Slimming World to Harcombe?

[FourArms]

I've been doing SW since 29/8. Initially on EE and now mainly on red days.

However although I've lost 1lb short of 2
stone I haven't lost any weight this week and I've stuck to the plan with the exception of maybe not enough syns / HEB.

Have seen the Harcombe diet and this seems to be more like what I'm doing at the moment although I'll have to swap coffee and skimmed milk for herbal tea and stop my 10 a day satsuma habit ;)

Just wondered what people's losses had been in phase 1 switching from SW? My BMI is still in the low 30s so I've got plenty to lose!

Congratulations on your weight loss. I did the 5:2 earlier this year but have put 1/2 stone back on. I started Harcombe this morning (BMI 26). I would be happy to share the experience with you.

Sounds good! I'm planning on starting tomorrow so I'm finishing off all the fruit in the house today!

What will you be eating today? I think I'll skip the rice altogether as I've been avoiding rice / pasta and potatoes for a couple of weeks anyway and don't really miss them.

I did the same thing yesterday. Hoovered up all the fruit, falafels and chocolate left in the house so it couldnt derail me.

Breakfast this morning was bacon, scrambled egg and 4 tiny tomato's. Lunch will be Ham & Egg and supper baked veg with Turkey.

I need to find something different for lunches as I am not a great lover of eggs (hardly ever eat them).

I will eat rice occasionally, was thinking of making a Kedgeree later in the week, but probably not every day.

So far am feeling very headachy and a little dizzy. I am not surprised as I know I have blood sugar issues and suspect that I am probably pre-diabetic.

My sugar cravings have been horrendous since doing the 5:2 and I am trying the Harcombe as a way to address that issue. Diabetes is a family issue and one I am desperate to avoid.

Great minds!

Sounds a good menu! I don't know if the sugar cravings will hit me as I've cut out refined sugar with SW, although I'm still getting lots through fruit.

Think caffeine withdrawal might be my downfall.

Well day 1 almost over.

I cannot believe how much protien I have eaten or how bad the sugar cravings are. I am desperate for a piece of fruit but am now siitting eating puffed brown rice (no sugar or salt). It tastes just like cardboard but is strangely satisfying.

I am lucky that I won't struggle on the caffeine front as I changed to decaff several months ago. My memories of that were a very bad headache for a week or so, but then an amazingly clear head.

Right now still feeling a bit dizzy and headachy, but nowhere near as bad as I expected.

Well done!

I didn't get to the shops today, but I'll go tomorrow after my SW weigh in (I'm on a 12wk countdown but I always weigh & go). Managed to finish the satsumas today, will have to give away the melon & apples (DC don't eat any fruit :( )

So scrambled egg for breakfast (bit sad about no mushrooms - have had egg & mushroom loads lately)

Pork loin and salad for lunch and maybe dinner too.

Will buy some rice puff thingies. Might also try oats & yoghurt - I have that on SW plan sometimes. If you mix the night before the oats swell up. :)

How much have you drunk? I'll need to massively up my water intake which is currently 20% herbal tea and 80% coffee although my fruit intake must have boosted that too.

Probably not drunk enough, hence the headache. I am really bad at drinking (rarely feel thirst) and love milk in my coffee. Without the milk today my motivation to make a cup of coffee has diminished.

I normally have dry oatmeal stirred into Yoghurt for breakfast (I am a coeliac but can tolerate Oats). However, I dont like plain yoghurt so that won't work for me.

However, I do wish I had bought some Yoghurt when I did my shop (I live in an isolated location - 15 miles to the nearest supermarket). I could have used it for sauces and in the Kedgeree.

Now off too bed with a large glass of water

How's the headache?

Day 1 breakfast - includes a bit of a cheat - 3 scrambled eggs with mushrooms. Herbal tea. Can't let the mushrooms go to waste - they're lovely ones. :)

Says we should have 1.5 litres of fluid a day - I'll aim for that and let you know how I do.

Did I see somewhere you can have live Greek yoghurt on P1? Is that any good?

Have a good day :)

Strange night, restless and very bad dreams (assume that is part of the detox aspect).

Feel exhausted this morning, however my headache has died away and I feel very clear headed. I have also lost 1lb.

Can't face another plate of protein for breakfast so am planning water porridge this morning and a drive to my nearest town to stock up on veggies.

One of my dieting fallbacks is a soup which I make with roast root vegetables and masses of green veg. I will probably roast up some veg today (parsnips, swede, carrots and butternut squash) and keep the soup base in the fridge ready to add green veg for my lunches.

I will also pick up Yoghurt while I am there. This diet is supposed to be about changing bad habits and I think the oversweetened Rachels yoghurt needs to be one of those habits I knock on the head.

Will be thinking of you today. Remember when the cravings for fruit hit you,this is only for 5 days

Take back some of what I just said.

Water porridge is disgusting, so resorted to scrambled egg & bacon.

Headache now pounding !!

Did mean to say on earlier email, that I was not hungry when I woke up (normally starving)

Oh dear! I won't try that then.

Contrary to what I said yesterday I've just bought brown rice, kallo cereal and porridge which I think I will probably have for breakfast on the days I work (p/t teacher).

Swede chips in the actifry for lunch with pork loin steak and salad. Feels v.naughty cooking with oil but that is allowed isn't it?

2 herbal teas so far. Third just stewing now.

Hope your headache eases. I've bought some decaff coffee in case things get bad ;)

Ohhh Swede Chips in the actifry sounds good and yes you are allowed Oil.

Are those Actifry machines good? I have an Aga so no chance of ever getting Oil hot enough to fry chips.

Tried to get live Yoghurt this morning but very short codes so I shall go without.

Also on my 3rd Herbal Tea, coffee is actually tasting quite foul today.

Headache OK but have noticed I have very black rings under my eyes (detox?) and my breath smells bad (sorry if TMI)

I love my actifry. We've had it for a couple of years now. Great for 'roast' potatoes and chips. Also does lovely roast veg - parsnips, carrots and now swede!! They were absolutely gorgeous. I had half a swede. I'll definitely have them again. Actifrys are on offer everywhere at the moment so seems a good time to buy one.

I bought two pots of yoghurt - onken set yoghurt and yeo valley natural yoghurt. Both full fat. The yeo valley one is gorgeous, I could easily have eaten the whole tub.

Maybe the black rings are from the bad nights sleep? Can't tell what my breath is like because my handwash is so strong that's all I can smell if I put my hand up to my nose to breathe!

Have managed 4 mugs of herbal tea now. Will have to measure the cup size so I know when I've hit my 1.5 litres!

Have terrible headache. Had a cup of decaff and 2 paracetamol but that didn't help.

On the bright side, I have now had my 1.5 litres of fluid via 6 cups of herbal tea.

Have just finished work and similarly have a thundering headache. I also have a very flushed face, my eyes are quite red with big black rings under them and my hair has gone quite lank and greasy (I wash it every day so that is very strange)

However, I have checked online and think this is all quite normal and down to detoxing and sugar withdrawal. I couldn't believe how sweet my baked vegetables tasted tonight.

Overall, aside from the headache issues, I am finding this much easier to follow than the 5:2 and I am not really experiencing any real hunger. I am hoping that is a sign that my blood sugar is more settled.

Well done for getting through day 1. It will all get easier next week !!

Well done!

I have to admit I cheated last night and had a coffee (not decaff) with skimmed milk. But it does say in book that if you're a big coffee drinker it's OK to have a couple a day in the first week. Couldn't afford headache turning into a migraine. Ended up in bed at half 9 anyway!

Day 2.
1lb down on the scales. Pretty amazed since I didn't expect a water retention loss and I'd been stalled for over a week on SW. 5.8lbs until my Xmas 2.5 stone off target :)

Breakfast - coffee and porridge with NLY which is fine (I didn't leave it overnight)

Hope today is better for you. I've read that Day 3 is the worst, but maybe you've had it early? Fingers crossed.

Thanks for the day 3 warning.

I have had another bad night (took me hours to get to sleep) and have a horrendous headache this morning. On the basis of your warning I think I will try to get out for a walk today.

On the plus side I continue to feel no hunger, have no sugar cravings and have lost 3lb in two days.

I really admire you for coping with caffeine withdrawal alongside such a restrictive diet. I was very addicted to caffeine and was advised to come off it because it was implicated in a worsening migraine situation and heart palpitations. The withdrawal was uncomfortable but so, so worth it. I have far fewer migraines these days. What I did do when going through the withdrawal was to buy a caffetiere and switch to a really lovely decaff coffee (Taylors). It made each cup seem special.

Breakfast today - Bacon, tomatoes and coffee

Lunch / Dinner - Turkey stir fry.

Keep going today !! Is the stalling the reason you have switched from SW?

Yes - I'd had a few good weeks and then about 10 days where I bobbed around the same pound. I'd also stopped needing the healthy extra 'B' choice and syns (not sure if you're familiar with SW?) so it seemed silly to eat them for the sake of it.

Feel much better today. I wasn't hungry at breakfast, but i did have baby sweetcorn x 10, salad (just leaves, tomatoes and grated carrot) and 4 (but they needed using up!) pork loin medallions for dinner followed by 1/3 of a 500g pot of yoghurt. I was hungry for dinner though last night.

Didn't feel hungry today until about half 1 (I finish early so normally have a banana or something in the car and lunch at home), but I have drunk two 500ml bottles of water.

Now cooking lunch - 500g of ready cubes swede in actifry (will probably save some for dinner), salad (bought and eaten on way home as starving!) and possibly a fried egg or some chicken if I can be bothered!

Tried to buy some cold meat to eat on way home, none of it was just meat. The finest range had phosphates and salt - maybe they were OK, think it's just added sugar that's a worry?

Caffeine headache at bay for now. The coffee this morning seems to have warded it off. My migraines seem to be linked to caffeine too, but a coffee always helps them (or pre-SW coffee, coke and cake!!). It will be great if I can cut down. Bought some nice carte noir instant yesterday, sure it will be nicer when I can have more than a smidge of milk. Don't think you can have yoghurt in coffee?!

I slept v.badly last night too, but put it down to DS1 getting in bed with me! I did go really early so still feel awake today. Will be interesting to see if it's the same tonight. I did also take a pink ibuprofen tablet for my headache and they always knock me out!

Right, my swede awaits me! Hope your day went well. 3lb is amazing, hope I see another change tomorrow too :)

Day not going as bad as I feared. Terrible cravings for fruit and milky coffee all morning, but I held out and went for a walk.

Now my headache is starting to lift and I am feeling quite good.

I have had lunch / supper and am about to start work. I will probably work through until 10ish and just eat puffed brown rice if I get the nibblies.

My biggest need right now is a cup of coffee WITH milk. I dont take much milk in coffee but hate the way it tastes without.

I think your ham would have been OK. It would be pretty hard to find ham these days that isnt pumped full of phosphates. Just avoid Sugar glazes.

Have a good evening and a good nights sleep.

No wonder this diet is working. Have plugged today's food into Fitness Pal and it only comes to 800 calories & 60 carb units !!

LOL! My trousers (new a fortnight ago) are distinctly loose! :)

I've gotten through the day on the one coffee but I've promised myself another one when the kids are in bed.

Stuffed after dinner - sliced chicken breast coated in tikka spices (ready mix from Fiddes Payne in Tesco - nothing but spices), lemon juice and natural yoghurt fried in oil , rest of my 500g of swede (lovely!) and half a plate of salad. Don't even need the NLY so will save the rest of my tub for breakfast with oats again.

Made extra chicken for tomorrow's lunch with salad. :)

Hope you sleep better tonight too :)

990 calories & 25% carb (60g) here :)

Hello. Can I join you? . I am day 2 of Harcombe diet

Absolutely :) How's it going? I'm day 2 as well but NSHTH is a day ahead.