Atkins Diet

I must confess I wasn't able to do the "Fast Metabolism Diet". It is just too complicated and where I live I don't have access to a lot of foods that would make the diet doable.

I couldn't stand my weight anymore. After seeing myself in a home video I was sort of hoping the earth would open up and swallow me whole. It didn't. So I decided to take some action.

It's so hard to start a diet. So far it's been harder to start than to stay on it. I feel as if I have to gather up willpower for a long time so that I can finally do something.

I'm on Atkins. It's old, but it works. It's relatively simple. I'm on the "Induction" phase, which allows me to eat 20 net grams of carbohydrates each day. So far I've been a good girl and eaten 20 or a bit less (18, 19) and the results are showing!!!

Pre-diet weight Nov. 25, 2013:                        89,5kg
Weight after 6 days on the diet Dec. 2, 3014:    85,6kg

I'm so happy with the results, it hasn't even been a week. I'm aware that most of the weight loss was actually from water weight and not fat itself, but still, I feel and I think I look a lot better. My clothes are more comfortable, and my confidence is a lot better.

I hope the weight continues to come off!

The Fast Metabolism Diet

I only bought this book because Amazon recommended it, I had never heard of the diet or the book but the idea of losing up to 20 pounds in 28 days sounded too good to be true, but I'm a diet book junkie so I bought it.

I like the idea of the diet, and I especially like the positive tone the author uses throughout her book, she really makes you believe that if you follow it to a tee you'll shift the weight and improve your health and speed up a sluggish metabolism.

For who has done Atkins and the Dukan Diet, Haylie's diet seems quite doable.

It's divided into 3 phases:

Phase 1 - 2 days -
High in Low Glycemic Carbs, Moderate Lean Protein, No fat
Exercise: At least 1 day of Cardio (30-40 mins)

Phase 2 - 2 days -
Loads of Low Glycemic Veggies, High Protein, No fat or carbs
Exercise: At least 1 day of Weight training

Phase 3 -  3 days -
Lots of good fats, Moderate LG Carbs, Moderate Lean Protein
Exercise: At least 1 day of Yoga, Relaxation, Deep Breathing or Massage


The idea is confusing the body in order to shift excess weight. It also promises to heal sluggish metabolisms which have been harmed by excessive dieting and overall crappy food.

 Diet Do's and Dont's:

Do's:

1. Eat 5 times a day
2. You must eat every 3-4 hours, except when you are sleeping
3. You must eat within 30 mintues of waking every day
4. You must stay on the plan for the full 28 days
5. You must stick to the foods allowed in your current phase
6. You must follow the phases in order
7. You must drink half of your body weight in ounces of water every day (this helps flushing out toxins stored in fat cells)
8. Eat organic whenever possible (this is going to be hard as organic food is not so easy to find in Brazil, and it is VERY expensive)
9. Meats must be nitrate-free
10. Exercise according to your phase

Dont's:

1. No Wheat (I don't actually mind this much)
2. No Corn 
3. No dairy (I will miss cheese)
4. No soy (no problem, hate the thing!)
5. No refined sugar (*shurg* Yeah, sort of expected this)
6. No caffeine (I'm not minding having to stop drinking my beloved diet coke so much, but I'm really afraid of the withdrawal)
7. No alcohol (No problem here)
8. No dried fruit or fruit juices (I'll miss the option of having some juice now and then)
9. No artificial sweeteners
10. No fat-free or "diet" food

I don't know if I'm still feeling super positive from reading the success stories or if the author's style of writing just keeps you really excited about a really difficult-to-follow diet, but if it works and I do in fact lose 10 kg in 28 days I think I'll be on a constant weight loss high!

It took me almost one year to lose that amount of weight, now I have 28,2 kg to go until my ideal goal weight.

Well I'm working on my meal charts and shopping lists! I'd like to start tomorrow but I don't think that will be possible as I have no Phase 1 foods in, (unless I eat brown rice for breakfast - Weird!)

I'm back!

A lot has happened since my last post. I lost most of my hair again, I had to have surgery on my left wrist which made it really hard to type. Almost a year later and I can't type much more than I could right after the operation. But I'm about to embark on a new weight loss journey and I would like to keep a record of my success (Yes, I'm positive about this) which might possibly help other people.

Since the last time I logged in my weight shifted a bit:

My weight on: (when I seriously decided it was time to lose weight)

Jan 21, 2012:  95.0 kg

My current weight:
May 4, 2013: 86.2 kg

My Final Goal Weight: 58kg(-28.2kg)

So yes, that means losing 28.2 Kg! Agh! I'd rather not think about how much that means right now, but to be honest if I get to 62 Kg I'll be really happy (that's the best weight I've had as an adult, so if I could just reach it I'd be ecstatic).

My small weight loss goals and their rewards:

1) 78 kg (- 8.2kg) It's out of the 80s and I'll be really happy when I reach this small goal, plus a lot of my clothes will start fitting me really well again.
Reward: New, smaller, pair of jeans

2) 74 kg (- 12.2kg) When I hit this smaller goal (it's a small difference from goal 1) but that means I'll reach my 'healthy BMI' I don't really believe much in this whole BMI thing but it's a guideline and I'd like to reach this number and have it as a stepping stone.

3) 68kg (- 18,2 kg) This is the weight I was when I got married. Yes I did lose 15 kg before the wedding on the South Beach Diet. After I got married a LOT happened and I gained a lot of weight, my thyroid went crazy, I started losing my hair, I had loads of trouble with my job and I was taking Propanolol for migraines which I found out stalls your metabolism. And of course, I started cooking and I really wanted to please my hubby so I tried to only make delicious meals which involved loads of carbs, fat, and sugar.

4) 64 kg (- 22,2kg) This is close to the lowest weight I've ever had, but I'd rather be realistic and add more WL goals the closer I get to my objective because let's be honest, the closer you get , the harder it is to lose weight.
Reward: I think the weight itself will be a  reward!

5) 62kg (- 24,2 kg) This is the lowest  weight I can remember having as an adult. I've recently seen a picture in which I weighed this and I am impressed at how silly I was. I thought I was so fat when in fact I was so close to my dream body. I did have hyperthyroidism at the time, but I truly believe that now that I'm on the proper thyroid meds I can reach this weight again.

And finally - Drumroll.....

6) 58kg (- 28,2kg) I've never weighed this little, but it has been my goal weight since forever. I don't know why this is my magical number, maybe it's because what the Gym trainer told me when I was 17 and used to go to the gym everyday, maybe it's because what doctors always told me I should weigh, maybe it's because I saw a picture of an actress who is my height and weighs that. I know these are ridiculous reasons, but this is my magical number and it's not unhealthy so I will stick to it (as apparently not even 10 years can erase it from my mind.) if I'm going to lose weight, I don't want to stop 4 kg shy of my goal when it's so close. If I'm going to go through a gruelingly hard diet, I might as well do it all the way. Perhaps accepting that this is my goal weight will actually help me stick to my diet instead of conforming to a higher number on my scale. Of course if I reach 62 kg and am very happy with how I look, I'll stop, but I don't really think I can stop until I reach my "Magic Number".

SB Day 1

Brekkie - none, woke up at 11:30
Lunch - 1 grilled chicken breast + broccoli
2:30 pm - feeling hungry

What I looked like at the wedding

I'm posting this here as a reminder about WHY I have to lose weight. 

Thoughts on weight (excess and loss)

I was quite happy to step on the scales 4 weeks after 'giving up' my diet and see that I had lost a bit, and got back to my lowest weight recorded this year (89.9 kg), even though, I don't feel much thinner or lighter, strangely I feel even larger.

My sister in law (SIL) got married this weekend and I was one of the bridesmaids. When I started dieting in January I was sort of hoping I'd be down to 84 kg or so by the wedding, unfortunately I was still around 89.9. Which was quite dissapointing. My dress fit me well and I was feeling well. Got nice makeup done by a makeup artist and managed to fill my hair in with Dermmatch and styled it at home (as much as my micro hair allows...)

I put on one of those 'Spanx'-like shorts and was feeling quite tonned and with a nice shape... UNTIL... I saw a photo of me.

My pixie haircut made my head look like a pin head stuck into a huge styrofoam ball. I will delete my face out of the picture and post it here later. I saw the pic and instantly felt sad. No wonder I've been instinctively shying away from cameras.  I was, and still am, in shock.  I look like I feel. Fat fat fat fat fat.

I can't stand this anymore. I can't find clothes that fit me and even my face, which people still used to compliment me on (I hate it when people say you have a nice face. To me it sounds like:" you are fat, but you still have a nice face, it's the only thing I can compliment you on.") well, the face now looks like a round plate with tiny eyes, nose and mouth on it.

I can't stand this anymore. I don't care if I starve to death or go bald again. I'm taking an attitude, I just can't stand to feel this way anymore, inadequate, like I don't belong in the world, and hating myself during every minute of everyday. I wish I could accept myself this way, but I simply cannot love myself this way. I feel as if everything bad, every person who treats me badly does so because of how I look, I know rationally this is not true, but in my heart I feel this way.

I know many people who are overweight and are still beautiful and lovely people but somehow I can't look at myself that way. I judge myself and I feel others judging me too.

My mother gave me a sugar-free 100 gram chocolate bar for Easter.
The lady who borrowed me the dress for the wedding asked me if I had lost weight or else- I wouldn't fit in the dress...
My 11-year-old niece told me my bra was too tight (got a muffin top), on a different occasion she also told me that even though I was fat she still loved me.

These things hurt, and the most hurtful part is that I'm unable to love myself.

i cant write much... but this sums it up