles, especially on hot days. And then I started the low-carb high fat diet. My ankle reappeared within a week - I couldn't believe it.
Here's a picture of my legs from about 2 weeks before I cut out the carbs. I barely have an ankle at all, and some horrid creases from how swollen they are.
And here are my legs today - you'll note I am also sporting a lovely pedicure. As you can see, I now have bona fide ankles again, despite today being a very hot day here in the UK.
My weight has been stable for 4 weeks now, which is frustrating, but also understandable. I've been on holiday for the last 2 weeks and have drunk quite a lot more wine than normal. I have also eaten the odd poppadom. Those things combined have clearly pushed my carbohydrate levels over my personal limit. I'm back at work next week, so I'm confident that I can get back to eating a much lower level of carbohydrates, along with drinking less alcohol.
It will also be easier to stick to a strict low-carb high-fat diet seeing as my new cookbook arrived this week - The Real Meal Revolution by Tim Noakes, Jonno Proudfoot and Sally-Ann Creed. It contains an essay from Tim Noakes explaining the science behind the eating plan, and some absolutely fabulous looking recipes. So far we have already tried the cottage pie and the mackerel and avocado breakfast. Both were excellent, and I have plans to try several more recipes over the next few weeks.
Friday, 17 July 2015
Obese to Overweight
After 12 weeks of following a low carb high fat diet I have now lost 10% of my bodyweight. I have also reduced my BMI from 32.4 to 29.2 - this means I have moved down from the Obese category to the Overweight category.
The numbers don't really matter though. What matters is that this week I bought a new pair of jeans and two new tops, and I chose the ones that looked good in the mirror, not the only ones in the shop that fitted. And I feel great in them. I have also received several comments from people this week who have noticed that I have lost weight. Although I am very definitely doing this for myself, it was still rather lovely to realise that other people have noticed and it is always good to get a compliment or two.
Two of my work colleagues have been so impressed with my weight loss so fart that they have also adopted a low carb high fat diet. They asked me for a book recommendation, so I've advised them to buy Gary Taube's book, Why We Get Fat, as that is the one I found the most useful. So far my colleagues have lost more than 6 pounds each, in just 2 weeks, which is brilliant. My next plan is to move the office over to full fat milk for our tea and coffee.
The numbers don't really matter though. What matters is that this week I bought a new pair of jeans and two new tops, and I chose the ones that looked good in the mirror, not the only ones in the shop that fitted. And I feel great in them. I have also received several comments from people this week who have noticed that I have lost weight. Although I am very definitely doing this for myself, it was still rather lovely to realise that other people have noticed and it is always good to get a compliment or two.
Two of my work colleagues have been so impressed with my weight loss so fart that they have also adopted a low carb high fat diet. They asked me for a book recommendation, so I've advised them to buy Gary Taube's book, Why We Get Fat, as that is the one I found the most useful. So far my colleagues have lost more than 6 pounds each, in just 2 weeks, which is brilliant. My next plan is to move the office over to full fat milk for our tea and coffee.
Friday, 5 June 2015
Hunger
On all the many diets I have tried in my life there was always one constant theme - hunger. No matter how many vegetables I ate, and how much I tried to bulk up meals with "zero-point" food, a couple of hours after eating I would be hungry again.
I was also always hungry when I woke up in the morning. This often meant that I was unable to even have a lie-in at the weekend, as I would be woken before 8am by my protesting stomach, insisting that I go downstairs and put some breakfast in it immediately.
Now that I have been eating low carb high fat for nearly 7 weeks I am delighted to say that my hunger has almost totally disappeared and it is a revelation. A couple of weeks ago I had to go to the dentist so didn't have breakfast. I then had a filling and was advised not to eat until the numbness had worn off. As a result I ate nothing at all until 2pm - and nothing bad happened. I was a little bit hungry by about midday, but not grumpy and was still able to concentrate at work perfectly well.
I was away at a conference this week and there was no suitable food at lunch time. Instead of panicking and eating unsuitable food in case I got hungry later, I just didn't eat lunch. I didn't manage to get to any food I could eat until 6pm, and incredibly, I genuinely wasn't hungry during that time. I was aware by about 3pm that I would probably appreciate some food, but it didn't feel like hunger and it certainly wasn't uncomfortable. I also didn't overeat at dinner.
With previous eating plans I just would not have been able to go from breakfast until 6pm without being uncomfortably hungry, and when food did come along I would have eaten much more than I needed.
Also, I have now lost 10 pounds and 12cm from around my waist - without any calorie counting at all.
Long may this continue!
I was also always hungry when I woke up in the morning. This often meant that I was unable to even have a lie-in at the weekend, as I would be woken before 8am by my protesting stomach, insisting that I go downstairs and put some breakfast in it immediately.
Now that I have been eating low carb high fat for nearly 7 weeks I am delighted to say that my hunger has almost totally disappeared and it is a revelation. A couple of weeks ago I had to go to the dentist so didn't have breakfast. I then had a filling and was advised not to eat until the numbness had worn off. As a result I ate nothing at all until 2pm - and nothing bad happened. I was a little bit hungry by about midday, but not grumpy and was still able to concentrate at work perfectly well.
I was away at a conference this week and there was no suitable food at lunch time. Instead of panicking and eating unsuitable food in case I got hungry later, I just didn't eat lunch. I didn't manage to get to any food I could eat until 6pm, and incredibly, I genuinely wasn't hungry during that time. I was aware by about 3pm that I would probably appreciate some food, but it didn't feel like hunger and it certainly wasn't uncomfortable. I also didn't overeat at dinner.
With previous eating plans I just would not have been able to go from breakfast until 6pm without being uncomfortably hungry, and when food did come along I would have eaten much more than I needed.
Also, I have now lost 10 pounds and 12cm from around my waist - without any calorie counting at all.
Long may this continue!
Monday, 4 May 2015
Low Carb High Fat
As part of my Book a Week challenge I have just read 2 books about food which set off a genuine lightbulb moment, and I have now been on a low carbohydrate high fat diet for 2 weeks.
Looking back I have been moving towards this way of eating since 2013, when I read David Gillespie's book Sweet Poison. After reading it I gave up all refined sugar and fructose (including dried fruits, honey, maple syrup and the like) and I did find that my appetite reduced somewhat and that I stopped craving sweets, biscuits and chocolate after a few weeks without sugar. Although I did lose weight without having to do any calorie counting for the first time in my life it wasn't much (7 lb or so) and I still found it hard to curb my appetite for carbohydrates. I then decided to have a break from the no-sugar regime at Christmas 2014, as I thought I would have enough self-control to not overeat. It turns out I didn't - I ate an enormous amount of chocolate and junk food, and put on 6 lb in 2 weeks.
Then in January 2015 I stopped eating sugar again, but in a desperate attempt to lose weight I also went back to Weightwatchers at the same time. This plan really did not work for me - in 3 months I managed to lose the enormous amount of 2 lb, and then put it back on again.
I have been actively trying to lose weight on and off since the age of 16, normally on some variation of a low-fat diet. Along the way I have followed Rosemary Conley, Weightwatchers, Susan Powter, the Scarsdale Diet and a particularly ineffective book called Eating Less. However none of these have resulted in me losing weight in any time of sustainable fashion, although to be fair I had the most success on Weightwatchers - but never came close to reaching my goal weight.
Thanks to my account on the Weightwatchers website I have my weights tracked (albeit sometimes sporadically) from 2007 onwards, and I can see now that the only times I have managed to get my weight below 12 stone (168 lb) was for a short period when I was breastfeeding (11 stone 1 lb, for about 3 weeks) and when I had a viral infection which caused thyrotoxicosis (11 stone 9 lb, for about 4 weeks).
On the day I started following this current regime I weighed 13 stone 1.4 lb (183.4 lb). Not my highest weight ever, but nevertheless way too much for my height. At 5'3" I should weigh between 8 and 10 stone to have my BMI in the healthy range. So I have at least 3 stone (42 lb) to lose.
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"
Einstein
If following recommended dietary guidelines had failed to work for me for more than 20 years, then surely now was as good a time as any to try something else. I resolved to try going low carb high fat to see what would happen. It meant cooking different food for my partner and kids, and coping with a house full of carbohydrates, but I was determined to try for 2 weeks and then evaluate it.
The results have astonished me. Over the past 2 weeks I have rarely been hungry, I have eaten what seems to be a lot of food, and I have lost 7 lb in weight and 9cm from my waist. I know this rate of weight loss will most likely not continue, but I am truly hopeful for the first time in 20 years that I may finally have the answer to my weight problem.
I have enjoyed eating avocado, roast duck (with the skin on!), full fat cheese, bacon, nuts, full fat yoghurt and the odd berry. On the down side I have also really missed bread, rice and pasta, and it was very hard not to swipe some of the kids' pizza when I cooked it for them yesterday.
On balance this way of eating has been a lot easier than any others I have tried, principally because I have not had all-consuming hunger to deal with, nor anxiety over whether I had enough points left to be able to eat a satisfying dinner.
As for those 2 books - they were That Sugar Book by Damon Gameau and Why we get fat by Gary Taube. I strongly recommend that you read them both, along with Sweet Poison.
Looking back I have been moving towards this way of eating since 2013, when I read David Gillespie's book Sweet Poison. After reading it I gave up all refined sugar and fructose (including dried fruits, honey, maple syrup and the like) and I did find that my appetite reduced somewhat and that I stopped craving sweets, biscuits and chocolate after a few weeks without sugar. Although I did lose weight without having to do any calorie counting for the first time in my life it wasn't much (7 lb or so) and I still found it hard to curb my appetite for carbohydrates. I then decided to have a break from the no-sugar regime at Christmas 2014, as I thought I would have enough self-control to not overeat. It turns out I didn't - I ate an enormous amount of chocolate and junk food, and put on 6 lb in 2 weeks.
Then in January 2015 I stopped eating sugar again, but in a desperate attempt to lose weight I also went back to Weightwatchers at the same time. This plan really did not work for me - in 3 months I managed to lose the enormous amount of 2 lb, and then put it back on again.
I have been actively trying to lose weight on and off since the age of 16, normally on some variation of a low-fat diet. Along the way I have followed Rosemary Conley, Weightwatchers, Susan Powter, the Scarsdale Diet and a particularly ineffective book called Eating Less. However none of these have resulted in me losing weight in any time of sustainable fashion, although to be fair I had the most success on Weightwatchers - but never came close to reaching my goal weight.
Thanks to my account on the Weightwatchers website I have my weights tracked (albeit sometimes sporadically) from 2007 onwards, and I can see now that the only times I have managed to get my weight below 12 stone (168 lb) was for a short period when I was breastfeeding (11 stone 1 lb, for about 3 weeks) and when I had a viral infection which caused thyrotoxicosis (11 stone 9 lb, for about 4 weeks).
On the day I started following this current regime I weighed 13 stone 1.4 lb (183.4 lb). Not my highest weight ever, but nevertheless way too much for my height. At 5'3" I should weigh between 8 and 10 stone to have my BMI in the healthy range. So I have at least 3 stone (42 lb) to lose.
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"
Einstein
If following recommended dietary guidelines had failed to work for me for more than 20 years, then surely now was as good a time as any to try something else. I resolved to try going low carb high fat to see what would happen. It meant cooking different food for my partner and kids, and coping with a house full of carbohydrates, but I was determined to try for 2 weeks and then evaluate it.
The results have astonished me. Over the past 2 weeks I have rarely been hungry, I have eaten what seems to be a lot of food, and I have lost 7 lb in weight and 9cm from my waist. I know this rate of weight loss will most likely not continue, but I am truly hopeful for the first time in 20 years that I may finally have the answer to my weight problem.
I have enjoyed eating avocado, roast duck (with the skin on!), full fat cheese, bacon, nuts, full fat yoghurt and the odd berry. On the down side I have also really missed bread, rice and pasta, and it was very hard not to swipe some of the kids' pizza when I cooked it for them yesterday.
On balance this way of eating has been a lot easier than any others I have tried, principally because I have not had all-consuming hunger to deal with, nor anxiety over whether I had enough points left to be able to eat a satisfying dinner.
As for those 2 books - they were That Sugar Book by Damon Gameau and Why we get fat by Gary Taube. I strongly recommend that you read them both, along with Sweet Poison.
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