Getting in early..

John's left for work, Lizzie's left for school, so I'm getting in with my blog early before I go off to work otherwise I won't stand a chance when we all get home.

Thanks for the lovely comments and hugs Ameythist, Lesley and Cath. I'll try not to get any further ailments, Lesley, Im fed up of sounding like a hypochondriac. John thought the doctor should have looked at carrying out tests, Cath, but, to be honest, I'mjust happy now if I can keep the eyes cleared up - we'll cross that bridge when and if I have any more problems.

I'm cheered up! The hydrocortisone cream has worked. I'm just back to having brownish shadows on my eyes which, as I said before, looks remarkably like a beige eyeshadow.

Seeing John's brother and wife yesterday was very nice. Although Jim and Jo only live in North London we really don't see much of them. We probably only catch up at Christmas and maybe 2 or 3 times during the year. Jo's also lost a lot of weight since I last saw her. She's been doing a low GI diet and has lost about 21/2stone (down to 9st 7lb or there abouts......grrr) and also doing some sort of dance class - NIA. I've never heard of it. I think it's some kind of free-movement class that isn't very widespread in the UK (came from the States, of course) and it sounds all rather hippy to me - just Jo's cup of tea. But I somehow don't think it would fit into the East End or Essex - hence no classes listed on the internet in this area.

I cooked a very nice low GI meal that fitted well into my new regime and had a fruit salad for dessert. I started incorporating fruit into my diet on Friday, mainly so that I could have breakfast! Everyone enjoyed the mea; and I enjoyed a glass of white wine - hmmm.

I had my weekly weigh-in this morning and checked my ketones. I'm still in ketosis and the pink registered on the 3rd one in (according to Heather - LLC- that was perfect for LighterLife, I just hope that's Ok now and it shouldn't be darker). And for the weight result........drumroll.......I've lost 3lbs - weyhey!



Well off to work now to see what the day brings (more of the same I suppose) and I'll try very hard to get on later to check in with everybody. Have a good week.

I'm a petunia...

I am a Petunia What Flower Are You?

Went to the doctors

I had an appointment at the doctor' this morning. I asat there explaining how and when the eye problem started but she wasn't interested. She told me I was over-analysing (me?) it and that it was eczema around the eye and we just had to get it cleared up. She wasn't intrested in the fact that I'd never suffered from eczema before and that it coincided with starting the packs. She said she was really proud of the way I had lost the weight and that I was keeping on - some consolation, I suppose.

So, I'm on Dermacort, a hydrocortisone cream, twice a day until it clears up. Great! Why it happened I don't know. It's really itchy and I feel like a pariah - I don't want to go out or see people. It's a good thing the sun was out this afternoon as I could go round to the newsagent with my sunspecs on. I still felt a little silly in the shop with them on though.

We have John's brother and wife coming for Sunday lunch. I'm not looking forward to the comments (not sarky, but just things like I should be doing this or that to lose weight, not the sort I've been doing, you now the thing).

Off to work in the morning. Out comes the war paint again.

Sorry, a little down at the moment. I'm tired and fed up with the eye problems and I also heard this afternoon of a death (hence the trip to the newsagent for a card) . She was an old lady and I think she died in her sleep but she was lovely. Lizzie had a little weep when I told her as she was always so nice to Liz.

Hope everyone has a good weeekend.

Haven't been on for 3 days!!!

I haven't been able to get on for 3 days as the other 2 have hogged the computer when I've been around, but I haven't been in much this week. So I haven't caught up on everyone else's yet - to be remedied soon! John had a hospital visit on Monday evening to check up on his MRI scan. Everything was fine. He has a problem with the 5th vertebrae in his back and there's a piece of gristle protruding from the spinal canal. Luckily, his spinal canal is quite wide, according to the consultant, which means that he shouldn't need an operation to remove it. He must just be aware, and he's off to physio and pilates for some help. So all good there in the end. I was at a parish finance meeting on Tuesday evening (yawn!) and then last night I went out with some ex-colleagues and did we laugh! It was so good to catch up. And I was very good - char-grilled salmon and steamed veggies and 1 glass of white wine...low on carbs white wine (if you want to know for the future - much lower than red).

I'm glad you liked the diet explanation, Sam. It's not Atkins, well similar, but without all the butter, double cream and fats. I'm taking fat off meat etc. and only using a little olive or sunflower oil. And I am in ketosis. I went along to my Cambridge counsellor on Monday evening, Mel, and picked up a box of ketostix (I couldn't face being cross-examined in the chemist), so I pre-empted your comment there. I checked yesterday morning and I was still in ketosis - so it looks as though I can get away with the occasional glass of vino - but I will be cautious. I was quite into the purple and Heather my LighterLife counsellor saifd that that shows you are dehydrated. Has anyone else noticed this when testing?.....note to self: Must Drink More Water!

Cath, thanks for the offer of sending some books through. I've actually got quite a few GI diet books and the Food Doctor Plan which is more or less based on GI but I just haven't found the TIME to get into them.....along with everything else these flipping blogs take up too much time!!!!! Only joking. I don't think I'd have got this far if it hadn't been for our mutual support. I have withdrawal symptoms at the moment and will be catching up with all yours once I've published this.

I think I'll contract Mel to be my personal menu planner. She seems to have so many ideas - and they're working! Ok, Mel, a few days menus in advance suit you? - mainly breakfst ideas as I get stuck there on this self-imposed regime....lol

Claire, I read in my comments that you've gone back to food. I'll catch up on your reasons when I read yours but I wish you all the luck in the world and am here to support you if needed - I'll just send you on Mel's menus....heehee. Thanks for your admiration of my stamina but I've made a promise to myself to lose this weight and if I can't keep a promise to myself then who can I keep it for? I shall perservere as long as I can and if I reach a plateau I'll just have to accept it and restart a couple of weeks later.

I went to work today with very swollen and red eyes again. Not as bad as they were at the beginning of the month but they're very itchy. Luckily, as we're into the hayfever season customers probably thought it was just hayfever...and there's no way I could cope without copious amounts of green base and foundation. As I'm not on packs any longer and it was last Saturday that I actually ate that dratted low carb bar, I've made an appointment to see my doctor tomorrow....so we shall see.

Right now to catch up on everyone else's.

Finding ways to eat properly

I like your idea of breakfast, Lesley, and I have had a fried egg (in a little sunflower oil) and grilled bacon a few times - I'm not very good at poaching. That's great when you've got time in the mornings but normally I'm getting Lizzie out the door and then myself 20 mins later so it's not easy to cook in the morning. The reason, therefore, that I bought the low carb bars. But there you go. I shall try to adjust what I'm doing at the moment - I'm wondering whether I can introduce a little fruit - like the speedy ones on SW, raspberries, strawberries etc and still stay in ketosis??

I'm not sure whether I'm in ketosis now though. I'd actually put on 1lb this week but I shall weigh again in the morning to see what's happened. It's horrible now - at least on LighterLife you know you're going to lose each week if you're keeping to the Plan. I'm now back in that awful place where you have the moments of panic before stepping on the scales and then feel demotivated if there's a gain. Boohoohoo!

Mel, I really fancy that recipe you put on for me yesterday. I had been thinking of having stuffed peppers. Normally, that would be with a savoury mince and rice. But your recipe sounds so scrummy that I think I'll have a go at it. John and Liz could have rice or pasta with it. Thanks a lot.

The eyes have it...again!!!

Ahh, Lesley and Sam, such lovely comments. And Sam - we all care about how each one of us is doing and, I'm sure, will always give as much support as we possibly can, considering our limitations.

I'm trying to give a true account of how this revised (once again!) diet is going but am more than aware that nearly everyone who reads this (barring Mel) is abstaining or thinking of abstaining from food. Hence the apologies from mewhen I mention food. But I do want to keep this as a diary of my ups and downs and trials and tribulations and, of course now my diet regime has changed to one where I eat, then food has to be a part of the diary.

Have I actually said how I'm working the diet yet? I'm not sure I if I have so if I repeat myself, please excuse me.......As I was in ketosis when I stopped the Cambridge Diet foodpacks, I decided I didn't want to lose the fat burning benefits of ketosis so I did a little (well a lot, really) of research on the internet and came up with a way of eating that would hopefully keep the fat burning at a similar rate as on LghterLife and Cambridge. I know the Atkins Diet puts you in a ketosis state but I was really unsure about the high saturated fats that were allowed on his plan. So I have adapted ideas from several sources and come up with a plan of my own that appears to be working at the moment. I'm almost certain I'm still in ketosis although I haven't got any ketostix to check, but I'm keeping to foods that will hopefully keep me there, and I'm not feeling any of the hunger pangs that normally go hand-in-hand with dieting. I just get peckish occasionally.

I'm eating lean meats, poultry, fish, shellfish and eggs, supplemented with loads of vegetables (other than potatoes, peas, sweetcorn and any type of beans) and salads. I'm not eating any bread, pasta, rice or cereals. Basically, low-carbing. If you know Slimming World, then I'm doing the free foods on a red day. I shall only keep this up whilst still in ketosis and have a rethink later down the line. Maybe, then I could actually do Slimming World red days......?

Prior to LighterLife I always had breakfast - normally a muesli or porridge or Special K, so I'm missing having a meal at this time. Not through hunger really, but just psychologically. So on Friday I saw Tesco own-brand Carb Control Chocolate Chip breakfast bars which only contained 2.2g net of carbs and 142 cals so I thought I could easily incorporate those into the diet (other than the cost - £3.99 for 5 bars!). Anyway, I bought a box but couldn't wait 'til the morning to try them so had one Friday evening. It was scrummy and rather filling and I thought I'd hit gold. Until I woke for work yesterday morning, that is - there staring back at me from the mirror was a red mark on my left eyelid. I thought, "No! imagination, it's nothing". So I ignored it and hoped it would go away. We went to the theatre in the evening, I had my glass of wine, came home and I was feeling a little peckish (the theatre and wine does that to me, I'm afraid) so I thought I'd try another bar. WRONG!! I woke this morning with itchy red eyes and it's got worse as the day's worn on.

I've a few packs of LL and CDs left so I've sat comparing ingredients with the bars and the only ones all three contain are milk powder and soya. So where does that leave me? What's my problem? Before LighterLife I've eaten these ingredients - in fact you eat them without realising, as you can tell from reading contents labels.

I AM NOT A HYPOCHONDRIAC. I enjoy feeling well and in fact was only saying to Mum on Friday that I haven't felt so well in ages, and was sure that it was due to the way I was eating - along with the weightloss, of course. We were sitting down with a coffee and sandwich (well Mum had the sandwich) before doing the weekly shop and I was rabbiting away 19 to the dozen. I laughed and said it was almost as if I was on speed. Mum said I was looking really well and was definitely a lot more animated than I have been in a long time. I had got to the point that I was so down on myself that I couldn't even be bothered to hold a conversation. (I think the family relish those days now!!)

So no low carb bars for me now. I went to the library yesterday and took a few books out on low carbing and Atkins to get a few more ideas on how to continue and I'll be noting a few things here. You never know, it may help someone who decides to follow a similar route.

Onwards and downwards (weight-wise).........

Good day today

The compliments were flying today at work. As I only go into that Branch on a Saturday and not everyone is in every week the change is more obvious to them as it's probably 2 or 3 weeks since some of the have seen me. And one of the customers said, "Hello, Gorgeous" as he came over to me so all was well in the working front.....heeheehee.......pity he wasn't gorgeous though.

I managed to avoid Elizabeth most of yesterday evening. After I'd told her to get out of my sight she'd gone upstairs to her bedroom. About half hour later I went up to her thinking she was probably on her computer playing The Sims and to stop her. But she was undressed and in bed. At 5.0pm! So I left her there until dinner-time. She came down for her dinner and went straight back up again. So I let her. Then I was out for a while when I took Mum home. So that was it. I didn't see her before I went to work this morning as they were both still in their pits. Things got easier this afternoon. She apologised (with a little prompting) and we drove over to Mum's for her to stay the night as John and I were off to the theatre this evening. I haven't seen the offending cut strand properly today as she has stuck it back behind her ear - I think it'll probably be ther until it grows out!.

After the disappointment of my weighin, that I have 'officially' set for Monday mornings now - if you remember, only 3/4lb for the first week of eating- I didn't think I could wait until next week so I weighed on Thursday morning and I've lost another 21/4lb. So that's 3lbs in a week and a half and I don't think that's too bad at all considering I've been on liquids for such a long time and all of a sudden I'm introducing a higher amount of calories. I just hope I can continue in ketosis.

I even allowed myself a glass of white wine at the theatre as there aren't many carbs in it. Sorry, girls..............

Off to bed now. Night night