Debbi's RTM diary

[Debbi8489]

Hi folks

Well, I have decided to do a diary for RTM. I have managed fine on Total, but I think RTM will be a whole different kettle of fish and it will be a struggle for me.

So, a bit about me. My name's Debbi, obviously! I'm 42 and I live just outside Edinburgh with my partner and my DD who is 18 and a student nurse. DD lost 3 stones with exante last year and is planning on going back on it now to lose the Christmas pounds!

I've lost 78lbs and probably want to lose another 3-7lbs. I'm a comfortable size 12 in most clothes. Sometimes need a 14 on top. I go to classes at the gym for 6 hours a week and hope that will help with toning.

 

[Debbi8489]

Today is Day 4. Days 1 and 2 were great. I had a plain salmon fillet for dinner, just cooked in the microwave for a couple of minutes on a low setting. Incredibly quick! It tasted delish!! I was also very full afterwards, probably about 20 mins later. I was expecting to feel fuller quicker, so that was an excellent learning point for me.

Day 3 was a HUGE disappointment. I bought some ready cooked chicken mini fillets and had them with cottage cheese, spinach leaves and balsamic vinegar. The chicken fillets were absolutely minging! No taste, other than how I imagine cotton wool tastes. I was so disappointed! So I binned them and added more cottage cheese. Much better. So another learning point, buy good quality protein.

I'm planning on having mackerel fillets tonight with soy sauce, garlic, chilli and ginger tonight. I'm going to write up a menu planner for the week and then do some shopping. Well, the shopping might have to wait for a little bit. I have a lot of ironing to do and some football to watch!

 

[mimz]

hi debbi, just popping in to say hi, im hoping to start management at the end of feb beginning of march and i will be following your diary with lots of interest!!!! no pressure lol also i would like to wish you good luck and a mahooooosive well done on loosing the lbs xxxx

 

[Debbi8489]

Hi Mimz

Lol, no pressure! One thing I read in someone else's RTM diary and I cant for the life of me remember who was, said to buy one thing every week while you were still on LLT. To stock up your larder, I mean. Like white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar etc. I've got a fairly well stocked larder, plus I work part time at Asda. When it was the special staff discount day, I stocked up then, even though I wasnt eating lol.

So dinner tonight was mackerel, garlic, chilli, soy sauce and lemon juice with some spinach leaves on the side. It was nice, but I filleted the mackerel myself, and didnt do that great a job. My fillets had lots of bones in it. Also, we're still having problems in the house from the storms, so while we have electricity, we dont have any lights working. I had to cook by candlelight and fairy lights lol. I think from now on, I'm going to use my microwave more. I think thats the best way to cook without fat.

We popped down to Asda earlier and I bought some frozen squid and frozen prawns, along with some organic chicken fillets - cheaper than free range, bizarrely enough - and some tinned tuna. I'm unsure which salad dressing to buy. I'm finding the labels very confusing!!

 

[Em_Butterfly]

Hi Debbi,

I like that idea about stocking up your larder whilst on Total!

Hope you have lights again now? Probably made it harder to see the little bones in your fish!

Em

 

[mimz]

great idea about stocking up think i may well start to do that, i still cook for hubs and he eats alot of high protein meals and because we dont have a proper oven, he bought me a halogen one, its fab and i use it for everything and anything, i do make lots of tandoori chicken breast, legs, and fish! i have no clue about rtm yet but ill give you an easy recipe for chicken.

1 fresh lemon, tandoori masala powder, salt

mix salt and tandoori masala powder together
cut lemon in half and using the lemon rub the dry mix over the chicken whilst rubbing squeeze the lemon as you go along, cook in oven till tender. it tastes fab!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[eatlikeabird]

Hi Debs,
So nice to see your maintenance diary.
I loved a ready mix salad with a chicken breast cut in strips and grilled on my george foreman. Same with a steak cut in strips and grilled on it. Didn't even need salad dressing when eating it with the protein. I read Italian/vinagrette is the healthiest dressing, check the labels. Salad was also nice with a bit of grated LowLow and a teaspoon of pine nuts.
I like fish fillets just with lemon and roasted in the oven or salmon also nice with soy sauce. When you can have veg then chop some fresh veg and roast them with the fish and a drizzle of olive oil and bit of sea salt. Yum and so fast to prepare and cook.
Like you said, get fresh and good quality, and enjoy. I find the protein portions are plenty, is much smaller portions than I used to eat of the veg but I find it filling. I realized how lazy I was cooking before LL (potato/pasta/frozen veg/ready meals), and that it is actually quick and easy and tasty to have fresh protein and veg.

 

[nzmegs]

I am looking forward to RTM (about 6 weeks for me). But as a vegetarian my protein sources are a little limited. Cottage cheese, tofu, quorn and beans i suppose. Right now any of these foods seem like luxury to me. So I think the first few weeks will be amazing. But after that is when the hard work will start!

 

[Debbi8489]

Evening folks

I have lights again thanks Emma, hurrah! Hopefully that is all my housing woes for just now.

Thanks for the tandoori recipe mimz. I was going to have tarragon chicken tomorrow night, but I think I'll have tandoori chicken instead.

Hi Debs *wave* I actually have a George Foreman and I havent used it yet for LL purposes. I may try the tandoori chicken that way I quite agree with how lazy we were previously. Simply cooked food tastes so lovely. I'm not sure when I can introduce oil, so I'm just spritzing my salad leaves with fresh lemon juice.

nzmegs - I'm not sure about your choices. Veggies may have a different programme, I'm not sure. Its amazing how fabulous plain cottage cheese tastes!

So, WI tonight as I've changed class to a proper RTM one. I've lost a pound, quite happy with that. I also spent 2 hours at the gym today, had my eyebrows threaded and dyed and spent a fortune in Primark! A busy day indeed.

Dinner was salad nicoise, with egg white, rather than whole egg. (Another protein, nzmegs!) Lovely. I was probably a bit heavy handed with the vinegar though. I had the cranberry and raspberry bar for supper. I've not had those for ages and I found it incredibly sweet. Probably too sweet for my liking. Very strange how my tastes have changed in a fairly short period of time.

Nearly bedtime for me. Hope you are all doing well

 

[Debbi8489]

Day 6 - dinner was prawns cooked in garlic, chilli, ginger and soy sauce served on some spinach leaves. Lovely.

I am enjoying flicking through my (rather considerable) collection of cookbooks to adapt recipes. There is a Nigella one for Japanese prawns that I will be trying in a couple of weeks. Interestingly, she serves it on a bed of lettuce leaves, rather than rice/noodles.

BodyAttack and BodyPump tonight. I am tiring slightly towards the end of the sessions. I do wonder if that will get better once I start taking in some carbs. The instructor I spoke to yesterday who did my induction in the gym was quite shocked that I'm not eating carbs and that I'm managing to do Attack/Pump classes.

Tomorrow I'm only working 12-5, so I'm planning on having a bit of a long lie! Then lots of housework before work. I'm also planning on making a start on my packing. Did I mention I'm going to Lanzarote on Saturday???? hee hee

 

[eatlikeabird]

Are you a reading by the pool person Deb? I am. And love being able to live in swim suit and coverup all day then wear something light and summery in evenings with strappy sandals. Wish you could pack me in your suitcase...or rather when I get to goal.
I have been asked to a wedding in August, being able to wear a lovely size 12 dress is making me think twice about not going to another wedding. I may not feel so self conscious. We'll see...
You are so inspiring with working out. I hope it rubs off on me.
Blood test tomorrow but I won't get the result until next week.

 

[Debbi8489]

Hmmm, I dont know if I'm a reading by the pool girl or not anymore. If I'd read your post before I went, I'd have said yes, definately, got my kindle, not planning on moving for the week. However...it didnt feel right. I felt that I wanted to move about eg go for walks. I probably overdid it and ended up going for a walk which was over 20,000 steps lol. I think that was more than 10kms in my fitflops! I learned my lesson and put my trainers on after that.

I feel a bit sluggish and am really missing my gym classes. We're in Liverpool so I'll miss my classes tomorrow. I've got LL tomorrow evening, so I think I'll go to the gym after that. I NEED to do something!

Other than that, it was really lovely to go away and wear my size 12 wardrobe. I still dont 'see' how I look. I drove OH crazy asking, is she the same size as me? And every single person was much bigger than me. I just cant see what I look like. I'm also positive that I've put on weight, even though I've stuck to the plan. Ever the pessimist....

 

[Debbi8489]

So...I put on 2.5lbs. I need to work out how. I think I have issues with portion control. I had too much fruit juice when I was away and not enough water. I went a bit mad with being 'allowed' to drink fruit juice, smoothies and diet coke etc.

Well, I'm back on track now. Disappointed that I've put on after all the weeks of losing, but hey ho thats what RTM is all about, isnt it?

I'm looking forward to my gym classes tomorrow. I have a double class which is just what I need! I need to menu plan and write a shopping list

 

[eatlikeabird]

That's good for a break in routine and being on holiday. You will be able to adjust intake and get that off quickly. And yup RTM is a learning time. Ladies in my group have gone up and down a couple of pounds a week while learning what to eat and portions.
LOL...I so relate to trying to figure out how I compare to others cause I don't know how I look. I def still need to lose the 2 stone, but others keep telling me how small I am so I must be getting there. I need to lose 3 more inches on my waist to get to the 32 inches that a woman should be under, but I've already lost 10 inches on my waist!

 

[Debbi8489]

I got sick of people telling me that I had lost enough and that I must be at target now. When I actually told them how much I weighed they couldnt believe me. One week, my LLC even commented that I looked much lighter than I weighed!

That is an incredible amount to have lost on your waist. Well done for that!! Funnily enough, I havent really looked at my measurements. Probably because they are in centimetres and that means nothing to me lol!

Bedtime for me...early start tomorrow. I have a new job! Will tell you about it tomorrow...oh I've missed you!!

 

[eatlikeabird]

LoL, Measurements meant nothing to me either until I calculated the inches, just divide by 2.5...
I get the same thing when I tell people how much I weigh. I know though that I need to keep losing, I don't want to stay a size 16.
Really happy that lost 2lbs this week. So hard to judge when doing Lite. Portion sizes can make such a difference. But is good practice for RTM.
Congratulations on new job, I'm looking for a new job but they are hard to find here.
If you get a chance, check out Borgen on BBC4 Saturdays, I'm enjoying it. Its that new Danish drama, too bad Troels isn't the same character, but 2 actors were in the killing. Her partner from killing and her partner from killing II. If you missed it check if is on I-player, is worth watching.

 

[Debbi8489]

2lbs, yay, you got your 5 stones. Brilliant!! Well done you.

I've actually sky plussed Borgen, but havent watched any of it. I've got so much on the planner to watch, most of it complete rubbish like The Biggest Loser etc.

Bedtime for me, I'm so tired already lol. But I have a lovely size 12 skirt from Primarni to wear tomorrow

 

[eatlikeabird]

Coloured my hair tonight. I have a job interview tomorrow afternoon so please keep your finger's crossed for me as I'm unemployed right now.

Need to get work or will have to rethink the LL. At least doing Lite I'm already so far along RTM. May need to ask about RTM if I can't keep going. Then continue on a low carb diet and lose the rest slowly... ok even more slowly... lol
At least I'm home in daytime right now so I can go walking.

 

[Debbi8489]

I guess the interview was today? I hope that it went well and that you have good news.

Well, one step at a time. You've lost the majority (75%?) of your target, which is a huge achievement. If you need to slow down now, then at least the biggest chunk is gone. But I hope it wont come to that.

 

[Debbi8489]

So, not so sure how I'm getting on this week. I feel like I'm eating loads of fruit..probably too much. Also, my fridge is not working properly, its far too cold. I've just eaten a frozen yoghurt and a frozen jelly lol. The frozen yoghurt was lovely, if accidental!

Chicken tikka for dinner with a side of spinach. I need to find a recipe to make spinach a bit more interesting I think. Lamb with courgettes and pepper tomorrow night.