KM64's Refeed Diary

[rowemob]

Hi Kay,
Congratulations, sounds like refeed is going well for you.
Cheers
Michelle

[km64]

Day 9

Start - 69.4
Today - 68.0 (67.6 post breakie and shower)

Thanks Shazza, FlaMie, Vee, cc and Michelle - even in refeed some enthusiasm and support is so good to hear (I still struggle with temptation and wanting to have other things - got served up two choc buds with a coffee at a kids party today - stared at them a long time, sighed, then put them into the lunch container with my son's sandwich in it and gave them to him and a friend when the party was over).

Well today felt like absolute food overload (am up to maximum extra protein but still some more veg to add before I'm finished, also have the bigger carb hits still to contend with which start on Tuesday all going well). I really struggled at lunch to eat my whole meal (which had half my extra protein and veg in it plus two bits of bread - so much darn food I could barely eat it - the size of the container I had it in, because I had chicken and salad so took up lots of room, was like a bl**dy feeding trough!!).

Anyway, still here and only 7 days to go I hope (again, caveat being no extreme weight gain before the end).

So another day down and the end of this diet is definitely creeping up. Its interesting how hard it is staying DF on refeed - just have to keep reading my program and focusing on the next bit of fruit or meal to pile in so I don't think about other things.

Cheers for today - Kay.

[RosemaryFNQ]

Hi Kay,

Well done on your refeed so far. I too am enjoying the new addition of weights - it really does make the meal so much bigger. I feel that temptation as well - we are so close and yet so far to having all the other goodies. Our time will come....

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Cheers Rosemary

[km64]

Day 10

Start refeed - 69.4
Today - 68.0 (stable from yesterday)

Thanks Rosemary - glad you are enjoying refeed as well.

Today pretty uneventful - had some of my bread for breakfast (egg buttie - yum!) and didn't then feel like I was struggling to eat so much food through the day. Also saved an orange for after dinner so didn't have to fit in as much fruit during the day it felt - maybe I'm just getting used to the increase in food.

Got to mix in new proteins tonight - yum, I made a middle eastern mixed grill of beef kofte and a small lean lamb steak with middle eastern spice rubbed in (next time I'll do some chicken breast pieces with it too I think). Have to say the lamb was truly delicious - so tender!!

Anyway, so far going ok - back at work tomorrow after illness for the week, will be weird taking such a large bag of food with me compared to two weeks ago.

Cheers for now - Kay.

[cc75]

go the mixed grill k. so glad refeed is going well for you. big hugs and support. cc

[ConnieK..]

Sounds like you are having fun Kay .... excellent work so far and almost home middle eastern grill ... I bet it smelt just divine as well!

I know what you mean about refeed and deviating, I think maybe it's just that you know you are so close that your mind starts saying .. awww cmon ... it's only a few days LOL

Keep up the great work Kay

Connie

[Rach77]

Hi Kay,

You are doing this!!! And it sounds like you are doing it well. You have come this far you can last these last few days. It sounds like such a horrible problem to have too much food.

Stay strong. The big wide world of food awaits you.

Rach

[thenewvee]

Well done Kay, keep on going!

Vee

[km64]

Day 11

Today - 68.2 (0.2 above yesterday)

Thanks very much cc, Connie, Rach and Vee - yes I am having fun (and very sorry to cc for the smell of the mixed grill that you couldn't share in) - tonight was lamb version of surf n turf (lamb steak, prawns and chilli/garlic stir-fried veg - but again, far too much - took me about half an hour to eat that, the bread and the last piece of fruit for the day). TOM hit today though so can't tell what is really happening with weight (curse of being female I guess) and what is fluid etc from TOM - also makes it harder for me to eat a lot (usually first day or so I lose my appetite).

Anyway, yes definitely having fun and can't wait for pasta dish tomorrow - already plotting and planning my next 5 days of carb hits - want to do pasta one day, rice, noodles, potato/pumkin mash and keep popcorn for friday night!! What bliss to veg out in front of telly with a wee bowl of popcorn (yes I know - no added stuff like butter!!)

Not mch else going on - bit sad about a 0.2kg increase in weight, but still 1.2 under my start weight on refeed so can't be too unhappy.

Cheers for today - Kay.

[carrieanne_c]

Kay, sounds interesting- I cant wait to get mine and read it - Glad your finding it easy to exercise your will power against the chocalate-Good Girl!

[km64]

Day 12

Today - 68.0 (-0.2 since yesterday)

Thanks Carrieanne.

Well, only four days left to go unless something weird happens with my weight. Introduced carb today - had no idea what the weight would look like in food and lmao when I realised it amounted to about 12 bits of penne pasta - what a giggle. Have made potato/pumkin mash to have with lamb/beff mince with tomato vegies tomorrow - the mash doesn't amount to much either. But the taste of the penne was fabulous - chicken and pork strips with tomato, eggplant and other veg plus garlic, basil and chilli - yummo!

Hoping weight stays pretty stable for last few days. If so - should be done by end of Saturday - will be enjoying life post the program from Sunday onwards )and touching wood as I speak).

Still a bit of a struggle wanting to have some chocolate. But coping - and knowing that Friday I can have a bikkie helps (not long now).

Am enjoying preparing different dishes and doing a few different things now. Will be glad to get away from the veg stir frys post the program.

All good otherwise - had a fab day with the kids today and definitely feel like my energy levels are increasing with the increase in food.

Cheers - Kay.

[carrieanne_c]

Hi Kay, glad you enjoyed the 12 bits of pasta! ¿do youu know if we are allowed to substitute the alcohol on our first day of bread allowance? I find this refeed thing confusing -Im not there yet but I just want to know when I can have my first drink. I didnt know it would involve so much math.

[ConnieK..]

hey Kay,

Good to see you are going so smoothly through the last days of refeed ... well done!

carrieanne - You can't have alcohol until your refeed explicitly says you can exchange bread for alcohol, my refeed was 20 days, bread on day 3, alcohol not until day 17.

Connie

[Mette]

[thenewvee]

Yay, Kay, you are doing so well! Your foods sound truly divine! Glad you are enjoying them all so much!
Wow, this time next week you will be in maintenance land!
How THRILLING!!!

Enjoy the last few days of refeed!

Vee

[km64]

Day 13

Today - 67.8 (-0.2 from yesterday)

Hi Carrieanne - first alcohol on my refeed program is not until the very last day (which for me is likely day 16 - luckily I'm not a big fan of alcohol and never was, so hasn't been a hassle for me at all throughout the program) - sorry to disappoint. And yes, there is a bit of maths involved - I'm pretty good at it and my last days are even confusing me - am writing all over my plan so I know what I'm adding where (but heaven help me if I start planning the next day too cause I get lost regarding which day I'm looking at) - its all about planning and I've gone relatively simple with even splits of everything across lunch and dinner so that saves on a little confusion.

Day 14 has also been pretty good - still having to force myself to eat the full amount of bread, but just interested in it as an experiment in what my body can handle, and fascinating to me that today my weight had gone down a little again (that's down 0.4 over two days I think - clearly that handful of penne burned up some calories).

I have to say I find this program nothing short of incredible - apart from not eating a lot, it doesn't really make sense to me in all respects and yet it seems to work - the Dr definitely knows what he's doing and I think he is spot on how much my body doesn't particularly like carbs.

I received the maintenance guidelines today - made for a very interesting and illuminating read (most of it was what I expected but not all, like when you can eat certain things and how that works). Would love to know all the science behind the guidelines - obviously mostly about hormone levels and what triggers what in your body, but it fascinates me.

I'm feeling a lot more full of pep at present - not sure if more food is affecting my mood and attitude to work, or if work has actually improved recently and with it my mood. Maybe a bit of both. Even though this week I finish Cohens and my masters, I have already been thinking about what I tackle next or what possibilities I want to fulfil now. Have a few thoughts in mind, so perhaps the energy comes from filling myself up again with possibility.

After reading maintenance, I think I still have some way to go in letting go of what I know I'd like to eat every day - the carb full meals being a thing of the past doesn't really bother me, its the carb full snacks after dinner that I really used to love and while I'll be able to perhaps have occassionally obviously bingeing on a regular basis is gone, gone, gone!! Its the only way I can see that I'll maintain this, is to mostly eat protein and veg for life with the very occassional indulgence.

So - three days to go hopefully and then I'm free - and day after tomorrow I get to have a biscuit without guilt (YAY!!!! - bring on that scotch finger bikkie!!). And I may well buy a tiny champers to have as a glass of alcohol on that last day and forgo the carbs quite happily just to celebrate the end of one phase and the beginning of another.

Cheers for now - a far more hopeful and positive Kay.

[km64]

PS - thanks Vee, Mette and Connie - you guys must have been posting while I was typing (or I somehow zipped past your posts by hitting the scroll bar accidentally). I appreciate your cheers and comments - yes, refeed is flying by in a swirl of trying to add up and subtract and work out what the hell I'm adding where and when. All good really and just trying to get myself sane around maintenance. Was great to read the guidelines though and see what life would probably look like - actually will be quite happy to drop some of the bread and carb cause not overly enjoying so much bread for starters. Looking forward to sticking with fruit and yoghurt breakfast cause I've become a real fan and almost miss it on days when I have an egg instead. And definitely (as we've discussed Connie) looking forward to a bit of nice hard cheddar cheese - love cheese and thought of it as a snack, even if only a bit, is a joy!

[km64]

pps - and Vee, yes I am having a ball cooking - can't wait now to go through all my recipe books and see what main meals will be cohens friendly and try them all out!! And oh, just to bake a chook with some spices rubbed in and leek cooked underneath it with cloves of garlic too, and yummy things like that - heaven!! (might have to wait till cc hits maintenance too for that one otherwise she'll probably pass out).

Just have to start having my comfort from cohens friendly foods and yummy mains, rather than through snacks and junk.

[Shazza/2]

Kay your refeed journey continues to inspire! Well done

Sounds all very confusing and exciting

Keep it up you are so nearly there, will be keen to follow your venture into maintenance land.

[km64]

Day 14

Today - 67.8 (same as yesterday)

So - here I am, two days to go after tonight. Tomorrow night I get a bikkie (and thought I might use my carb allowance on some popcorn just for a treat) and Sat night I've got myself a wee bottle of champers to celebrate the end and a couple of bikkies.

Today was good - dinner was very reminiscent of some meals I used to have -very simple, just steamed veg (cauli, broccoli, carrot (of my god, yum!!) and cabbage) and a piece of rump plus a very lean small pork steak. Truly yummy and so simple.

Read the maintenance guidelines last night - still working out what to do given old habit of sauces or whatever - I guess I've learned a lot about spices and the flavour they can add to food without sugar or carb laden sauces from a bottle. So there will be loads of room to experiment - just want to get away from the same boring stir fries I've had for seven months now. The veg I had tonight took up about half to two thirds of my dinner plate, so it was certainly plenty. Just need to work out how to add some new tastes.

So to all of you who like me might get a bit scared of refeed, it truly has been remarkable that the weight does seem to keep dropping off at first and then stabilises once you get to around the amount you should be eating for the rest of your life. I was so scared I was going to pack on weight during refeed but I am now 0.8 from the top of my goal (1.6 under where I started refeed) and I can see how much food I should be able to eat, provided its cohens friendly food. I think the head journey hardest for me is getting used to giving up a lot of the foods I really like to eat so I can stay fit and trim for the rest of my life. Can't say I'm there in the head yet, but I can see what it will take - just need to try to find out how to balance this with enjoying food, but acknowledging it will always be my medicine, not my comforter.

So, here's to my last two days of refeed I hope (can't imagine in two weigh-ins that I'll be putting on so much I have to go back some days - touch wood!!!!!).

Oh - and the funny thing, there I was entering refeed buying a great size 12 suit for work, thinking I wouldn't shrink much more (and scared I'd gain weight) - guess what??!! It is now a bit baggy. Go figure!! Oh well - might have to get it taken in if my body stays this way.

Cheers (and thanks for dropping in again Shazza). Kay. (lol)