My Diet, Week 9 - Day 56 & 57

Monday 12th November 2012

Breakfast: Scrambled Egg, Warm Drink

Lunch: Smoked Peppered Mackerel

Dinner: Chicken Oat Bran Nuggets

Snack: Natural Yoghurt (I didn't have this snack but my OH did)

Weight: 9st 2.75lbs

Weight Loss: 1.75lbs

Total Weight Lost: 1 stone 5.25lbs

Unfortunately I am working most of today so am not able to get a walk in, and then I have guests over for more birthday celebrations (although it's still not my actual birthday yet). Will try to make up for it tomorrow.

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Tuesday 13th November 2012

Today it is my birthday and so I decided to treat myself to a small slice of my birthday cake, I know it's not allowed but up to Sunday (and now today) I haven't had one thing that is not allowed, so I am not going to beat myself up about it.

I have a box of fudge, bought for me a while ago, sitting around, staring at me, which I have resisted for 8 weeks, now I have been bought a box of chocolates which I shall have to resist too. But ... the carrot cake was too much and I had to succumb.

Breakfast: Natural Yoghurt, with low cal sugar, mixed Spice & Goji Berries

Lunch: Small slice of birthday Carrot Cake (with the 2 finger kitkat edge and M&M topping

Dinner: Depends what someone else will cook for me, or buy in (actually it ended up being Chilli Con Carne which I made myself, so no special birthday meal cooked for me).

I went for a walk today, and met up with my friend for a drink at Costa, then carried on my walk, I was walking for 50:42 minutes covering 2.44 miles and burning 186 calories (pretty sure that does not cover the calories in the cake - oops)

My Diet - Day 54 & 55

Saturday 10th November 2012

Breakfast: Vanilla Oat Bran Porridge

Lunch: Natural Yoghurt, with Vanilla essence

Dinner: Mustard Salmon

Snack: Chocolate Mousse

Today I am doing a 2nd, on the trot, day of protein only, this is not in the hope of losing extra pounds (although that is always welcome) it is because next week I need Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday to be Protein & Veg days. I am going for an Indian Meal on Sunday evening, so a lot easier if I can have veg too. Tuesday is my birthday so I don't want too much restriction & on Thursday I am going to the cinema from 2.45pm to 3am (honestly) I am going to see the Twilight Films, all 6 of them, one after the other, finishing with the new film starting at midnight. I did this last year also and it was great, but you do need to take food with you, hence wanting the day to be PV.

I wanted to have reached my 1st goal weight by my birthday, I don't think I'll do it but I wont be far off, so am reasonably happy with that.

I have to say, I have never had any bad reactions to this diet, I haven't felt bloated once. It definitely does me good to not eat bread, I',m sure that is what was bloating me out before. I haven't missed potatoes at all, I love my shepherds pie with different "mash" on top, so far I've had mashed Swede, Pumpkin & Butternut Squash - all very tasty. On the whole I have not felt hungry between meals, there has been the odd time but usually because I've had to delay my meal time because of work or some other commitment.  I don't miss alcohol, but then I've never drank an awful lot of it anyway, my OH has had some now and then but has reduced his intake of alcohol significantly. He is looking so much trimmer now it's actually wonderful to see.

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Sunday 11th November 2012

I had a busy Sunday, but unfortunately nothing much that would burn off calories.

Breakfast: 2 x Boiled Eggs, Turkey Bacon (cut in soldiers)

Lunch: Shepherds Pie with Swede Mash

Snack: Chocolate Brownie

Dinner: Indian Meal (Sheek Kebab & Salad to start, Chicken Shishlak (skewered chicken with peppers, onion & tomatoes)

Dessert: Very small slice of my birthday cake, which was carrot cake, with kitkats around the edge & M&M's on top. (The picture is of what was left after it was shared amongst 9 of us)

I know I shouldn't have had the cake but it was made especially for me so I did and I don't regret it. My sister had already brought me a birthday cake over earlier in the day and I did not have any of it, so overall I think I did well & it's not even my birthday yet :)

My Diet - Day 52, Day 52 & 53

Wednesday 7th November 2012

Breakfast:  Ham & Scrambled Egg

Lunch: Hard Boiled Egg

Dinner: Kebab/ Asian Meatballs (I actually intend to make a cross between Asian Meatballs & Kebab Meatballs) 

Snack: Low Fat Yoghurt (again)

The kebab meatballs were lovely, as usual,as was the gravy which was from the Asian Meatball recipe. However, I did amend it slightly, my OH is not keen on garlic so I didn't add it to the gravy especially as there was garlic in the meatballs, I had no white vinegar so used balsamic vinegar instead, which I checked and is ok to use on the Dukan Diet, I also had no spring onions left so omitted them. It still tasted divine.


I went for a longer walk today, makes up for my slackness recently, I was walking with my friend and her puppy so slightly slower pace, but nevertheless a good bit of exercise. The walk was for almost 1 hr 6 minutes, covering 2.94 miles & burning 222 calories.

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Thursday 8th November

Breakfast: Low Fat Natural Yoghurt, with Oat Bran

Lunch: Grilled Smoked Haddock with salad

Dinner: Chicken Curry

I didn't sleep much last night and so am actually extremely tired today, so I'm not going out for a walk, however I will be moving belongings from one room downstairs to a cupboard upstairs today, so that should burn off some calories.

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Friday 8th November 2012

Breakfast: Low Fat Yoghurt, Goji Berries, Mixed Spice, Low cal Sugar

Lunch: Scotch Eggs

Dinner: Turkey Tikka Burgers

Snack: Yoghurt

I went for a 42 minute walk today covering 2.18 miles and burning 159 calories.

I didn't get around to moving stuff upstairs yesterday, so have done it today, totally cleared a room ready for my cousin moving in, only downside to clearing a room that has been used for storage is the dust, I am very allergic and my eyes are causing me terrible trouble tonight. Still it  will be worth it in the end.  

Think I'll just close my eyes for the rest of the evening now.

My Diet, Week 8 - Day 50 I'm Getting There Slowly, Day 51

Well here we are the start of another week and I still have not been tempted to sway from this diet. I was in a garden centre cafe yesterday and my OH said "go on have a cake, or tea cake, one won't hurt", I resisted the temptation. Although he is probably right when he says one won't hurt, but its not all about whether it will affect the weight loss, it's more to do with resisting the temptation, if I give in once, I might do so again. 

And ... also if I get a tasting for something "naughty" I'll want more and that is when I will find the diet a problem. I don't want that to happen, I am so near to my goal weight.

Monday 5th November 2012

Weight: 9st 4.5lbs

Weight Loss: 1.2lbs

Total Weight Lost: 1 stone 3.25lbs


Breakfast: Scrambled Egg, Warm Drink

Lunch: Grilled Mackerel with peppercorns

Dinner: Sticky Chicken Nuggets


Snack: Yoghurt


Alas, yet again, I didn't take any exercise today, this motivation lark is hard to get back, but in my defence I was working all morning and as I keep saying I am a morning person. Still I'm not going to brood over it, I'll get some in as and when I can. So long as I'm losing the weight I won't worry too much about it.

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Tuesday 6th November 2012


Breakfast: Oat Bran Vanilla Porridge, Warm Drink


Lunch: Tomato Soup


Dinner: Roast Chicken & Vegetables


Snack: Low Fat Yoghurt

Yay!!! I went out for a walk this morning :))  I was out for 37 minutes and walked 1.96 miles, burning 136 calories. I chatted to my mum on the phone throughout the entire walk, that made it less lonely and made the time pass quicker.

It also helped that it was a bright, sunny (& a little cold) morning. 

Guest Blog: Small Bits Of Fitness Add Up

Another Guest Blog that may interest you.

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Small Bits of Fitness Add Up

Exercise Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

-- By Liz Noelcke, SparkPeople Contributor

 

"Where did the day go?"

Is this a common question in your life? Many of us jam-pack so much stuff into our daily routines, seemingly there’s no time to relax for just one minute, let alone exercise. Lack of time is one of the most common excuses for not having a decent fitness regimen. But do you realize that in the time it might take you to go through your e-mail, you could fit in a good workout? We’re not talking about giving up 60 minutes either; all you need is 10.

Just 10?
Forget the "all or nothing" mentality when it comes to exercise. Fitness does not live or die by 60-minute workouts; there is middle ground. Short spurts of exercise, when they accumulate, have been shown to share similar benefits of longer workouts.

Your body will reap numerous benefits just by becoming more active. This approach is perfect for times when you don’t have time for a regular workout, or when you want to start off slowly and build up a routine.

Easier Than You Think
Treat these 10 minutes like you would a regular workout. Take 1-2 minutes to warm up and get the muscles ready, including stretching. Follow with at least 7 minutes of exercise at a medium or high intensity. Then make sure to include a 60-second cool down.

Since it’s brief, it’s important to work at a fairly high intensity to obtain all of the benefits. Work at raising your heart and respiration rates. Just like regular workouts, try to include cardio, strength training and flexibility work in your shortened routine. Either knock out all three during the 10 minutes, or plan a 10-minute segment for each area.

Example: Push out 10 cardio minutes on the stationary bike. For strength, do push-ups, wall sits, or lift dumbbells. For flexibility, it’s helpful to just stretch every day. Work different muscle groups and keep it simple. After 10 minutes, you will feel healthier and be on your way to developing solid fitness habits.

But I Still Don’t Have Time
It only takes 30 minutes a day, broken up into manageable chunks of 10. Start with a quick exercise when you wake up. The second session? A lunch break is possibly the perfect time to re-energize and get the blood flowing again. The last 10-minute blitz could come in the evening, even while you are watching TV. It’s an ideal way to involve the family as well. Go for a power walk after dinner with your spouse or ride bikes with the kids.

It is all about convenience; if you try, you can fit exercise into your schedule no matter where you are. Do it at home or at work, outside or in the living room. Start building exercise spurts into your daily routine and you’ll start feeling better.

My Diet - Day 47, 48 & 49

Friday 2nd November 2012

Breakfast: Low Fat Natural Yoghurt, spoonful goji berries (little sweetener & Cinnamon)

Lunch: Left Over Shepherds Pie

Dinner: Tuna Steaks with Stir Fry (using low cal spray oil) Red, Green & Yellow Peppers, Courgette, Cherry Tomatoes & Mushrooms with a sprinkling of Soy Sauce

Snack: Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies

Beautiful morning today and I did get out for a walk with my son, 35.31 mins covering 2.2 miles and burning 160 calories. I think my job has burnt off its own share of calories as well today. 

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Saturday 3rd November 2012

Breakfast: Vanilla Oat Bran Porridge

Lunch: Grilled Trout with herbs & left over tuna steak

Dinner: Roast Beef

Snack: Chocolate Mousse, Cup of Hot Chocolate


Housework has been my exercise today, cleaning sofa's, not my favourite past-time, but it did burn off a few calories.  I know, on the whole, my exercise this week has been pretty poor, but some days it's easy and then other days I just can't be bothered, hopefully it won't affect my weight loss too much.

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Sunday 4th November 2012


Breakfast: Turkey Bacon, Tin tomatoes, Poached Egg (& OH had grilled mushrooms)


Lunch: Chilli Con Carne with "Cauliflower" Rice


Dinner: Cinnamon Oat Bran Pancakes with Natural Yoghurt


Snack: Chocolate Mousse


Absolutely torrential rain today so no chance of getting out for a walk, however I suppose I could have done a work out on the Wii Fit but I didn't. I was out all morning and spent the football on the box, alas my team failed to win again - argghh!! Another draw, so frustrating.


Had a sneaky weigh-in this morning, hope it's similar tomorrow.


 

Guest Blog - To cook or nor to Cook Vegetables

I have decided to post some guest blogs that may be of interest. 

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 Cooking (Or Not Cooking) Broccoli To Protect Its Nutritional Riches

by Eliza Barclay

October 11, 2011 4:25 PM

 

Broccoli eaten raw may be the best way to take advantage of its cancer-fighting compounds.

Is there a right or a wrong way to cook a vegetable? If you want to unleash all its disease-fighting superpowers, then the answer is probably yes.

And as scientists poke and prod the inner world of vegetables down to the molecule, they've learned that broccoli is among the veggies sensitive to cooking technique. If cooked more than a few minutes, broccoli's antioxidants aren't as adept at knocking out carcinogens that cause cancer. And if you want broccoli to do just that – fight cancer — forget about taking broccoli supplements, which don't hold a candle to the whole vegetable, an expert says in a new paper.

A lot of other vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals and valuable chemicals that can be unlocked or blocked, depending on preparation and the foods they're eaten with, as The Salt's co-host, Allison Aubrey, has reported. Tomatoes are best eaten with a little fat, like olive oil, while carrots may be more willing to offer up their antioxidants when cooked.
But as Emily Ho, an associate professor and researcher at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, tells The Salt, cooking broccoli too long destroys the enzyme that breaks down chemicals called glucosinolates into cancer-fighting agents. That means a savory cream of broccoli soup, for example, is sadly not going to showcase broccoli at its nutritional best.

But choppin' broccoli is still just fine, as fans of Dana Carvey's classic Saturday Night Live skit will be glad to hear.

And the best way to eat it once chopped is raw or steamed for just two to three minutes.
This applies to other cruciferous veggies – like cauliflower, kale, wasabi and cabbage — too, says Ho, who's been studying broccoli for years. These vegetables all have compounds that can "target sick cells and keep normal cells happy, which is what you want for cancer prevention," Ho says.
Her latest paper, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, however, shows that most broccoli supplements don't have enough of the good enzyme that will put those compounds to work.

Ultimately, Ho says, the best way to use food to prevent cancer is to eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day and eat a wide variety of them. The way cancer does damage in the body is, after all, pretty complex stuff, and each fruit or vegetable may play a different role in helping fend off disease.