Well, I thought I should report that I have now lost 15.7lb. It has taken me a while to work out what I can and can’t eat but I now believe that as well as giving up all forms of starch (potatoes, rice, pasta, flour) I have a slight intolerance to dairy and must cut back seriously on, in particular, cheese. I believe this because for weeks I stuck to Atkins low carb diet like glue without any weight loss. I friend suggested that I try giving up dairy and like magic the weight began to go. Thank you Melissa!
Is life worth living? You may well ask yourself. Well, as a matter of fact, life is very good and I feel excellent. After an initial period of craving for sugar, heart palpitations and energy ups and downs, I have now gained complete control of my appetite – although I have to admit that after dinner with old friends yesterday, the Thorntons chocolates gave me a bit of a hard time. I didn’t have one though because I know that it will only take one truffle to put me back where I started – addicted and binging.
In the book The Harcombe Diet Zoe states that you can eat starchy and carbohydrate fruit, vegetables and wholefoods (with no fat) for a meal – I suppose breakfast would be good, you could have brown rice cereal or oatmeal with skimmed milk and fruit. Afterwards you must only eat a meaty/fatty meal after waiting a period of time, I forget how many hours but three or four I think. This former doesn’t work for me at all. I get bloated after any starch, have terrible stomach pain and WIND! I suppose I am intolerant to something there as well, so I am a meat/fish and vegetable queen. I have salmon mousse, pate, fish in cream and mushroom sauce ( a bit of cream seems OK for me), Avocado with prawns/shrimp and Marie Rose sauce, curry ( no rice), lots of salads, mayonnaise and butter and it’s all delicious. Breakfasts consist largely of eggs, bacon, sausages and tomatoes. If I need something crunchy I have a few pecans (salted and roasted) and I also eat 2 Scandinavian Bran Crispbread per day. Instead of potatoes I have become addicted to Brussels sprout puree. Cook the sprouts until softish then whiz them with a blender until smooth. Stir in black pepper and a tablespoon of home made mayonnaise or a knob of butter.
Drinking dry wine seems fine and an occasional whisky is also acceptable. I tend to try and keep drinking to the weekend.
This will be my life from now on. Sorry friends and family I am now a pain to entertain!