Anyone still doing/interested in doing Zoe Harcombe diet?

[glasjam]

It's been a while since this was mentioned on Mumsnet. Wondered if there was anyone out there doing it still? I went on the forum a bit but now it's changed so you have to pay a monthly charge to comment - I'm guessing this will put some people off.

I've lost a stone and a half since end of May and had lost 19 pounds on WW immediately prior to this.

I think she feels she has had to start charging because she can't make use of sponsors in the way that other diet plans can - she hasn't any "products" to sell and the focus is on eating natural food - she doesn't believe in sweetners or any food with sweetners in so she differs from Dukan in that respect.

Just looking for someone to talk to about it (billy no-mates emoticon!)

hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
i MUST DO SOMETHING, glas. have put on near enough half a stone since july.

talk me through the first five days again, will ya?

OH and btw your determination is staggering and you look great.

Why thank you Aitch! Right the first 5 days if you go hardcore (and try and banish the candida/hypoglycaemia etc.) is:

no dairy (except for Natural live yoghurt)
no booze
no vinegars inc. balsamic
no fruit (except a squeeze of lemon in water/dressings)
no potatoes and other really carby veg but carrots, swede, green veg, tomatoes and other stuff allowed
no wheat (bread, pasta etc.
no processed crap (althhough you can have bacon or ham as long as it doesn't have any dextrose/sugar and isn't smoked
no caffeine
no sugar, no sweeteners

You are allowed 50g of porridge oats made with water
OR 50 g brown rice with a fat meal

I've been dallying with the idea of doing phase 1 again because I have become rather too fond of the 70%-90% chocolate and have also being eating the apple crumbles I've been making! But I haven't cos can't live without cheese and I like having my sugar-free brown bread with cottage cheese, tomatoes and balsamic!

I do feel like I am teaching my grandmother to suck eggs here seeing as you told me all about it in the first place

no, i never did it. i was doing so well with my atkins/ratatouille thing that i never bothered. it's just lately dh has been baking and you know how that goes...

oh and btw have NAILED breadmaker pizza, am saucing and freezing teeny ones for girls with great success. must insist you do same for instant crowd pleasing kid food.

So you make them into small rounds and spread the tomato sauce on them (what's your preferred recipe for this?) wait for them to cool and then bung them in the freezer? Sounds good - do you add the cheese on top when they are still frozen and stick them in the oven or do you wait for them to defrost?

sauce is nice gluggy glug of oil, gently poach two cut cloves of garlic in it for a wee while, then two cans toms, pinch salt, tom can filled with water and then simmer for a nice long time. or boil hard for a shorter time if you don't have much. then another glug of oil at the end and mash. no onion just keeps the sauce all fresh and super-tomatoey.

and if you have the panasonic recipe, i put in one and a half spoons of olive oil but i use polenta in the flour to roll it out, it makes the crust authentically crispy.

and yes, small rounds, lots of sauce as freezing seems to sook it up a bit and then freeze in clingfilm on a wee plate, i do a few at a time but am careful to separate. have done big squares as well and just folded. they thaw a fair bit in the ten mins of faffing it takes to get the toppings etc on, then into oven at 200 ish, back out when bread begins to bake, put on mozzie then whack back in for five mins ish at 220.

oh yes and i do double recipe of panasonic at one time, so feed us with one lot, then roll out extra dough afterwards when sauce is cooled down.

OK - we digresssed slightly! I want to discuss the Harcombe diet and can't believe that there is no-one else on MN doing it?

er, i think you meant to type 'thanks Aitch'. lol.

Thanks Aitch - I was going to FB you about your polenta-to-flour ratio (and of course to offer my thanks) but got embroiled in all the child-benefit mularkey. Also spotted the irony of talking about pizza on a Zoe Harcombe thread (although it's hardly a Zoe Harcombe "thread" just us two blethering!)

i know! maybe once the SassySusan thing calms down people will want to go on a diet again. after all the popcorn...

polenta, just a bit tossed on the flour when rolling out. i also use wholewheat flour for the rolling out because i am mean and don't want to waste my 00 and also i think it gives a nice rough texture when the pizza is cooked.

oh, and as an experiment i fully defrosted the pizza tonight. not good, as the dough went all soft so was a nightmare to get onto the tray. so pretty much straight from frozen here i think from now on.

I have the book and I am edging my way towards starting the diet. I do need to lose weight and I agree with science behind it and so on, I just need to DO IT. Somehow I keep chickening out.

I do need to lose at least 2 stone, preferably 3.

I did join a gym this week which is a step in the right direction.

My problems with just DOING IT are:

I must have my coffee in the mornings. If I give it up for a week, I will feel horrendous, and I am not giving it up permanently. I just can't do that. I don't drink or smoke and it's my one mood altering vice - just one cup in the morning.

Secondly, cooking - or more accurately baking- is my creative outlet. Not being able to whip up Esterhazy Torte or hummingbird cake or dutch apple cake or a batch of almond danish is going to be a problem for my brain (but not for my waistline). I must find a new hobby I guess.

But seeing this thread is making me think that NOW is the time...

LOOK! glasjam!
another human bean on your thread!!!

let's do it, strawbs. and you are fucked for the baking, let's face it.

Hello there wildstrawberry place. Go on, have a go and see if you can do the five day thing. It is an exercise in willpower and I had come to that point where I know that my diet needed a major shake up. I'd been on Weight Watchers and lost about 20 pounds and then had just plateaued because there was no way I could eat to the points that I was allocated.

I started back in May and have lost a further 21 pounds. I was a complete carbaholic before this and was practically in tears at the thought of limiting my bread and potato consumption but I've done it and I'm glad I have.

I can't believe that I am still following the diet 5 months on but it has definitely become the way that I eat now. I fall off the wagon every now and again (the odd weekend) but know that I can rectify any damage pretty quickly. I'm currently being quite strict and have lost 2.5 pounds this week.

I must say that I felt dreadful at first and had such a headache and muscle weakness but this has passed. I feel for you on the cake front - I've done a bit of baking but usually end up sampling!

Would recommend giving Phase 1 a proper go and see how you get on. Good luck and pose here to let us know how it's going for you.

my god, more weight? what on EARTH do you weigh now, glas? (i know the big number, just not the wee one. although if the big number has changed i will OPEN A VEIN).

btw re baking, dh just brought me a home-made cheese and rosemary scone with a slab of butter on...

i think he's one of them feeders.

The other thing is sugar. I know I am addicted to sugar and its going to be emotional giving it up.

Blimey glasjam you've done well! So how far do you have to go?

And what are your goals Aitch?

OK, I am going to do it. I will go shopping for the bits and pieces I need and start tomorrow.

Gulp.

my goals? i want to lose a stone. lost a stone and a half earlier in the year, then had a GREAT summer and put on half a stone again.

i know for a fact that i will gain weight at christmas so i'd better lose a stone between then and now so as to give me a buffer.

already going well, but that's me just eating an egg for breakfast, lots of tuna/greek salads, ratatouille with cheese etc for lunch and something meat and veg-y for dinner. like, er, takeaway curry last night with side of spinach and garlic. it's really just no bread, no pasta no rice, which is fine for a while but i do think that the harcombe thing is more sustainable in the longer term as i miss rice a lot.

oh btw wht sugar addiction goes ime surprisingly quickly. a matter of days for me, then ZAP, gone. and no IBS symptoms, which is great as am mad for bloating, me.

Ooops - well you can come back and pose if you like! Glad you are going for it wildstrawberryplace - the fact that Phase 1 is ONLY 5 DAYS is a winner for me. I'm aiming to get to 9 stone 7-ish and am currently 10st 2.5. This time last year I was 13st 5 so am pretty happy with how things have been going.

I am utterly amazed that I have kicked the sugar habit - I used to have sugar in my tea and coffee and never thought I could go without.

Ha Ha Aitch will be ecstatic when I get below 10 stone

My friend recommended this a while ago, she has been very successful on it, looks fab, I just don't know if I have got the will power for phase 1 - i need to find it, I am a carb addict

I meant, Aitch I will be ecstatic when I get below 10 stone!

i was thinking that had to be a mistake... because as you will know doubt have gathered i will be LIVID.

oh me too, btw, total carb addict. love 'em. until i stop eating them. and then i don't fancy them so much at all.

just went out and had a DELICIOUS greek salad at poncy place on main road, glas. EIGHT QUID.

Still haven't started yet...still trying to get my head into motivated mode.

Went to the gym today - never been to one before, though have done plenty of sport/exercise in the past, just more outdoorsy stuff - wasn't impressed to be referred to by the gym instructor as "an older lady"... I am 36 FFS! Older lady. Christ. And I don't even look old for my age.

Anyway...I am definitely edging closer, have pencilled in Monday as official start date.