Yet another diet diary

August 23, 2021

Yet another diet diary

So last week I wrote a blog about how I needed a massive reset with regards to food. In acknowledging I had a problem, it was the kick up the bum I required.

Last week I went zero carb, zero sugar, zero fun, zero treats.

It was TOUGH. I had a fridge full of birthday treats and then it was hubby’s birthday too which added to the food mountain. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten as much salad as I have this week. It’s not been fun. I did almost cry when I froze the brownies and scones from my birthday gifts.

But the reality of it is I lost 4 pounds.

I know zero carbs works for me. And it’s a benefit that it’s also good for the diabetes. It’s so boring though and I’ve talked about that before. I miss bread. Fresh bread, crunchy baguettes, toast, sandwiches, soft rolls oh they are all gorgeous things but utterly addictive. Dangerous things.

I’m the sort of person that gets bored super easily though. I can’t stick with anything for a length of time and ultimately, diets are the worst thing to stick with and feel motivated by.

So. This week I’m on a new diet. Don’t shout at me. I’m trying SlimFast.

I hear ya.

It’s bonkers. I totally understand that drinking stuff instead of eating stuff is not a sensible choice. However, I see this as a ONE WEEK thing. It’s another reset before going back to carb free and/or better choices. I need to stop thinking about food 24/7 and being all consumed with what I’ll shove in my face next. I love food. I want it all.

So today is day one of SF and I’ll be honest, I’m not looking forward to it. I don’t like milkshakes, I don’t like boring stuff, I don’t like same texture meals. But the challenge is only one week and I feel that even I can do one week of this. I’ve done my research and yes, it’s okay with my diabetes. I’ve got two flavours of powder and I’m hoping this small variation will keep me focused. I’m also going to play (for want of a better word) with what I make the drinks with be that water or red top milk or almond milk. The latter is lower in carbs than dairy milk so it’s just another try to manage some numbers.

They call SlimFast the 3-2-1 diet. Three snacks, two shakes and one meal. The snacks can’t exceed 300 calories total and the meal can’t be more than 600 calories. Or you play with those if you have something planned. I’ve never done calorie counting before; WW was all about points and I just ate the same thing day after day and then carb free / Atkins has always been about avoiding the lovely breads, pasta, rice, spuds category of foods.

It’s currently half twelve. I’ve had one shake so far, two pints of water and four mugs of tea. Oh it’s gross stuff. No wonder they encourage you to drink 2 litres (almost 4 pints) of water each day because you need to wash the gritty residue out your teeth. The worst bit is this snack element I’m supposed to include. 3oo calories through the day in either 2×150 or 3×100 snacks. On all the forums and chats everyone dives into a branded (and therefore v.expensive) SF chocolate bar or a bag of crisps or a big apple. None of these are really sensible options for me, so most of Sunday was spent googling and doing maths on how many grams of something was 100 calories. Frustratingly, stuff that is low in calories – like popcorn or baked crisps – is not low carbs. Protein rich stuff like ham or cheese or pate or sausages are not low in calories. For example I could have two sausages for my snack element but that is ALL the snacks for the day done. I guess they encourage you to have three snacks so you feel like you are ‘always eating’ rather than just drinking your calories. I don’t want to get into the habit of snacking though so I’m struggling with that element of the day plan. Who knows, I might be desperate for some texture or crunch that I’ll be happy to have a morsel of something that isn’t grey and gritty and drunk out of a sippy cup.

Today’s plan is two shakes, one with red milk, one with water. My snacks are a tub of carefully weighed ham as one and then the other is a boiled egg with half a red bell pepper. The third snack will either be a yoghurt or some carefully weighed out cheese. Goodness knows what the actual meal will be later; salad probably with a lump of chicken I guess.

Oh and the best part of starting a diet this week? I’m temping every day and I have bat surveys every evening too, so this really will be lots of fun.

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