Zeke's Fabulous Forties

[zeke]

I am a serial yo-yo dieter. Basically if I'm not losing I am gaining. That is what needs to change in my forties (I am 39 with ten weeks to go)!

I have been on SNS (9 weeks at 100% with a period of 13 days before easing myself on it) before. I am going to try and do it a little differently this time. I have plenty of packs left over from last time but no bars: this time I am going to attempt it without bars or coke zero or an 'easing in' period (I have tried that again since last time and I failed).

To be completely honest I am doubting my ability to get back on it. However, the horror of 10 weeks to go until my 40th combined with my 20 lb weight gain since I came off it back in October has at least spurred me into starting. The knowledge that I could lose 35 lbs in the next ten weeks and bring myself down to a weight lower than I have been for decade is quite motivating, too!

Anyway, I have started this diary in attempt to help myself get back in the swing of things again.

Yesterday: Appalling eating, lots of wine, pizza, chocolate and crap and as a results wasn't very hungry at all this morning.

Today:

10.30 am porridge pack
Using skimmed milk allowance in coffee (at the moment having sweeteners but want to cut that out) and I intend to have the full veg allowance every day, like last time.
Aiming for 4 hours between packs, dropping to 3 hrs for last pack. Planning next pack at 2.30 pm, then 6.30 pm and finally one at 9.30 pm. I shall come on here and share my difficulties/successes sticking to this as often as I think I need to!

 

[lass321]

Good luck with this. I thought I would find it hard to get back on-plan, but surprisingly been back 4 weeks and doing fine so far. I am not s+s but similar. Also not doing plan at weekends as I find that WAY to tough.

 

[zeke]

Good luck with this. I thought I would find it hard to get back on-plan, but surprisingly been back 4 weeks and doing fine so far. I am not s+s but similar. Also not doing plan at weekends as I find that WAY to tough.

Thanks for your encouragement lass321! I hope I can be posting something as encouraging to someone else in 4 weeks time - well done for getting back on plan!

 

[zeke]

14.30 - chocolate shake made with 'smoothie-to-go'machine.

I think I am going to buy a 'smoothie-to-go' for work. Last time I just shook with shakes but this really does make them much nicer. Just checked and my local Argos is out of stock. I will just transport my home one back and forth for now.

I know that a meal pack + veg would have filled me up more but just fancied the shake. I wasn't particularly hungry for it but have a horrible feeling that this may make me more hungry! I am very aware that I have only got through the easiest part of the day so far! Must keep busy! I have set myself a few tasks to do this afternoon so hopefully that will keep my mind off it.

 

[zeke]

1.5 hrs to go before my next scheduled pack (planning on veg + meal pack). Best described as midly hungry right now but this afternoon was easier than expected. Startiing to think that I may actually be able to go from over-eating to a VLCD without any easing in! Anyway, trying not to think too far ahead. Just need to get to 6.30 pm!

 

[zeke]

YAY! I made it - just eating my mild curry pack with broccoli and cauliflower now

This is easier than I thought it would be... so far.

 

[lass321]

Yay!!!

 

[zeke]

I can barely believe it but - I did it!
4 packs and 100% yesterday. I am amazed. I think I must have picked a good day to do it in terms of my general hunger.
I am starting today with the belief that I can do this - which is in contrast to yesterday which I started with the belief that I couldn't.

I've decided to put in an order today as I am running quite low of porridge packs etc (thought I had more of these).

Scale-wise I am down 2.2 lbs, as expected really, but encouraging!

Last time I did this I didn't have the big drop down in the first week as I had cut down for a couple of weeks previously (down to 1200 kcals/day) and had already lost my water weight and a bit of fat (6 lbs). So my 9 weeks of SnS looked like this:

Start 0: - 0.0 lbs (BMI 32.0 ) 196.6 lbs Total Loss = 0.0 lbs
Week 1: - 4.4 lbs (BMI 31.3 ) 192.2 lbs Total Loss = 4.4 lbs
Week 2: - 3.8 lbs (BMI 30.6 ) 188.4 lbs Total Loss = 8.2 lbs
Week 3: - 3.4 lbs (BMI 30.1 ) 185.0 lbs Total Loss = 11.6 lbs
Week 4: - 3.8 lbs (BMI 29.5 ) 181.2 lbs Total Loss = 15.4 lbs
Week 5: - 2.6 lbs (BMI 29.1 ) 178.6 lbs Total Loss = 18.0 lbs
Week 6: - 3.6 lbs (BMI 28.5 ) 175.0 lbs Total Loss = 21.6 lbs
Week 7: - 4.0 lbs (BMI 27.8 ) 171.0 lbs Total Loss = 25.6 lbs
Week 8: - 3.2 lbs (BMI 27.3) 167.8 lbs Total Loss = 28.8 lbs
Week 9: - 1.0 lbs (BMI 27.1) 166.8 lbs Total Loss = 29.8 lbs

I do expect a bigger first week this time round but I also expect a stall/slow-down at the 10-12 week mark (this has happened on every single diet I have continued that long for whether it be a VLCD or a LCD. I've only once continued through it and it took two weeks to get to the other side of it). I plan to have a break at 10 weeks. The difficulty will be getting back on it or a LCD within a couple of weeks!

If I average 3.5 lbs/wk (which I did last time until the last week where I stalled a bit - but a bigger drop in week one should balance that out if it happens again) then I can drop 35 lbs in the next 10 weeks and *just* get into the healthy BMI range. *MOTIVATING*

 

[lass321]

Wow - that IS a motivation - keeping everything crossed for you!

 

[zeke]

I am committed now! Just bought the 28 day x 5 pack (140 item) package. I decided to get some bars but I'm only going to have one for my 4th meal of the day if I don't feel that hungry. I think most days it will be porridge, chocolate shake, meal pack + veg and porridge again.

I went out today and managed to sit in a pizza restaurant having nothing whilst DH and DS ate a very yummy looking pizza - I honestly wasn't that bothered.

 

[zeke]

Now for my first day at work, with a MUCH earlier breakfast and therefore bigger gaps between my packs...I think I will be ok. I hope.

 

[zeke]

I was able to pop home for lunch today - thank goodness!

Having breakfast at 7.30 am rather than 10.30 am has made a difference - I am quite hungry now! I would normally have a chocolate shake at work but at home I am able to have veg and a meal pack, which is a bit more substantial.

The plan for today is:

7.30 am - Porridge Pack
1.30 pm - Meal pack + veg
6 pm - Meal pack + veg
9.30 pm - Porridge pack (or chocolate shake)

I think after I have done a 'work day' and got past day three then I will really feel like I am flying with this. Very much looking forward to breaking new ground on my graph (I started tracking my weight rain or shine almost exactly three years ago - yes, I can clearly see that NO maintanence has being going on during that time!). I need to lose the twenty pounds I gained since coming off SnS last time first (40 days to do that I am hoping!).

 

[zeke]

I think I need to acknowledge that although the first three days are usually the toughest (nearly there!) - there will be tough times ahead to forge through. Success is going to be down to hundreds of small decisions along the way.

I don't even see this phase (using sns to get my BMI below 25 for my 40th in about ten weeks) as my toughest phase. I think that is yet to come in my 41st year where I make the break from serious yo-yoing up and down (probably by going to mini yo-yoing first and finally managing to maintain on a weekly basis) - if there is any yo-yoing to be done it needs to be done within the healthy BMI range!

 

[zeke]

Just decided to pull out my stats from last time (Aug- Oct)

BMI 32: 43.0 ( 18 ), 37.0 ( 20 ), 45.0 ( 18 ) - Size18/20 - Bra 38F
BMI 31: 43.0 ( 18 ), 36.0 ( 18 ), 44.5 ( 18 ) - Size 18
BMI 30: 43.0 ( 18 ), 35.5 ( 18 ), 43.5 ( 18 ) - Size 18
BMI 29: 42.0 ( 18 ), 35.0 ( 18 ), 42.5 ( 16 ) - Size 16/18 - Bra 36E
BMI 28: 40.5 ( 16 ), 34.0 ( 16 ), 41.5 ( 16 ) - Size 16
BMI 27: 40.0 ( 16 ), 33.0 ( 16 ), 41.0 ( 14 ) - Size 14/16

I'm not going to bother doing them again until BMI 26 - I'll just assume that they are about the same at each BMI. Pity I have gone back up to BMI 30 but I'll get back down quickly.

 

[lass321]

You seem VERY focused. I am really impressed.

 

[zeke]

Thanks! Yes, I am - I do like to go on a bit at the start of a diet! My diary is a good place to dump it.

I should be ok now for the ten weeks but sustaining that beyond ten weeks and/or maintaining is where I really struggle (as you can see from my three year graph! Been a similar situation since my early twenties although a lower weights). Hence my decision to make this a ten week diet with a very definite end, and hopefully a feeling of reaching goal at the end even though it won't be my ideal weight...followed my maintanence for a while rather than trying to lose more weight.

Do you have a diary Lass? I tried looking for it in the S&S section and then remembered that you were doing something similar but not S&S exactly.

 

[lass321]

I do have a diary here's the link -
http://www.minimins.com/members-only-diaries/175990-back-moans-groans.html

I don't use it very often, I did the last time though. I was going strong guns and then - disaster! I don't know what happened. I think I will use it more when I get back to where I was when I left off. For some reason I don't want to start a new diary but it makes me feel like I wasted a lot of time when I go on this one and see how far I have slipped. I also yo-yo at the moment. Up until fairly recently I haven't done any sustained dieting. I was a fairly steady weight when I was married (comfortably padded but not fat) so I did some short term quick fixes before birthdays and weddings etc. When I was divorced I was really miserable and became really skinny without dieting. When I came back to Scotland I was neither sad nor happy and gained at an alarming rate. As I'd never really had to diet seriously I had no idea what to do. Tried the silly stuff I had done before but it didn't work. In 2010 I tried a vlcd called All About W8 and did really well, but I have had a couple of really bad years with my Mum having cancer and finding out my son has epilepsy as well as finishing my degree, so on it came again. I hope that this time I am in a better frame of mind. I need to realise that life will probably bite me on the bum again, but I will still just need to get on with it!

Sorry for rambling - I bet you wish you had never asked!

 

[zeke]

Sorry for rambling - I bet you wish you had never asked!

No - of course I'm not! Very pleased that you have given my the link to your diary so we can make this support a two-way thing! I plan to head over their again in a minute so will reply to the rest there.

Day 4!

The good news:

1. My 140 item SnS package arrived! The new packaging is great - quite excited to see that as I didn't realise they had improved it. I now have a bar to look forward to for meal 4, but I will try and continue to have porridge for this meal if I am hungry.
2. I wasn't as hungry to day in the morning and it was easy to make it to lunchtime - I had a shake today rather than a meal.
3. Now lost 4.4 lbs in 3 days
4. I feel more in control and I think a happier as a consequence

The bad news:

1. I cracked and got in some coke zero - had two cans at work today and therefore no green tea. I don't think there is much point in beating myself up about this. I will aim to have at least one cup of green tea at work each day and attempt to keep it to a max of 2 cans/day.

 

[zeke]

I had a bar last night for my 4th meal - a bit earlier than normal (8.45 cp 9.30). After that was the closest I have come to cracking! Considered having a 5th meal/ started to doubt I could do this....but then went to bed all was fine and I am so glad I stayed strong this morning.

Another 1.8 lbs off today! I was a bit surprised at that tbh! It brings me under the 13st mark. I am probably more interested in getting below 180 lbs (0.6 lbs to go) though as I have gone all American and work in pounds now. My aim was to get below 180 lbs again after my first week - with 3 WI to go and 0.6 lbs to lose...it is looking likely!

 

[zeke]

Last night I also explored the new meal planner function on the SnS website. With my 4 packs, 200g veg it come up all fine. Add in 150 ml of skim milk with 6.6 g carbs and 48 kcals...and it tips me over into warnings. I have decided I am fine with that as this is exactly what I did for 9 weeks previously and lost well. I have also lost 6.2 lbs in 4 days - I definitely don't want to lose the calcium in the milk.

I think the issue is that I am either having two porridge packs/day or 1 porridge and 1 bar - both of which are higher calorie/carb choices rather than the veg/milk. Anyway, again, I did this last time and was happy with the results. I would rather be closer to the 800 kcal mark than 650 kcals (yesterday came out as 715 kcals and 68.9 g carbs)

The only thing I might need to keep an eye on is the new larger bars.

Dark Truffa 45 g = 16.2g carbs + 167 kcals
Dark Truffa 35 g = 14.7g carbs + 134 cals

For reference, website says:

Deep Ketosis: 0 - 50g carbs/day
Ketosis safe zone: 51- 70g carbs/day (with ideal being less than 65g carbs)
Warning (some people will come out of ketosis): 71-80g carbs/day
Danger: over 81g/carbs

I have decided I am happy (unless weight-loss/hunger says otherwise) keep kcals below 800 and carbs below 70g. I can do that with a porridge, a bar (even a 45g one), a shake, a meal, 200g veg and 150 ml skimmed milk. Good.

Anyway, I am not at the point where I don't feel that it would be nice to eat but I am certainly coping well with the low level 'hunger'.

I wil be SO happy to see the scales drop below 180 lbs and then every 5 lbs barrier after that - especially 165 lbs - SOON!