Well, well, well.
Watched an interesting documentary last night, from which I basically learned two things.
1. Protein will keep you fuller for 10% longer than other foods of equal calorific content and
2. If you eat soup, as opposed to the individual components that would be in the soup and a glass of water, the soup will keep you fuller for around 3/4 hours longer, because it can't be digested as quickly.

Interesting ;)
Off to see Love & Other Drugs tonight, night!
x

‎'He just missed the bird, but he managed to catch hold of the long beautiful feathers in its tail.'

Sometimes life is not about the achievement of the goals you set your sights on, but about the taking account of all those beautiful feathers you tear away from others as you rush ahead on life's short journey.

A response to 'konrad.juengling's question: What is the rainbow diet?

Well, this is only a short explanation (i'm in a little bit of a hurry!) but my original interpretation of the rainbow diet (the pre-concieved one in my head) appears to have been completely wrong. But that's nothing a little internet research can't cure (...i hope :P)


According to the official website, Rainbow Diet is 'a nutritional breakthrough because it incorporates all the different colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet into the food we eat. Foods with a variety of colors have different healthy nutrients: vitamins, minerals, microelements, antioxidants, etc. We will identify the most useful foods for your condition and create one personalized nutritional plan, which will address not only your weight goals but your health concerns as well.'

Following that, it explains itself as a diet which incorporates all different 'colours' of food into it - so basically, you get a wide variety of foods with different nutritional qualities. This diet is also linked to cancer treatment.


This explanation is totally different to the idea that was already in my head. The idea I had of the rainbow diet was actually what is known as the 'Pro Ana Rainbow Diet', which means that 'Each day, only foods from a certain color group are allowed, such as yellow or red. Calories vary from 283 to 40 calories per day. The total amount of calories consumed per week is 696 calories. Most of the food consists of low calorie fruits and vegetables.'
An example of the pro-ana version of the diet would be:

Rainbow Diet
Monday (white):
Breakfast: ½ apple (40.5 cals)
Lunch: ½ apple (40.5 cals)
Dinner: 1 cucumber (24 cals)
Total: 105 cals

Tuesday (yellow):
Breakfast: 1 banana (108.5 cals)
Lunch: 1 banana (108.5 cals)
Dinner: ½ cup corn (66 cals)
Total: 283 cals

Wednesday (fast):

Thursday (orange):
Breakfast: ½ orange (31 cals)
Lunch: ½ orange (31 cals)
Dinner: 1 carrot (26 cals)
Total: 88 cals

Friday (red):
Breakfast: ½ cup strawberries (21.5 cals)
Lunch: ½ cup strawberries (21.5 cals)
Dinner: ½ red pepper (16 cals)
Total: 59 cals

Saturday (purple/blue):
Breakfast: 10 blueberries (8 cals)
Lunch: 10 blueberries (8 cals)
Dinner: 10 raspberries (24 cals)
Total: 40 cals

Sunday (green):
Breakfast: ½ cup grapes (57 cals)
Lunch: ½ grapes (57 cals)
Dinner: 1 cup lettuce (7 cals)
Total: 121 cals

Week total: 696 cals
(from http://www.pro-thinspo.com/extremelylowcaloriediets.html)

Did that answer your question...(sort of)?

Stay safe!
x




Sources:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2095235/information_about_the_proana_rainbow.html?cat=2

http://www.rainbowdiet.com/

How do I do this?
I am submerging myself in a world I should not want to be a part of, and yet I actively seek to become a fibre of its existance.

It was all yellow.

YELLOW

Alright, so,

Breakfast
- Banana
- detox tea

Lunch
- Wrap containing yellow vegetables etc,
- Banana

Dinner
- possibly soup or a stir fry, depending on the mood.

P.S.

Tomorrow, the rainbow diet begins.


Desparation, much?

Tonight I'm going for a drink with the boy that started this whole 'weight' thing. I don't know why i'm going, why I feel so nervous or why he wants to see me. I'm terrified that he'll look at me and think i'm huge compared to the last time he saw me and i've already cancelled twice because of that.
Last night I spoke to two people that I have had no contact with for almost three years. The last two days have been like a spiral backwards, and now I feel like i've been catapulted into everything I thought i'd gotten away from. It's not a particularly bad feeling...but I am surprised by how little inclined I am to rekindle any form of friendship with these people. The fact is, if the person believes they have changed...they probably haven't. I'm not even sure I wanted them to change, I would've been more impressed if they'd stucked to their guns and stayed exactly as the people they wanted to be, rather than conforming to what I needed from them.
Life is a funny journey.
I'll let you know how tonight goes.

Ate a lot of bread yesterday, totally failed.

GUTTED.


Watched Britain's fattest man last night and cried my heart out. I don't think I can live like this anymore because I live in constant fear of ending up like that.

Detox, anyone?

Now, I know we all love a good old fashioned 'New Year's Detox' (even if we don't admit it).
HOW TO:

1. Drink eight glasses of water a day (that's a given)
2. Eat 'energy boosting' foods - fruit and vegetables
3. Take a twenty minute walk or partake in some kind of exercise every day
4. Cut out processed, sugary foods (e.g. chocolate, alcohol)
5. Stop smoking!
6. Apparently, squeezing half a cup of lemon into a cup of hot water every morning is good for you (I may test this and write about it another day)
7. Eat wholegrains and lentils
8. GREEN TEA: antioxidants + weight loss boosting = yes please!


(i'll add to this list at a later date).

Also, I was speaking to a lovely woman in a health shop today who recommends B Vitamins as a way of providing relaxation and energy if you're feeling stressed or fatigued. I did a little bit of research and found that they're considered one of the best vitamins to use for this purpose, so I thought i'd post it up here in case anyone found it useful - it's not uncommon to get a little case of the new year blues.

Stay safe.
Jasmine
x

Well.
I HAVE FAILED. (Yes, already.)


BUT. The positive side is that I failed by NOT eating, not by eating too much.
I had fantastic intentions but unfortunately, I woke up late and so skipped breakfast. I took my morning tablet and then I ate a Nairn's oatcake at about 2pm. I then went on some form of bracelet mission with my dad and ate some gorgeous lentil soup for lunch (at which point I took my other fat metaboliser tablet thingy). I have had a cup of juice as stated and I have consumed the correct amount of liquid...so I guess it could be work. I'm jumping straight back on the wagon though, so i'm going to go and follow the plan and have my tea now - although i'm finding it difficult to make my vegetarian substitutions fit the plan.
On a side note, I had heartburn last night - which I have only experienced one other time in my life (and that was 'cause I drank too much alcohol)...maybe a side effect of the tablets? ...i'll read up and get back to you.
Ciao bambinos.

Well, it's Monday morning and i've just attempted my first EVER omlette - and I must say it came out pretty well. I used the original suggestion from the diet plan, but i added a little garlic and some pepper to give it something of a kick. I only had three cherry tomatoes also, so there's a chance i subsequently ate less than 50g. It was a pretty damn satisfying omlette I actually, but I'm feeling pretty full now. I'm surprised at how much the diet allows you to eat, considering i'm now supposed to have half an english muffin and drink some orange juice and take my tablet.

I'm not really sure why anyone would eat half a muffin - perhaps that's why i'm fat, haha! I also don't think I have a muffin in the house, but I guess I can forage (i've already foraged for onions and tomatoes in the bottom of my fridge today) - I'll let you know if it's mission accomplished (i somehow doubt it).
My next issue is one that comes with the PLAGUE that is bank holidays - the gym is not open. Dun dun DUUUNNNN. So, I'm going to tidy my room, get organised and hopefully burn a few calories that way :)!
I'm also thinking I need some kind of physical 'detox' as well as eating better and exercising. Christmas always seems to leave me feeling battered and looking like a spotty teen, so it's always good to get in a few home facials, a new hairdo, etc. If you've got any fun ideas - set them free and let me know.
Well, I need to go and take my 'fat metabolising' tablet (i'm becoming more sceptical about this by the minute)...so I'll add to this later and let you know how the day goes.
Bye!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UPDATE:
First day of this experiment went extremely well I would say! I haven't felt hungry and I've eaten a nice variety of food. I did miss out the afternoon snack however, which I know is NAUGHTY...but I just wasn't really that hungry! I think i'm going to find it difficult eating five times a day instead of three, but i'll do my best...
It's really weird to be sitting here talking to noone and everyone at the same time. That's the wonder of the internet.

03/01/2011

I guess everyone has a New Year's resolution. Perhaps several.
I guess most of us know that those around us probably won't keep those resolutions, but this 'blog' (as I believe they're called!) is mine and at this moment in time, I intend to keep it.

Let me introduce myself, I'm Jasmine. I'm English Literature student, and I'm looking to lose weight. I was happy with my body for such a long time (I met a boy, was in love, didn't eat as much, etc, was happy) but it's been a long while since him and I can't stand my body anymore. I want to look in the mirror and be happy with what I see, but this time, I want to do it properly, without starvation or binging or craziness. This blog is about experimenting with new ways of losing weight and of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I am going to experiment with different diets and products in an attempt to lose a few pounds - and hopefully help a few other people find healthy ways to get healthy (not just thin). I'm also going to be exercising three times a week and using that as a 'constant' against which I can try different dieting methods (how scientific I am!). I also may have to alter elements of the diet plan because I am vegetarian, but i'll make a point of telling you all when I do that and how I alter it. SO, commence experiment #1:

The Product

The first 'product' I have here to try is based on a recommendation from a friend of mine who claims it to 'work miracles'. The product is called 'fat metaboliser' and is sold in Holland and Barratt (see http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=547&searchterm=fat%20metaboliser%20tablets&rdcnt=1). You get 120 tablets for £7.71 and you have to take two a day (one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon), giving you a 60 day supply (not bad in 'diet pill' terms). I must admit, I'm not a huge or even partial believer in diet pills or any type of fat metabolisation magic, but I think it's only fair to experiment with everything and be gracious in my attempts. Fat Metaboliser (tm!) is a 'thermogenic formula which, when combined with [their] healthy eating and exercise plan, may help you control your cravings, assist the body in using up excessive fat stores and help you eliminate unwanted weight'. Alrighty then...

The first thing I would say, is that the product DOES provide you with a fourteen day diet plan, which is extremely helpful because it gives some clarity concerning how to implement the tablets alongside a plan. It also gives you exercise guidelines, so I guess it really gives you quite a comprehensive plan, which is useful - even if the tablets do nothing!

The Eating Plan

Okay, so, the eating plan says:
1. to allow 1500 calories with less than 25% coming from fat.
2. to plan meals, not skip them.
3. to keep a diary of your progress (this blog serves that purpose)
4. try not to eat 3-4 hours before bedtime, and if you can't wait until morning, have a snack that is underneath 100 calories.
5. enlist the help of a friend.

Looking at the fourteen day diet plan, it's really comprehensive and uses quite everyday things which would make it useable. I'm not going to type up the whole plan here, but i'll type up the first day, just to show you how it looks. Here goes.

Breakfast
2 egg omlette w/50g tomatoes and 50g onions cooked in a non-stick frying pan
topped with 25g low fat cheese (although i think perhaps I would just skip that bit - not a cheese fan)
1/2 an english muffin
1 tsp. butter
250 ml orange or apple juice
1 fat metaboliser tablet (i like the inclusion of the tablet in the plan..)

Mid-Morning Snack
Large slice o cantaloupe melon or 1/2 grapefruit
herbal tea/water

Lunch
200g 'salad greens' (e.g. endive, lettuce, escarole, spinach), tomatoes, watercress, cucumbers, celery
topped with 75g grilled chicken or turkey (will be altering that!)
1 small apple
4 tbsp. low fat dressing
low calorie beverage or water (min. 250 ml)

Mid-Afternoon Snack
4 melba toasts or rice cakes
100g low fat cottage cheese
water
fat metaboliser tablet

Dinner
200g pasta w/100g tomato sauce and 50g turkey meatballs
200g mixed vegetables (excluding peas and sweetcorn)
water
2 tbsp. raisins w/6 almonds.



My opinions on this diet at face value are that it looks exceedingly varied and yet contains accessible foods. There seems to be quite a substancial amount of eating involved however (it sort of looks like i'm going to be eating ALL DAY!). The diet is very specific about what foods to eat, how much and how to cook them as well - which I think often gets forgotten. I'm also just going to mention that i'll be replacing all the meat with vegetarian alternatives of a similar calorific value - so it hopefully shouldn't affect the plan too much.

So, it's half one in the morning, and I think I need to go to sleep so that i'm up in time to visit the supermarket and commence on this journey, hah!
I'll write soon and let you know how I'm getting on - and if anyone would like a copy of the full 14 day plan, let me know and i'll send it.

Stay sexy, stay slim.
Jasmine.