Battling the Blubber

I am feeling really good today.The first time in two months that we've had proper sunshine and I'm happy. I've stuck very rigidly to my calories today. My usual 345 calories reserved for tea, 174 for a venti-skinny-s/f hazelnut latte, 500 for a single lasange portion, 90 for a small spinach salad & tomatoes, 125 for 2 crackers and nutella, which leaves a wonderful 706 for me to drink good, red wine . I'm also very slightly tipsy. The wine is having a considerable effect as I'm not as frequent an imbiber as I once was. Once was the time when I could drink two bottes of the good stuff without a stumble, now I'm mildly piss-ed having shared those two bottles (equally) with my hubby. I wouldn't change it for anything though. A nice bottle of Yiaskouris, cabernet sauvignon/cabernet franc - unfortunately not as good as the original price would suggest but it improves as it warms up, definitely a wine to drink in te height of sumer when youcan leave it in the

I'm seriously considering investing in one of the recipe books for the fast diet because I'm quickly growing tired of my standard "fast feta salad" as the only meal I eat on fast days. I can shake it up with different herbs and spices and even occasionally switch the feta for a small tin of tuna (in water obviously). The salad part is also problematic in the fact that, when it's cold, I really want a warm meal. I can't really complain, this diet has been nothing but good for me, so far and I really can't expect someone to compile a book of tasty recipes for my fast days, for free. Think about many of the other long term diet plans out there and their oh-so-helpful websites, most of them have the basic outline but in order to get the help and support you have to pay a set sum every month. 5:2 doesn't expect a fee, oh they offer the books (very reasonably priced) and they even offer a paid service with food delivered to your door but they aren't pr

I'm all for 'clean' foods and home cooking, you know exactly what is going into your food and how to count the calories in your meal. The only problem is when someone else is doing the cooking. How do you show up to someone else's home and ask for an exact detailing of EVERYTHING they're putting in the food they're preparing? It's just rude.

Oh Man I've had a bad week. It seems just typical that I would start TOTM on my last weigh-in day and not finish until after this one. In the last two weeks I've managed to lose 1kg (2.2lbs). I only managed one fast this week because I was so hungry and freezing cold on Monday that I had to eat so I think I ended up at about 750cals. It is so cold right now, I live about a mile from the sea but the forecast today says "chance of SNOW". I'm trying to get another fast day in today but I don't think I'll manage it. Ah, apparently it has snowed I just missed it. Not managed the extra fast day but I should be back on track with normal bodily situation resuming shortly (at least I bloody well hope so). In later news, I have actually lost cm this week, bonus!  I'm not feeling quite so pitiful now.

Ugh. Not a happy day today. After two really difficult fasts and a combined week’s deficit of 4282 cal I have only lost 0.4kg. Not good. My only excuse is that I am actually having to put up with TOTM (time of the month) for the first time in ages. After a series of problems with my cycle in my early twenties I was given a Mirena coil (slow release hormone infused) and I have been supremely happy with it because my periods have virtually disappeared for the past ten years. I am a very happy woman, not having to deal with it every month. However, I am coming to the end of use for my second coil and I actually have to deal now (although to a lesser extent than without it) and I am not an easy woman at the best of times. If anything I imagine this is more of an issue for my husband, he’s not had to put up with me when I’m grumpy, hormonal and nasty tempered. Poor guy, we met eight years ago and he’s never experienced me in full-on plate-throwing mode

Oh what a wonderful day it is today. Weigh-in and reward day and I have done it! I have hit my target for attaining my 1 st Lindy Bop dress by the first weigh in in Feb. I’ve not only achieved it but surpassed it. My weight this morning measured at 92.4kg/203.7lbs/14st 7.7lbs. Cue the fireworks! I have learned a valuable and important lesson, to weigh only once a week because other readings can become skewed. As of last night I was convinced I hadn’t lost more than half a pound this week. I jumped on the scales three times yesterday trying to make them say something nice and every time they told me from 93.7kg even up to 94.2. I was so upset. I had a (slightly) greater calorie deficit this week than last but I’d gained weight? Oh, the misery. Imagine my surprise and utter joy when I got on the scales this morning and they showed me a spectacular result.   After last week’s great loss and the rate at which I’d lost over the past 4 weeks I was pretty sure it would star

Oh ho, today has been a very good fast day. I have happy thoughts and I’ve not a single hunger craving. I’ve had the most wonderful dinner. I never knew salad could taste so good (I will forever skip the lettuce from now on).    A tomato, sliced a mini cucumber, sliced half a celery stick, sliced Grind salt, black pepper and oregano over the top Drizzle 1 tsp balsamic vinegar and tsp olive oil Finely crumble 25g feta over the top Voila! The tastiest fast day meal I have had.  I now have to think of some interesting meals to make with the remaining 150-175g of feta before it dries out with a week. I’m thinking maybe some kind of vegetable bake with the feta crumbled through it. I’ll experiment with different herbs and spices so that I don’t get bored of the same flavours.

Horrible, horrible fast day today. I’m bloody starving, I’m frozen (the fire next to me is having no impact) and I’m knackered. And, horror of horrors, tea is not doing the job for me. A month on this WOE and I have maintained my tea fast reasonably well, even when I’ve been complaining, but today I feel like crap. I was supposed to walk the 5km to meet the hubby after he finished work but the very idea just made me feel light headed and dizzy. I know I should have been somewhat more reasonable and introduced exercise on a non-fast day but I though Monday was a good day to start it up. I think I should stick to the fact “Monday” starts are just not good for me. I need to ease into things mid-week, like I did with 5:2. I am so looking forward to tomorrow when I can eat.