my journey x

Where are you all ladies? I hope all is OK. Just wanted to wish you all the best for weigh-ins and another week.....
Leanne, did you move to etiquette 1? I am sort of doing a combination of the two, I have some lean meat and veg on Sundays when the family are eating, and I also did this when I was out with friends.
I made a stone! 2.5lbs more and I will be under 15 stone for the first time in ages - yeah! Still feels like a long way to go though, but I'm trying not to focus on that. One step at a time eh?!
Keep in touch!
Julie

Hi ladies!
I hope you are all OK and having a good weekend so far.
I'm doing OK, feeling good and think I will be almost at the 1 stone mark when I weigh in on Monday - yeah! My jeans are much looser, my tummy is not getting in the way so much and I am really pleased! Nobody has commented yet - but I hope it won't be long!
Katy, I checked with the Kee advisors about exercise because I do quite a bit (I did a 7.5 mile hillwalk today). They suggested I use Total bars (I am normally on WC) on those days and add an extra one in as they are a bit higher in carbs, which you need for more instant energy when doing this level of exercise. But I don't have any at the moment (waiting for a delivery) so instead I took an extra WC bar and a couple of apples to provide the extra carbs. (Not sure if this is right, but it seemed sensible to me, unless anyone knows otherwise?)
I am planning to have an etiquette 1 meal tomorrow instead of one of my packs, a small amount of the sunday roast that the family will have, plus the daily veg allowance. Normally I would feel hard done by but compared to all the packets, I'm really looking forward to it!! Is anyone else doing this or are you sticking to total meal replacement?
Well enjoy your Sunday everyone and I hope to hear from you soon. And here's to a successful week 3 as well!
Julie X

Glad you are doing well, well done on the weight loss!

I lost 3lbs in week 2, I was a bit disappointed but I haveto remember I lost 13lbs the first week so thats 16lbs in total! Hoorah, every pound counts tho eh?!

I'm on day 16, still in the food envy stage but I don't think that will ever go! I went out on Sunday and took the crisps you can make out of the soups with me so I had something to nibble on (its vital you use proper microwave cooking paper like the toastabag stuff you can get in the greaseproof paper\foil aisle, make the soup up with boiling water to a medium custard consistency and smear half onto the paper to make a giant poppadom thing then microwave for about 2 mins and check it every 30 seconds after that til it goes crisp then just break it up and add salt and pepper then smear the second half on and do it again!) Its so nice to actually eat something other than the bars, I used the total veg soup for mine

Whats everyone doing for exercise?

Katy x

Hi Leanne
Glad I'm not the only one telling white lies And well done with the alcohol btw that must be torture, with living in a pub. Keep it up whatever they say! (It could also be fun to see how long it takes for word to spread round your town that you are pregnant lol!)
I haven't told anyone about the diet yet either apart from a couple of friends who live far away. I don't really want to hear their opinions, or become a 'diet bore' (which is why having you around helps - so thanks!) and I'm just looking forward to those first comments when they realise I'm shrinking!!
Portions have been a problem for me too - and my husband loves to dish up even more than me (unfortunately). So I've bought a set of 'portion pots' off the Rosemary Conley website, they have 4 cups and a list of foods (like dry rice, cooked rice, pasta etc) with the recommended cup to use for a 'normal' (healthy) portion. I was quite shocked when I saw the sizes (small!), but being on this diet also makes you realise just how little you really need to live on, doesn't it?
For the first time today I had real cravings to nibble which I really had to fight.
I did have an boiled egg as we have our own chickens and they just started to lay again after the winter. I see you can add one to the puddings anyway (I never do) so I figured this wouldn't make too much difference.
I emailed the adviser about exercise, they were really helpful and suggested I replace at least one product with a 'total' product (with higher carbs) on the exercise days. Hopefully that should help. Sometimes it's just good to be told what to do, I find (which is really why I chose this diet in the first place I guess - no real decisions to make)
I'm out tomorrow night with some colleagues but will order some salmon and a side salad and hopefully that will be fine. I'm looking forward to it though!
Have a good day tomorrow
Julie
PS Looks like Elly didn't find us, hope she didn't give up!

Hi Leanne
CONGRATS!! Great start hon! And well done for surviving Sunday roasts as well, I hope it will get easier to resist as you go along.
It's amazing how this diet makes you realise your weak spots, isn't it? I keep going to pick up leftover bits, or taste things, hardly thinking about it. No wonder extra pounds were sneaking on.
My hardest thing so far is that the kids are doing cookery at school. I want to keep things relatively 'normal' and so I'm afraid I tell them a wee lie, that I will have a taste with my supper once they're in bed - then the next day I tell them it tasted wonderful - do you think that's OK?
Keep it up and here's to the one stone mark.....!
Julie X

Hi Leanne
Just wondering how you are getting on?
1 week done and I am pleased to have lost 9.5lbs - almost as much as I have lost in one go with any of my feeble attempts in recent years!
Feeling OK, hope you are too. Back at work today so another 4 days will pass without hardly noticing!
I invited another lady Ellie to join us, she started around the same time as us and was looking for buddies on another part of the board.
Keep going!
Julie X

Hi Leanne
I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised when you weigh yourself in a couple of days. I made the mistake of buying some scales and just can't resist getting on them at the moment - I never liked weighing myself before, maybe that's how I ended up this weight?!
You can have a few seeds instead of the nuts (I put them in my salad) it's quite important because apparently the diet is so low in fat that you can develop gallstones - and since these is a chance that I might have been developing them anyway before I went on the diet, I don't really want to take any chances. Don't you like any type of nuts? I love pecan, cashew and macadamias!
I've started making my porridge up with the milk - I don't like drinking milk, and the porridge tastes better that way!
I went swimming today and felt surprisingly OK (I thought I might feel sluggish). I had lunch when i got home and felt OK so didn't have anything extra but I am planning some hillwalking soon and will definitely take extra with me then as we'll be out for longer. I thought I'd take a bar and a flask of hot water to shake the soup up in. I will check this with the admin team - how do I contact them please?
I had a look at the website of the restaurant we're going to and can see they have a plain marinaded chicken which I can have with a side salad (probably I shouldn't eat all of it as portions are usually huge!) Basically I looked ahead in the Kee plan to the reintroduction phase and can see what kinds and amounts they suggest at that stage. As long as I don't overdo it, and stay carb-free, I doubt it will do any harm to replace my daily salad and one shake with this......
Good luck over the weekend, and with the weigh-in!
Julie X

Hi Leanne, Katy & Vashti
How's it going then?
I've done 4 days and am feeling OK today, the routine of work has helped though.
Are you guys having salad, a little dairy and a few nuts every couple of days? I find this helps a lot as it makes lunchtimes more 'normal'.
I'm going out in a couple of weeks, hoping to have a small amount of chicken and salad what do you think, are you going out at all and what will you do? I'm not bothered about drinking (have to drive to get anywhere anyway) but more the food.
Also has anyone read what to do about exercise? I want to go swimming tomorrow but don't want to faint and know we have to keep the calories right for this to work best. I thought maybe an extra pack would be good (I am on 4 weight control at the moment, plus the above)
All advice appreciated!
Keep up the good work over the weekend girls!
Julie

Hi hun

Glad you are doing well, i'm on day 11 and am quite irritable but I know that will pass as soon as I see more benefits to losing the weigh and dont feel so resentful of people eating! I'm not hungry either its just habit and wanting to gorge myself with yummy food!

I made the tomato soup today and it was ok! I mixed in cold water to make a paste then hot but not quite boiling water and mixed with a whisk in a pan (not with the hob on though) and it was of a clearer consistency and not grainy at all, hoorah! I did one last night with the hob on and it went so thick it was like tomato porridge, I had to chuck it, yuck!

Do you use ice cubes in the blender too? If not, try it, it makes the shakes extra cold and thick

Katy x

Hi Leanne,

I use a cheap Tesco blitzer for the shakes, so quick. keep my 1/2 pt bottle of water in the fridge, half in a beer glass, blitz, then add rest of water while swilling off blitzer, waste not want not! Nice and smooth, frothy, fraction of the time.

Well done on your new starts all of you, keep going. I'm restarting, so on day 2 also. Doesn't get any easier the more times you stop/start, so keep going!!!!

Hi Leanne, I also started yesterday and am doing OK so far. So well done to us both!
So far, I like the bars and soups, find the shakes OK and hated the apple porridge - how about you?
My breath stinks already but I bought some mouthwash and breath spray and if this is the worst it gets, it will be worth it!
My main worries are going out and exercise but I'll deal with these once they happen I guess. How about you?
Good luck, keep it up, think of all those inches lost by the summer!
Julie

Also I found the tomato soup grainy, I made it with hot water then read it was meant to be cold into a paste THEN hot water, durr! Thanks for the tip! Katy x

Hi Leanne!

Well done you for getting through the first day, the first few are always the worst and as long as ou get through those the rest will be ok

I've got a pair of Primark skinny jeans in an 18 which is probably a normal 14 that I want to get into first then i'll downsize!

Katy x

Hi Leanne,

Mix your soup with a decent quantity of cold water to mix to a smooth paste, then gradually while stirring, pour on boiling water to the top of a large mug. This will eliminate the lumps problem and the soup will be at drinking temerature.

Hope this helps.