HI, Day 3 Harcombe - anyone out there?

Suedefan

Suedefan

Full Member
Hello, this diet appears to be a lonely place to be.

I'm on day 3 and it's going well. Even managed to swap the black tea for green with mint so far, tried camomile but not my thing.

Finding Phase 1 pretty easy to deal with so far, but I live abroad in the middle of nowhere these days, so it's easy to live without processed junk. Still waiting for the cereal craving and evening munchies to get me, but ok so far. Saving the oats allowed for supper (just incase) had them on the first night, made with salt and some freshly ground cinnamon, quite nice.

Annie x
 
Hi Annie..

Whereabouts abroad in the middle of nowhere are you..?

I found it lonely too, but did phase 1 with no problems. I cut green tea out too, it's not caffeine-free which is a shame, cos I drank it all the time before. I drank fruit infusions and Red Bush. I didn't lose much, about 2lbs but I was happy with that in 5 days cos I got to eat so much yummy food.
After a wobble at the end of phase 1 (cos OH pressured me into believing that eating fat makes you fat so I really doubted if it could work and went back to SW for a couple of days) I'm now on phase 2 and loving it.
I eat belly pork, pork scratchings, brie, mascarpone, chicken skin, bacon butties (with oopsie rolls), strawberries and cream - oh life is grand!
I drew up a two week plan and shop ahead so now it just runs like clockwork. It's so funny seeing the looks people give me when they see my trolley is full of fatty stuffz - but I'm feeling great and expect to lose a couple of lbs a week.
Drinkwise, I have the occasional decaff coffee which I add cream to, mostly I drink Red Bush.
I don't have any carb meals, they are all fat meals - although I do have a kiwi fruit every morning and try to leave 20-40 minutes before eating my main breakfast after this. I find it's the only thing that keeps me regular (if you know what I mean).

If there's anything you'd like help with, or just a general chit-chat, drop me a line :)
H. xx
 
Hi H,

Thanks for the reply. Your eating list is making my mouth water :) I live in Estonia now, originally from Hull, East Yorkshire. When their is no snow on the ground, I can drive to the nearest small town on 10 minutes so I'm not too isolated. I is quite good, I can blast my music out and not bother anyone.

I'm loving it so far, I was confused about the tea thing as it said herbal tea. Looked in the supermarket here and they are full of fruit teas (not my thing) and as you can't eat fruit on phase 1 I decided to leave the tea out too. I was surprised to find some decaf coffee as most Estonians would ask "what's the point"

I saw on some other sites that people were stuck for things to eat on Phase 1????????? I just thought that maybe they were not used to cooking and lived on processed junk (I have 3 children, so have no choice). I love belly pork and have had it this week, fried in butter and I threw the veggies in the pan when they were ready too - delicious. Never thought about eating pork scratchings though - yummy I love them.

I did WW after having my first child and my 2nd. It did work both times, but I always piled it back on during pregnancy - with my craving for cheap processed meat in the form of McDonalds and sausage rolls. So child no 3 is now 4 and I have gained weight. I had the most success with SW, way before having children, but then settled down and my husband and i stayed in, watching TV and eating far too many take aways and choc. No take aways here :).

As I can't help jumping on the scales (just to see) I did on the morning of day 2 - AMAZING result 5 lb down after one day (that's a lot of water gone then). I checked again this morning and am now 6 lb down and it's only day 4. So as of this morning, I am nearer 13st than 14st :)

Thanks again for your reply, really great to hear from someone who is so positive about this diet.

Annie x
 
Hi Annie..
Sorry for the long delay in replying, I've been out and about due to the Easter holidays.
Last night we had pork with mustard and cream (without the mushrooms though as I've cut them out completely) and it tasted fantastic! I did some courgette julienne strips and chucked them in too - empty plates all round.
We're having roast beef today - can't wait for that.
So pleased to hear about your fantastic loss - I'm staying away from the scales because I don't want to risk getting put off if I have had a gain while my body gets used to eating fat again. All I know is I feel fantastic!!

Helen x
 
Hi Helen,

Hope you enjoyed your roast, we had roast pork - yum. I don't know about the mushroom thing yet, I remember the book saying not to eat them and it would be explained in a later chapter, but I have either missed it or not read it yet. My husband came home for the weekend, so I have not had chance to finish the book, the weather here has been glorious and I have spent 2 days gardening. I did have to go to a childs' birthday party today, and managed to get away with eating fruit and 1 small piece of cake (could not mention diet or more food would have been forced on me along with bottles of beer). I drank caffeinated coffee, it was that or juice (which is made with syrup here).

Glad you feel fantastic, because I do too. I have not had this much energy in years. I no longer wanter to crash at 8pm when I put the kids to bed. Think I may try to stick to phase 1 during the week again and go for phase 2 at the weekend. No idea what I need to cut out as I have not craved anything, I was expecting to crave bread and cereal, but no.

Better go it's almost midnight here.

Bye for now
 
Hi again Annie..
I didn't crave anything either during phase 1. I was really expecting to feel very ill, or at least have serious cravings but I found it quite easy.
The reason they say no mushrooms is because they are a fungus and will aggravate candida if you suffer from that. Although I didn't suffer any candida 'die-off' I've suffered for most of my life with a painful tummy. I don't think it's IBS but have no idea what it is that causes it so figure it must be a common food that I eat regularly. The symptoms were similar to candida so I figured it wouldn't hurt to cut mushrooms out and see if that helped. I haven't suffered from tummy pain since starting phase 1 - all I've cut out is mushrooms and milk. I eat cheese, cream and butter though, with no ill effects.
Don't know if that helps..

Catch you soon, Helen xx
 
Hi Helen,

I had guessed the mushroom thing may be fungus/candida related, thanks for confirmation. I have no idea which, if any of the conditions I suffered from as a lot of the symptoms sounded familiar. I guessed at candida and possibly food intolerance. My body snuck in a period a week early, but I have not had any cramping, bloating, teariness or foul temper - result. Sound like it's benefiting us both :).

I think I've over done it with the reintroduction of fruit as I kind of lived on it on Sunday and had loads yesterday. Need to keep an eye on what and how much I am eating, but saying that, I no longer eat several extra meals/snacks a day and I am not feeling hungry.

I have not felt this good for this long in about 5 years :character00180:

Bye for now
 
Hiya! Are you guys still there? Im doing this, I've lost 4lb in phase one now first week of phase 2. I held back on fruit as I know this was feeding my cravings.

How are you finding it? I think I need to start looking up more recipes. I can't believe how much fat you can eat, it goes against everything I've ever learnt thru dieting!

Sarah
 
Hi Sarah,

I'm still here and it's going well, I am steadily loosing every week. I do have the odd bottle of beer on a Saturday (my weigh in day) and sometimes homemade goodies, but I am still loosing. I am really enjoying the meals and eating the strangest breakfasts sometimes. I found that I can not have too much dairy, but that's not a problem, I still enjoyed an ice cream yesterday as it was so hot.

I feel really good too, healthy and energetic - have you noticed a difference yet?

Good luck with your weight loss x
 
Hiya, thanks for the reply.
Yes I've noticed a difference, my cravings were out of control which is why I've come back to this diet. I've tried it before and can't remember why I stopped!

I've lost 3.5 stone with slimming world and am at target but wanted to tackle my sweet tooth as it was out of control! Now I dont even think of chocolate or sweets, in fact I really dont fancy putting stuff like that in my body as its just junk!

I'm only in my first week of phase 2 and have had wine more than I should and a meal out which involved pizza :eek: but it was the homemade type so not as bad as it could of been a guess.

I just still can't get my head round the fact that you can have cheese, butter, cook with oil etc, everything that I'm told not to on sw!

I'll see how I get on over the next few weeks and will cut down on the wine. But am loving the food. Just had meatza! Yum

Well done with your loss, do you still find it easy to follow? What sort of recipes do you do?
 
Hi Sarah,

I had beer, cake and homemade biscuits last week and still lost 2 lb. Must be because of moderation, one piece of cake, 2 biscuits and a beer. I am still finding it easy to follow, but as you can see I am not overly strict, although it has been so hot here and I am working hard I think the treats are because I sometimes skip a meal due to circumstances. I do eat good quality dark chocolate, but a small bar over two or three days and the treats last week were because of a house guest.

My husband is home for the weekend and he brought pork pie as we can not get it here, I had a small bite and had to spit it into the bin (sorry TMI) it was awful and I could not face eating it, my tastes have totally changed. I make pizza with my children occasionally and they taste so much better than shop ones.

As for recipes: chilli (with sour cream on the side) sometimes with brown rice (still works for my weight loss), I make curry and use NL Yogurt to make it creamy. I eat lots of salads with meat, I tend to mix them in a bowl with lemon olive oil. I now have a daughter addicted to salad with sardines mixed in. Sometimes I just take some mince, fry it up with sea salt and herbs, onion and green beans and anything else I have around (yes - I eat it for breakfast too). I think that frying in butter is so much tastier and it's good for my frying pans too (they lost their non stick quite some time ago).

Well done for getting to target, long may you stay there :)
 
Suedefan said:
Hi H, Thanks for the reply. Your eating list is making my mouth water :) I live in Estonia now, originally from Hull, East Yorkshire. When their is no snow on the ground, I can drive to the nearest small town on 10 minutes so I'm not too isolated. I is quite good, I can blast my music out and not bother anyone. I'm loving it so far, I was confused about the tea thing as it said herbal tea. Looked in the supermarket here and they are full of fruit teas (not my thing) and as you can't eat fruit on phase 1 I decided to leave the tea out too. I was surprised to find some decaf coffee as most Estonians would ask "what's the point" I saw on some other sites that people were stuck for things to eat on Phase 1????????? I just thought that maybe they were not used to cooking and lived on processed junk (I have 3 children, so have no choice). I love belly pork and have had it this week, fried in butter and I threw the veggies in the pan when they were ready too - delicious. Never thought about eating pork scratchings though - yummy I love them. I did WW after having my first child and my 2nd. It did work both times, but I always piled it back on during pregnancy - with my craving for cheap processed meat in the form of McDonalds and sausage rolls. So child no 3 is now 4 and I have gained weight. I had the most success with SW, way before having children, but then settled down and my husband and i stayed in, watching TV and eating far too many take aways and choc. No take aways here :). As I can't help jumping on the scales (just to see) I did on the morning of day 2 - AMAZING result 5 lb down after one day (that's a lot of water gone then). I checked again this morning and am now 6 lb down and it's only day 4. So as of this morning, I am nearer 13st than 14st :) Thanks again for your reply, really great to hear from someone who is so positive about this diet. Annie x
Click to expand...

Hi

I'm from Hull too !
Iv tried thd twice but never got to phase 2. In currently considering it now but the thought of never been able to have certain foods sends me into a panic !!
How much have you lost so far ?
 
MinzieMoo said:
Hi

I'm from Hull too !
Iv tried thd twice but never got to phase 2. In currently considering it now but the thought of never been able to have certain foods sends me into a panic !!
How much have you lost so far ?
Click to expand...

HI, I don't panic about it, you'll be surprised at how much stuff you really don't want to eat after doing it for a little while and how much stuff you will turn your nose up at when you see how much rubbish is in it. I really can't face cheap meat mixed with all sorts of stuff these days and if I want a treat I make it myself or get it from a bakery where it is freshly made onsite. My 4 year old now walks round the supermarket, pointing at things, saying "that's rubbish and that's full of rubbish and that is full of sugar" :)

What diet area you doing at the moment, still Slimming world? it looks like you have done really well so far. Maybe you don't need to change? I did SW years ago when it was red and green days, it was great for weight loss, but taught me to over eat, so when I started mixing carbs and protein again I piled on the weigh and then some. I am not depriving myself now, but do not feel the need to go mad and have loads of bad stuff, so hopefully this is the diet for me.

I've lost 1st 1lb so far (that's in just over a month) so I am really pleased (especially with the odd weekend beer, ice cream and pizza)

Which area of Hull are you from? I am an East Hull girl myself.
 
Hi suedefan,
Just thought I'd check in again. I've now lost 7 in about 3 weeks! That's amazing for me!

I have cut down on fruit and stopped having sweeteners in tea etc as I think this bought on my cravings too. Its so weird, like my taste buds have changed. Not even been that strict on the diet so to still loose weight it amazing!

Gonna keep going, I just love eating real food, not that I ate bad before but I would always binge and the weekends but don't even want to now.

Are you still sticking to it? Have you set a goal? How far to go? Xx
 
twiglets84 said:
Hi suedefan,
Just thought I'd check in again. I've now lost 7 in about 3 weeks! That's amazing for me!

I have cut down on fruit and stopped having sweeteners in tea etc as I think this bought on my cravings too. Its so weird, like my taste buds have changed. Not even been that strict on the diet so to still loose weight it amazing!

Gonna keep going, I just love eating real food, not that I ate bad before but I would always binge and the weekends but don't even want to now.

Are you still sticking to it? Have you set a goal? How far to go? Xx
Click to expand...


Wow that's so good, especially as you said you had reached your target. I didn't loose this week, first time without a loss, but I didn't gain so that's good.

My ticker thinks I've set a goal, but I'm not sure. I think somewhere between 10 and 11 st is good for me. When I get back into my size 10/12 waist trousers, then I'll be happy. I once did this at 11 stone, but I was running a lot. So it looks like I have over 3st to loose, but I'm going to keep at it. I am still noticing a big boost to my health and energy levels :D
 
Ooooh ladies... I got lost somewhere over the course of the last month :missing: and am currently contemplating rejoining SW (tonight!!) but reading this and remembering all the lovely things I ate, I don't want to go! I'm really aware of how they encourage you to fill your plate and eat low calorie stuff that is just chemicals...

Need to do some thinking me thinks.:argh:

I will just say that I did cut out something right from day 1, that is caffeine. I've only had 'proper' coffee a couple of times since then, and more than three cups and that dreadful tummy pain came back. I'm a convert on that front for sure!!
 
Hi, long time no speak, glad you've been found I have had bear, cake, homemade pizza and homemade hobnobs over the past couple of months and am still 15lb lighter than when I started (last week was the first week I have not lost). I have even had the ver occasional slice of fresh baked bread and healthy carbs with odd meals. I am still going strong and enjoying the food (ok - plus the not really allowed occasional extras). I did feel a bit bad and lethargic last week, but I was feeling down as my mother in law had been here for two weeks, then my husband came home for the weekend as she left. I was a bit pathetic all week, worried that the diet was no longer working, but as soon as I realised it was lack of adult company, I picked myself up and have been fine since.


So, to be positive - I love this diet, I feel about 10 years younger, I'm pretty sure my face looks younger. I certainly feel I could not go back to eating processed crap (If I buy a cake, it's a fresh one from a local bakery - not a supermarket sponge that has a very long shelf life).


Obviously, I can not comment on SW, it's been years since I followed one of their diets. You do what's right for you, maybe you could do Harcombe for a week, see how you feel, then consider SW. Think about why SW, is it the support in class or do you like the diet? A small group of us (doing different diets) all comment on Saturday weigh in, you are more than welcome to join us for chats there if that would help. You have a good think and just remember all the cream, butter and dark choc you could be eating
 
Hello, me again - another quick update, this was to give me a boost as I have been a bit naughty lately:

So here goes - since starting this diet, I have lost:

9cm from my waist
5cm from my back (measured just under my arms)
9cm from my back/bust
4cm from my thigh
My arms are still the same - must be all that muscle :D
 
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