100 day Journey to Easter

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• posted by sunshine-girl
  on 6 Feb 2022 at 14:40

  

  Here is a recipe for a flatbread from The Food Doctor (Ian Marber), not to be confused with the diet doctor.

  100g chickpea flour – 40ml olive oil – 200ml water. Mix to a batter – cook in a small frypan just like pancakes. Should make 4 flatbreads but he doesnt give calories or carbs – you would have to do a calculation depending on how much you eat. They can be kept in a fridge for 3 or 4 days or frozen for longer. To add variety he also adds things like crushed garlic, coriander leaves or a variety of seeds like pumpkin, caraway, sunflower and sesame. I personally havent made this for years as I dont really have that craving for bread any more.

• posted by Verano
  on 6 Feb 2022 at 16:41

  

  Looks like a good recipe. Just worked out the nutrition and making four from the recipe would give 214 calories and 14g carbs per pancake. Bit high for me but I’m sure there are other flatbreads that are lower in carbs/cals.
  I like Livlife bread for the occasional ‘treat’ but I know that won’t help you Stevoka.

• posted by caronl
  on 6 Feb 2022 at 17:25

  

  Ah Mariet….puppies! I wish you lots of fun, patience, and a cool head! We have had quite a few puppies over the last 10 years – taking on the first year of training each of them to be assistance dogs. Somehow each time the needle sharp teeth are an unpleasant surprise! Distraction is the key – an old leather belt (without buckle) to chew seems to help a lot. Or fill a kong with some rice cakes and roll it round the floor. And if the furniture starts to suffer, spray some hair spray on any vulnerable corners. Wishing you lots of luck and pleasure!

• posted by arcticfox
  on 7 Feb 2022 at 20:35

  

  Hi everyone,
  Still plugging away on my journey. I haven’t weighed in yet, but might be feeling just a bit of ease through the waist of my jeans. I started back on my iron tablets this week after hitting rock bottom with my energy levels, and feeling just slightly better already after some initial gi upset. I think my metabolism really hit the floor and my concentration was shot. So I’ll stick with it for now. I will have to make an appointment with my gp though to discuss alternatives to the tablets. I don’t think I can handle these gi issues anymore.
  Glad to see lots of people doing well and shedding those kilos!
  S-g – I make a socca that sounds similar to your pancakes. Good for once in a while when I feel like something bready.
  Mariet – I haven’t had a puppy in a long time, but I did take in a semi-feral cat just before Christmas. She had kittens in my hay in the fall, and I worked with a rescue to trap her and the kittens. The rescue took her and had her spayed and the kittens were adopted, but contacted me in Dec to say they didn’t think she was adoptable. She is very young still herself, but incredibly scared of people. So she is in my upstairs spare bedroom as it was far too cold in Dec to put her outside and I am trying my hand at socializing her. She is coming around, but it’s a very slow process!

• posted by Mariet
  on 8 Feb 2022 at 02:43

  

  Ah Caron, my new best friend! Please tell me, am I being unreasonably cruel if I make her sleep in her comfortable indoor enclosure, with crate, bedding and small run? She cries incessantly. The first few nights she was happy to sleep in a basket next to my bed but last night nothing would shut her up except sleeping on my bed
  I would prefer not to get started like that but I don’t want to be cruel and the vet and the breeder kept going on about separation anxiety. Send help!
  Report day today and no progress to report, maybe half an inch on my belly or maybe I was measuring a slightly different place, who knows? But I am sticking to one meal a day, no snacking, low carb and it’s got to happen sooner or later, right?

  This isn’t a recipe for bread but it’s a chickpea flatbread that is in the recipes on this site- I wish they were searchable!
  • Chickpea flour ( Besan) 9oz
  • Water( enough to make a thin batter)
  • Olive oil- 1 tbsp
  • SeasoningI use chilli flakes, celery seed, pepper, onion powder, choose your own to taste

  Method
  Put chickpea flour in bowl, add enough water to make a thin pancake batter whisking well as you go

  Add seasoning , and then leave for 2-3hrs, when ready to use whisk in olive oil

  Heat frying pan on medium heat, if not nonstick lightly brush with olive oil

  Swirl batter into pan , and cook till brown and crisp, turn over and cook the other side

  Freezes well

  I tried it years ago and found them reasonably good, might be an alternative to low carb eggy breads?

• posted by MerryMelba
  on 8 Feb 2022 at 04:23

  

  Hi Marriet.
  My tip with puppies is to persist and don’t succumb to her sleeping on your bed as that will then never end.
  Can I ask if the crate is big and she is small? If it is largish then put a bit of stiff cardboard or plywood upright into the middle of the crate to make her sleeping area just a bit roomier than her. Wear an old tshirt for a bit, then put that Tshirt in her crate. My pups also had a soft toy(not one with button eyes/nose that could be chewed and swallowed). Do the same routine each night. Into her crate, give her a dog biscuit and close the crate door. Preferably crate is not in your bedroom. Maybe a radio with very soft classical music.
  If you go to her in the night wait (hard I know but will get easier) until she is not crying before you go to her. If you go when she cries then she will learn to do that.
  If she still needs to wee during the night then set an alarm after about 4 hrs then get her up to go outside with no play and minimal noise:/ interaction Then straight back into the crate with some nibbles and door closed. Dogs don’t like to wee where they sleep so if floor space of crate is small she can’t just wee in one corner and sleep in the other part . And perhaps a on lead walk outside before bed to tire her a bit. But trying to keep her calm and quiet in the evening.
  This may come across as hard hearted, but this period of crying etc should only last a 2-3 weeks. She will settled.
  My dogs love their crates. Their quiet place. The doors have been open since that were a few months old and they happily sleep in them (and it means that can come away with me and be settled at night no matter where we are).
  With the nipping at your hands, a breeder gave me the tip of “yipping” loudly as soon as she does it. She’ll look at you! When she played with her kennel siblings they would Yelp when the play got rough. I did the yelping trick (no other disciplinary action) and they soon learnt to stop.
  Long post I know. But I hope it helps

• posted by arcticfox
  on 8 Feb 2022 at 06:46

  

  Mariet – I have training really only specifically in equine behaviour, but I belong to an organization of animal behaviourists that includes dog specialists. If you would like some help with your puppy, you can find a behaviour consultant here: https://m.iaabc.org/consultant/
  Initial sessions can be expensive, but they are usually very good about following up for as long as you need. Lots of free resources on their website as well, which I am currently using in my venture into cat behaviour.
  Also, you are lucky to have Dr. Paul McGreevy in Australia. He is a veterinarian and behaviour professor at the University of Sydney. He has written some books including A Modern Dog’s Life: How to do the best for your dog. I haven’t read it, but it addresses separation related distress, among other things, and his advice is typically well-grounded in the best science of the day. I have read some of his work into horse behaviour and he is a leader in that field. I have met him in person as well and he is just a lovely man to boot.

• posted by Mariet
  on 8 Feb 2022 at 09:34

  

  Melba and Arctic Fox, thank you for your advice. She is more settled than she was at first and it’s only a week today.

  I tried yelping loudly when she bit my toes this arvo, she looked so startled! so we’ll see how we go.

  Arctic Fox, thanks for the link, I’ll follow it up. I am contemplating if necessary getting a trainer to give me one on one advice. And we start puppy preschool on Sunday.

  My daughter, SIL and baby grandson came for dinner tonight, they are just over Covid so I haven’t seen them for a few weeks, it was a lovely night.

• posted by caronl
  on 8 Feb 2022 at 18:28

  

  Mariet I would second all of MerryMelba’s advice. Make the crate smaller with a cardboard box, a safe soft toy (Ikea has great ones), and something that smells of the pup’s mother is good too. I cover mine with a plasticised table cloth to make it more cave like, with just the front open. Unless you want the pup in your bedroom long term, I would put the crate elsewhere. With each of my pups I spent the first few nights downstairs with them. Me on a mattress on the floor, pup in the cage. I used my voice as quiet reassurance when the pup was quiet, and ignored the crying. It really isn’t cruel, and getting the start right is important. My “record” was a lodger who “cried” for 90 minutes the first night. The following night was 90 seconds. :-). All my pups have settled in their crates, and (as Merry Melba has said) the crates become their own space to rest and chill. Good luck!

• posted by Jennie10
  on 9 Feb 2022 at 10:09

  

  Hi everyone
  Sorry, I’ve not been posting. Our internet has been down since the storms at the end of January and on and off ever since – the slightest bit of wind and it goes down & our internet provider says it’s one thing and the Open Reach guys say it’s something else. Anyway, this is the calmest day here and it’s back on for now – flipping frustrating though.
  (Edited – Started posting this on Mon – got this much written before it went off – aaaaaaah!).

  Stevoka – I haven’t got a bread recipe but there is a really nice almond and seed cracker recipe which can provide a nice something to crunch on. If you search for Almond Parmesan Seed Crackers. It’s posted on the GOOD EATS……THE LOW CARB WAY thread by Luvtcook (she is re-posting JackieM’s recipe). The recipe uses almond flour & parmesan cheese. It suggests a mix of seeds (psyllium seeds is a possible option) but I’ve only ever used chia seeds in them. I can’t remember the cals and carbs per batch (makes around 12 crackers) but I’m pretty sure that’s at the bottom of the recipe.

  I’m doing well on the food front not as great on the steps target. DCT – hope you’re doing better with this.

  I’m going to catch up with posts and will post more later if and when I can.

  I love dogs, so very interesting dog chat.
  Jennie xx

• posted by Yowzer49
  on 9 Feb 2022 at 10:42

  

  Good morning losers! ( in the nicest possible way)!

  JENNIE I enjoyed the dog chat too! sympathise with yr internet issues. Problem I’m having is everything works fine on my iPad but for some reason,tv isnt connected to internet! Tried all the advice offered under Google,nothing works,will have to phone up which is often so time consuming and frustrating! The woes of modern day life
  I’m on day nine of 12 day mini challenge and so far so good,managing ok and avoiding temptations,including coconut ice which DD bought me,haven’t had any for years. Now hidden at back of cupboard til the end of this challenge!
  Keep on board the battle of the bulge bus!… our bus is speeding faster and faster towards Easter! The days go so quickly!
  “ Today is where your book begins,The rest is still unwritten!” xx
  

• posted by Stevoka
  on 10 Feb 2022 at 23:30

  

  The almond seed crackers sound lovely. Couldn’t find the low carb way thread but lots of recipes online that seem pretty simple. Thank you

• posted by MerryMelba
  on 11 Feb 2022 at 00:50

  

  https://thebloodsugardiet.com/forums/topic/good-eats-the-low-carb-way/page/4/#post-82630
  Hi Stevoka – this is a link to the recipe. I break them into smaller crisp size pieces and get quite a lot.
  Merry

• posted by Jennie10
  on 11 Feb 2022 at 00:59

  

  That’s the one – thanks Merry xx

• posted by Jennie10
  on 11 Feb 2022 at 08:37

  

  Hi everyone
  Stevoka – I’m not a great cook and I found them easy to do – using the bung it all in the mixer-type approach. If you give them a go let us know what you think
  Yowzer – Mine is an on-going internet problem. The slightest bit of wind and things go off. I was just wishing to a friend the other day for the old landline home phone and my old nokia in the car for long journeys. Did me fine – and low maintenance! Anyway, as you say, another phone call and outreach visit is due.
  Talking about maintenance, a quick update on progress from me
  I’m doing really well on my food target – to eat nutritious, low carb/keto meals using ingredients in DietDoctor’s ‘Top Ten’ visual food guides, and trying 2 new meals per week. I’ve put more time into preparing food and I’ve really focused on going back to eating simply for the most part: eggs, meat (chicken, steak), fish (salmon, mackerel, seabass, seafood) above ground green veg, avocados, natural yoghurt, blueberries, raspberries etc.
  I’ve also tried a few new recipes from dietdoctor – low carb moussaka, keto fish curry, fathead pizza (but using seafood & anchovies or just prawns for the topping). I’ve enjoyed them but some of them are a bit too rich for me. Next step is to go back to the BSD recipes.
  My steps target ‘a million steps in 100 days’ is already way behind. I started late, I remember recording just over 250,000 steps, then started missing the odd day. I stopped altogether when the stormy weather came. I really don’t like being out in stormy weather (lots of broken branches, slates off roofs, broken chimneys and even some pieces of walls came away around our neighbourhood). It’s been pretty much zilch the last week. Anyway, I’m going to see how I get on this week. I’m away in a cottage for a week and usually have a better step count on holiday. Fingers crossed.
  Won’t be here for the next week as away so hope everyone goes well.
  Jennie xx

• posted by Dreamscometrue
  on 11 Feb 2022 at 11:14

  

  Hello all and Happy Friday!

  This week has been so busy I’ve not got round to posting, but have enjoyed keeping up with you all

  Mariet how’s the pup doing? I have a labradoodle who is now 7. Hazy memories of puppyhood but he was quite a handful! I remember our breeder’s advice re the biting was to say No firmly twice, then if he did it again to say Enough! and put him somewhere else for a few seconds to calm down. We used the downstairs cloakroom until he decided he liked it in there and didn’t want to come out! But I’m the worst person to ask for dog advice – far too soft. Yes he sleeps on the bed and yes he rules the roost completely. But I just love it.

  Thanks for all the recipes and food ideas on here too. Some great inspiration and new things to try. Keep’em coming.

  As I said, it’s been a busy week and I feel a bit all over the place tbh. Lots of things going on with family and friends – some positive some not – and with the new work I also took on recently my head’s a bit pre-occupied right now. So my much-feted 12 day challenge ground to a halt after 5 days; but I did lose 4lb and with a few fluctuations have kept it off; in fact am down to 143.5lb this morning. So will keep persevering but with me it tends to be very on and off in terms of sticking strictly to plan. In fact, given my recent experience I’m thinking of doing “Intermittent intermittent fasting”! Perhaps one week really strict; under 800 calories and 50 carbs. Then ease off a bit for a week or two to let things settle then go at it again. Will report back in due course!

  Jenni I’m behind with my steps too. With my working pattern I tend to be either very over or very under. Most weekdays I’ll be around 5-6000 steps, then any day I fit in a longer walk, which is mostly at weekends it can go up to around 14-15000. But on average I’m behind. Towards the end of 2020 I started two virtual challenges, Lands End to John O’Groats and Route 66. I’ve finished the first one but still have a little way to go on Route 66. I think I will need to put the finish date back as it’s the end of March and I reckon I would now need to do about 10 miles a day to make it. I’m annoyed with myself because at one stage I was completely on top of it, particularly when doing my running, but have gradually let it slide. Anyway, the better weather seems to be on its way and hopefully I can organise myself better to get out more, both walking and running. Enjoy your break Jenni and I hope you get lots of lovely steps in too.

  Have a great weekend everyone, and hoping to hear good news from you all X

• posted by Yowzer49
  on 11 Feb 2022 at 14:39

  

  Hi friends!
  MERRY MELBA/CARONL..I enjoyed reading yr puppy advice.
  MARIET I’m so glad you saw the family,does heart and soul good to see them doesnt it!
  DCT ..made me smile when you said “much feted 12 day challenge”! Good description
  I had several false starts then finally really got going on Feb 1st,am now on day 11,have lost 10 3/4 lbs ..I know so much of that will be water but hopefully at least five lbs will be solid fat loss! Hoping to have made it to 11 lb Monday morning.
  DCT your intermittent intermittent idea sounds good..MM says it’s good to swing between fat burning times and carb burning times xx
  Keep happy minds BUS peeps and remember,
  The scales arent always our friends but we’re getting healthier on the inside which is the main thing! XX
  Hippy Happy Hoppy weekend to DAWN,CCATHY,LINDA,VERANO,JENNIE,MLKM,NOKIE,PINA,JGWEN,SUEBLUE,NATALIE,MIXAND MATCH and all the BusyBus gang xx

• posted by Dreamscometrue
  on 11 Feb 2022 at 16:16

  

  Wowzer Yowzer!! 10 3/4 lb is amazing! Well done – and let’s hope it stays off. SO pleased for you X

• posted by Yowzer49
  on 11 Feb 2022 at 16:25

  

  DCT I was pretty bad the few days prior to feb first,so a lot will just be water,but the 10+ took me down into the next stone so it’s satisfying! It’s quite hard going some days,will deffo have to ease up a bit Sunday onwards but not much of course!
  I love how he says we can freely eat green veg ( tho for 12 day challenge I’ve added in the carbs and cals to daily total)
  I think having plenty of greenery without worry will help loads.
  Plus protein add ons ( think that’s stage 2?) .livin the dream!
  Think I’ll be on stage one for quite a while yet..he says no longer than 12 weeks.last time I did this in 2016-17 i more or less stayed on it the whole year,but prob wasn’t a good idea.,and not sure how I managed it,. I feel like I must have fallen into some kinda trance!
  Have you got any cravings? I’m craving hoummus ( never sure how to spell it) and luckily can incorporate it into daily intake! I’m always craving green veg. It’s so nice not to be craving cake ( tho I wd still happily wolf it given half a chance! ) XX

• posted by Dreamscometrue
  on 11 Feb 2022 at 18:16

  

  Yowzer you are doing so well! A total inspiration X

  You asked about cravings. Actually I absolutely love healthy food! I don’t eat read meat but am more than happy with small portions of things like chicken, fish, eggs. cheese, loads of veg etc. But being really honest, my main craving is wine. I generally drink wine most days, and soon notice the difference when I don’t. I also realise that when I do drink wine I then tend to get cravings for snacks, particularly salted nuts. And yes, I know nuts are a great source of protein but also so high in calories.

  So, when I’m being strict, one of the main things for me is simply to cut out the drink; firstly because of the high calorie content but also the snowball snack effect. And when I do, I almost always see the weight coming off pretty quickly.

  It’s all about lifestyle choices I know. And I’m a very social person at a happy new stage of my life. But I know there are times I need to rein in the wining and dining, much as I do enjoy it!

• posted by ADD6605
  on 11 Feb 2022 at 19:12

  

  Hi everyone.wow Yowzer that’s fantastic,well done My reboot didn’t work very well so I will be surprised if,when I weigh myself tomorrow,I’ve lost any more than the 2lbs but still a long way to go until Easter so I’m hanging on to my bus seat determined to make a decent dent in my weight loss goal by then.Sorry I haven’t posted much this week,have been reading posts but not getting round to posting myself.My Dad’s care home is still closed because of Covid cases so I haven’t seen him since Christmas Eve,hoping that will change soon.Hope everyone has a lovely weekend.Dawn X

• posted by Natalie
  on 11 Feb 2022 at 23:31

  

  I’m feeling very proud of myself, I decided to buckle down and get serious with the new keto book on Wednesday and I’ve been very compliant, and I know it’s only two days but I had my COVID booster on the same day and by that night I was feeling wretched from the side effects. Usually when I feel sick I turn to carbs – Vegemite toast and 2 min noodles (both very salty I just realised I wonder if I’m actually craving salt when I’m sick?) but this time I didn’t! It meant my calories were very low yesterday at 537 as most foods didn’t appeal, but what I did have was keto friendly. And I’ve lost 1.3kg in two days, goodbye visceral fat (+water).
  I’m feeling somewhat better today, no longer aching all over just my armpit and very tired and weak – some of that could be day three carb flu. But I’ll blame it on the jab!

• posted by Dreamscometrue
  on 12 Feb 2022 at 08:41

  

  Well done Natalie! I hope you feel better soon and keep losing. I remember reading that it’s important to have a bit of extra salt on a low carb diet, to replace the sodium your body is losing along with the water. So that may also account for your salt cravings.

  Hi Dawn, good to hear from you and I’m excited to see how you get on as we continue our journey. I also really hope that you can see your dad soon. It feels as if there is a glimmer of hope re the whole Covid situation now. Time will tell, but I really hope the increasing signs of a return to normality will soon impact care homes too.

  Hello to everyone else reading this. I hope you have a lovely weekend, whatever you’re doing X

• posted by ClarinetCathy
  on 12 Feb 2022 at 12:03

  

  Morning everyone

  I am still here and still trying but only managing to maintain my weight, up and down the same pound each week. I can’t seem to break through and get consistent weight loss. Great to read that many of us are seeing progress. I’ve been decorating this week and forgot show hard work stripping walls and sanding down and painting woodwork is. Hoping the extra activity may help me to lose some weight. However, I did indulge in chip shop chips last night so won’t be getting on the scales until next week. I was too tired to make anything to eat after working hard all day so my husband went to the chip shop. When I checked earlier this week I had only lost a pound. Whilst emptying my wardrobe prior to decorating I did see some of my lovely summer clothes and I would like to be wearing them when the summer arrives so that is incentive to keep trying to slowly chip away at these pesky pounds that won’t shift!
  Hope everyone has a lovely weekend and I am going to keep trying! I have a telephone rheumatology appointment on Wednesday so I am hoping I might be soon getting some treatment for my osteoporosis. Although I am not losing the weight I want to I am very grateful for feeling well and having energy and spark! I did read somewhere to be thankful for enjoying food because it means we are well and it made me think and be grateful for my health and well-being.

• posted by Stevoka
  on 12 Feb 2022 at 14:44

  

  So my journey is going pretty slowly but interesting observation is that between the scales and the measuring tape something goes down each week. I think I’ve lost about 7lbs (bought my scales after first couple of weeks) and nothing for the last couple of weeks but every week a centimetre or 2 goes from somewhere so I’m holding on to that. Interestingly I was so was it feeling it this week but instead of just letting go I’ve been eating as much as I want but all very low carb and I still lost a couple of centimetres from my waist. I don’t think I lose any more weight when I’m counting calories but tbf I have been a bit lax with this. So for now this keeps me going. I also don’t beat myself up over the odd something naughty because on average I’m pretty sure I’m on no more than 50gs carbs per day. I had a bag of peanut mnms this week. Inter tingly their in that Harvard Glycemic Load doc as being low GL. It’s the peanuts I suppose. I don’t plan on doing that all the time but it takes the pressure off to know I can from time to time and it doesn’t massively derail things. For the most part I have very few cravings now which is a good sign. Except for good quality protein. Here on Grand Bahama the options aren’t great except the fish of course! But we’ve found a place we can get grass fed beef which becomes the treat of the week. Incredibly satiating and I won’t be regulating how much I eat! measuring today has spurred me on because I was getting a bit fed up. I’ve also built in a super quick strengthening routine into my mornings because I’ve been pretty useless on the exercise front. I shall persevere!

• posted by Yowzer49
  on 13 Feb 2022 at 13:18

  

  Just a quicky to catch up on the posts and to say that yesterday was day 12 of my mini challenge and I lost 11 3/4 lbs
  Didn’t quite make it to 12 and I know about 5 of the lbs wd be water anyway but hey ho! I am a happy bunny
  Love to all,enjoy the week ahead XX onwards and downwards!
  Ps just copied and pasted this…thoughts for the week ahead!
  “Think of your life as a garden and this blended currency of time, energy, and money is the “water.” You’ve got “plants” (or important things in your life) that you need to keep watering, but you have a limited amount of “water” to give.
  So, how do you learn to prioritize? Here are some key questions you need to ask yourself:
  What’s currently getting watered and why?
  Is it enough?
  What’s thriving, and what’s withering?
  What weeds have snuck into your garden?
  How much time, money, and/or energy does this “plant” need from me to stay alive? How about to thrive?”

• posted by JGwen
  on 13 Feb 2022 at 16:19

  

  Today is the end of the 7 day fast challenge I joined from Dr Fungs facebook group.

  I am quite proud of myself in achieving it, I would never have thought I could fast for this length of time when I started on this WoE. Much of the weight change will be water loss, so I am not counting that for a few days as I know I will regain.

  But it does mean that I know I will have spent some days with insulin levels as low as possible, and it appears that is important in healing IR. It will have killed off some of the bad gut bacteria which digest sugar as those of the bacteria which die off the fastest (and they multiply the fastest when fed). It may be my imagination, but it did feel on friday / saturday morning that there was a major change happening with my gut bacteria. I felt the same as I feel when I have eaten something that disagrees with me but as I had not eaten I think it must have been a change in the gut bacteria.

  It turns out that it is true, the hard part of fasting is the first 24 hours, once you get deep into ketosis the physical hunger ends, and then its all about facing the emotional draw of eating.

• posted by Stevoka
  on 13 Feb 2022 at 16:21

  

  Wow did you actually fast for 7 days? Was it water only?

• posted by Yowzer49
  on 13 Feb 2022 at 16:22

  

  Phew JGWEN that’s such an accomplishment! xx not surprised you’re feeling proud of yrself! Even if I could do the no food for 7 days ( I couldn’t) Iwdnt manage without cups of tea!

• posted by Stevoka
  on 13 Feb 2022 at 16:26

  

  Also which FB group is it? I can’t see one that’s definitely connected with him.

• posted by Dreamscometrue
  on 13 Feb 2022 at 20:31

  

  Gosh JGwen that’s incredible to fast completely for 7 days! I’ll be really interested to see how you get on over the next few days, adjusting back to normality. Also to see how it’s helped your insulin resistance.

  Having said that, I just want to say I’m personally not into fasting. I completely get the value of intermittent fasting and giving your body time to reset. And can appreciate the potential value of longer fasts for specific purposes. All well and good.

  But to me, the beauty of the BSD is that it makes it possible to achieve significant weight loss whilst still eating tasty and enjoyable food. So you don’t have to fast for long periods unless you particularly want to.

  Over and above that, one of the things I love about these forums is that we all do things in different ways and we can learn so much from each other about what does and doesn’t work for different people at different stages.

  So for those who do embrace fasting more than I do, it’s really fantastic and inspirational to see one of our number doing so well. Amazing achievement JGwen, and I hope it reaps all the benefits you are hoping for. Well done X

• posted by SueBlue
  on 14 Feb 2022 at 00:42

  

  YOWZER – WOW! Well done that’s an amazing result for 12 days I think you are definitely our ‘Loser of the Week’ (or even month!)

  JGWEN – your 7 day fast is impressive, well done too

  DCT, Cathy, Jennie, Stevoka and everyone else who has been posting recently – thanks for your posts, although I haven’t been replying I have been reading them all.

  I didn’t have a very good week last week for a number of reasons. I felt unwell as I had a flare up with my rheumatoid arthritis, the fatigue was worse than the pain though to be honest, and I just couldn’t be bothered with cooking, meal planning or prepping foods. It was definitely a case of ‘Fail to prepare and prepare to fail’ for me! Luckily I only put on about 700g, so if I stay on track this week it should come off. The annoying thing was that I wasn’t eating huge amounts of food, just more processed and carb foods, calories averaged around 1400 most days, definitely true that not all calories are created equal!

  Anyway it’s Monday today, Valentines Day, so I’m going to get back on track. Breakfast this morning was Pear and Cinnamon porridge, an old favourite of mine from the Fast 800 recipe book. For lunch I’m having salad and then Fast 800 speedy pizza for dinner. I’m using up the last of my fresh veg before my online order comes tomorrow, so will pile my pizza with mushrooms, zucchini, onion, spinach and capsicum

  DCT – I really liked what you were saying about wine being a lifestyle choice – I had planned on having a dry February but that didn’t happen. Rather than feel guilty though I’m changing my thinking to be that I choose to drink wine once or twice (and sometimes even 3 times per week!), but it’s my choice to do that and the other 90% of my diet is good healthy food.

  Cathy – I liked your post about gratitude too, especially after last week when I felt unwell, being healthy is a lot to be grateful for, and also being able to choose to eat healthy foods. I remember when my children were small we were on such a tight budget and I had to be really careful about what I bought. I’m grateful that nowadays I can buy foods like smoked salmon, nuts, berries, herbs – all the things that used to seem like “luxury” foods to me then.

  I do need to get back into walking as I’ve slacked off quite a bit this month. It’s now 8 months until my eldest daughters wedding so I need to step things up a bit to not only lose 10kg but be able to maintain that loss too!
  Hope everyone has a good week

• posted by JGwen
  on 14 Feb 2022 at 02:45

  

  Hi,
  Stevoka – Yes 7 days, in addition to soda water, I did have the training wheels on this time, I allowed myself the occasional drink made up of a small amount of gravy granules with added salt, and some days a coffee with double cream. So not a pure fast. But still controlled intake enough to have most of the benefits.

  the facebook group is https://www.facebook.com/groups/obesitycodenetwork

  Dreamscometrue, I wish that just sticking to keto was enough for me. Unfortunately I grew up with a carb dense diet from childhood and have been displaying what I now know is IR symptoms for decades. It is surprising for me that I have escaped T2.

  I tried sticking to under 20g of carbs and did discard a lot of weight, but my insulin resistance wasn’t improving. It reminded me of situations that I saw when I used to work as a hoof care specialist with lame horses. Some horses which have been fed a high sugar diet develop a condition called laminitis. once they have had it their owners traditionally have to spend the rest of the horses lives like a hawk ensuring they never have access to any source of sugar as part of managing the condition as they never fully recover and just a small amount of high sugar food will trigger a relapse.

  Its not just that I want the increased variety in my diet that comes from not having to be so rigid on the number of carbs, I want to be able to go to an event in the community and not have to work out if I have enough allowance to be able to have a coffee with the people I am socialising with because of the higher carb levels in coffee with milk and how exacting I have to be on the number of carbs to stay in ketosis.

• posted by Mariet
  on 14 Feb 2022 at 03:01

  

  JGwen I’m in awe, 24hours is as long as I can manage and even doing that, I have coffee with a little milk to keep me going. I hope it helps you achieve your goal.
  I often feel as if I am in ketosis- no real hunger, slightly increased thirst, sometimes metallic taste, but the ketostix rarely show anything and even when I used to check using the blood monitor at work it rarely showed more than 0.6 which is a very low level, hardly worth mentioning.
  Tomorrow is my accountable day. I am modestly hopeful because I’ve been about 95% on track. Like others have mentioned, wine is my downfall but I am trying very hard so we’ll see. I had to wear jeans yesterday, first time in months, and they were tight last time I wore them so I had some trepidation but no, they were comfortably loose and my denim shorts that I am wearing today are loose as well. So even if the scales don’t give me the answer I want, I’m feeling better about myself.
  SueBlue, I’m sorry you haven’t been well. It’s so much harder to put in any effort when you feel off colour. I sympathise with your lack of walking, the rain over the summer has made it much harder for me to walk as well. And of course my puppy Frankie is not that good on the lead yet, still prone to rushing under my feet so I don’t feel like walking with her much. We do some practice every day and she is getting better.
  Thank you so much to everyone who gave me advice about Frankie, she has been a lot easier to get along with. She is happily sleeping in her crate at night and occasionally goes in there during the day to rest. She would rather be joined closely with me but I still take those rare occasions as wins. She plays fetch and brings back her toy to be thrown again, and she is getting much better at Lie Down and Roll Over. We’re having a lot of fun
  Yowser, what an awesome loss! Congratulations!

• posted by JGwen
  on 14 Feb 2022 at 08:33

  

  Hi Mariet,

  Pee sticks are not a reliable way to measure for ketones. When you first start to enter ketosis your body tends to make surplus ketones which it gets rid of in your urine. As your body gets more used to ketosis it doesn’t waste resources by making surplus so there isn’t any need for it to dump the excess in your urine. – The better way to test is either a blood test, or cheap breathalyser.

  The hardest time in a fast is the initial 24 hours, as you get deeper into ketosis you don’t have physical hunger.

• posted by ClarinetCathy
  on 14 Feb 2022 at 22:21

  

  Hello everyone

  I’ve been decorating this last few days so haven’t been online to catch up.
  JGwen- well done on your seven day fast! What an achievement. The longest I’ve fasted for was 42 hours and I totally agree that the first 24 hours are the worst and after that hunger just goes. I decided that 42 hours was enough for me and it’s well over two years (pre pandemic) since I fasted for that long. I am interested to see how this has helped you on your weight loss journey. I am so impressed you had the tenacity to fast for so long. Incredible!
  Yowser- what an achievement to lose so much weight on your twelve day challenge. Well done to you and very inspiring. You must be so pleased.
  Mariet- good news that your jeans and shorts were loose! good to see that Frankie is settling in.
  SueBlue- sorry to read about your flare up and I hope things settle down. I suffered with Still’s Disease as a child which is a juvenile form of rheumatoid arthritis and I remember how incredibly painful my joints were. I hope when you feel better you’ll be able to get back on track. Be kind to yourself. As I get older I realise how important it is to be kinder to ourselves.
  I have not been strict for the last few days! Ive been very bad indeed and had two takeaway meals because I’ve been so tired after decorating. I won’t be going near the scales til next Friday and am aware that another two weeks have passed and I’ve stayed the same weight. I’ve been working hard this last few days and so hopefully I’ve not done too much damage with the bad food choices I made.
  Decorating complete now so I can get back to preparing healthy food and I might try a longer fast this week.
  I really do want to see a few pounds gone by the end of February and heading towards my goal. It seemed like it was going to be so simple to get to goal when I started this countdown to Easter and already I’m six weeks down the line with little progress.

• posted by Stevoka
  on 15 Feb 2022 at 01:11

  

  @jgwen This is really amazing. I so want to do this but I get nervous even thinking of it. It’s definitely a goal for me. Did you build up from shorter fasts or just go for it?

• posted by Natalie
  on 15 Feb 2022 at 09:29

  

  I read a study where an extremely obese man fasted for 382 days. Yes, well over a year. He was under medical supervision the whole time and had to take various vitamins and supplements that our body can’t create or store. But after the initial adjustment he felt fine. His body just lived on his fat. He lost 125 kg. Angus Barbieri, he has a Wikipedia entry.

• posted by Natalie
  on 17 Feb 2022 at 09:43

  

  I was tired and hungry when I got home today and snacked on a series of things while I waited for dinner to cook – almonds, cheese, a nectarine then some chocolate! I cringed as I later put them all in my tracker, but was very relieved to find my total was still under 1,200 calories and around 80g carbs (would have been only 700 cals without the snacks!) so it’s not perfect but really not at all terrible either. I was telling someone at work about this diet today, including how I’m never hungry between meals. Pride comes before a fall!

• posted by Mariet
  on 17 Feb 2022 at 09:58

  

  Natalie, just about the time I would have started cooking dinner we had a black out. So while reading my book by candle light, waiting for the power to come back, I drank a bottle of sparkling wine

  Sigh.

• posted by SueBlue
  on 17 Feb 2022 at 10:22

  

  Natalie and Marie – I hear you! I had a good day today, despite the heat and humidity, and made some lovely fresh Tasmanian salmon for dinner – then had some ice cream as I wanted to use some up to make room in the freezer, followed by some of my husbands Fantales! Not sure if you have those in the UK but they are chocolate coated caramel sweets….
  Tomorrow is another day

• posted by Mlkm
  on 17 Feb 2022 at 15:35

  

  Thank you so much Natalie, SueBlue and Marit for your posts and to all who have shared your insight, successes and challenges. I’m hanging on to the bus’s tailpipe and your words are so very encouraging. Since the start I’ve lost 3.1kg (7lbs) but absolutely no change to my daily BGL readings. Caloric consumption is 90% of time 800 /1000 kj. Record every morsel that touches my lips. Yes have days (social events etc) where I’ve fallen off the bus and bounced along the road – always manage to get back on track. No/ little physical activity may be my main problem for not reducing bgl readings but have to live with that until snow clears and roads are safe to walk on ( we had another snowfall yesterday, sigh). No gym near me and it’s a 60 km trip to one. MD keeps suggesting insulin combined with metformin as solution as I haven’t been able to tolerate other meds. Any experience or thoughts or comments on this approach would be so welcome. Again thank you all for your posts. I’m learning a great deal and hope to have some worthwhile insights to share in future. MLKM (aka ML)

• posted by Jennie10
  on 17 Feb 2022 at 17:12

  

  Hi Mlkm – There are a couple of things I’m wondering. You mention being strict on your calories which is great. Have you also been measuring and recording your daily carb intake? In my experience, similar to Verano’s, the weight loss is great but it is the reduction in the amount of daily carbs you are consuming that makes the big difference to your bgls. If you are not already doing it, my suggestion would be to stick strictly to a set amount of carbs per day e.g. below 50g (MM’s suggestion in his latest book ) and measure your bgls. If this doesn’t seem to be working (you might be already doing this) then keep lowering your daily carbs e.g. to 40g, then to 30g etc) for a couple of weeks and see if you start seeing a shift downwards in your bgls.
  The second thing is I’m wondering when you are measuring your bgls. For example, if it is just your fasting (morning) bgls then these are very often the last numbers to reduce. Have you tested at other times of the day?
  On diagnosis my Hba1c was very high (106) so I think I had likely been diabetic for quite some time. (I also had the insulin conversation). I started BSD instead and did 800 cals and 20g daily carbs because my GP, diabetes nurse etc disagreed with what I was doing and I had a point to prove. It worked. My bgls have stayed between 34-36 (normal range) for almost 6 years. But, if I was starting now (knowing it’s worked for so many) I’d start at 50g carbs, then reduce carbs bit by bit to the number where it works for you. Everybody is different.
  I didn’t take any meds so I’ll leave comments on those to others.
  Take care
  Jennie xx
  Oh, just to say that I tested my bgls before and 2 hrs after each meal and found that it wasn’t just how many total carbs I ate in a day. For me it was also about not having too many carbs in any one meal.

• posted by Jennie10
  on 17 Feb 2022 at 17:39

  

  Hi Mlkm – I never know what people already know or not so excuse me if this is teaching granny etc. With the pre- and post meal testing you test immediately before the meal and then 2hrs after. If your post-meal reading is more than 2mmol/L higher than your pre-meal reading then the meal is too carby for you. Test the meal again another time having removed some of the carbs. If your post-meal reading is less than 2mmolL then that meal is OK for you to eat as part of managing your diabetes.
  Not everybody uses home testing kits, but if you are going to test (and I did) then I think this is a good way of getting the best out of doing it.
  Jennie xx

• posted by Mlkm
  on 17 Feb 2022 at 17:46

  

  Hello, Jennie,
  My morning bgl have always been high and I take before and 2-3 hrs after meals twice a day, and bedtime 3 times a week in an effort to find out what effects my bgl. As for carbs Valentine’s Day was my highest at 81, well below diabetic nurse’s recommendation of 138-150 To be honest, like you I’ve started ignoring traditional advice and follow MM’s first BSD book but now I will order an updated edition. I’m between 45-60 normally and I will strive for 50 then lower- thanks for that tip.
  ML

• posted by Jennie10
  on 17 Feb 2022 at 17:48

  

  Yowzer – Just wanted to say a quick hello and wow – 10lb – that’s fantastic – and to get into the next stone down is brilliant. Woo-hoo!
  Just got home from holiday a couple of hours ago (early) so will catch up with everyone later. xx

• posted by Jennie10
  on 17 Feb 2022 at 18:24

  

  Hi ML – I’ve had great treatment from the NHS in terms of tests (eye checks, foot checks) and referrals to free exercise programmes etc but the food/diet advice from everyone, diabetic nurse, dietitian and Diabetes Education programme, has always been unhelpful for me as someone with Type II diabetes. I think you get there despite their dietary advice rather than because of it.
  I used the BSD book too – but I don’t think it emphasised enough about reducing your carbs. Other of his books do, including the new book – Fast 800 Keto: Eat well, burn fat, manage your weight long-term. I’ve only just started reading it. The beginning chimes with my experience but I haven’t got to the new ‘plan’ part yet.
  Other good reads/videos are by
  Jason Fung – The Diabetes Code (book). He focuses on using fasting with his T2 diabetic patients which I didn’t really do, but he gives a really good explanation of what people now think are the causes of Type II diabetes and how to reverse it. There are also a lot of his videos on line – as well as MM’s BSD, he was my go-to guy.
  Dr David Unwin – a GP in Southport (UK) who has won awards for his low carb approach to treating patients with diabetes – good videos on line of his presentations (think he might also have a book but haven’t seen it). He gives impressive results for his patients.
  Anyway, enough from me!!
  Jennie

• posted by Natalie
  on 18 Feb 2022 at 07:59

  

  Jennie I went to some diabetes education classes in Australia a while back when I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes and I was horrified at the advice! I think they allowed up to 60 g carbs per MEAL (and even then some people whined – how am I going to have my usual breakfast toast and honey and juice and coffee with 8 sugars?) and I’d done enough research to know that this ‘expert’ association was 20 years out of date. It’s just horrible they are still giving that advice.
  I remember reading, I think it was in France a long time ago, medical science decided that there was so much sugar in diabetes patients’ urine that they obviously needed to replace it so they gave them more and more sugar.
  We are always learning and the rules keep changing, I just government departments didn’t take so long to catch up.

• posted by Yowzer49
  on 18 Feb 2022 at 15:37

  

  Whooooooo! Storm Eunice! Hoping everyone in Uk is ok? We’ve had to pull into a garage as the bus was nearly blown off the road! Stay well and safe everybody and have a groovy weekend! Back travelling on our bus soon as the storm dies down XX

• posted by SueBlue
  on 19 Feb 2022 at 01:23

  

  Yowzer and all in UK hope you are all ok with Storm Eunice x
  Probably not a bad time for the bus to pull over for a bit of a pit stop and to shelter from the storm – I was looking at my countdown timer today and there’s 54 days till Easter – and I think Christmas was about 54 days ago too, so we’re at that mid way point between Christmas and Easter (where does the time go?)

  I’ve had a better week this week, with a loss of 900g. So this means I’ve reversed last weeks 700g gain AND lost a bit more on top of that. Not a huge loss, but I’m happy that I’m focussed and back on track again. I’ve managed to fit in 4 x 5,000 step walks – still only half of what I planned to be doing but it’s a start! The weather has been really hot & humid here this week, with uncomfortable nights making sleep difficult.
  Today I’m going to plan my meals for next week, and also start compiling next weeks online grocery and fresh veggie order – I’ve gone back to getting fruit and veg delivered directly from the markets – so much better quality than those from the supermarket and it works out around the same price, or less really as the quantity is often more, and they definitely last longer, being fresher I suppose.
  Anyway hope everyone stays safe and has a lovely weekend

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