Trying to find a new diet

Week 4 back at work: trying to juggle working full time with two small children is difficult!! Eating less is not a problem per se, but trying to find something that fits with my lifestyle is tricky. Heres an example - I dont have time to prepare and consume breakfast (scarsdale diet: half a grapefruit, protein bread - whatever that is), when Im tearing round like a headless chicken trying to make sure that two small children are awake/washed/dressed in appropriate clothing/fed/bags packed/out the house on time, at the same time as making sure that I remember to look smart, hair clean, make-up on, handbag packed, wear matching shoes (after the one time I went out in odd boots, which were different shapes and different heel heights AND I didnt even notice until lunchtime, Im extra careful).

But after a terrible week last week (one ill baby, plus lets just say not the best time of the month to be dieting) Im desperate to lose weight this week. My weight is hovering around the 10st2lb mark, and as prophesised in my original post, Im still trying to lose that half stone that just wont budge.

So Im skipping up and down the list trying to find something that suits me at the moment. I looked at the Dukan diet - this is their three day diet plan generously supplied for free by handbag.com. BREAKFAST every day: Coffee with sweetener, 1 or 2 small fat-free yoghurts OR 225g of fat-free cottage cheese, one slice of turkey, chicken or low-fat ham OR one egg OR one Dukan oat bran galette, LUNCH  eggs OR crabsticks and a chicken leg OR airdryed beef and swordfish, DINNER prawns with mayonnaise and ham souffle OR moules marinere and baked salmon OR sautee shrimps and sautee chicken escalopes. Apart from the fact that buying and preparing this food is massively impractical, Dr Pierre Dukan doesnt work all that well with my kosher diet.

Then I look at the Scarsdale Diet (again, hugely prescriptive, check it out here) and gave up when I read this:

"The majority of eating plans available on the market today recommend no in between meal snacking what so ever, the Scarsdale diet menu however is different. It allows for carrots, celery and low sodium veggie soups snacking".

Carrots and Celery? Wow! Revolutionary!!

I am quickly learning that any diets that I do either have to be easy to follow, with a wide range of food to try from, ie stuff thats already in my fridge - eggs/cereal/meat etc (think Atkins, WeightWatchers), or have to supply the food to me so that I dont have to think about it (Slim.Fast, Dietchef).

Over the next few weeks, Im going to whittle down the list to a few that dont seem to difficult to follow, and that I want to do. Weightwatchers, Jenny Craig, DietChef, Gluten-free diet, Shangri-la diet (because an American cousin swears by it), Detox diet, the Sonoma diet (because theres a picture of a glass of wine next to the plan) and possibly the South Beach diet.

Id also like this blog to become interactive. If youve got a diet that youve liked (or hated, but stuck to), please email me and I might give it a go for you.

In the meantime, Ive just this second decided that Im going to do something crazy and extreme to kickstart this week. Im going to do the maple syrup diet for three days (or less, if I die after day 1). Starting just as soon as I look up the recipe and buy the ingredients...

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