Disillusioned Blogger

It has been so long since I popped a beauty review or diet update on this blog. I’ve wanted to and thought about you many times since my last post but must admit after a few months of writing these posts I feel disillusioned … or maybe disappointed in my blog and the blogging world.

In terms of reviews, the majority of items have been reviewed before and in terms of diet, I just wasn’t willing to put my emotional eating struggles out there for all to read.

So for the time being, until I’ve found the one thing I can write about that inspires me and shows my individuality, there will be no more posts.

P.s. Is there a beauty blogger out there that isn't spending half their wage each month on products they really don’t need??

Diet Update – Everything alright on the 8th night

I’ve now been on my VLCD for a week which basically consists of bar, snack, meal, shake, milk, water repeat. The main aim of this slightly restrictive diet (aren’t all diets restrictive?) is to lose the weight quickly (2-3lbs a week consistently). This means the food isn’t gourmet but edible and the meal isn’t coated in breadcrumbs.

The first 7 days of this type of diet is probably the worst. You have to remain focus, wait for the protein to kick in (which will reduce your appetite) and avoid temptation! The weight loss will be big in the first week as you’ll lose ‘water weight’ and what I like to call ‘loose weight’ from the feasts you consumed in the days before you started your diet. Nothing better than a pre-diet feast, it’s like eating whatever you like with no consequences because you know you’ll lose the weight in the next week.

The one BIG motivating factor in all this is the weight loss and you aren’t going to see that unless you weigh yourself. I’m currently not weighing myself and won’t start doing that until next Monday. The thought of getting on those scales and seeing how much I’ve gained since I last restarted this diet would just be too depressing. So I’ve given myself two weeks before the big event.

One tip if you have to step on the scales and face your weight reality is to change the scales to total pounds or kg rather than stones and pounds. As I have always weighed myself using stones and pounds, seeing total pounds means very little to me (unless I divide by 14) but still shows my loses and still shows how far I have to go before reaching my ‘ideal weight’.    

Day Four and Five – salad bar, the dieter's best fwend!

Yesterday was not good. I woke up late, running around like a nutter trying to get my bus on time and totally forgot to pack my diet products. This would usually result in me panicking, feeling hungry and justifying a cheese and pickle sandwich for lunch.

However, with my new determination to fight the flab I sat down at work, had a think and realised that my diet gives me around 750 kcals a day based on high protein low calorie nutrition. So how can I achieve that without my pre-packed diet products? In short … meat and veg. What did I do? I hit the salad bar!

 

Had a couple of cups of coffee to keep me going to lunch and then hit the works salad bar with lashings of mackerel, salad goodness and balsamic vinegar. I kept it smallish so I could have a MRP shake and small tea when I got home.

The alternatives to a salad bar – If you aren’t lucky enough to have a salad bar at work (or money is tight), what is the alternative if you go to work without your diet products? For this particular diet the aim is low calorie, high protein. It may be for your working day you focus on one of the priorities. If it’s low calorie you can have low fat crisps, fruit or some kind of salad sandwich. If you’re focusing on high protein you could have Mini Babybels, stringy cheese, ham slices or even nuts to keep you going. This doesn’t stick to the diet guidelines but these are good alternatives to throwing in the towel and sinking your teeth into something Oh So naughty.

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Day Three – Coffee for breakfast?

There are so many opinions on coffee and dieting. Personally I’m addicted (in the least possible way) to vending machine coffee for my breakfast (along with my MRP bar). Rest assured the machine uses skimmed milk and the coffee is on the vile tasting side but my morning just wouldn’t be the same without it.

So what effect will this have on my diet? Although caffeine is a stimulant and can increase your morning metabolism I doubt very much that the vending machine coffee I consume has nearly enough caffeine in it to make my lazy metabolism move an inch. In fact I’m 99% sure that the coffee I drink contains a minuscule amount of caffeine as fresh coffee with a full whack of caffeine over-stimulates my intestines … if you get what I mean! And that does not happen with vending machine coffee.

Caffeine may affect your insulin levels, in a good or bad way. This is all ‘ifs, buts and maybes’ so it really depends on your body and how it handles coffee/caffeine.

There’s a Doctor online who’s created a list of ‘Ten reasons why you should quit your coffee’. I can only assume this is all based on fresh, high quality coffee … rather than the nasty but good coffee from vending machines or instant.

To entice you to stick with your steaming cup of morning sunshine I’ve just discovered flavoured instant coffee only 2 calories a cup (not including milk etc)!

 

Beanies coffee is seriously good, I’ve got several of their instant coffees (they also do fresh ground) and the double chocolate and hazelnut flavours are yum! They infuse the bean before they make the coffee, so it full of flavour without the calories of syrups. FYI I’m not sponsored by them, they’re just a good low calorie treat which I can incorporate into my diet.

What low calorie treats have you added to your diet? Pop a comment below or drop me a line on Twitter!

Day Two - already looking at burger menus!

I was watching one of my favourite YouTubers (Ken Domik) when he talked about his review of Holy Chuck, a burger bar in Toronto. I live in the UK so there's no way I'll be making my way there any time soon but Oh My God ... is that not the most amazing gorgeous stack of burgery cheesey goodness?

That's a heart attack on a plate but I bet it tastes amazing (hence me morphing it into an angelic god-like cloud frame). This does make me think though, once I lose the weight I'm still going to have these crazy cravings for full fat, artery blocking, carb crambed junk ... so what do I do then?

However much weight you lose the prospect of putting it all back on again may make you quit before you've begun or keep dreaming that one day you'll fall in love with lettuce. This is something I will have to focus on as my diet progresses, maintenance doesn't start once the diet stops. Maintenance is about changing your bad habits, setting goals once the diet stops and realising that however much you want that cow on a plate it should be seen as a treat and not a daily menu option.

It would be great to hear from anyone that has lost the weight and kept it off. Leave me a comment below or drop me a line on Twitter! 

Day One - all the help I can get!

It's another diet restart! YIPPEE, not! I've been on and off diets for many years and its gotten to the point that I actually think this is becoming a hobby. What would I do if I didn't need to diet? What would I think about? What would I worry about? It's a very first world problem. People in the First World worry about getting fat or becoming thin. People in the Third World worry about where their next meal is coming from.

Anyway, enough reflection, I'm going to add a blog post every day for a week re my diet. This is more to motivate myself and keep me on track than it is to entertain or educate readers ... although hopefully my posts will provide a bit of that too.

I'm back on the Slim2BTrim diet, I chose this diet as I've done VLCD before and their product prices seemed good and there is a Facebook Support Group which can be very comforting when you're having a bad diet day.

It would be great to hear from anyone who is also restarting a diet today or anyone who's on a VLCD. Leave a comment below or drop me a message on Twitter!

My Big Fat Diet Fail (part 10)

I've lost count of the amount of times I have started and stopped a diet. There is always an excuse "My parents are visiting", "I'm having a hard day" etc. Essentially it is self sabotage and I wonder why I sabotage myself, what do I gain from remaining overweight? I think that's the eternal question most dieters have, either that or "What's the local chippies number?" HEHE ... I can laugh as I'm a fellow fatty at the moment.

I'm refocusing and restarting tomorrow (Sunday) as I'm getting very fed up of my big belly and lack of neck. Diets can feel like an uphill struggle but this is why I like the VLCDs as you're losing around 3lbs a week which is so motivating. It is restrictive and I do have this very bad habit of eyeing up restaurant menus when I'm on this type of diet. I'm thinking that has to stop and maybe the ordering of kebabs (salad, chicken shish and chili sauce) under the pretense of 'well it's high protein'. It is high protein but I don't know whats in the sauce, what the chicken is marinated in or if they put any dressing or ingredient with citric acid in the salad, so it's a no no.

I don't tend to dwell on these things but I have to learn from my diet mistakes and there have been many!

So I hope from Sunday I will be posting some very positive blog entries about my diet progress and I'll hopefully not feel like shooting my scales in the months to come.

VLCD - how to keep going

I've been on Slim2BTrim for nearly a week now and lost 11lbs. That does sound like a lot of weight but for the first week or two of a vlcd (very low calorie diet) you lose a lot of water weight and 'loose' weight from the yummy fatty food you ate the week before.

I'm happy with the weight loss so far and the diet food I've been eating. The MRP (Meal Replacement Powder) shakes I've had are standard, not as thick as Exante but a lot of variation in flavours (unlike Exante). The High Protein snacks have been surprisingly tasty. The Novo Protein Bites are really good, you get a 40g bag which is full of light, airy full flavoured protein crisps. The texture is more like a Quaver than potato crisps. You can find flavour and nutritional info HERE.

I'm also having a MRP Bar every day and the quality is very high. I've tried several VLCD in the past and the quality of food products has been so hit and miss. The Peanut and Chocolate Bar (top right) has a Tracker Bar like quality and taste with some real nuts in it. The Muesli Bar (top right) has a lovely crunch to it and the yogurt coating isn't overpowering. The Chocolate Bar and Caramel Bar (bottom left and centre) both have the same chocolate coating and gorgeous chewing texture, like a heavy Milky Way. The Truffa Bar (bottom right) has the same name as other bars I have tried on different diets but this is very different. It's very chocolatey, a nice chew to it along with additional crunchy bits!


I've also tried the pizza mix, which although has an ok base and very nice basil/oregano tomato sauce, is a little lacking. But when you're comparing a diet pizza to a Pizza Hut pizza, it's just not going to win.

The main motivation to keep going is focusing on the great tasting food you CAN eat and the amount of guaranteed weight you will lose every week you're on it. This diet is not 100% sensible and the maintenance once you reach your goal weight will be more difficult (been there, done that) compared to Weight Watchers or Slimming World with support groups. But if you want to hit your goal quick with predictable 2-3 lbs of weight loss a week, this may be the diet for you.

Diet Update!

I'm still recovering from my Birthday weekend (it was long, full of fatty foods and a visit from the parents) so a little behind with blog entries. Sorry :-)

I've now had time to rethink the diet plan, Dukan diet is great but it just didn't suit me. I have little interest in food when I'm on a diet so having to think about prepping for your breakfast and lunch just doesn't work for me.

So I've now started the Slim2BTrim. It's such a cheesey name, you could have ... LessSin2BThin, BePetiteEatMeat, BeLeanEatProtein HAHA. Anywho, it's a Very Low Calorie Diet which some people see as unsafe or controversial. It's neither, it's just a means to an end. I will consume around 750 kcals a day, eating food plus high protein meal replacements. I'm on the Lifestyle Plan so thats:

• Meal replacement bar
  
• Meal replacement shake
• High protein snack
• 150g lean protein
• 250g vegetables
• 2-3 litres of water
• 200ml of skimmed milk

I have done VLCD before and they do work, any diet works if you stick to it. I tend to lose 3lbs a week on this type of diet so I'm hoping for good results. Losing weight when you're in the right frame of mind is easy but keeping it off has always been difficult for me. I'm 100% focused on this and feeling good.

Would be great to hear from anyone else on VLCDs to find out how they're doing.

ODed on Sugar Free sweets - Diet Update

The diet has been going well. I stalled for four days but realised I wasn't eating and drinking enough so I stepped that up and dropped an extra pound. It's amazing that weight loss stops if you don't eat. I realise your body goes into starvation mode but at some point your body must start using it's fat stores to survive and the weight will drop off? Not that I'm encouraging starvation in any way. The only reason I wasn't eating a lot was because on the Dukan Diet you are eating a lot of protein which zaps your appetite.

One little issue I have with this diet is snacks and unexpected outings. If you do anything remotely unplanned finding food can be difficult. I'm currently in a hotel, I grabbed 3 liters of  bottled water, a whole chicken and Sula Mint Humbugs before I got here. The waters going down great but unfortunately my stomach wasn't keen on the chicken ... so that left the Sula Mint Humbugs and they are sooo moreish! I'm only meant to have 5 sugar free items a day but I have gone over my quota and I'm having a hard time not eating the whole packet. The only thing that's stopping me is my gurgling gut alerting me to the fact that if I have any more I'm going to be on the loo far too many times tonight.

But it's Sula sweets, eat nothing or raid the vending machines downstairs that are full of carb laden goodies. Guess I'll stick to the water then ... and look forward to my buffet breakfast tomorrow.

I'm thinking about doing an overview of the Dukan Diet. Let me know if you'd be interested in that. You can leave comments on here or my Twitter @LouKDBlog.

Finally dropping some pounds

I've now been on the Dukan Diet approximately two weeks and it's going well! I'm not surprised the diet works, I'm surprised I'm sticking to it as I've had some major epic fails this last year.

BUT that was 2014 and in 2015 I'm doing good. I couldn't bear to look at my initial starting weight, that could have led to a meltdown and pizza consumption. So after week one I went on the scales and dealt with the reality. A reality which I'm not putting in my blog, no one needs to see that!

I've lost 5lbs in my second week so I must have lost at least that in my first. I'm feeling OK, my appetite has vanished which is a good side-effect of eating a high protein diet.

I've moved from the initial Attack Phase (total protein) to Cruise Phase (alternating between total protein days and protein plus veg days) and finally found somewhere that sells Oat Bran so I can have a couple of tablespoons a day.

There are a multitude of websites out there with recipes and advise so I've been having a look at a few, getting a view ideas. Ideas are very much needed because I will be doing this diet for many many months so really need to learn how to make chicken breasts more interesting. Here are some of the great sites I've found:

• http://www.dukandiet.co.uk/ - THE Dukan Diet website for the UK
• http://thedukandietsite.com - Amber knows everything about the Dukan Diet
• http://mydukandiet.com/ - great layout, easy to use site

Update #SoNotACliffHanger

Yeah! Just squeezing in my post of the week.

My journey on the Dukan hasn't been blip free. Friday wasn't good and we got a take-away with carbs BUT Saturday I was back on the Attack Phase. I'm meant to do 7 days on the attack and I'd already done 4 days by the time I had my blip .. so I will do the Attack Phase for a few more days and then start the Cruise Phase.

I'm finding the diet a bit confusing in terms of what I can and can't eat. It's basically Atkins with less fat and sugar free yogurt and drinks. I'll do a blog post about it once I get the hang of it.

I've found an amazing website for lean protein called Muscle Food. The website is for body builders/sculptors but it's great for Dukan and Atkins dieters too. I'll do a review once I put my first order in.

I also have some beauty reviews to come next week! A few grumbles and a beauty box cancellation! Oooo which one did I cancel? Find out next week! #SoNotACliffHanger

Diet update!

The Aktins Diet did not happen for me. I've tried it before and had great results but as with any diet it has to be the right time and the right place.

So today I start the Dukan Diet. I've had the book for many months but was not convinced by the diet and it's lack of certain food groups. That being said the reviews and results speak for themselves, it works. Actually all diets work, if you stick to them!

This is day one, I'm still not 100% sure of all the foods I can eat but I've completed an online calculator thingy and apparently I have to stay on the initial phase (The Attack Phase) for 6 days. For most people this would be 2-3 days but I have a fair amount to lose.

I will do regular updates and let you know how I'm getting on. Hopefully the sad face will look a lot happier in a month or two! 

New Years Resolutions (2015)

Happy New Year! I don't know about you but 2014 wasn't the greatest year for me.

So this year, as with many other New Years I was so tempted to make some New Years resolutions BUT I decided not to.

Why you may ask ... because I never stick to them! Do you? It seems like a really negative start to the year when we make these rather unrealistic promises to ourselves only to come a cropper a month, week or even a day later.

So this year I WILL lose weight. I've started Atkins again today and I WILL stick to it until reaching goal weight.

Good luck to me and good luck to you if you've made some resolutions/personal promises this year. WE CAN DO IT!