A whole 2 months have passed....

I cannot believe its been that long since I last posted.
I was running out of things to say about this diet that I hadn't already mentioned, but the truth be told as far as the Cambridge Diet goes, its been relatively uneventful of late, apart from of course the continuing weight loss.

Having now completed 24 weeks of sole sourcing I have lost a massive 10st 13lbs and 161/2inches from my waist alone.

I have been working with a friend of mine for the past 8 weekk renovating a house which has not only provided some good physical exercise but has also giving us some money for the fast approaching Christmas period.

I have changed in appearance quite dramatically and this was confirmed last night by friends and family at my Nan's 75th birthday. For all the praise I received I still felt embarrased to reveal my weight and especially the amount I have lost. I guess I'm still very ashamed of what I was and although I have changed physically, it'll take some time for me to change mentally.

I am continuing with the coaching of my local under12's football side and am actually participating in small sided games and even jogging around the pitch. I cannot remember the last time I jogged!! Life is getting better all the time and I my list of yhings I want to do/achieve grow daily.

Through all these changes my Cambridge Diet Counsellor has been a tower of strength and our weekly chats/meets have kept me focused and determined to finish this journey. I recommend anyone in the Barking/Dagenham area to get in touch with her should you decide to embark on this diet. She will certainly make the journey more bareable.

I'm just off to take some new pictures which I'll add to my slide. I hope you enjoy them.

Update

I have lost another 12.5lbs since my last post.

Thats a total of 107lbs in 17 weeks. I am feeling the effects of Cd and have been suffering from light headednes and dizzy spells especially when getting up from a lying position. I took blood pressure which was a little low 105/56. I'll be making an appointment with my GP to get the once over. I'm sure its totAlly CD related as many other dieters have experienced such symptons. I'm desperate to lose another 7 stones on the cambridge diet and reaLLY do need the support of my doc. I have to continue. Hopefully I'll see her by Monday and will post when I know more!!

Everything else in my life is going well at the mo. I'm wearing 501's for the first time in a decade and continually receive comments such as 'Your getting taller' and 'you've done some weight'. I love the positive remarks and feel on cloud nine when I get them - it makes a huge change from the derogatory comments I used to receive!!

Although I am relatively active I hadn't mentioned in any previous post I am currently unemployed. I just did not have the confidence or fitness to work. I am not lazy and have not claimed any benefits from the governement. I feel there's a stigma attached with that and one which makes me quite uncomfortable. I do not claim any disability benefit either, even though before I started my diet I was elegible for it. I have financed myself with proceeds from a business I had a while back.
I desperately need a job now. My confidence is v.high and I feel its time to reenter this big bad world.
I do have a degree in maths and computing and would love to put that to use. I hoped i'd be able to complete my teaching degree but have missed out on this years enrolment but am seriously considering next year. In the meantime I;m looking to seek employment which will help finance things should I decide to go to uni nxt year.

If anyone out there reads this and feels they would like to give me a chance I would love to hear from you. I'm very interested in anything I.T related and would make a strong addtion to any workforce. You'd be getting a hard working, intelligent guy who is very dedicated and willing to learn. Many thanks.

More Pictures

I've just added my latest set of pictures taken at approx 14 weeks and come on the back of another AAM.
I've lost another 4lbs to add to my total.

Haven't posted in ages

Hi all, I haven't posted in ages, I apologise to anyone who visits this blog.

Nearly a whole month has passed and I have lost around 24lbs during this time. I stuck to the SSing programme although I have now introduced a cheat to my diet - I add chopped lettuce to my soups. I've been doing this for some weeks and this doesn't seem to have any adverse affect on my weight loss.(still averaging around 6.5lbs per week)

My total weight loss to date is 90.5 lbs and have dropped 11 inches from my waist. I didn't bother to take any other measurements during my diet cos for me its all about the scales. I know I'm shrinking (not in all areas thankfully :)) and don't really need measurements to tell me that. My clothing has shrunk from 4-5xl in t-shirt to bordering on a 2xl and I now wear 42inch waist jeans( do them up under my belly). Before all my trousers were elasticated!! Even my feet have shrunk from a 9 to a 8.5.
I'm currently getting some great responses from people I haven't seen in ages which makes it all worth while. I can't wait until xmas - this is often a time i see family friends I haven't seen for months, I'll enjoy being the centre of attention (not something I would usually enjoy).
All in all its been a good month despite the weather. I had a good holiday and am generally feel much better about muyself and life in general.
Onwards and upwards.....

10th weigh in

Lost only half a pound last week whilst on my second add a meal week, although I did lose another half inch from my waist which was some consellation.

I think I ate too much during AAM i..e had 2 serving spoons of veg instead of 2 tbsps, and had larger pieces of chicken then was recommended.

This meant I probably came out of ketosis, although having said that its been 3 days since my last weigh in and I'm back in the swing of sole sourcing.

My CDC is away for a week and then I'm off on my hols for a week so there will be a 3 week wait till my next weigh in. This should mean a good loss when I do finally get on those scales!!

Been hot today and have the AC machine on indoors. I cannot understand why I suffered for so many years in the heat especially at night when all the time an AC machine was the answer. So if anyone is feeling the heat, go and pick up an aircon machine. There great!!

9th weigh in

Lost another 5lbs.

Total loss 4 stone 8lbs.

I have added new photos to my slide. The first set was taken at the beginning, 2nd set after 5 weeks and third set after 10 weeks.

Feeling good this week after my second add a meal week. Have enjoyed the food enormously. I have another weigh in tomorrow. That will be my final weigh in for 3 weeks as first my CDC then I go on holiday.

I will try to resist the temptation of weighing on my scales during the next 3 weeks and will stick religously to my diet whilst on my hols. This should mean I'll see a great loss when I jump on the scales in a few weeks.

Will probably post again after my holidays.

8th Weigh In

Lost another 6 lbs.

More DEcorating

Having been decorating the living room for the past couple of days and am feel constantly high with the fumes from the topcoat.

I'm drinking like a fish (water only of course) cos its been quite warm and I sweat bucket loads. Whenever I'm concentrating hard at something the sweat just pours off me :-)

Its all coming together nicely. I've finished topcoating all the woodwork and have given the ceiling two coats of emulsion. The finish is all down to preparation and I spent a good couple of days sanding walls and woodwork as well as general wall preparation and filling a few holes and blemishes. Hopefully it'll all turn out well in the end. Just got to give the walls a couple of coats tomorrow then think about rplacing a couple of internal doors. Have seen a couple of nice ones in b&q so will probably opt for those.
Diet seems to be going well this week although I did have a cheat by munching on some green lettuce leaves. I can't see this having any effect on the diet and a welcome relief to drinking every meal!

Off now to catch up on some tv. BB8 on in an hour, so I'll have a nice shower and sit and watch that.

WEIGH IN NUMBER 7

Hi all,

I'm not that great at updating this blog and more often than not neglect to do it. You see I've never really been much of an Adrian Mole or Bridget Jones.

Anyway, on a more positive note I've lost another 5Lbs this week, which brings my total loss to 53lbs. This diet is starting to take its toll and as mentioned in previous posts I haven't been feeling great of late but that maybe something totally non diet related. Who knows!
I had an appointment to see the G.P last Tues but have improved considerably since last week so therefore cancelled the appointment. Hopefully its onwards and upwards from here and I'll continue to feel much better.

Have read my latest copy of PCWorld which came through the post today and also the June addition of the Cambridge diet mag which I recently discovered. This mag has some fantastic stories in them and aptly named 'Inspiration'. I did read the slimmer of the year 2006 was sent to Kuala Lumpar for a photo shoot so I'm aiming for slimmer of the year 2007 or 2008 if I haven't shed the weight by the end of this year. :-) Just imagine an all inclusive paid trip to the far east staying in a five star hotel...can't be bad.

Off now to check out whats going on at minimins. See ya.

Feeling better today, a slight headache but no dizzy spell as yet. Hopefully I just have a virus or earache or something (was getting slight pain below left ear last night).

Have had a good day watching sport on the tv. Formula One was great, unfortunately the maclarens were out classed by the ferraris. Was so hoping Lewis Hamilton would triump.
An awesome final at Wimbledon also. Federer showed real class to come through and take that match. Brilliant!

This weekend has just flown by. Weather much better but will change no doubt by next week. I'm hoping to get a day's fishing in next week, weather permitting. (have to admit i'm more of a fare weather angler, can't stand getting wet).

Really starting to notice the weight loss now. Have spent the pass couple of days trying on smaller clothing which I have in my wardrobe. Its a great feeling when that shirt finally buttons up without the buttons straining as you breathe out!!

Going away for a week in August so looking forward to that. Pleased I have a few more options in the clothes department this time.

Off now to have a shower, BB returns this evening. Have to admit I've become a bit of a fan. Sad I know. :-)

Still feeling dizzy with a sense of malaise.

Have made a doctors appointment for Tuesday and will discuss things with her.
It had been suggested by my CDC to move to a higher calorie plan than the one I'm on, but the losses I am having are making me very reluctant to do this. Will see G.P first and then make a decision.

WEEK 6 WEIGH IN

Had my 6th weigh in last night and lost another 7lbs. Thats 45lbs in 6 weeks. :-)

I just hope I do not have to move to a higher calorie plan because of these current dizzy spells. I love this rate of weight loss!!

From now on I will be showing my loss with an extra 3 lbs deducted. So my loss will now show 48lbs in 6 weeks. The reason for this is due to weight differences between my scales and my CDC's. Due to my high starting weight my CDC scales only weighed upto 28.5 stones. My scales however weighed upto 31 stones, so my initial weight was taken from these. By the second week I was able to use my CDC's scales and with the two sets of scales side by side my scales showed me as being 3lbs heavier. I have since stopped using my scales and now weigh on hers. Although there is a 3lb difference I have not included this loss, however its becoming a little tedious to keep remembering that my actual weight I have recorded on my ticker is 3lbs heavier than my weight shown on my CDC's scales.
As mentioned earlier I have been using my CDC's scales and taking the loss from that. So for simplicity sake I wiill show my loss according to my CDC's scales and include the 3lb scale discrepency.

DIZZY SPELLS

Have been experiencing some bouts of dizziness the past week. I discussed this with ny Cambridge Diet Counsellor (CDC) last night and she will be phoning someone today and will get back to me later. The dizzy spells are completely random. I have had ny blood pressure checked and that's fine. I am not diabetic or suffer from low blood sugar levels normally.

The week before last I was on my AAM week and was consuming more calories. The past week however I had stopped AAM and returned to sole sourcing (SSing). I also stopped having a cambridge bar a day and stuck solely to soups and shakes. The bars contain about 30-40 calories more than a soup or shake. Also I exercised for about 20mins a day for 4 of the past 7 days.(do not feel dizzy at all whilst exercising). I had not exercised before on this diet. Due to this VLCD and the fact I stopped AAM, the bars and started exercising all in one week may just have been too much for me, hence the dizzy spells.
I'm just speculating of course and will stop the exercise this week and start having the cambridge bars again. I hope this will lessen if not stop the dizzy spells completely. If this doesn't help I will see my doctor and providing there is nothing obviously wrong, may be forced to increase my calorific intake and go onto the 790 plan.

Am feeling fine so far today!

Tummy tuck.

Have been following a posting on minimins about a guy who has lost a lot of weight and had a tummy tuck to remove the loose skin. His experience however appears very grim and I am now have serious doubts about having one myself once I've lost all my weight.
I maybe getting a little ahead of myself here but I know my skin has stretched a huge amount (visible stretch marks) and will surely need some cosmetic surgery to remove the loose skin.
I will go to the gym and work out to help though and I am curremtly creaming my skin to keep it supple but I fear the inevitable will happen one day and I'll have to make that decision.
I hope to god if I do need a tummy tuck my experience will be much more favourable than his.!!

Trouble loading pictures.

I could not for the life of me post pictures into my post. I have tried for days now without any luck so I created a slide and inserted that up top.

When I tried to insert an image nothing happened. I'm sure it has something to do with my firewall etc so I disabled that and allowed pop ups in IE. I allowed pop-ups in my internet security suite, but to no avail.

If anyone else has had this problem I'd appreciate a solution. Many thanks.

New piccies.

I have recently lent my digital to camera to my brother and due to its forgetful nature he has not returned it. At last he will be returning it this evening and I will get a chance to take some new photos of me 5 weeks in to this diet.

I must admit I spent some time last night looking at my original phots and comparing them to how I look now. I was pleasantly surprised with how noticeable the weight loss was.
I would advise anyone embarking on such a diet to take photos of there progress, even if they are camera shy, because you feel great when you look at the 'before' photos and see how far you have come.

Will post new photos later.

Side effects.

Having returned yesterday to SSing, I did experience a few side affects. Last night I had a little tingling in my left foot and hands. I did experience this at the beginning of the diet when moving into Ketosis, and my CDC advised me it would pass, as it did do after a couple of days. I'm sure it will pass again as my body gets use to SSing again.

Its surprising how a small amount of real food consumed durring AAM week can have an affect on your body!

This week I have also decided to give the peanut bars a rest. The bars are slightly higher in calories than the satchets about 30 Kcal or so and in some cases can cause people to come out of ketosis and hence the reason why only one per day is permitted. I know even with the bar I'm in Ketosis, I just wanted to kick start things again after 'add a meal' week, so in a sense I'm mentally starting the diet again.
When I initially started I did not have a bar for the first week of the diet and had only one every other day during the second week. (not really suppose to have a bar during first two weeks), this did not effect ketosis or my weight loss for that week though, and I felt I needed something solid in my diet!
So as I start my next 4 weeks on SSing I guess I will endure a few symptons over the coming days, I expect these to subside as I get back into the swing of things.

I post regulary on http://www.minimins.com/ regarding my weight loss. This site is fantastic in my opinion and has been a great support. Many of the members there are seasoned CDer's and have a wealth of experience to add. They also offer great encouragement at all times. I seem to visit the site on a daily basis and always leave it feeling better about myself and the diet. Its great knowing I'm not the only one on this diet and not alone. I thank everyone on that site who has offered words of encouragement and support. Its much appreciated. Thank you. xxx

5TH WEIGH IN

I have just completed my fifth week on the CD and have lost another 5Lbs. Thats a total of 38lbs in 5 weeks, which feels great.

Last week I completed what is known as Add A Meal week where a very small meal is added to the four satchets of CD. My extra meal consisted of 50g of chicken and 4 florets of broccoli. I had this for most of the week and finished with a piece of lemon sole and broccoli on Wednesday. I guess I was a little lazy when it came to doing the extra meal, but having cooked a breast of chicken and realising that 50g was only one third of the cooked breast, it meant one piece lasted me 3 days and so there wasn't a great deal of thought needed when preparing the next days meal!!

Its amazing though how having real food again made me grave for more. Although I was allowed various greens with my AAM its surprising how many times I found myself opening the fridge and saying to myself..."you can have a bit more salad if u like, or a piece of cucumber". Although eating an extra salad leaf or piece of cucumber would not have harmed me, I think it was representative of how addicted to food I am. Thats why the CD seems to be working for me, 'cos with only 4 satchets to deal with I do not have to worry where my next meal is coming from or what it is. Whilst on the CD I have thought about food, mainly due to watching programs such as the F-Word and Masterchef, however I haven't craved for food. This only happened once I started to have some real food again. Scary!!!!
Some people smoke, some drink to excess. I eat food...lots of food...I'm a food junkie. Quantity, not quality is my motto and one reason I got to the size I had.
I am hoping as the weight goes and I become fit, my dependance on food lessens and I can resume a normal life. If I'm still struggling with food addiction as I shed further stones, I'll seek mental help... although at present I feel if I address the weight problem and start to live a fulfilling and active life, I'll cut that bond I have with food and find pleasure in other things; other more active interests such as becoming a football coach or likes...something I have become very interested of late due to my recent involvement in my nephews football side. I've also been interested in completing the mongol challenge and have followed various teams for the past couple of rallies. You can see more about the mongol challenge via the link on the right.

The Cambridge Diet

The Cambridge Diet (CD) has been going since the early 80's. It is a programme of very low calorie diets(VLCD) which consisits of all the vitamins, nutrients and protein required on a daily basis. Carbohydrates and fat are severly restricted.

I am embarking on what is know as the CD Sole Source (SS) programm. This consists of a daily calorific intake of between 415-554KCal depending on sex and height. (All men have the higher amount). These calories are consumed in the form of mikshakes, soups or chocolate bars. All are highly concentrated in vitamins and nutrients. Each soup/shake consists of about 137Kcal (the bars are 172Kcal - only one allowed per day)

Black tea/coffee is allowed and a minimum of 4 pints of water should be drunk each day.
I drink around 6 litres a day (12 pints) given my size and find water is key on this diet to good weight loss. Following the diet according to the CD manual you will lose a stone a month, although many lose considerably more. In my experience and from what I have read, the heavier you are the more you tend to lose. There also seems a correlation between the amount of fluid you drink and weight loss. I'm not sure if this has been proved, however I believe as do many others, by drinking large quantities of water you help the body to perform efficiently and help to flush the body of ketones.

Ketones are a by product of Ketosis. When on the CD a process known as Ketosis starts to occur after 3-4 days. When Carbohydrate levels are depleted the body starts to burn its own fat store for energy. This prevents the body from using precious muscle and lean body tissue and helps protect the vital organs. Further information on Ketosis can be found on the CD website or simply by Googling the word 'Ketosis'.

Unless you have permission from your G.P the SS programme can only be followed for a period of 4 weeks, at which time a very small meal is added to the diet in what is known as Add A Meal (AAM). This lasts for a period of one week before you can then return to SSing again.

Once you have reached your target weight the CD has a series of stages to return you to eating 'normally'. This involves slowly increasing calories over a period of weeks, intorducing various food groups as you go. This has the effect of replenishing your Carbohydrate store and getting the body using to eating once again. The ultimate goal of this stage of the diet is to lead you to maintenance. A stage where you maintain your weight without loss or gain. Obviously deopending on the individual and their activity levels, maintenance will occur at different levels of calorific intake.

My 3rd Weigh In

Hi Everyone,

I haven't got around to posting during the past week because I've been very busy helping to install our new kitchen. I'm not much of a d.i.y person but I'm always eager to try. A good friend of mine is fitting the kitchen free of charge but that means I have to 'labour' for him. I haven't objected really since this has kept me very active the past week and helped to sweat those pounds off.

Anyway, I went for my third weigh in on Weds evening and lost another 7.5 pounds!! Thats now just over 31 pounds in 3 weeks.

I'm starting to feel much better about this diet and not wanting to tempt fate, have endured the worst of the symptons. My third week in comparison to my first two was relatively plain sailing.
Once I have completed this week I'll be moving on to 'add a meal week' (I'll explain the details of this diet in my next post, although I'm sure many who read this will be familiar with it already).
Feeling a little apprehensive about eating 'normal' food again but I'll worry more about that next week and will continue my strategy of taking one day at a time.

Will post again soon.

A weight loss of 7 pounds...

Weighed in last night with my CDC and have lost another 7 pounds. I am pleased, however if I drank more water over the weekend I feel I could have lost more.

I will make sure I drink at least 5.5 litres of water a day till next weigh in!

Weigh Day

HAve to go for my second weigh in this evening. I am a little concerned I haven't lost any weight. This is largely due to the fact I did not drink my usual quota of water at the weekend and hand two bars on one day (apparently you can only have one a day...found this out when I came back!).

I'm so deperate to lose the weight and I'll just pray and hope the scales will show a good result.

Weekend Over!!

I came back today from my a long weekend (Fri-Mon) at the seaside and have thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I managed to do plenty of walking and took in a great deal of fresh air.

As for the diet, I stuck to it 100 percent. Whilst all around me were tucking in to fish 'n' chips and fried breakfasts, I kept to my soups and shakes.

I did have 4 bars for my second week and consumed 3 of these whilst away. It was great to actually have something to chew on and left me feeling quite satisfied.

I have struggled with the water intake for the 3-4 days away and have consumed about 4.5 litres a day which is probab;y down about a litre per day on last week. Also I found myself drinking larger quantites in a shorter space of time, I guess I managed my water intake quite poorly... I drank about 2 cups of black coffee on a daily basis when out and about and sitting down in a restaurant or cafe whilst the others gorged themselves. Naturally as the weather was warm and I walked more, I sweated more so I guess I should have drunk a great deal more NOT less. I hope my fluid intake this week does not affect my weight loss... I'm a bit concerned as I do not feel I have lost much weight, if any at all. I hope I'm wrong. (2 days to weigh in)

Since returning home I've increased the water again and have at present drunk 4.5 litres. I'll try for another 1.5 litres till bed.

If I can push the amount I drink to 6 litres a day for the next two days, I may just get that weight loss on Wednesday.

As for side effects, my stomach has suffered. I take ranatidine for my stomach acid and still have struggled with bloatedness and acid reflux and heartburn especially after consuming lots of water.
I also have an uncomfortable feeling of a lump in the back of my throat which feels likes a hairball that will not go away. I have had this before and I think its a result of acid coming up into my throat.
I've also had tingling sensations in limbs and a few dead legs which I know others on the CD have experienced. I think this may have something to do with the amount of water I drank.

Will look forward now to Wednesday and weigh day. Regardless of the amount I'll lose I have told myself I can do this diet for a month before deciding if I should continue. One poor result although disheartening will not stop me from completing the 4 weeks.

My First Weigh In...

Last night I went to see my CDC and had my first weigh in.

I had lost an amazing 17 lbs in one week!! and 1.5 inches from my wasit.

Naturally I'm delighted and hopefully I'll be able to last another week. At the moment I'm taking each day as it comes and although I have experience some side effects i.e. tingling in hands and feet, headaches, hunger pains and general bloating/stomach discomfort, I will stick with it unless these symptons continue unrelentlessly. Hopefully this will not be the case!

Day 6

Just one more day to go to weigh in.

Been a fairly busy day today, organising the house in preparation for the new kitchen being delivered tomorrow.
We've picked the kitchen up from a company called Howdens who use to supply MFI's before they split several years back. We've been able to save quite a bit of dosh because the kitchens you purchase at MFI are all available at Howdens and at a discounted price. We simply went to MFI's and used there kitchen planner to preplan the kitchen and choose the design/layout and appliances then took the printed itemised list to Howdens and saved ourselves aboout £500 on a £3000 kitchen!!

I'm going away this weekend to Walton-on-the-naze with the whole family including Mum&Dad, my brother and his family, my Nan & Grandad and several Aunts and Uncles so we should have a great time of it. I just hope the weather holds...it always seemed to rain whenever we went to Walton as children and it would seem it looks set to be wet again this weeked. LOL Nevermind we'll still make the most of it.

As for the diet I'm soldiering on. My headache has all but gone although it does return if I do not drink my water regularly. I'm still getting general aches and pains but again I hope these will subside in the coming days.

Will post tomorrow evening and let you know how I get on at my first weigh in.

Day 5

BAnk Holiday Monday today and typically its raining.

Went to Tesco today to do a little bit of shopping (took Mum & Dad along). Both of my parents are actually on diets themselves (not CD), most of the food they bought was relatively healthy and so I wasn't salivating too much at the thought of all that food.
The most difficult part was walking past the bakery. I just love the smell of warm crusty bread!!

I picked up a Gold Spot breath freshner to help erradicate my bad breath, apparently hallitosis is a common side effect of 'ketosis' (I'll explain more about this at a later date).

Started some gradual exercise also today which consisted of a 10 minute spell on my exercise bike. I'm not going to over do it with the exercise and will build up very slowly....I believe my long term goal has to include a daily exercise regime as part of my new lifestyle.
One of the many reasons I want to lose weight is to become fit and active. My nephew current plays for an under 12's soccer team which desperately needs additional coaches. I have followed the team for the past year and am eager to contribute more. I cuurently administrate their website but long to become physically involved. Their new season starts in AUgust and by that time I would like to be 5 stones lighter. I don't expect to play a physical role this season but hopefully next year I'll be able to assist with the coaching and be more 'hands on'.
With goals like this I'm sure I'll be able to keep going. I just need to constantly remind myself such goals are achievable.

www.minimins.com

For anyone out there who is considering losing weight this is an excellent resource site (www.minimins.com)

There are many people on this site who have succeeded in losing weight and also many who continue to try. Its inspirational to view the 'before and after' picture gallery and will help anyone wanting to lose weight.

I've had some good support in the very brief time I've been on the Cambridge Diet (CD) from those on minimins and hopefully I'll return the favour to others as I continue on with my journey.

Day 4

Been a lazy day today, watched the F1 Grand Prix and drank water!

My Cambridge Diet Counsellor (CDC) phoned this evening just enquiring how I was getting on. It was a little unexpected but much appreciated as I am finding this diet very hard. Naturally I was expecting some food withdrawal symptons and at the moment I have a slight headache and generally have some aches and pains. My arms feel weak and my shoulders are aching. My stomach is still 'burning' with hunger pangs and have felt abit cold today. I guess I can compare the way I'm feeling to those you experience when you feel under the weather with flu like symptons. I'm sure I'll stay strong till weigh day and hope these symptons subside soon.

I'm drinking loads too, about 5-6 litres of water a day and because of this I'm visiting the toilet every couple of hours. Managed to get my night time visits down to just two.

Feeling as I do I'll leave it there and return when I feel a little more enthused and energetic.

Day 2

Struggled with a headache for the most part today, despite drinking nearly 6 litres of water, I swear I couldn't drink another drop.

Had the veg soup today which wasn't too bad, but I preferred the Oriental Chilli soup I had yesterday. Not too keen on the vanilla shakes though - don't think I'll bother with those next week!

This evening I had a presentation/disco evening for my nephews football team held at Dagenham & REdbridge football club. As I had expected there was loads of food and plenty of beer going around but inspite of this I managed to stay strong and last the evening without so much as a morsel passing my lips.
The most awkward point was drinking water throughout the evening and I felt quite uncomfortable doing this. Would have much prefered a cold beer or a JD and coke.
I guess I resisted all temptations because whilst most were up dancing and chatting it was too warm for me to stand up, let alone dance and so I remained seated for the most part just trying to stay cool - I wore my trusty coat again!!! I'm determined to lose this weight and strut my stuff of that dance floor :-)


Overall day 2 has been o.k, slightly harder than yesterday (due to headache) but I certainly do not feel as hungry. Last night my stomach was burning with hunger pains.

Off to bed now, must pay one last visit to the toilet though - lost count the number of times I've gone today!!!

Just 5 more days to go till weigh in......................

Day One

Last night I met my CDC for the first time.
She was fantastic, extremely bubbly and very easy to talk too.

I was initially quite nervous about meeting her and discussing my weight issues with her, but I needn't of worried because I was greeted with a huge smile and a very warm welcome.
That in itself made me feel a whole lot better.

Then came the dreaded weigh in.

My official starting weight is.......29 stone 9 lbs

I took my own scales with me since hers only went up to 28 stone and I knew I needed a good set to use. I purchased a set of digital salter scales from ebay recently, saved quite abit of money on the retail price, and they weigh up to 31.5 stone.....great!

I collected my first batch of cambridge satchets and had my first shake a couple of hours ago.
I tried the chocolate to start with and I must say it tasted quite nice. Chocolate reminds me very much of the chocolate cadburys highlights drink and smells almost identical.

As I type this I have just finished my second litre of water. I'll drink at least 4 litres today (will try for 6 litres in the coming days - depends how I'm feeling).
The first pint of the day was disgusting; straight from the tap and left my stomach feeling very uncomfortable for 30 seconds or so. May put some in the fridge for tomorrow and have it cold.

Not feeling hungry yet, the real test for me comes around 8pm when I relaxing watching t.v.

Very muggy today. Warm and humid!! thats the worse for me.... Last night was very uncomfortable but fortunately I got up and put my aircon machine on, only to wake up a few hours later bloody freezing!!! I forgot to set the timer on the machine and woke up with feet like ice blocks.
Anyway off now to have another shake, will try vanilla I think. Have to get a smaller whisk when shopping next to make sure I whisk it to a light and fluffy consisitency. Think I've seen small electric hand held whisks somewhere and may invest in one of those.

Weigh In Day

My diet starts tomorrow.

I have contacted my CDC and have arranged to meet her this evening for my first weigh in.

I will then have my official start weight. Can't say I'm really looking forward to the embarassment of the weigh in, but its a small price to pay for the start I so desperatley need.
I have ordered my first weeks supplies and have decided to try shakes and soups only. I've ordered 14 choc shakes, 7 vanilla, 4 veg soup and 3 oriental chilli soup(sounds nice). I think I'll stick with the one soup aday which I'll have around tea-time. I have much more of a savoury tooth than a sweet one although I do love a MacDonalds chocolate milkshake ( often had an extra large one, but I think they have stopped the supersize ones now - shame!!).
No doubt I'll get round to trying most flavours on this diet but have played it relatively safe to start with.

Its very warm today and naturally I'm avoiding going out in the sun. I absolutely hate the thought of summer and all that it entails, and one of many reasons I wish to shed the pounds.

Its been many a year since I have enjoyed the warmth of summer (probably not since my mid to late teens). Summer for me means profuse sweating, feeling overheated constantly, headaches and sweat rashes. I have suffered for years really but even this has not been enough for me to lose weight. I'm like a sleuth around summer time and although I may long to be out in the sun swimming in a pool or lying on a beach in the med, these are just fantasies for me.
Because of my shape and size I'm ashamed to go out in the sun without a coat on!!! The thought of being seen with just a t-shirt on makes me feel so uncomfortable, I do not go anywhere without my trusty coat.
i remember a couple of years back when temperatures hit an all time high ( aorund 38-39 degress), I actually went out in a thick fleece!! My face looked like a beetroot and I could feel the sweat oozing from every pore but still I just endured the discomfort and carried on. I truly amaze myself at just how self conscious I have become.


Anyway I'm off now, will be back later to let you know how my first weigh in goes. Will have to hurry up back from my CDC tonight as LIverpool play AC Milan in the Champions League final (bit of footy fan) and will post then. See ya

Its almost begun.

Today I received my medical form in the post from my CDC.

I will make an appointment to see my G.P tomorrow and once the form signed I can make that first initial appointment with my Cambridge Diet Counsellor.

Am getting quite excited now at the prospect of this diet.

I have taken several 'before' photos for my gallery...will probably take a snapshot once a week...I can't wait!!!

Hello

Hi everyone.

I am readying myself to start on the Cambridge Diet.

This blog will record my progress over the coming months.

I hope I'll look back upon this blog as the months go by for the encouragment and strength I'll need for my journey.