Irish Molly's GL Diary

[irish molly]

Naomi, lots of luck with your GI/GL diet. I think it is a really healthy approach to weight loss. Why not post a thread on here and keep a record of your journey. I find it really helps. If I can help, from my own experience, in any way just ask!!

 

[irish molly]

I have been on holiday for a week. We were in the West of Ireland with glorious sunshine and had a fab time.
I hoped to stay the same or at worst put on a pound or two as I knew I was eating more and having alcohol. But I was soooo pleased to actually lose two pounds!!!!
GL really rocks!!!!! I eat more than when at home but made sensible choices. I stuck to my rule of "no bread, potato, pasta or rice". Drinkswise I had no more than four alcoholic drinks any day. I drank plenty of water and had filter coffee and a few cappucinos.
I never felt deprived at any time just had to be careful about what I ate. When my OH had desserts, chips etc I had a spoon or two off his plate but it never made me want to have a whole plate of them myself!!

 

[irish molly]

Typical day whilst on hols went something like the following:
Breakfast: A tablespoon of grapefruit and half a pear with a dessert spoon of yoghurt. A bowl of porridge OR a dessert spoon of scrambled egg and grilled tomato. Coffee and water.
Lunch: A bowl of soup OR v small salad. Coffee and water.
Dinner: The salad starter OR melon. If a sorbet was included, I just had a third of it. Always fish or chicken for mains with whatever veg but NO potato/rice/pasta. If the dish was very saucy I left as much of this as I could. Coffee.
Drinks: a litre and half of water throughout the day, several filter coffees with milk and two cappucinos, no more than four alcoholic drinks. I generally had wine or a gin with diet tonic.
I occasionally had a third of a slice of wholemeal bread or a spoon of OH's dessert or maybe three of his chips.
I did learn that we can make sensible choices when on hols or at functions.

 

[irish molly]

2/06/10 Hi All, this week is going pretty well post holiday week last week. Pretty much on track and menus are as any of the ones posted before. I had a few glasses of wine both last night and tonight. Last night, I had a bit of a munchie attack and had a couple of squares of chocolate(at least not a whole bar!) and then about a handful of hazelnuts. So I exceeded my calories for the day by about 400 but GL wise I did not make the worst choices. Oh well weigh in at the weekend will tell. I had a sneak peek this morning and I am on track for a loss but who knows what will happen by the weekend!!!

 

[irish molly]

4/06/10 A bit of a up and down couple of days. I have exceeded my calorie totals the last day or two. For some reason, felt a bit peckish at times and gave in to temptation. I need to up my water intake as I find if I do not have enough water I am more inclined to snack. At least I have not snaked on unhealthy foods, I've had too much fruit or too big a portion of protein.
Oh well, hope it does not reflect too much on the scales!!

 

[irish molly]

5/06/10 Breakfast: oatflake cereal
Lunch: mixed bean salad, tomato,beetroot,cucumber. Coffee
Dinner: Turkey breast, broccoli, quinoa. strawberries, pineapple, yoghurt.
Snacks: 250 ml wine, 2 oatcakes w peanut butter. Tea and a slice of spelt bread with blackberry jam.
Did a lot of heavy gardening today, so hopefully that made up for the snacks!!!!!

 

[deflating]

wow fab. weight loss, what an acheivement. Maybe its time to post some before and after pics, you could hide your face if you want to remain anonymous.
I'm interested in your journey as Im extremely nervous about reintroducting real food, as last year I flunked real bad when I came off LT and gained all back plus. So I'm now thinking ahead and trying to hae a plan in place to take me to a normal eating regimen and healthy lifestyle. Is GL very time consuming?

 

[irish molly]

I found GL very suitable to move to after TFR. The complete break from food had already broken many of my bad habits so adapting to GL was easy. I did read loads about it both on the net and got a couple of books (Patrick Holford GL diet bible and a Nigel Denby GL diet made easy).
I follow a couple of simple principles namely no bread,potato,pasta or rice and I have much smaller portion sizes. Protein should be about a quarter of your plate, starchy carbs another quarter and the other half should have the leafy veg. As I am still trying to lose some weight I also ensure that my calories are around 1300 a day.
I'd say definitely try GL after your stint on TFR. It will help maintain your losses and you won't feel hungry or deprived on it. Try using quinoa instead of potato/pasta/rice. It is very filling and you won't feel stodgy after eating it. Also try using lentils and beans as these are low GL and are very filling too.

 

[irish molly]

Oh well a week with no loss but then again no gain either. I know my portion sizes are creeping up a little so better keep a closer eye this week and see how I go. Overall I am down 12 lbs using GL and certainly do no feel deprived so it is still the way to go for me.

 

[irish molly]

Mmmmmmm have slipped a bit the past few days. Not watching portion sizes and having too many snacks. I have gotten a taste for these "healthy" bars "Natures way chewy bars". I have one as a snack but one tastes like another and another!!!! I have to get a handle on this or I am heading for a gain this week!!!!

 

[mum_of_one]

Oooh who makes these bars? the sound nice?!!

 

[irish molly]

Pop into any health food shop and you will see a range of bars under the "Nature Valley" brand. They are about 114cals and have healthy ingredients, enough to satisfy a craving for something sweet!!

 

[irish molly]

14/06 wk 41. Another stay the same week. I am glad that I am not gaining but certainly I would prefer to be losing a pound or two each week. Definitely have to watch portion sizes a bit more carefully. Also, I have noticed that I am having too many snacks especially in the evenings. O.K. I am having mostly healthy snacks but I am having too many!! Typical snacks any day include: four plums,60 g mixed seeds, handful of walnuts and hazelnuts, handful dried apricots, a small nature valley bar. Also, occasionally, I will have a bite of tart or cake that I am giving to OH. I never have a whole piece!! Even writing them down here just shows that I am having far too many snacks.
My calorie levels are not getting high enough to cause a gain but from a GL perspective the mix of foods is not good enough to give me a loss.
I must do better
I must do better
I must do better.
lol

 

[irish molly]

16/06 Think I have kept a better check on snacks and portion sizes this week. Only thing is we are going away for a few days, so hope I can stay on track.

 

[irish molly]

17/06 Slipping a bit, must be the good weather and being away for a few days. I have had far too much to eat today. In total I had about 3000 cals. The GL unfriendly bits included a lot of choccie stuff like kit kat, maltesers and dairy milk. Hope I can rein it in over the next few days!!

 

[irish molly]

21/06 Great!!! A pound down despite a week of slips and four days holiday. I musn't have slipped as badly as I thought. Now I am down a total of 100lbs. Yipeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[irish molly]

28/06 Weigh in today after a week of having a few too many snacks and the result speaks for itself. I have had a stay the same week. At least I did not gain. Hopefully, I will do better this week.

 

[irish molly]

1/07/10 My week is going o.k so far. I have not strayed too badly anyday and am eating generally GL friendly foods and keeping overall cals to about 1400. Had a sneaky weigh this morning and am on course for a 2lb loss. BUT I may undo this!! Have a friend flying in from abroad for the weekend so hope I don't undo all my hard work of the early part of the week!!

 

[irish molly]

2/7/10 Well, my friend few in today for the weekend. He announced he is trying to lose a few pounds so instead of the baked potato, fillet steak and apple pie I had planned for his meal I treated him to one of my GL dinners.
No starter, well he had two cans Guinness I had water
Mains: Quinoa with barbecued salmon, green beans, spinach,yellow pepper, onion, celery, sweet chilli sauce and creme fraiche. A large green salad with homemade balsamic dressing. Guess what, he adored it, loved all the flavours.
Dessert: strawberries and blueberries with some easiyo greek and honey yoghurt. He loved this too.
I had half a bottle of wine and a gin and tonic, so not too bad on the drinks front.
Will see how the rest of the weekend goes and hope I don't do too much damage to my losses!!!!

 

[irish molly]

4/07 weigh in! Yippee, despite eating more over the weekend and having a few drinks, I am down 2lbs!!!!! Result!!!
I stuck to GL friendly foods even though I eat more than my quota for a couple of days. I am very happy with my 2lbs loss this week as I had a sts week last week. Definitely too much snacking is the enemy of trying to lose weight either on GL or any other diet.