Couteaux's Harcombe diary

couteaux

Silver Member
Hi! :)

I've been trying THD for a couple weeks after not getting very far with Slimming World and I fancied a bit of a change! I am loving it so far. It feels great having real food, olive oil, cheese and delicious cuts of meat that were previously off limits!


I weighed in this morning and have lost another pound. I lost 2.5 on phase 1 but had already started cutting processed carbs, caffeine etc, so not the big loss I would have liked.

3.5 lost so far and I feel pretty good on it!

Breakfast: bacon & scrambled eggs

L: chicken, cucumber, carrot sticks, beetroot & goats cheese

D: Grilled pork steaks, leeks, cauliflower

I am having more fat meals at the mo apart from porridge some mornings.

No cheats as yet but I am so so keen to get these lbs off, I don't want to risk it yet....

Good luck all :D
 
Oh please keep posting your menus. Am very interested to see what your munching on. Well done on your 3.5lbs so far!!!!!??
 
Good luck with Harcombe, it is a truly brilliant diet. For a vareity of reasons i found I couldnt sustain it but i would recommend anyone giving it a go. Am back on WW now but still keep one eye on the principals of Harcombe.
Am here with any advice if you need it
 
Thanks for the replies!! :)

Started today with a giant bowl of porridge made with boiled water - I don't actually miss the milk or brown sugar I used to add (which is good!)

I've been having a few cravings for sweet things but haven't had anything as yet - I'm trying to stay away from red wine for now too, I really want to get a good amount of weight off for a wedding in Sep, so trying to be as on plan as poss.

Lunch - Cooked pork belly ( ready cooked from Morrisons hot food counter)

Dinner - Chicken salad with beetroot, goats cheese, olives and mixed leaves.

Loads of water today too!
 
Your food sounds gorgeous, Just beware re the ready cooked meats, they often contain sugar. I joined the Harcombe on line forum and they were advising against the rostiserrie (sp?) chickens for the same reason. I personally didnt find it did any harm but its worth asking in store if you want to be really good !!LOL
 
Good to hear that you are enjoying the diet and your food is inspiring! Well done on the pounds off, and for your determination not to cheat! I've lost it a bit this week, but back on Monday. Keep going and keep poating!
 
Thanks for the replies! :) had a funny couple days, on plan but just grabbing things quickly and didn't feel like I was eating proper meals.

Yesterday

Breakfast - leftover pork

Lunch - tuna salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar ( tasted waaaay too sweet, first time eating it since being on THD - my taste buds must be changing.

Dinner - chicken thighs with Brussels and spinach

I really fancied something sweet so also had couple spoons of cream.


Today

Breakfast - large bowl porridge with water

Lunch - chicken and veg soup

Dinner - slow cooked shin of beef with green beans and spinach
 
Really hoping to get 2lbs off this wk to get into the next stone bracket - not pinning my hopes on it though, have a feeling it'll be a maintain or teeny loss. I must stop peeking at the scales!!

Breakfast - bacon and cheese omelet

Lunch - not sure yet... Considering having a carb meal of butternut squash and lentil soup.

Dinner - roast chicken wings with goats cheese salad
 
Crikey, just had a rather shocking realisation. I was playing with my son and he asked me to lift him up, I found it a bit of a struggle and then it dawned on me that he weighs 3 1/2 stone, that's what I need to lose. It was so hard lifting him yet I carry that around with me everyday. Yikes!

Food has been good today. I fancied something sweet tonight and have just had a few spoons of cream. Don't expect i'll be able to get away with that though. Just can't see how I'll lose weight eating cream!

I'm going out to dinner at the weekend and already planning what I'll have and think I may indulge in a little cheat - wine! It has been ages, just hope there isn't a negative impact on my weight.

Hope everyone is good :)
 
Well done so far Couteaux! I think you are doing brilliantly. I've been rubbish this last week. I'm using today to spend some time properly planning my meals for the coming 10 days or so - that way I'm far more likely to stick to it. Zoe says cheat - but not too often and not too much so a little bit of what you fancy this weekend shouldn't be too bad! I guess the emphasis is on the 'little bit'. My trouble is my weird definition of 'little'!!! lol
 
Thanks so much TheRealMe! Really appreciate your support.

Trying not to get downhearted this am after my WI. I stayed the same. Well, down a few grammes but not enough to count. I know this can happen, I had it a fair bit at SW but really hoped for a good loss this week. So now wondering if it is:

The cream?
the banana I had? Some ppl are v sensitive to them..
Dairy in general?

So - I'll finish this pot of cream and then not get anymore for a couple wks.

I'm going to try a couple more carb meals too.

So keen for this to work, I hope it is just a little blip as my body adjusts. :)
 
Well, no cream since my last post... ;) I weighed in this morning, just to check progress and it is showing 1lb gain! We'll see what it says on fri (official weigh day) but really hoping it sorts itself out and starts dropping!!

Food has been good and I've realised I am really not thinking about it or eating between meals at all. It feels fab and I hope the weight reflects that too.

Breakfast today - large bowl of porridge with water

Lunch - mixed salad with olives, chicken, olive oil and lemon juice

Dinner - 4 chicken thighs ( feeling too tired to do anything else)

I keep thinking I must have more carb meals but really enjoying the fat ones at mo. Might try carb lunches for a little while. Hope everyone is doing ok xx
 
Giving phase 1 a try again. I've been having some Cravings for sweet stuff and just want to see if it has any impact on the weight loss.

Breakfast - bacon and two eggs

Lunch - chicken and salad

Dinner - ratatouille with spinach, pork rashers and 50g brown rice. Yum!!!

I really enjoy phase one, now that I am off the caffeine it should be easy peasy ;)
 
Hope it works Couteaux - let me know because I'm really fighting (and not always winning) against the sugar monster! I feel I should do Phase 1 again, but resist it because I love my porridge in the morning and the odd cup of redbush tea (no caffeine). I think I just need to bite the bullet and stop being such a wuss! Good luck and keep posting!
 
Hi TheRealMe, how are you doing? I'd say do it again! I've read that you can actually have porridge oats on phase 1 in place of the brown rice and just have 50g oats /dry weight. So if oats are the main reason you wouldn't want to do it again, just switch your rice.

Another good day but not convinced the weight is actually coming off. I'm so desperate for this to work!

Breakfast - scrambled eggs with leftover ratatouille - this was delicious, tasted really clean and would def do again.

Lunch - tuna salad

Dinner - pork chops with brown rice, courgettes, green beans and spinach cooked in butter.
 
Hi Couteaux, your menus are just fabulous! With such good nutrition you surely can't fail! Your body has got to respond positively to the way you are feeding it - it's only fair! Good nutrition, sensible exercise - that's what we're told is the key to a fit and healthy body and from what you are eating I can't see that it could get much better. Well done you and thanks for the inspiration!
 
Thanks so much TheRealMe :) my body isn't behaving just yet.. Weighed in this am and am up by over 1/2lb I had some real doubts yesterday as it doesn't seem right or fair that I'm not losing, I even considered WW!! But I realised I really don't want to change how I am eating, I just desperately want the weight to start dropping. I have around 4 stone to lose so it feels too early for a plateau.

Hey ho, onwards and downwards (please)

Breakfast - porridge with water and little milk

Lunch - chicken thighs and gammon

Dinner - salad leaves, cherry toms, red pepper, grilled calamari ( new from M&S, looks divine!) maybe some dressed crab. I cannot wait for this, it feels like such a treat. My boyfriend is out tonight so this is my treat to myself ;)
 
Oh for goodness sake! Just weighed myself and am up by another 2lbs!! Can't understand that at all. The only thing I can think is my dinner, I had a friend over in the end and she bought us a kebab but I was uber good again!! I just had grilled chicken and lamb, nothing processed ( no doner meat etc) with salad, no bread!! I did have some pickled chilies and wonder if it could be that? So frustrated though. I'm trying so so hard and just not getting results.

This is what makes me wonder about just trying something like slimming world again just to get the lbs off then maintain with the harcombe diet. I am going to a wedding in Sep and really need all the weight I gained in my last pregnancy OFF!! Feeling rather deflated at the mo x
 
I can totally understand your frustration Couteaux - you are doing everything right yet it's not working for you. I'd be going nuts! I often think about Lighter Life or Cambridge, just to get the pounds off and see some positive results. It's so hard to keep going when the regime feels punitive yet there's nothing to show for the effort. There seem to be a few posts on here from people who struggle to shift the weight on this so you're not on your own. The big bonus for me is how much better I feel on it. My energy levels have changed so much I feel like a different person so I'm reluctant to go off it. However, if I'm not much lighter by the end of April, I will definitely be going for a short, sharp (and expensive!) alternative just to get to the weight I want to be. I simply have to be 2 stones lighter by June. Non negotiable!

You have to do what makes you feel good - if you are unhappy with your body it taints every part of your life doesn't it? I know that sounds shallow, but however much I wish it wasn't true, it just is that way for me. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
 
Hi TheRealMe.

Thank you so much for your kind post :) I have had a think and will be returning to the Slimming World plan to see if that has any impact on losses but I have also decided to put my scales away for at least a couple weeks to give myself a fair shot at losing some lbs. I am weighing too frequently and it isn't doing any good.

I loved the way of eating on the Harcombe plan, but also need results. I can look forward to switching back in a few months.

It sounds like it has worked fantastically for you on a health level and that is brilliant - totally understand your desire to get the lbs off quickly though. I know I will be back to Harcombe in the future, will keep an eye on this to see how you are doing and really hope you get a fab result in your next weigh in! :D

Thans for all the support and wishing you LOADS of luck and lbs flying off.
 
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