Day 4 of Harcombe diet eating out and taking away!

I had a bad start to Thursday, when I was in the shower a huge black spot appeared in my vision, it disappeared after a few minutes but was pretty odd. Worried that this could be the start of a migraine I decided not to drive (my migraines leave me with a blind spot, poor co-ordination and slurred/ jumbled speech, like being drunk with none of the fun and a killer hangover). I cooked my usual omelette with tomatoes for brekkie but didn’t feel hungry and managed about 1/2, in fact I was quite queasy and spent much of the morning quietly groaning in my office.

I’d arranged a few weeks ago to have lunch with a friend and approached Nandos apprehensively. A Mediterranean chicken salad (no feta) and corn on the cob (with butter!) later and I felt MUCH better. I didn’t even resent not being allowed a diet coke. Feeling better I powered through the afternoon and must have walked three miles going to the far side of Clapham Road to meet Ben’s tutors, back to the train station and then walking home.

In the evening we treated ourselves and the boys to a curry. As Ben had played his favourite trick of keeping us all awake from 5:30 neither adult wanted to leave the house so we ordered a takeaway. Now I know onion bhaji has a little gram flour to bind it but I decided that I could turn a blind eye to that and had a very enjoyable evening.

Breakfast: bacon omelette and tinned tomato
Lunch: Nandos Mediterranean salad (no feta), corn on the cob and butter
Dinner: Chicken Methi and 2 onion bhajis

Day 2 of phase 1 of Harcombe – sweet chilli sauce panic

I woke up from one of the deepest and most undisturbed sleeps ever at the ungodly hour of 5:30 while my son asked where the toilet paper was! I was nearly ready to sleep again when he came in to tell me his leg hurt and then again 15 minutes later to ask if it was time to get up.

The day had not got off to the best start and was exacerbated by youngest son feeling poorly and wetting the bed. Knowing that I had a long day ahead and no chocolate or caffeine to prop myself up with I was not in my happy place. I felt like I might be getting the lurgy off little son and stomped into the kitchen threatening to take the treat out of my early-bird’s lunchbox.

Despite everything I managed to get through the morning meeting without crying, falling asleep or forgetting my name (all of which I thought were likely given my un-caffeinated state). I got back to my office and thought about lunch without great enthusiasm while getting ready for the afternoon’s briefing and Board meeting, I even handled a crisis in another department and handled umpteen calls while surreptitiously typing and clicking print!

The evening session started at 3 and finished at 7:30 when we went straight into a farewell dinner for a retiring Board member. Before going on the diet I’d chosen the veggie option as I like meat in moderation rather than the perfectly cooked but too big and too rich versions offered at the venue. I don’t think I did too bad given that the day ended with a formal dinner and plenty of wine on offer

Breakfast: bacon omelette, salad and beetroot
Lunch: salmon with salad and beetroot (can’t get enough of these)
Dinner….

Cauliflower Beignets and an apple sauce – yum I skipped the sauce and felt virtuous until and I realised beignets had flour (whoops). By the time the fish course came my heart was pounding and scalp was twitching.
Chickpea and basil croquettes with salad and sweet chilli sauce. I ate the salad and left both of the croquettes. Some chilli sauce may have fallen onto the salad.
Artichokes in a hazelnut velouté on mash. I ate the artichokes but didn’t go chasing extra sauce, left the mash and picked at veggies on the side.
Pudding – politely declined an amazing looking trio of chocolate desserts.
Cheese, coffee and petit fours – politely declined while I glugged more water.

No wine, no coffee, no tea and no diet coke.

I got home at 11, straight to bed but feeling proud of myself for avoiding the temptations of biscuits and sweets during the meeting, olive studded bread and butter, croquettes, hazelnut velouté, mash, cheese, crackers, grapes, tea, wine and chocolate puddings.

Day 1 of phase 1 of Harcombe hell.

In desperation I’ve turned to a far out diet, the Harcombe diet. When you read the book it seems to makes sense but anything that takes me away from diet coke seems extreme to me!

I decided to start on a Monday as I didn’t want the long Easter weekend to be overshadowed by me sobbing while the rest of the family scoffed hot cross buns and Easter eggs and as my week would quieten down after Tuesday evening. Sadly I decided pretty much on the spur of the moment and hadn’t exactly stocked my kitchen up in advance.

Breakfast – 2 egg omelette with rocket, spinach and watercress.
Snack: tub of M&S olives (super yum)
Lunch – M&S side salad and tub of prawns.
Tea: 2 egg ham omelette, rocket, spinach, watercress and beetroot
Supper: two pieces of salmon in a warmed up easiyo mayo that had for wrong!

After Brownies I decided to make my own mayo using some natural live yoghurt which the easiyo site claimed was easy. It wasn’t easy and didn’t thicken so I decided to warm it up and serve as a freaky warm hollandaise with my salmon, bizarrely it was quite nice.

Exhausted by a day with no hot cross buns or diet Pepsi, running around at work, running around after the kids and then supervising brownies making chocolate nests I couldn’t stay up and was in bed by 9.