Hiatus

The Shrinking Vego will be taking a brief hiatus while she tries to get the crap in her head worked out.

I will be back....

Suck it up...

Forgive me readers for I have strayed....

LOL

I have had a great week but I have also had a terrible week.

The great comes in the overall. I have caught up with friends old and
new, I have gone place and done things and it has all been great.

But...

It has led to a deep sense of frustration.

I am frustrated that my eating patterns are not "normal".

I am frustrated that I still can not exercise.

I am frustrated that I love food so much but I have to restrict my intake.

I am frustrated about the whole situation.

But the fact is, frustration or not, I have to just suck it up and do
it. I can't have my 2 year old tantrum and yell and scream and cry.

Well, I can. But it's not going to do me any good. :o)

So I got on the scales after my week of (excess) fine food.

150.2 kgs

To be honest, lower than I expected.

But still bad.

So SV. Time to suck it up. Be a grown up. And just do what I need to do.

Weigh In

Sorry I didn't check in yesterday with my weigh in - I was having "Blogger" issues.

I had an amazing weekend. Unfortunately the amazing involved lots of food. But I did not go too overboard. Although I wasn't as restrained as I should have been.

The result...

149.3 kgs.

A small loss. But still a loss. 

Yesterday was really good food-wise, but I have been feeling a little unsettled. Unsure why. 

The un-settled resulted in bad choices this morning, which resulted in me feeling very very blah.

But I have now cooked up a massive pot of vegetable soup made from the wonderful, fresh, in-season vegetables I got from the Farmers Market on the weekend. Very yummy. Very filling. Very low-cal.

I will make up for this morning. And hopefully I remember how I feel so I don't make the same mistake again.

Cheese OD

I was going really well yesterday until last night when a cheese craving hit...

Cheese, cheese, How I love thee, let me count the ways...

Until about 3 hours later when the stomach cramps hit.

And last all night.

Of course, I wake up this morning with a McDonalds breakfast craving (as I do after being sick, weird, I know). So I drove the slow way to work so I did not pass any of them.

Today is a new day.

A Cheese-Free day.

I forgot to mention

I have gone back to twice weekly weigh ins and am very pleased to say that I am back under 150.

149.7 kgs!!!!

Most of it is fluid (I have been peeing like there is no tomorrow). But I am really really pleased.

2030

That is how many calories I ate yesterday.

My first really good calorie day.

It was not a perfect day. KFC Chips are in there. I am still struggling with the late afternoon hunger. But for that to be in there and me to still be pretty well spot on is awesome for me.

Now, I made a mistake on my new goal. I said that to get to 120kgs in 5 months I need to lose 700g a week. I actually need to lose 1470g a week, or rounded to 1.5kgs per week.

Now while this is a lot, and more thant the "recomended", you need to remember that I weigh a lot more than these "recomended" scales were worked out on. And I still believe I can do it.

Rookie Mistake

Last night I made a rookie mistake.

I let myself get too hungry.

I know hunger is part of the deal when reducing your food intake as much as I am, but this was beyond that.

I left work at 5 already starving. And I mean starving...

From work I had a few errands to run. It was nearly 7 by the time I got home, and if I thought I was starving at 5, you can imagine what 7 was like...

SVP was getting home the same time after 10 hours on his feet.

Pizza was suggested...

Pizza is quick, easy, and fills the basic hunger desire - fat and carbs and quick.

Ice cream followed the pizza...

Here's the thing. It tasted great. But within half an hour I felt like crap. Bloated and uncomfortable. And it lasted all night.

It's true - you eat crap you feel crap.

Now I am not stupid enough to throw in the towel - "oh I blew it I may as well give up" blah blah blah...

I made a mistake. But I can still have a good loss this week if I focus for the rest of the week.

So that is what I will do.

New Goal

I am putting this out there.

I would like to weigh 120kgs by October 3.

That is 5 months (22 weeks).

It averages out to a 700gram loss each week which is more than achievable. I have not further goals beyond that. I just want to get there.

So far today I am doing really well. This will continue. I will do this.

Day 1 Down

First day of counting calories did not go too bad.

Goal was 2000 and I ate 2445.

Yes, it is over. But...

It is probably 1500 less than I would normally eat, AND...

I kept counting and recording, even after I went over.

I am pleased.

Today is another day.

Recipe Time!!!

Lentil, Barley & Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium leeks, trimmed, halved, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

250g button mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 x 410g cans chopped tomatos

1/2 cup dry red lentils, cooked and rinsed

1/3 cup pearl barley

5 cups cold water

Basil, salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1 Heat Oil in large pan over medium heat. Add leek, mushrooms and garlic,

2 Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until softened

3 Add remaining ingredients and bring back to the boil

4 Reduce heat and simmer for approx 4 minutes or until barley is tender

5 Serve with fresh parsley

Serves 4

Back to Basics

I got on the scales this morning. I really wish I had not....

I am so Freaking angry at myself!!!!!!!!

152.5 kgs...

That takes me to only 10kgs less than my highest. I swore I would never get back here.

Yet here I am...

So it is back to basics. 

2000 calories a day.

Exercise within my current limitations.

And get the fat off my body once and for all!!!!!

Recipe Time!!!

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

1 medium butternut pumpkin, chopped

3-4 small-medium potatos, chopped

1 teaspoon mild curry powder

salt & cracked balck pepper

3 cups vegetable stock

2/3 cup full cream

pinch chilli powder (to taste)

Directions

1)  Place pumpkin, potato, curry powder and vegetable stock in a large slow cooker. Season with salt & pepper.

2)  Cook for several hours until the vegetables are tender

3)  Turn off heat and allow to cool

4)  Using a food processor or stick blender, process until smooth

5)  Stir through cream and hilli powder

6)  Warm soup again and serve

I Cancelled my Gym Membership

:(

Yes I am sad about it. I had an amazing deal.

But the simple fact is I hurt my Achilles again on the weekend and it could be months before I can utilise the gym properly. I have all the tools for my recovery at home. It was a waste of money.

Maybe one day I can join again....

An Interesting Thing is Happening

I am a Chocoholic.

There...

I admitted it.

My name is Shrinking Vego & I am a Chocoholic

*Hi Shrinking Vego*

You get the picture....

But I have Easter Chocolate left.  It was given to me at work on Thursday. Not a lot. Probably what I would normally eat in a sitting.

It made it through Thursday.

I left it here over the weekend, and somehow it also made it through yesterday.

So far today I haven't touched it.

I did not over dose on chocolate on the weekend.

I just do not feel the need to eat it.

Weird....

I didn't weigh this week

I moved this week and ate junk food all week and weekend. 

I could not get on the scale.

I couldn't face it.

My kitchen is now set up and I will be doing some shopping this week. 

Time to eat healthy.

Time to take control.

Weigh In

150.0 kgs

:(

Thinking about sugar

There has been quite a bit on TV here lately about sugar. More specifically refined sugar and the amounts we consume, what foods it is hidden in etc.

So it got me thinking. 

I know I eat too much food. I feel as though I am hungry ALL the time. But am I actually craving sugar?

SVP & I have talked about a 30 day blitz where we reduced the amount of refined sugar in our diets to under 8% of the total calorie consumption.

This sounded good until I started looking up my favourite foods....

Vegie pizza on thin crust - 1.9% sugar - this is okay

Hot chips - 1.1% sugar - this is okay

Pad Thai - 3.9% sugar - this is okay

and it goes on...

So clearly this is not going to be a good thing for me, since I tend to reach for the "easy".

But I still think there is something in this. Numerous studies have pointed to excess sugar consumption contributing not only to obesity and obesity related illnesses, but also to skin conditions (I have excema), to general feelings of lethargy, to energy levels etc.

So what I need to do is find an acceptable sugar allowance. 

8% of 2000 calories is 160 grams of sugar a day.

I am sorry but that is way too high for what I am trying to achieve. I am trying to get over my sugar addiction and that is still a LOT of sugar.

There are studies that say 82 grams of sugar is the most you should have. That is based on a 1200 calorie diet. 

That is still quite a lot.

I need to think about this. I am thinking closer to 40 or 50 grams. Maybe even less if I want to get the refined sugar out of my diet.

I am talking refined sugar here. Not sugars from fruits or honey which are naturally occurring form of sugar.

I need to think about this more. Would love to hear what you all think.

EXCITEMENT!!!!

Any of you who follow me on Twitter may already know this amazing news...

I am allowed to start re-introducing cycling to my life!!!!!!!!!

WOOOOHHHHOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited!

I am allowed to do up to 30 minutes a day slow pedalling on low tension. I can either use an exercise bike, a trainer (yes that was the photo from the other day for those who were unsure), or actually going out on the bike! As long as I take it easy and use low tension/gears.

I am going to start on the exercise bike at the gym tonight.

I am so excited - I can't wait to get myself over there and ride. It is going to be SO hard to take it easy, but I will do what I have to do to get there.

I am actually going to take a magazine to read. I hate seing people reading on exercsie equipment as I feel it distracts you from pushing yourself. But since I am not allwed to push myself I figure it will be perfect!

I will report in and let you all know how it goes.

I can not wait!!!

Getting Help

I am hungry all the time.

This is not "head hungry". This is honest to God, stomach growling, and feeling like it is going to start eating itself from within hungry.

No matter how much I eat, a few hours later I am hungry.

And it is not like I am exercsing at the moment to build up the hunger.

I need help...

I am going to the doctors later this week to get some weight loss drugs.

I am hoping for Duromine as it is the only one I have had that helps. I only want it for a month or so. Just to get things kick started and under control again. But last time I asked for it my Doc said no. She put me on Reductil (which has now been removed from availability in Australia). The only other one is Xenical which I will NOT use.

I am hoping she gives me something.

I need help...

Present

SVP bought me a present on the weekend, in preparation for whent he Physio gives me the go ahead for light riding.

I can't wait to use it!