Day 18

Just thought I would share this random email I got today:

1. What time did you get up this morning?
8.00

2. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Smoking Aces

4. What is your favourite TV show?
Heroes

5. What do you usually have for breakfast?
Shake

6. What is your favourite cuisine?
Indians (God if only)

7. What is your middle name?
Don't have one

8. What food do you dislike?
Celery

9. What is your favourite CD at the moment?
Pink

10. What kind of car do you drive?
Mondeo

11. Favourite sandwich?
Cajun chicken and Salad

12. What characteristic do you despise?
False people

13. Favourite item of clothing?
Hmmm, my blue nightie. ( v old )

14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would it be
and with who?
Anywhere exotic with Orlando Bloom (sorry Dave and Elise)

15. What colour is your bathroom?
White with red accessories

16. Favourite brand of clothing?
Not really into labels

17. Where would you retire to?
Anywhere hot

18. What was your most memorable birthday?
18th

19. Favourite sport to watch?
Ice Skating

20. When is your birthday?
5th September

21. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Night time definitely

22. What is your shoe size?
3/4

23. Pets:
1 Cat (Lola)

24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?
Going on holiday 4 weeks today. (Whoopee)

25. What did you want to be when you were little?
A lawyer

26. How are you today?
Fine, just can't wait for the weekend.


27. What are your favourite lollies?
Twister

28. What is your favourite flower?
Lillies

29. What is a date on the calendar you are looking forward to?
My holiday to Lanzarote

30. Are you married?
Yes, very happily

31. Do you enjoy your job?
Sometimes

So, today has been quite a long day, work is quite quiet so the day has really dragged. Not hungry at all though so that is good. I am absolutely wishing my life away for my holiday I am sooooo excited. I have even got a picure of our pool as my screen saver at work, how sad is that?
Got some news on Lola this morning, Sheila rang me to let us know that her sniffles have really cleared up with the anti biotics and she is a lot better, so she should be able to go back to the vets next week to be neutered so that is good news.
Dave is off work until Tuesday so I am very jealous that I have had to come into work and leave him at home. I have to admit though it is quite nice as he is a very good house husband.
Elise is coming home from Pony Club tonight and she has her friend Robyn coming for the day tomorrow which I am sure they will keep Dave busy for the day, so she will be looking forward to that. It is her birthday while we are away in Lanzarote (1st July) she will be seven, so we need to get all of her presents before we go. Originally she wanted a Nintendo Wi, but she has since changed her mind, she wants some heelys and the whole puppy in your pocket range which is a heck of a lot cheaper, but I am sure she will change her mind before we go. I am also getting her some new lacoste trainers which are just so cute.

M X

Day 17

Well it's been my day off today and I am feeling much better. Got up this morning to take Elise to Pony Club. We then decided to have a trip to Cramlington and start our holiday shopping. I have bought most of our toiletries and sun creams so at least it is a start. We didn't get back until about 4.30 so was really ready for my soup by this time. I normally go spinning on a Wednesday but again this week we couldn't get in as it was full. Not very happy, think I will have to do something else on a Wednesday.
Me and Dave have bought some face masks so are going to do that tonight and of course BB8 starts whopppeee. Bring on the summer.

Sorry Dave couldn't resist.

M X

Day 14

Haven't updated my blog for a few days as obviously I have been away camping but I am also feeling completely demotivated. I went and got weighed on Friday and have only lost another 3lbs. I was pretty gutted as once again I have stuck to it rigidly. My counsellor is a bit baffled to be honest and can't explain it. The only thing I can think of is it could have something to do with my PCOS. She is going to have a word with her leader and see if she can shed any light on it.
Camping was great fun but very, very, very cold. We were freezing. I had a few drinks but no where near what I would normally have. It definitely effected me more with not having any food.
I have felt a bit funny today. I keep going really dizzy and have flashing lights in front of my eyes. I rang my councilor as I was a bit worried and she recommended that I drink more water as it could be dehydration. When I think about it I haven't drank as much as I normally would. So, I have upped the water and feel much better. I have taken tomorrow off work so I am going to have a lazy day in the house I just feel like I need to recharge a bit. Diet is going ok though haven't had any food at all now for a whole two weeks.
Lola went for her appointment at the vets this morning but unfortunately they wouldn't neuter her as she is full of the sniffles. It has been an ongoing problem, but they won't put her to sleep until it has cleared up so they have given her a course of antibiotics, then she will go back.
Dave and Elise are on holiday all of this week so I am very jealous, Elise is going to Pony Club tomorrow for two days, she is really excited as this will be the first time she has taken her new pony (Rocky). I have attached a picture of our camping trip.

M x

Day 11

Busy,busy, busy. God I feel like I have not stopped. Diet has gone fine today. Again, not been hungry. It is Elise's swimming lesson tonight but Cerrie is taking her as me and Dave have got so much to do to get ready for camping.
We went shopping to Asda for food for our trip, god, that was hard work, I hadn't had anything since my dinner so the food all looked really tempting. Not to worry we got all we needed to keep Elise and Dave going for the weekend. When we got home Dave packed the car, he is quite the professional now and it is amazing what we can fit into the old monde.
The rest of the night I spent ironing and getting all our bits and pieces together. Weigh day tomorrow, so quite excited.

M x

Yippee Day 10 (Double figures)

Have had a good day again today, not been hungry at all. Had chocolate & mint shake for breakfast. Then vegetable soup for dinner. A bit disappointed tonight as I couldn't go spinning as the class was fully booked. Went for a walk at dinner time up the street as it has been a lovely day. Done a bit of window shopping for my holidays. Had a pretty quiet day, me and Cerrie went to Next tonight and I have bought, wait for it, my first pair of jeans in about 10 years. I have to say it is not because I think I am suddenly a size 10 and I know I have only lost a few pounds, but I have been thinking about it for a while. I know this sounds a bit dramatic as it is only a pair of jeans, but, I have always had the opinion that fat people just shouldn't wear jeans. It is not as I said because I think I am now thin it is just that I am absolutely sick of wearing black trousers. Anyway, what with going camping I thoughts to myself there is no way I am wearing black pants for camping. They are really nice and are kind of a slouch fit so they aren't stuck to my fat bits. I also bought a very nice green hooded top. So all set on the clothes front for our little trip.
I am definitely feeling like I have lost weight but I am a bit dubious about my weigh in on Friday because of the small weight loss last week, but again I have stuck to it to the letter so we will just have to weight (ha ha) and see. I am finishing early on Friday (3.30pm) so I am going to go straight from work and get weighed. We are going to get our stuff ready tomorrow night so we are ready to just hit the road.
Feeling a bit sorry for Lola as she is going to have to be in the car for over two hours in her little cage which she absolutely hates bless her, but it is for her own good I suppose and I know she couldn't be in better hands with grandma Sheila.
Done a bit more of my jigsaw tonight, mind it is quite addictive. Going to go through Dave's school reports with him then watch a bit of telly. Getting excited for the weekend now.
Night night


M x

Day 9

Feeling good today. Feel in a much better mood, not as grumpy, Dave told me that I have been much more moody whilst being on the diet, to which I promptly bit his head off and said "no I have not, it's you". Hmmm, looking back maybe it is me.
Not to worry I'm sure he will forgive me when I'm looking thinner.
Been to Hepscott this morning to do my NVQ, the room was freezing, I am starting to think that maybe it is just me that is cold as no one else seemed to mind.
I have found since starting this diet I am noticing a lot more what people eat, for example there was a girl there who in the space of about an hour and a half she had, a banana, a packet of crisps, a mars bar and a can of full fat diet coke. What makes me laugh is she said that was her breakfast, but the most annoying thing was that she was skinny. (Bitch)
I have had my shake and soup today but am going to wait until I get in tonight for my last one as I am going to college at 6pm. Another cold night I suspect.
Really starting to look forward to the weekend now. Three days away from work, whopppeee.
I read my stars today and thought they were quite interesting. I am a very untypical Virgo.

Despite the fact that manipulative Pluto is still a force to be reckoned with,there are brilliant compensatory factors in the form of inspirational Uranus and generous Jupiter. If you have feelings to express, do so. And let others know that you have goals, outside of your career or job, which are important.

Day 8

Back to work today, I am quite pleased I have survived the weekend with all of its temptations. I had my shake this morning (fruits of the forest) which I really like. I went up the street at dinner time with my mam and Cerrie. We went in lots of clothes shops, I can definitely tell that I have lost weight and already feel better when trying clothes on. I have to say I have found the biggest bargain of my life today. I have bought a dress that was originally £30 and when I got it to the till the lady told me it was £1, no that is not a typing error. 1 English pound. What a bargain eh.
Had tomato soup for dinner which I have to admit I am beginning to hate. I had this late again as I go swimming on a Monday night and find if I don't have anything before I exercise I end up feeling a bit ill. Dave and Elise came with me tonight which was nice, Elise has been having swimming lessons and is coming on great. I did 30 lengths and felt great when we came out.
I had Oriental Chilli soup for tea and made Elise Pizza fingers and chips my god it looked nice next to my watery soup. Me and Elise did some of our jigsaw after this but I found I was just getting frustrated with myself so that didn't last long. Going to watch Heros at 10 as me and Dave have watched the whole series so far and are hooked.
I keep thinking about this weekend as we are going camping, we are going with Cerrie, Mickey and Liam and some friends and their children. I am really looking forward to it, but again it is going to be hard as camping is all about eating, barbecues and drinking alcohol. We are going up to stay with Dave's mam on Friday night and dropping Lola (the cat) off as she is getting neutered and Sheila is going to nurse her back to health. We are going camping in Peebles which is only about 10 miles from where Sheila lives so we won't have far to go on Saturday. We are staying Saturday and Sunday night so it should be good fun. Will just have to take my shakes and soups with me but unfortunately won't be able to take my blender so may be having slightly lumpy shakes for breakfast. Yum, yum.

M x

Day 7

Got up this morning and felt quite weak again. Had a strawberry shake for breakfast which I hadn't tried before as I didn't think I would like it but it was actually really nice. We set off on our walk at about 11. I took some boiling water in a flask in case I needed to have my soup and a flask of black coffee, oh and 4 litres of water which Dave carried the lot in his back pack. We got to the start of our walk and off we went. When I chose the walk I noticed it was described as 'moderate', yeah right, we had to climb bloody mountains. It was a lovely day though and I quite enjoyed it I have to admit I did miss one hill out as I thought I would keel over. Dave went up it and met me back at the bottom.
When I got home I had my soup as I was feeling a bit squiffy again. I don't know why but I have been really hungry today and in a bit of a bad mood. I suppose it can't be plain sailing all the time or it wouldn't be a diet. Anyway watched The Pursuit of Happiness last night which I thought was fantastic and would recommend it to anyone. Also watched The Holiday which was ok.
Going to watch De Ja Vu tonight then go to bed, hopefully will wake up in a better mood tomorrow.
Have attached a few pictures of our walk. Dave is the little blue dot at the top of the hill.
One week down, whooppee. Five weeks on Thursday until our holiday, mind I can't wait.

M X

Day 6

It was the loveliest feeling waking up this morning and not feeling fuzzy headed. I went to pick Elise up at about 8am as Jill rang me and said she wasn't feeling too well again. Bless her heart I got her in the car and she started feeling sick, I shoved a carrier under her nose, stupidly not realising that it had holes in. So that was nice all over the car and her.
My cousin Claire came round this morning to see us as she is going on her holidays tomorrow, it was really nice talking to someone who understands how I'm feeling. We had a good old chat about the diet and how it made us feel.
After this because Elise was feeling better we went to Morpeth to try and get Elise a puppy in your pocket house, which I have to say she has saved her own pocket money up for. Unfortunately though it was out of stock so we have ordered it and it should come on Thursday. We then went and got some dvds to watch tonight. We all got to choose one, well Dave chose two, he got De Ja Vu and The Pursuit of Happiness, I chose The Holiday and Elise got Hoodwinked. We then went to T & G Allens and bought a 1000 piece jigsaw. I know it sounds sad but I thought if I kept busy it would help, by this time Elise was starting to get sick of shops so we went to Costa for a coffee (mine was black of course).
My dad works for Jarvis / Network Rail (can never remember which) so he rang us last night to tell us that there was a steam engine coming into Morpeth station today at 3.27 (precisely) and asked if Elise and Liam would like to go and have a look so we met them there at 3.15 promt. We actually quite enjoyed it I have never seen a steam train before so I can say now I have. Mind there was an interesting bunch of people there. Serious trainspotters. People getting very protective about there places on the platform.
When we got home Dave decided to go to the gym so I have decided to make his tea, I feel a bit guilty as I haven't cooked for him at all since starting the diet. I made spaghetti bolognese for him which didn't bother me but it is amazing how many times I went to pick things up to eat. It just shows how many times you eat without realising it. I made mashed potato and gravy for Elise which is the first thing she has eaten in two days, she asked if every time she is poorly could she have mash and gravy. I can see it turning into the poorly food, like mine was tomato soup when I was little.
Dave is in now and has eaten his tea so I am going to go and have a nice bath. I have bought some candles and nice bubble bath as a treat, then we will watch our dvds.
Don't know if I have mentioned in my previous blogs but me and Dave are going on a walk tomorrow, well I would call it more of a hike. We are doing the Biddlestone Parish Round. which is near Coquetdale. We will be walking up Clennell and Silverton Hill, only picked this one as I thought it had some relevance (maiden name). I have a print off with directions and points of interest. It is 7.5 miles and should take about 4 hours. So we will be up early and drop Elise off at marmas (grandmas) and off we go. So wish me luck and I will let you know how we get on. I am sure Dave will be fine but not sure about me. Oh by the way I have attached a short clip of the steam engine for fellow steam engine virgins to have a look at.

M X

Day 5

Well as I said I took today off, I went off to the see my consultant who examined me and took some bloods. It was pretty straight forward and she is sending me for a scan to have a closer look at my ovaries (nice) then I have to go back in a month. Dave came with me as they advised on the letter both partners should attend the appointment. He was a bit dubious but I played it down and said they would just be asking him some questions. So once I had been seen to she started questioning Dave which was fine until she informed him that she would have to exam him. His face was hilarious. Anyway he got the all clear I think he said her words were 'perfect". Hmmmm. So as far as that is concerned I will just have to wait for the results of the scan at my next appointment.
After the hospital I went for my appointment with my CD counsellor. I was running late so I was a little harassed when I got there. So I jumped on the scales and she took my weight. It is shown in kg's so I didn't know how I had done. I sat down and she said to me well it's not a huge loss but you have lost 2lbs. I have to admit I was gutted. She asked me if I had been sticking to the plan and I explained that I had stuck to it to the letter. She then asked me to go and pee on a stick to see if I was in ketosis, so off I went and came back with the stick and it turned bright pink which shows I am burning fat. I was pleased because I don't think she believed me when I told her I hadn't put a foot wrong. We then discussed the diet I had been on before starting the plan and the fact that I have lost about a stone before joining. She seems to think this is the reason for the small weight loss and the fact that I have only been on the plan for 4 days and not a week. So, I came out feeling a bit better and she assured me the weight will come off eventually. I think apart from my bad moments the fact that I feel so much better generally makes it a bit better and I can definitely feel a difference.
The rest of the afternoon I spent cleaning and when I picked Dave up from work at 3pm I have to admit I felt fantastic. We went shopping and I bought a new top and Elise some new clothes. When we got home I decided to have my lunch time soup which was about 4.30. My thinking was if I kept my last one until later when we were at our friends house I would be able to have that whilst everyone was tucking into pizza, garlic bread and crisps and dips etc.
Elise is still poorly so we weren't sure whether or not we were going to get to Marc and Jills but she seemed to pull herself round a bit so off we went. Dave took a bottle of wine and I went to Asda and bought some soda and water and lime cordial as apparently that is the best thing to drink other than water. I am actually surprised how much not having a drink didn't bother me and it wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be. We ended up staying until just after 1 as Elise stayed there with Liam and Cameron and was snoring her head off. I was tired by this time though. It is really funny watching people when they are drunk and I am sober which doesn't happen very oftern because I am normally joining in. I did have a lime and soda but it wasn't very nice so I threw half of it away and poured another glass of water. It was a very bizarre feeling getting in the car at that time of night being the only sober one.
So I would say that is my first hurdle over with. Bring on the next one. Lol.

M X

Day 4

Well I will start by letting you know the crisps were a complete disaster. I tried them on greaseproof paper first and they completely stuck. I then tried on a plate and they burned. I then tried them on another plate and they were mushy. So I ended up trying to scrape up what I could salvage and have that for tea. It was hilarious. Dave just kept shaking his head at me, I think I was a little bit delirious by this time, but I won't give up and will try them another day.
Today has been fine had chocolate and mint shake for breakfast which was nice, then off to work again. Work was fine and didn't get too many comments today. I had a tomato soup for dinner which I had at about 3 o clock. I am in from work now and have had to have my other soup because I feel a bit funny. It was cheese and broccoli, it was pretty horrible to be honest and was the most disgusting green colour.
Elise is really poorly tonight and I am a bit annoyed because she wasn't feeling too good this morning so when Dave dropped her off at school he told the teacher that if she got any worse to just give me a ring at work. When Dave picked her up today she came out of school crying which is so not like her. She had a blazing temperature and looked terrible. So, I am not too happy with the school because apparently she told her teacher she was feeling bad and they didn't bother to ring me and just left her to get on with it for the rest of the day.
I am going to see the consultant tomorrow about my PCOS at 11.30 and then going for my first weight in after that. I have decided to take tomorrow off work with Elise being poorly there is no one to look after her so unfortunately I have had to put a days holiday in. She is asleep on the settee at the moment with bright red rosy cheeks bless her. Also tomorrow night we are going over to our friends house (Jill and Marc) as it was Jills 30th last week, Cerrie and Mickey are going as well and we are taking the kids, a typical night like this would involve alcohol therefore I think tomorrow is going to be my first real challenge what with being off work and going out and not drinking tomorrow night. Luckily though as I said I get weighed tomorrow so at least if I have lost weight that will give me the incentive not to drink. Not taxis to pay for anyway.
Going to go and cuddle up with Elise on the settee now, I think I need to keep reminding myself that I am not actually poorly I am only on a diet and stop feeling sorry for myself.

Day 3

Well what can I say about today, I got up this morning and felt like I had no bones in my body, really weak and felt a bit sick. Great start to the day. Never mind I had a chocolate shake for breakfast which was quite nice and felt better by the time I got to work. For some reason everyone has irritated me today, it is obviously just the way I am feeling but my god some people, I have had the "don't mention food infront of Michelle mind she is on that ridiculous DIET", I have had "well I think it is ridiculous because diets don't work anyway you just need to eat healthy" oh and also,"you will collapse if you are not carefull". WHAT!!! I wouldn't care I don't even mention the diet, I can understand that people are interested but for gods sake I wish they would just shut up about it, I mean good grief if only I had known that I just needed to eat less and exercise more I could have been thin years ago. Come on. Tried that and failed springs to mind. Also I honestly don't think I am about to collapse, I am sure I have enough fat reserves to last me a good few months with no calories at all never mind what I am having. Anyway breathhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeee.
Moving on, I knew I was going Spinning tonight so I tried to hold off having my dinner time soup and had this at about four o clock. I wasn't hungry at all today which was good and haven't had a headache. I have to say though by four o clock I was starting to have short term memory loss big style. I had chicken and mushroom soup but I decided to just have it in my cup so no one would make a big deal of it. The rest of the afternoon went by quite smoothly apart from me forgetting to take the post at 4.30 and having to run through reception like a mad banshee woman at 4.45 when I saw the postman. I have to say that I have not done that in the whole 2 and a half years I have worked there, but hey ho can't be perfect all of the time. Heee hee.
I got home just after five and as I mentioned I go spinning on a Wednesday night with Emma (my other cousin) aka Mer. I was a little worried about this as it is, hmm how should I say somewhat strenuous, actually sometimes I would rather pull my toe nails out than go but you certainly feel like you have exercised when you come out. Anyway what with my VLC (very low calorie) intake I thought I might just fall off the side of the bike, I pushed myself anyway and went, it was actually fine and I didn't feel too bad well, not any worse than usual anyway.
So, I have just gotten in and the thought of another soup is turning my stomach, so, I have been reading on the internet that apparently you can make some sort of crisps out of the savoury packs, I have attached the recipe (lol) if you can call it that for anyone who is interested.

Crisps

Ingredients :
1 VLCD Savoury Pack (very low calorie diet)
Tabasco Red (Optional)
Black Pepper (Optional)
Utensils :
Baking parchment
Small Spoon
Bowl
Method :
1. Assemble the ingredients and utensils.

2. Put all the ingredients into a bowl.

3. Open the tap to more than a trickle but not full flow.

4. Add some water to the bowl and stir vigorously.

5. Keep stirring until the mixture is like puree.

6. The consistency should finally be like this.

7. Take the parchment and using the spoon put a little blob on mixture on the paper.

8. Evenly space out other mixture around the parchment paper.

9. Microwave for 1 minute 25 seconds in a 900 watt microwave (adjust for your microwave)

10. Allow them to cool before removing from the parchment.

11. Repeat until all mixture is used up. You should be able to make a minimum of 30 crisps from a pack.

Sounds interesting eh? Unfortunately though I don't have any greaseproof paper, so poor Mr Muckle has gone off to ASDA (again) for me as I have been in the bath and am in my PJ's, to get me some. Oh and some more cigarettes as unfortunately I have to admit I am smoking a bit more than normal, I would say pre CD I smoked about 6 a day, but now I'm up to about 10 a day, but come on, I've given up food and alcohol,now I am supposed to stop smoking?? Why don't I just stop living all together?
So Dave has just gotten back and I am going to go make my crisps, god I live life on the edge. It's quite bizzare because when I sit down to write my blog I always think, Hmm, Ive got nothing really to say but as soon as I start writing mind it all comes firing out.
Well tomorrow is another day and I will let you know how the crisps went. Thanks Sheila for your comment and your faith in me.

M X

Day 2

Well once again I started my day on quite a high. I am not a morning person to say the least but I felt a lot better this morning, however I have always struggled with breakfast in the morning therefore the thought of a shake doesn't thrill me but I have been having it before I leave the house. I had a Fruits of the Forest this morning which was OK, I keep asking Dave to try them and so far he has said they are all nice, don't know if he would say that if that was all he could eat like. I have tried to drink more water today also which I don't find a problem apart from I am away from my desk quite a lot. My day has gone by quite uneventfully, I had Oriental Chilli soup for dinner which tasted a bit like thai chilli super noodles which was nice. I did feel a bit spaced out this afternoon, I can't quite explain it and some times I think is it just me looking for problems but I didn't feel quite all there.
When I got in from work I tried to keep busy as I go to college on a Tuesday night at 6.30pm so I had intended to not have my last soup until I got back, but after cleaning for a while and seeing to Elise who I have to say isn't feeling too good tonight (got a bit of a temperature and wanted her quilt on the settee) I felt a bit sick and my hands were shaking so I decided to have my soup before I went. I had vegetable which was ok I suppose, I have discovered that they all have the same underlying taste no matter what flavour they are and they all have a sort of powdery texture no matter how much you whisk them. I suppose I can't expect them to be fantastic but I just keep thinking god this is only day 2, how am I going to feel about them after 6 weeks. I think I just need to look at them as a necessity to live and stop thinking that I am suddenly going to love them.
Any way off I went to college feeling much better after my last soup, Dave dropped me off tonight so him and Elise could go shopping to ASDA, I did say that I didn't mind going with him but I'm sure they prefer to go without me so they can just buy random rubbish, for example they have come back with twister lollies, pizza fingers, Fries to Go, Kellogs variety pack cereal, and various other random items for Elise oh and some WD 40 for Dave hmmmm??. I am really lucky really because as I have mentioned Dave eats really healthy anyway and he does often cook for himself.
College was really boring tonight, I haven't got long left on my course, hopefully it should finish in June so we are just tying things up but our tutor does tend to go on a bit, also it was flipping freezing in the room we were in so we moaned most of the night until he finally went and got us a heater. So, I am in now and still have another 2 litres of water to drink before I go to bed, think we are going to watch RAY the film which I have seen the beginning of but fell asleep. I know I am definitely not up for watching the F Word and looking at all that lovely food which Dave is watching at the moment. Elise is fast asleep so hopefully she will have a good nights sleep and feel better in the morning.
My cousin Claire spoke to me the other day before I started the diet and she told me to try and take one shake/soup at a time and not even try with one day at a time and I think that is exactly what I have to do. I think I am trying to look ahead too much and picturing myself still on the diet in months to come.
Thanks Cerrie and Aunty Pat for your comments, it is definitely helping me writing this blog and it is nice to think people are interested.

M X

Day 1

Well I started off my day on a very positive note today. I got up and had my first pack which was a cappuccino shake drink, I used my blender to mix this which made it all frothy. I decided to have it hot so it would be a bit like a coffee. It was ok I guess, could have been a lot worse. I then went off to work armed with my litre and a half bottle of water. Everyone at work is aware that I am doing the diet and they have all been really supportive apart from the little jibes about the alcohol ban, which is quite amusing. I normally stay at work for my dinner but because Dave was at home today I decided to come home. I had a spicy tomato soup pack and again I used the blender, however I did find it went a bit too frothy and it had gone a bit cold so it was a bit like having a luke warm tomato shake. Hmmm, not the nicest experience in the world, but I just thought get it down your neck and your stomach might stop rumbling. So the tomato soup wasn't the best.
I then went back off to work with another bottle of water. I was fine for the rest of the afternoon and can honestly say I wasn't hungry until I got home and my headache has started and unfortunately won't go away. I have now drank 4 and a half litres of water as my counsellor has said that whatever side affect I may get whether it be, nausea, headache, dizziness, the shakes, stomach cramps, oh and hair loss, great, can all be cured by drinking water (don't know what the water is going to do for the hair loss, unless it is a bit like cress?). I am still waiting for the headache to go.
Anyway when I got in I decided to have a bath so that I didn't have my soup straight away and be hungry later, I then filled in my application form which I have been meaning to do all week which stopped me thinking about food for a while. I then sat down with Dave and had a chicken and mushroom soup which I just whisked and made with boiling water and was actually suprisingly nice, don't know whether this was because I was just so hungry or it genuinely was nice.
Dave is following his usual healthy diet so he just had chicken and veg which I managed not to swipe off him. He has had to cook his chicken himself tonight so I think I have checked it about four times to make sure it is cooked as he is so paranoid about getting poorly from uncooked chicken. I also made Elise's tea which didn't bother me as it consisted of dry spaghetti. She is still absolutely intrigued that mam is just living on soup things which she thinks is disgusting. She came in to my bedroom this morning and said "come on mam, todays the day" bless her she even tried to give me all of her after eights the other night as she said I wouldn't be able to ever eat again after Sunday.
So, I suppose that is my first day just about over with, I am now going to watch a bit of telly then off to bed. I normally go to bed at about 10 on school nights but I may be going a little earlier for now, at least if I am asleep I can't think about shakes, soup and my headache. Still feeling positive though and ready for day 2.

M X

Cambridge Diet Eve

I have decided to try the Cambridge Diet, I have tried every diet under the sun and so far all have failed. I have been motivated to try this diet because of my cousin Claire who has recently done the Lighter Life diet. She has done fantastically well and lost over two stone but unfortunately she has had to come off it because of health reasons. I am going to Lanzarote on the 28 June and would like to lose at least a stone in this time.
I went to see my 'Cambridge Diet Counsellor' yesterday who explained the diet to me in detail. Basically the diet consists of three substitute meals per day. In your first week these consist of a combination of milk shakes and soups. There is also the option of a bar (sort of like a cereal bar) after you have completed your first week. I have decided to have a milk shake for breakfast and soup for dinner and tea. She described the shakes etc as being palatable which didn't fill me with confidence. She took my measurements and weighed me which was frightening in itself but I actually found I weighed less than I thought, this is probably due to the fact that I have cut out bread, pasta, rice and potatoes for the past two weeks.
We then discussed why I wanted to lose weight which I explained to her that apart from the obvious reasons like the way I look I also explained that I have been trying for a baby for nearly two years and have recently been diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and one of the side effects is weight gain however the only way to help this condition without medication is to lose weight so it is a bit of a vicious cycle. We then discussed which shakes and soups etc I would take for the week which I decided to take a mixture of all of them as I'm not really a fussy person anyway and at least I should find something I like out of the selection so I will know what to get for next week. She also informed me that I will have to drink at least four litres of water a day, which isn't too bad as I drink two litres a day at the moment, however I'm sure I will never be off the loo.
She then went on to point out in detail what I couldn't have, like NO FOOD AT ALL, chewing gum, lemons (oh damn because I love nothing better than chewing on a lemon) and the big one NO ALCOHOL. Hmmm, this one I am going to find a little tricky. It is a well known fact that I like a tipple or two on a weekend so this could prove quite a challenge when I am sitting with my husband, sister and brother in law on a Friday or Saturday night while they are sipping or guzzling a glass of wine or a vodka and diet coke, but hey ho I'm sure I will cope. We then talked about the cost, which I paid £10 for my induction and £33.50 for my weeks supply of food (well packets). I have justified this cost by telling myself that I would spend at least that on a night out or if I was to have a takeaway and a drink on a weekend this would amount to about the same. We have arranged my first weigh in for next Friday lunch time at 12. 10 so fingers crossed.
So off I went with my little box of packets feeling very strange and thinking what am I doing giving this woman £43 for cup a soups, I decided to wait until Monday to start the diet so that I could have my last Sundays Dinner at my mams house today, however I didn't have a drink last night so at least that is a start. I am feeling a bit weird to be honest I think it is a mixture of nerves and excitement. I think I am nervous because I really don't want to fail this time and also because it costs a little more than your average diet and the money could probably be better spent with us going on holiday soon but I am also excited because I know it works I have seen proof of this both through my counsellor and my cousin Claire (the above
mentioned).
I am going now to put my daughter to bed (Elise) now then I think I will have a bath and an early night in preperation for the big day. I thought I would post a picture of my life for the next seven weeks. Wowza.

M X