Step 1 Sole Source Rachel Jane's Diary

RachelJane

Full Member
Quite nervous about meeting my consultant for the first time later today but looking forward to a new challenge! I've tried doing the logical thing (diet and exercise) for the last 20 years and I'm obviously getting it wrong cos I'm still getting fatter :p... I've realised that my relationship with food is so warped that I need to do what anyone would suggest to a drug or alcohol addict - quit! (I was going to use the phrase 'cold turkey' but it would make me hungry...)
I've read so many inspiring success stories here and elsewhere on the internet re. the Cambridge plan, including my consultant's, and it's the first time in years that I've been optimistic that I just might be able to do this. As long as I do ALL the steps, as I've read lots of posts from people who came off the diet too quickly and put the weight back on. I really want to do this as a long term project to 'wean' myself back onto food slowly and learn to eat healthily (mentally and emotionally as well as nutritionally).
I'm looking forward to keeping a record here of my journey - one day at a time to start with!
 
Loved my meeting, loved my consultant! She's made me feel so positive. First day on SS has gone well, 3 x chocolate shakes (ready made ones, I'm starting easy!) and around 3 litres of water plus several decaff black coffees. I'm on night shifts this week so I was worried that I wouldn't be able to work out when to use the products, but so far no problems, not even hungry (yet!) although there are temptations everywhere :s
Have you ever noticed how as soon as you start a diet, every other advert on TV is for food??
 
Hi Rachel,

Glad to hear you found you first day so easy. How are you finding today? My fourth day was the hardest! But stick to it and after the first week it will be easy. Funnily enough, you're not far from me and I start on the 1st of this month! :) My Cambridge advisor is amazing too. I lost 8lbs in my first week which I was happy with (I weigh in on Mondays). Do you have a special occasion goal date in mind? I don't really feel hungry anymore, but I do crave certain foods like Jacket Potato (this is my current one) and last week it was Doritos and Salsa lol Love that I can have a coke zero a day though and still be on Soul Source and it doesn't effect my ketotis.

Keep going hun,

Holly x
 
Hi Holly, amazing to find someone in my area with a similar plan, start and target!! Fantastic result losing 8lbs in your first week, well done. My first weigh in is on Tuesday morning, I'll let you know how I did... it'll be good to follow each other for support :)

I've done 5 days now and proud of myself for sticking to ss 100% so far. It's been a struggle as I've been on nights all week and also looking after my friend's 3 children while she's away, so I'm very tired and there's food EVERYWHERE!. Day 4 was the hardest (same as Holly!) as I went to a friend's 40th and there was bbq, buffet, chilli, crisps, gateaux, cheesecakes... and of course booze... I took some 500ml bottles of sparkling water with me and it felt like I was having a 'proper' drink if that makes sense. Managed to turn down everything offered to me, but felt very deprived and jealous!!
I haven't been as grumpy or hungry on this as I usually get when I 'diet'... although I have to admit I nearly killed DH when he offered me a fried egg sandwich this morning :)
2 night shifts to go and then my weigh in - first 'mini goal'. Small steps!
 
Welcome Rachel!

I love hearing the enthusiasm of those at the beginning of their journey, helps keep me on track to finally try and get to the end of mine!!

hope you're having a good day!

x
 
Hi Hun,

So hows it going on 100% SS? I had my second weigh in yesterday and only lost 2 and a half pounds, but that's because I had a meal at the weekend for my best mates birthday and a couple of drinks, so I kind of expected it. Back on it 100% now though. Feeling positive and good.

Keep going hun! :) Enjoy the sunshine and stick to your water.

H x
 
Hi CrazyDiamond, thanks for your message. You've done amazingly! You started at nearly the same weight as me and I still can't imagine how it could ever be possible to get down to the 10st11 you're at now - I haven't been that weight since I was about 18! Fantastic to read your journey.

Hi Holly, congrats on another loss this week, 2.5lbs is amazing, especially as you've eaten out a couple of times. That sort of thing gives me the confidence that I can still do this even if I go off-plan occasionally. In the past I've struggled to lose more than about half a pound a week on diets, and then just got fed up and 'cheated' after which I seemed to put back on several pounds from one naughty meal out - and then give up! This plan seems to really work, I wish I'd discovered it years ago but I suppose sometimes we have to get to our lowest point (or highest weight!) before we do something about it.

I had my first weigh-in on Tuesday, after 6 days rather than 7 as that's what fitted best in my diary. I was over the moon to find I'd shed 10.4lbs! Even after reading dozens of other CD weight journals and stats, I never actually believed for a minute that I'd drop more than a few pounds. I know the first half stone or so is excess water weight, but that still means a darn good fat loss :)

Week two and I'm feeling positive! I'm happy to keep the losses slower now that I've kick-started things so I've moved to SS+ and added a bit of fish and seafood to my evening soups (Oriental Chilli soup with a bit of poached haddock is my favourite so far - like a really tasty chowder). Eating that for the first time after 6 days of chocolate milkshakes (I wasn't very adventurous first week!) was like a taste of heaven!

I'm not hungry much and still not craving any carb-based stuff. I'm usually a horrible nightmare to live with by this point on a diet but I'm feeling quite happy and full of energy instead. I just hope this stage lasts a good while :)

Good luck to everyone, whatever stage of your journey!
 
Ah hun, amazing congrats on your first week weigh in :) You must be over the moon :) :)

My cheat meals last week have made me a bit less nervous too. Have a best mates wedding a week Sunday and have decided not to drink alcohol, but can't not sit down for the meal really, so just going to enjoy the day! On SS 100% until then though and can't wait to go buy a dress for it at the end of next week. I've started experimenting with my shakes and stuff too. Have started adding dissolved coffee granules or Green and Black unsweetened cocoa powder to various shakes to give them a stronger taste. Cappuccino shake with some cocoa powder tastes like a really good Mocha :) Yummmmm!! A bit like going to Starbucks for a Frappuccino if you have plenty of ice! Not sure when i'm going to introduce the bars into my diet. My CDC offered them to me this week, but want to get my BMI below 25 first really, which for my height of 5ft9 is 12stone.

I'm caving carbs too. A piece of fresh granary bread with butter......could so eat that right now! But i'm encouraged by my results so i'll stick to it :)

Good luck hun over the next few days xxx
 
Hmm... switched to SS+ this week and have stuck to it, but a sneaky mid-week weigh in today showed a loss of just half a pound over 4 days :/ Seems very little for sticking to a 650 calorie a day low-carb diet!!
 
I think the low mid-week loss was definitely down to water retention/regaining some of the water lost in week one. Saturday I went mad on fluids and had about 4-5 litres of water/coffee instead of the usual 2500-3000, and next morning the scales showed 2lbs off instead of half a pound. Fat can't come off that quick so it's got to be water! So I'm not too worried if the losses are small for a few weeks while the water thing settles itself. Feeling a bit sticky in this heat and clothes are tight despite the weight loss so far, which is a little discouraging as I want everything to be loose and people to notice my efforts!
Never mind, just think how much we'll all shrink in the winter :D
I'm back on night shifts again, which I'm actually finding easier to deal with than I thought I would. Pre-diet I used to munch biscuits with my milky cups of tea during the quiet parts of the night; and also ate endless bits of buttered toast while I was making the breakfasts in the morning. But I'm finding I can resist the biscuits by keeping busy on the forum instead! And if I have a shake at about 5am, I can make 15 full breakfasts without feeling the need to join in :)
I'm looking forward to starting a new CD week on Tuesday so that I can try a few new products - I haven't been too adventurous so far, but lots of people here have given me good ideas e.g. getting the drink flavouring and putting it in fizzy water (I miss my fizzy diet drinks!); and mixing shake flavours to make new ones (I'm going to try butterscotch and banana with mix-a-mousse). Thinking it might be a bit like bannoffi pie?
 
Hi ladies, Good luck with your weight losses! Im on day 4 of ss. So far, so good. Amazed Ive stuck to it so far. But I just CANT drink the water. I prob have 8 normal glasses of water a day. I drank a lot more for the first 2 days and was sick and had awful diarreah......Nice....not! Your losses are fab and very inspirational! Its also the first day of having all kids off school today. I have 3 aged 7 and below, and Im going crazy!!!!!! Trying to rise above it all but its tough. Not the diet, this is a breeze compared to 3 bored, arguing siblings who are hot and grumpy. :)
 
Hi Giraffe, well done on getting through the stresses of the week so far!

This evening, my OH cooked a huge pizza, loaded up with toppings and dripping with cheese. He started to put it in the middle of the table and then said 'oh yeah, you're not allowed pizza are you?' I was proud of my absolutely calm answer: 'I'm allowed anything I want. I'm choosing not to have that right now though, thanks.' One-nil to me, Evil Diet-Saboteur Fairy.

It's now 2.30am on my night shift, all the residents are asleep for a change and I've run out of jobs to keep me busy. I just went in the kitchen to make a coffee, and the evening shift have left out a tray of donuts, a chocolate gateau and a box of Thorntons with a note saying 'help yourself'. :sigh: The height of my rebellion was to add a splash of milk to my coffee. Two-nil.

My willpower is turned to 'full on' as I've got my second weigh-in at the end of my shift (6 hours time!) I think I've lost about 2lbs this week, which is fine with me. I'm going to start doing my Davina McCall exercise DVD tomorrow - maybe just the warm-up bit at the start for a few days until my body gets used to the idea of not being on the sofa :) I'll ask my CDC in the morning if she thinks I should go up a step or two on the plan if I'm burning up more calories as I'm sure I read that they don't encourage you to exercise too much on the VLCD levels.





Hope you're all having a successful week avoiding that mischievous fairy!
:angel09:
 
Second weigh-in and 2.5lb off :) I'm very happy with that as mid-week the scales were showing barely half a pound - I upped my water intake last few days so I think that helped.

The best thing about my loss today was that it took my BMI to 29.9, which means I'm now (just!) out of the 'obese' category. I'll be having another try at IVF in about 6 months and they asked me to try to get my BMI below 30 this time, so it means a lot to me. Hopefully it'll be a nice healthy 25 or thereabouts by the next time they see me. Every bit healthier I can get will increase the chances of success!

I'm starting Step 3 plus exercise this week as I'd like to keep the losses slow and tone up a bit - worried about getting saggy skin if I lose too fast.
 
Hey Hun,

How are you doing today? Had my 3 week weigh in last night and lost 6lbs last week :) Sooooo happy. 18lbs lost so far in total. I've been doing some exercise - just gentle exercise, but think its massively upped my loss this week. Just been doing a very leisurely bike ride everyother day for about 45 minutes. Not hilly or anything. Just flat roads down by the beach. Have had some energy recently though, so not been feeling awful on SS+.

Even had a pint of shandy in the sun Sunday night which was lovely. :)

Holly x
 
That's fab Holly, well done! Which beach are you near? I've thought about taking the bike down to Southsea as it's a nice flat ride but I'm not very confident on wheels so I should probably find somewhere without too much traffic to build up some nerve first!
I've been doing step 3 today and I can't find the time or hunger to eat it all! If anyone had told me a few weeks ago that I'd feel stuffed after 850 calories I'd have laughed all the way to the icecream shop :D
 
Hi Rachel and well done on your weight loss journey so far you're doing fab and what great incentive IVF i'm sure you'll be at that healthy weight in a few months time the way you're going :)
 
Hi. How is everybody getting on? I am day 7 now and weighed in yesterday. 7lb off. Very happy with that as I slipped up the evening before! I decieded to try ss plus for the week and had my healthy quorn but it really did make me starving and had a binge last night. Crisps, choc, you name it. Was awful! So am back to it today and am sticking to ss. Think the no food option is better for me.
Starting weight 15lst1lb.
Week 1 14st8lb.
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4

Mini Goals:
Complete first week. Yay!
Loose a stone.
Complete 2 weeks.
Complete a month.
Drop a dress size.

 
Hi Rachel,

I've been dog sitting for my parents as they're away on holiday and their down near Bournemouth so been cycling down to Bournemouth beach :) Been lovely with the sunshine....although not sure what happened today lol All gone a bit pear shaped with the weather. If you're not confident at cycling, try going later in the evening as they'll be less people and traffic. I usually go out about 7.30 ish. Plus it would be a nice ride for you down along Southsea sea front. Was down there Saturday actually.

Hows the hunger feeling?

Hols x
 
Hi girls :) Well done on your losses and your achievements this week - we're all doing a little bit of something different and there's getting less and less of us (weight-wise!). Fantastic. Saturdays have been my worst days so far, and today is no exception, but for a different reason... my first Saturday was 'day 4' which was awful; my next one was BBQ and temptations all round; this one I have the place to myself (OH and daughter away) and plenty of stuff like housework to keep me occupied BUT I tried one of the CD bars this morning (mint choc), ate about 1/3 of it and felt really sick :( So I had a shake instead, which made me feel even sicker on top. Since then I've been lounging on the sofa watching crap TV and feeling sorry for myself.
The positive of this is that I definitely don't want to eat anything, bleugh. The negative is I have the horrible nagging voice in my head... get off the sofa... clean the house... take the dogs out... do some exercise... you're a fat lazy b*tch... etc. - I usually shut the voices up with food. A big bowl of pasta and cheese tends to do it... well, at least I feel I can bypass that!
I had a fantastic day yesterday - had my hair cut, went to the cinema (no food involved!), went out to eat (controlled choices!) - I came home very happy. So I suppose having a bad day today is a balance. I'm back on night shifts from tonight, so that's probably bringing me down a bit. Oh to win the lottery! I'd get a house with an indoor swimming pool and gym, and a personal trainer. And a chef. And liposuction and a tummy tuck. And hair extensions. And a nose job. Hehe :D
 
Another 2.4lbs off at last Tuesday's weigh-in, which I'm really pleased about. I've been away for a few days since then, and went off-plan a bit with four meals out in three days lol... however, I feel that I made mostly very good choices - salads, fish, seafood, no desserts, no alcohol - so I'm not worried about it. I might STS this week but I certainly don't feel like I'll put any on. We had the in-laws over for a BBQ today and I had 2 quorn sausages and some salad so that no one noticed I was dieting (I really don't want to have to discuss meal replacement shakes etc. with them, they'll all have an opinion!). Luckily my OH warned me in advance that his mum was bringing a 'surprise' birthday cake for me. Forewarned is forearmed as they say! I gratefully accepted a slice, nibbled the corner making appreciative noises, then stuffed the rest into OH's mouth when no one was looking :D

I'm back on night shifts now for a few nights, these actually make the diet easier as I can keep busy without food during the night and then sleep during the day. So I'm going to get myself back into ketosis on SS+ (the + is a bit of milk for my tea and coffee). Then we're away camping next week for 6 days, so I'll pack a week's worth of products and hope we don't go too near any nice restaurants or ice cream shops!

One negative moment this week:
During the last month I've (a) Lost over a stone, (b) Had my hair done and (c) Been brave enough to wear shorts and a strappy top and even a bit of make-up (my Slim-Inner-Self is trying to break out!). So I felt really down today when no one, not a single person at the BBQ, and I haven't seen any of them for over a month, even mentioned it. I was really sure that I'd open the front door and they'd all say 'wow, you've lost weight' or 'you look nice'... but nothing :( I felt really gutted that no one noticed as I'd convinced myself I was starting to look different :(

A positive to balance!:
OH is being incredibly supportive. I've made a decision over the last few days to set myself a very ambitious goal. Being on the Cambridge plan has given me the confidence to start exercising - walking the dogs more often at first, then further, and now I'm part walking/ part running with them which I never thought I'd try. So I downloaded the NHS 'Couch to 5K' programme on my MP3 player and started doing it. And today I bought a book called 'The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer'. I have all these voices in my head saying 'everyone will think you're ridiculous' and 'she's totally kidding herself'. So I was going to totally keep it to myself. But OH spotted the book! I was waiting for him to take the p*** or discourage me in some way, but he didn't. He said he's proud of me and will run with me! Next thing I know, he's on the internet looking at running bands, expensive trainers, mp3 holders... anything to encourage me to really get into the programme. I can't believe someone is taking me seriously - it's not something I'm used to!

Anyway, enough from me this week, I hope you're all having a good weight-loss week and enjoying the sunshine and storms :)
 
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