....go! DAY 1

Here we go, it has started.

First job was to be weighed.I'm the heaviest I have ever been at 15st 12lb. The first 5 days are supposed to be a big weight loss.  I will weigh every morning for those 5 days, just to see what happens.

Breakfast was a bit messy. I made the porridge but could not eat more than a few mouthfuls so ended up doing a couple of scrambled eggs with black pepper. I really enjoyed them and might consider that tomorrow. It was quick, tasty and filling.

Food I've eaten today

Tiny bit of oats and hot water
Scrambled eggs with black pepper
Omelette with mixed herbs and salad, followed by live natural yoghurt

Dinner is roast pork with mixed veg before I go to work and the pork smells lovely.

Feeling a bit rubbish but not really hungry. I know that I could eat cake or chocolate but I'm not hungry and I need to keep focusing on that. Been to town and it was really difficult not to just pick up a goody to eat. I'm tired and I have the start of a headache but I guess the worse I feel now the better I will feel afterwards. My blood sugar levels are probably protesting that they've had no sugar of  any kind all day.

Tomorrow, I'm working in the morning and this will be where things are going to be a rush and possibly don't work. I'm going to take a tuna salad but I only get 10 minutes which isnt that long and working at Starbucks with all the temptation is going to be hard.

But it will be worth it

Ready......set......

Did my first shop for the diet yesterday, just look at my fridge!

It was quite a simple shop, the trickiest item to buy was ham.  I initially decided to get meat from the deli counter but on closer inspection found that the third item on the ingredients was sugar. I am actually shocked to discover that what I had always considered to be real food had what I think of as an unnecessary ingredient. I ended up buying a packet of top range ham which doesn't list any sugar or other -ose.  It does however contain nitrates so I need to check if they are ok to have. 

The shopping wasnt cheap so once the diet is up and running, I need to find cheaper places to buy meat and veg. At the moment offers in Tescos will have to do but I will be sourcing from more economical places eventually. Well, this is it....the last day of junk and processed foods. Going out with a bit of a bang, making a quick curry from a jar with pilau rice and poppadoms with a sponge pudding and custard for dessert. I'm feeling very positive and excited about these changes to our life. Fingers crossed we survive the first 5 days

3 bears

After yesterday's post I was determined I was going to try and improve on the porridge and water meal. I had another dish of it for supper and the tiny drop of golden syrup vastly improved it but also the last few mouthfuls were better as they were creamier.  So off I went to the google box in search of a way to improve it.

I had no idea that porridge was so complex, the varies types of oats, types and quantities of liquid, methods of soaking and toppings. I read pages and pages of people's 'perfect porridge' every one  is different but apparently every one is  perfect.

So started with soaking the oats, seemed the easiest thing to do.  Added enough cold water to cover and left overnight.This morning they had mushed up a bit and following more google advice, I rinsed them before adding them to a pan with a bit more water and cooked until the rest of the water absorbed and do you know what.........it was more palatable. I even added a pinch of salt to mine and it did take the edge of the blandness but I do believe I could get used to my porridge like this.

Who would have thought it?

2 days to go and the worse porridge ever

Well, it was decided to start the diet on a Thursday, the idea being that day 1 will be hard in any new diet kind of way, day 2 is when we will start to feel rubbish, and that should peak over the weekend while we are off work and things should start to feel better for Monday. I will let you know if that plan works.

I've written a very comprehensive meal plan for the 5 days, including snacks. I've started to finish things up that we have around the house and to try things that we are going to need to eat. Which leads me to......

.......what can I say about porridge made with water with nothing added for sweetness? VILE! VILE! VILE! I couldn't eat more than 3 spoonsful and I'm going to be having that for breakfast on Thursday.  Going to half the quantity and add a lttle syrup tomorrow to help the transition. I'm also thinking about trying different porridges. I bought a supermarket's best line one and it is all oats that don't mush up. Going to try a more basic one and see if that is better.

So, 'the glass half empty' me sees only 2 days of tasty convenient foods left but 'the glass half full' me sees 2 days to go to a healthier, lighter me.

The books arrived - eeeeeek

The postman brought me a great treasure yesterday - the Harcombe diet book! I couldn't wait to start reading it. Very sad of me but I went and sat in Tesco cafe with a large mocha and some biscuits.  Nothing like reading a diet book while indulging in some caffeine and chocolate.

Ive read the history behind the diet and the conditions and also the first phase of the diet. I'm really excited about starting it. Stupidly so seen as it is going to be so difficult.

What Zoe Harcombe says about calorie counting makes so much sense and explains why obesity rates are continuing to climb. It is too complicated to explain but anybody interested in knowing more about how restricting calories encourages weight gain as well as candida, food intolerance and hypoglycemia should read Zoe Harcombe's book "Stop counting calories and start losing weight".

The diet consists of 3 phases. Phase 1 is the detoxing part to cleanse the body and lasts just 5 days. This is followed by the second phase which you do for as long as you need to lose weight and the final phase is for maintenance.

Phase 1 is going to be hard, no caffeine, no chocolate, no processed food at all. I want to plan it down to every mouthful. For me to stick to it I need to allow for plenty of snacks and extra meals, anything to get me through it.  Withdrawal symptoms are going to leave me feeling rubbish and ill but I need to plan for that so going to find a time in the diary that is going to work best.

In the mean time I'm indulging in cake, chocolate, bread and the laziness of just being able to grab whatever I want to eat.

I need to keep focused on weight loss and being healthy.

I WANT THIS TO WORK

Newish year new diet

Well it's 3 weeks into 2013 and I have had to admit that this blubbery body has got to go. Like most women in the Western world I have been on many diets and I really prefer to make lifestyle changes and calling a eating plan a diet can put me off trying it.

Many years ago I saw a nutritionist and spent a month eating whole foods with no sugars or additives.I cant deny it, it was hard. Not just cutting things out but tryng to fit our new regime into our busy life routine. Saying that, I loved the concept of eating unprocessed food. I came off the diet with a bang by eating pizza and pepsi max and let me tell you that after a month of no sugar, it was one crazy evening. As always one slip led to many and that was the end of the diet.

I still read about and longed to eat real food but just never got my act together to plan it.

Then my husband was talking to somebody about The Harcombe diet. That was a week ago and we are now waiting for the book to arrive, research has started and attempts at dietary changes made.  The diet should start at the beginning of February.

I know little about the diet apart from it involves not eating sugars, additives or anything you can crave. And it involves some kind of food combining.

I thought the blog might be interesting to show my journey of discovery and frustration in trying to be healthier while working part time shifts, doing PTA, church events, and looking after a husband and four year old.

For more information on the diet visit www.harcombediet.co.uk