2017 Lucia

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  • posted by Esnecca
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    This approach is not for me. All the more power to y’all if it helps, but it just reads like a deliberate plan to destroy your progress and lock you into a constantly repeating cycle of carb binges interrupted by attempts to get back on the BSD rather than just doing the BSD period. Christmas is not a sorcerer that takes over your body and forces you to eat terribly. There is nothing inherent in the holiday, and nothing inherent in you, that makes such an ugly fate inevitable. Why not plan for success instead of rationalizing a failure that hasn’t happened yet?

  • posted by Natalie
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    Esnecca we know you are… strict… in your application of dieting rules. Sometimes I agree, other times I think a little of what you fancy won’t hurt. But you are thin and I am not, so I can’t argue that from a position of strength. But can we agree that, being human, we (some of us) make mistakes and that we should be gentle and forgiving to ourself after the fact – without that implying that we give ourselves permission before the fact?

  • posted by Esnecca
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    Sure, and in fact being mired in self-loathing after falling off the wagon is extremely damaging psychologically and counterproductive to weight loss goals. But it’s not after the fact. Christmas is a week away. Why create a narrative well in advance to make youself feel better for a disaster that hasn’t happened? At a certain point doesn’t that just become a self-fulfulling prophecy? Why not plan a joyous and vibrant celebration where you can feel great the whole time? If things don’t go according to plan, you deal with it when it happens, but shouldn’t the baseline be to aim for success?

    I think it’s so worthwhile to make a real effort to reframe the definition of “treat,” to use your WOE as a shield and staff to give you strength, not to assume days, weeks beforehand that you will succumb to old habits at the first sight of a pie and accept it with a fatalistic sigh. We romanticize these foods and give them power over us for no reason. I mean, let’s face it, there is some pretty terrible traditional Christmas fare. That fruitcake with the half walnuts on top that my parents used to get from a catalogue every year? I shudder to recall. I’d take a pile of roasted chicken over that any day.

    Besides Natalie, as you know, I wasn’t thin last Christmas. Or the Christmas before that. Or the one before that one. Ibid going back to 1994 at least. I am very familiar with what it takes to remain in agonizing stasis for a few decades. Mindset matters. Maybe more than anything else.

  • posted by Natalie
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    I agree mindset is extremely important! And the subject of cheat days or whatever you want to call them is a very important topic, I think. And I can’t promise that what I think right now is what I’ll believe tomorrow, or in a year. But right now, some thoughts:

    It has been argued that there are two personality types when it comes to sticking to something like a way of eating. Those who do really well by cutting out all forbidden foods, and those who panic if faced by the thought of deprivation and start bingeing and who would do better if they allowed themselves regular small treats. And maybe this is the same person before and after they get used to the new regime. If the thought of deprivation makes you abandon the woe altogether, wouldn’t a slower imperfect approach be better than giving up because you can’t face no more cake ever?

    And another issue is the type and amount of ‘treat’. I don’t care much for alcohol so have no trouble avoiding it. And I have no intention of filling up on cheap junk. But roast potato with my turkey and veges – yes, definitely. And some dessert that I will make myself. And I am planning that ahead of time without feeling like it will be a disaster.

  • posted by Natalie
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    Well, anyway, I’ve never stuck to a diet in my life so please don’t take my advice! Listen to someone who has been successful.

    Now I’m sad. No cake, ever again.

  • posted by Californiagirl
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    I think the point Esnecca makes is really valuable for all BSD’rs.
    Over the last two years of following a BSD diet, now in maintenance, I have come to look at the foods we like to call “treats” or “cheats” as only troublemakers — they aren’t a treat, they are stealth agents and they create and perpetuate a cascade of inflammation and high blood sugar leading to metabolic dysfunction and permanent high-insulin states in the body.
    If you are diabetic or pre-diabetic or “just” fat, eating carbohydrate turns on, and keeps on, your insulin pump. When your insulin is high, you literally cannot break down fat for fuel. It “locks away” your fat and you are actually starving on a cellular level.
    In addition, fats are critical for hundreds of biological activities in your body and brain and when you are eating carbohydrates, you are not allowing fats to fuel all those important processes.
    So we would benefit from a different mind-set: why do we need to have carbohydrate to enjoy our holidays?
    It’s an odd thing we do in our society, glorifying sweet stuff that actually just creates long term damage to our bodies.
    If you decide to eat some sweet stuff, limit yourself to a few bites and jump back on the BSD wagon the very next meal.

  • posted by Esnecca
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    The problem I have with the two types of people theories is that it’s purely a psychological analysis and presumes our biologies are all the same blank canvas in the background. People who have blood sugar issues cannot lose weight if they keep eat carbs, even “treats” every once in a while will trigger the BG spike, the insulin release and the fat retention, plus all the reignited cravings. That can only be defeated one way: by breaking the cycle. Feeding it over and over again with cheat days and treats makes it a constant battle, a really hard one which most people lose. It’s also self-reinforcing. Maybe the type of person who is so carb-addicted that they binge at the mere thought of a low-carb diet is so hungry for them precisely because they’re stuck in an insulin spike cycle. There’s also the gut biome issue. Feed the deleterious sugar-craving microorganisms and you will continue to crave sugar. Feed the good flora and fauna with live cultures and pre/probiotics and your cravings will do a 180 degree flip towards the tart, tangy and sour. The types of people thing doesn’t account for biological realities that play a very important role in how we relate to different foods.

    Anyway, don’t be sad, Natalie! There are still cake options, even for low-carbers. Check out Luvtcook’s fantastic low-carb baking recipes. She’s been experimenting with the flourless and sugarless bakecraft arts for years and has it down to science. I made a coconut cream pie with a toasted almond meal crust for a holiday event this weekend and it came out pretty darn great. Even my father, who is as far from a low-carber as you can imagine, loved it. 🙂

  • posted by alliecat
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    Essie, this is very off topic for the thought provoking discussion in progress here today.
    I’ve sent you a new email address that has the quirks worked out, and will appear
    on your device as “allie’s functional email”, just in case it ends up in your spam!

    I think it was inevitable that the subject of how to approach holiday eating would
    eventually manifest itself. What I appreciate the most about fully embracing this
    WOL for the past 17-18 months is that it has completely changed my tastes, and
    after avoiding bread substitutes and sugar substitutes for the duration, they no
    longer present a temptation for me. I feel no sense of missing out on the treats
    available to me, and I don’t think I would have arrived at this empowered place if
    I had allowed myself “treats” along the way. I simply informed my body that no
    carbs or substitute carbs, no sugar or substitute sugar would be coming its way,
    and it better get used to the new normal. There is no momentary gratification
    that can possibly compete with wearing size small clothing or moving my body
    effortlessly from place to place. It took me 17 years to gain 147 lbs. and 10 months
    to get rid of it. Why would I change a single thing or take a single risk because of
    a holiday??? It’s a non starter for me. I wish you all healthy choices and peace of
    mind in the days ahead.

    Merry Christmas 🙂

    Allie

  • posted by Lucia
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    Hi natalie,

    Or lucia’s law, if you cant cope with brick size pieces of life
    Go for lego sizes instead,

    And they are more useful,
    Colourful,
    More connections
    More creative
    More imagination.

    I who am wonderful are going to break all the rules,

    I am going to have choclate
    Pringles
    Toast with real butter,

    But not all in the one meal.

    Over christmas.

    Then one lego at a time , i will do the bs diet,
    Bit by bit

    I will recover and
    Lose a bit more weight
    Then get healthier.

    Want to join me

    Love lucia
    Xxxx

  • posted by Esnecca
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    Allie, I didn’t receive your email. I checked the spam folder and it’s not there either. Whether my post was on topic is debatable. Since it was a direct response to an ethos that is often unquestionably accepted in the wider world as well as on this forum, I thought it was very much on topic. Still, I take your larger point that you were too delicate to make, namely that this is Lucia’s thread to steer however she wishes. I’ll take myself and my holiday pet peeve out of the equation.

  • posted by Natalie
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    Sorry Lucia for bringing down your happy thread! I will be joining you in breaking a few rules (and I’m not actually derailing my diet because I haven’t properly started yet). And yes you are wonderful.

    I can’t quite drop this subject without responding to an issue. Esnecca you talk about a carb addicted person being stuck in an insulin spike cycle and them needing the BSD more than anyone, or words to that effect. Yes indeed. But…. so how do you end this. And don’t say ‘just don’t eat carbs’ to an addicted person, please! Does that work with heroin addicts? There is a scene in the movie As Good As it Gets where Melvin barges into his psychiatrist’s office and is told he isn’t allowed to do that. Melvin says “Dr Green, how can you diagnose someone as an obsessive compulsive disorder, and then act like I have some choice about barging in here?”

    Alliecat apparently you just told your body that was the way it was going to be. Well I envy you that it worked! I’ve have done BSD before, on the good rounds I last around six weeks, try to be perfect, then slip and slip and slide away. Apparently my body doesn’t listen when I tell it no. Well, I’m not giving up and I’m about to try again. But it’s not just a matter of deciding.

  • posted by alliecat
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    Essie, I’ve had many replies using my new email account, so it might be possible
    that I have not recorded your address correctly. No worries though, we can always reach each
    other by phone. We have logged in several hours by now, all extremely enjoyable
    on my end.
    I never see your comments as peevish , but only as extremely valuable insights
    on how you’ve made this WOL work for you. You have made me laugh, cry and
    salute your indominable (sp?) spirit, and celebrate every joy and accomplishment with
    you. You are an icon on this forum, and I’m just one of many that continue to learn
    from you on a regular basis. Will talk soon, and hope to reschedule our evening
    together in the near future 🙂 🙂 🙂 I can’t believe my good fortune in having you both
    located in our area. A true gift to be grateful for!!
    Turning everything back over to Lucia! You are a delight.

    Allie

  • posted by alliecat
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    Natalie, happily this WOE presents us with many options, low carb, 5:2 and Fast800,
    and any and all permutations in between! I always see it as a learning curve, however
    we choose to approach it. I’m an all or nothing perfectionist type, so I can only speak
    to what has been successful for me. There are few aspects of life where I’m
    comfortable not being in control, and for the first time in almost 2 decades I’m
    the one calling the shots with respect to my body and diet. My only wish for everyone here
    who is not happy with their weight or wellness is that they master the formula
    for cracking their own personal “obesity code”. That’s one of the reasons why we
    maintainers that have reached our objectives remain active on these threads, for
    us it is a way of “paying it forward”. I didn’t even find these forums until I had already
    lost an extreme amount of weight. Inspite of this fact, I was warmly welcomed into
    the fold and it has been transformative. I DO and will continue to wish the same for
    everyone on this journey, regardless of whatever news the scales deliver to us each
    morning!
    Be the best that you can be,

    Allie

  • posted by dumptynomore
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  • posted by alliecat
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    Interesting choice of words, Dumpy, “foisting our opinions on someone else”. And
    here I thought we were exchanging experiences! Perhaps this isn’t the right thread
    for it. Best of luck to you all, may your holidays be filled with love and support from
    people that care for you and are invested in your health and welfare.

    Allie

  • posted by Californiagirl
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    The great thing about the BSD is that it works so many different ways — stick with it long enough, (strictly or somewhat loosely) (with or without cake) and it can transform our lives.
    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! Have a wonderful and successful BSD new year in 2018, however you conceive that to be.

  • posted by alliecat
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    Hi Julia (Californiagirl). Just want to wish you a joyous holiday! 🙂 🙂 🙂
    I hope that your son will be able to spend part of it with you! As ever, I’ll
    be watching for your posts in the New Year. Is skiing in your future over
    Christmas? I’d love to be able to sneak in a quick trip to Vermont, but alas, I’ve
    left it all to the last moment. Going to try one of Luvtcook’s recipes here at home…
    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

    Allie

  • posted by Californiagirl
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    Thanks Allie! A very Merry Christmas to you too!
    I hope your culinary adventures turn out really yummy holiday fare and it is a warm and happy time for you. Yes, I am going skiing in Montana with all the children and grandchildren — should be fun and exhausting in equal parts! I got some new skis and I’m looking forward to trying them out — we don’t have much snow here in California yet so I haven’t had a chance to test them.
    Happy New Year and best wishes for a wonderful year in 2018!🍾

  • posted by Eliza52
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    I agree with Ensecca. To me, the idea that you are “treating” yourself with something sweet or alcoholic, or generally carb-infused is non-sensical. Sure, I don’t think anyone should beat themselves up over what they do – big guilt trips aren’t going to resolve anything – but effectively, you’re not treating yourself, you’re damaging yourself! Maybe if you have no issues connected with Type 2, and are following the diet purely to reduce weight with no other reference than the weight loss for its own sake, I guess it doesn’t much matter (or you can “pretend” it doesn’t matter.

    I was diagnosed in September with Type 2. My fasting glucose was 8.6 and Hb1ac 64 – not exceedingly high compared with many on initial diagnosis. Because I had high cholesterol and triglycerides, I was tested regularly, so it’s not that the disease had gone on for years undiagnosed, and as I started the BSD immediately, I thought when I went for the retinopathy examination, there was no way I would already have damage to my eyes. But I was wrong. I already do have mild retinopathy. Still, I said to the guy who tested me, my glucose levels are now normal (fasting glucose 4.1 and Hb1ac 32) so I don’t really need to bother any more do I? Well, he said, I know what you say, and that you are eating low carb etc, but you might not always do that, and you might slip up sometimes – and if you do, your glucose levels spike (and spikes in the glucose levels as I’m sure we all know, come when you do eat the odd biscuit, the slice of Christmas cake, the roast potatoes…) it is these spikes that cause the damage, so yes, you should go on testing.

    Given that, I can no more think of “cheating” at Christmas than I would poke myself in the eye with a needle – and in effect the risks are not dissimilar. So our Christmas is on plan. Will we eat a bit more than normal? Yes. Will we eat things we shouldn’t/wouldn’t normally because they’re high/bad carb? NO! A starter of parma ham, mozzarella, strawberries on a bed of rocket with balsamic dressing (one of our favourites before the diet, and perfectly on plan), roast chicken, with 90% meat mini sausages, braised red cabbage, roast celeriac, green veg (not yet decided which). Dessert, berries (raspberries/strawberries/bluberries, with full fat yogurt and a few flaked almonds or a grating of dark chocolate. Now, what’s not to enjoy in all of that? No damage, and no guilt. It’s a fry up for brunch on Boxing day (eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, celeriac rosti, and then a steak with celery and pepper caponata for supper (someone posted the recipe for this on this website – it’s delcious!). And some blue cheese in celery “boats” afterwards. OH, and Jamie Oliver’s fantastic asian fishcakes (salmon with lemon grass, fresh ginger and coriander – the recipe is online) for Christmas eve (we’ve fallen in love with these, they’re so delicious!).

    Hope everyone has an enjoyable (and healthy!) time!
    Liz

  • posted by JackieM
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    Hey Natalie,

    Responding to you ‘how to break the cycle’. I think Lucia’s Lego analogy is great, and I cheat the 800 calorie thing all the time but I don’t cheat the carbs. So my treats are cream and 90% chocolate (sometimes together, with flaked chocolate and almonds) or roasted almonds or butter on cauliflower or roast beef with cream cheese and horseradish or melted cheese on a plate straight from the microwave (dirty food!)

    Before August I definitely had a carb problem, an addiction, and now I do not yearn for any of it (and lost 16kg on the way). But I do also agree with Esnecca that my problem was only going to go away if I stopped bread and cake and all that forever. I mourned onions for quite a long time, though I don’t ban them entirely anymore. It is sad. But being size 10 isn’t sad, and neither is not falling asleep after meals. Or not having to worry about diabetes and it’s horrid friends. You are right about it all being in the head, a lot of it, but insulin resistance is also in the body, which is why a firm word with the head can help!

    I wonder if mourning the cake (insert food item here), accepting its in the past, (though it was fun at the time) is the best way to let it go? Like a bad-for-you boyfriend? Thinking aloud here!

    Lucia – I love your posts, they are invariably uplifting and lyrical. Hope it’s ok to jump on this one xx

  • posted by Mixnmatch
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    If I may join in, I was ‘thin’ last Christmas although still a couple of pounds above my target as many of you know, having finished my 8 weeks on 28th November 2016. I controlled my eating last December, wary of waking the carb monster again, but I had ‘a few’ roast potatoes, ‘a bit’ of stuffing, baked my first ever Christmas cake, and ate some (in fact finished it off finally in March, after reaching my target at the beginning of February), made rum butter (a Cumbrian thing, sugar, butter and rum, eaten on toast, crackers, mince pies or with the Christmas pud) chose cream instead of sugary custard, and generally had the best Christmas I remember, never eating until I was stuffed or felt unwell, both elements I had previously suffered from. In terms of my overall WOE trajectory this was an important test that I wouldn’t just fall apart and go back to how it was before, it worked! This year so far I am indulging a little more in the run up, and have experienced a few cravings, but I have the tools to make them go away again. Even if I let go totally, and eat unwisely I know now that turning it round is never more than a strict 8 weeks away (in fact 4 also seems to slay the monster). This is from the perspective of a maintainer of course. It does take ‘practice’ at the flexible variants of the WOL to find one you can work with, but I am happy with mine.

  • posted by dumptynomore
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  • posted by alliecat
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    Quite interesting, Dumpty – Do you have some as yet unrevealed qualifications for
    diagnosing psychiatric disorders?

  • posted by dumptynomore
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  • posted by alliecat
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    A very happy holiday to you, too, Dumpty! I’m looking forward to a happy and healthy
    new year for ALL of us. 2018, here we come! 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Best,

    Alle

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  • posted by Flick
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    Hi Lucia, thanks for the invitation to come out and play – but no thanks. After 5 weeks BSD I’ve got those carb and alcohol cravings pretty much under control and want to keep benefiting from that.

    I’ll work out introducing flexibility when I get to my target. I’m a third of the way there so hopefully it will only take another 12 or so weeks of concentration. Yippee – keep your fingers crossed for me.

  • posted by Natalie
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    Flick you don’t need us to cross our fingers for you, you’ve got this! You are doing so well.

    I want to thank everyone who has weighed in on this thread (even though it’s perhaps the most disagreement I’ve ever seen on this forum in two years of reading! And even a teensy bit snarky at times). I find it really helpful to hear other people’s thoughts and get all the issues clear in my mind. I know it all comes from a place of caring about fellow BSDers and wanting them to have the best life possible. I hope everyone continues to be polite and respectful, others usually respond best to it and are more likely to listen.

    I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas however they celebrate it.

  • posted by Lucia
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    Hi gang,

    So my letter to father christmas, i have asked for:

    Tai cheng. Not tai chi.
    A 60 day programme of gentle , elegent exercise.

    Set of head phones
    I have worn the wire out listening to music while walking or exercising or cycling static.

    Fluffy slippers but tall like boots and so cozy

    Knickers always knickers. M and s if poss

    Something like a game to exercise my little grey cells and. Eye hand co ordination.

    Satsumas in my christmas stocking. Nice swweeeet and juicy , instead of a selection box or sweets

    What have you asked for?

    Love. Lucia
    Xxx

  • posted by Lucia
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    Hi gang,

    I have looked back on my old blogs.

    I seem to be aiming at me and others who dont have a strong will to just change diet and habits straight away.

    I seem to be the middle way.
    Or the baby steps way.

    My blog about how we dont have to stress about xmas day but can still come back here and be accepted and, well, basically, just get on with it.

    My hat is off to all who can cope.

    But for the one or two who cant, i say, me too!

    I read magazines were people have lost ten stone in a very little space of time.
    They do not tell you that their weight yo yo’d.
    They dont say about eating at midnight when family are asleep.
    Then crying afterwards with regret.
    I will.

    I am here for those who can’t.
    Come on, lets do it together, but it may take us a little longer.

    But we will ALL get there.

    Love lucia
    Xxxx

  • posted by Verano
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    Allie I love the notion of being …. the best you can be. That is all we can each aim for in which ever way suits best and hopefully Liz, without ‘spikes’!

    I would just like to add my warmest wishes to everyone for the coming festivities and the opening of another year …. let 2018 ‘be the best it can ever be’!

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  • posted by KrysiaD
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    Was intrigued – and looked this up to check whether or not I suffer from it. It doesn’t seem – in my view – that I or anyone on our forums suffer from this condition which sounds so restrictive – not just with food but by restricting living life itself.

    Although I don’t eat the white stuff and it may look as though I suffer from it because I really don’t eat it ever – I do eat berries – even though a super consultant has advised me to eat no fruit because my pancreas can’t cope with it (I am very sad that I wrecked my pancreas by eating the white stuff but won’t give up my berries).

    Also I probably do have more deliciously indulgent cream than is good for me. My diet actually feels less restrictive than it used to be – the huge range of lovely tasty and delicious food is wonderful on this WOE. Am just off to ALDI to buy some lovely stuff for Christmas.

  • posted by alliecat
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    Hi Krysia! It seems that our view of maintenance is very similar 🙂 I don’t
    eat fruit either, with the exception of raspberries. They are a powerhouse
    of antioxidants, as well as fiber, and are so easy to keep in the freezer. Like
    you, my present diet has much more variety than pre BSD, and the contents
    of my refrig. is a riot of colorful vegetables, super clean fish and poultry, and
    the occasional pkg. of pastured and grass finished beef. I’m ordering myself
    to get down to “brass tacks” today and decide what we will be having for
    Christmas dinner! Too many choices, not an absence of them! And the white
    stuff is gone forever… I hope you had an excellent shopping trip and found
    everything you need “in stock”.
    Wishing you a joyous holiday, Krysia. Is your husband fully recovered?
    Mine is doing extremely well after colon cancer surgery, a second heart
    attack, and the implantation of a defibrillator in his chest this year. I’m
    feeling very blessed. Far too much time spent in the Intensive Care Unit
    (3+ weeks)!

  • posted by KrysiaD
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    Hi Allie – I had no idea that your husband has been so ill. How wonderful he is making a good recovery. It must have been so scary and stressful for you to see him go through all that surgery and trauma.

    My husband is doing well also – although last Friday he fell over on the way to the local pub (who falls over on the way to the pub!!). Although he gave his friends a fright – he didn’t damage his new hip – thank goodness – although he did hurt his shoulder.

    I had an excellent shopping trip at ALDI. Actually it was mostly for the sugary carby Christmas stuff (there will be 10 of us over Christmas) – although I did get some lovely 85% chocolate for £1.29. A huge saving on Lindt chocolate. I will be having a couple of squares spread with almond butter for a desert. I also do like the ALDI Authentic Greek yoghurt which I will be having with my berries.

    As I put the Christmas pudding, stollen, Belgian biscuits, baklava etc. in my trolley I actually thought that none of it looked that appetising and none of it was a match for my special Christmas treat – the jar of almond butter which I will spread on my chocolate and maybe even eat a spoonful or two straight from the jar.

    Have just discovered that I love macadamia nuts – am trying not to open the packet because it will mean another trip to Holland and Barrett to get some more.

  • posted by Californiagirl
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    Oh Allie, I too did not realize how much you have gone through this year. I am so glad your husband is better. I hope the new year is free from trouble and a wonderful happy year for you.
    How incredible that you were able to stay the course on BSD during that very stressful time. Well done you!

  • posted by JackieM
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    Surely ortho whatsit nervosa is typified by anxiety and most people on this forum, especially the maintainers, are the least anxious they’ve ever been? They just don’t feel like eating ‘the white stuff’ any more because no more cravings. But most of them are no longer calorie counting either, so free to have as much of the low carb stuff they enjoy. If you want to eat cake, Dumpty, go for it, but I don’t think implying those who don’t want to are in some way mentally ill is accurate. They are healthy BMI though.

    Lucia – it’s intersting you don’t feel your approach requires as much strength as packing it all in. For me you show MORE self control by getting back on the wagon after choosing to get off. Just goes to show we are all different and it comes back to understanding what will work for us individually. I do know I can’t feel deprived, if makes me very unhappy, so my non-getting-off-the-wagon is only because I don’t feel like it.

  • posted by alliecat
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    Thank you so much, ladies, for your kind and caring thoughts! Perhaps I
    am as adamant about this WOL as I am because I would never have had the level
    of stamina necessary to do what I expected of myself during that time without
    having discovered the BSD way of eating 8 months previously. I’ll never go
    back to that state of being. The future is uncertain, but now I know that I’ll
    have the good health to handle whatever life has in store for me 🙂 🙂 🙂

  • posted by KrysiaD
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    JackieM – you are so right that most people on this forum are the least anxious they have ever been. That certainly applies to me. To be free of the carb cravings definitely – for me – is a huge part of it. I feel happy, relaxed and completely free of stress. Also – I am no longer ‘beating myself up’ for my woeful lack of willpower.

    Since starting the BSD I have had great admiration for anyone who can eat cake and then get back on the wagon. I started my first diet when I was 17 and am 70 next year. The whole of this time I have been yo yo dieting because I have absolutely no self control around carbs. So a WOE that banishes carb craving is like a dream come true. Especially as it introduces you to a vast array of absolutely delicious and satisfying foods.

    Allie – I agree with Californiagirl that you did incredibly well staying the course on BSD during the very stressful time. You are right that you would not have had the stamina to cope with everything without this WOL.

  • posted by Lucia
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    Hi team,

    So i have been practising in the mirror.

    You know when family or friends insist on over feeding you…
    Have a sandwich
    No thanks
    Have a cake
    No thanks
    Go on, i will make you a sandwich
    No thanks

    I am ready, determined.
    Firm and polite

    Hiw are you handling things?

    Love lucia
    Xxxx

  • posted by Natalie
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    I don’t often get pressured to eat, but I did have one experience with my brother-in-Law. He knew I didn’t like the apple pie he was serving everyone else for dessert so had got something else especially for me, and it was very hard to get him to accept a ‘no thanks’. I think he was actually quite put out because he had gone to the trouble for me. I nearly got to the point of accepting it and secretly scraping it in the bin, but he gave up eventually. Funny thing was I dislike tiramisu even more than apple pie (I hate coffee flavour and was surprised he didn’t know that) and I had never been less tempted by a dessert!

  • posted by KrysiaD
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    Lucia – that is a really good idea to practice saying no thank you. Natalie – you did well to say no. It is so hard when someone has gone to the trouble of making you what they think is a BSD friendly desert.

    Luckily – family and friends have been very good. Their big worry at first was that when they visited me there would only be BSD food here. They were really happy when they realised that could still indulge in all the sweet carby stuff at our house.

  • posted by JackieM
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    Food you don’t want – I scrape the bits I do want and leave the rest (filling, no pastry, meat no lasagne, sandwich no bread),or just say no thankyou. It helps I don’t want it. I did get very insistent at a friends house I got some cream with my coffee though (that’s after scraping a lot of filling off pastry – I figured they owed me 😂)

  • posted by Lucia
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    OMG

    I just refused a chinese takeaway meal tonight.
    I could eat a tonne of them every day, but now i said NO.
    Me!
    Me!
    i said No!

    Wow……

    Miracles do happen.

    Feeling very, very 😀 And 😇 But mainly 😀

    Ha!

    Saved putting on a few pounds
    And
    Didnt eat carbs

    Yyyiippppweeeeeeeeee!!!!!

    Love Lucia
    Xxxxx

  • posted by Natalie
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    Very virtuous of you! Angelic and happy, a great combination.

  • posted by Lucia
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    Hi gang,

    So my neighbours have bought me a box of fero roche chocolates

    My work friend , milk tray

    My driver hero chocolates

    My boss…. m and s chocolates.

    Friend… thorntons

    Tomorrow, quietly dropping them off at the charity shop…..

    Love Lucia
    Xxxx

  • posted by Natalie
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    Oh my goodness! You could regift them…
    To your work friend – milk tray,
    To your driver – m&s chocs
    To your boss – Thornton’s etc…
    Just don’t forget who gave what lol.
    Or just the charity shop.

    PS I happen to know Santa will be leaving me a little pouch of Lindt chocolates under the tree – and I’ll be keeping those! One a day. Only 150 calories each…. ouch!

  • posted by Lucia
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    Hi friends

    Wishing you all a merry christmas, happy holidays and a healthy peaceful 2018.

    Love lucia
    Xxx

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