Rip it up and start again......

I think that’s how the lyric's go! That's what I have to do. This diet malarkey is a bloody pain....I never stick to it....EVER. I hate the way I look and feel and you'd think it would be enough to make me change but I just cock it up.

I'm not writing that for sympathy...that's the truth...really it is. So I need to take stock....think about what I REALLY want and then come back and do it.

See you shortly darlings....I'll be back!
xx

It’s all gone to cock!

So....4 weeks of being bang on plan, the Dukan way of life had become MY way of life. So WHYYYYYY have I spent this last week lazing around, eating crisps? I mean.....why?

I have no explanation actually.....usually a blip happens because something upsets the balance and when I say ‘something’ I usually mean a boy but since I’ve given them up for Lent (and forever) that’s the not the case.

Went to see the fam at the weekend. It wasn’t the usual carb/calorie fest as they are all on a healthy kick....we probably ate too much cheese but we’d been to Borough market and frankly it’s the LAW.

I don’t think that’s the cause either,  I’ve just had a total laze-out. I’m sure it’s some sub-conscious neurosis that I need 100 years of therapy to get over but I need to kick that to the kerb for now. I need to buck my ideas up....I lost a stone...a whole stone and I’ve probably gained a lot of that back (too embarrassed to even weigh myself!) I AM FURIOUS WITH MYSELF!!

So to counteract this fury I making myself go swimming tonight and so far I’m 100% on plan. Salmon fillet for dinner.

I apologise for being so slack... *smacks self in face* *wires jaw shut* *gives self a stern talking to*

xx

Cruising down the road...so far!

After week 2 of the Dukan plan and the first of my ‘cruise’ weeks I lost the total of 1lb.

Some might be disappointed after the first weeks loss but not me...I thought 12lbs was a bit extreme but to lose another whole lb was ace news.

The food has been slightly more exciting with the addition on veggies....ah the welcome return of lettuce at lunchtime!!

You have to do a rotation of protein only days and protein and veg days....I decided, well made a mistake by having 3 protein and veg days in a row so I followed up with 3 protein only days....are you with me, have you dropped off....Zzzzz! J Anyway, I think I’m going to alternate them...that way the no veg thing doesn’t seem so long.

I’ve also seemingly got my act together with the gym thing. Went a couple of times last week to the sweat box and then went for a lovely trundle with a pal and the dogs...see photo. Investigating the undergrowth J

I have also made a momentous decision....I’ve started swimming. This might not be momentous to many but for me, HUGE! Well HUGE in the fact that I couldn’t bear the thought of my HUGE carcass in a swimming cossy....I mean really, THE HORROR.  Anyway...I got a grip and went last night. To my utter joy and relief is was completely fine, I actually enjoyed it....lost count of the lengths we did, stopped for a half time steam and sauna and back in for more lengths.

Today the muscle pain is OFF THE SCALE but like they say ‘no pain, no gain’ and in a slightly odd way it’s a pleasant feeling. A feeling I’ve actually done myself some good .....yeay me! J

I did do the inevitable Saturday night drinking at the annual hat party....this was my effort.

Buy hat - search around house - find feathers and corsages - attach to hat - massacre thumbs with pins - drink the pain away. The best is that the booze didn’t seem to affect this week’s loss...I know I can’t rely on this every week though.

Anyhoooo...all in all. This is the start of something I feel great about.

Anon for now pickles xx

Apparently I Du-CAN!!!!

Week 1 of the Dukan diet done....which means the Attack phase is over and I can eat veggies again....who’d have thunk I’d miss veggies?? I started to get a craving for greens about Wednesday but I persevered.

I had a Saturday night without the demon drink which was just as good........mainly as all around me were spangled and hilarious but still....not so bad  but don’t get me wrong, it took ALL my will power not to have a glass of wine and I sort of felt like a bit of a killjoy (don’t worry, next Monday you’ll be getting a post about drunken antics of the annual hat party at king and queen T’s!)

So.....a summary of the week of attack on Dukan.

Basically I ate turkey and fish which is fine....I love both. Smoked salmon, prawns, mussels, baked trout, squid etc...I had it all. Occasionally having a bit of cottage cheese on the side and shock, horror and slice of gherkin (in the old days a treat was a Pringle - these days a SLICE of gherkin!)

To be honest the fact you can have oatbran, albeit a small amount was a real saving grace. I did as I was told and made a galette out of it with an egg and a smidge of Quark. Sometimes had it with lemon and splenda but the best was with smoked salmon! The galette comes out like an American pancake so I made smaller ones and topped it with quark and smoked salmon....hello cocktail party canapés, sans the Martini of course mores the pity!

Yes it is restricted, you do have to drink ALOT of water and the book says 20mins of exercise everyday which is hardly difficult and, how do I put this delicately? The loo issue isn’t so frequent but that’s why you HAVE to drink lots of water...flush out the crap so to speak........(Ewwww subject change immediately!)

BUT...there are massive benefits. I feel great, my skin is peachy, my hair has grown about an inch (exaggerations) and the weight loss is immense. So I hear you ask.....what was the total loss??

6 days of pure protein attack phase resulting in a 12lb loss. HOLY BABY CHEESES!!! 2lbs short of a stone! Huzzah!

So I now go onto the Cruise phase where you alternate pure protein and protein and vegetable days...this is the long slog bit. You follow this until you reach the weight desired....in about 12 years knowing my history but the book say I should reach it by the end of the year.

Well........let’s see how it goes shall we.....I’m off to get a celery stick *squeals* J

Anon pickles  

P.S. My Twitter pal Inge informs me that Dukan means 'you can' in Norwegian....ITS A SIGN!!!! J

Xx

Daily Weigh Ins........

They freak me out because my weight goes up and down like a yoyo but the Dukan man says I should weigh myself everyday for the 'Attack' phase (every time I say that I do a judo chop.....just me then!)

Well Tuesday I weighed in and I'd lost 6lbs and today it was 2lbs down! WHAT THE DEUCE?? 8lbs in 2 days....I fear my scales are amiss but STILL woohoo!

I do realise that the 1st week loss of any diet is mainly water but bloody hell....Severn Trent must be furious I was stockpiling that much.

Tis relatively easy so far....totally restricted but I feel far more in control (this is a good thing!). Food wise I’ve had chicken, turkey, yogurt, a smidge of cottage cheese and I did break yesterday with a ¼ of a gherkin spear (downward spiral). Also had I read the book properly I would have remembered you have to have 1 ½ tbs of oat bran a day. The book recommends you make a galette with it....a galette you say? A pancake? I’M IN!!!

You mix the oat bran with 1 egg, a bit of quark and some sweetener/or salt to taste and cook in a non stick pan....good for breakfast. Or you can make porridge with it or stir through yogurt, the idea being it fills you up and helps to keep you...*ahem* regular! (Ewwwwwwwwww!!)

Anyway.....that’s all I have to say.........so far so good.

Anon pickles....xx

Dukan or Du-can't

So as I said I needed a complete free week to get myself back into the zone....it’s here it’s finally here.

Today I start the Dukan diet...seriously I'm collecting fad diet points :-) But whatev's....I'll try anything to lose the lard that isn’t tablet or knife based.

I can't be hopped to explain the whole diet here....but it’s basically high protein, low fat....easy as that.

Now...some will say...blah blah...don't give up carbs and I blah blah back. If you’ve lost 6 stone and conquered the crappy head stuff that goes with it then you can tell me what I should do but in the meantime....shhhh! (oooh very stroppy aren't I and NO its not carb withdrawal!!)

The first 6 days (Attack phase) are pure protein with low fat dairy allowed after than veggies are added in. It seems quite strict but you know I think I need it....too much choice an all that might not be great for me. The whole point of this plan is to lose weight and gradually add carbs back in after a sustained period of weight loss but without the Atkins style high fatness (who needs more high fatness....seriously!)

Well....I have to admit the thought of eating poultry, meat, fish and low fat dairy (i.e. cottage cheese and 0% fat yogurt) for a whole 6 days is a bit odd but I’ve read loads of testimonials, done a lot of research and it seems it’s not as odd as I fear....I shall report back and let you know.

Today’s consumption so far as been a 0% fat cherry yogurt for breakfast, 12000 teas/sugar free squash’s (that’s normal) and a chicken breast, baked with some herbs and a couple of fat prawns. Dinner is in the future and it will be late as I’m going to see KT Tunstall but I’m going to make something.......chickeny!!

Anyway...Dr Dukan advocates you weigh yourself everyday when you do the pure protein Attack phase so as this morning weight was so traumatic lets hope I’ve lost a stone by tomorrow!! :-)

Anyhooo....anon picklets xx

Failed Again

I need to restart this fat loss journey. Back to square one again.

This week I shall attempt to keep the damage to a minimum as I have a conference, a wedding and a night out on Sat. (DAMN MY SOCIAL LIFE!)

p.s. Apologies for the tiny post but I just needed to get it down. I NEED TO START OVER and I need a good 2 weeks to get my groove on so from Monday 28th Feb I'm on it!


Pray for me peeps...........(and not in a god squad way....in a temple of Shiraz way) :-)

xx

A Realisation (Of Sorts)

Ok it’s been a couple of weeks since my last post and I've been trapped in a fug of alcoholic haze. Seriously peeps, after a successful January with no booze I've spent February hammered, I've lost and gained and lost the same 6 lbs almost every week...is that even possible??

Do I seriously need to consider I might have an issue with moderation? Probably....! Now I don’t wake up every day with the need to drink....worse I wake up still with the traumatic memory of the hangover that arrived on the Sunday morning, that’s enough to put me off until the following Saturday when I feel fantastic and you know what..’I totally fancy a glass of wine’ and so it begins!  The issue with moderation comes in with my inability to say no. ‘Can I top you up?’ ‘Fancy some pink champagne?’ ‘Another round?’ my answer to all of these questions is yes...yes...DOUBLE YES!

And herein lies my problem but this in itself isn’t the only problem. It’s the carb medication I do to aid recovery which when you’re trying to cut down on the evil bleeders is a bit of an issue and hence the losing and gaining the same SODDING 6lbs pounds.

Of course the remedy to this is STOP DRINKING. I have considered it and I did it in January but my god life was dull.

I’m not saying either that one needs booze to have fun but I’m 31, single and going out for dinner and drinks is the basis of my social life and that’s not going to change anytime soon. What I need to learn is self control, the benefit of moderation and frankly the word NO. Actually this could be assigned to most areas of my life!!

I’ve got a long way to go peeps...!

Anon for now xx

Week 3 Weigh In

It is a bloody miracle that I didn’t gain 5 stone this weekend.

Apparently diets don’t work it you don’t eat all day then drink in excess of a MILLION glasses of alcoholic substance. I say substance as I’m pretty sure that Sake is essentially turps!! (cosmopolitan I am not!)

I’ll set the scene.

Saturday night out with the King and Queen T and the birthday boy Le W (30....soooo old *coughs*), We head to a really great Japanese restaurant and commence a what I would like to call a sophisticated night out (I’ll point out here, I’d already fallen over, ripped my tights and ended up as flustered mess even before I’d left my house....CLASSY!).

We arrive and they seat us in the bar area we order drinks. “a large dry white please”. Sip one...oh my old friend, I’ve missed you....it was empty in 4.2 seconds.....NEXT!

The restaurant is a teppanyaki place which is THE BEST THING FOR DIETERS EVER. Essentially you sit round a steal hot plate which is hotter that the surface of the sun, reducing my cheeks to a colour only seen in a lab. We started with a bowl of miso, a small Japanese salad and sushi then the excellent comedy chef cooks steak, seafood, vegetables and rice which he packs into a bowl and throws at you. Thank GOD for my excellent catching skills....further red faced moments avoided.

The thing about Japanese food is it fits all diets, low carb, Slimming World, low GI...etc. Its cooked in seconds in hardly any oil....Oh and completely delicious!

Naturally we drank 45 glasses of wine, Queen T and I decide that Sake would be a really good idea....when in Rome and all that.

We chose a cold Sake, it comes in the cutest little cups from the cutest little bottle but doesn’t taste cute in any kinda way. (NB. Obviously this is personal taste and in no way meant as an offence at all). Safe to say it’s not my bag.....I took the taste away with more wine.

The nights progressing well, we head to a local pub and settle in till closing, then we head further into town in search of more merriment, clearly this takes the form of cocktails in coconuts (YEAY!!) somehow we have more wine and then Jack Daniels...I mean at what point didn’t I just STOP!??

Jeeeez....home, sleepytime...wake up. What form of seventh hell is this??

Remember, I’d not had a hangover since Christmas and it was truly awful. The remedy, a 2 hour shower, tea, DVD (an Alan Rickman fest!) and carbs.....A LOT OF CARBS and the less said about that, the better!

So week 3 weigh in arrives.....I sheepishly step on the scales waiting for it to scream.....1lb on. Wait....WHAT? 1lb....that’s IT? AMAZEBALLS.

I will buck my ideas up, make more miso (my new favourite thing) and crack on. Out on Sat with the girls and I shall pledge now I WILL NOT DRINK WINE (ha....as if!)

Have a great day picklets xx

Week 2 - The Result

So a week of gym action and healthy cooking I scored the grand total of.....................drum roll!!!!!

1lb off!!

To say I'm disappointed is an understatement.....totally bloody FURIOUS would be more apt. Now I know 1 off is better than 1 on, a loss is a loss and yes, yes I realise I’m on the right track but seriously HOW annoying after all that effort........I can gain 3lbs in a day yet it takes a week to lose 1lb.

Still working the no booze thing and cooking from scratch, had 2 meals out but was seriously angelic, a lot of salad at both.

I guess that there’s just no rhyme or reason to weight loss. I have to start believing that as long as I stick to the plan then I will at some point start to shift a decent amount of weight (please baby cheeses give me a pill so that I can wake up tomorrow slim!)

Anyway, anyway, anyway....I neglected to post this up last week. I made a beetroot risotto which was tres good. So I will take my moaning away and let you look at pictures of my Masterchef cooking! (Ha!)

Cubed beets. The shameles clashing of chopping board and knife! 

Rice and red onion having a mingle

Stock and beets added, I wanted it to be more pink though

The finished artical, was actually a lot better than it looks. I say YEAY for beetroot risotto

So there we go.....I did make the Thai noodle soup too but due to a rather dramatic raspberry suicide all over my lovely cream carpet I neglected to take a photo. The result....could have done better so I'll try it again this week.

So will blog again soon! Onwards and downwards Pickles xx

A New Week 1 result - 2011 stylee

Week 1 of the 2011 'New Me' challenge

6lbs off..........soooo eating a diet based solely around vegetables is essentially going to result in a good weight loss. Good good news chaps!

This week will hopefully be just as positive, probably won't lose as much but as long as it’s a loss then I'm happy. Will be trying out some new recipes too. A beetroot risotto, a new style mushroom soup, oh and I will make the Thai soup I neglected to create last week! I WILL!

I'll try and remember to take photos and do a blog post as and when....you lucky people, seriously, warn me when I'm actually about to bore you to death (if not already...eeek)

As its considered Blue Monday today in the real world, off we all pop to make ourselves a cuppa, tea always makes you happy, right? Course it does!!!

Have a good day peeps xx

Roasted Pepper Pasta Sauce REVELATION

Ok...this is a post about last night’s dinner.........AMAZEBALLS!!!! (If I do say so myself)

I was going to make the Thai noodle soup but I got back from the gym at 8:30pm and frankly couldn't be hooped so here's what I did -

Chopped up a red pepper, one onion, a spray of cooking oil and bunged it in, roasted it whilst I showered.

Dragged the blender from the back of the cupboard (proceeded to drop the git on my toes and hopped around screaming obscenities for a good 10 minutes) . After I recovered, I blended the veggies, chucked in some passata and a twist of S & P, heated it back up and mixed in some pasta spirals and topped with a scrapping of parmesan. It was ace...almost fat free, healthy and filling. A great post-bug infested sweat box, I mean gym dinner.

The only change I'd make is to add some garlic (I mean why I didn't to begin with is beyond me) but it was really ace.

So here's a pic......

Well....thats all. This week is going well.....PMA as they say :-)

xx

*Creeps In Sits Down And Hopes No One Notices I've Been Missing*

Ahem.......register call for the fat class. Kate? Here Miss....well, well, well, the wanderer returns.

And now we've got that over with I shall begin..........

Yes, I've been awol for a few months having a fat breakdown about my seeming inability to lose any lard, well actually not strictly true, I lost 8lbs in November but then spent December and the festive period piling it all back on...what fun! But now it’s crunch time I have to shift this and shift I will.

Main reason - Wedding of oldest pal in June, one is bridesmaid and I have to look at least vaguely presentable for photos that will last FOREVER!! Ok, ok it’s not the main reason, I'm sick of wearing fat clothes, shopping in fat shops and being generally disgustingly fat. I've mentioned my reasons in a previous post so I won’t dwell again as we all know them really. So I should just get on with blogging about weight loss and my journey (oooh so spiritual!!?)

So yesterday I started properly. back to work, back to the routine (which I have discovered I need) and back on plan.

I started with a measured portion of porridge made with skimmed milk. This was so delish (Wait...did I actually just say delish – I’m a disgrace!) I took some for lunch too...I know I know not ideal but I hadn't made it to the shops yet.

Had fruit and lots of water throughout the day and for dinner I made a creation of quorn, aubergine and pasta bake....would you like photos?? Course you would!!

Aubergines having a wee soak



The Quorn sauce, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, onions, garlic and a whole host of herbs and spices

The finished and rather high roast article

I think it actually needed more sauce, more passata next time or maybe a white sauce made from low fat phili and fromage frais (or somefink) stil, it was good and I clearly made enough for more portions so that this week’s lunches sorted.

I’m going to make soup this week too, found a fabulous Thai inspired chicken one so that’s next on the cooking rota.

Anyhoo........that’s the start and I hope to continue. GYM TONIGHT via the shops to purchase a new T-shirt, the other one is just obscenely snug...no dice!

Will post again soon (when I have something vaguely interesting to say)

Anon Pickles xx