Scones




 
Ingredients

• 2 cups plain flour
• 2 tbsp dextrose
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 210 deg C
2. Line a baking tray with cooking paper
3. Mix flour, baking powder, dextrose and salt in a bowl
4. Add oil and milk and mix well
5. Work dough with some flour until smooth
6. Roll the dough 1-2 cm thick
7. Use a circle cookie cutter to cut out the scones
8. Place on lined tray and bake for 10 - 15 minutes, or until they start to turn golden. 

The after-Christmas

I am happy to report that I have remained fructose-free all through the Christmas holiday. I didn't put on weight, but due to the increased snacking and larger portions, I have maintained my weight. This last week I've gone back to an eating regime that works and that allows me to be in weight loss mode. It works. Today I've reached a new low. We are going to a wedding at the end of February, I'm hoping to have dropped a couple more kilos by then.

Happy birthday to me!

I've lost 4 kg in 3 weeks + 3 days. What a great birthday gift to myself! 8.4 kg to go, though I am not set on a particular goal weight. I'll know when I feel right again. I don't post too much anymore because it seems the routine is pretty much set. I eat much less, and I'm not generally feeling hungry. I sometimes even skip dinner when I can tell my tummy isn't rumbling or feeling empty. When I get past the initial 'but I'll starge!' thought, I find that I the lack of hunger continues throughout the evening until bedtime. If I get hungry, I'll eat a piece of cheese and I'm set. I've started experimenting with recipes, I might start posting some in here.

On a completely different topic.... I'M GOING TO SEE U2 TONIGHT!!! I can't wait.

In the 60's!

So, 2 weeks + 4 days. Lost now 3 kg in total. My last strategy is working better than I thought. When I tally up what I eat in a day, it looks like nothing, but I am simply not hungry! No calorie counting, no exercise. I find I have to avoid even the dextrose-made sweets, because they kill my apetite completely. One bite is all I can manage in a whole day. I am a very different person than I was 3 weeks ago where eating habits are concerned.  At this rate, I will be noticeably slimmer by Christmas. I might even feel comfortable at the beach!

Though I am very happy about the weight loss, I find the other benefits are sufficient to make going off fructose worth it. I have noticed that I never get bloated anymore, my skin tone has improved and I am less moody. I read an article about how insulin is thought to be now a major player in the aging process. So hey, no sugar = younger look. That works for me too.

Two weeks

So it seems I have leveled out a little. I'll paraphrase myself from the Sweet Poison Forum:

I find that my body is MUCH more sensitive to how much I eat than before. If I eat too much, then I can easily put on 0.5 kg in one day (up to 0.8 kg). I have noticed that I eat less and less, but I realise that I was still eating too much. I see a plate full of food in front of me and I want to finish it off. So, I've started really paying attention to my appetite. I eat a small meal and then I wait until I get that really empty feeling in my belly rather than that desire to taste something before eating again. I noticed too that at one point during my meal I get this thought 'I think I might have eaten enough' and often ignore it because the food tastes good. I will no longer ignore it.

Though the appetite control kicks-in, I think some of us need to learn to recognise it rather than hope it happens all on its own.

So this started last night. Today... wow. I had 1 piece of toast for breakfast with cheese on it. Ate nothing until lunch, when I still wasn't feeling hungry. I had a salad. Felt hungry then suddenly - yep, that's when the belly went into crazy rumbling mode. So I had a few blueberries. Then nothing until dinner time. I came home, tried a small piece of the fructose-free chocolate I made during the weekend to see how it tastes and that KILLED my appetite completely! Just to be healthy, I ate a few cooked carrot sticks and green beans and a very small piece of steak (if you make touch the tip of your thumb with the tip of your index finger, that's how big it was).

I wonder how the weight will be in the morning....

Day 9 and some progress

I must admit, I was a little (secretly) skeptical... But it is actually happening. I am eating less and less every day, and I am not even trying! I am not constantly thinking of food either. I know I would probably not be able to stop myself if I tasted something sweet, but I find it actually easy now to stay clear of the sweet foods. This is awesome! I've lost 2 kg so far, in less than 2 weeks! This is truly amazing.

I've tried some recipes from Gillespie's Quit book, the anzac biscuits and the chocolate slice (with chocolate glaze)... both yum! My daughter and husband both loved them too. I must admit my daughter is facing some real challenges, all the kids in her class are giving each other little Christmas cards with either candy canes or little chocolate santas... She kept the chocolates (they are in the fridge) and threw away the candy canes. She has actually not eaten the chocolates yet and I am not going to remind her where they are! I'm proud of how well she is doing. I'm not forcing it on her, but I do inform her of the things that contain sugar, and she makes the decision herself.

My husband is a few days behind me, but he is seeing how well I am doing and I think it is motivating him. He's giving it a real go this time, fingers crossed! Thank goodness for those dextrose recipes.

Day 6 - still going!

I organised a morning tea for one of my colleagues who is going to be on maternity leave fairly soon. On the table were... cupcakes, biscuits of all types, fruit, juice, potato crisps and rice crackers. I stuck to the rice crackers and drank nothing. Yay!

I still find that I have no appetite control. I am not sure how long that will come, but perhaps I need to be a little more proactive with my portions and start paying attention to what my body seems to need. Eat a reasonable serving. Wait 30 minutes and see if I'm still hungry. If I think I might be able to stretch it out longer, then wait another 30 minutes, etc.

I purchased an ice cream maker so I can make some dextrose version for my kids and husband. I'm having some serious trouble finding dextrose, however... I will ask at the Sweet Poison forum where people have been finding theirs. I have some powdered glucose, and I know that dextrose is a hydrated version of glucose, but I'm not sure I can straight substitute one for the other.