Back on Minimins after a long break - and a change of diet! :-)

Hello everyone, I don't suppose anyone here will know me, even though I'm far from a Minimins stranger. I joined four years ago when I did the Cambridge Diet - at the time I was ecstatic because I lost three stone on that (the only serious weight loss I've ever had on any diet). So why am I back, you ask? Firstly, I lost too much hair on the CD - everyone loses a bit, but I had a big thin patch on top and my poor hairdresser nearly had a coronary (it's still growing back now!). Secondly, I carelessly fell down the stairs and broke my ankle badly, and was laid up in bed for ages and ages with lumps of metal in my leg. My kind devoted husband fed me daily 'treats' of fish & chips and pizzas (he's just a lazy git really, lol) - so by the time I was up on crutches and getting about, I'd obviously put all the weight back on - plus another stone! Although I haven't put any more weight on (thank god!), I've never managed to shake off my excess. I've had SO much happen in my life since then too - family bereavements and illnesses, elderly relatives needing attention, house moves (involving me now living in two countries), forced retirement (due to the moves), sick animals - you name it. Sitting down and thinking about dieting was frankly the last thing on my mind.

I'm now in the kind of awkward position of living mainly in the UK whilst hubby lives abroad - the way things are, there's not much we can do about it at the moment. BUT it means that I can concentrate on my own meals and sort a diet out entirely around me! CD wasn't an option due to the hair problem, so I did a lot of reading and thought I'd go low-carb - it seems to really work for a lot of people. (I've also had to get real and admit I have a problem with wheat - it bloats me and always has, but being a toast lover I didn't want to hear it!) I'm going along slowly - only lost half a stone so far, but I'm realising what works and what doesn't, and tweaking around a basic Atkins-style plan to fit in with what I like. I'm finding it's easy to eat too much, even on this diet, but I've discovered great things like the Flax Flatbread recipe which is partially solving my bread craving. The other thing I've found out is that going wheat-free has made me look slimmer than I really deserve to with this small weight-loss - my figure has smoothed out a bit and my face is smaller (even my partially-blind mum noticed it!), so that's a great thing and it shows me that I'm on the right path.

I'm really here to say hello, find out how other people are getting on, and hopefully discover some new recipes! I'll try and come back regularly and keep in touch - don't want to leave it so long this time!
:wavey:

Why don't you have a look at the primal blue print . Is low carb/ mod carb no wheat etc

Marks daily apple - web site

Hello my love.I'm a big fan of the blueprint diet as its low carbs but sensible and encourages healthy eating. I hate aspartame and sweetner with a passion so good clean healthy food works wonders for me.

I also did Zoe harcombe but it was too strict on veggies and fruit.

Low carb helps me loose the bloat very quickly

Good luck,.read primal blue print x

Wow, thanks girls! I think I visited the Mark's Daily Apple site in passing (I think I was after a recipe or something), but I didn't stay long enough to really look at it properly. I will now though - I've had a look at a few paleo-type diets but never been on one. (I've always been a bit scared off by the no-dairy/oils rule!) I love the sound of all this - and the fact that my bloating has already virtually gone away is a miracle to me! Thanks again!

Jaycey hon I still eat diary. I only eat organic, full fat diary. Cream or Greek yoghurt, cheese ect.

It works for me but not for others. I think its vital you food a plan for life and for me the primal blue print seems very much like what I have been looking for.

I also still have gravy and stock cubes as well.

I'm often pushed for time and honestly if eating a organic stock cube or gravy in a meal twicea week stops me from having processed food, then iam happy.

X Ps I also have a smoothie a day as well!

I still have diary too but full fat, I use butter and coconut oil to cook with - Tesco do a budget version of coconut oil called KTC for £2.25 no one noticed I changed anything..

Primal is about a life style - that suits you.. So if you can tolerate dairy - keep it in - if you can't avoid!

I make muffins with coconut flour and honey for my kids - they really like them.

There are loads of sites with great things to eat., I like "Heath bent" which uses Tapioca flour with coconut flour for banana muffins - so yummy - once again kids approved !!

I do muffins once a week for kids and me Or when I have enough brown bananas !

Chelsea Lou said:

Hi Jacey, just a quick hello so that I am now subscribed. Do you still live near me in Cam?

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Yup - when I'm in the UK!

Chelsea Lou said:

So where else do you live? Somewhere exotic I hope

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I also live in Majorca - but I'm never there enough! (I do enjoy the food when I'm there though - their fruit & veg is to die for, and so cheap! )

My parents live in Majorca. Totally jealous of you all!

Chelsea Lou said:

I holidayed in Majorca once, Alcudia. Loved it and it must be a fab place to live. So how often are you here/over there?

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I get there as often as I can - fitting it in between appointments for me, my mum and the cats! Flights are reasonably cheap but not towards this time of year, so nipping over just for a weekend is a bit extravagant reallly - I recently spent five days there, but my August visit before was three weeks, I just have to juggle it! (We live pretty near the airport so I don't have spend loads of time getting to the house.)

This FitnessPal ticker is RUBBISH - it doesn't update!

Hi Jaycey and welcome. Just subscribing to your thread. I love living low carb and I'm another marks daily apple fan. Take a look at the link in my signature for some of my favourite recipes

(That's more like it - MUCH better ticker! ) Hello, Kat1e - wow, I can see you are a good person to talk to, lol - what results! I can't understand why people knock low carb, can you? I'm getting on with it really well, and the weight is coming off satisfactorily! I've got the usual early side-effects, such as icky breath/mouth, slightly headachey, but that's all nothing - I know this is good science because I've read all about it, so I'm prepared for a few obstacles along the way! I was distrusting of anything after CD (I've tried Slimming World and WW in years gone by - they did a bit, but boy was it dreary!) - but this is going so well, I cautiously put a ticker up, lol.

One thing I don't get - this group is so quiet, I can practically hear the tumbleweed blowing around! Is low carb going out of fashion? I do hope not! Where is everyone?

You are very welcome to come over to the atkins board - all low carbers welcome and lots of people doing diff things. Do say you are low carbing in your sig though or we might preach atkins levels at you

Pretty busy during the week but quieter at weekends

I'm not doing exactly Atkins, I've kind of tweaked a few low-carb diets and made them into something that suits me - will they mind that? I've got the Atkins Diet Revolution book and I refer to it a lot, so I do know what you're all talking about, lol. But I'm not that rigid (e.g. I like coffee!)....... When I spent a lot of time in the CD groups, if you mentioned anything that wasn't 'allowed', you soon got pounced on, haha. (Having said that, you really did have to stick to CD to the letter, so I suppose it was fair enough!) But I'll visit if you'll have me!

Absolutely no problem doing your own thing. We all are - in fact that's sort of the point of Atkins - figuring out what works for your body. So lots of people working out their own carb levels, what's in or out, what stalls them etc. it's just a lot of experiments after all

Best thing is that we spend most of our time talking food and recipes and drooling over new ideas- now that's a strange diet board