Wednesday Week 5

Phew .... I am just in from another attempt at skipping, it is very windy and I think I will blame the lack of co-ordination on the aero dynamics of the rope and gusts of wind. I could have skipped for 20 minutes continuous without the wind interference.... who am I kidding.. I am bloody useless but I will persevere at it. My wife picked up a rope and took to it like a duck to water, still skipping is a bit of a girlie thing. You don't see many boys at school skipping, so I am at a disadvantage from the off.
Once indoors and recovered I have made a tomato soup and I am sat at my PC with a cranberry bar and a nice mug of soup.
Had plenty of water at work today and feel good, this no hunger feeling is fantastic, its far better than when on a conventional diet when you feel deprived.
We are all the same tell a child he can only have 2 sweets and he will want more regardless, well normal dieting is like that for me. I have tried cutting down in the past, but when you know you can't eat something or you can only have 2 potatoes the more you want it! Well Cambridge takes away all these options, eating nothing is really working for me.
I would recommend this diet to anyone who has weight to lose... its easy! do it now before you have so much to lose like myself.
I want to lose over 14 stone in total which is more than half my body weight!

Weigh in tomorrow, keep an eye out for that little orange car creeping across the ticker. I will post an update as soon as I am back from seeing my counsellor

Tuesday Week 5

Today for the first time in ages I actually felt hungry, it was probably too little water consumption. I had a fairly hectic morning at work (not helped by a colleague taking time off to go to the Dominican Republic!! hope she feels guilty if she reads this from a PC on holiday!)
I was rushing around and did not drink enough water so I had my lunch "shake" at about 1130 to make me feel better.
An hour later I ventured into the staff kitchen mmmmmm someone had been cooking toast, that smell just lingered in my nostrils for what seemed to be an eternity quick, more water!!

Things improved in the afternoon and I felt much better.
Within 5 minutes of arriving home my wife had a nice spicy tomato soup (with extra added dried chillies) ready for me I really enjoyed that. I am really impressed with the variety of flavours available on the Cambridge diet, there is something for everyone, bars, shakes, soups and ready made cartons (tetras) I like to alternate to have a mix of flavours and sweet / savoury it kind of feels like you are actually having a meal (not that I am normally hungry)
I still have terrible bad ketosis breath (a small price to pay for the weight loss) I have taken to using mouthwash and scraping my furry tongue all with limited success.

The kids had a homemade chicken casserole for dinner tonight with brown rice, they did moan, "urgh there's peppers in it" Or "I don't like mushrooms" well take it or leave it that was dinner. They will eat if hungry. My youngest one is having a wholemeal pitta in his packed lunch and thinks its great, no butter just filled with ham and lettuce, it may be the novelty of having a pitta pocket. Hopefully he will keep up the enthusiasm for healthy eating.

Monday Week 5

The last four weeks seem to have flown by, along with some of my excess weight! I am very pleased with my weight loss to date and it certainly adds to the motivational feel good factor.
So this is the start of week 5, can't wait 'till Thursday for the weigh in, wishing my life away to be thinner again.
Today has had its tough moments, I have been out of the office for quite a bit of the day for work. I have been driving around meeting people and discussing future work, the problem with this has been 1) a lack of water 2) even without the water I still felt a big urge to pee. Not easy when stood in a residential street looking at architects plans over the bonnet of the car.

Tonight I have done a little bit of skipping! Yes I have purchased a jump rope and intend trying to have a bit of a workout to increase my fitness levels at the same time as being on this diet. According to my wife I am jumping too high (what a sight I must have been, I waited until darkness before venturing onto the patio) after 10 minutes I was knackered and that was not even continuous skipping, my feet seem to have a magnetic attraction to tangle themselves with the rope after about 15 jumps! I will let you know how this mad idea goes on future nights.

Height / Weight Chart

I have been asked by a couple of people how to work out the ideal weight someone should be. There are various websites where you can fill details into a BMI calculator. Below is a simple to use chart that can show what category you fall into at the moment and your ideal weight.

Sunday Week 4

It's Sunday afternoon and another weekend is nearly over, it has been an easy day for me today with no great desire for food. I have drunk plenty of water and "eaten" my soup (vegetable today). I have been cooking roast lamb and veg for the kids and it does smell lovely, however I do not have any great desire to eat it.
I think that my sense of smell has increased (especially when food is involved!) I could sniff out a cake cooking from a mile away. I live close to a supermarket bakery and the smell wafts into my garden (Hot cross buns must be selling well because I keep smelling them)
I walked around the shop today to pick up a few bits we missed on Friday and the food does not bother me, I remain focused on my target and feel great! I have even been looking at holidays for when we are slim. I didn't dare book a flight at my starting weight for the fear of embarrassment of not fitting in the seat / belt too small.

Whilst online today I came across this diet poem I thought I would share...

Another diet we're about to endure,
but this time we'll do it, of that we are sure.
We've tried all the others without much success,
but this is the one to get into THAT dress!

For years we've tried hard to lose excess weight,
and we now have the answer to looking just great.
For us no more 'chips' or 'Big Mac' on a whim,
we want to look good and we'd love to be slim.

We joined all the clubs where we'd regularly meet,
but when we read all the can't haves we'd go home and 'greet'
They said don't have this and they said don't have that,
so we'd paid all that money just for a chat!

We all have a wardrobe from size 12 up to 20,
and big,baggy jumpers of which there are plenty.
A drawer of small undies is a dream we all know,
so those big ugly knickers really must go!

With time passing quickly and teenage years gone,
we have no more excuses to rely upon,
The one about 'puppy fat' ran out long ago,
so this time it's business, let's give it a go!

On the subject of chips and Big Macs I have been calorie counting again..
This time I have looked at my typical McDonalds meal that I would have consumed as a lunch, certainly not as my main dinner for the day.
Quarter pounder with cheese 550 calories
Large fries 450 calories
Large Strawberry milkshake 762 calories
McFlurry Ice cream desert 560 calories

This little lot equates to 2322 calories, or about a days recommended allowance, now that's "food for thought"

Saturday Week 4

Had to take my son into Town today for his acting lesson, this left 1.5 hours for my wife and I to walk around the shops, browsing the clothes that one day I will be able to fit into and at very reasonable prices. I could buy designer clothes for the prices I have been forced to pay recently.
As we walked through the market stalls there were two distinct smells that caught my nose. These smells seemed to waft through the whole market, cooked onions from the hot dog stall and freshly baked doughnuts. Normally any of these would have been enough to make me succumb to a little "snack between meals"
We headed into Starbucks and done some people watching, just looking how big other people are, what our ideal size might be. My wife was asking "am I as big as her?" whilst whiling away the time we both had black americanos instead of our usual cappuccino, mocha or latte.
This little change in choice of drink makes a big difference in calories, 17 calories in the americano as opposed to 400 - 500 in our usual choice of drink, who would believe that one drink could have been a quarter of my recommended daily intake! oh..... almost forgot a nice slice of their carrot cake with the drink, just to keep me going adds another 600 calories!!
I was quite happy with my shakes, soup and a cranberry bar, though the water consumption did cause a few visits to public toilets (I know where they all are now!!)

Email

Hi everyone,
I have just added my email address to my profile if anyone wants to drop me a line.
thebigdiet@hotmail.co.uk

Friday Week 4

Well that's it another week over, a wet weekend in store, just the sort of weekend that I would have previously made cakes... and eaten them!

I am just back from Tesco doing the weekly shop, this week I paid close attention to just how many calories are in things, a mere Saturday lunch in the past would have consisted of well over 2000 calories!!

I would like to thank everyone who visits here daily and keeps up with my journey, and a bigger thankyou to those who leave comments. Please feel free to comment and ask any questions and I will do my best to answer them.

I seem to get between 25 and 50 visitors a day to the blog and I am glad people enjoy reading it.

In response to a question I have been posed:

I purchased my new digital scales online via an ebay shop http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Godfreys-Online or tel 0845 6381331 to pay directly by credit / debit card

They are Salter 9165 colour change goal setting scales

This shop is a small department store selling online and they arrived quickly and very well packaged. They sell them brand new with 10 year guarantee for £17.95 + £6.50 P&P (They retail online at other sites for £40 +

I visited the Doctor today for a routine checkup, I had stopped taking my blood pressure medicine for a week in advance so she could get a true reading. It was much, much lower than before (Xmas 2006 I was put on tablets) and she halved the dosage as it was still a little bit above normal. She did moan at me stopping the medication without her consent... slapped wrist.

Whilst in the waiting room I read a copy of Jan 2007 Readers Digest it had a diet section which amongst many other things talked about a super diet pill, apparently it is being worked on but is a number of years away from human trials.

A colleague at work sent me an email today which contained some pictures of very skinny ladies, it was titled "And you think fat is ugly"

At the End it said "I think I'll stick to being fat!" it made me chuckle This whole size zero thing seems to have gone to extremes, the pictures were all of models and they were just too skinny!

Thursday Week 4 - Weigh in !

Been for my week 4 weigh in, another fantastic week..... this week I have lost another 8lbs making my total loss in 4 weeks, 36lbs just over 2 1/2 stone!! I am so pleased with myself. My wife lost another 5lb this week which is also great for her.

As soon as I walked into my counsellor she drew a breath "ooh you're shrinking" she exclaimed and yes its true I can really notice my belly has deflated!
We have replenished our supplies for the week, I have decide to try a banana tetra for a change, we also bought several soups. I am about to indulge in a soup followed by a bar just like main and desert!
My trousers will soon have to be replaced by a smaller pair from the loft, they are now getting scrunched up at the waistband where I am having to pull the belt in (looks awful)
I think the secret to my success has got to be drinking all the water and more. I am able to down the water a pint at a time and prefer it ice cold, whereas my wife likes it tepid and sips away all day.
Anyway I am off for my "meal"

Tuesday Week 4

Had another good day today, the day has flown by and I have not felt hungry at all.
The kids are currently eating a home made chicken casserole filled with vegetables, herbs and lean chicken, all served with brown wholemeal rice, followed by fresh fruit. Now that has got to be a healthy improvement.
I have been looking at the calorie content of various items, I am shocked... its clearly evident that I was consuming at least 5000 calories per day. Is it any wonder why I have got myself into such a state. A typical sandwich I would buy for lunch, triple pack ladened with mayo on white bread has around 750 calories. All that before the crisps, cake and/or chocolate bar.
I have added up the calories in a typical Indian takeaway (typical for me, probably not the average guy) I could quite easily consume 4000 calories in just one meal!!!
I also looked into breakfast cereals, loads of them even those acclaimed to be "good for you" actually have loads of sugar in them. Bran flakes... Full of sugar. The good things seem to be any make of weetabix, value rice crispies, shredded wheats, oats or instant hot oat cereal, puffed wheat (plain not golden coated) and Sainsburys Basics Muesli.
This link takes you to a freely available "which" report with downloads on about 200 cereals... you will be shocked and surprised!
http://www.which.co.uk/reports_and_campaigns/food_and_drink/campaigns/nutrition/Cereals/Breakfast_cereals_560_53271.jsp

I have found a chart that says at 11.5 stone (allowing for 1/2 stone of glycogen once stopped losing) I will need just 2045 -3067 calories per day to maintain my weight, depending on level of exercise undertaken the higher figure falls into the "Very Active" category.

My new scales have arrived and I am most impressed, I seem to get a constant reading each time I get on which is a good thing. One downside (not a real problem) I set my goal weight which is 11 stone, the difference between current weight and goal weight needs to be within 6.5 stone for it to work so I get an error message, This will be fine when more weight is lost and does not stop them functioning as good set of digital scales.

Monday Week 4

The start of my fourth week on this crazy diet has been a good one, still full of enthusiasm from last weeks weigh in and having survived another weekend without any problem I felt great.

At work a couple of different people commented on my trimmer looking stomach, which is great. At least today I didn't spend the day hoisting my trousers back into position, I made an extra hole in the belt which seems to have done the trick for now (I have also made another in anticipation!) When I was in town on Saturday every 50 yards walked meant another stop and adjust the trousers, failing that they would have worked their way down and once past the hips that's it... down round my ankles.
On the subject of work there were more cakes today (some also remained from last weeks bun run!) great big cream cakes for my colleagues Birthday. He knows I am on the diet so he bought me some fruit!!! "you can eat fruit can't you??" No, Nothing! I did not feel hard done by though.
I had a chocolate Tetra at lunchtime and about 5 pints of water during the rest of the workday.
Tonight I have tried the oriental chili flavour soup, it was lovely, bit of salt and pepper and a pinch of dried chili flakes yumm, I'll add that to this weeks "shopping list"

Another colleague was reading an article in a girlie magazine that was about the GI diet, the article dismissed the idea that you could lose weight using it, however it was good for maintenance (another option for me to consider after losing my bulk). The article went on to say that once at target weight it is good to weigh on a daily basis to ensure you never drift far from target. I have just invested in some new scales (Salter 9165 colour change goal weight digital) They have not arrived yet but I await eagerly. The scales made by a reputable company, 10yr guarantee, accurate to 0.2lb seem like a good idea, they have a capacity of upto 25st 8lbs which coincidental was my starting weight. These scales have 4 user memories so 4 family members programme in their goal weight, when getting on use your toe to tap your user button and get on... It then informs you how far you are from your target weight, the nearer you are the colour changes. All sounds good we will see when they arrive just how good they really are!

Sunday Week 3

Following on from yesterdays post I have been analysing my receipt from Tesco. Is it any wonder we eat "crap" food... its cheaper, and easier to prepare. This week I bought several trays of meat, fresh fruit and veg and my shopping bill has increased. The government talk about 5 portions of fruit and veg a day, How can people manage when fresh costs so much more?? All the healthy cook books involve making a recipe, this is not always convenient when getting in from work and having to prepare a meal for 5 hungry people!!

I can see that my mentality on this matter needs to change!

Seen the updated picture on the right? its like one of those spot the difference competitions that take hours to find any differences. There are some though, look at how my arms dangle, they are not as splayed out by the fat on the side of my belly. The belly itself has gone down as well, need a new hole in my belt!

Got the kids a McDonalds yesterday as a treat, Their meal on a Saturday will involve chips and something of their choice but healthy for the remainder of the week.

The smell of the McDonalds in the car on the way home was all too familiar but still made my mouth drool. I had half a peanut bar and half a Veg soup for my meal. I am still very focused and do not feel hungry at all. I am also managing to drink at least 8 pints of water a day no problem at all.

Found these funny pictures which are quite apt having been to McDonalds.....

PS this is not me!!

Differences I have noticed after 3 weeks

• My belly has got soft and squidgy (urgh!!)
• My wrist is a little smaller my watch is loose
• My waist is smaller, my trousers keep falling down even though I have moved to the last hole on my supersize belt
• My collar on work shirts has a gaping gap appearing
• Feel full of energy
• When I lay in bed my belly feels much flatter

Saturday week 3

Just got back from Tesco with the weekly shop and there was quite a difference in the products in my trolley today. Laid out on the checkout conveyor it looked healthy, lots of fruit and veg and even wholemeal bread. These are just a few changes we are introducing across the household. All this healthy food is for the kids since my wife and I are not eating and they are bound to moan.
Our theory is once all the "crap" has gone there will only be healthy choices left to eat, something we intend continuing once we have shed our weight.

Thankyou to everyone who has commented and congratulated me on my journey so far. In response to one anonymous post, yes I do intend going down to 11 stone which then gives me a 11 to 12 stone band to stay within. Some weight will go back on once my glycogen store returns.
This weight at my height (5'11") keeps me in the top end of a healthy BMI, much higher and I would still be classed as overweight.

I have added links to a few more diet blogs onto my blog (see column on right) careful it gets quite addictive reading!!

Thursday Week 3 - Weigh in day

....10 lbs Lost ......... Yes 10 lbs Lost this week

Woo Hoo .. sorry just doing cartwheels (can a 23 1/2 stone man do them??) Just look at that little car at the top, it has now moved along to show 28lbs lost, yes that's 2 stone in 3 weeks of being on this diet.
Been off work again today (flexi time is a real bonus!) spent the day with the family doing very little, just relaxing and a walk to Tesco, however today I did not torture myself with smelling bakery products.
Just tried a broccoli and cheese soup yuck yuck, 2 mouthfuls and it went down the sink, I do like the spicy tomato though, its not Campbell's but its nice to have a savoury drink rather than just the sweeter chocolate and vanilla shakes.
Topped up my supplies for the week including some more cranberry and peanut bars, they are rather delicious!
My wife also lost 6lb today so she is very happy tonight.

Wednesday Week 3 - Valentines Day

Hi Everyone,

So today was Valentines day, The day started off with me presenting my wife with a surprise, no not her normal large box of Lindt chocolates or similar. This year since we are not eating I thought of something else quite apt. I managed to purchase a silver "Last Rolo" it comes in a nice little box and is identical in size / shape to a Rolo however she could not be tempted to eat it! She seemed to like it!

I have had a day off work today and along with my wife and daughter we have been to London we had tickets to see "The Sound of Music" at the London palladium. It was fantastic I can recommend it to anyone who enjoys a musical. We booked our tickets 5 1/2 months ago as it is so popular.
So this trip was going to present a slight problem with the water drinking today. I was going to be in the car on the A12, on a tube train and watching a show, how could I possibly pee every 20 mins! I decided not to drink the vast amounts I have been. I drank 2 pints this morning before leaving, then whilst out had a Chocolate Tetra, Cranberry bar and one sports bottle of water. I have since drunk another 2 pints upon returning home. The good thing is I did not feel hungry, missing the water for all those hours did not seem to have any adverse affect (we will see at tomorrows weigh in!)
Look out for my post tomorrow and update to my current weight

Tuesday Week 3

Smelt a nice smell at work today, sweet like strawberries mmmm smelt tasty, turned out to be a colleagues hand cream!! Told her to watch her fingers!

Just been thumbing through a catalogue that came through the door, there were some nice clothes in there but they did not come in super obese size! Not that I am planning on buying any more large clothes, its all smaller outfits for me from now on. I cant wait to hit Bluewater on a clothes shopping spree. I so want to buy clothes that I want not just what fits! I so long to be able to walk into any shop and pick up items that will fit me.That's just one of the reasons why I am doing this diet.
I am doing this diet for myself, I am not doing it to please anyone else, just me! As I have said previously I have always been fat and it was me that needed to get to the stage where I wanted to do something about it. I know people have been concerned about my weight including my doctor & my mum but I just was not mentally ready. I am now at the stage where I am 100% ready and committed, you need to be to embark on such a strict regime. who'd have guessed I would go from loads of food to nowt!

I have chosen to do this diet at a time when social occasions are at a minimum, I am avoiding diner parties etc so that I don't have to make other people feel uneasy. I would be fine but people feel funny, not wanting to eat in front of someone who is abstaining, so its best to avoid these sort of occasions for the time being.

I have been talking with my wife about our "way of life" after this weight loss, we need to change our habits or we will be back in this position again! Do we do calorie counting, low fat ,GI, Atkins?? For sure we need to find a new way of life. I would appreciate advice from anyone who has done it and succeeded in keeping the weight off.

Had all of today's chocolate and vanilla shakes, just a few pints of water between now and bed time.

TV programme on tonight

Spotted this TV programme on tonight that some of you may be interested in watching
Discovery Home & Health at 11pm 13 Feb 2007 (sky 264)


At only 18 years of age, Jonathan Wallace is an astonishing 30 stone and is in fact Britain's fattest teen. Longing to lead a normal life, Jonathan opts to get his stomach stapled which will help reduce the health risks that currently face him. But the question is can Jonathon swap his seven meals a day and lazy lifestyle for small healthy meals and exercise.

Monday Week 3

Well here we are at the start of week 3,
The last 2 weeks started off hard then got easier, now I don't really feel hunger at all, just psychological hunger when I see or smell nice food.
I put on my work trousers today and had to pull the belt in a notch and the material across my large bum was not pulled so tight so as to burst open at any time. However I must not lose sight of the fact that these trousers are still a 54" waist!! they don't sell them in Burtons!
Two colleagues commented on my face this morning, as soon as they saw me after the weekend break, they said that they could see a real difference... picture coming soon.

I have always been fat, as a kid I was the fat kid in the class, called all the names under the sun, in fact they were like water off a ducks back and really never bothered me. I cant blame anyone for my size except myself, I Just love my food & wine. My main problems are portion size and snacking. I would regularly have 6-8 roast potatoes with a roast or a Takeaway Indian would consist of starters, yes plural! then rice and at least 3 meat in sauce dishes, and a nice naan or similar.
My wife would always comment when she spotted me snacking on something, whilst stood at the food cupboard looking for something to eat. For example whilst deciding what I fancied in my sandwich for tea I would consume a Kit Kat that was sat there in front of me, just whilst waiting for inspiration as to what to have for my real meal, the Kit Kat didn't count!

I was surprised today when I got got on my own scales, since this evening is the end of my second full week I decided to have a look, for once in a long time the needle was just about back on the scale. My scales have markings up to about 23 1/2 stone (when I started they went past zero and back up towards 2 stone)
I also have pulled out some slightly smaller jeans as the larger ones were a bit baggy (They were purchased not long before starting the diet and did have some more growing room in them).

I have started to run up the stairs at work and feel full of energy at the moment albeit a bit cold, now I am in ketosis my body feels cold, especially hands and feet (This is normal)
Have to go now and have my last shake for the day with some more fizzy water.. joy!

Sunday Week 2

A glorious day today, one of those winters days that is crisp but has glorious sunshine.
We took full advantage and headed off to Frinton to walk along the beach. Armed with a rucksack filled with water bottles to keep up with the mammoth intake required.
Of course food had been on the agenda before leaving, I cooked up some croissants for the kids breakfast mmmm lovely smell with lashings of butter, then prepared vegetables for their roast later. I had a chocolate flavoured shake!

My wife has commented that she can see some changes in me, my face is a little slimmer and my belly has gone down a bit, I know it still hangs down but its not as rounded apparently. I still don't feel its enough to post a "current" picture yet, I'll wait another week or so.

When I woke up this morning I thought it was going to be a day confined to the toilet! I had the runs, however they seemed to pass. This may have be down to the amount of water I consumed yesterday, several pints over the required amount including a treat last night I had Pellegrino fizzy water in a wine glass just to try and kid myself! (no its not the same as wine)

I have also today tried some "sweets" no I haven't succumbed, I chopped up a Cambridge malt toffee meal bar into very thin slices and froze them (A trick I picked up from another blog) These frozen delights make for chewy eating and with about 20 of them to chew on it was a nice treat, They tasted ok, I will buy some more bars next week. Meanwhile the kids had roast pork with crackling!! .. yes I wanted some.

Just added some new bits to the right of this blog, A section for links to web pages that may be of interest to anyone thinking of embarking on this diet and another section with a couple of other blogs in that I have come across whilst looking at forums. Well worth a look.

On the downside I came across an article where a lady had died last year on a very low calorie diet (VLCD) she was using lighterlife. It has not deterred me though, I shall visit my doctor regularly and am determined to be thin!

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/tm_headline=dead--33st-matilda-who-lost-10st-in-6-months-on-crash-diet-of-500-calories-a-day&method=full&objectid=18046775&siteid=62484-name_page.html

Saturday Week 2

Hi everyone,
once again thanks to everyone for your encouraging comments, The comments on here and the various forums I have joined have led me to loads of peoples success stories as well as those that are just embarking on a long journey like myself.

Done the shopping at Tesco this morning, tortured myself with hot cross buns that I was buying for the kids. I lifted them up to my nose and they smelt wonderful fresh warm dough and spices. I could have opened the packet there and then. All that excitement and it was only 8am I had the whole day ahead of me yet.
I have tried the butterscotch flavoured shake now, it was just about palatable but I wont be buying any of them in the future. My favourite so far is vanilla with a spoon of instant coffee making a nice iced coffee flavour.

I have managed to drink plenty of water today (8 Pints by 5pm), I was really thirsty for some reason and my mouth was like the bottom of a birdcage..yuck

I seem to have been surrounded by food for most of the day today, first at Tesco, then later we popped to a different shop to buy some presents for my little ones up-coming Birthday parties he has been invited to attend..... They had a coffee shop, fresh coffee that's fine but all those cakes and pastries on the counter. I did not cave in, one black coffee and a sweetener tablet was the highlight of my visit today.
Then this evening I have cooked one of my favourite dinners "Mexican" the smell of the fajita chicken cooking is just divine. This was served with golden potato wedges. The one that fell on the floor was calling for me to eat it, No I put it in the bin!

Anyway here is a link to another page of inspiration, its full of before and after photos, I'll be there when I am no longer "The fat man"

http://www.minimins.com/success-stories/8184-before-after-photo-thread-inspiration.html

Day 11 Weigh Day

Well I have had a good day today anticipating tonight's result. I cant wait any more I need to write it 5lbs lost this week, I am most pleased with this and that little car has started to move!!
It was worth refusing the free food being given out at work today, as a result of the bad weather a training course was cancelled and it was too late to cancel the catering this was being dished out freely around the office "no thank you" were the hardest words I spoke today.
Since it was cold today I felt a little hungry, this may be an association thing that I probably have my mum to blame for (Hi Mum) I seem to recall cold weather meant a nice bowl of soup and sandwiches and a nice steamed pudding after dinner.
Several times today I had to endure walking past the "bun run" in the office, I would have normally picked something up every time I walked past it! Doughnuts, flapjacks, apple pies, shortbread and a token few apples that no one eats until tomorrow when everything else has gone.
My counsellor was pleased with my result, I peed on the ketostix and it turned a nice rosy pink, proving that I am burning fat not lean tissue and that I have not been scoffing for the last week. I have restocked my supplies for the next week with such delights as butterscotch flavoured shake. I'll let you know what it tastes like...
My wife never lost as much as me (3lb) so she is a little disheartened. I am going now to give her some moral support.
Oh and thanks to those people who have commented, its great to know people are reading this diary

Day 10

Just been looking through some of the posts on the forums I mentioned in my blog a couple of days ago. Some people have lost loads of weight and very well done to them all.
There are also people writing on there that have lost their weight and kept it off for over a year so there is hope for me yet!
I would recommend anyone thinking of embarking on this diet to check them out you will be inspired.
I am feeling happy tonight, I think it is anticipation for tomorrow yes tomorrow night is "weigh in" I am hoping to have lost 5lbs since last Friday. I will update my tracker and let everyone know how I am doing tomorrow evening.... watch this space.

Day 9

Well today was just a normal Tuesday really. Woke up and had a black coffee, still missing proper tea.
At work more people are starting to ask why I am not drinking milk in my tea or coffee.
I have therefore taken the decision to share this blog with some of them, as much as I am ashamed of that starting picture; however that was the old me, I am now focused and committed to get rid of this huge excess. (Hi to any colleagues reading this)

Another colleague collected my Tetra Brik (small carton of pre-made milkshake convenient to use at work) from the fridge "are you supposed to have 2 of these" she said "theres not enough in there to fill you up" I explained that I just do not feel hungry. I take my "shakes" at regular intervals more like medicine than food. I don't think of them as meals, just essentials to help me remain healthy whilst on this diet.

I have had 2 occasions when I fancied eating today, the first was at work when a smell wafted down my nose. Don't know what the smell was but it made me think of cheese and onion sandwiches and boy did I want one of them! Secondly the kids dinner was cooking and smelt delicious I could have eaten a mouthful or two.... I decided it was best for me to get away from the smells so took myself off to the hot tub to have a relaxing soak. I feel great again now.

I have started reading a book by Dr Alan Howard the founder of the Cambridge Diet, do you think that's sad? well it only cost 30p second hand so I figured it was worth a read. Anyway its full of interesting bits but one bit that I am going to share talks about some of the effects of losing the weight. Apart from the medical facts etc I found it interesting reading about how the diet had affected peoples marriages and how sometimes people actually intentionally put the weight back on.
The lady who had always been fat all her life lost loads of weight on the Cambridge diet suddenly started to receive male attention, at 39 this was not something she was used to. She had gone from being the fat person who people never gave a second look, to a beautiful attractive lady who easily turned heads and received what she deemed unwanted male attention. As a result she returned to over eating to intentionally stop this attention.

Another story was about a lady who had again been big for most of her life, she was married to Mr Normal and she was happy enough. This lady lost a lot of weight and felt good about herself, she gained confidence she had not previously known... and loved it. Why had she married Mr Normal? "just because he was the first man to show her some attention" and "the best she could get at the time" but now a new lease of life had been unleashed and the marriage crumbled.

Thankfully my wife and I are both doing the diet and we have seen each other thin in the past and were still happy with each other!

Day 7 & 8

Sunday was good for me, we all went for a walk at Walton-on-the-Naze some nice fresh air. We were not able to walk fast due to one lazy 5yr old who refuses to walk at a normal pace.
I came home and the kids had a roast dinner, smelt nice but now I am in ketosis I feel fine without food.
Had my milkshakes but not enough water.

Day 8 Monday
Have been looking at the internet today at some diet forums where people talk about their experiences of using the Cambridge diet (that's where I got the idea for the little progress ticker at the top of this blog, that little orange car has a long way to go to reach the end)

give both of these a look

http://www.cambridgedieters.com/forums/

http://www.minimins.com/cambridge-diet-forum/

Both of these forums are full of success stories and pictures to help those who require inspiration

I Still don't feel hungry, I have drunk plenty of water and feel full of life

Day 6 The first weekend

Today has been a lot better than I expected, I managed to do the grocery shopping without wanting to devour everything in sight. I remained focused and only purchased those items necessary to see us through next week with the kids dinners.

Since shopping I have kept busy doing a couple of jobs and even cooked the kids dinner without eating any of their chips!!

I have noticed a side effect from being in Ketosis very smelly breath.. yuck and no chewing gum allowed :-(
On a positive note I am still passing stools without a problem (There is fibre in the shakes) some people become blocked but not me so far.

I have survived the day feeling good, one more milkshake to go before bed.

Day 5 Great News

Just got back from seeing my counsellor, got weighed and have lost an amazing 13lbs in just 5 days. I am now down to 24st 9lb, yes I know I'm still a "fat bastard" but what an amazing first few days. Next week I see my counsellor on Thursday, then weekly on a Thursday from there onwards. I know my weight loss will not be sustained at this rate as a lot of this weeks loss will have been glycogen, but hey I'm happy.

Today at work was not too bad, I kept thinking about tonights weigh in and hoping its been worth it especially when there were once again numerous cakes out for a free for all! I turned down an invite to the restaurant over the road from my office. My colleagues went and ate nice handmade pizza and chips washed down with a beer and coffee... now you can see why it was best I did not attend.
So I am on a high tonight, hopefully it will last all weekend and see me through a tough time, my weekends would normally consist of food shopping, preparing a recipe, cooking and eating.

Day 4

Today has been a bit harder, I have had periods of feeling a bit hungry and yes loads of those leftovers are still there at the office. Also today we had a birthday in the office that means loads of cream cakes on offer, oh and tomorrow is "Bun Run" this is where we have a rota at work and buy cakes for everyone in the "Bun Run Club" more temptation...

I have noticed that I am also missing a proper cup of tea, black tea is just not a patch on a proper cuppa.

Tonight was a little stressful we went to a parents evening and learnt that my son is putting no effort into his college course. He makes me so angry that I felt hungry. This is a sign that I am associating food with stress, I will bear it in mind and see if it happens again at another stressful situation
Kids had sausages for tea, luckily they smelt fatty and it didn't tempt me too much

3 more pints of water to go before bed time (its 7.30pm now).. oops should have spread them out a bit more evenly today. This could be another reason for the hunger pangs