Back to Milk

I decided yesterday to switch back to milk in my coffee and tea.

While I had been enjoying the richness of the cream in my drinks I did not feel that my weight was dropping the way it has been.

I am happy to use cream in my sauces but have gone back to milk in coffee.

Cream is not that easy to get here and I was concerned that I would run out. I can always buy milk so less stressful. This is a rest of my life eating plan so I dont want to have to find special foods. It has to work with my life.

I saw under 200lbs again on the scale this morning. I first saw it about 10 days ago before I started the cream. So looking forward to slowly seeing the numbers reduce.

It is so empowering to find that I can reduce my weight without starving and without feeling deprived all the time.

I have now finished my Course to become a Banting Buddies coach and hope to be able to help other folk with the same problem.

To find a coach follow the link.

http://www.bantingbuddies.com/accredited-coaches/

Some of us do not have bodies that were designed to run on glucose ( bread and sugar). To become lean as we should be we have to get our energy from fat. Fat that we eat and fat on our bodies.

Fat is what we need to eat. To tell the obese to go low fat and low calorie just makes the problem worse.

It takes a leap of faith to try the high healthy fat diet but once you do you wont go back to the glucose.

I am not really too worried about how long this takes me. Maybe a year? I feel so much better and I know my diet is not going to change much once I get my weight down.

I never want to find I have put it all back on again as I have so many times before when I have gone low calorie.

Milk v Cream

I have never been one to drink a glass of cold milk, I gave that up as I grew up. I have always hated warm milk since the school days when they thawed the milk bottles near the school radiator after they had frozen in the winter. In those days all primary children had a third of a pint at break time.

But I do drink a lot of coffee and each mug used to get a splash of milk in it. Not milky coffee just enough to darken it a bit and make it less bitter.

The number of mugs might vary but would usually be between 4 to 6 in the morning including one with breakfast and one mid morning. The mid morning one would be the last for the day and I would have a cup of tea around 3.30 also with milk.

It was suggested on my Banting Buddies group that I try giving up milk and substitute cream instead. Some times I had to have black coffee as cream was not available. Dont like black coffee!

In the 2 weeks I have been having cream I have lost 1.6kg. In the 2 weeks before that I lost 1.5kg.

So not a great difference.

What I have been doing is using 1 tspn of cream to do 2 mugs. So when I have my 4 mugs in the morning only 2 get cream and I top up with coffee and boiling water.

I have also been putting a sprinkle of cinnamon on top which helps with the IR and makes it taste nice.

If I can continue to buy cream I will carry on with using cream. I had to make butter the other day as some of the cream I bought went sour as I did not use it in time.

Dont think cream freezes very well. If I could freeze in small amounts that would mean I would always have available.

I find if I have the coffee cream combo in the morning instead of the coffee milk combo I dont feel so hungry mid late morning. Thats not usually a binge time for me so the hunger does not worry me.

But interesting to note the difference.

Under 200lbs

Got on the scale this morning to find I have dropped below 200lbs.

Have vowed never to go back over the 200lbs again.

As long as I stay off bread and sugar and cereal I dont see that being a problem.

I know the symptoms of addiction now. Cravings for sugar in the afternoons, feeling tired and having no enthusiasm for anything. I know that even though bread is low calorie it does not suit my system and I have better having something higher calorie with fat or oil.

I am close to half way to my first goal which is 150lbs.

Will then decide whether to try and lose more or just stay there for a bit.

At my age I dont want to become an old wrinkly overnight so might be an idea to not be too drastic.

I was 147lbs when I married over 40yrs ago. After another starvation diet!

So between those 2 figures gives me some wiggle room.

Yesterday I had my first Christmas challenge. D had lots of pastry snacks and chocolate and dried fruit.

But she also had out dry wors ( thin dried sausage) and biltong ( dried meat) so I had those instead and dipped them in the cream cheese dip rather than the biscuits.

I took my own mayonnaise and salad with avocado feta and olives. Had that with a chicken thigh for lunch.

Daughter commented I was looking good!

Hope to be able to buy some more cream today. Cream with coffee is very nice and I am finding it stops me feeling hungry. I have 1 tspn and make that last for 2 mugs. Also putting cinnamon in the coffee which helps with insulin resistance.

Finding the weight is dropping faster now I have given up the milk in my drinks and switched the cream. Go figure!

I can see and feel this working. Trousers that were tight 3 weeks ago are now comfortable.

Should be out of my size 20's soon and into size 18.

Going to sign up for the whole of next year with Banting Buddies. Great to be able to get the support and advice to make this work.

Finally after all these years of struggle and misery.

Average losses

I did a spreadsheet this morning to look at the time it has taken me to lose each kg.

Some of the early figures I have not got as I did not start recording until I was about 6kg down.

So I have taken the figures from then. Worked out the day between each new lower kg appearing on the scale.

The figures vary between 5 days and 18 days so the average is around 13 days to lose 1kg.

So that works out at about 2.5kg a month or 5.5lbs a month.

So at that rate a stone is going to take me two and a half months to lose.

I know this figure is going to drop as my weight reduces.

I have done this before the hard way. Then I would be losing 9lbs a month but every day was a struggle with my glucose levels all over the place, dealing with cravings and binging and worrying that the scale would show a gain and waiting to lose the weight so I could go back to 'normal' eating. Which I did and the weight came back on again rapidly. An exercise in futility.

This feels different. My glucose levels are stable. I dont get that awful need to eat in the afternoons when my glucose levels were crashing.

I am eating more, particularly good oils and butter so my plates of food are about my normal fullness but I am eating far fewer carbs.

I am finding jeans that a month or so a go were a bit tight are now comfortable. Maybe soon they will be too big! So I better get some wear out of them now.

I will soon be accepted as a Banting Buddy coach and hope to be able to help other people with weigh issues to finally understand what is going on in their bodies and solve the issue once and for all. As I am doing.

Some Big Goals coming up

Weight is continuing to drift downwards. Not major weight losses each week but about 400gms or so.

With the Banting eating I do not get gains. Either it hovers at the same weight for a few days and then there is a drop, or 100gms go in a day.

I have stopped being fearful of finding the scale showing an increase because I am finding this so easy and I dont feel the need to cheat. Why would I when the food I am eating is so filling and tasty?

Over the next few weeks I am going to see a drop from 90kg into the 80's. Also I am going to drop below 14st. Something I have not seen for 10 yrs or more. Also a drop below 200lbs.

So all achievements worth celebrating.

I have bought a colour printer and a projector so will soon be ready to start helping others with this weight loss journey.

I am training as a Banting Buddy lifestyle coach to help others start on the journey that I am doing.

It was never about the calories, it was always about the carbs.

Giving up Milk

Giving up milk is something I have always struggled with.

On a low calorie diet is fairly easy to switch to a 2% or fat free milk and carry on adding it to coffee.

I mainly have milk in the mornings. I make around 4 or 5 mugs of instant coffee. The ground coffee is just too strong. I might have one if we are out for breakfast but rarely more than that.

So back to milk.I know milk is highly insulimic, for the number of carbs in milk it produces a much higher insulin response than would be expected. Babies need milk and insulin to put on weight quickly.

So even a small amount of milk when you are going low carb can be an issue.

Having lost 15kg without giving up milk I thought I would try this week to give up the white stuff.

Instead I have some cream. So I put a tspn or so of thick cream in the first mug, then top up with coffee and hot water so the cream does 2 mugs.

I have some coconut cream on standby for when the cream starts to turn. I will probably have to make butter out of it so as not to waste it.

Since last wednesday I have lost 700gms. My usual loss for the week is 500gms. So as an experiment it has shown me that milk is having an effect on my weight loss and is slowing me down.

So I will continue to buy cream to put in my coffee. I have one cup of tea in the afternoon and that one I still have milk. I just dont think cream and tea go together!

I am already planning for Christmas. If I dont plan I know I am going to run into problems. Sweets and chocolates have always been a problem in the past for me. I can put on 3 or more kg over a few days at Christmas.

So meat and vegetables are not going to be a problem. I can steer clear of the starches as long as I have my caulimash to soak up the gravy.

Will buy some almonds and maybe pecans or macadamias and toast them with spices and xylitol so I have something nice and sweet to nibble at. Maybe a bit of dark chocolate as long as I can stop at a few squares.

Left over cakes and puddings have been my binge foods of choice so will try and get the family to take any of those sorts of left overs home with them so they are not in my fridge.

I am not going to give myself  few days off. I know that if I let the insulin genie back out of the bottle I am going to be in trouble for days or even weeks. I am doing so well and feeling so much better I dont want to lose the momentum.

This is now my eating plan of choice for the rest of my life and my body is showing me how much it approves of what I am sending down!

Maybe Obesity is fixable?

Obesity is just something I have learnt to live with. I have had it all my life and no matter what I tried I always ended up fatter than before I started the diet.

I counted calories, I counted points and weighed my food. I could lose the weight, very slowly and struggling every afternoon to avoid a binge but if I had a goal function I could do it.

Of course I never added any fat to my meals as that would give me unnecessary calories which would stop me losing weight. So fats and oils on anything was always forbidden!

I have been low fat for over 60yrs. Till now.

Now I am embracing fat. I have at every meal. Good butter, cream in my coffee any fat that comes with meat. Yesterday was kidneys fried in coconut oil for lunch.

Guess what. I am losing weight. I can feel it I feel a sort of hollowness inside. In a nice way. I feel lighter on my feet. I find it easier to move and am moving a lot more.

Ok its not a crash diet. I am not going to lose 2 st by Christmas. But maybe this Christmas I wont put 7 or 8lbs back on!

I am losing about 1 to 1.5lbs a week, and it stays off. It doesn't come back once its gone.

My afternoon struggles with food are in the past. I could never understand why 2 hrs after a meal I was hunting for food again. And not just any food, I wanted carbs and sugar and would binge on them.

I have had that so long I did not believe it would ever stop. Even if I got slim I believed I would still have to fight the urges to eat in the afternoon.

I did not realize that I had a disorder in my insulin system. My pancreas over produces insulin in response the carbs. The extra insulin keeps the fat in the cells and makes my brain to tell me to eat more.

Now I understand that to keep the insulin in the pancreas I need to get most of my calories from fat and oils. Good ones, not manufactured  ones.

That way when my body has finished using up the fat I have eaten it can easily switch into the fat stored in the cells. Because there is no insulin to act as the door keeper and keep the cell doors shut.

I have endless energy and a new belief in myself.

I am not the weak willed obese female I always thought I was.

I had a chemical problem and this has fixed it.

So I can look forward to a slim future which I thought was something I would never achieve.

Why did I not try LCHF Banting before?

Now that I have finally got into the groove and figured out what I can eat and still see the scale moving downwards, I am trying to figure out why I did not put the whole thing together before.

I have had all the books. New Atkins, New you. Why we get fat and what to do about it. Plus many many more.

I think the trouble was I was still in the calorie mode mind set. Right you want to lose weight? Then cut back on the calories. Those bits of fat recommended in the books? Why not leave it out and the weight loss will be much quicker and you can go back to 'normal' eating.

I think that was the way I was thinking. I did not join up the dots and realise that the good fat is a critical part of the LCHF banting way of eating. Without the fat, the insulin resistance does not go away and every day is a struggle to keep the calories low and see the scale go down.

Eating the fat in the diet just stops the afternoon need to eat something and after a few days it simply becomes a habit to eat lunch and then have no food till dinner time.

If someone had told me that 5 mths ago I would not have believed it possible. After 65 yrs of living in this body I thought it had no surprises for me. But I was wrong.

What I have also come to realize is that this is not just a diet to lose the weight and then go back to normal eating. If I do that the insulin problem and the weight will come screaming back. I never want that to happen again.

So I am finding a new way of eating which is going to be permanent. Bread for me is off the menu. I might try and make some low carb bread next year sometime. But if I find my addictions coming back then I will have to drop it again.

I dont miss the rice or potatoes. I do have to make sure I have some cauli mash ready in little freezer containers so I can heat that up to have with my dinner. So I do need to prepare a head of time.

I have some egg muffins always in the fridge to heat up for lunch with a salad. I thought I would need them as snacks but the need to snack has stopped Glory be.

In 4 mths I have lost 14kg or 30lbs and dropped 4 jeans sizes.

Thats good enough proof for me that this has finally fixed something in me I did not know was broken.

Banting Working?

I have recently had 5 days away from my own kitchen.

Had to chose and eat food prepared by someone else.

Tried to make good choices and leave all the sugar and grains food for someone else.

Realized now that is not my food. It does not suit my system.

I need saturated fats to satisfy my system and help me lose weight.

Only 100gms gone in last week but even that is an achievement.

When eating low calorie food while on holiday I can put on 3 or 4 kg in less than a week.

I did not snack. Walked passed the ice cream shop where I have always stopped in the past for an ice cream.

Chose nice fish and steak with vegetables and enjoyed my meals.

How can I tell Banting is working.

I no longer have the desire to binge in the afternoons. I can go from lunch around 12 to dinner at 6 without needing to eat anything.

My nails are so much stronger and longer and are going to need filing. My nails have always been soft and flaky and tear easily but not any more.

I have much more energy and am no longer exhausted in the afternoons and evenings.

Trousers that would not fit 3 weeks ago are now fitting comfortably.

I am working on cutting out more carbs and adding more fat. This morning I had cream in my coffee and then kept refilling the water and coffee portion. So no milk and only a teaspoon of cream in 3 mugs of coffee.

I have to understand that calories from fat are not going to put weight on.

That is a difficult concept for me after all these years.

Am starting to get cross

I have been battling with obesity for over 50 yrs.

The number of times I have asked for help from Dr's who write obese female on my medical reports, and also slimming clubs etc.

For 50 yrs I have been trying endlessly to lose weight. Sometimes 60lbs sometimes 80lb.

Each diet session comprised of counting calories, cutting fat, exercising and struggling to get through each day. Each tiny loss to be celebrated. I needed to suffer punishment for allowing myself to get so overweight in the first place.

I did not know any other way to solve the problem, because I did not know what the problem was.

When I did get to goal weight, whatever it happened to be. It never seemed to 'gel' with me. I always felt like a fat person still. I had what I would call phantom fat. Like a shadow it followed me around because I knew as soon as I stopped the starvation diet the weight would return. Slowly at first and then I would give up in the will power department and the weight would come rushing back and bring some extra too. I always ended up weighing more after a diet than I did when I started.

It got to the point where I thought why am I bothering. Maybe I am just supposed to look this way. My body does not want to reduce its size.

In the past I had no health issues from the weight. Then my BP started to go up. Then I had a TIA and realized my weight was doing me no favours.

So yet another attempt, but this one feels different. For a start I am eating more and finding my food more satisfying and for me to go 6 hrs without food between lunch and dinner is a big break through.

I feel comfortable that this is now my weight. It will keep on reducing but I dont feel there is any risk of finding I have put on 14lbs by tomorrow.  My blood sugar is now stable all day, I know when I can have food and how much I can have.

I am now learning to accept that  I am not the failure I thought I was. The failure was in the diets I was trying and the information I had been given.

This feels doable and possible and I am finding success at last.

Thirty Pounds Down

In the past I have never felt that any diet worked for me.

I would struggle every afternoon and evening feeling low and continually feeling the need to eat carbs.

As this had been happening since the age of about 8 I thought it was normal. No one every told me it wasn't.

Having finally got the message that the problem is caused by too many carbs, causing over production of insulin I can at last see an end to my struggle.

Time and time again I have lost 60 to 70lbs and within a year put it all back on again plus more.

Now I have finally understood I have to limit my carbs I can see a way to enjoy my food, get down to an acceptable weight and then keep it there.

That is very empowering after all these years of failure.

Onwards and downwards

I feel I have finally found a way of eating that suits my body and that I can live with and succeed with.

For so many years I have been fighting my body, trying to punish it for being obese. Living with cravings and binging and heading for bed at 7 because I have run out of points or calories or whatever I was counting at the time.

A low calorie diet with plenty of carbs is just a recipe for disaster and failure. Even if I managed to lose weight, and I have done in the past, 60 or 70lbs, as soon as the diet stopped the weight would start to return, slowly at first and then I would just throw in the towel and the pounds would come rolling back.

I tried an Atkins type diet before and while I lost weight I was still having problems. I tried to replicate my 'normal' diet. I made bread and had that for breakfast and lunch. Then maybe had some as an afternoon snack. Even low carb flax bread is too carby for my system to cope with.

I worked out yesterday my carb level is around 45gms a day. Those are mainly from veg and salad. Since I have started the magnesium I dont get the urge to eat and/or binge in the afternoon and evenings. I can generally go from lunch about 12 to dinner at 6 with just a cup of tea in the afternoon.

In the last week I have lost 500gms. So since beginning of August that is 13kg, without feeling deprived and without having to leave the house because I dont trust myself around food.

Looking forward to getting into some of my old jeans. Looked out some of the bigger sizes. I have from size 18 to 12's in my cupboard.

On previous attempts I have been relying on will power. This is different I feel this is now the way I eat. I eat well and dont miss the carby food I used to eat.

So hope the weight will keep slowly dropping until I reach normal sizes. Hopefully somewhere around a 14 would be perfect.

Had my first Bath in 20yrs!

I had stopped taking baths as I was concerned about not being able to get out and have to call for help!

Yesterday after a long day, driving 6hr round trip to deliver sheep and also watching the Grandsons in a gala, I decided to run a bath, put some of my bubble bath in and have a relaxing time.

No issues getting out.

Had a visit from the woosh fairy over the last few days. Dropped 400gms from one morning to the next.

Very nice surprise. Its taken me 16 days to lose 2kg so thats about 1kg in 8 days. So between 3 and 4kg a month.

Its great to have confidence that I have finally found my problem and as long as I dont go back to counting calories and trying to add bread back into my diet, I can look forward to a slimmer future.

My blood sugar seems very stable these days. I dont get the afternoon binge attacks any more. If I do feel I need something there are always foods I can eat without impinging on my blood sugar levels so they are self limiting. I am off the roller coaster finally.

Looking forward to be able to get into some of the pairs of jeans I have put aside. The bigger ones are in my cupboard ready to try on and the smaller ones in a case for later.

Made a banting friendly sweet chilli sauce.

Take one onion and a clove of garlic.
Add half teaspoon dried chilli flakes to taste.
Saute in a pan with butter and avo oil till soft.
Add a little water and blizt with stick blender.
Add xylitol syrup to taste.
Keep in sealed container in the fridge.

Normal Metabolism

Normal metabolism is always something that has eluded me. Either I was eating exactly what I wanted and putting on weight like there was no tomorrow.

Or I was being really really strict and not eating any high calorie foods and having tiny portions and feeling deprived of food.

This banting LCHF seems to suit me much better. Although I am losing weight slower than I have done before I am not having yoyo blood glucose issues and can go for 5 to 6 hrs in the afternoon without any need for snacks or a binge.

At this rate it is going to take me another 2 mths to get below 90kg. But that is fine I dont have any deadlines so leaving my body to get on with it.

Am enjoying being able to cook again now I can trust myself around food. Made a batch of 24 egg muffins yesterday. These had spinach and green peppers and onion blitzed up and then grated cheese added before being baked. I can keep them in the fridge or freezer and pop in the microwave for a few minutes. I have mine with salad for lunch but we have also taken them for a packed breakfast.

Since I have been taking magnesium I have found my nails much stronger. I did snap one yesterday when weaning sheep, I was putting eartags on and they did not like it! But the nail snapped and did not tear. So much stronger than before.

Am looking forward to managing to get back into some of my jeans. I have 7 sizes of clothes so will be able to dispose of the biggest 2 sizes now. Then gradually get rid of the rest as they become too big.

Looking forward to buying some new stuff but not worth getting too much now. I am dropping a size in about 2.5 to 3mths.

Finally I think its working

I saw a new number on the scale today.

I am losing 0.1kg here and there and not every day, however I rarely see an increase, which is great and every few days I see a lower figure.

With my dieting history I am taking this very carefully. Baby steps as I know how easy it is to see the craving and binging behaviour back. I dont want to go there again.

On previous attempts it has been I need to lose weight as fast as possible so I can go back to my 'normal' eating. Of course my normal eating was totally abnormal which caused the problem in the first place.

So 50 yrs of yoyo dieting. Regular failures, almost guaranteed.

I did try and Atkins type diet a few years back. Last time I was slim. But again I was dieting for a wedding. The diet never seemed to 'gel' with me and I was regularly making a flax bread so I could eat my normal diet. Even flax bread is not something I should be eating regularly.

I have found the magnesium supplements have stopped the afternoon cravings. My afternoons are much more productive. I think of something and then do it. Rather than in earlier times when I would just sit and read and eat in the afternoons, or watch TV.

I have signed up for a Banting Buddies support group and also to train to be a Banting Buddies Coach.

This is all very exciting. I wish I had been told the right information 50 yrs ago instead of trying to put myself through torture, cutting calories and eating carbs and being perpetually hungry and totally miserable.

I feel better at the moment that I have felt for the past 40 yrs. Much more energy and get up and do something.

Also have finally achieved a decent set of nails that have not broken or split yet. Is that due to the magnesium, is it due to the insulin control? I dont know but I am enjoying them while I have them.

Hope

Over the last 50 yrs or so hope has been in short supply.

Every day I would seem to be fighting the same battle. How to stay out of the fridge and pantry in the afternoons and evenings.

Mornings were never so much of a problem. But every afternoon I would be trying to resist the urge to go and find something to eat, then the binge would start.

The afternoon urge seems to be a thing of the past. Now I have finally given up with bread, even wholemeal wheat bread and also started taking magnesium morning and evenings I find I can get through the afternoons and sometimes even enjoy them.

I have now gained another 8 hrs of productivity. After lunch and in the evenings I would never get anything done. Reading and eating seemed to be all I could summon the energy to do.

Over the past 2 afternoon I have been going through my wardrobes. 7 different sizes to try and sort out.

Some big old tops have ended up in the rag bag. Elasticated trousers are going into a bin bag while I decide what to do with them.

Trousers and jeans have been sorted into wear now or very soon. Try again in about 2 months. And maybe a year if ever.

I now have all the tops on the bed in the spare room and will work through those. Throwing the ones I will never wear, then tops for now to go in the cupboard and tops to bring out later to try.

Hope to have lost a couple more kg by Christmas. Just looking for small weight losses, but I do want to see the scale show new lower figures.

Sorting the Clothes

In my cupboards I have about 40 yrs of clothes in 7 different sizes.

Items only get thrown out as rags. My skinny stuff I wore for maybe a few weeks many years ago but ever hopeful I dont get rid of them in the hope that maybe some day a miracle will happen and I will manage to fit back into them!

Well maybe the miracle is on its way. Have dropped about 2 dress sizes in 3 months. I have put all the fat elasticated trousers in a case for now.

Have just been hunting out all the smaller size trousers to see what I have. Surprised to see I have at least 3 pairs of never worn size 14's with labels still attached!

I am not going to try any of these on. Would just depress me when I want to be upbeat about my life.

So the plan is to use the tape measure and measure the waists.

Then will put into 3 piles.

Those I might try on now.

Those I will put on one side for 6 mths time.

Those I wont try on for at least a year!!

Once I have worked through the trousers will then go through the tops and see what is worth keeping.

I tried on my lovely leather jacket and that certainly looks as though it will be wearable in a few months time.

It will be like a dream come true to get back into these smaller clothes and know I will never need the big ones again as I have finally found the answer for me.

Still taking the magnesium. Now 1 tablet in the morning and 2 in the evening. I feel I have so much more energy and am no longer putting things off and not getting round to stuff.

Much easier to get up out of the lounge chair too. 

How Can you tell if you have an insulin problem

This is a very insidious problem, you can have had it for years without knowing you have a problem with your pancreas.

Basically your insulin production is too high and your pancreas over reponds to the presence of starch and sugars.

In no particular order these I believe are some of the symptoms.

Having cravings for sweet or starch foods shortly after a meal.

Feeling as though you are in a 'fog'.

Being able to work well in the mornings and not so well in the afternoons and evenings.

Finding your weight is unstable. Clothes get tighter and weight increases.

Yoyo dieting.

Flaky and splitting nails.

Feeling anxious and unhappy and concerned about next meal being hours away.

Binging especially in afternoons and evenings but rarely in the morning.

Feeling out of control around sweet and starchy foods. Especially bread.

Not being able to understand how other people can control their weight while yours seems to be beyond your control.

The worst thing for someone who has an insulin problem is to go on a low calorie diet. Bread and starches are low in calories but increase the insulin secretion. Making you feel uncontrollable hunger.

You have to cut out the sugars and starches and eat protein and vegetables.

The beauty of this is that you know why you put on weight. So once the weight is reduced it is possible to keep it off by not going back to 'normal' eating with all the starch and sugars again.

Your insulin problem is not going to be cured. You have to control it by diet.

Insulin control and Magnesium

Another month just about gone.

I have a series of memos on my phone showing weights at various control points, holidays, hair appointments, etc etc.

I then make a note on the memo of my weight on that day, then save it till next time.

I seem to have settled at a weight loss of around 2kg a month.

That is less than I did on my low calorie diets but I feel it is far more sustainable.

I can keep this up for however long it takes.

So total weight loss to date is 11kg in just under 3 mths.

What has made such a difference this time if the absence of cravings for cereal or bread 2 or more hrs after lunch. Now I can have my lunch and then wait until supper for my next feed. Sometimes I do fancy something and maybe have some almonds, or a small dish of my yogurt cheese with xylitol syrup and cinnammon. But I am in control and dont feel I have failed and binged.

I started taking magnesium about a month ago. I have been taking 2 capsules at night along with some tumeric extract.

The other day I also took magnesium in the morning along with my other tablets and vitamins. I am finding I feel better and happier with the extra magnesium so will continue like that.

Magnesium is needed in so many processes at cell level and I have never taken any supplements. So am sure I was deficient.

I like having some nice things in the fridge and freezer that I can heat up for myself. I have frozen mashed cauliflower in individual portions, tomato sauce ( home made so I know what is in it), cooked mushrooms and some quiche muffins.

I made quiche muffins for church lunch and they went very fast. I make them in silicon cupcake moulds so no need for pastry.

Its nice to be able to cook again. Yesterday I made a batch with cooked spinach in them. I make 24 at once and put them in the fridge. My DH also enjoys them hot for his lunch. I put a little milk in the mix about half cream and half milk.

For so many years I have felt depressed about my weight. I was either starving and miserable and then binging or eating like there was no tomorrow.

Its good to find a chemical reason for the problem and finally start seeing some progress. 

10kg and counting

Today saw another kg number.

Got to celebrate every achievement.

Always before a diet has been like balloon blowing. You know at some point its all going to blow up in your face and you will binge in a major way and feel its hopeless.

So far I am not getting that feeling at all.

I am making steady progress, maybe not as fast as when I was counting calories but I am rarely seeing gains.

My afternoon snack yesterday was some strawberries I had bought in town, my strained yogurt cheese, spoonful of cream and xylitol syrup. Totally delicious. If there are any strawberries left I will have another portion today at tea time!

I have been making mini crustless quiches in silicon cups. Had 3 of those for breakfast yesterday and not hungry till after 1. Went round the supermarket at 12 without any need to buy something to keep me going.

I have taken up cooking again. Something I did not trust myself to do before.

Just made 72 mini egg quiches with eggs, cream, milk, fried onion, tumeric and herbs.

They can be kept in the fridge for a few days and also eaten cold. But are nice microwaved to warm them up. Eat for breakfast on the go, or with salad for lunch. My DH also likes them for tea time instead of a sandwich.

Cauliflower mash is a staple and home made tomato sauce. That is my usual breakfast with 2 poached eggs.

Will have to dispose of the elasticated big trousers. They are now too big and baggy!

So far, doing well

Just had a week away from the scale and been to SA for Dr check ups.

I tried to follow the plan while I was away. Eating out for every meal.

Got back to find lost another Kg.

So thats nearly 9kg lost since I started 2 mths ago.

My breakfasts were poached eggs and bacon, tried to find vegetables but they were either mixed with pasta or with chilli. Stayed away from the bread and fruit.

Lunches were generally salads with protein. Either fish or chicken.

Dinners usually fish or beef with either salad or veg. Did have some rice the one night but only a half portion.

Mid afternoons I tried to have an apple so to avoid going into binge mode.

I can feel my clothes are looser. Will have to start resorting clothes and getting out some of the smaller sizes and getting rid of the big ones.

Finally I believe I can fix this problem I have had all my life.

Take it slow and do it properly. I find I dont need to cheat. I do miss bread and later may try and make a low carb bread for treats but not eat it every day.

Yesterday I made a batch of sauerkraut, some tomato sauce, some mashed cauliflower and a batch of yogurt.

I keep frozen mashed cauliflower in the freezer so I can make a quick meal in the microwave with tomato sauce and maybe a sprinkle of cheese.

Progress ?

Well am 6kg down in a month.

That has not been too difficult and I dont feel I am being deprived.

Its still early days but the dreadful afternoon eating seems to have gone.

My aim this time is not to diet as fast as I can, so I can go back to 'normal' eating. Normal eating makes me obese as I have real problems with flour products and sugar.

So I have to find a new normal and I think this is it.

I dont feel starving the way I have on previous dietary regimes.

My aim is to lose around 2kg a month, so I am taking this very slow do I dont get back to binge mode again.

I have ordered all the books from Trim Healthy Mama plan. But for now am making do with those I can download.

I have started making the cauliflower mash, and also broccoli when I cant get hold of cauliflowers.
To my steamed veg I am adding bit of cream and butter some black pepper and chicken stock cube or gel. Then blitz it with a stick blender till smooth. I find I can keep this covered in the fridge for a few days.

I have a couple of spoons heated in the microwave with my 2 poached eggs for breakfast.

Lunch is generally a salad with feta cheese, have made sauerkraut so add that and mayonnaise and cider vinegar.

Mid afternoon is an apple. ( I am happy to be able to have fruit as I gave up fruit on Atkins).

Dinner will be some sort of meat, sausage, chicken with veg and more cauli mash.

I am making gravy from my gluccoman that arrived the other day with some meat juices and/or chicken stock.

I am not eating again after dinner, because I dont need to which is a blessing.

If I fancy something sweet I have a tea cup of yogurt with xylitol and cinnamon but I try not to have that every day.

I am trying not to set myself up for failure on this as I have failed so often.

Good my clothes are starting to feel a bit baggy.

Here we go Again

50 yrs and counting! I have been dieting for sooo long with not a lot to show for it! Or rather too much!

Hope I am finally going to sort this problem out without going to extremes and having surgery!

A couple of weeks ago I had a bit of a scare and had what I am told was a TIA.

I am now on aspirin and hope it does not happen again.

So new attempt and new diet plan.

My daughter has been talking about Trim Healthy Mama plan.

So ordered the books and having a go.

So far it seems to be either meals with protein and fat. plus green veg. Or meals with protein and low GI carbs plus green  veg and no fat.

So it seems doable.

Of course where I live I cant get all the nut and seed flours and special foods.

So will have to work with what I can get.

Will wait and see if I get any results.

So Far So Good

Weigh day is tomorrow.

Hope to find the weight loss is continuing. I have moved the scale into my daughters flat next door so I am not continually jumping, or rather carefully stepping, on to it, a la Bridget Jones.

I have starved myself down in the past a couple of times. I usually aim for around 64kg. But within a few weeks the cravings get too strong and I find I am eating my way back to my usual mid 90kg.

At the start of this last attempt I was well over 100kg and feeling really tired with no energy.

What I have found is that giving up the milk has definitely made a difference to my appetite control in the afternoons.

From about 3pm onwards I used to continually want to snack and would be visiting the fridge to find something to eat.

Now I can go 3 or 4 hrs without eating anything and then have a nice hot plate of veg with cheese or a cold salad and easily forget about food till the next meal. I can walk past the fridge without opening it to find a little something.

I am just hoping I have finally found the simple answer to my obesity. Give up milk and white carbs. I dont have any bread either.

I feel my legs are thinner but still plenty to go off the centre area.

Today my husband has bacon for breakfast. So I will have a bowl of green beans, home made tomato sauce, bacon and cheese all heated in microwave for lunch just before 12. Yesterday I topped that with anchovy paste to give lots of flavour.

That will be my first meal of the day.

I have hard boiled eggs in the fridge. I cook 6 at a time and have those with some lettuce, maybe avo and mayonnaise and balsamic in the afternoon.

Then what ever meat we are having with green veg and cauliflower. I managed to find some cauliflowers in the local shop.

I am still on my blood pressure pills but wondering if I will be able to cut back in a few weeks time. Will keep checking at home to see if the numbers are fine.

If milk is my problem I wish I had know 50 yrs ago. It would have saved so much grief and upset over the years!

Three Years Later

At 65 I am fed up with having to continually do this.

I do not want to be the obese woman in the wheel chair and unable to do anything for myself, so this finally has to work and the weight has to stay off.

So even if I have failed on every other attempt over the last 55 yrs I am still going to give it a go.

I got back from holiday 2 weeks ago and decided that enough. I am fed up of looking and feeling like this.

One of the things I have picked up over my reading is that insulin is the main problem when trying to lose weight. Insulin opens the doors to the cells, ushers the fat in and slams the door shut and keeps it shut. The fat cannot get out again if the blood stream is full of insulin. When your body cant get at the fat stores it send panicky messages for more food and the cravings kick in.

I had a fasting insulin text at my last medical. 26, I was told normal is under 10.

One of the most insulicmic foods is milk. I have always drunk milk in my coffee. 6 or 7 mugs of coffee every day. I have switched the skim milk and back again. But never given it up.

This time I have.

My drink of choice is now rooi ( red) bush tea with cinnamon. One tea bag does me most of the day. I just keep adding boiling water to it!

We bought a walking machine and have set it up in the lounge so I can put on a DVD and get some exercise. I am up to 2km a day. Walking only.

I skip breakfast, not really hungry in the morning. I have lunch around 11.30 to 12. Green veg with a tomato sauce ( home made) and a bit of cheese all microwaved.

Mid afternoon I have an egg salad with some mayo and balsamic.

Then evening is meat/chicken/fish and green veg.

I am impressed with Tom Kerridge. Got the book last week.

He talked about enjoying your diet. Maybe I will enjoy this one!

I feel lighter and have noticed more energy and find myself tidying up stuff that has been sitting for months!

About 4kg gone so far.