Another day today when everything seemed to fall into place, everything was effortless, almost like second nature. No cravings, no hunger pangs, tons of energy and a good night sleep.
It was in fact so seamless that I was surprised to discover that my period had started (sorry if it's too much information for you, this is pure physiology, turns out this happens to most women every month). I was amazed, as I didn't see it coming one bit.
I fall in the category of those women who don't suffer terribly from PMS and I'm convinced that this is largely due to my diet, as many years ago I did experience some of the telltale signs of being premenstrual such as: acne, tender breasts, tiredness, difficulty sleeping, digestive complaints (bloating, constipation, diarrhoea), headaches, backaches, appetite changes, food cravings, joint or muscle pain, difficulty concentrating, irritability, mood swings, anxiety and depression.
Alarmingly, most of my female clients report suffering from them all.
I don't really get those, apart from a bit of acne even though I never suffered from it in my teenage years (how unfair is that has been my thinking: wrinkles and acne?!), and being absolutely ravenous roughly a week before my period is due. I don't crave any food in particular, I'm not more interested than usual in sweet things but I'm noticeably more hungry than normal. It doesn't particularly worry me because I can make good food choices, because I'm not overweight and because my appetite regulates itself soon after my period has started but I've always suspected it was something to do with a degree of hormone imbalance.
Changes in hormone levels have been blamed to be the cause of PMS, as up to two weeks before the period starts the hormone oestrogen starts declining while progesterone rises. However, I think that this in itself isn't the cause of PMS, this hormonal change starts impacting on us when other hormones are out of whack and especially when insulin is out of whack, which I suspect is the case for 98% of the people I see (men and women). Our insulin levels are all over the place because we live off a processed diet that is way to high in refined carbohydrates and because we're constantly eating.
High carbohydrate, especially high sugar diet and constant snacking worsen PMS symptoms by increasing insulin levels, which messes circulating sex hormones.
The idea behind the Metabolic Balance programme is to balance out your hormones by lowering insulin levels, so it's no surprise really that this went completely unnoticed. More than simply having gone unnoticed, I chose to start the diet right at the time when my oestrogen was falling and progesterone rising and I didn't have a clue I had entered my premenstrual phase. I haven't been that hungry, I experienced no headaches, no mood swings, no digestive complaints, I slept really well and had tons of energy.
I was expecting weight loss but Im getting much more from this and I'm thrilled!
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
Monday, 30 November 2015
Metabolic Balance diet: day 12
I had a brilliant day today.
I woke up pretty early but also totally refreshed so I made the most of this time to do some Christmas shopping online and I managed to get all of my husband's presents plus lots of bits and pieces for the family; I'm officially almost done with my Christmas shopping! Smug.
Going back to my sleep pattern, I've noticed that I'm a lot less tired than I used to and I generally don't seem to need quite as much sleep. I go to bed at the same time, sleep really well and either wake up before my alarm or when my alarm goes but, either way I'm always ready to go and face the day. I've always been a good sleeper but you'd think that you'd be tired on a diet and that you would yearn for your bed. But no, I've got lots of energy and I'm getting tons done during the day - hence why this year's Christmas is pretty much sorted. Still smug.
No cravings at all, today I felt brilliant, everything seemed to fall into place: the food was good, nutritious, filling enough and warm.
I had my usual breakfast and turned my egg salad into scrambled eggs with vegetables, accompanied by some lovely rye bread my husband got me from Waitrose - Schneider Brot, made in Germany so the real deal of rye bread.
I got a bit hungry before lunch but isn't that the point? I always tell my clients that if they're not hungry before a meal it's because they have eaten too much at the previous meal. Hunger is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat".
I don't totally agree with "coupled with the desire to eat", as you can be hungry and really not want to eat, when you're ill for example and that you haven't eaten for a long time. But my point is that if hunger is caused by lack of food, if you're not "hungry" before a meal then you should not be eating. I often get people telling me they snack when they get home/ when they're preparing their meal "to get the edge off", but that's missing the point of hunger: if you eat as soon as you feel a twinge of hunger, automatically you won't really be hungry by the time your dinner is ready and so, by definition, you shouldn't be eating. Can you see that our snacking culture is messing with our body's cues and our metabolism? Allow yourself to be hungry, don't fear it, you're not going to die. Embrace hunger, it's a very normal physiological response. It doesn't mean you need to starve yourself and fast but it means you need to learn not to constantly eat between meals, there's no need, it'll only mess with you metabolism. Fast between meals is my new motto.
I think we need to stop being so bloody humans really, only we disregard our body's cues and eat not because we're hungry but because we're sad, happy, bored, angry etc. Animals don't do that, I mean wild animals. When a lion is hungry it'll hunt a gazelle, run to catch it, eat it until satiated, sleep and do it all again next time. A lion doesn't go nibbling on a gazelle because it's bored and that's why you'll never see an obese lion in the wild.
I woke up pretty early but also totally refreshed so I made the most of this time to do some Christmas shopping online and I managed to get all of my husband's presents plus lots of bits and pieces for the family; I'm officially almost done with my Christmas shopping! Smug.
Going back to my sleep pattern, I've noticed that I'm a lot less tired than I used to and I generally don't seem to need quite as much sleep. I go to bed at the same time, sleep really well and either wake up before my alarm or when my alarm goes but, either way I'm always ready to go and face the day. I've always been a good sleeper but you'd think that you'd be tired on a diet and that you would yearn for your bed. But no, I've got lots of energy and I'm getting tons done during the day - hence why this year's Christmas is pretty much sorted. Still smug.
No cravings at all, today I felt brilliant, everything seemed to fall into place: the food was good, nutritious, filling enough and warm.
I had my usual breakfast and turned my egg salad into scrambled eggs with vegetables, accompanied by some lovely rye bread my husband got me from Waitrose - Schneider Brot, made in Germany so the real deal of rye bread.
I got a bit hungry before lunch but isn't that the point? I always tell my clients that if they're not hungry before a meal it's because they have eaten too much at the previous meal. Hunger is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat".
I don't totally agree with "coupled with the desire to eat", as you can be hungry and really not want to eat, when you're ill for example and that you haven't eaten for a long time. But my point is that if hunger is caused by lack of food, if you're not "hungry" before a meal then you should not be eating. I often get people telling me they snack when they get home/ when they're preparing their meal "to get the edge off", but that's missing the point of hunger: if you eat as soon as you feel a twinge of hunger, automatically you won't really be hungry by the time your dinner is ready and so, by definition, you shouldn't be eating. Can you see that our snacking culture is messing with our body's cues and our metabolism? Allow yourself to be hungry, don't fear it, you're not going to die. Embrace hunger, it's a very normal physiological response. It doesn't mean you need to starve yourself and fast but it means you need to learn not to constantly eat between meals, there's no need, it'll only mess with you metabolism. Fast between meals is my new motto.
I think we need to stop being so bloody humans really, only we disregard our body's cues and eat not because we're hungry but because we're sad, happy, bored, angry etc. Animals don't do that, I mean wild animals. When a lion is hungry it'll hunt a gazelle, run to catch it, eat it until satiated, sleep and do it all again next time. A lion doesn't go nibbling on a gazelle because it's bored and that's why you'll never see an obese lion in the wild.
Sunday, 29 November 2015
Metabolic Balance diet: day 11
Today was by far the hardest. Apparently, it's quite common mid way into the second week, the equivalent of the marital 7 year glitch, but I didn't see it coming.
With hindsight it's not surprising, I almost told you yesterday that it was going to be hard, I committed the fatal mistake of being negative and concentrating on the hurdles I was going to have to jump over instead of thinking of the finishing line. The irony is that I've warned my clients of this many times: don't focalise on the short term sacrifices but on the long term gain. Don't tell yourself it's going to be hard, dreadful, boring, bland etc., if you're tell yourself this is going to be the outcome, the outcome is likely to be this. Set yourself up for success not failure.
So in my head in went a bit like thing: another sunday of having to weigh my food and not sharing breakfast with everyone, boohoo, another tuna salad, boohoo, I really want some nuts, boohoo! Poor me! Part of me wanted to tantrum and tell everyone it wasn't fair, not fair at all!
When I finally managed to turn those whingy feelings into some rational thoughts, I did ask myself why today was really so hard, apart from the fact that I had told myself it would be. After all it's not that I was hungry, it's not that I didn't enjoy the food, I wasn't tired and on top of that I can feel that my trousers are getting looser so surely this should be a good incentive. So what the hell was wrong with me?!!
And then as lunch approached I realised what was wrong: I was cold.
I was cold and the prospect of a cold salad (not just a cold meal but a meal, most of the ingredients of which would be coming from the fridge) made me want to scream, run and burry myself in a baked potato.
I'm always cold, especially in the winter months but the diet is making me even colder and I'm finding this hard. I guess it's to be expected, I'm losing fat and fat is very good insulation - just think penguins. I guess it would have been easier in the summer but that's a bit late now, I'm almost done and I'm not going to cheat - if you do, you have to start all over again so keep that thought.
So what I've decided instead is to accept my weaknesses (when I'm cold, I would do anything to warm up again) and work around it. I think for the few remaining days, it's really important that all my meals are hot, no more salads. I'm still going to lose insulation/fat but a warm meal 3 times a day will really help to avoid being freezing, wanting to throw the towel in and feeling sorry for myself.
We all have weaknesses but the key is to identify them and find a way to bypass them - it's bit like a wave, if you're in the water and see a big wave coming, swim towards it and you might get a chance to avoid it, if you swim away you can be sure it'll crash in your face.
What's your weakness?
With hindsight it's not surprising, I almost told you yesterday that it was going to be hard, I committed the fatal mistake of being negative and concentrating on the hurdles I was going to have to jump over instead of thinking of the finishing line. The irony is that I've warned my clients of this many times: don't focalise on the short term sacrifices but on the long term gain. Don't tell yourself it's going to be hard, dreadful, boring, bland etc., if you're tell yourself this is going to be the outcome, the outcome is likely to be this. Set yourself up for success not failure.
So in my head in went a bit like thing: another sunday of having to weigh my food and not sharing breakfast with everyone, boohoo, another tuna salad, boohoo, I really want some nuts, boohoo! Poor me! Part of me wanted to tantrum and tell everyone it wasn't fair, not fair at all!
When I finally managed to turn those whingy feelings into some rational thoughts, I did ask myself why today was really so hard, apart from the fact that I had told myself it would be. After all it's not that I was hungry, it's not that I didn't enjoy the food, I wasn't tired and on top of that I can feel that my trousers are getting looser so surely this should be a good incentive. So what the hell was wrong with me?!!
And then as lunch approached I realised what was wrong: I was cold.
I was cold and the prospect of a cold salad (not just a cold meal but a meal, most of the ingredients of which would be coming from the fridge) made me want to scream, run and burry myself in a baked potato.
I'm always cold, especially in the winter months but the diet is making me even colder and I'm finding this hard. I guess it's to be expected, I'm losing fat and fat is very good insulation - just think penguins. I guess it would have been easier in the summer but that's a bit late now, I'm almost done and I'm not going to cheat - if you do, you have to start all over again so keep that thought.
So what I've decided instead is to accept my weaknesses (when I'm cold, I would do anything to warm up again) and work around it. I think for the few remaining days, it's really important that all my meals are hot, no more salads. I'm still going to lose insulation/fat but a warm meal 3 times a day will really help to avoid being freezing, wanting to throw the towel in and feeling sorry for myself.
We all have weaknesses but the key is to identify them and find a way to bypass them - it's bit like a wave, if you're in the water and see a big wave coming, swim towards it and you might get a chance to avoid it, if you swim away you can be sure it'll crash in your face.
What's your weakness?
Saturday, 28 November 2015
Metabolic Balance diet: day 10
Day 10 on the diet and my second weekend, which I was approaching with a certain apprehension as today's plan was to meet up with some friends (German again, can you spot a theme?) and go to the Christmas market in Exeter.
It has become a bit of a tradition that each year we go there with the kids, chat and drink mulled wine.
Mulled wine that this year I wasn't going to be able to have...
Was it going to be the same without the warmth and spice of the mulled wine? Was I going to be miserable and cranky? Was I also going to be super hungry and tempted among all that christmassy food, the French stalls with the delicacies from home, the crepes etc.
So, like a good girl, I prepared my lunch last night and brought it with me in case it might become all too unbearable and I braced myself for the cravings.
Our friends arrived a bit late, not actually really late but 15 mins standing in the cold wind is enough to freeze me all over. So I was cold and dreading the "want some?" - I'm getting a bit bored about telling friends I'm on a diet but explaining to them when they look at me in shock that, no it's not to lose weight but for the greater good.
The men almost immediately decided they "needed" a sausage - it was 11am!! That I wasn't tempted by and actually was grateful to finally be sheltered somewhere vaguely warm. Then we walked through the market and all the smells were pleasant but I didn't feel a particular the urge to eat anything - it looked good but you know what, it'll still be there when I'm finished with the diet and next year too, so no big deal.
Then mulled wine time arrived and it was fine, my friends being my friends didn't insist "go on, just a small one; it won't matter". They had some, I didn't and that was that. I often warn people of friends who, consciously or not, try to sabotage your diet. Women are particularly good at that it seems and I wonder if because it is somewhat threatening in our society to see someone taking control of their life, does that expose your own lack of control?
So all was well apart that I got uber cold and that had to crank up the heating in the car all the way back home to regain the feel of my fingers and toes.
I ate my salad at home, as it was the right time and didn't particularly want to rush it in the car before leaving Exeter with my tired 3 year old nattering at me. The salad was good, surprisingly I'm not missing the fat that much, and the coffee after even better - at last something warm!
Tomorrow is Sunday and I'm aware that keeping busy is going to be the key: if you're on a diet, being bored and wondering into the kitchen can mess with your head and make you confuse boredom and habit for actual hunger.. so pay attention folks!
It has become a bit of a tradition that each year we go there with the kids, chat and drink mulled wine.
Mulled wine that this year I wasn't going to be able to have...
Was it going to be the same without the warmth and spice of the mulled wine? Was I going to be miserable and cranky? Was I also going to be super hungry and tempted among all that christmassy food, the French stalls with the delicacies from home, the crepes etc.
So, like a good girl, I prepared my lunch last night and brought it with me in case it might become all too unbearable and I braced myself for the cravings.
Our friends arrived a bit late, not actually really late but 15 mins standing in the cold wind is enough to freeze me all over. So I was cold and dreading the "want some?" - I'm getting a bit bored about telling friends I'm on a diet but explaining to them when they look at me in shock that, no it's not to lose weight but for the greater good.
The men almost immediately decided they "needed" a sausage - it was 11am!! That I wasn't tempted by and actually was grateful to finally be sheltered somewhere vaguely warm. Then we walked through the market and all the smells were pleasant but I didn't feel a particular the urge to eat anything - it looked good but you know what, it'll still be there when I'm finished with the diet and next year too, so no big deal.
Then mulled wine time arrived and it was fine, my friends being my friends didn't insist "go on, just a small one; it won't matter". They had some, I didn't and that was that. I often warn people of friends who, consciously or not, try to sabotage your diet. Women are particularly good at that it seems and I wonder if because it is somewhat threatening in our society to see someone taking control of their life, does that expose your own lack of control?
So all was well apart that I got uber cold and that had to crank up the heating in the car all the way back home to regain the feel of my fingers and toes.
I ate my salad at home, as it was the right time and didn't particularly want to rush it in the car before leaving Exeter with my tired 3 year old nattering at me. The salad was good, surprisingly I'm not missing the fat that much, and the coffee after even better - at last something warm!
Tomorrow is Sunday and I'm aware that keeping busy is going to be the key: if you're on a diet, being bored and wondering into the kitchen can mess with your head and make you confuse boredom and habit for actual hunger.. so pay attention folks!
Friday, 27 November 2015
Metabolic Balance diet: day 9
Today was a super easy day and I have no doubt that the results from yesterday helped. I mean, at the start of week I was excited but, really, completely in the dark as to what the results were going to be and, frankly at the start when you're hungry and have to get your head round your new diet, it's easy to lose faith and think "what's the point?"
Now I know that the point is that you fat and quite fast too.
Today was also easy because I felt I was eating plenty and that I really enjoyed my food. I'm loving my porridge and surprisingly, given the quantity and the fact that I've never found porridge filling, it does keep me going until lunch.
What tends to happen every day is that around 10.30am, I feel hungry and think "Oh my Goodness, I'm already hungry and will never last until lunch!". And yet the hunger soon dissipates and I feel totally fine, as if I had had some food - I don't feel full but I don't feel hungry nor lightheaded like I used to.
The same doesn't happen in the afternoon and I think this is because my lunch is bigger than my breakfast and contains way more protein so it keeps me going for longer.
The reason I feel hungry mid-morning is simply because my breakfast contains more carbohydrates than protein and so my blood sugar drops more quickly ("quickly" is all relative of course, it would drop a whole lot quicker had I had a bowl of Crunch Nuts!). If we think about it 10.30am is exactly 3h after my breakfast, which corresponds to my when my blood sugar is starting to dip. The normal response would be to have a snack and logic would have it that if you don't, you're going to get more and more hungry and yet the opposite happens. Why? Because the body is amazing! Your body won't let you starve if it can help it: if your blood sugar is low, your body will release some stored energy i.e., sugar and/or fat. And because on the Metabolic Balance, you eat the right foods for you, your body gradually becomes more efficient at burning fat. So between 10.30am and my lunch, I'm most likely burning fat.
Isn't that amazing?!
Now I know that the point is that you fat and quite fast too.
Today was also easy because I felt I was eating plenty and that I really enjoyed my food. I'm loving my porridge and surprisingly, given the quantity and the fact that I've never found porridge filling, it does keep me going until lunch.
What tends to happen every day is that around 10.30am, I feel hungry and think "Oh my Goodness, I'm already hungry and will never last until lunch!". And yet the hunger soon dissipates and I feel totally fine, as if I had had some food - I don't feel full but I don't feel hungry nor lightheaded like I used to.
The same doesn't happen in the afternoon and I think this is because my lunch is bigger than my breakfast and contains way more protein so it keeps me going for longer.
The reason I feel hungry mid-morning is simply because my breakfast contains more carbohydrates than protein and so my blood sugar drops more quickly ("quickly" is all relative of course, it would drop a whole lot quicker had I had a bowl of Crunch Nuts!). If we think about it 10.30am is exactly 3h after my breakfast, which corresponds to my when my blood sugar is starting to dip. The normal response would be to have a snack and logic would have it that if you don't, you're going to get more and more hungry and yet the opposite happens. Why? Because the body is amazing! Your body won't let you starve if it can help it: if your blood sugar is low, your body will release some stored energy i.e., sugar and/or fat. And because on the Metabolic Balance, you eat the right foods for you, your body gradually becomes more efficient at burning fat. So between 10.30am and my lunch, I'm most likely burning fat.
Isn't that amazing?!
Thursday, 26 November 2015
Metabolic Balance diet: day 8
Today marks the completion on my first week on the diet: 2 days of detox (phase 1) and 5 days on phase 2, during which I'm allowed only very specific foods tailored according to my blood results and absolutely no added fat whatsoever.
I've got another 8 days worth of phase 2 before I can enter phase 3, a more relaxed phase during which I will be able to introduce more foods and in bigger quantities, as well as a cheat meal a week!
For the sake of the experiment, I thought it'd be good to do a little stop check to see where we were at the half way point so I weighed myself and took all my measurements again this morning and here are the results:
Weight: -1.2kg (2.6lbs)
Waist: -4cm
Hips: -1cm
Thighs: -1cm
Now some of you might say, "is that all?", but remember that I'm only doing this as an experiment, I don't really need to lose weight as I'm already at the lower end of a healthy BMI so I can't be expected to shed lots and lots of pounds. From talking to other Metabolic Balance coaches, some people who are truly overweight can lose quite a bit more.
Also, I normally view a weight loss of 1lb a week totally reasonable so 2.6lbs is pretty good I think. Remember that this isn't a crash diet, this program isn't your bog standard "drop down two dress sizes in a week" kind of thing.
The most amazing thing about the results were the stats on my scales. My scales measure not just your weight but also your body fat percentage, your metabolic rate, your visceral fat, your level of hydration, your muscle mass and more. After taking my readings I had to look at them for a while to comprehend it all because at first it didn't make sense or didn't seem possible. My weight had dropped by a bit and so my BMI, normal, my hydration level and muscle mass were pretty unchanged, but my metabolic rate was higher and my body fat had reduced dramatically.
It's common when you diet for your metabolism to slow down, hence why people yo-yo - you starve yourself, your metabolism slows down, you get bored with the diet, go back to eating "like a normal person", as one of my clients told me recently, but then you put weight on because your body doesn't burn quite as many calories. Not fair? Maybe not but your body is trying to protect itself in case you decide to starve again...
So, often on diets your metabolism slows down but here my metabolism is higher than it was, my body is becoming more efficient at burning calories. Isn't that cool? And I didn't even exercise one bit (you're not allowed on phase 2).
What really floored me was my body fat though and at first I thought I had got it wrong or that perhaps my scales needed recalibrating but no, my body fat percentage went from 26.5% (i.e., between ideal and average for a woman of my age) to 18%3 (lean). 18.3%?!! That's mad, in the space of a week my body fat percentage has dropped by 8.2%! My visceral fat has also gone from 2.5 to 1.
That pretty much means that this seemingly measly 1.2kg or 2.6lbs that I lost is pure fat.
In a week it's pretty incredible I think, especially considering I haven't had to drink disgusting shakes or fast or exercise.
I can't wait to see what happens at the end of next week, bring on the next 8 days!
I've got another 8 days worth of phase 2 before I can enter phase 3, a more relaxed phase during which I will be able to introduce more foods and in bigger quantities, as well as a cheat meal a week!
For the sake of the experiment, I thought it'd be good to do a little stop check to see where we were at the half way point so I weighed myself and took all my measurements again this morning and here are the results:
Weight: -1.2kg (2.6lbs)
Waist: -4cm
Hips: -1cm
Thighs: -1cm
Now some of you might say, "is that all?", but remember that I'm only doing this as an experiment, I don't really need to lose weight as I'm already at the lower end of a healthy BMI so I can't be expected to shed lots and lots of pounds. From talking to other Metabolic Balance coaches, some people who are truly overweight can lose quite a bit more.
Also, I normally view a weight loss of 1lb a week totally reasonable so 2.6lbs is pretty good I think. Remember that this isn't a crash diet, this program isn't your bog standard "drop down two dress sizes in a week" kind of thing.
The most amazing thing about the results were the stats on my scales. My scales measure not just your weight but also your body fat percentage, your metabolic rate, your visceral fat, your level of hydration, your muscle mass and more. After taking my readings I had to look at them for a while to comprehend it all because at first it didn't make sense or didn't seem possible. My weight had dropped by a bit and so my BMI, normal, my hydration level and muscle mass were pretty unchanged, but my metabolic rate was higher and my body fat had reduced dramatically.
It's common when you diet for your metabolism to slow down, hence why people yo-yo - you starve yourself, your metabolism slows down, you get bored with the diet, go back to eating "like a normal person", as one of my clients told me recently, but then you put weight on because your body doesn't burn quite as many calories. Not fair? Maybe not but your body is trying to protect itself in case you decide to starve again...
So, often on diets your metabolism slows down but here my metabolism is higher than it was, my body is becoming more efficient at burning calories. Isn't that cool? And I didn't even exercise one bit (you're not allowed on phase 2).
What really floored me was my body fat though and at first I thought I had got it wrong or that perhaps my scales needed recalibrating but no, my body fat percentage went from 26.5% (i.e., between ideal and average for a woman of my age) to 18%3 (lean). 18.3%?!! That's mad, in the space of a week my body fat percentage has dropped by 8.2%! My visceral fat has also gone from 2.5 to 1.
That pretty much means that this seemingly measly 1.2kg or 2.6lbs that I lost is pure fat.
In a week it's pretty incredible I think, especially considering I haven't had to drink disgusting shakes or fast or exercise.
I can't wait to see what happens at the end of next week, bring on the next 8 days!
Wednesday, 25 November 2015
Metabolic Balance diet: day 7
Today was going swimmingly well until I made one fatal mistake: I didn't have all of my lunch.
It's not a rule that you have to abide to, you don't have to eat everything on your plan but today I probably should have stuck to my menu. I was supposed to have a chicken salad for lunch and, as part of my plan, I'm also allowed 4 slices of rye bread a day and normally have one with my lunch but today I wasn't that hungry and I guess I wanted to see whether I was eating it because "I could" or because I really needed it.
Turns out I needed it.
By 5.30pm I was really hungry but I didn't want to break the 5h rule so I was becoming more and more ratty as I was handing out lovely plates of food to my boys. Between 5.30pm and 7.30pm when I had my dinner was hard and I properly felt like I was on a diet. In my head I was like a 3 year old having a tantrum: I'm hungry, I'm hungry! It's not fair, they get to eat and I don't! This is rubbish, I don't even want to lose weight!
I "cheated" I suppose and had a cup of chicken stock, which to be fair I had skimmed of most of the fat. I just needed something warm to carry me to dinner and prevent me from shouting at everyone (well, I may have shouted, a bit).
I guess it was especially hard because I wasn't at all looking forward to my dinner: cod and vegetables en papillotte. I would normally like that but without any butter?! Dull, dull, dull, my head said. Yet this is what I had and guess what? It was delicious, absolutely lovely, so much so that I'm definitely having the same tomorrow for lunch. It was just perfect and the absence of butter was almost a good thing, it tasted fresh and clean. Lovely.
I can't wait for tomorrow's lunch, although I think I'll have some rye bread with that...
It's not a rule that you have to abide to, you don't have to eat everything on your plan but today I probably should have stuck to my menu. I was supposed to have a chicken salad for lunch and, as part of my plan, I'm also allowed 4 slices of rye bread a day and normally have one with my lunch but today I wasn't that hungry and I guess I wanted to see whether I was eating it because "I could" or because I really needed it.
Turns out I needed it.
By 5.30pm I was really hungry but I didn't want to break the 5h rule so I was becoming more and more ratty as I was handing out lovely plates of food to my boys. Between 5.30pm and 7.30pm when I had my dinner was hard and I properly felt like I was on a diet. In my head I was like a 3 year old having a tantrum: I'm hungry, I'm hungry! It's not fair, they get to eat and I don't! This is rubbish, I don't even want to lose weight!
I "cheated" I suppose and had a cup of chicken stock, which to be fair I had skimmed of most of the fat. I just needed something warm to carry me to dinner and prevent me from shouting at everyone (well, I may have shouted, a bit).
I guess it was especially hard because I wasn't at all looking forward to my dinner: cod and vegetables en papillotte. I would normally like that but without any butter?! Dull, dull, dull, my head said. Yet this is what I had and guess what? It was delicious, absolutely lovely, so much so that I'm definitely having the same tomorrow for lunch. It was just perfect and the absence of butter was almost a good thing, it tasted fresh and clean. Lovely.
I can't wait for tomorrow's lunch, although I think I'll have some rye bread with that...
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