Hi Margaret
The tv programme was called OBESITY THE POST MORTEM. originally a BBC 1 programme still available on IPlayer. Absolutely fascinating.

Miss Ziggy

Thank you Miss Ziggy we watched the obesity autopsy programme last night & it was interesting seeing the badly affected heart,lungs & liver plus the amount of extra fat! I would hate to think my innards look like that but because I’m pear shaped perhaps not as bad & I am five stone lighter than that lady but do still need to lose my extra weight.
My husband & I had a Nordic pole route March with our instructor through St Leonards forest yesterday for just over an hour so I actually completed 10000 steps yesterday. I do feel more focused now & I am sure the sunshine helps elevate my mood.
We were waiting at the bus stop to go into town to an Arts Society lecture when a young man on his motorcycle accelerated past us & then hit a taxi turning across the road. My husband called an ambulance & I was also a witness so we had to stay until everything was sorted out. Fortunately the young man who was a learner driver seems to have only damaged his ankle but also knocked off her bike a woman cycling the other way so it was an hour before the ambulance & police let us go. We are going to have a walk around the village instead of trotting from the bus station across town to the theatre.
Hope you are doing well?
Margaret xx

Hi Margaret
Unfortunately I carry my weight in my mid section☹️When I am overweight.
I unfortunately ate a sausage roll today. My husbands friend is over from Ireland and they were off to watch football this evening before they left they ate sausage rolls and I couldn’t resist😢😢😢. I hope tonight’s tea makes up for it…Cajun chicken..(home made) and salad.
Glad you caught up with the autopsy programme👍🏻👍🏻
MIss ZIggy

Hi everyone is anyone still here? Miss Ziggy? Wendy1947 Margaret? Sorry I haven’t been about to support anyone but I’ve gone completely off the rails! But I need to get back on it. How is everyone else doing? Have you joined other threads? Hope everyone’s ok love Nicki x

Hi there some weight back on and looking for inspiration:-/ Hope everyone is well.

Hi….. I am still here …not doing too well with BSD. I have gained but weight is stable. I think it’s because I have hit a busy period with work and home. I want to kick start a serious effort again September 1st to take me to Christmas. Whenever I get busy my meal prep ideas go out of the window and I revert to bread and sandwiches for quick lunches etc. Evening meals are ok. I think I will have to prep meals in advance and freeze. It’s the only way for me.
Hope everyone else is 👍🏽
Miss Ziggy 😂

Hi Miss Ziggy so glad you’re still here too! But sorry to hear you’re struggling too. Had the same with family and illness. I know what you mean about the food prep! My husband made do one on a Sunday and it was amazing and an amazing help but got a bit complacent! And still got meals in there! So at least I’ve got a start. I got up yesterday determined to start and ended up having a slice of toast for breakfast! So so understand!! Let’s start and stick together? And if anyone else wants to join tgen there welcome too I have joined a couple of groups on FB but the support was nothing like i had on here! Onwards and downwards? X

Hello everyone
Sorry for my absence online & I am currently in France on holiday after also having a couple of other holidays away. This is partly self catering but because the cooking, storage & fridge facilities are very limited it’s difficult to avoid eating out. I have also gained weight since January & am having difficulty losing it. I now also officially have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my left knee & balance problems because of damage to my left middle ear. It seems as thought the left side of me has deteriorated more than the right🙁 getting older is no fun.
Oh well I still keep trying to keep a grip on things weight wise & have only have four months to lose some weight before our big trip to New Zealand & Australia in January & think that will prove to be very difficult if not impossible.
Perhaps we can continue to support each other through these difficult times?
Margaret xx

Hi Miss Ziggy Niki and Margaret How nice to see you again.
Margaret you and I are in the same boat, left ear but both knees, coupled with a nasty fall or two I need to get back on the wagon. New Zealand and Australia sound good. I have not been out for a walk very much and really need to get out more. Even if I just do three or four thousand steps I feel better. Are we starting again on the 1st September? No I have not joined other threads Niki, have you? Onwards and downwards and will weigh in and let you know on here what the damage is on Saturday.

Starting 1st September, at least becoming more carb focused for me cos I’m still in France, sounds good Fairyface & I’m sorry to hear about your knees. I am trying to do the exercises my physio gave me & it does feel better although our French apartment has very steep stairs that I can climb but struggle coming down & take it one step at a time.
Eating in France is very carb dominated with white bread produced at every meal, fewer vegetables & of course the temptation of drinking wine that I do enjoy. I seem to have completely lost the plot this year despite the focus of my January trip with the prospect wearing shorts & a swimsuit🙀 I was shocked that I couldn’t fit into some of my last years summer trousers & I think it is still so easy to lose focus despite still having fasting days. My husband has managed to stay within 2-4 pounds of his goal weight that seems so much more difficult for me & we eat the same food but I probably drink more wine. Perhaps ladies it’s because we naturally have more fat in our bodies that is only too easily replenished? I am currently studying a free course on Future Learn looking at the biochemistry of our energy processes & What Drives the Body & our bodies are amazingly efficient at conserving & reusing nutritients even lactic acid from exercise. However one useful thing I have learnt is the useful effect of exercise on the way our muscles work making them more efficient through stressing them & building more protein “blocks” & mitochondria that then uses more calories & that is why the overall muscle/fat balance is important in weight maintenance. Sorry to go on a bit but if I better understand how things actually work it helps my focus 😀 rather than just following the standard advice of taking more exercise so now I know why.
On we go & good luck everyone
Margaret xx

Hi everyone
I am a bit confused as to which thread to join as I initially posted on a forum which I thought was to support people starting on BSD from end August but it was an older thread. This is what I posted. I am looking for support wherever I can get it and would really value advice . The ladies on the previous thread have given me some good tips

I hope you don’t mind me joining this thread. I too am a teacher and have had a very inactive summer following an op in June. I am preparing to do the 8 week blood sugar programme when I get back to school from 3rd September.
I have listed lots of recipes from the Blood Sugar Recipe book plus Belinda Berry’s 5.2 Healthy Eating recipe book ( calorie counted meals) to get prepared. I have a shiny new notebook for this purpose 😉 Nothing too complicated and I think it’s doable ( hopefully !!) It will definitely be more manageable when I am at school and away from temptation.
I am British but have lived in South West France since 1990. If anyone would like to ‘buddy up’ to give mutual support I would love to hear from you .
All the best to everyone

Hi wendleg, and a warm welcome to the forum 🙂 I know that choosing a thread is very confusing, particularly
when it’s an old one with a current date! There are 2 current challenges going on, a weekly one and a 4 week
one that will be ending sept 4th. A brand new one will follow! Both of these are lively and populated by
BSDers who are at all stages of the journey. “I Have A Plan” is the weekly one, and 4wk has the word “Zoom”
in the title. You can come aboard anytime, and we will make you feel very welcome. Hope to see you there!

Allie

Hi Wendleg The structure is a bit confusing isn’t it! Luckily all the threads are very welcoming. The important thing is to find an active one with a decent mix of starters and experienced BSDers I think. There will be a new monthly “Zooming into…” thread starting next week. And/or you can also join the weekly “I have a plan…starting August 28th” which is renewed each week. Pitch in to as many as you like! I tend to read the Latest Forum posts to keep up to date and dip in where I feel like it – I promise I am not stalking you!

Good for you that you are not going mad in run up week to starting. It is a good idea to start phasing out the big beasts – bread rice potatoes pasta now, since it will help the transition. And on that subject, yes there can be constipation problems. I swear by chia seeds on the morning yoghurt… If you use the search facility you will find quite a few tips to tackle it. Best wishes for the preparation!

Looks like our posts crossed, caron 🙂 Like minds, etc. Hope your having a great day! Join us, wendleg 🙂 !!

I’m with you ladies and gents !!

I need all the support I can get and will offer you any tips /recipes etc that work for me.

I’m getting excited now 😉 and loving the sense of beiing part of a BSD Community !

Hi Alliecat. What do they say about great minds and fools??!! Good to see you out and about. Still thinking of you, and hoping that you are both adjusting to the news. xx

Hello wendleg & welcome to this thread. As previously mentioned I am also in France on holiday until 8th September & not very successfully partly trying to self cater & now trying to reduce my carb intake in getting back the Blood Sugar Diet routine. I have previously found clearing my house of all non based BSD allowed food to reduce temptation the easiest way of starting & shopping for more fresh vegetables & cooking from scratch the best way to eat. If it’s not in the kitchen we can’t eat it! Also changing the proportion of food on the plate to loads more vegetables & substituting pulses, cous cous, cauliflower rice & bulgar wheat for rice or potatoes helps & we now eat sweet potatoes instead of other potatoes. When I get back to the uk I will reduce my wine intake to very occasional but that is difficult whilst on holiday😀 & in the local super market here in Normandy we found wine was cheaper the the tube of toothpaste we needed to buy😂
We are off to see Monets house in Giverny today & to try & find a carb free lunch! What subjects are you teaching? & good luck with your new way of eating.
Margaret

Hi Wendleg, I am also SW France, close to Ste Foy, just wanted to say hi.

Hi everyone
I have just spent a lovely half hour reading all the posts I didn’t get chance to catch up on yesterday. Went back to school on Friday ;-(
It had to happen one day !! . For anyone else living in France I teach English in a French secondary school in Montauban ( about 45km from Toulouse) and live in a village between Montauban and Gaillac.I have been at the same school since 1998 , hoping to retire in 2 years time so I can go to see my boys more often. For any Ozzies on here they are both in Australia, in Cairns. I miss them loads .

This is my last weekend before my BSD Journey begins on Monday. Yes I am trying to cut down on carbs to prepare myself and the fridge is stocked with veg. Lots of fish in the freezer and my frozen berries from Lidl which I hope I can eat with Greek yoghurt.As I mentioned before I am a fruit junkie. I can forego sweets, biscuits and cake but fruit is my downfall and I know I have to be careful now .

I am still a bit confused as to how to find the right thread to ensure I am replying to all messages plus some of the scientific information is a bit difficult for me to follow but I will make a start on Monday and keep you updated.
Hope you had a lovely time in Giverny Margaret ! Enjoy the rest of your holiday.
Have a great weekend everyone

Hi sunshine-girl. Glad to see you posting. I hope all is well.

Wendleg, wishing you a happy rentree, and a successful first week. Frankly, I don’t think it matters that much where you post; people here tend to roam around! You live in a lovely part of the world, though I can imagine it feels a long way from the Cairns!

Hi everyone
Ready to go ..all set for tomorrow. I just measured myself ready to track any changes. Big numbers but sort of hour glass hee hee !!
Thanks for the good rentrée wishes caronl . Hi sunshinegirl, ! I live in the Tarn, between Gaillac and Montauban. Ste Foy is in the Landes ??
I will be at school tomorrow, probably skipping breakfast but I will see how I go lunchtime. I expect to eat my main meal and cals early evening. I have prepared….no bread now for several days as it does tend to bloat me a bit. I don’t eat red meat, pasta, sweets or cakes but I love my fruit and have to restrict that drastically .Fortunately I love veg too. I have a lot of belly fat which I assume is the result of too much sugar

I hope some lovely people will find the time to read and share with me.I am roaming around the forum topics ….
Good luck everyone

Hi Wendy, just wanted to wish you all the best. You sound very well organised and enthusiastic which is great and inspiring to a bsd ‘oldie’ like myself that’s faffed around this year, losing and gaining the same 5 lbs! I mainly hang out on the weekly and monthly challenge threads and the Positives and Take a Look threads.
Good luck to you and see you around!
Kazzee

Thanks Kazz

I reckon I probably have 4 stone to lose, 3 would be good. I can put on 5lbs in a weekend !!!
I have spent a lot of time this summer reading about fat /sugar and healthy eating; Michael Mosley’s books and Mark Hyman’s WTF should I eat . I know what I should do. Just got to get on with it now. I had a hip replacement last year and pelvic floor surgery this June, both of which were no doubt related to my excess weight. I want to live a long healthy life and look forward to an active retirement !

Feel free to seek me out and we can support each other !

Have a good day everyone. It’s still sunny here in France and due to get up to 30 degrees again next week

I’m cheering for you, on your official start day tomorrow, wendleg! If you have any questions or problems, there
are many of us experienced BSDers out and about every day, so don’t hesitate to shout out to any of us. I
hang out where Kazz does, on the same threads, and we’ll be watching out for you. Planning is the key
to everything in the beginning….It will all become second nature to you faster than you can imagine 🙂
Very best of luck,

Allie

Thanks Allie. You’re a star.

Today is my first day. This is the way it has gone so far. I think I’m a bit weird but tell me what you think.

I went into school today without having breakfast…just my two cups of green tea and a flask of the same.

No lunch as I was busy and to be honest I am never starving enough to say I MUST eat something at lunch time.

I have come home and it is now 4.20pm. Drinking more green tea.

I intend to have an early evening meal probably around 6pm . I don’t go to bed very late as I get up at 5.30 am
The plan is to have the Indian spiced prawns with cauliflower rice which takes me up to 250 cals followed by Greek yoghurt with nuts, seeds and berries, another 200 cals. Both recipes are from the Blood sugar diet recipe book

That’s only 450 cals.

Question for the experienced BSDers. Is this too low for one day? . It’s virtually a fast day I recognise that but I honestly don’t get serious hunger pangs. I reckon my metabolism is shot.
I am likely to have days with more calories obviously . I am not intending to starve myself but this is how the day works out for me.

I think someone said if you average out over the Week at 800 calories daily ( with lighter and heavier days) it should be ok.

Sorry if I appear a bit thick. Bear with me.I”m a newbie !!

Many thanks everyone

Hi Wendleg. I’m glad to hear that you have found the first day relatively easy-going. There will be people along with greater experience than I, but for what it’s worth, I would not worry about being low on calories today if you are not feeling hungry, as long as you balance it out over the week. But I would advise you to keep up your protein levels – can you add some chicken to the indian dish for example? It is easy for protein levels to drop, and you should be aiming for around 1 gram of protein for each kilo of your current weight per day. Bon appetit!

Sorry, maybe I should add a rider. I think Dr MM says around min 45-50g a day of protein. Dr Blikman advises the ca 1g per current kilos weight. So in any case, ensure you have MM’s minimum since this is his diet and website!

Thanks for that Caronl. I will bear that in mind. I will be careful to include protein.I am sure there will be days when my calories are much higher.A nice weekend brunch for example !

It’s fortunate that being back at school I just cannot give in to any temptation . I have cleared my desk of choc !

I have been thinking also that on days when I have late meetings I will definitely have to take something in for lunch or I will be pretty weary by 5pm.

Thanks again xx

That is a lot clearer thanks caronl ! I will make sure I am having enough protein. xx

Hi Wendy There are quite a few good ideas around on the website for snacks/meals on the move. I stick with simple ideas such as boiled eggs, almonds, or dips with carrots/radishes etc. Some go more elaborate – quiches with baked minced meat instead of pastry, filled tortillas made from a thin omelette. One of these days I shall try them out!

Yes caronl that needs planning as I have some late meetings coming up.

I must say my evening meal tasted good ! I ate at 6.30 pm , took it slowly .. I added more nuts and seeds to my Greek yoghurt and berries to keep the protein count up. I will check out the lunchtime meal ideas. I definitely think I will skip breakfast though as it does tend to make me hungrier by midday.
I will see how I go anyway

Thank you Wendleg & our visit to Giverny was most enjoyable with Monets house very attractive with its original furnishings. The gardens were wonderfully colourful & I especially loved the water garden that is so calming & peaceful despite the crowds of people also enjoying it.
I am struggling to stick with the BSD way of eating & I will get stuck back into it after I get home. We are off to try & find a medieval Château with furniture to look around today because the only one so far was filled with painting & sculpture as an ongoing art exhibition centre. Unfortunately the weather has deteriorated with grey cloud & rain expected tomorrow but we have warmer & wet weather clothes with us.
I commend your preparations & hope you enjoy following BSD. I have found in the past that no breakfast works for me because the moment I eat my appestat kicks in to making me feel hungry every 3-4 hours but it’s important to keep hydrated.
I hope everyone is doing well & better than me!
Margaret xx

Hi Wendleg. How is it going after day 3?

Hi caronl

I’m still here ! Yesterday my hubby had a little op and I didnt get back from the clinic till 8.30 pm , having eaten nothing all day. I normally have my meal around 6pm so yesterday was not typical.

I’m happy so far and not really struggling. Still only working on one meal a day. It feels ok like that. I’m not hungry in the morning and didn’t even feel that hungry at lunch time yesterday (day 2) I have nuts on hand in my bag as a stand by if needed.
I enjoy having my calories early evening and planning a tasty meal with lots of healthy fats , protein and low carb ingrédients.

I hope my approach is ok .I won’t weigh myself until the end of Week one to see how I”m doing

I have a question. I keep reading comments from BSDers who say it is not advisable to follow the recipes in the BSD Recipe book on the initial 800 cal programme. Why is this? I am quite happy with protein , mostly fish , eggs and avocado and lots of green veg or salad. I have also tried recipes in the book (the Indian prawns and cauliflower rice, eggs with smoked salmon and spinach ) which I really enjoy. I thought the recipes were a good starting point

Which recipes /books do people follow as an alternative ?

I’m honestly not trying to be a martyr and I do believe that eating breakfast ( when I am not even hungry) would just make me feel hungrier by lunch time. It definitely used to be the case before embarking on the programme . Maybe my breakfast almond milk /fruit/spinach/ seed smoothie was not enough fat to keep me satisfied ? I would need somethng else pretty soon after.

Can anyone reassure me that what I am doing is ok ? I also have a lot to lose ….30 kilos but as I have already said I think 20 is more realistic.I agree about being kind to yourself too and avoiding the guilt trip if we stray a bit from the plan. We have enough to deal with without beating ourselves up like that. I think I have taken on board that I want to nourish my body with food which is good for me. I have an aversion to processed food and I’m not going to dive into a bag of crisps or eat ‘crap’ but I do over eat even the good stuff….

Thanks fo checking up on me caronl and yes well done to the ladies on here who have shared their experience of a substantial loss You are incredible xx

Hello, wendleg! I’m glad that you are finding all of this “doable”. It all becomes second nature very quickly 🙂
Regarding your question about following the cookbook…I’ve been on the forums for over a year, and I’ve
never come across advice not to follow the recipes. I just adapted my own though, which gave me more
flexibility. What I have indeed read though, is that the calorie counts can be off by quite a lot, and anyone
who decides to go strict with the net carbs (under 20/day) may have difficulty, because recipes don’t show
carbs, and there are things like beets, and fruit in some of them. I’m extremely insulin resistant, so I had
to go lower with the carbs than the selections in the book. I kept things very simple by choice. Do you use
one of the apps to count calories and carbs? Weigh and measure? What is wonderful about this way of
eating is there is so much flexibility built into it! As long as you stay with the core principles, i.e. low carb,
moderate protein and high (healthy) fat, you can eat 1, 2 or 3 meals a day, whatever feels right for you!
There is no right or wrong way to do it. And you can carry on with 800cal. indefinitely. It will take you
absolutely anywhere you want to go, I promise 🙂

Allie

OOH it’s lovely when I get a reply !

Thanks so much Allie. I feel reassured by your comments and experience. I downloaded my fitness pal on my phone but I kept getting reminders to log my breakfast , lunch etc. I basically just need a calorie counter and carb checker. I sometimes just look up calories for food on line. I weighed myself on day one and took my measurements but I don’t log that daily .

I must say I don’t feel I am craving any foods or deprived of anything right now. Yes I do like the flexibility and the weekends will probably see me eating more of a ‘brunch’ .I will see how it goes. I don’t want to feel I’m ‘on a diet’ and hope to keep this going for the long haul.
The principles of a Mediterranean diet really appeal to me. It’s grape season in France but I won’t be consuming bowls of them as I could in the past !!
Thanks for seeking me out Allie ! xx

Anytime, wendleg! Fruit can be frightening, when you familiarize yourself with the carb count in many of them 🙂
Particularly the tropical ones, like banana and mango and pineapple. A cup of red grapes checks in at 15!
A simple unassuming apple contains 16. It’s a landmine out there! xx

Allie

Hi wendleg. Glad to hear that all is going well BSD wise, and hope your husband recovers quickly from his op. I’ve been at a choir practice tonight – so a late log in. Allie has answered your questions re recipes, so hope you continue to enjoy them. Another good source of recipes is dietdoctor.com. Re logging carbs etc, I use SparkPeople on my laptop- a US free website. It isn’t exclusively low-carb, but I find the food tracker pretty useful and you can quickly build up a favourites list of the dishes/foods that you eat a lot, which makes it all quite quick. And no annoying reminders! Onwards and downwards!

Hello wendleg
Well done in sticking with your 800 daily calories. When my husband & I first started we almost exclusively followed the BSD recipes from the cookery book just to get in the swing of a different way of cooking & using slightly different ingredients. The avoidance of all the usual quick release carbs such as white bread, potatoes, white rice & pasta makes it simple but you can include pulses such as beans & substitutes such as a small amount of quinoa & bulgar wheat & particularly making cauliflower rice is easy. Apples & grapes can be eaten avoiding the higher sugar tropical fruit as alliecat says but obviously the balance of eating a much greater quantity of vegetables helps to keep your gut happy & my husband & I also have kefir each day to increase the good bacteria in our guts but I haven’t found it in the local intermarche here & reading MMs book about a happy gut is very useful. Oh & it is useful to take a daily multivitamin pill & my husband & I just have soup for lunch that is filling & easily made from vegetables & a Marigold bouillon stock powder & taken to work in a flask for when it gets colder.
Margaret xx

Hi everyone

Just checking in. Another one meal 800 cal day . Hubby is home and gently recovering. I’ve nearly got through my first full week back at school. Slowly getting into the routine.
I am feeling positive and determined….hope I stay that way. I love spending a relaxing half hour looking at the forum posts. I really feel supported on here.
Caronl I registered on Sparkpeople ! Thanks for the tip.

Have a great evening everyone xx

Hi all, Unfortunately I’ve had to postpone my 1st of September start but will be starting on Sunday😃. My OH is away for a week playing golf so I thought the 9th would be the kick up the butt I need. He leaves 5:30am and I am off to work at 6:30am. I will be working all week so will have to do meal prep on Sunday afternoon for next week or I will fail. Wish me luck🙂🙂🙂👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

MIss ZIggy

Morning ladies and gents
I just have to post because I had my first weigh in after beginning the BSD on Monday 3rd September ( with a gentle transition weekend as advised by the lovely people on here)

So on Day 7 of Week 1 I have lost 2.5 kilos ….that’s 5lbs ! So pleased ! That brings me Under 100kilos which means a lot. Determined to keep going and just wanted to thank everyone for their encouragement and support .

Have a great day everyone x

Hello Miss Ziggy & I will be joining you on Monday 10th starting again with sensible food shopping today to restock my kitchen. We came back from France late last night with lots of wine & smelly French cheeses that I don’t much like but I will stay away from the wine & that will be the difficult one for me. We had a lovely time visiting some very pretty villages & I particularly loved seeing Monets house & the peaceful tranquility of his Japanese water garden despite the crowds!
I have weighed this morning & have gained 6.75 lbs but suspect some of this is fluid retention from my recent carb intake. My husband only gained one pound & continues to maintain his original BSD weight loss😀🌟 keeping a good control of his type 2 Diabetes. As you all probably remember I don’t have that & originally joined my husband to help him but now anyway prefer a low carb way of eating & it also helps Jeremy because he just eats what I prepare😬
Very well done wendleg for successfully completing your first week & with such a good weight loss👍👏.
I am gearing up now rethinking my meal planning & determined to start losing my extra weight!
Margaret xx

Hello Margaret

Yes, France can be a bit of a cheese and bread minefield but the main thing is that you enjoyed your stay. I am not tempted by the wine so that helps a lot. I feel more deprived by not being able to scoff all the grapes that are appearing in the shops 🙁

All the best for your new start tomorrow. I will be with you !

xxx

My first day back on track & yesterday ate about 1000 calories & no wine 😿 It’s a fast day today so only coffee & water until supper that will be pork loin steaks with loads of runner beans & a French tin of petit pois & carrots that we brought back with us. I haven’t worked out the calories but around 5-600. I’m doing lots of steps working through all the holiday washing but will be meeting up with my beading group this afternoon & will be offered cake so I might have a small piece because that’s the only carb I will have apart from the ones in the vegetables.
By the way wendleg MM in the BSDiet cookery book says you are allowed to eat grapes, berries & apples only avoid or minimise tropical fruit such as mango, pineapple, melon & bananas because they have more fructose in them.
Best feet forward to everyone this week.
Margaret xx

Hi, just popping on to say a huge well done to Wendleg on your fabulous end of 1st week loss! Just marvelous! Good luck to everyone else also! 🙂
Kazzeexx

Hi everyone

Just had a meal of Courgetti, Peso, Peas, Goats cheese and pine nuts from the BSD recipe book. I included a big ripe tomato from the garden.It was very satisfying and easy to do. It comes in at 430 cals according to the book. I found the pine nuts got a bit lost. They are pretty high in price and in cals. Maybe should have had chopped walnuts instead.

Week 2 begins today. Still only having one meal a day . No temptation with cakes in a French staffroom . Maybe a bag of madeleines at break time but that’s your lot. The French save themselves for their 3 course lunch .I squirrel myself away in my classroom drinking tea and catching up with work so I can relax a bit when I get home.
Thank you so much for all your good wishes and good luck to anyone starting out or continuing this Week xx
Margaret I dare not start on the grapes as I am unstoppable !!! Hubby has to hide them .

Hi there,
Well I’ve had a good day because I prepped chopped vegetables and chicken and steak. I also prepped salad stuff so I can put together a quick salad. The chicken and steak sliced bagged and frozen. The vegetables chopped and bagged and placed in the fridge. I did a quick beef stir fry at lunch time and chicken salad for dinner. And no wine!!…but I don’t mind as I hate drinking alchohol on my own. Tomorrow I am going to try fruit and yogurt for breakfast with some nuts. I am not sure it will keep me going until lunch time as have breakfast at 6:00am. But will try.
I am a bit fed up of water and I know I shouldn’t but I had a Coke Zero today with lunch. Does anyone have any suggestions for soft drinks.

MIss ZIggy

Hi Miss Ziggy
Avoid any drinks with sweetness at all costs. They will raise insulin levels and prevent weight loss. Go for sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice. It’s been my go to drink for 2 1/2 years now.
Cheers
Linda

Hello Miss Ziggy
My husband likes the different tonic waters that Fevertree now produce especially the pink one that I have nicknamed “the pink stuff” so we always have a variety of them in the fridge & he drinks that & when we go out with ice & lemon pretending he has gin in it.
I have just weighed & since Sunday have dropped 3.5 lbs that I know is all fluid, because of all the pennies I have been spending 😂, but it’s cheered me up & if that’s all I lose this first week I feel as though I’m on the way down again.
I bought myself a fabulous heavy non stick frying pan in France for cooking omelettes, steak & my favourite salmon steaks & already have a well used wok for stir fry’s so am we’ll set up. Not sure what to have for supper yet but it’s back to soup for lunch with a small piece of cheese either Comte or Manchego that are my favourites with an apple instead of crackers. I love cream crackers especially with butter on them that wacks up the calories so they are my big temptation plus wine🙁 so they are all now hidden away! I am re-reading the BSD cookery book to remind myself of favourite recipes but I also like cooking spicy food & chickpeas in a spicy tomato & onion sauce that is a favourite Madhar Jaffray recipe is easy plus her black eyed peas with mushrooms & I use a little coconut oil or olive oil to fry the onion & spices. Eating spicy food seems more satisfying as do loads of salad because I find I have to eat much more slowly. All the cauliflowers were gone when I shopped so no cauliflower rice yet but I will make courgetti or use a little quinoa or couscous to accompany them plus loads of steamed veg. My husband now eats more calories because he no longer needs to lose weight & is maintaining so some slow release carbs are ok for him. I’m still working through the holiday washing & then it’s the pile of ironing that is one of my least favourite things to do but keeps me moving & building up my steps.
Onwards & hopefuly downwards we all go👍Good luck everyone.
Margaret xx