The Diet goes on . . .

I've now been dieting for two weeks.  It's been quite a roller coaster ride what with crazy diets and loads of exercise!!!  I weighed on Monday - twelve days in to my diet and I'd lost a total of 9 pounds.  I was really happy with this!!!  Woop woop!!!!!

I haven't found the eating too bad so far but the last two evenings I've given in and had a glass of wine with dinner.  It's really really hard to stop at one.  A lovely cold glass of Makutu Bay!  Who can resist!

 I'm still tracking my calories on my phone. I'm allowed 1155 calories a day.  It's not too hard.  I have cereals for breakfast, egg on toast or tomato soup and a bit of crusty bread for lunch and then whatever I want for dinner with either vanilla yogurt and fruit or jelly for desert.  I snack on apples, tangerines and Rich Tea biscuits.

I am exercising lots though!  This week I've already done loads.  I feel really tired tonight.  My back aches and my left hip is sore but I feel good too.  On Monday evening I ran with my lovely running buddy, Heather.  We ran 4.32 miles.

On Tuesday morning Rich and I did an early gym session.  I did interval training on the bike, resistance work on my legs and bingo wings, core stability/abs work and walking lunges and squats with weights.  Then I swam 30 lengths.

At lunchtime I walked with my good friend Jane and our dogs for about an hour on snowy Cleeve Hill.

Last night I ran again with Heather.  We ran 4.56 miles.  We ran for 50 minutes without stopping.  I track our run on my phone now!  We started running in April 2012.  When we first started we ran 20 steps, walked 20 steps.  I did a ten week beginners course with Cleeve Ladies Running Club.  We never imagined we would be able to run for 50 minutes without stopping.  There have been times when we have thought we would never get any better.  We have hit a plateau and just not been able to move on.  But we have persevered and we are so proud of our progress.

Today, once again, Rich and I did an early gym session.  I didn't want to do any aerobic exercise in the gym because of all the running I had done already this week.  I felt I needed to give my joints a rest so I did more resistance work and abs/lunges/squats, etc.  Then I swam 40 lengths.

This afternoon I walked my dogs for an hour.  When I walk I don't dawdle I walk really quite fast.  Thankfully though, tonight was a no running night.  Chilling in front of the TV watching Gok!!!

Tomorrow evening Heather and I will do a shorter run - about 3 miles.  And on Friday I will probably go to the gym and walk the dogs.  So quite a bit of exercise!  I do rest at the weekend though.  The only thing I might do is walk the dogs.

I have an exciting weekend coming up!!!  Girlie supper at our friend Cath's house on Saturday evening and then a really posh spa day on Sunday.  More details to follow . . .

Diet Shocker!!!!!

As you all know I started the Doctor Gundry diet on Tuesday of this week.  I knew it would be tough but I was only doing the first phase to boost my weight loss which lasts two weeks.  How hard can it be to keep it up for two weeks?!!!

So Day One I skipped breakfast as I couldn't face protein and leafy green veg and anyway I'd got my gym induction at 9am.  When I got back though I had my snack of nuts or seeds.  I had 45g of cashew nuts.  They were ok.  For lunch I had two medallions of bacon with salad leaves.  In the evening I went for a run with my friend Heather and when I got back I had dinner - chicken breast, sugar snap peas, asparagus and broccoli.  A bit later on I had 40g of Brazil nuts.  I'd also had six and a half glasses of water - not quite the 8-10 glasses he recommends but close.

Total calories consumed 843 but I had burned 745 from my exercise so net calories were 98!  I felt like I had no fuel in the tank and struggled with my evening run.  And I needed to wee alot!!!

Day two we headed off for a 7.30am gym session.  I felt quite tired.  I did the resistance work and some core strengthening exercises and lunges and squats with weights.  I thought I would try to do ten minutes of interval training on the treadmill but I just couldn't do it.  I had no energy.  I decided to head to the pool and enjoyed swimming 20 lengths followed by relaxing in the jacuzzi.

By the time I got home I just wanted to curl up and go to sleep!  I forced myself to eat breakfast.  Boiled egg and salad leaves.  Oh joy!!!  I'm not much of a breakfast person but as everyone says breakfast is the most important meal of the day I do try to eat it.  Normally just a small bowl of cereal.

I then had my mid morning snack, 30g of Brazil nuts.  Then I went for about a 50 minute walk with my dogs and Jane and her dogs across Cleeve Hill.  For lunch I had a bacon and onion omelette and unable to face salad leaves opted for grated carrot.  Carrots are allowed raw but not cooked.

Rich and I then went to Sainsbury's.  What a joyous trip that was!  We spent ten minutes in the vegetable aisle but I really didn't want to put any in the trolley.  I usually love salad but the very thought of it was turning my stomach!  I was still feeling exhausted and had a burning feeling in the back of my throat and my stomach felt like I'd drunk way too much wine the night before - really acidic.  I walked past all those lovely carbs and stared longingly at them!!!

I was going to the cinema with three of my friends last night and wondered if I would be able to stay awake!  I skipped dinner as I'd been late having lunch and actually couldn't face eating anything I was allowed to eat!  I did, however, stay awake through the film because it was absolutely brilliant.  Go see The Impossible I highly recommend it.

My lovely supportive friends tried to lure me into temptation!  Jane had mini eggs and Sarah had those fried egg sweets and both thought I should be able to eat them as I'm allowed eggs!!!!  I resisted.  I think Paola just thought I was completely crazy for being on such an extreme diet.

When I got home I just didn't want to put anything else in my stomach it felt so bad!  I swear I would become anorexic if I kept this diet up!  My total calories consumed for the day were 775.  I'd burned 566 through exercise.  Net calories 188!  I'd also had to wee eight times, unheard of for me!!!

This morning I woke up at about 6.50am needing another wee.  I walked to the bathroom in a complete daze.  I had stomach pains and I felt really sick.  I got back into bed and slept until about 9am.  I awoke still feeling exhausted.  Back to the loo again but I had to stop and hold on to the wall half way there as I had a dizzy turn.

I got back into bed and asked Rich to get me a cup of tea.  I never drink tea, always black coffee.  I just needed something that would soothe my stomach and as I take my tea with milk I though it would help.  It did.  I also had a Rich Tea biscuit.  Carbs!!! Yay!!!

I decided to weigh myself and I've lost three and three quarter pounds in two days but the way it made me feel was just not worth it.  I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast.  I was still feeling dizzy when I stood up and Rich told me that Dr Gundry says if you have low blood pressure it does make you really dizzy.  I always have low blood pressure.  I felt like I used to feel when I was pregnant!  Not good!

I wanted to go to the Opticians as I need glasses for night time driving but I didn't feel stable enough to go on my own.  Rich drove me there and accompanied me in so that I didn't fall over.  Also I couldn't concentrate.  I'd got a really important email to send but I just couldn't clearly collate the information I needed.

I have now had a bowl of tomato soup and some crusty bread and a small Kitkat bar.  I do feel a bit better but still a bit wobbly.  I have been able to send my email though.

My advice is don't try diets like this.  I've always thought that cutting out whole food groups was wrong but Dr Gundry's science was very convincing.  However, if I feel like this after two days it can't be good for me.  I've had to cancel running tonight.  I've been running around three times a week since last April.  That has to be better for me than some crazy diet!  If you are obese and putting your health/life at risk may be this is for you but otherwise reduce your calorie intake and exercise more.

Happy sensible eating and exercising.  Believe me it makes you feel good unlike the alternatives - over eating and no exercise or extreme diets!  Good luck xxx

Diet and Fitness

Like a lot of you I am beginning my diet and fitness regime today.  I am fed up of eating rubbish and feeling fat!  Although I won't be feeling like this in a week or so and will be craving chocolate!!!

I've weighed myself but I do find that the scales are not always a friend to me.  They never say what I want to hear.  People will tell me I've lost weight but the scales don't necessarily agree.  I think I build muscle fairly quickly and as we all know muscle weighs heavier than fat but takes up less space.  With this in mind I have also taken my measurements: bust, waist, hips, thigh, calf and upper arm.  Hopefully this will give me a truer reflection of what's going on.

I'm not completely ready for my new regime as I haven't yet cleaned out the fridge and cupboards to get rid of all temptations.  I haven't been to the supermarket to do a healthy shop.  I haven't signed up to a gym.  But I do intend to eat sensibly and to exercise and within the next few days address all the above tasks.

I bought a running magazine which gives you an exercise plan to lose body fat.  I have thought for some time that running - even three or four times a week - is not enough if you always run at the same pace.  The plan supports this.  Sometimes its ok to do this but sometimes you need to do quick sprints for short bursts and then recover and do it again and again . . .  Also you need to do strength training.

I'm adapting this plan to work for me.  I want to use the strength training to tighten my core (which should give me a flatter stomach), bum and arms.  I also want to do some swimming because that works well on the stomach.  Alongside this I intend to ride a couple of times a week and walk the dog 4 times a week.

I'm not going on one of these diets where you only eat nutritious shakes and lettuce leaves or cabbage soup.  I have an app on my phone called Livestrong where you can track everything you eat.  I find it's the best way.  Otherwise you conveniently forget that mid morning cereal bar you had, etc.  If you create a profile where you input your age, sex, height, weight and how many pounds you want to lose a week it works out how many calories you are allowed each day.  So you just have to enter everything you eat and it tells you how many calories you have used and how many you have left.  You can also track your exercise and how many calories you have burned.

I think it's important to allow yourself the odd day off from your diet too.  So, for example, if I'm going to a girlie supper I will have pudding and wine but then the next day get straight back to being good again.  That way it's not so hard.  You don't feel like you are denying yourself all your favourite things.  The hardest thing is when Rich has wine with dinner.  Nothing looks as good as a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc!!!


I hope to reach my target weight by the end of February.