Heidi Strickland-Clark

Day nine: It’s close to the end and already I am making changes. My right knee is so damn painful I am back on all my supplements.

A morning plan for me is 1 x multi-vit, 2 x 1g vit C, 2 x fish oil, 1 x B complex. I take more but that’s what the morning holds after breakfast.

I had an early class this morning, so was up at 5.45 and had coffee and water only. Taught BodyPump, with this bloody painful knee, and then came home for poached eggs on spelt toast. Headed out to Nordic Walking and we plodded through the fog for an hour or so and then I went home to finalise plans for our talk this evening.

I think I had an orange inbetween breakfast and lunch. Not sure. This is ABSOLUTELY why you need to do food diaries as you go along, you will forget. Lunch was lovely, it was my kind of lunch, huge plate of salad which I filled twice and had with olives and feta cheese, loads of olive oil on top. Coffee.

Hmm, did I snack mid-afternoon.? Yep, I had 3 rice cakes and marmalade, infact now I think about it I had that after my lunch too. See what I mean?!

Mood was distracted with attempts to be focussed today. Planning for the evening, thinking ahead to a busy three days and then new Fit Camp next week, it still rolls on and on without much let up!

Had dinner before we left and had griddled chicken breast, half an avocado, sauteed spuds and leeks and more salad.

Had a very lovely evening at St Anne’s Manor talking about all things fat related. There is something of a buzz you get when you’ve got 80 people in front you ready to listen. You want to be clear, concise and tell a really good story. I think we got there, I do hope so. 🙂 We also raised £132 for Sports Relief with the raffle — so hurrah! Shared my carbohydrate experience with them which is: in 8 days, 9lbs up, 2 inches up on waist, 4 inches up on belly, 2 inches on hips (surprised at that!!) Will be slowing turning it in as we head towards Monday when I’ll be going in the other direction!

Came home bloody knackered! The come down of adrenaline rushing through my body in the build up and delivery of the presentation was rapid! Indulged in 2 glasses of red before plodding upstair to blog!

Didn’t want to get up today. Very bleurgh and achey. Not good, I did 3 hours of exercise yesterday, but in my old life that was normal. I accept I am out that rat race now and my body has adjusted, but really it was a real don’t-want-to-get-out-of-bed-stamp-foot feeling.

But I did. Had a massage client at 9.30 so needed to be ready for that. Really not in the mood for breakfast today, so had two clementines and a coffee.

My client gave me some Herman Cake today. It’s a German Friendship Sour Dough cake, that you love and tend for 9 days before baking. Part of the process is to pass on part of the mix at day 9 so someone else can make it. We’ll see how it goes. Could have done with it 9 days ago, but there we go!

Got back about 10.45 and had 2 slices of spelt bread, butter and marmalade. It has to be my favourite comfort food. I have a vivid memory of a child of about 6 eating granary bread and marmalade in the garden for a snack. See what you’ve done Mum!

Lunch was an Athena networking meeting at The Sindlesham Mill Hotel. Had vegetarian Balti, rice and a poppadum. 3 mint chocolates afterwards. Most amusing moment happened during this meeting, when we were disturbed by a group of older ladies sitting down in another part of the restaurant in the hotel. There was lots of chat and laughing and it was quite distracting to our meeting. However, nothing as distracting as when they all suddenly stood and burst in to song to sing Grace. Oh dear, I got a fit of the giggles at this point! It was hilarious, about 20 of them, singing halleluiah to the hotel food in front of everyone! Classic.

Came home and coffee.

Mid-afternoon pre-BodyPump class piece of vinegar cake (that was my old style of thinking — stoke up before my classes).

Taught BodyPump, got a good sweat on and struggled a bit with my right knee. I am sure the change of diet has made this worse, will be interesting to see when I revert to normality next week. I am also finding it all a bit of chore on the exercise front. I still ache after my classes yesterday. That is completely unusual, so think it’s catching up now. Headed off to my sister’s after work, but she got caught late at work and so headed back home only to walk in just as Dale was dishing up. So we had a fairly typical old style dinner: chicken thighs in (jar) black bean sauce, a bit of rice (not as much as I used to have) broccoli. I then had natural yoghurt with desiccated coconut and fresh mango. Coffee. That’s me done for the day now!

Most of the comments I’ve had about this have been based around “well it must be great to eat like this” … all I can say is it’s like going on holiday or having extended leave over Christmas. Seems a great idea, but now its time to get back to normal! Most of the old foods I bought in are now gone, they won’t be replaced.

Dale and Sophie are glad to see the back of it too. Sophie doesn’t tolerate wheat well and Dale suffers with energy levels when he eats carbs, so all in all a good reminder for all of us that our normal diet suits us better than our old style one.

Next phase is to eat clean with the Fit Campers from Monday for 4 weeks. I’ll blog weekly on that, there is a phase three, but I’ll save that excitement from you for now!

OK, so up at 5.50 for BodyPump. Had 2 slices spelt toast and marmalade before I went. I have no idea why, it wasn’t really necessary. Coffee too. Once home decided I didn’t need breakfast, I really need to feel less wodge-y. So did some admin before heading off for first Tuesday Nordic Walk group. It’s not quite so nice today, but still dry and a good day for plodding at pace!

As I sit here I’ve seen a chap arrive at my neighbour’s who cut the grass. I’ve not seen him since last summer and what a change. He is about 65-68 and used to chain smoke. He could easily smoke 4/5 cigarettes whilst on site for 45 minutes to an hour. I heard he had a heart attack last year. He has stopped smoking and lost quite a lot of weight, but my word he looks old. The stress of the illness has really had a profound effect on his appearance. Let that be a lesson to you all, stay healthy from now — it will keep you looking young well into your older years.

Went for my Nordic Walk with some lovely ladies and was really rather hungry by the time I got back. Had a coffee and a piece of my cake and am now in planning and prep mode for next Fit Camp and the presentation for Thursday evening.

Lunch was a bacon, avocado and tomato spelt sandwich with a pile of rocket. Then I had 3 spoons of natural yoghurt with a sprinkle of the granola breakfast cereal. Probably more coffee.

Office work all afternoon. More coffee and water and getting sleepier by the minute.

Update alert: Had a return of an old un-wanted friend. In the old days I was very prone to a herpes simplex outbreak, not as a coldsore on my mouth, but (weirdly) on one of my buttocks. It’s very odd. It started when I was pregnant with Laura and took years to diagnose as it would erupt (like cold sores do) then subside. It’s only ever on one ‘cheek’ and apart from being bloody itchy and leaving my career as a bikini-bum model in the dustbin because I am so scarred by it — the main problem is irritation from clothing and heat whilst I’ve got an outbreak.  I found that like all herpes outbreaks it’s aggravated by certain foods that contain high levels of the amino acid arginine by comparison to lysine. Nuts and seeds are some of these foods. So I used to cut them out. I found that when I started to ‘eat clean’ I could then eat nuts and seeds again without any problems. The only time I would get any problems is when particularly stressed. Well…this week, it’s back! That really didn’t take long at all to reappear. I’ll be happy to rid of that again.

Had the option to go to a networking dinner with Dale this evening. Two reasons I’m not going (a) got a massage client who needs me more than I need an Indian meal (b) can’t face eating out! This isn’t me at all!! I need to make sure I am ready to eat out, it’s Sophie’s birthday on Friday and we’re going out then, better start making some room!

I was hungry after my work this evening, but then again it was late, about 21.10. But only managed leek and potato soup from yesterday, a few Ryvita and butter, large glass of wine (well it was open) and picked at the apple flapjack malarky.

Almost a week in. I’ve had enough now. It was a bit exciting at first to eat what I wanted, however I am so sluggish and heavy of belly that it’s boring now. I am sleeping well considering the amount of caffeine consumed, but then again I have never had a problem with this. I do anticipate a problem when I remove it next week, it will be sleepless night all round. I’m odd like that 🙂

Woke up. Despite sleeping well I didn’t want to get up. This reminded me how I was two years ago. Dragging myself out of bed each day. Breakfast today was 2 slices of spelt bread and poached eggs. Now I do actually rate this breakfast on or off plan, however I wouldn’t do it every day. I tolerate spelt flour very well, it doesn’t make me feel too lousy and so if once a week, or every two weeks I fancied my own homemade spelt bread and poached eggs, I am going to have them. Coffee of course followed them today!

Sat in office all day today and running out to put my washing on my new washing line! I’m sorry but this makes me a happy lady! Lunch was homemade leek and potato soup, 2 slices spelt toast and a slice of vinegar cake. It’s at this point that too much flour of any type starts to get to me. I am now leaden with stodge and all I want to do is sit in the comfy chair in the lounge. As I did this today after lunch it dawned on me that this is what I always used to do after a meal. Go and sit and digest and psyche myself up for more work. In the past 6 months I have barely sat in that chair, so I am reckoning my energy levels were pretty high until this experiment.

I hope that so far you can see that my eating isn’t completely crap. It’s wholesome food, mainly homemade and fresh, but it’s not serving me well. I am so glad I didn’t go down the route of seeing how I’d respond to processed / ready made foods each day, I would have given in by now I am sure. I have no idea how Morgan Spurlock managed on Supersize Me.

Eating starchy carbs all the time is not the answer for a healthy diet or a lean physique. We’ve been told this for a long time. It isn’t the truth. In fact its these starchy carbs which to excess make us fat. An interesting book to read on this subject is Gary Taubes ‘Why We Get Fat’ — well worth a read if you want to attain a good shape. These types of starchy / grain based diets are not unusual for many people and this is a cause of many health, weight and mood issues.

Haven’t snacked today, just too full of stodge. Dinner was a monstrosity of a meal. Anyone would think I was still feeding a family of four with a guest each! I tried to make a pasticcio. I’ve only ever had it once. Vida made it when I went to a fitness convention with her several years ago. It was lovely. Mine wasn’t. It was a bit tasteless and stodgy, despite me adding extra veg into it and serving with purple sprouting broccoli. There is so much left, it’s going to last for ages! Anyway, it was more stodge and I’m not having that tomorrow I feel like I am full of glue. I lifted my t-shirt to show Dale my belly today. I asked him to take a photo of me and he said “don’t do it! It will scare them!”. I do look a bit pregnant now…

Review of changes so far: increased weight and girth, nagging headache, lack lustre and lacking energy in the day, no oomph, thirsty all the time, bloated most of the time, wind, skin not great and a bit itchy, elbows drying up, lack of concentration, needing to blow nose in the morning to clear (dairy reaction), less urine production despite drinking more water, bowels functioning pretty much daily.

Had 8 hours sleep. I really can’t remember the last time that happened. It was a late night (Skyping with Laura in Australia) so got up (without an alarm) at about 9.15! Bloody decadent or what?!

Congested nose,  but surprisingly felt quite ‘thin’ this morning. Must have deflated last night, if you know what I mean?!

Breakfast was a little bit of muesli topped with oatibix and that oat based crunchy granola style cereal that you kid yourself is healthy because (a) it’s not Cocoa-Pops (b) it’s not wheat, it’s oats and they’re good for you right? and (c) it’s got dried fruit and coconut in and you can buy those in Health Food Shops so it’s a health food isn’t it? Big fat no. And that’s what I’ll be by the time I’ve finished the bag, big and fat. Had coffee of course and water, needing to drink more water now to keep the thirst at bay.

Lunch was 2 slim slices of spelt toast, crackers and cheese (Brie, Cambozola and Stilton) and 2 hot cross buns and butter. Coffee.

Dale and I sat down with our coffee and within about 10 minutes were both asleep! So, I know it’s Sunday and it’s a lazy day and all that, but really? 8 hours sleep and nothing done apart from eat and watch Sophie in her drama exam. Heavy, stodgy lunches do that to you you know.

In my old world, Sundays were a baking day. I had this belief, and to some extent still do, that homemade is better. However I think I used to also think healthy. I used to make a LOT of flapjacks. They are quick, easy and you don’t need to measure. However, today I turned out an old favourite — Vinegar Cake. It sounds nasty, but it’s a very nice fruit cake that uses Bicarb of soda and vinegar as the raising agent, not eggs.

Here it is: and here is the recipe.

For dinner we had another old favourite, pork and mushroom stroganoff (made with creme fraiche), wholegrain rice and purple sprouting broccoli. Apple flapjack for pud (always used to have a pud on a Sunday) with creme fraiche. 2 glasses of wine.

The rest of the family had cake at 10.30pm. Lordy, I was still stuffed from the day, so I just had lemon and ginger tea.

Gave Soph a hug today and she said I have a Mum-Tum that wasn’t there before! Interesting, I’ve not been gutty with this, but am definitely spreading, have a niggly sore throat and when I bend over to put my socks or shoes on I get out of breath! What’s that all about?

I’ve done no work today, it’s been my first day off in I don’t know how long. Bloomin’ brilliant! 🙂

So, for the first time in a long time, my alarm wasn’t set for something before 6am. Despite my late night, the late cheese and wine and lots of other previous late nights I don’t feel like I slept too badly. I’ve got up for Fit Camp and left everyone else in bed, but at least it was the right side of 7am this morning when I did get up.

Woke up still heavy of guts. I am going to take a photo of me in profile today and show you later how I have changed in 4 days.

Breakfast: large glass water, oatibix (which we now know have wheat in!) with muesli, coconut milk. 2 coffees and half a cracker from last nights late night feeding.

Off to Swallowfield camp for their last session of this run.

Here they are!

Came home, coffee.

Lunch was a typical old-style Saturday lunch. Large bowl of salad and ‘choosing meal’ — really its a lazy meal. You just bung everything else on the table and help yourself. So I had grilled halloumi with my salad and crisps.

I went shopping in the afternoon and this is how I used to justify purchases to myself. “Oh, hot cross buns. I don’t eat wheat, but just these will be fine”, two packets in the trolley. “Oh, minstrels. I’ve worked out/worked/eaten well this week, I’ll treat myself”, a family sized bag used to fall into the trolley, today it was a treat sized bag 105g over the historical 250g. I just couldn’t face it.

So got home and had 2 hot cross buns (untoasted) with butter. Apparently that makes me a heathen, but I do like them like that. Despite knowing they’ll make me feel like crap, I do still really like fresh hot cross buns and butter. Almost certainly had a coffee with those.

Dinner was steak, homemade oven chips (in coconut oil) with leeks, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms. An almond Magnum bar (Dale got very excited about that!) and wine. Two large glasses.

Had a lemon and ginger tea and the minstrels about 10.30pm.

Observations today: tired, snotty, nagging but mild headache, increased belly girth, bowels functioned (3 days wait), husband said (without prompting) ‘you’re getting a bit spotty’ – he’s right, I am, still thirsty, lethargic, craving more sweet things. It’s obvious, the more you eat, the more you want, lips still dry, shins and elbows drying out.

During this phase I am also not taking my normal supplements — I take fish oil twice daily normally, this is, I am sure a contributing factor to my dryness.

Ugh. Slept poorly last night. I woke up a lot to turn over and felt like I wasn’t sleeping properly. When the alarm went off at 6am for a networking meeting I felt sluggish to say the least. I woke up with some nasal / sinus congestion which is down to my increased dairy consumption. This is a fact, when I cut dairy out again, this will go. It affects respiratory passages in many people and affects breathing (as you will see later). I had a large lemon and ginger tea before leaving, still thirsty.

Networking meeting includes breakfast. Eating well at these events can be tricky anyway. I had FEB (full English breakfast for the uninitiated!) which was very crispy (fatty) bacon, cheap and nasty sausage, scrambled eggs, 2 grilled tomatoes, button mushrooms that were so uniform in size I feel they were from a tin, but I may be wrong, hash brown, 1 slice wholemeal toast. 2 x small coffee, 1 x small juice, 2 x glasses water.

Drove to a club I work at on a Friday to teach aqua aerobics (on the poolside — think hot, sweaty and shouty) and then 45 minute break before I teach a class called BodyVive which is ‘land’ aerobics. In the break I had a coffee and Kit Kat. I would have always have done this in ‘the old days’ and it’s my first Kit Kat for some long time. I think I can safely say, they are no longer my chocolate of choice. To think I used to tell my Crispins Pump class I’d do anything for a Kit Kat. Ha! long gone are those days Mr Nestle…So, here we go with the first real feedback on changes I am experiencing. BodyVive is a low impact aerobics class that you can get quite a lot out of if you put the effort in. I like to put the effort in, for my class and for me. This was not to be today. I couldn’t breathe freely like I usually do (see above),  I was exhausted to the point of offering lower options so I didn’t have to work so hard and I was breathing heavily! My sweat stung my eyes. A sign of acidity building up. I started to smell from the exercise more quickly than I would like to be socially acceptable! I am a sweaty person anyway, but not smelly and sweaty. Today I could be both! My belly is so much bigger than 3 days ago, it was uncomfortable to lie on  — my participants confirmed the fact too!

Popped into see Vida — and realised how dry I am becoming. The reduced salad and veg content is really affecting my water levels. I am still drinking water, but my lips and constantly dry and cracking , my elbows are starting to crack and I have a mild but nagging headache — I never get headaches. Bowel function is … well…not functioning.

Lunch was at 13.45 (a big gap from 7am breakfast) and just how it used to be. Cheese, piccalilli and lettuce spelt bread sandwich, an extra slice of bread and butter and coconut yoghurt. Coffee. Felt very leaden in my stomach after this. Did a rushed bit of admin, but then Dale and I were going out in the evening so go myself ready for that.

We were going to see the recording of ‘Would I Lie To You’ at Pinewood Studios and had to be there early to guarantee getting in. So we left home at 4pm and didn’t know it would be so late but didn’t get in until 23.15. I noticed this afternoon how tired I was after my lunch. This is how I used to be, sluggish and dozy in the afternoon.

The recording was fun, there were drinks and snacks for sale there, but I didn’t have anything, so by the time we did get home it had been another huge gap between meals. I was however still feeling a large weight in my stomach that was keeping it distended.

We had a late supper when we got in of cheese and crackers (had to go and buy especially!) I was quite looking forward to this part of the experiment as I do like cheese and so with a tomato, some crisps and two large glasses of red, I was feeling stuffed by the time we went to bed at 1.15. A very long day.

Went to sleep fine ( I normally do) but woke at about 3am and then 5.20am before being woken up by the alarm at 5.50. In the ‘old days’  I would always have a cup of tea before a BodyPump class, but not drunk tea in so long (and I used to take milk) that I had a coffee instead and 2 slices spelt toast, butter and jam.

Taught pump — felt a bit weak today, but don’t put that down to food as I have ups and downs with that and the class was generally like normal. Came home and had old style breakkie which is homemade oat based muesli, topped with oatibix (which now have added wheat — why?! that was the whole point, surely!) with coconut milk, slice of toast and jam and coffee.

Did my first Nordic Walk class today. It was gorgeous! Here are my trusty walkers…

I then went off to massage some knotty legs…whizzed home for a shower and was now feeling hungry. A new feeling for me as I don’t get hungry much these days. Then went to meet Vida for lunch. This was going to be interesting — she’s doing clean and lean in 19 days and I’m doing fat and gutty in 12…

We went to Pizza Express and had the complete opposite! Vida had a beautiful goats cheese salad (no dough sticks) and I had American Hot pizza, just like I used to. Two lime and sodas and 2 coffees. I am beginning to feel very bloated now. Also got two spots already.

Chatted for ages on all things Fit Camp, came home, had another coffee ( I know) and a Nature’s Valley crunchy bar. Can’t believe I really used to think these had some health benefits!

Mid afternoon sugar-need-to-eat-something fix — raisins and coffee.

Massaged someone’s neck and back. Came home, made dinner. Went to Fit Camp. Came home had late dinner (9.15pm) like I used to.

Old style dinner. Homemade Bolognese sauce, wheat free pasta, grated cheese. Coconut yoghurt and raisins. In the good old days, Thursday night was always wine night. But couldn’t do that as we don’t have any in. Just imagine I did!

Day two round up: belly bloated, feeling  thirsty, spotty, increased wind (nice!), more tired, waist now 35.5inches and belly-bit 37inches.

Day one: Went to visit Henley Early Risers so was up at 5.10am.  Had a large black coffee it’s always bean not instant (such a coffee snob!), 2 slices of rye bread toasted, scrape of butter and blob of proper jam. In fact I finished that jar off as it had been hanging around for while.

I hung around in Henley inbetween Early Risers and Day camp and had breakfast in Starbucks at 7.30am which comprised the most ridiculously large coffee you have ever seen and an ‘all day breakfast’ panini.

Today I weigh 80.5kg , 34.5 inch waist, 37inch belly, 40 inch hips. All after my gluten-filled morning. My belly is very painful and bloated already.

In my ‘old diet’ days I snacked a lot. I was hungry when I got in at 11 and had a frusli bar. Very sweet it was too, and small!

I went Tesco shopping whilst I was in Henley to pick up some of the old bits I used to get us. I had originally thought I would do this blog based on an average diet for most families. However I couldn’t! There were too many food things I just don’t want to eat now. Like milk, I really don’t fancy milk now, so haven’t bought any. I did buy cheese and yoghurt though. I also gave up wheat about 7 years ago and when I do eat bread, I make it from spelt, so I’ll be doing that again for a few weeks too.

Lunch — was really suffering with gut ache from the wheat panini. Didn’t really have exactly what I used to have (which would have been bread) but had spinach soup, mixed salad and ham.

Snack — needing something sweet now. Nature Valley crunch bar and coffee.

OK, had such bad stomach ache that I had to lie down! Whilst I haven’t had wheat every day or even every week for many years now, I do still eat it occasionally. It gets me most times like this. I was walking like I had back ache. What a state!

Mid afternoon snack as I was hungry (needed something sweet again) yoghurt, desiccated coconut and raisins.

Taught BodyPump, no difference in energy. But so much more thirsty than normal.

Dinner: Lamb Korma. Made with a jar sauce. Brown rice. Some added veg, but nothing green. Boo, I do make green veg part of my meal plan twice a day now and rarely have rice with curry these days, this is going to be odd.  Afters was vanilla yoghurt, desiccated coconut and raisins. Coffee.

Went out to do a massage. Came home and had lemon and ginger tea and 3/4 small wheat free crackers I’d made at the weekend.

Day one feedback: Thirsty, bloated, gut ache, altered digestion.

Going to bed about 11pm. Getting up at 05.50 for BodyPump.