Big Fat Loser 3
Sunday, October 18th 2009 @ 10:17 AM 
(3 ratings)
What a week THAT was. Like I mentioned last week, we had friends visiting, and as usual we went out for a meal. Normally we would have a Thai or Indian meal, but that wouldn't fit in with my limited food choices, so we decided to go to a non-ethnic restaurant instead (sorry about that clumsy decription!).
The chosen restaurant was Flax in Browns Bay (website) and while everyone else was able to choose from the full menu, I asked for a small fillet steak - no sauce, with a large green salad (no dressing). Apart from the size of the steak I figured that was a good compromise.
The chef gave me exactly what I asked for. My only complaint being that the steak was so nice I ate all of it, instead of leaving half as I'd planned to do. I also had a glass of wine, which was a bit naughty. Hardy's Cab Sav - their house red, which was very enjoyable. I did feel a little food-envy when I saw what the others were having, but I was happy the next morning to find that I'd still lost 0.5kg compared with the previous day.
However, my weight loss slowed down by small increments over the course of the week - until on Friday morning I had no change in weight at all. I've been really strict with the protocol - only eating the allowed foods, in the correct proportions and only 500 calories per day. I decided not to panic and research the possible reasons. In fact Dr Simeons says in his book "Pounds and Inches" that it is normal for the weightloss to fluctuate. Reading through several of the forums online (the best one is the Yahoo Group - has LOTS of info regarding the diet) I found that there might be other issues.
For a start I had a salt bath on Tueday night. Salt apparently can cause a few problems, as it increases water retention. On the protocol you are supposed to set a "normal" amount of daily salt and only have the same amount each day. Obviously my sudden enthusiasm for a Dead-Sea-style immersion wasn't a great idea. Lesson learned.
Tomatoes can also be a problem for some. They are allowed on the Simeons diet, and I have been using them liberally, mainly because their weight makes it easy to make up the calories for each meal. I've developed a liking for chilli. But of course I'd completely overlooked the fact that tomatoes, and indeed all the deadly nightshade family are bad for those who suffer the curse of the stiff digits like myself. Arthritics. So maybe there is some kind of blood reaction going on there.
It could also have been due to my not drinking enough water. I know I should do it, I want to do it, but I just never seem to have drunk my 2.5 litres every day. I do drink my share of coffee and tea though.
So now I'm being much more careful about those three possible issues. I have had a reasonable weightloss since then.
Constipation has also reared its ugly head (try not to visualise that!) and may be another factor in my slowdown. It's one of the side effects of the diet (what can you expect, only eating 500cals a day?) and so I am increasing my intake of magnesium (recommended in one of the forums) and looking for some different teas that may help. Maybe licorice? Any advice would be welcome.
There is one other possibility that is mentioned in Dr Simeons' book. Apparently the body can reach a weight that the brain thinks is optimal - a "set point" that the dieter has maybe been at for a considerable time, and it sticks there. Carrying on with the diet pushes it past that barrier.
So overall it has been a week of reassessing and adjusting. My weight loss overall for the week was 2.4kg, less than half of last week's lost, but I guess more realistic, if we factor in the weight loss "stall" and the general bunged-up tummy situation.
Measurements-wise though, it has been better. I lost one and a half inches around my stomach over the week.
I'd like to thank all of those who are giving me help while I'm doing this. It's great when people say I'm looking good - it gives me encouragement that it is working. I wouldn't be able to do it at all without the help of my partner Marie. She's a wonderful and supportive person, keeping me on the right track. If it wasn't for her this wouldn't be happening. I think she deserves a plug - you should all go and shop in her boutique, Diversity Fashions, in Browns Bay. If you are female, that is. Take a look at her website here.
Here's to another losing week ...
Geoff
PS Another lesson learned during the week – Colman's Powdered Mustard is very very very very hot. Be careful out there, folks.
