Week two – Getting there.

This week on the Blood Sugar Diet has been tough.

Whilst all of my figures have been going in the right direction I have felt somewhat weak.

As I said in my last post, I have maintained my previous training regime whilst working on my diabetes and calorific intake, and I’ve really been feeling it in my legs.

I think I’ve maintained my effort levels, but I have certainly been left feeling particularly empty afterwards.

I’ve also struggled with food motivation this week. I’ve made a few tasty dishes, cauliflower has been a favourite of mine this week, but I’ve also taken a few shortcuts with pre made soups and packets of chicken slices – not ideal, but acceptable.

Mushroom Stroganoff

Roasted sprouts, butternut squash, cauliflower and fried, smoked tofu

Chicken broth with fried bacon.

I’ve managed to maintain my 8-900 calories, but it’s been a challenge.

Saturday night was a slight blip.

A friend of mine made a delicious fish soup with salmon, squid, cod cheeks and prawns. It was truly delicious and under normal circumstances a perfectly healthy meal, but I ate far too much of it and blew my 800 calorie allowance out of the water by a huge 400 or so calories.

BUT, whilst last year this would have sent me into a complete spin, this time around I enjoyed the healthy meal and just kept to a strict 800 calories on Sunday, (and included some running, walking and a core circuit).

I have learned to give myself a break, to reset and start again the following day, at the end of the day this is about a healthy balance not an inflexible regime.

On that note I would like to reiterate why I’m doing this.

This is not a January detox, nor is this some sort of fad diet to lose weight quickly.

The Blood Sugar Diet by doctor Michael Mosley is about resetting your body and is aimed at those who are pre diabetic or who have type two diabetes.

By restricting your calories and the type of foods you eat (low carb) for a set period, you will drop dangerous visceral fat and your organs can start communicating again, and for me, someone with type 2 Diabetes, this is the key to efficiently use the sugars that your body naturally creates from processing food.

Before I started this journey a year ago I was a happy and fairly fit fat lad, now I’m fitter and more importantly healthier and it was the healthier part that I needed to work on.

My revisiting this diet was to get blood sugar levels back in check after a period of excess that had done me no good and to keep learning about my relationship with food and how I can sustain a healthy balance going forward.

This week’s figures:

WeIght – 80.1 kgs

Body Fat % – 22.2

Muscle % – 37.6

Visceral Fat % – 10

Morning blood glucose level –

6.0 mmol/L

Everything is going down, with the two significant figures being the visceral fat and my morning BG levels.

As I move into the final week of this phase I have to tackle days out of the office and a road trip, but, I’ll use what I’ve already learned to keep on track and push through to Friday maintaining my 8-900 calories a day and 3-4 litres of water.

Wish me luck

Si

My names Simon, and I’m a cheese addict

So, to recap.I did 8 weeks on the Blood Sugar Diet to help reset my body so that I could more effectively deal with my type 2 diabetes.

This was a low calorie, low carb regime that helped me lose weight, more importantly lose visceral fat and even more importantly, enabled me to reduce the medications I take for my diabetes.

I finished this phase nearly two months ago and have tried to maintain my physical and chemical state through a variation of the Fast Diet.

The Fast Diet, or the 5:2 as it is more commonly referred to, consists of a restricted calorific intake of only 600 hundred calories, (this is for men and 400 for women), for two days a week, whilst, (technically), being able to eat what you want for the remaining five days.

After a couple of weeks on this regime I found that whilst my weight was ok, fluctuating up and down by about 1 kilo, my blood sugars became more erratic.

I upped my training and felt physically fitter and stronger, but my blood sugars were still not responding and this was beginning to concern me.

As the weeks progressed I tried to mix up the regime. I fasted for consecutive days, I fasted for more days and then I tried to restrict my daily calories to between 800 and 1200 a day for five out of seven days, but still my blood sugars were not responding.

What the f#*k was going on?

I was starting to become frustrated and disappointed in myself. All my hard work was starting to unravel.

I hadn’t completely embraced carbs, although the odd slice of toast had snuck in with my breakfasts, but it wasn’t until I analysed what I had been eating that I realised that I had become a total cheese monster.

Blue cheese, goats cheese, pecorino, manchego and copious amounts of fabulously strong Cheddar.

I had gone cheese crazy and to make things worse my visceral fat had started to sneak up.

When I looked at what I had reintroduced into my diet this was the one thing that I had eaten to excess – and now the thing I probably needed to cut out entirely.

I needed to do something, and do that something FAST.

So here I am, being honest with myself, being honest with you.

My name is Simon and I am a cheese addict.

Cheese – my nemesis

Whilst cheese can contribute to the ‘good’ fats within your diet, it’s all a matter of volume.

100g of Cheddar cheese is made up of 75% fat, 24% protein and only 1% carbs.

Definitely low carb, but when you reflect that this is also over 400 calories you start to see where my problem is.

Even if you decline the accompanying biscuits, pickles or jellies and plump for the delicious walnuts and grapes the whole thing starts to spiral out of control, well, for this diabetic it does anyway.

So back onto the wagon I go.

I have some short-term obstacles to deal with, most notably a four day trip to Lisbon, but I hereby declare my intention to restrict my calories for five days a week and to share my results with you here and across my other social media accounts so that I can hopefully get my diabetes control back on track.

Wish me luck

Si

Week 8 – The End?

They say nothing that is worthwhile having comes easy. I can attest to that. Two months, or if you you look at it another way, eight weeks or 56 days or 1,344 hours or (give or take), 44,800 calories, whichever way I calculate the time, it has been one hell of a journey.

Just in case there is someone stumbling across my blog and wondering what the hell I’m doing here is a little recap.
8 weeks ago I started the Blood Sugar Diet, created by Dr Michael Mosley. This is a low calorie, low carb diet aimed at losing losing, (most importantly visceral fat), with a goal of reprogramming the body of those who are pre-diabetic in danger of becoming type 2 diabetic and those who are already a type 2 diabetic.
I’ve over simplified somewhat, but this link will take you to more information –

https://thebloodsugardiet.com/

Those who know me know how much I love my food. Hell, I’m one of those bloody food bloggers after all, but what many didn’t know was that I was also a T2 diabetic.
Whilst I wasn’t unfit, I wasn’t healthy, (and this will be explored in my supplementary post).

I am 5’08”, I was 96kgs – that was 15 st 2 lbs in old money, and it was killing me.

I am a T2 diabetic who was being told by my diabeticians that I would eventually need to be on insulin to manage my diabetes, taking 11 pills a day, at risk of heart and liver disease and to cap it all my Dad had died of a massive heart attack.
Things weren’t looking great.

So after being sent a piece on the Blood Sugar Diet by my friend I decided to take the plunge.
For those who have kept an eye on my journey you will have seen the highs and lows of the last 8 weeks. My melt down at not knowing how to choose something in a restaurant or the discovery of how good and satisfying a teaspoon of peanut butter can be.
I won’t sugar coat it. It’s been tough. An emotional roller coaster at times and I have most certainly wanted to give up at many stages and have a burger – but I didn’t.

What kept me going was a number of factors.

Reducing my meds – I’m now taking 5 a day rather than 11.

Seeing my visceral fat go down – I’ve reduced this by over 25% in 8 weeks.

The desire to live longer – diabetics generally die 10 years younger than non diabetics

And YOU LOT.

I’ve spoken of the support I’ve had during my journey, but without it I couldn’t have achieved what I have so far.
Friends, family, food heroes and strangers alike have all been there for me, encouraging, willing me on. For that unwavering support I thank you from the bottom of my, (healthier), heart.

There are too many to name individually, but you know who you are.

It’s been a, (wanky term alert), a journey of self discovery too.
Finding out more about my strengths, and even more about my weaknesses.

Learning how my emotions are inextricably linked to my eating habits – good and bad.

I have been happy, I have been sad, I have been depressed, I have been euphoric. I have laid myself bare, and when I’ve been a total arse you’ve forgiven me.

Thank you again for that.

So to the figures.
When I started this I weighed 96kgs, my body fat was at 28.1% with my visceral fat 15%, my muscle mass was 34.2% and I was taking 11 pills of prescription meds daily.

Today I am 81.7 kgs, my body fat is 22.4%, my visceral fat is 11%, my muscle mass is 37.5% and I am taking less than half the meds I was at the beginning.



This is life changing, but it’s also only the beginning.

The next phase is the 5:2 – “Fast Diet”, also advocated by Dr Mosley, where I will be fasting for two days a week, restricting my calorific intake to about 600 calories on those days, whilst still watching. What I eat for the remaining 5 days of the week.

I’ll continue to write about my journey and let you all know how I get on when I go back to see my Doctor at the end of April.

So thank you once again for reading, commenting and supporting me.

Simon

Week 7 – Nearly there

I have just completed the penultimate week of my 8 week Blood Sugar Diet programme and I will admit to feeling somewhat nervous about this phase coming to an end. This might sound crazy, but, when you consider how structured my eating has had to be for the last couple of months you may be able to see where I’m coming from.

This whole phase has been about me losing fat and hoping to reprogram my body to assist in controlling my type 2 diabetes and I’m feeling a little daunted by the fact that technically for 5 out of 7 days on the next bit I’ll be able to eat what I want.

Going forward I will be doing the Fast Diet, also known internationally as the 5:2 Diet, with a view to restricting my eating to 600 calories twice a week. 
Now, the 5:2 suggests that, within reason, you can eat what you want on the other 5 days, BUT, my intention will be to still limit my calories, (probably to about 15-1600 calories), which is still about a thousand less than the suggested daily amount for a man.

By continuing to restrict my calories I’m hoping that I can continue to work on my T2 diabetes and maintain a healthy weight, (whilst still working on my physical composition – muscle and both my subcutaneous and visceral fats).

You have to remember that this will still mean that I am doubling my calorific intake from the initial phase – something I may well struggle to do, (until my first burger that is), it also means that I’m allowed the odd night off and can start accepting those foodie invites out rather than politely declining.

To the figures.
This week I have managed to lose another 1.5kgs and most importantly for me brought down my visceral fat by another percent, meaning that I have lost 25% of my starting visceral fat in seven weeks, something I am immensely proud of.

A little tip for anyone thinking about this diet or any new restrictive regime – Peanut Butter. If you select the right one it is full of good fats, satiating proteins, and is a great snack for when those afternoon biscuit cravings strike. My go to peanut butter of choice is Pic’s Peanut Butter – an Australian / New Zealand combo that is just nuts – by that I mean all they have in it is peanuts, with the exception of the smooth which has a little salt added – you can check them out here http://picspeanutbutter.com/ (purely a personal choice).

Onward in to the final week of this phase, still trying to not fall off the wagon.
Si

Week 6 – Three quarters of the way through.

I stand on the cusp of completing the first phase of my eating regime and I am truly amazed by how far I have already come.But the last week, (and the two ahead), has not, and will not, be easy. 

I take nothing for granted, especially the fact at some point I won’t fall completely off the wagon, but what I am able to say is that I’m determined to not fail.

In the last few days I have faced a couple of personal challenges and I have had to keep a vigilant eye on my relationship between food and my emotions.

I know I’m an emotional eater, happy or sad, food plays a massive part of my life and when you are on that rollercoaster of negative feelings all you want to do is comfort eat, however, I managed to hold it together and not fall, but it was close.

Last week I managed to vary my food a little more, utilising spices and herbs to a greater degree to make my meals more interesting.

I also ventured out somewhere different for dinner, exploring the new Timmy Green restaurant in Victoria.

What I have had to learn is to not give myself such a hard time if I go over my 800 calories, especially in the scenario of eating out.

Luckily for me Timmy Green has a number of what they call “Clean” dishes on their menu and it was one of these I chose for my dinner.

I plumped for the Palliard of Chicken and enjoyed every slowly eaten mouthful.

The figures this week are steady rather than remarkable, but pleasing none the less.

Weight: 85.1kgs

Body fat %: 25.4

Muscle %: 35.8

Visceral fat %: 12

One of the interesting and very pleasing things is that I have also noticed is the reduction in my resting heart rate and my blood pressure.

Whilst I’m not using anything medically calibrated for my heart rate, (I use a Jawbone Up 3), it is accurate enough to show that it has come down at least 10 beats per minute. This coupled with a signifícate decrease in my blood pressure, from a low of 130/80, (and often much higher), to an average of 120/60, shows that my body is beginning to work much more efficiently – brilliant news, bearing in mind that I am doing this to hopefully live a little longer.

I have two weeks left on this phase and my immediate aims are to try and get down to 84kgs and if possible to shave another percentage off of my visceral fat.
But even if I fall short of these goals I will still be over the moon with what I’ve achieved.

So, into my final two weeks, wish me luck
Si

Week 5 – A Breakthrough

Here I am at the end of week five and I have finally made the next breakthrough on this journey. After a few weeks of my visceral fat being static I’ve finally managed to knock another 1% off of this pesky total.You may not think that this is something to shout about, but look at it this way, with a starting visceral fat percentage of 15%, I have, in five weeks, managed to lose 20% of the fat that clogs up and surrounds my internal organs, something that I feel deserves to be truly celebrated. 

Whilst I still have some way to go with this killer substance I am really pleased with how my body has reacted to the Blood Sugar Diet, and I’m hopeful that given time I may even be able to get it into single figures.

This week I thought I would try something a little risky and I had a piece of toast along with my Sunday brunch. I chose a low GI option of one piece of sour dough to go with my avocado and mushrooms – but what I wasn’t ready for was my bodies reaction to this little piece of supposedly bready goodness.
Within minutes of eating the single, small slice of toast I was in absolute agony. I had severe stomach cramps and needed to find some facilities PDQ!

My guts were in turmoil for the rest of the day and it seems that my body is now not a fan of bread, so a lesson learned the hardest of ways.

On to this weeks figures.
Weight: 95.9kgs

Body fat %: 25.9

Muscle %: 35.5

Visceral fat %: 12

Overall I’m happy with the weight loss, (my total weigh loss is now 10kgs in 5 weeks), body fat and muscle percentages, but as I’ve already said, losing that 1% off my visceral fat is a real achievement.

Food wise this week I intend to raise my game a little. Last week there were a few dishes that were just too bland, and it’s dishes like this that can lead you to reach for the biscuits, (if I had any in the house that is), so I have to use my spices, herbs and imagination far more this week.
That said it wasn’t all bad and when a cafe in Whitstable helped me keep within my calorie total for breakfast I was more than grateful.

I’m well and truly into the final stretch of this phase, five weeks down and three to go, but for me these final weeks are as important as the first three.

Wish me luck

Si 

End of Week 4 – Half Way There

It’s the end of week four and things are are going ok. 
I seem to be managing my food better, drinking enough water and have even managed to go out for food a few times.

But now is not the time to get complacent. 

Nor is it all good news.

When I started this journey I was 96kgs, taking 11 pills, (prescription medication) daily, and was probably on a very slippery slope to complicated Type 2 Diabetes and insulin use. 

After a week on the Blood Sugar Diet I had to halve the medication I took to stimulate my pancreas, (as it was driving me towards hypos), and all was seemingly good.

By the end of week three I had stopped taking this drug altogether and had also halved my Metformin. My blood glucose figures were normal and I just thought, “well done Si you’ve got this cracked”. 

And then along came week four. My morning bloods were starting to spike, (only 2 or three points, but enough to start alarm bells ringing), and I couldn’t work out why. I wasn’t cheating, no sugary foods or drinks and no simple carbs.

One of the possibilities was that my liver was producing too much through the night so I tried a late evening snack to try and balance this, but it didn’t work.

Glumly I returned to using my gliclazide once a day, but I soon found out that this again was too much, and my bloods started to drop too low.

Where was the balance? 

What was I doing wrong?

For now what I have started to do to is take one gliclazide every other day at night and for now that seems to be helping me keep things in check. I am due back to the doctors for a full review in eight weeks where I will discuss my options regarding this medication going forward. 

In some ways this is a retrograde step, but I’d rather just look at it as getting to know my body better and see the positive in now only taking a maximum of 6 pills daily rather than 11. 

This week I wanted to add a little recipe into the mix, just to show that it’s not all about eating lettuce and radishes.
One of my favourite meals to date was turkey, courgette and broccoli with a peanut sauce.
So I thought id share this very easy, but tasty dish.

I took 100g of turkey breast and put it in a sandwich bag with ginger and garlic and left it in the fridge for an hour or so.
Then I prepped the veg.

I took the veg peeler to a courgette, (about 160 calories) and made ribbons with it.

I then chopped up a small red onion and cut about 130g of broccoli into floretes. 

Now for the peanut sauce.

This is very simple with 98% of the calories just coming from the peanut butter.

Take a tablespoon of peanut butter, (preferably one that is only nuts and nothing else) and add about a cup of water. To this add a dash of light soy sauce, a teaspoon of white wine vinegar and a healthy glug or three of tabasco sauce. 

Stir over a moderate heat until you have the consistency you require, adding more water to thin if necessary. A very simple sauce and at about 60 calories for two table spoons a great way to liven up a meal.

I put the chopped up turkey into a hot pan and browned it off and then added the onions.

Whilst this was all cooking down I steamed the broccoli.

To finish I added the courgette ribbons to the hot pan for a minute or so and I was then ready to plate up.

I topped this delicious dinner with the peanut sauce and a chopped red chilli and I was set.

Tasty, satisfying and above all for me less than 400 calories.

And so to this weeks figures.
Weight. 86.9kg

Fat %. 27.6

Muscle %. 34.6

Visceral fat %. 13

To get to these figures I weigh myself three times, add the figures and divide by three to get the average. Whilst my visceral fat has stayed static it is dropping to 12% now and then, so I’m hoping with a bit of work that will drop this coming week.

To date I have lost 9.1kg. Reduced my body fat percentage by 2.5%, increased my muscle density by 2.4% and most importantly dropped 2% of my visceral fat – and all this in a mere four weeks

In the main a successful month. But I can’t rest on my laurels. This programme for me is eight weeks, so still a long way to go.

So onward and upward into week five.
Si 

Week 3 – A sushi saviour

I made it to the end of week 3 pretty unscathed and I even managed to venture out for dinner.
When looking at shedding weight previously I had considered calorie counting but it all just seemed a little too much for me as far as eating was concerned and I tried to go more for a healthy content and never really stopped to think too much about the make up of certain foods and how they may impact on my waistline and my diabetes.
This has now changed completely, and whilst it is a short term gig for me, (8 weeks on the restricted calories), the knowledge is something I will certainly take with me into the next phase and beyond.

I wrote last week about my “hanxiety” of going out for dinner brought on by having no idea of the calorific values of what was on the menu and how this sent me into a total melt down, so when a friend of mine suggested dinner I decided that I would do more research to find somewhere suitable to go and try to negate my food related anxiety.
From some very basic online research I discovered that in London there was a number of places catering for things like the 5:2 diet and generally healthier eating, but that these places seemed to either be cafés that were only open until late afternoon or were, in my opinion, too expensive.
Then I stumbled upon a blog entry, (forgive me I can’t find it again and forgot to note the bloggers name), from someone who had been in a similar predicament when going out for dinner with a girlfriend who was doing the 5:2 diet. 

What her friend suggested was a trip to Yo Sushi as they publish the calories of each dish on their menus.

Well, I was definitely up for this and I soon found myself scouring the Yo Sushi website and deciding what I was going to be eating.

Now, this may not be the best place to have sushi, HOWEVER, the fact I could calculate my intake and avoid carbs, (no rice for me), was perfect.
Suffice to say I ate my fill of tuna and salmon sashimi, along with a tasty salad, (and a few other naughty morsels), and came away with much less guilt than my restaurant visit last week.

And so to this weeks figures
Weight. 88.5kgs

Body fat. 28.1%

Muscle mass. 34.3%

Visceral fat. 13%

I was amazed that I had still dropped nearly 2 kilos as I had definitely eaten more, (between 800 and peaking at 1000 calories some days), and somewhat disappointed that I hadn’t dropped any visceral fat.
But, visceral fat is the hardest fat to shift, so I wasn’t too downhearted.

On the plus side I seem to be maintaining, and even growing, muscle, so not all bad news.

In the last week I managed to change up my food a little, added more fish, lentils and the wonderfully named “Boodles”, (spiralised butternut squash), along with experimenting with different vegetables and how to present them. All round a more successful week food wise.

And so into week 4 and nearly half way.

To date I have managed to lose 7.5kgs and knocked 2% off of my visceral fat, which I am ecstatic about. But the hard work has only just begun.

Over the next week I will be closely monitoring my blood glucose levels as I seek to stop taking my Metformin, (this drug is widely given to type 2 diabetics and inhibits the production of sugar by the liver), BUT, this is a huge step and needs to be done with care.

As always I’ll post my meals on instagram and twitter and maybe one or two instagram stories to let you know how I’m feeling.

Wish me luck

Si

Week 2 – Hungry, Hangry and just a little bit Hanxious

This week was the second of eight on the Blood Sugar Diet and quite frankly it has been hell. I say it’s been hell, but what I actually mean is that I had to look some very difficult days in the face and not fall off the wagon.

Tuesday was the first horrific day.

I met a friend for coffee, but time had marched on and I needed to eat, so we popped into the newly opened Timmy Green. 

Timmy Green is a great new restaurant with an antipodean vibe that was certainly very welcoming with a very inviting menu.

But then came the decision, what realistically could I eat and stay close to my 400 calorie allowance for dinner. 

The menu had some amazing sounding dishes and I wanted them all, (and I will after my diet finishes), but which one was going to fit the current eating regime.

I started to panic somewhat. My head started to spin and I became a little frantic.

I settled on the tuna steak and salad and just hoped that 1. It would be filling and 2. It wasn’t going to go hugely over my 400 calories.

The tuna was amazing, well cooked and the salad was tasty, but I couldn’t help but feel guilty. Had I just blown my 400 calories? If I stepped on the scales would all my good work be undone. Irrational, but honestly how I felt.

Then came Wednesday. 

Travel chaos in London. I missed my connections to go back to my house in Kent and a journey of over 3 hours to eventually get home, and all of that stress on top of being starving.

I was more than “Hangry” or “Hanxious”, I was ready to kill someone for a burger and a glass of wine.

Some of you will have seen my subsequent Instagram stories and I apologise if I came over like a mad man, but what it showed me was how much my mind set had been changed in less than two weeks – mostly in a positive way, but clearly negatively too.

A friend of mine warned me that I sounded like someone with an eating disorder and that I needed to think more about what I was eating. This certainly made me stop and consider how I felt about what I was doing and how it was making me feel.
Thursday onwards I made a concerted effort to make sure my meals were more balanced and that I got enough protein in my diet and it certainly helped with my mental stability.
I felt fuller, more balanced and less likely to press the f#%k it button and fill my face with badness.

This coming week my aim is to try and experiment with some more foods and techniques to try and keep my meals interesting and more importantly satisfying. 
I was planning on trying some meal replacement products this week, (purely for the sake of science), but after checking out their contents and finding way too much sugar in them I decided to stay with cooking whole foods and not taking any massive short cuts.

As I’ve already said this week has been hellish for me and the kind words and support I got from friends and strangers alike was over whelming and has truly helped me stay on the straight and narrow.
This week I’d like to say a special thanks to Katie and Rosie for the advice, words of encouragement and the reality check slap that I needed. 

Thanks guys.

So to those pesky figures;

Weight. 90.4kgs

Body fat. 28.5%

Muscle mass. 33.8%

Visceral fat. 13%

As you will see I have now managed to lose nearly 6kgs, reduced my body fat,(especially that all important visceral fat), and added some lean muscle.
More importantly I have stopped taking my pancreatic stimulant, (Gliclazide), altogether this week as it was pushing me daily towards hypoglycaemic blood sugar levels and this in itself is a huge milestone and one that could help prolong my life.

On to week three and hoping that I continue to adjust to the eating regime, that I manage to cope better and that my body carries on healing itself.

Si 

End of week 1 on the Blood Sugar Diet

So, I just about survived my first week of the Blood Sugar Diet and quite frankly it’s been the toughest week, (food wise), of my life.

In just over a week I have managed to become totally obsessed with weights and calories.

Everything is meticulously weighed and I find myself googling every piece of food to find out its calorific value whilst trying to ensure I stay within my 800 calorie a day limit.

Those who follow my instagram will see that eggs and mange tout have become a staple in most of my meals and whilst there have been a lot of “similar” dishes, I have tried to make sure that the flavours are different and engaging.

It might be called a diet, but I think this is somewhat misleading. I feel it is better described as an eating regime. The research based philosophy helps you to reprogramme your body so that you can almost start again. 

The whole ethos of this “diet” has certainly helped me to think of it as a longer term lifestyle rather than a “quick fix”.

As you will recall the background to this is about reducing my body fat, both subcutaneous and visceral, so that I can have greater control of my type 2 diabetes, or maybe even rid myself of this debilitating illness.

So to the all important figures.

Overall I have managed to lose 3.5kg this week, whilst my body fat has gone up 1.6%, (go figure!). 

My muscle mass has dropped 0.8% but I have managed to knock a whole 1% off of my visceral fat, (this is the hardest fat to shift and is a really good result).

All in all a mixed bag, but overall I’m pleased with the results and especially happy with the drop in visceral fat.

As I said it’s been a tough week. 800 calories really isn’t a lot to eat. Throw into that training 5 days a week, (a mixture of hiit training, yoga, calestenics and weights), still doing my daily 10k steps, and its little wonder that by the time 4pm arrives I’m somewhat tired and just a little hangry.

I’m still finding my feet and discovering what low calorie snacks I can have without eating too much into my meal allowance has been one of the hardest things, but you’d be amazed how slowly one can eat an individual almond and how surprisingly few calories there are in pickled onions, (six calories for a large pickled onion to be precise), and my favourite padrón peppers are really low in calories – winner. 

And so into week two. I will try to ensure that I mix things up a little, to keep me and those who follow my instagram interested.

Here’s hoping I don’t fall off the wagon.
Si