My Journal

3^rd September 2012 - Day 1

 My journal of my journey of discovery

 I made a decision last week to finally get more proactive with getting healthy and eating properly and discharging a few extra kilo’s along the way. 

 After being successful last year in losing 12 kgs in a short time by changing to a low carb diet, I hit a bump and life became a bit topsy turvy and a few old habits slipped back in.  While I was able to maintain for a while the bump became a lot of hills and valleys and I became more focussed on just trying to ride things out and hang on for dear life.  Slowly nearly 6 kgs have come back on.   I wouldn’t say that it was carbs that were the culprit – mainly sugar.  My sweet tooth came back.

 I’ve read a lot of blogs and a lot of links about low carbing in the last year and I know the benefits personally of a LCHF diet.  With the weigh loss comes a different attitude and higher energy levels.  Healthier and happier.

The last month has been terrible for me.  My skin has just been driving me insane. Not only is it my skin but my scalp.  I'm wanting to pull my hair out.  My energy levels are at rock bottom and I'm not feeling very good about myself.

So a week ago I ordered the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. I've heard  many wonderful things about it and have been meaning to buy it but yet again I procrastinate.  So last week I did.  Can't wait for it to arrive.

I know about ketosis from the time my first husband did the Atkins diet.  I wanted to make sure I was able to get my body into ketosis and after reading on MargieAnne's blog about ketostix she kindly gave me a link to a place that sells it in NZ.  So I've done it.

I've also ordered more coconut flour and coconut oil in readiness for trying out some new recipes.

So here we are Day 1.

Food Diary:

leftover roast lamb and broccoli

3 dessertspoons of Greek yoghurt mixed with a handful of frozen berries

Dinner - leftover cold lamb and a salad.

2 black coffees

2 green teas

2 lge glasses of water

No wine

4th September - Day 2

Just as I got to work the Courier arrived with my Ketostix.  Boy talk about fast.  Naturally the first thing I had to do was check it out.  Negative of course what did I expect.

Had a good nights sleep last night.  I woke up feeling very refreshed. 

Scales told me 79.8.  200 gms loss.

Feeling very alert and on to it. 

After work I got stuck into the housework and managed some ironing and dusting.  Unusual for me.  Felt good though, like I was back in control.

Food Diary

6 chicken nibbles and salad

3 dessertspoons of Greek yoghurt mixed with a handful of frozen berries

Scotch Fillet Steak with mushrooms and salad.   Couldn't eat it all.

2 black coffees

2 green teas

2 lge glasses of water

No wine

5th September - Day 3

Had another good sleep last night even though it took me a while to fall asleep.  I had restless legs and they kept twitching. Haven't had that for a long time.  Still a good sleep though and I woke up 10 minutes before the alarm.

Ketostix gave me a trace reading. 

Scales showed 78.9.  A loss of 1.1 kgs.

I got to work this morning and my book had arrived!!!!!  Fabulous I just can't wait to get into it.  No skimming the pages, lol.  

Have a catch up with the Admin girls tonight at the Ibis so I think I'll have a wine.

5 pm and my energy levels were still high.  Had a stupid grin on my face.  All in all it was a great day.

Food Diary

3 eggs scrambled with 3 rashes of streaky bacon

Chicken stirfry

2 coffees

2 lge glasses of water

2 glasses of white wine

6th September - Day 4

Went to bed around 10pm last night and woke up at 6.20am - half an hour before the alarm.

Fabulous sleep.  Normally I would stay until the alarm went off but I got up early and feel great.

Ketostix - trace

Scales - 78.1 - awesome

Went shopping today and had a wee bit of an indulgence which I fully deserved.  Today is thirsty Thursday which always means wine, normally a bottle as we are childfree.  This morning I told Mr T I'm not drinking tonight.  He's not either.  Instead I went out and bought myself a 10 ltre cask of water and a nice silver water jug. 

 

Food Diary:

Omelette with leftover veges from stirfry and 3 rashers of streaky bacon

Handful of grapes

Chicken nibbles and salad

3 black coffees

2 lge glasses of water


7th September - Day 5

Again I woke up before the alarm -  feeling a lot more onto it, not quite so stressed in the morning.

Ketostix - trace

Scales - 78.4  My first fluctuation.  Might as well get use to them and get on with business.  It's going to happen because it can't always go down.  The thing is I know I did well.

OMG thank goodness it's Friday.  I'm looking forward to the weekend.  I'm also looking forward to chilling out with Mr T tonight and having a wine.  I've decided my wine days are going to be Fridays and Saturdays.  My treat days.

Food Diary:

Chicken nibbles and salad
Scrambled eggs with veges

2 black coffees
4 glasses of water
4 glasses of wine


8th September - Day 6

Slept in until 7.30.  Must have been the wine.

Didn't worry about the ketostix as I'd had the wine the night before.

Scales - 78.1  better than yesterday!

Brucena was due at 9.00.  Brucena is the beauty therapist who comes every three weeks and does my nails, waxing, tinting etc.  She's such an awesome lady.  She's been doing this for nearly 6 years now.  I must say it's more relaxing having this done in your own home as for me I find it hard to stay still for too long.  She's entered into one of those body building competions so we've been getting into some interesting conversations regarding diet and exercise.  The diet I can relate too but I'm afraid doing 3 hours of training in the gym is just not going to do it for me.  Even she's admitted she's starting to get tired now and her competition isn't until October.

It was after lunch before I realised that I hadn't eaten.  So just as a quick tie over I grabbed a handful of grapes which seemed to tide me over. 

Pottered all day and got quite a bit done.  Pleased with myself.

Opened the wine around 4 while I was preparing dinner.  Very nice, very relaxing evening.  All in all a really nice day.

Food Diary:

handful of grapes
Roast lamb, kumara, pumpkin, brocolli & cauli, with grated cheese. 

4 black coffees
3 glasses of water

Wine -   umm too much.  Let's say I started on bottle no. 2.

9th September - Day 7

Slept well. Woke up at 7 and still felt groggy so I went back to sleep until 9.50!!!!  Totally unheard of for me.  I didn't even think I needed the sleep so it must have been the wine. 

Scales  77.9  Awesome.  Totally stoked with that.  This is a 2.1 kg loss for my first week.   I
always thought that I would have a decent first week.  Now I need to push on from here and keep this up.

I felt quite flat this morning.   A little bit blah.  Must be the wine.  Just as well the day is crap.

Lucas is coming this afternoon to give Nick and Janelle a breather.  I guess that's my exercise for the day.  He's a non stop dynamo and chatter and I need all my wits about me.

Food Diary:

Lettuce sandwiches - cheese, tomato, cucumber, red onion, capsicum
Bacon & Eggs

3 black coffees
1 ltre of water
2 glasses of diet sprite

Perked up a lot in the afternoon but was yawning my head off at 8.30.

Overall

I guess one of the first real noticeable things for me, I was sleeping an awful lot better.  As the week went on I was able to have a full 8+ hours sleep and still wake up before the alarm.  For me that was impressive.  I started to notice a pick up of energy around Wednesday especially around 5 when normally I was really starting to flag then.  With summer coming that's really something to look forward too.  I want to make the most out of the daylight hours.     By weighing daily and keeping a journal I was able to see the fluctuations and also know that I hadn't done anything  wrong so this was my body just adjusting - so to keep to my guns and don't let myself get sidetracked.  I can see me stop the daily weighs but not yet. 

My hunger started disappearing as the week moved on.  Yesterday was a bit of surprise that only only a handful of grapes sustained me until dinner.  Trust me if I got hungry  I would have eaten.  We did end up eating just after 5.30 though which is early for us.

All in all I would say it was a very successful week and roll on week 2.  I am aiming to get well into the 76's this coming week.