Moonwatcher's Atkins Diary

[Goldilukes]

Congratulations on the renewed contract and lol at the dirty boys!!!! Haha!

your menu looks fab as usual and glad to hear you gave the bulletproof a go. I still don't have unsalted butter either but apparently if you like the salted then you'll love the unsalted because its just like cream. Keep an eye on your weight, think you will be surprised what this stuff does. Isn't it great for hunger? I couldn't believe it!

 

[ladyfelsham]

LMAO - those naughty boys! That would flummox me

Congrats on the contract extension x

 

[Atomic pink]

Excellent news on the contract being renewed. Really pleased that you get to stay somewhere you like so much.

Doesn't look like much food was consumed on tuesday at all. Guess sometimes protein based meals do fill you up much more.

What is this bulletproof coffee malarky? What goes into it and is the idea just that it fills you up so you don't snack on other stuff? Or are there secret magical powers to it???

 

[moonwatcher]

LMAO - those naughty boys! That would flummox me

Congrats on the contract extension x

Had a really good laugh at the two boys putting you to the test!! :8855:Little varmints!! (Better you than me) My daughter is a teacher ..in case I haven't mentioned before.. and she really loves her job too. Great that you have your new contract too.

Menu looks delish. Well done after your busy days.

Congratulations on the renewed contract and lol at the dirty boys!!!! Haha!

your menu looks fab as usual and glad to hear you gave the bulletproof a go. I still don't have unsalted butter either but apparently if you like the salted then you'll love the unsalted because its just like cream. Keep an eye on your weight, think you will be surprised what this stuff does. Isn't it great for hunger? I couldn't believe it!

Excellent news on the contract being renewed. Really pleased that you get to stay somewhere you like so much.

Doesn't look like much food was consumed on tuesday at all. Guess sometimes protein based meals do fill you up much more.

What is this bulletproof coffee malarky? What goes into it and is the idea just that it fills you up so you don't snack on other stuff? Or are there secret magical powers to it???

Thanks all. Yes it is a happy MW household at the moment. More sex and science lessons tomorrow, so we'll see what the little so-and-sos have planned for me then. LOL! I've not been rendered speechless yet - fortunately it takes a lot to throw me!

Goldi - it would certainly be great if the coffees contribute to getting things moving on the scales again, but even if they don't have that effect for me I really enjoy them, so as long as they don't have the opposite effect, I'll keep having them. I had another one for breakfast today and was not at all hungry thus morning.

Atomic - Goldi has a link to a page about the bulletproof coffees in her diary. It is basically coffee with butter and coconut oil. I add a little dash of cream to mine and some cinnamon. From a low carb point of view the fat content is I suppose the secret as it stops hunger. I don't know if it will have a scale effect for me yet, and that wasn't the main reason fir me for giving them a try, but Goldi has had some good losses since she started having them

 

[moonwatcher]

So, food for today - Thursday 20th June

Breakfast - bulletproof coffee with a dash of cream and a teaspoon of cinnamon

Lunch - beef and mayo salad

Dinner - lamb chop fried in butter and olive oil, runner beans, courgettes fried in butter and garlic

Snack - one babybel cheese

Drinks - water, bottle of diet coke, two bulletproof coffees (including the one for breakfast) one sugar free strawberry and kiwi flavoured water

School Summer Concert tonight. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[moonwatcher]

Great news on your new work contract. Really happy for you xx

Thanks Frona.

 

[Goldilukes]

Oh I can't wait to see if the scales start moving for you, it would be great since you enjoy the taste anyway. Maybe it holds the key for some because we've never actually had our fats up that much on this diet? Plus it doesn't half stave off that hunger which is great! I'm on 2 tbs butter and 2tbs coconut oil but the guy who blogs about the stuff is on up to 6..... Can you imagine??? I'd slip out the front door, slip in and out the bath and then straight in to bed lol

grease lightening!!!!

 

[moonwatcher]

Not sure I could cope with that much grease Goldi! I had another one of the coffees for breakfast this morning though. Look forward to them for weekday breakfasts.

Friday 21st June.

The longest day today - not that you would really know! Very tired today - busy week at work. I got in at 4.00 tonight and crashed out on the bed until 8.00. Just finished eating lamb salad.

Breakfast - one bulletproof coffee and a babybel cheese

Lunch - a sort of cooked veg/cold stir fry salad - let's call it 'Chermoula Chilli Turkey' - onion and mange tout fried with olive oil, chermoula spice mix and chilli flakes, then when cold I stirred in some cooked turkey, a little chopped red pepper and a couple of cherry toms. Free chocolate triangles at work today. They are dark chocolate on a sort of soft cakey-biscuity base -very yum, but managed to resist.

Dinner - chunks of lamb cooked with garlic, mixed salad and mayo. Ahem - followed by a fail of a piece of OH's garlic bread. My will-power just isn't on top form at the moment, but it could have been worse I suppose - could have had the chocolate triangle and an oat biscuit at break-time too.

Snacks - cheddar cheese - about 2 ounces

Drinks - water, the coffee at breakfast, another coffee with cream, more water.

Not been on the scales this week for a change. I thought I would give them a miss to see if I felt better psychologically without the daily weigh, but it has worked the other way with me. I have felt really huge this week, and even a small loss showing on the scales would normally have made me feel better. Although the scales were getting me down a bit the last couple of weeks, normally I find a daily check in works positively for me - even a temporary gain would usually simply make me more determined, and I also like to monitor if different foods have an effect. Without that daily check, I have felt quite low and 'under achieving' - not even feeling positive about the three stone (roughly) already gone. So it is back to regular weigh in checks for me after Sunday's official WI.

 

[moonwatcher]

Having a lazy start to the day. If you don't count (possible TMI alert, if you are eating!) clearing up the copious amounts of cat vomit from the (cream) living room carpet as my first job of the day!

OH is working today on a late start Saturday cover. He has just left, so about to have a couple of green teas with vanilla for a change as not had any for a while - hoping to flush through last night's garlic bread before WI tomorrow.

It's raining here at the moment, so it looks like a stint in the greenhouse to finish planting the chillies, aubergines, cucumbers and melons will be the first outside job. We are supposed to get a dry afternoon though so fingers crossed I can do a bit of path weeding (rumour has it we have a winding gravel path through our garden, although you would never know it at the moment)

Planned food for today - Saturday 22nd June

Breakfast - we had a two egg lemony cinnamon custard thingy each. I also had a bulletproof coffee with a teaspoon of cream

Lunch - not sure yet. OH won't be back until 3.00ish, but I'll probably have a salad - maybe tuna

Dinner - something with chicken thighs and peppers - perhaps an oven tray bake type of concoction.

Right.. the plan is... green tea, washing in, bit of washing up, greenhouse.

 

[moonwatcher]

Well the weather took a big turn for the worse - it is very windy and with some heavy showers here - and the sky - well you can have any colour you like, as long as it's black! Didn't even make it to the greenhouse as the weather was so off putting - even though I would have been undercover I just couldn't conjure up the enthusiasm to brave the outside to get to the greenhouse! Also my neighbours were out in the garden between every shower with their whole multi generations of family, and for various reason I tend to avoid the garden on those days. Instead I got several loads of washing done and pottered about inside. I hope next Saturday is better weather as we are supposed to be having my step-son and family round for a bbq.

Lunch was tuna mayo salad. Going to have a few almonds tonight as a snack. Time to introduce nuts into my food I think and see what happens. I am looking forward to trying some 'baking' with some almond and coconut flour, although this week I'll just stick to the nuts as nuts, IYSWIM. A sneaky look at the scales this morning shows a loss, not loads, but enough, although I won't reveal until after official WI tomorrow! I am already having a few more veggie carbs than induction levels, which I'm going to count as my first rung of Atkins OWL, and nuts will be the second rung, probably berries next, then yogurt/dairy.

 

[Emmaline]

Looks like a busy day then MW..pity about the weather! Really gets on my nerves and I don't think I'm alone there.
Hope next week is good. They keep forecasting better weather but it never turns up!! :sigh: Can but hope hey?!

 

[Atomic pink]

Fingers crossed for weigh in tomorrow, sounds like its looking promising. I know what you mean about the reassurance of daily weighing, I feel like it keeps me on track usually although over the last couple of weeks the high peaks out of the normal range of daily variations have freaked me out a bit. Given I am not doing anything differently. Just trying to stay positive that its just my body being wierd rather than something seriously wrong with my food intake.

Food sounds lovely as always. Especially the chermoula turkey thingamy. I have a mild obsession with chermoula at the minute.

It seems you got the weather we were meant to get today. We were forecast very heavy rain most of the day (which given we were going on a 10 mile walk was not promising!) but it was pretty try in the end. A shower for about 1 hour in the morning and then dry with sunny spells. Meant to be a bit grim tomorrow but planning to stay in and do very very little behind drinking tea and making food so not so bothered. I quite like a wet, grey sunday sometimes.

By the way - I found the link for the bulletproof coffee and am intrigued to try it even though I am not actually doing atkins but I am not fat-averse and as it would be a meal replacement calorie wise it would be about right I suspect. But does it end up tasting very oily? How do you manage to fully combine the fats with the coffee without just ending up with a mini oil slick on top?

 

[Goldilukes]

I like your thought process on introducing food back gradually, it's the only way your be able to see if something agrees with you or not. I am going to cut the bread back out, I don't class it as bad wheatgerm tiny slices from m&s at 8. Something gram carb per slice but...I know I can do without so will push the boat out " enjoying my fruit though and have some almond and hazelnut butter to indulge in from time to time,

by the way I love your menus, you are so creative and I have got a lot of inspiration from your oven throw togetherness

 

[moonwatcher]

Fingers crossed for weigh in tomorrow, sounds like its looking promising. I know what you mean about the reassurance of daily weighing, I feel like it keeps me on track usually although over the last couple of weeks the high peaks out of the normal range of daily variations have freaked me out a bit. Given I am not doing anything differently. Just trying to stay positive that its just my body being wierd rather than something seriously wrong with my food intake.

Food sounds lovely as always. Especially the chermoula turkey thingamy. I have a mild obsession with chermoula at the minute.

It seems you got the weather we were meant to get today. We were forecast very heavy rain most of the day (which given we were going on a 10 mile walk was not promising!) but it was pretty try in the end. A shower for about 1 hour in the morning and then dry with sunny spells. Meant to be a bit grim tomorrow but planning to stay in and do very very little behind drinking tea and making food so not so bothered. I quite like a wet, grey sunday sometimes.

By the way - I found the link for the bulletproof coffee and am intrigued to try it even though I am not actually doing atkins but I am not fat-averse and as it would be a meal replacement calorie wise it would be about right I suspect. But does it end up tasting very oily? How do you manage to fully combine the fats with the coffee without just ending up with a mini oil slick on top?

I am so wishful for a dry day tomorrow it is quite sad really! Mind you I don't think I will get much done outside anyway. In the morning, after I have washed and ironed my hair, we have to deliver my car to our friend for its MOT, and in the afternoon we have to go out in the van to collect 30 paving slabs. In between there will be some cooking (yipee) and some ironing (urgh), so probably not going to get my gardening fix! Did manage to get in the large greenhouse and plant it up this evening, when some blue sky finally showed its face, so was happy to have done that.

I'm probably breaking most of the rules for the bulletproof coffee as I had run out of beans, so I made it with Nescafe Gold Blend instant this morning, which I'm pretty sure is not 'kosher!' I am using one large tablespoon each of butter and coconut oil in a medium sized mug - which I suppose is around 300 -350 ml. The website says to use a blender or something similar, but I haven't done that yet - I have whipped mine up with a mini balloon whisk. Goldi blitzes hers I think and that makes it more frothy, so I am planning to give it a go, but I haven't found that it separates at all by whisking it up. I find I am aware of the oily feel a little, but it doesn't feel unpleasant to me. My OH doesn't like it - says it is like drinking an oil slick, but then this is a man who puts HP sauce on shepherd's pie, among other culinary idiosyncrasies! I also add a tspn of cinnamon and sometimes a tspn of cream, (to the coffee - not to shepherd's pie!) but once I get the unsalted butter I might drop the cream. I am a convert for taste alone - having it once or twice every day at the moment. As you say, as a 'meal' it would fit into other plans and ways of eating too.

 

[moonwatcher]

I like your thought process on introducing food back gradually, it's the only way your be able to see if something agrees with you or not. I am going to cut the bread back out, I don't class it as bad wheatgerm tiny slices from m&s at 8. Something gram carb per slice but...I know I can do without so will push the boat out " enjoying my fruit though and have some almond and hazelnut butter to indulge in from time to time,

by the way I love your menus, you are so creative and I have got a lot of inspiration from your oven throw togetherness

Almond and hazelnut butter sounds delicious. I'm looking forward to some berries soon too.

'Oven throw togetherness' - I love it! That just about sums up a lot of my cooking!

 

[Goldilukes]

Almond and hazelnut butter sounds delicious. I'm looking forward to some berries soon too.

'Oven thrown togetherness' - I love it! That just about sums up a lot of my cooking!

Haha I like to round things up the berries are providing me with my sugar treat but I am determined to not over do it since its easy to forget how many carbs are in say 30g - not many
The butters are gorgeous and they are meridian brand, really nice.

i can't wait to wake up to a bulletproof so off to bed justly now but wanted to pop in and say hi first oh and the coffee shouldn't matter until you get your better beans back in. Whisking it really does help get rid of the oil slick top and creates a latte type froth, il post a pic tomorrow.

 

[moonwatcher]

Food for today - Saturday 22nd June

Breakfast and Lunch - as reported above - egg custard, tuna salad

Dinner - Mexican Chicken and Veg Traybake - green and yellow peppers, with shallots, garlic, turnip chunks, one salad tomato, olive oil and boneless chicken thighs, with a Mexican hot steak spice mix (coriander, paprika, chilli, fennel, nutmeg, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, aniseed and cloves) This was very tasty - and practically no washing up - always a bonus! Served it with a green salad and a dollop of mayo.

Snacks - 24 whole almonds

Drinks - one bulletproof coffee with cinnamon and dash of cream, two more coffees with cream, two green teas with vanilla, water 2 - 3 litres - lost count, but plenty!

A whole day without cheese - very rare for me!

The Mexican Chicken and Veg - just out of the oven


...and on the plate, with green salad

 

[Goldilukes]

Love yesterday's menu, especially dinner yummm! I might make that without some ingredients I don't have but you've given me a good idea and I love not having to wash my entire kitchen pans after every meal...something Atkins seems to go hand in hand with. I used to feel hard done by cleaning my whisk after every shake on Cambridge lol

 

[Atomic pink]

The mexican chicken bake looks lovely. Was very confused for a while as the turnip chunks look rather alot like potatoes in it. Have some chicken legs for later in the week so might do something similar. A one tray cooking method is always a bonus during the week I find. Despite the fact the washing up is definitely the OH's responsibility in my house.

I think I have a mini coffee whick lurking somewhere in my kitchen so might have a look for that to give the coffee a try during the week. If not don't mind using the blender as that's always quick to clean.

 

[Goldilukes]

Atomic, would love to hear your thoughts on it. Don't use salted butter, just incase that's all you have as I did. I've just switched to unsalted as the salted was making me gag but its all I had until now. As long as you give it a good whisk then you'll have a lovely creamy consistency with a frothy latte top. Not oily but does leave lips lovely and moisturised