SHEILA JARDINE, 50, FROM EDINBURGH I haven’t lost any weight but I do feel less wobbly around the waist
JEWELLERY designer Sheila admits to falling for the classic dieting pitfall of going hungry for as long as possible before reaching for the nearest bar of chocolate.
But, having recently celebrated a milestone birthday, Sheila, who is married to presenter and food PR Stephen Jardine, decided it was time to follow a healthier lifestyle.
She explained: “I don’t eat well so I’m somebody who would really benefit from a healthy diet. My weight is gradually creeping up.
“I’m not overweight but the way I eat isn’t healthy. I don’t eat as much fruit and veg as I should.
“I always have breakfast and it’s always bread so I will be changing that because it’s supermarket bread, which has sugar. I’ll switch to plain yoghurt and a banana.
“In the evenings, I tend to have soup or Ryvita and hummus then I’ll get to 10 o’clock and think, ‘I’ll just have a Club biscuit.’ The intention is there but I usually end up falling off the wagon.”
Day 1:
Day 2:
Breakfast: Porridge with salt and a banana Lunch: Cheese, oatcakes and pea and bean salad without dressing Dinner: Pesto soup, salad and hummus with crackers Snack: Occasional bag of crisps, crackers or oatcakes with peanut butter Drinks: Water, coffee (with milk)
I’m reading the ingredients of my usual cinnamon and raisin bagels – nope, sugar. Ditto for orange juice. I fill up with porridge and a coffee that keeps me going until late morning when I snack on oatcakes and peanut butter (no added sugar). I have a banana and an orange before lunch. This is way more than I usually eat.
I take oatcakes and peanut butter with me for the mid-morning dip, which doesn’t occur. No mid-afternoon dip, either, but I eat some peanuts to keep me going until dinner. I’ve been drinking loads more coffee, better watch that. Feel a little low today but that may be down to a letter from my accountant.
I’m not waking up hungry, which I usually do. Porridge for breakfast is boring me. Dinner is steak and chips and broccoli and half a bottle of red wine, which leads to a chocolate craving.
Discover sugar-free bread from Earthy. I eat it with scrambled egg and it’s delicious. Maybe my taste buds are enjoying the lack of sugar. Party at night where I drink gin and diet tonic.
I really miss fresh orange juice so I have diluted sugar-free orange juice. Eating out, my cappuccino arrives with chocolate on top – I send it back. I order Caesar salad and don’t eat the croutons. No craving today until I have a glass of wine in the evening. I satisfy it with a load of peanuts. Maybe this is why I’m not losing weight on this regime?
Day 4:
Day 5:
Day 3:
Day 8:
Not feeling great today so by mid-afternoon I am craving sugar. I have some crisps instead.
Evening of snacking on crisps (very bad).
I make Irn-Bru cake and a shortbread and chocolate mousse cake for Burns supper with friends. It’s so tempting just to slip a couple of squares of chocolate in my mouth as I cook but I resist. As my guests enjoy the sugar-laden puddings, I snack on the berry garnish that goes with them. I’m definitely feeling less wobbly around the waist, although I haven’t lost any weight.
I’m disappointed not to have lost weight but I feel less wobbly around the middle and, I may be imagining it, but I think my skin tone has slightly improved. The most marked result is I haven’t had the yo-yo effect of eating something sugary then craving something else sugary 30 minutes later. I’m going to carry on avoiding sweets, cakes and added sugar wherever I can. I hope I’ll see results in a longer period of abstinence.
Day 9: Day 11:
Day 14: