Total Solution Rea's Radical New Routine

[Hodgys_mrs]

Sleeping like a baby lately
Then again I don't work or have kids at home now Only time I don't have s good sleep is when the grandkids stay
Anita

 

[Rea Cat]

0.6kg at 1am; back up to evens this morning?!

Well they're confusing weigh ins if ever I saw any. I hopped on a few times before I went to sleep and got a consistent reading of a loss of 0.6, which has magically re-materialised overnight. Am I sleep eating!?

I used to suffer with night terrors a lot, and I had trouble falling asleep and I was an absolute horror bag to wake up; it used to genuinely take 6 or 7 alarms to wake me up and an hour or so to drag myself to full consciousness. Now I wakenon the first alarm and I'm pretty bright and breezy. That's joyous. I feel like I've been carb-coshed for years and had no idea.

Breakfast
Half a cookie. I enjoy these but the artificial sweetness starts to get to me after half a cookie so I tend to only have half at a time. Best to have them when I'm not hungry but eating because I feel I ought to.

Lunch
Choc shake. Another favourite. Had a slender Sip first so it maximised my fullness. This bottle I got off amazon really keeps shakes so much colder than the exante one; it's worth investing if you're taking a shake to work or out and about - the ice stays intact and it's like it's just been made when it's actually 5 odd hours later!

Tea
125g lean beef mince; 3 tsp taco seasoning, 2 tbsp raw onion, 10g sour cream, 10g salsa, 1.5 low carb tortilla and 1 cheese triangle (total 442 calories, 27g carbs) I discovered this muscle foods thing as a pop up ad on Facebook and it was showing low carb pitta breads. I then discovered that there are also low carb tortillas, so despite it being a bit pricey I ordered some stuff in because I REALLY MISS BREAD. And my god was it worth it. I am stuffed to the hilt (should have just had 1, not 1.5) and kept under my carb goal, when I wouldn't have been able to have even half a normal tortilla. So full. Happy. Gym later to make up for the 200 calories over-eat (830cals overall today).

Day 18 Verdict:
Yeahhh easier than I anticipated. Over indulged a little bit. Could be worse. We'll see tomorrow I suppose!

 

[Hodgys_mrs]

Your tea sounded mouth watering low carb pitta hmmmm chicken kebab
Stomachs rumbling
I'm having a mint choc shake and dine really well all day after my disappointment this morning
Anita

 

[Rea Cat]

evens again this morning. Worth it to have a few normal meals that aren't making me gain weight at the moment.

Breakfast
Vanilla cereal and a slender Sip. Felt hungry this morning so I doubled up.

Lunch
Cookies and cream bar.

Tea
One low carb tortilla with a little bit of leftover taco mince, a squeeze of salsa and a squeeze of sour cream. On target carbs and 650 calories overall today.

Day 19 Verdict:
Still going well. I have a weakness for these wraps though, obviously. Bread is my weakness. Bread I can eat is downright dangerous!! Had a nice chilled night with the boy, looking forward to going for a walk with him on Thursday night. Night gym tomorrow maybe, will see how I get on.

 

[Les]

Well done on your day.
I had my first bad day yesterday I don't know what was the matter with me.
I had roast potato with gravy plenty of my it was so nice then I had a small pkt of chocolate eggs in the evening. I don't really know why don't think I was myself as I went sleep at 8 and found it hard to get up at 6 thismorning.
I've taken the grandchildren to school now going to pick my aunty up to take her to my mum's house for the day. Fix my dad's printer for him then it's home to do the housework before getting the boys from school then taking them trampolining before going home at about 6.30 to sit down Toni. Busy day ahead I only hope I don't overeat today. Have a great day les x

 

[Freefall]

Reading many diaries week two is very up and down for many anyway. Week two for me went well eating wise but my stomach was all over the place with bloating and the scales were very jumpy. Your meals are very impressive I need some of your motivation with exercise though. Cake is my weakness, well anything sweet really.

 

[Les]

I love exercising on my bike I really make sure to get two sessions in daily. I did my first befor going to my sons thismorning.
My legs are my worst area for fat and cellulite, but since I started cycling ten weeks ago my cellulite has really subsided an awfully lot.
I love cake especially if I'm out having a coffee with friends.
Just had a soup for dinner today so far so good hope your day is going well x les

 

[Rea Cat]

0.5kg

We all have bad days, days where we lack motivation, days when we beat ourselves up because we could have done better. But you know what - we get back on with it afterward and that's the main thing. We're strong and we're supporting each other. That's what's important. We'll get there.

I did a few calculations this morning. I lost exactly a stone in the first week, 0.5 stone in the second week, and this week I've lost 1lb (tomorrow marks 3 weeks on exante). I can't be too disappointed about this as week 3, I've only done exante all day once. I've been substituting the evening meal for a low carb low calorie substitute. So if nothing else, this week I've learnt what I can do to maintain my weight. That will be a toughie, when I get there, because it still feels like being on a perpetual diet. But I guess the results will be worth it. Another two or so days of having a non-exante meal planned this week, but fingers crossed if I just get these lovely low carb wraps out of the way and start being good again, exercise and diet, I'll be able to shift a bit more by the end of the first month.

Breakfast
Honeycomb shake with a scoop of coffee. I've been getting up at 6 to edit for a few hours before I go to work and it's catching up with me - I need the caffeine.


Lunch
1 low carb wrap with tuna mayo in it. Yum. Yum yum yum. 220 cal, 14g carbs. That's fine. What is not fine is that it's a colleague's 50th birthday and there's a stinking great big £50 patisserie Valerie occasional cake for that just sat in my car (yeah, send the dieting girl on the cake errand, guys, such empathy). So eff it, I'm going to have a slice. Gym tonight. Cake now. Hell yes. (Update: I had the tiniest slice. Don't feel guilty at all).

Tea
Still not feeling guilty about the cake but conscious of the carbs, so instead of having an Exante tea I had a mini low carb pita with the rest of the tuna from lunch (197 cals, 9g of carbs). Bit more balanced as that's half the amount of carbs that would have been in an Exante bar. Gutted I've got to wait til tomorrow morning to try this caramel frappe shake though!!

Day 20 Verdict:
Barely any Exante but kept around the right mark for carbs and calories. That makes me feel better about it. New trainers arrived today, and new tshirts (thank you, late-working flatmate for answering the door to the postman and taking in 4 parcels for me!). So I'm going to power nap and then off to the gym later tonight. No excuses now. Even if I only go for half an hour, i need to get there!!

As a side note, is anyone else also logging their food/exercise with the myfitnesspal website or app?

 

[Les]

I have my fitness pal, which I have stopped using since I joined this forum. I found if I added my exercise it gave me more calories and I just couldn't use them every day. When I logged my day at the end it then told me I wasn't eating enough so I gave up and joined on here which I love.
I have had a good day on exante today . I had the bar for breakfast soup for lunch and I've just had a curry with water slim noodles so hopefully that will do for today.
Well done on your loss les x

 

[Les]

Have u checked out the diet doctor. It has low carb recipies that keep u in keto. It's a really good one.

 

[Freefall]

You will be able to eat more than that when your maintaining as your body will be more efficient at using calories than it is at present. It's difficult as well as the scales do not tell us accurate fat loss, I have gained scale weight on a 600 kcal day. I know it cannot be fat but the devils in my head still whisper it is.

 

[Rea Cat]

0.3kg

Went to the gym for an hour at midnight. Kind of resented being there but felt good coming out. Yet to work out the optimum order of the treadmill, bike and elliptical. Last time I did treadmill then bike then elliptical, but this time I did bike, elliptical, treadmill. That felt wrong. I was very lacklustre in my walking on the treadmill doing it last. Might try it in reverse next time. Either way I burnt 600 calories so I've burnt off the day's calories before I've even been to sleep, and I'm supposed to be going for a gentle walk with the boy tonight too, trying to build up his torn muscle. No idea what's happened to me.

Breakfast
Nil. Completely forgot and then got trapped in a meeting with a growling stomach.

Lunch
Caramel frappe shake. Oh god it was as good as I anticipated it would be. Need more of this - this will be a breakfast staple for forever now. I'd have this whether I was dieting or not.

Smacked on half a double chocolate bar mid afternoon.

Tea
1.5 tuna mayo wraps. 20g carbs, 400 calories. That's fine by me seems I skipped a meal today. Figured I needed something substantial what with going on a walk tonight and I had a headache too.

Day 21 Verdict:
3 weeks down. And here's to many more carrying on. We ended up going for a 5k walk at Fairhaven lake in Lytham tonight. Was a bit much for the boy's bad leg; I was lagging by the end and he was limping a little for the last km. we shared a packet of Giotto when we got back as a treat (gorgeous chocs made by the same people as Ferrero Rocher that my best mate brought me back from Germany like she does every time she goes because they're my favourites) and I'm still in negative calories today. Bang on my carb goal; 824 cal eaten and 928 burnt off according to myfitnesspal. I'll go with that.

You've inspired me a little bit there freefall; I'm currently off researching Bluetooth scales with BMI and body fat features!!

 

[Rea Cat]

0.9kg

I should bloody think I lost 0.9kg too; yesterday I got an achievement for 400% of my move goal. My move goal is 400 active calories burnt. I did 1600. Genuinely thought that was going to be an impossible achievement.

I say it jokingly but half of me is serious; I don't even know who I am anymore. Carb Queen, Pop Addict, Lazy Lounger. That's me. Not this...dieting machine who's planning on going to the gym again tonight. Definitely not me.

Ordered some Bluetooth BMI/body fat/weight scales on a whim last night. Freefall, you put the fear in me with that 'been good but weight gained' thing, as I figured that's likely to happen to me with combining the exercise with the diet. Spoke about it with the boy and he seemed to think it would be a good idea too so those should be winging their way towards my flat right now. Looking forward to them.

Breakfast
Caramel frappe shake. Ohhhh I'm having one of these every morning for forever. It doesn't even feel like a diet; i used to get a Starbucks every morning (usually a caramel latte or a mocha frappe) and this is so close it's amazing. Actually I just thought about trying this with hot water too...now I'm too excited for words...

Lunch
Cookies and cream bar. Standard lunch. Enjoyed it, not struggled too much to get through to this evening. It's currently half 4 and I'm a bit hungry, but weirdly that feeling seems to disappear when I get in from work. Still undecided whether to go for a walk or go to the gym tonight.

Tea
I decided to put all my Exante stuff in a drawer together, and ended up marooned on my bed amidst a drawer, a box of shakes and a load of empty boxes for recycling. So I did the logical thing for dinner and ate one of the cookies and cream bars because a) I could reach it without digging my way out and b) I couldn't be bothered to cook anything. Diet's diet, though, right? I could have these three times a day and it wouldn't matter too much!

Day 22 Verdict:
It's getting easier and easier to follow just Exante, even if I'm feeling hunger a little more than I was at the beginning. Easy to refuse snacks at work and it's quite amusing how everyone apologises to me when they pull things out - like packets of cookies etc.
Been invited out for lunch with flatmate and his dad (who's like a second dad to me) on Sunday, so the plan is to have half a shake when I get up, lunch out (trying to be good-ish) and then half a shake in the evening. Let's see if I can stick to that.

 

[Les]

Wow u really are committed we'll done. An inspiration I need to pull myself together please pass some of it my way. Thanks

 

[MrsBurgundy]

Hey!! Sorry to gatecrash, but I've just found my way back to minimins after 4 years, am on Day 4 of Exante, and I can so relate to your diary!!

Hope your knee isn't giving you too much trouble, and you're inspiring me to join a gym! I got a few day passes for pure gym on wowcher, and just last week one opened in my town! (I think it's fate!!) Hahaha!!

Still trying to battle hunger pangs and my "rebellious child" attitude, that wants to eat ALLLLLLL the food, just because i've had a few days on VLCD and feel like i "deserve" to eat.... but hoping to start Yoga (from home) tomorrow, and start taking part in some keep fit parties nearby (Clubbercise.... i'll dance those pesky calories away!!! With glowsticks, no less!!)

Anyway, look forward to your next update!! xxxx

 

[Rea Cat]

Just back from the gym with another 5k walk under my belt, which I'm sure will soon be one notch tighter! (N.b. There is no belt, but you get my analogy!)

Hello and welcome, Mrs B - congratulations on getting back on the Exante bandwagon. Feel free to pop in and join the party whenever you like - I'm sure you'll excuse the lack of drinks and nibbles, given the circumstances. What with this being a dieting forum and...well, not real life!

My knee is holding up much better since I've started exercising, thanks. It actually started to dislocate a few nights ago and I caught it before it did, and it's been relatively pain free since, which just motivates me even more at the moment.

Just been invited to a wedding in August tonight, so my goal has moved forward somewhat, people. All encouragement and bullying welcome. Time to step up the exercise. Now excuse me while i go and stretch my burning muscles before bed. I need some sleep if I'm going to get up and do it all again tomorrow!!

 

[Les]

Welcome mrsburgandy and good luck on your journey les x

 

[MrsBurgundy]

Good afternoon!! Well done on the 5k, that's great work!! You'll be several notches down on your belt soon enough!

Thanks for the warm welcome!! Much appreciated, and glad to see the forum is still going and people are still as supportive as ever!!

Glad your knee is feeling better! I'm in dire need of shifting several stone to relieve the pain in my knees and back (sounds dramatic... but I feel them clicking/crunching just walking up stairs!) I need to get my fitness levels back up, but will start with baby steps!! Haha!!

Yay for the wedding!! I have a wedding on June 9th and then another on August 26th and yet another in August 27th!! I knew about one of them, but the others were stealth-like invites!!

It's good for the motivation though!! I just want to feel comfortable in my own skin, look good in clothes, and climb the stairs without my knees protesting!!

We'll get there though girls!!!

Thanks Les for the welcome! Do you have a diary too?! Good luck on your journey too! X

 

[Rea Cat]

Mrs B - my knee started with clicks and grinding and went worse from there, so good decision on dropping some weight to try and avoid it! I used to have one that dislocated but was relatively pain free (left) and one with mild pain and bad grinding (right). Then something must have happened about 3 months ago and the left one became unbearable to bear weight going up and down stairs, so I was one-step one-stepping like an 80 year old rather than a 28 year old! Exercise has helped it massively though so going to keep going with that. I think in strengthening the muscles around it it's taking the pressure off the joint. That and that almost-dislocation where it just seems to drop back into its proper place!

 

[Les]

I don't think I have a diary as I wasn't sure how to start one.