Obsessed

Well I know this is something most of my friends and certainly my husband would agree with... I am obsessed with my weight. I would though, first like to point out that according to my doctor I am perfectly within my weight limits - right smack bang in between my lowest advisable weight and my maximum advisable weight.

Right, now having stated that, here comes the rest! I would actually tend to agree with them that I am obsessed about MY weight. No one else's, just mine. I cook properly balanced, nutritious food for my family and then nibble on a piece of turkey. I have always had weight issues. I was a tubby child, but not overweight, I was never ridiculed or bullied about my weight at school but things got out of hand as I got older.

My weight has gone up and down all my life. Obviously when we are younger, we put on a bit of weight, watch what we eat for a couple of days and hey presto it's gone! Now, as we get older, shedding weight becomes more and more difficult - but not impossible. There have been periods in my life when I have been positively FAT, but now I am (according to the doc) at my perfect weight. So why am I obsessed?

Well, once you reach your perfect weight, you have to maintain it -

and that is the difficult part. There is no end to the food sacrifice, the cravings and the guilt trips when I do go off the rails. Obviously, when I do give in and have a splurge, no weight is gained because I limit it to one mealtime or, at worst, one day. So the "damage" can not be described as damage and is easily rectified.

My major problem is that I think my body has become so accustomed to fairly uneventful food such as chicken, turkey, fruit, etc that when I do go over the top I suffer terribly.

However, one of the good points is that my life has become pain free. I used to suffer from unidentifiable pains in my abdomen, also lots of gas, headaches and joint pains. Since changing my diet they have all gone away, and curiously only co

me back when I go off the diet.

Down points? I spend my days wondering when I will allow myself a treat of some chocolate. Or yearning for carb day when I can eat some carbs (only allowed twice a week), and trying to ignore the little voice in my head saying, "Go on! You deserve it!" and its probably right, but it's there EVERY day not just every now and again.

Am I happy? Well happier than when I was fatter, but my worry is such that I don't enjoy it as much as I should. I am constantly wondering if my clothes are feeling tighter today, or if I ate too much the day before. BUT, breaking the diet definitely makes me feel loads worse.

Bikini Diet

Well it seems to be working :) Having lost 10 kilos last year, 3 have crept back on so it was time for some radical action. A 1 month very strict high protein diet - yes I am starving, but after 7 full days of the diet I have lost 1 kilo 800 grs so I have to say that it is working! I have to say it is very limited and extremely boring but the result is what is worth it and it's only for 1 month.

At this time of year I get literally scared about trying on last year's summer clothes, and I know that many women have the same fear. It is thoroughly depressing to find that over the cold winter months we have put on weight - however little it may be, but our clothes no longer look or feel the same. Action must be taken! Putting the tighter fitting clothes down to them shrinking in the wash is not a valid excuse to go out and buy a bigger size!

So if anyone out there is interested in my diet, just leave me a message and I will pass it on willingly - always glad to help anyone in need!

Healthy Eating Part II

I have never been so hungry or in such a bad mood my entire life!  I started out that Monday morning in high spirits, I ate a couple of kiwis had a cup of tea and was starving again 5 minutes later!  I remembered the doctor saying that the diet was easier to do if you loved food.

During the first couple of weeks I couldn't understand what he had meant by that.  I spent my time thinking of all the things I wanted to eat, reminding myself I couldn't eat them and then planning what I could eat.  Food became an obsession.  However, I did one day realize what he had meant.  Being intolerant to lots of things means you have to be inventive, he had also told me I would have to rotate foods every four days so this means you have to be VERY inventive.

I taught myself how to make stews with no flour in them to thicken them, I tried new cuts of meat and different types - I had always been very boring eating mainly chicken and beef with a bit of sushi every now and again.  I'm not a big fish eater so that bit has been very difficult for me.  I made wonderful vegetable soups for dinner to keep me warm and I even learnt to make my own stock for soups.

For the first few days I had the most almighty headache but suddenly, on about day 5 it disappeared.  

By the end if the first month I was totally headache free (unless I had news from my ex husband!), I was sleeping better, feeling more energetic and on top of all that I had lost six and a half kilos!  All my post baby weight from my last pregnancy disappeared in one month.

I was really impressed.  Not only that, but for the first time in my life I was eating properly.  Lots of fruit, lots of fresh veg, meat and fish, and what's more, I was eating more than I used to.

I began to enjoy planning what I was going to eat every day and for the first time in my life actually inventing new recipes.  I was having fun.

That was 6 months ago.  It has now become a way of life.  In total, I have lost 9 kilos and am still enjoying the challenge of eating healthy but interesting food.  And I love eating fruit - something I was never very good at before.

My husband has had his intolerance test and is also doing the diet and finding he too has more energy and is sleeping better.  But both of us have discovered a major problem.  We live in Madrid in Spain and it is impossible to buy fresh fruit, peeled and sliced for quick consumption when you are out and about.  There is limited fruit available from places like McDonald's (Happy Meal Apple Slices) and Starbucks offer at box with an apple and a banana in it - now I realize that Starbuck, McDonald's etc don't know who has what allergies and intolerances and have to cater for the general public and those fruits are easier to store and serve, but a greater variety would be appreciated.

I have found one supermarket in Madrid, Sánchez Romero, that does fresh cut fruit in cartons but it is also horrendously expensive.  If anyone in England or America is reading this how about telling me the availability of fresh cut fruit over there.  Also the availability of lactose free milk in Starbucks or other chains.

Healthy Eating Part I

Has anyone noticed how difficult it is to eat healthily when you are on the go?  One thing we have precious little of is time; work, kids, house, etc leaves us often having to eat whatever is to hand.  

I have suffered for years from chronic headaches and if you add to that an acute allergy to Aspirin, all NSAIDs and most other painkillers, I was reduced to taking up to 3grs of paracetamol a day!

Then one day, a friend said, "I know this great doctor who I am sure could help you."  So off I went to see this "great doctor".  Yes I was skeptical  but so desperate that I had to give it a try.

Right now I will say, he is a truly great doctor.

We talked for a long time.  Amazing really, most doctors want you in and out as soon as possible, the more people they see the more money, or at least that's the way it always seemed to me.  He wasn't your usual doctor, all full of himself and convinced that he could change my life but I have to say - he has.  I will be forever in his debt.

He asked me about my eating habits, what a typical day was like for me and then sent me off for a blood test.  He warned me that the results would take a while and not to worry, as soon as they had them .... (get this) ...... they would call me to make an appointment - and they did!

I was quite nervous about going for the results, my mother had died of a brain tumor and let's face it - you never know and I certainly don't know how much you can tell from a blood test!  I was told that my vitals were all fine - cholesterol fine, sugar level normal, hormones normal, thyroids normal..... what a relief!  And then......

Intolerance to:

Garlic

Mushrooms

Nuts

All Pulses

Plums

Soya

Lactose

Egg

Peaches

Bananas

Pineapple

Apples

Grapes

And that didn't mean just eliminating these things from my diet but everything they contain too!  Nowadays Soya is in absolutely EVERYTHING, grape and apple juice are liberally added to loads of things too!  I was shattered - well maybe that was a bit over the top, but let's face it no more mayonnaise, no egg and chips, no Chai tea latte with Soya milk from Starbucks, no no no no oh god it doesn't bare thinking about..... NO CHOCOLATE!

The lovely doctor told me that from now on I would have to exist on a diet of fruit (that I can eat), vegetables, meat, fish, shellfish, etc.  That I could eat as mush as I wanted but I was not allowed to mix carbs with proteins in the same meal and to eat a minimum of 3 pieces of fruit a day.

I was thoroughly depressed when I left his office, I clearly remember it was a Thursday and I thought, there's no point starting this on a Thursday, I'll wait 'til Monday.

I then spent the rest of the day and the weekend, eating everything I was never going to be allowed to eat again.  By Sunday night I felt so awful I couldn't wait to start the diet the next morning.