February 2020 : ONE WEEK AT A TIME beginning 25th February 2020

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We have not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you are have any health related symptoms or concerns, you should contact your doctor who will be able to give you advice specific to your situation.

posted by wendleg
on 24 Feb 2020 at 18:24

Our sole aim is to help , support and encourage anyone embarking or continuing on this journey of a life time. It really is life changing , not an easy, quick fix but well worth the long term benefits. We covered lots of different topics last Week, answering and sharing queries from newcomers and aided by the invaluable support of our members at different stages of this way of eating. The thread has remained active and always friendly.

So we hope you will continue with us and if you are hesitating or can’t quite find the motivation, JUST DO IT …!
We have been discussing emotional eating just lately . We don’t limit ourselevs to carbs and calories as we understand weight issues go much deeper than that. One thing for sure is that it is so much easier when you have the support of others in the same situation. You are not alone !
posted by SunnyB
on 24 Feb 2020 at 19:07

Well said Wendy, as usual an inspiring post to spur us onto another week. I’m definitely signing up this week. After a good result from last week, which brings me within touching distance of my target weight, I’m eager to press on with renewed determination.

Hopefully there will be lots of others joining in here, keeping the exchange of ideas and support lively and informative.

Come on folks, let’s dig in for another week!
posted by DoubleDutch
on 24 Feb 2020 at 20:15

Hi all,
As my journey progresses, I have discovered that although my physical addiction to carbs or sugars may have (mostly) gone, my mental addiction, even after 7 weeks, is still there.
I never made any exceptions, I just looked when OH has things like orange juice, freshly baked bread or brownie. Never took a single bite. I choose not to make stuff like low carb sweet things, even though I could have made room for it in my daily schedule. It’s easier to go cold turkey and not tempt myself.
however, my cravings are still there. And wondering if they will stay forever.
my plan for now is to continue on the fast 800 (in my case with 40 grams of carbs, lots of exercise and 800- 1000 calories) for a few weeks.
I am scared to go off this plan, but I have to due to travels. Usually when I travel, I don’t gain weight, usually I loose weight. So why would it be different this time… Still scared, though. I hope to stay in ketosis by making the right choices. I have at least 10-15 kilos to discard and will probably be back on the fast 800 after my travels. For now I’ll be on the weekly treads!
X DD
posted by Olive_1
on 24 Feb 2020 at 20:19

Hi all,
Back from holiday, just managed to get one of the last flights out of Tenerife before sandstorm closed the airport. A relief to not get stuck!
Holiday was great, weight wise not so good. Put on 2 kg. But measurements have not changed much, so hoping it is mostly water and should go quickly. I don’t regret my eating at all! It was worth it, and I’m thinking that I need to be handle holidays in the future too, and the most important is to quickly get back to a good pattern of eating.
Best of luck for the coming week to all, new and old!
posted by SunnyB
on 24 Feb 2020 at 20:29

Hi DoubleDutch … it’s the mental cravinhs i.e. learnt desire for the bad stuff, which takes longer to combat than the physical yearning for it I think. But logic says if this craving comes from learnt patterns, they can be defeated by learnt patterns too. Keep going and eventually that desire for carbs should abate.

Going away for the first time after starting the BSD does feel like a daunting prospect, but as long as you stick to the principles of the BSD, any gain should be minimal. When you return, you’ll soon deal with any gain once you’re back on track. Go away, relax and have a good time.
posted by JGwen
on 24 Feb 2020 at 22:27

Hi Doubledutch,

As it happens I posted a couple of podcasts on the Take a Look at This thread this morning that you may find helpful. They are about the emotional drivers for eating carbs.

I started this way of eating in October 2017, I still feel stabs of envy sometimes when in the queues in the supermarket and I see what others have in their trolleys. I also have times when I feel like I want to respond to a situation by eating carbs.

I don’t know about you, but when I was a child treats were very often about food. Something to celebrate, a sad moment came with chocolate, feeling under the weather or a cold damp day came with warming carb high meals on a tray in front of the fire. Anyone who was a child from the 60’s onwards has grown up on a carb high diet and breaking free form that programming is not a quick fix.
posted by Amz the Beautiful
on 24 Feb 2020 at 23:45

I’m still around. Not doing great, went off plan for two days, but aiming to get back on track from this point on. I would like to fast for the next couple days and refocus my mind. The weight had find back up, but I am not going to get discouraged. I can certainly reclaim the lost ground and march forward.
WEEK ONE: 207.6 (2/15), 206.2 (2/16), 204 (2/17), 202.2 (2/18), 200.2 (2/19), 199.6 (2/20), 198.6 (2/21)
TOTAL: 9 lbs
WEEK TWO: 200.2 (2/22), 202.2 (2/23), 204.6 (2/24)
posted by arcticfox
on 25 Feb 2020 at 02:41

Hi everyone, very timely discussion about emotional eating. I had a very difficult afternoon at work and managed to scoff down an entire bar of 90% dark chocolate almost without even noticing it. Engaged in some emotional eating once I got home too, even though my thought on the way home was that I really wasn’t hungry. I was really thinking that I had turned a corner and that the nauseous feeling that I get when I’m in a situation that I can’t control and don’t know what to do was now manifesting as not wanting to eat, but as soon as I got home, I reverted to old patterns of eating to comfort myself. Luckily not high carb food because I don’t have any in, but I was still eating when I didn’t feel hungry, so not a great thing to do. Today is an eating day rather than a fast day, so hopefully it won’t do too much damage in the grand scheme of things. I’m hoping that my boss steps up tomorrow to try to resolve the situation tomorrow as it is really outside my pay grade and potentially has very serious implications.
Off to do some yoga now in order to try to relax and calm down in a healthier fashion.
posted by Bryla
on 25 Feb 2020 at 06:51

Hi everyone. I’m in for the week too. So good to see all the positives here already. Go for it, SunnyB! It inspires me that when anyone here has a wobble they seem to come back stronger and learn something about themselves and their relationship with food. So maybe our wobbles are a valuable part of the process. So many people have said to me “I couldn’t do what you’re doing” and while I think they could if they really wanted to, it reminds me that we are all doing something out of the ordinary just by accepting the challenge to improve our WOE.
I had a routine nurse’s appt yesterday. When she asked if anything had changed, I couldn’t resist breezily replying “no, apart from losing 10% of my body weight”. She was staggered and confirmed a 10kg discard according to her scales. She couldn’t believe the change in 3 months- I didn’t explain that actually it had only taken just over 6 weeks. It wasn’t anything I didn’t know, but it somehow felt so good to get that external validation and corroboration. I don’t think in kg, but it sounded like a nice solid, chunky number when the words came out of her mouth! 😊
Hang in there everyone old and new. You never know where the next boost will come from!
posted by SunnyB
on 25 Feb 2020 at 11:10

Bryla, it’s such a boost to get outside validation, it’s really uplifting when others notice the effort we have put in and your result to date is far from shabby. It renews one’s determination too. Keep going, you’re doing brilliantly!

Amz, give a nod to what’s happened and move right on. Don’t wasre any timebor energy in dwelling on the negative. You will soon regain lost ground, so just keep right on, on the right track.

Olive, glad you make it back from holiday okay. 2kg is not a disaster and a portion of that will be fluid retension, due to the extra carbs. Once you’re back on the regime proper that will soon be discarded. My advice is not to procrastinate about getting back on track, just get right back to it and the good results will soon be rolling in.
posted by PhoenixBurns
on 25 Feb 2020 at 11:33

In my final week of the 8 @ 800 calories. This morning I have gone below my target weight of 75Kg! I started at 88.8Kg and have lost a total of 14.1Kg (2st 3lb) so far. My BMI has gone from 29 to 24.
I bought my new suit at the weekend, looking very smart. I have gone from a 38 inch waist trouser to a 32, 44 inch chest to a 40 and a 17.6 inch collar to 16. All wins for for this WOE.
I managed to spend time staying with friends and ate out twice in central London and still lost weight. I had to choose very carefully, but it was still possible to avoid the majority of carbs. I also stopped when I was full and not when the plate was empty…..that’s a real novelty.
So as I come off the more extreme end of the WOE and move to a permanent lifestyle change I am resetting my target to a BMI range of 22.5 to 23.5. I shall take the lessons learned and move forward into a brave new world.
Trust me, if I can do this as a lazy, overweight, low self-esteemed, middle aged man with zero self control and a stress/boredom induced chocolate habit, you can too!
Good luck this week everyone and just bounce when you fall!
posted by SineadinCH
on 25 Feb 2020 at 11:40

Week one completed here. 6lbs lost which I am happy with and a good start to my goal to lose 2st 10lbs. I also had one day off plan due to a lunch with friends that we had booked in months ago. I enjoyed it very much, didn’t feel guilty and was straight back on plan the next day. I found the food part Easy as I love cooking so this was a new challenge for me. I also refused to cook for anyone else this week (they had batch cooked freezer meals all week) so I could focus on my own plans. I think that was a big help.
posted by SunnyB
on 25 Feb 2020 at 11:42

Brilliant Phoenix! Sure you’re going to rock that new suit and will continue to do great things. I have no doubt that you will achieve you final goal and I loved the phrase at the end of your post … ‘just bounce when you fall’. I’m sure a lot of us will be stealing that one!

Finally, please don’t be a stranger here, having achievers posting helps to get us all to our end goal. Enjoy the wedding.
posted by SunnyB
on 25 Feb 2020 at 11:45

SineadinCH, very good first wk result and it sounds like you are really focused and enjoying the new challenge. Well done on managing the eating out, without trashing progress and here’s to a good result for you this week too.
posted by wendleg
on 25 Feb 2020 at 12:58

Hi everyone. I am full of cold but dosing myself with essential oils. I haven’t had a cold for ages but I expect my resistance was a bit low post op. At least I can recover at home.

Yes DoubleDutch, you can break the patterns of learned behaviour around carbs. I honestly don’t yearn for carbs and can overlook them with ease because I have retrained my thinking. I have never adopted the strategy that I can just have a few carbs, no harm done etc. They are not friends, they do me harm. Any processed carbs to me are just a no no and as long as you can find other foods you enjoy there is no need to fear your holiday. As SunnyB has said, enjoy yourself, make mindful choices and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.Remember this is for long term, lasting changes.

I am of JGwen’s generation, brought up on sweets as treats. I did the same with my boys , loading up on sugary treats for when they got in from school, fell over and needed comforting etc. I loved all those stodgy school dinner puddings . So yes, I always had an issue with my weight and sugar was always used as a comfort. I could eat a substantial meal , looking forward to my bar of Dairy Crunch ( always had room for that )

I will certainly behave differently when my grandkiddies appear 😉
posted by wendleg
on 25 Feb 2020 at 13:08

Sorry you have had a bad time Amz. I always sense when you are under pressure and then you punish yourself . Come and talk to us when you are feeling low. Right now, put it behind you, and move on .

It’s good that you were able to reason and understand what was happenign to you, articfox. It’s so insiduous. I can always remember a little voice in my ear saying ‘You deserve this ‘ as I reached for something sugary . I hope the crisis at work is resolved so it doesn’t cause you any additional stress.

Olive_1 , glad you had a good holiday. It’s worrying seeing the cases of tourists being confined in Tenerife and thank goodness you got out without incident. You are back with us , keep going !
posted by wendleg
on 25 Feb 2020 at 13:18

Bryla, that’s a great feeling when people congratulate you on your success, and you certainly deserve that boost ! I must say it took a long time before anyone noticed my discard but it was also a time when I continued to wear fairly loose clothes as I didn’t really ‘recognise’ myself as being smaller. It took time to get used to seeing a different silhouette. It’s funny being told ‘ I couldn’t do what you are doing ‘ . All those years of failed diet attempts….they certainly would not have been receieved in the same way if I had said what I was doing but this is the only program that has worked for me ! I have definitely learned a lot more about my relationship with food. In the past I just told myself I couldn’t have something and then inevitably binged out on it !!
posted by wendleg
on 25 Feb 2020 at 13:21

Brillaint result PhoenixBurns. We don’t often see the men staying the course so we are so pleased you stayed with us and achieved those fantastic results . !

Please stay with us as you move on to the next stage and have a lovely time at the wedding !
posted by wendleg
on 25 Feb 2020 at 13:24

Well done SineadinCH ! So pleased this is working for you ! You have made a great start to achieving your goal .

I hope others will pop in and let us know how they are doing xxx
posted by Gill33UK
on 25 Feb 2020 at 14:52

I am still here too, in for another week. WK5D6 today, weigh day tomorrow and am hoping to have lost at least the 2lbs I put on last week. We have eaten out a couple of times over the weekend but made reasonable choices, although I swapped chips for courgette tempura chips I probably should have chosen salad! We are away on our holidays to Las Palmas on Thursday morning, food will be fine but it’s the drink that won’t be! I will make sure I also have loads of water and we always walk miles on holiday so hoping for nothing drastic when we return. I will update my weight tomorrow morning, hopefully with a loss. 13lbs to date. Keep up the good work people and well done to you all. Wendy hope your recuperation is going well and you soon shake your cold off. Be back tomorrow!
posted by mumofStig
on 26 Feb 2020 at 09:42

My weigh in this week shows I’ve lost nearly 14 lbs since 7th Jan – really pleased with that 😀 My jeans need a belt to keep them up lol! That should stop the nurse moaning ;
posted by Gill33UK
on 26 Feb 2020 at 10:19

Morning all, end of week five and lost 3lb, that’s the two I put in last week plus a bonus one!! Starting week 6 16lb lighter 🙃 happy days! Off on my hols this afternoon so will not be able
To weigh in tell a week on Saturday 🤞
Keep up the good work xxx
posted by SunnyB
on 26 Feb 2020 at 11:50

Hi Gill, that’s an impressive result, both foe the week and to date. Go away and enjoy your hols, eat and drink mindfully so that any small indulgences don’t become something more. Try to stick to the BSD principles, but most importantly get right back to it on your return … we’ll be waiting for you.
posted by freester
on 26 Feb 2020 at 16:06

Checking in. Started the 800BSD on 4th Jan. By 12th Feb I was >10% body weight loss. I was also heading off on holiday to the Alps skiing.

I decided that during my holiday I wouldn’t watch calories but try and stick to the WOE. Whilst on holiday I stopped my 6 week abstinence from alcohol. I broke that with a glass or two of red wine, a few neat whiskeys. During the holiday I allowed myself a few beers as well as red wine but I wasn’t knocking them back like I used to. Foodwise it was surprisingly easy to stay on plan. I had one meal where I had planned to allow myself some bread and potatoes with a Fondue. And one day I took an ice cream. Apart from that it was on plan.

Got back, weighed in I had put on less than one pound. I lost 3 more pounds in the next few days.

So happy with all of that. I’m currently finding my way around maintenance. Not calorie counting and hoping not to lose any more weight I’m well over the 10% loss now.
posted by SunnyB
on 26 Feb 2020 at 16:35

That’s excellent, Freestyle, seems you are getting to grips with maintenance and you certainly managed your ski trip really well to come back with such a minimal gain.

Please be sure to stick around and keep us updated. It’s really valuable for newcomers to have those who have achieved goal and are in maintenance aroumd, as it shows them real people in the real world can succeed with this way of eating.

I’m continuing to vary the length of my overnight fast this week, so far so good and with luck I might be at target next week.

Hope everyone is having a good week …. come and tell us about it.
posted by arcticfox
on 26 Feb 2020 at 21:27

Hi everyone, I survived my appointment for my vertigo and it went better than I was anticipating. Only a couple moments of feeling a bit woosy. The technician running the tests kept asking me how the dizziness compared to what I experience when having an episode and I kept responding ‘pretty mild’. I fasted beforehand and was thinking of fasting all day today, but felt in need of something to eat after. Not really sure why, maybe just because of feeling just a bit lightheaded and tired. I managed to find a low carb flax wrap at the hospital cafe and had that, so stuck to principles, even if I ended up breaking my fast. I can always try again with fasting tomorrow.
I put on 2.5kg in the last few days due to water retention. I can really see it around my mid-section. I was starting to see a proper waist again last week, but it has disappeared for the moment, hopefully to reappear within the week as I start losing the fluid!
posted by Russianroulade
on 26 Feb 2020 at 22:56

Hi all. This is such a positive space and really helpful as a newbie. Can I ask, when did people start exercising. The idea of doing any kind of HIIT class seems a bit overwhelming.
posted by Bryla
on 27 Feb 2020 at 07:03

Hi everyone! Lots of positive achievements here, as ever, that have kept me going through the last 6 days of no movement in the right direction by any measure. It’s even more impressive to see people taking a level-headed approach to a bit of a challenge, still managing to enjoy life and getting straight back on the horse when they need to. Well done everyone! So relieved to have a 1.2lb discard this morning – I know 6 days is nothing in the grand scheme of things, but I have felt quite impatient the last couple of days and very cross with my middle for refusing to get with the programme like every other part of me. However, I clearly remember nearly 20 years ago having a ‘bit of belly’ and being asked if I was pregnant while the rest of me was still a skimpy size 8, so no doubt that is going to be the last spot to give up resisting.
RussianRoulade – I think many of us still haven’t got around to embracing anything approaching HIIT! I don’t think there’s anything wrong with working out what’s right for you as an individual and building up slowly. I will never be doing anything that involves high or even moderate impact due to arthritis in my lower limbs, but I have tried to keep moving and introduced some resistance work a few times a week anda bit of cycling, in addition to my long-standing yoga habit. I have upped my steps quite a bit by just parking as far away from the supermarket as possible, always going upstairs to the loo at home or work (sounds ridiculous, but it makes a difference) and walking the long way round whenever possible. I believe that the rule is that once your body has adapted to the WOE (which takes some of us longer than others), it will cope just fine with the energy demands of exercise. I might be wrong, but I suspect that finding a way to move more that appeals, or at least doesn’t horrify us, will build our confidence and allow us to take on more challenges. As long as it is safe for you to do so, maybe just take the plunge with whatever takes your fancy and see what happens? If you do a class, then you could have a quiet word with the instructor at the beginning to let them know you are a beginner and a bit trepidatious. They won’t want you to do anything to hurt yourself or put you off and they often make a point of giving several options to the class to suit different levels of experience and fitness. Just like the WOE, it doesn’t matter what everyone else is doing as long as you are getting what you need out of it. Keep us posted with what you get up to!
posted by JGwen
on 27 Feb 2020 at 08:09

Hi Russianroulade,

A very kind member of the group who stayed on the forum for a couple of years to support all the women who had a lot to loose after achieving her targets – Allicat – never joined any exercise classes. she achieved all her success through careful monitoring of macros.
Others of us incorporate more activity into our daily lives as we discard the weight. = Its rewarding in itself when you don’t have to worry about a parking ticket when the only free parking slot available is the last on the street and has a 30 minute wait time.

Last year I was a participant in a research program that showed there was a dramatic improvement in body composition from just 1 30 minute weight training session a week. Of course the benefit of that is that each participant was working on improving the weight on each exercise. from their own start point.
posted by wendleg
on 27 Feb 2020 at 13:50

Hi everyone ! Still recuperating here but also kept busy looking after a little boy while his dad has a cataract operation. So that means early starts, no lie ins for the moment, no bad thing !

Bryla’s post about exercise is very useful . You talk sense, Bryla ! I have never been a gym bunny and believe that exercise only works when it is enjoyable and not seen as a chore. I don’t believe exercise is an essential for weight loss. I certainly managed to discard without regular gym sessions or HIIT . I think it is more to do with health and well being. I do aquagym because I enjoy it and yoga because it improves my flexibilty ( I had a hip replacement in 2017) and it helps me feel calm and more in tune with myself.

I like walking when we go on holiday but I am not disciplined about it otherwise. I have an exercise bike decorating the lounge !!
So my advice is to do what you enjoy because there are obvious health benefits but don’t make it another source of pressure .
posted by Butterlover
on 27 Feb 2020 at 13:52

Hi Everyone.Im off plan in a really bad way.All my routines are gone.Going back to work has left me too tired to care what I eat and grabbing anything to get energy.mindlessly eating.Skipped the gym stopped taki g walks Storms have been very noisy at night and we lost power when water hot into our outdoor sockets tripping the electrics.Im not sleeping well.So its a really negative scenario. I will spend the weekend resetting for a return to plan on monday .I have had an occasional week like this before so I know how to reset.I hope everyone is doing well.
posted by wendleg
on 27 Feb 2020 at 13:54

Well done on getting through the vertigo appointment, articfox . Don’t worry about your midriff ….the water retention will go and your waist will return !
Take care when feeling tired xx
posted by wendleg
on 27 Feb 2020 at 14:14

Oh Butterlover , that pattern is recurring . So sorry you don’t feel you are in a good place right now. You are here though, you posted, you didn’t go away and hide from the reality of what is happening. So that means it matters and you want to do something about it.

So you need to be prepared for work sapping your energy and having healthy foods available which will boost you and not drain you. Mindlessly grabbing something because you feel tired is just the beginning of an infernal cycle which will just end up making you feel worse.

Weekend reset ? Ok …brilliant . Can you bulk prepare your meals for the week so you are ready for when you come in from work ? Simple meals are ok, it doesn’t have to be gourmet cooking. Do you take in foods for lunch ?

You can move away from the negative scenario Butterlover, and take back control.

We are here to help and we will be here on Monday, ready for your reset. Don’t spend the weekend eating everything in sight . Food will always be available , but choosing the foods which heal and not harm you is key.

I saw this article about emotional eating today which I posted on the Take a look at this thread.
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/diets/emotional-eating.htm?fbclid=IwAR0Q06tlI_iOlbPhaIV2G2A1OBlNawdTo01wAamz2LUfolAGcwCkWt7v3Us

I hope it helps a little bit xx
posted by SunnyB
on 27 Feb 2020 at 15:51

Just thought I’d add a comment re: exercise. Every little helps, so just do what you feel comfortable with RR, the pounds/ kg will still go downward. My exercise has always been patchy and I still managed to get to target.

Big well done to all those able to report a loss. Keep on keeping on everyone.
posted by Zanna
on 27 Feb 2020 at 17:38

I remember being fed hot Bread and milk with sugar in a mug if I had a cold🥴 guess my cra invs were inevitable
posted by wendleg
on 27 Feb 2020 at 18:02

Oh crikey Zanna ! You had no chance but things are different now. ! Can you imagine giving that sort of food to anyone now ??? Yikes !
Just to make you feel better I used to put honey on my son’s dummy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
posted by Zanna
on 27 Feb 2020 at 18:24

Hahaha brilliant beats brandy 🤣
posted by wendleg
on 27 Feb 2020 at 18:46

Oh yikes Zanna the damage I could have done !!!!!!!!!!! Fortunately both of my boys have a full set of teeth and don’t remember a thing 😉
posted by wendleg
on 27 Feb 2020 at 18:57

Right it’s shout out time again !

We would love to hear from you all

Gattina !

Tili !

Riccoh !

Slimmykim !

peachcake4me !

happyitsworking !

Oimadam !

KatrenaJ !

Capricornia !

Heiding !

Kimeliz !

Red-riding !

Angelsand ! Are you ok ? You had a tough time recently.

Naelle

barby ..did you try any of the recipes ?
Merry Melba…how are things in Melbourne ?
Scottishgal…Yu have gone quiet on me again !!
The Budgie…where have you flown off to again ?
Hi californiagirl !
Hi caronl !
Hi sixturkeys !
Elky !!! Come back !!

I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone. Just pop in and let us know how you are doing xxxxxxxxxxxx
posted by Amz the Beautiful
on 27 Feb 2020 at 19:11

I’m still around. Things are crazy at work. Just started third job so trying to find some backhanded. Going on extended fast. Focusing on water intake. Post more in-depth update soon.
posted by wendleg
on 27 Feb 2020 at 19:37

Go carefully Amz xxx Check back in when you can xx
posted by Bryla
on 28 Feb 2020 at 06:22

Hi folks. Friday has come around again already! Hope you can make room for some serious self-care over the weekend, Butterlover. I know when my sleep suffers for more than a couple of days, everything seems to fall apart. I’m sure you can get back on track having done it before! I’m rooting for you.
Gosh Amz, I’ve noticed how very hard you push yourself! Good luck, but I hope you’ll remember to be kind to yourself. I reckon your determination is inspiring and I hope you recognize just how strong you are.
NSV for me yesterday was wearing a dress 2 sizes smaller than at my starting point in January (with no straining, lumps or wrinkling). Whoop! 2lb discard in 48 hours – is that a whoosh? .5lb more and I’ll see a new number of stone on the scales. Definitely have a rollercoaster feeling this week- in many ways week 7 has been the toughest emotionally so far.
Well done everyone! Thank you for being here- I don’t think I would have made it this far without knowing you are all out there doing this with me. Week 8 starts tomorrow and will certainly not be the end for me. Would love to know how folks we haven’t seen for a while are getting on too.
posted by Kimeliz
on 28 Feb 2020 at 07:00

I’m still here Wendleg, thanks for the shout out! I’m still chipping away at this and am tantalisingly close to the healthy BMI range for the first time in what seems like centuries. I think I am doing great with the low carbs which surprises me more than anyone and I am not at all tempted anymore which is a revelation. I tend to stick to 18-6 most days as I am just not missing breakfast these days. I’m finding that the last 7kg ish I aim to lose are proving to be the most stubborn but for once I am not folding, I am resolute that I will stave off the effects of metabolic syndrome and all the crud it brings to my life.

Thanks again Wendy, JGwen, SunnyB, ArcticFox, Bryla and all you great people for unwittingly keeping me going. The new job is going great, the stress of it starting has not driven me to overeat as usual so I’ll take that as a win. KOKO!
posted by Zanna
on 28 Feb 2020 at 08:10

Well I was new and on day 5 but thought I’d weigh in to be in line with everyone on here. Day 5 and 5.2 lb down. I’m amazed…..does this slow down a lot of still higher than normal diet loss? I’m not as hungry as I thought I’d be but am struggling to plan the under 800 as I started using the book but the Cal count is way off. I am trying to be optimistic after failing to keep weight off for 20 years. Thank you for the support it really does help
posted by Olive_1
on 28 Feb 2020 at 10:48

Hi all,
Just checking in to say that I’m almost back to pre-holiday weight already. Was 84 kg before going away last week, 86 when coming back, but after 5 days home already down to 84,5 again. So very pleased with that. Am hoping the next 0,5 will go this weekend as my aim for Feb was to be at 84 at the end of the month.
Have been doing this since start of Jan and still have quite a bit to loose. Ideally would like to go down to 70 kg. I’m planning to stay on the fast 800. I know a lot of people here have done it for longer than 8 weeks so I’m thinking it should be ok. If anyone has any tips about what to think about, please post.
Butterlover – I feel for you! It’s so hard when everything stacks up against you. There always seem to be something more popping up as well adding to the frustration. I hope you get a really relaxing weekend and can recharge your batteries. For me it sometimes help to take a long walk and have a good talking to myself 😊 about what is best for me. Sounds silly but can be very uplifting.
Have a good weekend everyone!
posted by SunnyB
on 28 Feb 2020 at 11:16

Amz, be kind to yourself, with so much going on, you need to take care not to over stress yourself.
Bryla, that’s a wonderful NSV, you must have felt on cloud nine!
Kimeliz, frustratingly things do slow in the final phase, as you approach target. I know you’ll stick with it though and get where you wish to be.
Zanna, unfortunately weigh discard is not linear, but as long as you keep going, you will get to your goal weight. Initial loss is high, as it’s largely water, but things will settle to a more or less steady discard. You’re facing the right direction now, so just keep going.
Olive, well done on dealing with most of that holiday gain so promptly and I have no doubt you will see the back of that little bit leftover very soon.
I can report the lowest scales reading I have had since my restart in Jan, but won’t say more, as at this point it hasn’t been consolidated.
Wishing a good weekend to one and all, with lots of lovely BSD choices.
posted by MerryMelba
on 28 Feb 2020 at 11:24

Hi Wendy, Thanks for the shout out.🇦🇺🇦🇺 I’m here, just been reading from the sidelines😃.
So good to hear you are recovering well, and down to that last ever set of reports. Retirement bliss is near🌺
Are your two sons meeting up in Australia?
I have had a few weeks of lots of aches and pains and physio. This led to some mild comfort eating- and I *know* that eating carbage just increases my inflammation- so this week I have got myself back on track for a few weeks of mostly keto and 16/8. I need to get back to my maintenance level and discard 2 kilos.
Good day today, and already feeling less inflammation.
Lots of posts of people doing really well which is inspiring. And congrats 🥇🥇PhoenixBurns for reaching your target.
Friday evening here and I’m looking forward to a very social weekend, and making wise choices.
Merry
posted by wendleg
on 28 Feb 2020 at 12:12

Hi Merry ! Sorry about your inflammation flare up. I know Birdy has the same issues with her achy knees. You will soon get back to your maintenance level and I am hoping our Birdy will check in soon ( after her ski holiday).

Yes, my elder son who is in Cairns is flying down to see his brother in Melbourne. We will plan another visit to Australia when I retire. I am looking forward to discovering Melbourne. My only concern is house sitting during our absence.I remember sunshine girl used house sitters . She hasn’t been around for a while either.

Who was it who lived in Hobart at the foot of Mount Wellington ? We haven’t heard from her for some time .

I get a bit sad when people disappear because I really believe having the support of others is invaluable. I would never have stayed the course if I had been trying to do it on my own. It would have been easier to slope off with a bun as I had noone to be accountable to !! 😉
Have a lovely weekend, Merry ! My boys drink lots of beer ! They are not half Brit for nothing !!
posted by Amz the Beautiful
on 28 Feb 2020 at 18:39

Hello. Checking in. Had an ultrasound the other day to check for blood clots ini my leg; it was clear so the next step is an MRI. I’m still fasting,.. I started Thursday Around midnight. Going to keep going a bit more. I was in the mindset previously that food is fuel for the body, not a salve to the soul, but lately my emotional eating has gotten out of hand… So that is what inspired this fast. I always felt so invigorated in the past when I would successfully complete an extended fast so I thought I would try to reclaim that feeling. Also, my body doesn’t absorb water properly since my coma so I get dangerously dehydrated very quickly. Since I’m tired of being admitted to the hospital got IV fluids, I want to get a grip on my drinking during this time too.
posted by Bryla
on 28 Feb 2020 at 19:14

Well done, SunnyB! You might not be ready for full scale celebrations yet, but that progress must deserve a 👏, especially since you’ve been so busy taking care of all of us along with Wendy.
Olive- I started 11th Jan. Definitely going to continue to 12 weeks since we know that’s definitely okay (unless someone wiser corrects me!). Not in a position to offer any advice, but we’ll be sticking at it together if that helps…