Back!

I can't believe I haven't blogged since April.... I didn't stop the 4HB though.... That I still live by.

I'm back to give myself a little push and accountability over the next 7 weeks. The 4HB works so well for me, and now I'm going to put in some more of the 4hour strategies and blog my dreamlining path too. And I'm moving country to the sun as a start-that's a whole few posts in itself!

But, the weight first... I started out at 64kg back in February. Just before Christmas my weight was down as low as 54.5kg.. That's 10kg sustained loss.... Well sustained until I took a 7 day cheat over Xmas/new year, but that ends tomorrow when back to the straight and narrow again. But today I grant myself one last cheat day on the end of the 7 running.

New photos and measurements to post next week.... But for now dashing out for cheat lunch.

Friday cheat night ..... huh?

Sorry my poor blog - I've been neglecting you...

I've been taking you for granted but honestly it's just because I am so embedded within the 4HB that I haven't been feeling the need to post. I haven't found much to say apart from ... "ate beans, ate protein, ate veg, tossed around some kettlebells".

BUT today something extraordinary happened. The 4HB is not very social-friendly if you are sticking to it properly - but I threw that all to the wind last night and went clubbing. And decided to have a cheat night (or perhaps a cheat 24 hour period spanning Fri-Sat, the kind of thing that the new people post on the forums asking if it's OK .... for the exclusion of any doubt - NO - this is not part of the 4HB lifestyle)

Anyhoo - I took my measurements yesterday morning, partly as I wasn't sure I'd be able to drag my sorry butt out of bed this morning. Took the extra measurements and photos etc.

So this morning I have a ripper headache - recollections of eating a margerita pizza before going out, preceded by some grapefruit/lime cocktails (damage control) and then a big night on the tiles with vodka redbulls and champagne.  Laughing and having a ball until some ungodly hour. Heard the morning song of invisible birds when the taxi tipped me out - and the sun was about to rise ... maybe 5am or so? Anyway - by some act of god I am up at 10.30am, partly to take doses of paracetamol that should knock a horse off it's trotters - partly to knock down another bottle of water ... and just for giggles I got on the scales.

59.4 (130.7) .... A new all time low! bizarre! .... I could put it down to dehydration, but the scales show an all time high on body water ... and I'd just downed 500mls of water in the half hour prior. Imagine what it could have said if I'd got on before the water.


If this is what clubbing does to my body - I'm getting tickets for every weekend.


PS - felt amazing out .... slid into a dress that clung to my body in all the right ways.  Work it baby.


PPS - I may still be a little drunk.

Monday refocus

Had a lovely weekend ... but overindulged yesterday, drinking 3/4 of a bottle of red wine at the pub. Had a roast lunch, but skipped the potatoes (and boy did those roasties look tasty!), skipped the parsnips and skipped the yorkshire pudding (never really understood those anyway).

I failed to skip the red wine top ups. And I failed to drink the waters that should have been next to every glass of vino.

Hence I have a headache and an extra 600g this morning. Serves me right!

But, not to worry - currently tucking into my 30g protein breakfast, with two large bottles of water I'm hoping to have finished by lunch time.

A week without posting

Wow this week has flown by!

Things have been so busy at both home and work that I haven't sat down and updated my blog.... there will be a flurry of updates today!

I have still been noting down my daily weights, but nothing untowards has happened (phew). I've updated my charts and graphs and about to do the photos. I introduced a formal regime of exercise this week - and so am charting that as well now on it's own special page.

I think the results show that if you keep comparing week to week the differences can appear minor and can be a bit of a downer. I think you really need to collect information over an extended period, as even though my weights and pics don't look much different to last week's, they certainly look impressive next to week 1.

That's a tip for the beginners who get really angry that things aren't working in the first few weeks - you need to give it time ... it's not a miracle (though I'm convinced it works) so you won't see the dramatic "before and after" shots if you assess them too frequently.

Saying that - I'm going to post mine just for proof - my weights went up at the end of the week just before Going Wild Day ... but still the overall trend is still going down. Counter-intuitive to consider that when you are cursing the scales!

End of Week 5 - Going Wild Day Celebrations

It may have started off grumpy - but this was it in all it's fabulousness...

coffee and milk (several)	pancakes at Borough Markets	Bloody Mary - not an intuitive accompaniment to pancakes - but it worked
mojito - mine pilsner - not mine iPad - mine	mango and apricot icecream Leicester Square
1 cava 1 prosecco taste test to find preference	rib eye steak sandwich chips & salad (shared)	have decided I prefer prosecco to cava
1/2 nutrageous bar I ate the other half at dinner	Sailor Jerry and Ginger Ale
A half pint of Sierra Nevada	A couple of sips of Jim Beam Rye	Pizza and Chips

End Week 5 - the scales stall, the inches fall

Well it's the end of week 5, this week shows pretty much 0 net loss on the scales; but in all fairness I can't really be surprised (though that didn't stop me getting wild with anger and throwing some objects around the house after Sat morning weigh in).  It's funny what the mind will do - all the rationality in the world that I shouldn't lose this week (ate til bursting on Sunday night, sneaky piece of toast, major headache and dosed up on painkillers leading to 3 days of nasty constipation and a night off the SCD to recover with tomato soup) and yet still I was furious with the scales when they confirmed my suspicions.

And not even the tape measure showing me that I was nearly 2 inches down on last week (nearly 8 inches since the beginning - 10 inches with the bust thrown in) was enough to cheer me up.

But ..... after 20 minutes of wallowing and anger fuelled strop, I picked myself up, slapped myself in the face and got on with having one of my favourite Going Wild Days yet.

I'll post the pictures shortly.....

Here's a day 0 to end week 5 photo comparison:

Rolling 7 Day Average

This is my new favourite function on excel.  Disappointed (and distracted) by small daily jumps - both up and down, it was suggested to look at the results and count your weight as a 7-day average.  This takes out the volatility of spikes that may appear bigger in your mind that what they are actually on your belly.  And wow! check out these graphs:

So first graph shows my daily weight as it appears on the scales; with lots of bumps and jumps.

Second graph shows the 7 day average weight for the same time period. 

It's made me smile and not worry so much about the fact I haven't got back under 60kg today.  Look at my ski slope weight loss average.... happy!

Excel Charting 101 Lesson over ... any questions?

Two steps forward, Two steps back

Well, off the back of elation yesterday, for some reason I came down with a stinking headache around lunchtime.  Took mega doses of ibuprofen and paracetamol, and then codeine to no avail.  Came home around 5pm with eyes all squinty from photophobia and took to bed in a dark room.

Summoned tomato soup, a piece of toast and a chocolate - I knew all of them were off limits, but I didn't care.  There was no way I could prepare anything slowcarb.  I didn't drink enough water in the evening either.

Even though i knew that scales would show an increase - and I have it all rationalised in my head, it's still really hard to swallow +600g this morning.

And I'm all constipated from the paracetamol.... hence beckoning the psyllium husk this morning with hopes of better results tomorrow. :D

Breaking 60 - A massive mental hurdle

I did it! today! I'm marking this date in the diary as the day I broke 60kg.  I was really hoping it was going to be this week ... but hadn't imagined at all it would come by Wednesday.
On the scales this morning and 59.9 starts blinking.  Of course, I get off, get on again ... still 59.9 ... then I move the scales to the other side of the bathroom and try again.  Still 59.9.

I'm doing a little happy dance in my dressing gown.  Actually I did do a little nude happy dance immediately after, but now still happy dancing some time later.

I can't remember the last time my weight started with a 5 .... It must have been a good 10 years ago.

I have got a photo of me aged 18 or so (considerably more than 10 years ago) - preparing for a bungy jump and they have written a huge 51 on the back of my hand.  I remember being mortified at the time as I'd never had a weight with a 5 at the beginning - but I didn't complain as thought it wiser they treated me as slightly heavier rather than putting the skinny elastic on me and ploughing face first into the sand.

I'm strongly tempted to go back and take another bungy jump now .... with a great big 59 written on the back of my hand.  I've got a huge grin on my face.

4 weeks in (the 4hourpeople post that failed)

Hi there folks from 4hourpeople.com .... not sure why I can't get the photos to work on the site this week.
But this is what I wanted to show:

Here's the difference a month makes:

Day 0

to this

End Week 4

That's 3.9kg (8.5lb loss)
A loss of 6 inches (8.6 inches if you count my shrinking boobage)
Fat of 29.9% now 26.5%

GOALS: either weight 54kg (6.5kg to go); or a body fat percentage less than 20; or a stomach that's fab and flat in that bikini. I'll reconsider as I go.

Going Wild Day - All Mixed Up

I think this weekend goes to show that real life often gets in the way of best made plans and intentions .... and that thinking quick on your feet and be flexible and adapting to change is required.

Plan: GWD today (Sunday) primarily switched due to good friend flying in from Chicago - haven't seen him in ages and planned a big blow out catch up - most likely to include big Sunday Roast lunch, pudding and whatever I felt like drinking ... plus probably a couple of bags of crisps during pre-lunch drinks.

Actual: started Saturday with a high protein b/fast (sausages and eggs rather than usual lentils/eggs/spinach as a treat).  Decided that one cup of coffee (a flat white) couldn't hurt too much, and would see me through the Saturday happy to stick to the straight and narrow all day.

My little cheat  this photo from last week,  but I didn't have the sugar  or the little brownie that goes with it.

Lunch - decided on thai/chinese.  After much much deliberation with the waitress, settled on stir fried king prawns with holly basil and chilli.  Much debate pre-ordering to get something with just meat and veg with minimal sauce ... tried phrases "no sugar", "no sweet", "no sauce" and "dry" with waitress.  I thought she had understood.  She really didn't understand "no noodles/no rice" and had to re-check that multiple (and I mean probably 5 times) that I really didn't want noodles and I really didn't want rice. That should have been a warning.

Result: Prawns and veg arrive in a bowl swimming in a thick soupy sauce.  It was tasty, but really sweet. So I fished out my prawns, drained them as much as possible on the side plate - and stayed positive that I wasn't damaging my day too much.

Mid-afternoon .... message from mate, recently landed at Heathrow and now tucked away in his hotel, that he had made reservations at Constancia near Tower Bridge for Sunday night.  Googled it to find out it's a bloody Argentinian Steak Restaurant - full of meat, and red wine, and simple salads.  The ONLY cheat/going wild thing about it was that I could maybe order fries on the side.  Gutted! It's not a treat day to go out to dinner and have someone else serve me what I've been cooking for myself 5 nights a week!

30 minutes later: toss in the towel - decide to make Saturday Going Wild Day afterall - If I'm eating steak and salad Sunday night instead of a big nosh up roast lunch at the pub, then Sunday may as well be routine day (be it a particularly posh one).

So .... I get stuck in:

Grapefruit Juice and Vodka (cos I'm not about to drink it straight - the grapefruit I mean)

Gin and Juice (cos I had to find something else to try with the juice This is an experiment afterall)

Tequila Shot - with plenty of lemon. I'm hoping the citrus blend of G/fruit and lemon works

My drinking partner suggests that I only had the Gin and Juice in order to listen to my favourite version of the Snoop D-O-double-G song:

He might be right!

....And so we continued:

Jelly beans - to counter the bitterness	fish and chips and chicken with tomato sauce and a large pickle	A glass of sweet fruity rose
same as last week	and again	and finished off with a probiotic (cos I'm being healthylike)

So all in all, it turned out to be a pretty good Going Wild Day.

I did air squats before each meal (even the two when I didn't know I really was on Going Wild Day... I'd decided to start by coincidence, or is it fate?). Yes, I was there in the toilets of the restaurant holding up the queue bobbing up and down.

I drank the grapefruit juice before the blow out.

And in total - my weigh in this morning shows I've put on 600gm.  That's half compared to the last 2 weeks.  Is it down to the squats, the juice or the half day instead of full day? Who knows? I introduced too many variables in one session in order to be scientific about it.  Was fun though.

Changing my Going Wild Day

I think I might opt for a Sunday GWD this week.  I'm a lot more relaxed on a Sunday and think I'd reap more of the psychological benefits of eating as I please on my most chilled day of the week.

I'm into such a routine with this slow carb plan now that it's second nature, and I'm not craving a GWD just now, so don't think it would hurt to postpone this one.  But do I still weigh and measure on the Saturday? What about next week?

It's been 14 days since my last weight increase that wasn't my weekly Going Wild gain.  I can't quite believe it - I thought there'd be at least a couple of water retention days; but I have been sticking to plan completely - I don't think there's even been any mini-cheats.

I've introduced a daily calcium+magnesium capsule.  I need to take 3 for it to completely meet the RDAs, but I figure that I should still be getting something from my food - so just taking one for now to see what happens.  My leg cramps have gone.

Leg Cramps Ouch!

youch - over last couple of days have noticed my calves more and more feeling like I'd clambered up Ben Nevis.  If I flex my toes towards my knees it feels really tight in my calves.  A quick browse through www.4hourpeople.com and www.4hbtalk.com indicates that it might be due to low potassium or magnesium - 2 of the things Tim Ferriss suggests one takes (and I haven't been).

I've thrown on some guacamole to breakfast and packed some for my lunch to hit the potassium, but the magnesium seems to come in a lot of nutty things - and I've banned them from the house cos I'm not a 6-nut kind of girl. (I'd be delving into that bag every half an hour).  So I think it's time to head to the vitamins aisle at the shop near work this morning.

3rd Going Wild Day (with photos)

Phwoar! What a blow out!

coffee/milk/cinnamon refilled several times	2 sausages 2 eggs tomato sauce!!	flat white/sugar/mini chocolate brownie
the prosecco is mine the beer is not (Soho, London)	very fancy chocolate la maison du chocolat	disappointing filet fish fries (I shared them)
Sailor Jerry's Ginger Beer	And another one
An assortment of crisps and Sour Cream Dip	They look pretty on a plate (I shared them too)	A banana smoothie (with a dash of Disaronno for good measure!) plus cinnamon
Sushi for dinner	Oysters were soaked in all sorts of tasty sweet Japanese sauces	plus helped myself to  pizza that the others were eating
And a party pack small size CherryRipe	And a slug of Disaronno without the milk and banana	And another Cherry Ripe - because the party pack ones are so small

And all this added a total of 1.2kg to my frame in the past 24 hours.

Next week I'm introducing some damage control!!!

End Week 3 - Photos and Summary

Well here we are 3 weeks in.  I think you can see the biggest difference with these two photos:

Day 0

Day 20

Actually - side by side like that I think even I can see that I'm shrinking!! YAY!!

Here's the progress since day 0 - Have to be pretty happy with the following data:

	day 0	end wk 3	difference
weight (kg)	64.3	60.8	3.5 loss
weight (lb)	141.5	133.8	7.7 loss
inches	141.25	137	4.25 loss
body fat %	29.9	26.8	3.1 point loss
fat in my body	19.23 kg	16.29 kg	3 kg loss

That's all very good .... but after yesterday's GOING WILD DAY .... I have thrown some more back on.

Goals for this week:

• stick to eating plan (no problem  - this is the easiest bit atm)
• lots of water in
• find out about the non-kettle bell exercises to introduce (squats and wall presses etc).  I wasn't going to introduce these until I had a plateau week - but I feel the need to do something new, the food alone is now such a part of my routine that I don't even really need to think about it
• Next GWD - Introduce Damage Control - cinnamon, grapefruit juice and all that.....

But now for the interesting bit .... about to post all of yesterday's blowout!

End of Week 3 - almost

Wow - this has been a bumper week so far - and still one more day to go to push the scales that little bit further.

Lost some every day this week; I didn't anticipate that and thought there'd be at least a couple of days of 100 or 200g up.  I must remember this week next time the scales start in the other direction - this surely isn't representative!

1.9 kg (4.2 lb) in 6 days ..... 3.5kg (7.7lb) since starting nearly 3 weeks ago.  That seems steady.

On reflection - I've cut down the size of the meals; without feeling hungry.  I was fooled by Tim's cautions along the lines of "biggest mistake is not making portion sizes big enough" {will get exact quotes later} etc etc - and I was determined not to be hungry - as it turned out, I was stuffed! So now just winding it back a bit.  And I'm cutting out late night beans etc if my dinner is close to bedtime.  If I eat early I'll keep them there to see me through to morning; but often my schedule means that I eat, and then am in bed within about 30 mins. So on those days, just protein and veg.

Can't wait for Going Wild Day tomorrow! Must remember to regulate better - don't starve myself whilst seeking the "perfect treat".  And I've been craving "healthy sugars"; Fresh sweet mango and passionfruit is calling me.  Fried Rice and Sweet and Sour Chicken doesn't have the same appeal..... what's happening to me????

On another note for the dirty fecker monitoring my bowel movements (you know who you are) .... Actimel seems to be having no discernible positive  effect ... will be introducing something like flaxseed instead as well.  Any other suggestions?

Relief! and a new All Time Low

Phew! Thank god for friends in high places ... in this case a nurse rushing to my rescue with a pre-surgical strength colon cleanser.  In true Tim Ferris style I documented my experiment, but for the purpose of good taste I won't publish it here - but I do know in a quite intricate degree of detail how my intestine responds to such a workout.  (by the time I started the treatment I was 62.2kg - 2.5 hours later I was 61.0 - but possibly a bit dehydrated to boot)

Go Colon Cleanse.

So I don't know if my body is likely to retaliate now and suck in and retain all the water I drink today ... guess I can only wait and see and in the meantime stick to the meal plans 100%.  I also need to make sure I introduce something that will prevent the same happening again.  My trial this week is to have an actimel drink before bed each night - Let's see if that screws with progress.

Pack size - 100g Ingredients - Yogurt (skimmed milk, skimmed milk concentrate, yogurt cultures), Water, Skimmed milk, Dextrose, Stabiliser (pectin), Sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame K), L.casei Danone culture (Lactobacillus casei DN 114001), Vitamin B6, Flavouring, Vitamin D, Contains a source of phenylalanine.  Contains: Milk. Nutritional Value (per 100ml serving size) - Energy: 121kJ/28kcal; Protein 2.8g; Carbs 3.3g(all from sugars); Fat 0.1g; Fibre 0; Sodium 0.04g (equivalent as salt = 0.1g); Vit B6 0.21mg; Vit D 0.75μg

I've picked the low fat, unflavoured one - and I quite like the taste (but not chuffed that there's sweeteners and dextrose)..... now just watching for results.  Now work you little Lactobacilli - work dammit!