Posts Tagged ‘lapse’

LighterLife Diet, day 48-54

written by Drew | 2008.301 Tue 28 Oct

I haven’t written for a while, so I’ll update you readers on my progress.

Though I’ve talked about lapsing not being “such a big issue”, there are problems I had overlooked. Particularly as I’d done it considerably last week, I found myself with less energy than I usually had. It was as if the pounds I’d lost in the last few weeks were creeping back on, just as quickly.

The issue also showed up in last week’s weigh-in. Even I was shocked when I discovered I’d lost only 1¾ lbs. My ketosis was very low, even though I’d been regularly drinking water and taking the food packs. More importantly, I still haven’t lost three stones yet – I’m just over 1 lb away.

So this week I’ve been taking the diet more seriously, vowing to go at least one more full week without caving in. So far, so good.

On Friday (day 50), I had to wait for three hours in a hospital, for a weight-loss consultation appointment that was supposed to have been made a month earlier. Nobody acknowledged that the GP in charge of sending the referral letter had screwed up, but they were all too happy to suggest there was “nothing they could do”, because I was so far into the diet anyway. You can imagine my reaction.
Also on Friday, I’d decided to go to my local dentist. For whatever reason they decided to treat me like a criminal: first because I’d initially left my wallet at home, secondly because they got rough with my teeth (taking some kind of drill and “cleaning” my teeth, pushing hard between each tooth right next to the gums), and thirdly having the cheek to stretch out their hand, demanding money.
Both parties will be getting a colourful letter of complaint from me, and I will be looking for both a new GP and dentist.

More unfortunate events occured just yesterday (day 53), when I’d lost at least six of my tropical fish at once: two tetras, a rainbowfish, at least two rasboras and at least one catfish. It was probably my doing, as I’d deliberately overstocked the tank with new fish. Still, it was very distressing to have to fish them out. Sometimes, I wish I’d stuck with the goldfish; I knew where I stood.

Also of note: I’d bought myself a very cheap and effective blender from Asda, though the same model exists in Woolworths at a similar price.
If you ever go on the LighterLife diet or equivalent, know that mixing your shakes in a blender makes a world of difference. For best results, use 200 ml of water and a few ice cubes.

LighterLife Diet, day 46

written by Drew | 2008.294 Tue 21 Oct

It’s probably the darkening mornings and evenings, but recently I’ve had trouble getting out of bed. it’s not uncommon for me to get up after 7am to go to work. Actually, I’m lucky if I get up before 7.30am. To put things into context: I have to leave the house before 7.15am if I want to get to work on time. I assure you, though, that things will change.

As far as the diet was concerned; it’s become just a little more difficult to mix the shakes first thing in the morning. I could really use access to the blender at home, but it is incredibly noisy (not to mention packed away). I could always buy myself one quite cheaply, but that would only cause trouble.

Only recently have I begun drinking “black” tea. I’m sold on Earl Grey as a black tea; you can taste hints of fruit, with all the goodness of tea. I usually have a cup later in the day – with stevia if possible – but for now I still begin my mornings with black coffee.

I am rather nervous about Thursday’s weigh-in this time, as what they’ve said about lapsing is true. I don’t think it’s as dangerous as they make out, however, and while I wouldn’t recommend doing it, as long as you keep it under control it shouldn’t be a huge problem.
Remember, I lost six pounds on a week where I’d lapsed – but I knew what I was doing and risking.

LighterLife Diet, day 33

written by Drew | 2008.281 Wed 08 Oct

All I can say about yesterday is:

Lapse #5.

But seriously, it was a case of eat or be sick. I suspect it had something to do with the lack of food I’ve been having, though I have been trying to get back up to four litres of water a day.

The train to work was delayed by almost half an hour, and I was beginning to feel sick again. Once again I opted for the Marks & Spencer Thai chicken wraps, which didn’t taste nearly as good this time but eventually did the trick.

I almost managed four litres this time, but I’d stopped about a litre before the goal. There was something about working in a crowded room at home that threw me off.

As well as the diet, the LighterLife counsellor (LLC) suggested taking 200mg of the serotone capsules daily. This would allegedly help with my mood and serotonin levels.
Having been on them for two weeks, I’ve noticed mild effects in my mood. I had attempted two doses of 5HTP (serotone) to combat the bullshit at work, but this didn’t seem to have much of an effect either. It might be time to try St John’s Wort in addition.

LighterLife Diet, day 26-31

written by Drew | 2008.279 Mon 06 Oct

Wow, I’m really not keeping up with these things very well.

The good news first: despite the risky lapsing, I had somehow managed to lose five pounds last week. That means a total weight loss of approximately two stones in four weeks. I’m on course to losing three stones in seven weeks instead of eight.

Or at least I should be… I’ve been lazy with the water intake and the powdered food, which is not something to brag about. Yesterday I don’t think I’d even managed a litre of water, but Friday (day 29) was no problem.

On Friday morning I had suffered an excruciating upset stomach, and nothing seemed to cure it. Fortunately it disappeared eventually, but during the rest of the day I had tried to keep myself active.

On Saturday I was feeling rather nauseous, and drinking a shake didn’t seem to help. So… I lapsed again :( this time going to Nandos, and treating myself to a piece of chicken and some olives.
I thought the olives would certainly kill the deal, as though I ate them slowly and irregularly I felt quite full. The taste in my mouth suggested I was still in ketosis, however.

LighterLife Diet, day 20-25

written by Drew | 2008.273 Tue 30 Sep

Looks like I’m getting lazy with these updates, eh? Well, I’ll tell all. There probably wasn’t enough going on to warrant having single day entries.

First of all, the bad news…

I’ve lapsed.

Yes, the time finally came where going without food proved to be too much. Strangely enough, however, I didn’t feel incredibly guilty about it… not for long, anyway.

Let me explain:

Last week I came down with a nasty cough, following the blazing hear of the previous Saturday and the cold weather afterwards. I have no idea how else it began to occur. From Sunday to Thursday, it wasn’t so bad. (There was still the bullshit from work to deal with.)

That reminds me: last week I’d managed to lose 5.75 lbs, which was much more than I’d expected. I was pessimistic about the loss for that week, as I may have communicated; I hadn’t expected to lose more than 3 or 4 pounds. This means that, in just three weeks, I’ve lost almost two stones.

Anyway, on Friday morning I was heading out to Bruges for a well-deserved, long overdue weekend vacation. There was no time to fix a shake, and I knew that having a bar – especially my beloved cranberry one – would result in me not wanting to have anything else later.
I knew the implications of eating something, even though I was hungry. A shake wouldn’t cut it this time.

There began my first lapse, and it was a hard decision to make. I looked around Marks & Spencer for the healthiest, lowest carbohydrate thing I could find, as well as the bottle of water I went in there for in the first place.
Eventually I’d settled on this Thai chicken wrap-like thing, made with mooli. I have no idea what it was, but it came with a soy dip. It took me a while both to purchase and eat it, all the while thinking of the consequences.
Let me tell you: it tasted good. It was only 100 calories, and had around 12 grams of carbohydrates in it, as well as little fat and everything else. In comparison, M&S’s healthiest sandwich contained upwards of 30 grams.

There was a second lapse, and it happened on Saturday morning. At the time I was thinking about making the most of breakfast at the hotel I was staying at, even though they charged for it. I also knew that it wouldn’t be wise to pig out, even though it was a buffet.
Sticking to my “low carbohydrates” policy, to prevent steering too far from ketosis, I had a plate of scrambled eggs. Yes, just scrambled eggs. And some pepper.

Okay, I had two plates of scrambled eggs. Two small plates.

I think it was after breakfast that I began to realise the nature of my eating; that I ate because I was bored. I wasn’t particularly hungry then, but instead I ate these kinds of foods because of cravings, and wanting things to do. This particularly happens when killing time.
It was also then that I promised myself not to lapse again…

…until the third time! I’d gone all the way from Saturday morning to Sunday evening without eating regular food, and was hoping to make it through the week from then. Unfortunately, I became very bored on Sunday evening.
It would have been easy enough to stay in the hotel and just have another shake, but I wanted something different. I’d run out of bars, and though I had soups left over I couldn’t have them. (The hotel room didn’t even have a kettle, and I didn’t have a bowl or access to a microwave.)
The hotel has its own dining area for breakfast, but strangely enough it doesn’t serve meals at any other time. This made it easier to stick to the diet, but right now it was frustrating as I couldn’t find any healthy eating options around.

In the end, I ventured back into town, narrowly missing the shops’ closing time of 6pm. I’d settled for… a hamburger! The equivalent of Burger King’s bacon double, to be exact; a small burger with two beef patties, bacon, some sauce and perhaps a few things I can’t remember. No chips or drink.
Total impact: 424 calories, 24 grams of carbohydrates.

There was a very large window for a fourth lapse, when I had to wait five hours for my Eurostar train back to London, but as hard as it got, I managed to resist.

My figuring is that I should be back in ketosis by Thursday, provided I didn’t lapse after Sunday. I’m pleased to mention that I didn’t have anything to eat since, and – having lapsed those few times – I don’t see or feel any reason to any more. As I said, it was purely out of boredom that I chose to eat, and not because of any burning desire.

The one thing I am worried about is how much weight I could have lost this week, and how much (or little) I would have lost on Thursday. It would mean at least an extra week on the diet.