Friday 24 August 2007

Day 11/100

So I'm almost two weeks in and I have to admit that it's got pretty testing over the last few days. I'm not really that hungry, it's more the idea of food that I can't stop fantasising about.

I'm back at work this week which is quite a good thing as it's given me some structure and helps keep my mind off food. The difficulty is that there are cakes and chocolate piled around the office all the time. Although, I 'came out' to people at work this week about what I'm doing and they've all been really supportive. Just really interested in knowing what the diet is and how it works. When I told them what I'd lost in the first week they were really happy for me and said how well I was doing. I wasn't going to tell people in the office to begin with but I thought it might be safer if I did, meaning that I won't be able to cheat!!!

The last couple of days have been quite hard though. Particularly last night as I went to the pub with Sal, Nat and Sabrina for a few drinks after work. I had water while they had cocktails (sigh) and beer, which didn't bother me as I wasn't that fussed about the alcohol. When it came to dinner though, that was a different story. As they tucked into chips and pizza I felt absolutely miserable. The smell was so delicious it was all I could do to stop myself stealing chips from their plates. Sal had a fish finger sandwich with hers and, even though I would never normally look twice at something like that let alone actually order it, I still thought it was the most appetising thing I have ever seen. I think it's just the abstinence - it makes any food look attractive!

Anywho, I resisted and was exceptionally proud of myself. On the way home I also managed to avoid 'accidentally' ending up at McD's (yes, it really is my failing). Still I felt pretty miserable when I got in and again this morning. I get pre-occupied thinking about how unfair it is that I have to go though this deprivation while other people are naturally skinny and can just eat what they want. I guess the point is that I've overeaten nearly all my life so I'm just evening things out. I feel a bit more positive now as I'm trying to put things in perspective. We'll see how long that lasts when I am confronted by a family roast dinner tonight (oh dear).

Monday 20 August 2007

Ticker Chart

Day 5 - 7/100

Haven't been able to post for a few days as I've been busy working on my dissertation. It's due on 7th Sept so I'm in panic mode now. It's taken some of the focus off LL but I'm still going strong.

I had my first stop-in session on Saturday 18th Aug and was delighted to discover I'd lost 7lbs. I was absolutely chuffed to find I'd done so well in the first four days. It made everything seem worthwhile and definitely inspired me to keep going (especially after the bad day I had on day 4). I think that getting weighed after a few days in the first week is a really good way of motivating people as it shows you that something positive is actually starting to happen and you're not doing it all for nothing.

Sunday was a pretty good day. I went to see Hairspray (fabulous, sparkly fun - although the sight of John Travolta in drag was very disconcerting) and then did some more Uni work. I'll be relieved when I just have to go to work and don't have all the studying to do on top!

Today was my first day back in the office after a couple of weeks off. I was absolutely dreading the early start but got out of bed ok. I don't think that the promised increase in energy from doing this diet has kicked in properly yet. Although I don't think I was quite as lethargic as normal. I made sure I had my shake before I left the house. I think this diet is making me eat more regularly than I ever did before as I never used to have breakfast.

I tried the fruit bar for lunch and it was delicious. Really, I mean it. I was very surprised - it's probably the first thing I've tried that I would actually eat if I wasn't on this diet.

All through the day I was drinking water non-stop so I was unpleasantly surprised when I got to my session and found that I was really dehydrated (not used to the peeing on a stick thing yet). Apparently if you get two bad results like that they have to take you off the programme. I think it was due to the fact that I had to travel home on the tube and it was really hot. I didn't want to drink very much while I was on the train either as it's a bit difficult to time the loo stops. I think I'm just going to have to make sure that I drink more water at work than at home as the office is really stuffy too.

As for the first official weigh-in, I lost another 2lbs so that takes my total for the first week up to 9lbs!!! I'm proud of myself for sticking with this and it's made me more determined than ever to carry on. Well done to my friend too as she also did really well!

Friday 17 August 2007

Day 4/100

I woke up in a really good frame of mind this morning. I was slightly concerned that, so far, I hadn't experienced any of the really bad withdrawal symptoms which I was expecting. I've had very few cravings, no headaches to speak of (apart from a very minor one on day 1 I think), and I haven't really been that hungry. In fact I was starting to feel pretty guilty.

Didn't have to wait long though did I? By midday I was in a terrible mood, snapping at any family members who happened to come near me, and I felt starving hungry. So this was what day 4 was going to be like, eh??

I think that some of this was due to the fact that I stayed at my sisters last night and forgot to take a foodpack for this morning, so I didn't have anything apart from water until early afternoon when I got home. I also didn't really drink enough water early on (only 1.5 litres by midday) so I've probably only got myself to blame. I did make this up to 4 litres by the end of the day though. I only hope that this doesn't affect my weight loss for tomorrow. The comfort is that the official week 1 weigh-in won't be until Monday. Hopefully I should be seeing results by then.

Aside from the cravings I had a lovely day. I spent most of it with my mum, my sister and my niece. It was really nice to catch up. I can't seem to avoid spoiling my niece rotten as she's so adorable, so she ended up with some gorgeous new clothes and lots of toys from Mothercare. Oh dear, this is why my bank balance looks so permanently unhealthy! I can't help it though.

This evening I met up with a friend and went to see the new Bourne film. How I love Matt Damon when he's all actiony and grrr. I don't really like him in anything else but the Bourne films do seem to bring out the best in him. Very fast paced and frenetic, although I did think it was missing a bit of emotional impact in comparison to the first film. At the beginning of the film I could see my friend skulkily trying to eat her popcorn without me noticing so that I wouldn't feel deprived. This was really sweet and supportive but I insisted that she go ahead and eat as I have to get used to other people eating around me sometime. It's not like the rest of the people in the cinema weren't munching away.

Afterwards we headed off to the pub for a couple of drinks (water for me!) and had a really good catch-up. I thought an evening in the pub without alcohol would be really difficult but once I was there it was fine. We had a good chat and I didn't even notice that I was drinking water rather than something alcoholic.

On the way home from the pub is normally the time that I am tempted to get fast food (normally McDonalds). I will admit that I did succumb to thinking about how delicious this would be for just a couple of minutes. Miraculously though, I knew that there was no way I would end up there. I got home unscathed!

Am now holding my breath until the weigh-in tomorrow morning to see if it's all been worth it. Famous last words...

Day 3/100

I'm a bit late updating my blog from yesterday (16th Aug) as I didn't have access to the internet last night. Yesterday was not as bad as I expected. I woke up absolutely dreading having another shake as I was getting to the point of not being able to stand the fact that they all taste of milk. However, I tried the strawberry shake for breakfast and was very pleasantly surprised, it was really delicious. I think the only other new flavour I had to try was Thai Chilli soup which I had for lunch. That was easily the best of the soups (I added lots of black pepper), although it did not smell nice at all. Still it tasted good which is the most important thing.

I was really starting to get worried as I barely liked any of the flavours but now I think I have enough favourites in the bag to keep going. I felt really positive all day yesterday and definitely felt like I was on track with the programme.

Can't wait until my stop-in session on Saturday to see the results! Hope I'm not disappointed.

Wednesday 15 August 2007

Day 2/100

I managed to get through the second day without cheating! I'm not really having any cravings yet, although I am missing the activity of eating. I think it's just habit to be honest. I drank my 4 litres of water and tried the raspberry shake (nice), mushroom soup (palatable), caramel and vanilla flavours (both horrible, hope I learn to like them as time goes on).

Today has been pretty quiet. I've just done some uni work which I've been putting off for ages (not done anywhere near enough obviously as my dissertation is due in a few weeks!). It's hard to manage work and studies so I should be taking advantage of my time off. Trouble is I can't seem to concentrate on it as all I can think about is LL. Not the food (or lack of), just the idea of doing the diet itself, and the positive things this will lead to.

I'm finding that updating this blog is really helping as it gives me something to focus on at the end of the day. It's also really encouraging to get positive comments from people who've also done LL and know what it's like. I'm also finding other people's blogs very motivational.

Anyway, just a quick one for today. Off to bed now (mmm, sleep).

Tuesday 14 August 2007

Day 1/100

So I made it to the end of the first day. Hurrah! That might not sound like much of an achievement (it's only one day out of 100 after all), but it's the first step. I have to say I haven't really felt hungry at all today. I think that might be because I normally get up quite late in the day so I don't eat until later on. It also probably means I haven't hit my 'trigger' time yet as I tend to find that it's when I stay up late into the night (i.e. between 1am - 3am) that I eat (I've got the week off work by the way just in case you think I sleep my work days away).

Anyway, about the foodpacks. I think the shakes aren't too bad (I tried banana and chocolate today) but I have to say, on first impressions, I am not a big fan of the soups. I think the chicken was ok but the vegetable one did not go down well. I guess you have to try them all at least once otherwise you will never know, right???

I did manage to get all 4 litres of water down though. I have to admit that I spent a lot of the day in the bathroom. Great if you're at home but I can imagine that won't be so convenient once I'm back at work next week.

I haven't really had any cravings so far, I did have a very minor headache for a bit but that went once I drank some more water. All in all, not bad for the first day. We'll see how tomorrow goes!