Marguerite
Active Member
I calculate I've been on this diet for three weeks now. I'm halfway through the month's supply of pills (I started them a week late because they had to be ordered in).
I really hate having to diet in such an extreme manner, but it's the only way I can lose ANY weight.
I've posted in detail before, I won't go over it too much now, but basically, perhaps thanks to years of stupid dieting when I was younger, my metabolism is so sluggish now that my body seems permanently in 'famine' mode.
I must lose the weight. My liver is overloaded with fat, I have insulin resistance and I'm overweight. Doctors who don't know me assume first that I'm a drinker (I was never a heavy drinker, and I cut out ALL alcohol when my liver tests went abnormal years ago). Then they assume I eat tons of junk food, when actually I was on a low fat diet for over ten years. I use artificial sweeteners in coffee and don't eat cake or biscuits. My portion sizes are smaller than most people. In this way I was able to mostly maintain my weight.
Three years ago I lost about 10 Kg on the Atkins Diet (which I don't recommend except in the short term, to teach you just how much we overindulge in carbs). I couldn't sustain the ridiculously low carb intake that I needed, to lose the weight and then maintain it.
So it's now three weeks. I'm taking Reductil, which is supposed to reduce the appetite (yeah, right) and stop the metabolism going any further into famine mode. To take the Reductil, I have to empty out the capsules into another spare gelatine capsule that I get from another of my medications. The other medication is in granule form which can be taken loose.
The diet - I've switched to wholemeal wholegrain bread. I have one slice, toasted, for breakfast, with a smear of Vegemite. For lunch I might have a bowl of steamed vegetables (with pureed tomato to give it flavour) or half a chicken salad sandwich (I cut a slice of bread in half, to make the half sandwich). That bread is my carb ration, unless I have a few spoons of steamed rice with dinner.
Dinner - stir-fry chicken or beef with vegetables.
Through the day - Greek iced coffee, made with decaffeinated instant coffee, 400 ml iced water, two sweeteners and a splash of milk.
Through the day - no more than one piece of fruit. No more than one cup of juice (which I have frozen, for dessert). A list of vegetables from which I must have at least three serves. Protein at at least two of the meals. Minimal to no fat.
You would think the weight would be falling off me, wouldn't you?
I HAVE lost weight. Three kilos in three weeks. It's a sensible amount, it's not too fast - but with the diet I'm on, you would expect far more weight loss.
I'd love to have that weight loss but be able to eat a bit more. It's not enough for a healthy diet, I've got mother in law & sister in law nagging me about not eating enough. I'm not sleeping well - pain, primarily. But they keep saying, "It's terrible to wake up hungry."
Actually, I'm not waking up hungry, I'm waking up in pain. Then I was told, "Maybe your pain levels are worse because you're not getting enough nourishment."
I don't think so. It's osteo-arthritis, I don't think dieting makes THAT worse.
But just to be sure, I'm taking B vitamins, E (when I can get it) and calcium plus folate.
Exercise - I'm limited, although I've been walking around the block (or equivalent) at least once a day. It's about one kilometre. That's about my limit.
I'd love to eat breakfast cereal but I couldn't find one suitable, so today I bought ingredients to make my own oat-free muesli (I can't eat rolled oats). All recipe ideas welcome! In the absence of any good recipes, I'm going to experiment. I also bought some brown rice, to substitute for the white rice everyone else eats. That way I can eat more carbs, if I eat unprocessed high-fibre forms.
I wish the weight was coming off a little faster, especially in the beginning. I'm worried that it's going to slow down or stop before I lose much more. I'm hoping my liver is cleaning itself and that my pancreas is learning how to behave.
So wish me luck. I'll keep you all posted.
Marg
I really hate having to diet in such an extreme manner, but it's the only way I can lose ANY weight.
I've posted in detail before, I won't go over it too much now, but basically, perhaps thanks to years of stupid dieting when I was younger, my metabolism is so sluggish now that my body seems permanently in 'famine' mode.
I must lose the weight. My liver is overloaded with fat, I have insulin resistance and I'm overweight. Doctors who don't know me assume first that I'm a drinker (I was never a heavy drinker, and I cut out ALL alcohol when my liver tests went abnormal years ago). Then they assume I eat tons of junk food, when actually I was on a low fat diet for over ten years. I use artificial sweeteners in coffee and don't eat cake or biscuits. My portion sizes are smaller than most people. In this way I was able to mostly maintain my weight.
Three years ago I lost about 10 Kg on the Atkins Diet (which I don't recommend except in the short term, to teach you just how much we overindulge in carbs). I couldn't sustain the ridiculously low carb intake that I needed, to lose the weight and then maintain it.
So it's now three weeks. I'm taking Reductil, which is supposed to reduce the appetite (yeah, right) and stop the metabolism going any further into famine mode. To take the Reductil, I have to empty out the capsules into another spare gelatine capsule that I get from another of my medications. The other medication is in granule form which can be taken loose.
The diet - I've switched to wholemeal wholegrain bread. I have one slice, toasted, for breakfast, with a smear of Vegemite. For lunch I might have a bowl of steamed vegetables (with pureed tomato to give it flavour) or half a chicken salad sandwich (I cut a slice of bread in half, to make the half sandwich). That bread is my carb ration, unless I have a few spoons of steamed rice with dinner.
Dinner - stir-fry chicken or beef with vegetables.
Through the day - Greek iced coffee, made with decaffeinated instant coffee, 400 ml iced water, two sweeteners and a splash of milk.
Through the day - no more than one piece of fruit. No more than one cup of juice (which I have frozen, for dessert). A list of vegetables from which I must have at least three serves. Protein at at least two of the meals. Minimal to no fat.
You would think the weight would be falling off me, wouldn't you?
I HAVE lost weight. Three kilos in three weeks. It's a sensible amount, it's not too fast - but with the diet I'm on, you would expect far more weight loss.
I'd love to have that weight loss but be able to eat a bit more. It's not enough for a healthy diet, I've got mother in law & sister in law nagging me about not eating enough. I'm not sleeping well - pain, primarily. But they keep saying, "It's terrible to wake up hungry."
Actually, I'm not waking up hungry, I'm waking up in pain. Then I was told, "Maybe your pain levels are worse because you're not getting enough nourishment."
I don't think so. It's osteo-arthritis, I don't think dieting makes THAT worse.
But just to be sure, I'm taking B vitamins, E (when I can get it) and calcium plus folate.
Exercise - I'm limited, although I've been walking around the block (or equivalent) at least once a day. It's about one kilometre. That's about my limit.
I'd love to eat breakfast cereal but I couldn't find one suitable, so today I bought ingredients to make my own oat-free muesli (I can't eat rolled oats). All recipe ideas welcome! In the absence of any good recipes, I'm going to experiment. I also bought some brown rice, to substitute for the white rice everyone else eats. That way I can eat more carbs, if I eat unprocessed high-fibre forms.
I wish the weight was coming off a little faster, especially in the beginning. I'm worried that it's going to slow down or stop before I lose much more. I'm hoping my liver is cleaning itself and that my pancreas is learning how to behave.
So wish me luck. I'll keep you all posted.
Marg